paixaorpg | Trouble in Paradise [Completed]

Entry tags:

Trouble in Paradise [Completed]

Character(s): Urd, Genie
Content: Urd finally returns from the Pride Lands. Worst floor EVER.
Setting: Urd and Genie's house, M6
Time: Week 33, night
Warnings: ANGST?

Urd trudged up the steps to the house she shared with her sister, Genie and Aladdin, luckily lacking the fur she'd been bestowed with all day. As far as she was concerned, she'd never experience what it was like to be a meerkat ever again. Once was quite enough, thank you.

"I'm home," she called as she opened the door. Without stopping she went up the steps, down the hall and into her room, face planting on her bed with a listless flop. She didn't expect anyone to actually be home...and frankly, she wasn't sure what she would say to them if they had been. If she were human, she'd consider sleeping for the next two days.

As it was, she was going to need a lot of sake.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Genie’s recovery had been a fairly quick one. Had it not been for Vyers’ little dilemma, it quite possibly may have taken even less time. Though, it had always been said that laughter was the best medicine. Perhaps the demons visit had proved more helpful than first thought, Genie having found quite the amusement from Sugar Blossom’s antics. He had both Urd’s ‘miracle potion’ to thank and curse, the potions effects having resulted different than predicted when it came to the demon and himself. Vyers having caused a distance between himself and his wife and Genie suffered an allergic reaction. No, having his best suit ruined had not been nearly the worst of it all. Having felt drained, tired, and forced to bathe in a tub of orange pekoe to reverse the potions effects had. Not to mention the lingering odour. Not that Genie exactly minded the smell it just raised a few eyebrows. Only the Genie of the Tea Pot could acquire such an odour.

He had been just pulled himself from his bath when Urd had announced her arrival back home. In all honesty, he had not expected her trip to the Pride Lands to be so short. Had she discovered a new floor so soon? Genie draped the towel he had been using over his shoulder and opened the bathroom door just enough to peer out at the hallway. He saw Urd walk by and head straight to her room, the sound of the goddess fallen a top her bed followed. Had the trip been a bad one? He had yet to hear Belldandy or Aladdin return. What would have caused Urd to come home so early?

“Welcome baaaaack!” Genie cried, having burst into Urd’s bedroom without warning. Then again, she had left the door open. That had practically been an invitation itself to come inside. “I made brownies.” He continued and held out the tray to Urd, still wearing his shower cap as well as his towel over his arm with his oven mitts.

Urd simply remained on her stomach, staring with exhausted irritation at the tray of brownies. She wanted to hug him and tease him, she wanted to curl his beard around her finger and try a bite of brownie and demand he pour her a drink, but she held back. Faced with the bright and cheerful spirit only made her remember the secret he'd been keeping and how many more might lurk behind his easy-going nature.

"Don't want any," she mumbled, sitting up slowly and swinging her legs over the side of the mattress. She avoided looking at him, standing to walk past him to her alchemy table. However, she paused after a couple steps, sniffing.

"...do you smell orange?"

At first, it had appeared as though Genie had not heard her. His gaze remained on the spot where she had been resting even after she had left it, smile still intact. She… didn’t want any? He looked down at the tray in his hands questioningly. It was because he burnt them a little, wasn’t it? Had he paid more attention to the oven and not slipped back into the bath maybe he’d have had a better product. Genie’s smile slowly fell, just as the pan in his hands.

“It’s because they’re burnt, isn’t it?” he asked, not bothering to wait for a response. “How could I serve something that’s burnt?” Obviously, he had insulted her. At least, Genie had thought he had. “What was I thinking? I knew I should have stayed in the kitchen.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he shook his head. “Burnt… Burnt brownies… To think I actually thought–!” Genie stopped, mid pose with his hand over his face to turn to Urd. “Orange?” he repeated, blinking numerous times before he had caught wind, literally, of what she had meant. “Oh, yes, new soap.” The genie explained with a simple wave of his hand as though it were nothing. All previous signs of distress had vanished completely.

She stared at him skeptically, eyebrow arched. She didn't believe for a moment that new soap was the cause of his new citrusy scent. After a moment, Urd shook her head and turned back to her alchemy equipment. "I don't even wanna know." She reached under the table and withdrew one of her large bottles of sake as well as a cup and proceeded to pour what would surely be the first of many cups.

Her back to him as she drank, she frowned. "Vyers was taken care of, right? You showed him in?"

“Of course, of course.” He replied with a nod and casual wave. “He was very bold, daring, and pink. So, so, pink.” Genie shuttered at the thought. “He marched right up to that shelf and slung back one of the prettiest combinations I’ve seen yet, minus the pink. I should have written down what he used, it was magic in itself, or taken pictures at the very least. You wouldn’t believe the number he did on himself. Poor bloke hadn’t a clue what he was doing.” Knowing Urd, she could likely tell exactly what Vyers had used by a simple glance at the shelf. How much of each potion, however, he was not so sure.

Oblivious to Urd’s body mannerisms, and purposeful lack of looking at him, Genie continued on. “How were the Pride Lands? Not too wild, I hope. You’re back a bit earlier than I had expected. Did you already find the next door?”

The bottle of sake was set down with a heavier plunk than was needed. Her shoulders hunched, Urd supported herself against the counter and seemed to be shaking slightly. "I am never...going to that floor...AGAIN!" Her hair seemed to bristle slightly, electricity crackling around her head and she whirled to glare angrily at Genie.

"Are you really just gonna stand there and pretend you don't know I'm mad at you? Or are you that clueless!?" Apparently Urd wasn't capable of the cold and distant treatment for long, opting instead to get into his space, poking his chest. "Do you think I'm weak? That I can't take care of myself?" Somewhere in the back of her mind, a memory flashed of all the times she was helpless, all the times someone else had to save her. It only served to fan the flames of her temper.

"Don't treat me like I'm one of your pet humans!"

Edited 2011-07-21 00:45 (UTC)

It was not so much the electricity that had startled Genie as the fact that Urd had been yelling at him. She was furious, all for him just asking how her trip had been. Who’d have guessed it would have triggered such an outburst? He stepped back at her approach, only to find the distance he had made between them gone. Through wide eyes he continued to watch her while she shouted at him, trying to recall where this built up anger could have possibly come from. When had he ever suggested that she had been weak or said she could not take care of herself? And had he not treated Urd and her sister well during their time together? How could she consider herself a pet, none the less one of his? All Genie had even owned before Poncho had been a goldfish whose death had left him absolutely devastated.

At a loss for words, he simply stared at the goddess for a moment. Then, hesitantly, spoke. “I… didn’t know I was.”

The burst of anger sizzled to a slower burn at his genuinely shocked face. She lowered her head, angry at herself now as much as at him. She never could control her temper, but she never felt more guilty for it than when he was the target. "You lied to me, Genie," she said flatly, one hand going to her face to push away the fall of hair. She was flushed slightly from her burst of temper, backing away from him. "You smiled and laughed it all off, convincing me you weren't up to anything, but you've been trying to find Xemnas all this time. And you never said anything."

She shot her head up, one hand going to her heart. "To me! Don't you think I'd have a stake in that? Don't you think I deserve to be part of that? What were you hoping to accomplish with him? What did you want to say to that bastard?"

It was not so much what he wanted to say but rather what he wanted to do to Xemnas. But now that he thought about it, what was it he really could do? He had been so caught up with the idea that he could do something that he hadn’t really considered what he would do came the time. Genie had never been given the chance to act so freely. Had he really gone to proceed with so little consideration? He looked down at his hands for a moment before clenching them. They fell back down to his sides as he looked up at Urd again.

“I don’t know. I never considered that.” It wasn’t as though he could kill Xemnas, had he really wanted to. Even if he was a free genie, that did not grant him the ability to make people drop at the drop of a hat. “I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t amount for much, or change what I’ve done. You should be mad. What was I thinking?”

Whatever answer she expected of him, that wasn't it. Her own hand clenched into a fist over her heart before she let it drop, feeling her initial weariness even more now that her anger was burnt out of her. She felt like she was rubbed raw, more sensitive than she might have normally been. Was it her ordeal in the Pride Lands? Her lingering doubt over what her relationship with him was?

"I still think about what he did to me," she heard herself saying. Urd closed her eyes as she recalled the night Xemnas took her captive. "I was there, in Elysian Fields, thinking about you when he ambushed me. I fought with everything I had in me and he still got me." One hand went up to her arm, her head bowed. Her voice was quiet, filled with restrained anger and loathing. "I can remember how it felt when he injected me with Darkness. It burned, but I could take that pain and use it. But knowing he was using me as a pawn against the people I love..."

She broke off, shaking her head. "A day doesn't go by when I don't want to make him pay! You are one of the only people who even knows what he did to me!" She moved forward toward him, placing her hands on his chest, giving in to the need to touch him, her need for comfort. "I act like it doesn't bother me, but it still does, it always will. And if I'm not alone in feeling that...why wouldn't you tell me?"

Genie looked down at Urd and placed his hands atop hers. She hadn’t been alone, not ever. As much as he tried to hide it, there was definitely a dark side to him. He had been forced to do many things he had not wanted to. Hurt innocent people, destroyed cities and once cast such wickedness that he dared not even think of it. Human’s were not terribly creative but they were most definitely terrible themselves at times. He had long since learned there were far worse fates than death one could wish upon another. And though those who had seen such evil he’d done were no long alive, Genie did not need their presence feel reminded of the horrible things he had done, the destruction caused by his hands. All of which he had done in full consciousness without the corruption of such thing as Darkness. It had always been him…

“I was selfish.” He replied. There was so much more he could have done for Urd but simply hadn’t. He had not even stopped to consider her feelings when it came to perusing Xemnas. Of course she would want to know. Of course she would be upset. He had never forgiven himself for the wickedness he had caused, how could he have expected Urd to? “I’ll tell you everything you want to know. No secrets.”

She saw a flicker of something in his eyes but she couldn't understand it anymore than she ever could, his eyes a dark mystery when she least expected it. There wasn't any anger in her now -- in fact, she felt a little guilty for her outburst in the first place. "You don't..." Urd began, biting her bottom lip as she looked down at their hands. "You don't have to tell me everything. It's your right, your freedom to keep some things to yourself. I don't want to be the kind of --" What, girlfriend? Lover? Friend? --"woman who makes you feel trapped."

Urd looked back up at him. "I want to trust you. You've never let me down before. But just answer me this...what were you going to do if you managed to find Xemnas?"

Edited 2011-07-26 03:52 (UTC)

“Trapped? Please. You couldn’t do that. Not unless you intend to leave me in another lamp for the next 65,000 years.” And he’d have to make her pretty mad to manage that... right? “Not that I want to test that theory out or anything.” He smiled at the goddess, the usual warmth having returned to his voice for a moment. Though, even if he had chuckled at his remark, Genie was completely serious, especially when it came to testing his theory.

At the mention of Xemnas, his smile fell and original thoughts returned to mind. “I’m not sure there’s much I could do.” He admitted, still looking down at Urd. “The amount of Light it would take to contain him alone…” Genie shook his head. “I’d have to call one of those key bearers that have started to frequent the city, keep him occupied until one of them shows up. Something tells me those big ol’ keys of theirs would be more effective than anything I could throw at him.” Releasing his hold of her hands, he looked away. “I couldn`t…” Annihilate, destroy, eradicate, neutralize, kill him. Even if he hadn’t been bound by such rules, regardless how angry he was, he just couldn’t.

When he looked away, she reached up and put her hand on the side of his face, urging him to look at her once more. She was smiling. "I know," she said softly. She didn't need him to finish that sentence to know what he meant. "That's why I love you." That and so many other reasons. She ran her thumb along his blue skin briefly before she moved away to sit on the edge of her bed with a sigh.

"I'm sorry I...yelled at you." The words came out grudgingly enough, but they needed to be said. "Pride Lands was rough for me. My power was on the fritz again and if it hadn't been for Belldandy and Al, or Timon and Pumbaa, I'd either be Heartless food or bird chow." She looked up at him and gave him a sheepish smile.

"I guess I've just felt useless lately. I couldn't stand the idea of you thinking I was weak."

It felt as though they had had this conversation before, comparing ‘power’ to see where they matched up against each other. But, even so, “Girl, you’re crazy” likely hadn’t been the response Urd had expected to receive. That did not stop the words from leaving Genie’s mouth, however. “Greatness isn’t measured by the size of one’s strength, but by the strength of their heart. It's what's on the inside that counts!” Practically beaming down at the goddess, he slowly lowered himself down to her height on the bed. “When you have the ability to move so many others hearts, you just know… Just like you have one of the strongest hearts I know.”

A soft, amused noise of disbelief escaped her. Still, as usual, his words touched her heart the way they always did. She smiled and leaned forward toward him, her elbows on his knees. "Do I? I'll keep that in mind. Must be all that power you left behind when you went in." Urd ducked her head, her hair falling over one eye.

"It's not the power I'm talking about...I already know I'm more powerful than you," she couldn't resist teasing. "I just want to protect everyone from the Darkness, Genie. But I'm starting to think I won't be able to."

“As long as there is Light, Darkness will continue exist. Inside you, inside me, nearly everyone harbours darkness in their hearts. Some feed into that Darkness, allow it to consume them, others keep it at bay. When it comes down to it, it’s a matter of choice. Ultimately, only they can save themselves. But what Xemnas has done, persuading that Darkness and controlling others hearts…” Genie sadly shook his head. “That’s something else. You can’t protect them from the Darkness but you can protect them against him.”

Not every heart could be saved; some would give into that Darkness on their own. And though they could persuade others hearts with Light, make them pure, what choice would that have left? Would that have really been free will or simply their will? Forcing Light upon other hearts would make them no better than Xemnas. Genie frowned at the thought. It never had nor ever would be easy and as much as he too longed to save everyone, he had long since learned he simply couldn’t.

It wasn't what she wanted to hear and she was set to stubbornly argue with him despite the wisdom in his words she knew was there. But the arguments, whatever they might have been, died before they left her lips. Shoulders slumping, she sighed before flinging herself backwards onto the bed.

"Yeah...yeah," she conceded, looking up at her bedroom ceiling forlornly. "I know you're right. You're always right." She closed her eyes. "So we'll have to come up with a plan to stop Xemnas. To stop everyone. Luckily we seem to be imprisoned with some pretty promising hero types."

Clearly she had not been too keen on his words. Not that Genie blamed her, he hadn’t either. And maybe he was wrong, who knew? It was all so different between universes. Confusing and frustrating. Why, he didn’t know what universe he was even in now, to be honest. ‘In a castle’ was pretty vague, even if this particular castle had an entire city in it among entirely other worlds.

“Well, you know the saying: when a door is closed, a window opens. We just need to whip those heroes into shape, get them organized. You’d be surprised how many lack proper organization skills.” He seated himself on the bed beside her and drew a pout. “And you are not more powerful than me.” No, he hadn’t forgotten about that.

Smiling, she shifted so she could lay her head in Genie's lap, glancing up at him with totally innocent eyes. "Of course I am. Wow, you really do smell orange-y. Anyway, have I missed anything while I was gone? Anything hugely dramatic with our heroes in question?" Draped over his lap as she was, she reached up with one leisurely arm to lightly trace circles over one of his shoulders. "You're not keeping any more secrets from me, right?"

“Uh…” Orangey? Genie glanced down at Urd, having completely forgotten about the smell. “Ah, no. No secrets. I’ve been on good behaviour.” He’d have said his best behaviour, but watching Vyers for awhile out of entertainment instead of helping the demon had not been very kind on his part. “You weren’t gone very long. And when you were, I saw that you had still been posting over the journals. I don’t think you’ve missed anything. Oh, wait! I made brown-” burnt brownies. Genie lowered his head in shame. “Never mind…”

“How about a late dinner?” he asked, smiling down at the goddess again only seconds later. “Promise I won’t burn anything.” Like his life depended on it, or at least his relationship with her.

She nuzzled his stomach, enjoying the sweet, tangy scent of oranges before she suddenly gasped. "My journal!" Slapping her hand to her forehead, she scooted up so that she was sitting on his lap, idly touching and fiddling with his arms, his goatee, his ears, as she spoke. "I left it with Al in the Pride Lands. I'm gonna have to get another one until they get back." Urd turned her head to glance at Genie, finally noticing she was rubbing his cheek without thinking about it.

"Ah, right. Dinner." He'd said something about dinner before she got distracted by the thought of her journal. Smiling sheepishly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, pleased that everything was back to normal. "I can watch while you make it, right? I love watching your hands work."

Between Urd’s words and own wandering hands, Genie was unsure what to comment on. It was as though she had discovered him for the first time, having pat down his arms, face, ears, and anything that seemed within her reach. He raised an eyebrow at the goddess but heard her out when spoke… about his hands. There was probably another meaning behind it, as well as her inability to stop touching him, but Genie did not think about it.

“I’m sure they’ll be back any day now.” He said in her embrace. “If you’d like, however, you can use mine in the mean time. Just don’t go stirring up any trouble.” At this, he winked at the goddess. “And no lazing about; I’m putting you to work. You can cut vegetables without setting them on fire, right?”

"I'd never stir up trouble," she pouted, tilting her head to give him the widest, most innocent gaze. The act fell apart immediately at his next words, though. "...geh. Fiiiine." She acted like it was incredibly bothersome, but that didn't stop her from taking his jaw in her hands and kissing him passionately for a moment. The truth of the matter was, any time spent with him was a joy and especially needed after her disastrous journey into the Pride Lands.

She untangled her arms around him, finally giving him the chance to breathe as she stood up and adjusted her dress and her hair, patting everything back into its place. "Are you just gonna sit there or come down to the kitchen?"

To answer her question, yes. Yes, he was just going to sit there because he definitely hadn’t expected that. Even after Urd had stood to her feet, Genie continued to remain seated on the bed, eyes wide with surprise. It would take another moment before his mind finally caught up with her, noting that the goddess was no longer found resting on him but rather standing before him. A large dopey grin spread across his face as he looked at her before realizing she had been waiting for him.

“H-huh?" He blinked numerous times before speaking. "Did you say something?” Genie tried the recall the last words he had heard say, much to his dismay, only to find one. “Trouble?” Hopefully that was relevant to whatever she had just asked.

Amused, she took his hand and pulled him off the bed. "I said it's time to go down to the kitchen and put me to work, you taskmaster." She grinned as she looked up at him, purple eyes alight with love and laughter. Somewhere in the back of her mind, darker thoughts were waiting to be brooded and pored over, but they didn't matter right now. It was hard to think about anything but the big blue djinn in front of her.

Still holding on to his hand, she lead him to the kitchen where hopefully nothing would be set on fire.

As long as Urd was kept away from the stove, Genie was pretty sure nothing would set fire. Pretty sure… Allowing the goddess to pull him from the bed and down to the kitchen, a similar smile as before could be found across his face. How he had lucked out finding a girl like her he’d never know. Finding another girl like her in a million years? Try a billion - or thousand million in Traditional British or milliard Traditional European (Peletier).

“Oh, I’ll put you to work, alright.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Trouble in Paradise [Completed]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject