can't leave now, I'm haunted (Open)

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book The conversation shifted away from the Launceleyns, both real and adopted, for which Loren was grateful. The more he heard about what they’d been up to in his absence, the more worried he became. And guiltier: seemed like they’d gotten quite out of hand without him to balance them out and provide a convenient target. At Rexanna’s comment about how light magic might be better suited to them than dark, Loren felt the ghost of a smile form at the corner of his lips. “I suppose so.” Others, especially his family, would definitely disagree with that statement. They valued the darker arts, and had never understood Loren’s magic, viewing it as weak, lesser. For a long time—and sometimes even in the present—he’d thought they were right. As the blue-eyed woman walked over to the corner, Loren stood aside. He watched carefully as Rexanna threw sparks at the message, blasting it with a colorful fire. The librarian, who’d seen many displays of magic in his life, had never seen anything quite like this. It was beautiful. Although he appreciated that Rexanna had brought the water over as well—and that she’d snuffed out the flames with her magic, or so he assumed—since the summoner didn’t want to begin to consider what sort of substances there’d been in this bar. Even if they weren’t highly flammable, they might have volatile effects. Stepping back to get a better view, he nodded approvingly. “The perfect final touch.” Which brought tears to his eyes: this was a pitiful memorial that could hardly do justice to a larger than life woman like Edy. Trying to keep Rexanna from seeing this latest bought of tearing up, Loren shot her a sad smile before turning away, idly fiddling with a cleaning rag. “I don’t know. Going out in a blaze of glory seems just like Edy’s style.” Poor choice of words, since she had died, and he still hadn’t found out how. Closing his eyes, he choked back a sob; sadness was weakness, and would be punished harshly he reminded himself firmly. When he finally felt some semblance of self-control, he glanced over at the blue-eyed woman. “I’d like to see it someday, though. The fireworks, I mean.” And he really did mean it. The laughter did an excellent job of chasing away his lingering blues (though he felt guilty about that, unsurprisingly). He distracted himself by focusing solely on Rexanna. “I can only imagine how proud she was of it. Bet she liked waving it around all over the place and boasting about how big it was.” His tone came out without a trace of sorrow or angst for once, and he was shocked at how easy this conversation was coming to him. Since Loren had come back, every word had been excruciating to form; however, with Rexanna it seemed to flow easily. It helped that she had absolutely no preconceived notions of him, despite his bloodline. And so far she didn’t seem the type to judge. “Honestly, I’d be worried about your lack of self-preservation if you weren’t afraid.” Loren blinked as the blue-eyed woman pulled out yet another spider, smaller than the first, but unmistakably the same type. “Guess these critters have been lonely.” Before he could think too hard about the reason why that might be, he gently nudged the first spider out of the way—which protested drunkenly but ineffectually—until he refilled the bowl and put it back. Hopefully that’d keep the spiders occupied while the people kept looking.

REXANNA

Sapphire eyes slip toward him in response to the firework display, however small it might have been. And she gives him a small nod of agreement, finding it to be the perfect finishing touch. He gives her a small smile before turning away and for a moment she contemplates comforting him, but shelves it for a later date when he continues. Her gaze slips from him to the bar and the varying things around it with a quiet nod of agreement. She, too, though that. But she also didn’t know how the Queen had died. Her information at this moment was useless, but she wasn’t.

She gives him a nod and a small smile at the mention of the fireworks. “I am certain that can be arranged!” She chimes, trying to steer the conversation in a bit more of a happier direction. Luckily for her, he’s laughing and she joins in, finding the air easy and realizing slowly why Remi might have fallen in love with him. Just from the impression of the man she’s gotten so far, he seems to feel deeply but passionately. And she can understand that easily, because she was the same too once upon a time.

She quirks a crooked smile at him before snickering along. “Gods what an image.” She says after a moment, wrinkling her nose at the idea and imagining it in her head. She hadn’t paid much attention to Edrei when they had their last rendezvous, not until the end. Her mind too captivated over Lucas to where she hadn’t even paid her former boyfriend, current fiancé, any mind. But she drops to her knees then, reaching beneath the bar for anything until she comes out with a spider. “Good thing I’m Ascended.” She jests, a quirk of a grin lining her lips as she lifts the spider and brushes some dirt away from her pale face and collarbones.

“They’re like anyone else that frequents the bar.” She says, putting the spider on the top so he can scamper to the bowl of wine that Loren refills. She still stands on her knees as she looks up at him, hands braced against the bar. “Hoping to get far past black out drunk.” She ponders, rolling her shoulders in a shrug, though her eyes shoot to him with another huff of laughter. Then, an idea sparks and she stands, turning around and leaning against the bar until she spots the closet behind the bar.

Eyes shoot toward him with a raised brow before she approaches it, and deftly opens the doors to see what’s inside.

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book Thankfully Rexanna gave Loren some space. He didn’t know what he’d do if the relatively unknown woman had tried to comfort him; given that the Launceleyn was barely capable of accepting sympathy from people he was close to, he definitely wouldn’t be able to take it from a stranger. She let him recover, though, and didn’t say anything about his volatile emotions, for which he was grateful. All she did was invite him to see some real fireworks. “Thank you.” He hesitated, figuring he should try to make it an equivalent exchange. “I don’t have much to offer in return, but I can show you some of creatures I can summon.” People seemed to enjoy that. Loren smiled briefly. “It’s just a little too easy to picture, isn’t it? But it definitely works.” This was how he should be honoring Edy’s memory: joy at the best parts of her, not sorrow at losing her. If she could see him crying and whining as he was, she’d probably curse him out, then try to jump his bones and have sex with him to cheer him up. That had been much more her style than mournful introspection. The comment about Rexanna being Ascended caught Loren off guard; it didn’t seem that relevant to the conversation at hand. Then, of course, he remembered some things he’d learned about Ascended and he spoke without thinking. “Oh right, you can’t—” Luckily, he cut himself off before he said something too awful, but he blushed all the same. “Er...sorry.” Sex was a touchy subject among the Ascended (or rather, lack thereof). As the blue-eyed woman explained the wine spiders and their goals, Loren bit his lip. “Not me,” he responded softly. Loren had a pretty terrible track record when it came to drinking heavily. The first time he had, he’d made the mistake of fucking Ronin; the time after that, it had been Remi; and then the final time, he’d been alone, so he’d started a bar brawl, had to be rescued by his twin, and then vomited all over Neron’s fancy clothes. Well, that at least was payback for all the shit Neron put Loren through. Still, best for Loren to avoid alcohol where he could. He watched with some interest as Rexanna made her way over to a door he’d barely noticed. She threw it open, and he found himself walking towards her, incredibly curious—but also a little bit worried—about what Edy might keep in the back room. Peering inside, he saw mostly bottles of the good stuff. But there had to be more to be discovered. He glanced over at the blue-eyed woman. "Dare we chance entering Edy's inner sanctum?" Mostly, he was joking. That didn't mean there wasn't a chance Edy had left something nasty in there.

REXANNA

Her hands clasp together entirely pleased as he offers his summoning, a brilliant fanged grin crossing her features. “You’ve got yourself a deal!” She chimes, a softer less toothy smile alighting her face. It’s replaced by a snort when he continues on about Edy, a sharp nod sent his way with a hum of remaining laughter. It had been the last thing she had expected to see from Edrei, but she couldn’t deny that it wasn’t entirely something she would do.

But he’s stumbling over words again and her sapphire eyes slide up to him with a curl of her lips in amusement. “Oh, we can. It’s just in a specific place is all.” She winks to him with a laugh before settling. “Besides, I’ve found a bit more fun in the bite if I’m honest.” She isn’t sure why she tells him this, but it slips from her lips easily with amusement and charm — no harm, no foul, right?

He denies her claim, a soft noise that leaves him and she quirks a brow at him before she’s standing. “Eh, I’m not much of a drinker myself either. But it was the first place I came when I arrived.” She says, her voice dramatic and full of nostalgia if only for the attempt at humor, before she turns and spots the closet. She throws the doors open as Loren walks up behind her, and she peeks in with a hum of laughter.

“I live off of dares, dear Loren!” She beams with a huff of laughter before she steps in, making room for him before alighting a few candles along the inside of the dark and dusty back room, purely for Loren’s sake. There’s rags along a counter space, and a surprising amount of extra stools. But this has also been very similar to the closet of sorts she had spent last Long Night with Bastien in, and she swoops toward the side of the wall, fingers pressed against it for any hidden compartments — wondering if Edy had somehow hidden a sex dungeon of sorts. The thought makes her chuckle internally. “Hmm.” She says, withdrawing her arm to lift a bottle and inspect it. As she does, she finds an array of different colored blindfolds, hanging from the side. Brow raised, she sets the glass down to see what Loren might have found.

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book They had a deal—which would be easy enough to fulfill, given the circumstances—and Loren felt relief course through him. He didn’t know why that was the case, but there’d been so much outside his control that even having just one thing, one small thing, that he could actually follow through on. Maybe that was pathetic, but the librarian needed to take his victories where he could. He knew there’d be precious few in the days ahead. Nodding to let Rexanna know he was in agreement, he felt his mind wandering over the many beasts he could call upon. Although he had some favorites, maybe it would be best to let the blue-eyed woman decide. Loren blushed when Rexanna informed him (in what was surely an appropriately amused tone) that actually Ascended could do the nasty. Immediately he blushed a vivid crimson. His own experience with sex had been very, very limited. Indeed, he could count his partners, and the number of times, on the fingers of one hand. For a long time, he’d had an aversion to touch of any kind. Given what he’d been through as a child, it wasn’t all that surprising. Only with time, patience, and copious amounts of alcohol had he overcome it. But since coming back he’d been avoiding it again, so it was entirely possible that his phobia was back in full force. He had no intention of finding out anytime soon. “I-I see.” He really hoped they wouldn’t dwell on this particular topic for too long. It would lead to a lot of really awkward conversations that he’d much rather not get in to. Of course, then he immediately regretted wishing for a different subject: Rexanna expressed pleasure in feeding off of people. Of course he knew objectively that it was the case, but as someone who could be fed upon it was hard not to feel like prey. Still, acting like prey usually invited attacks, so he did his best not to show his unease. “I can see how that would be the case.” That was a lame thing to say and he knew it, but it was better than saying nothing. At least his embarrassment from before had been totally wiped away. As Rexanna mentioned her arrival, Loren realized that he knew pretty much nothing about her, and she knew at least a little bit of his past. So he decided to see whether he could remedy that. “Really? How’d that work out for you?” He tried to keep his voice casual, though perhaps a little too so; it hardly matched the tension he carried around in his body all the time these days, but there was nothing he could do about that. He wasn’t sure when he’d become dear Loren, but it was better than pretty much anything else he’d been called since he came back, so he couldn’t complain too much. “I’m more of a truth guy myself,” he admitted, not that he had played often in his life. No, games were for successful children, and Loren had never been one of those. And once he was grown, he had pretty much no one to play with. Rexanna took one side of the closet, so Loren took the other; it was dark in here, but enough filtered in from the main room to be able to see. He idly picked up a few bottles to see what they were. Just because he didn’t drink didn’t mean he didn’t know his liquor. After all, once upon a time he had been a duke, strange as it was to think that. When he picked up one of the bottles of scotch, however, something fell off the shelf, where it had been wedged between the scotch and the way. Bending down, he picked it up, bringing it to where the shaft of light from the outside shone through. It was a leather collar with a leash on it, and he could tell that it had definitely not been designed for an animal. Sighing, he held it up for Rexanna to see. “I’m not sure I want to know.” And he was definitely washing his hands after this.

REXANNA

He stammers and she is uncertain if she’s made him uncomfortable with the news. It doesn’t matter much to her, she’s not like Archebold after all, she can control herself and her needs — and she glances to him with those sapphire eyes of hers with a crookedly fanged smile. “I value consent.” She adds a bit quietly, tilting her head. “I’m newly Ascended, yes, but I don't bite unless asked to.” She tells him, trying to lighten any worries he might have — the Penumbra goes as far as wiggling her eyebrows playfully before her attention shifts.

He asks her about her arrival and she shrugs her shoulders lightly, not caring any longer about who all knew her past. Her brand was in full view of everyone nowadays, there was no sense in hiding it any longer. “Pretty good, I’d say. I had been evading my ex-husband for a number of months before I ran over a threshold as he cornered me in an abandoned home and ended up here.” She says, splaying her arms out wide as if to gesture to all of Caido itself. “A little blessing in disguise.” She snorts.

But she tells him she lives off dares, and he tells her he’s more of a truths guy, and her lips quirk in a smile. Yes, seems about right. But she doesn’t judge. Rexanna has always been one to push the mold, to fold and flex where she wasn’t supposed to. She had paid for it, but it had been worth every minute. However, soon enough they are exploring, and her eyes drift from the bottle she sets back down, shifting her gaze to the librarian as he comments on something he’s found. She gives him a chime of a laugh, giving it a bit of a wide berth as she rounds to the other side of Loren. “Looks about right.” She comments, a light reminiscing smile on her lips at the memory.

Edrei had always seemed to like the control, and finding things like this didn’t surprise the Penumbra in the slightest. She turns then, running her hand through a small amount of dust as she reaches through the back edged corners of the closet before she pulls something else out, eyes wide and mouth forming the shape of an “O” before she falls into a bout of giggles. Turning to Loren, she holds up a whip of sorts at arms length, cackling.

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book Well, that was awkward. Despite Loren’s best efforts, Rexanna picked up on his unease. He felt himself blushing again, all traces of fear replaced in an instant with bone-deep embarrassment. “Oh, I wasn’t, I mean, that’s...good to know.” He closed his eyes, mortified. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.” When he opened them again, he couldn’t quite meet Rexanna’s sapphire gaze. “The Ascended where I came from were not always so courteous.” Oh, it was against the rules, and they were supposed to have been punished, but many were powerful enough to get away with it with no repercussions. Hopefully that statement would let Rexanna understand Loren’s trepidations. The summoner had noted the brand, of course, but thought little of it. After all, he too was marked. It’s just that his brands were not visible. But under his clothes—indeed, almost every inch of skin except for his head, neck, hands, and feet, where the injuries had been healed—was covered with a veritable mass of scar tissue. It was a living tapestry of every horror his family had ever inflicted on him, of which there had been many. The remains of cuts, remnants of burns, and the record of even worse spells and wounds was spelled out for all to see, if they knew where to look. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that he chose to stay bundled up as much as possible. He gave Rexanna a sympathetic look. While he didn’t know the specifics (nor did he feel it was his place to ask), running away from an ex-husband sounded bad. “I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m glad it worked out in the end, despite a slight detour caused by Zariah’s specific brand of insanity.” If only Loren could get a blessing of any kind: surely he was overdue for some good news. Then again, that might be selfish, given his numerous shortcomings and failures. The closet was certainly a treasure trove, assuming the treasure was sex toys. Loren’s eyes widened as Rexanna pulled out a full whip. Shaking his head and chuckling (the sound unfamiliar in his ears), he swept his gaze over the shelves. His next target was a set of small round balls on a string. This time, he didn’t make the mistake of picking it up with his hands, but used his telekinesis instead to float it in the air between them. Tilting his head, he shot the blue-eyed woman an amused glance. It felt wrong to be having so much fun, but he couldn’t help himself. “I’m not sure what this is supposed to do. And please don’t tell me if you know. I think I prefer my ignorance.” So much for Loren preferring truth, but for someone who was a self admitted prude, Edy’s sexual proclivities were downright overwhelming.

REXANNA

She explains and can nearly feel the embarrassed tension in the air, but it doesn’t bother her. She has no qualms, the only one awkward about it is him, and she leaves him as such. Until, of course, he mentions that some hadn’t been as courteous. She nods her head, thinking of those she had met that weren’t from here, those of other worlds, she recalls a couple that might have fallen under that same ruling. Archebold, comes to the top of her mind.

Yet she only offers him a nod and drops the subject, as they begin to search the closeted back room. At his apology she puffs out a small amount of air with a shrug. “She knew I had been to court before, I suppose it just fell into what she was looking for.” She says honestly, thinking about it before sidelong glancing to him with a small wicked smirk. “But even I have secrets the infamous Zariah never knew.” She adds with a tilt to her head, a hum of a chuckle leaving her lips. “Things will be better now.” She tells him, uncertain if it’s for him or herself, but both apply. She’ll be sure of it.

Soon enough, the Penumbra pulls a whip from behind the shelving, a cackling laugh in tune with Loren’s own laughter, shaking her head before she tosses it to the side. There was nothing short of surprises coming from this room, though she hadn’t expected any less from the fiery Launceleyn. Her eyes drift back when she’s done tossing the item in her hand to notice him float something between the space between them. Her eyes widen and her mouth forms yet another look of surprise before she hears Loren’s confession.

“Oh, well, you should probably put that back then…” She huffs another laugh, an arm bracing against her lips to keep her snickering quieter while the other rests along her stomach. “I’ll let you live in ignorance a bit longer.” She managed to say between her huffs of laughter. “I feel sorry for whomever needs to clean this out, what they might find.” She adds, giving a playful look toward Loren before she reaches the back and runs her hands along the shelves, a brow raised as she turns back to look at Loren.

“I don’t even know what to do with half these things? Who needs this many?”

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book Yeah, that sounded like Zariah: she had a very narrow idea of who would be an appropriate family member and who wouldn’t, and it started and ended with their magic. However, good breeding and manners would be a plus for her. Still, from the way Rexanna was reacting, it was probably best to drop the subject, as the blue-eyed woman had done with the conversation about feeding earlier. However, he couldn’t resist rolling his eyes when Rexanna mentioned she had secrets that Zariah didn’t know. “Actually, in my experience, it was easy to hide things from Zariah. The woman is oblivious to anything that doesn’t revolve around her small petty world.” No, the issue was when Loren actually tried to communicate with his cousin. That’s when the sparks started flying. Zariah was gone, though, and Loren didn’t have to worry about that unless and until she returned. That was a possibility he tried not to think about too hard. Granted, he tried not to think about the future much at all; he was just muddling through day by day, trying to limit the damage he might do. So when Rexanna expressed her optimistic view, Loren sighed. “I wish I could believe that.” It came out in a whisper, almost to himself. The conversation turned to lighter matters (for what could be farther than worrying about the future than discussing sex toys?), for which Loren was incredibly grateful. “Thank you. I appreciate you letting me keep my bliss.” The joke fell too easily from his lips. For a moment, he’d forgotten that he was supposed to be angsty and depressed. However, when Rexanna mentioned the clean-up, it all came crashing down on him once more. “I guess that would be me.” They were planning to burn Edy’s belongings in the Launceleyn way, and these would just get added to the pyre. Giving the blue-eyed woman a sad smile, the librarian rummaged around until he found an empty box. Then he grabbed every object he could manage with his telekinesis to put it away. “Well, Edy did everything to excess, didn’t she?” Did, past tense. Because she was dead, and Loren hadn’t even been there to say goodbye, let alone make amends.

REXANNA

He informs her that it’s easy to hide things from Zariah, and she contemplates it the best she can. She supposed it was true, unless Zariah needed something from you – she didn’t know what kind of magic the woman was capable of, and had gone in mostly blind in the sake of love. But she’d do it all again, she would never regret it. Still, she offers the man a small shrug as she continues. She would be a barrier, train harder, become better. She’d never let Zariah harm someone else again, and she doesn’t know Loren very well and he doesn’t know her very well, but she knows from the whisper he gives that he can’t believe it to be a possibility.

But she’d try, or die trying.

Yet they find more items of a questionable sort, and at Rexanna’s comment, she knows he grows a bit more withdrawn, and she lets her sapphire eyes skate over him before they drop to the box he pulls out. Well! He doesn’t have to do it alone, and she reaches over to grab another box, giving him a small fanged smile. “Let me help.” She says softly, gentle. And while she didn’t have telekinesis to get the items into the box, she did have crafting. And she quickly makes up a pair of gloves to slip onto her fingers and help.

She gives him a returning small smile, almost sad. “She did it the best I’ve ever seen.” She tells him with a nod of her head, her dark hair bobbing around her neck. She puts a few of the other items into it, before reaching for a broom to clean the back of anything that might have slipped away. “So… Is there a traditional kind of funeral in your family?” She asks quietly, sad to bring up more sadness, but if there’s a way she could help, she wants to.

Back in Halyven, their funerals had been great, big, brilliant things. A sad time, but a time for celebrating life as well. She wonders what kind of traditions the Launceleyn’s have that might resonate, might be similar, might need a new flare.

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book It was surprising when Rexanna offered to help Loren gather Edy’s belongings. He paused, watching her make her gloves, objects floating in the air around him, not quite sure how he was feeling. Grateful, yes, obviously. But he was also completely unsure whether he deserved such kindness from a stranger. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he deserved it from anyone. “Thank you.” He sank a great deal of emotion into the word, although even he wasn’t quite sure what all of it was. Then he hesitated, and when he spoke again his voice sounded lost. “But...why? I mean, why help me?” He should’ve been more clear, since he was talking about far more than the packing up. After everything he’d done to her friend and others—and after everything she’d suffered at the hands of his family—Loren would’ve given the Launceleyns a wide berth. In fact, that’s exactly what he’d done. Maybe Rexanna was just a better person than him. It wouldn’t be hard. He resumed packing. Given that his telekinesis was relatively weak, he’d only managed to get the smaller objects in his box, so he started grabbing the larger ones. Starting with the whip: he began coiling it around his arm. When Rexanna agreed with his observation about Edy’s lifestyle, the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Well, she hated being anything less than the best.” And she had to prove it to anyone who’d listen (and some people who really didn’t want to) loudly and unapologetically. As for funeral customs, well, that one was simple. “Why, we set things on fire, of course.” It was entirely appropriate for a family that loved its destruction. There was a stupid reason behind it, because they were dragons, or some such nonsense; he let out a low snort of amusement, but it was anything but mirthful. Then he sighed, and placed the whip in the box. While he disliked the symbolism of it, it was actually a nice tradition, one of the few his family had. “We usually burn the bodies in a small ceremony for only family. But...since there’s no body, we’re...burning her things instead.” His tone was tired, but he resumed grabbing objects, this time picking up the collar and leash. Edy would love to be surrounded by her family. However, she’d also hate a staid, boring affair like a Launceleyn funeral. So he shot Rexanna a curious look. “That doesn’t mean we couldn't have a party to celebrate her her afterwards, though. If you think people would like that.” Loren wouldn’t—he hated parties, and nowadays it would be even more awful—but this wasn’t about him. Indeed, he didn’t want anything to be about him anymore only other people. And he knew that Edy would love it if her friends got sloppy in her name. Plus, given how gloomy everyone was around here (with reason, and yes he knew how hypocritical it was for him, of all people, to think that) it seemed they could do with some cheer.

REXANNA

He pauses while she makes her gloves, and she glances to him refraining from raising a brow. The words that left him were full of emotion, and she simply nods with a small saddened smile. She doesn’t need to tell him you’re welcome, she doesn’t need to add more unless he asks, and her head drifts toward him when he hesitates. His question is multi layered, and she doesn’t know where to respond at first. Does he mean helping him despite him being a Launceleyn? Does he mean something else?

Luckily for Rexanna, she hasn’t heard many stories about the Librarian, but the few she has heard doesn’t give her much of a reason to blatantly hate. And as for the Launceleyns? He shares their name, but he isn’t Zariah. If anyone should know what that’s like, it’s her. It isn’t like it matters anyway, and she gives him a gentler smile with a tilt to her head. “I believe in second chances.” She tells him simply. And she does. She has lived a life among many different versions of people, different lives, with different types of people.

But they resume packing, and she grabs onto the broom, a soft snort leaving her lips at his next statement. She agrees, from what she knew of Edrei. If anything could do something well, she could do it better. Her mind drifts to the soccer game with the gourds upon her arrival, with her and Deimos and the Penumbra. And yet, while Rexanna had found she could set them aflame, Edrei could simply explode them in a whirlwind of flame.


It’s explained even further when he mentions they set them on fire – and she nods. But the woman remains quiet while he goes onto explain, using the broom to brush out some dirt and dust from under the cupboards, and what little things she finds she pauses to put into the boxes as well. “We did a similar thing from my home.” She says with a small nod. “Sounds lovely.” She says – and she means it, her love of light and flame, despite her body’s hatred and fear of it, would die with her soul. If she could go out in a blaze of glory, she wants to.

But he gives her a curious question, a thought to mull over, and her broom pauses on the rough hewn wood of the floor as she regards him. “Hmmm.” She pauses thoughtfully. “I do think that could be arranged.” She gives him a small fanged smile. “Clean this up, throw it here? I’m sure people would come. She was the favorite.” She tells him – not sure if it’s true, but Edrei had always been her favorite Launceleyn, even if she didn’t trust the woman after Zariah’s reign.

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book At Rexanna’s words, Loren stared at her, a dark and sad expression in his eyes, though his face was blank. It was kind of her to offer him her sympathies—kinder still for her to help him, even after what she’d suffered at the hands of his family—but he knew she’d despise him if she knew the real truth about him. “I’m well past my second, third, or even fourth chance,” he replied softly, knowing it to be true. Indeed, both life and people had given him far more chances than he had any right to expect, given how he squandered them. She pulls out a broom and he nodded approvingly. They may as well leave this place tidy for the next bartender and proprietor. He wasn’t surprised no one had taken over yet; lucrative as this place probably was, the person who took over here next would have big shoes to fill. The summoner conjured up a rag, then ducked out to the main to wet it in one of the water barrels. He came back to the backroom and started wiping down the dusty surfaces. It probably could’ve used soap (what with the objects they’d found and the stains he’d noticed), but he didn’t have any on hand and didn’t know where Edy had kept the cleaning supplies. Or even if she kept cleaning supplies. As Rexanna explained that their traditions were close to hers, he glanced up. “Similar, but not the same? What was different?” Unlike the rest of his family, Loren did not believe in doing the same thing just because it was how it had always been done. If there were other, better traditions to borrow from, then he’d happily steal them. Imitation was the sincerest form of flattery, after all. Besides, he was curious about this Ascended and Abandoned woman, with piercing eyes of sapphire, who was bothering to spend time with Loren even when he was a less than pleasant conversational partner. His suggestion had been half made in jest, but the blue-eyed woman took it completely seriously. Loren paused in wiping down his latest shelf, tossing the rag over one shoulder as he stepped back to consider the Rathskellar. “It could work.” His voice was doubtful and hesitant: while he agreed that people would come, he just didn’t know if it would be a good idea. “I’m not much of a party planner or a host.” He took a deep breath. “But she was the favorite, and the best of us. So if you think people really would want to celebrate her, I’ll help.” It would be a lot of work on such short notice. Yet another task to add to his rapidly growing list. However, it was better to be busy, since it left him with no time to think.

REXANNA

The Penumbra meets his gaze when he turns to stare at her, a roll of her shoulders in a light shrug. Second changes, triple chances, however many it took, Rexanna wasn’t picky. It was difficult for her to peg someone to be wrong and terrible, unless they had done it over and over. That was her flaw, that was her weakness. Even her ex-husband that had abused her and tossed her into a dungeon cell was still forgiven, somewhere deep in that aching heart of hers.

After she brands him back, of course.

“Well, I don’t know you very well, so this is your first chance for me.” She crows with a bit of cheer, winking toward him. “So far you’re doing great.” She adds with a hum of laughter before it fades and they’re cleaning. He creates a rag, slipping out to grab some water to wet it and clean up the dust, and Rexanna continues to push the broom around, collecting the dust and dirt into small piles around the room. As she finds more, they find their way into the box.

His question makes her think, and she pauses, her hand stilling on the handle of the broom before she leans against it and regards him. “Halyven, my country, was nestled in the mountains. Tall ivory peaks with the greatest views of the sunset.” She explains quietly, contemplative, nostalgic; knowing those towers were crumbling beneath the siege makes her far more contemplative. But she continues on. “We couldn’t exactly bury our dead, the ground was too tough. But we had a beautiful river that snaked from the castle through the city. And we would make grand boats, place our dead within and the things they liked from their family.” She pauses. “And we would send them out, to travel down the river, to the sea.”

Her sapphire gaze slips back to him with a small shrug. “Nobles would help pay for the poor’s funerals. Boats were given, a right. But they could be painted at a cost. We would pay for that, after all. It’s the least we could do.” She says, not realizing her slip – not particularly caring if he reads between the lines. She had been noble, she had been someone. And yet her home was a crumbled mess with hundreds of bodies that would never travel down the river to the sea.

She shrugs off the feeling internally while she begins to sweep again, and Loren’s suggestion picks up in the Penumbra’s mind. He mentions it could work, with a hint of hesitation, that causes Rexanna to smirk quietly. “Oh, it’ll be fun. Come on.” She tempts him with a huff of laughter. “No need to worry about planning it all by your lonesome.” She adds on, sending a gentler smile his way. “I would absolutely love to celebrate her. I’m sure there are many that would.” A small amount of hope deep within her voice, but she grows bright at his offer for helping. “You have a lot to deal with, with the funeral. I can handle the majority of it.”

the penumbra

the moon is drunk with the sins of the sun.

& you stare, and wonder why

the universe never loved you back