[COMPLETE] I Said Hey, Girl with One Arm

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I.. I'm sorry, Mels. We went, we went to the 'magical party' and I can't tell you exactly, like I cannot physically. But Ezra, he lies, about everything. He's not the man you knew, the on eyou love is buried. And that thing-" He pointed to the heavy metal sheet. "-is magic, stolen magic and..." He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. It was hard to organize his thoughts.

"It's like your arm, like the charter, but I think it's dormant. And if it activates... I think it's going to restructure us all, kill us." He swallowed. "I know it's terrible of me, but I was watching through Nugget because I was worried and.. Shiloh, I think we need to take this back." He glanced over at him, more than a little worried about his demeanor - it spoke of a dissociative zen. Which, Horace had to admit, was useful in some cases.

Then, he turned back to Melany. "I wish, more than anything, that I could explain things fully, better." A sad smiled crossed his face and he shrugged. Do you trust me?

melancholies

shibrogane

 

[Melancholies]

"Eve said thirty minutes..." He was mumbling to himself still, his arms wrapping around himself. He felt a little sick. "It's my fault, you know? I told him who everyone was that was on the charter. I told him about the thumbprints." His eyes flicked over to Melany's, his gaze steel blue and detached, "Ezra went and took everyone's fingerprints. He took Horace, and Jamie, and Oliver and so many others, and..." He looked down at the charter again, at the thick metal, at the eeriness of it all.

"And he gave it to you," Shiloh finished, "Why... why is it here... I saw a vision and I was dead, and everyone else was alone, and Leroux was dead and Noor was dead and I saw Sunny, but you guys don't know Sunny." He looked at Horace, then to Melany again, "Jamie's ao scared of being alone, you know? It's like, one of his biggest fears. And Ollie too, even if he doesn't show it. I have to fix it, I gotta..."

His breathing was all weird and shallow, but he was holding steady....ish. "Why did he take it here. Did he ask you to mark it too? Did he..." And his thoughts jumped again, "And Jamie's still checking on Pride, and I never got to say good bye... and Ezra, why--?"

Something funny flickered across his face, "No... no... not Ezra. The ******** Burning Man, not Ezra..." He swallowed as he watched the document, like it was about to run away on its own, "I can fix it still, I can fix it."

The Semblance of Unity

congrats

shibrogane

you broke him real good this time

 

[shibrogane]

Melany looked from Horace to Shiloh and back again. She crossed the space between her and Shiloh, still unsteady, still marked by the recent loss of her arm, and she tucked her arm around Shiloh's shoulder, pulled him down to her level for a hug. "I know you can," she said, "you're good like that, Shiloh, you only had good intentions and I'm sure he would've gotten that list anyway. It's okay. Just fix it and come back safe."

"I trust you," she said to Horace, "But--just--let me see it?" She stepped away from Shiloh, her hand brushing his for a moment. Then she held out her hand for the new Charter.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

As always, when someone else began to panic, Horace felt calmer somehow. It was kind of awful, but in this moment, he welcomed it. "He's older and craftier and he would have found out anyway, Shiloh. It's not your fault. We're not gonna let people be alone." Horace had scooped up the Charter, heavy and cold and full of malice, he imagined.

She trusted him so, so much - he didn't deserve someone like her. "I... I think something horrible will happen if you touch it. Some kind of... You can look, but please don't touch it, Melany. I don't want you to even have the chance of getting tied up in another charter. Like... don't even breathe on it." Horace let out a huff of what could have been a laugh under better circumstances. He would rather she not look at it at all, and glanced at Shiloh for his thoughts.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh didn't seem to buy it. His resolve was tense like a wound up sprung, harsh and cold and steeled, nothing like the hopeful boy who blooded this world's sigil with the notion of love. This was a different sort of hope--if it could be called that--something vile and corrupted darkly ambitious. Determination--dauntless determination. He'd die for it. He was planning to die for it. After all, he was going to die anyway, right? It was like when Mercer offered him the peace of mind that came with quiet death proposals; maybe it was something he just couldn't avoid. He'd be fine with that.

That being said, his body was malleable against Melany's arm. He went easily with the motions despite looking ridged. When Horace glanced over, Shiloh was too busy staring at his hands, like he was surprised to find something tangible attached to him.

"Be... careful. I mean, that makes sense." He could feel the magic tingling at his fingertips. "We have to hurry. We only had half an hour before whatever Ezra has planned pops." Was he supposed to kill him? Could he seperate the Burning Man from Ezra like they had with the Spinel Lady? "Didn't you say the bat bit you? Don't get your blood on it, god forbid Ezra gets his hands on your ******** magic too."

He moved to the side a little, "Didn't you say you destroyed your cell phone? Minerva had it. Pretty sure she was using it to talk on the Listserv." His hands flexed slowly. Open. Close. Open. Close...

The Semblance of Unity

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany leaned in, but didn't breathe on it. Her brown eyes scanned all of the markings, the bloody metal. Even now, the metal was beginning to drip down the page. "You're not going to bring it where he is, are you?"

She looked over to Shiloh looking down at his own hands. There was a smudge of something on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. "I threw it out the window of the library... But if you've got a time limit, you should go, just... keep that thing safe, I guess. And you--" She frowned at Nugget. "--If you bite me again, I'm never giving you another pretzel."  

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I'm going to keep it away from him," Horace said dully, tucking the charter close to his body, trying to prevent the bleed off. It was starting back up in his head again. He always felt like this, the impending doom, the fault. 'Fortune favors the ********, Horace, so I wonder how you're still so, so unlucky.' A breath. 'This is what you wanted. I'm only giving you what you deserve.' The scalpel gleamed in his hand. 'You asked for it in every breath, in every flutter of your eyelashes. This is a gift.' Another breath. He rubbed the scar around his ring finger with his thumb. History repeats.

Oliver was scared of being alone. Melany's lopsided figure. The way he'd dragged even Elliot into this when he didn't have to be a part of this. He kept repeating 'trust me', 'trust me', when he didn't trust himself. Don't touch me, he sent to Nugget, certain he would shock anyone and anything that so much as brushed against him. It was, after all, just a bit of fate making sure he knew his place in the world. Nugget squeaked and flapped around Melany before settling on Shiloh's shoulder.

"We should go. Shiloh?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"He might try to hurt you." Shiloh said to Horace, his eyes suddenly transfixed on the smudge. "I can't stop him if he does. I'm a Noble and it'll make all the other Nobles kill me if I try to hurt him." He watched the metal as it oozed around the paper. "I mean, I can still try, but you'll have to make it count. I won't be able to do much..."

He went to make another portal back, but his hands caught in the air. "Hey, Melany?" He didn't look over, "Why did Ezra drop this off with you?"

The Semblance of Unity

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I... he said it was important," said Melany. "That I have it. He said I should read the note and make a decision."

She settled down on the edge of her bed. "Good luck," she said. "I'm here if you need me, okay?"  

[Melancholies]

His hands stopped.

"Note?"

Shiloh looked around like he was expecting something to jump out at him. Realistically, it was only Nugget on his shoulder, but the feeling of dread was still washing up on him. A scrap of paper was situated on the floor, the edges torn a little from signs of a struggle. He picked it up.

"This?" He went to read it, "Sorry Horace, one sec..."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany, it said. I'm sorry I've been staying away for so long. I was working on something important. You know by now of the people from the otherworld. I want to free us of them, and you of the monster inside you. And then I'll come back, and we'll be together again.

If this is something you want, too, just put a drop of your blood at the center of the diagram in this folder. If it's not, please return this to me when I see you next. Keep it safe in the meantime, won't you?

Love,
Ezra  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Shiloh, whenever you're ready, he said mentally. Horace didn't want to read the rest of the note. He could already guess at the contents. "Stay safe, Melany. I'll be back." Maybe.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh stared at the note for a while, his dyslexia and disassociation fighting each other for some semblance of clarity. "Oh." Was all he really said. Would Melany have done it? Would she have added her blood? Was Ezra lying? Did anything matter?

Nope.

He dropped the note, and it fluttered back down to the floor like a leaf in the wind, all lofty and peaceful, and then he gave Melany a sad, sad smile. "See ya, Mels. I'm really sorry about everything."

A succinct good bye.

He waved his hand—paused—and instead made a harsh clenching motion with his fist, the magic tearing at his hands and tearing at the space around him. He made a swift motion like turning a door knob, his wrist snapping to the side, before the veil gave way. A glance to Horace—to Melany again—and then he was gone within it.

The Semblance of Unity