I'VE COME TO BURN YOUR KINGDOM DOWN

• 1000+ • • traveler witch • • creator of the cure • • + immortality elixir •

[thescourned]

theanchored

He made his advance on her – bringing their bodies closer than he probably should have. He could feel her heated breath on his neck. “I am a liar, Qetsiyah.” Her name danced off his tongue elegantly, but there was an edge to it. Sharp like a blade – cold as its steel. “I have deceived, and mocked, and ruined. I’ve warped your pretty little descendants mind, I’ve hunted Amara’s doppelgangers. I slithered my way into countless minds and tricked them into bleeding themselves dry by using the stolen voices of their lost loves. I am cold and heartless and I don’t regret a moment of it.” The crescendo. “I perfected this role over the past two thousand years. I became this creature of hatred; dark and damned. No, my love, I was not honest with you back in Greece. I held a deep, dark secret; one that I was selfish for keeping – but I did love you.” Hazel eyes pierced through the witch. A distance in them that had been carved into his very being. “What I don’t get.. is why I care whether you believe me or not?” His brow cocked at her. Apathetic and inquisitive. “What are you to me now, but a fading reminder of the man I was once was? A self-made antagonist: the Woman Scourned.”

 Qetsiyah stood her ground as he made his approach, though her confidence wavered as he stood more inches from her. She hadn't been so close to him in so long, and she couldn't help but stare at him as he spoke. The witch couldn't deny, there was a certain kind of charisma about him. It was one of the things that had drawn her to him, it was of the things that she'd love about him. Now though, that same charisma that had driven her to creating an elixir that granted immortality tore her to shreds as she stood there, letting it happen, with tears stinging at her eyes. "Self-made? Self-made? You ruined me, Silas. I gave up everything for you. My hopes, my dreams... I gave it up because of you. I would have done it all again, anything if you could have just loved me..."  Tears streamed down her face, red hot anger, and sorrow she couldn't explain. "You ruined my life..." Repeating herself, she took a deep breath as she looked up at him. "I let you ruin my life, and I let you lie to me back then... I'm not going to let you do it to me again, Silas." Reaching up and wiping at her tears, struggling for air she met his eyes again and stepped back further into her shop. "You should go."

[thescourned]

familyreject

“You don’t seem convinced. I was kind of expecting you to seem convinced.” He didn’t seem very invested, despite his quandaries. As curious as the situation was, he wasn’t exactly paying the closest in attention. “Is the annoying bit a personal request, or will that actually derail my resurrection?  Because we may have a problem with that.”

"I created immortality, and the cure to immortality. I can do whatever I want." Her statement had more bite than she'd meant it to, but she certainly wasn't about to apologize for it. "The more annoying you are, the less likely it is that I'll be willing to help you." Who has to have that explained to them? "We're going to get you out of there as soon as we can, in the mean time you're going to have to be patient. Think you can manage that?"

[thescourned]

drownedparker

“Does that mean someone hated him just as much?  Things I think about a lot,” he idly thought. More of a shower thought, really. “I thought history remembered the bold because it usually meant a lot of people ended up dead.”

"Possibly, but the world may never know." It wasn't exactly confirmation, but it was what the witch could offer the other. "Touche."

[thescourned]

theanchored

Hearing her speak of their relationship like this after so many years, it was.. more words than he had the time to sort through. The way she had worded it as well resonated with his one goals. Spending eternity with Amara was an ambition that was a secret to none. Yet, being reminded of Qetisyah’s side… in her own words, as he could bear witness to the way they shifted the features of her face, it felt different. And then she said it. She hit him with the one thing that he chose to overlook. It was easy to digest that she loved him. It was just a word, wasn’t it?  But her promise was something else entirely. So when she started to explain her point, she had his undivided attention. “They were,” he agreed. “I would even say they were worth everything you put us through.” Every ounce of his being was rewired to knock her down – and she was lining the shot up for him. Making her suffer for what she took for him had stewed for over two thousand years. She was right. In their game rigged for them to fail, he was the crowned winner. Yet, there was something else. It felt violent on his tongue; begging to pass his lips. “But you’re wrong about one thing,” he began, giving away nothing in his gaze. “It was real.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Is she saying it for him, or for herself? “If it was real, you could have told me. You could have told me and I could have been happy for you, even if killed me to see you happy without me. I could have made a garden for your wedding to Amara, I could have helped her get ready, given you both my blessing in a long and happy life together. Hell, I would have given you the immortality elixir as a wedding present...” There’s a pause as the witch finds a wide, sad grin on her face as she looked at her former flame. She realized it might sound like an impossible idea, that the woman who had spent her eternity trying to destroy him and his lover could have been on the other side of things. That their story hadn’t had to end the way it did. 

“I loved you so much Silas, I would have given you my own heart from my chest if it had pleased you. With your charm, and your power, you were the first person in my life to make me feel like I mattered, that I was more than just someone to marry off. You made me feel like I had worth, and that’s something I knew I would never be able to pay you back for. And Amara? The beautiful handmaiden you wanted to spend forever with?  She showed me kindness, and patience, truthfully, she was the first friend I ever had. She was more than that, she was innocent, and I loved her. And if the two people I loved most in this world could have found happiness together without me?” The question is left hanging in the air for a moment, because she’s forced to deal with the reality of it all again, and the searing pain she’d felt upon discovering their betrayal hit her once more.  “ - It would have killed me, Silas, but I would have smiled through it, and been happy for you both because I loved you both if you’d just told me because that’s what real love is.” Sure, she would have died heartbroken, but they could have been happy. They could have had it all, and she wouldn’t have been forced to watch their love story play out again and again and again. Someone could have been happy, but instead here they were, and the witch had never felt so quite exposed to him.

“Instead, you lied to me. You deceived me, you made a mockery out of me and of our relationship. You turned the love that I had for both of you, that happiness and trust into something ugly and gnarled. You ruined me, and I swore I would to myself that I would ruin you. It was real for me, Silas, and I paid the price for it. So don’t stand here and lie to my face about something you know nothing about.”

[thescourned]

drownedparker

“Nature works itself out. It’s what it does.” Joey offered her a small, kind smile. “If I loved someone that much, I probably would too. Lord knows duty and tradition did nothing for me or my family.”

“Nature’s all about balance.” A common theme in magic was the idea of finding the balance, something preached by those that came even before herself. If you didn’t maintain the balance, nature would take over and do it for you. “As long as you don’t forget to love yourself in the process, I could get behind that.” she offered with a kind smile of her own. “And tradition is boring and doomed for failure, there’s a reason history remembers the bold.”

[thescourned]

spndiaries tag drop !!!

[thescourned]

hcresy

“Silas? That douchenozzle?  Can’t you like… turn him back into a rock or something – why not send him to misery eternal?” He wasn’t really in the right place to be getting into really anything in that moment, but he was starting to piece things together a bit better. Her closing statement resonated with him. Having an end goal was in many ways grounding to the heretic. So, with a small pause for thought, Kai Parker accepted this new charge. “What I gotta do, boss?”

"I could." the witch admitted, though she showed absolutly no sign of interest regarding that suggestion. She didn't want to add weight to her words, but the silence that followed was damning in itself. "I can do anything I want to." But it was too late, the pause was too long and the damage was done. "Just sit back, relax, be patient, and don't be annoying." 

[thescourned]

hcresy

“That’s what I do, baby. I tempt people.” He wasn’t even going to comment on the threat, as he was having the time of his life just, conversing with someone again. The one-sided excuses from before, as a cat, were starting to drive him a little loopy. “Honestly, I wasn’t feeling too hot near the end there… I remember none of it.” If he had a spine, a chill probably would have ran down it. He wasn’t surprised, by any means, but it wasn’t a lovely piece of info either. “Thanks, Tess,” was all that came to mind to say

"You're picking the wrong time to tempt me. Silas has been getting under my skin and I'd like nothing more than to sentence someone to an eternity of misery, and you'd do just fine." she replied without skipping a beat, though she couldn't hold back an eye roll as she spoke. She forgave him for his previous indiscretions, and considering the toll his soul was taking on the poor feline, she didn't find it to hard to believe either. "Don't thank me. Your soul is still in limbo, we still have to get you back up and running again."

[thescourned]

hcresy

“You say that.” Kai was clearly paying little attention to the situation, and the high chance of future, similar situations. Dying was just… not that big of a deal. It never was. Hell, on the other hand. “Hm.” His hum was short, curt, and dripping with a ‘not entirely convinced’ edge. Facetiously so. “I’ll be the judge of that.” And then he paused, thoughts whirring. “Also – did you say Cade?” It was easy to block that minute detail out, but coming from her, it dawned on him that it may have been more than a playful quip.

"Don't tempt me, Parker. I could just as easily stick you in a drawer for the rest of eternity and never talk to you again." It was an empty threat, she had a promise to keep, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and make the dazed heretic sweat it, and take her sweet time bringing him back. "Maybe if you'd been more cooperative as a cat I would have let you pick the necklace." she muttered with an eye roll. "Yes, Cade. Arcadius. The devil. Otherwise known as the guy who is just itching to get his hands on your soul."

[thescourned]

hcresy

“Not with that attitude,” he practically hummed. To hear it was his eldest pair that had accomplished this… Frankly, he’d expected better results. He had noticed the stalling, the crescendo, and again – he was kind of disappointed. “Am I a pretty necklace?”

"Next time I might not be as inclined to do so, but we'll just see how this goes." She was sure should the situation come to pass again, which, knowing his luck, it would, she'd lore than likely be willing to help him, that was, unless he gave her a reason not to. "Yes, Kai, you are a pretty necklace." 

[thescourned]

hcresy

There was a misplaced sense of pride, thinking about his babies and their collectively stubborn nature. “You say that like it would make a difference,” was all he could offer on the matter, that pride seeping through with a bright tone. “Who was it this time?  Also, where am I – or should I ask what am I?”

"Well, next time, I might not be around to save you from another, and more excruciating, death." She understood his pride, it was the same pride she felt went she saw all the things her mentee had accomplished over the years. "Londyn, Landyn, and my protege." she admitted, trying to think of the best way to put the next bit of news. "Your soul is in a necklace..."

[thescourned]

hcresy

“It’s New Year’s. I think a tour of the cities attractions are in order – don’t you?”

"I think that's an excellent idea."

[thescourned]

drownedparker

He was less surprised at every turn. “It was a bedtime story when I was younger, disguised as a lesson. My family was really big on the whole duty before love thing.”

"If I even had the slightest chance of him loving me... I would have done it a million times over." she confessed to the gemini. "My duty was to myself, and all things considered, I think things worked out... well enough for most everybody."

[thescourned]

hcresy

There was a pause. “What exactly are you implying?” It should have crossed his mind, the possibility that he was trapped as a cat because of something one of his kids chose to do, but the fact that no one came searching for him diminished any sense of rationality to the situation. He chose not to look the gift horse in the mouth. Even if the gift was him being a foot tall and without opposable thumbs. “Ah,” he mused, as if he knew exactly where she was getting at it. “Better than a cat?”

"Your kids used a spell meant to place a soul in a temporary vessel to bring you back, they didnt realize it wouldn't bring you back as you. So, while your soul ate away at your host, your kids just thought the spell didn't work. It took me realizing your daughter was messing around my grimoire before anyone knew what happened to you." she explained, figuring there was no harm in telling him the truth now rather than later. "Better than being in Cade's hands." she countered, pausing for just a moment before adding "You're in a necklace at the moment."

[thescourned]

hcresy

Something had convinced him the conversation was going to end with that short, playful exchange, so when he heard the woman continue on, there was a further stir in his awareness of the situation. He wasn’t in a physical world – that much he could tell. It was like speaking to someone with your eyes closed. He could hear her voice, and he could hear his – “Thank you, I think.” – but that was the extent. “So, did you just say I’m not dead?”

"Just promise me next time you'll remind your offspring not to perform spells without knowing what they do." She didn't need to worry about what other things could have happened had Alaya shared a different spell with the twins. "I wouldn't say you are alive, but you are certainly not dead either."

[thescourned]

hcresy

From being trapped in the body of a stray cat, it was a testament to Kai’s resolve to admit that he felt even more out of place. There was something different this time – a bizarre, hollow feeling when he finally did regain consciousness. “Loud and clear, Corporal,” came the drowsy reply from the waking Gemini.

It would be a lie to say she was entirely confident that her spell had worked. The situation had been dire, and she'd had to think fast, and she wasn't sure if there was enough left to save by the time she got to him, but hearing his voice, however drowsy, was a relief to the witch. "Congratulations, your kids didn't get you killed, this time." she replied, hiding any doubts she had to prior to now. "Now we just need to figure out what the next step is."

[thescourned]

@hcresy

"Testing, testing... one, two, three."