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Post by skyeknight on Nov 9, 2017 2:50:33 GMT
Aqua hadn't gone back to Nevermore's after running into Omar there. She was left emotionally drained after that. So many things weighed on her that it made it hard to function during the day, which was why she went to the Nevermore kiosk. She ordered an expresso - nearly gagging it down - just for the caffeine. She shuddered at the disgusting taste but the vindictive part of her said she deserved it.
She moved over to a park bench to sit and wallow in her self loathing after her shift. Riku hadn't been in, for obvious reasons. Weiss. He was probably visiting her or yelling at his parents or well, not on shift with her. Why would he be? She ruined that. She missed her partner. She missed how uncomplicated things were before she went to the faery courts. She wished - no... She couldn't wish. Not with that man Constantine around. He wanted wishes. He would relish the disaster he could bring by a seemingly harmless wish.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 3:06:00 GMT
Riku wandered, completely lost in his own thoughts. Such good had happened, and then such bad that brought up flashbacks of an occurrence he wished would just leave him alone. He'd only been twelve years old when he had delved into dark arts like his sister. She'd been stronger than him in that respect, he always knew she would be. But power wise...it had been proven he was stronger, and the old thirst for power was back in full force. He had to overcome it again or it would haunt his future marriage and that was no good. He didn't realize he was in the park until he was right next to the playground. A dazed look around showed him Aqua looking miserable. He bit his lip. He was tired of being angry to be honest, but she kept edging him out no matter what he did. Was it even worthwhile to restart the relationship? He gave an awkward wave to her anyway.
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 9, 2017 3:15:27 GMT
Aqua got up and threw away the remnants of the bitter coffee drink she had choked down. She was about to leave when she saw a flash of silver. Riku was awkwardly waving at her. She hesitated before doing the same. Really it was more like her hand gave a pathetic spasm so she let it drop. After Omar, did she really have it in her to talk to Riku? She at least owed him an apology for the things she said. And for waiting so long to apologize. But it was hard to do when they were starting to avoid one another as well as working on different cases and well just general life getting in the way.
"Riku," she said softly in acknowledgement.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 20:14:04 GMT
"Aqua" well, no backing out now. She was beside the trashcan and he walked to her bench and sat down, patting the spot beside him for her to sit in. He watched the kids playing on the playground. There was one little girl with short blond hair in a green dress who looked a bit like Sunshine, and another little girl with almost white hair in a short braid and black headband and wearing a blue dress pushing the blond girl on the swings. He smiled, it kind of reminded him of Weiss and Sunshine, and he hoped they'd be as close as those two girls one day. "I'm tired of being mad" he told Aqua as she sat down, though he didn't look at her and instead continued watching the girls. "I don't even care at this point your reasoning. I don't even want to know why you said them. I just want to know; do you think what you said is true? Because I have to level with you, some part of me agrees with what you said"
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 9, 2017 21:11:40 GMT
He motioned for her to join him on the bench. Despite everything in her that screamed run away, she dropped the last of her 'drink' into the garbage and sat beside him. She didn't look up at him. Instead her gaze found the ground. She almost felt like a child being scolded, only she knew she did something worst than 'draw on the walls' or something equally ridiculous. Her heart throbbed as she sat there next to him. Just when she thought she couldn't have gotten put through the ringer any more than she already had.
"I'm tired too."
She was tired of hurting. Tired of the guilt. Tired of constantly feeling like she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown because if someone threw one more bombshell at her, she was going to burst like a balloon. Riku. Omar. Weiss. Omar again. She only wanted something to go right for once. She only wanted to see her friends happy. Only it seemed that when she tried, things blew up in her face. Once again humans were the cause of these back and forth thoughts of hers wondering whether it was worth it to remain a part of their city. But where would she go? Not the court. Not the city. She had nowhere.
"I didn't mean it." she said in a near whisper. "It was just to break the curse."
The scroll had hinted at loss of sanity or worse, death. Her fatigue coupled with her own fear of losing a partner impacted her judgment. If she could go back to that moment and change things, she would, but she couldn't (well she could at he cost of a wish but she wasn't making a deal with that asshole in a trench coat). The curse had said tears. It hadn't said they needed to be Riku's but when Weiss wouldn't cry, Aqua got desperate. It was funny, in a sad and ironic sort of way. When she first got Riku as a partner, she didn't want him. Didn't want anything to do with him. He was just another human and he would die, just like Terra, but when they got closer and when that threat loomed, she had been so terrified it made it hard to even breathe.
"I'm sorry." she told him, fighting the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 22:02:05 GMT
He nodded slowly. "Okay, thanks. It's all I really wanted to know. And honestly? I'm past wanting an apology at this point. I just want to get back to work and have my partner stop shooting me guilty looks every time she thinks I'm not looking" He glanced at her. "I just want to move on, okay? So I'm going to be utterly honest and tell a story, and you sit and listen and hopefully you realize why I broke down then"
He took a deep breath. This was something that he hadn't even told his sister, and she was too young to remember. "Once there was a boy. A very prideful boy who pretended to have friends but he thought he was better than anyone else and everyone, even his parents, were beneath him. His natural power in magic was as much as a distant ancestor and he was very proud of this and started going down dark paths. Eventually he met a darkness calling itself Ansem. Ansem claimed to be his friend, his ally, his protector and the boy believed him. But the darkness eventually consumed him and the boy's body with Ansem's soul were locked in a dungeon underneath the boy's home, for his parents were ashamed to admit they had done wrong and were afraid to let anyone know of what had happened, so they hid the monstrosity away. One day the monstrosity started cracking, Ansem in his pride had loosened his grip and the boy's soul, who had been fighting all this time and growing ever stronger by fighting broke through. It caused a battle and the boy won. He then went on a journey to find himself and a new meaning to life. When he was in New York, he saw an officer defend a woman from her abusive husband, and he knew what he wanted to do. So he dedicated his life to becoming an officer and defending others, and giving himself, instead of taking from others"
Riku spoke in an even, detached voice through all of this and when he was done he looked at Aqua steadily. "I'm a prideful being, and selfish deep down. But I never stopped fighting and I never stopped searching for the good in others. I thirst for power but I suppress this lest Ansem return. What you said cut through all of my progress and left me feeling like I was twelve again. But I want to get better, and I finally have people who love me and are willing to help me progress to the person I want to be"
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 9, 2017 22:22:54 GMT
"I..."
It felt like her throat had swollen shut. Her eyes prickled with warmth, threatening tears, but she blinked them back and won. No. She had cried enough over this. It didn't stop her hands from going white knuckled as she gripped her knees with shaking fingers. Worst of all, she couldn't apologize. Nothing would ever make what she said right. Even if it was to save him from a worse fate. She could have made things even worse, all because she had to provoke a reaction. She didn't even stop to explain it to him! It made her so angry with herself.
"We're both selfish." she sighed. "I was so afraid that the curse would kill you, I didn't stop to think of the consequences. I didn't want to lose you like I lost everyone else."
She had constantly lost anyone and everyone she cared about. When she thought it would happen again, she was brash. It wasn't something she normally did but the fear had all but crippled all logical thought. Her mom. Her dad. Terra. Death seemed to take everyone she had ever cared for and it scared her. One day, she wouldn't get the choice in saving Riku because he was human, but because she had never had the chance to come to terms with saying goodbye naturally - only having people violently ripped away - it left a mark.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 0:26:30 GMT
He tilted his head up to the sky and shrugged. "You haven't lost everyone" he said finally. "I can name one utterly devoted person who was willing to put it all on the line for you, and I'm willing to make amends, and Sunshine and Shadow are still sticking by you. Namine is utterly devoted to you. Stop pretending you're cursed and open yourself up to the fact that you're loved and still have relationships with people who care about you. Considering my parents locked me in a dungeon because I was possessed, I strive to make good connections with people. It's all I can do, and all you can do. Stop thinking about what's wrong and focus on what's right. You might find your perspective changes"
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 10, 2017 2:24:09 GMT
"I know." she sighed. "But the fear is still there. I don't know how you can continue to see so much good when so much bad has happened to you."
She was opening herself up, allowing people back in for the first time in a very long time, only to have what happened to Omar derail everything. She took a deep shuddering breath. The fear that she was the cause of her friends' pain wasn't so easily gotten over, but she was making strides in the right direction. It had been easier to keep everyone at arm's length, just provide for them when they needed her and slink back to her apartment afterwords. A one way relationship. But the people she met were far too insistent for her to fight back against, to even try to deny. Her experiences had colored her for the worst, striking her with fear and making her hesitate.
"Dilly dally shilly shally."
Her mother used to say it to her, teasingly whenever she was so caught up in thought she didn't make decisions. Her younger self had stressed so much before a decision that she would miss out on certain opportunities. She wiped at her eyes before moisture could gather. She had spent so long not thinking about the hurt and the ones she lost. And the moment she had decided she would open herself up to Omar, maniac faeries kidnapped him and tortured him. She couldn't help the guilt that brought.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 19:06:43 GMT
"Because if I don't, how can I really live? Afraid and bitter is not something I ever want to be again" he said evenly. He raised an eyebrow at the little saying but shrugged. "You have to let us in, no matter what happens. I didn't have any real friends and look what happened to me. I became possessed by a creature of darkness and despair. Fighting against that is the only way to stay strong and not become a breeding ground for darkness and bad juju" he sighed and patted his partner on the shoulder. "Years of fighting my darkness is why I am who I am, I don't expect you to be perfect in a day, but I expect you to try and improve. Look at the world and start with seeing three good things every day. That's how I started"
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 10, 2017 20:54:57 GMT
Bitter? Perhaps only with herself. She knew more fear and loneliness than anything. Her two constant companions. Terra's death had taken a part of her with him. Worst of all, she hadn't even known it until this started happening. She had thought herself happy and content with her life. Just existing. Except everyone had to go and prove that she wasn't okay without those missing pieces. She was slowly getting to those things back but in new and different ways. However, when Riku brought up darkness she stilled. Only a demon could have a heart as dark as hers. A heart without hope or light or love. She had reasoned (after Terra) she was better off alone. Because no one could hurt her if she was alone.
"Will you - will you help me fight my darkness, Riku?"
Her pride often kept her from reaching out and asking for help. She couldn't do this on her own. She simply wasn't equipped to handle all of this hurt and pressure alone even if she pretended she could. But she knew now she wasn't okay. She wasn't going to be okay until she tried to live her life. She bowed her head, almost shamefully. It was hard for her to admit she was broken, even harder for her to seek help for it. Riku and Omar both gave her the fiercest of headaches. They weren't likely to go away until they opened her up, broke down her damned walls and saw her vulnerable and exposed but happy, safe and protected.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 23:24:33 GMT
"Of course" he answered immediately. He wanted to get this partnership going again, wanted Aqua to let go of her pain and heal and really be a cop again. Really be a person again. He was willing to help her. "So...I'm getting married" he said in an offhanded way. "Do you...want to come to the wedding? I mean I'd ask you to be best man but I'm thinking about Shadow being best man and there's the fact you're female, soo...." he smiled at her for the first time in the conversation. "I was thinking of asking Omar to be wedding singer, unless Sunshine has a different preference. I'd even bring in her favorite band if I could, because she means that much to me"
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 11, 2017 0:26:18 GMT
One good thing that came from her trip to the Seelie court was Riku and Sunshine. By her asking Sunshine to look after Riku while she was away, it helped the two of them get together. It was hard to believe it was when Riku was a rookie that Sunshine had been blushing and asking about him because she was 'curious'. She had even asked that if Sunshine wanted to repay her for what she did in the court, she had to take care of Riku. Sunshine was really taking care of him alright if he was 'putting a ring on it'.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she said softly, "It's okay if you have Shadow as the Best Man. It makes more sense."
She looked up at him and returned his smile, weaker and tentative but no less sincere. Things had gone surprisingly well for him. She supposed she couldn't have asked for more. After everything Riku had gone through, he needed someone like Sunshine to bring light to his life. She was the literal brightest light in the BPD Others Unit, whether she believed it or not. People would look at her and be drawn in by her warmth and kindness.
"How's Weiss? Is she... doing okay after everything?" she asked.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2017 0:49:12 GMT
He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks Aqua" Shadow as his best man did make more sense, and he'd ask the hedgehog later if he could do it later. But it was nice that Aqua was willing to come to the wedding. "Omar will just be at the reception, I'm not going to ask him to enter a church again, since...yea" he shrugged awkwardly. "Then again it's a voodoo temple but I'm pretty sure any church would set him on edge at this point" he laughed a little, though bitterly. "I can't say I blame him....have you, ya know, talked to Omar since? I feel he deserves an answer with all the crap he's gone through" Riku paused and shrugged. "She's healing" he said simply. "But she's back to the Weiss I once knew"
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Post by skyeknight on Nov 11, 2017 3:16:14 GMT
"Yeah..." she said slowly, "No churches."
She hadn't seen the full extent of the damage the church had on Omar. After seeing what iron did to her parents, she didn't want to. She had only seen him after he had done some healing. A part of her was relieved to have not been on the rescue team. She might not have been so well tempered with the whole situation. They probably would have had to cart her off to the loony bin. She wouldn't have been able to see him when he had been freshly wounded. All for loving her.
"I... we talked a little, but Shadow was there and... he's going through stuff too," Aqua sighed.
She intended to have a more private talk with Omar, without Shadow there. Because she had lost her composure upon seeing how hurt Omar had been. It was uncomfortable to just cry in front of both Omar and Shadow. Not to mention how drained that left her. At least they had managed to get something done in saving Weiss. The poor girl had been through so much. Her awful neglectful parents were the reason she was in this mess in the first place. They drove Riku away and hurt him and did the same to Weiss.
"She doesn't have to go back to your parents, does she?" Aqua asked.
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