I Just Had To Come Back
Meph
thinking "speech" "others" Getting the cloaked yearling to sit as well counted as a small victory in his eyes, and he hoped that she might slowly relax if he could keep her talking for long enough. And talk she did, starting with a deep breath as she centred herself, and launching into a winding story of everything he had missed in his separation from his only brother. Her eyes never met his, and he worried for what might be coming in this tale of hers. Though her tone of voice stayed consistently neutral, bordering on monotonous, he sensed something was certainly wrong. He suspected his brother might not have been the best father, having suffered such a traumatic youth, but he couldn't be certain until she continued. What had Kefka done? As it turned out, neglect was the primary concern. It wasn't in abraxas nature to abandon offspring- but then again, Kefka was not Abraxas. Their mother had stolen that opportunity from him, when she had scurried away with the boy in their youth. The longer the story ran, the worse the picture Relm painted of her childhood. It took a moment for the phoenix to clue into what she meant by "He wouldn't touch me." Initially he'd taken it as a reassurance, that he never abused her physically, sexually.. but then he realized she meant entirely. In the early days of his childhood, Kaine had been physically affectionate- grooming him in the mornings, wrestling with him once he got bigger, and they tended to bump shoulders and nip at one another while travelling during his adulthood. He couldn't imagine never feeling any physical affection from his parent. Then the girl mentioned his mother. "Agria..." she said it with the resignation of someone who had suffered at the hand of the one who bore that name. He couldn't know if his mother had been abusive, she had abandoned him too young for the memories to stick. "He was raving about how he suffered, about how he was escaping all his life." she continued, this time turning back to Kefka. He didn't doubt life had been tough, with a vengeful Abraxas on your heels constantly. The pair had hunted the missing wolves for years, and there had been times when they'd only just missed them. It could only have been traumatic, and distressing, for a young man to constantly have to pick up and move to escape the wrath of a god. "Agria, she was my mother too. Or well, she birthed me. I bet you didn't know that." the words hit with a delayed blow to the chest. Like being attacked from behind- no warning, no chance to raise your defenses. They sunk in slowly, poison seeping through the skin and into muscle. Agria.. was Relm's mother. So was... Kefka also her father? Or had he adopted a younger sibling after their mother went mad? No, the universe wasn't that kind. Kefka had fucked his mother. Had fucked their mother. And then slaughtered her when she inevitably lost her mind as a result of bearing the child of such a blasphemous union. Empty eyes trained on the middle ground somewhere past Relm's right shoulder, he felt the horror of this new reality creeping through his veins like a parasite, deadening each nerve along its course, worming its way towards his heart. He felt sick. His stomach lurched violently, forcing his breakfast up into his throat, hot bile spilling onto his tongue. He tucked his chin towards his chest, fighting down the vomit, until a second twist of his stomach brought up more. He retched onto the ground, the meagre remains of a hare arcing onto the slick stone to his left. Lifting one trembling forepaw, he wiped the sick from his jowls, casting it towards the rest of the mess with a flick of his wrist. He inhaled deeply, and returned his gaze to the impossibly passive features of his niece. Sister? He didn't want to think about it anymore. He wanted to bury himself in a shallow grave and let the worms do away with his flesh. "I'm so sorry, my dear." he murmured hoarsely, his usual croon lost to the bile that had climbed up his throat. "You didn't deserve this life." he sighed, eyes squeezing shut as he was struck with another wave of disgust, loathing, rage. Kefka should be put down. He had crossed a line, had abandoned all civility. How had he been so cool and calm when they'd initially met? He wished he'd taken his brother's eyes when they'd brawled. Torn into him properly, the way a monster like that ought to be shredded. Cerulean eyes flickered open once again, focusing on the ebony and alabaster features of the young fae before him. "Would.. you like to travel with me for a while? I can help keep him from ever hurting you again. I can't fix the past, but I can improve the present." he offered softly, brows pinching together with deep concern. |
| Art by Monster |
