Opening the door silently, Eriya slipped into Renton’s room. Lately, the only places she’d been were his room and outside, in the woods, in the air. She hadn’t wanted to go to her floor, to her room, the room Cojin and she had slept together for the last time. Nor had she wanted to the see the people of the hotel.
The room was empty. She glanced around a little and spotted a note on the bed. Reading it rapidly, she finished, and smashed the note in her fist. He’d gone out with Bella.
~The jealousy will drive you mad!~
Sometimes Eriya wondered if she was already mad. Julien had said there was no reason to be jealous, but really, why shouldn’t she be? Bella was Julien’s first love, and Eriya could hold nothing to her in that aspect. If she ever decided, screw Sami, I want a man who appreciates me, Julien would be hers in a flash. It wasn’t that she had so little faith in Julien, it was that she didn’t believe anyone could withstand the temptation of one’s first love. Hell, Cojin had been hers, and she’d left Hazel like /that/ to be with /her/ first love.
Which brought up the interesting point of Cojin in all of this. How would she be able to push her first love away? Well. Cojin wasn’t putting out like Bella was. It wouldn’t be hard to resist someone who wanted you as a prisoner rather than a lover.
Taking a deep breath, Eriya released the crumpled paper from her iron grip and let it fall. Julien and Bella were friends. She couldn’t expect Julien to stay inside all the time, friendless. She couldn’t expect him to be like her. It was...fine. Fine.
Taking another deep breath, she turned, glancing around the empty room. She really wasn’t sure what to do now. She hadn’t lived a normal life since before she came here, when she lived with Hazel. When she lived there, she’d knitted a lot, crocheted, weaved. She had, in turn, taught some of the village girls the arts. Vaguely, she remembered singing at the gatherings, the only time she felt she could come out of her shell. She hadn’t sung in ages, hadn’t wanted to.
Sighing, she went to her things and pulled out her knitting needles and some yards of a dull blue yarn. Taking a seat next to the window, she started working, her fingers working expertly and rapidly, her gaze fixed now on the window. It seemed like such a “good, old, housewife” thing to do, knit a scarf or whatever for your lover, but it was one thing she was exceptionally good at, and didn’t actually mind doing. She just hated the sterotype she felt like as she did it.
Gazing out around the outside of the hotel, Eriya felt herself begin to hum an old village song. It had been one of her favorites, one she’d sang at many of the gatherings. She saw some of the humans outside, although couldn’t put a name to their faces. They appeared to be talking, perhaps arguing. Boredly, she turned her gaze to the woods. It was a beautiful day, probably a bit windy, just like she liked it. Cojin’s lair was hidden away, but she still knew precisely where it was. Her gaze lingered on that area.
It felt so wrong to her, to be apart from Cojin. But...he was beyond help now, even hers. The experiments had driven him crazy, and no one could reason with him. Of course, she agreed with him, that most humans were evil, cold, cruel, heartless creatures, but she felt it better to just avoid and ignore them, rather than go after them. Of course, she wanted revenge, but it wasn’t so easily obtained. The idea of a revolution, of flushing the world of all but a few select humans was so wonderful to think of. But Cojin had strayed from that plan. Now he was just looking to satisfy himself. She loathed to thinkit, but he was becoming no better than the scientists. Especially if he tried to take her back against her will.
What was life to be now? She couldn’t very well work towards the revolution by herself, and Julien was, after all, part of the race she wished to flush out. He didn’t like having a murderous girlfriend, she knew.
So what were they going to do? She’d hurt and upset Julien when she’d asked him this, but really, what could they do the rest of their lives together? He was a drug addict, she liked to kill people, and they both loved to have sex. What a great couple. It seemed like love was the only thing they had on their side here. Even if they--for horror’s sake--got married, or--for even more horror’s sake--decided to adopt kids, what then? They would just live the rest of like as a typical, happy, All-American family.
Eriya gritted her teeth a little. Like Hell she would. Somehow she didn’t know how she could just sit back and act normal when that race of heathens walked around happily around her. Sometimes, being with Cojin just seemed so much easier. If only that damn puppet had never come into the picture, maybe things could have been better. They could carry on the revolution, living and killing only for each other.
A hard stab of the knitting needle into her finger snapped Eriya out of her thoughts, letting out a soft cry and jerking her gaze down. A sort of blue fluid welled at the puncture, and just as soon as it’d appeared, the skin grew together and mended itself. Frowning slightly, she just stared at her work for a moment. I...I want to see Hazel-sama again.... she hadn’t a clue what she was going to say to him, but...
Suddenly, a cold feeling came over her. He had his wife. /Fue-chan/. She was still alive, and she was still Hazel-sama’s wife. Cojin hadn’t even killed her as promised. It would have been so easy too! Maybe I can pay someone to kill her, she thought bitterly, gripping what she had of a scarf in her white hands. I won’t earn Hazel-sama’s hate by killing her myself. Perhaps she could work out a deal with another one of the killers in the hotel.
This decided, she felt a little better and straightened up, beginning to knit again, humming soft to herself.

~~~~~


Harlequin pressed his back to the wall as tight as he could, as if he believed he could disappear into it. The tears were still filling his eyes, but still had not fallen. He took in what seemed like the billionth shuddering breath, just staring blankly in front of him.
At first, he hadn’t really got it. He’d come into Jerome and his room, not even really intending on playing, but something on his mandolin had caught his attention. He’d gone over to it, after greeting Jerome softly, and found it was a small, colored picture in the strings of his mandolin. Pulling it out confusedly, he’d looked at it closely to see it was Ruu...and another man...kissing. He’d stared at it for the longest time, really not understanding. Someone couldn’t have painted this.... it took him awhile to remember Jerome telling him about “photographs” that were like frozen moment, like from television. It took him another while of thinking to remember they came from real life.
That’s what had frozen him cold. It...couldn’t be real life. Someone must have....it couldn’t be real. He realized then that Jerome was asking him what was wrong, what it was. Confused, mind whirling, he turned and fled the room, telling Jerome it was nothing, and he wanted to be alone, leaving the confused Cetra by himself.
He was now outside, leaning heavily against the side of the hotel, letting it hold him up for the most part. He /still/ didn’t get. It...couldn’t be real. It just simply couldn’t be real. Someone had...doctored it...or it wasn’t Ruu....or...
Still gripping the picture in his hand, he glanced at it again and winced. It was Ruu, and it was real. Then he began getting into thinking it must not be what it appeared. A friendly kiss, a comfort kiss, a.... He felt his stomach turn. It wasn’t a friendly kiss.
It couldn’t be what it appeared. He... he needed to talk to Ruu. Maybe the man had forced her. Alarmedly, he wondered if she was in danger. Leaning off of the wall quickly, he turned to look at the hotel. He needed to go check on her. He needed to figure out what was going on. Everything that had been going on lately, and now this. He glanced at the picture, not even knowing why he kept torturing himself by looking at it, and gazed closer at the man. He was slowly remembering him. Brown hair...glasses....large wings... His deep blue eyes widening, Harlequin realized who it was. Brain. He thought that’s what they called him... it could be Brian..... But he remembered meeting this man around the time of the couples awards, and then again with Kirei and Katana. This man was /not/ a rapist. He’d been awkward, intelligent, and polite. Exactly the type of man Ruu liked. He felt his stomach turn again.
The tears still did not fall. They just blurred his vision, and Harlequin had to reach out a hand again to the wall to hold himself up. Had she found another boyfriend? Had she just been toying with him when she came to talk to him?
Suddenly, he remembered something. What she’d been saying at first. Something about she loved him and wanted to be with him, but she wasn’t making him happy and she thought he could be happier with someone else.
He opened his eyes huge now. Oh my god.... she was trying to break up with me... And I just hugged her and told her everything was okay, that they would be together and okay....
The tears spilled now, and flooded down his cheeks. He shot a hand to his mouth to stifle any sobs from his throat, closing his eyes painfully. God. I’m such an idiot... all she wanted was to let me go easily, and I just pushed it, made it harder for her. A /total/ idiot.
He stood there, leaning against the wall and crying silently for awhile before taking in more deep breaths and knowing he had to get ahold of himself. Wiping his tears, he gazed back up at the hotel. What had she meant.... there was someone else he was always happier with....?
Shaking his head, picture gripped in hand, he didn’t want to think by himself anymore. He needed answers and they weren’t going to come from his own mind. Deciding he was in control again, not ready to cry, he turned to go to the entrance, heading up to Ruu’s room.


~~~~~~

Something was there, driving him on, something was there in his mind, telling him to go, to retrieve it, to bring it back to his master. Despite the lack of understanding, Gabriel found himself at his father’s door. He must do this, it was his master’s wish. He raised a hand and gave a firm knock on it. There was silence inside, then a gruff, “Come in.”
He opened the door silently, his expression blank, but as soon as he was in view, he quickly made his frightened, kicked-puppy look, gazing in shyly to his father.
Zei looked up at him and narrowed his eyes almost immediatly. He was seated in his wheelie chair, having been facing the window. Now he was looking over his shoulder, a cold look in his eyes, “What do you want?”
Gabriel immediately shifted his gaze down, “I...I wanted to ask you a favor.”
There was silence, and after a moment, Zei got up. He was crossing swiftly over to his son, a suspicious look in his eyes, “What do you want, boy?”
The dragon boy finally looked up into his father’s eyes, and the expression was once again blank, that of being completely under another’s control. He was a slave. It read plainly in his eyes. Zei seemed a slight bit surprised, but was ready for the boy to go on.
Gabriel spoke quickly in a controlled manner, “The sword. I want you to give me the sword.”
Zei’s eyes widened, but before he could respond, the boy was upon him, attacking him, his hands going to Zei’s throat.