Destiney sat in the chair before her desk. Had not slept yet since Soren had brought her home. Too much on her mind to sleep. Restless thoughts running through her head at an endless pace.
Her fingers lightly caressed the lime green stone with it’s carved surface. “Leon…”
Blue eyes shimmered slightly as she looked up. Expecting to see the ghost of the man she had loved at one point in time. Before illness had claimed him from her too soon. See that bright smiling face. Hear the soft thrum of the strings on his harp. Yet nothing appeared to her now… No hint of the soul trapped.
Had he finally moved on at some point and she hadn’t noticed? Somehow she doubted it. Though she wasn’t sure what had changed either. Was it because of this name that he didn’t appear?
A heavy sigh as she sat back and looked up towards the ceiling.
Kidnapped again… Frankly she was tired of being a victim. Especially tired of being bait to get to Soren. However it hadn’t be Alexois to take her this time. No this time it had been Aeri. The woman had been gentle and promised not to hurt her. She just wanted a name Soren was holding from Alexois.
Alexois… Somehow he just kept popping back up into her life. She thought it was over and done with when her family drama was done. Apparently not. Now there was the dilemma of this name.
Yet she had agreed to help get the name from Soren. Aeri had insisted Alexois was trying to be better. If she had turned down Aeri’s words without even listening… Hypocrite. That’s what she would have been. She tried hard to prove that Leera wasn’t a monster. So if she insisted now that Alexois was nothing more then a monster just because of his actions taken for this name… Unacceptable. It was a hard truth to bear though. To think that someone like Alexois…
She still remembered that leer on his face when he had Lance at sword point in Coerthas. Aeri insisted here was much more to the story then Destiney knew. Truths hidden in shadows.
Her blue eyes drifted to the name she had written down. The one she had argued with Soren to get. Then to the stone her fingers lightly danced over.
Raitmeaux Chassebel… Chassebel… Leonceault Chassebel. Alexois and Leon had been half brothers according to Soren. Raitmeaux had fathered them both to different mothers.
Soren had thought he was protecting her by keeping this name from Alexois. Because this name was a connection to Leon.. He hadn’t thought it mattered so he hadn’t told her. Kept the truth from her. Hadn’t thought it would affect her. Honestly it shouldn’t have. Yet it did. Because of Leon…
So many things Soren kept from her. As if she needed to be protected from the dark truths. Hadn’t told her of his bargain with Alexois for this name. Didn’t tell her how he had tried to kill Alexois over this name. Aeri had told her. Told her the way Soren was killing Alexois slowly and painfully. Soren had assumed what was best for her instead of being honest. At least until last night when she confronted him and used guilt like a weapon. Just as Aeri had told her to.
Her hands rubbed over her face with a disgruntled sigh.
Her words had been heated and honest. But they were words that Soren needed to hear. She was tired of being protected from the truth just because it would be a hard truth. Because he wasn’t honorable. At the same time he also still seemed to refuse to hear her.
“For once it’s not about you. It’s not that I believe you can’t handle it or that you are fragile or pure. It’s not that I think you need to be sheltered damn it. It’s how I see myself through your eyes… And what I see… I don’t like it, but I can’t change it.”
Soren… She knew her last words after that had been harsh. Almost cruel. But they were honestly how she felt. Raw and honest.
“How I see you? You couldn’t care how I see you when you chose her over me! I never asked you to hide who you are. It shouldn’t matter. Not that my opinion seems to matter much though.”
She rubbed at her wet cheeks. Somewhere along the line she had begun to silently cry again. All she wanted now was her life back to the way things used to be.
Yet now she had the weight of that name. The decision was hers. Aeri had promised. Had kept to her promise though she had been there to get that name for Alexois. Now it was Destiney’s choice. To possibly condemn this man to an ill fate depending on what Alexois wanted his father’s name. Why he went to the lengths he did to get it. Working for the Aurifore just for the sake of this name. Could she do that to Leon’s father though he had never talked about the man before?
“Twelve forgive me…”
Aeri’s words about Alexois having never been given a chance before. Never having the chance to be anything but a monster. Being used and discarded like a mongrel. How was it fair if she didn’t give him a chance… Maybe he just wanted family. All she could do was pray that she wasn’t sentencing the man to death. Leon’s own father. Hands reaching for pen and paper. Writing to Aeri with her answer.
Aeri,
Soren gave me the name. It has been… A hard choice on whether or not to give this name to Alexois. Twelve forgive me if I am making the wrong choice and condemning a man to death. You walked away when you seen what the name Leon meant to me. There is a story behind that name though I’m not sure it matters to anyone but myself. His name was Leonceault Chassebel. Apparently he was Alexois’ half brother. The name Alexois wants… Is Raitmeaux Chassebel… Leon’s father. As well as Alexois’ father. I only hope and pray that I am making the right choice in handing over this information. In giving Alexois a chance to prove he is more then the monster I seen.
((Consider this your warning if you read this post. Will contain blood and some pretty dark stuff. A bit of torture and abuse. Alex is not meant to be a nice guy. He’s a villain. So please read at your own risk. This is what took place between him leaving Aeri’s apartment Sunday afternoon and when he met her for drinks last night. Just from the screenshots I show doesn’t do justice just how cruel he can be as a bad character. I felt it time to give writing the darker side of him a shot. @aeritria for mentions.))
Alex puffed on his lit smoke as he leaned back against the pillar and closed his eyes. By the gods his body still hurt like hell despite the healing Cotoka had done. More then that his pride still hurt too. Then again Soren had tried to gut him and slice him into ribbons.
He grimaced as the smoke got lower. Damn… They had been on him during his fight with Soren. Now they were partially dried with his own blood. He chucked the rest off to the side with a heavy sigh.
Aeri had come to save him when he called for her to help him. Even had her precious pet healer, Cotoka, fix him up. He should have been dead. Would have been had it not been for the two ladies. Soren had been enjoying taking his time slicing him up. The poison on those blades causing him as much agony as each blow itself.
Mongrel. That was what Soren had called him. Goaded him into a blind rage by preying on his hatred of his family. Of the things that had happened to him. Alex hadn’t even needed to say anything. Soren had either done his research or gotten lucky with that word punch.
Alex hadn’t felt this low in years. Though the naive nature of the younger healer had greatly amused him for a bit. He was going to have so much fun explaining slang terms to her.
Shouldn’t be out of bed. Yet he needed space. Needed solitude. The night in this part of the Goblet was good enough being that he couldn’t go very far with his injuries.
He had ripped open old scars in talking to Aeri and Cotoka. Not physical ones. A slight snarl on his face at the thought of the old wounds.
Yet Aeri suggested finding a different way to walk his path. To demand more then survival from life. To find more then vengeance. Could he really have what Aeri had found? He wasn’t so sure. He couldn’t even have Aeri as she had found another. There was no one to blame but himself. It had been so much easier to be hated and despised. Something he had grown so used to. What he had done in the past…
Kill the people who created monsters like himself. He could manage that. It at least gave him something to start with. A path for now while he decided what exactly he wanted. More then survival. More then getting the name of the shite of a father that denied him all those years ago.
He stood up with a groan at the aches and pains. Perhaps he’d go soak in the water again. Aeri was allowing him to stay for now while he healed. While he decided where to go from here. He couldn’t change everything but maybe it was possible to teach an old dog a few new tricks.
The day had not disappointed him. Finding Aeri down at the bar near the airships. Of course she would enjoying her bought freedom in Ul’dah. It was one of the few places a criminal could use gil to buy such. The Brass Blades were often easy enough to buy off.
What he had not expected was the way their talk went. Mentions of siblings and his encounter with Lucky in the Goblet.
He had mentioned his discussion with Lucky. A bargain between devils. Information to rescue the pretty princess from her prison and deal with her evil grandfather. In exchange for information he had longed to get his bloody hands on. Information on his own father. Not that he would openly admit who the man was to him. All they needed to know was the man deserved to die for the wrongs he’d done to Alex.
His original intention was to ‘borrow’ a set of Temple Knight attire and watch the show first hand as Lucky went to slaughter. Get an idea of what the boy was capable of before they had their fun.
However Aeri had mentioned something else that seemed more fun. A meeting with her sister. One she had only recently discovered existed. It would mean missing watching Lucky drawing blood from Vladislav. Yet the idea of a sister… Aeri’s sister… THAT was intriguing enough to miss such fun. Not to mention he would still have chances to gut a few people while doing the part of the job she would rather avoid. Going to the place she was banned from. She had wanted to avoid going there unless she had to. He was the solution to that problem.
He wondered if this sister was as much fun in the dark as Aeri. Oh the thought alone was enough to excite him. Besides he could watch Lucky another day. Or even challenge him. The invitation had already been handed anyways.
For now he would head to Limsa and work on the job for Aeri. No charge of course. The romps with Aeri were always more then worth it. Maybe her sister would be better or at least equally good. Only one way to find out. It was time to go play with Aeri’s sister.
Spirit of the Warlock 