Title: Impossible Uncanon
Genre: Romance/Angst
Pairing: Erol x Maia
Note: A response to the challenge ''OTP, Baby!'' from the Acheron-fans over at dA. For you who don't know, it consists in writing or drawing something with either Gol or Maia paired up with another J&D character - and I picked Erol and Maia, since I love the idea ever since I saw Mandypandaa's lovely picture 'A match made in hell'. Go give her some love, because she's an awesome artist!
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IMPOSSIBLE UNCANON
Chapter 1:
The Dark Ones once were normal people-
- Stated the cover of Weekly Science. Erol browsed forward through the magazine's pages until he found the familiar centrespread, and began to read. Scientists had, according to the article, archived decades of information about the famous Dark Ones, Gol and Maia Acheron - from the siblings's distinguished timeline to their downfall in their own Eco silo. Even a small bowl of Precursor metal was mentioned, believed to be the mythical chamber vessel Gol Acheron had first captured fluid Dark Eco in.
The commander jumped a few paragraphs and continued reading.
Highlight of it all was an ancient painting, dug out by Haven museum's archaeologists during an excursion to Dead Town. It pictured the two conspirators dealing orders to a herd of lurkers, and theories said the unknown artist had known exactly how the siblings looked in order to paint them so terrifying. After careful restoration, the science team could - for the first time since the originals lived - show the Acherons to the world.
Here Erol skipped the following text, down to Maia's inset portrait next to her brother's ditto.
Charismatic - That was the first word that came to the redhead's mind when he looked at her face. Maia's gaze was cold, proud and reptilian at once; Intelligent it glared back at him through the centuries, a consuming flame in the middle of a rain droplet.
She must have been a good second-in-commander to her brother; pity the woman was dead, indeed…
The redhead came to a halt in his thoughts. Running an index over the Acheronian jaw line, he picked them up again.
Where goes the line between interest and passionate obsession for a complete stranger, a stranger whom to cap it all was dead since long ago?
He laughed bitterly - wasn't he a little too young to have pictures of old deceased flames stashed away in his sleeping quarters? And he couldn't excuse this obsession with Maia Acheron as the usual fan-to-idol-love. Those consisted in affection sources like a good singing voice or a great personality. Proud as Erol was. he claimed to have both. But…
This one-sided love was still a castle in Spain.
It was getting ridicilous: Every girl in town would enjoy having a class one racer taking them out for a date, but the only one he wanted right now was a woman, who's skin literally was made of waxed paper.
''What a joke'', the redhead mused, and got up to fetch a glass of water from the restroom's hand basin.
Plus, as a tiny voice hissed at the back of his mind - even if Maia Acheron had been alive today, she would have been an Eco freak, just the same as that boy in prison cell 7021. It was never said out loud, but rumours circulated about how Krimzon Guards whom entered the cell could end up damaged for life.
But to sum this up? The commander stopped on the way back to his couch, the glass of water in his hand. He imagined Maia as something better than the kid, whom only used his capricious powers to degrade the commander and the KG staff. Mar, anybody who could master Dark Eco with more control than self-control owned bits of the commander's respect!
In his imagination, Erol pictured Maia as…A mastermind, assisting another mastermind in recreating the world, eccentric from the substance that scorched her skin. But the same respect the redhead felt for Dark Eco masters also made him fear this Jak-person. No matter if the Eco drove the boy insane and made him use his alleged powers to something as bestial as to run amok on soldiers, he could get troublesome one day-
Erol's line of thoughts was interrupted when the door flew up.
''Sir, we need you down at prison section ten!'' The guard panted from a heavy run through the fortress. Water splashed out of the glass between Erol's fingers, leaving an unpleasant humidity in the glove fabric - he had nearly forgot his surroundings the past minutes, so to speak. With a steel leer, he faced the soldier's reflection in the closet-door mirror diagonally in front of him.
'' This is my day off, Aubrey. You'll be in an awful lot of need to consult me now.''
The youngster in the door opening fidgeted nervously under Erol's mirrored gaze; His errand suddenly seemed ridiculously banal.
''Someone needs to watch over a prisoner in section ten while he cleans up in his cell-''
Erol clenched his free fist, and promised himself to have an appointment with his subordinates about what kind of people they let into the elite squad.
''Do I have to come down there and show you how to use fire arms?'' He snapped. But in a sudden wish to show this newcomer how the work should be done, the commander added a reply he'd regret a lot later:
''All right, I'll watch over the prisoner - without a weapon, even. Which cell is it?''
It took the astonished soldier a moment to read from a writing pad, and then stutter out:
'' Uh…Cell 7021, sir''.
What a coincidence! Already a small part of Erol wanted to take back the promise to go unarmored right into Eco freak's nest, but if he changed his mind now the guards might lose faith in him… With a small 'thuff', the gun landed on the commander's bed where he threw it. In the same movement Erol's gaze fell on Weekly Science. Picking it up, he gave Maia Acheron's portrait a last glance, before he closed the magazine and tucked it under the last page of his writing pad.
''Are you going to bring that one with you, sir?'' Private Aubrey spectated the little scene from his position in the door opening. Erol smirked at him.
''Better up, soldier. I intend to read it, too''. The commander chuckled to himself, and rolled the magazine together in his hand. If he already had thrown the gun, it probably didn't matter whether he was reading or not when hell came rolling.
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Morgane: Phew, first chappie done! Hope you liked it D!