The Story That Went On... (Formerly Death Cut. Completed.)

[GamingLord]

At that time a delicious scent came to their senses from downstairs... somebody had already prepared breakfast it seemed like.

GL: "Well, looks like somebody beat me to making the meal this time. If you want to take a shower, go ahead Black. We never meant to really rush you to a meal. Actually, I think I'm going to go take a quick lava dip in my own bathroom, so I'll see you downstairs."

Standing up, he suddenly picked her up with his arms and wings, and gave her a kiss. She could sense emotions from his aura that weren't all sad and gloom... they were sort of grateful feeling actually, with a small bit of warmth.

GL: "Thanks for being here for me, Black. I really appreciate it... love you."

And then a surge of really strong, loving emotion surrounded Black for a brief moment. Galantros was halfway through one his portals when he suddenly froze, a shocked expression on his face. Surely he hadn't just said what he thought he said, did he? Part of him wanted to flee, to run away into that portal and lock himself in his room out of sheer embarrassment. He JUST started dating her!

GL: Oh God, oh God, please don't tell me I just said that, did I just say that, did I MEAN it, oh sweet holy friggin cheese-whipped cupcakes on a...

- - - - -

Muerte: "I believe you would be saying that the realization was a powerful one... much like my own when I realized what I had grown up believing was for the most part, lies and misinformation. Hit me."

Muerte frowned. That last card had been a face card instead a much needed 9 or lower.

Muerte: "I believe the term you taught me was bust."

At that point, Jacob wandered in, wearing a pair of boxers and a robe. He mumbled something that sounded like a hello to the two card players, while shuffling through the cupboards.

Jacob: "Hrrmmff... Earl... Mint... .Green? Maybe iced? No, hot tea, want hot tea."

After having a cup of tea, Jacob's disposition changed almost instantly, like the groggy person who needed that first cup of coffee to become suddenly bright faced and cheery. Stretching out his back, he gave a more proper hello to Sephiroth and Muerte.

Jacob: "...Oh this looks familar. You're playing One Over Twenty, aren't you? Er, I mean, Black Jack. Which ever."  

[GamingLord]

Jacob gave a slight yawnn, before taking a sip of his tea.

Jacob: "Yeah, woke up feeling a little hungry. Just going to get something to eat, and then head back to sleep. Memory, that's a good little mind enhancer."

As Jacob rummaged through the fridge looking for a sandwich, Muerte asked for another hand.

Muerte: "Hit me. Hit me. Hit me. ....Damn it."

Jacob: "Did Muerte just casually swear?"

Muerte: "...I think I was... am... experiencing slight frustration. Hit me."  

[GamingLord]

Galantros stepped back from his portal, the dimensional tear sealing up as he moved away. He scratched the back of his neck as he glanced away for a moment, a bit of red coming into his face as he seemed to enter into deep thinking about the subject. After a short while, he took a breath and sat down in a chair in the room.

Galantros: "Well... I guess it's sorta mixed itself. On the one hand, I love you deeply as my friend, my very close friend. Then of course, there's the crush I have on you.... and I think..."

He hadn't even realized that a tendril of his wing had reached over and gently stroked the side of Black's face as he spoke.

Galantros: "I-I'm beginning to feel love love for you. I mean, I've known you for a little while now, so... "

He stopped talking, wondering if that was a bit too much for Black.

- - - - - -

Jacob: "Thank you. Yes, we did gather up a control."

Jacob couldn't help but chuckle as Muerte lost the next couple of hands, and then gave up, declaring he wanted to learn the Memory game now.

Jacob: "You'll have a lot less frustration with that one, trust me Muerte. At least, you should."  

[GamingLord]

GL frowned initially, but only for a brief second. He reminded himself that it didn't mean she didn't love him, just that she was unsure. It may actually be there, but need time to blossom. If Galantros was anything at times, he was fairly patient.

GL: "Ah... Okay, well that's fine. I mean, it's not like I'm saying something like let's get hitched in Gambino Island right away or anything. I-I don't want you to say something you're not sure of, and that you wouldn't feel comfortable saying. That wouldn't seem right. I uh, also won't use the "L" word again if ya don't want me to. I don't know, it just sorta slipped out emotionally earlier I guess. You know me, ah, bumbly in words and actions.... Uhm..."

He got up out of his chair, knelt down, and kissed Black again, giving her a good hearty hug. His aura felt warm and inviting again, promising all things nice and comfortable. There was certain, unforceful calm about it. Later, this would be realized as Galantros never forcefully trying to manipulate anyone with his aura energies.

"I'm going to go take that lava dip now. See ya downstairs."

- - - - -

Malos yawned and stretched as he woke up finally. He hadn't slept in so late in such a long time, and the couch he'd slept in was surprisngly comfortable. How late had he stayed up last night? Wait, where was he?

Gathering his wits, he realized he was still in Willow's house.

Malos: "Willow? You still here?"

- - - - -

Abigail sighed. The pac-ghosts managed to show her how to play some of the arcade games, ski ball ,and even "flipper ball", but they didn't hold her interest for long after a number of hours. She tried to entertain herself with her land nymph powers for a time, seeing in what creative ways she could use them. She was just about to call it quits when Sephiroth walked in through the door.

Abigail :"There you are! I was wondering where you were... you could have left me a not or something... The ghosts are nice, but they're not exactly very involving comopany."  

[GamingLord]

Malos sort of blinked at the now comparatively cat sized ant that skittered out of Willow's house,k it's jaws full of honey.

Malos: "I would say that's the biggest bug I've ever seen, but that'd be a lie. Considering that I'm still small sized, and that even at my regular size, I've seen ones much much larger. Most up close I've been to an ant, yeah I can say that at least."

He smirked at Willow, who was dancing and playing with a set of his E-wave dance spheres. His slightly perverse mind plus the fact that he'd just woken up meant he couldn't help but let slip a comment or two.

Malos: "I see your playing with my balls. Excitable, aren't they?"

- - - - -

Galantros soaked in his private lava tub for a while, sortiing some of his thoughts and overall trying to relax and prepare for a day he knew was going to be stressful. He would have to say goodbye to a family member for the rest of his life that he just got to see again in over 500 years. In a world, where it was possible for others to visit their passed loved ones twice a year! Black had a point.... it spoiled most Limboians, he thought with bitterness as he sighed and sank deeper into the boiling lava, trying not to to be absorbed into depression.

Would he grow stronger from this experience? Or would he go mad in a realm where everyone could freely see someone they cared for. There was a reason it was granted to Limboians. Reapers had such a lengthy life span, that it would have been torture to wait for death to see certain loved ones sometimes. That was the explanation at least. But was it doing more harm than good?

He didn't know, and he was only cominjg up with more and more questions the longer he lingered on it. Dunking beneath the surface, he let out a long, frustrated scream that he hoped was muffled by the molten rock.

Eventually he got out of the bath, and took a quick special energy rinse in a device that would ensure no lava would cool and cake on his body, leaving him cleansed by heat and fire. His mind was a clear as it was going to get. Downstairs, he met up with and sat down next to Black at the breakfast table, a veritable banquet set before them of various pastries and fruits. Neither his father nor his mother were rather adept at cooking very many baked goods, so he figured they had some slight help with a catering service once again.

The entire meal, he avoided eye contact with his mother, which confused the ghostly sucubus. He could not look her in the face, lest a flood of emotions overcome him that he wouldn't be able to control. His aura felt... flat, dulled the entire time they ate, and so it was a quiet meal. Eliza's own aura actually leaked a little, feeling confused, and similar to her son's. She chalked up his mood to him thinking she simply had to leave because of the end of the festival, unknowing that he had overheard her conversation with her husband the night previous.

Eliza: "Galantros, can we talk somewhere?"

GL: "Uhm, sure."

The two excused themselves from the table, and walked off to a seperate room of the mansion. Alzamus gave a quiet sigh that would have been inaudible to most anyone, if Black weren't in the room. The large reaper seemed subdued, and was staring into his own coffee cup, barely taking occasional sips. It was an awkward time in the Lazeranos household. It was so quiet, that it probably took Black by surprised when Alzamus' quiet and gentle voice spoke up.

Alzamus: "Black dear, my son is going to need you to give him some love and support for a while. My wife has decided that for our own good, she isn't going to return to the festivals. You know this is going to hit him hard. I'll be honest, it's hitting me a bit hard. We had a childi.. we had a dream for over five centuries that we'd be able to meet again. The cruelest thing isn't that the dream didn't come true. It's that we got a glimpse of it, and it's being taken away once more."

He gave a sad sort of pained, yet smiling expression as he sipped his coffee.

Alzamus: "We still have the hope of seeing her at the end though, and we should live our lives as happily as we can. By God, that's what I'm going to try to do. But I fear for my son. There was a time for a while, that he slipped into a sort of depression, a sort of despair. When everyone hated him and his dead mother for what he was, and for what she gave birth to. It took him a long time to come out of that, only a couple hundred years ago. I'm concerned that with this emotional knock, he'll fall back into that deadened state again. It's a lot to ask of you, and of his friends, but please, help me to keep him where he is and to give him stre..."

There was a sudden dual blast of dark, deep saddened, emotional aura blasting through the house. Alzamus cringed, nearling dropping his coffee as he suddenly turned away, seemingly wiping at something on his face. He took a moment to regain his composure, before standing up.

Alzamus: "My son needs you now, Black. He's probably in his room. Maybe it's best that you coerce him away from our home for a while. I... I need to see to Eliza."

Upon entering GL's room, which the door was slightly ajar so no knocking was needed, Black would find a dark, almost cocooned figure at the foot of his bed. It was Galantros, and he was literally emnating a sort of darkness that seemed to try to suck light from the room, his wings wrapped tightly around himself that it hid most of his limbs and features. He didn't quite acknowledge Black, but neither would he tell her to leave.  

[Rosemary Mori]

When Jacob entered the room, Rosemary was partially awake and waiting for him to come back. Veni of course was dead and literally had a death grip on her. When he got close, she opened her arms for him, gave him a few kisses, told him that she loved him, and suckled on his neck until she dozed off.  

[GamingLord]

Malos nearly made some really ungentlemen like comments, but managed to catch himself this time, stifling a laugh that wanted to burst out. There were over a dozen different things that could so be taken the wrong way with what Willow had just said.

However, he soon became pleasantly distracted, returning Willow's smooches with passion, his finger tips leaving tingly trails up and down her arms and back.

Malos: "Hmm, well, now this is a rather nice way to be greeted in the morning I think..."

- - - - -

Jacob gave a quiet yawn, and snuggled in close to Rosemary, kissing her back and replying in kind of his love. He grew slightly flushed, but wonderful as they fell back asleep, with Rosemary's mouth on his neck, his hand brushing back her hair.

- - - - -

GL slowly unfolded his wings, and let Black, holding her in his arms and letting her kisses affect his dead feeling aura just a little. They brought back some warmth, but his depression still seemed to be rather strong. It felt like trying to warm a blizzard with matches or candles.

GL: "Alright, that's... probably a good idea. I-I'm sorry I'm such a wreck. My aura must be horrible to deal with right now..."

She could feel him try to draw it all back in within himself so it wouldn't affect her or anyone else so badly, not in the old "keep it all in", but the more controling the flow method he'd discovered. However, for something that felt so powerful, and with a technique he still needed practice with, it didn't work quite perfectly. It offered just a little relief to Black from the assault on her emotions.

- - - - -

Abigail: "Does that little pink thing often eat such random objects? The ghosts are nice, but.. I guess I was feeling a little selfish."

She smiled as she was embraced by Sephiroth, and she gave him light kiss on the lips.

Abigail: "It's not entirely your fault, though you probably could have made mention of it the night before. Well, you could show me some of the more interesting places in this world. You know, sort of like going out on a da..."

*And suddenly, the whole house felt... sad. Darkened, depressed. The pac-ghosts that were in the kitchen just moments ago seemed to grow unhappy and faded out. Abigail shivered at the overwhelming feel of it and hugged into Sephiroth tighter

Abigail: "What... what is that? It feels so cold."