all the world's a stage

Talitha de le Poer · 05-04-2011, 11:59 PM

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Set after the pack meeting, in one of our new subterritories, Eden. Optime, near the north border, afternoon. Lahvly table by Anna.

Slim fingers wrapped about a bleached cranium as the internal affairs Optio lifted it from the ground. Irate ruby eyes narrowed upon it, bringing it close to her black-streaked jaws as she studied it. Another one. Who in high heaven is knocking these over? Her silent musings left a quandary in her mind. She was sure that the scouts would have brought to attention any creature who had been lingering for an extended period of time on the borders of the clan's territory. It could have simply been that the culprit was the wind, or some wandering animal who didn't adhere to the lives of Luperci. Either way, it did not amuse Talitha, who placed the skull back where it belonged with a huffed exhale. Sharp, delicate claws tapped against the surface.

It was the first time in weeks that she had ventured near the borders of Inferni, watching the outside world with both distaste and curiosity. Since the meeting at the Manor, she had found the world less ugly. Gabriel was no longer their leader, and Ezekiel proved to be the Aquila in his place. She shared her position with a gentle, compassionate cousin who extended her arms to the packs around them. Life was different, but not unpleasant. In fact, things seemed to be packaged for her rather than against her. It was startling. Yet as she came to terms with life, with her place amongst the fold of coyotes, she started to see hope in the distance. Hope that she had been so sure she wouldn't have reached.

That hope drove her to the edge of her home that day, gazing into Drifter's Bay with all the peace and contentment she could muster. "I wonder what it would be like to find a new home now." Ezekiel had changed her role in order to keep her under lock and key, but he wasn't there at every moment to ensure she remained. Of course, she was sure that leaving was simply not on the agenda; he couldn't follow her now, but he could send others. He couldn't chase her as he had in their youth, but she could still feel guilt. Guilt for leaving him behind to pursue a life she had wanted for so long.

Why was there always guilt? "He didn't find me, so why should I feel guilty? He did perfectly fine without me. If we had never come back, he would have survived all the same." She spoke not to any particular being, but to herself, as if reassuring her mind that everything would be fine if she would simply cross the border into the world. Maybe it would have been. Much to her dismay, she realized she found herself incapable of the decision. Ezekiel wanted her there, home, and she couldn't deny him that. Not yet, not when he had no one else. The future hadn't come to him. Life hadn't caught up with the golden boy turned into an intelligent, confident man. Or it had, but his dark twin didn't wish to realize that in him just yet.

She smiled a vague, emotionless smile as her willowy form slipped to the ground, resting her shoulders against the single tree that stood amongst the slowly growing foliage. It just wasn't the right time for her to leave him, but someday it would be perfect. Someday, she knew they would have to go their separate ways. As the realization came over her, calm and comfortable, she twisted the broken pencil out of her scavenged bag, drawing it over a blank piece of time-stained paper. Beneath the chalky point, a world sprung into life, starting with the sweeping branches of a tree.

Hybrid Holocaust · 05-08-2011, 12:58 PM

I really liked the visualisation in your last paragraph (392).

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It was quiet out this afternoon. While that could be said for every day following the Second Dahlian War, it was especially true today. As always, Hybrid made his rounds along the borders. He had noticed the scents of many wolves passing through the area, farther north, but did not know what to make of it. Many of them had smelled like Anathema and for a moment, he wondered if they were going to stage an attack on Inferni. So, Hybrid had confined his patrolling to the north and easternmost extremes of the clanlands. Even now, as he moved through the forests and wound his way through the mountainous landscape, he saw no one. The scents had faded and there was not a whisper.

Simply put, Hybrid was perplexed. He did not know what to make of this and he wanted to find someone to inform them. Gabriel, preferably, but he didn't know what kind of clout the old coyote would have now that his rat-bastard son was in charge. Hybrid didn't like Ezekiel and he knew the boy would probably feel the same way about him. There was something so intrinsically different about the boy that it put Hybrid completely on edge. He wished he had killed him when he had the chance.

Hybrid continued his patrolling, which was now more akin to meandering, heading west toward Drifer Bay. He was going to turn back when he was drawn to the sound of someone speaking. He frowned when he realized he couldn't identify the voice. He thought it was the Anatheman wolves readying their attack, so he snuck closer, moving quietly and slowly behind the sparse selection of trees. The land was a meadow with wide, sweeping spaces, so he had little hope of concealing himself from the intruders. As he neared, he realized that there was only one other -- and they were not Anatheman. He squinted as the winds shifted and caught the scent. It was Talitha. He trotted closer in time to hear the tail end of what she was mumbling to herself, something about finding a new home and being alright. What the hell was she on about? Hybrid frowned and then moved to turn away. Whatever she was doing, he didn't want to be a part of it. Not in this new monster of a clan.

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Talitha de le Poer · 05-08-2011, 01:44 PM

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Shanks. <3

The world continued to flow, so similar to the way it must have been when God crafted mountains and seas. She was content in her silence. She was content to draw the fantastic landscape that stretched before her, red eyes focused on the paper as the chalky point to her pencil crafted flowers and grass. The world was, for the most part, serene and comforting. The wind changed that. As a breeze fluttered past, it carried with it the scent of someone she knew, but did not particularly care for. Hybrid Holocaust was a warrior, a fact she held great respect in, but her uncle was not the most endearing creature. Never the less, it tok little time for her to pause in her art and glance over one shoulder. He had turned away. One eyebrow quirked upward above expressive crimson eyes. "Hello, Hybrid. Leaving so soon?" Her voice was made louder than usual, to ensure he heard her as she spoke. He didn't want to be there, but she didn't want him to leave. Perhaps it was out of spite that she rose from her seated position to aproach him.

A few brisk strides in his direction brought her closer, the fake smile learned from Ezekiel brightening the otherwise dim features of the de le Poer. "You know, at the rate you come and go, I'd have to believe you don't like me. But that can't be true, since I'm your niece; family is always closer than strangers." Her words held a mocking undertone. She didn't like him, and it was expected that he felt animosity as well. The last time they had met, it didn't end pleasantly. Regardless of that fact, she didn't want to be alone. Her arms crossed over her chest as she cast a studying gaze over his mottled body. "You're getting old." Not the best way to keep him there, but it would have to do.

Hybrid Holocaust · 05-09-2011, 08:27 PM

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Hybrid cringed when he heard Talitha call out for him. He growled to himself, but didn’t turn around. He left one front paw suspended in the air as she spoke and eventually put it down next to his other. He lowered his gaze and peered over his right shoulder, staring at the empty expanse of wild grass. He couldn’t see his niece from here, but if he turned more, he easily could. He turned back to face forward again and began to walk away. When he had taken three steps, he heard her get up and heard her jog up beside him. He didn’t bother craning his head to look up at her; he just kept his head square and ignored her. He continued walking when she spoke again. He glanced up at her and saw her smile, but he just sneered and looked away again.

“We already know I don’t and we already know you think you don’t care, but you do. Family’s nothing.” As always, his words were cross and his expression was dark. He flattened his ears at her last comment, but had nothing to say to that. He wasn’t getting old at all. Luperci lived to well over twelve and he was barely half of that. He was still young and she was still a child. He didn’t need to explain himself to a child.

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Talitha de le Poer · 05-09-2011, 08:40 PM

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She had expected his abrasive nature, and it didn't cause the false grin to falter from her features. Her eyes told a different story, one of vague irritation and faint traces of sadness that she didn't truly realize she felt. Either way, she had come to distance herself from his blood. She was no longer Faolin's daughter, and therefore she was not his niece. She was not a Massacre, or a Holocaust, or a Mogotsi. She was a de le Poer, and then a Lykoi. Her expression softened to something more apathetic as he responded to her words, ears swiveling forward as she took in his opinion. In the past, she might have laughed, but instead she remained silent.

"Father puts a lot of stock in family; are you saying he's wrong?" In truth, it was Ezekiel who parroted the importance of blood to her, but she knew that at one time, Gabriel had said something involving her ties to Inferni. Of course, she could have misremembered. Either way, it mattered little. Gabriel was their father, and she felt certain he would have agreed with her either way. She loved little of her family, yet remained proud of her lineage, for the most part. If only they hadn't been ruined by the touch of wolves.

"You're presumptuous to assume you know what really goes on in my thoughts, Hybrid. If I can stop loving my mother, I can certainly feel no sense of kinship to you. Dislike me all you will." One hand waved in the air dismissively as she finalized the sentence. Though it had only been months before, she felt she had changed since their last meeting upon the shores of Hades Beach. "The fact that you seem to think on it, though, could be seen as your own pathetic attempt to rationalize your dislike of me. Personally, I believe you're jealous, since I'm closer to Gabriel than you could ever be." Possibly a lie, but something she enjoyed saying. It seemed that she simply wanted to aggravate the Secui Hydra, mocking him from her high perch. Her expression fell blank and she rested a hand against her skull, thoughts of her father leaving her mood sour.

Hybrid Holocaust · 05-09-2011, 09:57 PM

440.
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“You abandoned yours and mine abandoned me. And you still think I should believe in it? That’s a little naive, hmm?” His reply was immediate and snappy, since he had never thought much of the concept of ‘family’ anyways. Inferni was a madhouse with broken Lykoi’s and supposed de le Poer’s running around. Everyone was someone else’s uncle and cousin. Hybrid was uncle and half-brother to three, but they had proven that despite their familial connections twice over, it didn’t matter in the end. Hybrid had grown callous and used to this sort of abandonment so he did not dwell on it often. When called upon, he found the same bitter taste of resentment that he felt now. He did not like the kinds of emotions Talitha forced him to examine since his life was meant to be simple and certain. He was a warrior and his purpose was clear. He was himself and he was used to it being just him. He was the only Holocaust, Massacre, Addiction, Dusk, and Destruction. There were no others. He carried the blood of many warrior families in his veins, and despite the strength he had once believed was inherent in his family’s history, he knew it was all a fallacy. Families made no difference; one had to make their own strength.

“I don’t disagree with Gabriel, but he places a lot of trust in families, don’t you think? In Ezekiel, first off. Andrezej was family. Vitium was family. Samael was family. They’ve all betrayed me – and Inferni.” His mother had been betrayed by Inferni after doing the right thing and attacking a trespasser, but the wolves had been weak and blamed her for her righteous actions.

He did not like how she made these assumptions and made him think these things. He definitely didn’t like knowing she assumed he was making any assumptions about what she thought. In their previous conversation, they had both made their feelings perfectly clear.

“I’m not assuming anything,” he snapped. “You told me as much last time.” He didn’t really know what to say about her other comment, though. “I don’t know why you think I’ve been dwelling on this,” he added with a perplexed tone. “You’re annoying and persistent and you think you have a right to talk to me. I don’t know why I would be jealous. I’ve known Gabriel long enough to know that your appearance doesn’t change our understanding of one another. You’re not as important as you think, little girl.” This time, there was no malice – just simple confusion. What in the world was she thinking? He really didn’t understand her angle.

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Talitha de le Poer · 05-09-2011, 10:46 PM

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Always, they went back to her having left. She snorted at his words, crossing her arms firmly beneath her ribcage while her mind drank up all he had to say on the matter. Just like with Halo, she felt outside of her family once more upon hearing the words in such an honest voice. They were wrong, of course, as Gabriel had told her before that she would always be welcome, but it was wounding. He didn't need to like her. None of them needed to like her. They simply needed to work with her. She allowed a faint sigh to pass through her jaws, eyes falling to the ground as confusion clouded her expression. She had come back. Despite having left, as so many others who remained inside of Inferni had once done, she had returned. Yet, it meant nothing.

Her fingers clenched against her forearms. "I don't understand why you things can't move on from the past. I haven't done anything that others haven't done themselves; even father left, he went to Scintilla, he told me. And he goes and cavorts with outsiders, with wolves, and has children with them and loves them and yet I remain the largest evil inside of Inferni, and I can't seem to understand what is wrong with you and her." It was true that Gabriel denied being a true father to the outsider brats, and she had not allowed him to answer her question of love, fearing the answer. That he had denied it, however, simply made her believe it more firmly. Gabriel was now free to do as he pleased, and he had left another who cared for his outside family in his place, and yet her uncle and cousin still could not get past the fact that she had left Inferni.

"You've known Gabriel long enough to believe I'm not as important as you think, but he placed me above you in this clan. And I'm a traitor, in the eyes of you and in the eyes of my cousin. But here I am. I rank higher than you, and my brother is our Aquila, and where does that leave you when my father dies, Hybrid? You'll have nothing. You two share an understanding, that's all. He doesn't love you, he loved your sister and he loves her two horrible, traitorous brats, and you're left on the outside, because he will always choose his two children over you if it means the clan continues on." She spoke softly, voice smooth and calm as words came forward in smooth procession. How she perceived the world would be different than how he perceived it, and she knew that he would disagree or argue or grow angry and try to tell her what he believed to be the truth, but she was not bothered. Instead, she was blank. Flat. Moodless. She shook her head and turned from the hulking Secui, not willing to show the distress that colored her face. As she spoke, her eyes grew dark and morose. How she hated her eyes, they ruined everything.

Her shoulders shook with a sigh and she turned her face toward the sky briefly. "And then you can be like me, in a world where no one wants you around, and like me, no one will pity your loneliness. Living on the outside is a lot like being dead; quite refreshing, sometimes, since no one bothers you anymore. You should try it sometime." A few short steps carried her away from him, though not far. As far as she was concerned, her art was more important than continuing the company of a male who didn't believe she belonged; she was sure he felt the same about his own activities for the day.

Hybrid Holocaust · 05-09-2011, 11:06 PM

664.

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She had so much anger. It delighted Hybrid to see her be the one to get riled up and not him. It was always he who was prey to the insults and malice of others, but how often did he get to have a real conversation where he wasn’t the only one feeling things? Everyone in Inferni grinned at him with their mocking smiles or stared at him with their blank expressions. He knew what kind of beast Ezekiel was and still is: a madman with slick words and a good smile. Nothing more. He was a fake warrior who pretended he knew of battles, war, fire, and wounds when he had neither seen nor experienced any of them. It drove Hybrid mad knowing that he could not find the silence he wanted and that every low scion of the clan didn’t give a fuck about what he did for them. They were useless. And that was why he served Gabriel, not Inferni: because Gabriel understood.

And again, when Talitha spoke, he had to chuckle. “You still think you’re so important. There are many monsters worse than you, little girl.” If she thought he hated her, she was sadly mistaken. He didn’t know what she thought he thought about her. “You piss me off and you’re annoying as fuck, but I’ve faced worse. There are worse little shits that I’d very much like to kill.” He wasn’t sure if it was implied well enough that while he disliked her, he did not hate her and did not wish to murder her. There was something to be said about that. If anything, he disliked Ezekiel a great deal more than her. Hybrid didn’t know what to make of the rest of her comments. Scintilla? He’d heard of that word, but it must have been where Gabriel went when Hybrid was away. Hybrid had returned to Inferni during Gabriel’s absence, seen the procession of leaders until Gabriel returned. He supposed Gabriel had indeed left, but so had Hybrid. Of course, he’d been a pup at the time and hadn’t known Inferni was his home. No one had told him. His mother had left him with Segodi and disappeared for two years before coming back with her former lover’s brother’s children. What a fucked-up family that was. Of course, thinking all this led him in a merry little circle and distracted him from the conversation at hand. When Talitha spoke again, he felt himself jolted out of his little reverie. He realized he had fallen behind as she had picked up the pace, perhaps to outdo him and leave him behind. He wasn’t sure.

Again, there were more questions and more emotions he didn’t want to feel. Rank had no meaning. He knew his place and as long as everyone else in Inferni recognized that, he would be fine. He supposed he had always believed himself to exist outside of the ranking structure within the clan. He had always been Gabriel’s right-hand man, no matter what Talitha said. He didn’t need some leader position to know who he was. He didn’t need petty prizes and trophies to inform the world. He was content knowing he was right and just and honourable. He didn’t like what she said later, either, but knew she believed many things he did not. Of course, Hybrid did not intend to live in an Inferni without Gabriel. He had never thought about it and had assumed Gabriel would last forever, or at least, longer than Hybrid would. It wasn’t too much to ask to die in a blaze of glory in battle, was it? Not for Hybrid and not after all he had done for the clan.

“When Gabriel dies, I will die,” he said at last. “I am not a member of Inferni like you are. I serve Gabriel, not this foolish clan.” He didn’t know what that meant exactly, but he knew that without Gabriel, Inferni would no longer be home.

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Talitha de le Poer · 05-09-2011, 11:36 PM

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She would never deny that Hybrid made sense, though she saw his voiced beliefs as warped or twisted. She ignored his words of monsters worse than she; as it made her feel better about his opinion of her, there was no reason to try and make sense of it. What he said spoke volumes more than what was black and white on the air. Yes, he did not like her, but no, he had no desire to have her dead. Though it continued to show no familial bond between the two, she supposed it was better than what she expected from Halo, whom she detested the presence of far more than that of her misogynist uncle. In her place away from him, she thought, and her mind worked over his words. She had once lived for Gabriel, for her de le Poer kin over those others who came to settle in the skulled borders of Inferni. She could never say she had been like Hybrid; they had never and would never be similar, but she had once felt something in the way of absolute loyalty to her King Emeritus. The King Emeritus who had betrayed her love and trust of him, who had tarnished the ideals she had been raised with as a child, the ones he himself had once instill within her — yes, she had once placed him above all others, with her blind love and admiration. But the past always seemed to hurt, and his actions had done no different than those of her Lykoi uncle or traitorous mother.

Gabriel had failed her.

Her claws came to tap against her bottom jaw, words escaping her for a moment. "What Inferni has become is disgusting, and Gabriel is no better. He used to be so wonderful. He used to be a King, and what now?" She choked on a breath of air and brought a hand to cover one eye. Memories of her conversations with her father flooded her mind, most prominently the night she learned of the half-siblings outside of her world. What had he done to his princess? What had she done to him? Things were not the way she had wanted them to be in her childhood; he had done so much wrong and, worse than the actions themselves, he had hidden it all from his family. She wondered if they really saw her as fragile — was that why she had been excluded from the news?

Delicate fingers wove through her curls, twisting lengths of auburn hair around the joints while her mind tried to find all of its pieces. Things had been going so well, too. It had been too easy for her uncle to shatter the glass used to hide the wrong that had been invading her brain. Happiness was fickle. She should have known. "It doesn't matter now, I suppose. I don't want to be like you. I already hate being something that resembles him. This world is so unappealing lately. This clan is so unappealing lately." A bored blast of air worked its way into the air. Her time was focused on knowing those who lived inside, and she was no impressed with who she had to deal with in the least.

Hybrid Holocaust · 05-10-2011, 01:12 PM

764.
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Hybrid didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't complain about how Gabriel had led Inferni because Gabriel had allowed him to do as he pleased, even when Hybrid knew it might jeopardize... something. He didn't even know. As far as repercussions went, Bris had come after him for murdering Kol, but he'd toyed with Bris well enough to know she would not bother him again. So why should he complain? Certainly, there were many hybrids in the pack, but Hybrid knew he'd experimented a bit in his day. There had been Pilot, locked in the shed for two months and then the falling-out with that male Ryan had been seeing. Valkyrie's new father, most likely. But Gabriel hadn't really said anything about it. He couldn't remember, in fact, if there had been any consequences for that. He supposed that if he couldn't remember a reprimand, it probably didn't happen (since he would remember that, wouldn't he?) He didn't fucking know.

He didn't know what to say to any of it. Knowing that Gabriel's own daughter slandered him made Hybrid uncomfortable. He didn't know if he agreed or not and he didn't know if he even needed to make a decision. What did it matter if he formed an opinion on her comments? He doubted she'd care either way, so he just shrugged in reply. Finally, after staring straight ahead for so long, he craned his head up to look at her much taller form. She fiddled with her hair as she completed her thoughts and Hybrid wondered if she had more to say.

He was right. Whatever it was that was bothering her enough to say those words against her father wasn't done yet. He didn't know if he wanted to hear this, and for a moment, he turned away as she began to speak, but found himself glancing up at her after a moment. He was surprised by her diffidence. He had expected more anger, but it seemed as though she'd cooled it and retreated. Weak. He sneered and shook his head. If there was anything about her he disliked, perhaps it was her tendency to restrain her emotions when she should not. He loathed hysterics, but he also acknowledged that his every movement was fueled - to some extent - by anger and his acceptance of it. She fought too much against herself. He didn't like it. And then she would brush off her previous words by faked apathy. He knew she cared. He just wondered why she didn't want him to know that. During their last meeting, she had questioned him and then feigned disinterest. It appalled him to see this kind of behaviour. It was not sly and it was not to either of their best interest, so why did she do it?

Of course, once he was done mulling this over, he realized she had said much more than he'd anticipated. She didn't want to be like him. That brought a smile to his face a she realized they had similarities, but not likenesses, which she could not deny. Children were the product of their parents, so why not be like them? Hybrid had chosen a life to contradict who his father was after Faolin murdered him and Hybrid had grown up not knowing Asphyxia's name.

Or, had he? He didn't know. Segodi had been his father until he'd sought out his real one -- and answers to his questions. So if she didn't want to be like her father, then perhaps Talitha really was like Hybrid. Perhaps she could carry on her legacy when Hybrid died. Perhaps she could be the next warrior. Perhaps she would fail him, like so many had already.

"By trying to be different, you become the same," he began slowly. He wasn't used to these long, drawn-out thoughts. "My life is simple, but you complicate yours," he stated. He didn't know how he felt about that. "Gabriel played his part and I served him. We're not meant to live forever. His part is over." He sniffed and then frowned. "Now your... brother... leads." He did not like Ezekiel, so what did that make him? If the children were destined to redundancy, following the paths of their fathers, what did that make Ezekiel? What would happen to his understanding with Gabriel when the former Aquila inevitably died or departed?

His life was too full of questions and not enough answers. He could blame Talitha for this, since that would be easy, but he knew that he played a role in this, too.

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Talitha de le Poer · 05-24-2011, 11:50 AM

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Sorry for the wait! <3

His words sank in like the toxic waters of a swamp, causing the most unpleasant sensation of crawling inside of her fur. Was he right? Did all of her attempts to be different, to be better, than Gabriel de le Poer cause her to be similar? It couldn't be, just one of her uncle's attempts to hurt her. She shook her head, tossing around the thick reddish-brown curls that hung limp about her shoulders. He spoke of life and how hers was complicated by herself — this, she knew to be true — and he spoke on how Gabriel's part was over. A frail hand rose to cover her eyes as the squeaking cry of distress erupted from her jaws. She didn't want to think about Gabriel leaving. Not her, not Inferni. He'd proven a stable foundation to a world she had only just started to return to; without him, where would she stand? She had Ezekiel, yes. Unlike Hybrid, she had family that wanted her to stay, but like Hybrid, she hadn't been pleased to hear Gabriel was turning over the reigns of leadership.

Her silence remained for a moment longer before she allowed a mask of apathy to cover up what had once been sorrow. "I only try to show them that they're wrong. What has Inferni become? With two Aquilas who find happiness with the outsiders over their own? But I'm still the one who gets treated poorly. All because I left." There wasn't any logic in it, at least not as far as Talitha was concerned. Another shake of her head brought her back to Hybrid, arms clasping her shoulders as if to fight off chill. "I want to be alone now. Go back to whatever it is you do when you're alone." Her voice was quiet as she dismissed him. She preferred the silence.

Hybrid Holocaust · 06-06-2011, 07:01 PM

As always, Hybrid's first response was a frown. Why was she always bringing that up?

"If you didn't mention it so much, I doubt anyone would remember," he replied with an annoyed shake of his head. "Only Halo, Ezekiel, Gabriel, Kaena, and I remember. The rest are... new." The word came out distastefully, just as he had thought it to himself.

Of course, he had not been prepared for her scathing words after that. Who did she think she was to dismiss him? He could take a hint - he didn't need such a tactless dismissal, even if you could call it that. Perhaps that was one of the many things about Talitha that just rubbed him the wrong way: she didn't have the innate understanding he and Gabriel shared or the simple, but complete recognition he had with Kaena about the rules. He respected the rules and expected the same in return, but it seemed as though Talitha would have none of that.

He frowned and let out a small snarl as he spoke, "don't you fucking try to dismiss me." He regarded the girl uneasily as he considered what he could say. Anything he said would be wrong, rude, or vicious; even if it was Talitha who was the bitch.

"And you wonder why the rest of the clan doesn't try to interact with you. They don't bother me and they don't bother you -- or even care about you. Maybe you should consider the similarities inherent in that, poppie." Maybe she'd realize that the same reasons which brought Hybrid solitude were the same which kept Talitha an outcast in her own birthclan.

Talitha de le Poer · 06-09-2011, 02:36 PM

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Sorry for the wait!

He wasn't wrong. If she would simply not speak of it, she doubted many others would ever know that the Princess de le Poer had fled the lands. Of course, she could never claim to have been a steadfast force within them; it went against her morals to claim such false things as if they were reality. Simply not speaking of them, however, was not lying. It was omission, and omission didn't hurt anyone involved.

Though she had expected him to take the chance to leave her without her attempt to follow him gleefully, Hybrid would have none of that. His voice caused black-rimmed ears to fall to the side, crimson eyes narrowing as the petite woman turned to face him again. She would dismiss him as she would dismiss anyone; it wasn't her attempt to reign power over his head, but her way of telling others to leave her alone. She was giving him an out, but he didn't take the chance. Instead, he moved on to talk about her status in the Kingdom. Thin arms crossed before her chest, head tilting to the side as she took in his words and processed them.

"I don't wonder why they don't. They don't matter; they're no more my family than you are, Hybrid, and I care very little whether or not they choose to spend time with me." This time, she didn't claim she cared little for their opinions; it was clear now that she did, or she wouldn't have been so tense about her vile cousin's belief that she was no true Infernian. What they did, however...well, that was unimportant to the Optio, as long as her place was marked clearly in her home. She had a hard time believing, though it was honest opinion from the man who had been her uncle only months before, that she was anything like Hybrid Holocaust.

Hybrid Holocaust · 06-19-2011, 08:20 PM

She claimed one thing and did the other. The last time they’d met, he had called her out on her bullshit and she’d gotten all worked up about it. Hybrid didn’t honestly care if it bothered her and he wasn’t really trying to change her mind; he just didn’t like it when others lied to him. He preferred either the truth or an omission. If they just didn’t tell him, he wouldn’t ask. He didn’t need to know about others’ pathetic lives and he didn’t mind that he was this selfish. He knew his role and he understand how he lived. He didn’t need anything more.

Talitha tried to live like that, but every time she made that claim, there was something that seemed off. It was as if she wished she didn’t care, but she really did. There was something too good about her, some sort of characteristic Faolin shared: they just didn’t have the ruthless intentions. His sister had been weak, had risen to the occasion once, but had then proven herself flighty and unreliable with a string of disappearances. Like mother like daughter, right?

“You care and you always try to say you don’t. I don’t know why you’re lying to yourself or to me,” he replied with a half-hearted sneer. It was more sad than angering, really, so Hybrid couldn’t muster up the anger required. “You wouldn’t have left the clan meeting and you wouldn’t have just told me you’re trying to show them they’re wrong if you really didn’t care.” He just didn’t know anymore.

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