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Post by Lovely on Jul 3, 2010 22:20:47 GMT -5
November 16, 2009 6 p.m.
The key fit but the door seemed strange. It pushed open without a squeak and he stepped in, looking back at the walkway to the street. He'd turned off his head-lights... good. He was getting better. He turned back and shut the door to the sound of the rain that was falling steadily now outside. Slipping his collar back down from his overcoat he huddled under in lieu of using an umbrella, he looked around the foyer, reaching to run a finger over a wooden peg under a mirror that seemed familiar but could have been only a photo in a magazine for all he could recall of it being in his everyday life. I should know this, his mind yelled as he frowned. He slipped the overcoat off so it would drip out of harm's way from the peg and looked in the mirror at himself and the living room behing him as he streaked his wet hair back into place. The room was littered with boxes and the signs of alteration in progress. Perhaps he wasn't going to be staying long if she had moved.. but wouldn't new owners have changed their locks? He walked carefully into the room, now hearing the rustling of someone or something shuffling items in a box and he stopped at the archway, glancing around at the shadows of a former life, expecting Lillith to be there, probably packing up Christmas presents resembling stale, burnt and over-salted fruitcakes she used to call homemade treasures... but did not find any sign of any of the wretched things in the room. Instead it was a blonde fussing with the box who had yet to notice he'd wandered in. Say something or not, he was going to startle her eventually. He cleared his throat gently behing a curled hand that hid the relieved grin.
Lillith had been gone long enough for the bulk of the mourning to have passed and the tedious task of sorting through belongings and dividing things up had begun. Strangely none of the girls wanted the house and had made the decision to sell the place but a surprising discovery as they were going through Lillith's stuff had turned sadness into anger. Vivi was left to sort through her sister's things as the girls tried to sort through the feelings of betrayal and hurt. Since the project was a large one and she wanted to get it done as quickly as possible, Vivi had temporarily moved into Lillith's house. She had her own feelings of anger and hurt to sort through but for very different reasons from the girls.. and partly on their behalf.
Vivi wore a pair of cut off sweat shorts and a t-shirt, her hair had been pulled back in a clip but most of it had worked free as she went through what seemed like an endless stack of boxes. She was absorbed in her task and had not heard the front door nor the quiet footsteps of the man who entered and now stood staring at her. She glanced up at the sound of someone clearing their throat and let out a yelp of surprise as her eyes fell on the man and she jumped, causing herself to tumble back, off balance. She stared wide eyed at him, her mouth open in shock.
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Post by Lovely on Jul 3, 2010 22:33:15 GMT -5
He took a step forward as she tipped over. The face was familiar, friendly - all too... but he nearly exclaimed out, finding the name stuck as if forbidden to utter it aloud. He fought it, grinding past the barrier that held his voice back. "Vvvviiii-... Damn her," he finally spat out, putting his hand to his jaw as if feeling he'd pulled taffy with his teeth, making it sore.
The shock remained for a moment and melted into a compassionate expression as he tried to say her name but was unable to get it out fully. "Vivi." She murmured softly before she carefully pushed herself up onto her knees and then slowly stood up. "I guess it was stronger than we thought.. we tried to undo it.." She seemed to be talking to herself and was considering what else they might do to reverse the atrocious deed. "Dmitri..." Vivi smiled and took a step toward him, reaching out for his hands. "It's good to see you.. It's been so long.. you look.." As handsome as ever, but she couldn't say that. "..good."
He wiggled his jaw then reached out for her as he tried to smile, sighing against the frustration he'd been feeling for weeks now as the fog lifted from his memories. "Too long, and don't lie," he hissed playfully, reaching out to hug her properly. Even if he could not speak her name, he knew who she was! More of a relief she didn't seem to hate him for the apparently lengthy absence.
He pulled her in for a hug and she felt like not a day had passed since she'd seen him last, her heart did the same sort of flip flop it always had when she got close to him. "I'm not lying..." She protested softly, her eyes closing as her arms wrapped around him, her hug was like a welcome home to a long lost love. Of course she'd never told anyone of how she'd secretly fallen for him... it was just a crush, at least that's what she'd told herself - over and over.
"Then your perception is slightly askew. I'm far from good. You of all people know that," he teased, rocking her a little before letting go with a pleased sigh. "Thank goodness, though, or I was going to have to explain a great deal to a complete stranger as to why I was walking into their house. My house...," he said more softly, sounding sad and awed as he looked around. "Can't say it's changed much. Not much I remember to tell the difference."
She let out a breath and chuckled as he let go and she took a step back, her smile momentarily bright as she teased him back. "I didn't say you were good.. I said you look good.. as in handsome.." Hopefully he didn't notice the light blush that painted her cheeks and made her want to run out of the room for being so silly. The smile faded as did the blush and she sighed heavily, looking down at her bare feet. Her toes, with their nails painted a soft pink, wiggled against the floor and Vivi slowly nodded, it had been his house but no one had known where to find him or if he could be found. "Well.. I guess it's good you came now.. and not after we sold it."
"Sold...? So it wasn't just a stroke of luck that I found my way here after all these years. She's gone, isn't she?" He had the feeling from the house alone as he stood here, not feeling the crackling, poisonous presence nearby, that she'd left by one means or another, likely by death if the spell that held him all this time had begun to break apart.
Vivi nooded, still looking at the floor and not really sure what to tell him or what he even wanted to know. Lillith had robbed him of years with his daughters and of the precious memories of the time he'd been with them. "Yes, she's gone.. a few months ago.." She chewed at her lip and lifted her gaze to see how he reacted to the news.
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Post by Lovely on Jul 3, 2010 22:46:49 GMT -5
He nodded, looking down the hallway toward the kitchen for a long moment. There seemed to be no register of animosity or sadness, just the same absent expression as when he'd looked at the wooden-framed mirror. He should care, but didn't. He felt very little at all as if even Lillith was nothing more than fiction to him. "Have you packed the coffee maker? I suspect it's going to be a long evening," he said, turning back finally with a faint grin. "Starting with telling me how wonderful you've been."
"I can't tell you that.. you don't like it when I lie to you." Her smile was faint as well, she took a step toward him and also in the direction of the kitchen. "I haven't started on the kitchen, yet. I've sort of been staying here to go through everything since the girls pretty much refuse to come back in here.." She brushed her hand against his sleeve as she went to move ahead of him to make the coffee.
He grabbed at her hand before she moved far. "The girls...," he paused, uncertain what he did remember and what he'd dreamt. They were alright, he surmised, wondering about them now and looking more faint, struck more deeply by their mention.
Vivi turned and the expression on his face twisted her insides. "You remember them?" She asked, her hand sliding into his and she stepped closer to him. "Dmitri.. I'm sorry.. Please come sit down." She was gentle in the tug to try to get him into the kitchen where he could sit at the table.
His head shook slightly. "Not enough... I can't remember enough," he seethed out softly. He couldn't even say a name to ask how they were... or confirm that they truly did exist. He followed her to the kitchen and pulled a chair from the table that seemed to haunt another pale memory. He sat down and leaned on it, staring somewhere into those shadows.
She nodded in understanding and walked with him to the kitchen, not saying anything more as she got the coffee going. She let him stare and think until the scent of brewing coffee started to fill the air, it was then that she came to sit beside him. She felt almost as lost as he looked, in regards of how she could help him. "I'm so sorry for what she did to you.. we only found out a few weeks ago. That's why the girls won't come back.. We tried to undo it.. I guess that didn't work so well.."
"So they know," he scoffed quietly. "I'd hoped somehow they'd be kept away from her brand of magic. I almost find it reassuring that it's not been a flawless recovery. Hopefully they have no need to learn it well. I should say 'thank you' for trying," he said, looking for some silver lining to the cloud he'd been in for years.
"They know now.. all this time.. we thought.. we were led to believe you were gone by your own choice." Her tongue played lightly over her lips and she reached to put her hand over his. "They were kept away. She never taught them anything.. even after they showed natural abilities.. so I taught them.. I guess my brand is different than hers.."
He looked up as her hand curled over his. He was hopeful as much as he was concerned. "Have they? Not openly, only to ... family? Vvv-... damn. I have to know that they're alright. I would never have gone by choice. They need to know that, too."
The fact that he couldn't say her name made tears well in her eyes and she looked away, this was all her fault. She'd discovered more about Lillith while left to sort through everything. All she'd given to her sister and now she found out the woman was jealous of her and very nearly hated her. "I'm sorry.." She whispered again, her head shaking slightly. "They never flaunted it.. I made sure they knew not to.. I can't say they are alright.. Dmitri, they are very hurt at finding out what thier mother did."
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 0:34:40 GMT -5
"What I allowed her to do...," he corrected gently, moving his chair closer. "I placed far too much trust in her and that .. is not your fault. They've apparently grown to be wise girls to know and see that you're not to blame. Why should you feel I think you are?"
"She was your wife Dmitri.. you were supposed to be able to trust her." Vivi looked back at him, the tears shining in her eyes though they didn't flow down her cheeks. "It is my fault Dmitri... She did this.. because of me.. because she thought.. you were falling in love with me and she was threatened by that thought.. She pretty much hated me. I never even knew she felt that way.. Even the things I did for her.. she didn't see them as gifts, they were threats.."
"She was a sick woman," he stated flatly. "However, she might not have been wrong entirely about everything, despite the corruption of her dark arts. She was always perceptive. Perhaps too perceptive," he suggested, reaching up to the corner of her eye and whispering a quiet word to the air to help the tears fade before they fell.
Was she that easy to read that he saw it even after all these years and what Lillith had done to his memory? "See.. it is my fault.. I am so sorry Dmitri.. I don't know how I can ever make it right. I had no idea she knew that I was in love with you. I swear.. I was just a teenager.. I thought it was hormones and a really big crush. I never meant for any of this to happen.. If I'd known she knew and felt that way.. I would have left. I'd have gone away if she asked me to.." The tears didn't fall but her voice trembled as she begged for him to somehow find a way to forgive her for being so awful to have fallen for him.
"You're twisting my words before I've even explained myself," he said, a little shocked by her admission. He chuckled a little bit. "Here I was going to say that what you just said... what she feared... was a little bit true."
She stared at him, shocked into silence for the moment, her mouth moved but no words came from them. The coffee had finished brewing before she could do more than stare at him and even then she couldn't pull her gaze away as she searched his eyes and tried to wrap herself around his words. "You.. it was?" She stammered and sat back heavily in the chair. "I'm a terrible person." She whispered, her gaze continued to roam his face, drinking in every detail.
"No," he shook his head, the grin curling a little. "The only terrible person is no longer here. The spell she left, however, still has my tongue laden with cement and I can't say what I truly wish, but in time... hopefully it will fully fade. Yes... a little bit true, realizing as I stood in the doorway just now that it's now more than just a little bit."
"You can't even say my name... she must have really been pissed.. This might explain my run of bad luck that seemed to stop after..." She sighed and her fingers reached for his hand again. "I never meant to hurt her.. I never even told anyone how I felt.. I didn't even dare write it in my diary... I guess I was guilty for just feeling it to begin with." She laughed half heartedly, leaning her other arm on the table. "..and I am terrible.. I shouldn't feel happy or excited to hear you say the things you can manage to say and I shouldn't be hoping that you mean what it sounds like you mean. No wonder the girls made her feel even more threatened.. I need to stop thinking.."
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 0:54:12 GMT -5
"Never stop thinking," Dmitri said softly. "I'll try not to stop trying to speak as I should. Things I should have said ages ago and maybe this would never have happened. Maybe it would. I have an idea, though. Since the girls are not here... do you still have her spell? I suppose the worst that could happen is I'll become completely mute..."
"I took a sign language course in college.. " The chuckle was half hearted again, her joke not entirely funny considering the things she'd discovered about her sister recently. "I still have it.. We weren't sure if what we'd done had worked so we thought it best to keep it.. just in case.. I'll go get it." She let go of his hand and gently pushed herself up to stand. "I've been staying in Ruby's old room." She explained quietly before turning to leave him to his thoughts for a few moments while she went to get Lillith's spell.
He stood to pace a little, finding that sitting still in this place made him uneasy, not being certain of what other measures Lillith may have taken in the past to ensure he'd stay away. He reached to the cabinet and pulled a cup into his hand then set it on the counter, staring into it. Some old habits hadn't left him, it seemed, knowing where the cups were kept. He grabbed another for Vivi and got them ready as he waited.
It wasn't until she passed the mirror in the room she was using that she realized how she looked, it wasn't hideous by any means but she felt like she was. "I'm a mess." She muttered to herself, pulling the clip from her hair and running her fingers through it to try to make it less.. awful. He'd notice if she changed her clothes so she didn't do that but groaned at herself in the mirror before heading back to the kitchen. She had a book in her hands, it wasn't your typical journal but would likely not be a surprise for Dmitri to see. "Hey.." He was at the counter getting the coffee, which surprised her in a nice way and she set the book on the table. "Thank you." She motioned to the coffee feeling slightly unsure whether she was supposed to treat him like a guest or act as if this was his house and -she- was the guest in it.
He 'came to' a little when she returned and handed her a cup, sweetened and lightened a little like his own. "Apparently auto-pilot manages to have its charm," he smirked. "I didn't think to ask what you wanted in yours." He looked at the book she set down and he seemed to collapse in slight defeat. "That old thing."
She smiled and took the cup, shaking her head a little. "You used to make mine.. just like yours.. and tease me for copying you." She murmured quietly as she stared into her mug, trying not to let his reaction to the book make her sink further into the feelings of remorse. "Apparently it's a family heirloom.. of sorts.." She meant the book and glanced in it's direction but didn't keep her gaze on it for long, she wasn't sure how she felt about it being left to her now that she knew it had been used to hurt Dmitri.
"Surprised she hadn't warded that, itself," he said, reaching for the book that skirted immediately a foot out of his reach to the opposite side of the table. "Ahhh so she did. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or not. Perhaps you'd better find the page then, and show me from a distance, hm?"
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 1:07:55 GMT -5
"Well it's mine now.. I wonder.." She set her mug down and glared at the book as one might do to a naughty child. It inched back toward him but did not slide into his grasp, the ward was strong but since it had a new owner perhaps it could be altered or perhaps it was only meant for family.. blood family that is. The girls had not had an issue with it nor had Vivi. "Interesting." She picked up the misbehaving book and opened it, the pages flipping themselves and then coming to rest on the spell she was looking for. "This is it." She held onto the book tightly, in case it decided to throw itself from her hands as she went to sit beside Dmitri again. The book twitched and she had to laugh softly. "It's fiesty."
"It learned well from the prior owner," he noted, pulling his chair close to the table to read around her arm but not touch the book which clearly was told to stay away from the man. He took a sip of the coffee and moved his cup out of harm's way if the thing started to fight them both. "The components themselves... it was more the caster than the elements in it that gave it its power. That might be tremendously good news."
He was close enough and this pose was familier to her at least, it took her back to being seventeen and him leaning over her shoulder to correct her or offer suggestions for the mild and nonharmful spells she'd been learning at the time. She had looked up to both him and Lillith, it was sad to know her sister had never known how admired she'd been. "Good news? Umm because the caster is no longer here?"
"Yes. It appears only as strong as the will behind the desire to keep it in effect. No desire, no will... no spell. I suspect it will continue to fade on its own and likely faster once the book is separated from her old things that carry her energy. Not entirely sure you want it in your own home, though," he warned, not certain either of what things might be buried in it that might have caused Lillith to become as she'd been.
She looked down at the book again, it was as if it were a living entity and she could feel the sadness coming from it at the suggestion that she wouldn't want it in her home. She let go of it and it slowly closed itself and slid across the table like it was depressed, she stared after it for a moment before turning her gaze toward Dmitri. "I'm not her." She spoke softly but quite firmly in that statement, her own expression was a bit sad. "I don't have a home to take it to.. anyway." She admitted with a slight shrug, she'd stayed with Lillith for a long time but when she went out on her own, she'd never been able to stay in one place for long or put down any roots. Vivi had wandered, searching for something but she never quite knew what it was she was looking for.
"Of course you're not. She wasn't even her by the time... I can't blame the book. The book is only the innocent witness, you're right. The will is the thing and hers was turned toward doing harm, so harm she did," he reasoned, watching the book's behavior. He sighed and smiled at the thing like it was a downtrodden puppy. "It's not your fault. Come back over here to her. She's your master now."
It seemed the book understood them well and it stood up so to speak, slowly 'walking' itself back toward Vivi as if on awkward feet, tipping from one corner to the other. Once in front of the woman to whom it now belonged, it fell back and opened again, the pages flipped in a frenzy and then rested still but not on the spell they'd been looking at before.
Vivi leaned to read what was there and her brow furrowed a bit. "Why would it show us a love spell?" She asked looking to Dmitri to see if he had any ideas, too bad the book couldn't talk... or could it? Vivi didn't notice the date scrawled in the corner of the page, a date Dmitri might remember depending on if Lillith's spell was worn off enough to allow it.
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 1:13:08 GMT -5
"It's been well trained to tell you things you might not be aware of completely..or not at all.. on a conscious level, things that have altered something around you," Dmitri explained, reverting to his sort of teaching as if this were a new lesson. He tried to read the page and noticed the dates that seemed to make his face knot in confusion.
"So.. it's trying to tell us something?" Alright, that was new but exciting in it's own way, she smiled faintly and turned to look over the page again. What was it trying to tell them with this page? She chewed lightly at her lower lip, her fingers rubbing over her thumb as her eyes scanned over the page and this time she saw the date. It wasn't as signifigant for her as it had been for Lillith or Dmitri, but the date was familiar to Vivi. "Maybe it has something to do with the date.. but I don't know what happened on this date.. it's definitely before the girls were born.. before you were married... were you even dating then?" She asked and then cringed slightly, that was inconsiderate.. what if he didn't know or couldn't remember. Think before you speak Vivi!
"I should know. What I don't know I can calculate, at least within reason. I believe...," he paused and went a little pale as he sat back in his chair. He reached for the coffee cup, staying silent a few moments.
Her eyes moved over his face as she waited for him to speak, whatever he believed was obviously not a good thing judging by how he paled a bit. "You believe.. what?" Vivi asked softly, not wanting to push but feeling like she very much needed to know the answer. Her hand lifted toward him but she hesitated and then let it drop down into her lap.
"It backfired. It worked for a while I suppose, but once truth worked its way out through the facade she couldn't control it... or me," he said quietly, holding his cup to his chest for its warmth. He glanced over to Vivienne, unable to explain anything that would reassure her at the moment. "I'm fairly certain she was threatened by anyone, not just you."
Her head tilted to the side and she studied him for a moment longer before her gaze was drawn back to the page and the date. "Are you.." She almost couldn't say the words, already feeling as if she should say it wasn't possible, that her sister wouldn't do such a thing. At the same time she felt her stomach turn and knew Lillith could and did. ".. she used this spell on you?" She reached for her own mug and tried to fight off the chill that thought left behind.
"It's a binding spell, but if one of those in the spell isn't completely true of heart, it breaks apart in all sorts of wretchedly bad ways. It's meant for those who are already inseparably in love, meant for those being sent to war or out to sea for instance, to remain forever close and find their way home to the other. Part of that vast equation was missing to start with," he said, watching the book seem to quiver as if it felt guilty for what had been done so long ago.
"First she tries to bind you to her and then she sends you away and makes you forget.." Her head shook as did her voice with her growing frustration, how had her sister gotten so far off course and how had she not seen it? "Why..? I just don't understand why she'd.. I mean if this is the date she used it on you.. You couldn't have even been dating long.." Her hand rested on the book as if to try to reassure it that it was not responsible for what it's keeper had done. "Do you think.. if we tried to reverse this one.. it might help with the other, since it started with this one?"
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 1:49:53 GMT -5
He shook his head. "It's already undone. It's meant to bind me to her but it's unraveled itself for having no common love to bind me to her." He chuckled a little and set his cup down. "Hers or mine. Hers may have seemed it, but truly I believe it was possessiveness, not love. They're quite different. You know the story.. if she couldn't have me, no one could. Though I sound conceited even discussing it."
"I don't think you're conceited.. under the circumstances I think you're handling everything quite well... better than I am and you have more reason to be upset." She sighed and took a sip from her mug then gently set in on the table. "Possessive.. I guess she was lost before either of us realized.. I feel like I didn't ever really know her."
"Two of us, agreed," he said, shaking his head still as he watched the book. "I'm saving up being upset. It will do no good to vent it here." He could, but the walls here had more than their share of negative energy. Once he saw the girls, calculating their ages and trying to imagine how they'd grown... He hadn't noticed his fist until now as he uncurled his fingers to lay flat on the table a moment. He reached again for his cup and turned it to see it mostly empty. He quietly pushed his chair back and stood to refill it.
"I really wish I had my own place to go to right about now.." The comment was partly her just thinking out loud but it was also very true, she didn't want to be in the house if she didn't have to be. He was upset, just trying not to express it, she'd seen the clench of his fist and wished she could offer him somewhere neutral to try to deal with all of this. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes. Let me warm up your cup," he offered, turning kind and gentle. He had no ill will toward her and she hadn't expected all this tonight. A late clap of thunder rattled the glasses in the cupboard and he chuckled. "She knooooows we're talking about her."
The clap of thunder made her jump and she did not laugh with him at his joke, Vivi was begining to wonder what else Lillith might have done. If she was that angry and that possesive fifteen years ago.. it was giving Vivi a headache to think of it and she got up from the table to hand Dmitri her mug. She needed to move or she was going to scream, the change in his demeanor was noted and she smiled softly as she held out her cup for him. "Are you sure I can't do anything.. for you?"
"Allowing me time to soak it all in is more than I can ask. I have a lot of years to sort out," he said, pouring the cups full. The lights flickered a moment then finally went dark. He set the pot on the counter and waited a moment. He used to know where candles were, but wasn't sure what had been used in over a decade. "Aaah... actually a match might be good and a candle or two. With that kind of flicker, a tree's likely broken the line."
"After all this time, I finally get you alone in the dark and you want a candle." There was laughter and nervousness in her voice, a light chuckle followed her words and he'd hear her moving in the dark to find the candles and matches. "Unless she moved them in the past few years.. ah.. hmm.. oh.. found them." She pulled a few from the drawer and felt around for the matches, shaking the box lightly to hear the familiar rattle. There was the sound of the wooden match along the side of the box and then the flame illuminated a small area as she lit a few of the candles before shaking the match out so it wouldn't burn her fingers.
The warm yellow glow shone off the glossy sparkle in his eyes and the dampness still in his hair. He smiled a little and didn't try to hide it much. "Only so I don't burn your hand with your coffee. Can always blow them out again," he suggested. "I suppose fifteen years ago I'd have scolded you for teasing the older boys, wouldn't I?"
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 1:55:24 GMT -5
Her smile grew a little wider and she shrugged, turning her gaze on him and revealing that her eyes had their own sparkle to meet his. "Mmm you would have scolded me for teasing any boys.. Good thing you're not any boy.."
"Well the reason wasn't entirely because you'd break their hearts... deserving or not, I didn't want to watch that happen," he explained, taking a sip of his coffee then leaving it on the counter to take up one of the candles. "Perfect weather for making all kinds of magic, actually. Should we go sit by a fire?"
She bit at her lip to hold back any number of comments she could have made and then let go to smile at him again. "If you want to start a fire.." She countered to his last question, since there wasn't one in the way she thought he meant. She hadn't felt at home enough in this place to bother with the fireplace or any such comforts. "I'll get our mugs.. actually aren't you supposed to have wine with a fire?" She'd been too young to enjoy such a thing with him before but now she was plenty old enough for it.
"Apparently I already have. No. No wine for me, but I'll be happy to allow you a glass. I've been in a fog all this time, I appreciate the sharp edges at the moment. However, after a long chat and a little more information from our little paper friend there, we can put him to bed and talk about other things."
She laughed at his wording.. allow her a glass? Like she was a teenager still and.. it was nice in a way but she shook her head, she'd rather enjoy one with him when he felt ready for it than drink alone and feel as though she were trying to drown her sorrows. "Another time then.. when we can both enjoy it." She reached for their mugs and shifted to follow him into the other room, she'd have to come back for the book and the other candles.
His feet seemed to remember the way although the hallway he'd thought was a different color and shorter. The fireplace wasn't too hard to discern since only one wall would support it, the other having the large-paned window that the rain and sleet slapped against. Another flash illuminated the room briefly but the thunder was far off. The sleet sounded softer in moments, leaving the rain to drum its soft rhythm as he pushed a box or two aside and reached to the pieces of wood that had been brought in to dry. There weren't many of them, so it was likely to be a short burn, but all they'd need. The candle he'd set on the mantle made the shadows of the boxes dance eerily. As Vivi followed him in with her hands full, there was a soft thump followed by a slightly louder one behind her, then a strange patter like a child running in rain boots a size too big. The book was told to stay close, but it seemed it didn't want to be left untended at all, hovering close near Vivienne's feet.
She turned at the noise behind her and her expression melted into an 'oh thats so cute' pout as she shifted to set the mugs on the mantle and then reached to scoop the book up into her arms. "Aww.. it's like it's scared.. There, there.. it's alright." She had to laugh a little as she realized she was cooing to the book as if it were a pet or something. "Maybe I do need to drink."
Dmitri chuckled softly. The sound hadn't alarmed him entirely, though he'd turned to ensure it wasn't something weather-related springing an unexpected leak somewhere. "It's perfectly normal to treat it like a pet. It very nearly has been one all these years. It knows more family secrets than anything else in this house, I'm sure," he said, admiring her tender nature a moment before turning to pull the smoldering kindling into place.
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 2:02:57 GMT -5
"So.. it's doesn't make me.. nuts? Heh.. okay." Her hand ran over the spine and back cover of the book and she set it down on a nearby chair. "I have to go get the other candles.. you just stay right here.." She whispered to the book and then glanced at Dmitri again, yeah she had to be nuts.. this whole night was a little crazy. She was smiling though and felt strangely happy for a moment as if things were finally taking a turn in the right direction. "I'll be right back.." She said to both of them and hurried off through the shadows to get the other candles.
"No, it doesn't make you nuts. It makes me curious though," he said, watching her pet the book further before running off. He tried to reach for it himself, wondering if again the book would shirk away. It appeared to tremble as if growling angrily or acting protectively. Dmitri pulled his hand away again and laughed. "Alright... but expect to be put to bed early if you keep that up."
"All I did was go get the candles." She chuckled as she came back into the room to find him gently scolding the book. "Aww you be nice too or I'll put you to bed early!" She scolded Dmitri with a playful wag of her finger after she set the lit candles on the mantle with his.
The fire finally started to crackle and glow steadily, brightening the room more and he set the tools aside to reach for her hand from where he was still crouched. "All you did was remember," he explained. "That is worth more than you can imagine, to help me piece back together all the rips in my memory."
Her hand curled gently around his and she lowered down, facing him with a soft smile. "I missed you." She told him in a voice that was quiet, like whispering a secret for the first time, her eyes drank in his face as the fire cast flickering light over it. "I'll do everything I can to help you put everything where it should be."
"That sounds like it could be a dangerous promise to uphold. 'Everything' encompasses quite a bit," he teased, tugging her gently to sit down with him. "We start with trying to find a spell that will help me say your name. That's more important than anything else I can think of."
"That's the most important thing..?" She echoed quietly and a thought occured to her. "Promise not to laugh at me.." She came down beside him and reached to cup his face in her hands, she didn't wait for him to promise before she leaned to kiss him tenderly.
Dmitri accepted the kiss and had no intention of laughing. He returned it as tenderly as the gesture was offered and he stroked her cheek, marking it with some of the ash from the fire. He shifted back from her slowly, feeling a strange wash of energy ripple through him. His nose tickled from it and he reached up to brush the tickle away, feeling like he might sneeze. Instead a small ball of light, barely visible even in the firelight, clouded into being from his mouth. Like a soap bubble, it seemed to float away and grow thin and pale, then in a faint whisper, a chorus saying Vivi's name and nickname and the names of the girls burst out in a vibrant hiss as the bubble burst.
The kiss was more wonderful than she imagined it would be and she felt like she was tingling with a faint charge as they pulled apart. Her eyes widened at the hiss and bursting of the bubble that showered her name and the girls' into the air. "Oh my goddess.." She breathed, surprised and delighted by this development. "Dmitri.." She brought her gaze to his face, smiling hopefully. ".. try now.."
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Post by Lovely on Jul 4, 2010 2:09:00 GMT -5
"In a moment," he smiled, sure that he could utter anything he wanted, but at the moment he didn't want to talk. He reached for another brief kiss first, perhaps to ensure that the bubble wouldn't sneak back in. She was about to ask why when he reached for another kiss, she had no objection to that.. none at all. The only thing trying to sneak in his mouth was her tongue as she leaned to keep the kiss from being too brief. She'd waited all these years to kiss him, she wasn't going to let the chance slip away. The kiss was somewhere between affection and confection, sweetened with the unexpected bravery from her and from within himself. During his absence he'd not really met anyone who'd become close enough for this sort of warmth and discovery. A few moments passed before he pulled back from her again. "Missed you too.... Vivi." Her face lit up as he said her name and she wanted to tackle him, instead she let out a soft laugh of delight. "You said my name.." Her voice full of awe and joy at how the kiss had made it possible.. of course her heart was beating faster as she realized what it must mean. Her fingers brushed gently down the side of his face, then down over his arm until her fingers could curl around his again. "Promise me, I'm not dreaming this." "You're not dreaming... at least not yet. I don't suppose the offer of that wine is still available, is it?" He reconsidered, especially now that there seemed to be reason to celebrate even more. "Of course the offer is still available... Where are your keys? If you drink.. there is no driving, I'll have to insist you spend the night with me." She didn't think he'd try to drive drunk and that he could handle himself, her comments were more teasing and inviting. She was asking him to stay in her own way, whether or not anything more than those kisses happened. She wasn't in a rush for more but couldn't say she'd oppose it if he was interested. "I'll go get some glasses and a bottle." She shifted to get up, sneaking a kiss to his cheek. "Be nice to the book while I'm gone." He had his keys in his pocket and pulled them out to set beside the book. "Watch those," he said, assigning the thing something to keep its attention so it hopefully wouldn't feel neglected. He poked the fire a little to soften the intensity of the burn and let it glow softly more for light than heat. He'd noticed how the rain seemed lighter and checked the window next. Peeking out to the early evening beyond, the storm had turned into wide, wet flakes that were already starting to build up. The entire street appeared dark from the outage and it was unnerving to look out into such darkness within town limits, especially given the knowledge of what lurked out in that darkness. Dmitri pulled the drapes closed, sealing them in deeper privacy while she got their glasses ready. Vivi returned with a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a corkscrew, she set her treasures near the hearth and stepped up beside Dmitri as he came away from the windows. She was a little hesitant but it felt natural to slip her arm around him and she smiled as if she was sticking her hand into the cookie jar and getting the biggest cookie in there. "I'm hoping it's a blizzard." She whispered with a barely there giggle in hopes of being snowed in together. "May very well be. If not, I'm sure your pet book may have something to help the weather along," he suggested, finding her gestures surprising and the remembered image of the young girl happily replaced by this woman. "I'm not paying attenion to it to know or care." "We need to give him a name." She scrouched up her face as they discussed her new pet, the weather and not caring a thing about the storm brewing outside. "Hmm while the weather outside does what it's going to do.. why don't you come curl up by the fire with me and wine. We can discuss what kind of magic you'd like to make tonight.. there's a blanket over the back of the couch and everything."Scene fade to black...
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