Waking : Antagony :Papercuts Pt.1

“You let them leave?” Talon made no attempt to disguise his disappointment upon his return to Drifa. While Nei and Presia still sat at the table he had offered to his intriguing guests, the Djinn had gone.

“Let them? I sent them off on another glorious adventure in far off lands.” Nei smirked up at Talon. “I’m fine by the way.”

“I can see that.” Talon removed the distractions from the hall and stepped through the space where the table had been to approach Nei. “I wanted to speak with them about your time in Eden.”

“I think I was there.” Nei deliberately mocked him as he playfully turned to Presia and made his playful query. “Was I there?”

“You were indeed, Lord Frost.” Presia was glad to see his humor remained after his trauma, and delighted to see the dynamic of Drifa was still unchanged.

“I guess you can just speak to me then, huh?” Nei jumped to his feet in front of Talon. “Unless of course you had some other agenda?”

“My office.” Talon scowled and pushed past Nei toward the stairs.“Absolutely.” Nei bowed after him before he turned to kiss Presia. “Come on, you pretty thing. We have to speak about Eden.”

“Before we share our tale I have a question of my own for you, Talon.” Presia sat gingerly across Nei’s lap as they settled in Talon’s office for what she assumed would be a lengthy exchange. “I have had auguries of an arrival here, beyond that of the Djinn…”

“That is none of your business, witch.” Talon glared at her. “Nor is it what I asked your Master here to discuss.”

“Ease off, Talon.” Nei warned. “I don’t need to tell you a fucking thing.”

“The arrival is long overdue payment for services rendered.” Talon gave his explanation curtly. “Beyond that it is not your concern. It is a private matter.”

“Keep it that way.” Presia insisted. “It should not force the Circle into turmoil.”

“You are not a member of this Circle.” Talon reminded her sternly.

“I’m about ready to walk out of here, Talon.” Nei smirked at him. “I’m not Karas. I don’t have to take your shit.”

“Despite your insufferable attitude, Frost.” Talon chuckled. “I actually value your place here. I just wish you remembered what it was.”

“Let’s just get story time over with.” Nei started to mindlessly braid sections of Presia’s hair to pass the time. “I don’t want to spend all day in here.”

Nei was cautious with his tale; there were dealings in Eden that he was certain were better left there. Fortunately for him, he had slept through many of the details of the climax of events and couldn’t do any real harm. He focused his storytelling where it would do the least damage; his own involvement, which seemed to entertain Talon well enough.

“You were foolish to put yourself in jeopardy for strangers.” Talon scolded Nei for the act that nearly killed him. “You are not invincible. You should remember in the future that bravery is often a worthless virtue.”

“No praise for the noble sacrifice?” Nei laughed at Talon’s fatherly tone. “I think I sense genuine concern under those insults.”

“It is purely selfish.” Talon chuckled. “I don’t feel like training your replacement.”

“I heard you were pretty pissed about my near death experience.” Nei retorted smugly. “So worried that you had Karas waiting at my door day and night.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. A member of my Circle was attacked.” Talon attempted to write off the vampire’s assumptions as he noticed several messages arriving on his tablet. “Lucifer wouldn’t give me answers; I had no choice but to get them from you.”

“Spare me the quote from the employee handbook, Talon.” Nei laughed and hugged Presia playfully on his lap. “Just admit you love me.”

“Would it make you less irritating?” Talon asked coldly as he responded to his messages. Nei’s quiet laughter and lack of an actual response was answer enough. “I thought not.”

“You don’t need to say it.” Nei grinned at him. “I know it’s true.”

“If you fell so quickly, you had minimal exposure to these fascinating creatures. These Djinn.” Talon decided not to waste any more time on Nei and pressed on. “Presia, you had more dealings with them.”

“Enough to know they are complicated and should not be underestimated.” Presia answered as honestly as she could without revealing the nature that would appeal to Talon most; their need to find a Master. She felt no one could benefit from one of the Djinn allying with Talon. “They were however given the Council’s permission to inhabit Tsuriai unscathed. I don’t suggest you make trouble, Talon.”

“I am not in the habit of making trouble.” Talon waved them off and turned in his chair. “That will be all.”

“Welcome back, Frost.” Nei mocked Talon’s lack of manners as he led Presia from the room. “So good to have you back, thanks for the story. Have a great fucking day.”

“Good evening, Nei.” Talon chuckled.

“Don’t fucking call me that!” Nei shouted as he left an icy wind behind him on his way out of the office. He turned to Presia and smiled. “Talking to some people is like squeezing lemons with papercuts. Now what is going on with this vision of yours?”

“I don’t know for certain.” Presia admitted her frustration. The visions had been minimal and she had been distracted by caring for her Master she only knew that there was a source of conflict that could drive a wedge between members of their Circle. “There is not much to go on. I just feel it will cause trouble with our First and Second.”

“Fuck it.” Nei shrugged. “Let them kill each other. I’ll take over, you take four-arms’ office.”

“And who will be our Third?” Presia playfully indulged his idea.

“We’ll get a dog.” Nei shrugged. “Who is gonna complain about it?”

Waking : Grimm : untitled Pt.2

“Are you staying?” Karas stretched his four arms behind him as he rolled his eyes over the chattering in the hall below. “Or do I need to entertain these assholes while I wait on Frost?”

“They seem well enough entertained on their own.” Talon remarked with a playful grin. The Djinn below must have discovered the intoxicating benefits of the berries in his offerings and were quite obviously enjoying themselves. “I see no reason you can’t keep an eye on them and the door down the hall for a few hours. I would like to return home for a while.”

“Right.” Karas sighed and turned away to stroll down the hall. “Later then.”

“Smile Karas.” Talon teased as he closed the door. “He can’t sleep forever.”

Thalia had started to shiver at the sound of Karas’ voice. She forced herself to keep eating and tell herself it was nothing, but it was a lie. Her heart was walking away on the other side of that cold black door and it was a struggle to keep herself from weeping.

“Interesting.” Talon smiled as he spoke quietly to himself. No matter how someone tries to hide it, there are pains so deep they bleed into the air around them. Thalia was more familiar with the Circle than she had let on. Talon approached the table slowly and crouched behind her laying a hand against her back. “I think you need a change of scenery.”

Thalia just lowered her head in a defeated sort of nod and nervously stood as he did to face him. Talon’s hand that was at her back had moved with her and now sat gingerly on her hip; Thalia surprised herself with the grace to fight the reflex to push him away, she simply closed her eyes and bit her lip as he slid his arm further around her and pulled her close to travel as demons do. 

Thalia opened her eyes to a strangely friendly expression on Talon’s face and he released her from his embrace, taking her hand. She wanted to pull her fingers away from his, but instead squeezed them as she took in her first sight of Hell. They were in a large neighborhood of sorts, though the closest neighbor likely could not hear her scream if she were to call out to them. The sky, bright despite its lack of sun, was a swirling mass of color, vibrant and pulsing as if it were alive. “Beautiful…”

“I thought you would enjoy it.” Talon slowly led her as marvel after marvel took her attention. Small creatures unlike any she had ever seen skittered about the ground and flew gingerly around plants that made her wish she had the gift of the poet. In the distance an enormous structure rose above all the others like an ancient castle. Every home they passed adorned with such fascinating details that she found herself wanting to stop and photograph them for later study, but they continued on at steady pace until they were facing the large orchard beside Talon’s home. “And this is home.”

“This is yours?” Thalia stepped up to one of the trees and let her fingers graze the familiar berries clustered in the leaves that shimmered with the luster of their unique pollen. She looked on through the orchard that seemed endless to her. “There are so many…”

“I suppose the landscape of Drifa doesn’t offer much in the way of trees.” Talon answered distractedly as he noticed a pest in his garden and snatched it out of the branches. He held the whimpering fargoyle by one leg and let go of Thalia’s hands to grab one of its wings.

“Don’t!” Thalia grabbed his arm in a panic when she realized his intention and once he had halted and waited for her explanation she looked at the creature closer. “What is it?”

“One of Raziel’s damnable pests.” Talon sighed as the creature squirmed in his grip and reached for the girl who might be its salvation. “I would admire the creation if they weren’t quite so successful a species.”

“You’re hurting it.” Thalia squeezed his arm tighter.

“Him.” The fargoyle huffed in protest as it struggled awkwardly. “Let me go!”

“It talks!” Thalia smiled up at Talon. “You can’t just…”

“Stay out of my trees.” Talon relinquished his hold on the creature with his warning. “I will not be so kind the next time.”

“Thank you.” Thalia flushed as Talon looked at her. His face said everything he did not, the kindness had been a gift to her and he had not given it lightly. It took her a few moments to realize she was still holding on to his arm quite intently, she dropped her hands suddenly and his chuckle made her face hot with embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

“That silly look on your face is worth it.” Talon laughed louder and reclaimed her hand. “Would you like to see inside?”

“I…” Thalia suddenly recalled his earlier request and clutched her shirt above the delicate white birthmark on her collarbone. “Maybe later.”

“Don’t be childish.” Talon shook his head and scolded her for the assumption. “If I were in that much of a rush I would have had you in my office.”

 “I’m not childish.” Thalia protested in a forced calm as Talon led her to the door. “I’m cautious.”

“Of what?” Talon laughed as he stood aside and granted her entry to his home. “You belong to me. What possible reason could you have to be so stubborn about this?”

“That’s a little unfair.” Thalia pouted as she stopped inside the door. A large living area in front of them seemed to open into a garden beyond, a hall to either side of her led to further rooms and stair cases. It was larger than any house she had ever been inside, but relatively modest. The furniture seemingly selected for comfort rather than prestige, the art seemed more meaningful than staged though she could never guess as to what it meant to him. “This place isn’t what I expected.”

“Is it not?” Talon closed the door and nudged her with his elbow as he passed her. He already suspected that one of her reasons for caution had a name and four arms, but was not about to ruin the fun of it just yet. It also seemed that her state of mind at the moment made her fairly easy to distract. “This is your home. You can explore as you like or I can show you around. Your choice.”

“I might get lost.” Thalia admitted sheepishly. “I’ve never been anywhere quite like this.”

“Then enjoy it.” Talon faced her and took her hands in his for a moment. “I’ll be around if you feel lost, or if you choose a room you would like.”

“I can pick one?” Thalia cocked her head slightly as Talon started to walk off on his own. 

“I can’t very well send you to your room when you misbehave if you don’t have a room.” Talon chuckled as he turned onto the staircase.

“What now?” Thalia whispered to herself and walked into the open living area. Despite his saying that this was home, it felt like nothing of the sort. She already missed her simple life and the comfort of the things in it. More than that she was mourning the simple things that would never be; this place no matter how grand, no matter how beautiful was never going to replace freedom or mend a broken heart. Then there was the owner of her gilded cage to worry about. At what point was this kindness going to give way to the true face of the monster? She found herself wishing she had called out to Karas when he was at the demon’s door, but what good would it have done? Thalia sighed and wandered around the room looking for some insight into Talon from his possessions not realizing he was watching quietly from an upstairs balcony overlooking the room. 

By the time she noticed the balcony, he had already moved on. Talon decided to soak in the bath and reflected on her wavering composure when she assumed the worst from him. Her reluctance to enjoy herself despite his assurance of disinterest was intriguing, though it could have been just the novelty of situation that made things interesting he felt there was something more. At the very least Thalia was a unique creature and a worthwhile piece to add to his collection.

Waking : Grimm : Untitled Pt.1

Thalia had made the trek countless times but this journey seemed by far the longest and the shortest of all of them. She finally found herself at journeys end, simple steps away from her destiny. She lugged her pack up the stairs of the Circle building and made her way to the center monolithic door marked with the name of her supposed Master. She lifted her hand to knock, pausing a moment to take a deep breath before she let herself tap the surface.

“Come in.” The demon stood a moment to greet his guest and gestured toward a chair in front of his desk. “What can I help you with?”

Thalia stood there a moment unsure of how to proceed. The demon was not alone in his grand office. Two strange guests occupied a large seating area off to one side who looked at her arrival with an air of puzzled excitement.

“Miss?” Talon urged her on in a professional manner she hadn’t been expecting.

“Thalia.” She introduced herself confidently. “I wasn’t expecting you to have guests; I could wait outside.”

“Pay them no mind.” Talon smiled and sat behind his desk. “I’m quite capable of working with company.”

“She may want privacy.” Twaer rolled her eyes as she stood up pulling Ifre to his feet. “Come on.”

“Oh, it’s not that.” Thalia bowed slightly in apology. “Please don’t put yourselves out on my account. I just thought I would be meeting him alone.”

“Meeting?” Talon pressed a few things on his tablet and saw nothing scheduled. “Who did you say you were?”

“I should have introduced myself properly.” Thalia curtsied and felt a bit foolish for doing so. “I am the daughter of Hallax. Sent as you requested.”

“Hallax’s child?” Talon grinned as he deeply inhaled to confirm her tale. He could smell the claim made so long ago. “I expected him to make me chase after it. I would have enjoyed a good hunt.”

“My father is a noble man.” Thalia was quick to defend her father’s honor. “A good man.”

“Not really a man at all.” Talon smiled wider. “And neither are you. I always expected his heir to be male. Something useful I could put to work.”

“I can work.” Thalia was not completely sure why she felt the need to make herself seem useful, it seemed wiser to be useless in the hope he would send her home. Still she felt jilted by his assumption. “I’m as capable as any man.”

“I think I’m offended.” Twaer pulled Ifre out the door. “and I think this needs to be settled without company.”

“Later Talon.” Ifre laughed as Twaer tugged him into the hall.

“Of course.” Shifted across the room to see them out and close the door. Once he had he leaned back against it and watched the girl turn to face him with a bit of fire in her eyes. He smiled and shook his head. “You misunderstood. I never said a woman was incapable. I said I was expecting a man I could put to work. I would not burden a woman with such tasks, not because she would be unable to do them, but because I would not ask her to…”

“Then I can go?” Thalia asked with a sliver of hope that maybe her destiny wasn’t so fixed after all.

“Absolutely not.” Talon tapped the door behind him rhythmically before he stood and moved toward her. “You belong to me. That fact hasn’t changed. I just have to decide what to do with you.”

“Do?” Thalia asked nervously.

“For now, just make yourself comfortable.” Talon insisted as he picked up her bag and moved it aside to his lavish greeting area. “My Third is incapacitated and my Second has not returned for the day, so for now you can rest here. Hungry?”

“Famished.” Thalia nodded and watched the short table in front of her fill with small feast that put everything she had ever eaten to shame. “This is too much.”

“Nonsense.” Talon helped her to the floor to sit by the table. “I take excellent care with my belongings. I’ll join you in a moment.”

“I still feel as if I interrupted.” Thalia looked over the wide spread of scrumptious looking offerings and what had been a slight hunger turned more ravenous, but any desire to eat was turned sour by the idea of sharing a meal alone with the demon who so carelessly referred to her as property. She made a polite offer she hoped to benefit from. “You could invite your friends back inside to enjoy this.”

“I met them only a short time ago.” Talon returned with his small computer and sat a short distance from her on the floor. He sat the tablet aside and began to pour two glasses from a carafe. “Don’t worry yourself over them. I left them enough downstairs to entertain them while they wait for my Third.”

“You mean Frost.” Thalia watched them as they spoke. She had never had the opportunity to see Talon so close and she imagined that few had. “You mentioned he was incapacitated. Is he alright?”

“You are familiar with Drifa’s Circle?” Talon handed her a glass and took a sip from his own.

“I have lived in Drifa since long before it was Drifa.” Thalia nodded as she accepted the glass cautiously. Despite her efforts to accept this fate with grace and dignity it was difficult to maintain a calm demeanor when you were so uncertain in every moment what to expect.

“That should at least eliminate one line of questioning.” Talon put a finger to the bottom of her glass and gently urged her to lift it to her lips. As she finally sipped from the glass he smiled. “Now please, eat.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start.” Thalia took another sip from her glass. It was sweeter than wine but warmed her throat as she swallowed. “This is delicious.”

“Then this is where you start.” Talon grabbed a handful of berries from a dish and handed them to her. 

“Pretty.” Thalia looked a moment at the small deep colored berries. They had the size and texture of blueberries, but they were darker, the color of ripened blackberries. She dropped a few on her tongue and smiled as she chewed. It was like eating the winein her glass. “Amazing.”

“Thank you.” Talon accepted her awe as a compliment for his creation. “They grow only in my orchard in Hell. They can be quite intoxicating, mind yourself.”

“The fruit makes you drunk?” Thalia smiled as she handed the remaining berries back to him. “That’s kind of sneaky. Hell is a place? One you could live in?”

“Of course.” Talon laughed and gently touched her cheek. Even just a small amount of the juice had brought a flush to her face. He gathered her a few more substantial options from the table and sat the plate in front of her. “You should eat.”

Thalia picked up a fork but found herself nervously tapping it on the edge of the plate. She decided to take advantage of her momentary lapse in judgment and hoped he would blame it as she would on his berries. “Why are you being so gracious? If you don’t have a need for me, I could just go home until you do.”

Talon started laughing and finished the contents of his glass before he sighed.

“Why is that funny?” Thalia looked away embarrassed. “You said yourself you didn’t know what to do with me.”

“I also said you belong to me.” Talon lifted her chin with his fingertips and spoke very close to her face. “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. You will be staying with me, doing as I say without question. I take pride in my possessions and will take excellent care of you provided you do not cross me. Is that understood, Thalia?”

Thalia nodded and her tears started to well in her eyes. It was clear now what her fate was. She was a slave.

“No tears.” Talon wiped her eyes gently with the edge of his thumbs before he proceeded to pick at a large roasted animal of some kind on the table. “I haven’t hurt you and I don’t intend to. Eat.”

“But I had a home here.” Thalia focused on the food she poked on her plate to avoid looking at him. “A job, a life.”

“Your home and your life are now with me.” Talon explained in a calm tone. He looked her over for the first time curious as to where he had left his mark. He had made the claim in such a strange manner that it occurred to him it may not even have been noticeable to most, and Thalia seemed to dress in a standard of near prudishness. Near every inch of her covered in some fabric or another, and while each complimented her well, it was far from fashionable and long out of date. “I’ll allow you to get your things if you would like, but a job is out of the question.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Thalia put aside her other horrors when his expression changed suddenly. She inched back frightened of the things that may be lurking in his mind. 

“You behave like such a frightened doe.” Talon laughed wildly at her prey like retreat before he started to explain. “I was only curious as to where I left a stain under all that modesty.”

“A stain?” Thalia felt herself flush with embarrassment as she struggled with the meaning, when it clicked she only felt her face grow hotter. He could only mean her odd birthmark that always made her father sad. “You mean some sort of symbol?”

“A crest of sorts; yes.” Talon bent over in front of her until his head was nearly touching the floor in front of his own folded legs and he could feel her pulse rush from again being so close to him. He smiled to himself as he pushed the hair away from his neck exposing the seal of the Watcher. “Like this one.”

“Exactly like.” Thalia swallowed hard recognizing the mirror of her pretty white birthmark in the black seal on his neck. “Why?”

“It is part of who I am.” Talon said as he looked up at her slowly and rested on his elbows, playfully resting his chin in his hands. “My kind will often use their own crest to claim what is theirs.”

“Thats awful.” Thalia looked away repulsed. It seemed barbaric, even animalistic. 

“It’s effective.” Talon sat up with a shrug. “So, where is it? Or should I go searching myself?”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Thalia reflexively backed away further at the suggestion until he started laughing again. Once she was certain it was in jest she sighed and settled back at the table a safe distance away. “You aren’t very nice.”

“I don’t have to be.” Talon poured himself another glass from the carafe and looked at her with a far less playful aura about him. “Now answer the question.”

Thalia touched her fingers to the shirt over her collar bone without taking her eyes off of Talon. He was generous one moment and cruel the next, playful and then vicious. It was like he held an infinite number of personalities ready to cut in at a seconds notice and she was frightened of what she might see next. 

“Show me.” Talon gave a wicked grin before he sipped from his glass.

“I…” Thalia stammered as she tried to work out the best response. She was wearing a turtle neck sweater and little else under it; she was certain refusal would elicit a violent reaction, but she was not about to comply so easily with a command to strip down in front of a stranger. “I’d like to keep a little dignity. Can this wait until I have a blouse handy?”

“I almost wish you had said no, but I am just as glad you are clever. It is far more fun.” Talon sat his glass aside smiling. He leaned forward and touched her wrist gently. “It’s because I value that quality that I will give you more time to grasp your place here and offer you a choice for the moment. You can show me or you can finally accept the generosity I’ve offered and enjoy this meal with me.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been rude.” Thalia avoided his gaze as she turned to settle at the table. Still flustered over the suggestion that she flatter him with a glimpse of his stain on her, she quietly started to eat and lost herself in a stream of horrific thoughts. What other demands might this monster make as his moods shifted. Thalia took several of the odd berries he had offered earlier and less that gracefully stuffed them into her mouth hoping the inebriation they promised would dull the fear. She ignored the soft chuckling beside her and continued her meal without a word.

Talon watched her nervous consumption with a sense of satisfaction. It was a small victory to have her comply so quickly despite her obvious reluctance, but that was the beauty of fear. He smiled to himself and looked her over as she made every effort to avoid the slightest glance in his direction. It could have been merely minutes or well over an hour that this went on before they were both broken from this frigid game by a knock at the door. Thalia had jumped slightly at the sudden noise and Talon glared past her at the grand monolith with annoyance.

“A moment.” Talon patted Thalia gently on her head as he passed her and went to answer the intrusive knock. He only let the door part slightly as he stood to greet Karas on the other side. “Yes?”