Taking a Seat [Invite]

[Elric Vlarintos]

That night had been one disaster after another. He had survived nightmares and had to face parts of himself that he wished he could just ignore. If the fight had gone on much longer he might have been forced to make a choice. Elric was almost certain that he knew what his choice would have been and that knowledge haunted him. It was even worse, since the other person in the cage didn't even belong there. That was a whole other can of worms that Elric did not want to open. Where had Kristopher been that night and why had he switched with that look-alike?

Needless to say, Elric was becoming terribly paranoid over little details now. Worse was the simple fact that he was confined to a chair that was just too small for him. Naelona had provided it for him in order to provide him with the minimal amount of mobility necessary to keep him nearby her. At first consideration Elric might have considered being given a wheelchair a sign of kindness, but once the reality of it set in he learned there was no reason to be joyous. It was for his Mistress' utility and not his own.

He risked a look at his legs. One leg, his right one, was perfectly fine, but he could not put any meaningful pressure on his ankle. Thankfully, the other slave missed major blood vessels in his ankle, but it still hurt like hell. Elric then switched his focus to the other leg and ran his fingers across the bandage. He had been shot in the back of the leg while he was running away. The only thing to be thankful for was that the bolt had not necessitated being pushed through to be removed--the tip was not shaped like an arrowhead. Apparently, it had been poisoned with a minor paralytic, which is why his leg had stopped working and he had been forced to crawl across glass and rubble.

Elric was unable to walk and would have to keep off of his feet for several weeks. It was likely he would still need a crutch or cane for a week or so after getting back to his feet to help support him.

Lifting his head back up Elric looked quietly at the table. There were papers in front of him and he was holding a pen. Naelona had put him to scribing once again. After all, in his current state of being there was nothing for him to do but the basics. That left him with a great deal of free time to practice on the skill that still did not meet her expectations. If I could only read it this would be so much easier, he thought. Of course, being able to read it would likely also be as good as signing his own death warrant.

There was also other wishes, but he was hardly so vocal about those even in his mind. Elric had said and done stupid things, and every time he stopped writing he was just left to dwell on those thoughts. Winter and Elric really had a horrible history of introspection.

[Piper Wren]

Piper had put off coming to see Elric, she had figured he wouldn’t want her anywhere near him after the disaster of the chaos ball. She was worried about him but had kept her distance incase he decided to tell her to get lost but Kristopher…typical Kristopher had bugged her into going to see her friend. At least Piper hoped he was still her friend. According to Kristopher he was still in the hospital and that she needed to get her act together and see him. Once she arrived at the Hospital with a book of poetry by Rilke and some apples from the Orchard…well, somehow Piper felt like she was committing a massive cliché. Too late now though. She stepped quietly onto the ward and spotted Elric in a wheelchair and felt a lump gather in her throat. Piper couldn’t help but feel like he was hurt because of her, she was involved with the rebels after all…and she had been lucky enough to come out with glass cuts and nothing too severe. She had it all hidden beneath long sleeves as always.

‘He’s probably going to tell you to get lost, just leave the stuff and go…’

She approached Elric cautiously, dreading the response. If her hands had been free she would have been fiddling with her sleeve but Piper contented herself to hugging the book to her chest instead. She was relieved to see him alive but seeing him confined to a wheelchair left a pang in her chest.

“Hi…”

[Elric Vlarintos]

Piper walked into the room, but Elric did not raise his eyes from his workload. Currently the pieces of paper and the little symbols he was copying had his full and undivided attention. The sounds of people going in and coming out of his room was perfectly normal and no longer really distracted him. Even so, Elric would have loved a distraction at that particular moment. It felt like he had been writing for hours and his hand was beginning to cramp up from the prolonged efforts. His penmanship would just become sloppy without a break, and that would hardly be good for Naelona's assessment.

Elric set the pen down and almost didn't hear the meek little voice that called to him. Looking about he did not actually expect to see anyone. He merely thought that his ears were playing a trick on him. Imagine his surprise when he saw Piper standing there with a few apples and a book. "A bit too late to keep the doctors away, huh?"

It was a dry attempt at humor and Elric wasn't terribly certain that it worked. He pushed his back tight against the chair and managed to turn so he could face her a little more easily. It was still an angle where he could choose to look away at any particular moment if he decided that he wanted to, but he had been a jerk before.

"I'm sorry, Piper." It was all he really could say. He looked her straight in the face as he said it, but he was never terribly certain if that made him look like a good liar or an honest man. He hoped that it was the latter. "I really have been a horrible friend and it's been tough on you."

Well, are you going to beat around the bush or are you going to just say it?

"I'm a little surprised that you came to visit me after that."

[Piper Wren]

"I'm sorry, Piper. I really have been a horrible friend and it's been tough on you…I'm a little surprised that you came to visit me after that."

Piper approached Elric and made space amongst his massive workload for the book and the fruit although that seemed like a huge cliché now that she really thought about it. When he spoke and even looked her directly in the face while admitting he had been somewhat of a bastard to her, Piper sighed tucked a few stray strands of black hair behind her ear. Things hadn’t been easy for either of them in the last few weeks and Piper felt responsible for Elric getting hurt in the first place.

“I’ll be honest, you were a jerk but I’m at fault here too…I was worried about you, it’s just taken me a while to work up the guts to come and make sure you were ok.”

There was some hesitance before her next movement, after all…she was only slowly regaining her confidence, Piper leaned down slightly so she was on a level with Elric and gave him a warm hug. Making sure not to knock anything off the table Elric was working at. She had believed that Elric wouldn’t want her anywhere near him, thanks to things going so wrong with the rebel movements…but typical Kris had carried on nagging and poking her to make sure that she went to see Elric. Piper had been concerned that there wasn’t much news about him. The hug was a step for her as well but as Kris had insisted on telling her ‘every journey starts with a single step’…shame the blonde couldn’t have the same insight into his own problems.

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric almost wished she had been a little closer so he could have shushed her. He still could have from this distance, but it would have been loud and obnoxious, and Elric had no desire to be either of those things at this time. The gift of apples was appreciated, and he had a feeling he'd appreciate the book a whole lot more if he hadn't been staring at script and copying it for the past few hours. Cliché or no, at least she had been thoughtful enough to bring him something to try and break up the monotony.

"Apples are my favorite," he admitted quietly. He wasn't certain that he felt ready to tackle the whole part about him being a huge jerk just yet. That Piper had to work up courage to come and visit him only reinforced that simple fact in his mind. He screwed up big time.

Following that line of thinking a hug was the last thing he expected Piper to give him. It was a little awkward, but what hug given to someone in a wheelchair wasn't? Elric resolved himself to give her a gentle squeeze back. It was the polite thing to do.

Part of him wanted to tell her that he did not blame her for what happened to him at the Ball. That much was truth, but he did blame her for supporting the psychotics who inevitably enacted the plan. The collateral damage had been significantly worse than just letting one or two people die in a cage so the rest might live. Elric was a little shocked that Kyle even came out of it alive. From the sounds of it, his injuries were significantly worse than Elric's had been. Elric's just were slightly more... limiting.

Elric was not sure that he could still keep a friendship with her. In a slightly more private place he might feel comfortable talking about the details with her. Who knew? Maybe she'd be able to convince him. He doubted it, but she was free to try anyways. "Thank you anyways. You risked quite a bit coming here, especially since Naelona is still looking for you." The words of warning were offered in a hushed tone. It seemed better than telling her that she should leave because Naelona might walk by at any moment.

She never left Elric alone with the papers for long.

[Piper Wren]

"Thank you anyways. You risked quite a bit coming here, especially since Naelona is still looking for you."

Piper felt Elric hug her back and sighed, working up the guts to come and see him hadn’t been easy for her. He didn’t seem outwardly angry with her but Piper still wasn’t sure about where she stood with him. Was he just very good at hiding it from her? It was probably going to take some time and care to repair the damage in their relationship but Piper felt like she had to try. Even when Elric pointed out that she was putting herself at risk by being there thanks to Naelona being stubborn and still looking for her. Piper had hoped the chaos of the ball had momentarily distracted the tenacious boogie from wanting to track her down. It seemed that was too much to hope for. She pulled back from the slightly awkward embrace and rubbed her aching temples before speaking.

“I know, she doesn’t seem to give up. If she wants information about Tristan I don’t know anything…But that aside I still wanted to make sure you were alright.”

She had avoided Naelona fairly effectively so far, Piper hadn’t stayed in one place for very long and made sure not to spend too much time around Kristopher’s area of the dorms. Even though he wanted her there, the only time it was really safe for them to be around each other at the moment was…when changes need to be made. But even then it put them both at risk, just for different reasons. That was one thing Piper had kept incredibly close to her chest, not even Elric was going to hear the details on her relationship with ‘Zarek’. Piper glanced back at the infirmary door, so far the coast appeared clear enough so she could stay for a few more minutes.

“Is your leg healing?”

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona's visits to the hospital were far and few in between, but were with distinct purpose when she did make them. Of all the things used within those warping walls, few understood the supplies required there, and fewer still were competent enough to get them. In all reality, the slaves were fortunate that she even saw fit to do such an errand for them. They had Kristopher to thank for that, mostly. But that was besides the known issues.

"It is." The boogie's voice preceded her, newly returning with freshly stolen supplies cradled gently in her hands Naelona strode back into the room, just soon enough to catch the last words that were spoken. Of course he was healing. Elric would be dead otherwise if it wasn't, or an amputee, or a meal. Naelona wasn't above feasting upon those slaves she'd known personally. In fact they sometimes made for the best dishes.

For the moment Naelona paid the girl no immediate attention as she first went to a clearing trolley, carefully setting the delicate glass vials upon it with soft clinks upon the metal surface. Soundlessly she took a bag from her shoulder and affixed it to the side, before digging in it and tossing a roll of bandages from it at Elric. "Take those." He would need them later, undoubtedly.

Glancing over Nae seemed to finally take note of Piper. Elric would probably be able to recognize Nae's expression, the quick scrutiny of the child from head to toe, undoubtedly not without it's fair measure of mental criticism. Approaching the table, Naelona raised a thin brow at the girl. Wordlessly noting the apples, and a book. Those hasn't been there when she'd left. Just the papers now in plain sight, which the boogie started gathering swiftly.

"And you are..?" The question was expectant, and weighted. Keeping her coal-gray eyes solidly upon this girl, they momentarily shifted from her to the chair-bound boy. He had best have an answer for this.

[Piper Wren]

"It is."

It seemed Piper had her question answered but by someone she had been actively avoiding ever since the Devil’s Ball, Naelona Ezel. This wasn’t good, she should have been away at least another fifteen minutes according to the slaves running the hospital. It seemed either they were wrong or Naelona’s timekeeping was poor. No matter what now was a really good time to be making her excuses and leaving! Piper took a couple of steps away as if she were just glancing out into the corridor to check the clock on the wall. Naelona seemed to be busy clearing the papers that Elric had been working on and digging in her bag for something.

Well at least for a moment she had been anyway. Her expression of obvious scrutiny raked over Piper and made her extremely uncomfortable, she shifted her weight and didn’t give Naelona eye contact. Being slightly humble in this situation was probably the best way to get out of it, Piper knew that Naelona had no love for female slaves. The closest one she had was Kristopher…

"And you are..?"

“Going!” Piper blurted out. “I was just dropping off a few things that some of us from the south wing got for Elric. If you’ll excuse me, Madam. I’ll be on my way.”

‘You never could lie worth a damn could you?’

‘Since when did I develop such a vocal conscience?’

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric was about to answer Piper's question when his Mistress walked in. It was a very good thing that she had not walked in a moment earlier when Piper and Elric had been hugging. Explaining why anyone would show him signs of affection after what he had told Naelona during his first encounter with the woman might have been problematic. Of course, there was still the matter of explaining why anyone would have come to see him at all in the hospital.

You said that no one would miss you.

It had been the truth of the moment when he uttered the words, or at least the truth as he had perceived it at that moment. The question Elric had been dreading came up. It wasn't directed at him in particular, but the flicker of her eyes, however brief, said otherwise. She expected an explanation from Elric, if not an answer.

Elric suspected that Naelona already knew the answer and was just looking for confirmation.

Piper wove a tale that would hardly impress anyone. Elric didn't have many friends and Naelona knew that fact. That single piece of information alone would be enough for her to shred the story apart. Elric shut his eyes as he dreaded what he was about to do. Loyalty created an internal conflict, once again. From a purely pragmatic view it was better to stay on Naelona's good side than Piper's good side. It should not have been a difficult choice, but it was.

"That's Piper Wren, ma'am. I apparently am a poor judge of people." He told Naelona that Piper would not wish to speak to him again. He had told Naelona that no one would miss him if he was gone. Right now everything about this situation was seeming to fly in the face of everything he told Naelona about himself. He hoped that Naelona would let those things slide.

Also, he hoped she'd go easy on Piper.

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona could care less if her gaze made Piper uncomfortable. In a lesser mood, were she not so a stoic an individual she may have enjoyed it, encouraged her unease even. "You are not excused, Miss Wren, so do not lie to me." the boogie stated coldly. So this was the Piper Wren she'd been keeping an eye out for, all as per Tristan's last requests. Elric's answer confirmed her identity. The girl in the red dress. It was high time this happened. As if Naelona didn't have enough things to manage, the woman wasn't about to let this affair escape untouched.

Naelona sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, murmuring lowly.. "..to think he spoke higher of them than this." This hadn't even begun, and she'd felt the regretting sting of ever accepting Tristan's request from the moment she'd started reviewing his notes. He had given her his word once, some time ago, so the favor had been returned. There was ample time to regret the past later, there were more pertinent and important matters to deal with now.

"Piper Wren." The name sounded strange to her ears, but she knew it was correct. "Come, sit. There are matters we need to discuss concerning your late Master, and his final wishes for you." Never one to beat around an issue, that was the entire case in a nutshell. Tapping the papers pointedly upon the desk Naelona arranged them neatly into a near perfect stack before placing them in front of Elric. "It would be in your best interests to hear to them."

For a brief moment while waiting for the girl to make her choice, Naelona stole a glare to send at Elric. On one saving grace, he had brought the girl into her presence whether by accident or purpose, but that was the only reason to be pleased with him now. Apparently the twins' loyal gift had a bit of a lying tongue himself. A poor judge indeed. He wasn't the only one.

Drawing up a chair for herself, Naelona went ahead and took a seat, watching expectantly for the slave to join them. "We may speak of it here, or return to the palace for further discussion. Your choice." As Elric could probably latter attest, the girl ought to be glad she was even given one.

[Piper Wren]

"That's Piper Wren, ma'am. I apparently am a poor judge of people."

Piper felt as if a stone had sunk to the pit of her stomach when Elric told Naelona who she was, she looked over at him and felt sick. He had ratted her out, why? The expression on the young woman’s face wasn’t anger, she was hurt. The boogie infront of her was Elric’s mistress but did he have no loyalty to his friends? Or maybe he didn’t consider her to be his friend anymore, she dropped her gaze to the floor and no longer gave him eye contact. There was no point in trying to run and enforce a struggle that would probably end with Naelona winning...Piper was dreading to hear what it was that Naelona wanted of her.

"You are not excused, Miss Wren, so do not lie to me…Piper Wren. Come, sit. There are matters we need to discuss concerning your late Master, and his final wishes for you. It would be in your best interests to hear to them."

‘Tristan…’

Tristan had final wishes? Piper hadn’t known this and out of respect for him decided to listen, she sat down although she still couldn’t bring herself to look at Elric and worried the fabric of her sleeve in between her finger and thumb. She forced herself to look at Naelona although didn’t quite give full eye contact.

“What is it you wanted to say, Madam?”

[Naelona Ezel]

At least the child had the proper sense to not run and take a seat instead. Considering the slave had belonged to Tristan should've added a bit of merit given what Naelona owed him, yet it was also Tristan and that equally served to her detriment.

"Before your late Master passed on, he bid me a request concerning your ongoing welfare." Sitting back in her chair Naelona folded her hands together lightly, crossing one leg over the other beneath the table. "His terms were that I keep an eye upon you and ensure that you are safe and well cared for regardless of circumstance. He left his remaining assets to me for that very purpose. However, by definition - that includes you and Miss Higurashi as well."

That matter within itself was it's own double-edged sword. There was the matter he had specifically requested she care for them as she did for Kristopher, but the idea either slave would understand to what degree that meant was doubtful. There was a healthy chance neither even knew who Kristopher even was. It was best to keep things simple for them. Simple souls that they were.

"He requested I care for you as I do for my own. He accepted my terms and assured you will not disappoint. I gave my word as an Ezel and now we are here having this discussion." Strange to think it was taking so long for such a simple formality. "There are two things you must be aware of, Miss Wren, and also tell. Firstly, that I am not a kind person. I expect much from my slaves and will likewise expect much from you as well. He assured me I would not be disappointed, it is now up to you to prove that."

"Secondly, what I need to know from you now, Miss Wren, is the names of who if anyone has seen fit to claim you in the meantime. It is vitally important I know if any have lain claim to you, and also of anyone who has expressed subsequent interest in acquiring you. Regardless of number." Tristan had a habit of picking up disputed slaves, she was well aware. Accepting any of his was like inviting a flurried storm of disputes - two of them in fact. Naelona's eyes flickered from a small booklet to the girl, fixing her under a sharp gaze. "Have you any names?"

[Elric Vlarintos]

Piper gave Elric that look. Honestly, should he have expected anything different? Had she anticipated another reaction from Elric? She knew where Elric stood as far as the slave-master line, especially after the ball. Unfortunately, Elric also knew that Piper stood on the opposite side of the line. It was understandable why she thought so much differently from him. For her, the best Elric could offer was that he would not tell Naelona about her other secrets. At least one of them would completely ruin her at this crucial moment.

Of course, that hardly meant that Elric could anticipate Naelona's next words. He had tried reassuring Piper with a similar thought a while ago, but it had seemed like a distant hope. Elric had anticipated it was because of a request from Tristan that Naelona had sent him to take care of Aione Higurashi. The girl was still hardly well, but had seemed to get a little better. He'd take the small victories where he could get them.

Then Naelona asked for names. Elric suspected that he could provide a name, but the question really wasn't directed at him, now was it? Perhaps it would have been better for him to leave so that this conversation was private. With the chair's tiny wheels he could not properly steer himself away from the area even if Nae had dismissed him. No, he was just doomed to sit and listen. It hardly seemed like the most pleasant course of action, but it was the only one he had been given.

This was going to be awkward.

[Piper Wren]

"Before your late Master passed on, he bid me a request concerning your ongoing welfare. His terms were that I keep an eye upon you and ensure that you are safe and well cared for regardless of circumstance. He left his remaining assets to me for that very purpose. However, by definition - that includes you and Miss Higurashi as well.

He requested I care for you as I do for my own. He accepted my terms and assured you will not disappoint. I gave my word as an Ezel and now we are here having this discussion. There are two things you must be aware of, Miss Wren, and also tell. Firstly, that I am not a kind person. I expect much from my slaves and will likewise expect much from you as well. He assured me I would not be disappointed, it is now up to you to prove that. Secondly, what I need to know from you now, Miss Wren, is the names of who if anyone has seen fit to claim you in the meantime. It is vitally important I know if any have lain claim to you, and also of anyone who has expressed subsequent interest in acquiring you. Regardless of number."

Piper looked up, Tristan had put this in place? Had he known something could happen to him? Well…he wasn’t exactly around for her to ask, if he was she wouldn’t be in this whole mess. Even though Piper may never have officially been introduced to Naelona she had heard of her by reputation, she was Kristopher’s Mistress after all. And the fact that she didn’t care for female slaves was commonly heard, the fact Naelona would take in two females under Tristan’s request had to be saying something…although she was wise to ask if any other boogies were interested in claiming Piper, it could cause a few problems. The young woman didn’t look at Elric or Naelona, instead rested her hands on her lap and focused on them as if she found her own fingers fascinating.

“My current master is a Boogie named Zarek, although I haven’t seen him since the ball…Iugo has…tried to claim me in the past and recently Shaehern also…That’s I know, there’s no one else I can think of.”

She forced herself to speak clearly and not mumble, it was best to just answer Naelona’s questions and be done with it. Tristan had done this thinking that it would be safest for her, right? Although she was a member of the rebels and partially responsible for the mess at the ball she still needed the protection of a boogie to keep Iugo away from her. Much to her internal frustration, while it was needed she would still have to act as a slave. She thought briefly about telling Naelona about the more serious issues on the subject of Iugo but Piper thought better of it.

[Naelona Ezel]

"Zarek?" Naelona echoed the name, frowning. "What is his surname?" Offhand the name didn't ring an immediate bell, or any for that matter. Must be some young unknown boogie, for all of her guesses. Anyone of age and respectable origins (and not so respectable) she knew about. It was the young upstarts that tended to throw things for a loop.

Flipping open the small book Naelona jotted down the name, along with a few notes in the obscure writing. If this Zarek hadn't been seen since the ball, it was quite possible he had been one of the bodies recovered in it. Moving to another line Naelona added the following names, though paused upon reviewing them. Iugo.. was a troubling one. She wasn't aware of him possessing many slaves - well, not many that ever lived long enough to leave his dissection table. At the last she paused again, but for a much different reason.

"Shaehern? Shaehern Azhrarn?" Wanted to claim this little child? Naelona seemed caught between deciding if she should laugh or groan. As if she needed yet another reason to deal with that miscreant. "That was unexpected, but you could have attracted worse." She at least could deal with Shae.

"Of Mr. Nationis, however.." Tapping her pen lightly, her face drew grim. He was a much different matter, and his own brand of trouble. Naelona didn't like dealing with Iugo, even more than she disliked dealing with Shaehern, but not quite as bad as Luther. Well, until recently. Now they were in close competition. "As far as I am aware, he is not a keeper of slaves, save as an acquirer for limited purposes. Considering you are still alive, and in one piece.." It was also known Iugo didn't exactly 'acquire' before dissecting, nor did he ask permission from anyone when it came to slaves. He just stole and did. If he had sought to claim, yet the girl still wasn't in his grasps meant one of two things. "What does he want with you?"