This Endless Battle

Sky Rhiannon · 12-28-2011, 12:28 AM

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Sky could use a friend. D:

I hate you.

You love me.

Get out of my head.

You don't want me to leave.

You've ruined everything.

I've saved you again.

SHUT UP!

More shattered glass, this time, the mirror in her bedroom. The nice, big, rare vanity. She'd been glaring into it all morning, trying to find that face she knew from her dreams, the dark mask Sanja wore when he spoke with her. Nothing except the burning fire in her own eyes.

His words were like poison.

She'd struck at the mirror, shattering it around her arm and hand, thankful that only a few shards cut into her as it fell to the floor.

Blue eyes stared into the last remaining peice, a jagged sliver of reflective glass. This time, she saw him. Those blood colored eyes staring back at her. She gasped and backed away, tripping over herself and onto the floor with a thud, ass first.

It was a few minutes of just... sitting there before she decided enough was enough. She'd been stuck inside all hours since Taliesin had left. She'd never been so barred up before, not since the war in AniWaya. There are no guards keeping me sealed this time. And thus, after bandaging her arm and hand, she left.

Cold eyes glared out at the world around her as she stepped off of her porch, dressed in a black sweater and loose-fitting jeans. Her belly was noticable in the tight black material, but she didn't care anymore. It wasn't fat. It was life.

But then, she didn't move. She stood there on the roadside, staring at the town around her, seemingly lost for a moment. Who could she go to? Who would listen? What would she even have to say? It was mid-afternoon, the time when the pack was most active... and the poor befuddled woman had no idea what to do now.

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Orin Takekuro · 12-28-2011, 12:47 AM

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Word Count ::300+

She paced around the corner and stopped as abruptly as a hunter happening upon a deer in the forest. When her eyes caught sight of the dusty brown woman she stopped in her tracks, comically mid step for a moment before she relaxed. Oddly enough no words came spilling out from the vibrant woman's mouth to fill the gaping silence. For a moment she just looked at Sky, her eyes an illegible mixture of emotion as she drank in the sight of the shattered woman.

She didn't know what to do. This was their first run in since... since... Well, since the event that Orin couldn't ever bring herself to speak of, or even think of. It was like admitting it had happened would make it happen again, even though Tameri was dead and couldn't be killed again. What a gruesome thought... Orin, stop it.

She wore the rose colored cloak again today and it shielded her well from the bite of winter, but the hood was not up to hide the pink hair or the recently knotted locks that were chubby and had yet to mature. The effect was similar yet oh so different than her old hairstyle. A small motion beneath the cloak hinted to her twitching tail.

There was no attempt to hide her glance as she looked at Sky's swelling belly, and despite the awkwardly silent moment a half smile tugged at one edge of her mouth. When her amber eyes returned to Sky's countenance she no longer looked at the woman like she was an alien anymore. “They grow strong,” she said, and now she finally moved again, coming toward Sky. “Do you know how many? When they will be born?” Sky had a talent for understanding the unborn. She had cared for Orin and her babies while they were in the womb, and had it not been for one being such a small little runt Sky would have even guessed the right litter size. As it was, two was pretty accurate anyway, with as small as Titania had been at birth. She wondered if she could understand her own infants just as well.

Sky Rhiannon · 12-28-2011, 01:26 AM

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...this should be interesting. xD

When Orin appeared, Sky wanted to flee back inside. Her relationship with the other woman had been rocky from the very start. Friends but rivals. Sisters but enemies. Family but strangers.

And then she saw the smile and realized that this would be a time to relax around the other woman. She was nervous to let her near, to let her in, and it would take a long time for her to actually truely relax around her... but at that moment, Orin was her only real friend in the pack.

Skye didn't count. She was a leader. She'd been the one to let Liam go. Sky still held some bitter resentment over the fact, but there was nothing more she could do. Who were they to choose who lived or died?

She forced a weak smile and placed a hand on her stomach subconciously, tail waving in an effort to show friendly welcome. Not sure yet, to be honest. I'm thinking two or three. She shrugged. They'll be born in the early spring, probably. Hopefully. This time they were kicking often, always active and Sky was never left to forget they were there.

...How have you been, Orin? Her eyes were far away, but she was making an effort to stay in the present moment. Too much trouble. Too much drama. Too much bloodshed. You've dyed your hair again. It looks nice. It was true. Sky envied the girl for her white fur. Dying must've been so much easier that way.

For a moment, she wondered what she'd look like with darker hair. Blond had always stood out, stark on dark fur. Maybe she could make it more... brown or black. Black... no, no black. Never black. Black was-- What am I thinking? There's nothing wrong with black fur. I'm starting to sound like that damned monster. The smile faded and she looked away, troubled thoughts showing through.

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Orin Takekuro · 12-28-2011, 03:43 PM

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Word Count :: 300+

Sky’s now strange eyes caught sight of her, and for a moment it looked like she might have had a similar reaction to seeing Orin as the pink haired woman had when she saw Sky. Their relationship had always been rocky at best, but at least it had always been. It was strange that they should have this wall betwixt them now, as parallel as their lives were. She was possibly the only one in Cercatori d’Arte who could understand what Sky was going through. They had lived in the same pack, loved the same man, and seen more blood than either of them should ever have seen.

“Hmm.. that’s close to my girls’ birthday. I can’t believe they’re almost a year old.” Well, three months away from a year was still a lot of time for a Luperci, but still the time had flown by so quickly.

The cloak billowed as Orin moved forward, walking over to Sky now that she knew her presence was welcome. “Can I?” She asked and turned her eyes downward to her outstretched hand, pointing toward Sky’s belly. The infants were still small little things and she probably wouldn’t feel a thing, but she still wanted to try.

“Thank you. It’s Juliet’s work. I found an old jar of dye and she just had to try it out.

“I’ve been… good.” The lilt in her voice belied the words. “As good as any can be right now. Titania’s gone, I fear for Juliet, and our pack is lost again in darkness.” As if to emphasize her point strife showed itself on Sky’s features as she cast her face away for a moment.

“What about you?” her voice was uncharacteristically low, solemn. Golden concern searched the dusty brown countenance. She knew there was no good answer to this question. She knew there might never be a good answer to that question ever again. But at least she could be there for her, and show her that someone has a sliver of understanding of what Sky was going through. “How are you… holding up?”

Sky Rhiannon · 12-29-2011, 06:51 PM

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This is what happens when I watch a marathon of Merlin. ._.

Imagine it being on the same day? She smiled, an honest smile this time, at the thought. It would be ironic and irony was something Sky found most amusing.

When Orin reached out and asked permission, Sky hesitated. A flash of memory, from the storm, when they'd shared a house together... and then she smiled that warm smile again and nodded. Sure. They kick a lot for their age. You might get to feel something. Of course, knowing her blood, they'd settle down for just that moment, the little scamps.

Orin's words were taken into consideration of a careful kind and Sky felt her smile fade. ...Taliesin left a fortnight ago. We got into an argument. I think he's gone to be with his mother, Deuce, in Crimson Dreams. She murmured this, not entirely sure whether to be worried or hurt about it. Instead, she felt a pang of jealousy, for he got to flee the scene, to be with the family he still had.

She had no one. Once again, her sister had vanished, as rogues did. It left her with no one outside of the pack to turn to, which was a surprisingly lonely turn of events.

Otherwise, I've been through worse. Sad, but true. What Liam did was of no fault to the pack or to the man who raised him. I understand why he did it, though that doesn't make it right. The boy was haunted and he was unfortunate not to have the right mindset or experience to overcome it. She spoke as a medic now, or as an experienced onlooker of sorts, instead of the grieving mother she'd been only days ago. As hard as it was for the rest of the pack to get over the murder of a young child, it was a surprising turn that the first to overcome the loss... would be the mother who'd lost her child to the event.

Justice will prevail and he will get as he's given. All we can do now is build strong the pack and make sure whatever evil comes our way again has trouble finding their opening. Eyes took on a darker glint and she looked the other woman in a locked stare. We've had too many hardships come our way to let one child's death ruin our pack completely. One scar will not kill us.

She knew Orin was suffering too. She'd gone through it all with her son and Argul. Sky had suffered then as well, but now the tables were turned. History had repeated in the gravest way possible and the young witch doctor had a set mind to make sure that this time, they'd not make the same mistakes again.

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Orin Takekuro · 12-30-2011, 02:13 PM

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She laughed softly at the thought of their children being born on the same day. Wouldn’t that be a hilarious twist of fate? The women’s lives had already paralleled each other enough as it was. Maybe it was mother nature’s strange way of letting them know that they were always meant to be connected?

At Sky’s ok, Orin’s palm pressed gently on her lower belly. They were growing fast and strong – well, for all Orin knew they were – and after a long moment she finally felt a little twitch. She gasped and grinned, her eyes turning to Sky looking as though she had just witnessed a miracle.

“He didn’t even tell you where he was going?” Her hand dropped and the light in her face faded. “Why would he do that to you?” Sure, Orin should say something comforting right now, but she was notorious for saying the first thing that came to mind.

A darkness was reflected in Orin’s eyes as her thoughts turned to Liam. The last crumb of her smile faded as she cast her eyes away for a moment, thinking solemnly about him. That monster was still out there… somewhere… “I don’t understand why he was allowed to live. Skye… I trust her completely, but that doesn’t mean I don’t disagree with her. It makes me wonder… would she have let Argul go if he had been caught?” She shook her head slowly. “I shouldn’t think about such things. I’m sure she wouldn’t have… and there’s no reason to dwell on what if’s that never were.” Her shake turned into a slow nod. It didn’t matter, Skye was not the leader when that happened and there was no reason to poison her view of her Capitana now. Each crime was an offense all its own, and Skye had her reasons for everything.

“It’s not even the same, anyway. Argul wasn’t related to anyone in the pack. I’m sure when Skye ordered Shawchert off it was only to spare Taliesin...” An image… Taliesin appealing for a murderer’s life. Anger stewed in her gut. But then… if it had been Juliet or Titania, wouldn’t she have done the same? …the difference was it never would have been Juliet or Titania. Her daughters would never do something so cruel.

Despite the conclusion many would draw from the incident, perhaps Skye Collins had not been remiss in her duties as an alpha that day? Yes, she chose to let a murderer go free, and on the surface anyone would be appalled by that decision. But deep down, she had let Liam walk because Taliesin needed it. Remembering Taliesin’s desperate, mournful eyes that day… if his son was killed, he would have shattered. A father losing not one but two children; one executed as a criminal. No one wanted to remember their child like that. If Liam lived, at least Taliesin could cling to the hope that one day the damaged boy would repent. Letting Liam go was Skye’s way of saving Taliesin, and preserving her pack. What other alpha would have the strength to do that?

She had to stop thinking like this. Sky spoke of justice and she clung to every word. If the Rhiannon wife could be so hopeful, couldn’t she? “No, we can’t let one scar bring us down. And with as many as we’re collecting, d’Arte will be the toughest pack out there in no time. A force to be reckoned with...” Her eyes returned to the uneven gaze of her pack mate and she felt in that moment why they were together, as pack. They brought strength to each other in a world that would otherwise tear them down.

She was silent for a moment, letting the last of it roll off her shoulders. A subject change was in order, but she wasn’t sure how to approach it. She took a couple steps away from Sky and leaned up against the house, her hands poking out from beneath her pink cloak so her fingers could wring and play with each other. The fur, normally stark white, on her fingers had various stains on them. Forest green, lavender, indigo… She had been making pigment again, and despite her best efforts to keep clean some wayward dye had stained her fur.

Sky Rhiannon · 12-31-2011, 03:40 PM

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xD This post is full of fail.

Orin's words echoed Sky's feelings on the matter almost perfectly. She grinned at the thought of d'Arte becoming a strong, collective pack, not one to mess with. Yes, it would happen one day. It would take a lot of hard work and dedication, but if she and Orin were determined it would happen, surely they could convince the rest? It'll happen. She confirmed, tail swishing behind her.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but love Orin for everything the woman was. Just like other times, she hated the white packsister, this time, she adored her. Despite their hardships and strain, the two made pretty decent friends, with equal opinions and the ability to act civil even during times which would normally result in one or the other suffering gravely.

When Orin moved to stand against the house, Sky felt a smile curl on her lips. The sight of the girl's stained hands was enough to erase her troubles for the moment. She followed her over but walked past and up her steps, pausing to admire the skulls there before moving onwards to the pair of rocking chairs near the diningroom window. Come sit, Orin. She offered, smiling that beautiful, and now wise, smile of hers. Relax a while with me. A moment of peace was just what the doctor had ordered, as it were.

She sat down carefully and tucked her tail onto her lap, rocking in the chair slowly and enjoying the chance to sit. I see pink and yellow in your hair, but no green or blue... so where'd the other colors come from? Ever observant, ever curious.

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Orin Takekuro · 12-31-2011, 06:31 PM

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Sky moved past her and up the stairs, and Orin's yellow eyes followed her until the witch doctor extended her invitation. She smiled and followed her up the steps, her eyes momentarily taking in the sight of the... trinkets... on Sky's porch. Though she was used to this place and not put out by the semi gruesome figures. Orin knew that not all faiths could be understood by everyone, including her own by others, and that of the Capitana's strange little girl, Erzulie.

She took a seat in one of the chairs, fidgeting with her cloak for a moment so it wasn't yanking on her neck when she sat. But instead of perching herself in the chair normally she drew her knees up to her chest and swayed gently, making the chair rock calmly.

“Oh, yeah,” she said as she looked at her hands again, then turned her smile to Sky. “I've been trying to keep some pigments fresh for Juliet even through winter. She already ran low on paints – she's been painting a lot lately, I don't know if you know – so it's hard to keep them in stock. I've run out of supplies for most colors. Like this-” she motioned to her hair “-I won't be able to touch it up 'til spring, probably. At least, not so vibrantly. Anyway, I have found a few things left over in stores, and that still grow during winter to make some pigments from. I just made these two this week, but I haven't decided if they're to be dye or paint, so I haven't finished their additive yet.” She held out her hands so Sky could better see the colors splotched on her fur.

“I couldn't find my gloves so I just figured screw it. It'll wash off eventually.”

Sky Rhiannon · 01-02-2012, 11:23 AM

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Short. x:

Sky listened to Orin speak intently, leaning forward in her chair to view colored hands better and chuckling softly at the last bit she'd said. And I thought herbal medicine was hard to deal with during the winter. She leaned back again and rested a hand on her swollen tummy, humming thoughtfully. Have you considered using things other than plants to make your dyes? I used to use creek mud to make brown dye as a yearling. Never liked having blond hair and finding brown plants? Heh. Not an easy task. At least, nothing she found worked as a dye.

Dusk uses quill ink to dye her hair black, or at least, she used to. It's not a natural dye but it works. She shrugged, not really knowing too much on the topic for a change. Then, after a moment, a hand went to her short hair and played with a strand of it. She frowned. ...it's so light now... I'm afraid of what my lupus form will look like if my hair's like this. The very thought of having random blond streaks through her mane... just didn't appeal to her.

Sky had already hated blonde hair. She didn't mind it on other people, of course, but her own hair? She'd kept it darker than the natural coloration since joining d'arte, but dying it brown like she used to as a yearling just wasn't an option after that. Too much work and her method of dying took way too long to be practical. For a moment, she envied Orin, her knowledge of such things.

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Orin Takekuro · 01-02-2012, 03:55 PM

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She chuckled softly, Sky's mention of herbal medicine reminded her of her friend Alaine. The first time they had met, the woman took her on an little herb gathering stint, and explained to her how she kept her medicines fresh and ready even in winter time. There was much preparation to be done in the early months to continue practicing medicine successfully in the winter, more steps than Alaine could teach Orin. Yet still to the diligent young woman the job had not been daunting. She smiled as she thought about Alaine. It had been a long time since she had seen her, and since she received her last teaching in their pagan religion. Where had the woman gone to?

“I've used muds and clays before,” she nodded. Her face darkened when she remembered why... when she created the disguise of Desdemona Moonsong. “But it's not that often that I need natural colors. I never really favored normal colors on myself. The mud I used wasn't the best quality, either, it was just something to use in a pinch. Luckily it came out when I needed it to.” She gestured toward her hair, indicating the once blond locks that were now half pink. The blond that was in her hair before wasn't a bleach – where would she find a bleaching agent? - but a daffodil based dye.

“Plants usually have the strongest pigment in them. I've looked for other things but short of blood nothing really gives such a vibrant result, in my experience.” What a grim statement, but it was true. After Demetrius's blood showered her she couldn't get all of the spots off... not that she even wanted to erase the last of her child, anyway... until they grew out on their own. She always had to be careful when hunting, too, cleaning right away or else her pelt would stain.

“Hey, I like the blond,” she said, smiling as she rocked the chair forward, placing her feet on the ground to steady it as she reached out to brush her fingers against Sky's hair. “It's a nice contrast with your fur.” But even as she said it, she focused on how her colored fingers looked next to the woman's face. Her head tilted and she hummed in thought.

“Then again, if you didn't like it you don't have to keep it. Your hair looks perfect right now for dying.” She grinned mischievously. “But you can't go back to brown. That would just be an insult to this hair that's so ready for some color.”

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