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She still had trouble walking right since returning from the land of Inferni. She couldn't remember all of what happened, only bits and pieces. but she had the knife. It was silent now. Guess Erik didn't want it buried with his body. Guess he wanted her to keep it, to remind her of her sin against him. Murder.
Something stirred in her mind at the word. She was used to that too. Used to being alone, used to the reminders. Every day. Every sinlge day. The ghosts were threre, she could hear them slithering through the chambers of her mind, but they didn't speak anymore. Didn't taunt her any more.
She sat outside the caves today, far from the caves. She wanted outside, even though she wouldn't enter Inferni again. She'd lost too much there. She'd lost her world there, or because of there. She was okay. maybe.
She stared at the river, thinking silently. Her white blonde mane was tied back, out of her eyes, and away from the multiple small cuts on her face and neck. They needed to heal without the addition of an irritant. She kept putting salve on the cuts; they weren't getting better, but they weren't getting worse. She nibbled on a root to relieve pain. She had a small fire going, melting icewater. She was going to make her golden-thread tea. It was to prevent her getting pregnant, should she and Lucifer ever couple again. He didn't want her, but just in case. She boiled the herb, then added a liberal dash of whiskey to the tea. To sweeten it. yes, that was it. not to numb the pain of her mate hating her. But to sweetn the tea.
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[html]  It wasn't at all like Conri to go waltzing across borders that he had no right to pass, but he'd been gone for so long and he'd missed so many things that he felt the need to connect to whatever, whoever, he could now that he was back. There was no telling if his brother would come back for him or not, or when, but he didn't think that the younger male would just let it all go. He'd seen to much hatred in the eyes of his kidnapper, his own brother, to be able to think that all would be fine and he would live a normal life. Until that day, Conri would make it as normal as he could.
Red and cream male had come across her scent in his wanderings outside of Clouded Tears, he hadn't gone much farther than those lands, his body tired and weak, finally taking the chance to recover. When he came across her scent, though, he simply couldn't ignore it. The patch of scar where his left front leg had been previously pulsed with pain, ached, but Conri ignored it as he started forward, following the scent. It was masked with something else soon enough, something warm and sweet and it took his nose a moment to differentiate between that her scent. It seemed like they were together though, it was safe to follow both.
The young male was hesitant to cross the borders once he reached them, though he did so none-the-less, slipping across and heading for that same scent still. His walk was still different, he wasn't completely used to walking with only three legs. Had it not been for the fact that Conri was sure the wound was still healing, he would've simply shifted and been on his way. He saw her then, sitting by a fire fixing whatever it had been that he'd smelled before. It looked liked she'd seen better days also. He stopped a few feet away, just watching a moment, before he finally spoke up. "Miss Deuce?" She was one of the few left around that Conri knew.
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Startled, she looked up from her tea and whiskey. The whiskey burned its way down her throat, and she gave the boy a startled smile. She noticed his missing leg and her eyes widened. Conri, what happened to your leg? is everything okay? What happened? Naniko told us you were dead! It was a rush of words, but after her initial question, she realized that naniko had told Lucifer, and lucifer had shared it with her, that Conri had been killed. So...how was he here?
If he were a ghost, he'd have appeared as she remembered him, not as this gaunt, gimping wraith. She took another sip of her tea, concern hovering in her eyes, obliterating the always present grief and encroaching madness. The femme had been slowly sliding down the slick slope of insanity since Shadow's death and her subsequent miscarriage.
I don't have another cup or bowl to offer you....but i have some dried meat. Would you like some? By the looks of the boy, he hadn't eaten in some time. though the boy was no longer a boy, she realized. He'd be two sooner or later. Dierdre had just turned two here a few days ago. That was two birthdays spent without a mother now. Deuce's heart throbbed with sadness for her daughter. the poor girl deserved better than her.
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[html] It was hard to assume or try to imagine what sort of reaction would come with his presence, which was why the red and cream male had chosen to stop a few feet away, just to make sure. Certainly nothing could have changed to make her suddenly hate him, unless something happened between her and his mother in the time that he had been gone. Conri doubted it though, but there were still question that he would ask her in time. She took notice of him quickly, a surprised sort of smile, which turned to something of more concern. It was a shocking sight, he knew, because he'd stared at himself in the icy river for quite a long time. It was even hard for him to look at sometimes, and he had to live with it.
"I was kidnapped." He commented quietly, ears folding back very slightly at her words. Naniko had thought him dead, it hurt him every time he heard that, but all was well and perhaps things would go back to normal. "I got away but not before he took my leg." It was a very simplified explanation, leaving out exactly who the 'he' was and exactly how the leg had been 'taken'. It was hard enough for him to deal with, he didn't think anyone else should have to think about it also.
After a moment or two Conri shuffled closer, giving a very slow shake of his head accompanied with a polite smile. "No thank you, I'm fine." Naniko had stuffed him up fairly well the previous night, he was sure he wouldn't be hungry for at least a week, it seemed like. Seating himself, the missing leg causing it to be a wobbly sort of action, the younger hybrid curled his tail around himself before lifting jade eyes to watch her. "Seems like very few people that I know are still around but I caught your scent on my way back into Clouded Tears. Thought I'd come and see how you were." Even if she and his mother hadn't stayed together, Deuce was still someone that he could recall fond memories of.
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((Sorry on the wait.))
I was kidnapped. The pale woman looked sadly at the boy. She understood, in a way. Erik had been her captive. Still was in a way. "Seems like very few people that I know are still around but I caught your scent on my way back into Clouded Tears. Thought I'd come and see how you were."
She nodded. Most of us are gone now....Phasma died about a month ago. She shrugged sadly. Getting old is hard that way I guess. The woman used to be his stepmom, once upon a time. he'd enjoyed the familial ties, Dierdre hadn't. That was so long ago, it was probably lost to the younger male. But Deuce remembered.
She remembered the love se'd had for Soran. The way her heart had pounded everytime the female had walked anywhere near her. The aching yearning when the two had parted, time and time again. Deuce remembered. Deuce would never again forget. How could you forget that?
[html] Conri shifted and squirmed where he sat, trying not to make it so obvious as he searched for a comfortable position. It near impossible though, his legs were tired and they ached something horrid. Ears slid forward in a graceful motion across his skull, to meet the words that she offered him, and they brought a rather sudden frown to his face. Just as quick as they had moved the first time, they were now flat, sad. He had very vague memories of the raven woman, though however few they were they were still fond memories.
After a moment or two of silence, of just sitting there and watching her, the younger male pushed himself to stand. It was a brazen move perhaps, one that he had no idea what sort of reaction it might bring. He began forward then, slowly enough that she wouldn't be completely surprised, and settled himself down right next to her, close enough to inch himself over and be able to touch her. The few times that he'd seen Deuce before he'd been taken, he could always note the sadness there, and even after so long it hadn't seemed to have gone away. He nudged her then, rubbing the side of his muzzle tenderly against her arm, and said nothing. He hadn't forgotten their good times, the fond memories that he had of her from when he was young, and the way that his mother always seemed so happy when they were all together.
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She wasn't overly surprised when he moved closer to her. She closed her eyes as he rubbed his muzzle against her arm. It reminded her of when he'd been a pup, and she and Soran had actually shared a room. She laid a hand on his neck, absently rubbing it the way a human would pet a dog.
It was comforting to know he didn't hold it against her that hse and Soran were no longer together. It was really no one's fault, she supposed. Or at least, not overtly anyone's fault. She opened her eyes, looking down at the boy. I miss Syemv sometimes...life seemed so easy there. You know? Back when the four of us were a family.
That was Deuce...always longing for soemthing she couldn't have.
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