thinking "speech" "others" Finally, a break from the horrific chill that permeated the air. Here, the heady steam of the springs cleared the congestion in his sinuses and let him breathe unhindered for the first time in weeks. The phoenix strode amidst the pools, broad paws sweeping elegantly across the loose soil. Every now and again he would skim the pads of his paw along the surface of a pool, testing the temperature. Eventually, he was sure he would find the perfect one. There were so many to choose from, after all, and it was almost impossible to settle on just one. Like lovers, each one had its own draws. Scalding hot, and the dirt that had been clinging close to his skin throughout his entire adventure through the north would finally loosen up and be scoured from his flesh with a rough scrape against the walls of the pool. A few degrees above lukewarm and he could sink into the depths like a tender embrace, letting time be the one to cleanse him of the harsh weather's hardships. Perhaps he'd aim for somewhere in between the two extremes, and simply apply some careful attention to his grooming for the first time in ages. Yes, that would be spectacular. He circled back around to one of the pools on his left, a few paces back. It wasn't quite scalding, but the heat of it was intense enough that he could recall the divine hellscape beneath the ground to the north. Cerulean gaze dimmed under heavy lids as he released a soft sigh, sinking up to his eyeballs for a moment. He slunk closer to the edge, where the depth was only enough to submerge him up to his mid-bicep while he reclined and began the labour of love that was his grooming. Lifting each paw, sharp ivories gripped fragments of chipped claw and pulled them free to leave intact nails. Carefully laving his tongue over the beds, he cleared the dirt and grime from the delicate skin until they were clean. He flexed his toes as each paw was carefully cleaned, revelling in the lack of toe jam. Then, the slow process of combining the warm water with the ruthless swipes of his tongue and teeth combing through strands of silken fur to free up burrs and clumps of muck. After several dozen minutes of vigorous chewing, licking, and scratching, he was beginning to be able to see the mahogany and alabaster mottling that marked his divine ancestry. Around him, the water was littered with auburn hairs and muck. It would likely settle to the bottom soon enough, as it became waterlogged and weighty. He lifted himself to his paws, stepping free of the water with a sudden downpour of hot water pouring from his silken tresses. Another thorough inspection left him satisfied that he was returned to his former glory, and a sight to behold. He shook his pelage free of water, relishing the sensation of warm, damp fur settling against his skin and fending off the sudden chill that had raked its claws down his spine. A yawn split ebon lips wide, revealing pink tongue and shining fangs. All that self care had him feeling drowsy, like a sun drunk cat. Perhaps some of the rocks around here would be warmed by the geothermal springs, and he could score a blissfully warm nap before he headed south. Oceanic gaze drifted through the steam, searching for promising shapes through the haze. He paused as one of them caught his eye. It was moving. It was wolf shaped. Someone else taking advantage of the rare warmth this winter? Brows furrowed as he squinted to make out any details, though he didn't move otherwise. Best not to make it appear as though he were truly interested in anyone nearby, lest they be mere mortals who started getting ideas of one kind or another. I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster

Kefka often wandered the lands of Boreas only for the satisfaction of roaming. Staying in one place too long made him antsy, perhaps a hidden anxiety led by the following of Agria for so many years. Agria stayed on the move away from Kaine and the Abraxas though Kefka learned at an adolescent age that she would be the one paying for crimes against the empire, and he had no worry about his own life. But what he assumed, and only a little bit of what Agria shared with him, was that she stole him away from the Abraxas for her own selfish desires. She stated only occasionally the thought of disgust towards their strange God and customs. But this was indeed not her reasoning for stealing Kefka away. In fact and what would be forever unknown to Kefka himself was that Agria took him away because of his wicked cruelty, she saw it way beyond what was expected of even chaotic Abraxas, and saw him even as a reincarnated satan. And even in her last days announced that she wished she had killed Kefka way back when he was very young. And she wasn’t too far off. Though Kefka was noble and often generous to surrounding company, he was possessed by the darkest evil. Most of the time wishing he wasn’t so. But he also took great pleasure in the torturing of others, or just the silly games he pursued. He tried to stay away from the eastern side of Boreas best he could. Not only is this where Agria died and he preferred Relm to forget the memory, but this is where he offended the young man that jacked up his junk. And he was never one to back down from a fight even with the risk of losing his goods, but he did have a daughter to care for now so the thought of being maimed hideously made him stray away from the pack the mutated boy came from. Still he found his way over here from the eager wishes of his daughter, and taught her well to stay away from any of the packs for any and all reasons. And he would try his best to stay on his best behavior too. As he tiptoed towards the springs, the heat in the air wafted above him as he grew closer. And he figured he would stay around a while enjoying the warmth the land had to offer him. But the scent of something, or someone rather, caught his attention. Someone he wouldn’t soon forget regardless of the many years they had spent apart. Though he did question if it was who he truly believed it to be. Was he dreaming? Or a premonition? He wouldn’t ignore the opportunity if it were real time or not. His form was caught by the not-so-stranger from the distance, and he in turn would look to Relm and tell her to run off kindly. As much as it would be glorious to have her meet her uncle, if this wasn’t a dream, there would be more time. Kefka didn’t think Mephistopheles would lash out for any reason. Though there was a faint thought in the depths of his mind that it was an option. He approached with his casual, exaggerated clown grin, hoping to see a mirrored reaction in turn. Seeing as his lost brother, or was he the lost brother, was still drying to the heated air, he raised a brow, "I hope you cleaned your dick well enough. Don’t suppose you’d be up for some much needed, delayed fun." If Mephistopheles was expecting a more casual greeting, or even just one of pure excitement, he was wrong. But Kefka was certainly thrilled to see his brother again, and wouldn’t be afraid to test the waters with how long they had been apart. Walk "Talk" Think

thinking "speech" "others" The mists parted like a veil for the form of a wolf, one with a coat of brindled pink and ashen grey. It seemed almost as though the wolf emerged from the steam itself. The distinct facial markings should have been enough to jog his memories, faded with age, but it was the eyes. His brother's eyes. Clear, unbroken ebony. It had been so long, and now here he was. Striding forth with an unfamiliar sway and a Cheshire grin that flashed sharp ivory fangs. They were the same size, almost identical in builds now. With age, his brother's pelt had developed definition in its hues. Their sire's sandstone hues peeked through along his ears and the fronts of his forelimbs. Streaks of striking ruby lined each side of his snout, stained his lips. A perfect circle of obsidian between equally dark eyes stood out against chiseled, masculine features. Yet, that familiar pink along his flanks reminded the phoenix of their mother, as did the carefree stride. If he was here, Agria was somewhere. She had to be, their parents weren't very old when they'd been born. "I hope you cleaned your dick well enough. Don’t suppose you’d be up for some much needed, delayed fun." the slow drawl sounded hollow in his ears, the unrecognizable rumble of male vocals that didn't match up to the high pitched squeals of their childhood. Both of them had been alive all this time, evading capture while he and their sire had chased them from one end of the continent to another, to different lands entirely over the years. The loss had eaten away at Kaine until he was driven nearly mad, he remembered the sleepless nights where the man would disappear without a trace until dawn broke. He took many lovers over the years, but none of them stayed. None would hold the place in either of their hearts that Agria had taken up. He'd watched his parent grow to hate Agria, their other half. The mother of their sons, who'd taken half of their heart with her. With Kefka, she'd stolen Mephistopheles' youth as he was dragged away from his home to uphold Abraxas honour. The insult to the great Empire drove them on for hundred of miles, endless searching. He'd come back just long enough to wonder what normalcy felt like, to get a taste for love, and then Kaine dragged him off. They never found the missing duo, and Kaine had died without seeing his duty fulfilled. The lackadaisical demeanour of his brother, after all of these years showing up without a care in the world. It felt like an insult to everything he'd given up to try and find him again. Tears stung the backs of his eyes, building along the rims of his optics unbidden. Cerulean gaze narrowed, expression fizzling from dumbstruck into something new. The reality before him chased itself around in circles within the confines of his skull, that he'd lost his childhood searching for Kefka, watched his father driven mad by the search, only to find him by accident. No word of explanation, not a hint of sorrow or relief. Brows drew together to form deep furrows betwixt, and auburn auds pulled close to his skull as the world seemed to quiet, save for the rush of blood in his ears. Every muscle seemed to pull taut as a bowstring, wound tight by years of repressed emotion resurfacing all at once in the face of his loss. "Kefka." he finally uttered, forced through tightened throat- his typical purr no more than a strangled, choked off noise of desperate hurt. Why had he waited so long? Why hadn't he found them sooner? Why had their sire been forced to suffer for so long without any sign of the missing pair? How was any of it fair? He'd given up everything to find his brother, his mother, and it had been for nothing. Because here he was, after everything, stumbling across him by accident. It wasn't FAIR. The clench of his muscles came before his brain could catch up to the pure instinct that drove him forth, closing the distance between them with the push of powerful haunches. Tail tucked tight against his belly, auds flat against his skull, and eyes narrowed, he leapt for his brother. Inky lips parted with a snarl, jaws splaying wide as he took a scant few strides to close the three or four feet between them. As the distance closed, he lifted his forelimbs from the ground, leaning his weight back onto hind limbs in an attempt to wrap lean forelimbs around Kefka's neck in a bear hug. Forepaws splayed wide, claws curving inward in hopes of improving his grip by digging into the flesh or fur around Kefka's neck and shoulders if his hold landed. The momentum of his leap would seek to be thrown to his left, trying to wrest his brother off balance, or topple him entirely to the ground. Fangs would seek purchase upon his face, glistening ivories aiming to fasten onto his muzzle from his left, thus latching onto the right side of his brother's muzzle. He splayed the toes of his hind limbs in an attempt to maintain purchase on the muddy ground with his claws. Mephistopheles Aman Abraxas vs Kefka Abraxas for Dominance Round 1/?? Age: 1+ year Size: Extra large Build: Medium Skills: Advanced Fighter & Beginner Intellectual Specialty: N/A I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster

Who's gonna stand up, who's gonna fight? Who's gonna break these chains and lies? ________________________________________ All of Mephistopheles' hurt and broken emotions had gone completely over Kefka's head. Kefka simply thought that the tears he saw through his brother's eyes were tears of joy. And though Kefka was just as thrilled as he thought Meph was, he couldn't relate right in this moment. He was incredibly over joyed, but if the two were able to sit down and talk about the course of the last few years, then Kefka's true emotions would have probably come more clear and open. Even as Meph said his name, he still wouldn't see the fire of his emotions. Though it was still that of a harsh and hurt tone, Kefka still believed it was the thought they that had been reunited rather than the loss of their parents or the loss of their childhoods. Just as Kefka couldn't read Meph's true feelings like the back of his hand, Kefka should have been hard to read on Meph's side as well. Kefka as a grown and mature man now was a criminal jokester, and if the two had grown up together like they were supposed to, Meph would have been able to read him that way. But it seemed that life was cruel to them, and if Kefka knew why his brother felt this way, he would have nothing to say other than it was Agria's fault, and she was dead now. Could Mephistopheles even have a closure or an understanding by Kefka's word or the thought their mother was dead? That Kefka had certainly taken out his frustration and fury he felt on her? The thought that Kefka would never see Kaine again, and Meph would never see Agria again, it was a mix up that the two would yet be aware of and surely an emotional discovery when the time came. Kefka would come to a complete surprise, oblivious to Meph's intentions as he leapt forward and sought to attack him. He would only brace for impact as his legs straightened and his entire body tightened. His eyes shut tight for a few seconds as he took Meph up on his offer of a bear hug, and just as his natural attitude, still wouldn't take his attack seriously no matter how serious Meph would try to show. "I didn't think you'd be this happy to see me." Through a coo on his clown face, he wouldn't show any real harsh feelings towards his brother, yet, at least. Meph would attempt to put Kefka on the ground, but which ever way he hoped to put Kefka, the pink brute would instead crumble under the weight on his front half, keeping his hind quarters still up in a stretch best he could. With Meph's open jaw, he would come down to meet Kefka's right ear down to the skull if he kept on with his blood lust. "You don't want to chat Meph? I suppose that's fine with me." The pressure of his brother's similar body was only a bit overwhelming, and Kefka didn't often find himself under his opponents. So as a counter, he would attempt to push the front out his skull into Meph's center chest, pushing on to get his muzzle between his front legs and attempt to grab the inside of Meph's left foreleg around the front and back of the leg through his jaws. He'd risk the damage to his ear and head, but the quicker he stalemated Meph, the quicker they could have an actual conversation. Walk "Talk" Think Kefka Abraxas vs Mephistopheles for Playdate Round 1/2 (If you want 3 rounds for more emotions that's fine with me ;3) Age:  Over 1 Year Size:  Extra large Build:  Medium Skills:  Advanced Fighter & Beginner Hunter Specialty:  N/A OOC: Me and Virgil have agreed to no time limit!

thinking "speech" "others" Their chests collided as his grip succeeded, forelimbs looping tightly around his brother's neck and claws scraping along the skin around the base of Kefka's neck to maintain his grip. Those ebon eyes squeezed shut, braced for the impact of teeth against tender skin. "I didn't think you'd be this happy to see me." the jovial rumble seemed to shudder through his own ribs as it reverberated from Kefka's chest. Why wasn't he angry? Why didn't he care that they'd been apart so long, torn apart by the cruel whims of a fate that they couldn't change? It wasn't a long lasting grapple, and as the momentum pushed his weight into Kefka's body, his brother let his front half go limp. Slipped through his grasp, just like when they were kids. The collision of his jaws met the hard bone along the upper right portion of Kefka's skull, just shy of his right ear. The tang of blood was acrid on his tongue, a stark realization of what he was doing. What was he doing? "You don't want to chat Meph? I suppose that's fine with me." his brother remarked, and the sudden force of a broad skull colliding with the centre of his chest shoved him off balance, and caught him firmly off guard. Next came the sting of fangs closing around the meat at the inner portion of his left forelimb, spurring him back into action. The phoenix sought to withdraw the limb, but his positioning was awkward. Kefka was rising back up against his chest with an attack of his own, there was a good chance he would only be saving the thicker portion of his leg from the pierce of those teeth, and let his brother grip him by the wrist instead. He sought to replace his free forelimb over the side of his brother's neck, close to his left shoulder, with the length of his lower limb from elbow to wrist applying pressure to the taut musculature of the neck with the force of his bulk pressing forward. Perhaps he could still force him to the ground. Bared fangs snapped back towards his brother's features once again, this time seeking to make use of the bared section of his upper neck that Kefka had offered up on a silver platter. Perhaps he could scruff his brother like an errant child, and peel his fangs from his left leg. Mephistopheles Aman Abraxas vs Kefka Abraxas for Dominance Round: 2/2 Age: 1+ year Size: Extra large Build: Medium Skills: Advanced Fighter & Beginner Intellectual Specialty: N/A ((OOC; yeah no strict limits on time here, and may the dice gods preserve and keep us)) I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster

Who's gonna stand up, who's gonna fight? Who's gonna break these chains and lies? ________________________________________ Still Mephistopheles was looking to stay silent in the heat of battle, and though Kefka was understanding to that, he couldn't be sure why his long lost brother was attacking him. Still not taking the violence to heart or seriously. He kept a decent hold on Meph's paw as he grabbed on, but there was plenty of room for him to latch on harder if he wished. He wasn't out to hurt his brother, if anything just get him to calm down a bit and back down so they could talk on level ground. Or maybe they would be level after this fight. Meph would push Kefka at his left side, finally causing him to topple onto his right side. If Meph looked away for a moment to observe Kefka, he could have noticed his healed but rather fresh scars along his sheath and belly side, not that it was of any matter in this moment in particular. Kefka's jaw would lose Meph's paw considering he wasn't holding on too tightly anyway. But Kefka would seek to latch on with his teeth again, this time up towards Meph's right armpit from the ground, again with his jaw aiming to grab around the front and back of his forelimb. Meph would be able to grab him by the scruff, just a little bit to the side near his cheek since he was now laying down. Either Meph would be able to get Kefka to submit, or Kefka would be able to whack some sense into his brother, at least enough to get him to cool his balls. Walk "Talk" Think Kefka Abraxas vs Mephistopheles for Playdate Round 2/2 Age:  Over 1 Year Size:  Extra large Build:  Medium Skills:  Advanced Fighter & Beginner Hunter Specialty:  N/A OOC:

And the winner is...

MEPHISTOPHELES

KEFKA must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Mephistopheles: Rolls: 92, 33, 91, 80 Adjusted rolls: 96.6, 34.65, 91, 80 Total: 347.59 Kefka: Rolls: 66, 1, 11, 56 Adjusted rolls: 69.3, 1.05, 11, 56 Total: 157.95

Relm while sent away from Kefka obeyed willingly. But the sounds of him fighting came to her ears before she was able to go out and explore the lands around made her turn tail and find a place among the stone and bushes to hide while she watched the fight break out. She couldn't hear Kefka's words as he talked back to the man, but it became very evident and quick that Kefka was coming to the losing side. Relm had never seen her father fight, and she only had a natural liking to it herself without his guidance. So seeing him being brought under the other man to a point of submission made her leap from her hiding place, "Daddy!" She immediately sought to put her teeth into the man's hind quarters at the hip, an evil snarl inside her teeth. Disobeying her father was now at the back of her mind as she believed she was out and able to save him from the man. Even if she couldn't really size him up at her young age. Walk "Talk" Think

thinking "speech" "others" Just like that, the rush seemed to fade. The overwhelming roar of blood in his ears and fire in his veins petered to a steady simmer, and he found himself clutching his estranged sibling by the scruff. There were teeth still embedded in the meat just below his right elbow, holding steady but not shredding flesh. There was the rhythmic shudder of his own lungs in tandem with Kefka's, and while his grip loosened it did not release. All at once the tightness in his throat made itself known, and he noticed the burning of his eyes. The distinct patterns of his brother's coat blurred through the hot tears flooding his vision. He'd won this fight, but was it really worth it? What had been the point? What had driven him to attack like that? The phoenix found himself startled from his stupor by the sharp, piercing cry of a child. He was certain they'd been alone. Tiny fangs scraped and tore at the skin of his haunches, right over his hip. A soft grunt of confusion escaped him, and he finally dropped his brother's scruff. Craning his neck, he locked eyes on the source of his newest assault. A rather small child, brilliant magenta all over with very familiar markings. He finally processed what she'd cried out before digging her little fangs into his thigh. "You've been busy this whole time, I see." he grunted, glancing back to his brother. "Who's this little spitfire?" his vocals were low, lacking their usual purr of self-assurance. I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster

She would lose her grip quickly on the man and immediately moved to put herself between the man and her father. Kefka was regaining his footing and placed a paw in front of her to stop her from engaging any more. Mephistopheles didn't deserve to be known as a bad uncle, even after the silly heat of their battle. Kefka put Relm in line beside him, getting her to sit with an equal submission. He never really taught her that he was the big boss, but Relm made it easy for him to control her. She was quite the daddy's girl, she wanted nothing more to impress him. "Relm." Kefka spoke as his gaze came back to his brother, he settled down to a seat as well. "As you suggest, she is mine. This is your Uncle." His eyes glanced quick to Relm and back to Meph, giving him a joking grin, knowing he had already put those obvious things together. Relm barely knew what a sibling was, let alone an Uncle. She remained silent though. He would quickly turn back to his statement just before though, claiming he had been busy in their time apart. "I have been busy. Agria is dead. I killed her." He didn't hold any remorse for the brutal statement, but his exaggeration joker grin wasn't present anymore as he stated. Still, he didn't think to expect any kind of sad or hurtful feeling from his brother. Even while he had just gotten his frustrations out on Kefka. Relm perked up to look up at her father at the mention of Agria's name. She knew Agria as her mother, but she didn't know her as Kefka's. Not that she would understand the wrong doing of any of that. Kefka however did not want to admit that Relm was also Agria's daughter. It wasn't something he was entirely proud of, but he did become a loving father out of it. Walk "Talk" Think

thinking "speech" "others" As his brother regained his footing after their scuffle, the phoenix let his pallid gaze track the movements of the young girl with his brother's unique pelage. "Relm." he called the girl, and it was a name as unique as Kefka's own. He wondered why he had not kept to their traditions when naming his daughter, but supposed it might be a result of his absence from their culture. "As you suggest, she is mine. This is your Uncle." the amethyst man spoke to the girl for a moment, before redirecting his attention away from the youngster. She wouldn't be long waiting for adolescence, and already he could see she would be just as tall as her sire. The auburn male flashed a soft smile at the girl, bloodied ivories peeking out ever so slightly from dark lips. She hadn't said anything after her initial outburst, and he was concerned he might have frightened the little one already. Children weren't exactly his strong suit. Something about being a crass, swaggering mongrel. When the amusement he'd deduced as normal from his grown up sibling faded, the tall auds framing his crown perked. "I have been busy. Agria is dead. I killed her." And those words hit him like a freight train. Something in his core twisted with a sharp pang, and he found himself feeling oddly detached when he noted the icy sensation trailing down his limbs until his paws started to feel numb. His mother? He'd spent so long looking for her with their sire, and it was all for nothing. Pallid cerulean gaze drifted away from the dark eyes of his estranged brother, and focused instead on the swirling steam rising from a nearby spring. He could barely remember what her face looked like, so why did it hurt to hear those words? Ebon lips curled around words that did not come out, and he gave up the attempt. There was really nothing left to drive him forward, and he belatedly wondered if he should have fought harder against Kaine when he'd been pulled away from the Empire yet again. Perhaps he would have been able to build the budding relationship with the small healer, Rain. Completed his training under Malleus, even. Found a place among the ever growing family he'd been born into. What did he have now? Finally, he drew his attention from the possibilities and the past. Brilliant optics swung back to meet Kefka's, locked onto the features that had changed so much since they were young. "W-" he faltered on the first syllable, his dry throat catching as he swallowed down the sensation of choking. "Why?" he asked hoarsely, fighting back the ache in his chest. The burning behind his eyes returned, but he wasn't sure he could shed a tear in the wake of the renewed tragedy. I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster

Kefka may not have shown it, but it was hard to see his brother this way. They had become so estranged in their time apart, but Mephistopheles was probably the only real tie he had to this world, especially with Kaine gone not that he knew that yet. Kefka was more an emotional man of anger than sadness, and he wouldn't easily confide in his brother or cry on his shoulder. It was the many years that he was detached from this world because of Agria. She kept a leash on him until he couldn't handle it anymore. And she got what she deserved. Which is what he was going to tell Meph, but he took a moment on how he wanted to address what she had done and what he had done to her. Of course he wouldn't tell him everything. He didn't want Meph to know Relm was Agria's for a number of reasons. But with the way Kefka handled the situation, he had full control over his daughter instead of worrying about a mother being involved, or a family had he killed a different woman to keep Relm to himself. He took a deep breath but his voice was far from broken or emotional. He was as hard as he started the statement of her death and what he had done, he and Meph had just fought and he would be ready for another one if Meph felt hard feelings over it. At least for Agria's death he felt it was justified. "She was old and very ill, she wasn't together mentally." It was the truth, even if he was the reasoning for her ending up that way. Maybe he was suggesting to his brother that what he had done was a favor for her. But his next words would cut the rite that he had taking his, or their sick mother, "She stole me from the empire Meph, you know this. She had us running up and down all over the planet to get away from Kaine." Calling Kaine father was foreign to him, as much as he didn't want it to be. He still felt a better connection with Kaine than he did Agria, because of the hatred he felt for her. "I've justified her crime for what she had done, and I've suffered and fell away from our culture because of her selfish desires of whatever she wanted to do with me." Agria never told him truly that she took him away from the empire because she thought he was dangerous. She felt nearly the same about Kaine, but Kefka was different. Kefka had so much more growth to engage him in, and she knew if he stayed and learned of the Fallen God and his blood, it would only open up more of the superior possibilities to him. Little did she know that she couldn't stop him from the evil inside of him. He wasn't able to himself. Relm only looked briefly to Kefka as he spoke of Agria, but remained seated and silent as he went on. She had to admit it was pretty boring sitting here, but she was obedient to her father. Walk "Talk" Think

thinking "speech" "others" There was a tone to his brother's voice that could have been remorse, but the phoenix was scrambling for an anchor in this new sea of emotion that threatened to drown him. He didn't want to believe his only brother had killed the mother he'd never gotten to know, whose love he had been deprived of for all these years. That tentative sigh had given him some hope for a tragedy, some impossible scenario where there was no other choice but his mother's death. "She was old and very ill, she wasn't together mentally." it was a rough start, but given the way Kaine had devolved into a strange sort of mania in those last months, it wasn't too shocking. There had to be a reason those two had loved each other, despite Kaine's tendencies to become overly attached and obsessive. "She stole me from the empire Meph, you know this. She had us running up and down all over the planet to get away from Kaine." the words tumbled from his brother's jaws with the thinly veiled desperation of an excuse, though there was no denying that her theft of an Abraxas was going to end in her painful execution at any rate. "I've justified her crime for what she had done, and I've suffered and fell away from our culture because of her selfish desires of whatever she wanted to do with me." and there was the crux of it, that Kefka wasn't a true Abraxas anymore. He could cling to their heritage, but could he really claim their family name without the history and upbringing in the Empire? His potential had been stunted, his destiny stolen. The two of them were as different as night and day, and there was a very good chance that they might never rekindle the closeness they had developed in their youth. A long breath drawn in through the nose, humid air sliding down into his lungs. The shuddering release of that same breath, as he struggled to come to grips with this new reality. "I suppose there was no other way it could end, really." Mephistopheles sighed, glancing down to the youngster at his brother's side. A halfhearted smile directed at her, and the promise she holds for a continuation of their line, and a deviation from the tragedy of their lives. "Kaine died, a few seasons back. Not fully there either, near the end. I guess they're together now, wherever they might have ended up. He died in battle, like he wanted." he spoke the words with the detached calm of a man far older, far removed from the reality of it. "All he wanted was his family together again, and he didn't get that. I didn't get to grow up in the Empire like he wanted, either. I guess we both lost, didn't we?" brows drew close together, and cerulean eyes drifted back to his brother's features as he spoke. There was a hint of a rueful grin curving the corner of his dark lips, though it didn't last very long. Another heavy sigh, and the auburn male shook out his coat. An attempt to free himself of the burdens of his new reality and his past, as well as the water that still clung to the fibres. "I need a fucking drink. Don't you?" he huffed, trying to shift into a more jovial mood. "I know a place, come on." he said then, lifting one paw to gesture for his brother to follow. The soreness from their fight was already making its presence known in his muscles, but he hoped the walk ahead would work out some of the kinks. --Exit Meph w/ Kefka and Relm?-- I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster