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Post by Banshee on Oct 6, 2023 11:44:06 GMT -6
Nox blinked as a wall of blankets soared at him and Mark. He covered his face, protecting his thick glasses from being knocked off. Then as he pulled them down, he heard something about making a fort and messing up one's bed sheets. He slowly glanced over to the two adults exchange words, realizing how flustered Mark was becoming over it. However, if this was Lux, it would've gone over his head. But Nox? He read novels that had some bits of romantic interactions in it. So he understood what they were talking about and snickered.
“Lux and I used to do this when we were really little!” Chimed Nox as he rose out of the seat and held the blankets. “We used to pretend we were knights that battled dragons and protected a princess! Though, she really was just a plant because we didn't have action figures or anything like that to play with. So we had to use our imagination a lot.” He shrugged. “Lux will enjoy this idea! I like it too!”
He then tossed the blankets to Mark. “Let me go grab Lux! This will definitely cheer him up and get him smiling again!” Then without a second thought, he took off in a sprint.
To get away from everyone, Lux decided to just go outside and lay on the grass. That way, he could just relax and force his mind to go at ease. The feeling of the plush grass, the birds chirping and other ambient noises, it all felt relaxing. He even closed his eyes and attempted to think about other things, outside of the cruel words of his brother.
But his mind continued to dwell. His brother was hard. Tough. And had a mindset of how everything should be. Nox was the closest thing to that, which was why he was the favorite brother. But Lux? He was the opposite. He didn't feel like he was all that smart or swift thinking. Grant it, he had more power and strength than Nox did, but to Reese it didn't matter. He was disorganized and always walked along the fine line of chaos and uncontrolled energy.
He frowned as he looked towards the sky and watched the clouds drift aimlessly about. “Man...” He sighed. “I don't know why that I let him bother me this time...” Lux spoke to himself. “I'm used to this by now. I know I'm not good enough for anything. In fact...he'd probably be fine without me being around...”
Then he thought about the others. Mark. Ikuki. Nox. Joe. Nathan. They all enjoyed his company. They smiled and laughed at his corny jokes. Nathan showed grave concern over him and his brother when the laser was going to be fired. Then the house. Mark allowed the twins live there alongside the others.
“Who needs him...” He frowned as he rolled to the side and looked at the tips of the grass, sway in the wind. A part of him hated saying that. Reese may have been a pain for all of his life. But he was still his brother. It was a conflict that he was struggling to climb over. And being away? He hoped that it'd help him carry on without these regrets.
But they keep following.
He didn't even hear his brother's footsteps and was in shock when he heard Nox's voice break the silence in the air. Startled, he shot upright and glared at him. But Nox didn't give him a chance to speak before he started to tell him about building a pillow fort.
However, Lux wasn't feeling up for it.
Nox wasn't taking his answer. So he grabbed his brother's wrists and dragged him to his feet. Lux was then forced back into the house and into the room that was the designated play area. Nox then pushed Lux into a chair, because he was still putting up a fight about it, and grabbed some blankets. “Come on! Ikuki wants us all to relax. So let's do it! Have some fun, brother!” He threw the blankets at Lux and buried him.
Nox then turned to Ikuki and chimed; “We're all going to have a blast! I bet!”
Lux wasn't sure on how much he really wanted to participate. He still felt like garbage about himself and couldn't understand why Nox was being so happy. But he didn't say anything and decided to help out with the setting up part.
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Post by Moe on Oct 6, 2023 20:12:38 GMT -6
"Hey, I know a couple of real dragons, if you ever want to meet one!" Ikuki winked.
"Come on Ikuki, I thought you said no more magic talk for the rest of the night. Don't go filling their heads with stories." Mark said to her.
"You don't believe in dragons, either?" Ikuki raised an eyebrow.
"Absolutely not."
"Really?" she smirked at him, lightly grabbing his headwings and teasing them.
Mark flailed trying to get her to let go, and cupped both hands over his ears and blushed. "It...it's a mutation!" he whined.
While Nox was outside getting his brother, the two continued setting up the blanket tent. Though Nathan had made plans with his sister and wouldn't join them, leaving Mark too distracted trying to keep Tiffany from tearing the blankets down.
"Sorry." Mark apologized, pinning the blankets back up.
"It's okay. We can always just have a blanket cave instead of a pillow fort." Ikuki laughed. "It's not all that extravagant, anyway. I just thought you could all use a break from everything that's been going on. I don't know the first thing about being a hero, and I know that I don't really have any place bossing you around like that. You've only known me a couple days, and I do admit I've been suspicious. But...thank you for trusting me."
"Eh, I can tell when someone is lying." Mark shrugged. "My dad left when I was little, but he did teach me some valuable life lessons...like how to be disappointed."
"Well, for what's it's worth," Ikuki smiled at him, peaking from under a blanket. "I've known you and your daughter for all of two days, and I can already tell you're better than him."
That alone made tears begin to well up, causing Mark to rub at his eyes and look away from Ikuki. "You uh...you wanted pizza, right? I'll go order that while you and the twins get everything ready." he said, trying his best not to let his voice break.
Before she could respond to him, Nox came back in, dragging Lux behind. She smiled at them and nodded; "We're going to have the best slumber party, ever!" she said with a big grin. "So, go ahead and pick out some movies, some games, whatever you guys wanna do!"
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Post by Banshee on Oct 6, 2023 20:34:09 GMT -6
Lux really didn't want to do anything with the group. All he wanted to do was sit on the grass and stare at the sky doing nothing. He wanted to be nothing. Just like how his older brother felt towards him. And while he stood there, watching the others interact and put the fort together by binding blankets and pillows with one another, all he could do was think to himself, Why was he so different?
Nox laughed as he tied a small fleece blanket around himself like a cap. “Captain Royal is here to save the day! Fear not fellow citizens! I shall vanquish the beast!” He threw a stuffed toy on some pillows and then jumped on top of it with his elbow smacking the poor plush into the pillows, crushing it under his weight.
After adjusting his glasses, he glanced over to Lux who still seemed to be bothered. He then grabbed a hold of a small pillow and clambered over to him. Nox smacked Lux with it and said; “Oh no! Captain Royal has gone rouge! What shall Dino Daddy do now?”
The smack shook Lux out from his depressed mindset. But without saying anything, he quickly ran off to the room that he and his brother were sharing. Not once, saying a word. This caused Nox to sit back and look helplessly at his brother fleeing the room. He then turned to Ikuki and Mark, frowning.
“He's so bothered...I thought for sure this would knock him out of his rut...”
Then just before anyone decided to go and check on him, Lux came barreling on back. In his arms, he had a red dragon with a heart attached to it. A gift he got from Joe a year ago, for Valentines day. However, no one but himself knew about that.
“DINO DADDY IS BACK WITH HIS TRUSTY DRAGON...” He stopped to look at the dragon for a second. Then shouted; “RON!” Lux then dove at his brother and smacked him back with the plush dragon.
“AH!” Nox cried out, in play, as he clawed his way over to Mark. “I NEED BACKUP! Dino Daddy is far too strong!”
“FIRE! Wooooosssh!” Lux played along, pretending the dragon was blowing fire at both Mark and Nox. “Dino Daddy doesn't appreciate heroes that cave to the uh...wonders of evil!”
Nox scurried behind Mark. “Hehe...So maybe it is working on him after all!” He chimed happily as Lux was seemingly less upset now. “Lux! What movie do you want to see?”
He stopped attacking his brother for a moment as he thought it over for a second. “Uh...I dunno. I like action hero movies. Specifically animated ones.” He shrugged. “I don't know what everyone else likes...”
“You know me. I love me some sci-fi with aliens and space technology.” Nox grinned before throwing a pillow at his brother and dive bombing him. “OH NO A METEOR! PROTECT YOUR DINOSAURS, DINO DADDY!”
“I'm going to bite you.” Hissed Lux as he rolled out of the way and smacked him with his dragon plush. “Wait, how are you feeling?” He asked Mark. “Is your chest doing okay?”
Nox sat back and allowed Lux to communicate with Mark. After all, he probably needed someone else to talk to about anything. Just to keep his mind off of the bitterness that was their brother. He smiled at Ikuki, finally feeling confident that Lux was better than before.
“Actually, when we get a chance, Ikuki? Can I talk to you about something? It's not super important so it can totally wait until the end of the movie and-WAIT...CAN WE HAVE PIZZA AND POPCORN?”
“Wait...AND?” Nox blinked. “Who eats those two together?”
“ME.” Lux said. “I do.”
“You monster...” Nox wanted to die inside over this topic.
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Post by Moe on Oct 7, 2023 15:13:14 GMT -6
Mark was nearly caught off balance, caught in the middle of the twins, ordering pizza, and Tiffany. He quickly regained his footing, however, and played along.
"Oh no, heroes fighting against each other?? We can't have that! Since you're both so busy, I guess I'll have to pick the pizza toppings!" Mark teased them. "How about...anchovies and peanut butter?" he joked.
"Ew!" Ikuki gagged, even though she knew he wasn't serious.
"Nah, everyone knows pineapple is the superior pizza topping." Mark said, completely seriously. "Maaaybe if our heroes stop fighting each other long enough, they might get a vote on toppings." he smirked at the boys, while Tiffany giggled at their antics.
It was honestly nice to just relax for a day. Normally the only social interaction Mark had, was with Nathan or Alex. As much as he loved his sister and nieces, it was nice to feel like he had his own, adopted family, even if he knew it couldn't last forever. After all, everyone always leaves, eventually.
He tried pushing those thoughts back, as the boys paused their playing and Lux asked how he was feeling, after the fight at the circus. Mark's ears twitched as Lux's voice brought him back to reality; "I'm fine." he lied. Technically his wound from earlier was fine, but as a whole, he was not. "It's gonna take a lot more than that, to take me down." he grinned a cheeky grin. "The mind control part kind of freaked me out, though. Out of body experiences are surreal."
"Tell me about it!" Ikuki chimed in. "Try doing it on purpose. I'm learning about astral projection and boy, is it weird!"
She then turned her attention back to the boys, and smiled back as she crawled underneath the blanket fort, satisfied with how it turned out. "Sure, we can talk anytime!" she replied.
Mark was in his own world, as he joined them under the blankets with more snacks. "You know what's even better than pizza and popcorn?" he said, pulling out some chocolate candies. "This." he said, dumping the candies into the bucket of popcorn.
"You have strange taste." Ikuki teased him.
"Don't knock it 'til you try it!" he replied with a smirk.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 7, 2023 15:49:49 GMT -6
Watching in horror, Nox saw Mark dump some candies into the popcorn container and mix it. The idea of salt and sweet did not bode well for him and he instantly didn’t want to try it. It was such an absurd mixture. Why would someone do such a thing to two delicious items? A combo like that seriously couldn’t taste good. Now could it?
He glanced over to Lux who didn’t seem too offended by the mixture. Watching his brother stuff a mouthful of the candy-popcorn mixture was terrifying. How could someone be so careless about the idea of it? Why was his brother being so...brave?
“You know, I like the mix.” Lux said as he chewed away his over-flowing mouthful. “It’s really not bad. Nox, you should try it.”
“No.” He rejected the offer rather quickly. “I’m okay with just one or the other-“
“You have to try it. It’s like those sea-salt candies that Reese would bring home from time to time. They’re really good. You can’t knock it until you try it.” He copied Mark’s comment about the concoction.
“No.” He rejected again. Until Lux stuffed a smaller handful into his mouth and forced Nox to chew on it. At first, Nox hated the texture. The dry crispy popcorn coated with butter and salt, now had a coating of chocolate and crunchy candies on it. He chewed and chewed. But the more he did, the more he actually didn’t mind the combination. “Okay...You got me there. It’s not bad.” He admitted. “But I still rather have it separate.”
“Then pluck one or the other out of the container.” Lux shrugged. “I like it.”
“Glad you do.” He said as he sank into the blanket more to get himself comfortable.
Lux copied his brother, getting comfortable in his spot and snuggling up with his plush dragon. Using it as a headrest, he placed his chin on its backside and looked at the others. “You know...I really could’ve used this. I really appreciate everything you guys do with us. It...It...kind of...makes it nice...You know?”
Nox nodded. “Yeah, we never did stuff like this with Reese. He’s always so serious and feels that doing this sort of thing is a waste of valuable time. But what’s the reason for life, if you cannot enjoy it at the same time, no? I mean...I get that everyone can’t always have nothing but fun but you’ve got to at least enjoy the time you have with folks you like or love.” He then elbowed Lux. “You should ask her to come over sometime.”
Lux rolled his eyes and flopped his face into the backside of his plush. With his voice muffled he said; “Shuddup.”
Nox grinned and turned back to Mark and Ikuki. “The two of us took the soonest bus ride out from the city and ended up here. We weren’t expecting much from our escape. In fact, we honestly thought we’d be caught by the police and sent back home. Didn’t quite think that stumbling into you would lead to such interesting times!”
“Yeah, Reese would never understand any of this.” Lux said to them. “I know the pair of us really need training. But...it’s just nice being able to discover who we are. And so far, it’s been quite fun. I’ll admit.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 7, 2023 18:41:06 GMT -6
"Hey, now. While it's good to try new things, you shouldn't force it on someone. Even if it is way better, together." Mark said to them both. "It's okay, Nox. That's why I brought two buckets." he smiled as he set down a bucket of plain popcorn, which Ikuki also appreciated as she could relate to Nox on his tastes in snacks.
"Have you all known each other, long?" she asked them.
"Nope. Just met yesterday." Mark said as he munched on the sweet and salty popcorn, with Lux. "Honestly, I think I needed this, too. My sister and I got along okay I guess, but I was always the problem child. Mom and Alex were...well, not super religious, but enough that it kinda pushed me away. They're great and I love 'em, don't get me wrong. I just believe in what science can explain, y'know? So, we never really did stuff like this, either. Not at any fault of my family, just me being a rebellious punk." he laughed, before his tone became more serious. "Seriously, sometimes I wish I could just go back and do it all over again. Just grow up knowing what I know, now. Be a better person."
Ikuki started to speak, but Mark knew exactly what she was going to say. Technically, he did have the ability to go back for as many do-overs as he wanted. But, he spoke before she had a chance to.
"I feel like we all think that, sometimes. But if we were always what we felt was perfect, then we would never grow as a person. We would never strive to be better, because we would just think that we were already good enough. Thing is, there's no such thing as perfect. I did a lot of stuff that I regret. I was a jerk to people I wish I wasn't a jerk to. Said a lot of things to Mom and Alex that I wish I could take back. But they forgave me, and we're on great terms, now. Funny thing about family, is they're always there for you, no matter how much of a punk you were." he smirked as he said the last bit.
"My point is, it's good that you want to find yourself and see who you can be, without your family pressuring you. But, it's also important for your family to realize that you need your own space. I do hope that one day, you two can make peace with your brother. After all, in the end, family's the most important people in your life. And if you find you can't make peace with each other, then you've always got a place, here." he smiled at the two.
Ikuki smiled as he talked to the twins about family. She never really had a family at all, but tonight wasn't the night for drama and sadness. Tonight was a night to have fun and get to know each other better. And honestly? It was a nice, getting to know Mark and what he was really like. All she knew about him was what Chronos had told her, and she expected him to be like his dad. It was a nice surprise to see that the two were polar opposites. Of course, her thought process was interrupted when Mark caught her staring at him.
"Uh, you good?" he called her out.
That caused Ikuki to blush and quickly look away. "Yup! All good! Was there a knock at the door? I think pizza is here." she said frantically as she rushed off to get the pizza.
Mark shrugged it off to her just being weird. He'd already noted that she had no concept of personal space, and did what she wanted without waiting for approval. Maybe staring at people was just another weird quirk of hers.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 7, 2023 22:23:55 GMT -6
Lux quietly listened to Mark as he explained how no one was perfect and that sometimes, families can disagree with one another. Even Mark had said and did things that he later regretted. But in the end, he had the chance to grow as a better person and rebuilt the bonds between him and his family. Well, most of it.
In a way, it reminded him of another family situation. Not his but someone else’s. In some instances, it also reminded him of his own bond with Reese. Reese was tough as nails to deal with. Everything had to be done correctly the first time, without reason. If one failed, it was catastrophic. And in most cases, it was because Lux was the problem.
He looked down at the popcorn as the others spoke. Lux wished he knew why Reese was so specifically tough on him. But whenever he asked, his brother often avoided the answer by giving him some stupid asinine response that made no sense. So in his defense, Lux wanted to try and escape the situation to better himself and his twin.
But was it really all for improving the two of them? Or was it because Lux really wished to improve himself but felt that he needed his twin brother as support?
Nox threw a popcorn at him when he suddenly fell silent. Lux glared at him for a minute before grabbing the food off the floor and stuffed it into his own mouth. A move that often grossed out Nox. Which worked.
“Life reminds me of those books where you read the path then at the end of it, it gives you two options. And whichever option you take will turn to a specific page within the book. Then you find out whether or not it was a good choice.” Nox shrugged. “No matter the situation. I’ve been having fun being here. So...”
“Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun.” Lux broke from his own bitter thoughts and decided, tonight was going to be relaxing. He was going to enjoy his time here at the place. And besides, the movie chosen was something really light-hearted and that’s what he wanted.
After the movie was all done, the twins headed to bed. And while Nox slept like a log, Lux was having a nightmare. Which caused him to toss and turn. A lot.
Lux woke up and realized that he was stuck within an empty black room. All he could hear were echoes of water dropping in a distance. Each step he took, felt like he was wading through water. However, his feet remained dry which confused him as he looked down at his leather boots after each step.
Continuing on, he looked high and low but there were no signs of light or life. It was just him and the darkness. Which caused him to stop abruptly and fold his arms tightly across his chest. He could feel panic as he longed to see something other than the blackness. Inhaling, he called out for Nox or Mark. But nothing came in return. Not even his own echo.
He winced and continued to trudge forward, hoping that at some point, he’d find something to grasp a hold of. But as he continued to walk, his hope for finding anyone or anything was dwindling down like his own confidence.
At the last second, he could hear dark murmurs behind him. Growls. Teeth gnashing. Something else was within the room he was in. And it scared him. Lux closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then with a leap, he sprinted. Running in a random direction with the echoing of his sloshing feet trailing behind him as well as the goblins of the dark chasing him. He couldn’t look back. He dared not to.
He suddenly saw Reese and Nox. The two of them were talking to each other without a care of Lux running from something dangerous. He reached out to them but was suddenly met with a gaping hole that separated him from his brothers. Lux cried out to them. But all they did was turn and watch as the shadowed monsters rose behind him. Engulfing the room behind him like a plague.
“Please help.” He begged.
Reese just smiled at him as Nox looked at him sadly. Then when Lux begged for them to help him again, Reese simply started to laugh. And with each laugh that echoed, his voice grew deeper and deeper. The two of them then watched as Lux turned to face a massive smokey black dragon. Its claws reached down towards him with its sharp teeth dripped with saliva.
He inhaled and screamed.
“Never drop your sword.” Was all that he heard. It was a woman’s voice, but he had no idea on who it was. Nor where it came from.
“Woah!! I am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Nox said as he was startled by the angry yelling his brother. “It’s like...ten in the morning. You okay?”
Lux grabbed his brother and touched his face and messed up his glasses. Clearly shocked from the nightmare he had. Nox just stood there quietly as he watched his frazzled brother figure out that he wasn’t in the dream still. “Okay...Man that was so weird... The dream.” He sighed and flopped back into his bed. “Sorry, Nox.”
“You’re fine. But everyone is up.” He smirked. “Come on. Today will be a better day-“
“If I were in danger. Would you come and help me?”
“Um...duh. Why would you even ask that?”
“No reason.” Lux sighed as he rolled out of his bed. “Let’s...go see the others.” He didn’t look back at his brother as he walked out into the main room. Lux could smell the breakfast that was being made. The talking of others bursting into the air, a much better place than what his dream was.
“Good morning.” He placed on a smile. “How’s everyone today?”
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Post by Moe on Oct 7, 2023 23:34:59 GMT -6
“Life” was the only word that echoed through Mark’s head, as he drifted off to sleep. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, but he had fallen asleep halfway through the movie. Probably the first time in a long time, he had actually felt tired. He dreamt about his family, and childhood. Happy dreams. Most importantly, normal dreams. Until in his dream, he opened a door. The door didn’t lead to any rooms in his childhood home, but rather a greenhouse.
Everything was bright and sunny, and the greenhouse was huge. It almost seemed infinite, going on and on and tall enough to house big trees. As he walked through it, he noted that the plants all looked pristine and almost too perfect, except for one. There was one small tree that didn’t look dead, but it didn’t look well, either.
“I haven’t had much luck, with that one.” A female voice spoke, though he couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Cool, I didn’t think the normal dreams would last long. I’ve met Ananke and Anubis, so which one are you?” Mark said, absolutely done with these weird dreams.
“Life.” The woman spoke, finally revealing herself. She was dressed in a flapper girl style, and if it wasn’t for her very cat-like features, she would have looked completely normal. Her eyes were just a little bit too big, bright green with vertical pupils. Her ears were pointed like a cat's, and she had a wide-but-small, cat-like nose. Most notably, however, were her sharp teeth that could be seen when she spoke.
"Life is weighing heavily on your mind, lately. So, here I am." she bowed her head slightly.
"Bastet." Mark said, before she could formally introduce herself.
"So you know me." she grinned an eerie grin, like a cheshire cat.
"I know of you. So, let's get this over with. I'd like to go back to my normal dreams." Mark sighed, crossing his arms.
“Get what over with?” Bastet tilted her head, with a curious grin.
“You giving me some kind of ominous warning or whatever, like the others.”
“You came into my domain. You called out for me. You’re the one who has something to say.” She grinned as she turned to prune her plants.
“Wait what?” Mark blinked. “I didn’t summon you, I’m perfectly fine!”
“Are you?”
“Y….no. You know what, no. I’m not okay. I’m tired of these weird dreams!” Mark admitted. “I’m tired of magic, and my dad, and people telling me what I’m supposed to be!” he threw his hands up in the air, and paced around a bit. He oddly kept finding himself next to the one tree without any blooms. “I’m supposed to be the genius, yet I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on in my own head.”
“It’s okay to fear the unknown.” Bastet said in a calming voice. “Even gods can forge their own path. After all, your life is still your own, to live out however you please. “
“Here we go. Subconscious thoughts lingering on the god thing.” Mark sighed.
Bastet then smacked him on the arm. Not hard, but hard enough that her claws definitely broke skin.
“OW. What the hell??” Mark reeled back, grabbing his arm. It took him a moment, before it clicked. “That was real pain. That actually hurt.”
Bastet turned to continue tending to her plants. “Sometimes pain is what it takes, to wake you up."
Mark rubbed at his arm. It was bleeding, but not bad. He didn't know what else to say, as he was trying to compose his thoughts. There was no way this was real...but that was real pain. Still, as his mind raced, he felt drawn to the one tree that hadn't bloomed, although all the others had.
He felt compelled to touch it, causing the leaves to branch out and the flowers to blossom.
"Interesting." Bastet raised an eyebrow.
"It's a late bloomer. I sped up the flow of time, around it. Now it's just a little older, than the rest." Mark said, as though he knew what he was talking about. He shook his head. Truth was, he had no idea how he did that.
Bastet smirked at him. "You are one of us. But your life is your own. Fate will tell you otherwise, but we all write our own stories. The others will tell you their own ideas, but it's up to you whether you want to follow their advice. After all, the whole point of being alive, is to live." she smiled at him.
Bastet's soft smile was the last thing he saw, before snapping awake, tangling himself in the bedsheets and pillows that were left over from last night. He looked around; the boys had gone to bed, Tiffany had been put in her own bed, and Ikuki was fast asleep on the couch. He looked down at his arm, which still hurt from the scratch. Indeed, there were four scratch marks on his arm.
He clutched his arm and sighed a deep sigh, and leaned back on the couch, unable to sleep anymore. It was daylight outside anyway, so he decided to start making breakfast, though he wasn't feeling hungry, himself.
As the others started to stir, Ikuki greeted the boys good morning. "I'm doing just fine, thank you." she said happily, in response. "I don't think he's doing too good, though." She pointed at Mark.
He was leaning over the counter, focused on a small plant. He moved his hand up and down, causing the plant to rapidly grow and shrink, from small sprout to full bloom.
"Um, I should...probably go. I had fun, last night. I don't want to impose any more than I already have, though." she said nervously.
"Am I really a god?" Mark said before she could leave. His tone was flat and uncaring, absolutely no emotion in it. It was like he was there, but he wasn't there.
"Oh no..." Ikuki breathed, recognizing that he had started to disassociate. "Um. You know what, I'll go ahead and stay here and finish breakfast, you go sit down and rest a bit." she pulled him from the kitchen, and nudged him to the small dining table, where he sat and just stared into space.
"Hey, just try to focus on the fun we had last night, okay?" she smiled at him, trying to bring him back into reality.
He didn't say anything, so Ikuki chose to focus on the boys and trying not to freak them out. "So, I guess I'm staying for breakfast. How did you both sleep, last night? I was out like a light!" she asked, trying to make things seem as normal as possible.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 8, 2023 5:57:29 GMT -6
Nox glanced over and noticed how Mark was seemingly spacious with his question. It seemed as if he was either having trouble with accepting it, or he was simply too surprised over the idea of the possibility. Either way, he didn’t look too good. And Nox wasn’t sure on how he could try and distract him from the thoughts.
Lux gave Ikuki a smile, not letting her worry about himself. His dream still gave him shivers. And for some reason, the echo of a woman’s voice still lingered in the back of his mind. To him, she sounded familiar. But who it was, wasn’t coming to mind. And so, he figured to just pretend it was just a dream and nothing more. Perhaps he was thinking about the movies they watched?
Even though none of the movies were terrifying.
“I slept alright.” Lux admitted to her. “I didn’t want to get up but Nox forced me out of it.” He chuckled as he elbowed his brother. “Out like a light? I bet! We had a lot of fun. And after all the crazy, we all deserved it. Thank you.”
“I slept really well. I dreamed that I was in a world like that Alice girl. Things were bigger than me when I ate this food. I saw singing plants and dancing critters. It was weird but really kind of fun.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to wake from it either but my alarm woke me up.”
Lux looked down at his food, lost in thought for a moment. But Nox’s voice broke him from his trance when he said; “What’s the plan for today?” The twin then decided to see if he can snap Mark out of his trance when he mentioned; “I kinda hope that Mark wants to tinker with some machine bits and make something together.” He shrugged. “But I don’t know what you two would be doing nor do I know if he’s okay.”
“Anything is possible.” Replied Lux. “I’m alright with just exploring the city more or something. Not sure what Ikuki wants to do.” Though the idea of splitting from his brother by himself seemed...terrifying. After the circus mishap, he wasn’t so sure if it’d be a wise idea to separate. But if he could just explore the city with someone beside him, it may be alright. He hoped.
“I kinda doodled some ideas for what to create.” Nox continued on with his topic of building something. “Nothing looks too good so far. It all looks far too complex for me for the moment.” He pulled out some of his doodles that were crammed in a beaten up sketch book that he carried around. Nox was far from an artist but the ideas he had were there and recognizable. He placed them on the table beside him and pointed out at some of his designs.
“Funky.” Pointed Lux.
“Thanks, I suppose?” Laughed Nox. “They’re just ideas. Of course, I’d have to work on the innards first. But these are at least the designs I’d like to accomplish by the end of the task. When Mark said that he had an interest in technology, I immediately got excited and doodled some thoughts.” He still attempted to knock Mark out of his trance.
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Post by Moe on Oct 8, 2023 12:22:32 GMT -6
Although he could hear the muffled voices around him, Mark didn't hear what they were saying. Everything was in a fog and he began to breathe heavily and rapidly. Though he was wearing his glasses, everything was a blur. His heart pounded so hard that one could almost hear it, if they stood close enough.
Ikuki set plates of food in front of everyone, which seemed to snap Mark out of his panic attack just long enough to hear Nox mention wanting to build something together.
"I should...be dead." he managed to say, through heavy breathing. "I was going to fix up my suit. There was...a lot of blood. I should be dead." he repeated.
"But you aren't." Ikuki said, careful to keep her voice quiet and soft. "You're here, and that's over and done with."
"But it isn't!" Mark shouted. "I should be dead, but I'm here! And I had another dream last night..." he rubbed at the scratches on his arm. "This can't be real. I can't be..."
"Mark..." Ikuki set a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter what you are. I learned who you are. You're you, and god or not, that's all that matters. You're a good person, a good father, and a good friend."
"You don't know me." Mark snapped. "You know what you've seen, for two days. You don't know my life. You don't know what's going on in my head, right now. So just.. stop pretending that you do!" he had to sit back and take a deep breath, so as not to raise his voice too loud and cause too much of a scene. "I'll be downstairs. Please don't follow me." He said walking to the basement, and slamming the door behind him.
Ikuki sighed, and turned to the boys; "He's learning some things about himself, he just needs some time. He doesn't think it, but he is a good person, and he cares about you two a lot. I'm sure he's just scared of letting anyone see him like this."
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Post by Banshee on Oct 8, 2023 19:55:01 GMT -6
Listening to Mark go through his realization that he may actually be a God of some sort, the brothers simply remained quiet. Neither one of them wanted to say a word, fearing that it may make him jump off the edge of whatever figurative cliff he was on.
When he made a move to go into his room, Nox figured it would be the best time to go in and bug him. Perhaps all he needed was someone to talk to? Someone who won’t go on about what he is and about his family. Nox just wanted to offer an ear to him.
“Wait, Nox. Don’t...” He sighed as his brother took off, regardless of what everyone else wanted. Instead of chasing him down, Lux looked at Ikuki and wondered what were they capable of doing.
“I feel bad for him for some reason. Things just seem to keep dumping on him. And he’s getting worn out about it.” Lux sighed. “I suppose we should let him have his time..and Nox does whatever he needs to do to get him distracted. Or something.”
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Post by Moe on Oct 8, 2023 23:09:45 GMT -6
Ikuki nodded as Nox followed Mark. He and the boys seemed to have a bond, though they had all just met each other only a couple days ago.
"I'm sorry, about all of this. It wasn't right of me to come barging into his life like this, telling him things that he isn't ready to hear." she sighed. "I was hoping I could ease him into it gently, instead of being a massive jerk like his dad. Guess I didn't do a very good job of that." she pouted.
"I think it's best if I leave, for now. Nathan asked me to meet him in town, to look more into that rogue robot situation. You're more than welcome to come along, if you want." she smiled at Lux, inviting him along for an adventure. Probably a boring one, but at least they could explore the city a little bit.
Mark meanwhile, was sulking in his basement lab. He was leaning over on his desk with his face in his hands. He almost didn't hear the door open, as his anxiety-filled thoughts were buzzing through his head so loudly that he couldn't focus on the world around him.
"I thought I told you not to follow me." he said, before noticing it was Nox. "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were Ikuki." he sighed. "Hey, I'm sorry about that. I just...saw all that blood in my suit and it...didn't make sense. Or I guess, suddenly it made a lot of sense. I don't know. There's a lot of thoughts going on in my head right now, and I'm sorry I took it out on all of you."
He was silent for a while, trying to compartmentalize his thoughts and focus on something else. Though he was disassociating at breakfast, he did get a glimpse of Nox's ideas he had drawn up.
"Y'know what? Let's build something cool. I could use a distraction." he tried to force a smile, best he could.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 9, 2023 5:32:53 GMT -6
“Well...sometimes the truth is hard to handle.” Lux said to her with a frown. “Though, I’d probably be a bit shocked if I discovered I was one but then excited over how much power I would have. But then again...I’d be in a different state than Mark is. So I don’t really know...” He finished his food and placed it in the sink. Then like a good little gremlin, he washed it off and placed it on the rack.
“I’d still like to explore the city regardless.” He chimed as he quickly went to go change into his normal clothing. Once done he came back to Ikuki and said; “You know, I was thinking about this whole thing. I don’t think you were really that rough with telling him what he is? I dunno. To me, it didn’t seem like you were being too brash about it.”
“But uh...I’m ready to go to the city!” He chimed, trying to remain in positivity.
When Mark snapped at him, Nox flinched. But when Mark realized that it wasn’t Ikuki who followed him into his basement, he apologized. “Sorry. I just thought you could use someone to talk to if you needed.” He rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly while he found a chair to sit in.
Mark explained there was a lot of blood in his suit. Which, Nox had to agree. There was a ton of blood and any ordinary person would’ve bled out and died. But Mark? The power of a God prevented him from doing so. He managed to just avoid being killed. Nox really didn’t have much of a comment to him when he spoke of this. He felt that if he did say anything about it, it wouldn’t help the situation or Mark’s mental state by any means. So it was best to keep quiet about it.
“You know...Before I met you, Lux and I came across this family that...was in quite a bit of trouble with...well...bad luck, really. One of their members was having a hard time and another said to him, something that was really inspiring. Like...” He stopped for a brief second and then said; “It went something like; It doesn’t matter who you’re related to, it’s what you do with life that matters. That’s what determines who you are as a person.”
Nox stopped again as he replayed the quote in his head again. “Yeah, it’s something like that. The guy who said it, was an in-law to the other person. He noticed the guy was having a hard time with knowing the fact that he’s an offspring of a highly dangerous criminal and felt that...well because of that, he too was deemed as a danger to society too. But the in-law insisted that he wasn’t a danger and told him that he was actually a good guy...with some issues.” He laughed. “It was quite an interesting comment he made though. Not sure if he heard it from someone else and just retold it or not. But the In-Law is basically a walking dictionary. So who knows?” He laughed.
He then pulled out his book of doodles and showed Mark the pages in full. Nox smiled enthusiastically when Mark expressed an interest with trying to build one of his doodles out. “That would be so cool! Which...Which design do you like the best? Maybe we can combine things you like from the others and make it into one compact little machine?”
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Post by Moe on Oct 9, 2023 8:53:05 GMT -6
"Yeah...Bastet said the same thing." Mark sighed, as he leaned back in his chair. "Can I be honest with you? Please don't tell anyone I'm actually admitting any of this... I don't believe in magic or gods, and I sure as heck don't want to believe I'm one of them...but I'm scared. It doesn't have anything to do with hating my dad, or my world being flipped upside-down. But...knowing I should have died, and didn't? That scares me. I'm scared of out-living everyone I care about. Mom, Alex, Tiffany, you and Lux, Nathan... it feels like everyone around me always ends up leaving, and now that I have people who actually like being around me, I'm destined to watch them grow old and die." he said, fighting back tears.
"I don't want that. I don't want to be...this. I just want to live a normal life. I don't...I don't want to watch everyone I care about, disappear, while I just keep staying exactly the same."
He took a deep breath, and breathed out slowly to try and calm himself. "Sorry. I'm fine. Everything's fine. I just..needed to rant." he forced another smile, as he lied. "Well, they're all impressive ideas." he said as Nox happily showed him the ideas. "I guess it depends on what function you had in mind? Survey drone, weapon, guard-bot, companion? I kind of had an idea for a compact drone, to protect Tiffany when I'm not around, but I could never figure out all the specifics. I specialize in biological science. Biomechanics, bioengineering, genetics, stuff like that. I was never really all that good in getting robots to function on their own." he chuckled, lightly. It was forced, but at least genuine. "I'm sure if we put our minds together, we can figure something out." he smiled at Nox.
As he made his way over to the bits boxes to gather some parts, some bits of colorful scrap metal caught his eye. His ears twitched outward, which usually happens when he has an idea. "I owe Ikuki and apology...and a thank-you." he said out loud, to himself.
Meanwhile, while Lux was getting ready, Ikuki felt it was necessary to intrude for just a moment. After all, it would be rude to leave with Lux, without saying anything.
The basement door clicked open, and she immediately apologized as she made her way downstairs. "Sorry, sorry. I know you said not to follow you, I just wanted you to know that Lux wanted to come with me, to meet Nathan. Plus, I didn't want to leave Tiffany alone."
"I have a monitor down here." Mark said flatly, annoyed that she had taken it upon herself to barge into the one room that was off limits. He took a deep breath, to calm himself down. It really wasn't that big of a deal, he was just overstimulated right now. "Thanks for letting me know, though." he said, taking care that his tone was much gentler. He fidgeted with the scrap metal he had twisted into a shape; it was just thin pieces of crafting metal and easy enough to make something quickly, and he had shaped it into a small, simple flower. "I owe you a thanks." he said; "For watching Tiff...and for hanging out with us, last night. I'm sorry I snapped, earlier." he said, handing her the metal flower.
Ikuki blushed as she took the gift, and couldn't help but smile. "It's no problem, really. I enjoy hanging out with you guys. And you are right, I don't know that much about you...but I do know that you're a good person." she said as she leaned over, to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Nooo...my heart is full of darkness and edginess!" Mark protested, in a teasing manner.
"Oh, my apologies, Mr. Edgelord." Ikuki laughed. "You two have fun brooding." she teased, as she headed back upstairs to meet Lux. "We'll relay anything interesting, to you. Just...get some rest, today. Try not to worry about everything, all at once." she smiled at him as she left.
She met back up with Lux, back in the living room. He told her that he didn't think she was too harsh, making her feel a little bit better. "Thanks for saying that... I really did think I was doing the right thing, without getting to know him and how he would react. I guess being raised around people who use magic all the time, I don't realize there are people out there who don't believe in it." she said; she held the metal flower close to her and smiled, almost completely lost in thought.
"Oh. Um," she snapped herself out it, hoping he didn't notice. "Nathan is meeting us in the park, to try and trace that rogue robot. If we find anything interesting, we'll track it. If we don't, we'll go somewhere else. Either way, we'll both get to experience the city." she smiled as they headed out the door.
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Post by Banshee on Oct 9, 2023 16:58:20 GMT -6
Nox couldn’t completely relate to him on his views with being the only one to outlive everyone he ever met and loved. He could only imagine how hard it must be for someone to travel through a repeating life cycle like that. Even his own children, had they not obtained the God-hood, they too would die before him. And he had to admit, it must take some serious hard emotions to not be phased by anything like that.
“Well...I know that...Elves live much longer than humans.” Nox admitted but then it dawned onto him that Mark refused to believe in such nonsense. He sheepishly moved his hair away from his ears, revealing that they weren’t rounded like a human’s but were, in fact, pointed. Though, they weren’t super large like the Higher Elves or more powerful ones.
“I’m...not exactly human...and...uh...well...although I cannot completely relate to what you have going on, because I can die prior to an age ending demise...I can at least admit that us Elves will outlive any of our Human friends... And whenever I think about that...It’s kind of sad...” He shifted on his chair a bit as he thought it over more.
“I’m still pretty young, so my brother and I have a lot to learn about...well, everything. Who we are, where our family actually descends from, how the world works...We...only touched a fraction of what loss feels like. And we did face something pretty terrifying before.” He was hinting the giant laser from the other day.
“But...I guess...in a nutshell... I feel that life is like a book. Each book has various stories and events that happen within it. When the book ends, so does that specific story. Then a new one begins... I dunno, it’s a silly concept, but those thoughts alone help keep my mind clear from the dread of possibly outliving some of my very own friends that I’ve made along the way.”
He smiled at Mark. “And even when...I pass away. I’ll leave the world knowing that I’ve met an incredible person along the way that’s made a difference to my brother and I. And I hope that us being involved with your story, will carry on with you to your next adventure.”
Then there was an interruption. Nox quieted down and allowed the two to talk between one another and decided to gather some materials and placed them on the desk. After he did that, he saw Ikuki kiss Mark on the cheek. Unlike Lux, who would’ve teased Mark over this, Nox snickered and turned away. Pretending that he saw nothing and heard zero.
When Mark returned, Nox said to him; “I’m not quite an expert on technology, but I have been researching how to make machines move and balance, as well as connecting various cables and chips to one another to do the stuff you want. So I agree, maybe if we combine our heads, we can make something along the lines of what you’d like!”
“Something that can protect Tiffany but maybe have some sort of personality to it? Just so it’s not terrifying to her and maybe so she can associate with it. Uh...kind of like how kids normally do with stuffed animals or dolls. That’s just a suggestion. Though, I suppose we should work on the innards first before we do anything specific.”
When Ikuki mentioned meeting Nathan at the park, he blinked. “Wait...the same one where that carnival was? I wonder if that ship is still there? Or if they skittered off?” He tapped his chin and wondered what the family could be doing. “Alright! Then it sounds like it could be fun. Let’s go check it out! And not keep Nathan waiting! Right!?”
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out the door with Ikuki. “Do you think we’ll find anything about that robot? And should we try and see if we can get other folks to help us out or something? Or is this a super secret mission that we’re on and we have to play incognito?”
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