Chapter 8
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Ciela growls when she feels a hand shaking her from her blissful sleep.
"What do you want? And it better be good." She says, grumbling as she swats away the hand and tries to curl under the covers.
"Get up." Linebeck orders. "I'm taking you somewhere and it's a good hour away. Even on horseback."
"Like Hell am I getting on a horse at what?" Ciela squints out of the covers, expecting to see what she thought was sunlight. Instead, it's a dark grey outside the porthole and the light that was blinding her was a lamp set beside the bed. "What... Linebeck " She growls. "It is before the crack of dawn. Ask again at a normal time or I'm going to be verypissed off at you." She rolls onto her other side, trying to end the conversation and get back to sleep.
Or would have, if a sudden bucket of freezingcoldseawaterwasn't then dumped on her.
Ciela springs up, gasping in shock, now completely soaked from the upper body up. Her red hair clumped together and her yellow tank-top stuck to her, providing no comfort from the cold. Her eyes wide in fear, as a bad memory pops up from the last time she had gotten soaked. Then she remembered that she was on the ship, a hylian, and okay. Then anger rose.
Linebeck had a sudden realization, about five milliseconds after Ciela set her murderous eyes on him and the bucket he was holding, that maybe it wasn't the best way to wake someone up already mad.
"I-I'm just gonna... Um... go..." He practically whimpers, showing his true colors in front of the very pissed off Ciela.
"You have five seconds to run before I'm murdering you." Ciela softly forewarns, peeling back the soaked covers.
Linebeck doesn't need anymore prompting than that to high-tail it out of the cabin, Ciela hot on his heels. He tried making it for the safety of more open space than trying to escape her in the cramped ship but doesn't make it very far before Ciela leaps for him and sends the both of them tumbling to the steamboat's floor with a loud thunk. Terror seizes Linebeck's heart as he attempts to crawl away but is quickly foiled by Ciela grabbing his arm and pulling it behind his back.
"Ah, ah! AH!" Linebeck yelps in pain, twisting his upper body to lessen the pain. "Dammit Sparkles!" He grits out.
Ciela growls at him, straddling his lower back, eyes blazing. "Let's get some things straight shall we? Since you haven't seem to get it even in the year we've spent together!" She spits. "First. I'm no fucking morning person! I enjoy sleeping in and waking on my own damn schedule, not when some moron decides to get me up before the crack. Of. Dawn. Second. Do not use a bucket of seawater. Ice cold none the less! To wake someone up. Especially on me. And Third. You're sleeping on the extra bedroom tonight to until who knows when." Ciela releases Linebeck's arm, who falls to the deck with a gasp of relief. "I'm going back to bed. Get me up before I'm ready..." She lets the threat hang in the air as she pushes herself off Linebeck and heads back into the room, slamming shut the door with a sharp crack.
Linebeck takes a moment before rolling onto his back, massaging his arm that was abused. "Let's see what the score is now shall we?" He mutters to himself. "Moron moves: One. Smart moves: Negative zero." He winches, pressing his shoulder. "This will never be spoken of again." He thinks. "Especially how easy it was Sparkles to over power me. And if anyone does ask, I was just letting her have her moment of anger. Yeah... yeah that fits." He sits up, and gets a wet pillow to his face and semi-soaked blankets and sheets over his head, thrown by Ciela.
The cabin door shuts again.
...
"So where did you want me to go this morning?" Ciela asks, leaning on the doorway to the extra bedroom. Linebeck, so intent on his task of fixing up a hammock for himself, jumps about five feet into the air. Ciela snorts. "Second time in a week. Apparently I need to start wearing a bell."
"My heart would approve." Linebeck drawls. "and for your first question, you're in such a pissy mood, I'd rather wait until you're calm to take you there. "
"I had a bucket of water dumped on me. Obviously, I would be in a pissy mood!" Ciela snaps, pushing herself off the door frame.
"Sparkles, can't you just take a joke?" Linebeck replies, turning to face the former fairy. "So you got a little wet. Get over it."
"So throwing a bucket of water on me is now a joke?" Ciela says. "I may not be a fairy anymore, but getting water dumped on me terrifies me"
Linebeck snorts incredulously. "Getting a bucket of water dumped on you freaks you out? What kind of lame fear is that? Especially since you were once the Spirit of Courage."
"For a fairy, getting water dumped on me, which is soaked in my wings and makes me unable to fly and escape danger by the way, and then nearly fucking drowning because I couldn't fly, is pretty damn scary. And it all started with a bucket of water dumped on me as a joke." Ciela says, crossing her arms. Then, before she realized what she was saying. "Besides, how silly is it to be so afraid of squids that you can't even be in the same room as a dead one?!" Her hands clap over her mouth as she realizes what she said.
Linebeck tenses as a shocked silence falls upon the room. For a moment, the sounds of Linebeck's possession seemed to echo through the room.
Ciela removes her hands, already trying to babble out an apology. "I'm so sor-"
"Save it." Came Linebeck's angry reply, cutting Ciela off. He spins around, focusing back on his hammock.
"Linebeck-" Ciela tries to start again.
"I said save it!" Linebeck snaps, not even bothering to turn around. "And get out!"
The words hit Ciela like a slap. She draws herself up "If that's what you wish..." She starts, tears rising in her eyes and anger rising in her heart. "I'll get off your damn precious ship! Don't expect me back anytime soon!" Her last words were said in a hiss. Ciela whirls around and storms off the S.S. Linebeck, slamming the engine room door for good measure.
...
Ciela had no clue what the hell she was doing or what she was going to do or where to go. She tried to focus on the map that she had gotten from one of the shops, to see if there was anywhere she would want to check out, but the conversation between her and Linebeck kept replaying in her mind. She collapses on a bench, still staring at the map but her mind miles away.
"Stare at that map anymore, we could roast marshmallows on it." came Maris' voice. "I'm surprised that it hasn't burst into flames by now."
"That would Leaf's job." Ciela mutters, folding up the map a little harshly. She sticks it in her pocket, then leans back with a groan. "Tell me, was Linebeck always insensitive?"
"Uh-oh, what he'd do now?" Maris asks, setting herself and her packages on the bench beside Ciela.
"It involved a bucket of water and him trying to get me up at the crack of dawn." Ciela says, rolling her head towards Maris.
"He and Max were always early risers. Becky probably more now with his apparent insomnia." Maris says, as she shifted herself to be facing Ciela. "But, forgive me if I'm not entirely understanding the bucket thing."
"I know you've only ever known me as a hylian, but I was once a fairy." Ciela starts, sitting up.
"Slash Spirit." Maris puts in with a smile. "I remember from those tales yours."
"Slash Spirit, but that was just a title." Ciela acknowledges, with a small smile that quickly slips away. "But being a fairy, what do you think would have happened if I was still a fairy and had a bucket of water dumped on me?" Ciela says.
Maris blanches, trying to come up with an answering. "Are you going to hurt me if I say I'm still not sure if I follow?" She inches away a little.
Ciela purses her lips. "For a fairy, getting wet is bad. The water soaks into our wings, making them extremely heavy and us unable to fly." Ciela explains.
"So, having a bucket dumped on you when you were a fairy is bad?" Maris says slowly, trying to make she's understanding. Ciela nods. "So when Becky dumped the water on you this morning, your fairy instincts kicked in?"
"Yes. But I also have a little worse case of paranoia. When I was..." Ciela pauses, not wanting to tell Maris the aging difference yet, so she decided that she would go with her latter age. "When I was young, only around 16, I had a bucket of water dumped on me by some younger children who had gotten a little carried away. It was like having a waterfall suddenly dumped on you and I was washed off in the resulting stream of water, and into the ocean." Ciela wraps her arms around herself. "I couldn't breathe, I could barely swim due to my wings feeling like sandbags on my back, the waves, barely nothing to you, but violent to a fairy, kept on slamming me against the cliff, battering me. I was going to just about giving up when one of the kids finally managed to find a small net and fish me out."
"I was so terrified from the situation, I couldn't go near water for a month. When it would rain, I wouldn't even go outside. Fairies can normally dodge the raindrops, but I was just so afraid that I was going to get hit and be unable to fly. I'm better now, especially since I know how to swim."
"Well, I would hope since you're constantly traveling the Great Sea." Maris half-heartedly cracks, trying to lighten the mood. Ciela however, doesn't smile.
"However... It just wasn't him being an insensitive jerk. I was equally being a stupid bitch." Ciela rubs her eyes. "In relation of him calling my fear stupid, I followed with his, basically calling it stupid as well."
"This fear being..." Maris trails off, waiting for Ciela to complete her own sentence.
"His fear of squids." Ciela says, pinching her nose and closing her eyes.
Maris blanks again. "Being completely insensitive again. How does Becky have a fear of squids?"
Ciela opens one eye, staring at Maris. "Bellum? Remember her one form?" She says pointedly.
Maris' face blanches again. "Eeee. Yeah. Yeah, I understand now." Maris shifts in her seat. "So what are you going to do now?"
Ciela opens both of her eyes, leaning forward. "I'm going to apologize but we both need some time to cool down before we get anywhere with that."
"Why don't you come back to the ranch and stay as long as you think you're gonna need? I've been wanting to teach you how to ride a horse and it can help you calm down. Becky gets his space, and you get a chance to take your mind off of things. Myself as well."
Ciela looks at Maris. "What happened with you?"
"Eh, the usual with Maxi. Don't worry 'bout it. We get in fights all the time. Or, at least, that's what I tell myself." Maris says, giving a tired smile. "We usually get over it within the day or night. Still doesn't stop me from feeling like utter shit." Maris stands up. "Come on. Or else would you like to mope on this bench some more? But I might warn you, if Calista's mother finds you all mopey, she go after Becky so fast... Trust me, better to be at the ranch."
Ciela sighs. "Sure. Like you said, it would help take my mind off things." She stands up, then darts to help Maris with her packages. "Here, I'll help. What are these things?"
"Spices and ingredients." Maris says. "When I'm upset, I tend to bake desserts. A lot of them. Then I gorge myself." Maris gives a humorless laugh, patting her stomach. "Never have been able to get back my teenager body ever since Devika's birth."
Ciela smiles even in light of her and Linebeck's fight. "Sounds like fun."
"It is, but trust me, they're never worth it." Maris dryly says. "No matter how tempting the urge to bake it, teaching you to ride would be more worthy of a stress reliever."
"Lead the way then." Ciela says, gesturing.
...
"Hey Sparks, why don't you head on over to the barn? Max can help you pick a horse while I get my stuff away and in more proper riding clothes."
Ciela looks down at herself. "Am I okay?" She asks, gesturing to her yellow button-up, brown pants and boots.
Maris waves a hand at her. "Perfect." She heads inside once Ciela nods and moves towards the giant barn.
"Sparks!" Max booms, straightening up from mucking the stalls. "What are you doing here? Is Becky here as well?" He wipes away sweat from his brow. Even though the fall months were beginning to come about, there were still a few times when the weather was unseasonably warm. Today was such as day, and was only increased in the barn.
Ciela shakes her head in the negative. "No, and I doubt he will unless he decides that he'll need to hang with you for a while. Will certainly make things awkward, however, if he does."
Understanding dawns on Max. "Ah, a lover's spat, I see." Max sets aside the pitchfork. "I'm guessing then that Maris found you?" At Ciela's nod, he carries on. "Going to be baking together?"
"Actually, she wants to teach me how to ride." Ciela says, moving towards Max. "That's why I'm out here. She wants you to help me find a horse."
Max rolls his eyes. "Then she'll bitch at me about not getting the stables mucked but of course I'll help. Don't want you getting hurt. Becky will kill me."
"Even if he's pissed at me?" Ciela says, even though Max's sentence rang true.
"Especially if he's already pissed at you." Max says, setting aside the pitchfork. "So, you're going to get a horse. You'll need to pay a boarding fee for us since we need to feed your horse. The fee is twenty rupees every month."
Ciela nods, gazing around the barn. "So, which one was Linette's and what one was Linebeck's?"
Max silently gestures to one horse, a tall, strawberry roan. The mane, tail, feet, and head on the stallion was a deep chestnut that faded into a pale chestnut body. "That stallion there was Linette's. Name's Yori" He gestures to a different colored horse, a smokey grey with black feet, mane, tail and head that blended into the grey. "And Kaito there is Linebeck's mare."
Ciela smirks at Linebeck having a girl horse, before suddenly noticing something. "Wait a second. How long do these horses live?" She asks, looking at Linette's horse, looking in the prime of his years.
"The Epona breed lives a good long while, well into their thirties. One of the things they are known for along with being remarkably hardy, well-built and choosing only one person to bond with. Thus, they are remarkably touchy, only letting a few people ride them. They're okay with people taking care of them but Goddesses forbid you try and ride them if they don't like you." Max explains. "Much like this breed's ancestor, which is where they get their breed name."
"Epona?" Ciela questions, gazing around at the horses, a whole array of neutral colors. For some reason, that name sounded familiar...
"They say that the first horse of this breed, Epona, was the Hero's horse. When he had come back from his travels and married the girl at the ranch that Epona had come from, she was bred and the breed was thus created." Max further explains. "But you didn't come here for a history lesson, you have come to get a horse. All those horses on this side are already owned. These five are to be sold, so no picking them either. All the horses here," Max gestures to ten some horse on the opposite side of the barn, "are able to be picked for a rider. Remember this kind of horse is a lifetime commitment. Don't just chose on a whim."
"Jeez, what a way to put pressure on me, but I do understand." Ciela jokes before nodding her understanding, looking at the horses she was able to choose from. "If you need to be able to get back to work, go ahead, I'll be okay."
Max nods. "If you're sure." He walks back over to the stable he was mucking. "So what happened with you and Becky?"
"Trying to make a lifetime commitment." Came Ciela's sing-song voice.
Max chuckles at his words being repeated. "It'll help if you let the horse decide."
Ciela turns towards Max. "Seriously? Now the horse gets to decide? Should you just put them in a pasture and let one walk up to me?" She holds out her hand towards the horses. "If you like me, nicker."
Max erupts into deep belly laughter. "I can see why Becky liked you." He says. "Just walk past them, they'll let you know. Or, you can check out the twin's horses while you talk to me."
Ciela ponders this for a moment then agrees. She decides to meet Kaito. She reaches up a hand, being very slow as to not spook the horse. Kaito stares at Ciela for a moment, seemingly sizing up the woman before lowering her head and gently placing her nose underneath Ciela's hand, causing the ex-Spirit of Courage smile. While petting Linebeck's horse, Ciela story tumbles out again, starting with the bucket fiasco, and ending with Ciela putting her foot into her own mouth.
"I feel goddesses awful about what I said." Ciela says, still staring at Kaito and petting the mare's nose. "Just too damn prideful to admit it."
Max walks over and gives a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry, you and Becky sound like you have been through Hell and back, together. Something like a simple fight can't break the bond between you, and only something completely unforgivable being done could break you two." Max gestures to himself and Maris, who just walked into the room. "Take Maris and myself for example. We love each to the sacred realm and back. Doesn't mean our lives are filled with rainbows and sunshine. We fight, as all couples do. We're not perfect. But we trust each other, and know that when the time really comes for nitty-gritty, we have each other's backs."
"Still doesn't mean you can get of dish duty tonight!" Maris calls, walking over to the two.
"Damn, not even a little?" Max whines, taking Maris' hands.
Ciela watches the two bicker, before looking back at Kaito, biting her lip. Even though she wanted to feel assured with Max's words, she still couldn't beat down the knots all twisted in her stomach. She had preyed on Linebeck's fear, knowing full well of it. Linebeck... she could bitch, and whine, and moan all she wanted but that still doesn't change the fact that he really couldn't have had no idea of her fear of water being dumped on her. Even that first night she had returned, when she had landed in the water, he didn't know about that panic attacks that had seized her body that night, or the absolute fear that drove through her body when she attempted to prevent Bellum's possession over her by jumping into the waves below.
But she still couldn't go and apologize, not then. Linebeck took awhile to cool off and Ciela couldn't face him just yet, feeling so ashamed and guilty at herself. And, she still didn't want to admit to the fact that she wrong as well, to Linebeck at least.
Ciela turned and went to let a horse pick her, grabbing the front of her button-up and waving it, trying to get air to her sweat soaked body. Without thinking, feeling so relaxed with Maris and Max, she unbuttons her shirt, deciding to just let the tank-top she wore underneath show off. She had a brief moment of forgetfulness on why exactly she had placed both a tank-top and a button-up on but a horrified gasp from Maris brought back to clarity why Ciela chose that outfit of choice.
Half of the eight-pointed scar showed but Ciela had learned to live with that one, not caring if it showed in her outfits. No, the scar she tries to keep covered was the burns from over a year ago.
The red marks decorated her neck and part of her arms, testament of the poison Bellum uses as a fail-safe to kill the formerly possessed. Self-conscious of those scars, Ciela quickly swung back on the button-up, holding it tight against herself.
"What... What happened?" Maris asks, forcing herself to look at Ciela and not the scar burns that still showed.
It took some time for Ciela to be able to muster up an answer but finally, she managed to start an explanation. "The possession that Bellum gives... she... had this fail-safe poison placed in it... basically the stinger, but also the part that latches onto you. It's barbed, and if removed, it gives you the scar on my back... and injects you with what I had said earlier. A fail-safe poison."
"This fail safe that..." Max trails off.
Ciela runs a hand over one of the horses' stall door. "The poison basically makes the poisoned... go through hallucinations, their back bleed horrific amounts of blood and pus, and so much agony and pain, that the person... will most of the the time, if left alone... will kill themselves or even with other people, take those around with the poisoned." Hesitantly, Ciela slides back off the shirt, revealing the scars once more. "Linebeck left for only what seemed like a moment but at the same time, felt like eternity. I had... grabbed up the candle that had been lit and... placed it upon my nightgown, which lit up instantly... I was in so much pain..." Ciela's grip on the stall door tightened as her mind went back to that night, burned upon her memory like the marks on her skin...
...
..."Linebeck... Are you awake?"
An unintelligible reply is what she receives, so Ciela repeats her question on a louder scale, "Linebeck!"
The dazed mass next to her shifts to his side, greeting her unwelcomingly. In the little light that dissipates from the dying fire embers, Linebeck squints, taking notice to his girlfriend's panicked expression- her eyes darts across the room and her breathing is exasperated- and suddenly finds himself more awake than before, and quite alert and aware of his surroundings.
"Sparkles?" He rubs the sleep from his eyes and sits up straight against the head of the bed, "What's wrong?"
She covers her mouth with a fist, gripping the blanket tightly, "The scar..."
A moment of confusion grips him, and he makes an attempt to understand by cocking his head, prompting her to continue.
She lets out a strained cry, her mouth agape and her eyes shut tightly.
Now it makes sense entirely: the wound she had received from Bellum has gone through it's succession; the potent poison the vicious squid had excreted from the tentacle that had thrived in her spinal cord during possession has cultured in her skin, blood, and bones.
When Linebeck had experienced the identical it had been quite horrendous - the wound had bled, and stung to a heightened maximum for an hour, soaking chunks of skin and flesh until they became loose and separated from his body. He knew his own thoughts during the ordeal were wishes of death to escape the agony; moreover, Ciela's torture will be a difficult sight for him. He will hear her scream and cry, the cotton sheets will stain with her parasitic blood, and she will hallucinate horrific nightmares. Be the visions from the loss of blood or poisoned body, he did not know.
"Linebeck, it's like I'm being stabbed," she did not yet cry, for she had proven to be able to hold herself together under pain and stress in the past, but Linebeck knows that will not last long. She sits up straight, arching her back in an attempt to ease the incoming pain, "H-how long will it last?"
Linebeck speaks hesitantly, "About an hour."
Ciela swears so loudly he thinks it will wake up Beck sleeping in the opposite room. Then again, he will be woken up by the ruckus soon, anyway.
The ex-spirit of courage whimpers in submission to the pain, her fingernails digging into the wooden frame.
"Turn over," Linebeck instructs, and she obliges by flipping herself onto her stomach. "May I have a look?" Despite their closeness and affection for one another, the two had really only been considered a couple for a week; there were limits, and as well as respecting one another verbally, they also hold boundaries with privacy.
"Yes," Ciela mutters into the pillow.
Linebeck pulls up the bottom of her nightgown before covering her lower half with the blanket so as to make her feel less subjected and save her from humiliation when Beck wakes up. The scar is revealed in full now: a brilliant red, inflamed and bare right down to the muscle. A white pus had formed in the center, along with a purple substance that seeps directly from her spine. Ciela cringes, "Is it like what happened to yours?"
Linebeck didn't truly know, for he couldn't see the occurrence as the pirates took care of him, yet he assumes it is very similar. A drop of blood falls from the center of the eight point star- the opening of the wound that had since closed- followed by another one, and soon, a sheet of crimson blood cascades down her back.
"It burns," Ciela cries, "Goddesses, it burns!"
Linebeck slips out of bed swiftly, and lights a candle, making the room more visible. He sits again on the bed, clasping her hand with both of his.
"It'll bleed quite heavily for a while. Whatever you do, don't panic, because I'm here, and you won't die." Linebeck kisses her cheek, and she mumbles something inaudible from the pillow.
The blood was now pooling on her back and spilling over her waist and onto the sheets, filling the room with a heavy, sickening stench.
To his shock and disgust, the blood starts to bubble, as if boiling.
Ciela emits a horrible scream, a high pitch and violent scream, causing Linebeck to wince and turn his head away. The young woman digs her fingernails into his skin as an output of her pain. He cringes, but allowed her to do so. The door to Beck's room slams, and he, not entirely alert, asks what was going on. Linebeck loosely explained, to which Beck replies, "It sounded like you two were having..." He was unable to finish his sentence, for Linebeck had hit him upside the head as Ciela screams again.
"Go fetch Aryll, would you, Beck?"
The younger generation of Linebeck headed out the door and up the deck, bound for the people of Outset.
Ciela had broken- she was crying now, heaving heavily and shaking. For twenty minutes, she would continue in spasmodic increments; for a minute she would shout and kick the sheets, then for two minutes, it would ease up slightly, and she regains the ability to speak. These resting periods were growing shorter as the night wore on, however. During one of these times, Ciela found words that were not obscenities, and addressed Linebeck directly, "Will you please kill me?! I don't want to live through this!"
He, of course, would never even consider this, so he doesn't respond. Ciela inhales and holds her breath as the next wave of pain washed over her. She gasps out, "Linebeck, bowl. Now." Knowing its exact purpose, he leaps to his feet and retrieves the item in question far too late- the fragile woman had vomited blood and that evening's dinner on the floor.
"Sorry," she utters, and leans over the bed post yet again, projecting more bodily contents.
"Don't worry about that, Sparkles, it's not your fault." He hands her the bowl in case that should occur yet again, and stands up pacing. Why wasn't Beck back yet? Ciela moans again, and Linebeck shudders. Being aware of her unfathomable pain, yet having no solution was an awful predicament. He could leave, he supposes, until it passed- and it would- so as to stop his head from spinning and his stomach from churning at the sight of it all. She would likely pass out when it ends, and at that time he could slip in as if he had been there the whole time. If she saw him leave, he could blame it on the hallucinations. The hallucinations were terrifying, though, and to leave her at the mercy of those terrors was heartless. To leave the sticky, hot blood filled room and fear-inducing helpless screams of Ciela did sound appealing...
"Linebeck, get over here!" She orders through a sob. No, he would not be leaving Ciela tonight.
He sits again at her bedside, running his hand through her hair subconsciously. The wound was festering awfully as the blood continued to boil, and a piece of flesh floated in the soupy red liquid. Linebeck suppresses a gag and turns away from the sight. This was worse than he had thought. The pirates had never washed or cleaned his cut while it expelled the poison during the hour, only washed it off afterwards and sat by his side during the ordeal. He wants to try something, but the problem was that he couldn't know if it was safe.
One more cry from Ciela made his decision. He leaps to his feet and enters the washroom, quickly filling a bucket with cold water and snags a rag from a shelf. When he reenters the room, he stumbles with the bucket, causing a few droplets to scatter at his feet. The sight at which he saw induces a panic and fear of which he had never felt.
Ciela deliriously set fire to herself with the candle in hopes of killing herself. Linebeck knew what she was going through, yes, and though he had also wished for the end once, he never acted on it; under the keen eyes of the pirates was a strong protection.
Yet now Ciela was aflame. She looks quite content, to say the least. Hesitating no more, he dumps the bucket of water on her body, killing the flame. And though it saves her from death, Linebeck sees charred skin on her neck and arms. The water cascades down her back and just over the scar, clearing away some of the thick blood. A crackling and sizzling sound is heard, and a purple smoke lifted from the eight point star and into the stuffy air. Ciela shakes, trembling from her spot on the bed, before leaping to her feet, pushing the unsuspecting Linebeck to the ground and straddling him. Her unsuspected force knocks his head against the ground and his vision was momentarily dazed.
"Do you have ANY idea how much that hurts?" She screeches, pinning his arms down when he tried to get up, "Goddesses, Leaf! You don't care, do you?"
Wait... Did she just call him Leaf? She was hallucinating now, he supposes. She digs her fingernails into his forearms, and he cringes, as did she. Another searing, mind-blowing cyclone of agony rips through her body. Ciela reacts by releasing his arms, but proceeding to punch her fists into the captain's chest. He closes his eyes, gasping for the air that is being knocked from his body. Arms flailing in protest, he tries to call out to her, "Sparkles!"
More fists.
"Sparkles!"
He could see she's crying even harder now, "CIELA!"
She stops suddenly, and collapses on his chest, sobbing and screaming for her life.
It makes sense- Bellum had left this prolonged trace of poison so as to not kill the person, but when the body made an attempt to expunge it, the holder would try to kill themselves, and likely, the people around them. He places a kiss on the top of her head, and she shudders.
"They're coming after me... Ocean King, what should I do?" She whisperers. Linebeck wonders if he should respond. He, however, was unable to, because Ciela answers an unheard question, "Split myself in two? Clone myself?"
Linebeck quickly realizes that she was reliving Bellum's attack.
"Yes," Linebeck responds, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference.
"Will it hurt?"
Linebeck didn't have time to think of another answer, for she let an ear piercing scream. Where the hell was Beck? It had been fifty minutes into the festering wound, and Linebeck suspects the last ten minutes would be the worst. Linebeck carefully lifts her off of his body when her screaming died down, and places her back on the bed. Ciela shrieks as her scar touched the soaked sheets, arching her back and wincing. The captain feels absolutely awful; everything he tries to do turns into more agony and pain for her, yet he couldn't just sit there and let her suffer.
Ciela pounds the mattress with her fists, gasping so hard between her sobs that she had no time to exhale. Linebeck watches her meticulously, noticing her vision lose focus; she was getting light headed. How much blood had she lost? A cup? A pint? He turns to her again, and her eyes were closed- he checks her pulse for good measure- yet her voice continues rambling distressfully. Five more minutes. Her hands make contact with her face, and she furiously scratches it, only stopping when Linebeck forces her hands down.
Despite her absence in the waking world, Ciela mumbles, "When will it be over?"
"Soon, Sparkles, soon."
...
So immersed in the memory, Ciela was barely conscious of the fact that she was still speaking, narrating the memory for Max and Maris, from both her own experience and from what Linebeck had told her after she had woken up from passing out.
"It was only a week after the battles. My back stung so much it woke me right out of sleep. For the next hour, I was a mixture of twisting in pain, screaming, pleading with Linebeck for him to just kill me... It was one of the worst nights in my life. Added bonus" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I got to relive the other worst nights in my life. Bellum attacking me and the others and cloning myself to escape. Though, one of the memories didn't quite make sense. I was yelling at Leaf that he just didn't seem to care, but about what... I have no clue... There's this image of a girl in my head when I focus... but it's hazy and I can't recall anything about her... But it was a bad memory."
Ciela falls silent, eyes shut tight, trying to block out the memories of that night and the other times. She didn't want to remember, didn't want to think. She just wanted to forget all those moments. Every. Single. Damned. One...
"Sparks... Sparks!... SPARKS!"
Maris' voice and hand snaps Ciela back to the present, the force of it causing Ciela's head to go to one side. She whips her head towards Maris, who had went to Ciela's side sometime during the memory. Ciela's hand went to her stinging cheek. The woman's hand was still held in the air, and she looked scared.
"Sorry 'bout that." Maris says. "But you weren't responding to the fifty times that I called your name." Lowering her hand, Maris nods to the stall door, still keeping wide brown eyes onto Ciela. "You can let go now."
The ex-fairy's hand had turned completely white and was shaking very badly. Ciela forces herself to let go of the stall door, rubbing her hand and wrist, trying to get the circulation flowing again. She looks to Maris and Max, trying to get a grip on her emotions.
"So... um... getting a horse..." Ciela says, attempting to steer the conversation away from the current topic, one that greatly disturbed herself. She slid back on the yellow button-up, hiding away the scars again.
Max seems to shake himself out of his own stupor. "Uh..." He closes his eyes, forcing himself to think. "Just do what I was saying earlier. Slowly walk past them and a horse will act upon you."
"What if none of them act upon me?" Ciela asks, raising an eyebrow.
Maris looks behind her and smiles. "I don't think you need to worry one bit, Sparks." She comments, nodding her head behind Ciela.
Ciela turns and starts at seeing one Epona's head, leaning over the stall door, staring directly at the ex-fairy. Ciela moves towards the horse and again, reaches out her hand. This time, the horse doesn't study her at first. It immediately places its head onto Ciela's hand, it's black eyes bearing into Ciela's sea-blue ones.
The horse had a white mane, rear back ankles and a white line running down its face. The main color, in the sunlight filtering through the barn windows, seemed to make the coat gleam a rich gold.
The horse nickers softly as Ciela steps closer and rears up it's head to almost place itself on Ciela's shoulder. Ciela reaches up and gently wraps her arms around the horse's neck, threading her hands through the white mane.
"Looks like you have a horse there, Sparks." Maris says, a content smile upon her face, the shock at Ciela's scars melting away.
"Looks like I do." Ciela replies softly. "Does he or she have a name yet?"
"Yeah, he does. It's funny that he would pick you, considering his name." Max comments.
Ciela draws away a little, still keeping a hand on the stallion, gazing at Max questionably with an expression similar to Linebeck's questioning face.
"His name is Isamu." Maris says, gesturing to the small plaque on the stall door, which said Isamu, but the owner name was blank. "His name means courage and bravery."
Ciela looks back at Isamu. "Courage, huh?" She smirks. "Like the Goddesses meant for us to be together."
Maris walks up behind Ciela, clapping her on the back. "Well, let's get my horse and Isamu saddled up and will begin our lessons."
...
A week passes, and silence remains between Linebeck and Ciela.
By this time, everyone on the island knew about the couple's fight, even if they didn't know the whole story. Due to this, rumors spread like wildfire. Many made Ciela out to be villain, most likely since she was an outsider. Only a few islanders thought that perhaps Linebeck was at fault and only Max, Maris, Mr. Rybak, and a few of the older islanders thought/knew that both parties were at fault.
Maris and Max allowed Ciela to stay in the Ranch's guest bedroom until the couple sorted out their issues and also in part to help Ciela be shielded from the nasty rumors. In thanks, Ciela helped out wherever she could, whether it was watching Devika, cleaning the ranch house, or grooming horses.
Ciela's riding skills progressed fast, due to her quick learning ability and really having nothing else to do. She now was able to trot Isamu around the ranch without Maris leading. The beginning started out bumpy but smoothed out. Ciela thought her bond with Isamu and her lessons were the only things running smoothly. She wanted to try and ride him without Maris' protective eye and told the woman so after breakfast.
"So I'm thinking of exploring the island today, on Isamu." Ciela tells Maris, helping her wash the dishes.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Maris asks.
Ciela shakes her head in the negative. "I want to go at my own pace and try riding Isamu on my own."
"Alright then. When will you head out?" Maris asks.
"I'm thinking in about an hour and stay out most of the day." Ciela says. "I'll be buying food for later."
Maris nods. "Okay then, hope you have fun!"
True to her word, Ciela heads out of the ranch on Isamu in a hour, heading towards town, planning to buy a lunch for the island.
Riding on her own brought a small thrill in Ciela's heart. She couldn't wait until she progressed to be able to gallop with him. Maris compared the feeling of the wind in her hair and the ground racing past her to what flying must feel like. Ciela sometimes missed to be able to fly, to be able to easily cross places without fear of injury. However, she didn't miss how items and enemies were fifty times bigger to her.
Ciela enters a small store, and instantly a change fell over the room as every head swivels towards her, conversations falling silent.
Ciela hesitates for a moment before striding to the store's counter, head held high. She wouldn't let some silly rumors get to her. However much they hurt.
Unbeknownst to her, Linebeck was in that same store, hidden behind a shelf. He peeks around the shelf and freezes when he sees Ciela talking with the store's owner. He looks around, noting the almost hateful looks the red-head's back was given. He winces, knowing that the people of Farqay could be downright evil sometimes to outsiders. However, Linebeck thought that Ciela had hit it off pretty well with the islanders that first night. But by the looks of it, though, people seemed to not even care about that first night.
Ciela finishes making her purchases and starts to turn around. Linebeck, not wanting to have that certain conversation yet, ducks back behind the shelf.
Ciela begins making her way back out the door when Calista starts walking in. They crashed into one another, sending Ciela's purchases to the floor and almost the redhead herself. Linebeck, hearing the commotion became curious and begins to watch, hidden from Ciela's view.
"Watch where you're going!" Calista snaps, narrowing her eyes in disgust at the former fairy. Calista huffs and walks back out of the store, not even bothering to give Ciela a moment more attention. Linebeck watches Ciela bend down and pick up her purchases, seemingly unfazed by the encounter to everyone else. However, he noticed the slight slump in her shoulders and the way her hand gripped her leg, due to the year they spent together. Disappointment rises in Linebeck at Calista's actions, making a mental note to speak with the young adult later.
Ciela finishes gathering up her supplies and heads out of the store, trying to focus on where she would go and not the bitter sadness at the encounter in the store. Just as she places her last item in Isamu's saddlebags, she starts hearing this commotion a little ways off. Looking over her shoulder, she sees Calista trying to avoid two men harassing her in an alleyway. Looking around, Ciela find the street to be deserted.
Looking back at the young girl, Ciela, for a moment, thought about just leaving Calista to deal with the men herself but her former life spoke against that choice of action. With a resolute
deep breath, Ciela heads over the the group.
"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" Ciela calls, crossing her arms, sending a hateful glare towards the men.
"None at all, Sweet-cheeks." One of the men says, facing the red-head. "As long as you keep moving along."
"Of course... If you would like to join, we'll have no objection." The other leers at Ciela.
Disgust rises in Ciela as she smells alcohol on the man's breath. "I think that you should move along." She says, nearly spitting out the words. "She doesn't want this. Respect that."
The men burst out laughing. "Women just like to play hard to get, isn't that right, little darling?" The first man says, caressing Calista's cheek. The girl jerks away her head, eyes clenched tight, making the men laugh more.
"I'm warning you. Leave her alone or I'll make you leave her alone." Ciela grits out. By this time, several other people noticed what was going on and sent for some men to help break up the situation.
"Is that a threat?" The second man growls, grin slipping to a sneer.
Ciela quirks an eyebrow. "It can be, and it will be if you don't leave." She states, sitting back in her hips. Calista's gaze flickers between Ciela and the leering men.
The second man swings out a fist in an instant, and Ciela ducks, focusing on Tetra's lesson's on sparring. Thumb tucked in and go for the sides, which are sensitive. Good hit to the jaw can stun them, but make it strong. Never turn your back on your enemy.
For a few heart-pounding moments, Ciela flitted around the bigger man, waiting for a chance. Calista, seeing her chance with the two men distracted, runs to the growing crowd.
Ciela makes a swing at the man and manages to land a blow on the drunk's side. The man howls in pain and lunges for Ciela, who jumps to the side. Grabbing his arm, she leaps up and wraps one leg around his neck and forces him onto the ground. Still wrapped around his arm, Ciela braces her feet against his shoulders and pulls, hearing a satisfying crack at his arm being dislocated. The man screams, gripping his shoulder.
Ciela grins and unwraps herself, rolling back onto her feet.
However, this made her break one of Tetra's rules. Never turn your back on your enemy. And Ciela's roll had placed her right next to the man's buddy.
He grabs Ciela's shoulder, twisting her around, making her gasp. Then he grabs her shirt and he brings back his fist, making sure she stayed still.
"Shit, this is gonna hurt." Ciela thinks, clenching her eyes as the first drunk punches the former fairy mercilessly. On his last punch, it catches the side of her face and sends her tumbling to the ground. Pain increases as Ciela falls onto her left wrist, blocking out any other thoughts.
Linebeck dashes outside, after hearing the sounds of fighting and some girl exclaim that Ciela was taking on two men, just in time to see Ciela fall to the ground. He begins running for the group, joined by other island men.
The man looms over Ciela, who struggled to all fours, her left wrist tender from her fall and hands gashed open. He goes for her face again, this time with his boot. Ciela lets out a sound of pain, falling to the dusty road again, blood trickling from her nose and the side of her head. Another kick to her side, accompanied with a nasty sounding crack from Ciela's ribs. She screams in pain, curling into a ball to protect herself from any more attacks.
By this time, Linebeck and four other men reaches the group. Two men go for the man still moaning in pain on the ground, and the other two tackle the man who was rearing for another kick. Linebeck beelines for Ciela, who was shuddering in pain.
"Sparkles?" He asks, gently picking her up. He grimaces at the state she was in.
Blood streamed from her nose, and her lips were split. Several gashes decorated her cheeks and sides of her head, blood clumping her red hair together. One eye was already swelling from the punches.
Ciela's eyelids flicker. "Is... Calista okay?" She croaks out.
"You been beaten to shit and you're worried about Cauliflower?" Linebeck thinks, flabbergasted. Aloud, "She fine, she got away when you first engaged in this foolhardy fight."
"Good..." Ciela shifts and winches in pain, gripping her side, letting out a moan of pain.
Linebeck sweeps her up bridal style, making Ciela gasp in pain. Linebeck winches, turning around and heading for the ship, intending to fix up his fiancee` without a second thought.
"Bring her into the bar." Mr. Rybak suddenly calls. "I have plenty of first aid."
Linebeck turns and nods towards the old man, stepping into the room, the door held open by Mr. Rybak. He sets Ciela on one of the bar stools, waiting for Mr. Rybak to return with the first aid kit, which the old man soon does. Knowing that Ciela was in good hands, Rybak takes his leave, wanting to sort out the troublemakers.
Ciela hung her head down, holding her side, not worrying about the blood dripping on her clothes. Taking a silently offered two pieces of cotton, Ciela uses them to try and stop the blood flow from her nose.
Linebeck took a clean piece of cloth and soaked it into medical alcohol before turning to Ciela. Taking her chin gently, he lifts it, dapping at the gashes. Ciela hisses and jerks away at the sting, letting out a small profanity.
"So you can take several punches to the face without a scream of pain but this hurts?" He deadpans, taking back her chin. Ciela's eyes flicker to him but quickly dart away, staying silent. Linebeck looks at Ciela, before continuing on.
He disinfects the wounds on her face and hands, and bandages up the smaller gashes. He eyes the one above her eye, a particularly large gash that was still weeping blood.
"This one's going to take stitches." Linebeck informs Ciela, breaking the tense silence between the two. He taps near the gash.
Ciela nods her understanding, still keeping her eyes averted from the captain. Linebeck's lips thin in worry and wonderment of her stubbornness.
Setting up the needle by disinfecting it in the small candle burning nearby, Linebeck draws out a length of thread before picking back up the needle and threading it. Leaning over Ciela, Linebeck takes an intake of breath before beginning to sew up the gash. Ciela lets out a small whine of pain, closing her eyes, before quieting, tears pricking underneath her closed eyes.
Silence still persisted as Linebeck finished sewing up the gash. Putting away the needle and thread, he inquires if it hurts anywhere else for Ciela.
"My wrist... and side where the man kicked me." Ciela answers, sounding nasally from the cotton stuffed up her nose, bringing up the wrist that still throbbed and was beginning to tingle. Her waist was coming and going with the pain in a steady constant throb.
Linebeck takes the wrist and gently begins pressing on it, trying to place the area and how bad it was.
Ciela watches Linebeck, guilt raging in her at the thought of their last conversation. Making a decision to not let this bridge burn anymore between them, she swallows her pride. "I'm sorry." Ciela whispers so quietly, Linebeck nearly missed it.
Pausing in his probing, Linebeck looks up at Ciela, not saying anything.
Keeping her head down, Ciela continues. "For what I said about your fear. It's not silly. You have every right to be terrified of squids." A shuddery intake of breath. "I was just angry and upset and trying to starve off the panicky feeling from the water being poured on me and the words just tumbled out and-" Noticing that she was beginning to ramble, Ciela quickly finishes her statement with. "I am so, so sorry for what I said, Linebeck."
Linebeck gently holds Ciela's hand, bringing the other to rest on the back of her head. "It's okay, Sparkles." He whispers back, before kissing the top of her head. "It's okay." He places his forehead against Ciela's, closing his eyes. "And I'm sorry too." He draws back to kiss her on the lips.
Ciela lets out a yelp of pain. "Ah, ah, ah!" She brings a hand up to gently cover her swollen and split lips. Linebeck's face becomes annoyed.
"Have I told you yet that you taking on those two men was completely moronic yet?" Linebeck states, bringing out gauze to wrap Ciela's wrist, finding it to be strained.
Ciela lets out a self-righteous huff. "Hey, I took down the one man on my own!" She defends, jerking her head towards Linebeck. She looks away, frowning as much as her face would allow her. "I just rolled the wrong way."
Linebeck chuckles, wrapping the sprained wrist. "I couldn't do what you did."
"What? Take on two guys?" Ciela says, looking back at Linebeck, confused. "I know that. You're such a cucco sometimes." A smile. "Except when you're protecting what precious to you."
Linebeck rolls his eyes. "Not just fighting the two men. Fighting two men that were harassing someone that basically kicked you when you were down."
Ciela looks off to the side, raising up and down her eyebrows with a shrug of her shoulders. "I guess my old life kicked in." Ciela states, looking down at her wrist.
Linebeck hums his agreement, tucking in the bandage. "You're so much like Link sometimes. You see someone in trouble and just have to help them out, even you get the shit beaten out of you in the process and the person is a total asshole."
Ciela chuckles, before gasping out as the pain in her side spiked. She holds her waist with her good hand, gritting her teeth.
Linebeck gives a worried glance to Ciela. "He had gotten you in the ribs." He states.
Ciela gives a jerky nod, breathing slowly. Linebeck gives her shirt a once over before coughing awkwardly. "You're.. gonna need to take off your shirt so I can examine your ribs."
"Oh... uh." Ciela blanks a tiny bit, before shaking her head. "Yeah, that's okay. It's not like you haven't seen that far up before." She says, referencing the night that Bellum's poison had taken it's toll, the night she had told Max and Maris about. Linebeck had needed to see the wound, which the highest point reached into her neck and the lowest to the small of her back. Linebeck's was a much smaller version right in the middle of his back. Though, fifteen days gave a different sized scar than fifteen minutes.
Linebeck nods once and Ciela begins unbuttoning her shirt. With Linebeck's help, Ciela slides the yellow, blood spattered and dirty button-up off and places it beside her.
For a brief moment, Linebeck runs a hand over the burn scars, remembering that night with hatred. Shaking his head, he turns his gaze to Ciela's waist, not letting himself look anywhere else.
Linebeck hisses at the deep purple bruise that blossomed from the kick. Unknowably keeping a hand against the small of Ciela's back, and the bottom of the icy cold star, Linebeck barely presses the bruise with his other. Ciela yelps behind her clenched teeth.
Linebeck draws back his hand. "They're definitely fractured. Lucky that they didn't break and puncture your lungs." Linebeck searches the first aid box before bringing out a thicker band of gauze and medical tape. Walking back to Ciela, he tapes the one end and begins wrapping her waist until the break was good and secure. Linebeck tapes the other end and pronounces her completely patched up. Ciela cautiously removes one of the cotton balls up her nose and feels that her nose wasn't bleeding anymore. She removes the other and tosses them away. She is then handed a sling for her arm. Ciela rolls her eyes but grudgingly slides it on after her shirt.
Ciela smiles at Linebeck, buttoning back up her shirt. "I think I can manage that kiss now." She says, placing a hand on Linebeck's. Linebeck smirks, turning to face Ciela. She leans forward and softly captures Linebeck's lips with her own. Her heart flutters at her and Linebeck finally making up, despite the stinging in her lips. She breaks off the kiss, wrapping her arms around him.
"Goddesses, how I have missed you." Ciela sighs, snuggling herself in Linebeck's arms.
"Missed you too, Sparkles." Linebeck returns, holding her tight to his chest as he possibly could without hurting Ciela more. "But next time, let's not make it getting you beaten up for us to make up." He gently runs a thumb over her black eye, disapproval evident in his eyes.
"Duly noted." Ciela laughs, leaning away from Linebeck to look him in the eyes.
Linebeck was about to say something but the door slowly opening interrupted him. They both look towards the door to see Calista standing in the doorway, her mother hovering behind her with a stern face. Calista wrings her hands in worry as she stands there, not quite looking at the two.
"Calista?" Linebeck questions, raising an eyebrow at the girl.
Calista's mother prods her forward. "You have something to say, don't you, Calista?" She says, crossing her arms.
Calista ducks her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face. "I'm... Sorry." She says. She slowly lifts her head to look at Ciela, guilt in her eyes. "I treated you badly due to rumors, and you still helped me out of a bad situation, and I thank you for that." She ducks her head again.
Ciela slowly slides off the barstool and walks over to Calista. She takes the young girl's hand, making Calista look up in shock at the former fairy.
"I forgive you, Calista." Ciela says, with a solemn face. "I had forgiven you when I went to stop those men from bothering you."
"Even though you had gotten beaten up due to it?" Calista asks, flabbergasted.
Ciela shrugs. "It's an occupational hazard. Saving people."
"One that I'm determined now to make her break out of." Linebeck puts in, packing away the medical supplies.
Ciela snorts. "Good luck with that. I have had quite some time with having to save people being ingrained in me."
"Well, one can hope and pray." Linebeck says, looking heavenward.
Calista coughs, reminding the couple that they had an audience. "So what do you two plan to do the rest of the day?"
"Probably head back to the ship so Sparkles here can rest." Linebeck answers. "Don't want her running after more men to get beaten up by."
"Well. I was planning to sight see the island." Ciela says, shooting a look towards Linebeck. "One so I can familiarize myself with the island and two, to practice riding Isamu on my own-Shiiiiiiit." Ciela suddenly places her good hand, the one not currently in a sling, over her forehead. "If I head back to the ship, someone is gonna need to take him back to the ranch."
"You have a horse?" Linebeck questions. "When did this happen?"
"I have had him for a week now." Ciela says. "Maris started teaching me the day of our fight. Granted, it was only the items that a horse needed and how to mount and dismount but we quickly progress to actually riding him."
"I can get him back to the ranch. I know the ways to let him led him to the ranch when I worked at there for a summer." Calista chimes in. "It's the least I could do in return for what you did for me."
Ciela looks at Calista with worry before nodding her okay. "Just be careful, alright? I don't want him hurting you."
Calista waves her off. "I'll be fine and if anytime does happen, it'll just be karma." She exits the bar, followed by her mother after bidding farewell to Linebeck and Ciela, who, in turn, follows her out as well.
As the couple head back to the S.S. Linebeck, they causally speak about the past week, gripping each other's hand. Other islanders call out to Ciela, telling her that she did a good thing and to ask whether or not the redhead could teach them to fight as well once she healed up.
Ciela marvels at the change in the islanders after the fight. Instead of the damning silence and stony eyes, the islanders happily yelled out to her with warm eyes. It was starting to make her head spin and she was thankful when they finally reached the ship and was able to escape the people.
Once in the engine room, Ciela sways, holding her good hand to her forehead, grimacing. Linebeck places his hands on Ciela's shoulders, trying to steady the former fairy.
"Sparkles?" He inquires, looking at Ciela.
"I'm... I'm alright..." Deep intake of breath. "Just was tiny bit overwhelmed with the townspeople and my injuries. Once I rest, I'll be okay."
"Alright then, if you say so." Linebeck says, raising an eyebrow at her, not buying her words.
Keeping a steadying hand on her waist, Linebeck leads the former fairy to their cabin and into the room. Not even bothering to change into sleep-wear, Ciela lowers herself onto the bed and lies down, letting out a contented sigh. Linebeck sits down, maneuvering Ciela to have her head laying on his lap. His upper body rested against the headboard.
It had been a hard week for him as well, if the bags under his eyes were any hint. Whenever sleep tried to overtake him, the nightmares came back full force, and without Ciela to assure him, sleep had been rare.
Linebeck treads his hands through Ciela's flame red hair, letting a comfortable silence fall between the two. Ciela, comforted by the motions, drops off to sleep. Linebeck remains awake, keeping a protective eye on Ciela.
The couple knew that many more fights were to come (it was what they are known for). However, after making their way through their first fight as an engaged couple without separation, they knew that they were just stuck with each other.
And that was absolutely fine for the ex-fairy and captain.
...
Sweet Baby Jesus, this is a long chapter! And it also got fluffy at the end...
First off, I need to give credit to Icearrows for writing the major part in italics. That, ladies and gentlemen, was something that she had come up on her own after thinking about my version of what happens after Bellum's possession, expanded upon it and with no asking on my part. Go check out her stories as well if you liked that tidbit of her writing! (They're awesome! Especially her current in process fic "Intruder"!
Second: Mother of pearl, this chapter did not go the way I wanted it to, but I like where it went. What I had planned on writing will show up next chapter in this time, (meaning chapter ten). Thoughts?
Next up: The start of Linebeck's addition and a certain boy in a green tunic is in store!
~Roses
P.S. Original finishing time of this chapter is 2:40 am. I'm going to bed!