Jaret King belongs to aggies2015
Viola Almach belongs to Ariesbird
Juliet Grey belongs to Dolcebrio
Seria Day belongs to Kittynip
Ryuu Sinclair belongs to Tendou Souji (Kiwami no Sengoku)
Cody Frost belongs to Hodge Podge '97 (Kozak Keegan)
Victoria Reed belongs to Lord Farquaad
Honovi belongs to Jentus (Writing Duo)
A/N: Apologizes in advance because this chapter WILL drag. Hell, it was a drag writing it.
She had been lying in the dark for so long now. Did she really even know the day? The year even? How was everyone? Were they okay? Had they followed after her? What about Eve? About Seria?
It seemed like Juliet had spent something equal to her life in this utter blackness. The last thing she really remembered was the inside of the Dragon's Den and the mess of things Victoria's Cloyster had made of both Argo and Angel. The thought stung.
Why couldn't Juliet have been just a bit quicker? A bit more skilled? The image of Angel run through into the gravel walls remained vivid, alongside the bloody mess that was once Argo. It had also been where she had last seen any of her friends, where she had seen Virgil and Viola. They had been together just outside of those cavern walls, and it boggled Juliet to realize how quickly things could change. A part of her figured she would give anything to see one of their faces, something other than such an absolute darkness.
She strained with effort, looking at both her sides and all around her. Nothing changed. Darkness remained. Juliet tried to peer through it all again and found that if she put forward enough effort, that nothing could be molded into something or at least, its outline.
I'm dreaming... Juliet knew it, and she loathed it. Her dreams were seldom something different than the void she normally was suspended in, and when they were, they were painful still. Sometimes, the void would become her world, her old life and she would see herself sitting comfortably between both Eve and Conner, completely at ease and living as she remembered when she had been younger, though Juliet knew that she would lack substance as a person had she never fallen from her status.
She would even see herself in situations she couldn't fathom, such as the few that involved her and Virgil respectively. There were some that simply had the two together, as nearly inseparable friends and in others, as lovers, or even as parents. Virgil even seemed to make a good father and—
What was she thinking? The question made her frown.
What am I thinking...?
She shivered suddenly. There was a sudden apprehension then, almost fear. Her body tensed once she heard voices. They were faint, ethereal if she had to describe them. The more she attempted understand them, the stranger and more cryptic they became and the more she strained with effort, the more she would ache with pain. Juliet groaned in frustration. Just when would she be able to get out of this void?
"Looks like you found your Romeo." That voice had been clear no doubt and it left Juliet with a plethora of emotion, namely confusion.
"Eve?" Her entire body was tingling and the feeling was nerve-wracking. She could feel her sister staring at her, just out of her view. "Eevee?"
"Virgil's not a bad choice." she responded curtly, a bit defensively. But then her tone had picked up a little. "I just thought one of the boys in Sunnyshore would make you go crazy." Juliet found that she couldn't say anything. In fact, all she felt she had the strength to do was to stare in a strange kind of wonderment. Eve was quick to pick it up, she realized and the girl's response was dejected once again. "You can't believe it, can you?" Juliet shook her head.
"No. Not really." What was she supposed to say? Eve had been mutilated. Nothing could make her forget the image of that. Why was she here then, in this blackness? Everything was there, her ashen blonde hair was thick and full, like their mothers and was there in completion with her bright emerald eyes, though they seemed hollow and lifeless in comparison.
"What...are you...?" Eve's expression darkened.
"I'm not alive, if that's what you're asking..." Juliet felt her face shift and her sister quickly added: "You're not dead either. Just very close to it."
"Then...I have a question..."
"About the Dragon's Den?" Juliet nodded.
"It wouldn't be about anything else." The conversation made Juliet's chest ache and her thoughts heavy. Again, life was mocking her and throwing her failures in her face. She steadied her voice. "You refused to say anything at all when I saw you. You where right there with Victoria, of all people. It didn't make any sense and it still doesn't..."
"Because you found me after the fact." It was a simple statement but it cut deep nonetheless. To Juliet, it had even felt a little pointed.
"I...I'm sorry. I—"
"Don't." It was a command. Again, Juliet felt a tingle in her limbs, stronger than before. "It's not the fact that I'm dead that bothers me. It's..." Her eyes sharpened, though she seemed to stare off into space. "It's the fact that I keep getting summoned. That's the problem." Juliet was speechless, and skeptical.
"What are you even talking about?" Eve turned her focus back onto her sister with a sigh and she lifted her shirt to show her midriff; Juliet gawked at what she saw.
Just over her navel was a tasteful, archaic-looking painting of the phoenix Ho-oh himself. His wings were wrapped around a setting sun and in its center was a smaller portrait of a person surrounded by effigies of Unown, a certain Pokemon that was only really seen in the Ruins of Alph. They were spread about and the human in equal distance, as though they were shackling the human in place. "A...tattoo?"
"Dead people can't get tattoos." It was said somewhat snidely. It was more than likely her own fault for having been so close with her. It would have seemed that Eve had picked up on some of her bad habits. "It's a summoning symbol."
"A what?"
"It's something for things that don't have bodies. It can even be used for dead people." Juliet blinked stupidly. A summoning symbol? Of all the things Eve could have said, Juliet had certainly hoped it would've been something more legitimate.
At least she has imagination...
"I'm serious," Eve deadpanned and her response startled Juliet.
"Was that out loud?" Eve rolled her eyes.
"What do you think?" Ouch. She was definitely her sister. Everything felt far too heavy and far too strange. For all Juliet knew, she could be at a hospital, delirious and wailing for Eve when she seemed so composed in this darkness.
"I...really don't know what to say. About any of this. You still haven't explained anything and—"
"It explains why I didn't say anything," Eve shot back sharply. "It'd be more accurate to say that I couldn't." Eve stuck her tongue out, pointing to it, then promptly pointed back at the symbol.
"Normally, the symbol's burned into a part of the body of whoever was brought back. Just to show that they really aren't 'here'."
"Eve..." Juliet saw her tense a little. That was nothing like her either. They had been so close in life. "What did the afterlife do to you?" Eve shook her head in refusal.
"The only thing I can and will tell you is that dead people learn a lot of things once they die, and it's probably best that living people don't know about them."
"I don't care about the rest of the world right now! I want to know what's wrong!" Juliet felt bad, she noted. Even yelling at an effigy of her sister, the memories and love stung her all the same. "If you're making sense, then who the hell brought you back? It's..."
"Disgusting?"
"It hurts more than anything," was Juliet's reply. "I don't quite like the fact that I feel this way, even after so long." Juliet chuckled grimly. "Aw, shit. You aren't even really there, are you Eve?"
"I am. You're not dead, but close enough to it that we can actually sit and talk like this."
"You're only saying that because that's what I'm thinking, aren't you?" Eve shrugged.
"You're still skeptical. What could I say or do that'd make you believe me anyway? Nothing I'm doing is enough for you, is it?" Eve had said that with character, the words seeming as though they had really come from her. God, Juliet thought, She really takes after me...
"So what," Juliet replied with false assurance. "I'd figure I'd play along." Juliet could only hope that Eve wasn't as perceptive as Virgil when it came to reading others. The truth of the matter was that she was very curious.
"If you really want to know, then put the pieces together." Shit.
"Am I that easy to read?" Eve shook her head.
"I just know you really well." Eve paused. "And I guess it's pretty easy to tell what your thinking if someone stares you down or something." Juliet grumbled to herself in response. "But all you need to do is put everything together. Mr. 'High and Mighty' Phoenix is the only one that can bring stuff back from the dead, and Marus can patch himself right back up easy. And Virgil can take a full on tackle from a Charizard and live? Sounds a little like Ho-oh resides in them if you ask me."
"Greys aren't supposed dream, because dreaming is for lowlifes," Juliet mused. "That's what mom used to say all the time."
"Because 'Greys' are supposed to make their dreams happen. Sitting around and dreaming..."
"Is 'for lazy good-for-nothings.'" They had been finishing each others sentences in that instant. Maybe the girl really was some form of Eve. Maybe.
"But if you really want to know, then put the pieces together."
"What pieces?"
"Everything you know about Marus." Juliet sighed irritably.
"How do you know about him anyway?" Eve pointed to her mouth again. Oh, damn it. Eve was adamant about it. In fact, Eve was quite resolute on the "summoning symbol", so much that Juliet found that even she was starting to believe it.
"You were always good at turning a blind eye." Juliet felt her breath catch, startled at Eve's suddenly very close form.
"How did you—"
"Listen to me, Juliet." And Juliet did just that. Eve had been relatively demanding in that short instance, and it was enough to settle Juliet's shaken thoughts and even arouse a kind of curiosity. Juliet nodded only once, and Eve took a steady breath. "You know that Marus brought me here. You know that he can at least bring someone back to life for a little while, even though he can't make them live again." It was almost as if Juliet could feel the color drain from her face. "At least not with the portion of Ho-oh's power he has."
"Then...why would he bring you back...?" Juliet figured she had to have sounded pathetic, like a child herself, and she was supposed to be the big sister.
"Stop playing dumb Juliet..."
"But I'm not!" Juliet could feel the disbelief, the outright denial was heavy in her voice. Still, it didn't even sound right. She wasn't sure if she had really even heard Eve right. "I'm—!"
"I was there with Victoria as a means to throw you off. To keep you from focusing on the battle entirely."
"...Why...? The silence that came between them was unbearable and everything in itself was already far too great for Juliet to handle. She couldn't really understand and she didn't want to. "Argo and Angel died!" Oh god. Had her voice just cracked? She couldn't cry in front of Eve. She never had when Eve had been alive, had always been able make sure that Eve was looked after. And because Juliet knew Eve had looked up to her, it gave her all the more reason to be strong; she had to.
"I...I didn't want to do it," Her head was cast down and Juliet left her to it. "But I didn't have a choice then, and I still don't..." Now Eve was sniffling and watching her sister deal with her guilt in itself was painful more-so for Juliet. Why couldn't shit just be normal? "But..." Eve paused.
"But..."
"A puppet has to do as she is told."
"A...puppet?" Eve nodded, and already Juliet had figured out everything she needed to know. The first emotion to rise to the fore was anger. How could Marus do this, of all things? How could he use her sister to sabotage her? How could she have let such a ruthless person gain such a foothold into who she was? "You didn't even try to resist?"
"No, not this time."
"This time?" Juliet placed her hands on her hips, her eyes venomous. She was beyond livid. A part of her thought on it. She had gone from despair to anger in such a short amount of time, almost in an instant. Hell, she couldn't really even get to him stuck in her own mind, or wherever she was.
"I had the seal on my tongue on the first summon, and that was where he explained to me why he had brought me back here, to this world and what my role was."
"To sabotage me?" Eve flinched.
"In a way, but it's more than that...But, I told him there was no way I would ever hurt you, that he could actually screw off and send me back." Juliet's brow wiggled at the term "screw off". It shamefully had made her think once again, of better times.
"What happened?" Juliet would've laughed at Eve's confused expression, more than likely at her softened voice. Her initial rage had blew over some, though Juliet had already began to think of how she would get back at Marus.
"He..cut out my tongue."
"He did what?"
"The symbol connects the summoned and summoner. If the summoner is good enough, then they could add their own abilities to the summoned."
"He didn't..."
"It grew back eventually, but simply put, it hurt. A lot..." Eve frowned. "If he could do something like that, then he could do much worse to me if he wanted, and he could keep summoning me as many times as he wants...so, I'm stuck."
"I'll get him back, Eevee. Don't you worry." To Juliet, the words seemed...hollow. She knew that she had said the word and really meant them. Juliet found that her doubts were mostly concerned with the possibility if she really would be able to do in someone like Marus, who seemed to be steps ahead of her and everyone else.
"You don't have to try and make me feel better, Juliet. If you don't think you can do it, then I wouldn't want you to make an attempt and put yourself in danger."
"But—!"
"I'm not the real thing you know. I'm really only a puppet that Marus can use as he sees fit."
"Don't say that! I've already let you down once. I won't let it happen again! I promise!" Eve smiled a bit at that, but her expression seemed to suggest otherwise; Juliet frowned. She was so desperate and it seemed as though all of it was for so very little."Don't you believe me?" Her sister shook her head, and Juliet's frown grew deeper.
"Juliet, I don't want you to die. I don't want you to end up like me, being a servant to someone you absolutely hate. And I don't want you to face something you're terrified of." Juliet had figured she was talking about dying. She really had been beside herself at the thought of death, where Angel and Argo had gone before her. When that Cloyster had locked her in place with such wild eyes, she had only escape in mind. She were here, in this darkness because of that Pokemon to begin with. If she were faced with a life or death situation like that again, would she panic like she already had? Juliet wasn't even sure if Cloyster would let her live a second time.
"I'm...close enough to dying anyway, right? You said this was a 'near-death' thing didn't you?"
"It is, but you will die if you give up like that" Those were sharp words for a sharp tongue. "You're really only being kept alive because of Victoria anyway." Juliet's face seemed to tighten in annoyance. She didn't care for the girl or her violent streak in the slightest and had found a perverse enjoyment out of Seria's near hatred for Victoria. Often times, she would be there when Seria's dislike would manifest itself, usually taking on something along the lines of Seria passively stating how she thought she would've been more of a match for Ryuu that Victoria could ever hope to be. The memory was bittersweet, even worse because Seria was like a little sister to her. Had Eve seen that too?
"Angel and Argo are dead." It was all Juliet could really muster to say to her.
"I saw. But I couldn't do anything."
"Because you're his puppet," Juliet finished irritably. She also really wished that her voice would stop shaking.
"I'm sorry..." In a way, the way Juliet snapped was instant and without a doubt unprecedented.
"You're telling me sorry? Sorry? What does sorry do when Argo and Angel are already dead? When I want to help you but you won't let me?" She shouldn't be saying any of this, she knew. It was directed at the wrong person entirely. But in a way, Juliet needed it, even if she were being selfish. "What does sorry do when I have to look at what's my fault?"
"I was only—"
"Don't try to make me feel better. Just tell me what the hell 'sorry' is supposed to do!?" Death really had done something to her, had given her to the likes of Marus and changed her character completely. It was sad that Eve hadn't the slightest bit of enthusiasm left.
"I...wish 'sorry' could re-write everything." Juliet clenched her hands, as if to stop herself from reacting. In fact, that was exactly what she was doing, and she knew it. Juliet could only hold Eve's eyes. God, it was beyond difficult to even think. "But 'sorry' won't do anything..." Eve shrugged. "But I guess that's that." Juliet's arms were reaching out to Eve, had latched onto her before she really even realized what she had been doing. Eve had melded right into her arms, felt familiar like her little sister had always felt. It didn't matter that Eve wasn't hugging her back. Nothing really mattered but her.
"If what you're saying means anything, then I can hug you, just like I used to." Juliet's blouse felt suddenly cold, and realized that Eve was crying into her shirt, and Juliet went to console her. "It's okay. Even if for a little bit, I'm here..." They were hypocrites for sure. At least, Juliet knew that she was to some degree. Moments before, they both reiterated that apologies did nothing, or very little, though Juliet wanted to apologize for taking out her frustrations out on her.
Wait.
Her arm? Hadn't she lost that?
"My...arm...?"
"It won't be there when you wake up..."
"Then I won't. I can die and be...wherever this is with you." Eve shook her head.
"No. You can't. You...you can keep living. I'll be fine after you get Marus..." Juliet frowned.
"You said you had to do as he told, didn't you." Her sister's demeanor seemed to change at the question. There was a hint of fear in her eyes.
"I...do..." Juliet's frown remained, and Eve's apprehension increased. "Juliet, you can't stay near-death forever. I'm here to ask you something..."
"I figured..." Juliet answered. "I forgot that you had said that. You're just like I remember." Juliet's hand ran along Eve's cheeks. "The big, green eyes, the freckles mottled all over your cheeks and face." Juliet ran a hand through Eve's hair, it was a kind of ash-brown and thick. A little tangled in some parts, but it was nothing like hers. If Juliet neglected hers for a long time, it would get a bit greasy, which made her hair feel stringy. She gave a smile."You're all limbs too."
"...You've got them too..." She had said that, with just a slight bit more of enthusiasm in her voice. "The freckles I mean. And your hair looks really nice when it's done..."
"You're not yourself. You would've had much more life when you said that I have them too. You would get jealous because they're kind of hard to see."
"And you only have them over your nose..." Eve added. Juliet wished she could smile, but she didn't. She felt that she honestly couldn't.
"What does Marus even want with me?" Before Eve said anything, Juliet cringed at the burst of noise, something like a church or clock bell but Eve only stared at her. The lament was still there on her face like a stubborn stain.
"I can't say, but that's my cue to go..."
"Eve, wait a minute. You mean you can't stay?" Eve was growing faint then, and it was quite fast also. She shook her head, but said nothing else.
Oh no. No, no, no. "Eve!" As if that would stop her from fading. She wasn't speaking anymore either, which meant perhaps Juliet had gone too far in asking what Marus wanted with her. He had tailored Eve to unhinge her, and it was without a doubt working. Even so, Juliet knew that Eve was much more than just an illusion. Her sister was gone within seconds then, leaving only a faint outline in the dark. She was suddenly alone in this void again.
No, that couldn't be. Not when it irked her to no end. Seeing Eve had made her wanted to find a way out, to get back out. She wasn't dead. At least, Eve had told her that she wasn't. If that were the case, then she refused to remain in this darkness any longer by herself. Juliet was standing, suddenly sprinting. She could hear her own footsteps against the dark, echoing with a loud clack as she ran. She kept in one direction with one thought.
I will get out of here. For my friends. As odd and ironic as it may have been, Juliet felt a new kind of strength surge through her and she couldn't understand why. Eve was a puppet to Marus's whim, she had lost an arm and there was no telling what had happened to anyone after Victoria had made a mess of her.
Still, a fire was in her chest. She wanted to get out. Seeing Eve had spurned her into action. Eve hadn't been herself at all. She was nothing more than a slave. The fire in Juliet's chest grew hotter, with an intense anger even, accompanied by a second thought.
I will get out of here. I'm going to get out of here!Her sister's face came to mind again. For Eve...
Juliet felt remarkably sore. There seemed as though there wasn't a single part of her that didn't hurt. She really could've likened it to being pushed from at least 20 feet up. Everything was dark and her familiar disappointment began to settle in.
"-ey" Juliet went to move her body but it remained put; the pain pricked at her immediately after. Juliet wanted to so strongly call on Tux, especially once she heard the voice again, with a phrase that had completely thrown her. "Hey, she's awake." Color spilled through afterwards. Juliet felt that she had nearly been blinded at the sudden outburst of color, though a part of her was just happy to finally be out of that darkness. As more color came in, she was able to piece together the crimson that was dyed into the setting. It made her think of fire.
The first face that had formed in her vision was Victoria.
"Wow," she commented. "She really is..." A slew of words could be used to describe Victoria, but Juliet could only bring herself to manage her name. There was that boy from earlier, Cody, standing behind her. His expression was brooding and conflicted. He probably only realized the magnitude of what he had involved himself with. There were so many things that Juliet wanted to ask him more than anyone. What were the both of them doing with Marus? What could he have possibly promised them, more accurately, Victoria that allowed her to kill in cold blood?
"Waaaah..." Juliet wasn't sure if the disgust showed on her face then. Whatever that wail was, it wasn't intended, so she tried again. "Ahhhh..." She felt her face cringe this time. She willed herself to ask a simple question, anything really but her lips moved awkwardly, as though she had never had learned to speak.
"Sis," It was Cody, and Juliet lifted her head as best she could to watch him, her head bursting with pain as she tried in vain to move. She heard footsteps, and Juliet winced at the familiar touch of pain. She had seen that Cody had rushed to her side then, setting her up and tending to her gingerly. His somber countenance had changed from earlier. A level of disapproval and even disbelief where scrawled into him. "What did you do...?" His body was rigid with emotion; a part of Juliet wondered if they even remembered if she was there.
"Cody, it wasn't intentional...I...I didn't mean for this to happen..."
"But...her arm..." Victoria's shoulders slumped. "How can you tell me it wasn't intentional when you let Cloyster run wild? You knew what was going to happen! You expect me to believe you weren't trying to hurt her!?" The both of them grew quiet and Juliet could only sit in the awkward silence though she had to admit that she had always thought that Cody would've never gone against Victoria.
"C-Cody..."
"All of this...?" Cody's voice was quiet. "All of this? Right after Seria...?" Right after Seria? The words made Juliet a little dizzy. What had happened since she had been out of the picture? She had to find out.
"Haaah..." Shit. "H-How...?" Cody had turned back to her, as though he were watching a child learn her first words, although Juliet figured that learning to speak as a child couldn't have been that hard.
"How?" He watched her quizzically which actually annoyed her quite a bit. She took a deep breath and brought all her focus into speaking.
"H-how long... have I been...s-sleeping?" Juliet was a bit surprised that she had managed to make it through the entire phrase, even if the end had felt a bit...sloppy. She watched the hesitance spread through the boy.
"Two weeks." Victoria filled into the space next to Cody. "It's been a little bit since Blackthorn."
"Suur-reea..." It was somewhat maddening to receive the look of pity she got from Victoria. She would've told her off if she could've. As she watched Victoria, Juliet found herself wondering about everyone. Were they safe? Did she kill them? Did Marus kill any of them?
"You must be worried about your friends." Juliet looked away. "Your eyes give you away." Juliet wanted to lash back. Who was she to tell her anything?
Juliet caught wind of a certain sight past Victoria. There had been bodies and the sun's orange made the face identifiable.
"Where...are we?"
"The Phoenix's Altar, the very top of the Bell Tower..." Juliet could feel Marus's presence but even then, he was of very little importance. "Oh, you see them?" He had sounded inexplicably bored, even slightly manipulative. "The suffered their fate because they stood in my way."
There were four bodies, each of them gym leaders of Johto. Falkner and Whitney, from what Juliet could stomach, seemed to have been the first to die. Falkner lay slumped over Whitney, as if he had died in a failed attempt to protect her. A deep gash was still fresh across his chest and the blood was without a doubt still warm. Still, the leader had died with his eyes closed and despite the ragged condition his body was in, he had even seemed peaceful in a way. Whitney had been entirely different, her eyes wide in disbelief and terror, as if she couldn't believe there was someone able to defeat four leaders at once or that she would die in such a way. Juliet looked away from them but could see the other two. Pryce and Morty, from the corner of her eye.
Morty...
The last she had seen of him, he had been well enough in Ecruteak. That had been the first time they had met him even, when Marus had tried to influence Virgil to kill the man outright. It had made such a little difference in the end.
"My, my Miss Grey, you seemed completely distracted." It was a snide comment.
"Shut. Up." It was impulsive and Juliet had said it haltingly. It did very little aside from illicit an entertained grin from him.
"You have an arm gone." As if she didn't notice. "And you don't have a snide response of your own? I'm surprised." Juliet glared. "I would normally find such a low blow in bad taste or downright vile," he paused. She caught his eyes wandering and she felt a bit exposed. "But because you're involved so closely with Virgil, I suppose my pettiness can't be blamed entirely on myself."
This boy...
"Marus, leave her alone. She's having a lot of trouble adjusting." Cody remarked pointedly. "Not everyone can live forever." Marus snorted at him.
"Not in the slightest. But she's the one pushing herself and asking the questions. I'm only answering them. Besides, she's already seen what happens to those who zealously try to get in my way."
"The kid was only 11!"
"And he tried to play hero." Juliet had remembered seeing the tension between Cody and Marus, something she was sure someone would exploit eventually. Given that with his outburst toward Victoria, it seemed that the youngest was the only one with a real conscience, which actually brought the question to her mind of how Marus really was.
"Why?" managed bluntly. Marus hadn't even bothered to even look at her and only offered her a lazy movement of his shoulders.
"I could humor you, but that'd be pointless." He didn't so much as glance at her and remained focused on Cody who returned the same notion.
"Why," Juliet repeated, more sharp. That time, he glanced over his shoulder.
"None of the killing was intentional, and the only one I had really planned on slaughtering was Ho-oh." He stopped. "Save for Seria. When she had got in my way, I figured I would take a joy in killing her." Juliet felt the color drain from her face.
"S-Seria...?" No... He had to be lying. Juliet searched Marus's face desperately, looking for any kind of clue. Oh god no...no no no no no... She told herself that numerous times, hoping that she would find that he was lying, even if she knew better. He seemed to have took note of the shock on her face.
"You can ask them if you like." He made a gesture toward Victoria and Cody, but it was hard for her to pay any form of attention. Seria? Seria...? There was such an edge to Marus's voice and subtle all the more. Juliet honestly wished that she could've shown some kind of fluent anger but she was far too rattled. How could Seria have died? The girl had slipped right through her fingers, chalked up to her other failures.
"What for!?" It seemed liked something Cody would've said being so angry, or at least anyone but herself; the sheer anger in her voice had astonished Juliet herself. Marus frowned in response and knelt before her abruptly and quickly. Juliet went to draw back, accompanied by a severe soreness, reminding her that she wasn't in the best shape. Her hand had reached her waist just as Marus's hands gripped her arm; his grip was extremely tight and cold.
And then he was staring at her, eye-to-eye. Juliet shuddered and went to wrest her arm away but his grip tightened and fire shot through her body.
"Let go!"
"No."
"Let go you son of a bitch!" He let go immediately afterwards, and Juliet tumbled back, nearly bashing her head on the roof tile.
"You're talking now," Marus remarked.
"Talking? I've been talking this—" Juliet paused. "Oh...Yeah... I guess your right..." Juliet kept her glare about her, careful not to show her curiosity.
"You must be wondering how I did that." Juliet held a breath. He was right.
"Viola said something to everyone about this..." It was an empty threat, Juliet knew. Another part of her figured that maybe she had said that because there was nothing she could really use at this point. He was staring at her, as she was growing a bit used to, though his eyes were something different this time. They lacked their hard and angry countenance; they were the most human Juliet had ever seen them really.
"Well, even if she did, I don't have any idea how. It's something I figured correlated with the Phoenix himself. The only explanation I have." His voice was even, and that was already a red flag to Juliet.
What are you planning?
"Nothing." Juliet tightened her guard.
Viola had said something about him being able to read minds or whatever... Panic stirred in her chest' just a bit. Mind-reading was still off-putting, even if she had been forewarned.
"If you're still wondering how I managed to cure your speech problem, it's basically the same thing as me being able to take care of my wounds, just with other people."
"I should've figured. You were as good as dead in Blackthorn."
"To tell you the truth, I was lucky. That girl is actually a handful..."
"so you decided to kill her to make things easier?" Marus shrugged.
"I could've left her alive, but she would've stopped at nothing to get back at me." Juliet glare intensified.
"You killed her father in front of her."
"Because he was stupid enough to let himself get distracted."
"She was his daughter!"
"And he was responsible for his life." Marus stated simply. His voice had grown listless over the exchange. Was she boring him? Juliet figured that she was less than menacing, with missing an arm and all. That in itself seemed impossible and her mind shook at the thought of it. "All I'm implying is that Seria had to die. It just s happened that it also played out into my own desires as well."
"Somehow, I don't believe that."
"Even though I've helped you regain your speech?" Juliet grunted.
"You helping can only mean that you want something in return." Marus laughed, maybe even a little heartily. What's gotten into him?
"Perhaps I'm just looking to take what's Virgil's out from under his nose."
"I'm no one's property," Juliet spat. "How soapish."
"As defiant as ever."
"And I tend to keep it that way. Another hearty laugh, and Juliet snuck a glance past him to look over her surroundings again: Atop the Bell Tower with the bodies of four leaders littered throughout its peak. Victoria stood still with her face and eyes averted while Cody watched with avid disgust; he probably figured Marus was at his manipulative charms again, not that it was hard for Juliet to see either. Her eyes came back to him to find him smirking.
"You wound me."
"The leering from earlier was your little 'inspection' wasn't it?"
"Not at all. It's just that every girl these days reminds me of a good friend of mine."
"Girlfriend?"
"Nothing of the sort. But in hindsight, a lot of my old village figured that we'd end up a couple. It was a really physical friendship." Juliet giggled girlishly, out of sheer habit, realizing that she may have perhaps made a mistake. Marus was out of character, and impressively human.
"Physical? As in?"
"Touching." Juliet snickered a little.
Shit. Another mistake.
"It was nothing dirty. We trained together, hunted together, and even bathed together."
"And you never once thought about her being something more than friends, even though you bathed with her?" Marus grinned, slight shades of pink flooding into his face. He had turned from her Juliet entirely; he seemed he could've been anything but a sadistic villain. Perhaps even Marus held a shred of humanity left. It didn't make sense though. Marus was far too open, and trusting. Juliet even felt as though a part of her had known him for a while.
"Of course I did, but why would I admit to the whole village being right?" Marus scratched the back of his head. "To hell with them being right, you know?" Juliet froze. He had scratchedhis head, much like someone else she knew. The realization showed on her face as Marus's demeanor shifted again, back to one more familiar.
"Shit, I overdid it,"
"Marus," Juliet began. "What do you want?" Marus grinned. He was thinking for sire. "Attempting to be cool-headed and smooth doesn't suit you. I have an eye for that kind of thing."
"As I've been shown." It was a direct reference to Virgil.
"You can't just expect me to eat up whatever you say. It's hard to tell what's what with you."
"As it should be. I was hoping I'd be able to get one over you. It's good practice working with someone else who knows their stuff." Sarcasm to snide commentary? At that rate, Juliet realized she wouldn't get anywhere with Marus really fast. Marus offered her a smile. "The three of you girls are impressive. You, Viola and Seria all have—"
"Shut up about Mira. No one cares but you." Juliet saw the glare he had shot towards Cody, but turned back to Juliet. Marus was grumbling something foul in his anger.
"Oh, and between you and me," he leaned in towards Juliet who went to step back but he grabbed hold of her. "I wasn't lying when it came to Mira."
"What does that have anything to do with anything. I could care less about her!" Juliet was tugging from Marus again, attempting to twist free.
"Tch, I guess not..." Juliet saw Marus's expression deepen in frustration and focus and Juliet was yanking harder with little success. Something like ice spilled over the sensitive skin of her missing limb. That burned a great deal by itself. Juliet bit down but a yelp slipped out when Marus's finger grated against it. His hands were somewhat sloppy in execution, but he had hit his target nonetheless, and it fucking hurt.
Juliet was screaming. She wanted to cry it hurt so bad. A part of her wondered shamelessly if being strangled was really worse. Juliet managed to steal another glance at Victoria, who had turned to watch, fist clenched and entire body shaking in fury, yet, she didn't help. Cody was nearly and identical reflection of Victoria, though he struggled much more tremendously.
"Fuck, Vicky I'm not going to let her die!" Cody went to move in, but Victoria was quicker, slamming a fist into the boy's chest so that he crumpled nearly instantly. That was all Juliet had managed to see, her mind focused all the all too real pain. Then there was a sharp tug from her wound. Was something tearing from her?
Christ, is this what Virgil was feeling? Juliet clenched her eyes shut and could only hope that Marus would kill her before too long.
The darkness was back. I'm here again... Was she dead? She remembered an excruciating pain and then... nothing.
"You passed out."
"Eve!" Her sister wore the defeated expression from the last time she had been there, near death or whatever "this" could be called.
"Juliet, I'm here to ask you something in particular. Do you remember me saying something about that earlier?"
"You were going to tell me, but you had to go because of a loud crash, and then I woke up shortly after that..." Eve was staring at her, with a certain kind of focus and message.
"I'm here to asking you something...As per the request of Marus..."
"Does he really think me and Virgil are a thing?" There wasn't even so much as a rise from eve. This must be the real thing...
"He wants you to help him."
"Help him?" Juliet gawked incredulously. "He wants me to help him?"
"He'll give you the reward you want most. He swears to that." Juliet had thought she was going to laugh from Marus's sheer boldness.
"He thinks bribing me is going to work? He's dumber than I—"
"Marus claims to bring me back, without even so much as a single string attached." Juliet stopped in her tracks.
"He'll...do what?"
"All he really needs is some help to keep Virgil and others busy and away while he deals with facing the Phoenix. Once he's got both his revenge and possible power, he would break all chains with his summoned puppets, and we'd become alive again."
Juliet was speechless.
"I-I...have to choose?" Eve said nothing. "I have to choose between my friends and..."Juliet slumped. "You..."
"There's nothing I can do about this..."
"Eve, you can't ask me something like this. I just...can't...!"Eve kept silent. After all, what could she say? "Eve, you don't have to do this. You have a choice." Juliet knew he had sounded desperate, and really, it wouldn't have been so far from the truth.
"There's nothing I could do, even if I would like to help but..."
"Eve!" Eve's hand was extended out suddenly before her.
"Talk to Marus when you wake up..."
The sun was beaming in her eyes again.
"She's woken up again..." Familiar voice. It was familiar, condescending and sarcastic.
Marus. Her eyes focused and she held a hand up to her eyes. Her body was still very sore but even so, she felt much more...resilient than she had the first time around.
Wait. Juliet found the strength to stand as well, relatively easy and her exhaustion had dissipated from just what seemed to be moments ago. She met Marus's eyes with a jaundiced eye.
"What happened? What did you—" Marus cut her off.
"Your arm's back." And Juliet paused for a moment, taking a slight bit of time to run over her new arm. It was skin, flesh and truly alive like she was. "Your sister should've told you the main idea." Marus smirked, arrogantly.
"You keep bringing her back because you want to have some kind of leverage over me, and now you want me do help you..." Marus laughed.
"Something like that." He pointed back to her arm again. "It's not like you have much of a choice..." Juliet's arm was again burning but she felt the stings up near her shoulder for only a moment before it was entirely gone. Juliet looked over her shoulder to find the summon mark of Ho-oh there on her shoulder.
"Juliet," Juliet turned her attention back to Marus, finding that her sister, Eve, was standing next to him. "This is the first time you've seen your sister in the flesh again." Juliet hadn't heard a word and instead had already rushed past Marus and the eyes of Victoria and Cody to her sister, pulling her into an embrace. Her blouse was slightly wet, she noted, which meant that Eve was probably crying into her shirt.
"What do you really want, Marus?"
"I need an answer Juliet. You're marked now."
"What does that mean...?" Juliet asked. Her voice was a little shaky.
"You're bound to Marus, just like me," came Eve's voice. "But he only has partial control and can really only influence you, rather than completely control you."
"you mean he's had the ability to control you this whole time?"
"But he let me keep my own will..." Eve frowned. "That's something at the very least, isn't it?" Juliet could say nothing. Marus was turning out to be so much more than Juliet believed that any of them, even Ryuu, could handle.
And there she was, with such an ultimatum on her lap. She was to choose between her sister and her friends. But how could she? The distraught resting heavy in her mind was certainly only the beginning. It did nothing to help the recent feelings of helplessness that she seemed to carry with at all. Whichever choice she decided on, sacrifices needed to be made. Among them, were things Juliet would rather die before sacrificing and she didn't really even have that choice either.
What would a good person do?
What would a scion of the Grey family do?
What would you do, Connor?
Juliet felt like a fool. She knew the answer to that question. Connor would've called Marus's bluff and fought him, even if he saw that there was little chance that he stood a chance. Connor would've fought until he was dead. That was just the kind of person he was. A loving, bully of a brother.
No, Juliet reminded herself. Her brother was a bastion. Unshakable, unbeatable really. Juliet could feel all eyes on her, and for a moment, Juliet locked eyes with Victoria, and realized that the girl was without a doubt hurting. The more Juliet thought on it, she realized how ironic it was. If memory served her right, she remembered hearing Connor talk about a band of friends he had met on his travels when he came home again.
"Juliet," Marus prodded again. Juliet became apprehensive of all the eyes even more, particularly Eve staring up at her.
"You're thinking about what Connor would do, aren't you?" Juliet gave her a wry smile.
"The bully's strong, but he was always there for us..."
"Juliet..." Juliet turned her eyes from Eve, and her chest was heaving fiercely upon her decision.
"I'll do it..." The feeling spread throughout her body like venom. "I'm...going to help you..." Marus nodded only once.
"I'm glad to see you've made the right choice." Juliet turned to Victoria once again;the girl had lipped something to her:
"I'm sorry." This time, Juliet took the girl's pity without so much as a single complaint.