Re: The Mysterious M! 13 Days Left

[Athy]

"bram is sharing," Nel said with a grin, the 'look I'm a great influence on your kid' kind. She was so amused.

Wall just raised an eyebrow, curious as to why Yuui was up too. "Yes, it's a wonderful treasure too."

[Athy]

"So I've noticed," Braxton said, taking a few of the coins though he had no intention of eating them. He'd sneak them back to his little one later through tricky, mysterious means.

"Nel taught him to do so," Yuui said, sounding proud of her and also of the little one for going through with it. "Oh! You still have this?" he exclaimed, snatching up something from one of the bookshelves.

"Of course," Braxton said, confused but not surprised. Yuui was very random.

"This is one of the first things Cullen made you," he said, looking it over. "Aren't you secretly sentimental."

[Athy]

"What is it?" Nel asked curiously, she was like that though. She didn't understand what was going on here.

But wall did. "Oh dear. Get ready, Braxton." He warned, because thus was going to be interesting.

[Athy]

"Oh shush," Yuui said and shot Wall a look. "I haven't been in here in an age. I'm allowed to get excited," he said.

Braxton wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He didn't know if Yuui was up to something or just being random. Then again, Yuui was never truly random. He always had a reason for all the things he did. "It's a special capture sphere," he answered Nel. "Yuui's son, Cullen, invented them. It's one of the main ways Valeria makes its money."

"I have a great many talented children," Yuui said, sounding like a proud papa. "And grandchildren," he added. "And great grands...and so forth..."

[Athy]

Nel laughed then, "nice. That's cool." She said as she looked around Braxton's office. She paused on wall. "What's he up too?"

"Claiming lost children however he can." wall said with a shrug. "he always gets what he wants."

[Athy]

"Are you suggesting that I would hook Nel up with one of my children just to have her as mine?" Yuui asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes," Braxton said, as would Wolf.

"Well you're not wrong," Yuui said without any shame. "But not with Cullen, sorry. I wouldn't do that to the poor thing."

[Athy]

"What's wrong with Cullen?" Wall asked then, as he wasn't entirely sure what Yuui's problem was there. Especially as their darkness would compliment each other well.

"Oh no. That's as mean as what you said to Braxton. I don't like nice boys, Yuui." Nel said then, she was still being nosy at Braxton's study. It said a lot about him. "If you're going to try and hook me up so you can have me, let me just say that I am the princess of darkness and I am attracted to darkness. I mean, don't hook me up with someone violent okay? Because I will snap and kill them and you lose a child rather than gain one."

[Athy]

"I am not at all being mean," Yuui said. "To you," he added, as he had been rather mean to Braxton but it had been with playful intent and Braxton could take it. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with Cullen," he said to Wall. "Except that he's cursed, obviously." And the circumstances behind that curse.

[Athy]

Nel giggled, then gestured to braxton. "Can't he fix it?" she asked, seeing as that's kinda what Braxton did. He had done it for Alex.

"No sweet thing, Braxton cannot save our Cullen." wall said sadly then, shaking his head. "His story is rather sad, so either Yuui can tell you, or Cullen can himself." somehow.

"Oh?" Nel asked curiously and looked at Yuui.

[Athy]

"Well it would be rather hard for Cullen to tell her," Yuui said, considering the man couldn't speak. "Ah, but you're here to be cheered up, not listen to terribly sad stories."

[Athy]

"this is distracting me. Do you know how little interest I've had in everything? This is the first time my curiosity has piqued in forever. Don't deny me now." Nel said with a whine.

"He'd find a way." Wall said, having complete faith in their son. Because he was like that.

[Athy]

"Hm..." Yuui said and looked thoughtful. "Do you mind?" he asked Braxton. This was his house after all and he was meant to be doing...whatever...with Nel for Wolf.

"Not at all," Braxton said.

Yuui clapped his hands together. "Well then, story time it is," he said and put Nel in a chair to sit down while she listened. Braxton had such comfy chairs in his study.

"Once upon a time there was a siren," Yuui said, starting the story in the traditional fashion of fairy tales. "He spent his time doing what sirens usually do, seducing mortals to their doom, you know, the usual stuff. But one day he found a mortal that quite special and he chose to save them rather than doom them. He fell in love. But you see, it's not actually quite common for fiends to be able to take a human form. It's rather rare actually.

So the siren went to a sea witch and asked her to grant him the ability to take human form so that he could be with the one he loved. Well, that was no small magic, but she agreed to do it, for a price. The price was his voice. But there were also conditions. He only had three days to obtain a kiss from his beloved or the spell would be over and he would never be able to see them again.

The siren was in love. He did not care about the price. He did not care about the conditions. He agreed to give and do whatever was necessary. So the sea witch took his voice and granted him human form. And on the third day, he got his kiss. So the story should end here, nice and well. But it doesn't. You see, this kiss, it was not of true love. And because of that, the spell didn't simply end. No, it turned into a curse.

He did not get his human love for they were not his true love. But nor was he able to return to the sea. He did not regain his voice. And he has lived as such ever since."

[Athy]

Nel was quite, she felt like she'd heard this story, but that was often the way, the old stories were always based on fact, just changed slightly over the years. "I am sorry, that is very unfair for him." she said, feeling angry for this poor man. "I am sure the sea witch knew it from the beginning and tricked him too."

[Athy]

Nel was quite, she felt like she'd heard this story, but that was often the way, the old stories were always based on fact, just changed slightly over the years. "I am sorry, that is very unfair for him." she said, feeling angry for this poor man. "I am sure the sea witch knew it from the beginning and tricked him too."

[Athy]

"Well that's not fair." Nel said, sounding like a brat who hadn't got her way. It just made her mad. She didn't think anyone could love her but that didn't mean that other people didn't deserve that happiness.

"Life, is not fair, little love." wall said and sat down next to her he didn't really know why she was reacting so badly. But he didn't like it.

"Yeah but he gave up everything to be with her and life just took a giant shit on his head. He must be so broken. I can't even imagine." Nel said, with a very sad sigh, like she might actually cry for a stranger.

[Athy]

Yuui was surprised by how upset Nel was becoming over Cullen's story. She was quite visibly upset. "Well yes, he was quite broken when I found him. But that was a very long time ago. He's doing much better now. You need not get so upset."

[Athy]

"I don't know why I'm upset. Sorry." Nel said, chalking it up to the stress of the passed few days and that she really was giving up hope now of love being a thing she could acquire.

"Many things upset you, I can tell. You have much darkness, it is not calm like Braxton's or Cullen's..." wall said meaning she was still dealing with too much.

[Athy]

"Don't be sorry," Yuui said. "There's nothing to be sorry about." Perhaps he shouldn't have told her the story after all.

There was a knock at the door. Braxton looked up with a little smile on his face. "Speak of the devil," he said and opened the door. And there stood Cullen with a large black box in his hands.

"Well! Fancy you being here," Yuui said, genuinely surprised. Or was he? Who knew.

"I commissioned something from Cullen, as it were. Funny enough, I asked him to bring it by earlier," Braxton said. And there he was, right when they were talking about him.

[Athy]

"I don't believe in coincidences." Nel said then and laughed but then she looked at Cullen. She went very quiet and sort of stared at him. He was full of darkness, just like her. But it was calm and not angry like hers was. It was probably the most beautiful darkness she had ever seen. "Hi." She said, to be polite.

Wall just smiled. "I will let you do introductions, Yuui my love. I'm sure you have something going on in the head. As always."

[Athy]

"Oh I never have anything in my head," Yuui said with a laugh. "But thanks for thinking so. You're sweet," he said and touched Wall's cheek. "Ahem, but yes, introductions! Cullen, this Nel, the Princess of Darkness. She's staying with Braxton for a few days for...I don't know why, actually. No one's told me."

Cullen waved at Nel.

"It's complicated," Braxton said. "May I?" he asked and offered his hands for the box.

Cullen nodded and handed it over.

[Athy]

Nel snorted, "that's a polite way of saying I have a psycho stalker who is killing people as a gift to me." she said, fully amused.

Wall felt like that explained a lot. He whispered that Yuui was a fibber. But then he smiled. "I don't think Cullen is much for your plan. I am sure the runes or tarot have told him."

"I have tarot." Nel said then, she was just making conversations that wasn't as awkward.

[Athy]

"There's nothing to tell," Yuui said, continuing to sound perfectly innocent. "Really. I am not up to anything. This time." But who knew if Wall would believe that. Probably not. Which was fair. Yuui was always up to something. "But a psycho stalker? How awful. I suppose you've been sent away so your wolf can deal with it then, yes?"

"That is the idea," Braxton said. "Cullen uses runes and tarot to communicate. I suppose you'd be able to understand the tarot. I prefer the runes but I'm not sure that's something they teach at that school of yours."

[Athy]

"No, I didn't bother with that subject because I have a gift with tarot." Nel said it just made life a lot easier to focus on that that learn something new.

Wall did not believe it, he made a face that said as much as well. But he left it alone for now.

[Athy]

"You both love tarot! See? You'll make such good friends!" Yuui said, clapping his hands happily.

Cullen just gave Yuui a look and turned to leave because he wanted no part of any of this.

"Ah, no no no," Yuui said and grabbed his arm, pulling him back in. "I know what you are thinking, what you are both thinking," he said as he looked at Wall. "But you are wrong."

Cullen gave Yuui a look that said he didn't believe him.

"I admit, I do want Nel and if that means she has to marry into my family then I am all for that," Yuui said, no shame. "But! I am not going to risk your already broken heart for my somewhat debatable 'selfish' intentions. However, I have a great many children who are all special so I may not be the most impartial person to pick who would best suit this lovely woman. But you are very good at reading people."

Cullen tried but failed to find a reason to protest that.

"Besides, it sounds like Nel is going through a rough time, yes? She could use someone who has battled their darkness and calmed it. For a friend," he added.

[Athy]

"Ah," Nel said, a little embarrassed that he'd tried to run away from her. "No no, it's okay Yuui. I don't want to make his life any more difficult than it has been."

"I should think you could only improve it, even just as friends." wall said softly as he leaned back on the sofa and it creaked against his weight. "You need to be around someone who has calmed their storm. So that you will know that you can too."

"Seems like Cullen isn't the only one who is good at reading people?" Nel laughed.

"I cannot pick a person for you to marry into our family, but my darkness is older than yours." wall said then.

Nel really looked at him and then smiled. She pat his chest where his darkness seemed to be. "Your darkness is something to be proud of."

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