Itâs not the suffocating feeling of imminent danger that bothers her the most. Nor the growing pressure of so many eyes burning holes on the back of her head wherever she goes. She is at the top of all of her classes - college or otherwise - and as her twenty first birthday approaches, the fact that she is unquestionably the best candidate to be the next head of the family goes from a novelty to be mocked to a pressing concern.
None of that troubles her anymore than they always have. What is grating on her nerves is the fact that she performed the ritual perfectly and nothing happened. She reviewed the circle, the spells, the chant dozens of times and found absolutely no flaws in them. She does not need to be doubting herself on top of everyone being out for her blood.
Most of her classmates have made their first contracts already, some of them with several spirits. She has until the end of the semester to prove herself, but thatâs not what is important for her. The full extent of her powers are restrained until she comes of age, and she can only see herself surviving until then if she finds a powerful enough ally. Instead of wasting her time seeking out spirits, she summoned a demon.
Only sheâd failed. Or so she thought. Three days later, she walks into her apartment with a heavy head, still trying to figure out what sheâd done wrong, and immediately notices sheâs not alone. Setting her things aside, she follows the dark energy to her room and finds a purely black hound sitting atop her bed, watching her with blank eyes that seem to pierce right through her.Â
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@vvhippoorwill itâs ur own fault donât @ me (only do @ me. @ me in all the things. ily)
[ this cold wonât go away and tea isnât doing anything, what should i do? ]
If there would ever be something that could have alarmed her more than Rapha asking for health advice, Alice couldnât tell. The message had her bolting straight up and immediately darting all across her house, gathering her medical bag, blankets of all varieties, any and everything she might need.Â
She kept badgering him about his location and when he wouldnât tell her, she called him endlessly until he finally picked up. By the time he admitted that he didnât know where he was, Alice was already in her car and swallowed down the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach so she would keep sounding calm.Â
âOkay, just keep talking to me. Whatâs around you?â It took her longer than she would have liked to find him, wandering the streets without aim while feverish. Alice was expecting having to argue with him, badger him into getting in the car, maybe even physically urging him inside - the very last resort considering how averse to touch he was. When he got in without so much as a snarky comment, her concerns grew tenfold.Â
âHere. Blanket. Tea.â Once he was warmly half cocooned on the seat, she offered him the thermos with ginger green tea. âWhere are you staying?â All she wanted was to bring him to her apartment. It was fully equipped to deal with anything. Hell, she might even get away with doing surgery on it. But it would be much better for him to come back to his senses in a place he felt safe in, or wherever was most familiar to him at least.
She acquired the information... easily. And it felt so wrong. Alice couldnât even be glad that he was following instructions with how wrong it felt. Bringing him to the address, she made sure he was warm enough and guided him out of the car and into the flat, locking the door behind them and assessing the place, which didnât have much to offer. It was more barren than practical, but itâd do.
âCouch.â Setting her things down on the table, she brought out an infrared digital thermometer, confirming that he was indeed running a high fever as he sat down. He needed medication, but that might be a problem. Besides, he was most likely on an empty stomach. Taking in a tight breath, she made sure he was comfortable and figured she might as well take a look around and start planning from there.Â
   Raphaelâs addition to her household was unexpected, but not at all unpleasant. Sheâd soon grown comfortable with his wintery presence - so refreshing amidst a village of summery souls - and appreciative of his company. Of course, it was good to have another set of working hands at the farm, his in particular worth perhaps triple that number. But more than that, she enjoyed his quiet, earnest nature. Alice still couldnât understand what had brought the man to their quaint little village in the first place, but everything he did was with a singular - albeit secret - focus, devoid of any ulterior reasons.
And above even that, Raphael made her feel safe. Which was strange, because sheâd never truly felt unsafe before for his presence to have changed it so. Not in the village where she knew everyone, nor in the forest where everything knew her. Even the strangers who passed by knew - if not by courtesy, by self preservation instincts - that she should not be made an enemy. Yet, with him around, she felt unnecessary to keep herself on guard at all times. With the now familiar chill of his aura within the reach of her senses, Alice felt like no harm would ever befall her.
It was her own carelessness that led her to carry that sense of invulnerability along with her beyond her own territory and his immediate range. The forest was just as much home as the farmhouse, and her newfound guardian was right there. However, by virtue of her habit of traversing that path every day, its exact distance slipped her mind. The discovery of a fresh sapling perfect for replanting closer to home had her distracted enough to not notice the warnings of the forest itself as the two men ambushed her.Â
Alice knew better than to try and fight back or run. Her abilities were not combative in nature, so she would bide her time. They seemed particularly taken with her eyes, greed flourishing in their auras and dulling their awareness to the growing inhospitality all around them.Â
Being brought to a wagon full of other women had her changing tactics, quietly accepting the binds that would restrain her voice and her hands. Her entrance in the cage shifted the mood inside it, perhaps because of her unwavering belief in their captorâs failure. One way or another, theyâd all be once again free. That she had no doubt of.Â
As the light from the slaversâ torches were dimmed by the pulled fabric that hid their stolen goods from view, Alice began collecting her energy. Without her voice, the power of her suggestion would be halved, but for this sort of cowardly soul, her gaze alone would be more than enough.
The vivid shades of green in her eyes seemed to blend and darken, and she was about to begin weaving her silent spells together when something else caught her attention and broke her focus. The fears and pains of the women around her made it difficult to sense anything else, but the sound of that peculiar howl pierced through her senses. Lifting her head, Alice angled herself towards the way sheâd come from. There were two winter presences, deeply connected between themselves, both heading toward them.
Her heart began racing inside her chest, a small smile tipping her lips despite the rag crudely tied across her mouth. She reached out to them as best she could, hoping it would help guide them, but knowing in her heart that he would find her regardless.Â
Even without words, she reassured the other women that everything would be okay and moved closer to the locked door of the large cage, watching as one of the men secured it further within the wagon. Given enough time, she could have probably unlocked it as well, but with Raphael on his way, she channeled her energies to the ropes tightly binding her hands. She was only half listening to the slavers while degrading her restraints, and dismissed their ramblings as nonsense for the time being, having better things to worry about.Â
She felt her saviorâs arrival due to the marked change in his presence. There was a fire burning within the ice of him. Growing hotter and hotter the closer he got. The sounds of combat startled her companions, but they remained quiet in the face of her calm. Raphaelâs quiet voice had happiness and relief washing over her, and it fueled the last of her spell, the ropes crumbling away from her wrists.
Undoing the rag on her mouth, she began freeing the other women as well, but the sound of the key opening the lock had her looking back in time to see their savior - her guardian - and her body moved before she could think better upon it.
Stepping out of the wagon, Alice buried her face in Raphaelâs chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. You came, her heart seemed to cry out with its thundering, and it took her a second to both find her voice again and make sure her magic would not seep through it. âThank you...â She whispered to his heart, only then remembering herself and abruptly pulling away with color across her cheeks.
Turning her attention back to the women, she helped them out, guiding them away from the slavers on the ground and making sure they werenât in immediate need of medical aid. She left it up to Raphael to search the wagon itself for any clues as to where the men had come from and where they were heading while she tended to their victims, learning their names and memorizing their auras.
âAre you able to return to your homes yourselves?â She asked gently, suggesting that they take the horse and the wagon for that purpose, to be kept along with whatever valuables they found within. Day had broken across the skies and the forest no longer felt threatening around them. Alice further instructed that they could find aid in her own village if they asked for it by using her name, quietly blessing them with protections as she saw them off. âThis will only make you stronger.â The young witch promised with a smile. âTake care.â
Once they were on their way, she took a deep breath, letting the soothing and comforting nature of her aura fall away. Alice had noticed the blood and the accompanying wounds on the fallen slavers and did not wish for any of the women to be around for what would happen to them next. As she walked up to Raphaelâs side, her eyes seemed to take the dark colors of the leaves not yet touched by sunlight. She wanted answers too.
âHow painful is it..?â She asked quietly of the measure heâd taken to keep the slavers from running away. âShould I wake them fully?âÂ
@vvhippoorwillâ asked: 'Looks like we missed each other.' the note stuck to the flat package left on top of her coffee table says. No more and no less ââ there's no need. They'll probably see each other around, their paths will cross sooner or later. Birthdays aren't much in their world, anyway, and neither is this present, really: A french newspaper used as gift wrap, underneath a thin, plain folder ââ inside, hand-painted watercolours of flowers he picked up in an antiquarian book shop, all of them poisonous.
   She knows heâs been there the moment she steps inside, his presence having grown beyond familiar and well into something she misses whenever she can afford to think of such things. Putting her suitcase down, Alice takes off her shoes and walks further into her sanctum while sorting through the mail that had collected over the days she was away, eyes absently searching for any clues as to the reason for Raphaâs visit. The answer is in plain sight. The package atop her coffee table stops her in her tracks and has her changing lanes, setting the letters aside in favor of whatever it is heâs left for her.
The note makes her chuckle. Of course, it couldnât be from anyone else, but even if it could, the straightforwardness of it acts as a signature in and of itself. Carefully, she unsticks it from the newspaper - taking note of the city and the date out of pure habit - and opens the gift, only to openly gasp into her living room. An entirely genuine smile blooms across her lips despite herself, fingertips gingerly caressing the paper. These are without a doubt the loveliest flowers sheâs ever gotten, her favorite birthday gift by far.
Her first instinct is to call him and thank him, but heâs probably at work right about now, so she decides against it. Phone in hand, she goes with her next instinct and makes a few necessary purchases. Thereâs no rush, really. Theyâll see each other soon enough anyways. And next time he comes around, heâll see her beautiful flowers adorning the walls.Â
@vvhippoorwill asked:Â His presence in her flat is immediately unmistakeable, be it the choice of turning on several decorative lights instead of the main one, or the chilly air let in through a balcony door left slightly ajar. He even shamelessly pushed the couch to be right by the windows, barely sparing her a glance while scanning through one of her recipe books. "I figured I owed you dinner." For a mysterious gift he received almost a year ago, among other things. "So, I'll stay a month ââ unless you kick me out."
   Something is not right. She feels it even before getting to her unit - in the same way she can sometimes sense when a mission will not go according to her plans - slowing down her steps slightly but not bothering to quiet them. Wary, Alice unlocks the door, comforted by the number of weapons hidden right at the entrance in case someone managed to lie in wait for her. Only sheâs not greeted by an intruder, but rather by Christmas lights. Her body relaxes immediately at the realization that this particular disturbance to her routine is a welcomed one.
Without the need to rush into action, the doctor sets her bags aside and takes off her coat and shoes, padding across the wooden floors towards the kitchen, where she figures sheâll find him. âHm?â She hums in question, unfazed by the lack of greeting or explanation for the change in decor. âFor what?â Alice looks back through the memories of their recent interactions - sheâs just gotten back from a trip, but even before that she canât think of anything that would have warranted this type of repayment.
But it doesnât really matter when he adds the second part of this perplexing deal she has little to no details of, her face lighting up at them being roomies again. And without him being severely ill or wounded! Well... She has to double check that, actually. But still! Yay! âYou can stay as long as you want.â Smiling brightly, she retrieves a drink from the fridge and comes closer to peek at the recipes heâs looking at. âWhatâs for dinner?âÂ
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   Things have been peaceful lately. Perhaps the addition of a very reliable companion - contracted, but for a lonely soul in seclusion, a companion nonetheless - has slightly dulled the edge of the very much warranted paranoia sheâs developed over the years. Maybe the old her, more starved and desperate for survival, would have been wary of it. Would have seen it coming.
The safety checks on her way home have become second nature. A burst of cleansing energy to nullify any curses, another to disperse shikigamis. As she enters her building, she opens her second sight and scans for anyone with powers nearby, greeting the doorman with a smile. Taking a moment to retrieve her mail, she inspects and reinforces the protective seals there, and holds the building related letters and papers together with the ones she retrieved from her PO box earlier in the day.
By the time she gets to her floor, sheâs gone past a number of lesser barriers, placed there merely to warn trespassers and inform her of their presence. Her door, on the other hand, has spells woven, carved and cast upon it that are meant to actually defend her small territory, and even inflict harm if someone tried to fiddle with it enough.
Stepping inside allows her to finally take an easy breath. Flipping through her mail while she toes off her boots, a peculiar colored paper grabs her attention. Itâs the lightest shade of pink, almost white. Beautiful and nicely textured. Actual letter paper that a younger version of herself might have collected had she been allowed a normal childhood. Turning it around, she sees a name that surprises her. Only pleasantly so, instead of raising a red flag as it should have.
A small smile tips her lips. She recognizes the handwriting even after all those years. The one and only friend sheâs ever had, whoâd secretly shared notes with her hidden under complex origami that the clumsy hands of primary school children shouldnât be so adept at folding. Their friendship was lovely, but ultimately, a taste of what she could never have. Sheâd learned very early on that having important bonds was the same as offering her enemies a loaded gun pointing towards her. So she severed them all.
But the memories... She still treasures them from afar, tightly locked away as they are. Theyâd been children of a similar frame of mind, quiet and well read. In fact, Alice had just published an article about their favorite book growing up. While the focus of her life in the day is medicine, the shadowed half is spent studying languages. All in an effort to make her spells and sigils more difficult to counter. And that inkling of innocence that still clings onto dear life in the recesses of her heart postulates that maybe that is why she sent her a letter after all those years.
The moment she breaks the beautiful wax seal, however, she is proven wrong. Fatally wrong. The lovely envelope is lined with a thin layer of tree bark, sacred in itself and further blessed to mask the foulness hiding inside. She smells burning in the air just before it ignites and starts chanting both water and wood sutras under her breath with the focus she shouldâve had from the moment she noticed the letter. Her quick reaction envelops her arms in water and leaves, keeps the molten tendrils of fire and earth that emerge from the envelope and trap her wrists from eating through her flesh.
Time seems to slow, but her mind races, weaving spells into her sutras, shifting from language to language at every other breath. Nova, sensing the danger, immediately materializes in front of her, and is able to watch as the wallpaper peels into dozens of talismans that surround the envelope, crumbling to ash as they counter every element the nasty curse inside conjures up to try and take her life.
Underneath the rapid fire casting, as she picks apart each newly exposed layer of the trap, she recognizes the patterns, and a family name rings clear like a temple bell inside her head. From that she can anticipate what their final trick will be - their spoiled little heiress is particularly fond of fireworks after all. Alice remains remarkably calm in the face of it, not once requesting help from her familiar. She counts down in her head, releases the first two conjurings and leaves herself open to the burning in order to properly and perfectly contain the explosion within a pocket of her own energy that abruptly severs the connection to the caster. Thereâs no need for her to try and trace it back when the construction of it in itself is as good as their signature.
Silence takes over the apartment, broken only by the flutter of the unused talismans. Alice feels her weight shifting, and suddenly her back is hitting the door as she slumps down onto the floor. The skin across her wrists is bleeding and blistering, but her hands are steady. She senses Nova approaching, but she canât quite see him. She feels him speaking, both into the room and within her head, but she can't hear him over the sickening beat of her heart in her ears.
Itâs not the attempt on her life that drains her so. Sheâs dealt with many of those before. Itâs the implications surrounding it. This clan is not an enemy of her fatherâs house, but it is certainly not an ally. How could they have possibly known of the existence of that singular connection. A different sound cuts through all the noise. Small but clean. A hairline fracture along her psyche. What did they do to her? Growing into a spider web of larger, deeper cracks, splintering past the long buried traumas sheâs frozen over. Was that beautiful paper really pink? Or had it merely drank the blood it was fed like the cherry blossom trees in her name? Until it reaches those treasured memories and shatters them, images of a smiling little girl with her origami papers forever fragmented.
Alice breaks quietly. Itâs the only way she knows how to break. Silent and alone. But sheâs not on her own anymore. She can see Nova standing in front of her now. Herself reflected in those otherworldly eyes of his. And she can watch as an entire wall of her glacial composure breaks off and falls into the dark oceans of her soul. Her tears leave scorching trails down her cheeks, breathing growing erratic around ash filled lungs.
She is alive. Unlike her old friend. But she is tired. So tired. A lifelong weariness that suddenly settles deep in her bones. Her lips part, hesitantly so. There are a thousand things she should be doing right now, repairing her defenses, coming up with an appropriate response, healing herself. But all she can think of is something heâd half explained when they first met. Something that lingered just underneath the surface of her waking thoughts ever since. Something she needs to know now.
âT-The people you...â Her voice sounds foreign to her own ears, and she canât tell if sheâs actually speaking or just crying out in the shared space between their minds. â...took. To build your physical form. Were they- Was it painful for them?â She is so tired. Tired of having to keep her eyes wide open at every single moment when all she wants to do is sleep. âAre they still in you - still in pain now..?â
And maybe sheâs better off like this. Let him devour her now. End it in her own terms. Sheâd be granting them a lesser, unsatisfying victory, but as long as she could rest, she no longer cared.Â
   What an... odd question to hear. Itâs not something sheâs ever been asked before, and, Alice realizes now, sheâs never even considered it. Growing up in such an unfavorable and hostile environment, her waking thoughts were constantly occupied with fulfilling her duties. There simply was no time to fantasize about anything other than making it through the day.
It does make sense for him to ask, though. He, summoned to this plane of existence for the express purpose of fulfilling her wishes. Sheâd been clear about those from the start. She wants, needs his help to clear the last few hurdles standing between her and independence from the family that wants to watch her fail.
Freedom. Thatâs all she wants. Would that be an adequate answer to the question? After sheâd established herself enough to be able to think beyond her immediate survival, that was the one notion that kept her going. She fought so she could one day unshackle herself from this clan and never look back. So much so that she was willing to sell away her soul for the sake of it.
But that wasnât a fantasy per se.
Realizing the growing stretch of silence, she quickly changes gears, not wanting to give Nova such an easy chance to follow her train of thought and unlock more doors into her psyche. And then a single, crystal clear idea surges from the shadowed depths of her soul.
â...I would like them to know fear.â Itâs not something sheâd been particularly aware of before her demonic companion had posed the question. Nor would she devote herself to accomplishing such a thing. But the existence of that feeling is now and forever apparent to her. âThe same fear theyâve taught me.âÂ
   She likes having Rapha around. Sure, she would prefer it if he was healthy and actually more careful with himself, of course. He makes an absolutely lousy patient, but he is a treasured friend. Alice worries a bit whenever she leaves for work, but theyâre past the flight risk phase, which reassures her enough to leave him to his own devices for several hours at a time.
When she does return, sheâs immediately embraced by the heavenly scent of apple pie, which has her setting aside her things and making a bee line to the kitchen. The potted cactus has her gasping with a bright smile, gingerly picking it up and chuckling to herself as the perfect name for the lil fella makes itself known in her mind.
It smells way too good for her to wait for dinner, so she cuts herself a slice and is going to grab a fork when she notices the many apples sheâd bought a few days back still sitting there on the fruit bowl. Her joyous moment slowly ebbs away as her brows furrow. She grabs the fork and marches on to go scold him, making the mistake of taking a bite on her way to the living room, which turns her into happy goo again.
âThis is so good..!â She whines, plopping down on the sofa across from where heâs sitting on the couch. âSo youâre off the hook for today.â Giving him a stern pointed look, Alice takes another bite and melts onto her seat with a gleeful smile. âThanks, Rapha.âÂ