|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 18:18:30 GMT -8
"No, we are going to talk. We can do this nicely, or I can make it so you can't walk away. Your choice."
"Fine. Talk."
Les sighed, resting her elbow on her knee and putting her face in her hands.This was torture, she already felt completely horrible about the entire thing, and neither Mathew nor David were going to let her live it down. She had half the mind to just tell them all to fuck off and leave. She didn't need anybody. She held her own well enough! ...Olesya took a deep breath to calm her mind. It wouldn't do to lost her head now, not when thing s had finally become okay.
But they're not okay, are they? They don't trust you.
Shut up.
They're going to take Maddie away and never talk to you again.
No...
They hate you.
I SAID shut up!
---
Olesya had lost control of her mind that day, falling victim to the chaos that lay within. She waited until their backs had turned and disappeared into the night. She couldn't face David, or Mathew. She couldn't face Maddie...not like this. She ran, fast and hard, she ran until her legs gave out, and then she picked herself up and kept running. She went back to the facility where Dr. Twist was still seeing to his patients, and Olesya was more than relieved that he was still there. She shouldn't have left before her treatment was complete, the chemicals still marred her system, messed with her brain. She was stupid to think she could control it on her own.
Months went by, and slowly Olesya showed marked improvement. She could control her mind, she had the tools and mechanisms to handle herself when she hit a weak point. She was no longer victim to her own chaos. Confident that she could handle herself now. Thanking Dr. Twist, she set back off south to the Dragon territory. She didn't take any provisions with her besides a canteen of water, as she wanted to leave as much as she could with the rebuilt facility. They'd demolished the part of the building that collapsed, and even built a greenhouse out of scrap parts. They were thriving well enough, and Olesya felt she couldn't take more from them than was absolutely necessary.
She arrived at the stronghold at twilight, the half-light-half-dark shielding her arrival from bandits that prowled outside the walls. Reaching the gate, she knocked three times, holding up the dragon pendant around her neck that Mathew had given her when she first immigrated to the territory. She only hoped that she was still welcome. A lot could happen in three months.
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 18:26:23 GMT -8
A shadow dropped down next to her, silent as a mouse. Red hair stuck out wildly, and the now beefy form of August returned to full height. He had seen some shit. He stared at her a moment, blade in hand, waiting for her to say something. If she started to speak, he would throw his arms around her and hug her tightly. "We all thought you was dead, Les! Good god! Where have you been?"it was quite obviouw he was glad to see her- but still, the gates didn't open. They stood silent, like a mountain before her. August held her at arms length before grabbing a whistle from around his neck and blowing hard. A loud squeel sounded before the doors creaked open- revealing a relative metropolis inside. People were strong now. Fit. Buildings were nearly like they had been before the war. They seemed clean, healthy. Like nothing had gone wrong. On the other side of the gate was- Maddie. She looked up at Olesya and stared- OOC: i'll let you take back control of her  |
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 18:37:06 GMT -8
Olesya caught the movement from the corner of her eye, turning to look at the red headed man who stood beside her. August. He looked strong as ever, and healthy. She caught sight of the blade in his hand, he was guarding the gate. Did he know about the fight? Was she now a threat to the Dragons?
Before she could second guess herself, he wrapped her in a huge hug, briefly smothering her, but she didnt mind. She wrapped her arms around his beefy torso and hugged him back.
"I...needed some help."
She admitted, frowning slightly, breaking his gaze for a moment. August took a whistle from around his neck and signaled for them to open the gates.
"I'm sorry I didn't warn you before I left...I...couldn't-"
The words died in her throat as she caught sight of the scene on the other side. It was a full city, clean and thriving. It looked like the bombs hadn't even touched it. The tents were gone, everything looked well kept, it was breathtaking. Her gaze then fell to the little girl standing in front of them. Maddie's cheeks were full, she looked healthy and much less like the little starving twig she'd found at the orphanage. Her braids were gone, her brown hair cut into a cute little bob that framed her face...she was being taken care of. The two girls stared at each other for a minute that seemed like eternity, before the syllables fell from her lips.
"Maddie..."
"...OLESYA!"
She bound forward leaping at the young woman. Olesya caught her, swinging her around before setting her back on the ground. Even so, she didn't let her go for a good minute, the two girls hugging the licing daylights out of each other. She squatted down so she was closer to Maddie's height, the little girl searching her face with imploring eyes.
"Where have you been?! I missed you and you were gone and I didn't know where you went!"
Olesya frowned slightly, brushing a bit of hair from the girl's face.
"I had something to do, but I'm back now. I promise I'll never go away again, okay? At least not without telling you first."
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 18:56:45 GMT -8
August watched the reunion with a small smile, sheathing his blade as the men at the top of the compound walls lowered the gates behind them, the young redhead leading the two inside. He would not comment on Olesya being gone- instead focusing on the thriving community around her.
"So- welcome back. As you can see there have been many improvements since you were here last. We have poured more money and time into infastructure and cultural growth- so we now have legitimate housing and barracks. This is, of course, still the war zone- but man, you ought to see COS- it's amazing."
He paused a moment- she probably didnt know what that was.
"Right- COS is the City of Storms. Its a hidden city, and was Fashioned by David for the public-"
He would, as though bidden, stand. David had been crouching among some of the Dragon-kids, who were laughing at their leader, who previously was being given eye shadow by a five year old. He wiped it off, tossling the hair of one of the boys who stepped in to take his place. He looked over at August before his gaze turned to Olesya. It settling on her for half a moment before turning back to the small water fixture that was sticking up out of the ground.
Turning a dial, he poured water into his hands and scrubbed his eyes.
He didn't seem upset at her- no. In fact, he seemed indifferent.
When someone had told him a minute ago she was there, he had felt his heart stop in his chest. But not a second later, he felt, well- he felt nothing. He could feel a cold pit in his stomach but... No anger. No disgust. Just smooth, calm irreverence.
Perhaps that was worst of it all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 19:05:19 GMT -8
Olesya didn't find it surprising that David was entertaining a group of children, probably the group that Maddie had come from. As they approached, the little girl rejoined her friends, talking and laughing with the lot of them. They didn't even notice the goings-on of the adults nearby, as was their nature. Not that there was anything going on anyway. It was like time had stopped.
When her eyes fell on the young man in question, Olesya's heart thudded painfully in her chest, which constricted until she felt like she couldn't breathe. He said nothing, his face was unreadable. He cleaned off the makeup that the kids had been playfully putting on him, acting as if she'd been gone less than two minutes instead of over three months.
The cool indifference made Olesya's blood run cold, and she stared at him, her lips slightly parted.
"David."
She broke the silence, speaking softly. Her gaze didn't leave his face, even though her whole body felt alive with electricity, urging her to run, though in which direction she didn't know. She had betrayed him by leaving, insulted him by being so careless. He had all the reason in the world to be angry with her, and here he was staring at her with no emotion, and yet without trying he had her heart in a vice grip.
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 19:12:50 GMT -8
He stood up straight.
"Hey Les."
He turned his eyes to August.
"Get the forward strike force on the western front, by the sea. I want a full scout report by tomorrow. If another gang from hawaii shows up on my shores again uncontested, you'll be swimming with them for a week no rest."
August clapped a fist to his heart and bowed before reaching out and gently touching Olesyas shoulder for strength. Then, without a word, he marched off.
David brought his eyes back to Olesya. He stared intently into her multi-colored orbs, looking for something. He brought the towel around his neck, grabbing the other end of it and holding it runner-style.
"Where were you?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 19:21:56 GMT -8
The new and interesting thing to notice about Olesya's eyes was that at a distance, they both appeared to be their natural brown again. As her eyes came more into focus, one could see shards of light blue like ice crystals in her irises. Physical proof that something had changed in the realm of her madness as a former experiment of Barker's.
At his question, Olesya glanced over to where the children were playing nearby. She was not ashamed of where she had been, but she didn't need Maddie knowing the gruesome truth about her...anomalies.
"Can we go somewhere private? I promise I'll tell you everything."
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 19:30:39 GMT -8
He nodded.
Turning and walking around the nearest building, he would head past the peace cafe and toward a large bronze door. He pushed it open, revealing a war room, filled with papers, maps, telegrams, etc. Men were rushing about and pinning up new pages, talking on radios and working with tech to try and get stuff working again. Anna, Davids assistant and temporary Voice, whistled loudly through her teeth after she noticed them enter.
"Elder on deck!"
Everyone turned and stood at attention. David spoke calmly.
"Everyone out. Be back in one hour."
Fists clapped to hearts. They all left without a word, shuffling out the door. In mere moments- quiet. They couldnt hear anyone or anything from outside either. The room was a safe room- built to be impossible for eavesdropping.
He turned to Les and gestured for her to take a seat atthe table. Once/if she did so, he would run a hand through his hair.
"So- was it payback, then?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 19:36:54 GMT -8
Olesya watched with fascination as he led her through the streets to an aesthetically interesting bronze door, but it was what was behind the door that piqued her interest even more. People were moving around quickly, all enveloped in their various activities. A girl spotted them entering and whistled, causing everything to jolt to a complete stop. It was the second time in so many minutes that Olesya felt time had almost completely stopped.
A short order, all the military-esque personnel saluted and left...just like that. So David was a leader of these people now? Olesya didn't find it surprising, David had always been a leader. As they filed out, the young woman glanced about her surroundings, taking in the various maps and figures and scrawls littered literally everywhere. It was then she noticed that all noise had ceased except for one voice.
Unable to comprehend the words leaving his mouth, Olesya turned from the wall and looked at him straight on, confusion in her eyes.
"Payback?"
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 19:46:23 GMT -8
He gestured with a hand as he walked around the table.
"Yeah. I mean, at first I thought I was too hard on you. Then I thought, perhaps, you never wanted to be with us at all. Then the thought came- perhaps she just wanted to show you what it feels like to be abandoned- hypocrisy and all. I eventually settled on that one as it made things hurt less. Payback I can take."
He picked at a portion of the wood on the table. He wouldnt go through all that had happened- with Maddie needing to sleep with him at night. The constant patrols David sent out. No word. Not even a note. The only theory that made sense was that she wanted him to feel the same pain.
He looked back up to her, heart pounding once more, harder and faster, beneath his t-shirt. His jeans had a bit of dirt on the lower end- and besides the "Storm Dragon" text on the back of the shirt in blue, he seemed no different than anyone else. She, however-
Gods...had she gotten MORE beautiful since she left?
He struck the thought from his mind.
Neither the time, nor the place.
|
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 20:04:06 GMT -8
She frowned slightly, her lips pressed together and pursed slightly in a look that would almost look pouty if it weren't for the fact that her eyes looked so thoughtful. So he thought she was trying to give him a taste of his own medicine? In a way, she supposed she did unintentionally...leaving without a trace for an extended period of time before showing back up out of the blue.
"No. The thought never crossed my mind."
Olesya said she would tell him everything, so she would. There was no need to sugar coat or omit anything, if anyone deserved the complete and honest truth, it was David. Sighing quietly, she turned her back, taking a pointed fascination with the map on the wall. It was easier than looking him in the eyes.
"I was careless. I was reckless. I endangered one of the people I care about in this world. It was then I realized that I wasn't entirely...me. I was losing grip on my sanity, falling back into the chaos that ruled me world for the past couple of years. I was in treatment with a man named Octavian Twist. Doctor Octavian Twist, he was a former employee of Sean Barker's, he knew about the chemicals he was using on people to try and create the perfect soldier. We were making good progress until the bombs fell, and Jon...Unfettered's men came for me, said I was needed back in Long Beach. I left before my treatment was complete."
She paused, he shoulders dropping slightly, her gaze falling to the floor.
"I thought I could handle it. I thought the worst was over. You came back into my life, and Maddie, and Mathew, I had people I cared about again, I had a reason to do better, to be better. But the grip the chemicals still had on my sanity tightened again, and it almost cost me too dearly. I had no choice but to leave."
Les knew she should have told them before she left. However, with her sanity slipping through the tips of her fingers, she wasn't thinking clearly enough to do so. Hopefully David was clever enough to had deduced that himself, though since he thought she'd done it to pay him back for all the times he'd left her...maybe he didn't. Either way,s he owed him the complete story. She turned to face him again, her brown eyes glassy with emotion, but no tears fell.
"I went back to the facility. I finished my treatment, at least to the greatest degree Doctor Twist was able to help me. I will never be completely clean, too much damage has been done to eradicate it completely. But I have a handle on it now, I have the mechanisms to cope I didn't have before. I'm sorry you thought I abandoned you to pay you pay for all the times you left me, but I promise you it wasn't the case. I'm sorry for my behavior, to you and to Maddie. I just hope you have it in your heart to forgive me, and give me another chance. Please."
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 20:23:30 GMT -8
David looked toward a map along the wall near the door, thinking to himself a moment. His stomach twisted into knots. He didnt know how to respond to everything she was telling him- he should have thought of it. Should have looked after her rather than treat her as he did. She had been sick, and he beat the snot out of her. He would walk over and take her hand, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
"It's me who needs forgiveness. When you were here last, I hurt you, and never once thought of the struggles you were having. I promise you this- i'll never lash out in anger- only in training. It wasn't right of Mathew and I to discipline you like that. As if you need it. And I should never claim to Lo-."
The door swung open, and Anna spoke before Olesya could even reply, causing David to drop her hand and turn. Anna cleared her throat, half turning away in embarrassment.
"Sorry Sir. But the envoy from the Gods has arrived with tools and food. Also, the men are wondering about our push North, and-"
David nodded, before turning back to Olesya.
"Will you join me tonight, for dinner?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 20:36:56 GMT -8
Tiny electric tingles spread out from where his lips touched her skin, fanning out across her hand and up her arm until her whole body felt tingly and a bit warm. The effect he had on her was ridiculous, making her think back to their time in Crow territory...after all they'd just been through, did he still feel the same about her like she did about him?
Before she could find out, the door opened, the woman from earlier stepping in and delivering an important message to David. Duty called, something Olesya understood. Though they felt safe in these walls, the war was brewing now more than ever. Les had seen evidence of that on her way back to Long Beach, and it was only her decent stealth skills that kept her out of trouble on her journey.
"Uh, yeah. Of course. You'll know where to find me."
She smiled sympathetically, nodding to the young woman as she let herself out. Besides, she had some making up to do with a little orphaned girl.
---
A couple hours later, the sky began to change from its grayish blue hue to streaks of orange and pink. Olesya and Maddie had played outside with her new friends, it was if no time had passed since she last saw the girl. Les was pleased that Maddie was happy and healthy, and had apparently been staying with David in her absence. She made a mental note to thank him when the got dinner.
Maddie left to eat with her friends, and Les waved her on, letting her know she had plans and not to wait for her. After another hug, she bounded off after her pint sized friends, jabbering the entire way. Olesya smiled mildly, stretching her arms over her head with a slight yawn. She took a minute or so to look around her and take in the atmosphere. She hadn't been here long before taking off, but things had certainly changed from what she remembered. Everything was...for lack of a better word, better. It was a good omen to return to, Olesya thought, as she admired the area, waiting for David.
|
|
|
|
Post by David B. on Jan 29, 2013 20:49:09 GMT -8
David landed next to her, gently. He had a small cut on his arm, and was a little roughed up, but otherwise seemed in good spirits. He smiled, dusting himself off. He had been training some of the men down near highway 405, and things had gotten rough. Like always. He would clear his throat as he spoke.
"Sorry for the wait- long afternoon. Did you get some time in with Maddie? That girl hasnt stopped talking about you..."
He started walking, heading east, past the peace cafe. There, an apartment building was standing. It was used for scouting, But David also lived in a condo near the top. He would take Olesyas hand and lift them both gently to the top floor, room 512. He opened the door to reveal hardwood floors, an island near a super-kitchen, and a living room with the most comfortable couch inthe world. There were three bedrooms, two baths, and everything was spotless. He gestured her inside.
"I put all your things in one of the rooms when you left. We fetched the rest from Crow territory and stuff... So it should all be there, if you'd like to check it out. I'm gonna take a quick shower and I should be right out."
He said the last part as he walked toward his bedroom, removing his shirt along the way and tossing it into the hamper in the hall closet. He left the door open a crack, just in case, but the house would be hers to explore, for the few minutes he was cleaning up.
|
|
|
|
Post by Your Mom~ on Jan 29, 2013 21:07:03 GMT -8
"We had fun, she's more than forgiven me for disappearing, and didn't ask too many questions. Must be nice to live in the world of a child, where everything the adults say are ultimate truths."
She laughed slightly, only a hint of bitterness to her tone. The world was a mess, and these kids were growing up in it. Thankfully, the Dragons had fashioned a haven for the kids to grow up safely. There were few kids on the streets outside of established territory anymore. They were either rescued, kidnapped, or dead. The world was cruel, it was unkind, but Olesya was thankful for the small bit of safety they could provide for the kids they had here.
She followed David to the building, trying to shake off the deja vu feeling from when he first revealed his power to her. Just as soon as they'd left the ground, they were landing again on the top floor of the building. David led her to a beautiful looking apartment, her eyes widening in awe as she looked around. She almost missed the words he said. Her things were here? He'd probably done it for safe-keeping of the few possessions she had. However, he probably had no plans on kicking her out to find her own room now that she'd returned.
When David excused himself to go clean up, Olesya gave herself a little tour of the place. The farthest room was hers, her few worldly possessions sitting on the made-up bed and dresser. Her clothing was tucked neatly in its drawers. David had taken care to set up her room, she thought. Yes, he definitely would be insisting she stay, she knew how stubborn he was sometimes.
Moving on, she peeked into the second room. Toys littered the floor and drawings were tacked to the walls. This was Maddie's room. Olesya's eyes stung at this. Maddie had never had her own room in her entire life. She had the shared room at the orphanage, and even when Les had found her and the other girls, all four girls shared a room in the abandoned house Olesya lived in in Crow Territory. Les wished she could have seen the girl's face when David presented her with her own room, did he know how much of a gift that was for her?
Simple deduction led Olesya to recognize the third door as to David's bedroom. She pointedly stayed away from it, not wanting to infringe on his privacy. The living room was comfy and lived in, as it should be. The kitchen was spectacular, far larger than necessary for a home for two (now three). However, it reminded her of the kitchen from David's house in high school, where she and Emily had made soup. In fact...this whole arrangement felt familiar. It was a different apartment, sure, but Olesya couldn't help but feel like she was back in the Home Ec assignment with Jon, when she first met four-year-old Maddie.
Nostalgia hit her like a wave, and Olesya sat down on the couch in the living room (it really WAS comfy). It was then she looked at herself. She'd been traveling for two days and playing with kids all day, she felt disgusting. She returned to her room to grab a clean pair of clothes, a simple pair of cargo pants and a tank top, before making her way to the second bathroom to shower and change into a normal human being. Besides, why should he be the only clean one?
|
|
