#nebulousplot

[nebulousmeadows]

Things appeared to be entirely normal when Elizabeth reached the house. That was a relief. But what was going on inside? No lights were on, as far as Elizabeth could see. Even so, she couldn’t afford to take any chances. Tentatively, she turned the handle. Finding it already unlocked, she cautiously leaned on it, making as little noise as possible.

The door was closed with a soft click, and Elizabeth made a slow sweep of her surroundings. The house was dark and eerily still. Save for some flickering lights in the kitchen, on the other side of the house. The Gothitelle’s chest tightened at the sight of it.

Oh, dear. As expected, someone was still awake. And they must’ve been aware of her absence. She reminded herself to stay calm, and say what Nysa told her to. Showing nervousness would only heighten her parents’ suspicions. Taking a deep breath, she held it in her chest and soothed her own nerves in silence.

Until a calm voice startled her out of the process.

“Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth’s breath hitched in her throat, if but for a moment. Her soft gaze trailed to meet that of another, straight ahead in the living room.

Seated in a plush armchair, with ocean eyes peering out from behind a pair of reading glasses, was a much older Gothitelle. He had been waiting for her for quite a while, it seemed. His expression was not unkind, however, and he eased himself into a standing position when Elizabeth drew nearer to him.

“Hi, Dad.” She spoke, an apologetic smile working its way into her features. “I apologize for coming home late. I’ve been with Nysa.” Lifting his glasses from his nose, her father stepped closer to inspect her face. Despite her nervous, racing thoughts, Elizabeth held firm under the scrutiny. “…I assume she’s helped you with what transpired this month?” he asked.

He got a nod in response. “We figured it out. It took us a while, but we found something that worked. I’m perfectly fine.”

Elizabeth could feel her shoulders relax when the elder Gothitelle sighed, his eyelids lowered. He seemed convinced. “I just want to make sure you’re being safe out there, especially at night. Your mother and I were very worried about you.” “Don’t worry,” Elizabeth chuckled softly, “I’ve been careful. Everything’s fine.”

“Mmm, nice try.” He teased, raising a brow with a faint smile. Elizabeth stifled another small laugh as she drew her father into a gentle hug, which he happily reciprocated.

Her attention was diverted upon hearing more familiar voices nearby. Looking towards the sound, she moved closer to it. “Is that…?”

When she entered the kitchen, Elizabeth found her older siblings—Felix and Rosina—engaged in a pleasant conversation with their mother. She was briefly taken by surprise, until a bloom of happiness shooed it away. They finally came home for the holidays! And they must’ve known of her absence, too.

Felix caught sight of his sister first, and his lips immediately turned up in a bright smile. He swept her into a warm hug, and Rosina joined in. “Where’ve you been?” the former asked, “We were so excited to see you and you were nowhere to be found!”

“I was busy, sorry.” Elizabeth smiled, only for Felix to hold her in one arm and gently ruffle her hair. “Ahh, you know I’m just messing with you~” “Felix~” His younger sister’s smile widened, a lilt of amusement in her voice as she gently brushed his hand away. This earned a snort of laughter from both him and Rosina. Of course, it was all in good nature.

“I’ve really missed you two.” Elizabeth admitted, after fixing her bangs. The smile on her face was… quite sad.

“So did we.” Came Rosina’s reply, her eyes softening. “It’s really been a while.”

“We’ve all got some catching up to do,” Felix beamed. “But seriously, where did you go? You were gone for hours, from what we’ve heard.”

And so began a small family discussion. Only briefly touching on the subject of Elizabeth’s disappearance, much to her unspoken relief.

It would be some time before everyone went to bed. Once again, the house fell silent.

Elizabeth was settled comfortably under the blankets, yet her mind buzzed with activity. While she was glad her friends could return home safely, her concern for the ghostly siblings clung strongly to her heart.

What was happening now?

What would the outcomes of the situation be?

Was their destined fight already taking place?

She could only guess.

Her busy thoughts couldn’t keep her for long, though. For once she drifted, Elizabeth finally succumbed to the hands of sleep.

Initially, she was greeted with nothing. An empty, dark void. Nothing more.

She was alone.

But only for a short time.

Shadowy tendrils crept through the abyss, with a wispy substance like smoke. They trailed and danced along her skin, only to retreat at the slightest touch. Yet they would return whenever she stopped. They formed odd shapes and coiled about her fingers, until they were suddenly yanked back into the fathoms below.

A rumbling force made the Gothitelle’s body tremble.

One after another, she was bombarded with horrifying images and situations. Some of which she was involved in, others she simply beared witness to. She wasn’t sure which was worse. Deafening roars and shrieks filled her ears, no matter how she tried to block them out. It was incredibly disturbing for a dream; so much so that Elizabeth even stopped to question the reality of it all. But she couldn’t even hear her own voice.

Despite so many things going on at the same time, the Gothitelle could still distinguish certain entities, namely Yemir, Eudai and Whisper as they materialized and vanished erratically. Pain was evident in some way, shape or form each time she saw them. Other emotions like rage and bloodlust plagued their faces. Of course, it was hard to tell with Eudai. Altogether, it was just terrible. And on top of that, a strange sense of paralysis was working its way up Elizabeth’s body. Oh, how she dreaded that feeling. Being unable to move. Unable to escape.

And amongst all the madness, a shifting form drew ever closer through the shadows. The large, bulky silhouette was quickly revealed to be a battered Dusknoir, with black ichor oozing from the great maw that was her stomach.

Whisper.

The wraith’s rancid face was mere inches from hers, a twisted grin stretching her mouth to an impossible degree. Bony fingers curled around Elizabeth’s neck as the decaying Dusknoir stared with an intense, unsettling red eye. Delirious glee written all over her features. Her raspy voice echoed loudly as she uttered something just as disconcerting.

“Wakey wakey, little sister~”

Elizabeth sprung awake with a sharp gasp, bolting upright. Her breathing was shallow, mildly labored. As if she had actually been grabbed at the throat in this dimension. Alas, it was only a dream. A horrible dream, she thought.

But that wasn’t her only concern. She had woken up to what felt like an earth tremor, shaking the house considerably. It didn’t last very long, but it was enough to startle one from their sleep.

So it wasn’t just a part of her dream… it had happened in the real world, too. But what caused it? She had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t an average coincidence.

No. Something was behind this.

Elizabeth slipped a hand into her soft hair, lifting the bangs that fell over her right eye. But suddenly she stopped, and blinked slowly. She felt something unusual. Something that didn’t belong.

Withdrawing her slender fingers, she lifted her gaze to find them encased in a dark, supple, all too familiar glove.

Oh, yes. She knew who this was from.

Somewhere, in the depths of her mind, Elizabeth called out a name.

“Eudai? Are you there…?”

Oddly enough, there was no response. No presence, no voice. She was in full control of her own body, too.

“That’s strange.” She muttered aloud, only to frown a little at her own voice. It was rather monotonous, but soft. It lingered like a whisper.

Something wasn’t right.

Sliding out from under the blankets, Elizabeth quietly made her way over to a mirror on the wall. Heels clicked underneath her, she noticed. And when the star reader could finally see herself, her eyes grew wide.

This… this was the same way she looked earlier today. When Eudai was in control. But, Eudai wasn’t even there. It was all the more evident when she looked closer at her eyes. The black sclera and scars were still there, alright, but the irises were Elizabeth’s natural blue. And the pupils themselves, they were normal. Her gaze wasn’t as intense as Eudai’s, but it still felt a bit reminiscent to his. Perhaps that was because of her eyes as a whole.

Even so. Was this really happening?

It wasn’t another dream, and this was confirmed when the ghostly entity heard voices in the hall. Talking about the event that just took place. And a strange, unrelenting pressure they couldn’t seem to shake from their shoulders.

Uh oh. Her family was awake. And, eventually, they would want to come in and check on her.

Elizabeth would not have this.

Not in her current state.

She didn’t know what to do at first, as panic bubbled in her chest. But then there was a spark. An idea. She quickly took action, gently lifting herself off the floor to hover. Taking off her hat and cape, she hid them in her closet and grabbed a robe. Hopefully it would be enough to hide the rest of her as she snuck back under the covers with the utmost care to not make a sound.

Just then, a voice called from the other side of the bedroom door. “Elizabeth? Are you alright in there?” That was her mother.

Now, Elizabeth wasn’t sure how to respond without revealing her voice. So she kept silent and brushed her bangs over closed eyes, simply deciding to feign sleep. Since no reply reached her ears, her mother slowly opened the door and peered into the room, while her husband stood behind her.

To them, it appeared as if their daughter was asleep. Nevertheless, Alina went in to check on her.

“I’m surprised she hasn’t woken up.” She admitted softly, lightly stroking Elizabeth’s head. Piero could only sigh, responding in a similar tone. “As long as she’s okay. That tremor could’ve been worse.”

“Mhm.”

“I still can’t quite figure out where that pressure is coming from. It’s… very strange, to say the least. And it’s particularly strong in this room.”

“You don’t think it has anything to do with Elizabeth, do you?”

“… Probably not. Chances are it has ties with that tremor, but I may be wrong. For now, we’ll see what becomes of it tomorrow.”

Luckily for Elizabeth, the pair left almost as soon as they came, closing the door behind them. Once she was sure they had gone back to bed, she swiftly rose from hers and returned to the closet.

Naturally, she put the robe away and replaced it with her cape. However, she couldn’t help but pause as she held the hat in her hands. The hat…

There was something… oddly comforting about it. She couldn’t quite explain it, but the sensation she felt was very much there. Placing it back on her head, the Gothitelle turned on her heel to face the windows.

It was too dangerous to stay here. She could feel immense power and pressure under her skin, just begging to be released. And this was not the place to give in.

She would have to leave once more.

At the door, she saw no one peeking in to watch her. Good.

Soundlessly, Elizabeth opened the window and floated out. A simple snap of her fingers would set the lock back in place from the other side. And with that, the hatted specter flew off into the night. Not daring to leave a trace of her presence behind.

She sought out a wide open space, where potential damage would be minimal. Meadows and fields were best. Thankfully, there were a good number of these in Nevora. And soon enough, Elizabeth discovered a quiet meadow with plenty of room for her to expel her pent up energy. And plenty of distance from her village.

Before she would proceed, however, the Gothitelle checked her surroundings with a single psychic sweep. No signs of life to be found. She was safe.

With that in mind, Elizabeth allowed every muscle in her body to relax and go still. Until her form began to tremble uncontrollably. She drew deep, shuddering breaths. Seconds later, her body unleashed a powerful, unrelenting flow of energy that dispersed like the rolling tide. Lavender Psychic kicked up powdery snow, blowing it across the hills and far off into the distance. Bolts of electricity lashed out, threatening to split nearby trees if they happened to be close by. The ground rumbled under Elizabeth’s immense Pressure, and any local Pokemon who could sense it hastily fled the area. That is, if they hadn’t been floored by it.

How could someone like her possess such raw power? It was very unnerving.

Elizabeth stretched her limbs with a subtle groan. It felt good to finally let that energy go. But that didn’t shake the qualms she had for her new form. How was she going to reverse this? Was it permanent? Temporary? A situation of ‘one thing by day, another by night’? Who knew.

Once that extra energy was expelled and fully dissipated, Elizabeth’s powers subsided and her Pressure let up considerably. Lowering herself to the ground, Elizabeth landed with nary a peep, and lifted her gaze to the sky. She had nowhere to go, really. Unless she felt like wandering and exploring the world, perhaps. But Elizabeth was too concerned with this strange predicament on her hands. And it was quite late.

There was the possibility of going to Nysa and asking for help. But hadn’t she helped her a lot today? Would it be rude to ask for more? The sorceress must’ve been in bed by now, too.

She couldn’t help thinking about that dream she had, either. What did it mean? Was there anything she could glean from it besides pure madness, pain, and destruction? What if it had something to do with the siblings’ present situation?

Elizabeth was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a presence in her vicinity. It came to her like a drop in the water, waves rippling out towards her. Looking around, it took her only a moment to pinpoint the exact location of its owner.

The spectral Gothitelle slowly turned her head to the side, blue eyes peering over her shoulder. Her voice was still quite soft in tone, but it was a bit deeper and very audible as it lingered on her lips with a slight echo.

“You can come out now. I know you’re there.”

{ Elizabeth is now available for asks. }

[nebulousmeadows]

The sorceress eyed Elizabeth inquisitively.

So she wanted advice regarding Eudai and his sisters? Very well.

While she did not have a lot of information on the matter, Nysa was willing to offer what she could. Especially now that the three ghosts were in a hostile situation with each other. “Well... I suppose I could suggest one thing.” She began. Elizabeth watched her with a steady gaze, waiting for her to continue.

“I advise you keep your distance from Whisper and Yemir.”

“Whisper is very unpredictable.” The Umbretelle explained, “You may never know what she could do to you, or the people around her. And from what I’ve learned from your friend Madeleine, she may have done some terrible things to Yemir. Now, Yemir... I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of nice things about her. However, with this new situation at hand, she is very upset and will need her space. Plus, I have an inkling that your connection with Eudai will only agitate her further. It would be best to leave her alone. For now, at least.”

Elizabeth heaved a quiet sigh. “Alright. I see.” Then, after a brief pause, she asked. “What about Eudai?”

“Well, what do you want to do about him, Elizabeth?”

“I... I don’t know, I... I heard what he did to everyone else, and I feel terrible about it. His power is lethal, he could show no mercy if he wanted to. So many things had happened, all in a month’s time. I know he’s dangerous and all, but...” The Gothitelle fell silent, hesitant to finish her thoughts.

Nysa was watching her closely, listening carefully. Seeing that look on the young woman’s face, she could tell what was on her mind. “...You still care about him.” She stated.

“Yes.”

“Well,” the hybrid raised her brows. “In that case, I suppose you only have two options. One: you can seek him out, try to maintain contact with him if you so desire. Or two: you can keep your distance and avoid the situation altogether. As much as I’d rather have you separated from the scuffle, it is up to you what you'd like to do about Eudai, Elizabeth. You must take care with your next steps.”

Elizabeth could only nod in response to this, despite the small pit that burrowed itself into her stomach. “Alright, I understand.”

Nysa offered a small, comforting smile, her ears perked a bit. “Is there anything else you’d like to know? Anything else I can assist you with?”

“No, that’s all, thank you.” Elizabeth replied, briefly returning her smile. “...I should probably change and head home. Thank you so much for all your help today.” “My pleasure.” Nysa’s smile widened a little, and she watched as Elizabeth retreated to the second floor. Some time later, Elizabeth came back down in her normal attire, including the winter coat she had brought with her.

“I’m heading out now.” She spoke to Nysa, who had gone back to her work. “Is there anything you needed from me?” “No no, you’re perfectly fine, love.” Nysa waved a hand. “Be safe on your way home. Oh, and, do let your family know you were with me for the day. I don’t think they’d take too kindly to hearing what happened this evening.”

“Oh... Okay. Thank you again!”

And with that, the petite Gothitelle was gone.

To be honest, Elizabeth was rather reluctant about keeping this night a secret from her parents. But, then again, what would happen if she told them? Something unpleasant, she feared. Therefore, it was best to take Nysa’s word and keep it to herself.

She could only hope things were alright at home as she walked towards the outskirts of her village, a breath of winter wind trailing closely behind her.

[nebulousmeadows]

Imminent Regret Pt 4

Previous/Next

Harry rose abruptly, brushing snow and twigs off his sleeves before returning to full position.

Clearly frustrated that his distraction attempt did not work, he wracked his brain for other ideas. Out of the corner of his eye, he had noticed that Perseus was setting up his own version of Grass Knot. So that was taken care of ... at least for now. What else could Harry do? He thought it over -- most of his moves were offensive in nature, which was not currently working in his favor.

He did have another move in mind, but to use it so soon after his Grass Knot scheme seemed like a poor idea. Maybe, just maybe though ... What if he launched an attack at Elizabeth regardless? Perhaps it would throw Eudai off. He'd likely at least take a little time to block said attack. But then ... what if ...

Harry didn't have much time to dawdle here. So he did what he could: He began waving his arms about wildly to capture Eudai's attention. "Hey buddy! Over here! Look at me when I'm talkin' to ya. Just wanted to ask a question -- you a fruit kinda guy? What's your favorite kind? You like 'em raw or pureed? Or ..." Harry continued on. This idea was stupid, but it was something.

He hoped to the Gods above that it would work.

Eudai stared off into the distance, having missed his attack. These individuals were certainly lighter on their feet than Cesare. That much was certain. Perhaps this battle could provide some modicum of intrigue in this battle after all? Regardless, now wasn't the time to fool around. Despite having splintered the tree in front of him like it were nothing, the ghost slowly turned around. Only to eye the one called Harry waving his arms like a lunatic. Asking Eudai about fruit of all things.

While most would just strike this off as another absurd attempt to distract them. When it came to Eudai, his eyes twitched slightly under his normally emotionless demeanor as it tickled that one part of his brain. The urge to exchange in information. So Eudai did what he did best. He indulged in it. "Oh, well that all depends on my mood, really. Raw if I have little time and need a quick snack. Puree if I desire a smoothie and lust for the complex mixture of fruits blended together for essential nutrients."

One might say Harry's distraction was working. Until a ball of fire suddenly started forming right above Eudai's head, like a miniature sun. The raw power emanating from it suggested it was something akin to Inferno, and it was aiming right at Harry. "I appreciate the inquiry, though. Even if we may be trying to kill each other." Eudai stated politely as he prepared to fire it at the lanky Gothitelle.

Harry's lips curled themselves into a small smile as he watched Eudai prep his attack and prepare to launch. Perfect.

Harry stopped flailing about and cupped his hands together, a ball of lively green light forming around them. Energy Ball -- another Grass move, sure, but hopefully if he threw it forcefully enough, then when it hit Eudai's Inferno, the two would still collide and come to a halt.

And so that is just what Harry did -- quickly he launched the Energy Ball at Eudai's Inferno, bracing himself for any kind of impact.

(( Writing by me, Russ (@askgothitelle), and Rids (@gregnas-the-grouch) ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Arrival Pt 3

Previous/Next

Perseus was entirely silent, his muscles tense and rigid. His stoic gaze never wavered on Elizabeth, and when Eudai spoke to them for the first time, the Malebranche finally figured Madeleine had been right. Alas, if only they had found out sooner. Perhaps they could've dealt with him before it came to this moment. With a subtle degree of impatience, bright red eyes flicked in Madeleine's direction expectantly. She was better at talking things out compared to him. So he left it at that.

Madeleine took steady, even breaths as she witnessed her very suspicion come true. So many physical aspects backed it up, and that chilling comment Eudai made sealed it for her. Despite all of this, the Gothitelle took a moment to formulate a careful response.

"...We're only here to see to Elizabeth's safety." She replied. Her tone of voice was calm, assuring. "If we can all settle this peacefully, and you let her go, we'll leave you be. I don't see a need for us to fight."

So Elizabeth was possessed. But why? Cesare thought. What was he gaining from this?

Cesare clenched his fists. Leaning forward, he opened his mouth to speak, but he almost immediately found it shut. Who ...?

He saw Harry staring at him. The older Gothitelle's expression was unusually stern, and he held his thumb and index finger together. He was the one who stopped Cesare from speaking. Cesare was frustrated at this, but he backed down, albiet with an irritated grunt. Harry couldn't hold him like this forever.

Harry then stepped closer, holding out his arms in an amicable manner.

"You heard Madeleine," he said. "We're just here for the little lady. Fighting's not real ideal here. So, just give her here, and we'll let you on your merry little way. Nice, right?"

He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he would rather avoid fighting unless he really had to. At this point he had "let go" of Cesare, who took advantage of this and finally spoke.

"It's non-negotiable," he said. "You can't stay in her any longer. You need to go now, or we'll have no choice but to force you out." He wasn't as strong as the others, no, but he didn't care about that at the moment.

This earned a stifled groan from Perseus.

"Oh boy." The Malebranche muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was already going in a bad direction. Guess a fight was going to be inevitable, if the younger Gothitelle kept this up.

Madeleine glanced back at Cesare with wide eyes, briefly stunned. "Cesare," she hissed, "What're you doing? We can't just make demands and fight. We don't even know what we're getting into."

Even Elizabeth was taken aback. Clasping a hand over her mouth, she winced once more as the conversation started to unravel. Please don't do this, she silently begged.

Please.

(( Writing by me and Russ (@askgothitelle) ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Imminent Regret

Previous/Next

Madeleine looked back at Harry, then at Cesare with utter disbelief, whispering out loud. "I can't believe he's..." Her voice trailed off, unable to finish that sentence. The fact that he even made physical contact with Eudai made an ugly pit form in her stomach.

Perseus' brows furrowed. Not only was Cesare trying to talk to Elizabeth, but he was telling her to make Eudai's life miserable? This needed to stop now, before Eudai did something unpleasant. Leaning over to the smaller Gothitelle, Perseus spoke firmly. "Cesare, she can't hear you. Not while he's in control. Just let him be, he'll bring her back."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was on the verge of panicking. She indeed heard the things Cesare was telling her, and she yearned to speak to him. To tell him to stop before he got himself into any more trouble, and to tell him that she would be fine. With what the other Gothitelle did just now, though, asking Eudai to let her do this was out of the question. There was no way he'd let her, it was far too late.

Eudai’s eyes narrowed as Cesare, who so boldly attacked the Mismanoir not too long ago. Just went up and started shaking Elizabeth’s body. Pleading for the host to take back control and ruin Eudai’s life. While the Mismanoir felt little to no emotion. The hybrid seemed utterly bewildered by the Gothitelle’s irrational behavior. Is the small creature not aware what a possession is? Perhaps now would be the time to educate Cesare just out of his depth he really was.

“Madness.” The hybrid uttered without hesitation, easily brushing off Cesare’s grip, like he were nothing. Leaning over a bit, Eudai peered ominously into the Gothitelle’s eyes. “You have not only the audacity to attack me behind my back. You wish ill luck upon me. One such as yourself is undesirable." The ghost lowered himself ever closer, glaring at Cesare with unnerving intensity. "I will not tolerate any further interruptions. This conversation no longer has any meaning.” Eudai plainly stated as he suddenly raised up an arm, before slamming the back of his hand into Cesare’s body with the strength of an Ursaring.

The blow hit Cesare head on. Though he’d expected to be attacked, he didn’t expect it to be quite like … this.

Unfortunately for Cesare, he didn’t have anymore time to think about it. The powerful slam sent him flying into the air, before he ultimately hit the ground with a loud thud, his body skidding into the snow, leaving a trail of exposed dirt behind him.

He didn’t move.

“Shit!” Harry breathed, running to the other Gothitelle. He gently shook Cesare, who remained limp. He was alive, Harry concluded, after a moment – but he was completely out cold. With a sigh, Harry slowly picked up the unconscious Cesare and placed him against a tree. What else could he do right now?

Turning back, Harry watched Eudai with a much more marked sense of wariness. He did not make any move to attack, especially not after seeing Cesare lying there. He gritted his teeth, which were clearly visible now. He did so out of anticipation, but also perhaps out of growing aggression, which he was making an effort to keep contained, but this was getting harder by the minute.

Harry suddenly threw his hands up into the air. "Well folks, looks like peaceful negotiations are a thing of the past now. I mean..." he looked at Cesare. "Given the circumstances, reasoning's a bit of a moot point." He unsheathed the spikes along his wrists, and vines began to creep out of his upper arms. He was ready to go at this point. "It's a real pain, but this's a bit too far."

(( Writing by me, Russ (@askgothitelle), and Rids (@gregnas-the-grouch) ))

(( Art by @askgothitelle ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Release

Previous/Next

And with that, Nysa and the others followed him out of White Forest, making a successful escape and saving themselves from further injury.

When teleportation was accessible again, Nysa happily assisted in moving everyone to her tree house. From there, she took Elizabeth off of Perseus’s hands and moved her upstairs to Nysa’s own bedroom. When she came back down shortly after, Madeleine greeted her with a question.

“Is she alright?”

“Yes. She will be okay.” Nysa confirmed quietly. “She’ll wake up soon. I can say the same for your friend here.” She gestured to Cesare, who was still with Harry. Turning to Haos, she raised her brows. “I trust you’ll be staying with us for a bit? Unless... you need to make a return to White Forest?”

Haos nestled himself on a seat, happy to rest his weary feet as the Gothitelles conversed with each other. Upon Nysa's inquiry, the Gothitelle considered his host's statement, if but for a moment. "I suppose I can spare an hour or two. Travel, ah, how it takes so much out of me. Not quite as much vigor as I used to possess. But I will stay, after all, I wish to keep an eye on the health of those who were afflicted by Eudai, moreso Cesare and Elizabeth than anything else." Gestures at Herald sleeping on a couch. She had been ever since Haos went off with Nysa together.

"After all, Herald isn't exactly light on Jarvis's shoulders. He needs his rest as well for carrying such weight." Haos eyed Harry a bit. "And what of you, sir? Will you be staying as well? It would be nice to retell everything that has occured before me and Nysa arrived... If you don't mind, that is?"

"Guess so," said Harry, "But first I'd like to put this guy somewhere," Harry used his head to gesture to Cesare, who was still draped over Harry -- and Harry didn't want him there any longer. He'd done a number on his back.

"Uh ... Nysa, you gotta have a place where you can put 'im, right? Can't exactly just drop 'im on the floor." For the time being, Harry shed Cesare off his back and awkwardly propped him against a chair, to lay there until Nysa said something, because his back hurt. He then sat in said chair.

“Of course!” Nysa held her arms out to scoop up Cesare, then muttered to herself. “Let’s see...” Since every seat and couch was in use on the main floor, she would have to place him upstairs, so off she went again. Leaving the group to speak to Haos.

"Golly, where do I even start ..." the Gothitelle shook his head. "I bet the others could explain better, but, well, you know. We were going after Liz -- or uh, Eudai I guess -- both? -- after she disappeared. Find the two of 'em in the White Forest. So Cesare here is all adamant about freeing Liz, tells her to make Eudai miserable or whatever. Gets his little behind beat. He's been that way ever since.

Then uh ... we fought Eudai and stuff. That was one doozy of a fight." Harry stopped to catch his breath. "That fucker tried to eat me!" Harry shuddered. "Anyway then the giant ghost ladies came along and I got dropped, and then I guess that does it."

Nysa briefly tapped her foot when she reached the top of the stairs, lips quirked in thought. The only other place she had was a small window seat at the end of the hall. Hoping it would be comfortable for Cesare when he’d wake up, she carefully set him there and propped his head up with pillows from the bench.

A quiet sigh escaped her as she stared at him for a moment. ‘I might as well remain up here’, she thought. He was probably going to be looking for his friends when he would come to. And on top of that, she needed to keep tabs on Elizabeth.

Speaking of which...

When she was sure Cesare would be fine on his own for the time being, Nysa silently left to tend to the Gothitelle in the other room.

Luckily, all was still normal for Elizabeth. Her breathing and pulse were stable, she showed no signs of hypothermia. But... when was she going to wake up? Nysa knew it would be soon. But how soon? She wasn’t sure.

Resigning to checking back on Cesare, Nysa made her way to the bedroom door. Upon twisting the doorknob, however, she could have sworn she heard Elizabeth stir. Her brilliant gaze flitted over her shoulder, and within moments, the hybrid discovered that she was right.

Elizabeth was finally sitting up. Wide awake and in a daze.

(( Writing by me, Russ (@askgothitelle), and Rids (@gregnas-the-grouch) ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Imminent Regret Pt 13

Previous/Next

Things were happening so fast now.

Harry was about to get eaten, and Madeleine couldn’t have been more horrified. The nerve of this guy! She wanted to yell at him to stop and leave Harry alone, but she couldn’t even begin to speak. It was physically impossible.

Then along came Whisper, suddenly dropping in out of nowhere.

Aside from her confusion towards this new situation, Madeleine was relieved to see Harry out of Eudai’s grasp. And, thankfully, she and Perseus felt a small amount of Eudai’s pressure being lifted off of their backs. Just enough so they could breathe easier and sit up.

Once he caught his breath, Perseus shifted his gaze towards Elizabeth. He silently gauged the distance between himself and her. It didn’t seem too far, but the pressure above them was still going to make it a challenge. He had best make the most of his time and move her before she got hurt. With that in mind, he slowly started to make his way towards the unconscious Gothitelle.

“God, where’s Nysa when you need her?” He muttered with some agitation.

Harry had always felt that he could say that he'd seen some shit. But now, he could definitely say that he'd seen some shit.

With a thud the spindly Gothitelle landed onto the ground. With little time to take to feel bewildered by nearly being eaten, he took advantage of this new arrival, he slithered as quickly as he could to just out of arm's reach. He then let out a deep sigh and continued to lay there for a moment. But only a moment.

Watching Perseus make his way to Elizabeth, Harry looked to Cesare, before he looked to Madeleine for some kind of instructions. With what energy he had left, he sent her a message:

<< If he's grabbing her, do I go over and get Cesare? Or would that cause too much commotion? >>

Harry felt exhausted, but Cesare was obviously important in this situation, and so he couldn't just leave him there, much as he'd rather just curl up into a ball at the moment.

At the mention of Cesare, Madeleine immediately glanced back to look at him. He was still unconscious, propped up against a tree. Right where they had left him. After a brief moment of thought, she looked to Harry again and gave a weary nod.

<< We have to get out of here. I’ll keep an eye on these two, and see if we can teleport or make a run for it. >>

Soon enough, Perseus was in arm’s reach of Elizabeth. He could’ve gotten closer, but that might have been too close to get noticed by Eudai, and he didn’t want to risk that. To bring the petite Gothitelle closer, he carefully pulled her to his person with one arm looped around her abdomen. Then, he slowly swept her up with both. It took every fiber of muscle to fight against that lingering pressure, and rise to his feet.

<< I got Elizabeth. >> he announced to the others via telepathy. << I’ll follow you whenever you’re ready. >>

There was a small crater where Eudai was originally floating at. It seemed eerily silent for a moment until the massive, rotting Dusknoir known as Whisper suddenly popped up, holding Eudai in an unusually tender hug. “Oh brother, dearest brother, how I’ve missed you!” Whisper gurgled with glee, pressing Eudai against her decaying chest as the Mismanoir shot Whisper an incredibly unamused glare.

“You really should give me a call sometime. Here I was worried you were dead!... Actually, no, knowing you, you’d probably be making others dead. Seems like I caught you at a bad moment~” Whisper cackled as she eyed the Gothitelles with morbid curiosity, only to screech in surprise as Eudai gave her a frosty bitch slap in the eye of all places. The Dusknoir released her grip, clutching her eye as Eudai, staring at the ooze covering his body, muttered lowly as he pulled out a napkin built for his size and wiped off any fluids Whisper had covered him in. Someone would need a shower after this. Or three.

“What do you want, sister?” Eudai demanded, not in the mood for Whisper’s antics as the Dusknoir eyed Eudai with an innocent look on her twisted face. “What ever do you mean, Eudai?” To imply that I’m up to anything of the mischievous or downright nasty sort is downright insulting, I tell ya! Where’s the love, the appreciation?” Whisper huffed with nonexistent indignation as Eudai merely narrowed his gaze. “Do not play me for a fool, Whisper. Last I checked, you had taken over a village to pursue your own twisted schemes.” The hybrid retorted, Whisper merely shrugged.

“As if you’re one to talk, little brother. Scheming seems to run in the family. That or just a practice you and me have a particular habit of engaging in. though if you must know... I paid little sister a visit~” Whisper chuckled lowly as Eudai balled his hand into a fist, stare deadly as ever. “What did you do, Whisper?” Eudai demanded as the same roar everyone heard earlier grew closer, ever closer.

“Oh, nothing much... Just a little chat is all~”

(( Writing by me, Russ (@askgothitelle), and Rids (@gregnas-the-grouch) ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Imminent Regret Pt 10

Previous/Next

Oh, no.

Oh, hell no.

He was not having this.

There was a brief flash of violence in Perseus’s eyes when Eudai grabbed his arm. He almost had the mind to punch him. But he immediately stopped himself. This was Elizabeth’s body. He couldn’t harm her.

Instead, the tall Gothitelle simply wrested his arm out of Eudai’s grasp with all his strength and shoved him away. “Don’t even try.” He growled, breaking the ice that had formed thus far and brushing it off.

Now that the specter was distracted yet again, a soothing, echoed voice broke the silence, cooing delicate words to a song. It seemed to soften the frigid air as colorful, ethereal pulses of energy drifted like rolling waves near the shore. “See the pyramids along the Nile... Watch the sunrise from a tropic isle~”

Stiffening, Perseus snapped his wary gaze towards the voice’s source. Of course, who else was it but Madeleine? Her lips were curved into a languid smile, and she didn’t falter for a moment. Never skipping a beat.

“Just remember, darling, all the while... You belong to me~”

"See the marketplace in old Algiers-" another voice piped up soon after, this time it was Harry.

It was a stark change from the more guttural voice he had been using just moments earlier. This one was ... smoother. "Send me photographs and souvenirs ..." he continued, singing along with Madeleine. "Just remember --" but then he stopped.

He adjusted his voice, bringing it a bit lower, almost whispering the next lines: "When a dream appears, you belong to me."

And then, he inhaled. What followed was definitely not the slow, sweet song from before.

Oh, no. This was different. And so much worse.

Harry was bringing out the big guns, now -- his specialty:

He began to yodel at the top of his lungs.

Eudai seemed befuddled by the sudden choir of delicate woman and screechy man. It seemed almost pleasant... Until the yodel came. Oh, how horrid that yodel was. How it stabbed at Eudai's mind like someone shoved a pineco into Eudai's mind. The damage inflicted was minimal, but the annoyance was maximum as it seemed like these three were determined to drive him off into the brink of insanity.

Most would scream at the aggressors to be quiet or even get physically violent with them. But Eudai didn't.

He just stood there and smiled.

And despite his smile, even the densest of individuals could pick up on just how deep in the shit they were about to be.

(( Writing by me, Russ (@askgothitelle), and Rids (@gregnas-the-grouch) ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Release Pt 8

Previous/Next

"Of course, thank you." Elizabeth nodded in agreement, then went back to steadying herself on her own two feet. It would take a couple minutes for her to get used to standing again, and a bit more for her to start walking. Had a month really made her forget what it was like to walk?

She was thankful for her quick recovery, though. The Gothitelle could walk normally once she drew nearer to the door. From there, she would join Cesare outside and make her way downstairs.

Below, Nysa's ears perked at the sound of their footsteps, and she glanced over from her work to see them finally arrive. Madeleine rose from her seat upon noticing them, and was the first to speak. "Are you two alright?"

Cesare waved at them. He was glad to see that they were doing alright themselves.

"We're good," he said. "Nothing wrong here. At least, not for me! But Elizabeth seems to be pretty chipper herself."

Harry didn't stand up, though he did put a hand up to his chin. "Glad to see you ain't dead. That's a relief! What would I tell Anna and your mother? They'd make me into Gothitelle stew or something, and that'd suck cause I already kinda had that happen!" He laughed, but Cesare did not. Instead, Cesare merely squinted at him, confused by his statement. "That's nice," he told Harry.

Then he looked to Elizabeth. "I don't have much else to say, so I will let you talk."

With a nod, Elizabeth started to explain what she had told Cesare earlier to Harry, Madeleine, and Perseus. Both Madeleine and Perseus were rather surprised when she informed them that Eudai was actually going to let her go, before the group even decided to confront him.

“Good to know he wasn’t going to kill you, then. But still,” Perseus frowned up at her. “We all went through hell trying to get you back.” He hooked a thumb and gestured to his left, towards Harry. “He even tried to eat him, since all of us stopped him from what he wanted to do.”

Elizabeth stared at the three of them with wide eyes in disbelief. He... actually attempted this? Part of her didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t just deny it because of the difference in treatment Eudai gave her. Even then, she needed to confirm this.

She looked to Harry, and her voice came out as a near whisper as she asked him. “Is this true...?”

"Well of course it's true!" Harry flung out his arms. "Ya can't make this stuff up!" he then folded his arms, and leaned back in his chair. "Sheesh, and I thought I had a mouth full of knives..." With bug eyes, Cesare looked to the ground, his lips pursed, nodding slowly. "I ... oh boy." Harry pouted. "He didn't even fall for my Attract trick or my Grass Knot! Those usually work."

Apparently, Cesare missed a lot while he was out cold.

"And you guys escaped ... how?" he asked Harry, to which Harry continued, "Some giant ghost ladies came after him. Then Nysa and her buddies showed up, and here we are."

Ghost ladies, Cesare thought. Well that was interesting. "Uh ... his sisters, maybe?" Cesare asked. "I think so," came Harry's reply. "They were as weird lookin' as he was. And just as big."

Yup. Cesare had definitely missed out on a lot.

But what could he do now? Right now, he needed to focus on the situation at hand. The whole group of Gothitelles was safe, and that was what was most important at the moment.

Again, Cesare turned to Elizabeth. "I'm sorry ... I don't know what to say. Again. You got anything else you want to share?" and then he looked to Perseus and Madeleine. "Or you guys."

(( Writing by Russ (@askgothitelle​) and I ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Release Pt 6

Previous/Next

Cesare leaned forward as Elizabeth seemed to quiet down, so he could hear her better.

And although they were a bit hard to make out, Cesare made out those last words. And they hit him like a rock.

He didn't know what to say. He was truly surprised; he didn't think she felt that way about him.

But ... that begged the question. How did he feel about her?

He swallowed hard and thought. He'd known Elizabeth for a while now. He'd met her at a ball in Sinnoh, not too long after he'd returned to Unova, and shortly before he left. It had been an awkward time in his life. But, meeting her, talking to her at the party, it put him at ease, at least for the moment. And then when he arrived in Sinnoh, they got to know each other even better. He could always talk to her, it felt like.

But the question was still unanswered. Did he harbor the same feelings she did?

Well ... yes, he thought. If he was honest, he'd been harboring them for a while, but made a point of keeping them to himself. He wasn't sure how she'd react, and so --

Cesare snapped back to reality. How long had he been spacing out? Oh dear, this was awkward. He'd have to had been staring out into space for at least a couple minutes. He told himself he wasn't nervous; he shouldn't be. This wasn't some kind of kiddie crush.

Turning to face Elizabeth, Cesare gave her a small smile, his brows upturned. He stepped forward, close to her now.

"I --" and then he completely forgot what he was trying to go for here, for which he cursed himself: "Uh, me too."

Nailed it.

Elizabeth blinked with a slight frown, somewhat confused by the response. “You mean...” she tilted her head to the side a little, “You... feel the same about me?” Her cheeks flushed at how awkward this moment felt.

Part of her wondered if she spoke too soon. Like she should have waited longer to confess. Then again, it was good to hear whether or not Cesare reciprocated her feelings now, while they had the chance to talk. Going by his choice of words, the Gothitelle wondered if he would rather they remain friends. Which was fine, there was nothing wrong with that. But what if he meant that he did feel the same way about her as she did him?

Overall, it was sending her mixed messages. Hence, Elizabeth awaited a response in awkward silence as her gaze lingered on his face.

Cesare watched Elizabeth a moment, his smile remaining, awaiting a response. Then it hit him.

"Oh, God," he turned a bit red out of embarrassment again. He looked away, a hand smushed against his cheek. "Did that make any sense? No? I knew it, I knew that came out weird."

He felt like he was killing the moment here, so he had to act fast.

Cesare straightened his posture, in hopes that that would give him more clarity, and fiddled with his neck bow before returning to face Elizabeth.

"Sorry about that. It just caught me off guard is all. I think mostly cause my head's a bit fuzzy." he poked the side of his head.

"But what I'm saying is," Cesare said, taking Elizabeth's hand in his, "Is that, yes, I love you too. Even if I'm not super eloquent about it." He then continued to hold his gaze on her for a moment. Inside he was screaming at himself for mucking it up, but he tried to ignore that voice, figuring it would only make things more weird. His hold on her hand tightened just the slightest bit. He then shifted his gaze from side to side, as if searching for something, or perhaps to make sense of something.

"So what does this mean for us?"

(( Writing by Russ (@askgothitelle) and I ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Imminent Regret Pt 7

Previous/Next

Harry, meanwhile, was still trying to make sense of this “tree”. Apparently this meant smushing Perseus’s cheeks with his hands and looking very, very closely at his face. But then he heard a commotion.

He heard yelling – upon looking over, who stood there but Annalisa Bellucci, the twin sister of Cesare.

Wait, what was she doing here? Was it really Anna? No … it had to be, right? Of course it was Anna. And she was looking right at Eudai. Of course, this wasn’t actually Anna at all. This was Madeleine. Still, Harry ran over to her, fully convinced it was the Lucario.

“Good lord, Anna! What a time for you to drop in!” He grabbed her – either her worked, one supposes, and pushed her away from Eudai. “Don’t worry, he ain’t gonna getcha. Not so long as I’m here!” and then he fired a Dark Pulse, a rather erratically formed one at that.

Eudai was surprised by Madeleine’s sudden move, let alone possessing the strength to throw Eudai off her. So many mistakes. The ghost couldn’t help but wonder if his host’s emotions were inhabiting him in any way. That wouldn’t do at all. Easily getting back up on his feet, he noticed the Dark Pulse coming his way, speedily dodging it with lightning reflexes as the darkened energy zipped by him.

Seems like the Confuse Ray didn’t keep the males distracted for nearly as long as he had expected. Straightening himself out, this fight was already eating into his time. Time he could not afford to waste. His eyes narrowed as electricity started to crackle around his fleshy vessel. Pointing a finger at Harry, Eudai narrowed his eyes a bit before releasing a less powerful, but more precise Thunder at Harry. Right into his back.

That was a bit unexpected. Harry sputtered as the Thunder hit him, doubling over. He then fell to his knees, the current coursing through him – he felt like he was going to throw up – he stayed like this for a moment. Then it ended.

Harry exhaled, clutching his chest and gaining his bearings, before awkwardly bending back upright. He slowly turned to face Madeleine for a moment. “You…” he nearly positioned himself to attack Madeleine, but then he stopped. “Ah wait, the hell? What am I doing? That’s you. Maddie, I mean. You’re Maddie.” He pointed at her.

Then he turned to look at Eudai. As he did so, he backed away, slowly and bit shakily, both from the Thunder and the lingering confusion, before entering a firm stance, he vines out once again, but this time in a more protective position. He’d let the others act offensively for this little moment. Besides, he still couldn’t entirely tell what was what.

Horrified, Madeleine had covered her mouth at the severe electric jolt that shot through Harry from head to toe. She hesitated to make physical contact with her friend, until he stood up and verbally acknowledged her.

Good, he seemed to have come to his senses for the moment.

Resting a hand on his back, the female looked Harry over with great concern. “Are you alright?” She asked, only to withdraw once he was ready to fight again. And with that, she too readied herself for what was to come; she was prepared to use her Psychic, if needed.

Perseus, on the other hand, was still confused. Unable to properly recognize his comrades. But at least he could see Eudai. And was all that mattered in this situation… right?

So what could he do now? Might as well try to keep fighting. Even though he still thought Harry was Madeleine, the red Gothitelle moved to stand beside him and likewise took a stance. He could only hope this madness would come to an end, sooner or later. As if his impatience wasn’t bad enough.

(( Writing by me, Russ (@askgothitelle), and Rids (@gregnas-the-grouch) ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Release Pt 4

Previous/Next

“Of course.” A small smile crept over Elizabeth’s face, one much more genuine and relaxed. It was quiet for a moment, but then she spoke up again when Haos made his way back towards the door. “...And thank you. I hope you can find some rest yourself sometime soon.”

Voices were the first thing Cesare heard. But they were distorted, barely intelligible. He didn't really know who was talking, but some of them sounded familiar, even if he had no idea what they were saying.

He opened his eyes -- not fully, just a sliver -- and gazed at the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a window, of which he was practically touching. Was he sitting on a window sill? Wasn't he in the snow? Cesare, having just come to, had a bit of trouble processing it all.

Was he dead? Was this some kind of waiting room into Heaven?

Wait, no, that was a stupid thought. It couldn't be, it didn't look particularly heavenly. Which meant he was alive. The last thing he remembered ...

Oh, right.

Cesare tried to turn to see what was going on on the other side of him, but he turned too hard, and underestimated with width of the seat, which caused him to roll off onto the floor onto his face, yelping as he did so.

"Ffffuhhh," the Gothitelle started to swear, in a slurred tone, but did not finish the word.

Turning over and rubbing his face, he was now wide eyed. Spotting the Umbreon hybrid from earlier -- what was her name, Neesa? -- he asked her a question. Well, two.

"Ish idover? M'i dead?" just to be sure, and "D'you have a bathroom?"

“Oh!” Nysa’s ears shot up with surprise at the sudden thud she heard right at her feet. Looking down at Cesare with wide yellow eyes, she blinked a couple times. She hadn’t been fully paying attention in that moment, since Haos was just starting to exit the room, but the hybrid was quick to remedy this. She extended a hand to help Cesare up as she stood herself upright.

Thankfully, she could understand his mildly jumbled questions. All of which she answered in a single sentence or two. “Yes, no, and yes. You’re perfectly fine. And the nearest bathroom’s over here, come this way.”

Elizabeth could faintly hear the commotion outside the room after Haos left, and her eyes widened when she picked out a particular voice from it. Was that... Cesare just now?

She wanted to get up and find out, but. Nysa wanted her to remain put so she could rest. The Gothitelle was honestly beginning to feel more and more impatient as time passed. And yet, she still laid herself back with closed eyes, trying to focus on other thoughts as she awaited Nysa’s return.

Cesare thanked Nysa for her help, and swiftly made his way to the bathroom.

Closing the door after he was done, he returned to Nysa. His hair was slightly damp in places -- it appeared he used a bit of water to help pat it down -- and he seemed a bit more alert.

"I guess I have a lot of questions," he admitted. "My memory is pretty foggy. I don't remember a whole lot."

He looked around, once again surveying his surroundings. "It's a nice house." he then looked down, shuffling his feet as he did so. "But the first thing I wanted to ask ... Elizabeth? Is she alright? Where is she?"

“I’d be happy to answer any you might have,” Nysa offered with a nod. At the mention of Elizabeth, she pointed just down the hall, right at the closed door to her own bedroom. “Yes. She’s in there. She’s fully awake now, and...” her warm gaze fell back on Cesare, and her brows seemed to quirk a little with sympathy.

“She’s been expecting you.”

(( Writing by Russ (@askgothitelle) and I ))

[nebulousmeadows]

Madeleine remained silent for a minute, averting her gaze as she stood there in the cold. She showed some reluctance in discussing this topic, but, seeing as her comrades were diligently keeping an eye on Elizabeth, she supposed she could spare a minute.

“…It was the latter.” she answered, “In fact, I uh… don’t think they had to weaken me at all. Hypnosis was all it took for me to get caught. It probably didn’t help that I was so young, and I wasn’t exactly prepared to defend myself in the situation. I was maybe… five or six years old? I had no idea I had been abducted from home until a witness found me and explained everything.”

“Technically, I was caught by my ex-trainer’s father; he broke into our house and caught me in the middle of the night, then later gave me to his daughter, after claiming that I was “found and rescued.” I didn’t remember anything from the night I was taken, so I could only go along with that until I was told otherwise. It turned out that his Ninetales had used a unique form of Dream Eater to erase my memories of the entire night. To try and cover up their tracks.”

She paused, taking a deep breath. “The fact that he did all this is just… appalling. As for my trainer? She just trained me ever since she got me. Her goal was to rise and become famous. While neither I nor my teammates were mistreated–we did have our fair share of breaks from contests and all–we were only tools to her, in the end. She had no true regard or compassion for us. She just wanted us to do the best we could, and win. So she could be a star.”

Another pause followed. The star reader was silently struggling to restrain the tears that begged to leave her. But it was becoming more and more difficult as she continued. The memories of the past were flooding back to her, and they did nothing to help.

“I overall just, grew tired of the lifestyle I was living and didn’t like how I was treated. And when I was told the truth, I was so upset. Of all the shady things possible… they had done this to me and my family. They tore us apart and showed no remorse for it.”

The Gothitelle’s voice cracked mid-sentence, and a few tears made their escape.

“They stole my family, and they stole my childhood from me…” she finished, “And that’s something I’ll never get back.”

Seconds later, Madeleine sniffed and brushed her fingers over a misty eye, straightening herself a bit. “Forgive me, I... I didn’t mean to ramble like this. I need a minute. Please excuse me.” She murmured with a weak chuckle, before then turning away and departing.

{ Madeleine has left to compose herself }

–

[ @airanke​ ]

[nebulousmeadows]

The passing nights had been very quiet.

Perhaps too quiet.

After everyone had finally retired from watching Elizabeth for the day, Perseus took note of something in the house, when he was about to settle down for the night. Something felt… out of place.

“Madeleine?” He called quietly, towards the other Gothitelle’s sleeping quarters and anticipating a quick response afterwards, since it was common that Madeleine would do so. But, surprisingly, there was no response at all. Concerned, he got up and made a brief search around the house, while mindful not to disturb Harry and Cesare in the living room. He couldn’t find her anywhere indoors, though when he peered through one of the windows near the front door, he could see the female standing outside in the snow, her back turned.

With a slight, suspicious frown, the Malebranche was careful to make little noise as he stepped outside and sidled up to her. Madeleine said nothing in response to his presence, not even a “hello” or a glance in his direction. With his brows furrowing, Perseus cleared his throat.

“So… What are you doing out here so late? You could catch a cold, or even get hypothermia.”

“I’ve been… thinking about things.” Madeleine finally responded.

“Really?” the male raised an inquisitive brow at her and paused. “…You mind telling me what that’s all about?”

There was another pause, as blue eyes moved to gaze firmly at him.

“It’s about the werewolf.”

A small chill skittered down Perseus’ spine.

She was really bringing this up. It was the last of things he wanted to discuss with her right now. But she had him. Should he try to dodge it, she’d persist. Unable to think of a way out of this, he remained silent, offering no input.

Madeleine took his silence and continued. “Why haven’t you said anything about this beast being alive? You could’ve told people about it, and they could’ve been able to find ways to defend themselves and their homes.”

The Malebranche held back an annoyed sigh. “It doesn’t always work that way, Madeleine. Multitudes of people, especially large crowds, tend to go into a panic when they hear that a major threat is indeed real and alive. I couldn’t just blurt it and throw the region into chaos.”

“Okay, so why not at least tell a few trusted people who could team together and take him out without having to alert anyone?”

At that point, Perseus’ voice was but a tense whisper. “It’s too dangerous. Should anyone go to him, he’ll just kill them.” He shook his head briefly, “Madeleine, listen to me. I can’t just tell everyone, or anyone, for that matter; I don’t want any more Pokemon getting hurt because of him.”

“But many probably still are, and as long as that thing keeps terrorizing the region, the number of victims will only continue to add up!” Madeleine’s brows furrowed as she stared at him full-on, her eyes blazing with anger. “Why haven’t you said anything, Perseus? Why?”

“Hey!” Perseus’ eyes widened at this sudden change of tone and volume, and, almost immediately, he locked eyes with her. With that same burning intensity. “You wanna know something? I’m not here to sit around and wait to be hunted. I was actually hunting that werewolf down myself. ALONE. I had to stop when I found you lost and far away from Kalos, because I couldn’t just leave you like that. Plus, with you wandering around, it could’ve gotten to you before I did!”

“You know what, Perseus,” Madeleine scowled, “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but the fact that you’ve been hiding the truth from an entire region is horrible! Countless victims probably lost their lives to him, because you never said anything! Why have you been hiding this for so long?!”

“Because my goddamn parents died!” Perseus suddenly yelled, fury seething through his teeth as he glared down at the smaller Gothitelle. His face was just inches away as he stepped closer, bright pink eyes boring into hers. “My parents fucking sacrificed themselves to protect me and my sister, so we could live and get away from that monster. I watched as they fought to the death, and he dragged them off; I had to keep my sister from seeing anything! She was too young to know. That night haunted me FOR YEARS! I was too afraid to tell anybody, in fear of him coming for me, my sister, and everyone who lived around us! That beast has a lot more capabilities than you think, Madeleine! He killed my parents and I couldn’t do shit! And when I later lost my sister to some other blood-crazed monsters, I just-! She and my parents were the only family I had left! And the world fucking took them away from me!”

His throat was almost raw after he had finished. The Malebranche then whirled away from the other Gothitelle and mumbled under his breath, his voice nearly cracking when he spoke. “Fucking hell…”

Madeleine, however, said nothing. She was stunned.

Speechless.

He had his entire family taken from him.

And he had been afraid.

She finally knew. And she finally understood. She had pushed way too many of his buttons, and the Psychic already regretted it. She could only watch in silence as the other stood a little ways away from her. Was he… trembling? She raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes softening.

“Perseus,” She murmured, reluctantly drawing nearer to him, “I’m… I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t know.”

At first, Perseus didn’t say a word. But, with a slight tilt of his head to the left, then fully turning to face her, he finally replied. Though his eyes seemed to shift towards the snowy ground from time to time, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to look at her. “It’s… It’s fine. I, uh…” He sniffed, still keeping his voice down. “I shouldn’t have blown up like this.”

“You kept it all bottled up, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. As unfortunate as it is. I shouldn’t have done that either. Sorry.”

“I forgive you.” She said, still holding a steady, yet sympathetic gaze on him before she winced a little, her voice then a whisper. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” At that moment, the male finally managed to look her directly in the face.

It was silent again, and, after another fleeting moment or so, Madeleine reluctantly drew Perseus into a hug, which of course threw the Malebranche off. Though, it wasn’t long before he would slowly, but surely, return the warm gesture. He had to admit, it actually soothed his nerves some. It was… nice. But, he still felt embarrassed for yelling so loudly and spilling his guts to Madeleine the way he did. Regardless, he knew he was outright exhausted, and he assumed Madeleine must have been just as much; a good night’s sleep was definitely in order.

With that in mind, the two departed a minute later and silently made their way back into the house, where they’d both return to their rooms to sleep.

[nebulousmeadows]

“Time changes a lot of things. It’s surprising how much can change in such a short span of it, though.

It’s been nearly a month now, and the changes we’ve seen in Elizabeth have only gotten worse. She still claims she’s fine every time we ask, and apparently her family hasn’t noticed or suspected a thing.

What is going on?

We’ve been keeping our distance while watching her, so she wouldn’t catch on to our investigation. But nothing’s been adding up, and we still haven’t had access to her inner thoughts, for whatever reason.

I’m starting to wonder if she’s holding up an illusion of some sort; trying to hide this from her family so they won’t see it. It would make sense, given she doesn’t want them to worry over her, but I’m getting the feeling there’s something more behind it all. Like she’s trying to hide a secret.

And, I can’t help but feel that, as the weeks pass… that smile on her face is becoming less and less sincere.”

–Madeleine

[nebulousmeadows]

“Elizabeth. In light of our recent conversation. I have currently been contemplating whether or not to let you live. I confess, I rarely change my mind about people, as they themselves are rarely subject to true change. However, you’ve shown an open mind to my predicament, one that I admit has caught me off guard. By the end of the month, I’ll decide whether or not to let you go. Though, before that is done, certain matters require my attention, matters which I’m sure you’re all too aware of at this point. Fret not, your hands won’t be instrumental in this, I’m quite aware of the moral dilemma you emotional beings tend to undergo, so I shall undertake it myself. If you do live, perhaps some tea and a discussion on astronomy is in order? It would be… refreshing to have an honest conversation for once. Either way, I bid you farewell until then.”

Sincerely,

~Eudai

With weary eyes, Elizabeth read the wraith’s letter in silence, remaining seated on the old couch in which she would spend most of her time resting. Sleep was clearly tugging at her as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her brows creased a little at the mention of potentially letting her live.

‘Is he… really considering this?’ She thought.

At first, she found it hard to believe. But, Eudai hadn’t lied to her even once. Why should he now?

Blinking, the petite Gothitelle read on. She appreciated him saying he wouldn’t pull her into certain matters in the outside world, and his invitation to a possible time for tea and talk of astronomy elicited a soft, tired smile from her.

Part of her felt this would not be likely, however, since she knew Eudai was generally resilient to changes in his agenda. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, in the case of her not being let go. To have one’s hopes brought up and then be crushed was definitely one of the feelings she disliked most.

After setting the paper on the coffee table, Elizabeth breathed a quiet sigh through her nose and shifted a little to lie on her side, making herself comfortable. In her mind, she couldn’t help thinking of her response to the hybrid before sleep would take her.

‘Eudai… whether or not you do decide to release me, I still thank you for even considering to let me go. It was very thoughtful of you. And, well… yes, I wouldn’t be opposed to having that kind of discussion. It would certainly be nice.

It was nice to hear this from you, overall. But, until then, we’ll see.’