Post by Kari Muffin on Dec 4, 2009 3:32:15 GMT -5
; I seem to have written quite a bit while stressing. I also have a few sketchy sketch things.Peaches and Xander fic. <3 This is a rewrite of an older fic that... was lost a while ago.
Family Ties
Peaches held the small manacles in her hands, looking down at the young brightly colored boy. For a little boy he gave her a lot of trouble.
"Xander..."
"No." He said as he puffed out his cheeks.
"Please."
"No! They're stupid!"
"They're for your own good."
"They are not. There's no such thing as the curse. You can't even explain it to me right, so how can it exist?"
Peaches closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. He was a child, of course he didn't understand. Well no. His siblings seemed to understand the idea of the curse that every Torquehelm had. Even when Xiven was this young she didn't argue this much. Just Xander.
Just like her damn brother.
"Please, do it for Grandma?" She hated that word more than anything, but it seemed to work half the time. Grammy. Grandmother. All of those words burned like acid, but she had to use them. It was the only way to get the children to do what she wanted half the time.
"No."
Of course. Peaches made a frustrated sound before jumping at the kitten. The boy was fast and easily able to dodge his grandmother's grasp. Of course this wasn't going to stop Peaches from chasing after him.
It was quite the site to watch the little yellow cat running from a woman in a straight jacket who was brandishing a set of manacles. Through the various twists and turns the woman was somehow able to keep up with the little boy. That was until he darted into one of the rooms.
In all honesty Peaches should have expected what came next. She didn't, however, and was completely unable to stop herself from colliding face first into the door that had been slammed shut by her grandson.
The sound could have been easily heard down the hallway, along with the unceremonious thud and clatter as she hit the floor.
For a few moments she stared at the ceiling as she debated on if her nose was indeed bleeding and broken or not. Once she had decided that it was in fact broken, she rolled over onto her stomach. She watched for a few moments as the blood pooled on the floor.
She didn't look at the door when she heard it creak open slowly. Xander would be peaking his head out any moment and trying to apology. Peaches continued to stare at the floor as she tried very hard to see through the tears.
"Grandma? Are you okay?"
"No." She said shortly as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. She pinched her nose so the blood wouldn't get everywhere. Guh. Why couldn't he heave just put on the blasted manacles?
"I-I'll get a doctor!"
"No." Peaches stated rather flatly, "You take your bindings and go tell your Mommy you broke Grandma's nose."
The boy looked more than a little surprised at his Grandmother's statement. However, she knew that he wasn't about to disobey. His mother would find out one way or another, and it would be better if she found out from the little boy. He needed to learn a bit of responsibility after all. After a few more moments of hesitation the boy took the bindings in his hands and scurried off. She could hear a "Yes Grandma! I'm really sorry!" as he turned the corner.
It took a few moments for the woman to get up and make her way to the medical wing. It was frustrating. It was bad enough that Eldy had so many traits like her brother, though far saner, now her grand child was starting to ask the exact same questions Basil had in their childhood.
But she had to remind herself they were different. Her daughter knew the value of her binding, and was, at the very least, more skilled at getting away from trouble than her brother ever had been. Xander was just... a pain in the ass. It would probably be something he would grow out of.
Or not, for all she knew he would be breaking other people's noses as time went on.
This "growing up" and being "a responsible adult" thing sucked. How exactly had she managed to produce such a normal and stable child who thought it was a bright idea to have children of her own?
Peaches stood outside the door of the waiting room. How many times had she walked into the medical wing with some ridiculous injury from all her escapades? She knew as soon as she walked in, someone would scold her, and tell her to be responsible.
Family. Mother. Grandma. When had she ever thought any of these words would be used to describe her life? Her dream had been to join the courts. Not to have a complicated family life worthy of a bad romance novel writer.
She sighed, wincing slightly as she took a step into the waiting room.
Because we all know there are always rumors, and you can't make everyone happy.
Rumors
There were four people in the world that Xiven actually trusted with her life. Heilyn, Apocalypse, Rhiannon, and Peaches. Heilyn was a well established person, but ultimately she had plenty of problems of her own to deal and cope with. Apocalypse was trouble a good deal of the time. Rhiannon was now a summonable weapons. And her mother... her mother was bat shit crazy. However, she was sure that those four people weren't about to stab her in the back.
It was just the rest of the world she had to worry about.
Don't you think you're being a little too paranoid?
The voice in her head, a summonable cyclone of all things, seemed to always have her best interest in heart. Though she seemed to hate anyone who had a Heart on their chest regardless of how much the Queen loved them. Of course she had to put her two cents in.
Xiven responded with a shrug as she continued to her attempt to read in peace and quiet. Of course she couldn't stop thinking about things. It was like her brain never shut off recently.
If you can't stop thinking about it, don't sit here and pretend to read.
"What are you suggesting?"
Use your invisibility to your advantage and snoop around.
"That's something my mother would do."
Yes, but she's not around is she?
For a moment Xiven shifted awkwardly. She knew for a fact that there were rumors. There wasn't a single noble who didn't have a rumor, positive or negative. She knew her mother had the most, but often ignored it. The woman was good at her job, as far as Xiven was concerned. And she knew for a fact her mother wasn't about to stab her in the back by not telling her about an assassination attempt. How many spies could you actually trust?
Fine. She would poke around.
Now that she had a mission she wasted no time. Shutting her book she set it back on the shelf and went to investigate. It was after lunch time, therefore some of the staff would be on break.
Swiftly she made her way down the hallway, once the spell was activated she would have thirty minutes to spy on people. Randomly reappearing had cause quite a few awkward moments, but at this point she had managed to master the art of casually appearing behind someone at random.
She disappeared from sight as she turned the corner, carefully avoiding one of the servants as she went. Now, who should she listen to today? The kitchen was a bit far away, and... well maybe she could check up on that washerwoman who she caught with Pale? Yeah. That sounded good. She seemed the type to gossip, and it had been a while since that little incident.
Of course the woman wasn't hard to find. There she was with her friend, chatting over a meal.
"They had another argument yesterday! Apparently you could hear it from the gardens." The washerwoman stated cheerfully as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"Really? It makes me wonder why the two of them are together. He fools around so often and she already has so many children!"
Xiven frowned. They were clearly speaking about her and Pale.
"You know she caught me with him. I honestly thought she was going to kill me."
"It's probably because she sleeps around too. She has a new lover from what I heard!"
"Really?"
"Really. A Yarrow this time. Another woman. I have no idea how his Highness stands a chance."
"Maybe she really does love him?" The washerwoman paused for a moment as she stared meaningfully at her sandwich. Perhaps it was a brief moment of guilt for interfering with the love decagon?
"You really think that's possible? Frankly I have no idea how that woman is normal. Her mother is batshit crazy and her father was off his rocker."
"I'm sure crazy people can fall in love."
The other woman rolled her eyes. "Right. And she can have anyone she wants and yet she picks the King of Hearts who bangs washerwomen and half the lady staff in the palace."
The washerwoman narrowed her eyes and smacked the woman lightly upside the head for the small insinuation behind the statement. And then her face brightened. "Oh hey! Did you hear what he did to a male lover she had?"
"She had a male lover? I thought he was the only man she was with!"
"Apparently her mother hooked her up with a rather cute boy and Her Majesty was caught in the act. Apparently the man came to the infirmary covered in his own blood with a chunk missing out of his neck."
Xiven in reaction to the statement actually smack her hand against her palm. The sound caused both of the women to jump. After they inspected their surroundings they went back to their thrilling conversation about the sexcapades of the court nobles.
After fifteen minutes Xiven ended up leaving. It was just... so ridiculous. If this is what the people at the palace thought of her... what did the rest of the world think? Did everyone think she had too many children? Did everyone think that she was a whore? Did everyone in the palace think her mother was out to slip drugs in their drinks? Did everyone know about every woman Apocalypse ever slept with and she was just out of the loop?
You can't make everyone happy all the time, you know?
"I know that!" Xiven exclaimed as she rounded the corner. Thankfully there was no one there.
Then why are you so flustered?
"Because, how the hell am I supposed to trust anyone when everyone in the damn palace is talking about me behind my back?"
Don't trust them. You don't need any of those Heart bitches.
Xiven's still invisible face twisted at the remark. She was the Queen of Hearts. She was supposed to represent her entire suit. And in her head she had the biggest hater of Hearts in all of modern history. There were still only four people in the court of Hearts she could trust. Well, she supposed she could trust the voice in her head to some degree. She did give good advice when it didn't involve.... the suit of Hearts.
As she continued to walk down the hallway she passed by two servants carrying towels.
"If the Queen of Hearts ever flirted with me, I would jump in bed with her in a flash."
"Like that would ever happen. She's never slept with a man other than His Highness Apocalypse."
"Oh didn't you hear..."
"The Queen of Hearts is right behind you," Xiven said as she paused to spin on her heal. Her time was up, and she was now visible to the world.
Both of the servants jumped, the man dropped his towels while the other one nearly fell over. They didn't say a word, they just stared at her in horror.
Her arms were crossed as she looked them both up and down. What should she do with them? Her brow furrowed as she watched the man try to pick up the dirty towels he had been carrying as bright red was visible through all his white fur.
She sighed. Emeraude was right. She didn't have to care what other people thought of her. She was the Queen of Hearts.
"You do stand a chance, but I like guys with longer manes because it's something to hold on to," Xiven said to the young man as she picked up one of the towels offering it to him. "Run along, and try not to run your mouth off around other nobles. They might not be as forgiving as me."
The blush grew brighter as the man accepted the towel with a bow of his head. After a few moments the pair of servants hurried off.
Xiven couldn't help but smile as she made her way back to her room. She could only trust four people, but that was fine for now.
This is because Pale whined at me.
Punishment
There was a problem that needed to be dealt with. Xiven just wasn't particular sure how to deal with it. With her axe in hand she opened the door with the greatest of care.
Conway. He was the problem. He had seemed like a sweet person despite his violent tendencies. But this was something else entirely. He had broken the man she loved. He deserved a punishment far worse than death.
When the door was open half of the way she could see his figure pressed up against a corner in the room. He wasn't sleep like she expected, but did that really make a difference? It wasn't going to stop her from achieving her goal.
"Hello Conway," she said quietly as the door clicked shut behind her.
The man stood at attention, his eyes wide in the dimly lit room. There was no real escape as he was already backed into a corner and the Queen was blocking the doorway. His body visibly tensed as he shifted awkwardly.
"I heard you did something rather awful to my King. Something unspeakable."
Conway reached for the collar around his neck. There wasn't a word he could speak to "defend" himself. Not that he had an excuse for what he had done. He had raped Apocalypse because of the painful need that he couldn't escape. He had been wrong, and the man had made that quite clear, for sure. His entire body still hurt even after the doctors had begrudgingly patched him back together.
And she was coming closer and closer, her axe now clearly visible with it's dull gleam.
He had no other option.
'I would have left it I could.'
She froze on the spot. Her eyes widening as she took a step back. There was a voice in her head and it clearly belonged to Conway. "You... you said that?"
Conway nodded. 'Look, Your Majesty. I would have left if I could have, but I can't.'
Xiven's grip tightened on her axe. For a moment her entire body tense as if she were about to lash out at the man. Instead she took a deep breath and let her grip relax. Nonchalantly she walked across the room, setting her axe along the awkward and empty dresser that was in the spare room. There wasn't much in the room beyond the small mirror that hung on the wall, along with the few lights scattered across the room.
She ran her fingers down the frame of the mirror. She could see the man reflected in the mirror. "Really?" she said quietly. Her motions were swift as she tore the mirror off of and flung it across of the room. The Joker narrowly escaped the mirror to the head.
Xiven hissed as she crossed the room. The Joker was doing his best to brush some of the glass out of his clothing when she grabbed the man's pony tail. A pained sound escaped him before he fell silent.
"Give me one good reason not to kill you right now for what you've done." She snarled.
'Do you want your boyfriend to ever have sex with you again?'
"Is that a threat, Joker?"
'No. Just a fact that if you kill me... you might be in for more than you bargained for. Didn't he tell you what happened?'
"What the hell are you on about?"
'To put it plainly, the reason why I needed to have sex with your King was because of the mind blowing pain of some invisible force trying to tear off my dick. And he felt it too. Just feel free to ask him when you get the chance.'
Another snarl escaped the woman before she slammed the man against the wall. "Don't fuck with me you little bastard. Who the hell do you think I am? The only reason you're alive is because of me!"
'Urgh. I'm not lying. But feel free to put me out of my misery. I certainly deserve all of your hatred.'
She let go of the man suddenly. Her face twisted into a rage before she grabbed her axe. There was a brief moment where time seemed to freeze. There was a clear internal debate for the woman, but in the end she simply turned on her heal an slammed the door behind her.
If you haven't caught it, Pregnant Xiven is crazy.
A Reason To Live
This was hell.
There was no other word for it.
He wanted to leave. It made sense to leave. To escape. To run away. And yet... he still had this desperate crippling need to stay and be near that man.
That man. That man that he hated with every fiber of his being. The one that had caught him in the act of shifting forms seemingly forever ago. The one that he should have killed when he had the chance. The one that made every night of his life as painful as possible. Apocalypse.
Why if he hated him so damn much was he still in this damn palace?
He couldn't figure it out. His body demanded one thing from him, along with the majority of his emotions demanding the same godawful need and desire. The part of Conway that was logic clearly stated that he needed to get the hell out and reclaim his freedom.
But it was impossible.
Even when the collar was removed, it was impossible.
Conway growled as he curled up on the bed in the corner of the room. It was a nice little room, with a night stand, dresser and small connecting bathroom. That woman, Xiven, tried to make him "comfortable" some of the time. She had given him a small gift or two before everything had decided to promptly fall apart.
He didn't want to think about that. He had done something horrible.
And he was getting punishment for it he suppose. This was just punishment for all the things he had ever done wrong. All the people he had ever hurt. Clearly Conway didn't deserve to be happy. Otherwise he would have been able to leave.
And see the people he loved.
He was never going to see them again. His friends. His family. Gone forever. He was stuck here for the rest of his life. Maybe he should just put himself out of his own misery?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door handle click. His head snapped upwards to the door. Why was someone coming to his room in the middle of the day?
When he saw the figure poke it's head in an eyebrow quirked upwards. It was Xiven. Wasn't she supposed to be on bed rest? Why was she here? If it weren't for her... he'd be dead. At this point, he honestly thought it would have been the better option.
"Hello Conway," she said brightly as she slipped completely into the room.
She looked like hell. From the color of her skin to her posture. He couldn't help but wonder how she was standing. She wasn't even that pregnant yet, and she seemed to be having so much trouble. Shouldn't people have been watching her?
He remained silent as he watched her cross the room. She looked him over for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed. She gave him an expectant look.
His expression staid the same as he continued to stare at the woman.
She shifted awkwardly. "You have the collar off today... I thought you might want to talk to someone."
"I don't, you can leave."
The woman flinched as soon as he spoke. Apparently she hadn't expected such a blunt answer. For a moment she looked as if she was going to hit him, and then her expression changed to one of disappointment. "Oh, well then, I suppose I should get going."
Getting up looked as if it was painful. Everything about the woman looked as if she was sickly and in pain. Why was she so damn determined to go through with this pregnancy if it was clearly killing her? Then again, he understood nothing about the woman. On the outside she seemed so nice, and yet she had watched torture with something he could only consider glee. There was nothing sane about her.
But she looked fairly miserable. And he was stuck here.
Almost completely silent he slipped off of the bed. In a fluid sent of movements he was supporting the woman's weight as they were walking towards the door. "You should be on bed rest," he said rather flatly.
"I know, but it's lonely."
"I can't exactly solve that problem."
The woman gave him a rather pitiful look as they slowly traveled the path back to her room. Conway could feel that she had plenty more to say. After all she wouldn't have come looking for someone if she didn't have anything to say. Why him? There were plenty of people she could corner who actually cared.
"He doesn't think they're his," she said quietly as they entered her bedroom.
Conway didn't want to deal with this. Not in the slightest. But he didn't have a choice, did he? "Does it really matter what he thinks when it's pretty damn obvious that they're his?" Conway stated as he ushered the woman to the bed. She protested only briefly before taking a seat.
"It does matter. I want to have a happy family with him and he thinks they aren't his."
The Joker shifted awkwardly. The woman honestly looked like the statement was killing her. How much did this pregnancy mean to her? Did Apocalypse know how much she actually cared about him? Why was she doing this to herself in the first place?
"If it means that much to you, then he'll understand. Just trust him and yourself."
"What makes you so sure?"
"You're family. Now, I should get going before someone gets the wrong idea." Conway turned to leave, only to find that the woman had grabbed him by his bracelet as he was moving away. His body tensed briefly before he gave up on the notion of putting up a fight. She might have been pregnant but he was fairly certain that the Queen was capable of making him regret his existence more so than he already was.
A small sigh escaped him as he slipped on to the side of the bed.
One day he would be free again. And then he could comfort the people who really mattered to him. That... that was a good reason to continue living.
And her crazy just gets worse and this is only the beginning. This is actually what made Pale whine at me.
Having No One
He was sitting across from the pregnant woman. Conway watched over the book he was pretending to read as she failed at all her attempts to knit something that may or may not have been a scarf.He was thoroughly debating on stopping her just because it was painful to watch someone flounder so badly. That and she seemed to be getting angry at the knitting needles and he honestly didn't want to take one to the face.
"If you need help with that...."
"What? Do you know how to knit?" Xiven growled as she started to undo what little she had managed to piece together.
"Yes, actually."
The woman paused, her eyebrows arching upwards. "Really?"
Conway sighed. Without a second thought he shifted to another human form. A woman with silver hair and dark blue clothing. He crossed the short difference between them, holding out his hand for the needles.
The woman hesitated for a moment. But then she handed him the needles and the yarn.
The motions to Conway were like breathing. It didn't take him very long to progress twice as fast as Xiven had done to produce a lopsided tiny chunk of knotted yarn.
"Where did you learn how to knit like that?" she asked in awe.
"When I was younger a nice woman taught me. It was one of the few things she seemed to really enjoy... and her daughter wasn't interested." He gave a small shrug. "So I kept it up in her honor."
The woman tilted her head as she continued to watch. "That's... very sweet of you."
Conway chuckled. "Why were you trying to knit anyway?"
"Ah... I thought it would be nice to make something for the children again. Though clearly I'm not cut out for the knitting thing."
"You're really not," Conway said with a slight snort. "And you shouldn't frustrate yourself when you already have so many problems."
She sighed. Her frustration was clear from the sound alone, but she didn't verbally respond to the Joker.
Conway continued to knit for a few moments in silence. Why was he even here? Why did she want him here? Was she really all that lonely?
"Conway... this is a strange question... but um...when we... you know... did you...?"
"Enjoy it?"
"Y-yeah."
"Yes. I did." Conway said as he finished the row that he was knitting. Sex. Real sex with a woman. That was something that he missed.
She shifted awkwardly under the blankets. When he glanced over at her he noticed the blush on her cheeks. Was he supposed ask her the same question? Did he want to know the answer? "Did you?" he asked after a few more moments of awkward silence.
"I think so."
"Should I be offended?"
"Ack! No. I mean I just... It's just embarrassing to admit any sort of enjoyment considering I'm not all that experienced when it comes to men other than Pale."
Conway's eyebrows arched upwards. Of course this was a different experience when he was wearing the face of a woman, but it was enough to get his point across. "You did some pretty impressive things. He's a lucky man."
Her face turned bright red. "I don't do things like that all the time. B-but. I wanted to ask because well... you and... you and Pale--"
The sound that escaped Conway was half between a gag and a whimper. He offered the woman the knitting needles before moving away. He shifted back to his normal self, slipping into the chair.Apocalypse. That man. If it weren't for him... if it weren't for that damn need he could escape. "You didn't turn me gay, if that's your worry."
"That's good to know," she said after a moment.
"I really just want to go home."
The woman froze as she looked at him. For a moment it seemed like his words didn't register with her until she shifted uncomfortably again. She set down the knitting and slipped off her blankets. Sitting on the edge of her bed she looked over at the Joker. "I didn't think someone like you had a home."
There was a moment where Conway watched to lash out and hurt the woman. But he knew better. He knew that she wouldn't kill him. For whatever reason she had every intention of keeping him alive. "I had one. I had a family too."
"A family?"
There was something wrong with the way she said the word. The look on her face was something pitiful. It was almost like she was going to burst into tears any moment, and yet she was clearly struggling with something else.
"Yes, a family. I have a sister. She's pretty sick though. And there's someone back in Hisstor waiting for me to come home. I told him that I would always be back. I have a friend too. He's a Torquehelm and a little awkward. And then there's... well none of it matters because I'm never going to see them again." A harsh laugh escaped Conway as he suddenly stood up. He needed to leave. He just couldn't deal with this.
And then Xiven started crying.
Of all things for the woman to do, Conway hadn't expected that. What on earth had triggered it? Him moving to leave or something else entirely. He continued to stare at the door in frustration as he spoke. "Please don't cry."
She only got louder.
He cursed as he slowly turned around. This was going to bite him in the ass at some point, he was sure of it. Just as slowly he made it over to her bed. He hovered, not willing to sit down as he asked the question, "Why... are you crying?"
It took a few moments for her to respond through the sobbing and tears. "I don't have any friends. Everyone hates me. Apocalypse doesn't think the children are his. And I always... I always seem to fuck up so badly I only end up hurting people. I can't even sit here and have a conversation without hurting someone." She choked on a sob as she struggled to wipe away the tears.
Conway was at a loss. The woman had just admitted several things to him, and by all rights he was a perfect stranger. What was he supposed to do? Comfort her? Give her some sort of hope? Or was he just supposed to watch as she slowly killed herself?
Not like he could really fix this or anything.
"Just... don't cry. Please," there was another moment of awkward hesitation before he reached out briefly and hugged the woman. He didn't give her a chance to hug back as he pulled away. No. This touching thing was not his cup of tea.
But she seemed to be a bit better. He gave her an awkward smile as she wiped her tears away. She muttered a small thank you to the man, saying that he could leave if he really wanted to.
He took the chance that was given to him.
The terror gripped him briefly as he shut the door behind him. Hopefully he wasn't going to get punished for touching her. That man was far from understanding considering what Conway had done to him. So the punishment was more than just a reality. But... if he had done nothing he was sure something horrible would have happened. After all... no one deserved to end up broken like his mother or his sister were, right?
Naked Peaches: img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/karimuffin/rpg/8-1.jpg
Gender Switching!
My brain has a basement, characters hang out down there when I space cadet
