#convo:anders

[arvidxlykos]

@andersxlykos​

They’d come all the way from Sweden to learn of what had happened to Anders and why the Lykos hadn’t returned with Hakon’s remains as he was intended to. And what Arvid found instead was that while Hakon now lived once more, Anders did not. The witch kept his distance from him even now, unsure of what the vampire might do if Arvid got too close. It would have been easy to write the man off, he was a monster now, wasn’t he? Technically dead, at least. The family would have a funeral for him, vampires had no place in their coven. “I always looked up to you, you know.” Arvid was younger, but the head family seemingly had everything. The prodigal daughter, the capable son, another witch as a spare. Arvid’s place was among the dead, just as his father’s had been before him. For so long he wanted what they had - power, position, authority. He’d have killed Hel herself to get it. Now he just felt sorry for them, Arvid was free, and in a way he supposed Anders was too. 

[emrexbasak]

@andersxlykos​

The place was in its typical state of disarray, pots in drawers, kettle in the fridge, clothes folded under the sink. Emre came by at least once a week, he didn’t have many friends and he knew that Anders wasn’t exactly coping well with joining the undead. The reaper had lived among the Haljesta for years as a witch; Emre knew how Anders valued his Valhalla. “It stinks in here.” Emre said as he lifted a pot and sniffed at it, something was thick and charred on the bottom of it, he dropped it in the sink and wondered what a vampire was even doing cooking. “Open a window or something.”

[erosxoneiroi]

@andersxlykos​

“Your accent-” Ørjan noted, they’d recognize it anywhere but did not want to be too obvious. Once long ago they had spent significant time among the Haljesta when Fenrir had opted to lay down his significant burden. It had been disappointing for the oneiroi, if only because the spirit had glimpsed Ragnarok and was waiting for the day when the dreaded wolf would devour Odin whole. “Swedish?” The oneiroi asked, “Forgive me for eavesdropping on you and your uh-” they gestured, “friend here, but I couldn’t help but notice. Don’t see many Scandinavians this far South.” His Greek was shit, but there were nicer ways of saying it.

[giovannixamboise]

@andersxlykos​

The sounds of slurping and sucking were unmistakable over the equally distinct smell of blood in the air. He lingered on the precipice of the alleyway and waited, gluttonous intake often led to untimely deaths. While Giovanni may have been a vampire, he mastered control centuries prior and had long forsaken any monstrous monickers. “Careful,” Giovanni cautioned as he took a few measured steps towards the individuals, “you take much more and you’ll kill her.”

[emrexbasak]

@andersxlykos​

The other’s place was a typical mess, but it wasn’t as bad as usual. It seemed like someone had been by recently and reordered the place only for Anders to once again put it into a state of disorder. There was a phonebook in the sink, spare change in the toilet, and the water had been running in the shower for what looked like a long time. Emre turned off the faucet before he turned his attention towards Anders. “Seems like you’re adjusting well.” He felt for his friend more than Emre was able to express easily, they two had a long history together, and now Anders was frozen in this state forever. It dawned on him then that that meant Emre was also frozen, but he dismissed the thought, if he could count on Anders for anything, it was forgetting. 

[dantexlykos]

@andersxlykos​

Time had- it had done something. Magic returned, and with it Dante felt powerful now, not powerful enough to wrestle Anders’ soul from Persephone’s clutches, but if time had been affected then maybe that meant his brother had come back with it. He went back to where he’d said farewell to his brother, and then, as if nothing had happened, as if the veil had never fallen, as if they never said goodbye: Anders was there. There were no words that Dante could levy against the other, there was no story that came to mind now, tears stung his eyes, and this time Dante did not care to try and hide them- instead he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Anders. “You’re back.” You’re back and Hela is here too.

[dantexlykos]

@andersxlykos​

As much as he’d wanted to stay with Kas, he needed to find his brother. Everything he’d felt before the storm, everything he’d said. It all felt so small, and stupid now. Dante was only being petty, and angry, and speaking under the assumption that the two of them would have an endless amount of time together. That they could fight and quarrel as brother’s did, and then him and Anders could go right back to trading stories, to poking fun at the other to see what sort of reaction they could provoke. Now, Dante couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d never get the chance.

His magic was gone, but he was not without his means. The storm was gone, which meant he could track Anders’s phone once again, a feature that Dante had thought to install after their last confrontation. At least now Dante didn’t have to worry if Anders just disappeared, this banked a great deal on Anders not losing his phone, but at least it was something. Dante was not sure how much time had passed since the veil had fallen, and he found Anders with Lykaon, whatever bitter feelings the genasi still regarded the incubus with, he managed to bury them now. Because he loved his brother, and Anders loved Lykaon, and if these were to be their final moments together then at the very least Dante could focus on that. 

“Anders I -” Greek fell away for their native tongue as it always did when they were together, he watched the blood pool beneath his brother, even if they managed to return the veil, Anders was dying a vampire, his soul would be unobtainable to the genasi. His lip quivered as he knelt in the blood of the eldest Lykos, “when Odin’s most beautiful son Baldur died, all the nine realms wept.” Tears streamed freely now as he gripped at his brother’s shirt, “the stones wept, the animals wept, the trees wept, the people wept, the rivers wept, the earth wept, all the Gods wept.” His grip tightened, as if doing so could somehow prevent the inevitable from happening. No one could ever be ready to lose a sibling, particularly one like Anders. His voice broke, “I’m so sorry.” 

[emrexbasak]

@andersxlykos​

The wolf shifter was not someone he had expected to visit, though, Emre supposed that for a creature such as Anders it was only a matter of time. He was reckless and brash, and could be equal parts forgetful and violent. Despite the years spent in one another’s company, Anders still periodically forgot his name, only to swiftly deny that he’d ever faltered in the first place. The reaper had watched his friend bleed out on the ground, watched life slowly leave his body, and idly he wondered how many times he would need to do this? How many people were going to perish in this city that he cared for? Safiye, Ariston, they were each strong in their own way, but their bodies were mortal, and that fate could have just as easily fallen upon them. 

But then, there had been no passage for the other’s soul. The reaper tried, but he could not guide Anders across the veil, and then, the man woke up: shifter no more. 

Emre did not know where Anders had ended up that night, but he understood well what his friend had become. This was not his first time witnessing this firsthand, twice in one month, in fact. He visited the other’s home, and there was nothing but the vacancy that Anders had left behind, when he found him at last, he could not help but be worried what sort of man the other would become now. “I’ve been looking for you,” Emre offered, concern lined his face, uncharacteristic perhaps, but Anders’s destiny was a noble one, and the reaper understood all too well what it was to lose your purpose in life. “how are you doing?”