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Post by Moe on Oct 24, 2023 13:22:06 GMT -6
"Hey, I found you, didn't I? They say with great power comes great responsibility, and I believe that it's my responsibility to help you get some revenge on your brother." Mark smirked. He leaned back in the void of space, as though sitting back in an invisible chair. "Might as well make the most of the dreamspace I was dealt." he said as he looked to the small vision of earth floating beneath him. He picked it up and scrolled through as though it was a phone or tablet, looking through people's dreams and visions.
"Hmmm. Reese. Elf, right? Oooh, this looks promising." he picked out a specific dream, and combed through the memories. "Sweet. Memories are time-related, I can totally prod through peoples' minds, now. Looks like the right guy." he motioned for Lux to come over and view Reese's dream. "The brain is basically a computer, so I don't see why you shouldn't be able to change the code, within the astral space." he stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles, grinning the most devious grin. "Okay, Reese. Your flesh is made of waffles now, and you bleed delicious maple syrup. Your sword is also bacon and you're carrying a shield made of egg. Anything you wanna add?" he looked over at Lux.
-----
"Baby metal? Ooh, I like the sound of that." Ikuki grinned. "I'd like to hope I can keep it, though we'd have to get Apollo out of my head, first. I appreciate that he was able to figure out how to channel my magic through technology, but I'd rather not have Apollo in my head every time I wear the suit." she joked.
She couldn't help but smile when Nox mentioned them being friends. "I think he's afraid of making friends, but who knows? Maybe we can all be a team, together. I would love it if we all had matching suits and made our own team. Mark would be the leader who makes all our gear, Lux would be the heavy hitter and first line of defense, I'd be the spellcaster and long-range attacker, and you'd be our support and healer that we'd be lost without, because let's face it, we're all reckless." she laughed.
Her smile faded as she trailed off, turning her attention away from the robot and looking upstairs. "Do you think they're okay? They've been out there, a while."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 24, 2023 13:57:00 GMT -6
Lux was amazed by the way that the brain seemed to be ran. It was like a computer. Thoughts and memories were similar to data streaming across a hard drive. Right? He felt that it sounded right in his head, as Nox had explained to him how a computer worked before.
He could see so many people on the list. All of them, he didn't know. Except for a small fraction. Which one of them, he saw that Joe was asleep for some reason. A part of him wanted to dabble with her dream, just to see what she was thinking about. But his thoughts were quickly erased as the idea of revenge against his cruel brother was more interesting.
“Wow...this is so neat. Imagine the stuff you could do if you could wield this as you wished? Like...you could really get into the heads of your enemies and really mess with them. Take what they fear and fold it into something far worse. Something that can perhaps change their views on what they're doing. Or better yet, make them feel the same pain and suffering that they inflict upon others by stripping away stuff they hold dearest. Like pride.”
He grinned as he thought of various ways to torment his brother. “He mocks me for remembering their death. Why don't we make him relive it. Or better yet, the apparent fight that our Father had with his Mother. Have her mock him while he's stuck as a waffle. Say things similar to what he says to me.”
Lux didn't realize that he was being quite heartless, as the whole incident between Reese's Mother and their Father, was actually quite scarring. He didn't know the whole story, nor was he going to relay any information that he did know to Mark. Because all he did know was, his Mother had unreachable goals, similar to Reese, and was actually quite mean. When in reality, she was much worse than that.
“Or better yet, have his boyfriend reappear. He left Reese for another guy.”
- - - - -
“Yeah, I can't imagine having someone linger in my head...I have enough conversations with myself over debates and trivial thoughts that keep my brain rolling.” He laughed, then realized that he may have sounded a bit crazy. “I just...do a lot of thinking. Nothing bad, but I keep my mind busy by coming up with various blueprints and ideas. I do tend to write them down but I also refine them in my head.”
Then when Ikuki pointed out that the two have been together for quite some time, it dawned onto him that it had been a few hours. He frowned. “I don't know. I want to check up on them but if they're in the middle of something, I don't want to interrupt. But at the same time...” He paused and looked down at the little robot that was coming together nicely.
“I'm honestly really worried about my brother. He's...not acting right. But I cannot place it.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 24, 2023 14:28:06 GMT -6
"Easy there, kiddo." Mark warned him. "This is all new to me, but I would never, ever use it to seriously hurt anyone. I've been bullied, growing up. I know how it feels to have people belittle you, so much. But if you had the chance to hurt them as much as they hurt you, then that makes you the bully and that means you're no better than them. How about we stick with something a little more lighthearted, yeah?"
"Bees." Mark stated, simply and bluntly. "Bees are after his tasty, tasty syrup blood."
While he unleashed the dream bees, he glanced at Lux who seemed to radiate hate and anger. It hurt that he seemed to be headed down an unsavory path, but Mark couldn't stop him. He wasn't going to force anything. A person's path had to be their own choice. All he could do was be a guide, and hope that everything he taught him, would stick.
"Hey, Lux? No matter what happens, when you're older...no matter what path you choose, I'll always care about you because you're my little brother, blood or not. I'll be there for you, no matter what. You know that, right?"
----
"I noticed that, too." Ikuki said, concerned. "I think we should go check on them. Mark...doesn't know anything about magic. They could've gotten stuck in a nightmare or caught by evil spirits or ghosts or dreameaters." she started to cause herself to panic. "Maybe we should gently guide them back into the waking world."
She began to head upstairs and down the hall, to the back door. The two of them were sitting between two small fountains, both still meditating as the sun was beginning to set. She slowly approached them and sat between them, trying to enter the astral plane as well, in order to find and wake them. It didn't work, of course, and all she could do was breathe a heavy sigh, and lean on Mark's shoulder. "Please come back. I'm worried about you both." she spoke softly.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 24, 2023 15:10:39 GMT -6
Bees weren't exactly what he was hoping for. He wanted so much more than that. Reese was just so horrible to him and his brother. He seriously wanted to get even. But he wasn't going to argue with Mark and simply went along with the bees chasing after him.
He didn't say anything at first and simply stood at the back and watched the bees be released, tormenting his brother in his dream. It was comical to say the least, as he frantically grabbed random items to swat them away. In a way, it was like watching an early morning cartoon.
Lux heard Mark speak and glanced over to him. There was grave concern on his face which fit the tone of his voice. A part of him wanted to cry, upon him claiming him to be his little brother to him. It elevated when he heard Mark also add that he will be there for him, no matter what.
He could feel a wave of emotions bubbling up within him. Without thinking, he pulled his hand up to his eyes and wiped away an escaping tear. All he wanted was someone to be there for him, to act as an older brother, to care. Lux loved Nox to bits but he knew that the two of them needed a role model.
And Mark was exactly that.
Without saying anything, Lux walked over and hugged him again. He wanted to thank him for everything. He wanted to show his appreciation. But all he could manage was a hug. And he hoped that spoke enough for him.
- - - - -
Nox followed after Ikuki and saw them sitting beside one another. A part of him wished that he could access the astral plane and speak to them himself. But he never was approached by any spirits and never encountered such phenomena. So he had his doubts that he had the ability to do such a thing.
Mimicking Ikuki, Nox sat down beside his brother and grabbed a hold of his hand. As soon as he did, he could sense an overwhelming wave of emotions. There sadness. And when Nox looked at his brother, he saw a singular tear run down his cheek.
“He's crying.” He said to Ikuki. “I...wonder if they failed?”
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Post by Moe on Oct 24, 2023 15:49:08 GMT -6
Mark said nothing when Lux hugged him, accepting that you don't always have to say something. He hugged him back, and just let him feel whatever he was feeling, right now. His ears twitched when he heard voices around them, this time more familiar ones. Mark scrolled through what he perceived to be the astral computer, and could see Nox and Ikuki sitting outside, next to them.
"Guess we've been here a lot longer than we realized." he said to Lux. "I'm gonna need you to wake up, now, okay? Don't worry, I'm right there next to you. It's time to wake up." he hoped his words bolted Lux back into the waking world, as he had been brought back, as well.
He didn't open his eyes yet and he kept his breathing steady, when Ikuki leaned on his shoulder. He knew she was there, but couldn't resist messing with her a little. He pretended to fall over and into her lap, which naturally caused her to panic.
"MARK. Are you okay?? Did you get attacked by lost souls?? Did something hijack your dreams??" she panicked holding his head in her hands and patting at his face, in an attempt to wake him up.
"Nah, I'm fine." he grinned a cheeky grin at her.
Ikuki stared at him in a long silence; "I have half a mind to shove you right into this pond."
"You wouldn't, you like me too much." he teased, which was absolutely the wrong thing to do as she did, indeed, shove him off her lap and into the pond.
He laughed as he accepted his fate, since he most certainly deserved it. "Okay, okay. I deserved that." he said as he held his hand out for her to help him out. It was a shallow pond, and she rolled her eyes but accepted. To which he responded by yanked her into the pond with him, causing her to fall over on top of him and cover them both in foliage.
She sat up quickly and stared at him, at first looking angry, but instead just smirked at him and threw a small lilypad at his face, causing him to laugh about the whole thing.
As they both picked themselves up out of the pond, dripping wet, he turned his attention to the boys. "Hey, Lux? You make it back okay?"
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Post by Banshee on Oct 24, 2023 16:18:09 GMT -6
Although staying within the astral plane seemed interesting enough, he knew that he couldn't hide within it forever. And so, after he finally had enough of the hugging, he let go of Mark and took a step back. He was still wearing a slightly defeated look, disappointed in that he couldn't do what he was hoping to achieve. His own demons are still hanging at his side, doing their best to hold him back.
“Okay...” He quietly said to Mark as he too recognized the voices calling out to them. He even heard Nox state that Lux was crying on the outside, reflecting what torn up emotions he was feeling within. “Thank...you again.” He said to Mark before closing his eyes, trying to wake himself from the slumber.
On the outside, Mark was the first one to wake. Startling Nox as he let go of his brother, he jumped in his spot. “Mark!” He called out to him, then watched as Mark lay on Ikuki's lap.
He couldn't help but giggle when Ikuki responded in the way that she did. Shoving him into the pond, getting him drenched in the cold water itself. There was even a lilypad on his face, which caused Nox to burst into laughter. “You uh, got a little something on your face, Mark.” He grinned cheekily at the other.
Lux woke up after the whole fiasco of Mark being shoved into the water. But he didn't feel energized. In fact, he actually felt exhausted from it all. His mind and thoughts were still quite fuzzy as he came to, and he ignored the silly comment that emerged from his brother's mouth. He then reached up and rubbed his forehead, trying to ease himself back into reality.
“Lux!” Nox chimed in delight. “You okay? You look like you're about to lose your lunch.”
Lux shoved Nox out from his face as the boy was simply, hovering too close for comfort. “Nox, stop. I'm fine. Get out of my face, please.”
Nox didn't understand what he had gone through and simply, grabbed a hold of his shoulders and shook him with enthusiasm. “How was it? Did you get to find out anything? What was it like? Did you end up teaming up-”
“Nox...stop...talking.” Lux whined as he didn't want to speak about the event. “You're giving me a headache.”
Quickly, Nox let go of him and inched back. “You were crying.”
“I'm okay, Mark.” Lux finally was able to respond to him. “I'm...a little mixed about everything that happened though.” He frowned as he looked away, feeling embarrassed for his actions earlier. “I...didn't know I was that much of a mess...” He let out a small laugh. “Thanks for not listening to me all the way...”
“Huh?” Nox tilted his head and looked between them. “Lux, did you try and do something-”
“Nox, I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about.” He smiled at his brother, knowing fully well that he was going to have to explain everything in crazy detail to him. At this moment, he was simply trying to get a grasp on reality and get his bearings corrected. “I just...had some issues and Mark helped me sort them out. I was crying because I needed to.”
Nox didn't completely believe in his brother but if he didn't want to speak about it, then so be it. He returned a smile to him and said; “Well, if you need to speak to anyone. You know you've got all of us. Right?”
“Yeah...” Lux nodded out of exhaustion. “I appreciate it.” He then turned to Ikuki. “The astral plane is so strange...And...” It just dawned onto him that Mark was in the pond. “How did you get in there?”
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Post by Moe on Oct 24, 2023 16:41:07 GMT -6
"You know I'm always here to talk, too." Mark said as he wrapped one, soaking-wet arm around Lux, in turn getting him soaked in pond water.
Ikuki mimicked the motion and put her arm around his opposite shoulder, getting him even more wet. "Me, too." she smiled.
When Lux asked how Mark got in the pond in the first place, he tried to make the situation lighter. "Well, when I came back, my body wasn't fully aligned and my mind actually came back across the pond, and since my body was in such close proximity, it just kinda magnetically latched onto my mind and they met each other in the pond."
"MARK." Ikuki shot him a glance. "It's his first time in the astral plane! Don't tell him that!"
"What?" Mark shrugged as he gave her a grin.
"Seriously, though. You've got all of us to talk to, when or if you decide you need to." Mark smiled softly at Lux. "It's always good to feel like you can talk, but I don't want to pressure you. Sometimes you just have to rest a little bit and organize all your thoughts and emotions into one place, and that's okay. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
Mark stood up, dripping pond water as he did. "If you're able to stand, let's go inside before it gets dark. If you feel like dinner, I'll make whatever you want. Or if you just want ice cream and pizza, we can do that, too."
"How did you two come out, so differently?" Ikuki pointed out their vastly different attitudes, as she also stood and dripped pond water everywhere. "You're usually the one sulking. No offense."
"None taken. You're right. But I realized what the root of my fears are, and I think I want to take a step in doing something about it." he gave her a smile.
Something about it and the tone of his voice made her heart flutter, and her face to blush. "Oh. Um. Well, maybe you can tell me after dinner? I wanted to ask you about some ideas for my suit, anyway. But first, we'd like to show you the progress we made on the robot." she nudged at Nox, hoping to redirect his attention to the project and not so much on his brother, at least until Lux had some time to think and some space to breathe for a little bit.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 24, 2023 16:57:47 GMT -6
One arm, he could feel the soaking wet clothing that Mark wore. And to be frank, it sort of disgusted Lux to a degree. He was completely fine with not being dampened by the fish water. The second arm, wrapped around him, putting more of the disgusting water on his clothing. And all Lux could do was frown at the whole situation.
It was gross. He hated fish. He hoped there weren't any fish. But when his eyes glanced towards the side, he could see koi swimming about. And the idea of their clothes, drowning in such water, made his stomach turn. But he did not vomit. He was simply sitting there, taking the hugs.
Then Nox threw himself into the hug, as he wanted to be included. Even though they were soaked, he didn't care. They were like family to him and that's what mattered most. Nox chimed; “I'm so happy to have you guys!”
Lux didn't respond to his brother and only nodded to them offering an ear to whenever he needed it most. It was a nice gesture, but he wondered how much of his trauma could be placed into words? Would they understand? How?
But the sound of his stomach grumbled. He looked down as he realized that he was suddenly starving. But before he could react to it, Nox responded from the mind and body being magnetically pulled together, flinging Mark into the water. “WAIT. THAT CAN HAPPEN?”
“Pizza sounds good.” He nodded, ignoring his brother once more. “I'm okay with that. I could use some good food.”
Nox looked to his brother and smirked. “Maybe it'll make you smile more. But what if we called Joe? Just to have her talk to you?”
“I'm fine for now. I'd like to eat something.” Lux rejected the offer but deep down, he wouldn't have minded talking to her. She was an adorable spitfire and he enjoyed her personality. But right now, he did feel sort of ill from the whole experience. There was just so much he had to take in and think over, that he felt it should also be good to wait before speaking to her.
“Man, I kinda wish I could do stuff like that. I bet it was interesting to see what you get confronted with.”
“No. It's terrifying.” Lux said as he rose up. “I felt trapped at one point but Mark came in to help. But I'm not going into detail about it.”
Then there was blushing. And the boys looked to one another with a grin. “Peux-tu sentir l'amour ce soir?” Nox cheekily sang to Mark and Ikuki.
Lux rolled his eyes and splashed his brother in the face with the water. “Nox. Don't.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 24, 2023 18:58:16 GMT -6
Nox didn't go ignored, but Mark didn't say anything to him. Instead, he smiled at Ikuki and held her hand, saying nothing to her but she most certainly understood.
"Pizza it is." Mark said, dodging the subject. "Hey, Nox?" he turned his attention to the other brother. "Maybe give Lux a little space right now, okay? You know how sometimes when you get sensory overload, and you just want to put some headphones on and drown out everything? Think of it like that."
Once inside, and once they had both showered off the pond water, Mark ordered the other a pizza for dinner, though he was perfectly fine just having coffee. A lot was on his mind, and a lot of it should have been confronting his own fears and who that giant dragon in his dreams was. But, none of that mattered. All he was worried about, was making sure Lux was okay. He wanted to try talking to him more, but understood that he needed his space.
Tiffany, of course, couldn't eat pizza, so she was busy eating her own dinner. "You're lucky that you're too young to see how messed up the world is. Totally innocent, no responsibilities, no grim outlook on the world. What I wouldn't give to be like you. Minus the mashed peas and carrots." Mark stuck his tongue out, which caused her to giggle.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 24, 2023 19:32:51 GMT -6
Lux had already headed into the house to go get cleaned up. Which left Nox in the back, confused as to why his brother was still seemingly off. But before he could say or do anything about it, Mark alerted him to give him some space. And when he compared it to the sensory overload, Nox immediately understood what he meant. So he nodded to him, agreeing. “Alright. I'll give him some space!” He chimed.
As the pizza was ordered and received, everyone grabbed their plates and ate their fill. It took every fiber within his body to not try and bother Lux. He could still see something was bothering his brother but yet, he remained quiet during the dinner. A few times someone would crack a joke, in hopes to get a smile from Lux. But they didn't.
Once dinner was done, Lux silently cleaned up after himself without being asked. He then made his way into his room and sat down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Lux was exhausted from the adventure in the dream world. But his fears always emerged whenever he tried to get some shut eye. Which brought another fear upon him. The fear of going to sleep to relive it all again.
Nox broke his promise by creeping over to the door and slowly opened it. There was a small creek which made him wince at the idea of being snagged by Ikuki or Mark. But he continued to creep into his brother's dark room. “Hey? Is...it okay if I come in?”
Lux really didn't want to speak to his brother, but he figured that Nox would insist anyway. And so, he let out an irritable sigh and rolled on his side, facing away from the door and his brother. “Fine.” He said without amusement in his voice.
Nox carefully walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed. “Hey...I uh...doodled something for you. Want to uh...look at it?”
“Not really...”
Nox looked down at his drawing. It sort of hurt that his brother didn't even want to interact with him. But he had to try again. So he spoke softer this time. “Just one peek? It doesn't have to be for very long, Lux. If...If I'm upsetting you by being here. I'm sorry. I can go again.”
Lux remained quiet.
“Well, then I'll place it here...” Nox said as he rose off the bed and walked over to the nightstand. “I just...want to talk with you. I'm sorry.” As he turned away to head out, Lux called to him which stopped him in his tracks. When he glanced back, Lux had rolled upright and managed to grab the paper without him even hearing that he moved. Nox then walked back and sat down beside him.
Lux looked down at the paper. It was a crude drawing but he understood what it was. There was him, Nox, Mark and Ikuki standing together. All of them were holding hands and had smiles on their faces. On the top of the page, had a sun with a smile on it. And a caption that said; Lift your eyes and you'll never fail.
He couldn't even get a word out of his mouth as he started to cry. Nox then immediately began to worry as he frantically walked over to his brother and stood before him. “W-Wait. Why are you crying? Please don't tell Mark. I'm not supposed to be in he-” He was then hugged tightly by his brother who began to sob harder on him.
Nox didn't know what to do and simply froze.
“I hate you so much, Nox.”
“Well...with the actions you're performing, I think you don't mean that.”
“I don't, you dip.” He laughed while sobbing on his brother. Lux tightened his hug on Nox. “You're such a dork.”
Nox let out a nervous laugh as he then wrapped his own arms around his brother. Lux was just in a severe need for a hug and an emotional outlet. “I mean...” Nox tried to make a joke. “I know my drawing is pretty terrible, but I didn't think it was THAT bad.” He smirked when he heard Lux chuckle. “I have to say, this is the first time that a drawing of mine made someone cry.”
“It's not that.”
“Well, then I suppose that's a good thing. Right?” He then lowered himself to sit beside his brother who pulled away from him to wipe his eyes. Nox looked to Lux and gave him a soft smile. “You know, you're my number one comrade right? You're the only one on this planet that can stand being around me for longer than two minutes.”
“You're not that bad.” Admitted Lux.
“Then I'm not doing a good job.” Nox snapped his fingers. “Seriously though. Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to sleep in your room tonight? Because if you have another one of those night terrors, I'll be here. Right beside you.” He patted Lux on the back. “You're never going to be alone, you understand that, right? You've got me, Mark, and Ikuki all here to help you through whatever you're drowning in.”
“Thanks...” He said while looking down at the paper again. “I'm not sure how to talk about it to you. But...it's hard and I'm not sure how to handle it anymore.”
“Well...Whenever you're ready, I am all ears for you. Got it? Pull me to the side. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, what project I am in. Just grab me and tell me you need to talk. I'm your brother and I'm here for you.” He punched him in the arm. “Been stuck beside you since before we could open our eyes.”
Lux gave him a small smile. But he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to talk about it to Nox. There was comfort in talking to him but that was it. There was nothing else attached to it. AS it was going to be a battle between him and himself. And no one can really help him with that. At least, not from what he thought.
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Post by Moe on Oct 24, 2023 20:45:08 GMT -6
After everyone had settled in for the evening, Ikuki had made her way downstairs while Mark was putting Tiffany to bed. She was going through the notes and doodles she and Nox had made earlier in the day, and had a decent idea of where she wanted to take her suit design. She wanted the suit to be almost opposite to his. Mostly with small bits of rainbow and black accents. If she could work a skeleton in the design, that would be even better. She held up a paper with a roughly-scribbled design, next to the suit, to try and get an idea of how it would look.
"Pastel goth. I can dig it." Mark commented, as he made his way downstairs. "Didn't know you were into that."
"Oh, I'm super goth." Ikuki smirked. "I just don't make it a point to tell people, because they think I'm weird or spooky or something, so that's a part of myself I'd rather keep to myself, unless I get really attached to someone."
"I know the feeling. I know the feeling, exactly." Mark said. The two of them were silent for a few seconds, but it felt like a few minutes. "I think there's some things we need to talk about." Mark finally broke the silence. "I've been kinda dodgy on the subject, but this is obviously going somewhere, and there's some things you need to know about me before we get in too deep."
"Other than the trauma, depression, self-harm tendencies, family baggage, and being a god?" Ikuki tried to make it sound light-hearted, but she also wanted him to know that he wasn't exactly being transparent about any of those issues, lately. "I know you're going through a lot, right now. You're trying to handle your own issues, while making sure Lux is going to be able to handle his. I know you feel something too, but I also know that there's a lot going on in your life right now and if you don't want to pursue a relationship, then I'll back off."
"N...no, that's not it. I'd...like to give it a shot. When I was in the astral plane, my fear was...well, it wasn't any of that. I mean, yeah. I'm going through a lot, right now. I'm trying to work through a lot of thoughts, and it's only just now hitting me that I'm...something else." he rubbed at his arm, that he'd rebandaged. "I'm afraid of being alone for the rest of my life. Which I'm just now realizing could be for eternity. I don't know what my future holds, but I'd like it if you were in it."
"Then what's holding you back?" Ikuki leaned closer to him.
"Same thing that's held me back, in every other relationship." Mark eased back. "I uh. I really like you, okay? Like, I think I really like you. But I feel like we might have different definitions of attraction?" he gave her a nervous grin. "As in...I love you for your personality?"
She blinked at him, confused. At first, she took offense. Then it clicked. "Oh. OH. Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she blushed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?? I wouldn't have been making so many advances! Uuuuuugh don't look at meeee..." she attempted to hide her face underneath the paper.
"You were making advances at me?" Mark blinked, genuinely clueless. "Um. Anyway. Totally cool if you don't wanna take it any further. I'm kinda used to it."
"Ugh. You dummy. I like you for more reasons than you being hot." she continued to hide under the paper. "You're genuinely a good person, Mark. You care so much about people. Even your family that you don't always get along with. You're sweet and empathetic and fun to be around. You make me happy, and I'm glad to have met you. Even though your dad sent me to tell you about stuff he was too much of a coward to say, himself. I'm...glad he did. Because I've only been staying with you a few days, and I already feel happier than I ever was at the wizard monastery. I feel like there's someone who genuinely cares about me, as a person, and not just a number in the masses."
Mark couldn't think of anything to say. He was taken aback a bit, by her words. He didn't think he was anything special, but to have that kind of impact on something made him feel..happy. He lifted the paper off her head that she was trying to hide under, and responded the only way he could think of, which was to give her a kiss.
"Was that another good luck kiss?" Ikuki joked.
"That was an 'I think I'm in love with you' kiss." Mark smiled at her.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 24, 2023 21:08:22 GMT -6
“You know...when you were really quiet earlier. I was worried about you.” Nox admitted to him as he looked down at his scarf. He fidgeted with it, trying to keep himself casual and calm around his emotionally unstable brother. “You haven't been yourself and I was...well, just worried about you. Y'know? I mean... you're my only brother that actually likes me for who I am.” He shrugged.
“You don't have anything wrong with you. In comparison to me, you're a lot more likable than I am.” Lux frowned at his brother. “So quit the act.”
Nox sighed. “I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Lux. I mean it. You really do mean a lot to me. And...when I saw you sitting there in the zen garden, motionless and lost in that world...When I saw that tear, I instantly knew that there was something much deeper going on. And all I'm wishing you'd do is, be a little more honest with me.” He saw Lux make an attempt to say something but Nox quickly added; “I know I can work on it a little bit too. But seriously! I was really worried about you. And if there's anything that I can do to help, I'm here for you.”
“Everyone tells me that.” Barked Lux. “Everyone always says they'll be there. And so far...only one kept his word. And that's Mark.”
Nox felt a little upset over his words. “Lux, I cannot do the Astral Plane thing. I have no connection to the other side. I've never had dreams where someone has been trying to contact me. My dreams are as random as a dice roll. Some are funny. Scary. Boring. And some make me wake up wondering what food I had that made me dream so strangely. I'm sorry that I couldn't go with you on your trip, but I honestly don't think I have that much magical abilities.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can transform into more than one style of sword. You have the ability to communicate via dreams or astral projection. I'm sure there's more to you than either one of us know. But me? I can only turn into the one blade and that's it. I've been trying to tinker with donating my own energy to you, to give you a boost while fighting. Have...Have you noticed any of that while practicing at all?”
Lux thought for a moment. He hadn't really thought about it and scratched his nose. “I...really haven't been training...Just getting into more emotional depths.”
“Well, when you practice your skills. I'm going to try and see if I can manage donating some of my power to you to basically give you a power boost. Because I honestly don't think I'm all that remarkable when it comes to magic. We may be identical twins and all, but I think you take more after Dad than I do. He was the High-Elf. Remember? Mom wasn't.”
Lux looked down at his pillow as he hugged it closely. A part of him wanted to challenge Nox on his assumptions but at the same time, he felt that his brother may be onto something. Not once had he seen him transform into any other sword before. Perhaps he was right. There could be a chance that Lux had more of the magical prowess than he.
“Look, all I'm saying is that every time you're down, I get worried. I know you're tough as nails and more durable than a busy bridge. But I still cannot help but worry. It's just...who I am. And you've been the only closest friend that I've ever had in my entire life. I don't want to lose that. I-I know it's sounding selfish, but that's how you are to me.” Nox looked down at his paper. “I drew that for you because I know that there's been something bothering you. And I hope that you can look at this once in a while and know, that your brother loves you. And that's never going to change. Even if we go on different paths. You're my flesh and blood. My other half. Nothing is going to change that or take that away from me.”
Lux couldn't help but give him a small smile. “You mean everything to me too, Nox. And I mean that.”
“Why don't we try to get some sleep or something. I'm exhausted. And I can only imagine that's how you are right now.” He grinned as he hopped up and grabbed some blankets. He went to lay them down but Lux stopped him.
“No, you can sleep on my bed. I'll use the cot.” He said to his brother.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. It's fine. I've slept on this thing before. It's not too bad. Though, you're sleeping with your own pillow. I don't need your drool on mine.” He snickered and watched his brother dart out of his room to go and fetch his pillow and a blanket.
Lux unfolded the cot and readied himself for bed. Then his brother came back into the room and made himself home on his bed. “Hey Nox?”
“Yeah?”
“I'm sorry for being sharp to you.”
“It's okay. I'll be okay. Just make sure you get better too.”
“I'll do my best.” Lux replied to him before getting a huge yawn. “I don't know where to start but I guess, one step at a time then. Right?”
“Yeah!”
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Post by Moe on Oct 25, 2023 0:12:21 GMT -6
There was an air of positivity in the morning, which was welcome after all the trauma that had been going on. There were no recent reports of robots, weird circuses, or alien creatures. Mark wasn't at all concerned about his dad or responsibilities or magic or gods. Today was just going to be a good day. Nothing exciting or scary or depressing.
He'd emerged from the basement after finishing the final details on Ikuki's suit, as well as working on upgrades for his own. He still couldn't come up with a solid design, but figured it wasn't important right now. Ikuki wasn't sure what time she called it a night, but had slept in Mark's bedroom again since he wasn't sleeping apparently. She'd made her way to the kitchen for coffee, which of course Mark had already made since he apparently was living entirely on caffeine, lately.
She leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he wrapped one arm around her waist while the other was holding his coffee; "Morning." she smiled at him, giving him a good morning kiss.
"Morning." he happily returned her kiss. "Finished your suit earlier this morning, and got Apollo's motherboard disconnected from it. The suit's all yours, now. Also, change of plans. I told my mom we'd go by her place, this afternoon. She was determined to make you all an apology lunch. After that, I figure all of us could stand to use some time in town just to hang out and explore. No bad guys, no combat training. Just a fun day showing you all the city. You, me, Tiff, and the boys."
"Sounds good to me." Ikuki smiled, and leaned in as though she was going to give him another kiss, but instead moved back after sneakily taking his coffee for herself.
"God I love you." was all he could manage to say.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 25, 2023 15:59:03 GMT -6
Lux woke up to see dark tendrils looming over him once again. His heart threw itself into the inner most parts of his chest as he realized that his fears were present once more. Panicked, he looked around. Tears beginning to fill in his eyes as he dreaded sleep. He reached up and slapped his face, demanding himself to wake from the nightmare.
But nothing worked.
He let out a suffered cry, wanting out of the devastation that he was surrounded in. “I hate this! Just...Just leave me alone...” He sobbed as he pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his head into his knees. Lux didn’t want to play this game anymore. He wanted to break free and be done with it. Voice began to fill the air, taunting him. Gurgling growls and hisses, filling the void of darkness that was bound to him.
But then, there was a gentle touch that rested on his shoulder. A comforting hand. Someone was trying to ease him out of his dwelling mud. This person’s voice was nothing more than a calming one. She spoke into his ear, calling him. Telling him to look up.
When he glanced upwards, he saw a rippling surface high above him. It appeared that he was in water. But how? He was able to breathe. But then it also dawned onto him, that this was a dream and not a reality. And when he turned to see the hand that touched him, she quickly disappeared into a mass of blue butterflies. All of them, covering every crevasse of land and water that he was once able to see.
A force pulled him to his feet. Then a gentle wind pushed him onwards, forcing him to skate across the darkness below him. He was led up to the surface, which pushed him out. And in a similar fashion of emerging from an actual pond, he could feel a dampness around him. Cool air greeted him as twittering birds could be heard. And as he gazed at the new world around him, he noticed that he was in a strange place.
Flowers exploded in size, being several times larger than the average. There was a glittery light effect as the sun’s rays poked through the floral canopy. Grass, ferns, and cat-tails were seen protruding out of their preferred platform. Fairies, birds, butterflies, and dragon flies zipped about. And a musical humming could be heard. A hum that was strangely familiar to him.
“Don’t be scared.” The familiar voice said to him once again.
When he blinked, he found himself in a ball with masqueraders dancing around him. Troll-like masks with elegant gowns and suits. All of them, danced and laughed. Smiled under their shields. Nothing seemed so scary about this. The lights even danced to the beat of a song. Voices of humor and delight surrounded him.
One particular masquerader walked up to him. A young girl, about the same age as he. She wore a mask that was similar to a Chinese dragon with iridescent scales and glitter. Ribbons curled around, giving the mask a whiskered look. She wore a similar colored dress, frilled and purple. The girl held out her hand to him. Her voice, sounding familiar.
“Want to dance, sir?” She asked.
“Sir?” He looked down at him and noticed that he too, was wearing a fancy tuxedo of fiery orange. And over his face, was also a mask in the shape of a fox.
“Don’t be so timid.” She giggled. “Come on, chicken. Let’s go and have fun.”
He took her hand and she quickly dragged him into the center of the room. She guided his hands and helped him with the dance. Lux tried his hardest to figure out who the girl was. He kept peering down into her mask which had a black covering over her eyes, concealing them from his view.
After a few moments of the dance, he grew quite comfortable with her, despite not knowing who the young girl was. Then when she gave him a hug, a gesture to simply to cheer him up, he quickly realized who she really was.
He could feel her warmth against him. A familiar feeling. Someone, he had a lot of trust in. And someone, who had a lot of trust in him. And as he returned the hug to her, he could smell the campfire scent that came from her. Lux then closed his eyes, enjoying the realization.
It was the first time ever, that he had a dream like this. One without monsters trying to kill him. Or convince him that he was useless. He never had a dancing dream before. Nor had he ever dreamed about another person being kind to him. But this one? He hoped that it wouldn’t end. Because for once, he actually felt home.
He was shaken awake by Nox. Bitter about the abrupt awakening, he slapped at his brother and missed. “Dude. I was sleeping.” Lux hissed at him.
“You were crying.” Nox pointed out to him. “I-I was just making sure it wasn’t another night terror again. I-I know you’ve been having them a lot. I’m sorry if it wasn’t...” He rubbed his shoulder while looking sheepishly towards the side.
Lux couldn’t continue being mad at his brother. It was all for good intentions. And it was true. He wiped his eyes and could feel his tears. “Huh... You know...I was actually having a good dream for once. It...It was really beautiful, actually. That’s...probably why I was crying because I didn’t want it to end.”
“Sorry...”
“No, you’re fine...” He reached over and hugged Nox, forgiving him. “Thank you for being worried about me though. I appreciate it.”
Nox then smiled at him. “Come on. There’s breakfast being served and we don’t want to be late for it!” He then hopped off the cot and walked over to the doorway. He turned and waited for Lux to catch up with him. And once he did, both boys headed to the kitchen.
“Good morning!” Nox chimed as he walked over and offered help to do anything.
Lux took a seat because he didn’t want to crowd the others. “Morning, guys.” His tone, was a lot lighter than the previous night. “Get any good sleep? Or were you two partying?”
“Mark probably stayed awake the entire night.” Nox giggled.
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Post by Moe on Oct 25, 2023 17:03:17 GMT -6
"Oh, we were definitely partying, all night." Ikuki said as she sipped on Mark's coffee. Stolen coffee tasted the best. "I'm surprised we didn't wake you, with all our loud music and unruly guests. We even had the cops come, in the middle of the night." she grinned at them, unable to keep a straight face.
"Oh no, we've been hanging out too long, you've caught my sarcasm!" Mark responded to her. "I don't know how to break the news to you, but I'm afraid there's no cure. And it's highly contagious!" he wrapped his arms around Ikuki, not letting her escape; "Soon, I'll have a whole army of wiseasses and there's no escape!"
"Nooo, save yourselves!" Ikuki said to Lux and Nox, playing along.
"Nope, you're all stuck with me!" Mark still held on to Ikuki, but she didn't seem to mind, and leaned into him. "My mom wants us to come over for lunch; she felt really bad about causing a scene and scaring Nox, yesterday, and wants to apologize. And she does that by cooking a meal big enough to feed at least five-hundred people. After that, I figured I'd take you two out on an urban adventure. We kinda just got sucked right into hero stuff, and I think it's been stressing everyone out. So I'd really like to take you all out to see the good parts of the city. Maybe do some shopping while we're at it. I noticed you guys didn't really come with a lot of luggage."
"I didn't really have a lot of personal belongings. According to the high wizards, earthly belongings are a distraction." Ikuki mocked what her teachers had told her. "Which I think is stupid. Things can have sentimental value and I think that heightens the potential for magic."
"Those wizards were full of mierda mágica." Mark said; cursing was totally fine so long as it was a language nobody else understood. "Today, we're going to have fun, explore the city, get stuff, and have a great time. So long as you're feeling up to it, Lux. You sound like you're feeling a lot better, than last night."
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