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It's Me Again {Eckhart}

Started by Celegwen, March 25, 2018, 04:03:26 PM

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Celegwen

"Only broke my rib," Vivianne muttered, "so I guess not too much trouble."

Upon Terrence's return, Vivianne nearly choked. In all honesty, she didn't fully believe Eckhart was going to come to her aid, but it was a small hope. Keeping a pediphile on a leash, Vivianne thought, arching her eyebrow. There's clearly more to this, but bow's not the time.

She shook her head, pursing her lips. "We'll talk about this pedophile business later because now you definitely have me intrigued. Anyway, yes. I'm sorry, but I have to. Plus," she took a long breath, glancing at the ground, "I have to give him something." Opening her satchel, Vivianne pulled out a coin purse. "To settle a debt."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Huh?"

Hildegarde tilted her head to the side, visibly confused. "Wait, you owe him money? He never told me that..." 

"That's because he doesn't go to you when he wants to vent." Belladonna said. "He's been bitching about it to me and Porcelina for weeks."

Hildegarde gave the cat a disgruntled look. "I didn't know he hung out with Porcelina, either..." she thought bitterly, squeezing her eyes shut. The gang leader took a deep breath, then clapped her hands together. "Well, it's good that you remembered the money, that might get him to warm up to you again." Hildegarde smiled as she held the door open for her friend. "He's probably with Taza, so we should head down to her room."

Celegwen

"Oh, terrific!" Vivianne said with a smile, leaving the apartment. "I'd like to see Taza again." She started walking, waiting only for Hildegarde to come with her. "And yeah, I'm afraid I owe him quite a lot of money. When I told him I was trapped in the mirror, he paid twenty suns. Only right that I repay him for that."

Don't sound too guilty, Viv, she told herself. Feeling bad is one thing, but you still have your pride.

She subconsciously put her hand over her ribs where her injury had been. After two weeks of doing it, the action had become something of a habit when she got nervous. Vivianne swallowed slightly uncomfortably.

"Um, how many people should I expect to be there when I speak to your brother?" She asked with a half-hearted chuckle. "Just so I can prepare myself."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde pursed her lips. "Twenty suns?" she thought, a wave of understanding washing over her. "So that's why he's so bitter- he dropped a small fortune because he thought he was saving her."

"If he hadn't stolen Kaida's wallet, would he have stolen the mirror?" asked a smaller voice in her head. "Or would he be too scared of getting caught?"

Pushing the question out if her mind, Hildegarde began to decend the stairs. "Luckily for you, Eckhart gets antsy around large groups, so it will prob'ly just be him and Taza." The woman turned to look at Vivianne, grinning. "I'm like, ninety percent those two have a secret thing together."

Celegwen

Vivianne chuckled, raising her left brow and nodding subtly. "Yeah, he's skittish even when it's just a few people," she mused aloud. "I'd hate to see him in the middle of a festival!"

She moved her fingers around the coin purse, just feeling the money inside of the velvet purse. It wasn't that giving up the small fortune would be difficult for Vivianne - she absolutely had the funds to repay him three times over with a lot to spare - but that she wasn't sure what would come next. She'd already met with Hildegarde and things seemed to be going well, but if Eckhart didn't accept her, it could potentially drive a significant wedge between her and the Friends.

Vivianne tuned out some of what Hildegarde said, lost in thought. She came back in when her old friend mentioned Taza and Eckhart together. The girl smirked slightly deviously. "Oh, really?" She asked. "Didn't see that coming!"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde giggled. "Neither did I!" she confessed excitedly. "But I like it! I think she'd be really good for him, y'know?" 

"He'd never actually go for it." Bella meowed cynically. "He's too big a prude."

"Oh, shut up cat." Hildegarde scoffed as she reached the second floor. "It's gonna be cute." Striding to Taza's room, the gang leader knocked on the door. "Hey guys, I'm coming in!"

***

"Do I have to wear it?"

Randal stood in front of the door, swaddled in a large coat. He was wearing a knit hat with a pair of rabbit ears sewn to the top. Taza knelt in front of him, buttoning his jacket. "Yes, you have to wear it. The tempurature has been getting lower each day, I'm afraid you'll freeze."

"But Tazaaa!" the boy whined. "Ewan's gonna laugh at me when he sees the hat! It's-"

Taza shot Randal a stern look, shutting him up. She was about to scold him, but hearing Hildegarde's voice from outside stopped her.

"I got it!" Randal said excitedly, opening the door. He looked up at Hildegarde and beamed, then shot a grin at the woman who was with her. "Aww, do we have a new Friend? Sweet!"

Celegwen

"Oh, gods," Vivianne said with a smirk.

He's adorable. The girl knew better than to say it aloud. The boy who opened the door looked old enough that he could get offended by someone calling him 'cute' or something of that nature.

Hesitantly, she waved at Taza with a small smile. Never had Vivianne been a timid person, but it took a lot out of her to simply be back there again. Surely, Taza and a few others knew what went on between the two women years ago, so it wasn't exactly an easy feat to enter their lives a second time and expect to be welcomed.

When the boy mentioned having a 'new Friend,' Vivianne swallowed. She smiled at the boy and shook her head. "Actually, I'm an old Friend," she said much more calmly than she felt. "Just came back after a long trip. My name's Vivianne. What's yours?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Upon seeing the assassin, Taza instinctively stood up, resting her hand on her trowel. Walking behand Randal, she placed her other hand on the boy's shoulder. He smile, while warm, seemed to lack something. She nodded politely, eyes boring into Vivianne's skull.

"My name is Randal!" The boy said, bouncing on his heels! I think I remember hearing the old assassing was coming back, is that you? Do you really live in a mirror? Have you met Sarah yet? Oh my god, this is so cool!"

"It's good to see you again Vivianne." Taza said, chuckling. "Would you like a cup of tea? The water's still hot..."

"We were actually looking for Eckhart." Hildegarde said. "I thought he might be with you guys." 

Taza shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't seen him since breakfast..."

Celegwen

"I'm fine, Taza," Vivianne said, smirking at the eager boy. "Thank you." The girl had a hunch that answering all of the questions Randal had ready would take ages, so that would have to be done another time.

Since breakfast, Vivianne pondered momentarily. Her dark eyes widened, and she looked at Hildegarde with a curious astonishment. Did Eckhart stay at a girl's place overnight?

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde caught Vivianne's gaze, then grinned slyly at the drug dealer. "Breakfast, eh?" The girl shifted her wieght, crossing her arms casually. "So, how was it?" 

"Good!" Taza said. "His flapjacks are amazing! I hope you're making him cook for you, because that guy has a gift."

Hildegarde's face fell. "Oh." she said flatly. Behind her Belladonna began to cackle, but she ignored it. "Well, he always was decent with food I guess..."

"He didn't really just stop by to make them breakfast, right?" she mused. "They've gotta be banging by know, they've known each other two weeks already!"

Randal peered behind Hildegarde curiously. "Is that Miss Bella?" he asked, smiling. "Maybe she knows where he is?"

"Yeah, I do." the cat meowed. "He's in his room."

Hildegarde threw back her head, groaning. "Cat, really?" The gang leader would take Vivianne's hand and begin to lead her down the hall. "Thank you Taza!" she called out behind her. "Sorry we wasted your time."

Celegwen

Vivianne chuckled, shaking her head slightly. Of course Eckhart would stop by to make breakfast. Only him, she thought with a grin.

When someone took charge of Vivianne, like by grabbing her hand, the girl's first instinct was normally to rip away from them. The familiarity and history that she shared with the pink-clad woman just made it much more natural, so she didn't think twice about hurrying along with Hildegarde holding her hand.

"Wait, where is he?" She asked, furrowing her brows.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"In his room." Hildegarde said, rolling her eyes. "Kitten-mittens over here was just gonna let us wander aimlessly."

"Hey, as soon as Eckhart sees her his anxiety is going to spike up." the cat said as they began to decend the second staircase. "I can feel his mental state, when he's stressed I get stressed."

Hildegarde grit her teeth. "If that's the case, then why wouldn't you want to just get it over with?" she asked angrily. "Postponing it doesn't make it go away! He has to talk to her someday!"

***

Porcelina Juarez sat on her couch, a swirling a glass of wine in her hand. Eckhart Von Musel sat next to her, hands in his lap. The boy had been visiting her more and more frequently as of late- not that Porcelina minded at all, she enjoyed his company.

"It's just..." Eckhart said, looking at his hands. "I don't get why she's kept around. Sarah explained the "joke" and it's not funny."

Porcelina sighed, swirling the wine in her glass. "Your sister is a..." She paused, glancing to the side.

"A bitch?" the boy offered helpfully.

"Well yeah, but that's not what I was gonna say!" Porcelina said, laughing. "No, your sister likes to feel powerful. It's like, a rush for her or something, I dunno."

"Yeah, tell me about it..." Eckhart said softly. "I was her punching bag for a long time. Feels wierd getting replaced with that... thing."

The two were quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Finally, Porcelina broke the silence. "You know, I still have no idea if my painting will teleport somebody if I throw one at them."

Eckhart looked up, confused. "What does that have to do with- oh." He stopped when he saw the grin on the Dwarf's face. "Ohhhhh..."

Celegwen

Vivianne followed, partially being dragged along behind Hildegarde. She felt her chest tighten as they approached the door.

Clearly Bella didn't want the girl to speak to - or even be near - Eckhart, so Vivianne started questioning whether or not it was the right thing to do. Either way, she knew that backing out wasn't really an option now. Hildegarde was involved, and they were basically outside of the door, so might as well get this over with.

Slowly down as they came to the door, Vivianne pulled away from her old friend. "So, um," she started, realizing just how nervous she really was. "You're gonna talk first, right? Or should I? Like, how mad should I expect him to be?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde sighed, and knocked on her brother's door. "Start by giving him the money." she said, sounding almost unsure of herself. "If the first thing he gets is what he wants, he'll probably warm up to you."

"Yeah right." Hildegarde thought privately. "Ecks is gonna get mad, then cry, then Bella will get mad and throw something at us, and we'll be back at square one."

After a few seconds, Hildegarde knocked on the door again. "Ecks?" she called. "It's me, we need to talk about something." There was no response, and the gang leader grimaced.

"I don't smell him in there." Belladonna meowed innocently. Upon seeing the look Hildegarde gave her, she flattened her ears against her head. "Hey, he was here! I don't know where he went!"

Hildegarde groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Well, he's gotta be here somewhere, or else Terry wouldn't have been able to find him so quickly!"

***
"Are you, uh, really gonna do it?"

Porcelina stood in front of Room 312, a framed painting in her hands. "Yup." she said quietly, eyes narrowed. "Her being near Taza's brat was bad enough, but now that the annoying wizard kid is here..."

Eckhart swallowed nervously. "But- but what will Hilda-"

Porcelina knocked on the door, cutting the boy off. After a moment, footsteps could be heard from inside. "Coming~" said Chrys in a singsong voice, and the door opened to reveal the midwife in a flower covered apron. "Oh! Why hello you two!" she said with a smile. "I was just- wait!"

Porcelina had chucked the picture frame at the woman, who covered her face with her hands. In a flash of blue light, Chrys seemed to get pulled inside the watercolor, which fell onto the floor with a loud clatter. "Alright, good." the dwarf said as Eckhart covered his mouth with his hand. "About fucking time we got rid of that kiddy-fiddling creepazoid." 

Eckhart let out a timid laugh. "Oh.. oh Ansgar..." he said breathily. "What... Um, what are we going to tell my sister?"

Porcelina gave the boy a sly smile as she picked the painting up off the floor. "Nothing."

Celegwen

Vivianne glanced between Hildegarde and Bella, a small smirk on her face. The girl flipped open her satchel and lifted her brow, pulling out her mirrors. "Call me crazy, but I don't think your boy toy actually went to your brother." She pulled her hair away from her face and sat with her legs crossed. Her her hands on the mirrors and the mirrors on her legs, Vivianne looked at Hildegarde with a nod, then her eyes gazed over with the mirror-like veil.

She darted through the different reflective surfaces, searching for Eckhart. It was a strange feeling... The last time she was looking for Eckhart was to prevent him from being killed. This time, she was just hoping he would speak to her.

It didn't even take thirty seconds to locate him. She jumped into a pair of glasses and saw him walking next to a short person carrying a painting. Before either of them would be able to get a clear view of her, Vivianne left the glasses and came back to her body.

"Uh, do you have a painter in your building?" Vivianne asked, putting the mirrors back in her satchel and standing up. "He's with a painter with glasses."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde nodded at Vivianne as she sat down with her mirrors, mind preoccupied. "Did Terry lie to me?" she thought worriedly, eyes on her feet. "I know he doesn't like Viv, but but would he really stoop to that?"

"You didn't let him sit in on your first meeting with her." a small voice in her head said. "You didn't even invite him to stay with you today. Of course he lied, he thinks Vivianne's a threat to our relationship."

The pit forming in Hildegarde's stomach grew heavier as Vivianne spoke up. "Dear lord." she groaned, running her hand through her hair. "Since when did they hang out?"

"I told you they did." Belladonna meowed, following Hildegarde as she walked back towards the stairs. "He vents to her and she teaches him about art."

Hildegarde merely groaned in response, beckoning for Vivianne to follow. Today was going to be a long day...

Celegwen

Vivianne, lost as to what was really going, started after Hildegarde with a slight frown tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Hey," she said, reaching to touch Hildegarde's shoulder. "What's so bad about him hanging out with an artist?" If anything, the girl thought the arts would be a good thing for him!

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde sighed, gently removing Vivianne's hand from her shoulder- she knew Terrence could be watching them. "Look, don't get me wrong." she started as they passed the second floor. "I like Porcelina, I really do, but man is she unpleasant."

An image if Eckhart covered in paint with Porcelina's glasses on flashed through Hildegarde's head, and the girl visibly shuddered. "I just hope she doesn't rub off on him..."

Celegwen

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly when Hildegarde moved her hand away. They had been apart, but it wasn't like she was moving in with her! Either way, she kept her mouth shut about it, deciding it wouldn't be right to press the issue.

They continued towards what Vivianne assumed was Porcelina's apartment. It was odd... Even though she hadn't been back for very long, it felt right to once again be in Zantaric. Regardless of the circumstances, Zantaric was home.

Vivianne rubbed behind her ears, a shrill voice beginning to echo through the halls. She sighed audibly. "That voice belongs to Porcelina, doesn't it?" She asked, not wanting the answer she knew was more than likely.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Hildegarde sighed. "Yep. That's them up ahead."

"Alright, I'll go warn him." Bella said, scampering ahead. "We can't just spring it on him."

***

"Where did you even send her?" 

Porcelina threw back her head to look at Eckhart, grinning. "The middle of the Adelan plains!" she laughed, feeling happier then she'd been in a long time. "She's probably getting scalped by those savage horse people right now! God, this feels good..."

The younger Von Musel smiled nervously, going red in the face. "Y-you know..." he said, looking at his feet as he walked. "It's really brave of you to do this..."

Porcelina scoffed dismissively. "Please. It was nothing." She said condescendingly, cheeks flushing ever so slightly. "Part of being an adult is-"

A meow from below her signaled that Eckhart's mangy cat had arrived. Looking at her friend, Porcelina was shocked to see how much the boy had paled. "What is it?" she asked. "What did fleabag say?"

Eckhart shook his head, then looked down the hall. Porcelina squinted, and saw Hildegarde approaching with a woman she's never seen before. "Porcelina?" the boy said softly. "Stay with me, okay? I need you here now..."

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