Log; Complete

[apostleofhope.livejournal.com]

When; August 7th [Evening].
Rating; PG.
Characters; Fiore [undamaged] & Joshua Christopher [apostleofhope].
Summary; An Apostle and his maidservant are finally reunited. No more chores for Nill!
Log;

Joshua wasn't in a good mood, and he hadn't been in awhile. Ever since the day that his sister had been cursed and made sexual advances, she had treated him so strangely. She had been so eager... Had it really just been the curse? It wasn't like he had hurt her! He was always gentle with Rosette.

So then why didn't she want him touching her anymore? She wasn't around as much... And when she had been handcuffed to that stranger, she had refused to tell him where she was. She wouldn't do as he said...like she wanted to stay away from him.

He hadn't felt so betrayed in his entire life. Maybe she wasn't really Rosette... Did that mean he needed to kill her? He hadn't killed Fiore even though she wasn't his sister, but...she was useful in so many ways.

But if he was so mad at Rosette, then why was he picking flowers for her? He wanted her to forgive him so badly for...whatever it is he'd done to upset her. All he wanted was for them to be happy together. Everyone was against them. Everyone needed to die.

The boy crouched down beside a nicely manicured patch of tulips to reach out and pick a few red ones. It wasn't often that he traveled into the City, but Xanadu was large enough for him to avoid people and their noise fairly easily.



It was a strange place, one that she would not have felt comfortable placing Master Joshua in. The occupants were strange and some were quite rude, bringing him here would only make matters worse. He had been getting better, or so he had said, but Fiore had watched him grow up, had watched his child's mind twist and warp into that of a sinner's.

She could remember it like it was yesterday.

There she was, seated in that intricate chair with her hair messily thrown about her shoulders, her body feeling as it would if she had been placed outside in the cold. Numb, but it was wearing off. More than that, she could hear an onslaught of tiny sobs in front of her and, as she slowly fluttered her lids open, a child's face filled her vision. Who -- her lips formed the words, but they never came.

Who was the boy? Why was he crying? He didn't need to cry, she decided with some difficulty, as the haze slowly cleared from her mind, because she would protect him. There would never be a time where he would need to use those tears again, because she would be there to comfort him. It almost felt like she was moving about in water, as her arm lifted slowly, elegantly even, as she placed her palm against his cheek.

'You need not cry,' he had been startled, but the sobs had died down until his lips had twitched into a weary smile -- which soon twisted into the cruel one she frequently looked upon today. She was a doll, his doll, and she would follow his orders without hesitation. Master Joshua was precious to Master Aion's plans, but that was not the reason she took care of him. He was--

He was there.

Fiore's footsteps were nearly soundless against the ground as her skirt grazed against the seemingly endless row of flowers, her lips twitching for a moment as if they were attempting to try on a smile. To smile, it was difficult even when she was content. Aion had scolded her before, emphasizing the importance of her smile because it would be precious to Joshua. It was then, when the younger boy was suddenly involved, that she would sit in her room with a small hand mirror and practice smiling into it.

"Master Joshua," Fiore murmured. She came to a halt a few feet away from him, catching the ends of her skirt between her fingertips as she bowed her head in a delicate curtsy and remained as such until he acknowledged her.



Master Joshua? Who called him that? There was nobody in the City who called him that. He was just Joshua to everyone. Joshua. The psychotic killer. The madman. The soulless demon. But never Master. At least...not anymore. Not since...

Fiore?

The noise, it...wasn't there. He crinkled a brow and stood up, holding the tiny bouquet against his chest as he went over the voice again and again in his head. Master Joshua. His imagination?

Joshua turned, a warm breeze drawing a flutter out of his crooked tie and her white apron. The vision in front of him certainly wasn't an illusion...but could it be a curse? Did it matter either way? Even if it was just for a day, he had her back. Even if he had killed her...

There was a smile on the boy's face as he glanced down to the red tulips, picking the finest one to hold out to the curtsying maidservant.



Fiore dropped one hand and allowed the other to gingerly accept the tulip as she took a couple of steps toward him, her impassive mask slipping into something softer. He had done something similar when he was younger, but that had been when he had accidentally broken a beautiful vase. Even if he had not given her the flower, however, she would have forgiven him, for Joshua could do no wrong in his maidservant's mind.

"Thank you, Master Joshua," she murmured, stowing the tulip for only a second to fix the crooked tie with an almost delicate care. "Your tie is crooked," was the soft chide that followed before she tilted her face up to look into his face. He seemed content, and he was deserving of every ounce of it -- but she had yet to figure out why he was alone here.

Not even Master Aion was around.



The comment about his tie just drew a blank look. Both Aion and Fiore were always fretting over his appearance, but Joshua could care less. He just bathed and dressed in these clothes because he knew he was supposed to...but he didn't know how to do either things very well. He still forgot to turn on the hot water sometimes with baths, and occasionally he'd just sit with the shower running, as if expecting a miracle.

It was familiar, though, to have Fiore do this for him... Nill never really did. Maybe she didn't know how to fix a tie, or she just didn't care, but it was nice to have someone worry so much over his appearance.

The rest of the tulips were released, however, when he realized something at this close range. He could hear it. It wasn't noise, exactly... It didn't hurt his head. It was something that had replaced the talking. Badum. Badum.

Rather amazed and delighted by the realization that Fiore had a heartbeat again, that she had returned to life, made his eyes light up, and quite suddenly he was flinging himself at her. The flowers were crushed as they fell, but he didn't seem to notice, as he was too busy hugging her and babbling out voiceless words.



Fiore was taken aback by the gesture and her arms remained at her sides for a few lengthy beats before she lifted them, her palms hovering over, not yet touching, his back -- as if she were unsure. Did he want comfort? Did he want her to hug him back? When she finally did hold him it was loosely, and she tilted her head to watch him proclaim his apparent wordless excitement.

Wordless--

"Master Joshua," she began, brows furrowed slightly as worry etched itself into her features. "I cannot hear you, have you lost your voice?" Her palm touched the side of his face then, soon followed by the other, as she looked him over as if expecting to find significant wounds. She would always fret over him, even if his discomfort was caused by something as simple as a papercut.



His excitement was cut short at her concern and he tilted his head down at her as if she might possibly be mad...but then he remembered he had lost his voice. He could hear it all in his head sometimes when he tried to talk, but nobody else could. That sobered him up quite a bit, and he actually had the decency to look...sheepish.

Then Joshua nodded and sat back. He could have tried some rough sign language that he had learned, but really he didn't know enough to communicate, and he wasn't sure if Fiore even knew any. So instead he took one of her hands and held it out to begin tracing letters out into her palm.

G-O-N-E. A pause, then-- I-M-S-T-U-C-K.

The slender hand was moved to hold against his chest, his head tilting curiously as he watched her reaction.



Stuck--

Fiore's face fell as her palm eagerly listened for a familiar beat that never came, her eyes rising from his chest to his face several times. He was standing here before her; smiling, picking flowers and drawing words against her hand, but he wasn't alive? It was a cruel thing to comprehend and, in a sense, it almost made her feel as if she had failed in her duty. She had not protected him, it seemed, and now that child-like heart no longer sang the precious song of life.

She opened her mouth to speak, but let it fall shut again. Instead, she took up the hand that had drawn her own to his chest and proceed to trace a slew of letters across his palm. S-O-R-R-Y. Then, after another tiny pause, she clutched his hand and her face, retaining it's doll-like composure, was tilted off to one side.

"I will learn to sign, Master Joshua, and I will be your voice until you are able to find your own."



Her claim seemed almost silly, but it just made him grin. Wait until she found out that she didn't need to be his voice! He had his sister now, even if she was acting strange. The curses or the City was just wearing her down--that was all. But suddenly he couldn't wait for Fiore to meet her.

Rosette had said she was going to sleep early, hadn't she? So they would have to wait until morning for her to meet Fiore...but still he couldn't wait.

So after turning Fiore's hand to give her knuckles a light kiss, he moved back to grab up what tulips he could recover, then yanked her up to stand next to him, handing the tulips over for her to take care of. He didn't want them crushed, after all, as the wings appeared and spread out, both of his arms scooping the maidservant's small body up to carry her bridal style.

Joshua waited until she was secure before he took off, glimmering wings flapping eagerly as he headed towards the large Cathedral.



His excitement was a blessing, really, and Fiore found herself trying on the smile that she had practiced for him as she accepted the flowers and proceeded to make them just as beautiful as they had been before. They were for her, she imagined, for Rosette Christopher. So it was only fitting that the flowers be lovely, or else Joshua would not be as pleased anymore. His sister was precious to him, she would have had to be blind to not realize that much.

Surprised, but not necessarily startled, she slid one of her arms around his neck for stability and left the other to tend to the blossoms. From the distance, she could see it, a beautifully kept building. It seemed to be their destination, judging by the fact that his face seemed to glow more and more with each beat of his wings.



Joshua was sure to stay high as he raced towards the Cathedral, not certain he was well enough to get close to a crowd of people today. He waited until they were just in front of it before taking a dive, one hand sliding to rest against the back of Fiore's head out of reflex to keep her balanced.

The dive was quick and sudden, and would have meant certain death for anyone else, but Joshua knew what he was doing, and he fanned out his wings and swooped at the last moment, letting his shoes tap against the steps gently as he landed, setting her down in front of him.

First things first... He grabbed the tulips from her, then grabbed her hand and began pulling her after him, leading her through the chapel and down the east wing. He came to a halt once he reached Rosette's door, pushing it open a crack to peek in before grinning again and tugging Fiore in to look.

She really was so cute with the way she slept, on her stomach so that her wings didn't get crushed. They couldn't vanish like Joshua's own... But they really were one of her cutest features. Those and her face. He didn't seem to notice how tired she looked, even asleep.



Fiore was well aware of what Rosette looked like and, almost immediately, she knew the girl was someone else. Were that the case, she was quick to mask it as she turned to Joshua and then peeked inside. The girl looked younger than Rosette by a few years and much more fragile, in the sense that she had been involved in very little fighting. She was an ideal candidate for the perfect sister, she imagined, and that was why the boy had chosen her.

If Master Joshua was fond of her, then she would be treated with the utmost respect. The girl radiated a familiar sort of warmth, she noted, very much like that of a sweet sister. No, an Angel. After a moment or two, Fiore eased the door shut again and turned, her tone a soft chide as she stepped away from the door and linked her hands in front of her.

"She is an angel, Master Joshua, I am pleased that you have found her, but even angels need their rest. I will find a vase for her flowers," and she gave him another curtsy and proceeded to turn, to navigate the hallway behind her.



The chiding almost made him pout, looking like he wanted to open the door and sneak in, but Fiore was right. His sister did need her rest. She had been cleaning all day, which was why he had wanted to get her flowers in the first place...

With a bored sigh, Joshua turned to watch Fiore walk off, pushing his hands into his trouser pockets and wondering what there was to do. If this was a curse, there was a chance she could disappear at midnight, and it would really be a pain if he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her. So after contemplating that for a moment, he started off after her, trailing behind while occasionally looking at the stained glass windows as the light from the setting sun filtered in.

Saying goodbye was always hard. He hoped he didn't have to do it again.