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Post by Banshee on Nov 10, 2023 20:40:57 GMT -6
Almost as if he heard Mark speak, Jet devilishly grinned at him. But instead of answering him with words, Jet lifted up his arm and the weapon he held within his grasp. He aimed it at Mark, with an attempt to fire it upon him. His finger then pulled the trigger. But just like a switch clicking, the lights went out. Everything surrounding Mark went black and silent. From what seemed like minutes, was only a mere second or two before he could hear someone sobbing. A woman. Crying angrily as her words were pained and in distress. The world began to reappear in focus. Bright LED lights hung over head, revealing the ceiling to be tiled with a freckled surface. Within the left ear, there was a distinct buzzing sound which was an electrical current running through something that created it. Aligned against the walls were various computers and trinkets, tubes and needles. Papers were scattered across the desks and some managed to make it onto the floors. There was an office chair, left unoccupied as the owner of it wasn’t using it. It was then, Mark may have realized that he was now looking through someone else’s eyes. Because the scene then shifted, as if the person in question was examining the room they were within. And if he was keen enough, he’d notice that the person he hopped into, was Jet. Jet’s reflection showed on the blackened computer screen that stood nearest to him. Jet then looked down at his hand, clearly reporting damage that was inflicted upon his hand. Sparks flickered out from his knuckles as the robotic skin was pealed off. Revealing wires and a mechanical skeleton beneath it. But the most important part of it was, the voice. A woman was sitting, and sobbing angrily, before a shattered testing chamber, its glass littering the floor around her. Her hair was dampened by the fluids that seeped out from the container and her knuckles, covered in thick amounts of blood. Indicating that she may have punched the glass to break out whoever was inside of it. But within her bloodied arms lay a small child who was resting limp within her grasp. She had pulled him close to her chest, hugging him, protecting him from the other two individuals within the room. Her face, showed signs of anger, hatred, pain, and sadness. As her eyes glared like bright yellow daggers, staring down the others standing before her. “You...MONSTERS...” Her voice wasn’t anything like the opera singer. The woman had a really thick French accent. When she spoke, her tone was shaken by the whole scene. It almost sounded like she was feeling betrayed. “What. Did. You. DO?” “It was all a part of a plan.” A man’s voice responded. Jet then moved his attention over to the owner of the gentleman in question. Revealing it to be Baptiste as he stood beside another figure, which was blurred out for some reason. Baptiste didn’t seem to be particularly caring about who was standing beside him. Because his main focus was on the woman before him and the child she held within her hands. “You weren’t supposed to know about this until everything was situated. But you...followed me.” Baptiste said in disgust. “You know you’re not supposed to accompany me into the building. But you did.” “What have you done to our son?” She demanded. “Nox? Oh, he’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Baptiste waved her on, dismissing her concern as if it were nothing important to him. “In fact, he’s more than fine. He’s been the perfect subject to our experimentation. And I must say, it’s been quite the success... Right Jet?” Baptiste asked him. Jet looked at Baptiste. He didn’t have much to say on the matter but when he glanced over to the woman, he could tell how offended and angry she was over the whole situation. He then said; “She knows too much. She’s going to become a danger.” “Oh, Emily...” Baptiste said to her as he attempted to walk closer to her but stopped when she retaliated. “Don’t you dare speak to me like that.” She hissed at him. “What have you been doing to our son? Why was he in this tube? What was wrong with him? And why aren’t you telling me anything?” The more she spoke, the more bitter she became. “Don’t you realize what you’re doing? This is considered torture.” Her eyes were beginning to tear up. “He’s only a child...Why would you be experimenting on him?” “I told you, he’s fine.” She spat at him; “Don’t give me that! What did you do to my baby?” She said as she hugged the limp child. Emily even wrapped her scarf around him, to at least try and make him appear decent, as the child had mere rags for clothes. “He’s so cold...” “That...is the experiment.” Baptiste said in delight. There was a hint of humor behind his voice as he spoke. “Don’t you see? Whenever someone loses their child, we can simply, replace them. Give them fake memories from the previous child so that they’re just like the one before them! The one within your hands, is not Nox.” She froze as she looked down at the boy. “What?” “I’ve been signed up to become a part of an experiment. One that can change the world, mending hearts to those who have suffered loss. It’s...illegal right now, but if that thing right there, is a success-“ “Don’t you dare address him as an item for disposal.” Emily shot at him with rage. “You monster. Where is Nox?” “I keep telling you, Nox is fine. Though...I suppose the downside to the experiment did effect his eyesight, which is why he suddenly needs glasses. But don’t worry!” He held his hands up. “With that child right there, imposing at his twin, I’ve placed some memories into them both to make it seem like they were born together.” He laughed. “Doesn’t this sound amazing?” Emily looked away from Baptiste and looked down at the unnamed boy within her arms. Her hand, caressed his cheek. She was shaken and hurt over the truth being told to her. She couldn’t say a single word as she was struck so hard. The other person within the room, the one clouded by a fuzzy barrier, walked out carrying Nox within their arms. However, she didn’t move over to Emily and merely held him just to show her that he was alive. But asleep with bandages wrapped around his arms and a few placed on his forehead. Words were said by this other person, however sound was unheard. Because Emily responded to them with an angered; “You create people to replace them? You think playing with my child is a game? You think it’s such a clever idea to create clones of another and feel that nothing bad will come from it? How disgusting you are!” “Then kill it.” Baptiste said to her while tossing a knife. Emily watched the blade skitter across the floor. She reached for it and held it within her hand. Examining the blade as the light shined off the metal. Her eyes looked down to the sleeping child. She then bit her lip. “Do it. But I can’t promise you that another won’t replace it. After all, you did interrupt us from finishing this thing. So right now, the clone is incomplete.” Baptiste yawned. “Do as you must but it’s probably going to die regard-“ He then ducked as the blade was launched at his throat. Baptiste turned to Emily as she rose to her feet, enraged. She had gently placed the boy down and stepped over him, protecting him from the others. Her eyes were glowing and her hair seemed to have began to float. Emily, had telekinetic powers. And the more enraged she was, the more dangerous she was becoming. “I’m not going to kill him. But I am going to make sure this doesn’t ever come to light.” “Baptiste...” The mysterious person’s voice broke through their inaudible silence, sounding mechanical and distorted. It was almost as if Mark wasn’t supposed to know who it was. “Emily knows too much. We’re...going to have to silence her...permanently.” “What do you mean? That’s not part of the deal!” The other’s appearance was still blurred out for some reason. But their voice continued to break through, fuzzy, but understandable. “The deal was, you weren’t supposed to bring anyone into this room. But you did. Following you or not, she broke the rule and now is going to pay. After all, this is a business and not some family drama. I’m afraid that you’ve lost your wife.” “Wait...S-Stop. I can-“ “The boy will remain in testing. You are required to raise it, as if it were your child. But you’re going to become a single Father because of your negligence in your actions. I’m sorry, honey. But this isn’t a game.” The voice then said; “Jet. Do the honors. Make her pay.” Jet didn’t have much of a choice on the matter. A command was a command. And he stepped forward. Emily locked gazes with him. Her energies were still soaring through her like waves. “Apologies ma’am. But I have a job to do.” “Both are my boys.” She hissed. “Regardless of birth. What you’re doing is wrong and I’m going to stop you before it gets too out of hand.” And with that, there was another click. The world went dark and silent.
The final words Mark could hear were; "I will protect them both. Even if I have to find another way..."
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Post by Moe on Nov 10, 2023 21:54:23 GMT -6
All Mark could do, was watch through another's eyes. He wanted desperately to do something to stop what was happening, to say something, anything, but Chronos was right. Sometimes even the gods are powerless, to stop something that was always meant to happen. Everything was so vivid, so clear, and it became obvious that the opera singer from before, was not their mother and never was. So why did they think she was? Likely the false memories, or even trauma causing them to remember incorrectly.
Mark tried to stop Jet from moving forward, but it just wasn't possible. What was happening, had already happened and he didn't have the power to stop it. At least, not yet. If he could just accept being a god, he would have full control over his powers. He could go back to this exact moment, and stop it. He could save their mother. He started to speak, to say that he accepted everything, but before he could, everything went quiet again. Then, he was nowhere. Back in the black dream scape that he started in.
"Wait! I can go back! I can change things! I-" before he could say he accepted, a pair of glowing eyes appeared from the darkness. They looked like an owl's eyes, and just like the dragon from before, they were bigger than he could possible fathom. A dragon crept out from the darkness, glowing a faint light all around her. Her head resembled an owl, and her body was long and snake-like. Her feathered wings stretched out, covering the negative space all around and she looked as though she was cradling the universe within her wingspan. She walked toward Mark, and the closer she got to him, the smaller she appeared until finally, facing directly in front of him, she appeared relatively human. Save for feathered, wing-like ears, not unlike Mark's.
"It's good to finally meet you." she spoke in a soft, smooth voice that was oddly comforting. "Athena, last of the true gods." she held out a hand to Mark, but he was too stunned to say anything to her.
Something about her, caused Mark to freeze in place. Something intimidating, but calming. Beautiful, but terrifying. He'd never felt this way upon meeting the others, so why was she so different?
"This is one of the reasons the gods mingled with humans. To see our true faces, meant death." she clarified. "That's why I keep to myself, and why we were supposed to stay in the infinite cosmos, not here on Earth."
"Well, I'm not dead." Mark finally managed to say, though the tone in his voice couldn't hide the fact that he was secretly terrified.
"You're different than the others." Athena leaned in, uncomfortably close. "Your grandfather was one of the first, you know. He and Ananke created the universe. All that exists, he created. All life, all time, all of us. The lesser gods wouldn't exist, without him. Contrary to what the others have said, we don't have jurisdictions. Anubis guides souls into the afterlife. Bastet blesses with the gift of life. Spider embodies good and evil. Amber, or Ananke, can see everyone's possible futures, in multiple timelines. I represent wisdom, and strategy. Dionysus..." she wrinkled her nose. "We're all connected, through you. We don't have 'powers', we have jobs. Time and Space are the primordials, the oldest gods, we wouldn't exist, without you."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Mark could feel the immense pressure and anxiety crushing him. After everything he'd seen through memories, all the trauma he'd witnessed, all he wanted to do was to go back and change it. To help his friends. To make their lives better. "I just want to help Lux and Nox, I don't care about what I am, right now. All I want is to do what's right!"
"There it is." Athena smiled. "That's what makes you different. Empathy. You want to do what's right, at any cost. But that's the thing, you don't know what that cost is. You have the potential to be what the gods first envisioned, when they came to Earth. You also have the potential to destroy everything. I'm telling you all of this, because you need to know before you decide to accept it. You still have the choice to decline, and your father will be forced to keep his title. This is your choice, Mark. It's always going to be your choice, and yours alone. I just want to help guide you in whatever path you decide to take. Now, I think you already know the best way to help those boys, and that's why you've taken them in."
"I have to. What happened was...no child should ever go through that..."
"No, they shouldn't. Nobody should, child or not. But your father..." she sighed, a deep, heavy, tired sigh. "He went back to 'fix' so many things. He screwed up the timeline so badly, that the only way the universe could possibly fix everything was to cause a mass extinction across half the planet. I think, deep down, you know that you can't go back. Not because you don't know how to fix it without screwing up the universe, but because the boys are already on their path toward their best possible future."
"How do you know that?"
"I don't. But you do." were the last words Athena spoke, before everything faded from black, to a blinding light.
Mark winced as the light hit his eyes, throwing a pillow over his face and grumbling. Ikuki had already woken up, and started breakfast. Though the smell of breakfast made him want to get up and mingle with the others, all he could do was find himself laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to process everything that had happened within the dream scape. How was he going to approach the boys? How was he going to tell them what he saw? Why he couldn't go back and change things? Ultimately, he decided not to say anything at all. Maybe Athena was right. Maybe they were already on the best path. He didn't have the ability to see into the future, but maybe he didn't need to. Something told him to take them in, in the first place. Maybe that something was himself, from the future.
"That's stupid." he laughed a quiet laugh, at his own thought. Finally, he decided to leave bed before the thoughts became overwhelming. Plus, breakfast smelled really good and weeks of not eating was finally starting to catch up to him.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 10, 2023 22:14:09 GMT -6
The grand smell of breakfast seeped into the boy’s room and filled the air, waking Nox from his slumber. He let out a great yawn and a stretch. The blanket that was on him had fallen onto the floor as he accidentally knocked it off of him. Then when he rolled to wake up his brother, he realized that all was left in his cot was a pillow.
Sitting upright, Nox let out another deep yawn before looking around the room for his brother. There, in the closest corner to the window, sat Lux. He was busily looking down at something with his back turned to Nox. And when Nox greeted him a simple “Good Morning,” Lux said nothing to him and continued to kneel before whatever it was.
Curiosity got the best of Nox as he finally rolled out of bed and walked over to him. “Lux? What are you looking at?” He then leaned around his shoulder to see what his brother was busy with. “What happened?”
Lux didn’t say a single word but showed him the mug that randomly fell off the shelf during the night. There was a big crack that went up the side of it and a chip on the handle could be seen. But lucky for them both, it didn’t shatter. Nox then noticed that Lux was pointing up at the shelf, which was where the mug had fallen from.
Upon glancing at it, Nox couldn’t figure out how it would’ve fallen. Nothing had tipped into it. Nothing was hanging off of it. And the shelf itself, had a lip at the edge to prevent things from simply tipping over. Nox returned his attention to the cracked mug and couldn’t help but notice that it had a wide base. There was no possible way that something with such girth, could’ve tipped over on its own.
“How the heck?” Nox asked as he took the mug from his brother’s hand and looked it over. “Was this the thing that fell last night?” He glanced to Lux who gave him a narrowed expression which clearly told Nox that he had asked a stupid question. “That’s so weird. That shelf is too high for us and there’s nothing near it. Right?”
Lux shook his head. Still, he didn’t seem keen on talking.
“Weird...Well...I guess I can bring it to Mark and show him...” Lux then shoved the mug into his hands and backed away from him. Nox didn’t understand the action and simply continued to talk to him. “...It’s so strange. I can’t think of how it would’ve fallen. I don’t believe we even had an Earthquake because I was awake when it fell and I didn’t feel anything.”
Lux retaliated back over to the corner and sat down against the wall. He didn’t want to leave the room. But Nox sighed and walked over to him, offering a hand to him. “Come on. We all have bad days. I’m sure-“ His hand was slapped away, Lux clearly didn’t want to leave the room.
“Are you going to keep going with this silent treatment?”
He turned away and grabbed his sketchbook. Lux had no intentions on joining the others for food. Even though it smelled amazing and his stomach growled. The boy then rested his head against the window but instead of drawing, he only stared outside.
Nox could see how exhausted Lux looked. “Well...I’m sure they’d like you to come to breakfast with me...” He sighed and turned away, leaving his brother in the room.
Once he made it into the kitchen, Nox nearly forgot that he held onto the broken mug. He simply greeted everyone that was in the kitchen and sat at the table. Being absent minded, he placed the mug beside him and turned to face Ikuki. “Breakfast smells amazing! And...are you sure you don’t want me to help with anything? No grabbing the juice or milk?”
He stopped for a second and added; “I don’t know if Lux will join us at the table. He won’t even say a word to me. I think he’s still having issues.” He shrugged. “I tried to bribe him with food but he’s pretty determined to keep hiding.”
He then saw Mark come in. “Morning!”
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Post by Moe on Nov 10, 2023 22:40:29 GMT -6
Ikuki was cheerfully setting the table as Nox was the first to wake up, not counting Tiffany. "I think everything is almost all set, but I won't say no if you'd like to help out." she smiled at him.
Mark was the second to stir, and he almost couldn't even look at Nox. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head, to forget the visions that were still vividly clear. He was finally able to force a smile and tell him good morning. It hurt that Lux was refusing to come out to join them, but Mark accepted that he just needed time to cool off. However, he also couldn't just isolate and starve himself.
He made a plate of food, to take to the bedroom. He knocked lightly on the door, and cracked the door open. He respected Lux's privacy, but he also wasn't going to wait for permission to enter because he already knew the answer.
"I brought you breakfast, if you need time to yourself for a little while." he spoke softly, and he couldn't stop his tone from sounding somber. "Lux... I am so sorry." he said,but didn't elaborate. "I just want you to know that even if we're not family by blood, you and Nox will always be my little brothers. Always. No force in the universe is going to change that." he still spoke softly and quietly, before clicking the door shut and leaving Lux to himself.
He retreated back to the table, to eat with Ikuki, Nox and Tiffany. Ikuki was already prepared with coffee, to which he gave her a tired smile. "You know me so well."
"Mark. You have been living on nothing but coffee, the entire time I've been staying with you. I legitimately do not know how you're still alive." She teased him, which he actually, genuinely laughed at.
"Hey, what happened to your mug?" Mark noticed Nox holding the broken cup. "Was Ripley haunting you? Now that I figured out astral projecting, I can go into the ghost world and kick his butt." He joked. "Seriously, though, are you both okay?"
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Post by Banshee on Nov 10, 2023 22:54:44 GMT -6
Sitting at the window, he held his pencil limply at hand. He hadn’t drawn anything because his mind was too much in a fog. His thoughts continued to rush in circles, jump through hoops, and all of it always ended up in a messy pile of chaos which he couldn’t sort through. Nothing was helping. No breathing exercises, no meditation, no music. Nothing. He just couldn’t shake out his thoughts.
His dreams were of no help. He looked down at his blank page and pencil tip that rolled off the side of the book, as he had unknowingly pressed too hard on it and snapped the led. However, the woman that’s been trying to get a hold of him, hadn’t tried to appear in his dream last night. Instead, it was the monsters that normally showed themselves. Every time.
Mark’s voice suddenly appeared from the other side of the door. Lux didn’t even think about responding as he was too depressed to say anything to him. In fact, he felt that Mark may have been upset with him because of the previous night. Lux knew he had an outburst but he also knew what he wished to get. Being that, two individuals with time abilities had refused to help him (due to him not paying attention, he felt this way) he felt angry and bitter.
But Mark seemed to be very reluctant to stick around for long. When he apologized to Lux, it struck him with confusion. He didn’t understand why he was the one apologizing. Him and Chronos made it very clear to him last night that they weren’t going to help, so why be sympathetic now?
However, seeing the food being offered to him, Lux was immediately struck with more confusion. Was Mark angry with him? Did he hate him for what Lux said last night? And when Mark went to leave, Lux opened his mouth to thank him. But no words slipped through. And so, he slowly looked down at the breakfast meal. His mood didn’t feel any better. But he definitely didn’t feel any worse.
Nox figured Mark was more concerned about Lux, considering the outburst last night. So he shrugged off the odd behavior as something dealing with that. And once he sat down and interacted with Ikuki, Nox couldn’t help but smile at them both. To him, it was a new morning. A new day! That means the things of the past should stay in the past.
“Hm? Oh!” He looked down at the mug and held it to him. “It’s so weird. Last night, I...uh...well...” He slowly placed it back down on the table, feeling sheepish. “I know I wasn’t supposed to say too much to my brother. I uh...wanted to try and give him space and time to think to himself. But...he kept tossing and turning last night...”
Nox continued to look at the mug as he recalled everything in a pretty vivid detail. “For some reason, when Lux got really mad about something, the mug suddenly fell off the shelf. Neither one of us could figure it out. Nothing knocked into it. Nothing pulled at it. And the shelf has a lip on it to prevent things from simply sliding off.” He shrugged. “We’re both okay, just confused as to how the mug suddenly fell off the shelf and ended up on the other side of the room.”
Then Mark mentioned Ripley. Nox had actually forgotten about the Ghost guy. He quickly shook his head. “I don’t think it was him. I mean, I don’t know for certain. But I’d hate to have you beat him up and it turned out that he was innocent.” He laughed a little. “Last time we saw him, we thought he was kind of cool. It was just...weird that Lux was having a hard time going to sleep and then this just fell.”
He shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe something did knock into it and we didn’t see it. Also, I need to tell you that this breakfast tastes so good today!”
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Post by Moe on Nov 11, 2023 8:00:27 GMT -6
Mark observed the mug, listening to Nox tell him how it fell; "You know, every time I was able to do something I'd never been able to do before, I was in a heightened emotional state. The time travel, astral projection, dreamsurfing, whatever the heck I did to that giant laser cannon, none of that was anything that was ever within my skillset, but I was able to do all of it because of my emotional state at the time. You two are still young, and discovering what you can do. I'd offer to help, but so far I haven't really been the best teacher..."
"Oh, shush." Ikuki nudged his shoulder. "Lux is going through a difficult time. I don't think there's anything that any of us can do, to help. Have you talked with him about seeing a professional?" she asked Nox.
"Ikuki, that's out of our control. We don't have legal rights to do that." Mark sighed. "This does present a problem, though. I already said I would meet my cousin today, but I don't feel comfortable leaving Lux here, alone. He's not in any kind of state to go out, either, and I'm not going to force it this time."
"What about your mom?" Ikuki suggested.
"I...maybe. Yeah. If Lux feels up to staying with her for a little bit. If not, I'll ask if she would be okay coming over here while we're out. I think Tiffany is still tired from yesterday, anyway." he smiled at the infant and lightly ruffled her hair, as she yawned a big yawn. "Maybe you should ask him, though?" Mark said to Nox. "After last night...I think he's pretty mad at me. I don't want to make things any worse."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 11, 2023 9:02:47 GMT -6
While looking down at the mug again, Nox listened to Mark talk to him about a possible theory that could’ve happened. He couldn’t argue with him about it because all the points seem to be aimed at that direction. Lux has been in an incredibly high emotional state, as of late. And he feels that the more he tries to search for that mysterious voice in his dreams, are only going to make things worse.
Then there was last night where he was struggling so hard to fall asleep. He was growing angry with himself over it. Then the mug fell. “Huh...Perhaps he does have an ability after all?” He wasn’t sure if that would be possible, because as far as he understood, neither boy were really all that special in terms of having abilities and magic. But then again, Mark was also right. They were both young and still haven’t learned what else they could do.
However, his final remark struck him off guard. He shook his head and snapped his attention towards Mark with a relatively annoyed frown on his face. “What? No way. You’ve done so much for us.” He objected. “Lux is...emotional. And...things...sort of uh...” He tapped his fingers against the mug but couldn’t finish his train of thought. “I for one, definitely enjoyed our time building that robot. I believe it’s almost done now! Without you guiding me through the beginning part of it, I probably would’ve struggled a lot more.” He shrugged.
“Lux and I really enjoy what you’ve showed us.” Nox then grinned at him. “He’s in a puddle of emotional crazy right now, but he has loved spending time with you guys!”
Then the mention of a therapist came about. Although he thought it would be an excellent choice, he somehow doubt that Reese would even think about it. Nox however, didn’t say anything on the matter and let the others talk more. But he knew that Lux wasn’t going to get the help he needed from their older brother. Because for some reason, Lux was hated so much by him.
He nodded to Mark and Ikuki. “I’m sure he’d rather stay here but I’ll ask him anyway!” Nox hopped out of his chair and headed over to the room.
Once inside, he saw Lux leaning against the window and looking outside again. This time, he was wrapped up in a blanket and his sketchbook was opened, sitting on the sill. Nox then walked over to him and plucked the empty plate off the floor. “We’re going out to town today. They wanted to know if you’d like to come. If not, you can either go to Hope’s or Hope can come here...”
Lux shrugged.
“I...don’t really know what that’s an answer to.”
Lux remained silent.
Nox glanced over his shoulder and down at the sketchbook. Lux had sketched a bird that he must’ve seen sitting on a bush outside. It was a cute little robin with its feathers all fluffed up. Its face appeared quite content with where it was perched. He wanted to compliment it but he felt it would fall upon deaf ears.
So Nox reached over and patted his brother on the shoulder. “I’ll let them know you’d rather stay here. Okay? Just...don’t forget to eat lunch when it comes.” He frowned when Lux didn’t respond to him and so, he turned back and headed back out the door.
He placed the plate in the sink. “Well, he ate his food. I’m sure he thanks you for giving it to him. Uh...he didn’t say anything to me either. So I think it’s a safe bet that he wants to stay home.” Nox then moved back to his seat and sat down at the table again. “...I know I’m probably going to be stepping over boundaries...but...”
Nox fidgeted with his phone that he left on the table. “I can tell Joe a small bit about what’s going on so she doesn’t get mad at him for not talking. But she’s like...his only best friend. And...well...maybe she can get him to at least smile or something... So...is it okay if I ask her to come over? I know she’s another kid that Hope would have to watch but I really doubt she’s going to do anything bad. I mean...” He stopped himself from talking.
He knew that he couldn’t completely lie about her. Mark and Ikuki have met Joe before. She was energetic, spunky, and had a bit of an attitude at times. Joe also was decent enough at lying too, which could lead into some trouble. But he hoped that she would, at least, be at her best when Hope watched over them. Because he honestly felt that if anyone were to get Lux to smile a tiny bit, it would be her. For some reason, he really enjoyed her company, so it was a shot into the dark in hoping that something good could come out of her coming over.
“...Okay...so she’s a bit much.” He finished his previous sentence. “But still...maybe it’s a good idea?”
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Post by Moe on Nov 11, 2023 17:17:03 GMT -6
"Under normal circumstances, I'd probably say no. I get that she's a friend, but she's...a little much." Mark was trying not to sound rude, but Nox had said the exact same thing, making him feel a little better. "So long as she's on her absolute best behavior. Better than best. As in, if I get a call from Mom about her, then she's not allowed to come over again. I don't want to make a bad situation worse, but please just make sure she knows that, okay?"
After breakfast and after everything was tidied up, Mark decided to try talking to Lux one more time. Maybe he wouldn't speak at all, but it was worth a shot. He knocked on the door, letting Lux know he was coming in, again. "Hey." he spoke, softly. "I just wanted to let you know that my mom is coming over, to watch Tiffany while we're out. Nox said he would ask your friend if she wanted to come over, too. It's...better if you weren't alone, but I know you don't want to be around me, right now. I guess I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For a lot of things. But mostly because....I don't know how to help you, when I can't even help myself. I want so bad to make everything better, but if I knew how, I wouldn't be stuck in the same state of mind."
"I know there's only so many times I can say that you can talk to me, so I'm not going to keep repeating that over and over. I just want you to know that whatever you're going through, no matter what you think you are or what Reese told you, none of that matters to me. I don't care where you came from. You're here now, and that's what matters. I...probably wouldn't still be standing here right now, if you hadn't come to me back at the hub. You saved my life. You made a difference. So if Reese or anyone else ever tells you that you aren't good enough, just remember that being a hero doesn't always mean fighting bad guys."
He didn't say anything else, giving Lux a chance to speak if he wanted to. If he didn't, that was perfectly okay, too. "I told Mom not to bother you too much, but I'd like to check in with her later, if that's okay with you."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 11, 2023 17:41:02 GMT -6
Nox prayed that Josephine wouldn’t act out because he agreed with Mark on every level. Out of all the friends Lux ever had, Josephine was...the most difficult one. And for some reason, she was the one that Lux really enjoyed the most. So to Nox, it was a bit strange knowing that she meant so much to him. “Alright.” He finally said to him before pulling out his phone to give Josephine a call.
While all of that was happening, Mark had approached Lux and spoke to him in a really calm and comforting tone. Lux could tell that he was still ashamed for what was going on and how he couldn’t help the boy out. But in truth, it was a really tough situation. No one had clear answers with how to handle it.
Lux sat against the window in silence. He didn’t mind Hope. She was a nice woman. But he really didn’t want to talk to anyone for that matter. And even when Mark brought up Josephine, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about that idea either. But once again, his silence overrode him and he kept his mouth sealed.
He did, however, give Mark a small nod. Letting him acknowledge that he was paying attention.
A solid ten minutes passed and Josephine arrived at the door. Nox was the one to answer it and greeted her and Davis. “Uh, thank you for letting her come over and hang out. I just...hope things don’t go too crazy.”
“Here’s my number in case anything does happen.” Davis said as he handed a small paper over to Nox. Sadly, he didn’t trust Josephine enough to give it to Hope. “I told her she needs to be good. Or else her Mom is going to hear about it and when she gets there...”
Josephine rolled her eyes. “Ugh...Mom is such a stick sometimes.”
“Gwen is a really nice lady and you should respect her.” Davis huffed. “Plus she’s kinda cute, not gonna lie.” He noticed that both Josephine and Nox stared at him. “What? I can say when a girl is cute, and your Mom is.”
Josephine turned to Nox and sighed; “Well on that note...” She shut the door on Davis’ face before patting Nox on the shoulders. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior and I hope you guys do have some fun!” Josephine watched as Nox nodded to her with a smile.
She saw Mark and Ikuki in the room and waved to them both. “Oh, and I also spoke to Dad about how to handle this situation too. He said that sometimes being with someone who is suffering from emotional trauma, sitting in silence can be good enough for them. He mentioned that if Lux wanted to talk about it, he’ll be the one to initiate that step first. So I shouldn’t pry.”
She rubbed the back of her head. “So I’ll do my best with that...And he also told me that if Hope wants me to help with something, that I need to do it. So...”
“Well, that’s good. Hope is a really nice woman and I’m happy that she’s coming here to help babysit Tiffany and my brother.” Nox said to her. “I’m sure she’ll have fun with you, around.”
Nox really wasn’t so sure about that. He was lying right through his teeth. He knew how Josephine was and that she was...a force of some kind. But still. He hoped that everything would run smoothly with her being there. “Well, I hope you have fun too. I’m...also happy that you’re doing this. It really means a lot.”
She scoffed at his comment. “Pfft, it’s nothing. Lux is my pal.”
“Right.” Nox said as he slid around her to place the note on the fridge. He then informed Hope about needing to dial that number so that Davis could swing by and pick up Josephine if needed. However, as he looked at the number, he saw Gwen’s number on there too. He quickly figured that if Davis wasn’t able to set her straight, Gwen definitely would.
Josephine looked to Mark and held out her pinky. “I pinky swear that I’ll be good. Promise!”
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Post by Moe on Nov 11, 2023 18:36:33 GMT -6
The ride to the historical city was a long one, as it was a ways out of town and far from any cityscape. It was near the border of the more magical region, Glimmer, where Dawn and her father were from. While it was still quite a few hours' distance from the bordering region, one could still see the crystalized mountain range from a distance. Mark was mostly silent during the drive, quietly worried about Lux while also thinking about the prior night and everything he had seen. Ikuki was busy looking up information about the city they were traveling to, trying to figure out the best places to visit.
"Elysium? That's a pretty name." Ikuki said, as she read fluff about the city on their own website.
"Elysium is the abode of the dead." Mark retorted. "There was a lot of death, there. People who thought they were righteous, burning witches and hanging pirates, gathering the whole town around to watch like it was some sick show. They named the city Elysium because they heralded themselves as heroes, when in reality most of the accused were innocent. It's a really pretty town, don't get me wrong, but it's hyped up to be this fun and interesting place where the founders were heroic. And honestly, there's probably hundreds of unmarked graves underneath most of the city that exists today."
"Oh." Ikuki suddenly got silent. "You didn't have to bring us here, if you feel that strongly about it." she sunk into her seat, suddenly feeling awful for him taking them there.
"What? No, I wanted to bring you here. It's a beautiful town, lots of legitimate magic stuff for you and Nox. I'm just...not in the best state of mind, right now." he sighed, looking in the mirror at Nox's reflection. He debated on whether or not to say anything, but ultimately decided to tell them both just enough to get it off his chest. "I went back. Just...astral projected myself right to that moment. I think that's why Lux is mad at me. I don't know if he ever saw me or not, but I saw everything. I heard things that wouldn't have been in either of their memories. I know things that...." he didn't want to go into too much detail. It didn't feel right, telling Nox what he'd seen. "He thinks I can go back in time and changes things, but I can't...because it didn't happen the way he's remembering it. I don't know how to tell him that, or if I even can."
"Nox, I'm so sorry for what you both went through. And I'm sorry that I can't change it. Believe me, I tried. I would just rather you both hate me for not doing anything, than doing something that makes everything so much worse."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 11, 2023 18:55:28 GMT -6
While Ikuki spoke about the fluff she was reading in the brochure, Nox was also sneaking in a few texts here and there. He was praying that Josephine wasn’t going to create a fire at home. Or needed her Mother to get involved with the situation. For once, it would just be nice if Lux had a decent day of mental relaxation without chaos being involved.
Perhaps he too was being a bit too worried about his brother. Because Josephine told him that the only fire she was going to start was on him, if he didn’t stop texting her every ten minutes. Which, Nox replied a quick; “I’m sorry.” And obtained a response of a smiley face.
He then decided that it was best to put away his phone, sitting on it so that he didn’t bother Josephine anymore than he already had. Nox then looked out the window to watch the landscape change as they continued on.
But Mark started to speak up. Quickly admitting that he wasn’t in the rightest state of mind. At first, Nox wanted to ask him what was going on but Mark decided to give details about what was going on. “He’s never mentioned seeing you.” Nox said to him. “Lux is pretty open to me, I’m the one that’s a little secretive over things. Which...I feel bad for but... He...struggles...” He couldn’t find the right words to describe his brother. Lux was a good kid, he knew that. He also knew that he deserved the right to know many of Nox’s secrets. But the issue was whether or not Lux would be able to handle it.
He quieted down and listened to Mark speak more about the subject. And after he apologized to Nox about it, Nox heaved a really heavy sigh. “You know...it’s funny that you say that, Mark.” His eyes drifted back towards the window as he watched things move past them in the car. He could feel a sudden awkwardness that may have appeared between the three of them.
“I don’t know...It’s weird to explain but...there’s...” He stopped for a moment as he watched some other cars zip past them as they drove. Nox really struggled with admitting this. “I...haven’t been exactly honest with him.”
Nox then looked away from the window and to the rearview mirror. He can see the top of Mark’s head and Ikuki’s face. “That’s been a huge secret of mine... Sometimes when he talks about our past, there’s just some things that don’t feel right? Like...it’s weird to explain. But it’s like...a missing page in a chapter within a book. There’s a whole event that happened but I have no recollection of it because I didn’t read that page.”
He looked down at his feet. “I do have a lot of memories with Lux, don’t get me wrong. Mom and Dad too. But...a lot of them? Are so fuzzy and hard to remember. And some of the memories he speaks about, really don’t make sense to me? Like...it just feels so unfamiliar. And I know my memory is pretty good. I contain a lot of useless information and remember it a few years later. But like...I don’t know...”
He rubbed his nose and adjusted his glasses. “I just feel bad because a lot of the times, I don’t remember what he’s talking about. So I just roll with it because it makes him happy...sometimes. Like...I do remember seeing the opera and watching the firing happening. But I don’t really remember anything else from it. Who I was with. What age I was. It’s all a huge blur for me. But him? He remembers it pretty clearly and whenever he talked about it...things don’t line up? If that makes sense?”
He then shrugged. “I dunno. If that’s something my brain is just...trying to sort through or whatever. Maybe it’s not important enough for me to remember so it automatically files it into some filing cabinet buried under a bunch of dust and cobwebs.”
“So...you doing what you’re doing? I’m not mad at you at all.” He said to Mark. “I may have some issues with understanding certain things. Or I may get confused and upset differently from Lux. But...I can see that this is something hard...I mean, it’s hard on me trying to keep him cheered up. Every time I help him, I always feel like I’m pushing him away. And it’s not what I want but...” He sighed. “If I am to be mad at you, then I need to be mad with myself for keeping this huge secret from him. Because I honestly...don’t recall half of the stuff he says...and if I admit that, it’ll break him.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 11, 2023 21:09:19 GMT -6
"Oh thank god you feel that way, that aligns with what I saw." Mark breathed a sigh of relief, knowing now that what he saw was legitimate and not just some weird dream. It was good to know that Nox had a feeling something was off, but unsettling that what happened was real. "I think we both aren't giving Lux the credit he deserves, though. It feels wrong not to tell him something. Maybe he won't handle it well, but is that really any better than letting him sulk in a room alone, wondering if something is wrong with him? Maybe I'm out of line, maybe it isn't my place, but I just feel like he needs confirmation from those that care about him, that he's not going crazy."
"I'm not an expert in psychiatry," Ikuki sheepishly chimed in, feeling awkward and out of place. "But maybe it's best not to lay it all on him, at once? Nox does know him best, and dropping this information on him while he's in the state of mind he's in, would only make everything worse. I think it's best if he comes to one of you, first."
"Yeah. Maybe." Mark agreed, though quietly. After that, the both of them were silent again for a time, though neither were sure exactly how long, it was long enough to start becoming awkward. "So," Mark finally couldn't take the silence, anymore. "Since we're all being honest and airing out our secrets, I have to tell you I was seeing another girl last night, too. Pretty breathtaking, but also terrifying. She told me her name, it's right on the tip of my tongue...." he glanced over at Ikuki, who was a mix of being concerned and a little angry. He smirked and let her curiosity grow just a little bit more. "Oh, Athena!"
"You met Athena??" Ikuki went from anger to shock; Athena never made herself known to people and stayed hidden, for good reason. "She's a pure god, the last of them! How-"
"How did my face not melt off?" Mark laughed. "Yeah well, turns out I'm a lot more like my grandfather, than they were anticipating. Guess that's something I can talk to Dawn, about. Athena seemed...different, though. She seemed to actually care. All the others I've met, just told me ways to cope with the inevitable, but none of them told me that I had a choice. Athena did, and she didn't make it sound like it would be the end of the world. So, I dunno. Maybe I do have a shot at just living a normal life."
"But you'd lose all your powers, including stopping time." Ikuki reminded him.
"Yeah, well, look where that's gotten me. I've been perfectly okay with not using those powers, and if I'm being honest, a lot happier than I've been in years. But the things she said I'm capable of...things even my dad wasn't able to do. That's something I'm genuinely curious about. Not for the power, but because maybe...I can actually make a difference, in the world. If I accept it...maybe I can actually fix what my dad screwed up. Make the planet livable, again. But at the same time, I don't want to get so focused on helping everyone else, that I forget my family and friends." he sighed, heavily. "Why was this all put on me? Why am I the one who has to make this decision, and keep all these secrets? I just-"
Ikuki set her hand on his shoulder, to keep him from getting distracted and to keep him from going into another tangent.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, after Tiffany." Mark said, softly. "So are you and Lux." he said to Nox. "I'm scared that if I accept this role, even for the right reasons, all that power is going to go to my head and I'm going to forget what this is like. Just...being normal. Having a day out with family. I'm scared that I'm going to be so focused on what I can do with my new powers, that I'm going to lose myself. I'm already headed in that direction, and that terrifies me."
"I just want to help, but I don't know what that's going to cost." he sighed, again. "Sorry that I'm being kind of a downer, too. I guess long, boring car rides are the best time to air out all your secrets, huh?" he tried to laugh, but it came out more of a huff. "I'm sure we'll all figure things out, eventually. The road to getting there is just going to be full of emotions."
"Maybe we don't have to figure anything out." Ikuki said as she stared out the window, feeling slightly out of place as she didn't have any problems or secrets to reveal. "Maybe it's okay not to have everything figured out. We all have each other, and that's the most important thing. We'll always be there for each other, no matter what happens in the future or what we learn about ourselves. Sometimes, mysteries are just mysteries and that's okay. We just accept that we can't know everything about the past, or the future. We just learn to live in the present, because that's the most important time of our lives."
What she'd said took Mark by surprise, as he was busy in his own depressed state of mind, and wasn't expecting to come up with a response to that. Instead, all he could say to her was, "God, I love you."
Ikuki just smiled back; "I know."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 11, 2023 21:31:38 GMT -6
Nox’s face fell at the realization that perhaps they were being too protective over Lux? Then there was the point of giving him more credit because Nox had to face the facts that, Lux really did put up with a lot of crap. Between Reese always being so nasty to him, things just falling apart around the kid, and the fact that the world just seemed to be against him at every step of the way. Maybe he was a lot stronger than they all initially thought?
But a part of him was still terrified to tell him their thoughts. Lux was strong but he was also extremely sensitive and emotional. And if what was stated before, was true; in a heightened emotional stance, Lux may have some sort of underlaying ability that only activates whenever he’s emotionally unstable or maxed out. If that mug was a part of his powers, then he feared what things would be like, had he risen higher than he did before?
Nox shook his head, trying to free his thoughts of that. No. Mark was right. They most likely needed to be more honest with him. After all, Nox understood that he and his brother were abnormally smarter than the average kid their age. They understood a lot of things that weren’t typically known. They’ve been through a lot of terror and trauma. And if he had to guess, Lux may have already figured out that everyone knew something and weren’t being up front about it. Which...may also explain why he’s in the state that he was.
“Maybe you’re right.” Nox admitted. But then Ikuki brought up a valid point as well. If everything was unleashed all at once, it may put Lux into some sort of existential crisis or something. Nox then frowned as he wasn’t sure when would actually be a good time to talk to his brother. He knew that he was the only one in the car that understood him the most. But the issue was; even Lux confused him.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. But I’ll try it. I can...try to figure out how to tell him some stuff so that he doesn’t snap. And I guess, if he wants to know more...I could tell him what I know or point him to you guys...” Nox then looked down at his shoes, a part of him really wanted to check up on his brother now. But he knew that if he bothered Josephine again, she was going to turn him into a chicken nugget.
Then there was the ice breaker. Mark mentioned meeting another girl. Nox then slowly glanced up at him in shock. Terror. Surprise. He wasn’t sure which emotion was prominent at that very moment. But what he did know was, the death glare that Ikuki had. And if looks could kill, she’d be able to level an entire battlefield with it.
Mark was messing with them as he mentioned an Athena. Nox was unsure as to who she actually was but whoever this Athena was, Ikuki seemed like she was in shock. And so, he quietly listened to them discuss the event that happened. The things that she spoke to Mark about. The thoughts in his own head. Plus, the worries he had as well.
Nox shook his head, once it was time for him to give his idea out. “No...I think you don’t give yourself enough credit, Mark. From only seeing Chronos-that’s his name right?” He coughed. “After seeing him speak the way he did, you talk with emotion. You have a heart where his? I don’t know...” He wasn’t sure where he was actually going with his conversation.
“Eh...I think you’re better than you think. Is what I’m trying to say. I really look up to you because...well, you’ve been given a lot of nasty situations and you’ve been handling them fairly well. Even though, I can see if in your face that you’re dying a little on the inside. But you still take it on like a King. So...I think regardless of your choice...you’re going to be the same Mark we know. A jolly guy who likes to have fun. Even when the world is seemingly on fire.” He smirked. “And you know that you have the two biggest little fans involved in your life...Wait. Three. I keep forgetting to include Tiffany. She’s probably your biggest fan.”
“And Ikuki?” He said to her with a smile. “You have a great point. I wonder if that should be mentioned to my brother. Remind him that the time is now... Wait!” He flailed in his seat. “There was this really cool thing that Joe’s Dad said to us at one point. Hold on...”
Nox ruffled his own hair which knocked his glasses off his head and onto his lap. But he didn’t care about them as he was more focused on trying to recall the wise words of Josephine’s Father. “Ugh...Come on brain. Think. Think. Think. DING! OKAY!”
He scrambled for his glasses and shifted them on his nose. “Joe’s Dad once said something like...uh... The past is called a history...tomorrow is filled with mysteries...but living today is a gift because it’s a present.” He frowned as he felt like he may have gotten the quote mixed up. “It’s something like that. We need to live life as today because a present is what we have! Or something like that.”
Nox ruffled his hair again. “Man, I wish I remembered how that actually went. But I get it. It’s a good saying!” He then grinned up at them. “My present today was waking up to being able to hang out with you guys! And I think that’s a great gift.”
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Post by Moe on Nov 11, 2023 22:25:07 GMT -6
Between Ikuki and Nox, Mark was fighting back tears of both sadness and happiness. It was an interesting emotion, or mix of emotions. The truth was, he didn't take any of this like anything other than a selfish coward. He'd tried to end his life back at the hub and in that moment, he wasn't handling anything nearly as well any anyone thought, and Lux was the only one who knew that. "Nox, I'm not...handling things as well as you think..." was all he could manage to say. "I know all too well what path Lux is headed down, and I'm trying everything in my power to keep him from ending up like me." He looked at Nox's reflection in the mirror, then to Ikuki who seemed both concerned and frustrated.
"You know what, you're both right. We're going to have a good day, today." his expression changed to a very convincing smile, but Ikuki could tell that it was a really good fake. "Dawn is going to meet us at one of the biggest magic bookstores in town, and apparently my uncle might also be there. So, I guess we get to find out if the rest of Dad's side of the family are just as big of jerks as he is."
Ikuki lightly punched him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, okay, nobody is as big a jerk as Dad. I'm sure they're both very nice people. Or, dragons? Apparently I'm part dragon, I guess." he shrugged.
Ikuki just glared at him, waiting for him to comment but he never caught on. "Really? You're part dragon?" she said, acting shocked. "There is absolutely no way I could have ever possibly guessed that!" she teasingly poked at his ears.
"Oh you're hilarious. Are you sure it wasn't my piercing eyes that gave it away?" he joked back.
"No, you always hide them behind your glasses. Which is actually kind of funny. All the dragons I know, have amazing eyesight. You're like, the worst dragon ever."
Mark blushed at that remark; "I...bad eyesight runs in my family, on Mom's side! Do you have any idea how much it sucks to have really cool mutant features that are supposed to make you have cool abilities, but you have to wear glasses? Don't even get me started on wearing the Hyper X helmet! Do you know how many times I've had to adjust my contacts, mid-fight?"
Ikuki couldn't help but laugh at him. It was a hilarious and insignificant problem, amidst everything else going on. Though annoyed at first, Mark quickly caught on and joined her in laughing at himself. It was a nice moment, and exactly what Ikuki and Nox were both talking about. Just living in the present. They almost didn't even notice that the scenery had changed, and they had entered the town. The roads looked much older, and the buildings looked like they had been built hundreds of years ago, probably even before Apollo. It was quaint, and it was nice to be entering town with a positive attitude.
"Well, welcome to Elysium." Mark said as the entered town. "The bookstore is kind of hidden, so we'll have to walk to it. The owners want to keep it hidden from tourists, so the only people who knows it exists are people that are legitimate magic-users."
"Then how do you know it exists?" Ikuki was genuinely curious, as Mark never believed in magic until he met her, and still wasn't sure if he believed in it.
"I don't, this is just where I was told to meet them at." Mark shrugged. "I have no idea what kind of magic you two are going to find here, but I was told to be careful. This is apparently really powerful stuff, that they don't really want beginners dabbling in."
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Post by Banshee on Nov 12, 2023 7:18:22 GMT -6
Nox grinned at the conversation about Mark being a dragon. He knew, and believed, that Mark was part dragon simply because of the characteristics he had. But it was just too amusing to see someone be in such denial over it. Then when Ikuki gave a sarcastic response, Nox covered his mouth and gave a cheeky but devilish grin as he stifled a giggle.
“I dunno.” Nox said to him when the mention of eyesight was at play. “I bet you that I’m more blind without them.” He took them off his face and looked ahead of him. Both Mark and Ikuki appeared completely fuzzy. “You look like fuzzy colored beans.”
He then placed them back on. “I want to see how blind you are when we get to Elysium.” He chimed. “I never got to do that before with someone, where I try their glasses!”
They finally reached the Elysium and Nox was more than eager to get out of the car and go explore the place. However, the most important stop, of course, was heading to their actual destination. If there was a place on this planet where Nox would love to spend every single day within, would be a place that had thousands upon thousands of books. Because unlike his brother, Nox really wanted to become as smart as possible when it came to magic. Of course, he also knew that there were several kinds and the ones he really wanted to specialize in were; Alchemy and Enchantments.
He didn’t listen to Mark when he said to be careful. If anything, Nox was the more careful brother out of the two. And Lux wasn’t there. So he felt confident enough to not be causing any trouble with the locals or with the couple with him.
As soon as they parked, Nox hopped out and held his glasses out to Mark. “Come on! I want to see how blind you are! Though...you may have to place your glasses in my hand. I can’t really see where your hand is...”
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(FLUFFY POST FOR GIGGLES ALSO, JOE HASN’T LIT ANYONE ON FIRE!)
Josephine walked into the kitchen with some books in her hand. She glanced around the room to see if she could locate Lux. But when she didn’t see him, she walked over to the room she thought he was in and slowly pushed the door open. Inside, she could see him sitting at the windowsill looking outside with a blanket wrapped around him.
Suddenly, she felt very hesitant on going into the room. She had never seen Lux be so depressed before and she wasn’t really sure if it was a good idea to go in and bother him. But she promised Nox that she would give it a try and so, Josephine walked into the room carrying her bag of art supplies along with her.
“Hey!” She said in a false cheery tone. “Mind if I sit beside you and color here?” She waited for an answer but all Lux did was shrug and keep his attention outside the window with his hand gliding across the page as he drew. Josephine gave him an unsure grin and took her seat anyway.
Under normal circumstances, she would’ve been a little offended at his antisocial behavior. But knowing what was going on, she shrugged it off. She pulled out her book and a bag of pencils which she pushed towards the center of the ledge. Josephine then opened the book and chose a page to color and began to color in it. Upon doing so, her mind replayed the conversation she had with her Father about this situation. And reminded herself that she needed to make sure he had space.
“Um...If you want to color anything, I brought coloring pencils.” She said as she pointed at the bag. “Take whatever you need!" She then paused awkwardly and added; “I bet what you’ll make is going to turn out amazing...”
There was more silence from him. And although Josephine was aware of the situation, she couldn’t help herself but feel very awkward. Silence was nice but when everything was so still and muted, it made it difficult for her to simply remain quiet. But she clamped her jaw tight and refrained from muttering another word.
That was, until an hour of silence passed and she suddenly began to hum a song. This caught Lux off guard as he didn’t expect, or know, that Josephine had a relatively decent humming voice. He looked over at her, curiously.
Josephine froze and quickly apologized. “S-Sorry. A song just came into my head and uh...I couldn’t help but hum it. I’d sing it but I’m honestly not that good. My sister is the more talented one.” She laughed a little. “I’m sorry if it’s bothering you.”
Lux looked down at his drawing for a moment. The song she was humming, was something he had heard from somewhere. Though, not from the opera house. But...somewhere else that he couldn’t recall. And for the first time within the day, he actually spoke. Though it was only a faint whisper, and Josephine really had to listen to him. He did say; “That song is familiar...Keep humming if you’d like...”
Josephine wasn’t sure if this was actually a good thing or not. She gave him a nervous grin because she was happy that he knew the song, but was concerned that there may have been something sinister about it. And she was afraid to know if the song that he remembered, was something that was going to trigger an unwanted memory. But then again, he did say that she could keep humming it. And so, she restarted the song from the very beginning. Humming it.
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