[AFTERMATH] Past Present Future

[Melancholies]

The casting had gone seemingly alright. Pax was dead, Pride was—from what he'd heard from Jamie—stable, and he was sure there'd be someone out to check on him. For Shiloh, he didn't really care about either of them, because to him they'd participated in a heinous act that lead to the corruption of a young girl and subsequently his suffering in god knows how many cycles. Noeh was a little different, because he'd grown to trust her and rely on her before he figured out what the ******** was going on.

It made it a little hard.

But later still rang in his head, and he needed to see what became of her, what became of the deer triplet part of the magical bond, what the hell she was going to be up to now. Jeremiah had used his teleportation powers to pop them over to her apparent place of residence, but Shiloh wasn't really a master of any ability like that. Wandering around wasn't really getting him anywhere though.

Instead he was focusing as he tried to will a tear—a portal—something in the dimness of the veil that could send him back over to where she was. The air shimmered, he stepped forward, and hopefully—

shibrogane

minerva time

 

[shibrogane]

He stepped into the living room of the house in which they'd found Noeh. Oh my god, Shiloh, he heard: not a physical sound, but a mental one. A voice he had't heard for a while. You're getting much better at that.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh had to double take—and he did—his head swiveling around. His eyes lit up with something like happiness, because Noeh's voice being back meant one thing...

"It worked? Holy ********." He breathed, the tension in his shoulders slipping, his muscles relaxing. "Sorry, I didn't know how else to find you. I'm uh—" He looked behind him, the tear dissipating, "I'm alone. I didn't bring anybody. We weren't trying to make you uncomfortable earlier either, everyone just kind of invited themselves and we didn't know if the Burning Man was going to be here and..."

He heaved a great big breath. "So you have your magic back? We remade the charter. I mean, obviously..."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

I've got enough of it back for this, said Noeh. I supposed you did, since the magic is here again.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Hopefully we didn't make a mistake..." He sighed, but he went to pull up a chair. "I don't think we did. Either way I'm gonna take responsibility for it... but I guess we gotta wait to see how the magic really takes hold." He was rambling, but he was tired, and it was only natural for his mind to jerk around in that post-stress cool down.

"Let's talk." He said, "I don't wanna be a d**k. I don't wanna ********' hate you, but there's a lot of s**t I don't understand." He smoothed his hands on his legs, "Nothing's gonna leave this room, I swear, so you can be honest, okay?" His face looked hurt, "I just... wanna fix stuff going forward. I don't like being kept in the dark..."

He fidgeted a little. "If that's alright with you." If it wasn't, then there wasn't much of a point to him being there.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh climbed back into her chair, nested there. She didn't seem to have any food around, which made sense; she had a limited ability to eat, since she lacked an integral part of her mouth. What she did have was tea, and she offered him the second mug from the end table next to her chair.

Okay. What do you want to know?

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Everything?" He laughed, "That's too much to talk about for one conversation though." He reached across the table to scoop up the offered mug. Shiloh wasn't one for tea, but he sipped it anyway. He could enjoy the warmth at least. "I guess we can start with... where we left off before. When I asked about the phone and you told me later."

He looked up, "I guess this is 'later'."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

I found it, said Noeh, her mental voice slow and tentative. It was broken. I fixed it. I didn't know it was Melany's phone until after. And she'd already joined the listserv under a glitchy version of my name.

She looked into her mug. You don't honestly think I'd kill her, do you?

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"I didn't, no." Shiloh was quiet for a moment. Thoughtful. "She said you were stalking her, leaving her threatening notes, telling you to stay away from me and Mercer..." He looked into his tea. "Though I guess Jeremiah had followed her around town once too and that spooked her out. We still met up a lot 'cause I'm kinda stubborn." He smiled kinda wryly.

In the same breath, he wouldn't have expected Noeh to splay her back open all those years ago either.

"It really was kinda terrible," He said, "Watching her spiral, watching her self destruct. I saw a lot of myself in it. I just wanted to help her but I felt like everything was working against me." Shiloh sighed, "B-But it's okay. It's fine. The Spinel Lady is gone this time for good. I think..." His eyes drifted shut, his expression so tired, "I think maybe I can actually sleep good for once."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

I did tell her to stay away, said Noeh. I can't talk to her. She could've hurt you. She did hurt you.

She watched, her eyes wide and expressive. People like that don't ever go away. Your physical wounds all healed. Some of us don't get that chance.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"She did, but she was just as much of a victim too. I wanted to help her." He was watching the tea still, watching the heat circulate around, swirl, make shapes in the liquid, "It's—It's dumb, and really stupid, and super foolish. I know it is, but all I wanted was... when we did the casting for the new sigil, and even going forward into rewriting the charter—I just wanted a better world. I don't want people to hurt or suffer anymore. It's impossible but I want that so <********> badly."

"It's a nice thought, anyway." He took a sip of the tea. "Even with the physical wounds healed up, sometimes I still feel the pain. It won't happen immediately, but I can stop looking for her face in the crowds." Shiloh looked to Noeh then, "You know, when we cut off Melany's arm, we were planning on a way to regrow it. We could probably do the same thing for you if you wanted it."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh laughed, that awful unshaped sound again. Like a cracked bell. You're a good person, Shiloh. I'm sorry you're a principal now. She sipped her tea to smother the laughter, and then added, You were with her for, subjectively, less than a year... I was with her for centuries. I don't think I'll ever stop being hurt by what she did. And I'll never forgive her. I love her, because she was my friend, but I hate her, because... Because of course I do. I was going to be a lawyer, you know.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Am I?" He laughed too, a little dull, a little quiet. "It's an all around ******** up situation. I dunno, that's a hell of an understatement."

"A lawyer sounds nice. I was gonna be a social worker." He looked at his hands, "Hey Noeh? There was something that always kinda bothered me." Shiloh was drawing invisible shapes on the table with his index finger, "Why my brother signed the first charter, and why Jamie did, and why I didn't. I guess that was a lot of cycles ago though, but..."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

You wouldn't, said Noeh. When you knew what the cost was, that Melany would be the one bearing all of this in a literal fashion, you refused. You said that if it couldn't be done in a way that sacrificed no one, it shouldn't be done at all. I begged you to sign it, but you refused.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"So then why did you lie?" He tilted his head, "You told Mercer and me that you tried to use the schema. You told us you didn't mean for it to latch onto Melany like that..."

He took a deep breath.

"Were... was it really that bad that you had to resort to that? I mean, that's a redundant question, it must've been for you guys to go through with it..." He was a little mad; he was always answering his own stupid questions, but it was so hard to believe, "So everyone that signed, they knew exactly what was happening. They knew what it would do and what the cost was."

"Me not signing it-- is that why I never became a Noble? Melany told me she tried a lot of times to make me one, that I'd been a fetch once." He paused, "Those are probably better questions for the library though, huh? I don't mean to bring up stuff you probably don't want to talk about."

shibrogane