Castle Hydra: Next Generation

[frostmourne]

Aza had hardly begun to smile when it faded and the light returned. This time the sorrow was simply too much. She crumpled and was aware enough to form a void and seal it. She hoped she sealed it well enough so no one could simply shadow step in. She curled up and sobbed, feeling like the little girl who looked for her tutor's comfort and not her father's when a favorite relative died again. Except the tutor wasn't there to comfort her anymore. She trembled, crying her eyes out and no longer caring if anyone saw or heard. Aza uttered a single quiet, heartbreaking cry. Adrian shuddered when he heard it. Although quiet, the grief behind the cry seemed to echo within the building. It will be like that. The last cry of the last soul on earth. Adrian could barely keep himself standing as he struggled to shut out what she was feeling. He had gone into the room Kenan had, but stood away from him. He wanted to ask Kenan to explain, but now he couldn't stand, much less approach him.

Jared sat up in the mirror, feeling his physical body's pain, but distanced from it. Skulni yawned a little, appearing bored. "You should really thank me for this." he remarked. Jared shot a glare at him and looked around the perfectly circular room. Every wall was covered with mirrors, not a single spot not covered. Skulni waved his hand and an image of Aza crying resolved. He laughed, the sound echoing in the mostly empty space. "So much for being an cold hearted snake. See, she cares for you after all." he taunted. Jared winced at the images and tried to shut out his voice.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan had barely formed another drop. "Judeao. Judeao Reprieve..." he coughed. The last drop hit the water and his eyes rolled into he back of his head and he collapsed with exhaustion. Adele could barely hold his weight. "H-help?!" she asked, trying to at least keep him from falling on his face.

[frostmourne]

Adrian shook off the weight of Aza's emotions and scrambled over to help. "Great. Now there's three of them." he muttered under his breath. He tried to prop Kenan against the wall in an awkward sitting position. "How many more people does he have to pardon?" Adrian's cloak thickened, as if he were cold. He could still feel Aza's grief in the back of his mind. It was a constant sharp pain, threatening to overtake him if he stopped concentrating for a second. He still couldn't feel Jared's emotions, only a flicker of pain now and then that confirmed he was alive but unconscious.

Jared watched her for a few moments before Skulni changed the scene. Jared visibly flinched, but forced himself to watch. He was a little boy in a black carriage again, ebony horses trotting down an ivory road. "A life for a loaf of bread...happens so quickly, doesn't it?" Skulni said quietly. There was no mockery now, only pity and understanding. "Stop. Please." Jared whispered hoarsely. Skulni moved on to the next image, a bruised and bloodied body crawling out of hundreds of disfigured and battered corpses. There was a fire raging and a lone girl, smiling with a terrible glee. "And yet you forgave her. How many times have you forgiven her, not because she deserved your forgiveness, but because you didn't want to lose her?" Skulni said softly. Jared shook his head slowly, trying to shut out his words, to deny the truth in them. "Please stop." he said louder. Every mirror in the room reflected the same image. The sorrow on his own face as he watched the bird fly away. "This is how she repays you? By throwing you away after she's found someone else?" "I said stop!" Skulni fell silent and the mirrors went blank. The silence was only broken by an occasional broken sob. Skulni rose and left the mirror, leaving Jared curled up on the floor.

[lycrawaterz14]

Adele pat Adrian's back as a thank you, and kissed her master's cheek. "Not anymore. He set the record. I lied and said he could do as many as he wanted. The record before was two is twelve hours. He did three in less than twenty minutes..." Adele shook her head. "He is worryingly strong, and emotionally soft. Someone needs to balance him out... Is Mistress Aza alright?" she asked. "Are you alright? You should be feeling the effects of the pardon soon... He did you second." she blinked up at him. "Where's Jared?"

[frostmourne]

"She's in a void sealed so well that I'm not sure if he can get in. She should really preserve it. Not a bad example of her work. Anyway, no, I would say she is...unstable...at the moment." Adrian said airily. He frowned at her next words. "What am I suppose to be feeling? And Jared might as well be on one of Jupiter's moons for all I know. All I can distinguish is that he's half-alive and in so much physical and emotional pain he can barely remember what his name is." He glanced at Kenan and abruptly drew a sharp breath. "So...it's going...to...hurt?" Adrian coughed out. The pain increased and he felt like someone was squeezing the blood out of his heart. His concentration broke and his pain immediately tripled. Adrian collapsed, not making a sound. His usually handsome face was twisted into a grimace of agony. The emotions were starting to leak, gaining form and power as they escaped. Adrian tried to pull them back in, but he simply could not focus through the haze of pain. Several indistinct dark forms emerged eventually, perpetually shifting. One bright figure stood slightly apart from the rest. They didn't remain long, but quickly moved back to their owners. The bright figure merely dissolved, not entering anything. Adrian felt better once he didn't feel the emotions weighing him down, but briefly felt guilty about how much more pain Aza and Jared were feeling.

Aza's weeping eventually slowed when she realized that Jared was trapped but not dead. She doubted sitting here crying was going to help anything anyway. She was disgusted at how easily she broke down. The void vanished with a flick of her wrist and she stormed out, tendrils of shadow reappearing and flicking violently around her like whips. Her rage was palpable, but more controlled this time. She located Skulni without much difficulty and picked him up by the throat. She tossed him into the wall of the palace. He picked himself up as she marched towards him. "Go on. Let it out. There are countless more of me anyway." he sighed. "With pleasure." she hissed. She pulled out a short knife. A remarkable amount of blood splattered the walls as she proceeded to hack him to bits. Aza let the knife clatter to the ground once she was tired out. She sat down and started to wipe the blood off her face. Skulni emerged from a mirror, clapping, and handed her a freh towel. "Now that's out of the way, I want to start over with you. I promise that I haven't hurt Jared, at least, not physically." Skulni said with devastating pleasantness. Aza accepted the towel and stiffened at his words. "What did you do?" she said quietly, fury boiling under her mask of calm. Skulni put his hands on her shoulders. "Hush. You're a fiery one. And more like, what did you do?" he whispered in her ear. Aza winced and tried to pull away. His long, cool fingers tightened their grip. One hand moved upward to tangle in her hair. "Hmm. The mermaid's comb made it even prettier." he said lightly. Aza struggled out of his grip, but he kept a tight hold on her hair. He stepped quickly towards her and pinned her against him. He could see shadowy creatures emerging from the corners. "I'm not trying to hurt Jared. He just doesn't want to see you. Stop fighting!" Skulni snapped. Annoyed, he leaned down and bit her neck. "Why do keep doing that? You're not a vampire!" Aza screeched, trying to pull him off of her. "I know. You just taste good. Besides, I'm venomous." he said, shrugging. She went limp in his grip and the shadows that had been about to pounce dissolved. Her veins started to turn black as the venom took effect. "She'll wake up after Jared does I hope." Skulni mused, dabbing at the blood on his chin.

Edited April 30, 2012 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Adele sighed. "I hope that answers your question..." she placed Adrian beside Kenan, hopefully they would keep track of each other, though who knew how long he would be out... Aza always needed supervision! She summoned guards to watch the two, and brought two along to escort her to find Aza.

 

When she entered his room, she smelt blood, large amounts of it. "Aza!" she yelled, and summoned the guards to track her. "Azaaaa!!!"

[frostmourne]

Skulni sighed with impatience as he heard someone calling for her. "We shall have to continue this elsewhere it seems." he said softly, scooping her up. She protested weakly, making little more than a odd squeak. She mustered enough strength to form a shadow and send it barreling into Skulni. Surprised, he dropped her and heard her head crack sickeningly on the ground. The shadow faded and he picked her up again. He stepped through a mirror, the surface rippling like water as he did. The richly furnished room was thickly carpeted and radiated a sense of security. It was in stark contrast with a collection of silvery knives in the corner. Skulni set her down and went to the corner, picking up a hunting knife. Aza had woken up, her blood having healed enough of th e damage to render her conscious but completely paralyzed. She tried to scream when she saw the knife but didn't make a sound. Skulni stroked her cheek with the tip of the knife. "Don't worry, I won't actually use it yet. Let's try something more...creative." He picked up a plain black orb that began to glow with a warm golden light. "Arclight. Usually it is only an eternal prison, but with a few modifications..." He briefly touched it to her skin and Aza's eyes screamed with terror. In a flash she was gone and Skulni left the orb for the guards to find.

[lycrawaterz14]

Adele heard the crack of her head and began to chase, teleporting to the sound. "Aza? Mistress where are you?"

[frostmourne]

Aza blinked with surprise as she tried to look around at her new surroundings. She couldn't see anything, only a blinding whiteness. Panic immediately overtook her. She never liked not being able to know what was happening. Skulni closed the door and the place where it was disappeared. Aza started when she heard the door close and rushed to it. Skulni held her off. Aza kicked him, broke free, and careened around the room like an imprisoned bird. She collided with furniture, moved wildly, and repeatedly attempted to escape in a growing panic. When she covered the room, she began to whimper. Skulni moved to comfort her, but his touch sent Aza into a paroxysm of rage. She tore away, fell over a small shelf, flung its contents in Skulni's direction, and then threw the shelf too. She dented the walls and swept objects off the mantelpiece, a little tornado incarnate. She was all destruction, until she came upon an stuffed animal. In the act of hurling it, she froze. Then she clutched it to herself, and in exhaustion sunk sobbing to the floor. Skulni stood contemplating her, in some awe. He shook his head, not without a touch of disgusted bewilderment. The orb rocked violently as Aza struggled, but remained waiting for Adele to find it.

Adrian opened his eyes, fully conscious now. He stood and shook his head as if to clear it. He looked at Kenan and attempted to prod him awake. Adrian didn't look happy at all. He had a bad feeling about Aza, especially since she was in a panic. Furthermore, he wanted to know what the pardoning would do since it seemed to be nothing but painful.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan coughed, and he groaned a bit at the light. "So bright..."

[frostmourne]

"...I thought you couldn't see." Adrian said suspiciously. Nevertheless, the room dimmed with a gesture. Things started to creep out of the corners before abruptly disappearing again, giving a menacing effect. "Anyway, Aza's in trouble, Jared's in trouble, and what in the world was so important about the pardoning?" Adrian said quickly, poking Kenan repeatedly. He was so impatient he was practically jumping up and down. He was suppose to be keeping Aza out of trouble and her father would have his head if he failed. He froze with shock as he felt something that was completely out of place. Jared had a change of heart. He straightened from prodding Kenan and paced back and forth. He muttered angrily under his breath, the room dimming more by the second. It had the feeling of a storm about to begin.

Aza flinched and tried to move away when she heard Skulni approach. "I really wasn't going to hurt you that badly," he sighed, kneeling down beside her. "Then you would have left me alone." Aza hissed in his general direction. "You went looking for me." Skulni said defensively. Aza recoiled every time she heard something. Skulni chuckled at how vulnerable she seemed without being able to see. Nothing cast shadows in the Arclight, making it impossible for her to use that to sense what was around her. The light stung her skin, pricking like millions of needles. Skulni rose and moved away. Aza tentatively tried to pull herself to her feet. She started to look for an exit again, but in a slower, more careful fashion.

[lycrawaterz14]

"Hurt... bright." He grunted, turning toward him. "You. Looking at your light hurts... I see life..." he held his head. "Shuddup! Gah, so loud... I split my immortality between you, Jared and Judeo." He grumbled. "A thank you is in order. Where is my Aza?" He growled, seeming in pain.

 

"Why is she in trouble? Is it that damn Skulni again?"

[frostmourne]

Aza realized that it was unusually quiet. She couldn't even hear Skulni breathing. A few moments later he grabbed her wrist roughly and the Arclight dissolved. Aza opened her eyes slowly, relieved at being able to see. She could see Skulni scowling and then wondered why she had been set free. "Your father wants you in Paris to oversee negotiations on an adjustment of some law." Skulni snapped. "And you agreed?" she asked. "I know my limits. I'm not going to take your father on." he grumbled. "He wants you away from me, away from Jared, away from Kenan and to take a refresher course on politics it seems." Aza ran out as soon as he finished his sentence. "I'm stuck with ADRIAN? For negotiations? I'd rather be blind and stuck with Skulni!" Aza fumed. "I'm charmed!" Skulni called after her. After a moment of consideration, he disappeared too.

Adrian paused in his pacing and kept his head down for a moment. "Before, yes. Now, she's in a different kind of trouble. Oh, and thanks. I think." Adrian muttered. He barely had finished speaking when Aza burst in, looking murderous. "You!" Aza shouted, marching up to Adrian. "It wasn't my fault!" Adrian said defensively. "I know, but I don't want to oversee negotiations. They never compromise and if they do, no one is happy. I'll be stuck there for...for who knows how long!" Adrian backed away from her slightly. He could see the stress was starting to fray her nerves. She suddenly sagged and sat down on the floor. Adrian gently took her wrist and held it for a moment. She fell asleep at his touch. "You can wake her up if you want to, but I suggest you let her sleep it off first." Adrian said to Kenan tugging Aza over to him.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan cradled her lovingly to his chest. "I'll just hold her..." he cooed. He gently pet her hair, kissin her forehead.

[frostmourne]

The worry and frustration on her face seemed to fade and was replaced by an expression of serenity. The constant faint shadows that surrounded her flickered and disappeared. Adrian had kept it dim, and steadily darkening. "Don't take her to Paris. It's considered rude to pop up without warning for some reason or another and since she'll be serving as ambassador, she'd better be a perfectly cultured lady. You really shouldn't come although no one's going to try to stop you," Adrian said briskly. He started to send shadows out near constantly, each gripping a sealed envelope. After a few minutes they came back, each whispering over the other in a indistinguishable mess of voices. Adrian somehow made sense of the chatter and dismissed them. "So the those two are there. Won't this be fun?" Adrian muttered. "When she wakes up, bring her back home. I'm going to go find Jared."

Jared blinked slowly and sat up. He sat silent with his eyes closed for what felt like hours. "I think...I think I need to leave." he said softly without looking up. Skulni nodded and the mirror room faded away. He was sitting alone in a guest room in Aza's mansion. He quickly slipped out and into the countryside. Jared's face was expressionless and he felt oddly numb. He felt like he had realized something that he never wanted to know. He didn't react as Adrian showed up beside him, talking. He couldn't hear him even though he could see his mouth moving. He bent down to pluck a daisy growing from the crack between two rocks. The flower withered at his touch and Jared drew back in surprise. He tried to grow another daisy, but the result was a terrifying vine that cracked about like a whip. Adrian was screaming something at him, but he couldn't distinguish anything beyond the ringing in his ears. The only fragments of hought he could distinguish was that something was horribly wrong. A shepherd ran into the field to greet them and Adrian waved the boy away. Jared looked at him as a thick vine wrapped around the boy and squeezed until the boy went limp. He felt no regret, but rather an odd sense of satisfaction. Adrian was staring at him with a mixture of disgust and horror. He was faintly aware that Adrian was pushing a mirror towards him. A hollow-eyed, blood splattered reflection stared back at him. There was a frightening emptiness in the gaze, like a corpse that had not died peacefully. The docile, gentle warmth was gone. The love sick look was gone, clouded by something that was closer to hate. Jared looked away, staring blankly into the horizon. He never blinked as Adrian took him to the palace. "I think something happened to Jared. He just strangled a six year old and quite frankly looks like he'll strangle me too."

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan smiled and cuddled up with Aza, she wouldn't have let it happen if she were awake. "Arachne?" he asked. A small intricate spider, looking as if Fabrege had made it. "How did you know?" she asked, now human. "Could you check out Aza's mansion? Make sure it's not a trap? I just claimed a young boy, he did't die peacefully." he muttered worriedly. She nodded.

[frostmourne]

The shadow Adrian had been talking to nodded and scampered out. Adrian started to pull Jared out of the entrance hall. Jared pulled free and walked out into the gardens. He knelt beside a rose bush and cupped one of the delicate blossoms. It withered along with the entire bush. He dispassionately rose and walked deeper in. Adrian followed without much difficulty. Jared left a trail of dead plants wherever he walked. The few plants that survived were deformed and vicious. They snapped at Adrian as he went by, attempting to grab him. Jared barely noticed, focused on finding something in the garden. It was a piece of polished snowy marble with translucent cracks of quartz running through it. The marble was sunk into the ground and was obscured by a few piles of ash. It had been the only part of the garden Jared hadn't regrown. It had seemed fitting to let the sooty gray remains of flowers bury the remains of his hope. He brushed the ashes away and traced the words carved deeply into the stone. "A single rose can be my garden, a single friend, my world." he read. A saracastic smile flickered briefly across his face before he swept the ash back over the quote. He had wholeheartedly believed what he had carved into the stone so many years ago. And it had been true. In some ways, it was still true. "But wih a friend like Aza, I don't need enemies." Adrian stood a few feet away, looking troubled. How in the world was he suppose to explain this to Aza? She would never believe that Jared killed anyone until he killed her himself. Adrian had recalled a few times when Jared had snapped a neck in self-defense. Those were quick, painless deaths and only occurred when all other options had been exhausted completely. But the death of the shepherd was different. It wasn't a necessary or easy death. It was intentional and Adrian realized that Jared had been completely indifferent, I not enjoying it. "Great. Just what we need. Another psycho. I can barely handle Aza."

[lycrawaterz14]

Arachne appeared at the entrance of the garden, running in when she sensed Jared. She wanted to see him. She pushed past Adrian to stand beside Jared, a smile on her face. It was the smile of a young child, happy to see her favorite person, one it trusted completely.

[frostmourne]

The shadow scampered into the room where Aza was curled up against Kenan. Its minuscule talons clacked lightly against the floor as it half skipped over to the sleeping figure. It leapt on to her and started chirping madly. It started jumping up and down, scratching her cheek and nearly gouging her eye out. Aza was awake instantly and the tenseness returned. The peaceful, gentle smile had vanished. She yanked the shadow off her head by its long tail, careful not to touch the feathers at the end that concealed a stinger. Dazed, the shadow shook itself off before chirping something. Aza froze, her expression hovering somewhere between shock and disbelief. She pulled away from Kenan's embrace and rose to her feet. "He couldn't have. He wouldn't have. Probably another of Adrian's pranks." Aza muttered, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. She looked more tired and stressed than before. She started to pace back and forth, worry etched on her face. She whipped around to look at Kenan with imploring eyes. "Jared didn't kill anyone did he?" she asked, looking ready to burst into tears.

Jared drew a slow, painful breath, the raspy sound of his breathing the only sound that broke the eerie silence. Adrian was tensed behind him like a tiger coiling up to spring. Jared slowly turned his head to look at Arachne. He looked so bitter that his gaunt face looked positively sinister. He offered a wan, insincere smile that was more than mildly unsettling. "Hello." he said softly, sadness overcoming the forced smiles and tranquil fury. For a moment, his eyes flickered back to a warm chocolate brown before it passed and they returned to a cold, hard emerald green. A thick vine attempted to snatch Arachne. A small black flicker severed it before it reached its target. "Look, I don't like Arachne, but this is between you and Aza. Leave everyone else out of it." Adrian snapped. Jared didn't hear a word he said over the ringing and turned away. He walked further into the garden, plants dying all around him. Adrian shot an apologetic look to Arachne before chasing after him.

Edited May 15, 2012 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan was unable to look at her. "N-no." he lied. He was quite horrible at it.

 

Arachne shoved Adrian to the side, catching Jared on the shoulder. "I have nothing to lose." she smiled back at him.

 

"You alright?" she asked Jared, and hugged him.

[frostmourne]

Jared halted and stiffened at Arachne's touch. He was about as responsive as a metal pole before he wrenched himself away from her. Jared didn't even look over. "What do you want?" he hissed, some of his contained anger leaking through. Two minutes! He just wanted two minutes to himself! Was that so much to ask? Two minutes to clear his head and try to think about what in the world had been happening. The ringing had been lessening. Blowing out an exasperated huff of air, Jared turned to face Arachne. He was ready to tell her to just go back and he'd see her later. But then he stopped and really looked at her. She had seemed to be genuinely concerned and he had snapped at her. She was just worried about him, and he was being rude because he was upset. But she didn't deserve to have his anger taken out on her. Looking down he closed his eyes. Why did he keep making such a mess of things? He brought his gaze back up, swallowing, before he continued in a softer tone. "Arachne, thank you for your concern, but I just need a minute alone." He felt a pang of guilt. He should be nicer to her. She deserved at least the same level of kindness that she showed him. He shouldn't let his personal situation make him think it was okay to bark at her. It wasn't. She'd done nothing to deserve it.

Jared dropped his eyes to the ground and sighed. The ringing was almost completely gone and things were starting to come into focus. A jarring image of the dying boy's face shocked him. He seemed to almost deflate as he started to recall what he had done.

Aza seemed a tad unsure, but her face cleared. "That really scared me for a moment." she sighed. She relaxed slightly, but the tension was still obvious in her stance. "I think I should be getting home. I'll be back in a few minutes." Without waiting for an answer, she stepped into the nearest shadow. The mansion was oddly quiet and she rushed down the steps to see a body being carried off of the grounds. Her eyes widened and she practically flew to the guards carrying the body off. "What happened to Timothy?" she asked, remembering the shepherd that had been begging her to read to him. She noticed the thick rope like object still wrapped around him. She struggled to retain her composure as she walked away, moving faster and faster the further she got. She wouldn't believe it.

Edited May 17, 2012 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

"May I walk beside you?" Arachne asked tenderly. She had cringed at his yelling. "Y-you were perfect... like an island of purity... I worry for you... this depression is changing you and I don't like it. At least let me walk with you for a while... Do what you wish with me, but I want to stay..."

 

Kenan felt horrid for lying to Aza... absolutely horrid. She trusted him... but he couldn't just tell her her best friend was a murderer!

[frostmourne]

Biting his lip, Jared's features softened slightly at her offer. She kept trying with him even when he was throwing off every signal in the world that he just wanted to be left alone. The momentary flicker of brown passed as before. He suddenly laughed, his voice tainted with a cruelty that hadn't been there before. "Pure? I was never pure. I was never suppose to even exist. Poverty can lead to the cruelest circumstances, don't you think? A life for a loaf of bread. No, make that two lives." Jared stopped talking, realizing he probably was making no sense. He closed his mouth and breathed deeply for a minute. Fear shone in his eyes when he looked at Arachne again. "I just killed a little boy. More to the point, I think...I think I enjoyed it. I don't want to become that person. I don't want to be able to kill and laugh about it after. Adrian can do that. Aza can do that. But I don't want to." He choked out a humorless laugh. "I bet I look like the poster child for abandonment issues." He brushed a strand of his messy brown hair out of his face impatiently. He froze when he saw away running out of the mansion and toward the guards carrying the body. He flinched when Aza whipped around and started running faster and faster back to the mansion. He sank behind a hedge, his expression torn, confused and unbelievably lonely. His eyes never stayed the same color for more than a few seconds now.

The moment Aza reached a secluded spot, she collapsed and burst into tears. She remained sprawled on the ground crying for what felt like hours. Adrian dragged her to her feet and wiped away the remaining tears. "Don't throw such a big fuss. It's not like this is the first time he killed." "N-Never like this." Aza said in a rather strangled voice. Adrian didn't say anything for a long time. "C'mon. The meeting will start soon. Get yourself dressed up." Adrian pushed her into an empty room and closed the door. Aza sat down at the vanity and stared at her reflection. Skulni's face appeared in the mirror. "Hmm. Jared finally snapped? I'm just surprised it took him so long. I would have never been so patient with a psychopath like you." Aza turned away from the mirror and started crying again. "What now?" Adrian groaned from outside.

[lycrawaterz14]

Arachne just followed, keeping her mouth shut. When she sat down next to him at the hedge she looked up at Jared and laid her head on his shoulder.

 

"I'm sorry about your mother." She murmured. "I couldn't help but peek at Adele's journal... Kenan found a little bit about her before he named you heir... I'm... it's horrid what happened to you!" She started to sob. "I-I've lied to you. I'm not an orphan. My father traded me away to pay off his gambling debts, I was given to another man. To 'fill the void his wife left'. I used to be human and Kenan's father pardoned me when I died... trauma to the head and suffocation." She wiped her face. "I'm not even a reaper... or pure. But I don't want to be alone anymore, and DAMMIT, you're the best thing I've got!" Her head lifted off his shoulder and she seemed to pull away. "You act lonely, but here I am chasing you like a lost puppy."

 

 

[frostmourne]

Jared held her gaze evenly for a moment before he looked away. He was hiding whatever he was feeling rather badly and it was clear he was shaking with surpressed rage. He wasn't sure if he was angry at Arachne or the people who had hurt her. Probably both. Jared had never told anyone about his past and he had never planned to. It was always better to not tear open wounds more. He never wanted anyone to ever hear a snippet of what he use to be. Hundreds of years couldn't make him forget what he had suffered and how he still suffered, but what had been done to Arachne was despicable. He wanted to punish the people, the careless aristocrats and cruel parents. He could smell the blood pumping the veins of the bony, dark-haired figure. He could hear his beating heart. He could almost taste it. He wanted to tear them open, to hear their screams of pain. He wanted to- Jared's pupils contracted as he realized what train of thought he had been following. Whether out of fear of what he could do or temptation, he could not judge for himself. He shook off his thoughts and shot to his feet. We both seem to have evil fathers or step-fathers. If I don't stop thinking like this, I'll be the one who is 'killing people because of a traumatic childhood'. Jared offered Arachne a tired smile. "The best you've got? Arachne, you can do much better than a secondhand heart that's been played, stabbed, cheaten, burned, broken repeatedly, but somehow still manages to work every once in a while." He had hardly taken two steps before he stopped again.

He wouldn't meet her eyes despite how much she whimpered. It was hard to believe that such a small child had that much blood. Jared swallowed and trembled, wanting to flee the scene. He couldn't stay. He had to leave. He knew he would never forgive himself if he smelled the warm blood flowing from open crevices in her skin, running down the rough metal chains that were already slicing into her delicate wrists, and coating her with its garish red. "I'm sorry." he choked out. He turned and ran, guilt settling in his heart when he caught a glimpse of her eyes brimming with tears, the childish face not understanding what it had done wrong or why it deserved this. He couldn't shut out her screams, feeling her suffering even through the thick walls of the mansion. "If only things had been different."

Aza looked up once Adrian burst in. He looked more impatient than before and merely stuck a needle into her neck instead of forcing a sleepy feeling into her. She collapsed near immediately. She was only out for a few minutes. When she woke up, she found her hair had been carefully styled and she was in a completely new dress. Adrian swatted her hand away when she tried to touch her face. "Stop moving. You're going to make me mess up." Adrian snapped. He had a makeup brush in one hand and eyeshadow in the other. Please tell me this isn't happening... she thought. Adrian backed away to examine his work, apparently satisfied. Aza looked in the mirror and immediately thought she looked like an idiot. The floor length gown was a deep blue that twinkled with every movement, diamonds sown into it at irregular intervals. Small, star shaped white flowers were braided into her hair. Fortunately, the makeup had been applied with a light hand and was barely noticeable at all. "So?" "I'm still trying to get over the fact you changed my clothes, braided my hair and did my makeup."

Edited May 19, 2012 by frostmourne