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Putty In My Hands (Solo)

Started by Eckhart_Von_Musel, December 22, 2017, 07:08:37 PM

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Eckhart_Von_Musel

Never thought I'd thread with myself, but I really don't know how to tell this story otherwise. H-here I go...
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Stepping through the door, Eckhart was immediately taken aback. He hadn't stepped into the hostel's hallway as he expected, instead stepping into a cozy looking bedroom. "W-what?" he stammered out loud. "Where am I?"

"It surprised me the first time too."

Eckhart froze. The voice alone was enough to bring back memories, both good and bad. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked in the direction of her voice. His sister stood in the corner of the room, hands behind her back. "Hildegarde..."

The boy met her gaze, then broke it. Emotions surged through him. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he was at a loss how to start. Finally, after a few minutes, he spoke.

"...What on earth are you wearing?"

"Sweet Ansgar, that dress is fucking gaudy. I hope she kept the receipt for that thing."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde's heart skipped a beat- it had been years since she'd heard his voice. His apparent disdain for her dress was irksome, but she'd let it slide this time. "I cant fuck this up by being sour with him. I can talk to him about clothes later."

She stepped towards her younger brother apprehensively. "It's my favorite." she said simply. Now standing in front of him she looked up into his eyes. "You're taller than me." she stated, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. "That's... New."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart's breathing grew sharp as Hildegarde approached him. His heart raced, every emotion he'd been holding back bubbling to the surface. "This isn't happening. I can't deal with this."

"She's been looking out for you, even after everything that happened." a small voice reminded him. "She loves you."

The healer looked down at his sister, unsure of what to do or say. For a brief moment Eckhart raised his arms as if to hug her, but he stopped halfway through the gesture. His arms fell limply to his side, and he looked away. "Yeah." he said quietly. "Last time we were the same height..."

"Damnit, I need to say something."

Swallowing nervously, the boy looked his sister in the eyes. "Are..." he began, his voice shaky. "Are we... Okay?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde nodded hastily. "Yeah." she said breathlessly. "Yeah, we're cool." The girl looked away. "I'm... I have things I need to answer for." she said, sounding unsure of herself.

"How the fuck am I supposed to say this?"

After a moment, Hildegarde straightened up. "Come on." she said, grabbing Eckhart gently by the shoulder. "We shouldn't talk about this in Adelaide's room." With that, she would lead her brother out of the apartment and into the hall.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart flinched at his sisters touch, panic spreading through him. "Calm down." he told himself. "If she was going to hurt you, she wouldn't need to touch you to do it." Taking a deep breath, Eckhart relaxed his shoulders, allowing himself to be led out of the room.

It was odd. Eckhart had always imagined Hildegarde was living in some kind of palace, and he was taken aback by the dimly lit hallways she was leading him through. "Is this a hotel?" he thought as he and his sister ascended a staircase. "It's so... Dingy."

Finally, his sister opened a door and led him inside. There wasn't much to it- just the bare necessities. She motioned to the couch, and Eckhart gingerly sat down. Hildegarde followed suit, and the two siblings stared at each other, both seemingly at a loss for words.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde stared at Eckhart, unsure of where to begin. There were so many things that needed to be said, and the young woman could feel a rising sense of dread. "This is Eckhart." she reminded herself. "He can't do anything to me."

"Unless Kaida was right about him."

Pushing that thought out of her head, Hildegarde forced herself to speak. "I'm sorry. The things I said and did..." The woman's voice shook, as if her life depended on the words she was saying. "... It was wrong. I never should have done those things to you." She looked at her brother, eyes pleading. "Can... Can we start over?"

"Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart's eyes widened, his mind racing.

"It's an act. She's not sorry." was his first thought. "You cannot believe a word she says."

"Let her back in." was his second thought. "You'll never forgive yourself if you don't."

"Hildegarde is a very violent, angry person." was his third thought. "Do you really want to upset her? It'd be suicide, especially if she's sincere."

Eckhart swallowed, giving his older sister a timid look. "I can't pretend it never happened. Things are never going to go back to how they were." Hildegarde blinked, and Eckhart quickly continued. "I... I really want to fix this, but-" Tears began to roll down the boy's face. "-But we need to be honest with each other, okay?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde's heart fell like a stone. "No no no no no! This can't be happening!" She blinked in disbelief. "It's not fair! I didn't know what I was doing back then, how can he hold it against me?"

Then her brother relented, and started to cry. Hildegarde looked at him, feelings of guilt spreading through her like a poison. "That's how." it occurred to her. "He's worse than when I left him." The gang leader stared at her lap. She genuinely believed that she had changed as a person since she'd left Hyoite, but seeing the fruits of her actions like this was... Humiliating.

"I can't treat my Friends well and my family like shit." she decided. "I need to fix this."

Shifting her position on the couch, Hildegarde wrapped her arms around Eckhart. She tried to put a lot of unsaid emotions into the embrace, hoping her brother would understand. "I'm alright with that." she whispered. "Things will be different from now on. I promise."

She closed her eyes, feeling tears rolling down her cheek. "Everything is going to be okay now."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

It wasn't the reaction Eckhart expected. His sister's embrace caught the boy off guard, and he let out a small gasp of fear. "What- what is this? Some kind of trick?"

Then she spoke to him- comforted him- and Eckhart broke. He clumsily returned the embrace, tears falling like rain. "I- I'm sorry..." he sobbed, arms wrapped tightly around his sisters body. His voice shook uncontrollably. "I-I really m-missed you Hilda..."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Tears began to fall freely from Hildegarde's face, causing her mascara to run. "I missed you too Ecks." she said softly. She sniffled, pulling away from the embrace. "I want you to stay here with me until Spider and his gang have been crushed." she said, looking her brother in the eyes. "It's the only way I know you'll be safe."

"I'm never letting you out if my sight again, Ecks. I never should have left you behind."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart wiped his nose on his sleeve. "O-okay..." he said shakily. It was clear that the boy was trying to regain his composure, but it wasn't working out for him too well. His nose was running, and his eyes were red and puffy. "Wait... Does that mean they're still after me?"

"Why? Why is it always me?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde nodded apologetically. "Yeah." she said softly. "From what my spy has told me, the assassin named Wasp has gone rogue and is obsessed with killing you or something." Upon seeing the look on her brother's face, Hildegarde immediately switched gears. "Don't worry! I'll have her killed in no time."

"Okay, let's talk about something else."

Hildegarde clasped her hands together. "So!" she said enthusiastically. "Tell me about this kitty of yours. I never took you for a cat person, I always thought you wanted a seal."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart's heart began to race, mouth thinning. "Sweet Ansgar, why?" The boy's mind began to race, different scenarios involving the assassin playing out in his head. "What if she follows me here? I don't want Hildegarde to be put in danger because of me!"

His sisters reassurance snapped him out of it. "Come on Eckhart, remember who your sister is. Wasp wouldn't be able to beat her- not even the dragon could do that."

Then Hildegarde asked about his cat- which was odd, because he wasn't sure how she knew about that. "Then again, I'm not sure how she knew the exact room I was staying in either..." Eckhart sniffled. "Um, well she's actually my familiar..." he began. "Her name is Belladonna, and I'm helping her to rescue her old master's soul from an evil faery guy because they wanted forbidden knowledge and they didn't know that they had to pay for it." 

Eckhart looked away, feeling embarrassed. "There really is no way I can explain that without sounding crazy, huh?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde stared blankly at her brother. "Wait, wait." she said, motioning with her hands for the boy to stop. "What? So, does she still have forbidden knowledge? Do you have forbidden knowledge now? Like, you gotta explain this to me better, okay?"


Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart went red in the face. "Um, yes. Both me and her have forbidden knowledge now. She wrote it all down in a book for somebody to find, and that somebody was me. So, I, uh, have to help her now..."

Eckhart paused. "Um... Wait, so, where am I going to be staying? Cats are allowed in the building, right? Bella will kill me if she doesn't have a bed to sleep on..."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it." Hildegarde said, waving her hand dismissively. "You'll be downstairs, Room 108. I imagine Addie's getting your stuff from Maestoso as we speak."

"That doorstop was literally the greatest birthday present I've ever given somebody."

"Now, tell me more about this tome of forbidden knowledge." she said, getting slightly impatient. "What kind of information is in it?"

"I never got forbidden knowledge. What makes you so special?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart nodded, relieved. "So, this is like a hotel. That's good to hear." His brows furrowed. "Gosh, I hope Bella is okay with staying here a while. I don't want her to get mad..."

Hildegarde's sudden fixation on Maladies caught him off-guard- but at the same time, it wasn't unexpected. "You're jealous of me, aren't you? You haven't changed as much as I thought..."

"It's all herbal remedies. Like, I can cure lycanthropy with strawberries and thyme now." The boy's eyes narrowed. "Pretty useful thing for me to have, all things considered."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

For the briefest moment, Hildegarde looked shocked. She regained her composure almost immediately, and smiled sweetly at her brother. "That's great!" she said enthusiastically. "That must give you a real edge over other healers, huh?"

"Stupid. I can't be bitter, that will drive him away from me. No, I gotta be supportive."

"You know, I bet Alderon and Taza would love to see that book!" Hildegarde said excitedly. "Oh, I cannot wait to introduce you to everybody!"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart was utterly taken aback by his sisters acceptance. "Oh..." he thought, feeling rather silly. "I guess she's not jealous..." He smiled, nodding. "Yeah! I mean my powers have grown a little bit too. I can mess with the nervous system now!"

"You suck at that power though." a voice in his head reminded him. "Don't sell yourself too well."

Scratching his head, Eckhart laughed softly. "Hahaha, well, I'd need to ask Bella if it's okay for them to read it, but sure!" He gave his sister an odd look. "Um... How long to you think it will take to kill Wasp?"


Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Oh, pffft, no time at all." Hildegarde said dismissively. "A week maybe?"

"You're never leaving, Ecks. You'll make too many friends, your heart won't be able to take it."

Hildegarde beamed at her brother. "Now, nerves are neat, but I need to know..." The woman leaned in closer to her brother. "Can you fix broken bones yet?"

"I'm going to act super proud of him when he says yes." she told herself, smiling inwardly. "I gotta make up for all the years I spent harping on him not being able to do it."

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