Through Heaven's Eyes (Open)

POSSIBLE SENSITIVITY/TRIGGER WARNING

And just like that she was on her feet and by the door, her clothing restored as well as her will. Well, the will of her mind anyways. Phoebe watched the god with wide eyes, her hands still in fists pressed against her chest, unable to move save for her eyes to follow his…hers…its?...the god’s movements. It twirled her hair and for a moment she worried that it would take its chance with her first…but what was said was something else entirely. Relief washed over her. Gratitude – sincere, pure gratitude – certainly radiated off of her. This god had put her in a dangerous position and by some stroke of luck or grace or mercy or a combination there of it saw fit to spare her. And it was right, she did agree with the sentiment it said, and if she could have spoken she would have made that plain. But perhaps this god would know her heart without her having to say so.

When it disappeared, and she regained function of her body, Phoebe began to tremble from head to toe. This time it wasn’t from fear but from relief – her entire person having been rocked to the core and saved. Tears didn’t fall anymore, but her cheeks were still wet from those already shed. She stared at the ground, on the verge of hyperventilating for a moment. She had never been so close to coming into harm’s way before.

The unknown man spoke first and she looked up at him, her cheeks turning a pale shade of red. He had seen her naked and vice versa and…oh goodness how embarrassing. “I-I’m okay.” She managed, almost as a whisper. She was physically fine, but the mental scars of this encounter would last for some time.

Then the woman spoke to her. It should be noted that Phoebe, was not quick to anger. She was hardly quick to any strong negative emotion. But given the recent events, and the way Cel spoke to her, it ignited a fury Phoebe rarely felt. “You were going to rape me that’s what happened! And if not that give me as a sacrifice!” Her voice shook with emotion and tears once again rose into her eyes. “You’re so stupid! You came here and acted like everything was as it was back home and you messed with forces without measure, and I was the one who was going to pay for it! If that god had not taken pity on me you…” her voice caught in her throat, a sob taking its place and she buried her face in her hands. She was mortified. Beyond mortified. The god had been terrifying, yes. The god had incited the action, yes. But the god had also saved her when Cel - the human before her - apparently acted in a way that it deemed cruel and unusual for the circumstances. Who was truly the worse one? The god or Celosia? Phoebe knew her answer.

Tell Ronin? Oh yes. Ronin would be told exactly what took place. And so would her sister-in-law Roana. "I need to go." she whispered, turning to run out of the sanctuary as fast as her legs would take her.

Remi Celosia

As the shirt disappeared from Celosia ‘s body, the alchemist could only sigh. He knew nothing of the divine, but he did know about fickle beings, and Frey certainly seemed quite fickle. That he couldn’t provide Cel with any amount of modesty wasn’t surprising, though it was a bit bothersome. Surely Frey had made their point? Turning to Phoebe, Remi’s heart was weighed down heavily by the look of utter despair and horror writ large on her features. It broke something inside of him and for a moment his hand quivered gently at his side. All he wanted was to take her into his arms and offer whatever physical comfort and protect he could, but still he thought that perhaps that wasn’t something she would be open to. Still, he wouldn’t just do nothing. “I think whatever that being did ... it had an effect on us all.” Swallowing, Remi ran a hand through his curls, wondering if either woman had listened particularly carefully to what Frey had said of him in relation to the two women. He hoped they hadn’t. “Perhaps now we all know a bit better?” He asked, looking towards Cel, though neither his voice nor his expression held any judgement. Surely the former-elementalist couldn’t have known that this would happen? Before he could say anything more, Phoebe had fled from the sanctuary. With a weary sigh, Remi wrapped an arm around his now-bare torso and shook his head. Looking towards Cel, he shrugged. ”Can I help you find that roof you’re looking for?” He asked with a ghost of a smile on his lips. remi I'll whisper your name into the sky

As Phoebe fled the room, Cel squeezed her eyes shut, leaning forward and putting her hands over her face, fingers clutching at her hair. She didn't understand what was happening, didn't understand the emotional surge that was flooding her. When she had gained her fangs, she knew that her emotions would run higher, but this was agony. The shame that she experienced felt like it was breaking her, and she just wanted it to stop.

Forget her modesty. Remi had seen her naked before, and Archebold had given her a confidence in her own body she didn't know possible. This, though... This was just painful, tearing shame that was shredding her mind. What was wrong with her? How could she have done something like that? Why were those thoughts even present in her mind?

She finally gained some element of composure and managed to sit up again, her eyes finding Remi. Why hadn't he left? How could he look at her after what she was just about to do? After what she had just revealed to him? And that smile... Though just a hint of his kindness crashed in her.

Cel got to her feet, legs weak as if they didn't want to support her, and she took the sword in her hands. Her knuckles were white with the grip she held around it. She nodded softly to him with the most forced flicker of a smile she could bear. "Remi, I'm so sorry," she whispered, just barely audible.

Feeling just as unsure about offering physical comfort to Celosia as he had with Phoebe (her nakedness not withstanding), Remi instead kept his distance and merely watched with a genuinely devastated look of sadness. Her apology only caused the alchemist to shake his head wearily, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips but failing to reach his eyes, which remained unhappy and downcast. "We all felt it." He murmured miserably. Though Cel had been the one to initially go to Phoebe, given the way that his body had reacted and with Frey's coaxing, the red-head wouldn't have remained alone with the blonde for long. It was really only luck that had spared him from that embarrassment and act of betrayal. Cel though, hadn't been so lucky. "That thing..." He mumbled to himself, shaking his head and running a hand through his curls. "I have never felt like that ... not even when..." Trailing off, the alchemist's shoulders shrugged, the implication of his words writ clearly on his face: not even when I had wanted to. The sensations had been incredible, and he would be a liar to say that some part of him didn't miss the intoxicating feeling of sensual bliss even now in the stark silence that had fallen. "Cel.." Remi said after a moment, trailing behind the former-elementalist towards the door. "You....your...fangs?" He managed after a moment, a curious but non-judgemental expression on his face. "Archebold?" Remi added, lowering his voice as if someone around might here. They might be in a new world with new rules, but he had promised to keep her secret, and he would even here. remi I'll whisper your name into the sky

She listened to Remi extremely half-heartedly. She knew he was trying to relate, but even if the deity had forced Remi’s intentions, he had been wearing a chain in the hands of the deity without any true contact. Cel had been touched for an extended amount of time and her impulse control was already lacking thanks to her race change. Gods, her race change. She revealed it to Remi in such a vulgar and hungry way… The only thing worse would have been if she had tried to feed off of him. Then, he asked about them. Of course he asked about them. How could she expect him not to? The mention of Archebold’s name felt like a burning sensation in her gut. Since arriving, Cel had felt so completely alone. In Northaven, he had such a wonderful habit of appearing whenever she needed him. After he sired her, she felt him in her mind constantly, a reassurance of his presence and a calmness that she couldn’t ignore if she tried. Now, there was nothing. She hadn’t seen him since Northaven, and she had nothing of him in her mind. Part of her was starting to believe that she wouldn’t see him again. ”Yes,” she said quietly. ”In Northaven a few days before coming here. I-“ -love him. She did. Desperately. Enough that she hadn’t yet accepted the possibility of spending eternity without him. But it didn’t matter. Whatever happened wasn’t within her control. ”He asked me one night to join him, and I said yes. And now we’re here in this desolate world out to harm us everywhere we turn…and I don’t have my magic.” She looked up at Remi, quickly averting her eyes again. Cel couldn’t bring herself to hold his eyes for long. Every time she looked at him, she saw what she was about to do. Of course it had been under the influence of that…thing…but she had summoned it. She had let herself fall under its spell. She couldn’t forgive herself of that. celosia Bride of Darkness

Raising a brow, Remi glanced at her with a neutral and sympathetic gaze. He couldn't even begin to understand what it would mean to be transformed into a bloodfiend (he very much doubted it was like the process of becoming a shape changer, other than becoming something other than what you were). Her words made him shiver, though it was because of a memory it stirred within him rather than anything implied by her tale. Instead he thought of his first 'night' with Loren; that night in the kitchen when the librarian had tried to kiss him. If only Remi had had the strength to say yes as Celosia apparently had. Perhaps the situations weren't quite the same. Then again, perhaps they were. "No? " The alchemist asked curiously, head tilting slightly at the mention of her lost magic. That was a result of becoming a blood fiend, was it not? He thought so...but then again, what did he know. "Your hair..." He observed distantly, noting how it was still a coppery sienna rather than the black that normally signaled one of the blood fiends. Then again, Remi had lost his cuff in the process of coming here. Perhaps this was one of the effects for Cel. Sighing gently, the alchemist glanced towards the door. "I cannot cover you apparently, but you do not need to walk alone. We can find you somewhere to change, and then speak with Ronin?" The man might have not been a captain anymore, but he was no less an authority figure in Remi's eyes. "We need to make sure everyone is aware of..." Trailing off, Remi shrugged with a miserable expression, the nameless feelings of passion and desire still gently ebbing inside of himself. "...this place." remi I'll whisper your name into the sky

When Remi commented on her hair, a small smile flickered on her lips just barely. In light of the situation, it was difficult to think about being able to even force herself to smile fully for a while. Gods, the humiliation bled from her bones, and she just wanted it to go away. It wouldn’t though, and she accepted it, deserved it, the punishment for... She couldn’t think about it. Cel twisted her finger around her fiery locks and shook her head. ”Enchantment on my ring,” she said. ”My hair is black when I-“ She worked the ring off her finger and frowned slightly, realizing that blackness hadn’t taken over the vibrant color. ”Apparently there’s a lot about this place we have yet to learn.” That should have excited her, should have gotten her stilled heart beating with anticipation. Learning was thrilling and one of her favorite things to do, but to learn about such a place... She was alone, afraid, and she really didn’t want to learn. She just wanted to understand before doing something she would truly regret. She slipped the ring back on her finger. As foolish as it was, even though she might not actually need it anymore, the piece of metal was her connection to her old life, to Archebold in his absence. ”Remi, I’m sorry,” she repeated. Cel couldn’t stop apologizing to him, and she would have done the same had Phoebe not run off - though it wasn’t like she could blame her. She never... She couldn’t... Gods... The former duchess held tightly to her sword and shook her head. ”You don’t have to stay with me,” she said, her voice stronger than she thought possible. ”I can walk my own punishment, and I’ll do it with as much dignity as I can, but you don’t need to stick by me. You shouldn’t have been involved in that. It was my mistake for messing with something I didn’t understand. I thought the gods would be silent, as my Fire Goddess was in Northwind and Northaven, but I was wrong. I won’t drag you down any further. Please, go tell Ronin now. I’ll get myself clothed and under a roof, then speak to him myself, if he even wants to look at me after what I’m sure Phoebe will say.” Not like she’d blame her for anything she would tell. Cel gave a small, extremely forced smile to Remi with a short nod. She didn’t need a hand to hold. Most of her life she had stood on her own, strong and unbroken with her beliefs behind her. She just had to make it through this particularly unpleasant step in the new world. celosia Bride of Darkness

Expecting Cel's hair to turn dark as soon as the ring slipped off her finger, Remi's confused gaze seemed to mirror the one on the former-duchess's face. "Ahh.." He agreed almost nervously. There was much about this place they did not understand, and while normally the prospect of learning filled the alchemist with a sense of excitement, now he was only left with cold dread. Shaking his head with a kind dismissiveness as Cel apologized again, Remi offered her a gentle and reassuring smile. However as her words quickly turned dismissive, Remi tried to still the frown wanting to tug his lips down. The way she said he needn't stick with her made it sound as though he was merely here out of obligation. The two were perhaps not quite friends, but given all that had occurred between them both here and in Northaven, the alchemist was a bit surprised to have his assistance and companionship so quickly brushed aside. Not one for hubris though, and perhaps not understanding what it was to be a (former) duchess in a position such as this, Remi could only nod gently. "As you wish." The alchemist said with a gentle dip of his head. Celosia was a duchess after all (wasn't she?). Taking a breath, Remi turned towards the door. Though he felt uncertain about leaving Cel to her own devices, he was more than eager to finally leave this place and all the bad memories which bloomed here. remi I'll whisper your name into the sky