Leviathan's Daughter
GoldenEagle
Author's Notes: Okay. Drawing this to a close. Only two more installments. So please enjoy. Oh, and if you skipped the last chapter, the only important think is that Perseph and Folken made luv and Folken stated that she couldn't fight anymore because of the damage on her hands. Oh, and they had gone into a small town outside the battle. Besides that, I'm not sure what else needs to be said. Read and review!
Chapter Fifty-One
"I think you're full of it." Persephone said laughing. Folken smiled back at her, the smile he hadn't been able to get rid of all morning. She laughed as she pulled back her spoon and released it. A kiwi slice flew forward and hit him right above his eyebrows. He looked up and she began laughing. His grin grew larger as he wiped the fruit from his forehead. A small pause ensued before he lunged forward. Persephone started laughing as he grabbed her by the wrists before she could dart away. Her robe hung loosely around her as he drew her to him.
"I think you're too cocky for your own good, Lady Persephone." Folken grinned down at her. She leant forward and pecked the tip of his nose before taking him unawares and pushing away. She left him there, still locked in place, his chest bare, his pants unbuckled and loose around his waist. Persephone rushed into the bathroom. He could hear the water running before she poked her head out the door.
"You are coming, right?" She said sweetly, a fake innocence in her voice. He looked at her with an eyebrow cocked for a moment before he broke into a full grin. He sprinted towards her and she laughed out as he wrapped his arms around her and kissing her from behind before pulling her into the restroom after him.
**********
"You sure it's safe?" Persephone muttered as she glanced around cautiously while they stepped out of the hotel room.
"Pretty sure." Folken muttered, also throwing a quick glance around. "We're in Mirama, and you know as well as I do that they're against Zaibach. We shouldn't run into anyone."
She nodded and shifted her jaw from side to side, trying to rid it of the stiffness that had formed there. It had felt so nice to be at peace, but as soon as she saw the real world, the paranoia came back. Would she always be this nervous? Would she always be the cautious warrior? "You okay?" Folken's voice broke her from her reverie and she smiled up at him.
"Yeah, I think so. Let's just go out and relax." He nodded and they trotted down the stairs and into the main lobby before exiting the building. Persephone squinted her eyes as the late morning sun hit her sensitive eyes.
"Where do you want to go first?" Folken asked next to her. He stood close enough to her that she could feel him, and they'd brush against each other every once in a while, but far enough apart that she wasn't overwhelmed by the city's humidity and heat.
"Let's just... walk. Let's just be normal people for once. Peasants or something." And so they did so, down busy and crowded streets, close enough to feel each other, but far enough apart to be strong. Strength was a thing both of them needed in times like these. They walked on like this for a few minutes, listening to people talk of the great battle that Mirama had lost, before either one said anything. "You're going to leave again, aren't you?" Persephone's voice was cold and hurt at the same time, and Folken could feel her pull a little farther away.
He stopped abruptly at the question. It took a moment before she realized she had left him a few feet behind and she stopped as well, turning to him. "I'm not going back." He stated plainly. A relieved look crossed her face and she nodded as he took his original position next to her and they continued on in comfortable silence.
Persephone watched the world around her as if she were staring at it through a window. People talked and tried to get money and just lived out everything as if the world would go on forever. They had a routine. She tried to remember back to when she had that, back in the orphanage when she'd wake up and lay in bed for an hour before going downstairs to eat breakfast, only to return to her room, alone, withdrawn. And could she go back to a life of routine now? Her life had been different and new every day for the last ten years. It tired her and yet it was the only life she was capable of living now. She sighed, leaning into Folken more fully now, the left side of his chest against her as they walked. He turned his head and kissed her gently on her ear lobe. She forced a smile. Wow. It had been a long while since she had even thought of Earth. Well, she would see it in the sky and everything, but she hadn't thought of it as the home she once had in a long, long time.
"Hm... You smell good..." Folken said, trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood. She felt his breath hot against her neck. "Or maybe it's the horse dung. I can't distinguish the two scents. Both so prominent and enchanting." He said it so seriously that it took her a while to reply.
And when she took in his words, she couldn't help but break into a grin. She spun around and grabbed him by the collar of his cape, which he wore to cover his metal arm. "God, I love you." She was surprised that she hadn't come up with a quick retort, but instead had made a quite serious statement. His grey eyes warmed and he smiled. She realized that she had seen him smile more in the last twenty-four hours than ever before.
"I love you, too." He said very plainly and sincerely.
"Good." She replied bluntly before turning, though she grabbed him by his hands and wrapped his arms around her waist. She caught sight of a great group of flowers and merchant's stands. "This way, lover boy." She muttered with a wry grin.
Folken's gaze caught on a group of men arguing on the other side of the square. He caught several words on Zaibach and his interests peaked. "Hey, let's see what they're talking about-"
"No, I won't talk politics!" She growled back, only half playful. "I'm going to go get some flowers." She said, pulling from his grasp and heading towards the hanging plants.
Folken furrowed his eyebrows before sighing. "Just don't get out of sight." He said, his eyes still on her as he started to walk to the other corner of the square, a frown creasing his face.
"Yes, father!" She spun around, saying sarcastically. She quickly turned back around, confident that he would be there, in sight. She bowed her head to smell a flower that has never grown on earth before, a beautiful, velvety white thing. The fragrance drifted into her senses and she sighed contentedly. She lifted her hand to touch a red rose, but found herself stumbling backwards. She caught herself before she fell, her complexion paling.
Another tremor drifted from the depths of her and grew, making her feel amazingly weak. She was bent over slightly as another, more powerful tremor passed through her. The pain hit then, and she looked up, her eyes wide. "Hey, lady. You okay?" One of the merchants bent down to help her, but stumbled back as he took in her eyes. Pain, pounding into her, stabbing through her. She looked up, desperately, looking for him, but she couldn't see him over the heads of the other people in the square.
*Folken *
************
Folken listened as the group talked of rumors of Zaibach attacks. He recognized some as truth, and others as obvious tales, and then some he could not tell which one it was. * Folken * It pounded into his head, distracting him from his concentration. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly as he turned. "Persephone." He muttered.
It was then that he heard the first person cry out. He pushed through the people in the square, coming upon the growing crowd. As he reached it he saw her laying there, a small pool of blood forming around her down turned head. "Persephone!" He pushed past the people and stumbled to her side. He lifted her head, blood spread across her lips.
Her eyes fluttered open just half way and he saw there the blood pupils. "I can't escape..." She muttered before her eyes shut, crimson tears streaming down her face, and she relaxed in his arms, her body shaking slightly in his grasp, though she breathed steadily. Folken growled out in anger as he picked up her limp form, ignoring the gawking onlookers. Dornkirk... The Machine... Were they not free of this war yet?
GoldenEagle
Author's Notes: Okay. Drawing this to a close. Only two more installments. So please enjoy. Oh, and if you skipped the last chapter, the only important think is that Perseph and Folken made luv and Folken stated that she couldn't fight anymore because of the damage on her hands. Oh, and they had gone into a small town outside the battle. Besides that, I'm not sure what else needs to be said. Read and review!
Chapter Fifty-One
"I think you're full of it." Persephone said laughing. Folken smiled back at her, the smile he hadn't been able to get rid of all morning. She laughed as she pulled back her spoon and released it. A kiwi slice flew forward and hit him right above his eyebrows. He looked up and she began laughing. His grin grew larger as he wiped the fruit from his forehead. A small pause ensued before he lunged forward. Persephone started laughing as he grabbed her by the wrists before she could dart away. Her robe hung loosely around her as he drew her to him.
"I think you're too cocky for your own good, Lady Persephone." Folken grinned down at her. She leant forward and pecked the tip of his nose before taking him unawares and pushing away. She left him there, still locked in place, his chest bare, his pants unbuckled and loose around his waist. Persephone rushed into the bathroom. He could hear the water running before she poked her head out the door.
"You are coming, right?" She said sweetly, a fake innocence in her voice. He looked at her with an eyebrow cocked for a moment before he broke into a full grin. He sprinted towards her and she laughed out as he wrapped his arms around her and kissing her from behind before pulling her into the restroom after him.
**********
"You sure it's safe?" Persephone muttered as she glanced around cautiously while they stepped out of the hotel room.
"Pretty sure." Folken muttered, also throwing a quick glance around. "We're in Mirama, and you know as well as I do that they're against Zaibach. We shouldn't run into anyone."
She nodded and shifted her jaw from side to side, trying to rid it of the stiffness that had formed there. It had felt so nice to be at peace, but as soon as she saw the real world, the paranoia came back. Would she always be this nervous? Would she always be the cautious warrior? "You okay?" Folken's voice broke her from her reverie and she smiled up at him.
"Yeah, I think so. Let's just go out and relax." He nodded and they trotted down the stairs and into the main lobby before exiting the building. Persephone squinted her eyes as the late morning sun hit her sensitive eyes.
"Where do you want to go first?" Folken asked next to her. He stood close enough to her that she could feel him, and they'd brush against each other every once in a while, but far enough apart that she wasn't overwhelmed by the city's humidity and heat.
"Let's just... walk. Let's just be normal people for once. Peasants or something." And so they did so, down busy and crowded streets, close enough to feel each other, but far enough apart to be strong. Strength was a thing both of them needed in times like these. They walked on like this for a few minutes, listening to people talk of the great battle that Mirama had lost, before either one said anything. "You're going to leave again, aren't you?" Persephone's voice was cold and hurt at the same time, and Folken could feel her pull a little farther away.
He stopped abruptly at the question. It took a moment before she realized she had left him a few feet behind and she stopped as well, turning to him. "I'm not going back." He stated plainly. A relieved look crossed her face and she nodded as he took his original position next to her and they continued on in comfortable silence.
Persephone watched the world around her as if she were staring at it through a window. People talked and tried to get money and just lived out everything as if the world would go on forever. They had a routine. She tried to remember back to when she had that, back in the orphanage when she'd wake up and lay in bed for an hour before going downstairs to eat breakfast, only to return to her room, alone, withdrawn. And could she go back to a life of routine now? Her life had been different and new every day for the last ten years. It tired her and yet it was the only life she was capable of living now. She sighed, leaning into Folken more fully now, the left side of his chest against her as they walked. He turned his head and kissed her gently on her ear lobe. She forced a smile. Wow. It had been a long while since she had even thought of Earth. Well, she would see it in the sky and everything, but she hadn't thought of it as the home she once had in a long, long time.
"Hm... You smell good..." Folken said, trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood. She felt his breath hot against her neck. "Or maybe it's the horse dung. I can't distinguish the two scents. Both so prominent and enchanting." He said it so seriously that it took her a while to reply.
And when she took in his words, she couldn't help but break into a grin. She spun around and grabbed him by the collar of his cape, which he wore to cover his metal arm. "God, I love you." She was surprised that she hadn't come up with a quick retort, but instead had made a quite serious statement. His grey eyes warmed and he smiled. She realized that she had seen him smile more in the last twenty-four hours than ever before.
"I love you, too." He said very plainly and sincerely.
"Good." She replied bluntly before turning, though she grabbed him by his hands and wrapped his arms around her waist. She caught sight of a great group of flowers and merchant's stands. "This way, lover boy." She muttered with a wry grin.
Folken's gaze caught on a group of men arguing on the other side of the square. He caught several words on Zaibach and his interests peaked. "Hey, let's see what they're talking about-"
"No, I won't talk politics!" She growled back, only half playful. "I'm going to go get some flowers." She said, pulling from his grasp and heading towards the hanging plants.
Folken furrowed his eyebrows before sighing. "Just don't get out of sight." He said, his eyes still on her as he started to walk to the other corner of the square, a frown creasing his face.
"Yes, father!" She spun around, saying sarcastically. She quickly turned back around, confident that he would be there, in sight. She bowed her head to smell a flower that has never grown on earth before, a beautiful, velvety white thing. The fragrance drifted into her senses and she sighed contentedly. She lifted her hand to touch a red rose, but found herself stumbling backwards. She caught herself before she fell, her complexion paling.
Another tremor drifted from the depths of her and grew, making her feel amazingly weak. She was bent over slightly as another, more powerful tremor passed through her. The pain hit then, and she looked up, her eyes wide. "Hey, lady. You okay?" One of the merchants bent down to help her, but stumbled back as he took in her eyes. Pain, pounding into her, stabbing through her. She looked up, desperately, looking for him, but she couldn't see him over the heads of the other people in the square.
*Folken *
************
Folken listened as the group talked of rumors of Zaibach attacks. He recognized some as truth, and others as obvious tales, and then some he could not tell which one it was. * Folken * It pounded into his head, distracting him from his concentration. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly as he turned. "Persephone." He muttered.
It was then that he heard the first person cry out. He pushed through the people in the square, coming upon the growing crowd. As he reached it he saw her laying there, a small pool of blood forming around her down turned head. "Persephone!" He pushed past the people and stumbled to her side. He lifted her head, blood spread across her lips.
Her eyes fluttered open just half way and he saw there the blood pupils. "I can't escape..." She muttered before her eyes shut, crimson tears streaming down her face, and she relaxed in his arms, her body shaking slightly in his grasp, though she breathed steadily. Folken growled out in anger as he picked up her limp form, ignoring the gawking onlookers. Dornkirk... The Machine... Were they not free of this war yet?