an unbroken star

She chose to remain as Chris Walden. And if he failed to understand what sort of choice was this, at first, it soon dawned on him — one obvious truth he unconsciously tried to remain oblivious to, it seemed. His denial made no sense, and neither did her decision; there could be no greater honor than serving Lord Hades, and the fate of a star could not be avoided.

(And still, if only she could be spared…

She couldn’t. No one could.)

Albeit the odd angle, he took a moment to inspect the bandages, before facing her again. It was hard not to wonder what had happened to her, but now the pressing question seemed go be what would happen to her. Treason never led to a particularly bright future. 

But then again, nothing did.

Slowly, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, a quiet disgruntled groan escaping him due the annoying sting of pain at his side.

“What truth is it that you seek?” he finally asked, eyeing her inquisitively. 

She supposed she still was, but after all that happened she couldn't continue to move forward without knowing anything.  "What does it...really mean to be a Spectre?  This Holy War...what is it?"  There were all these images that the words conjured, memories maybe, but they were like soundless shadows moving in her mind.  She didn't really understand what she saw, all that she knew was that it wasn't what she wanted.  Chris didn't need to know more to make her choice...but maybe more information would help her keep this power contained, help her find a way to live whatever life that was ahead of her quietly.  

She stared at the dark armor that covered Valentine's hand, if she hadn't known him, he probably would have been an intimidating figure now. But at the same time, not much had changed...and this wasn't even much of a surprise anymore.  Of course, he'd stayed faithful to Alexander...and she dared to hope that it meant that neither of them had been alone.  "I hope...you've been well, in spite of everything."

“You said something?” He heard her clearly. Her tone caught his attention. Her body language didn’t go unnoticed. Manigoldo looked her over quickly; her whimpering and quivering demeanor was no longer lingering in place. She gained courage all because he said something about Aspros? That Gemini must’ve done something real special then–              Something that Mani couldn’t fathom.

“You’re so hellbent on this trespassing crap.” Regardless of his tone, he smiled crookedly. He didn’t stop when his cape was grabbed. Manigoldo kept walking, not caring if he dragged the girl along with him. “Alright kid. I’ll tell you my name: it’s Manigoldo. I’m the Cancer Saint, so Cancer Manigoldo. Got that?”

"Of course I have! I already told you that Aspros defeated them, that was why he was sent to protect me!"  

Chris flinched as the broken facade of the manor came into view.  Strange, it had been comforting and open in her mind before, but seeing it like this...seeing how broken it was, she hadn't been prepared for it.  She could hardly bare to look at it, like how Ursula could hardly look at her.  When would these people stop coming as they pleased, stop crashing into her life and breaking apart everything?  

½ = How the character feels about people taller or shorter than them

± = The character and what they think about math

† = How the character feels about murder

@ = How the character appears online

¥ = How the character handles money or spends it

° = The character’s temperature preferences 

æ = The character and languages (Known or Want to Learn)

↔ = The character’s ability to read directions

♥ = Character’s preference for relationships (sexuality, type of person, etc.)

zzz= What time the character enjoys sleep or being awake

☂ = Weather the character enjoys

♪ = What music the character likes

( =①ω①=) = What animals the character likes and if they have a pet/pets

(・∀・ ) = The character’s emotional state most of the time

☆～（ゝ。∂）= How the character greets people

⊙﹏☉ = What flusters the character

(≧∇≦) = What makes the character happy

(/□＼*)・゜ = What makes the character blush

(;╹⌓╹) = What scares the character

（；へ：） = What makes the character cry

(´ q ` ” ) = The character’s “guilty” pleasure

（・□・；） = What makes the character uncomfortable

(*^◇^)_旦 = What the character likes to eat and drink

｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡ = What makes the character laugh

(´；Д；｀) = What worries the character

(⑅ ‘﹃’ ) = What the character daydreams or thinks about

It was easy to lost track of time when you stop living, he noticed. Even if her voice faltered a little, words failing her, Chris had clearly grown into a young woman with a heart full of resolve — and for the briefest moment, he felt an unwelcome twinge of pride in his chest. Yet another feeling that did not belong to him, not to Rhadamanthys, and he made sure to push it aside.

“… There is nothing to apologize for.” He had remained silent through as she spoke, mulling over the questions she posed and those that arose from her mere presence. The pointless, shy apology, however, was just what it took to convince him to speak again, a reprimand lingering in the coldness of his tone. “You’re doing me a favor. Don’t ever apologize for that.”

She was doing him a favor. The least he could do was to return it — were they strangers or kin, it made no difference. Or so he told himself.

“You won’t find any answers here. There’s nothing but death in this place,” he said in a quiet voice, gaze lost in the shadows that were closing in on them, still studying the ruins he once called home. “And it’s certainly no place for you.”

He could barely feel her touch as she worked on the stitches, the faint sting of the needle being the only reminder of the task he had at hand.

She set the needle down when she finished, hopefully it would hold, at least until he could find someone to redo the stitches.  Chris took the fresh gauze and wrapped the wound up again.  

"I found you here," she retorted softly.  She looked up at him, smiling hurt a little.  "I wasn't looking for the house I knew... or even the cousin I knew. I was so little back then, I didn't know or understand anything of what happened.  It's fine if you're a different person, I don't have a right to tell you who you are...but I'll decide whether this is a place for me."

She washed her hands in the water basin, it was enough to clean the blood off of her hands...and the blood was enough to turn the water dark and murky.  "I just need to know, so that I can decide how to move forward. I chose to remain as Chris Walden, and I won’t become someone else..."

Even if he was a Spectre, and he was...that was clear enough to Chris now, she trusted him.  She wasn't being careless in trusting him, she just knew. “I can’t defend my place if I don’t understand what’s happening, so even if you don’t tell me... I’ll keep looking for the truth.”

He almost flinched as she came near him, as if she could be hurt by simply touching him. But the beast, still too stunned to act, did nothing but watch as she got rid of the last few bandages, as delicate as can be. And what could a tamed animal do but obey her command?

(When she left, the emptiness inside seemed to grow further, deeper. He couldn’t quite comprehend what was it that he felt, let alone why he felt it.)

Ages passed until she was back, and yet he still held the gauze against the wound, handling the bleeding as well as he could — and if there was still any sort of humor in him, he could possibly appreciate the way roles had changed. But all he did was to push the thought aside, focusing on the matter at hand.

“I—” With better lighting, he slowly removed the bandage he pressed against his side, in order to take a better look at the wound. It would heal, surely, but stitches would definitely hasten the process. Still, as he tried to reach it properly, a brief, pained groan escaped him, and he growled in frustration. “I’ll be fine. All I need is to patch this again and leave.”

While it wasn’t entirely true, it was no lie either. The faster he got away from that place, the better. But still, one question remained unanswered, and even if he shouldn’t mind it, he simply couldn’t ignore it.

"No," she insisted, voice firm.  Even her hands steadied, no longer shaking.  "I...I won't let you go without answers."

She had come here looking for clues and found him hunched and bleeding, she wasn't going to just let him go.  She couldn't move forward and remain blind of the truth, whatever it was.  Chris could see his face better now in the light.  It had been ten years since she'd last seen her cousin, he didn't look any ten years older, though there was something weathered about him, and something in his eyes that she couldn't place.  

Still, this was the same man, she was sure.  Even if they had only met a handful of times, and he was so much older than Chris, she remembered him clearly.  

"I came here because I need to know what happened, back then...I won't accept anything less than the truth...please."

She turned her focus back to his wound, he must have already cleaned it before, and though the bleeding hadn't stopped entirely it had slowed down significantly.  It was impossible to feel sure about what she was doing, but there was no room to hesitate or quiver like a feather. "Hold still for me, please. You can't do it yourself at this angle, I...I promise, I'll do my best."