a sister is both your mirror and your opposite
#1
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For Tammi, when she has the time.


Meeting with her nephew had reinforced a need to seek out her sister. While Aurèle could make herself disappear, it was not quite the same with her flighty sister. Tayui had a knack for quite the opposite, as far as the green eyed woman could recall. After leaving home, however, both she and her sister had changed. A fire such as the one which had destroyed Lac Sakami, could certainly change a person. Regardless, it shouldn’t have mattered what had happened as long as it was done with. Like the murders last summer, Aurèle had all but pushed the thought into the darkest places of her mind.

Certainly, of these places there were many, and they were deep. One might never know this given her demeanor, which was uncharacteristically chipper. There was a spring in her step, an ease in knowing that she had gained immortality. Anatole had survived, and he would thrive here. The boy was out, doing who knew what, but having brought him up right the Aston woman did not fear for her son. She had, early on, after the storm had taken the other child. Those fears had been replaced by pride in seeing what she had produced. She, not the nameless man who had been her tool. Even he was fading, though the scars on her neck never would—she could not erase the man from her mind because she saw it in the crow.

These thoughts were not the ones which she considered today. In fact, she was not thinking of much at all—except perhaps to brag about how her son had grown so well, without any aid. As her sister’s den drew nearer, Aurèle found that her other nephew’s scent still clung to the area. Of course it would. Tayui was too soft to raise a boy like Atilla unless it was a fluke, which she certainly believed it was. A smirk set on her face, her head high, the pale woman called out. “You home?”


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#2
Big Grin! (WC: 358)

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Dawali had mentioned to Tayui that her sister had returned a few weeks ago, but Tayui had not yet sought her out. She wasn't sure whether it was a lack of motivation or a fear of what she would find, but for whatever reason, they had not yet crossed paths. So, when Tayui heard her sister's voice outside her den, she was relieved -- and surprised. She had not wanted to impose on Aurèle, but at the same time, she'd wanted to show Aurèle that this was their home -- for both of them -- and as a result, they would be seeing each other a lot more than they ever had. Nonetheless, Tayui was delighted to greet her sister, and was glad to know that she was alive and well. The sudden disappearance of most of her family had perplexed her, and somehow, only Claudius and Honoré had remained. She would never believe in curses the way Nayati did, but it was still something she would consider. She didn't think it had so much to do with the name of the lands, but the nature of the wolves these days. Maybe the virus was cursed. Maybe they were doomed to wander until they found themselves. Or maybe, Tayui was just over thinking everything.

Tayui quickly shook herself out of her reverie and padded up to the cave entrance to greet her sister. Once she saw her sister, a wide grin split across her face. She couldn't help it; no matter how stoic and cold Aurèle could appear, Tayui knew there was more there. There was always more to it, and Aurèle was a complex individual. She was her sister.

“Aurèle!” she called out, trotting to the doorway. It was half-covered by a fur, which was pulled back with a thin strip of leather and held down with a large rock. Now that spring was upon them, Tayui left the cave entrance open to let the warm air blow through and revitalize her home. “It's great to see you! How are you?” she asked, almost breathlessly. It was amazing to see so much of her family finally returning.


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#3
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I am sorry, she is weird and decided to be chipper. :|


In the simplest terms, Tayui was day and Aurèle was the night. Not the night though, not exactly. A shimmering fog, the hot flash of sunlight off of a knife. She existed outside of any particular narrowed scope of vision. Aurèle was a super nova and a dark star. No part of her could be captured or held fully. Instead she warped to the world around her, and smiled without falseness because she could not help but smile. There was a large amount of pride in her body, specifically because she had done what her overall goal had been—she had come to ensure this, and come to flaunt her accomplishment because it was so much grander then her sister’s own.

And some small part of her was happy to see her sister simply because. Behind her a thick tail wagged in greeting. There was no hesitation in an advance, though she came to a halt within a comfortable distance outside of the den. It was not her home, and she would not impose on that. Even now, her green eyes glimmered with hell-fire, twinkling impishly as they had when she was a child with a great secret. “Oh fine, Tay, fine.” The shortening of her sister’s name was informal, something she had not done for years. Not that she had seen her sister in that time, but still.

“Settling back in, cleaning out the old den. How are you doing? It’s been a while.” She spoke quickly, but there was no worry in her tone. If anything, she was excited.



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#4
'S'okay; Tayui is a trooper and will just roll with it!

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A wide grin stretched across the pale woman’s maw as Tayui moved to embrace her sister. Although she could not hold the other woman had she been in her Optime form, she could at least offer her a small nuzzle of affection. Even Aurèle, the lady of the ice, could not avoid Tayui’s love.

Tayui stepped back to evaluate her sister. She looked well and she had pluck; there was no doubt about it. While Tayui had been content to have her minor adventures, Aurèle might have done far more. She didn’t even know: Aurèle had never spoken of her travels, even when questioned.

Tayui was surprised to hear her sister reply in such an offhanded way. For a moment, she wondered if Aurèle was being condescending or sarcastic. But then, Tayui suspected that if her sister had sought to be sarcastic, she would never have come over here and would have been much clearer with her intentions. She was too suspicious: the second time she had seen Aurèle since the fire, Tayui had suspected her of a murder. Now, she was glad she had been wrong, but she was still disturbed by the knowledge that she thought her sister was capable of such a gruesome crime.

“Do you need any help? I could come by one day if you want. You’ve been gone a while – you’re right – so there’s probably a lot to do. Re-organize your life, I suppose.” She paused, and added: “where did you go, anyway?” Curiosity. Curious. Tayui was curious to know what her sister had been up to, what she had done, and what her "adventures" had been like. She might have meandered through unclaimed territory for months until she made her way back, or she might have done something wild and outrageous. Tayui sneaked a glance at her sister, wondering if she could ever be outrageous. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Her sister was an enigma.



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#5
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There was a moment where a very real part of Aurèle sought to draw back from the embrace. She was not a physical, emotional being, and Tayui was much the opposite. She had always been like that; her funny sister that pretended she could see ghosts. This, to Aurèle, was less of a crime then her brother’s stupidity. Bart had been her punching bag as a child, and had she encountered him as an adult, nothing much would have changed. For whatever else she was, Aurèle was a creature of habit. This was why she returned to this familiar place and not those she had found along the way.

The pale woman shook her head lightly, politely refusing the offer. She and Anatole would be more then enough to clean out a den that needed much expansion. Perhaps later in the spring she would take that offer up, but for now there was much more to deal with. Both of her eyes darkened and twinkled impishly. “North,” she explained, motioning with her head. “I went over the mountains near the coyote territory. The land up there is magané. A fire had struck it. Of this, she had no doubt. “It’s healing now, but you can smell boucane still.” Her voice fell in and out of their language, something that she did without realizing it.


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#6
311
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Tayui nodded in reply, weighing her thoughts. She was half glad her sister had refused her offer, since accepting it would be out of the “norm” Tayui associated with Aurèle. But at the same time, she wanted any excuse to spend a bit of time with her sister. They were family and no matter what Aurèle did, nothing could change that. Tayui was too firmly dedicated to the idea of maintaining some semblance of family in AniWaya. Now that she had lost it, she wanted to keep what was left.

She was surprised to hear that Aurèle had ventured north. As far as Tayui knew, there was nothing there. And from what her sister said, all that was left was charred ash and dead earth. Tayui nodded, sad that she would be unable to return to Ashen Mountain. Even though she had a home in AniWaya, she still considered Jaded Shadows to be where she grew up. It had been her true home. And it had even been hers.

Tayui scrambled to remember her French, trying to recall words and phrases to mind as her sister spoke. She recognized the sounds and had a few ideas as to the meaning of the words, but was not entirely sure. It had been years since she had used French. Although she tried to impart some of her knowledge to her children, only Claudius had taken to it.

“The fire happened two years ago, I think. I guess it’ll still be some time before it is ever inhabitable again,” she replied, frowning. She could return to Ashen Mountain later, but Jaded Shadows would be no more. It was not the lands she missed, but the luperci and the memories. They had been her family, and it did not surprise her that it pained her to think of them like that. She had lost them.



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#7
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ooc


What was left of the Aston family was mostly located further north. Had she truly wanted to return to a family she might have gone there, but even now, she detested them. There was a large part of Aurèle that believed them responsible for how she had turned out. She equally blamed them for her weak and stupid siblings, though there was no doubt in her that Tayui had far more booksmarts then she ever would. This did not matter. She had grown stronger and produced a son that far outclassed her sister’s children. While Atilla was cocky, he was not at all prepared to survive without manipulating his way to fortune.

A fire, of course, one that had driven them south. She had recalled Tayui perhaps mentioning this but it was trivial and not worth her time. “Ah, such is the way of things, eh?” A shrug, dismissing the sorrow and memories that meant nothing to her. “I did see your boy a few days ago. He’s growing up quite well. Where are the other ones?” The chocolate girl she remembered, and the gray boy, and a second girl who had reminded her remarkably of her (other) stupid brother.

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#8
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Tayui returned her sister’s shrug with one of her own. She was more comfortable with this Aurèle, even if she was distant and cold. Her comment was in no way connected to how she really felt, and somehow, Tayui preferred this side of her sister. She could expect and anticipate it, even if it left her feeling bitter. It was like a pawprint in the snow; forgotten and frozen in time. Somehow, her sister could leave these tracks all over her consciousness and Tayui would always be worse for wear. Even if she truly loved her sister and appreciated her company, it wasn’t healthy – not the way Aurèle made her feel or act. She just wished she could find a comfort zone or some way to connect. That was all she really wanted.


She offered a tired smile in reply, and then blinked suddenly when she realized what her sister had asked her. The smile disappeared suddenly as she contemplated her answer.

“Océane is gone. I don’t know if or when she’s coming back. Claudius is still here, and Noir returned recently from what Attila mentioned to me. I suspect she’ll find her way back to our den soon enough,” she replied with a touch of regret. Somehow, she had driven all her children away; all but the one who depended on her for everything. She only wished the rest of her children had stayed, or had at least said something before taking off. It hurt to know they couldn’t afford her an explanation, but she knew this was the way of the lands. She had defended the name of Bleeding Souls to Nayati, but she wasn’t sure if she believed her own words anymore. Not when it happened to her and to her own children; her own family, flesh and blood.



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#9
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End soon for new one?


Perhaps she was too harsh, considering that Tayui had four children to deal with rather then her two. Well, one now. The other boy had been lost to a river. She assumed him dead, and had moved on. There was only this brutal mentality that kept her going. Anatole had learned this well and did not ask about his brother anymore. Now his only purpose was to survive. One day he too would see immortality. Once this happened, Aurèle would live forever.

“It can’t be helped,” she said bluntly, her face a pretty mask that almost looked friendly. “There’s only so much you can do, and then they go. We all left, after all.” The fire had made sure of that, but she was certain they would have all left regardless. The world was vast and it called to them.


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#10
Sounds good!
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“Yes” she replied, hesitating slightly. Although she didn't want to try and remedy this problem by removing all blame from herself, there really only was so much she could do. Like she mentioned to Nayati, creatures had a strange habit of disappearing suddenly. Though, given the frequency of these occurrences, it wasn't really strange anymore. Tayui had even started to think of it as commonplace. Somehow, that thought hurt more than she thought it would. It was like she was growing complacent or just apathetic. Both would be bad; she didn't want to lose her feelings.


“But you're back, and so are Attila and Noir. You all came back,” she replied, smiling. No matter what Aurèle said, no matter how harsh it sounded, there was truth to it. But Tayui would not forget to see the bright side of things. Her family had returned to her and soon, they would be a family again.



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