tampered | Log; Ongoing

When; October 29th
Rating; PG-13
Characters;

violet_overture and Fiore
Summary; It would appear that there is still some debate about declaring ownership, and Aion does not seem pleased.
Log;

Though she'd been sitting on the bench for several hours, Fiore did not bother to shift her position. The cold had successfully numbed her body where the lack of motion had not, and mild physical discomfort was decidedly the furthest thing from her mind.

She did not know when Master Aion had arrived in the City, but he'd made his displeasure known. Fiore knew better than to defend herself. She knew that at the time, when Joshua had so adamantly demanded that she go, she'd done the only thing she could. Despite the circumstances, her exit had assured that Master Joshua would not freeze the surrounding area, and since he'd no longer been troubled by the noise, she had left her master with his sister- a dutiful caretaker.

So yes, Fiore knew that she had acted correctly. But she also knew her place. She had made the right moves, but it was still checkmate.

Fiore looked up at the twinkle of stars overhead, expression placid as her breath became visible in the chill night air. But Master Aion was coming for her and all would be resolved now. She would not seek to avoid the consequences of her actions.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Her master's caution bordered on what seemed wary- something she was unused to sensing in him. While he'd never been one to take necessary risks...

No. Master Aion was not frightened.
Though what, exactly, he was feeling remained something of a mystery. To be fair, Fiore had never been particularly apt at understanding emotions, though she could not deny having them. However, in spending time with Chrno, she'd been made painfully aware of how differently others behaved and the ease with which they allowed such things to pass through them.

She'd always considered it useless, but now, she was not so certain.

Instead Fiore bowed her head and reached out, resting her fingers lightly in Aion's palm before stepping out of the garden. She was sure her master would have much to say to her, but she would remain silent until he asked. For now, she was content to simply be in his presence once more.

Like taking candy from a baby...

Except that such a task was usually fraught with more complications than one would think. Slobber, grabbing hands, and screaming to alert those nearby.

Aion lead Fiore from the garden; away from her freedom and back into servitude. In the end he was doing her a favor -- after this long, how could she possibly function on her own? She'd just work her way into some other kind of deep contract of sorts. Once a slave, always a slave.

Not that any of that mattered to Aion. This was simply a matter of retrieving his property. And with Chrno surprisingly absent, he was free to simply take her and go. No conflict.

He welcomed the ease at which she fell into perfect step behind him.

We'll be home soon. And then you can tell me everything you've learned on your little adventure...

Joshua's agreement had lost him his servant, but had gained him, at least temporarily, an inside source for Chrno's daily...activities.

He'd demand the report later.

The most important thing now, was getting back to the mansion.

Joshua was restless with neither Fiore nor Rosette as a constant presence, and Aion did not relish dealing with his moods.

Fiore followed him back in silence. Though whether it was because she'd been trained to do so, or because she had nothing to say, she was no longer sure. After all, there was so much that had been called into question- so much that she could no longer be certain about....
so much she would not breathe a word of to either of her masters.

It was strangely poetic however, that this entire ordeal had come full circle. That it had begun with master Joshua, and ended in exactly the same place.

And yet...
For the first time she could recall, Fiore hesitated in following Master Aion- footfalls coming to a silent stop just outside the mansion's borders.

The mansion came into view, beautiful and impressive in its crumbling splendor. Ah, how quickly a place could become home sweet home.

And yet Fiore balked. She had been so quiet and obedient up until now, and standing at the threshold, she simply stopped.

Aion turned to her, looking down with irritation. He was in no mood to coax things out of her. He was still angry that he'd ever had to go and fetch her in the first place. Moreso at Joshua, because Fiore had only been following orders, but that didn't change that she'd been absent upon his arrival, and that that alone had been enough to set him off.

"What is it?"

There was only the slightest tinge of annoyance in his tone. He was genuinely curious at her hesitance when before now, she had been the picture of obedience. Might this have something to do with the time she’d spent with Chrno? What truths and lies had he told her, and how many of them had she taken to heart?

Though the sudden halt in her step was something of disobedience in and of itself, Fiore could not bring herself to tear her gaze from the ground. Master Aion sounded angry, or at the very least, vexed at her actions. She hadn't disobeyed him before, and in doing so now...she wavered under the weight of her own- inaction.

When Fiore spoke, her voice remained as soft and subdued as always, though it seemed laced with emotion in a way it had never been before.

"Master Joshua...is angry with me." She had to struggle with the words, but managed them. Fiore's chin tipped downward and her voice became a mere whisper as she continued. "He said...he does not want me any longer."

Aion smiled at the beauty of her submission. Eyes trained to the ground, Fiore's response was a perfect monotone.

Until it wasn't.

That tell-tale edge of emotion. The whisper. The struggle. Those were Chrno's fault. He knew it. That little betrayer had planted lies in his flawless little doll. How dare he.

The words spoke of Joshua. Joshua's anger. Joshua throwing her away, but the tone. The feelings. He blamed Chrno for those.

"I've spoken to Joshua." Aion said, plainly, placing one hand below her chin and tilting it up to meet his face. "His actions have been dealt with."

He stroked a thumb across her cheek, granting her the briefest of comforts, usually only reserved for his rarest of good moods, although he was far from one of those. Then the contact was broken and he straightened up, looking down at her a moment before turning away.

"You'll return home with me, now."

Damn Joshua for starting this, and damn Chrno for cracking his toy. There would be so much to pay. A price Chrno could never meet...

He would have the Magdalene back for even this slightest of transgressions.

Damn him. Damn him.

Fiore knew he was displeased, the same way she knew when to say nothing about it and simply yield when yielding was required. Though they were nothing more than master and servant, that bond still came with a degree of understanding about one another-

She nodded, meeting his gaze once before looking down once more. "Yes Master Aion." The response was perfect, clipped and subserviant. Fiore was no fool. She knew when to obey.

There would be no more discussion about the subject. While his words did nothing to ease her mind, it would be sufficient to allow him to believe they had. Without futher struggle and in complete compliance, she followed him back into the mansion.

Log; Ongoing

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