paixaorpg | koyoi wa dare ga umarekawaru [Active]

Entry tags:

koyoi wa dare ga umarekawaru [Active]

Character(s): Gwen, Laharl, eventually Vyers
Content: Gwen enters Paixao.
Setting: Muspelheim gate
Time: afternoon, week eight
Warnings: none

Gwen was settled down on a surprisingly grassy sort of place. The quiet made her ears ring slightly, and it was then when she realized she was in her old body, and it felt far more real than the half-spiritual one she had only moments before. Her husband was nowhere to be found, in either form she'd seen him in. Nor was her son anywhere she could see. Not that she could see much, aside from ruins behind her and a dome in front of her.

It wasn't long before she decided to follow the outline of the dome--it was the only real landmark, and getting lost here wouldn't help at all. She followed it in a short curve before she reached a gate. There was a guard at the door. Well, she could start there--he appeared human, so she wondered if she'd ended up in the human world somehow.

"Excuse me," she said, smiling. "I seem to have gotten lost?"

The guard smiled back, in an I-don't-care sort of way, and handed her a smooth, violet device. "Welcome to Paixao, ma'am!"

Paixao? She'd never heard of the place, and told the guard so, but he was vague at best and evasive at worst, she'd decided the best thing to do was explore on her own. And so she took her first steps into this strange domed city.

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Just how long Laharl had sat looking at his journal utterly dumbstruck, not even the demon could have said. It had taken even longer to force his fingers to type something to her, and even longer still to figure out what the hell to even say. After the painted prinny incident and the hallucination or whatever it had been, that journal post had been the last thing he'd ever thought he'd see. He never thought it would actually happen. She'd really end up here.

He almost thought it was just a repeat of before, but as he'd realized, however, hallucinations couldn't use journals. So what did that leave? A trap? Or could this be real this time? His old man seemed to think it was really her, but he'd been just as fooled as Laharl had before.

Whatever this was, he couldn't ignore it. If it was really REALLY her, she would be in danger. The fact her message had gone ignored so far was a stroke of luck, but Laharl was notoriously unlucky here. How long the luck would hold, he had no idea, and didn't care to guess.

Laharl just knew he had to get to her first, before anything or anyone else could. And if he was just walking right into a trick? Well, he'd deal with it, if it was.

He only wished he could get there quicker. Flonne and him were still staying in the hotel near the city center, so getting to Muspelheim wasn't quick, and he'd even hopped onto a train. It had taken an hour, but soon he was approaching the area of the gate.

The young Overlord was definitely anxious. An unsettled feeling had long since sunk into the pit of his stomach. As always, he bottled it beneath his thick exterior the best he could as he began to look around for the person he wanted to see so very much and yet, in a way, did not. Not here.

Gwen had since decided to sit on a bench, using the little machine she'd been given, marvelling at its abilities and--and waiting. For her son. For her husband. They were here. She hadn't expected that, but she hadn't expected to arrive in this place at all. It seemed Laharl would arrive first, and she wasn't sure how she was going to go about this. After so much time watching him from afar, after watching him grow and change and leaving without causing him more pain, it seemed here they would meet, as mother and son, once more.

When she spotted him, his hair standing out well against the crowds, she was struck by the urge to go running to him. But no, she would wait for him. She watched, though, smiling and trying to see if her son had changed any more since he had been here--he said it had been some time, and while it hadn't seemed all that long to her, perhaps it had taken her a while to arrive in Paixao, however she had gotten there.

Blond, blond, blond. The short demon pushed and wove through the crowd, scanning for any sign of brown hair. Finally the crowd parted for a moment and the familiar figure sitting on the bench caught his eye.

It was her, and she was looking right at him.

His mother.

Turning to face her, he stood there, suddenly rooted in place as townsfolk passed around him. He didn't noticed them in the slightest now. He might have done this before thanks to his hallucination, but it didn't make this any easier. He only had to approach her, but he just couldn't seem to make his limbs move.

Gwen watched him, her smile not fading. He was close to her again, only now she wasn't a prinny, she was herself. Again she fought down the urge to run to him. This had to be on his own terms. Still...

"Laharl," she called. She would allow herself that, but nothing more. She would wait.

Her call to him snapped him from his stunned state, and letting out a breath, he finally managed to push himself forward, slowly approaching her. Step by step, he finally stood a feet from her.

Laharl opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he finally spoke.

"Mother..."

It was more a mumble really.

She felt her stomach knot up, but forced down the feeling, even as her eyes prickled a bit. Her son, right there, recognizing her. It was--was it selfish of her? Then maybe she could be a bit selfish, just this once. She nodded.

"I've missed you."

He still wasn't sure to say, especially after that. Laharl had never thought of that. That she could have been missing him as much as he her. Even if she had been her watching over him... They'd still been apart.

Maybe he wasn't hallucinating, but there was still something surreal about all this. Any sign of a trap or trick certainly hadn't made itself apparent.

"It's... I'm.." he started to say, fumbling over words, unable to form any coherent sentence.

She allowed herself to stand up, and then took a few steps before she realized what she was doing and stopped herself. In his eyes she still saw the tiny child she'd left behind, all those years ago. But he had grown, hadn't he? She'd been there to watch him grow, even if it was from far away.

She reached out to him, uncertainly, hesitantly.

Laharl lifted his head, looking up at her now - she was still taller than him - watching as she looked him over. There were so many emotions in her gaze, he noticed, as she looked down at him. She'd be able to see he hadn't changed since she'd last seen him. It had not even been a year since the night of the red moon, but the many experiences he'd been through during his time here had left their mark on him in some way.

His own facade crumbled a little as she reached for him. She didn't need to hesitate; she'd find permission and acceptance in his expression.

Edited 2009-07-15 08:53 (UTC)

Once she saw his permission she closed the distance between them, wrapping her son in a hug for the first time in far too long. She didn't speak, because she didn't trust her voice, but this was enough.

His frame stiffened for a moment, before settling into her embrace. Remaining silent himself, he ended up closing his eyes after a moment.

Any thought of this being a hallucination left his mind now. It wasn't. It wasn't at all. She was warm and he could hear the beat of her heart against his ear as he rested his head lightly against her shoulder. The faint smell of some type of flower also tickled his nose. He could never say what kind of flower it was, but he recognised it.

It was her. It really was his mother.

The feel of her son in her arms was one she had missed. It was the first time she really got to notice how much he'd grown--the last time she'd held him, he had been so small. After a moment just staying still and listening to her son's breathing, she allowed herself to step back a bit and look at him once more.

She had never thought she would be able to do this sort of thing again.

He really hadn't really changed in terms of how he basically looked since being a small child. Other than the obvious height gain, the real changes were the ones not so obvious, such as the deceptively strong muscles that did exist on his thin frame and the increase in his own power. There was now an incredible amount of power in the young demon. An Overlord's power, that had surpassed his father's.

Feeling her pull away, he opened his eyes once more, his gaze soon returning to her. Recommitting her face to his memory; details that had been nothing but blur over the many hundreds of years.

"I... missed you too," he suddenly said very quietly, having finally found himself able to form more than a few words.

Edited 2009-07-15 19:58 (UTC)

Vyers had hurried over as quickly as he could, not quite running, but keeping a fairly quick pace. Ah, he was so close to meeting her again.

He knew he should have been more worried than he was, but he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy at her presence. He had been suspicious at first, yes, but he had read and reread her responses to everyone else and done some thinking. It sounded like her, and she had made a post on the network, had she not? Then surely she had to be here.

It didn't take too long for Vyers to arrive, but he decided to hang back for a little while as he saw the two. He supposed he could wait a little while.

She smiled at Laharl, not sure what to say but just enjoying that she could be near him again, and not as a prinny (as convenient as that situation had been for watching over her sometimes reckless son).

"I'm sure you're even stronger than you were when I saw you last," she said; stronger, and, she was sure, a bit wiser--but that would come with time, of course; he was still young.

A familiar flash of movement caught her eye--she wouldn't have looked up otherwise--and she saw another welcome face. Her smile brightened; even trapped in a place like this, there were worse situations.

Laharl visably perked at her observation, his lips quirking upwards into a slighty cocky smile. "Of course!"

There was no point denying it or being humble after all. He'd defeated Baal and he had no plans stopping there! ~~He still had a long way to go to 9999 after all.~~ He fully intended to keep getting stronger. He'd need to keep getting stronger, especially now. If Larxene found out about her...

That thought killed his smile a bit, but luckily she was looking past him, gaze apparently on someone else. It didn't take rocket science to figure out who.

Laharl turned his head, following his mother's gaze. Ah, there he was.

"What took you so long?"

She had noticed him, and Laharl soon after. "Is a late entrance so wrong?" he asked, smiling. A hint of mischief appeared in his expression as he continued. "It gave you some time to spend with one another, did it not?"

Vyers approached them, standing close by. His gaze was locked on Gwen, still hardly able to believe she was standing before him, just as beautiful as always.

And now they were both here, her two boys--and which was more trouble she didn't always know. Her smile widened, if it was even possible. She'd never thought she'd get to really see them again.

"No dramatic entrance?" she asked, her tone teasing--if she didn't, she thought she might cry.

"Well, yeah..." Laharl responded, not really sure what was up with his Old Man's expression. With his mother not looking, he shot his father a more serious look. The boy was growing even more worried now that he was sure this was, in fact, his mother.

Laharl knew there was at least one or two people who would love to mess with him by messing with her. Sooner or later she especially would. It was bound to happen, and he'd be ready when it did. He wasn't going to let any attempt succeed. The boy just didn't want it to happen now.

He forced the look back behind a slight smirk at his mother's teasing comment. She had a point. Had she always teased his old man like this? ...He couldn't actually remember.

Edited 2009-07-17 06:51 (UTC)

Vyers caught Laharl's look and his smile faltered for a moment. That was right... they would have to be more careful, wouldn't they? He had nearly forgotten. How could he have? He was worried now, though he tried to keep himself from looking it. This was supposed to be their reunion, was it not? A happy time. Of course, he had every intention of letting Gwen know the dangers of the city and no intention of seeing her succumb to them, but for now... For now he wanted them all to be happy.

"I couldn't interrupt such a scene," he explained, offering back a playful wink, "Doing so would be much more of a crime than missing that chance."

She could sense a change in the atmosphere--it seemed to darken, a bit. But she, for the moment, chose to push it aside. They would tell her eventually, she was sure. For now, she would be happy she got to finally reunite with both of them. She laughed, a little.

"Maybe later, then."

Good. Laharl had caught the brief falter in his father's expression, and was pleased in that he'd apparently caught on. He didn't really want to ruin this moment for anything, but the danger couldn't be forgotten.

The young Overlord moved aside at this point, as he noticed the expressions between his parents. He didn't like the feeling of being kind of like he was in the middle here. The way they were looking at eachother...

His gaze shifted towards the gate. Not that there was anything particularly interesting there, of course.

Edited 2009-07-17 07:57 (UTC)

Vyers chuckled. "But of course. I will have to make it up sometime. I cannot let a missed opportunity such as this haunt me."

It was then that he noticed Laharl's discomfort. A wide grin spread across his face and he couldn't help but laugh. Ah, he was but a young boy after all! But someday he would understand. Perhaps even someday soon.

Though hopefully not too soon. Learning of the boy's first date had been enough!

"Oh, of course," she said, and then followed Vyers's gaze to Laharl and smiled a bit. He had changed, of course, but not completely; he looked so uncomfortable. Well, time to change the subject, then. "Now, you've both been here longer than me. What's going on here?"

It had to be something--that it could pull people in, that there was no way out... And the look Laharl and Vyers had exchanged.

Huh? Oh. He'd had a feeling something mushy or something had been about to happen, but it seemed the moment had past. Turning his gaze back, Laharl let out a long sigh as the subject was broached.

The weight of the troubles this place had brought him seemed to drop back onto his shoulders at that point. He had been here the longest, and had explained this stuff to many others. Laharl had no troubles figuring out where to start.

"It's an island with this city on it, and people from different worlds keep ending up here and there's no obvious way to get back. Anyone who has ended up leaving just disappear, and if they come back they don't usually even remember being here before."

There were exceptions of course, like Ivan. "Some remember though, but have no idea how they left. No damn idea why. And then there's the Organization," he continued, his voice turning darker at the mere mention of the group. "They seem to run the place, and they were kidnapping people and doing some kind of experiments on them."

He didn't elaborate further than that, but there was more than a little anger in his voice.

"Then there's those people who took over City Hall..." he added, trailing off at this point. He'd only scraped the start of everything, really.

Edited 2009-07-17 08:40 (UTC)

Vyers looked away, his stomach twisting into a tight knot. "It is... very much a mess." He wasn't entirely sure what to add. They had to tell her sometime, he knew, but how? He was, admittedly, not one to go to to speak of such things, especially when he had to tell others. He had said he didn't want to run away anymore--and he wouldn't--but it was so difficult to put into words.

"And very dangerous. Moreso than you would think on first glance," he continued. "Many of these members seek to harm... Seek to harm others beyond the experiments in any way they can." He would let Laharl tell the rest as he wished.

Gwen grew more serious as the complicated situation going on was explained. Her first thought was to wonder how involved Vyers and Laharl were; she knew they had to be, even if they hadn't intended on it. She considered asking straight-out, but wasn't sure if that would be the best angle.

And the anger in Laharl's tone at the mention of experiments... What experiments? To who? To one of his friends? To one of his vassals? To--

"It sounds complicated," she said, swallowing down her emotions as best she could.

Complicated. It was complicated now. Things had been simple when he'd first found himself here, but things had changed a lot since then. It wasn't as simple as just being trapped somewhere. The plot around them just seemed to keep thickening. He wasn't sure how or when he was ever just going to be able to return to his Netherworld.

"They can read memories, and one of them... She's read mine," Laharl admitted quietly after a moment. The anger still lingered in his voice. "If she finds out you're really here, she'll..."

Laharl didn't really want to begin to consider what Larxene might try to do to his mother. He didn't want to imagine. Whatever she did, it would be all to get at him.

Why did they have to move to this topic? Why did they have to talk about this now? He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to imagine her being taken away from him again, and he didn't want to imagine her going through what he had in his last meeting with the woman.

If Larxene ever lay a finger on his wife, he would make her regret it, capable of doing so or not.

"But you will be safe," he assured her.

This "she" Laharl spoke of had read his memories? Did that mean he was--

She looked from her son to her husband, feeling out the tension. Anger, certainly, and worry. Worry for her? But she was worried about them, and her brow furrowed.

"And you two?" Would they be safe? She didn't want to be protected at that sort of expense.

The boy nodded in agreement with his father. It was something they could easily agree with, hands down. They would keep her safe, no matter what.

But she was worried about them.

"We'll be fine," Laharl said easily.

"Like hell I'm letting her ever-- well anyways, never again. I promised Flonne," he said, barely managing to stay vague, only managing basically from how jumbled what he'd just said was. Though he bet she already has guessed he'd been involved in something. He'd been avoiding it, but he didn't see exactly a reason to hide it. Of course, really he would have rather left her in the dark, but if he didn't tell her, Larxene surely would.

He should have known they would be her first worry. She should have been much more worried for her own safety...

"As he says. You've no need to worry about us. I would never allow myself to fall so easily." He offered her a gentle, encouraging smile. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, after all, and he knew very well Laharl could hold his own.

She was still worried, of course--they had to be involved, the way they spoke, and that put them in danger. But yes, they could take care of themselves. ...That really didn't help her worry all that much, though. If only she knew more about what they were going up against.

Well, she would start with the first thing she was wondering about. "Who's this "she" you keep talking about?"

Laharl took a breath in and slowly let it out. As much as he wished she didn't have to know, she needed to know. Hiding it wasn't exactly a good idea either. Leaving her in the dark was too dangerous. He had to tell her.

"She's one of the members of the Organization who's been a thorn in my side since I got here," he began slowly, glancing to his mother as he explained then looking away as he uttered the woman's name.

"Larxene."

The name was spat out with so much distaste, hatred and anger. The name alone soured his mood.

Vyers's reaction to the name was much more muted than his son's--the smallest of frowns, and it only showed for an instant before he returned to a more neutral expression--except in the eyes, which blazed with anger. She was one of the few people he truly hated. Someone as cruel as she was could never receive sympathy from him.

He remembered telling her long ago (was it really so long?) that he looked forward to the day when her toys rebelled against her. Now he looked forward to being a part of it. And it was, of course, a matter of when, not if.

Vyers said nothing, too caught up in his thoughts for the moment.

Gwen saw the reactions of both the boys--the anger and hatred there in both of them. Then Larxene was someone to watch. She doubted, if neither Laharl nor Vyers had gotten her thorn out of their sides yet, that she could directly oppose this woman, but she would figure out something. In her own way, she would protect them.

But they would never allow it, so she kept it to herself for now. "Sounds like I should stay out of her way, then."

Letting out a breath, his gaze returned to his mother, softening again. He nodded firmly. "Y-yeah..." Then proceeded to fall silent.

His mention of Flonne a moment ago, reminded him he'd left the fallen angel behind in the hotel. As much as he didn't want to leave, she was there alone and had been given little explanation to his sudden departure. Laharl was going to have quite a bit to tell her.

"I left Flonne back at the hotel..." he said suddenly, glancing to his father.

Ah... yes, it was probably best not to leave Flonne alone. No doubt after whatever she had gone through while in the Organization's clutches she'd rather not be alone for too long, and it was best not to tempt fate.

Vyers looked back at Laharl and nodded. He wouldn't stop the boy from going back to her, as much for his own, selfish reasons as for Flonne's safety. It had been far too long since he had the chance to be with Gwen. Even in the hallucination he had allowed Laharl more time with her.

And, in any case, the two of them still had an apartment to purchase, did they not?

Oh yes, the little angel. Gwen was glad to see Laharl worried about her--he really was growing up; maybe she'd ask Vyers about Laharl's relationship with Flonne later. For now, Gwen bent down to kiss her son on the cheek.

"Don't worry about me, alright?"

He wasn't sure what she was doing when his mother came so close to him, and he certainly hadn't expected a kiss. Memories of being tucked into bed with a kiss good night surfaced, making his reaction slightly delayed as he stepped back from her.

Laharl hadn't thought of that in a long, long time. He couldn't say he disliked the reminder.

Slightly flustered, he managed to nod. "I'll try not to."

It was the best he could promise. It would be up to his old man to keep her safe.

Laharl's gaze lingered on his mother for a moment longer, before turning away. He felt terribly awkward again, "I... I guess I'll see you... both uh... later." Both his parents. Together. Alive. Awkward was really an understatement about all this really.

He paused only to hear any last words from them, before heading off.

Oh, Vyers would be more than happy to discuss Laharl's relationship with Flonne once it was brought up. He had so many stories to tell, and he was sure Gwen would enjoy hearing every one of them.

He chuckled at Laharl's awkwardness. Still so very young indeed. He offered a simple nod in response, both as a farewell and a silent promise to watch over her for them both.

Vyers turned to Gwen next, smile lingering on his face. "You wanted an apartment, did you not? I think I managed to find just the place befitting you and I." Although he wasn't entirely sure how to pay for it just yet (or how much it would cost). Perhaps a bush or small tree would suffice. Although that would be rather difficult to get through the door... Hm, something to think about later, he supposed.

Gwen watched Laharl leave with a fond smile. She knew how big he'd gotten, but it still amazed her sometimes. She tilted her head a bit at Vyers's words, smile twitching into a bit of a smirk.

"We should go see it," she said. "It wouldn't do to be homeless, after all."

"I wouldn't allow it!" Vyers declared. To even think of her being forced to live on the streets... How dreadful! No, no, as long as he was here, Gwen would be forced to do no such thing.

"I'll have to see what they will want as payment when we arrive." Maybe he would just use a small tree. Though he would prefer to get it once they were closer to the apartment. He'd rather not have to carry it across the city. "From what I have heard, there are some excellent ones in the northeast."

Gwen laughed. "My hero." She took hold of his arm, linking hers with it, smiling. How long had it been since she had been able to stand beside him like this? "Lead the way."

"Always glad to be of service, my dear," he replied slyly, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Right this way."

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