paixaorpg | Gains and Losses [Active]

Entry tags:

Gains and Losses [Active]

Character(s): Laharl, Flonne, Luxord and at some point Vyers.
Content: Laharl hallucinates, Flonne gets kidnapped, Vyers joins in, and... yeah. 8D
Setting: Near Actua Are hotel (centerish one I think)
Time: Mid-day
Warnings: Pfft, donno yet.

The first time he thought he'd seen something, he'd shrugged it off.

The second time, he thought it strange, but still hadn't thought anything much of it.

The third time, however, when Laharl caught sight of her disappearing into a crowded street, he'd really started to wonder. He'd been pretty sure it had been her he'd seen, even if he'd only seen her from the back and only at a glance. Still, he knew his own mother, even if it had been so long since he'd really seen her.

Laharl had searched around a little and even asked Rosette to keep an eye out, but still he could not seem to find her. He couldn't contain the feeling that it hadn't just been his imagination, however. He knew, after all, people could arrive here before their death. It had happened, so the possibility she could appear was there. Larxene had used that once already to her advantage, but it had just been a trick.

He was worried now it could just be Larxene, playing another trick on him. Messing with his head. He wouldn't put it past her. Then again, however, she hadn't said anything. Nothing. If it was her, he'd have expected her to say something. She wouldn't remain quiet.

Or maybe it was just his imagination.

He sighed, staring out the window of the damaged hotel. It was starting to look really bad. He wasn't sure how much longer they could stay here the rate things were going.

Hell, he wasn't sure what to do now, other than try to pursue the Organization. Sure, there was the resistance, but he'd been distracted lately by Etna's disappearance to give it much thought. Damnit, that vassal of his better be back safe in the Netherworld. He didn't think the Org had been the cause of her disappearance, but there was still that concern.

As he thought about things, something caught his eye, or rather someone. Down on the cobble street, people had been passing by as usual, but a figure stood out, that instantly drew his attention.

Laharl drew in a breath, as he beheld the familiar figure. A white dress... brown hair... Was it her? He didn't dare move, afraid the vision would disappear, but she stayed there, and even seemed to glance up at the hotel as if getting the feeling she was being watched.

The full sight of her face sent the young demon's head spinning. It... was her, his mother. Still, he found himself frozen until she looked away and turned, beginning to walk down the street.

No! He was going to lose her again! There was no way he could let her get away! Not this time!

Stumbling back from the window, Laharl quickly left the hotel room without a word to Flonne, dashing down the staircase and diving out the front door.

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Flonne had stayed quiet, lying on the bed next to the hotel room's door and idly counting the cracks in the ceiling. She had to start over every day, since they kept appearing overnight. She wondered how much longer they were going to stay here, and how many cracks there'd be before they'd have to leave.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing on her mind. Laharl had been distracted lately (more so than usual, or than she'd ever seen him) and it worried her. What was going on? Was there something she'd missed, something she could help him with? She should've asked - she kept meaning to ask - she just hadn't yet.

She heard a quiet gasp and sat up, looking to Laharl. It looked like he'd seen something out the window, but what? "Laharl?" she questioned tentatively. Maybe this had to do with why he'd been so distant...

She didn't get a chance to ask, as Laharl up and bolted for the door. Flonne froze in shock, leaping to her feet split seconds later, following him down at top speed and calling his name at the top of her voice. "Laharl? Laharl!" What was going on?

Flonne's calls fell on deaf ears. He didn't hear her, or rather, he didn't seem to anyways. Laharl's focus was on the vision, or rather the person, he'd sure he'd just seen.

Pushing past the humans in the busy street, he quickly tried to force his way down the street to catch up to her.

Damnit, where was she? He couldn't see her anywhere now! Argh, it could not have been his imagination. It just couldn't have! He saw her!

Shoving past a few more people, Laharl began to slow down as it started to look hopeless. If she'd really been there, it was looking like he'd lost her, again.

Before he'd had a chance to really considering giving up, however, he suddenly he saw a flash of a white dressed person, between several of the city folk. Blinking, the demon pushed forward again, dashing around people, desperately trying to get a better look. After butting past one more person, he stopped dead as he found who he'd been looking for.

She was standing there, looking away from him, but stopped none the less, looking around. She seemed almost lost.

Laharl was frozen in place, mouth opening and closing several times, as he tried to figure out what to do or say. He was finally only able to spit something out when it looked like she was going to start walking down the street once more.

"W-Wait! Stop!"

Edited 2008-11-04 10:33 (UTC)

Flonne was running as fast as she could just to keep up. It looked like Laharl was chasing something, but what? Flonne hadn't seen anything but Paixaoans in front of them, and they had never held Laharl's attention before, so why would that be different now?

Then Laharl stopped and she nearly collided with him, missing him only by inches. She looked around, following his gaze and seeing nothing. He was beginning to worry her, though - he'd run out with no warning, and now he was acting like he'd seen a ghost.

"Laharl..." She took one of his hands in both of hers, tugging slightly. She wanted to leave, to get away from whatever was making Laharl act like this, especially when he started talking to thin air. "Laharl," she tried again, louder this time, pulling at his hand with worry firmly set in her face and in her voice, "we- we should go. Come on!"

The figure before him slowly turned and his eyes widened. The vast amount of emotions that washed over him were almost overwhelming as he looked into warm, brown eyes he hadn't seen in many hundreds of years.

Laharl stood there stunned, the voice of his worried vassal still not reaching him.

Finally, Laharl swallowed the lump in his throat and began to step forward-- only to be stopped. Something was holding onto his hand? He barely registered the fact, his thoughts entirely on the figure in front of him.

Pulling away from whatever was holding him back, he slowly moved forward by several steps, struggling still to figure out what exactly to say to the one he never thought he'd ever actually see again.

"...M...Mother..." he finally said, barely above a coarse whisper.

The woman before him, meanwhile, had been looking at him wide-eyed, recognition in her eyes, but also utter disbelief.

She was pulling as hard as she could, throwing her full weight into it, but Laharl still wasn't moving. Something was wrong, really wrong...

And then Laharl pulled out of her grasp as though she were nothing, leaving her overbalanced. Without his counterweight to keep her upright, Flonne fell heavily to the ground. Stunned, it took her a few seconds to sit up - she was still too shocked to get up, to keep him from walking away.

She finally found her voice again, though she knew it wouldn't do any good. "Laharl!" He wasn't stopping. He didn't look like he'd heard her at all. "Laharl!"

Luxord had to admit, he'd been looking forward to this one. Larxene may well accuse him of cheating, but he was willing to make the excuse that his orders superceded their game (despite the fact that, to Luxord, very little ever superceded a game). He wanted to see the demon's panicked reaction when his angel disappeared, and so he'd approached in his street clothes, the black coat once again abandoned in the interests of stealth. He arrived just in time to see the overlord pull away from his vassal as though she meant nothing to him.

Well. Things certainly had changed.

He watched the angel collapse to the ground, heard her call for her overlord. That certainly wouldn't do. Almost nonchalantly he froze time around the girl, counting on the boy's preoccupation and the citizens' apathy to keep his actions secret.

He needn't have worried. The boy had either lost his mind or was in some sort of trance - his calling for his mother, whom Luxord (thanks to Larxene) knew to be long dead, cinched that in Luxord's mind - and the citizens rarely cared about their surroundings as it was. Much as he wanted to stay and see just what the boy did next, he had a job to finish and he couldn't well leave the girl frozen in the street - not while they had plans for her, at least. Scooping the limp girl into his arms, he turned for a final look at the boy - if all else failed, it certainly was interesting - then opened a portal and left the scene.

None of the happenings behind him were noticed in the slightest. Laharl had no idea his vassal had been taken from him right under his nose. His full attention was on the women before him, everything else didn't seem to exist in the world he was in.

"Laharl?"

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, and nodded slowly to her. "Y-yeah... it's me," Laharl replied.

The gap between them was closed and he found himself being looked at closely.

"You've grown so much," she murmured, astonished.

"I... I guess I have... I... Mom..."

He really didn't know what to say. It was his mother here before him, alive and well. It was more than he possibly ever could have hoped for. Laharl was just utterly overwhelmed with emotions he didn't half understand.

It was on a whim that he'd headed back to the hotel. It was only to be a quick visit. A moment to see how they were doing and he'd be on his way.

Or he might stay for a night... Whatever came to pass.

"You've grown so much."

That voice... Her voice. Vyers paused mid-step, looking around to find the source before shaking his head and continuing to walk. No, it couldn't be her. She wasn't here.

And yet... And yet he could not be entirely sure. It was one thing to see a photo, but it was another thing entirely to hear her voice. He took another, tentative look around the area.

She was there after all. His stomach twisted in knots as he took a few hesitant steps forward. She was here.

Vyers only noticed Laharl when he was only a few feet away from him--away from them both. He glanced to his son, as though he were questioning whether or not he saw the same thing, before turning his gaze back to her. "How...?"

A terrible thing to say... He had imagined such a reunion would be far more romantic, and yet he could think of little else.

A smile formed on his mothers lips as she gently lay a hand on his shoulder, looking like she was going to say something more, but a third voice made her pause and glance over.

At first her expression was confusion. "Do I know you...?" she began.

Her brown eyes narrowed as she seemed to see something, and she left Laharl's side to step closer to Vyers, looking at him closer, especially his eyes.

Then something seemed to dawn on her. Recognition began to form on her face.

"Beloved?" she murmured softly, peering up at him a little closer, as she approached him.

Meanwhile, it had taken Laharl a moment to even pick up Vyer's presence. He glanced to his father meeting his gaze, shaking his head with a vague shrug. Laharl was clearly at a loss to explain. It could only be just how this place worked, right?

Clearly, however, he most definitely was seeing the same thing. That much was certainly apparent, as his gaze drifted back to watching his mother.

It seemed Laharl saw the same thing he did. Then did that mean she was really here? How he wanted it to be true...

Vyers could only watch as she approached, his eyes never leaving hers. His throat tightened. He wanted to say something to her, but it was only when she spoke up first did words finally come to him.

"It is... rather hard to explain," he said, rubbing the back of his head and looking away for a moment.

His eyes were quickly on her once again. "What do you remember last?"

Laharl remained silent, as he continued to watch, still at a loss of what to say or do.

Meanwhile, his mother came to a stop before Vyers, gazing up at him with full recognition now, as her suspicions seemed to be confirmed.

Her eyes then flickered at his question, as she looked downwards. "I... I was making a choice..." she replied quietly, her gaze shifting for a moment back to Laharl.

The boy felt something in his chest clench again at her words. Of course, how else would she be alive? Taken from just before she... He found himself shuddering at the deep ache that burst to life, and thus promptly folded his arms tightly to his chest.

Any trace of a smile promptly left Vyers' face at that response.

He looked over at Laharl. The boy was taking this about as well as he imagined he would.

He wasn't sure what he felt. Pain? Sadness? Knowing this... Knowing this, it was difficult to look at her. Even if he didn't know the outcome, he would have known her choice. And now, now it was impossible to convince her to change her decision.

It had been an entirely selfish endeavor then, and it would be the same now.

And yet he could help but feel a sense of hope. Could this be a chance to start over?

Laharl didn't even notice his father's glance. He remained unusually silent.

The sudden silence from both of them, however, made his mother blink several times in confusion at first. After a moment a look of understanding seemed to come over her, and then a quiet and a little bit sad a smile formed on her lips.

"I see..." she whispered quietly. She then reached out, gently brushing Vyer's arm, her smile now gentle and loving. "It will be worth it, won't it?" she continued softly, to avoid Laharl from hearing.

Vyers couldn't help but wonder if she realized exactly what they knew. He wanted to ask so many questions, or maybe to just take her into his arms and make sure she would never leave him again.

At her touch Vyers turned to face her once again, and he forced himself to smile back at her. "Y-Yes."

Maybe it was best to change the subject altogether.

"We should get you settled in."

Her expression lightened, eyes closing as she smiled more brightly. "Ah... Yes, that would be rather nice," she replied, turning her head to Laharl.

"Laharl?"

Laharl jerked, snapping his head up as he was called. He'd not known what to say or do, thus had just stood there waiting for... he didn't know what. Now he hesitantly, but obediantly approached, glancing between them both questioningly. He hadn't heard his father's suggestion.

"We should get her a room somewhere, should we not? It won't do to keep her waiting out here," he repeated. It was only polite.

"Huh? Oh... Right. Yeah... uh..." Laharl replied, his head felt like it was whirling.

A place for his mom to stay.

"Geh, I mean... the hotel I'm at is only a block that way," he said, nodding back down the road, "We can get you a room there or something."

He almost thought about offering the room his room, but... it was rather a mess.

His mom just smiled, "Alright. Lead the way?"

Well, if Laharl wasn't going to offer, maybe he would get a room in the hotel after all.

"You are more than welcome to stay with me if you would like," he offered.

Vyers then turned toward Laharl. "Hmmmmm... Unless you would find it too... embarrassing?" he added teasingly.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that. We have much to talk about," she replied, as it was certainly true.

Meanwhile, Laharl blinked wondering exactly what he meant, till it dawned on him and he huffed, "W-whatever. I don't care."

He then dropped his voice a bit, "Better if she isn't alone..." There could be no doubt of why Laharl was saying this. He was sure Vyers would figure it out.

Larxene. Or any of the Organization really. If they found out she was actually here... Damnit, they shouldn't even be standing around in the street at all, come to think of it.

"Come on... this way," he suddenly said, feeling suddenly like they were chancing fate, hanging around out here.

"And so much to catch up on, hm?"

Vyers chuckled to himself at the boy's reaction, but any signs of humor disappeared from his face at Laharl's next words.

He was right. He was absolutely right. They needed to get her out of the open. The longer she was out here, the more likely it was that she'd end up kidnapped. He couldn't--he wouldn't--allow Larxene to lay a hand on her.

"Yes, so it would seem," she replied, cheerfully at first, but her smile fell a bit as the mood suddenly changed again so quickly.

She didn't question it, however, but followed as Laharl quickly began leading them back to the hotel, quickly opening the door and catching it as he almost just let it go, holding it open instead for his mother.

As soon as they were inside, Laharl's worries eased a little, but he was still a bit worried.

Vyers had been ready to catch the door himself, but was pleasantly surprised to find that Laharl had went ahead and held the door open himself. He noted the act with a hint of amusement, but didn't bring it up. Now wasn't the time.

Instead he approached the desk and asked for a room, paying for it before returning to the other two. "There. That is taken care of."

"Uh... good," Laharl replied, awkwardness now once more returning. Hell did this feel weird. He couldn't say it that was in a bad way or a good way, however. He couldn't really decide on anything much right now.

"Shall we then?" his mother suggested, after a moment of standing there.

Vyers looked around the room. My, he hadn't expected the air to be so... stuffy. It was far too quiet, in any case, and he was grateful when she spoke up.

He nodded. "I see no reason why not."

Laharl had heard the room the guy at the counter had said. Handily on the same floor as his even, so Laharl led the way to the stairs up to the third floor. Stopping beside the door, to let his father actually open it since he had the key and all.

His mother waited just behind him, looking far more patient, although Laharl wasn't half as impatient as he often was.

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Gains and Losses [Active]

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