Sun, Surf, and Demons (insaney)

"This all started two nights ago," Paris was explaining as they entered the room, "...we had no idea what was wrong at first, but... when she started to become violent, our dad suggested that we tie her down with those blankets you see on her now... I remembered after that sword you had sent to me some time ago, Cadenza, and... when I held it near her, it reacted. I realized that meant... something was wrong, some sort of demon had taken hold of her, and..." Paris couldn't bear to look anymore, as his little sister thrashed about on the bed. He turned his head towards the window, out towards the peaceful day outside, and sighed a little. The frown that he'd been wearing deepened with every shriek from the girl.

"...and please... I didn't know what to do... so I called you, and please--"

"--we'll make sure she comes out of this okay, Paris, I promise..." Cadenza stepped towards the bed as she said this, looked upon the little tanned, freckled face, with those once bright, cheery green eyes. They were now completely black, and shined eerily, as little hands struggled and fought to reach out and scratch anyone who came near. Just seeing little Makayla like this made the gypsy want to cry, but she held in it, and brushed the girl's hair back a little, avoiding the wildly waving arms tied by the blankets.

She looked back at Rain, trying not to frown in front of Paris to drown his hopes any more. Paris himself excused himself from the room--he said to go check on Gabriela, but Cadenza could tell, it was also because he couldn't stand to see his sister like this for much longer...

"Where do we begin...?" the woman asked Rain as calmly as she could manage.

OoC: The sword mentioned is the one she gets Will back in Out of the Shadows to make for Paris to protect his family since she won't be around, just to make things clear.

"Where do we begin...?" Cadenza asked, calmly, the hint of a slight quiver in her voice.

Rain frowned a tiny bit, gently brushing past her and looking at the girl on the bed. His gold eyes glared into the eerie black orbs. He’d seen this so many times, it was almost cliché—the demon was a parasite. It needed a host to survive—but… it’s just natural for a host to reject this kind of parasite outright, and all the demon was doing now, was just trying to take control by making her lose control.

“You must be Makayla…” he smiled a little and whispered to her.

Rain’s face was just out of her reach now, her fingernails only reaching within centimeters of his cheeks. But her screams were far worse, and penetrated the walls.

“You’ll be alright, little one—you’re too pretty to be in so much pain.”

Rain stood up and sighed, walking around the bed.

“Get a mirror, one that you can hold up is fine—any size will do.” he looked up at Cadenza, smiling a little more, “Don’t look so worried… does Paris have a cat?”

She didn’t have time to answer, “I don’t remember seeing any catfood or bowls or traces of fur, or anything like that lying around.”

“I’ll be right back,” he grinned, the window flying open, allowing the trails of Makayla’s screams to filter outside as Rain vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Rain...?"

Her voice sounded so small in the bedroom, alone with just the girl's screams. She looked over her shoulder a little, saw that Rain was gone for the moment, the window open and letting a small breeze blow through. She couldn't help a small shiver as she started to hunt around the room for a mirror to use.

"You and Gabby used to have a nice little flower-shaped one that you'd look into when we did your hair..." she said, knowing that she was more or less talking to herself, but finding comfort in trying to speak to Makayla like everything was normal. "Do you guys still have it...? Let's see... ah, here it is," Cadenza lifted the mirror from the girl's white dresser, and held it in both hands, watching the sunlight gleam off its surface brilliantly. Makayla just continued to squirm and thrash, shrieking with the effort.

Outside the room, a little shadow stirred, breathing softly by the door.

"Gabby, it's you, isn't it...?"

The door creaked open a tiny crack. Big brown eyes gazed up at Cadenza timidly, the little hand on the doorframe shaking.

"Sweetie, you shouldn't be here to see this... go back downstairs with your brother, okay...?"

"D-denzie...?"

The tiny voice could barely be heard over her sister's screams and wails. Cadenza walked over, surprised that the girl still remembered that old nickname, and bent down, taking her little hand into hers and squeezing it gently.

"Your sister will be okay, Gabby, trust me. We'll all play together later, yah? Go and comfort Paris with one of your big hugs now, he needs you."

She patted the little child on the head, and earned a small smile from her. The door shut quietly again as Gabriela skipped off, back downstairs, away from the room filled with screams and struggling. Cadenza stood reluctantly, grasping the mirror in both hands again, sighing--knowing that she couldn't just skip off too.

I have to apologize to her after... the demons in Rubato, in our world at all are... my fault. I just hope... Rain hurries back soon and we can save her. He said not to look so worried, right...?

Cadenza turned around to the girl shrieking and struggling even more violently than she had been before. But she seemed to be struggling to stay away from something, so much so, that she began to tear the bonds on one side of the bed as she retreated to the other side. Her eyes were fixed on the figure standing near the open window.

When Cadenza looked up at it, she saw Rain with something small and furry cuddled in his arms. The fur was coloured brown, with small dashes of a darker brown her and there. Its body swelled and contracted calmly, just breathing with its nose nuzzled into Rain’s arm.

“Afraid of the little kitten?” Rain held it up in front of Makayla, making her scream and thrash even more.

Cadenza looked bewildered as Rain walked around the bed.

“Cats are one of the guardians—or hunters of the Underworld, just like this little guy.” Rain looked at her for a moment, “but just…bigger and less furry.”

“Now,” he began to speak over Makayla’s noise, “that thing in there will want to run—and since she’s tied down, it’ll have to come out. That’s where the mirror will come in—just hold it up over it as it’s coming out and you’ll get it.”

At that moment, the girl on the bed began to gag, choking on the bulge that began moving up her throat, her eyes began to flash between normal and black before finally fading to their original state. A skinny, deformed black hand rose quickly out of her gaping mouth, followed by another.

Swiftly Rain put the cat on the bed, making the demon shriek loudly as it struggled to get out faster. The Grim Angel grabbed the mirror from Cadenza as the creature forced its way out, preparing to pounce out of the window. As soon as its feet left the girl’s mouth, Rain slammed the mirror into its face and it was drawn completely in, existing inside of the mirror

After that, he simple tossed the mirror out of the window and watched as it smashed into pieces as it hit the ground, destroying both the trinket and the demon inside.

Cadenza had stood frozen in place when she first saw the demon begin to crawl out of little Makayla's mouth, her fingers just gripping the mirror tightly. Her eyes had gone wide, her mouth slightly agape... she hadn't known what to do. She thanked the gods for Rain being there to take over, and finish the job.

She'd only stared stupidly, cringing at every shriek, looking guiltily at the little girl on the bed as that hideous creature crept out of her. Rain was calm, even the little kitten had been calm, but she... when it was someone she knew, she... she realized her hands were shaking a little. With her magic, she could fight basically any demon that came out, she knew that... but... she'd have to get it out first, and she was worried about hurting anyone or messing up while she tried that.

When the demon was finally trapped in the mirror, and thrown to the ground outside, the glass shattering into a thousand pieces, she felt a little surge of relief. But there was still a little something bothering her...

"That was..." Cadenza's eyes trailed from the shards of broken mirror outside, back to the girl resting, panting heavily on the bed, and a frown tugged at the corners of her lips at the sight of her, "...will she... remember any of that when she wakes up...? The possession... the exorcism... any of it...?"

Rain looked at the girl on the bed, who was awake for only the few seconds that it took to force the creature out of her. She had stopped screaming now, and was catching up on some well deserved rest. Her skin's complexion became less pale--less closer to death.

The Grim Angel sat on the edge of the bed, scooping the kitten up in his arms as Cadenza sat on the opposite edge, both on either side of the bed and turned to face the Makayla.

"To her, it'll just be a bad dream--with a kitten as a hero." Rain smiled, the kitten mewed and nuzzled into his arm once more, getting comfortable because it was as lazy as a cat could get.

"She's alright now... Denzie." Rain chuckled a bit at the nickname and kept speaking before Cadenza could say anything, "Makayla's a lot prettier now--I think it's the cat."

With that, he held up the cat a little over Makayla; the little creature seemingly grinning and mewing happily in agreement.

Cadenza smiled a little when she'd heard it'd all just be a bad dream to the girl, although that smile faded in a huff when Rain had went and called her "Denzie". She didn't even feel like making a fuss over that even so, and let it go with just a smirk back at him--at the moment, she just felt relieved, and grateful that everything had worked out. She even felt a bit of gratitude towards the cat, as useless as she still thought most of the strays around Rubato were.

The little furry thing was almost... cute as it sat there, grooming and cleaning itself and waggling its tail gently in front of Makayla.

"She's breathing a little more normally now... I'm glad," she looked from the little girl's freckled face to Rain for a moment, giving him a small, admiring smile that seemed to widen the longer her eyes lingered on him, "It's... all thanks to you, carino... maybe the little hero kitten in her dreams will have gold eyes..."

Before Rain could say anything, or even chuckle, there was a small squeak as a pair of little hands nudged open the door.

Rain glanced at the opening door, just before whispering to Cadenza; “I’m not the hero here, Latina,” he smiled, getting off of the bed, leaving the kitten there. The little thing was sleeping just as peacefully as Makayla, and it seemed to have taken a liking to her, as well; it was curled up right next to her arm as she slept.

“I’ve seen you before,” he smiled wide, chuckling softly at the girl in the doorway and walked towards her to kneel down in front of her, “Your sister’s okay now, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

“You’re very pretty, you know—like your sister, and Denzie” he continued with that soft, charming smile and that calm, welcoming tone of voice, “My name is Rain, it’s nice to meet someone pretty like you; may I have your name?”

“My name is Rain, it’s nice to meet someone pretty like you; may I have your name?”

"A-awe you a pwince that came to save 'kayla?" she gave the little gasp Cadenza still recognized as her getting excited, the gears of her little imagination hard at work, her little hands clasped together hopefully over her chest, "A knight in shining awmor with his faithful cat come to wescue her...?"

And she knew no matter what Rain said now, little Gabby was already picturing him in gleaming armor, atop a noble steed, coming to climb a tower like Rapunzel's to help the princess and save the day. Next, she'd probably ask what his horse looked like... Cadenza couldn't help a small chuckle--and it was a welcome chuckle... a sort of relieving feeling to be able to laugh again after this incident for which she still felt responsible...

She didn't hear if Rain had answered or not, but she sure picked up on the rise in Gabby's voice from timid and hesitant to big and friendly when she spoke next, "My name is Gabby, Sir Wain!" she gave a little curtsy, giggling with her one missing front tooth that the Tooth Fairy had surely left her a zecca for that morning, "Is your horsey outside--can I see...? Did you come from--"

"--He didn't come on a horsey," Cadenza answered for him, still chuckling softly from the bed and waving at Gabriela to get her attention. "I... brought him."

The big brown eyes lit up at the sight of the woman behind Rain, remembering all the times she'd called that very woman "big sister" or "Denzie", the nickname that always seemed to make the lady giggle a little or smile. She rushed forward with a gleeful laugh, and dove into the gypsy's waiting arms, nuzzling against her cheek, curling her fingers around some of her soft, long hair.

"Denzie, Denzie, gwacias for bwinging a knight to help 'kayla! Can we pway now that she's all better, pwease pwease?"

"Soon, Gabby," she said, hugging the girl softly, smiling at Rain as he watched them. "I have to go tell your big brother she's okay first, but then we can play and maybe I can... oh look, who did your hair? It couldn't have been your brother!" she tugged softly on a neat black braid, admiring the little green ribbon tied nicely on the end.

" 'kayla did it before she got sick... I didn't take 'em out, I wanted to show her I wiked them a lot..."

"She did a really nice job... I'm sure she'd like to see you still have them in when she wakes up... but for now," Cadenza stood, lifting up Gabby, and gently placing her on the edge of the warm bed where she had been sitting, "Why don't you play with Sir... 'Wain', and I'll go let your brother know that everything's fine, yah?"

The little girl nodded excitedly, swinging her bare feet that didn't touch the floor as she watched her former sister-in-law walk out of the room and turned her attention back to the 'knight'. She seemed to get just a tiny bit shier again when Cadenza was out of the room, and waited for Rain to talk first...

OoC: Two more posts, I think--one for you, and one for me to talk to Paris and wrap it up finally. xP

A prince, or a knight, huh?

Rain smiled at Cadenza as she left the room, before turning his attention to the little girl on the bed. She looked down a little, shyly, still swinging her feet, though not as much as before. This made him smile a little more as he walked calmly over to her, sitting down on the edge, right next to her.

“If I’m a knight,” he whispered, “then ‘Kayla and you are princesses, right?”

The little girl looked up at him and blushed as he continued, “but… I’m no knight, really—but that doesn’t mean you two aren’t princesses—say…what do you think about angels?”

At that word, her eyes lit up even more than before and they asked the question for her; “Is Mr. Wain an angel?”

“Maybe,” He grinned a little.

“And maybe you’ll meet one someday; all you have to have is a little bit of hope,” Rain gently took her hand as he opened his, letting a paper thin butterfly unfold in the palm of his hand before fluttering over to hers, “and… a little magic.”

She gasped, looking at the thing as it flapped its wings lazily in her hand.

“I think… we should leave Kayla to rest for now—let’s go see what Denzie’s doing.”

"She's all right now, Paris..."

He'd been waiting anxiously in the kitchen for the news, and now that it had finally came, his hands ceased to tremble, and he breathed out in relief, setting down the pots and pans he'd been washing to busy himself. With a smile forming on his face, he stepped towards his former wife, aware that there were a pair of little nosey ears now listening to them from the stairs.

"My lovely sunflower of Rubato, I thank you again... I just wanted to a--"

"--wait Paris, no, I have a question I've needed to ask for a long, long time first," Cadenza could feel the shadows on the stairs too, knew that they had an audience, but she couldn't pass up this chance to bring a little closure to a lingering question and settle things once and for all. "I'm sorry for having to bring this up now, when I know you've just been through a lot with your sister, but... I need to ask something about my own sister."

"What... is it, Cadenza?" Paris looked a little taken aback, like he knew what was about to come and wasn't looking forward to answering it. His eyes trailed from hers again, to the little silhouette on the stairs across the white-tiled kitchen. Her voice was quiet, but had that serious tone he remembered from back when she was interrogating him and thought he was Anton Dionne...

"...did Vivace know the truth for all those years, before you told me, or did you... did you lead her on, and pretend to love her as Anton, and kept the secret to yourself...?"

He swallowed hard, knowing she would be hurt by the answer to come. But he'd tell the truth. "She knew... before you knew. I had to tell her and your sister Algretta before they'd let me into the house at all to search for what I needed... I felt guilty... horrible everyday about not letting you know, but Vivace insisted it was for the best... I'm sorry, my sunflower, I..."

"...Paris, please... sunflowers don't grow in the shade," the woman turned her back, took a few paces towards the stairs. Paris knew she was walking away from him yet again, out of his reach, with those few steps... "I'm... really happy that Makayla's okay, but... we should be going now."

She had wanted to apologize for the demons ever coming here in the first place... for having opened the Dome door to allow it, but... she'd maybe do that personally to Makayla someday. She could hardly stand to be in this kitchen much longer now...

Paris just had that one last question to ask, to confirm that she was lost to him for good. He sighed, looked at her figure trailing away before letting the words out, "...was that man who came with you... is he...?"

"...My boyfriend?" there seemed to be a small smile implied in just her tone at the thought of Rain, finally a lightening in her mood from that serious, somber voice she had used before, "...si, he is, Paris, I'm very lucky to say he is..."

OoC: Fin~ :3