Spirits of the Earth

Simon Black's enthusiasm had dwindled.

Dwindled was too small a word. Rather, Simon Black was coming to regret his decision of hefting a rather heavy--and almost dead--pirate lord down south. What kind of idiotic plan was that? His enemy lay in Arca! If not for the issue of the Belial virus...

Damn it all. Why did he have all the worst luck? Misfortune followed him like a cloud, embracing him like an unwanted lover. Still...the prospect of finally finding that demon which he'd spent two...almost three years searching for...the prospect was scintillating.

Wind howled across the grassy plains. Serha was not a treacherous place, to be honest. It was just big, and dry. He'd scored them some supplies from a merchant caravan, but they had to ration their food. Even Simon wasn't exactly clear where they were going--he knew what direction to take, and what to look for...but how long, and how far...well, that was a bit of a mystery.

He looked over his shoulder at April.

April Vasquez. Goodness me, they do make them young. The poor thing shoudl have gone insane by now, if anything of this affair made sense. Her parents gone. Her life shattered. Kidnapped, nearly killed, and she had to see all...that...

He shook his head. Too young to have to deal with all this. Why, if he were still in a former life, she'd likely be a student. She probably hated history. She had the look of a spirited girl--no bookworm.

Of course, if this was as serious as he feared, she might be MAKING history--which was an irony in and of itself.

He spoke to her casually.

"How ya holding up?"

April was having quite the time dragged her feet. Each step was agonizing. Eventually though, after many hours of walking, she became numb to each step she took, numb to nearly everything. She just…walked. Her eyes stared dead ahead, and her mind continued to fall back to the events. She’d never sleep a peaceful night again. She’d never have a pleasant dream. She’d never forget what had happened.

Soon, she was snapped from her thoughts by the man’s voice, and she lifted her weary blue eyes to him. After blinking she attempted a smile, and it probably came out to be more of a grimace.

“I’m fine. How’s Crimson?� She asked, her voice crackling and she winced from the lack of use. The torn flesh of her shoulder had stopped bleeding, the blood clotting and drying to form a mess. She’d picked most of the dirt from her hair, but the blood seemed to die the blonde locks. The only part of her face that wasn’t dirty was where the tears had fallen earlier.

She hadn’t complained once the entire way. All she continued to think about was saving Crimson, and getting as far as possible from Arca. If they succeeded in doing both of those, then she would be happy, or, well, she’d keep her mouth shut.

"Oh, him? He's fine--bout as fine as you are. I may not be a mind-reader, but I'm an expert at smelling out bullshit. You havn't said a damn word this whole trip. You dont' sleep. It's been three days, you've maybed dozed an hours worth."

He shook his head, stopping and setting Crimson down gently.

"This isn't gonna get any easier. A girl your age needs to take care of her self."

April about nodded, before realizing saying Crimson was in about as good as shape as her wasn’t a good thing. She didn’t say anything, instead she turned her head down and stared at her feet and the front of her dirty and soiled dress. When he put Crimson down her eyes snapped up to make sure he was alright, before thinking of a way to get out of this conversation, and into a new. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened, didn’t want to talk about it with this man she didn’t know.

“I’m April.� She spoke out after a moment, and she took a step forward, extending a dirty and bloodied hand out to him, staring at him with those blank, blue eyes, waiting for him to take her hand in greeting.

He stared at her hand in wry amusement, not bothering to take it. A smile played on his lips, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a new pack of cigarettes--along with their supplies, he'd managed to barter these off the merchants too.

"I believe you know my name. Cigarette?"

He offered the pack to her, smiling wryly. He'd put his sunglasses back on--April could see how messy and dishevled her face looked in their reflection. The noonday sun was beginning to sink. It would only get hotter before the freezing nights came. Simon had plotted a course that would take them near a lake--he said that a bath for all of them--Crimson too--may help their spirits.

Plus, sick people need fluids and to be cleaned.

April slowly dropped her hand after a brief moment of hesitation. She watched him as he grabbed a package, and she slowly shook her head when he offered her one of the sticks.

“N-no thank you Simon.� She whispered out, before catching sight of her reflection in the glasses he had placed on her face. She felt her cheeks turn red beneath the muck and blood, and she turned her head down, not look at him anymore.

“Can we keep going? I need to clean up. There has to be a lake, or pond, or something around here. I feel disgusting.� At least she was making an effort to slip some emotion into her words as she spoke, although each time she blinked images of Arca flashed in her mind. She swallowed heavily as she gave another attempted smile.

He sighed, lighting himself a cigarette and hefting Crimson up. He turned and resumed trudging across the dry grass, heading deeper south.

"So, tell me miss Vasquez, how did you come to get kidnapped by this here scallywag...in fact, maybe you should tell me your side of this twisted story. By the time you finish, we'll prolly be at the lake."

April took a step forward to make sure he lifted Crimson carefully, and after she was satisfied she took a step back from Simon, and then continued to follow him as they started walking. At his question, she shrugged her shoulders and knelt down to pick up a piece of grass, and began to tear it apart.

“I…I was buying a necklace from this old lady, and next thing I know this man is stumbling into me and I was out. I woke up gods know how many days later, and I was tied to a bed on a boat. He sent a letter to my parents and asked for my weight in gold, or he’d kill me. We…well…there wasn’t a response from my parents. But then there was an explosion in the city and I insisted we go back. That was after I found out about Crimson’s…illness. I, well, I found out, and then we went because I wanted to find my parents.� Her voice became soft and she lifted a hand to press her fingertips into the muscles in the back of her neck. “And we went to Arca. After that, well, nobody was alive. We went to this building…and it was empty. Then there was a…beast there, something, and, it killed Crimson, or I thought it killed Crimson but he was alive and then…� She waved her hands and laughed.

“Are we there yet?� She asked, staring at the dried grass, not even bothering to lift her eyes up anymore. It had gone from staring ahead with a dead gaze, to staring at her feet.

The blistering heat was catching up to them. Simon didn't like it at all. Likely meant that tomorrow would be a stormy day. The hours were ticking by, and it was evening by the time they reached the lake.

It wasn't a particularly impressive lake. A few gnarled trees encircled it, and many animals had come to drink and bathe themselves. Still, fresh, cool water was a refreshing sight. Simon, however, had an issue.

"Ok, one of us has to go and scout the area while the other bathes. I've no issues with seeing naked women, but you are...what...16? 17? Too young for my tastes, and unlike you, I sleep. So, I propose that you go see if you can find some more herbs for Crimson's wounds while I clean myself up. That gives you the rest of the night to take care of...whatever. Cleanliness and stuff. Savvy?"

April was slick with sweat by the time they finally reached the lake. She finally lifted her head up to look at the lake. It wasn’t anything beautiful, but at least there was water, and she could rest and get cleaned from this dried blood and dirt.

“20, I’m 20, thank you very much.� She grumbled out to him, before brushing her hair behind her shoulder as she heard his idea. After a moment she finally gave a nod.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be back later. Make sure he’s not laying on any sticks or anything.â€? She pointed towards him, and then Crimson, before she turned around and began to walk through the dried grass around the rim of the lake. She picked some interesting looking plants and flowers and what not, anything that looked like a helpful herb. Truthfully, she had no idea what sort of herb would help Crimson, but she figured that Simon might be able to pick a helpful herb from the clump she had gathered.  

She remained over on the other side of the lake for some time while Simon was getting cleaned up and doing whatever it was that he was doing. While she walked around on this side of the lake, the scratched at her face, flakes of dirt of blood falling down to the ground. Each time she blinked there was that flash of the city and she clenched her jaw a moment, before she tried to focus on the herbs and slowly made her way back to where the two men were.

The sun had set by the time she'd gotten an armful of herbs. The air was no longer hot--it was more lukewarm now.

Simon was laying out on a bed of threaded grass and leaves, snoring softly. He was clad in only his pants, his shirt and suit jacket folded up neatly behind him. He looked freshly bathed--his hair was damp, his chest had a glistening layer of water on it. Crimson lay a distance away, near a clump of trees. It was a quiet area, with some semblance of privacy.

Crimson was, as usual, covered by the only blanket they had. He shivered often in his sleep, but the heartening fact had been that most of the flesh had started growing back. A string of bandages covered up the rest of the wounds. It was rather quiet.

Well, at least nobody would spy on her.

April finally made her way back to the side of the lake where the two men were, and she noticed the both of them sleeping. She gave a soft smile, and after making sure Simon was asleep, moved over to Crimson where she set the herbs down. She separated them into groups that looked slightly alike, before pushing herself up to her feet, and walked over to the edge of the lake. After one more check to make sure the both of them were asleep, she slipped out of the dress, or more like, pried the crackling dress away from her body.

It took a lot of scrubbing to keep the blood and dirt from her skin, and she paid extra attention to her shoulder. The skin was torn and it looked horrible, but she was able to get all of the dirt and muck from the cuts. There was lots of wincing and hissing, but eventually it was just blood, nothing else.

When she had finished bathing, she turned her attention towards the dress sitting at the edge of the lake, and stared at it as she crossed her arms over her chest, her wet blonde hair hanging around her face in clean tendrils. After a moment, she grabbed the ruined dress with her hands, and dunked it into the water, cleaning it for the most part. After making sure it was clean…enough, she wrung it out best she could, and slipped it on. The cool air made the dress chilly, and she quickly moved over to the grass and curled up, resting her chin on her knees and shut her eyes. Freezing was one way to put it. If she was cold, the other two must have been cold. She peeled her eyelids open and turned to look at Crimson, if he was still asleep, just to make sure he was still breathing, and not shivering too badly.

“Crimson?� She would whisper loudly, to try and see if he was awake, or if he truly was asleep.

A weary voice, surprisingly, answered her.

"Wearing a wet dress is a bit unhealthy y'know. Could get sick."

A rough cough/laugh rose up from his prone body. His eyes were still closed, and his voice was very soft.

"Take it from me. Getting...ehe...*cough*...sick...is  not a fun...experience. Oh yeah, and you've got a rather inappropriate rip on the back of your dress. Don't want you to be showing off parts of your buttocks--regardless...*cough*...of how attractive it may or may not be, unless ye be awares of it,eh?"

He coughed again, chuckling still.

April jumped as she heard him, before moving closer to his body. She laughed and rested her cheek along her knee as she remained curled up.

“I won’t get sick.� She retorted back to him, her voice soft, before she heard him and her cheeks flushed red, turning her head so her forehead hit her knees.

“Well then, what do you suggest I do about it? There isn’t exactly a huge selection of dresses to pick from! I’ve got nothing to wear. Absolutely nothing aside from this dress.� She spoke back to him, before reaching out to grab one of the herbs, spinning it between her fingers.

“How are you? Really?� She asked after a moment, tucking a damp chunk of hair behind an ear, careful of her shoulder as she watched his form in the darkness, remaining curled up to ward off the cold.

"If you ask me, wearin't nothin' would not rise any real comp-*COUGH*-...plaints. How am I? Oh, swell enough. I mean, It don't hurt none. That simon guy slid enough Numb Root down me throat I'm surprised I can still feel anythin' at all."

He smiled softly.

"You look a lot older. Been seein' a world I wouldn't have wished on anybody. Keepin' it locked up real good too. If you don't let some 'o them emotions out, yer gonna explode or sommat. I ain't too keen on my memories at the moment...maybe you could enlighten me on how we come from a monster-infested city hall to some ideallic grassland?"

April scowled at him, although she wasn’t sure he could see in the dark.

“How about you keep thoughts like that to yourself. And be easy on your voice. We don’t need you coughing anymore than you already are. I…I think I have some more of that numb root, although I don’t know what it looks like. I’ve got nearly every herb on this earth in a pile right here.� She poked the top of the pile.

When she heard him, she turned her eyes away and stared ahead of herself out at the lake, resting her chin on her knees, her arms moving to wrap around her shins. She didn’t say anything for a long time, before she slowly shut her eyelids and shook her head.

“I don’t want to talk about it Crimson. I have to see it every single time I shut my eyes…I don’t want to talk about it anymore than I want to see it.� She whispered out, her damp hair falling forward to brush her cheek, causing her to shiver a moment, before she was able to gain control of herself once more.

A bandaged hand brushed the hair from her face. He was warm, despite the shivering, and unlike her, he was dry. The bandage soaked up some of the water clinging to her face. He grinned.

"Come now, no deck-swabber of mine is goin' ta chicken out on tellin' their capn a good tale or two. And I reckon anybody who'll stand up tae Crimson Iscariot like you ain't no lilly-livered swabby, now aincha?"

He coughed again, groaning softly, and his hand fell down slightly, brushing limply past her should and landing with a soft thump on the ground.

April tilted her head to the side slightly as she felt his bandaged hand along the side of her face, staring straight ahead, before she felt his hand drop back down, past her shoulder. She bit down onto her tongue to keep from wincing as his hand brushed the injured shoulder.

“If you put it like that, I’d feel pathetic for not saying anything.� She accused him, before sighing, tilting her head to look at him, resting the side of her head along her knees.

“Well…after you…died, or whatever you did, this man came, Simon. He took all of us through the city, and there was these kids and their eyes were gone, and this woman, and then there was this monster with hands and teeth. Then the city started to sink, and you started sinking into the ground. And then this…this horse…but a mechanical like horse came. And we went through the city over these heads with black necks, and, and there was a cliff. And this man on this spire, and my parents, and soldiers. Then…we just left. Simon said there was someone in the south that could help you, so we just took off and started walking here…and this is where we ended up…� Her hands dropped down, realizing that she had been wildly motioning. She curled into that ball once more, dropping her head to fall onto her knees.

“That’s about it.� She spoke out, her voice falling back to that whisper, and she stared at the lake, not turning to look at him or his reaction, if there was any.

There was a long pause. He coughed once, twice, three times, and let out a soft sigh, his hand moving up to rest on his head. He groaned softly, speaking.

"...you need to work on yer storytellin' ability. So...I take it Arca...is no more then?"

He didn't need an answer. He'd guessed at it for awhile yet. How or why wasn't a primary concern at the moment. What was bothering him, however, was...

"How you takin' it? How do you feel? You ain't said nothin' on that yet."

April listened to his coughs, and when he finished, she easily heard the sigh. She turned to look at him as he rested his hand on his head, before turning to look back out at the lake.

“Nope, no more Arca.� She sighed, shaking her head as she began to twirl a damp strand of blonde hair around her index finger. After a moment, she pulled her hand away and the hair spun free from her finger.

At his question about her, she began to run her fingers through the dried grass, staring at her knees as she slowly shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t say anything for a while.

“I’m fine. I’m not the one coughing every few minutes. It’s me who should be asking about you.� She pointed towards him and attempted another of those smiles, before realizing it wouldn’t look like a real smile, and looked away. At least it was dark outside, she had that working for her.

"So...any clue as to where we're going?"

He tried a smile as well, but it's hard to smile when you're wrapped in bandages. He sighed again.

"Or, for that matter, any clue as to what's gonna happen? I mean...future's are uncertain, but...I mean, say you do manage to find a cure for me. I kidnapped you. You have every right to send me to the bounty office and get a fat check for it. If your family...sorry...um...if you have no other means of living, that would hardly be the worst way out for you..."

“I…I know we are going to the south. I’ve been following Simon, hoping that he knows where he is going.� She whispered to him, seeing the attempt at a smile, but knew it would be hard with the bandages.

When he asked about what they were going to do, she bit onto her lower lip, and turned to look in the completely opposite direction of Crimson to stare off at the vast grasslands. After a few minutes, she shrugged her shoulders and inhaled.

“My parents won’t be there…Arca won’t be there.� She shut her eyes, fighting off the images of what had happened, replacing it with images of blackness, darkness, nothing. “I know, and believe me, I considered that option for a long, long time. I thought about it, and thought about it, and a part of me still wants to turn you in Crimson. Because maybe, maybe if you hadn’t taken me this wouldn’t have happened. And if it still had happened, I would have died with my family. I would rather have that, I would have rather died with them, to have gone through this.� Her words were harsh, but she was quiet.

“I’m sorry Crimson. I am. But, I’m going to go south. I’m going to go with Simon, I’m going to find a cure. I don’t owe you anything, or I shouldn’t owe you anything, but I am going to help you.� She whispered, picking at a few blades of grass.

He was silent for a long while, processing it for a long time, his breaths even--interruped by a few ragged coughs. He answered again, simply, but with a great deal of power in the single word.

"Why?"

April turned her head to look at him, confusion in her eyes at his simple question. Why? Well wasn’t it…no…no it wasn’t obvious, and she wasn’t even sure she had an answer for him. But, she’d try.

“Because I can, Crimson. I won’t hold a grudge against you for doing what you did. I’m not that sort of person. You helped me in Arca, you died there trying to do something. I…I don’t know. I want to. I couldn’t live with myself if I turned around and walked back. If I knew I left you dying. How selfish of a person would I be?� She asked and shook her head, shivering a moment with the silence. “Because I care, Crimson. Because it would break my heart a thousand times to see you die and stay dead.� She nodded with her answer as she shut her eyes and pressed her forehead to her knees.

“Look, it doesn’t matter. Stop asking so many questions.� She finally snapped out to him. “You’re hurting your throat, and you’re coughing. So stop talking.� She demanded of him, turning her head to look over at him, pushing her blonde hair from her face to rest along the length of her back.

He was smiling a sly smile, a shadow of his former self returning. He lifted his hand and poked her playfully on the nose, his hand falling limply back to the ground. He chuckled again, grunting as he tried to move to a better position.

"You're cute when you're angry. I do believe you were supposed to be cleanin' me up, remember? These bandages won't change themselves..."

April waved her hand at his as he poked her on the nose, scrunching her face up in protest. She turned and let her knees unbend as she heard him and sighed. He had a point.

“I’m not angry.� She retorted, before looking over to Simon. She pushed herself to her feet and slowly walked over, her sore muscles protesting as she grabbed some of the spare clean bandages Simon had bought from the caravan, and then moved back over to sit beside Crimson.

“Come on, sit up. I’m not going to hold you up. You’re dying of a cough, not of back problems.� She grinned towards him, the grin nearly reaching those image scarred eyes. She rested the bandages in her lap as she waited for him to sit up, and she grabbed the pile of herbs.

“I’m not exactly sure what herbs do what, so I’m hoping you know a bit about them.� She made sure to tell him, giving a faint laugh as she shifted through the piles of plants in her lap.

"I have found..."

He groaned, slowly moving his arms to grip and push off the ground.

"That I am miraculously cured..."

He let out a grunt, straining with exertion as he picked himself up, coughing violently, but managing to sit up high enough to rest on his elbows. He was about even to her sitting face now.

"When given healthy amounts of aphrodesiacs."

April winced as she heard him groan as he pushed himself to a half sitting position. When he began to cough she sighed and reached forward to gently help him up to a sitting position, if he accepted her help.

“Come on. You’ll only be sitting for a few minutes.� She gave a sigh as she began to unwind some of the clean bandages, not even knowing where to start on his old ones.

“What are those?� She asked him, before handing him the pile of herbs and dropping them into his lap. Once she had done that, she reached forward and began to unwrap the bandages on his arms, figuring she would start there.

“Tell me what herb does what, and I’ll go from there.� She told him, pushing herself to her feet. She wet a rag in the water, and then moved to sit in the same seat, and if he allowed, she would begin to clean away the dried blood of his injuries.

"I'm a pirate, dammit...I know seaweed, not some...oh, those are Indigo Leaves. They give you a hallucingenic effect. You will see shit you ain't never-OW!"

He winced as she pulled a bandage off, revealing a growing sore on his left arm. It wasn't bad yet--it looked more like a really bad blister, but no doubt it was worse under the skin. The size was alarming too--soon it would be as big as his arm...and basic anatomy states that rotting flesh in the middle of an arm tends to result in said arms falling off. He stared at it soberly.

"Water. Water seems to help slow down the effects. Freshwater is hard to find at sea...hence my bad reaction earlier..."

April reached her hand forward and snatched those Indigo Leaves away from him, tossing them behind her back with a scowl.

“You’ll be having none of that!� She snapped at him, before she immediately quieted, having pulled the bandage from his arm to reveal the sore. That wasn’t an injury from the city or the monsters there. She thought it was just the cough…just the cough.

“Crimson…� She whispered out, clenching her jaw from the stinging sensation in the corner of her eyes. No, no she’d done enough crying earlier. After a few moments of gaining her composure, she swallowed heavily and pushed herself to her feet, grabbing the rag she had been using. After soaking it thoroughly with water from the lake, she walked back over and rested it along his arm, pressing her hand against it firmly. She didn’t say anything else. What could you say to a man that was rotting from the inside and out?

He was morosely quiet, that odd, calm smile playing across his face--the kind of expression he wore when he was deep in thought. He looked up at her, his expression finally reflecting what he must have felt--a cold, weatherbeaten expression of a man close to losing it.

"Y-y'know...some...of them Indigo...leaves...wouldn't be...s-s-such a bad...t...thing."

He was shivering, rocking back and forth now, his body twitching slightly.

"I...is........c...cold...I-I'm freezing...I...I'm burning...I'm on fire...but I feel cold outside...w....warm...no hot...hot inside...."

He looked up at her pleadingly, tears welling in his eyes.

"Y...y'gotta....h...help me..."

April stared at him with blank features, contrasting his own look. Her hands along his arm felt the shiver, and when he began to move back and forth, her fingers tightened. As he continued to talk, she turned her eyes away, his words hurting her, paining her to no extent. She looked back over at him to see the tears in his eyes, and when he pleaded for help, her lips parted and she inhaled.

“I…I don’t know what to do Crimson. I don’t know how to help you.� She whispered out, her voice shaking as her eyes burned with oncoming tears once more. She tried to fight them back, but seeing this man being ripped down from a sickness was breaking her heart, piece by piece.

“I can’t help you…I’m trying, but I can’t.� She gasped out, before she reached past him and grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around him, trying to at least keep the outside warm. She gasped again as she tried to stop any oncoming tears, and tried to curl the blanket around him tightly, rubbing her hands along the outside to create some sort of friction.

“I’m sorry…�

He looked up at her, his mouth moving, but no words came out. He shivered under the blanket, staring at her with an odd expression on his face. He moved without warning, darting in close fast, pressing his lips to hers.

He kissed her. A perfectly chaste, almost accidental kiss. It lingered for about five seconds before he broke off, looking at her again, awkwardly.

Then he passed out. And proceeded to vomit on the ground.

April nearly fell back as she felt him move forward, her eyes wide before she slowly felt her shoulders relax. Her hands dropped down from his arms, no longer trying to warm him as she thought of how horrible the timing was for this. He was in agony, and she was just as much a zombie as the ones from Arca. But somehow it fit, somehow she felt any other time would have felt uncomfortable, wrong.

And then she felt him fall away from her, his lips part from his, and she looked to see him on the ground. The vomit didn’t bother her anymore, not after everything that had just happened in Arca. She simply stopped herself from shaking so badly, and moved to finish bandaging him up. Each one she did carefully so he wouldn’t wake in pain. Each one she made sure some herb was crushed up, after matching it to the herbs that had been there previously. All the while tears silently fell down her cheeks. She felt horrible, that she was crying when he was the one that dying. She felt selfish for the tears running down her face, and she continued to fix his wounds and bandages, each sore causing another pang of pain in her heart.

He was out cold now, and after all this time, the cold, wet dress has transferred the cold and the damp to her, which didn't make things anymore comfortable. It was getting colder too. Crimson had the only blanket.

A flickering light shone nearby. Like fire. Simon must've been awake--he had a fire going.

April brushed her hand along Crimson’s shoulder, after making sure the blanket was tight around him. Her eyes turned to look at the light and she knew Simon was up. After once again making sure Crimson was alright, or, well, still alive, she pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the fire near Simon.

“M-mind if I join you?� She asked, her voice a hoarse whisper, her long blonde hair hanging about her face and shoulder in tangled, damp strands. She blinked, the fire dancing along her blue eyes. She looked over to make sure Crimson was alright, before looking back to Simon, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I changed his bandages.� She spoke, her voice still soft, as if Simon’s eardrums would shatter with a louder sound.

Simon lit a cigarette on the crackling campfire, taking a long drag and leaning back, sighing. As a guy nearing thirty, Simon was rather young looking. His body wasn't neccessarily muscular, but he had a defined chest, and his job kept him neatly thin. Without his shirt on, and without that grumpy frown he usually wore, he could almost pass for 19.

He looked over at her, grinning sardonically and taking another drag of the cigarette.

"You do know that making out with a sick pirate when you have a hole in your dress isn't a wise choice."

April watched him light the stick in silence, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. Around Crimson, she didn’t think it mattered, but she didn’t want to be wearing just this torn dress around this man, so her crossed arms would have to do. At his comment, her lips snapped into a straight line, and without an invitation, she sat down across the fire from him.

“I think that’s none of your business, and that you shouldn’t be noticing such things as holes in my dress.� She snapped out to him, her blonde hair falling forward to frame her face and brush her cheeks.

“Do you think we could move him closer? He’s freezing.� She whispered out, eyeing Simon from across the fire with eyes that were ice when locked on him.

"Not that I'm looking to damper any of your lovebirding or whatnot, but I think the cold is what's keeping him alive. Ever see a frozen corpse rot? Heating him up too much will make him rot more. Even if we can cure him, I'm no so sure we can regrow decayed limbs. The heat is bad enough--these frozen nights are almost a godsend for him."

Simon sighed, looking into the fire reflectively.

"I suppose I owe you an apology. We barely know each other, and I'm already treating you like crap."

“There’s no love birding. He’s sick, and I’m helping him. It’s nothing aside from two people that need comfort. That’s it.� She mumbled out her excuse, or what she hoped was an excuse, before falling silent. He had a point. The heat would do no good for Crimson, so she supposed he would have to suffer the cold if he wanted to keep his arm, or any other appendage that was rotting.

“Apology accepted.� She muttered, lifting her hands up to run through her damp hair. “I didn’t mean to snap, but, well, after everything…it’s starting to catch up with me.� She whispered out to him, inhaling heavily, before exhaling.

“What now?� She asked Simon, watching him as if he had all the answers.

"I'd reccomend you smoke a cigarette to take the edge off and get some sleep. However, as you were likely wondering where we're going, well..."

He sighed, looking at the fire again.

"We're trying to find a man named Aleister Crowley. He's...well, not alive. In fact, he died before any of this-"

He indicated the world around them.

"Existed. He is still "alive" because...well, you'll find out when you meet him. He's set on trying to annhilate the BELIAL virus...which, like him, is a relic from the old world. Issue is, Crowley is a bit of a recluse. He's got a kind of...doorway to his abode somewhere around here. I just hope we don't have to get to the desert before we can find it..."

“Sleep? I hope you’re joking.� She muttered beneath her breath, but shook her head at his offer towards a cigarette.

She listened to him carefully as he explained how they were going to find the cure for Crimson, her lips pressed into a straight line as he spoke. A dead man with a door they couldn’t find. Terrific.

“So, we’re just going to wander around with a dying, rotting man in hopes of finding a dead man who has been trying to find the cure to a virus that Crimson might not even have? He’s not a zombie. He’s not a monster. He’s just a sick man, Simon. A sick, tired man.� She ran her fingers through his hair once more.

“Will the BELIAL cure help Crimson?� She asked him after a moment, her eyes flickering over towards Crimson, before back to Simon.

"Beats me. Crowley is a genius, though. He has a collection of old-world stuff, and I mean....he's like, thousands of years old. Like Dr. Who. Not that you have any clue who Dr. Who is, but still..."

Simon shrugged, laying back with a defeated sigh.

"I'm sure we'll find him. If you're loverboy over there dies, though...whatcha gonna do? I mean, about Arca and stuff."

“Dr. Who?� She asked, before shaking her head. It was probably some famous mage or doctor in one of the cities nearby, or, well, in a history book, seeing as how he was dead.

At his question she gave a sharp glare over to him, before shrugging her shoulders.

“Kidnapper. No loverboy. And…I don’t know. I guess all I can really do is hope he doesn’t die. I don’t have anything left…nothing. I haven’t thought ahead enough to know what I’m going to do, even if we do cure Crimson. It’s not like we’ll be happily ever after. We’ll part ways. He’ll go on being a pirate, and I’ll…I don’t know.� She sighed and shut her eyes tightly.

"Learn how to shoot a gun."

Simon smirked, laying back now, obviously trying to doze off. He held aloft his six-shooter, twirling it lazily on his index finger, like some old-fashioned gunslinger (another term she was likely unfamiliar with).

"Afterall, you can't be dead weight this entire trip. Get some sleep, weepy-pants. Tomorrow I'll teach you how to shoot."

April blinked as she heard him. Shoot a gun? Her shoulders hunched slightly as she heard him, before watching him lean back, obviously trying to sleep. She pushed herself to her feet, brushing off the dress and she took a few steps away from the fire.

“I prefer April.� She finally said in response to the name he had given her, before she walked away, making sure to keep the rip in the back of her dress covered with a hand. When she was halfway between the two of them, she finally fell onto the ground, and then proceeded to curl onto her side.

There would be no sleep tonight. She shut her eyes, and each time the wind made noise through the grass, or a branch would creak, or the lake would ripple, she would snap her eyelids open and glance around, before once more settling back. She wouldn’t be able to sleep, and she sighed heavily with this knowledge.

Morning came with a quickness. There was little time for conversation. Simon broke a piece of bread and a chunk of dried fruit for breakfast, and extinquished the fire. Crimson had survived the night--which, as Simon would remark, was the only positive sign he could see.

The ground was dry and cracked, the grass brittle and dead underfoot. The golden grasslands stretched on forever, and a feeling of despair seemed to follow them.

This feeling was not abated by the appearence of the terrible dark clouds overhead. Simon's prediction of a storm was coming true.

As per the usual, they stopped at Noon, and once he'd let Crimson down, Simon walked over towards April, handing her his gun.

"Alright, now is as good a time as any. What I want you to do is grip the handle tight--just get a feel for it. Once you are comfortable with the gun's weight, aim it at that rock over there--there's a Serha Lizard on it. See if you can shoot it."

April walked just a few paces behind Simon as they made their way through the grasslands. She lifted her head up to stare at the dark clouds, and the faint hints of a smile passed her lips. Rain. She’d always loved rain. It would be better than walking in this dry, hot weather.

When they stopped, April made sure Crimson was laying properly along the ground, before walking towards Simon as he offered her his gun. She hesitantly took it into her hands, letting her fingers adjust to the weight of the weapon.

“Just pull the trigger?� She asked, before turning to look out at the rock. She lifted her arm up and pointed towards the rock. After a moment of standing there with a finger on the trigger, she pulled it tight.

April had to bite back a yell at the loud noise, hearing the bullet hit the rock. She almost dropped the gun, but she held onto it, exhaling heavily.

“I don’t think I hit the lizard.� She spoke out after a moment, giving a light laugh.

"You barely hit the rock."

Simon chuckled, sighing a bit as a large droplet of rain splattered on his head. The sky rumbled, and released it's watery deluge down upon them. Like a cork being released from a bottle, water poured on them. Simon was not to be deterred. He looked around slowly, and grinned as he spied a perfect target.

"Alright! See if you can hit the Rainbush!"

The rainhush was like a tumbleweed that floated in the air. It rolled across during rainstorms, the water making it move faster. It was a sizeable target...and it was right in her sights. Hitting it would be easily possible...

April winced as she heard him, before laughing and shrugging her shoulders. At least she was laughing, for the most part.

When it started to rain she looked upwards and sighed. Rain. Finally. It was a welcome alternative to the hot, dry air they had been traveling in. Her eyes searched for her new target, and saw the falling tumbleweed, and winced.

“Hit that? I can’t even hit a rock!� She said with another laugh, before lifting the gun up, and tried to aim at the moving object. She pulled the trigger and took a step back, staring at the tumbleweed. It moved slightly. Maybe she’d hit it a little bit!

“Did I hit it? Or was that the wind?� She asked Simon, turning to look at him, rain collecting on her lashes and in her hair.

Simon didn't respond. He was staring ahead, his mouth agape. The rain was hitting...something. Like an invisible object was there. A bullet hole could be seen in the air, smoke rising from it. The rain began to swirl around them, like a cyclone of water.

The ground began to shake and shudder. The invisible object opened up, like a doorway, with a swirling black abyss and a shining silvery staircase rising up into it. It was surreal--abstract. Bizarre.

"It's perfect! Come on, April! This is it! This is the way to Aleister Crowley!"

April turned to stare at Simon, furrowing her eyebrows at his expression, before turning to look at the shape in the rain and cyclone. When the ground shook, she lowered the gun and stared at the opening door, the staircase.

“What?� She asked, blinking. Could it really be the man they had been searching for? She took a step forward, before looking at him,

“The Crowley?� She asked, before shoving the gun towards him, not really caring how to shoot the thing anymore. The man that could save Crimson was just a flight of stairs away!

Simon raced after her, and they leapt into the doorway, which closed behind them. The stairs were solid, and sturdy. It was everything around them that was unusual.

They were in space. All around them, the backdrop was shifting, turning around and swirling, and they could see stars. Gleaming stars, blazing orbs in the distance, huge, beautiful nebulae. Below them, like an all-powerful, inordinate vortex,was a black hole.

The lights, the stars, the nebulae, all were being pulled into this black hole. As the pair ascended the staircase, the blackhole seemed to grow larger and larger. A comet rushed by, screeching with a bizarre cry as it dropped into a suicidal drop, straight into the growing blackness.

The stairway, which was going up and up, seemed to only get them closer and closer to that blackhole, which was threatening to engulf them soon...

April skidded to a stop once they reached this…place. All she needed was more crazy stuff, things she didn’t understand and couldn’t explain. She followed Simon though, pushing herself through this bizarre world to find this man, to find the man that could cure Crimson.

“Simon…do you think he has it? Do you think he can help Crimson?� She whispered, before she jumped and covered her mouth as the comet went by, blonde hair fluttering about her face and body. She slowly began to follow Simon. She didn’t understand the dangers of the black hole, but whatever they were walking towards didn’t look friendly, and her hair stood up on the back of her neck.

"I think lots of things, April. I just don't bother to speak my mind. Least, not till I have something to speak about."

The staircase was sinking into the black hole now, and soon Simon had stepped into a veil of darkness, vanishing within. The bizarre panorama continue to spiral above April, and the staircase gleamed eerily.

The way forward was once again bathed in darkness. Darkness seemed to just follow April nowadays.

What lousy luck.

April looked at the back of Simon’s head as he spoke. She dearly hoped this man could help Crimson. She would hate to have gone all this way, and have him die such a horrible death.

When Simon vanished within the black veil, she stood there a moment, standing on the staircase. She looked above her head at the beautiful mystery they had traveled through, and then down at the darkness. She swallowed heavily, and her mouth grew dry. What if Crowly wasn’t there? What if they…died? What if Crimson just lay in that field and suffered.

After a few moments of standing there, she took those steps down into the darkness, holding her breath and shutting her eyes, hoping on the other side there would be no darkness, and a cure.

She suddenly found herself sitting in a rather comfortable chair in a rather comfortable room with a rather comfortable looking Simon Black sitting next to her, comfortably sipping a cup of tea. The room, couches, tea cups, everything was very, very white. The only things in the room that were not white were April, Simon...and a third person.

He wore a very fine red jacket, made of soft, expensive looking velvet. A pair of white silk gloves adorned his hands, and he stood tall and thin. A pair of riding boots covered his feet, and he wore blue velvet pants. His face was thin and a little gaunt, with wiry silvery hair and a single monocle covering his right eye, which was bright red. The other eye was green. He smiled warmly, and handed April a cup of tea.

"Hello there. Nice of you to drop in on me."

His voice was rich and accented, with a soft, sensual feel to it, as if he were whispering to a lover. He had an air of excess about him--signs that he was, or had been, a very wealthy man. Cultured, sophisticated--the whole shebang.

"I do hope it was not too difficult on you to locate me. I have been told that finding my home is...well, a tad difficult. Not that, ultimately, it matters because-"

He gave her a sly wink.

"I hate visitors. But, manners and manners, I do believe we must introduce ourselves. Mr. Black and I are already...acquainted. You and I are not--something I must rectify. I am Aleister Crowley. The Wickedest Man in the World."

April continued to hold her breath, and slowly peeled an eye open, before blinking them both open and she inhaled heavily. She didn’t say anything as she looked to Simon, and then the man there. She watched him, taking in every single detail about him. When he offered her the cup, she reached a hand forward to take it with a shaky hand. She didn’t drink from it, she simply held it within her fingers.

“Hello…� She replied back, her voice soft as he spoke to her. She blinked at the wink he gave her, and sank back in the chair. When he introduced himself, she watched him with blank blue eyes.

“So you’re real, you’re actually real.� She whispered out, before furrowing her eyebrows together.

“Simon forgot to mention the wicked part.� Her eyes swung over to him and made sure he felt the glare, steadying her shaking hands.

“However wicked you may or may not be, we need your help. Now.� Well, she was certainly cutting to the chase.

"Really?"

He sipped at his tea.

"My help? Why, how flattering. I suppose it must have something to do with the dying pirate who is lying on the grassland outside the door, hm? Oh, and likely it must involve the great city of Arca sinking away into oblivion. And, quite likely, you have repressed emotional response to both of these said tradgedies and Mr. Black is eager to seek out the monster that slew his wife and child. All of these things have brought you to me, yes? This is why I may help you--because I am what I am?"

April just stared at him, not saying anything. She just…stared. What could you say to a man that knew everything? Did she simply nod? After a moment she turned her head to look at Simon, hoping he would have an answer. Killed his wife and child? And she thought she had it bad. She swallowed, before turning to lock her icy gaze on the man, and nodded.

“Yes, I suppose you got everything.� She replied calmly, leaning back in the chair, crossing her legs elegantly. Despite the fact that her hair was a tangled mess, and her dress was ripped, she was going to have pride in herself, and speak to him like one noble speaking to another. She’d seen it done her entire life, and she figured she was quite good at it by now.

“So, Mr. Aleister Crowly, do you think you could help us with any of our tragedies?� She wouldn’t press him to fix one thing above another. If they were to get help with any of those things, she would be happy. But, in her mind, she hoped and prayed that he would help Crimson, that somehow he would cure him.

"Tragedies? Oh nay nay, my darling girl, a tragedy is one thing..."

He smiled almost warmly. His smile was huge, a kind of all-encompassing sneer that turned his face into a Grinch-like mask of malicious glee--like the Ebenezer Scrooge of interdimensional madmen.

"This world is a comedy! The purest of comedies, with the most negative of anti-heroes! We're in point blank, my dear! Zero hour! The time is nigh and ripe for revolution, and he that is the cause of your misfortunes, well...he wanted revolution. Yet...he was betrayed. His grand idealism was lost due to poor judgement in allies. Yet he must come later."

He leaned in close to her, his voice low and secretive.

"Your pirate, your captor, mean much to you does he? Would you be willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his recovery from this terrible malady?"

April had to clench her jaw and bite her tongue to keep from retorting back to this man. What they had went through was worse than a tragedy! She would never sleep a peaceful night again, and Crimson was rotting! Thousands had lost their own, and he thought this a comedy? He fingernails bit into the cup she held in hands that shook with anger, rather than fear.

When he began to speak of Crimson, however, she forgot her anger and leaned forward slightly, listening to what he was asking of her. Would she really do anything for Crimson? He had given her very few reasons for her to help him. But they had suffered so much together. Like she had said to him before, she could never live with herself if she let him die. Simply remembering him the night before, shivering, begging for help…

“Yes. Whatever will help him, whatever will stop this damned disease…I’ll do anything to stop it, to cure him.� Her voice was full of confidence, and not once did she hesitate, not once did she even rethink her answer.

He chuckled, turning to Simon, who shrugged noncomittedly. Crowley turned away from them, walking over to a small table that lay in an innocous corner--had it been there already? It seemed oddly out of place.

Atop the table was a small box, with a large variety of knobs and other such strange lights and buttons on top of it. Crowley turned and twisted several dials, and stepped back, as if waiting for something.

At first, nothing happened. Then, the walls slowly began to waver, flickering in and out like rippling ocean waves. The room suddenly melted away with a loud splash, and they were suddenly falling through a world of white. This time, however, the white was from fog.

All around April was a thick mist, with strange shapes dancing just out of sight. It was oddly peaceful--and eerily disconcerting. A shadow loomed over head, and if April happened to look up, she'd see something a bit more...colorful.

A tube of crackling red energy coursed above them, like a pillar of lightning, wrapped into thick veins. It shuddered and crackled, with bursts of energy--similar to sunbursts--blasting off of it from time to time. It eminated an almost awsome power--and it was some fundamentally huge, the little platform April, Crowley and Simon stood upon seemed incredibly small.

A building floated in the mist near this energy pillar. It resembled a greek structure, with pillars and marble courtyards and elaborate statues of the gods. But the main structure in the center was like a French Mansion--two enormous wings with hundreds of windows, purple vines decorating the walls, and an ostentatiously huge central structure highlighted the building.

As the floor of the room they had been in shot towards the building, she could hear Crowley's voice.

"Ah. Home sweet home."

April leaned forward as she tried to see what he was doing. When he stepped back from whatever he had been messing with, she stared at him expectantly, before the room began to melt away. She was on her feet and the cup dropped from her hands as she gazed about herself into the fog. She blinked her eyes, as if trying to clear them, but the fog remained. She stared at the figures in the fog, and looked at the red, her lips parting in fascination.

“Gods…� She whispered, and then she caught sight of the structure they were nearing. It was like a building of some sorts, a large, beautiful building. She stabilized herself as the platform moved towards the building, and she turned to look at the old man as he spoke. This was his home?

“What I’d give to live in a place like this.� She muttered beneath her breath, looking to Simon for a moment, before back to Crowly. She wasn’t sure how this was going to help Crimson, but she hoped it did, and soon.

"Well, you could always join the household staff."

Crowly grinned even wider--which may have seemed impossible, but apparantly wasn't. The platform sank into the roof the structure, and they found themselves standing in a large room, with white marble tiles and elegant paintings on the walls. They depicted strange images and styles not seen in this world for thousands of years.

The centerpiece, at the far end of the room, was that of a smiling woman. That's it. A well-drawn, well-painted, smiling woman, with hair raven black and a twinkle of mystery behind her eyes. The picture was worn and a little frayed, but otherwise in great shape.

Another thing that was interesting about the room was that, lying on the floor, clad only in the torn and dirty breeches that he'd worn days ago, was the unconcious body of Crimson Iscariot Synextra.

April scowled towards Crowly, and fought back any sharp reply she wished to make to him. Her a part of a household staff? Never. She couldn’t handle doing that, listening to everything other people told her to do.

When the platform landed in the large room, her crystal blue eyes scanned along the paintings, folding her arms across her chest as she made sure to be in the back of the two men, remembering the tear in the back of her dress. After she gazed around the room, she let her eyes fall back down, only to find the body of Crimson.

“How is he here?� She asked Crowly, dropping her arms from across her chest as she moved swiftly in front of the two men, no longer carrying for the rip, and knelt beside Crimson’s body.

“He shouldn’t be laying on this hard marble. It’s got to be terribly uncomfortable.� She brushed her hair behind her ear as she reached a hand out to rest on his shoulder, before immediately drawing her hand back. She was here to help him, that was it. She turned her head to look back at Crowly, searching for an answer in his eyes or expression.

"Oh, not as uncomfortable as this."

He smiled again, reaching into his jacket and producing what looked like a pistol. It was large, powerul looking, with a very large barrel--presumably, for shooting very large bullets. He dusted it off lightly, looking around the room casually.

The paintings were all arranged according to their state of deterioration--evidently. A large, scorched looking piece sat in a far corner, and Crowley seemed to stare at it for a long period of time, as if contemplating something.

His hands moved on their own, pulling a very large, piercingly blue shell out of his pocket and sliding it into the pistol's empty chamber. It clicked soundly, and Crowley held it up to make sure it was securely fastened, smiling at the picture, at April, and at the annoyed looking Simon.

Then he pointed the gun down, right above Crimson's heart, and pulled the trigger.

April furrowed her eyebrows together as he pulled out the pistol, pushing the stubborn hair back behind her ear where it belonged. She didn’t say anything for a moment as she watched him look at the paintings.

“As uncomfortable as what?� She finally asked, turning to look at Simon, hoping that maybe he would have an answer to the question she had asked. Besides, it was Simon who had led her and Crimson to this insane old man.

Then she saw Crowly load the gun, aim, and shoot. She wasn’t sure if she had screamed or not, but her hands were shaking near her mouth as she stared down at Crimson, before up to Crowly, blue eyes wide with shock.

“W-what…� She didn’t say anything more. Instead she spun around and faced Crimson, shaking madly as she tried to do…something..

“You shot him! You shot him! You were supposed to help him you old, deranged, mad man! Not kill him again!� She yelled over her shoulder towards him.

“Fix him! Fix him right now!� She demanded, not touching Crimson, but her hands hovered just over his body, completely at a loss.

"I believe you asked me to cure him, dear woman. Fixing him would require knives and scalpels, and if you two are at all healthy minded lovers, that prospect would not really bode well for your future, now would it?"

He chuckled, pushing her away easily--he's surprisingly strong for a guy who looks as weak as he does. Crowley stood over the fallen Crimson, watching him curiously. A blue liquid seeped out of the wound, and all at once, Crimson's wounds begin to turn slightly blue--and glow.

Crimson Iscariot began to thrash and shake violently, spasming on the ground and screaming in what seemed to be absolute agony. His hands stretched out above him, grasping at the air as if trying to claw his way up, unable to lift his body.

His eyes turned blood-red, and he rolled over suddenly, vomiting blood--and something else. In a great deluge of liquid, mucus and blood came worms. Not maggots--but worms. Thick, slimy creatures were expunged from within him, melting away into the evergrowing pool of blood forming underneath him--blood as crimson as the man it came out off.

His back began to bubble--April could see shapes moving just underneath his skin, pushing at his flesh, like a terrible beast was tring to claw its way out. Crowley drew his rapier suddenly--had he even been holding one? He handed the pistol to April, and she saw he'd loaded a single shot into it.

"I do hope you know how to use this thing. Simon, we may need your assistance."

April stumbled out of the way as the old man pushed her. She stared down at Crimson and pressed her lips together as his wounds turned blue. That had to be…okay? But then he started screaming. April turned her head to the side and shut her eyes, trying to block out the noise of his pain. When she heard the vomiting, she turned to look back at him, only to see the worms, and her hands began to shake. All of the blood was making her nervous. How many times could a man die? If Crimson’s number was up, he was losing enough blood to have killed him twice.

“I’m not going to shot him!� She yelled at Crowly as she was handed the gun. She knew how to pull the trigger, and that was enough. But could she shoot Crimson? No, she wouldn’t. But as she looked at him, she saw the shapes moving in his flesh. Was there something…inside of him?

“Simon?� She asked, taking a step back, before swallowing heavily and taking that same step forward. “Crowly?� She asked, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, and when Crimson would be okay, if he would be okay.

The vomiting stopped, and Crimson stayed frozen, his body contorted, on his hands and knees--all fours, like a beast. He had a strange expression, his eyes completely red. He turned slowly to face April, a smile on his face, blood dripping from his lips.

He suddenly leapt through the air, charging into her like a wild animal, roaring in a similar fashion. He was muttering something, repeating some kind of backwards words and syllables as he moved, his body fast, sleek and powerful. Simon fired a shot in surprise, but the bullet sailed harmlessly over Crimson's back as the pirate leapt towards the already shaken April.

April continued to shake softly as she watched Crimson finally stop emptying the contents of his stomach, and whatever else happened to come out as well. She noticed the red eyes, and she found herself unable to move backwards, unable to move in general.

“Crimson…Crimson stop it…� She whispered out as she saw the smile, the blood dripping from his lips. This was worse than seeing the beasts in Arca, the horror, the death there. Seeing that smile on Crimson’s face replaced the memories of Arca, and new nightmares were there.

April didn’t scream when he lunged, didn’t scream when he roared. She didn’t jump or yell when Simon fired his shot. Even when the bullet missed and Crimson continued to leap towards her, she didn’t scream. When her finger pulled the trigger as she pointed it directly at him, there was no sound from her. She simply stared at the beast that had become Crimson. When the echo of the gunshot finally stopped ringing in her ears, she looked to see if Crimson had been stopped by the bullet, to see if she had killed him, to see if she’d have time to cry.

Crimson howled angrily, pulling back an arm, a fist primed to beat her skull into the ground with righteous fury and-

A needle jabbed solidly into Crimson's neck, and he fell over with a dull thud, groaning softly. Crowley sighed, clicking his tongue in obvious distaste as he helped April to her feet.

"You...are a horrible, horrible shot. How you managed to misfire at THAT range is a mystery that I don't think any modern science can hope to solve."

He gave Simon a withering look.

"I daresay good boy, did you even bother teaching her how to use a firearm?"

"Oh, excuse me! Its your fault! Your stupid wobbly door-thingy and the rain interrupted the lesson!"

"Excuses!"

"Withering old coot!"

"Blast you, punk! Don't make me educate you in the fine art of boxing!"

April opened her eyes, having realized she had squeezed them shut, only to see Crimson fall onto the ground with a thud. She looked up to Crowly, before heaving herself to her feet, with his help.

“That’s the third time I’ve fired a gun in my life!� She snapped at him, before she was interrupted by the two of them as they began to argue. She pushed the gun back to Crowly, before stamping her foot onto the ground.

“Will the both of you stop bickering like children?� She asked sharply, before pointing down to the mess that was Crimson.

“Well? Is the raving mad beast gone, or is he still sick?� She asked Crowly, her icy eyes not leaving any room for lies, excuses, or smiles. She wanted an answer, and she wanted one now. All she wanted was for Crimson to be alright, and for her, Simon, and the sick pirate, to leave. That was all she was asking for at this point. Oh, and a good night’s sleep, that wouldn’t hurt either.

"That really depends. The madness I expected--curing a longset infection such as this tends to cause it to cling to the body in a parasitic way. See, your friend Crimson wasn't cursed by the Blotting, as Simon had originally thought."

"Oh, gee, yeah, 'cause rotting happens a lot around here."

"...well, at anyrate, Crimson was instead touched with...something else. The vaccine worked well, but I don't know how sick Crimson was...or what exactly he has. Those worms were what was causing the rotting, though. They look like the Ogir...but...that died out in..."

He frowned, thinking.

"Anyway, April, you may escort him down the hall. There's a room for him down there. He'll likely wake up soon--and after the bad dreams he's been having, he'll need a friendly face. Give him a bath too...he smells like a pirate."

April was only able to follow a bit of what Crowly was explaining to her. Something about parasites, and madness. She did catch something about the worms, and the words were gone, out of him, so she figured that much was good. When Crowly told her to take Crimson down the hallway to the room, she nodded wearily and moved to help him. If Crimson got to his feet, she would help him down the hallway to the room. If not, she’d get Simon to help her.

However they got Crimson to the room, she would lay him on the bed, if there was one. After a bit of searching, she found a rag, a basin, and water. Trying to completely bath a sick, mad, out cold pirate wouldn’t be easy. So, she simply began on cleaning his face of the blood and vomit. She tried to clean him best she could with a rag and a bin of water, and she figured that whenever he woke up, she’d find a large tub that he could bathe in. And perhaps, if she asked nicely, Crowly might have some clothes laying around there somewhere. She’d been wearing this dress since Crimson took her from her home.

All while she cleaned him up, she remained silent. Her body was past any point of exhaustion, and her movements were mechanical, simply washing, looking to see if he was awake, and more washing. There would be no sleeping for her, yet again.

The room was rather nice--beautiful marble, elegant plants and a very soft and very large bed adorned the center of the room. A single curtain hung in a corner, seperating this room from another.

A squeaking sound popped out from behind the curtain, and a strange creature stepped through into April's room. It stood about eight feet tall, with grey skin and four long, frail arms. It had no mouth, and only one single yellow eye. It ignored April as it walked out--dressed in a simple brown garment, but from behind the curtain April could see what looked like an enormous bathtub, and other amenities.

It was far better for both of them then a dirty lake was.

April had to bite down on her lip to keep from yelling as the creature walked out from what appeared to be a bathroom. She gave a hesitant smile towards the one-eyed thing, before turning her attention towards Crimson. She sighed heavily, and reached the hand with the rag forward, brushing the clean end along his forehead.

“After you wake up, you can get cleaned up and I’ll help. There is no way I am heaving you into that bathroom while you’re out cold.� She smiled faintly, before glancing about. She dragged a chair up to the edge of the bed where Crimson lay, and for a while she managed to stay awake, watching him, looking around the room. Eventually, however, she rested her head down on her arms, and the moment her eyes shut, she was asleep, slumping down in the chair. She was in such a deep state of sleep, that no nightmares woke her with tears streaming down her face, or screaming coming from her mouth.

A loud splash and a subsequantly loud cry burst into her solitude about an hour or two later. Several gutteral swears and even more splashing echoed out of the bathroom, and where Crimson had been under her arms--there was now one less Crimson.

April woke up suddenly, and fell back out of the chair to land painfully on the ground. She groaned as she blinked her eyes numerous times, still trying to wake up from a dead sleep. After realizing where she was, she groaned, pushing herself to her feet, before noticing Crimson was gone. She then heard swears and splashing coming from the bathroom and she rushed forward, throwing open the bathroom, before immediately spinning around, realizing he was probably in the bath.

“Oh, erm, sorry to burst in on you Crimson. Uhm…glad to see you’re awake though.� She fumbled over her words. She’d seen nothing, in fact she hadn’t even caught sight of Crimson to see if he was in the bath, or brushing his teeth, but her cheeks had flushed a red. Then she remembered the rip in the back of her dress, and she took a few quick steps out of the bathroom.

“I’ll just leave you to it then!� She yelled over her shoulder, before knocking herself in the forehead with her hand.

"The issue is that I can't actually feel my legs. And that there's a new dress in here for you."

There was a pause, followed by another splash and another groan. The brief image of Crimson had involved him not being fully in the tub, but rather half-in and half-out.

"Oh, yeah, and I think the wound in my side reopened. I'm still somewhat clothed, so if you can tolerate to see a three quaters of a naked pirated, I'd actually appreciate some medical---OW! The soap in this water stings!"

April spun around as she heard him, before sighing, making her way back into the bathroom to see the sight of Crimson fighting to get into the bath.

“If you had waited until I woke up, I would have helped you! It was silly of you to try and have no feeling in your legs. Wait…why can’t you feel your legs?� She asked, as she moved forward, helping him to fully get into the bath, shaking her head as he commented on the soap in the water.

“Well, the soap will help clean the wound, if it has opened. Just suck it up.� She teased, and if she had succeeded in helping him into the bath, she would go and grab the dress, snatching it into her arms and sighing. Like any girl, she did love pretty things.

“Are you alright?� She asked as she moved to a closet or whatever room there happened to be in the bathroom that had a door. If there was one, she would slip inside and change into the new dress. After savoring the feeling of clean fabric, she would walk back into the bathroom, running her fingers through her tangled, but relatively clean hair. She would get around to bathing later, but for now she needed to help Crimson, and fight away sleep.

"I wouldn't have minded you changing where I could see ya. I mean...y'know...makin' sure the whole rest of me works too."

He smiled a familar, somewhat lecherous smile before lifting one of his legs above the soapy water, examining it. The sores had dwindled to healing marks--that vaccine worked very fast, but...

"I'm just hopin' its some sort 'o side-effect, but me legs are number than 'ell. You do look loverly in that there dress though--if I may interrupt meself to say so."

He sighed, leaning back in the water and closing his eyes.

"Odd that ye get changed prior to cleanin' up..."

Another rougish grin passed his features.

"There's room in here for two...and I be certain some positive physical attention would get me legs workin'..."

April scowled over to him, waving a hand towards him.

“I’m sure the whole rest of you works fine. If it wasn’t, I would have heard a complaint by now.� She replied back to him with a grin, glad to see that smile on him once more. When he lifted the leg from the water, she couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief at the healing sores.

“I’m sure Crowly will be able to explain the leg numbness, and it’ll be gone soon. And thank you. I feel much more lovely in it, rather than that rag I had been wearing.� She gave a look of disgust towards the dress she had set down.

“I’m too tired to get cleaned now, and you’re in there.� She spoke out, before he seemed to have figured that problem out. She laughed and continued to brush her fingers through her hair as she walked towards him, or, near the tub.

“Yes, it looks like there’s plenty of room in there, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to dive in to make sure your poor legs work. Nice try though, Mr. Iscariot, nice try.�

He smiled, placing a hand on the side of the tub, grinning ruefully at her.

"Well, you could spare to stay and keep a crusty-ole pirate company, eh? Suffice to say, methinks I'm feelin' much better than I 'ave in years! And it's all thanks to you--and yer friend. Oh, you wouldn't mind edjucatin' me on where exactly we are, eh?"

April sighed as if she had to really think on it, before she moved into the bedroom and grabbed the chair she had fallen asleep on, and dragged it to set it beside the tub, where she soon settled herself.

“There, the crusty pirate has company now.� She replied to him with a grin, pushing her hair from her face as he asked their whereabouts.

“Truthfully, I couldn’t begin to tell you exactly where we are. Me and Simon walked into this door and this silver staircase. There were these bright lights, but we kept walking down to this big, black thing. When we walked into it, we ended up in this white room, and there was Crowly, the man that saved you, I suppose. We went to this large mansion, which is where we are now. We got here on this platform. That’s all I can really say, but if you are looking for the name of a country or city, I’m afraid I can’t give you one.� She finally ended with a defeated sigh, resting her chin within her palm.

"My goodness, sure seems that you be findin' all sorts 'o crazy adventure whilst I sleep. How is is that some simple noblewoman can get all the fun 'n excitment naow, eh?"

He chuckled to himself, shifting in the tub so he could lean closer to her.

"So, you seem a wee bit cheerier than before, back at the lake. An uncerimonious exit I did make back then--do hope you forgive me on that sort."

April rolled her eyes and pointed towards him with her index finger.

“I can blame all of this on you, good sir.� She replied to him with narrowed eyes and a mock scowl. When he shifted in the tub, she simply continued to watch him, before hearing what he said. She turned to look away, before back at him with the hints of a smile.

“I need to be cheery. I’d have gone mad by now if I didn’t at least try to be cheery Crimson.� She shrugged her shoulders, before waving her hand at him. “No, no it was fine. You were sick, really, really sick. What you did then is completely forgiven.� And she included everything in that, including what he had done just before he had passed out, figuring that had been part of some delirium, or he wasn’t in his right mind when he had, well, when he had done what he did.

He smiled, and began to push himself up from the tub, water sloshing as he moved his body. He spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, if I'm forgiven for my past sins...I'd best make a few more."

He leaned forward and kissed her--this time for real. It wasn't neccessarily the best kiss she'd ever had--it's hard for anybody to kiss anybody with any degree of skill when you have to hold your body up with arms that were, until recently, ready to fall off.

April moved slightly as he began to slosh water about, trying not to get her own dress wet.

“Crimson, you’re getting water everywhere!� She scowled, looking up as he spoke. She blinked a moment, before he leaned forward, and she felt his lips along her own. Just as before she was shocked, and wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. He wasn’t sick now…but she could still blame it on this whole ‘needing comfort’ thing.

After a few moments of allowing this, whatever it was, to go on, she pulled back and turned her head to the side. However much she may have needed that, wanted to have stayed in that very position, she pulled back. She stared at the tiling as her tongue brushed along her lips.

“Come on, get cleaned up. I’m sure there are some clean clothes around here somewhere for you.� The best thing to do was simply avoid it, at least she didn’t have to ask questions and think about it that way.

The door in the adjoining bedroom suddenly burst in, and heavy footsteps preluded the arrival of a rather pale-looking Simon. He rushed into the bathroom, panting, and said in a very fast, breathless voice,

"Shit going down! Get...outside...f...ah...follow me!"

He turned around again and bolted back out the door--just as the entire building shook and lurched hard to the left. A few pictures fell off the wall in the previous room, Crimson was being sloshed back and forth by the movement.

"Yaaar....I'm...gettin'....a wee bit 'o sea-sickness 'ere..."

April jumped up as Simon rushed in, spinning to face him. Her lips parted, but nothing came out as she heard him. What was going down? When the building lurched and things started to fall, she stumbled and braced her hands against the side of the tub.

“Sea sick? You’re a pirate for gods sake.� She retorted back to Crimson, before looking around. “How’re we going to do this? Can you feel your legs yet?� She asked him, wincing as the building shook, but she didn’t move as she waited for him to respond.

“I swear Crimson Iscariot, you need more saving then a damsel in distress. Come on.� She waved, moving towards the edge of the tub to help him out if needed. She was going to kill Crowly for not mentioning Crimson was going to lose the feeling in his legs.

"Coming from an actual damnsel in distress, you would know wouldn't ya!"

Crowly grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled himself into a piggy-back position--not particularly comfortable, but at least he was out of the tub--and getting her new dress wet. He clung to her tightly as the building began to shake again, rumbling now.

Simon's voice rang out from the hallway, mixed with irritation and some degree of fear.

"Come ON already! Grab your asses and run!"

“At least I haven’t been passed out and carried around this entire time! I’ve actually been doing something!� She snapped back to him, before she stumbled forward as she felt him on her back, and her dress getting wet…again.

“I can’t manage to stay clean around you! Bloody pirate.� She mumbled before hearing Simon from the hallway. Simon! He could carry Crimson, because she certainly wasn’t going to get far.

“Working on it Simon! Maybe a little bit of help. I’m not exactly the strongest person here!� She yelled into the hallway, before making her way forward. At least Crimson wasn’t a huge man, or she’d have a problem even getting them to the hallway. Once she did, if Simon was still there, she would try and get him to take Crimson. He’d managed to take him across the grass plains, so he could probably carry him out of this house.

The hallway, once she got into it, posed a problem for Simon to help carry Crimson. Specifically, it was because the hallway had a very large HOLE in the middle of it, which was growing larger and larger as the side of the house that April was on was being slowly torn away from the rest. Simon stood somewhat helplessly on the other end of the chasm, staring down into the pale fog and emptiness below.

"Son of a bitch..."

He looked up, his eyes narrowing. This was perfect...

"April! We're under attack--it's something from Arca, Crowley said. It's very large, and very dangerous--and it's after Crimson. Crowley was babbling, but the gist of it goes that this thing is VERY powerful. I have an idea, but I'll need you help."

He offered out a hand.

"Crimson's bandana. It's wrapped around his arm--toss it to me, and I'll give you time to get out of here. Whatever happens, you have to get to the center of the house! Crowley's there, and he might know what to do!"

April skid to a stop and threw a hand out to rest against the wall, seeing the large hole. She took a step back from the hole, and stared at Simon across the large, scary hole.

“You are one pain in the ass damsel in distress, Crimson, lemme tell you that.� She sighed as she heard what the hole was, and what exactly was happening. A powerful, dangerous thing. Terrific. Just what all of them needed, more problems.

April nodded as she heard Simon, and she maneuvered herself and Crimson, so that he was pressed against the wall, and whether he liked it or not, she was taking his bandana. After getting it off, she pushed Crimson to the wall so he couldn’t slip down, and turned to throw it towards Simon.

“Center of the house? Okay.� She said, inhaling heavily, before exhaling. Getting Crimson to the center of the house wouldn’t be easy. “Crowly should come to us.� She grumbled out, before once more shifting so Crimson could get into the position he had been in before.

Simon caught the bandana, wrapping it around his head and taking off his jacket. It tossed it over to April after taking a final cigarette out of it and lighting it. A curling wisp of smoke rose out of the tip of the cigarette, and he took a very, very long drag. The house continued to shudder and shake, but when Simon spoke, his voice was audible, even with the din.

"Well, miss Vasquez, looks like you're on your own now. Don't think that Crowley can be trusted. You'll have to start making your own decisions--living your own life. We have seperate battles to fight, seperate lives to lead. For your sake, and for Crimson's and for Arca's, don't live in the past. This world ill-needs to live on its mistakes. The future is what you need to worry about. Trust me--I know all too well what living in the past can do to you."

He smiled sadly, staring down at the huge abyss below. A dark shadow could be seen underfoot--part of an even bigger creature. Swirling winds and a huge mass of flesh briefly swung into view as the building shuddered and shook again. Simon stared down at the beast below, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and regarding it.

"Y'know, these things will kill me one of these days."

He tossed it aside, grinning a strange grin.

"I can't fucking wait."

He leapt off the edge of the hole, and April felt the ground underneath her move--the wooden platform on which she was standing shot forward, colliding with the other side and sending both April and Crimson safely across. If she looked, April could see Simon plummeting down below, a blur of black and red. Whatever was attacking them saw the color and the shuddering stopped. A mass of teeth and claws and pulsing skin slid into view, opening into an enormous mouth.

Simon fell and fell and fell, straight into the huge opening. He vanished within, and the mouth closed with a deadly finality. The shuddering briefly halted. Everything was calm again. April and Crimson stood in that hall.

Alone.

April stood there and watched Simon was he spoke, really listening to what he was saying to her. Everything he was telling her was easily said than done, but then she remembered what he had lost, and she made herself nod. If Simon could move on and live in the future after what had happened to him, then she could too.

A part of her knew exactly what he was going to do the minute he stared down into that hole. She didn’t even notice the building move again, she simply stared at Simon, giving a sad laugh as she heard him talk about the cigarettes.

When Simon leapt into the hole, she shut her eyes before seconds later they flew open as the platform shot forward to the other side. She grabbed onto Crimson, making sure he wouldn’t fall, before turning to look down, seeing only the blur of the man that had taken her and Crimson there. She had to thank him for their lives, but thank you seemed to small.

She stood there for a few moments, the silence weighing heavier on her shoulders than Crimson. It became very, very obvious to her that she was alone with a pirate who couldn’t even walk. She just wanted it to all stop, she wanted to sit down in the middle of the hallway and just…rest. Not a single part of her wanted to take another step forward to find Crowly. How could she? This place was massive, monsters were beneath it looking for the very pirate she was trying to help.

“Come on…� She finally got out, and began to move down the hallway, one agonizing step after another.

She was back in the portrait gallery now, the blood stains from Crimson's earlier episode still wet on the ground. Heavy metal shutters had closed around the various pictures, and the doors too were blocked by obstructions. The only object not uncovered was that black, charred painting.

The painting was not, in fact, charred--a closer examination would indicate that it was very well-painted to look as such. At very bottom, in tiny print, were the words "Ask and ye shall receive". The words were a deep, rich red--mirroring the blood on the clean marble floor.

April stopped as she returned to a room she was familiar with, a little bit too familiar with. She made sure to divert her eyes from the blood in the middle of the room, and looked around, staring. She moved towards the charred painting and stared at it with dull, blue eyes. She read the writing at the bottom and laughed softly, looking around. After a moment, she knelt down and set Crimson on the ground, before standing up herself.

“Crowly!� She yelled, her voice ragged as it left her mouth. She pushed her hair from her face.

“Crowly! Where the hell are you?� She asked, clenching her jaw as the screams made her head pound. Wonderful. What better way to run from monsters beneath a house and carry a pirate around, than with a headache?

The painting rippled, like a pool of water. The rippliing grew more and more intense, as if a strong wind was blowing into the black sea and then--somewhat without warning--a pair of very long arms reached out, grabbing Crimson and--if she didn't manage to do anything else--April as well.

The hands then would proceed to pull them both into the painting. They plunge down into a deep watery tunnel of darkness, with gurgled and distorted noise echoing around them, and the whole world would begin to shake and shudder before, with a loud POP! both of them would be launched free of the painting and find themselves...

In the midst of what looked like a study. Crowley sat in a corner, examining a vial of yellow liquid through a magnifying glass, muttering to himself in annoyance--not noticing or not caring of their arrival.

April jumped, but by now no screams came from her, as the arms grabbed both her and Crimson. She tightly shut her eyes as they were dragged through darkness, before the loud Pop! reached her ears, and she stumbled to a stand in the middle of a study, only to see Crowly sitting there with a vial.

“Crowly! Where have you been?� She asked, staring at him in disbelief. How could he not have felt the rumbles and shakes of his own home? “There’s a huge…something beneath your house!� This man was starting to frustrate her, and frustration ended in yelling for April.

“And…and Crimson can’t feel his legs!� She added on as well, staring at Crowly with icy eyes, blonde hair waving slightly from either side of her face. She wanted to go home, sleep in a bed, and wake up and have this all be a terrible nightmare. But, she didn’t have a home, or a bed, so she’d have to settle for yelling at Crowly.

"A staunch reason why I havn't remarried is because of the incessant noise you women make. Honestly, you just shout and shout and shout, and don't really accomplish much, now do you?"

He looked up at her with a look of almost disdain.

"Your outbursts are rather obnoxious. Of course I have noticed that we are under attack--what attacks us, I'm unsure. I'd detected this earlier, but I'd merely thought it was a stray Spawn. Now, I fear that we may be dealing with..."

He pursed his lips.

"No. Not them either. This was sent here by Arca. By whatever...or whoever...unleashed the virus. Interesting how BELIAL has changed in these years. Silence for a millenia--lucky I was prepared. Nonetheless, I suppose it will be a bother if it destroys my house. Where is Simon?"

April firmly pressed her lips together as she heard Crowly, and angrily crossed her arms over her chest, but she said nothing more after his comment. She didn’t really find herself obnoxious. Upset, scared, tired, and angry, yes, but obnoxious? Never. And now Crowly didn’t know what was attacking the house. Her day was getting so much better.

At his question about Simon’s whereabouts, April turned to look towards anything but Crowly or Crimson. Her and Simon wouldn’t be considered friends, but he had helped so much, and he really was a nice fellow. She hated to see him gone, hated to see that so much death and chaos was caused by all of this.

“He, Simon, well, he…he jumped down after it to give me and Crimson some time to find you.� She finally said, playing with a strand of hair as she spoke, focusing most of her attention on that blonde chunk in her fingers.

"Jumped? Jumped where--oh no bother. The man is going to get himself killed one of these days."

The building suddenly shuddered again, hard. Books fell from their shelves, the wooden desk decorating the center of the room cracked slightly and slid into the wall. Crowley stood, unbothered by the shuddering, squinting at the vial. He smiled oddly, as if he saw something he liked, and quickly pocketed it.

"Well, I suppose we have to get rid of the beastie, now don'w e?"

April sighed as she heard Crowly. If only the man knew the truth of his statement. She jumped as some of the books fell and the building shook once more. She watched as Crowly pocketed the vial, and blinked as she heard him, before giving a tired nod.

“I suppose we’ll have to.� She threw her arms up. “What exactly are we going to do to be rid of this beast?� She asked, once more folding her arms across her chest, only jumping every now and then if a book fell, or something else fell. If one thing had happened throughout her adventure, it would be that she had become less jumpy and paranoid, and she’d held her stomach through the entire ordeal. It was an accomplishment for her at least.

"And what are we going to do with Crimson? He's gone and lost all feeling in his legs." She asked the old man, waiting with patience for an answer.

"Has he? Sucks to be him."

Crowley walked over to the wall, tracing a series of strange and intricate symbols into the white walls. The symbols glowed eerily, pulsing with a beautiful, yet deadly-looking light. The room began to pulse and change, and a doorway opened up, with a stairway leading into darkness.

"Go down there. That stairway will take you to Serendipity Castle. News of Arca's destruction is likely to have been bottled up by the government--you'd best petition the King to help you. Crimson's curse is a deep one--in a few days, with some loving, tender care, I imagine he'll be walking again. You should rest a few days before talking to the king."

He handed her a small diamond. It glittered eerily in the dim light.

"This should be worth enough to take care of money problems. Off you go! Try not to die!"

April was sure she would start bleeding by how hard she had her teeth clamped down on her tongue. She actually winced once or twice from the hold she had to keep on her tongue to keep from saying anything to Crowly. She was able to release the pink muscle when she saw him draw the signs, and heard his instructions to her.

“Okay.� She said, taking the jewel from him, before blinking toward him, tilting her head to the side.

“Am I resting before I’m going then? If so, where do you suggest we stay? This isn’t exactly the safest place to be and rest up.� She told Crowly, holding the diamond within her fingers as she looked to the old man. She’d have no problem at least trying to talk to the king, but she wasn’t exactly dressed to impress, Crimson couldn’t walk, and she was exhausted. But, this place did have a huge monster beneath it.

"Rest in town, if you would please. I find that guests only cause me undue trouble."

He waved his hand dismissivly at the door, already busing himself with something else, the building continuing to shudder.

"I swear, so much left to do...go on, get out of here. Crimson's unconcious again too--he's likely dehydrated. Best get some food while you're out. Cheerio!"

April continued to clutch the rock as she sighed, moving towards the unconscious Crimson. She once again thanked whatever gods were listening that he was so light, or, well, light enough for her to carry.

“Thank you ever so much for your help, dear Crowly.� She replied back to him in a sweet voice, but sarcasm dripped from each word as she moved to the door, and out into Serendipity. She’d been here many times before, so she knew her way around.

After finding a suitable place in town, she had to give the man a ring she had one, seeing as how the only bit of value she had was the diamond she would be using to persuade the king with. The innkeeper handed her a key, and she slowly made her way up the stairs, down to the room. After a bit of maneuvering with Crimson, and unlocking, she opened it into a relatively clean room. Without taking a minute to look around, she placed Crimson on the bed and rang for a maid, or anyone who would come to the room. When the young girl came she asked for a pitcher of water. When it came, she thanked the girl and set it on the only table within the room. She filled the glass that came with the pitcher, and brought it over to Crimson, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Crimson, you’ve got to wake up and drink some of this. I don’t want you choking and dying if I try to do it while you’re out.� She sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead. If he didn’t wake up, she’d move to try and lift his head and coax some of the water into his mouth.

(Shall we move this over to Serendipity, milady?  :twisted:  :) )

((That would make sense. You can go ahead and make the post  :D ))