#🎜 The Pianist: Nea D. Campbell

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@arkclipse asked: "My mouth just tastes like blood." ( Cross to Nea~ )

🞠~☔︎~🞠 Something's Wrong With You (senses) 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Accepting 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Nea D. Campbell

    "Yeah, that's what happens when you almost get your teeth knocked in." Nea snorts, pressing a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol against the biggest cut on Cross' lips. He hopes it'll hurt ─ the jackass deserves it. "Trying to be a bloody big shot."

    He holds it there, firmly, before removing it and forcing his companion's mouth open to check for any internal damage. "And you'll be tasting blood for a while longer. You took a chunk out of your cheek, be thankful it wasn't your tongue."

    Nea turns and hands him a small cup of water. "Rinse and spit, but don't drink it. Unless you feel like burning your insides with rubbing alcohol. Then just...oh, I don't know, don't talk for a bit?" A nigh impossible task, he's certain. This stupid redhead is going to be the death of him.

    "While I appreciate you trying to defend my honor, maybe think twice before mouthing off and trying to punch someone three times your size in the face. Wrathra's hosts are always so goddamn big and bulky."

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    Nails bite into the palms of his hands, digging into the skin. The slight flash of pain is enough to keep Nea from lashing out completely ─ has no idea what this malevolent force would do to Mana's body should he attempt to break their little deal. He's not willing to risk it.

    They all used to be one; a single being known as Adam, the Earl of Millennium. For whatever reason, he had split to become two babies, and his powers had split unevenly with them. Mana forever more burdened with the dark presence that demands another three days of darkness and a world ruined. How stupid...

    "You two are not the same." Nea says firmly. "You're...something left over. Something from a dead world still moving ─ like a corpse. All of you are. Noah and Innocence...you all should have just stayed dead like that world that was wiped off the map the first time."

If the nonchalant act works or not, the Earl doesn't let on. Continuing to work away at the blanket. There's a pause, a sigh, and he starts to undo the last line. The pattern was off.

It takes some time before the Earl speaks again. Whether he was thinking about Nea's words, or simply focused on the blanket, it was hard to tell. It was only when he was back to making progress on it did he speak again.

“And I'm not? I was part of Mana when you two first split. If he was healthier, he and I would still be one complete person. Then what? Would you hate him like you hate me?”

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@arkclipse asked: "I'm not strong enough." Mana to Nea!

🞠~☔︎~🞠 Unprompted 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Always Accepting 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Nea D. Campbell

    'I know.' He doesn't say, gazing upon his twin's visage and feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders. Mana carries the majority of it; the split seems to have been decidedly uneven for whatever reason. Nea has memories, he awoke those on the floor in the music room with bloody crosses ripping his forehead open. He's got memories in spades! But not all of them.

    He can shift between his human guise and that of a Noah. He shares their most basic powers, but it's nothing like what Mana carries. The majority of the memories, the majority of those vast and terrible powers. A destiny from a dead world...isn't it all so pointless now? What's the good in continuing this stupid war? There must be a way out of it! To free them of Noah and Innocence alike!

    Nea's hand raises, trembling slightly as he cups Mana's cheek. They're both exhausted─on the run from those that would have them destroyed or assimilated. They haven't known peace in years now; himself longer than Mana. Some foolish attempt to save his twin from this. But then memories awoke in him all the same and they were forced to flee─and to keep on fleeing.

    It feels like they'll never rest their heads in safety again.

    But he doesn't say 'I know'; what good will acknowledgement bring? Only action will save them now. If Mana cannot do it, then Nea will scrape his hands raw and bloody, to the bone, to ensure his twin lives his life free of this.

    "I'm going to fix things." He says instead, matching gazes of gold held together in a long moment. "I promise you, Mana. No matter how long it will take; I will fix things. And then we can go home, together."

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For @arkclipse { Caterina } | Continued from here

    Nea's lip trembles. His first instinct is to start yelling at her─as if that'll solve anything. It might serve to make him feel better, but only in the short term. Upsetting his mother was something he always strove to avoid; as much as he could, being the troublemaker of the two of them. She'd raised them with patience and kindness; always looking out for them. But had kept so many secrets as well.

    And yet, what good what it have done, to be burdened by that knowledge as children? What could they have done about it, besides fuss and worry themselves into sleepless nights and grey-hazed days of endless anxiety? Nea licks his lips. His throat is burning dry.

    He follows Caterina's gaze to the view that's been etched onto his heart since a child. Endless, golden, windswept fields with Cornelia standing proudly against the sky. Nea had spent many an hour up in her branches, feeling the wind whip his hair around and wondering if Mana would rise from his latest bout of illness. Were they all connected to that...thing that they split off from?

    Why two, when there once was one?

    "Why do I exist?" He asks next, a hollow echo to his voice. It perfectly matches the deep pit in his stomach. "Why are there two of us when Adam was a single being? Why not just Mana? Why..."

    Nea could keep asking until he turned blue in the face. But he has no idea if Caterina even knows the answers to his questions. There's Mana, and there's him─the spare. Maybe he's just the back up if Mana should fail somehow. His twin is sickly, weak. Surely he would be the better option for this mad plan.

    "It shouldn't be Mana." He concludes, his heart brimming with so much pain. "Mana should be free of this. It should be me. It should be my burden! I have to protect him...but I don't know how."

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@waveobeans asked:

There a seven year old Mana sat, miserable on his bed, kicking his feet slightly. He'd been grounded by his mother. Grounded for accidentally breaking one of her lovely vases. But he didn't object to this punishment- he'd even come clean about it himself. With one problem. He wasn't the twin that had broken it. Mana, being his big hearted self, had taken the fall for Nea's mischief. Again. Much to his brother's distaste, actually. Speak of the brother...

🞠~☔︎~🞠 Unprompted 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Always Accepting 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Nea D. Campbell

    ...And the brother shall appear.

    Nea opens the door to their shared room with a quiet click after making sure that the coast was clear. He'd been told to make himself scarce and entertain himself while Mana sat alone, contemplating the consequences of his actions for breaking the vase. Of course, it hadn't been Mana. It'd been Nea's fault—chasing Mana down the halls they were told a million times to not run down, and bumping into the display pillar.

    The almighty crash had stunned the both of them, panic over the shards of porcelain keeping them from absconding. That's how their mother found them, and Mana had leapt in to take the blame. Nea hadn't been sure how to react, just watching wide-eyed as Mana was the one to be taken by the ear and scolded in his stead. He still doesn't understand why.

    He shuts the door quietly and scurries to Mana's bed, climbing on to join him. Nea holds a finger to his lips—opening a pocket to show four stolen sweet buns from the kitchens that he snitched, as Mana surely won't be allowed dessert tonight after dinner. He takes two of them, offering them to Mana, and biting into one of his own.

    "Why'd you do that?" Nea asks his twin, after one of the buns has been devoured. "It was my fault, I'm the one that knocked into it and broke it."

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For @arkclipse ─ Cross Marian | Continued from here

    Nea can only laugh when Cross calls him a dumbass; it's very true in this moment. He certainly feels like one, he didn't know what he expected would happen by sticking his hand into the fire to fix a stick that was poking out too far. Like his Noah genes would save him from that? Yeah, right...

    It still hurts, his hand still trembles with the pain. But Nea doesn't scream or cry like most, doesn't even wince in pain. He just...sort of observes his skin as it begins to blister and bubble. It's strange, this disconnect he feels between his brain and his body while Cross works himself up into a tizzy. "You did. I just...I don't know."

    The redhead is so careful with his hand as he inspects it, ointment and bandages at the ready. Nea hums quietly in the back of his throat, eyes half lid; watching the light play off those strands and turn them blood red. It's an attractive sight to be sure. "Cross..."

    Now, Nea is no expert of first aid, but he's certain that putting straight ice on a burn only makes it worse. What they need is cool water along with the ointment and bandages. But it would be a waste, wouldn't it? "Hold on now, I wasn't trying to blow up my face. I─"

    He falls silent; watching as the blisters begin to shrink on their own. As if his body is reabsorbing the damage he caused. It makes sense. His Noah clearly can't protect him from being wounded, but it can heal the damage done. "Ah...well, save the ointment and bandages for yourself, Cross."

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@arkclipse asked: "I wasn't crying." Mana to Nea. ( Can be when they're kids or older! )

🞠~☔︎~🞠 “I CANNOT SHOW ANY WEAKNESS” PROMPTS 🞠~☔︎~🞠 No Longer Accepting 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Nea D. Campbell

    "Of course you weren't." Nea sighs, agreeing with Mana even as he wipes his twin's tears away with his handkerchief. They're both prone to nightmares for whatever reason, and tonight is Mana's turn. He's already struck a match and lit the candle that rests on the table between their beds, now moved over to sit with his older brother.

    His other hand moves to lay upon Mana's brow, searching for any signs of heat, the beginnings of another fever. His temperature feels normal, his skin clammy from waking up in a cold sweat. Nea wonders what it was about ─ all of his own nightmares revolve around being trapped, or pulled into some dark, cold abyss.

    "Are you sure you don't want me to get Mama?" Nea tosses the wet hanky aside, to pick up in the morning. He brings his bare feet up onto the bed now, resisting the urge to stick freezing digits against Mana's calves. Not now, not tonight; not after such a bad nightmare.

    "I know we're already eight...but I'm sure she wouldn't mind. That's what mamas are for, right?"

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your OC Muse as the solar system: Nea

bold what applies - italicize sometimes. tag some friends to play along! & repost don’t reblog!

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SUN • egotistical • melted wax wings and fingers • stretching sunburnt skin • the most generous soul • blood in the fruit • halos • anger on fire • high vitality • thunderous laughter • is pride really a sin? • halogenic aura

MERCURY • expansion of the mind • silver-tongued • an everlasting wanderer • polyglot • high dexterity • handwritten letters • innately critical • en vogue • eyes in the trees • hidden libraries • there’s always room for improvement

VENUS • in love with strangers • iridescent waters • love potions for your mirror • selfless devotion • shattering crystal • seafoam upon sand • the golden ratio • drowning in your own passion • material value & high principles • luring • plush lips

EARTH • fresh springs • tree hugger • we can start again tomorrow • a blazing rainforest • respects survival of the fittest • nature’s adversity • lazy bones • constantly evolving • flowers sprouting from wounds • a granite altar • fossilized remains

MOON • illusory • silver shimmer off the ocean • secrets and gossip • cycles of reincarnation • a crybaby • physically ethereal • shared glances with a stranger • cat eyes • mistrusting their intuition • fear is a prison • ornate magic wands

MARS • healthy competition • attraction and repulsion • magma and rubies • a blade being forged • wrath wrath wrath • intense eye contact • cannon fodder & fireworks • copper taste on your tongue

JUPITER • red robes and a suit of armor • beacon of stability • leader by birth • thunderbolts and lightning • guilty but can’t stop • secret rich kid • golden touch golden tears • innate optimist • failure isn’t an option • constantly reaching for more • unfinished symphonies

SATURN • traditional • overbearing energy • a sculptor of reality • this existence is a karmic one • has a heart it’s just.. way down deep • law, order & justice • avoid all necessary risk • the sound of shackles clanging • sisyphus’ struggle • grappling with the reality of time

URANUS • psychedelic funk music • overflowing cups • a rebellion with skin • looking good in photo id • oblivious but caring • middle fingers in the air • double rainbows • icy diamond exterior • holographic • afraid of their own mediocrity • pearlescent smoke

NEPTUNE • an elegy for the lost • dissolving boundaries • white horses • the burden of mystical conditions • deceptive • escapism is their reality • a polarizing entity • artists soul • paranoia • searching for the unseen • a siren’s song

PLUTO • angel statues over graves • power • the cycle of necrosis • transformative • unfathomable depths • an ivory tower toppling over • screaming at the sky • violets and irises • eclipsed darkness • speaks with their shadow • sex, death, rebirth

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@arkclipse asked: "I'm - I'm right in front of you." ( Mana to Nea! )

🞠~☔︎~🞠 Something's Wrong With You (senses) 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Accepting 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Nea D. Campbell

    He certainly sounds it, but all Nea can see is darkness. His vision had swam for some time before giving up on him completely. Everything hurts; down to the marrow of his bones. Only his twin's body is keeping his upper half off the cold ground, cradling him as the blood leaves his body in great spurts from the gashes in his broken chest.

    "Ma...na..." Nea's voice brings blood with it; slick on his teeth and lips. Somehow, he manages to raise his right hand. He flails it, searching, then manages to find Mana's face with it. Gosh, he's so warm...it feels wonderful.

    What a failure he is, unable to finish his goal. Came so very close to it, killed them all except for Road. Sneaky girl...and he couldn't save Mana from this terrible fate. He can feel that suit looming over them, gloating. Bastard thing, wretched thing, damnable thing!

    "Ma...na...listen..." He has to impart this knowledge to his brother, before he ends. "Look for...Allen..." Bloody bright combat medic, likely with Gabriel somewhere, dodging enemies just as he had. Hopefully they've had more luck than he. "Keep...walk...ing..."

    His arm flops to his side gracelessly, but Nea no longer feels any of his limbs. He just feels cold and the crushing sense of failure as he breathes his last in Mana's arms.

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@arkclipse asked: "These people are counting on me to save them." Mana to Nea! ( re: the Noah and when he's coming to terms with how he has to carry the duties as the Earl. )

🞠~☔︎~🞠 “I CANNOT SHOW ANY WEAKNESS” PROMPTS 🞠~☔︎~🞠 No Longer Accepting 🞠~☔︎~🞠 Nea D. Campbell

    "They can save themselves!" Nea bites back, his tone bitter and resentful. He feels as if he's losing his brother to these strangers ─ who look at Mana with reverence in their eyes and with loathing towards him. It's a new and very unwelcome experience, to be outright hated for just existing. As if he asked for any of this...!

    "They all seem quite powerful and capable on their own...so why do they need you?!" He questions, not meaning to snap at his twin, but this is all too much. Nea had tried to ignore it for so long, to pretend that his own awakening was just a bad dream. More the fool is he!

    "You shouldn't have to save anyone, Mana." Nea takes his hand, looking at their fingers. His own are longer, slimmer; the fingers of a pianist. It seems like that's the only special ability that he has; to play the piano and move the Ark. "We...you don't owe them anything. Why can't we just forget about this and go home?"

    Nea's tone is pleading now, his heart longing to return to those windswept fields and dear Cornelia, who cradled him in her strong branches many a time as a youth. "Please, Mana...all of this is foolishness. Why must you dance in this macabre play? It has nothing to do with us! We're not Adam! We're not the Earl! We're Mana and Nea and we have the right to live our lives as we wish!"

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♦ ~ 🎜 ~ ♦ Family Tag Drop ♦ ~ 🎜 ~ ♦

♦ {🎜} Thought I could fly but fell to the ground. When's it my turn to come out on top? ~ arkclipse (Caterina) {🎜} ♦

♦ {🎜} Used to be scared of dyin' alone. Now I know there's nothin' to be afraid of ~ arkclipse (Mana) {🎜} ♦

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♥ ~ 🎜 ~ ♥ Romance Tag Drop ♥ ~ 🎜 ~ ♥

♥ {🎜} If your world falls apart; I'd start a riot. If night falls in your heart; I'd light the fire ~ arkclipse (Cross) {🎜} ♥

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"The light goes down A mark from God You're shaking now Your brother's blood, left alone What have you done~?"

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Noah Memories

Nea unlocked his Noah memories when he was very young. He kept it a secret from Caterina and Mana, wanting to save Mana from the burden of the knowledge he gained.