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Fantasy Inescapable Shadows

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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
With the way that he kept dodging her questions Evette had them all answered, evasion was an answer in of itself after all. It was the answer nobody wanted to hear, which meant he wasn't taking care of himself as much as he should have been. That much was obvious just by looking at him of course, but was he not at all? With even the slightest bit of effort for himself he could have said yes, he was, and it wouldn't have technically been a lie... Did he not want to lie to her? Too many damned questions, not enough certainty.

"Wait, since when do you swear?" Bastards wasn't one of the big ones but, still. The sudden realization that she had heard there threw her train of thought off balance. It was a stupid thing to dwell on, really, the fact that he had changed in some ways over the years. Of course he would have, she did too after all. It was just a part of living, growing, changing.

"I'm not so sure giving you a minute is the safest option, last time we cut a conversation short you ended up spending an eternity in a dream state and almost blasting the room." The woman would motion around the room at that, the destroyed light bulbs. Something simple enough to fix with the right spell after all, but had his magic lashed out in another way there... A lot more could have been damaged by his outburst. Not safe. The thought tickled at the back of her mind, clawing and scratching. She pushed it aside.

Even beyond the thoughts of Caleb's safety, beyond what was happening to the both of them, she couldn't help but think about what came after. What Gracen would be if he wanted to be in Caleb's life, if. Concerned for her sons emotional stability as well, how he would feel if he knew the truth and Gracen was the one to leave this time. Your son.


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Gracen paused a moment, then let out a breath that almost sounded half like a laugh. The faintest of trace of a smile on his face.
"Evie... Sw-" he caught his words and stood up, gesturing to himself, "I just woke up. I'm going to shower, and get dressed. Then we can have a serious discussion. I know I startled you, but I can assure you that little blast and extra sleep are nothing to worry about... Well," he paused to try and pick his words better, "at least, it's minimal in the grand scheme of things."

He knelled down and pulled a suitcase from under the bed, but continued to talk knowing she wouldn't leave just yet.
"I gave it some thought and I figured I could show you what I've been doing... I can't justify it, or explain the why, but the what is more important now anyway. I do,,," he looked up over at her, "I do want you to know why, to understand. But," he didn't need to finish his statement, turning back to pull out some fresh clothes in a surprisingly neatly packed bag.
"Honestly, the secret was suppose to die with my mother, this wasn't knowledge I should have been privy to. Actually I wish I hadn't been, but... Sometimes life deals you a bad hand, and I just play what's been given to me."

He got up and without waiting for her response went to the bathroom to do exactly what he said he would.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
Oh, well, that certainly made sense... Cleaning himself up was an important step in the whole self-care thing, as far as she was concerned. Maybe he would cut that hair while he was at it... Shoving that thought away, that really didn't matter right now, unless she was going to start being concerned with how he looked in that regard which... How about no, right now. Instead almost feeling a little bad that she hadn't just left, given a little bit of trust that he might have just... actually needed a moment, not to do anything crazy just for himself.

She would be quiet as he spoke, listening to his words and wondering... Being shown would be a lot easier than him explaining it to Caleb, if that truly was his alternative to it all. If Caleb could be spared anything in all of this... Evette certainly wanted to make sure he would be. Though when Gracen finished what he was saying and simply went into the bathroom Evette stood there for a moment in disbelief. He had really just walked away like that, as if that was the perfect place to just end that segment of the conversation. Throwing her hands up for a moment with a huff, before she just took a seat in the room.

"I just want you to know any overly curious person in the world would just call you walking out like that a dick move, Gracen!" She called to him after a moment, since now it was just bothering her that she didn't have the answers to her questions. What would he be showing her, what was this damned secret! If she were home right now the swear jar would be getting a bit more substance to it.

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The moment Evette finished speaking the water could be heard turning on in the bathroom. Almost as if in response to her comment. There was of course no reason not end the conversation there, at least Gracen thought. Her overreaction was quite annoying and he didn't care to hear her try and justify herself.


The shower ended quickly. As much as Gracen wanted to postpone the inevitable he forced himself to be quick about things. Was he really going to do this? More importantly was all of this even real? It was just so, strange. So sudden. The idea that this was all some sort of delusion hadn't left his system yet. All these years of travel and experimentation. The wild and pointless goose chase of it all. While watching his family slowly drift apart and crumble. Feel the weight of it all. And now, he had a son. The thing he wanted most all those years ago. Just beyond his reach... Would he have done things differently had he known? Would things have turned out better? These were stupid and useless questions. They couldn't be shrugged off.

Focus on the important.
He left the bathroom and stared a moment at Evette. Unsure what to say exactly. He knew what needed to be done of course he just wasn't ready to do it.
"I, I have to summon a tome of, incredible darkness. Beyond what you or this place may be accustomed. It might be good to put up a few barriers so as to not harm this room any further," he suggests, "your protection spells are probably far better than mine, if you don't mind that is."
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
The time he spent showering, she spent thinking. So many things racing through her mind there, what they needed to talk about. The things she needed to ask him, tell him, all of which were important in some way or another. Different aspects that mattered for the future. Some of which were obviously more important than others, and almost all of them would likely be awkward and uncomfortable. Unfortunately most of these conversations couldn't just be avoided, much as she would have loved for them to be.

The train of thought slowly dying out when he returned, looking a bit better at least but still... More than anything she was a little uncomfortable by that point, her thoughts and musings leading to such. Fortunately for her he spoke first, unfortunately his words just resulted in her nose crinkling slightly. Dark magic. Of course, that was where this was going. What else could she have expected after all this time, what better to fight the darkness... than more darkness? It left a sour taste in her mouth.

"In a few hours I have to be at Caleb's school, I run a class disguised as an after school activity." Evette started, not exactly looking at him as she worked on forming protective wards around the room. The time it would take her to do this would be better spent on one, important, question she had. One that she wanted answered today, at least.

"After which we go home, and I promised to tell him what truth I knew about what was going on, who you are, and why I was so 'weird' yesterday." Moving to another corner of the room as she continued the woman extended the space of it, working to ensure the boundaries of the room, and that which was inside of it, would be contained. Protected.

"I need to know what truth I'm telling him. The truth that you're an old friend who is helping... Or the truth that you're his father. If you want to get to know him, I won't stop you... But if you don't, I won't tell him." Not getting into the fact that Caleb thought he was dead, and she would have to deal with that if he wanted access... But she couldn't put off answering Caleb's answers forever, not without hurting him more.

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Gracen's face fell flat and he just stared at her blankly for the longest time. Letting out the faintest sigh in annoyance before finally speaking up.
"You already decided I wasn't going to be his father, and you want to give me a choice now?" He sounded so matter of fact, almost as if he wasn't filled with rage about the subject. The truth was, he was using all the strength he had not to go off on some tirade while yelling at her about it, "you decide if you want to stay ontop of your pillar of lies or if you'd like a rope, I could help you back down to reality. But this is your choice not mine, you robbed me of that right. I only have one suggestion. You're gonna have to come up with a better lie than 'old friends' if you wanna stick with your old convictions, because if that were the case you would've told him just as much last night. If your boy is anything like me he'll be smart enough to see right through such ludicrous 'truths'."
The anger slowly seeped into his words, but he kept a civil and quiet tone. Letting out a another exhausted sigh.

Before Evette could respond Gracen began preforming a quick spell. At first it seemed similar to a protection spell. Though given his new found, at least to Evette's account, propensity to leave out incantations it was hard to tell what he was doing. A purple smog seemed to fill the air, clinging to all it touched. It felt of nothing, and smelt of nothing. Almost as if an illusion spell. All the ambient noises dissipated and it felt as if time stood still. This was not so much to protect, but to contain. Nothing could enter this room, but neither could it escape. A spell Gracen grew, bitterly, fond of.

Over the year Gracen become incredibly adept at spells without a tome, to the point that practically any spell could be done with ease. That didn't mean there weren't spells outside his grasp. Powerful magic that no amount of raw talent or practice could be conquered. For what he needed to do, this tome would be required. As much as he detested even touching the thing.

With one slow deliberate breath Gracen brought forth a thick tome, using the same spell he did to 'conjure' the first book. Yet again something felt off about the spell. It seemed to work all the same.
The book looked almost normal. Not as if a cartoony black with sinister smog. Brown and leatherbound. Simple, but incredible thick. Tomes were of course often bigger on the inside than out. So one might have a hard time imagining how long that book might actually be.

Finally Gracen met eyes with Evette, "I don't want to fight you about Caleb right now. Can you just think about what I've said, and when I finish showing you what I have we can discuss it?"
He couldn't fool himself into thinking Evette would just drop the topic, but he hoped that he could convince her to move on. If only for an hour or two.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
Honestly, when Evette had started on that line of conversation there was only one way she had really expected it to go, poorly. It was delving into a sore subject based upon her actions, and choices, without granting anyone else an option in it all. All of it was on her head, her conscious. All of it was on her, and she knew that even before he started responding. She knew he was angry, and honestly she could hardly blame him.

That didn't stop her, though, from bristling at some of his words. A defensive argument building up inside, justification. She had never been a woman to just take something lying down, but when he carried on with his own spell rather than continuing she fought to bite her words back down. Focus on the situation, not let it dissolve into... What? Raw, old, feelings? Not the time. She tried to cling to that thought, to the situation, but there was still a part of her that simply wanted to hash it all out. Ignore it.

While there was nothing outwardly wrong with the book he had summoned, Evette couldn't stop a slight shiver down her spine. An uneasy feeling about it all. Was it all in her head? A discomfort brought on by the fact that she knew before hand about the contents of the book? Or was it her own powers, sensing that it may have been powerful, warning her. Instinct spurring a desire for flight, but she couldn't exactly leave right now. Even if the wards weren't up, there was no leaving this situation.

"Go ahead..." Meeting his gaze almost left her feeling frozen for a moment, again. Trying to hide it, words coming out a bit more muted than she may have sounded before. Not even completely answering him, either. Instead simply... agreeing, to leave it for now.

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"Cover your ears," he cautioned.
The book upon closer inspection had many post-it notes scattered about the pages. At clearly notes made by Gracen. The handwriting within the pages was neat and straight, but perhaps as small as one could write and still be legible. From where Evette stood she could not make out any specific words. He took only a few moments to locate the page he needed. Nearing the back of the book. There was of course writing on the page, but both sides were covered in a large diagram. Of what exactly it wasn't clear. It was primarily made of three large perfect circles and a myriad of spirals creating different basic geometric shapes. Many dots of various sizes scatterd about at random. As if a failed attempt at abstract beauty. As he traced the page the lines began to glow, incompresensible words uttered just below a whisper.

Suddenly the floor began to shake and powerful winds began to blow. No thoughts could be heard over the howling of these abstract winds and no ammount of lightning to be seen yet the thunder could be felt. The ground disipated and the two lost track of one anouther beginning to plummet through the-

Vastness

Almost as if every thought ever convinced ran through them at once. Every notion and idea buzzed in their minds. Reality slipping through their finger tips. All the memories, all the feelings. The walls of reality, Earth and all it entailed came and went with ease. Accustom to such disorientation Gracen let his body relax. At least as much as one could in such a situation. He could no longer see Evette nor could he seem himself. His body stripping itself of physically, only consciousness remained.


As quick as it came it left, only,

Emptiness.
 
How much time had passed? Evette could feel arms wrapped around her and the falling stopped. The emptiness filled with life once more. The moment ground could be felt beneath them Gracen let go of her.
Where were they exactly? The air tasted strange. The world felt wet and thick. Some sort of forest? The greens were too bright and the browns too dark. Everything as if something familiar, but wrong. Even the colour of the sky was a blue just a few shades too bright. Gracen squinted as he looked up. Too bright. They could breath, but even that felt wrong. Gracen took a moment to compose yet almost used to such a disolved state of being he manage to stand fairly quick. Offering Evette a hand so that she could get on her feet.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
While she could occasionally be stubborn, very rarely of course, Evette also knew when it was a far better idea to just listen for a time. Which was why she didn't ask any questions, yet, as she placed her hands over her ears. Curiosity still swirled, though she stayed back instead of moving closer to be able to read the pages. In all likelihood it was the types of magic she typically avoided, dangerous things that had really changed everything over the years. She shouldn't want to know more.

The diagram was the most curious when he had reached it, eyebrows furrowing once more as she looked it over, wondering to the purpose... Though she was also sure soon enough she would find out. If only he had given her some more information than the so very helpful warning to just cover her ears. Missing the words he whispered, the spell itself, before everything.

She didn't know what was happening, or even what she was, in those unending moments. Tense, unable to relax and simply go with the flow everything almost felt as if it were burning as it all passed through, resisting. Yet unable to fight it, a struggle with the infinite that she had no way of winning at the time. A horrible feeling passing through her, spinning, pain, focused and spreading.

The where, or who, of the arms hardly concerned her, they were a blessing none the less. Something beyond the everything and nothing that came all too quickly, and when they were gone with the ground to remain... It was the ground that she would meet as she practically collapsed. Lurching forward, and retching. The feeling it left behind in her throat almost as horrible as what had just transpired.

Unable to move for a moment, not quite taking his hand as she composed herself... Till finally, before she really moved, one hand would move to just point at him. Evette hadn't even really noticed where they where, the wrongness of this entire place.

"Next time, just remember... cover your ears... is not sufficient warning... If we're literally going through everything." As she managed to get that part out, to slowly start sitting back up properly, unsure if her legs would even still support her yet.

"... Where are we...?"

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"Depends on who you ask... I suppose you could call it Novume. The human who 'discovered' this place dubbed it such, though the locals call it different,,, It's not Earth all the same. Different plane of reality all together..." he didn't want to go into too much detail all at once, crouching down to her level.
"I am sorry, but when you anticipate the fall it makes the landing much worse. I'd say my second, third, and fourth trip were all infinity worse than my first. I figured it might be for the best."
Again he offered a hand to help her to her feet.
"This place is familiar, but it's a bit of a walk from my home... I could've landed us better. Sorry about that as well."

Once his eyes adjusted he could finally pick up on some subtle details of their surroundings. There was a trail not far from here he could recall taking a time or two in exploration. Plus given the brightness of the sky it was early morning so they had plenty of time before nightfall. It was oddly calm though, and aside from a few insects that caught his eye there seemed to be a surprising lack of wildlife. Perhaps he was reading too into things.
Still this place wasn't safe... Literally the home of nightmares. He couldn't let down his defenses for even a moment.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
Well at least there was a reason for it, she could somewhat understand that... Still, though, a 'relax, something weird is going to happen but its normal' might have been nice. Then, well, maybe even bracing for that would have been difficult. Regardless she tried to push those thoughts away, tried to collect her bearings as she took his hand this time. Tense, awkward, for a moment as she stood on her shaky legs. She wouldn't stumble, and after a moment she would seem far more stable.

"You have a home here?" How long had he been living in another plane, had he known of this place back before... Shaking the thought off she tried to focus more on the area, focus her senses. Aside from the obvious 'wrongness' to the place something else felt off, though she couldn't quite put her fingers on it... It would click after a moment, however. Something about this place felt oddly empty, where normally her senses could pick up on other lifeforms (when she focused) she was feeling very little here.

"What's wrong with this place?" Something had to be, with how he seemed alert, almost. More so than normal, at least as far as she could tell. What should she have known, to watch out for? Because if there was anything here she should have known, how much danger they could have been in was pretty damned high on the list.

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"One question at a time," he suggested, "I'm about to dump a bunch of info on your lap and it'll be easier if you only ask one thing at a time. Yeah?"
He looked up into the sky once more, and smiled? Almost uncharacteristically, but it was genuine.
"We can't teleport here. It's a few hour walk, I can explain a lot on the way. Ahhh, I guess," he looked over to her, "quick rundown teleportation doesn't work because we're not calibrated to this planet. It's,,, More complex than that I suppose, but the why isn't that important. Almost all other magic works fine. In fact, you might even find yourself a bit stronger here. Once you feel better from that fall."

Both of her questions had been ignored at this point, though it seemed less like avoidance and more like forgetfulness. While still speaking with her Gracen was a bit inside his own head. He walked a bit, but not very far and paused. Knelling down in front of a rather formidable tree. They were all rather tall but this one especially so.
"I aught to have done this before we left," he muttered, placing his two hands flat against the bark of the tree. A slow charcoal blackness began to spread from his hands beginning to consume the tree. The ease at which he drained the tree of every bit of life would be impressive if it wasn't so disturbing. It's large mint green leaves shriveled the moment the branches blackened. Falling quickly, but mostly getting caught in the canopy below. In just under a minute the monstrous tree was turned to nothing more than dust. Though it had yet to fall the structure wouldn't hold long after they left. Bits and pieces chipping away at the wind.
Gracen let out a deep breath he'd been holding in. A dark smoke similar to that of the tree leaves his lips. While still tired and ragged, it did help him somewhat. A bit of energy returning to his face.

"We should leave before it collapses,"
he warned. Heading straight for a nearby path.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
The smile was a little unexpected really, ignoring the last eleven years, she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him smile. One that was real anyways, as real as this one seemed. That smile left her feeling a little odd, in a way. Throughout all the events that had gone wrong, the things that had happened, what either of them had done, she was happy that something seemed to make him happy. That something here seemed to bring him even the smallest bit of comfort. That was almost enough to allow her to forget that he had just completely ignored answering either of her two questions.

She could have just left well enough alone and walked with him to his 'home', if he hadn't stopped at that damned tree. About ready to ask what he had said, when he muttered to it. Wondering what he was even doing, up until her eyes ended up traveling up the length of it as the life drained away from the entirety of it. Mouth falling open slightly at the sight of it, screw wondering when or why he started living here, when had he started doing that! Stunned until he spoke up once more, leaving, just walking away after all of that as if everything was perfectly fine in the world.

"What in the hell was that?!?" She finally exclaimed, eyes breaking away from the crumbling tree, instead they went straight to him. How much worse could it collapsing be, ignoring the potential of it falling on either one of them. Once again she was tense, far more uncomfortable now after that moment of... Ease she had been feeling before he went and pulled that. It was like old feelings were rushing back in away, her feelings towards some of his research... Though she couldn't recall him ever having done anything like that before. Not that she had seen!

Though there was one fact she could take solace in, that it had only been a tree rather than another person.

[/div]
 
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"Not exactly a pressing matter, is it?" He waved off the question continuing to walk, not even looking back at her. Of course he knew it would upset her. Even the minutest amount of dark magic did. It was a tree, however. Was could killing it any different than eating a salad? He didn't think too long on it, there was a lot going on all at once it wouldn't take much to change the topic at hand. At least it shouldn't.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You asked me some other questions yes?" It took him a moment to remember what it was she had said. Something about his house?
"I came here looking for more tomes by the same author," referring to the tome that brought them here, "there's... A specific spell I need," for a moment trailing off, "I've basically been lead on a wild goose chase," he admitted obviously embarrassed about it, running his hand through his hair. Stopped for a moment getting a proper sense of direction for continuing to walk.

They hit the trail finally. It wasn't anything proper like a concrete sidewalk or anything laid out in stone. Almost as if a deer path, just a dirt path where the plants had been trampled one too many times. It would be easier to walk, the under brush was rather thick around here.
Gracen ran through a few thoughts real quick, wanting to speak some more before Evette could add something. In part to further distract her.
"Those things, in the dreams, nightmares. As far as I'm aware they're the only creatures here that can preform dark magic. It's fascinating really, if you figure that Brynja's theory of balance extends to different dimensions, then..." He realized he was about to go on a bit of a long tanget and stopped himself. Given the right circumstances he could talk nonstop about things people didn't care about and he tried not to do that around Evette.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
He was really just going to try and dismiss her concerns like that, by this point that really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise to the woman. Considering how many times he had either not answered one of her questions, or apparently couldn't answer, up till this point. Almost gritting her teeth there as the irritation simmered within her, a faint twitch of her right eyebrow as he apparently tried to distract her. Which meant apparently he had heard, and remembered, her question. He just chose to ignore it until a moment that was convenient. No.

"You can't just ignore, and deflect, away from an issue like that and pretend it doesn't exist." She was doing her best not to raise her voice, even with the anger still simmering. Not yet ready to break out, free, to reign destructive wrath upon the world. Fortunately the few times he might have seen her angry in the past she had never done such a thing, and probably wouldn't now even in this place so far from the rules of home. She wouldn't, though, do what Caleb did when he was younger and thought a tantrum would result in him getting his way.

"It's not even the tree really that bothers me about it, it was how easy it was for you to just do that. Like you've done it a hundred times before, like sapping the life force from others things is second nature to you!" Was that something he commonly did? Family curse of some kind, or not, that was still so horrible. Something like that should have felt wrong, as far against nature as it was. Theft, of something most precious to an individuals existence. Was that how he was getting away with not taking care of himself..?
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Gracen let out a loud and intention sigh, turning to look at Evette. Turning all the way around and then leaning against a tree. It was hard to get anything from his expression. He'd always been hard to read, though it had gotten harder. Maybe it was the time they spent apart or maybe it was just age. It didn't matter. Too much time passed as neither of them spoke and then out of nowhere Gracen seemed to crack a smile, pinching the bring of his nose. Letting out a suppressed breath that was just half a laugh before he full out went into hysterics. Bend over slightly as he let out, at least for him, a surpisingly hearty laugh. It took a little long for him to compose himself, but when he looked back up at Evie he slowly came around. Finally answering her.

"Ev-Evie, Sweetheart," he let slip, "can't you see how ludicrous this whole thing is? It's been eleven years, let me stress that again. Eleven, goddamn, years. Since we've seen each other. We are in the middle of nowhere, on, an alien planet. No, no, not an alien planet. In a different dimension. You want to argue about, about how well I can do one, frankly easy, spell? What do you want me to say, that I've done it thousands of times? Yeah, probably have. Hundreds of thousands maybe! Hell, I did it to a person just last night! And, and," he was defiantly getting worked up, this usually timid man was beginning to get some volume to his voice, "I, I just hope , pray, I don't need to specify I didn't kill him, or maybe you do really assume so little of me?!"

For just a moment Gracen stopped, trying to gain back his composure. He didn't wait too long, knowing Evette would cut in if he quieted for too long.
"You know... What the worst part was, the worst part of you leaving? It-it wasn't the suddenness of it, or-or even that piss poor excuse of a goodbye note. It wasn't even the months, hell years, of waiting and hoping maybe you'd change your mind and come back. It was the fact that you refused to trust me. Think for a moment that maybe I have good reasons for doing what I do. Y-you were scared of me, like I was, am, some sort of monster. I might not be a good man anymore, maybe I never was one. But don't, don't you for a single second let that fool you into thinking that you're the good person in all of this. We. Don't. Have time for your moral superiority bullshit. Those nightmares are the tip of the fucking iceberg, there is so much worse to come you have no idea."
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
Honestly, she wasn't sure what to say when he stopped and stared at her. Stationary, against that tree, just watching her. Was he expecting her to continue, say something else to egg it all on? That thought would crumble away as her eyebrows rose when he started to laugh of all things. Wondering far more in that moment over his mental stability, what in the multiverse was he doing? Surely nothing about this was funny. Soon enough though she would have her answer, when his own form of rant began. Did it to a person. The words chimed in her mind, cutting through the rest far more powerfully. An uncomfortable notion, though it would actually be quickly forgotten when he continued following his pause.

"You want to talk about trust? Where was the trust when you kept everything to yourself, you couldn't share your problems with me, we were suppose to be partners. You had plenty of chances to tell me something was wrong, all those times I was upset about what you were looking into, worrying about you, wondering what in the hell was even happening to you." He wouldn't be the only one to start raising their voice, hers would begin following suit quickly enough "I was never afraid of you, not of you, Gracen. There wasn't a single point in time where I felt unsafe with you! I was afraid of what was going to happen, of the magic, what it could do to you. What I would do if I ended up down that rabbit hole with you. If it wasn't for Caleb I probably would have!"

"Do you really think I was that stupid to have stayed with someone I was afraid of, in a place I felt unsafe? Do you think I still wear this because I thought you were a monster?"
If she weren't as worked up as she currently was Evette never would have brought her necklace up. Nor would she have ended up ripping the chain off, holding the ring that was on it like some kind of precious medallion.

"I left because I didn't trust myself in it all, and to make sure Caleb would have the chance to choose for himself what he wanted to do. Instead of him seeing what his father was doing, and deciding before he even understood what it all meant, that he wanted to be just like you. Maybe you could have kept that world away from him, but I sure as hell didn't expect you to stop just because I was pregnant!" Her voice was cracking by that point, and she hated it. That she couldn't emotionally distance herself from this enough to just stop. To focus on the bigger picture, to emotionally invested to just ignore the useless details, the pointless past that couldn't change anything. She hated how many of those old feelings still clung to her today.
[/div]
 
"Evie, I..." Gracen was truly at a lose for words, and all he really wanted to do was comfort her in some way, but the distance between them felt too great. He staggered a slight step back from her. Nervously fidgeting with the collar of his shirt struggling to respond to her.

"If I'd know,,," would things have been different had he know? Certainly. Or at least he was certain. But... Would they have been better? He always figured she had good reason to leave, as much as it hurt. He could never really see her as the bad guy, as much as he might want to. Hearing it from her felt far worse than he anticipated. He always truly wanted a real reason, and now he got what he wanted. Was it what he needed?

"I, should've told you. You had as much of a right to know than as you do now, I just, I thought,"
of course he didn't have anything worthy to say, anything to actually justify himself. What he thought at the time didn't matter. It was all bullshit.
"It was arrogant of me to think I could do this, all on my own. I, wanted to protect you from my family. But, you are family," he was surprisingly certain in his statement, though voice a bit shaky and upset at least he'd quieted down.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
At that point, the way that all of the fight seemed to leave him so quickly, Evette practically deflated. The hot air just about rushing out leaving her just... Clutching her ring in one shaking fist, knuckles practically white by this point from how tightly she was holding it. Arms simply dropping to her sides as she looked at him, listened. Why, why couldn't he have just said all of that before...? Had he really been so blind to it all? Apparently, considering what he had just said prior.

It always felt so unusually when she was left at a loss for words, but this was certainly one of those moments. Looking, instead, down at her hand, the momento in it before she would just murmur something quietly to herself, fixing it back onto the chain around her neck. The last thing she really needed was to lose that ring in another plane of existence... Right, that was the last thing she needed. The bitter broken thought slipped away as quickly as it appeared, before she looked at him again.

There was practically no warning from her before she would finally act again, still not quite sure of what to say, but having an idea of what to do. Moving closer to close the distance between them she would simply... Try and give Gracen a hug, she wasn't the only one that was suffering from the past and she damned well knew it. There was probably no fixing it, not in this lifetime certainly, not with so many things that needed doing.

"I'm sorry too..." Would be all she finally said. The leaving, in of itself, was never the thing she regretted most in it all. What she regretted was not having given him a choice in it.
[/div]
 
When Evette approached Gracen involuntarily took another step back. Awkward and hesitative. Ultimately he forced himself to step back in and hug her. Not as if he didn't want to somehow it felt almost wrong in some sort of way. Though stiff at first it didn't take long for Gracen to relax, at least a tad bit, and give her a genuine hug. If given half a chance he wouldn't have let go of her, however...

There had been a buzzing in the air, quiet at first but steadily it grew louder. The two of them had been so caught up in their own drama it hadn't been noticeable until it was too late. As if a swarm of locust were coming. From this distance it was hard to see exactly what the, what were maybe insects, looked like. The terror in their wake was a lot more noticeable, however. A familiar black charcoal spreading across any plants they touched. Unlike Gracen they left the vegetation a bit like swiss cheese with large gaps and holes rather than to kill the entire plant.

Gracen stumbled back from Evette at the sight, tripping himself in the process. At least he managed to through out a quick spell. The one he'd used in the hotel room before. Before either of them count say anything the swarm hit the outside of the rather small barrier.
Gracen opened his mouth as if about to say something, but didn't. Just staring up at the swarm, still sitting on the ground. He really hadn't anticipated this. It seemed wrongly timed. It couldn't be normal, could it? He'd seen this twice before, but something about right now in particular...
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
Initially Evette was concerned, worried for a moment that maybe she had gone a step too far. That perhaps this had been far worse than yelling at him prior, worse than the argument, or anything that came before. That it would be trying to give him a hug that would be too much, given everything that had happened. That worry disappeared when he seemed to change his mind, when he hugged her instead of maintaining the distance.

It was awkward at first, the feeling of the hug a little strange. Though that may have simple been due to the fact that it was him that she was hugging. Unintentionally squeezing him a little, a sense of old familiarity trickling in that she hadn't felt in a long time. After all, after she left Gracen wasn't the only one she had lost contact with. There were very few people from before that point that she still communicated with, let alone that she was actually in the same space with. Unfortunately that feeling couldn't last, and the sound would finally force her to pay attention to that sensation tickling the back of her neck. The hint of danger there.

She would notice Gracen tripping before she actually saw the insects, looking in that direction as soon as she noticed that. Green eyes widening immediately when she saw the trail of destruction, spotted the winged death that the creatures were. Apparently these weren't normal, if the were why would he have fallen over?

"How are they against fire? Do you know?" Breaking the one question at a time 'request' Evette kept her eyes around on the insect creatures, uncomfortable with how little she knew about the creatures of this world. Gracen would have been one of the few people who knew Evette's favorite form of magic, fire. She wasn't just a stubborn, occasional, hothead, she was someone who was very much attuned to fire. Fortunately she hadn't had any 'outbursts' with her temper since before she had met him.
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"Ah," he hesitated, fire could work. Hypothetically. It seemed more like a last resort than what she should do in the moment. It took him a second to stand back up, leaning on the tree as he watched the insect-like creatures bombard the barrier. It wouldn't hold. It was less a protection spell and more a silence spell. A bit of both, but not enough of what they needed.

"If you got a strong barrier spell I suggest you pull that from your sleeve. It's an... Impromptu migration. They should pass soon enough," he didn't seem entirely certain in his words, but it wasn't a flat out lie. This would be normal if it weren't for the timing, or location or... Okay it was defiantly weird. He shouldn't be that surprised though, should he? This wasn't Earth and he couldn't apply rules to it's creatures that he only barely knew.
By this time all sides of the barrier were surrounded by the swarm. They did seem to be moving on more or less, but it was hard to tell how big the swarm was or how long it would take them to move on. Especially since they seem to be going into the direction they were headed.
"Fire might just make things a whole lot worse," he admitted after a moment, not wanting to dismiss her idea altogether.
 
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[div class=PostieBox][div class=PostieBall][div class=PostieAvie][/div][/div][div class=PostieName]Evette Rulivae[/div][div class=Credit]Created by IdyllicDreamer[/div]
Given everything, his affinity for dark magic, her own typical hesitation and concern over certain magics... One might not have expected she would be the first one to jump to using offensive tactics in a situation. That, with how much research she had done in warding or barrier spells and charms, she might have been a bit quicker to reinforce the shield with her own magics. Yet she had been the first one to jump at the notion of fighting back against them. Perhaps it was the last few months helpless to these things that were tormenting her son, or perhaps it was simply her headstrong way. Whatever it was, she felt a bit more awkward over it now given his response.

Tracing a few, seemingly simple, symbols in the air in front of her Evette would do exactly that. Recreating a stronger shield, before adding in additional power to reinforce it further. Not wanting it to be breached by the things on the outside... Especially since she wasn't entirely certain about his words. Gracen't hadn't exactly sounded sure of himself when he answered.

"That fire comment better not be a jab at the time I almost blew the kitchen up trying to fix the stove." She said... seemingly trying to lighten the situation some...

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"If it makes you feel better, there are no kitchens out here to blow up," he teased slightly, picking up on the attempts to calm their nerves.
"They startled me, but honestly it should be fine," should being the operating word, "those are, what's been haunting Caleb's dreams. Well... Not exactly. These are babies, they relatively harmless this young. I don't think they'd be able to do anything in dreams, they'd be too disoriented."
Gracen walked up to the edge of the barrier where the swarm should hopefully be ending soon. It was odd to see them this up close. If it weren't for their unintentional destruction they'd look like normal insects. It's a bit hard for anyone to imagine them as powerful magical beings.
"Oh, there won't be any adults with them, if you're worried about that. They don't take care of their young," he added. Not wanting to stress her out any further.
 

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