Loren stood before the Launceleyn Manor, feeling uncertain. He’d left this life behind consciously, to forge his own path in the world. Indeed, he’d thought it was important to make his own space, his own life, his own home. At the time, he'd known that unless he broke ties with his family, they'd strangle him with them. And he'd wanted to see what he could do on his own, without anyone holding him back or down or accountable. He’d failed spectacularly at every single one of those endeavors. Indeed, he’d basically thrown the last year away, keeping to himself. There hadn’t really been a good excuse for it either: life in this new world had proven to be too much for him to handle, what with the gods and monsters and lost love and simply everything. So he’d retreated, becoming a broken shell of his former self. But now he’d emerged from said shell and was ready to come back to those he’d once knew. Unfortunately, it might already be too late for that. He’d seen the news of Edrei’s death on the Notice Board and his heart had plummeted. He’d already lost so much, and knowing that he’d never see her again, never be able to reconcile their broken relationship struck him to his core. If only he'd come back sooner, then maybe he could've prevented her death. But as always, Loren wasn't enough. Which might be why he was here, now, at the threshold of the manor, hesitating. He wasn’t sure whether he’d be welcome there after his disappearance, but he was family, and so was she, and despite not being there for her at the end (and indeed, barely knowing her at all), Loren would at least pay his respects. He owed them that much, and they owed him that as well, even if there weren't any of them left. But it was hard making himself take those last few steps towards the enormous house. He vividly remembered the heated words and terrible argument he’d had with his family—and with Edy especially—before he’d stormed off, intending to prove himself to them, and to cut ties. But once again, he came crawling back, too weak to stand on his own. Or maybe he was finally tired of being alone, and needed to find what little family he had left. Too many were gone already: his mother, Cyton, Neron, Zariah apparently, and now Edrei. And while Loren had hated his family with a burning passion for what they’d done to him, he’d loved them too, in his own way. All he ever wanted was for them to accept him and to build a life alongside them, not apart from them. It was too late for that now, but he owed it to those who remained to try to rebuild from the ashes. If there was no one else to carry on the Launceleyn tradition and name, then it fell to him. But he'd do it in his own way. Which is what he'd wanted to begin with, and it left him empty inside. Wishes had a funny and terrible way of coming true. But the phoenix had always been his favorite mythical creature for a reason. No matter how many obstacles it faced, how many times it died, it was always reborn, good as new, sometimes better. It was time for Loren to emulate that. So he pushed through the open doors and waited for his eyes to adjust to the gloomier interior. LOREN Not quite an open book |
A Homecoming of Sorts (Open)
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the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
08-22-2019, 09:46 PM
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-22-2019, 10:58 PM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice "Mother, what do Launceleyn's do when family members die?" she had asked one night as she sat on her bed, letting her mother carefully comb her hair after a bath. "My, was a morbidly specific question. Why do you ask?" her mother had cooed gently. "I overheard someone talking about burying people in a...uh...Cemartitery or something but you never said there was one back home." she had explained. Home of course had meant the family compound, not the nation itself. "Because there wasn't one my dear. Launceleyns are born from magic, and to magic we return. Our bodies are burned with the power of fire magic, as well as our belongings. And then, when we are naught more than smoldering ash, our families move on and the time for mouring is over." "Oh! That makes sense." It was simple. Pragmatic. Logical. It fit in the narrative of her heritage that she had memorized and now she asked nothing more. But oh, she should have. What did you do when there was no body? What did you do when you ran for the streets, not sure you could trust the so called monarchy that enslaved your family once before? What you do when you were just a ten year old girl trying to figure out how to survive with your four year old brother and now had to come up with a magical funeral? Figure it out, Beatrix. Launceleyn's make order in chaos and overcome all obstacles. That sounded like something her mother would say. So she snuck back into the manor, coming through a back entrance and making her way to Edrei's room, Jace clinging to her back piggyback style. Once in, she set him down, finding a bag in Edrei's closet. "Okay, Jacey, we gotta put all of Aunt Edy's stuff in here. Got it?" she said. Jace nodded, quiet as usual, toddling over to the bed and pulling out whatever he found and dutifully taking it to the bag. But as the duo began collecting things, Beatrix froze, hearing a noise. Her eyes narrowed, nose wrinkling. "Stay here, Jacey. Don't make a peep. Get under the bed okay?" she whispered to him. The boy nodded and hid as told. Quietly the young girl tiptoed out, carefully avoiding the squeaky boards on the stairs. Still hidden in the shadows, she poked her head around the corner and spotted... "Loren?!" she said, gaping in shock. the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-23-2019, 12:43 AM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice Beatrix gaped at him, still standing on the stairs. She simply couldn't believe it. He had been gone for a year- a whole year - and suddenly he was here again?! "Where is everyone? Where have you been?!" she said, dark eyes welling up with tears as her lips pursed. "The Voice sent mom somewhere and she didn't come back. Edy got eated by a Landshark. And I dunno where Peter is but I don't like him anyways." she said still, following orders like a good young Launceleyn. Quickly she wiped at her eyes. Stupid tears. Stupid emotions. "I don't even know where Bobi went. It's just me and Jace and we are only here cause we gotta get Edy's things." the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
08-23-2019, 01:22 AM
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-23-2019, 12:46 PM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice Beatrix's nose wrinkled at his answer, a little sniffle emphasizing it. "You don't know?! What does that mean were your eyes closed??" she said, confused by the statement. Even when her eyes were closed she knew where she was. How did you just not know that?! But then he said she was scared and she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not scared I just thought you were dead and now you're not!" she said huffily. She was ten. Patience was not her strong suit. The young girl lifted her hand to count off on her fingers. "Bobi is Edy's companion bobcat she found in the infirmary. Peter is a Launceleyn from another dimension or something so he got brought into the family and he is a total dweeb but he always has candy. The Voice is the goddess that makes the Ascended and she was in the Spire and got put their by the other gods cause I don't know I guess she wasn't very popular or something." she said with a sigh. There. Background. the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
08-23-2019, 01:53 PM
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-23-2019, 03:11 PM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice Beatrix groaned with irritation as Loren went on. She forgot how irritating brothers could be. Jace was still little and didn’t really get into trouble. But now here was Loren acting like he was some big shot guy after being disappeared for a whole year. Where was he when mom became Queen? Where was he when she disappeared? Where was he when Edy died? Nowhere, that’s where. Her brows furrowed, glaring at him as best she could. ”You left us Loren. We are a family and you left. We needed you and you disappeared.” she said angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. ”I already said I don’t know where the dweeb is! Probly with his butt-kissin’ boyfriend!” she said, exasperated. Adults never listened, ever. Only Aunt Edy ever listened to her. Her lips pursed and she sniffled, rubbing her eyes. ”I don’t got time for this, I gotta get Edy’s stuff and have a funeral for her.” she huffed, stomping back up the stairs. ”You can come out, Jacey it’s fine. Keep getting stuff in the bags.” she said. Dutifully the little boy crawled out and went right back to work collecting Edrei’s things. the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
08-23-2019, 03:50 PM
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-23-2019, 06:58 PM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice Beatrix knew she was right, she didn’t need him to tell her that. She didn’t make a habit of lying (unless it somehow suited her purposes) and instead called everything like she saw it. ”Are you family, cause I am pretty sure you don’t abandon things you care about.” she huffed, her tone a mixture of hurt and upset. It wasn’t fair. He disappeared and didn’t have to deal with anything and now he got to come back and just…do whatever? Act like he cared? ”No I don’t know where the butt-licker’s house is. I don’t really care though cause he is a dweeb and now if I want candy I got other places to take it from.” she said, going around Edrei’s room and pulling things out. There were toys for Bobi and some men’s clothes – not that she put any of it together. Then she came across a huge drawer of…very lumpy sticks with flat bottoms. She started pulling them out and putting them in the back, deciding she wanted to keep a particularly large one she found. Beatrix waved it around, brows furrowing. Weird. She didn’t know Aunt Edy liked collecting whacky sticks. She carefully tied it to the sash around her waist like a sword, before continuing on. Jace looked up at Loren when he was addressed, wide-eyed, attentive, seemingly more alert than most children his age would be. ”I know you.” he said softly, carrying random articles of clothing from under Edrei’s bed to the bag. ”We-come back.” he said, clearly not of the disposition to be bothered by Loren’s reappearance like Beatrix, but he was also much younger, and his understanding of the world was quite different. the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
08-23-2019, 08:02 PM
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-25-2019, 10:23 PM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice "I don't remember anyone abandoning you. You were the Left Hand, you were the second in charge." Bea quipped at him, still collecting random odds and ends of Edrei's physical possessions. That didn't sound like abandonment. That didn't sound like failure. "You know what I think? I think you don't know how to let go when people are mean to you or don't agree with you or don't think like you do. And even then it doesn't really matter, you wanna know why?" she said, pausing long enough to put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing at him in a hardened stare. "Because just because someone else makes you mad, or makes you upset, or hurts you doesn't mean you have to react. Mom taught me that and I get that it is hard cause I am no good at it too, but you didn't have to leave. I was still here. You're my big brother and I wanted you here. But just because you got upset at the adults you left them and left me too - cause that's always what adults do. You all react and then kids gotta clean up your messes." she huffed, then returned to work. Jace just stared at her, then looked at Loren with wide eyes, a light frown on his lips. "Bea talk a lot." he said quietly before continuing to put things into the bag. "No!" Beatrix shouted at Loren, glaring at his outstretched hand and holding on to the head-bopper she hand on her hip. "I want part of Aunt Edy's stick collection to remember her by, it's mine!" she snapped. "Gotta get Andeddy's things to burn them back to magic." Jace said quietly, repeating what Beatrix had told him, not fully comprehending that it was a Launceleyn style funeral he was describing. When asked if he could help though, Jace looked into Edrei's closet and pointed to the top, where there were things well out of the reach of both he and Beatrix. the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer ✓
Age: 30 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int: ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked
Change author: Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913 MP: 3415
08-26-2019, 12:10 AM
Age: 25 | Height: 5'5" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo Level: 2 - Strg: 10 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Vee
Change author: Posts: 182 | Total: 840 MP: 655
08-26-2019, 12:49 AM
Beatrix Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice But Before You Mess with Me You'd Best Think Twice Beatrix stopped what she was doing when Loren yelled at her, Jace mirroring her. Both of the children's expressions dropped entirely, masks that would be all too familiar to the older Launceleyn covering their inner thoughts and feelings. There wasn't a Launceleyn alive over the age of two that didn't have that expression locked down. It was necessary to survive their rigid system of order and power, painstaking trainings and harsh punishments. Beatrix said nothing until Loren finally got through the angry part of his rant. And for a moment after she said nothing still. Instead she glanced towards Jace, and upon receiving the look, the boy quietly resumed his task of picking up. Bea looked back up at her older brother then, still deadpan emotionless. "You talk about it like you've been treated differently or worse. We've all been tortured. We've all been through it. Mom made me practice my magic while zapping me with lightning. If I didn't do the spell right she made it stronger. Made me do it til I didn't flinch or cry or basically even notice it." she said dryly, eerily calm given her age - too calm given her age. As much as she acted out, Beatrix had learned to force maturity when faced with hard situations. It was the Launceleyn way. "You're not supposed to roll over like a puppy. You're supposed to get stronger. You're supposed to recognize that because of it we all have an unbreakable bond that no one but your family will ever understand. No one will ever understand you like we do. Once you accept that, it all becomes easier." she said, almost as if reciting something she heard far too many times. He gave his bargain and she shrugged. "Are you actually going to forget the past, or are you going to hold on to it for a billion years until you explode again?" she asked. Jace merely looked mildly confused at Loren's apology. People yelled all the time. He didn't understand. So he just nodded. Agreeing was always ended good. But once more Loren tried to take her stick and Beatrix sighed. "I don't care if it isn't for children, Edy loved it and so I will too. Besides, I am planning this funeral so I will keep what I want." she huffed as she continued collecting things that were explicitly Edrei's. Jace didn't much pay attention to what stayed in the air. He was content to take what he could reach and place away. | ||||||
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