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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 16:18:06 GMT -5
She was expecting a guest. The little spoiled brat wanted a Title. He'd dropped out of that damned Esterberry school she was paying for for "personal reasons" and he wanted to be given a position of even greater responsibility? Probably why he'd asked Apocalypse first instead of her, because he knew her answer would have been along the lines of "fuck off, you spoiled little skank". That was also the reason why she requested Apocalypse transfer the meeting with Andrei over to herself. Well, initially. Andrei had been acting very different lately. He was not as loose as he used to be. He was quieter, not even reserved but almost afraid of social interaction. His arrogance even seemed to have changed. She got the feeling it was more of a mask now than genuine arrogance. Just what the hell happened to him? She had to know. For as much as the little snot irritated her, he was still family and she still loved him as such. She would get to the bottom of this. |
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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 16:30:44 GMT -5
When he's heard that who he'd be meeting with had changed, Andrei felt a trickle of fear. He spent several minutes trying to keep himself calm, to stay in control. He feared where this encounter would go. He'd spent much of his childhood hating the woman, only to recently feel the desire to accept her offer to be her adopted son. Then, as a cruel twist of fate, he changed. Into what, he couldn't even say. A bipolar were-demon? Either way, when he changed, he felt things about his loved ones that made him disgusted with himself. He knew he wanted things. Big things. He couldn't let this get in his way. He had to control it and hide it. Suits, what would they say if something like this got out? He didn't want to meet with Heilyn. He knew she would grill him until he gave up. Shit, she was a Bog Dweller and he knew all too well how they viewed the mentally unstable. He didn't want to deal with all the reasons why people generally feared her, and most of all, he didn't want to deal with her disappointment and letting her see him like this. He'd already dealt with it enough in dropping out of college for private tutelage and not explaining why. He knocked with a shaking hand. Get it together, he told himself. Just shame yourself again by giving the impression you're a quitter. It's better than the alternative. |
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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 16:41:15 GMT -5
Ah, a tepid knock. Yes, the boy knew what he was in for. Well, maybe. The boy had become hard to read because of his recent mannerisms. Oh, they were subtle to be sure. Not everyone noticed, but Heilyn did. She paused, staring at the door. A few incoherent thoughts crossed her mind, quickly put to rest by her Weapon. The girl worked hard to keep Heilyn's mind in order. Keep it from falling apart. She was a better Keeper than she was a Weapon.
THUNK.
Huh.
How did that knife get stabbed through that pile of papers and into the desk? Funny. Heilyn had no recollection of picking it up, and there was her hand, releasing its grip on the blade's handle. Heilyn felt Spekkio scrambling about in the back of her mind. The little Spider had her work cut out for her.
Haha, sorry.
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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 16:52:53 GMT -5
Heilyn's mind had become more web than mindscape in her later years. As she made her new home outside the Bog's wall, fell in love with Seth and started a family with him, Heilyn's mindscape had become a mesh of the two worlds. A bog, yes, but with more sunlight. Less gloomy. In the middle of the bog was a rather large but not overly lavish cottage with a wooden bridge-walkway leading up to it from the sunny meadow that lived on the outskirts of the mindscape. Brightly colored flowers reflected back the sunlight that came in through the trees and a myriad of colorful insects buzzed back and forth between the fragrant islands. All along this landscape were many cracks, glue together with spiderwebs. A young girl had abandoned her gardening duties to repair the adhesive in one of the cracks.
She sighed and sat on a stump next to her. This was getting tedious, but she wouldn't complain. It was why she was created. Created? Well, by Heilyn's subconscious plea for help from a developing weapon or because The Weaver spun her this way it didn't matter. Her loyalty would never falter.
Even if it did cut into her dates with Apocalypse.
Sigh.
"Don't forget you have a guest, Lynny."
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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 17:03:08 GMT -5
THUNK!
...Thunk? The hell went thunk? Andrei raised an eyebrow but remained quiet, waiting for her reply. He would wait a few more seconds and knock again. The noise unnerved him a little. Heilyn had been getting a little unpredictable lately and thunking noises were often not good things. He sat back on his bat-bird haunches, his bat-bird wings propping up his front half. He waited. Ugh. This was getting awkward. He looked down towards both ends of the hall, a more interesting view than the door. A few more seconds dragged themselves through the awkward sludge-like air that muddled with Andrei's simmering fear. He shifted weight to knock again.
"Come on, then. Let's get this over with," came a clipped voice suddenly in front of him. Andrei started, his wing no longer about to knock on the door, but the stomach of his adopted mother. It hovered awkwardly as Andrei just stared up at her. When in the hell did she...? Never mind. Despite her age, the woman could still move. She moved out of the way to let him pass. He took a deep breath and entered.
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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 17:20:31 GMT -5
Well, that plan would work if the desk had the proper installations and if all the handcuffs weren't in the bedroom. Besides, that would be kind of creepy.
Heilyn circled over to the desk, vaguely aware that she'd offered Andrei a seat before sitting herself. She would only admit to herself that this meeting did unnerve her. She was afraid of what may have happened to him, or worse, what didn't. Traumatic events could be conquered. It wasn't easy, but in many cases it could make one stronger. Andrei was raised by Bernard, Seth and herself. He could take many things.
What was harder to get over was a sense of entitlement. What if nothing happened and he just wasn't raised right? Some failing on her part to make him into a productive member of society. She knew she was reaching her last years and could do little more for him. Something dreadful was happening in the world and she wouldn't be alive long enough to see it through. All she could do was prepare her charges as well as she could, and what if...
...what if in this case her failing had wasted a Card with so much potential?
She looked over at him. He was staring quite openly at the knife still sticking out of the pile of papers. She ignored it.
"We haven't spoken much since you returned home from Esterberry, Andrei. Why don't we start with a few cordial exchanges of half-hearted pleasantries?"
Spekkio unleashed a textbook display of the Facepalm x2 Combo.
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Post by Satra on Aug 9, 2011 17:53:45 GMT -5
Oh, the sarcasm. She's not even starting with being blunt and she doesn't sound like she's joking, either. This was never a good sign. This usually meant some kind of verbal torture was involved. Dammitdammitdammit!
No. Breathe. Stay calm.
"That sounds like an excellent plan, actually. I would have started them sooner in hopes we could move on to less half-hearted interactions, but I've..." GUH. DAMMIT why did he say that? Now he HAS to finish the statement! Buh, uh, shit! Think of something! How can this be turned around to be less incriminating? Uhhh, brain fart. Looking back at Heilyn made his mind go blank. Nope. Best finish what he meant. He took a breathe, his haughty air dropped to something a little more sincere. "...but I've had a lot on my mind. I am actually very sorry. How have you been lately?"
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Post by Satra on Aug 10, 2011 3:07:14 GMT -5
With her chin rested on the back of her interlocked fingers and her elbows rested on the desk, she looked back at him. He was unnerved. She took note of the pause in his statement, how he seemed to try to relax. It was all too unusual. He'd never acted like this before. She sat back in her chair and shrugged.
"Been well. As well as an overpaid noble-widow could be, I suppose." She paused to look up at the ceiling, almost seeming lost in thought for a few seconds before bringing her gaze back down to Andrei, "And yourself? I'll be honest, your 'personal reasons' for leaving Esterberry and what was so pressing on your mind as to, for lack of a better term, avoid me has me curious and, frankly," her head tilted slightly as she looked at him, "a little worried."
She had little fear of letting some personal concerns get into this meeting. Both she and Andrei knew nepotism was not Heilyn's style and any unprofessional acts on Heilyn's part would not affect the outcome.
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Post by Satra on Aug 10, 2011 4:46:21 GMT -5
Things... seemed to be relaxing. She made a joke and was not drilling into him with her interrogator stare. That was good. She was showing concern now. Trying to get him to open up. Dammit it all. He was afraid of getting close to anyone now.
"Why would that concern you?" The look he got in response to the statement (which was saturated with would-be bravado) made him wither. Yeah. That was pretty dumb. Please, please just let me dance around this, Mom. Please... He opened his mouth to speak again, only to get caught up in his words again. He wanted to call her 'Mom', as he'd begun recently doing, but at the same time he wanted to try keeping his distance. However, he found himself freezing up. How would she react to him calling her 'Heilyn' again?
"I..." he swallowed, feeling some panic rising. For all he did to avoid it, there seemed to be nothing left but for him to confess. The question was, how long would his fear make him hold out? Which would give first? His fear or her patience?
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Post by Satra on Aug 10, 2011 12:27:58 GMT -5
Heilyn already found herself losing her patience. She told herself it was because the situation called for it. They were in an official meeting and here he was stuttering and trying to dance around important issues. The truth of the matter was that she was old, often tired and with a waning sanity, her damned heart condition prevented her from getting the physical activity she needed and, dammit, her back hurt. Fuck life. Heilyn had more important things to worry about than making Andrei feel more comfortable in this situation.
"Out with it, boy," she said in a clipped tone.
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