tampered | Log; Ongoing

Log; Ongoing

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

zaigoukan Aion,

chrnologic Chrno,

apostleofhope Joshua,

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.

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Right or wrong, Fiore would not be able to avoid her punishment. She had obeyed Joshua at the risk of disobeying a direct, ongoing order from Aion. She'd been backed into an unavoidable corner, and no matter what choice she made, there would have been consequences. It was a Catch-22. Nothing to be done.

Still, that did not exempt her from Aion's wrath.

Aion, himself, had calmed dramatically since first learning of her absence. He was aware of the circumstances. It wasn't as though he were simply losing. Joshua had at least gotten Rosette out of the deal, if only temporarily. It was the trading of one pawn for another. In some ways, he couldn't fault Joshua's logic on the matter. In others...well...The boy shouldn't have been allowed to act on his own.

Approaching Xanadu Garden, Aion paused for a moment. Was Chrno actually calculated enough to set a trap? Was he aware that Aion was coming to take back what was his?

Yes, they'd had a deal, but Chrno had broken it first -- coming to take Rosette on the day of the Forget-Me-Not curse. Hadn't that been a complete mess.

In the end, it was Aion's fault Rosette had escaped, but he would never admit to it. Joshua had been distracted by Aion's appearance, and had dropped his focus. The 'noise' caused by Chrno's horns transplanted onto his head had proven too much, and Joshua had been both helpless to stop Chrno from taking Rosette, and a hinderance to Aion, rendering him unable to take care of the situation himself.

Chrno had negated their bargin; Fiore was now free for the taking, as far as he was concerned.

Not, of course, that he could have been expected to honor the bargin himself, but now it wasn't even an issue.

Fiore sighed softly, shoulders unconsciously relaxing when she sensed her Master's presence. She didn't have to turn around to know he was there, though the familiarity was there, Aion was difficult not to notice. However, when he did not enter Fiore raised her gaze. It would not be much of a stretch, to think this had been some sort of well laid trap for him.

If she was capable of smiling, she would have. Master Aion had always been so smart. And yet, his hesitancy seemed to imply doubt. If it were a trap she would be aware of it in one way or another, so his reluctance to proceed meant that he questioned her loyalty.

Admitting that he had reason to do so pained her.

Fiore stood slowly, body near frozen and muscles stiff from lack of use, as she stepped away from the bench and headed towards the garden's entrance. Though she was not limping as noticably as before, the slight awkwardness was still there- she prayed it was not terribly pronounced. Small steps as they were, Fiore continued until she reached her destination, coming to a stop before him. "Master Aion."

Nothing.

Aion felt nothing at all. No presence other than Fiore's. The garden seemed a place unto itself, somehow cut off from the rest of the City. He could not feel the other inhabitants, he felt nothing but the closeness of his servant. Her hesitance, her shame, her adulation.

That she was injured was something that Aion was not surprised to discover. He needed to ascertain the extent of such injuries and find out the exact cause. He was still furious with Chrno, and he needed to make someone pay for it. That, however, would come later. Once they were away from here.

The sooner they were back in the mansion, the more comfortable he would feel.

Aion was perfectly comfortable with the City, but he did not want Fiore out in it at the moment. Not until he'd established her loyalties again, not until he was sure Joshua wouldn't do anything so foolish again.

All things in their own time.

"Fiore."

Aion nodded curtly, displeasure etched across his face.

"Come."

He held out a hand to her.

Would it be so simple?
A meeting in the Garden and the Master and his Handmaiden return home without a hitch?

It felt just too empty here...

[OOC; i'm game with fiore going back, but since the log is posted for the 29th, i say we go with chrno-mun's line of thinking and leave the whole dead-curse-thing out of it.

so yes...um, i'll just have her reply then and any conflict that may come up from there, can?]

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.

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Log; Ongoing

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