Private Tales Beyond the Veil

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Five minutes Kitty had told him, and he would abide by it. Wouldn't like it, but would abide by it. That would at least give him a chance to figure out some things. Or would have if Mal hadn't opened her mouth and went straight for a fight. While he missed her dearly, there was obviously something strange going on, and how she was presently had to be the epicenter of it all.

"I want to talk to you. And secondly, those weren't advances, that was a greeting. If you want the thing that left you-" Trahaearn stopped short as he watched, something, come barging into the room. He reached into his back pouch with one hand once more and in a fell swoop as the door closed, tossed the pair of iron bands at the beast.

The free hand pushed Mal to the side, out of the path that the beast was on and took it head on, the two forms doing a barrel roll as shadows engulfed Trahaearn before a dogs form emerged from it. The forms tangled for a moment before the dog split away and did it's best to keep it away from Mal, snapping, snarling, and nipping at the beast when it could.
 
Five minutes. She looked past Trahaerarn into the hallway, not wanting to have to wait that long. A lot could happen to Joseph in that time. Considering his wild temper, he could get into a lot of trouble in so little time.

A greeting?? The shuck's glare turned into a scowl. A proper greeting was a handshake and a "hello", not a kiss. She was preparing to argue, to interrupt whatever he was about, when something came bounding into the room. She caught a glimpse of something dark on four legs before Trahaearn's hand shot out, shoving her to the side. Stumbling, she barely caught her footing in time to see the body of the strange thing rolling with--

There was a burst of shadows as Trahaearn shifted into a black dog. Something in the back of her mind flipped, and she knew the taste of her own magic in the air. That was her shadows, and yet it was his.

But she didn't have time to contemplate what she was seeing, because when the two beasts parted, she finally got a look at the -- well, whatever that was. As before, she instantly recognized Joseph, even if she didn't recognize the form he'd taken. Her mind was a scattered mess of fear and trying to make sense of everything as the two snapped and snarled and lunged at one another. She didn't dare jump in between them, in this form or her other, but she had to do something. Trahaearn's powerful jaws snapped dangerously close to Joseph's throat, and she snapped.

"Stop!" she barked. "Both of you, that's enough!" Her concern over Joseph's safety began to override reason and she was quickly stepping around the seats. She saw Trahaearn, at least stepping back from the fight, snarling, and she rushed forward in an attempt to grab Joseph's collar.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Joseph hissed at the iron bands and stepped around them like he'd been burned. That did not help his temper. He leapt into the fight with renewed vigor. The shadows he was snapping at suddenly became a dog, and in some drunken way it all made sense. Shuck, before she had been his church grim, had been with her own kind. That didn't make Joseph want to kill him any less. He was trying to overpower him with brute strength. If he caught one of those flailing limbs or managed to close that cavernous mouth around Trahaearn's head, this fight would be over quickly.

Then the command came to stop. For some reason he felt strongly compared to obey it. He backed off from Trahaearn, and shifted back into a man. Shuck was holding his collar. She was holding....his collar. He looked at her, unsure of how to feel. He wanted to defend her from Trahaearn but...his feelings were muddled. He gently removed her fingers from his collar, watching the other leave the room. As far as he knew, Trahaearn was staying down the hallway as Kitty had mentioned, but his presence was a sudden disturbance into their comparatively happy love nest.

He silently grabbed a blanket, a pillow, and the bottle of champagne, and headed for the bathroom. Thank gods the tub was empty, and somewhat dry. Maybe the magic knew they wouldn't be in it for a while. He tossed his bed things in, curled up in the bottom of it, and popped the cork on the champagne with a loud burst of sound. He tipped the bottle in his mouth and sighed.
 
Her hands and mouth were tingling as she spoke and took his collar in her hands. Something was happening, but she couldn't make sense of it. She was simply grateful as Trahaearn backed away and Joseph shifted back into a man beneath her fingers. He looked up at her with tumult in his eyes, and she panted, still mastering her fear. Afraid to let go for fear of his temper, she watched as Kitty returned and summoned Trahaearn away, his five minutes cut a little short by the scuffle.

"I have questions for you tomorrow," she told him sharply, her glowing red eyes watching him cross the room. She had the conflicting urges to trust this man even as he riled every warning in her body.

Joseph pried her fingers off of the collar as the door shut, and she stood in place, unsure what to say or do. Her mind was spinning; too much was happening. Whatever she'd thought was waiting for her in the faewilds, this certainly wasn't it. They had been happy -- genuinely happy just an hour ago. Now?

He had picked up the champagne and was grabbing a pillow and the blanket.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She followed him to the bathroom and watched with confusion as he tossed the bedding into the tub and climbed. "Joseph, talk to me," she urged him. Approaching the tub, she got to her knees at the edge and was preparing to get in with him -- to either drag him out or curl up beside him. Guilty from her fumbled response to his proposal shot through her like lightning. She had to make this right. But how?

// Joseph Meier //
 
“You take the bed. I’ll sleep in here. It’s the size of a fucking sailboat.” Joseph told her, taking another swig from the champagne bottle. He loved her, but he couldn’t get that image out of his head. Her face when he’d proposed. Trahaearn kissing her like it was normal and she’d be perfectly fine with it. Obviously the other man knew something he didn’t. He was nothing here. Some pet with stolen magic she’d dragged back from the human lands. He wished there was such a thing as a dive bar nearby, but alas the only drinking he was going to be doing without the damn cats around was right here in the tub.

Then there was the command. He did t know if she’d meant it earnestly, but promises meant a lot to fae. Had she turned his bedroom promises of obedience against him? That thought rankled. A man couldn’t be held responsible for his words when he was inside a woman he loved. But he’d felt that pull. That compulsion to stop the instant she’d commanded it.

He looked at her. “Just...I need to be alone right now.” He told her quietly, turning over and pulling the blanket up over his shoulder.


————————————

Morning was not kind to him. Light lanced through his eyelids and he groaned. Two flasks of whiskey and the empty champagne bottle against his side. Had yesterday actually happened? He shifted and heard the collar clink against the marble. Yep. The nightmare of yesterday had happened. He ran his hand over his face. He needed to go and smoke, and talk to the bastard that had kissed his...,well, who he’d hoped would have been his fiancé.

He got up, wincing when he realized he hadn’t taken his brace off. Great. That entire leg was stiff. He growled and slowly eased into bending his knee. He leaned over and pulled the pillow and blanket out; good thing as well, because he was still fishing for the bottle when the tub started to refill with hot water. He glared at it, and left it spinning slowly in the rising water. He didn’t much care if he woke Shuck or not. He lit a cigarette, and limped out of their room.

He needed answers. So he went to Trahaearn’s door. It wasn’t hard to find; a sphynx was posted outside of it to keep an eye on the half-fae. “I’m here to talk, not start fights.” Joseph informed the cat, who sniffed at him and walked off with his tail in the air. Joseph knocked on the door. He looked terrible. Hungover, smoking, wearing the same clothes he’d had on the previous day.
 
The command to stop came from Mal, and while rage and adrenaline coursed through his veins, filling his body and mind with the delightful taste of a fight that he had come to enjoy in his long life. He obeyed, if only to keep her pet from harm. Backing away while still snarling, the beast before him wore a gold collar, a typical sign of a pet here in this place.

The door opened once more and Kitty appeared, staring at him with what he would guess was spite. The odd mix of a bark and laugh ended the snarling from him, hanging his head in defeat as he realized his five minutes had expired. No arguing came from him, but when Mal said she had questions for him tomorrow, the only answer he gave was a sharp flick of his tail in kind. He followed silently behind Kitty, knowing he had already worn out any kindness he was going to receive for the rest of the day.

The mixed rage and adrenaline wore off quickly, his whole body began to painfully ache as he made the short trip to the green room. Upon reaching the door, the other fae glared once more before ushering him into the room, the door all to gently closing behind him.

He listened for the nearly silent steps she took as she left, a small sneeze elicited at the pleasure of her finally leaving. Calling back to his human form, shadows wrapped around him once more as the familiar human body formed, the muscles in the entirety of his body screaming in pain as he winced and held onto the wall for what seemed like ages. Time passed as the pain eased, eventually able to straighten up enough to walk to the bathroom and examine himself in the mirror there.

A few cuts and bruises from the scrap, but nothing major. Touching the tub, the water began to fill, steaming as it poured into the deep bath. He didn't need to undress, the changing of forms had devoured his clothing, which was a shame since he had kept that cloak for so long now. He pushed the thought away as he gingerly stepped into the tub, all of him aching painfully as he nearly shot out of the water once his thighs rubbed together.

A sharp hiss, and a painful reminder of Mal kneeling him had him splaying out in the water. The intense heat soaking into weary muscles that relished the sudden release in tension. The warm water began working into cold skin and bones, is mind focused on her reactions to him, and that pet.

Sighing, he gave it a bit more thought as his mind drifted on Mal's face. A small smile appearing as sleep nearly took hold, a twinge of pain from is lower body making him hiss once more as he sat up on the very edge of the inlaid ledge. Damned woman still a had a mean kick.

A relaxing soak and wash had his muscles easing up enough to allow him to at least stand without doubling over. His constant stormbringing trip had worn him thin, exhaustion and hunger finally catching up with him as the other feelings relaxed a bit.

Joy still rode through him, being so near to Mal finally making his mind race with questions that would likely be answered tomorrow if permitted. He cared little else for the world as he stood and exited the tub, careful as he straddled the edge and made his way back to the bedroom and found the bell on the nightstand.

Picking it up, he gave it a single ring and set it back down as a servant entered. "Clothing, and a meal will calm the storm outside." he informed the the cat as pleasantly as he could, the tempest outside still present but dwindling slowly as he reined in the mix of feelings he held. The lightning and thunder had gained distance from the building, but the rain had yet to relent. He stared through the window outside, only giving a slight nod to the cats that appeared behind him with the requested items.

He broke his gaze and began to dress, eating quickly before lying down in the bed as his thoughts wandered back to Mal's surprised face. What had happened to her that she did not remember him. The boy she had made a deal with so long ago.

He barely remembered that life now, seeming life a brief drop in the ocean of time that had spanned since then. Papers in their room back at the court were all the more ties he had to the mortal life he had lead, keeping a careful track on the line he had been a part of if only to keep his sanity.

Sleep took him in the middle of his thoughts, his body still tense and pained by the exertion of his past few days. His last thought on Mal.

What happened to you Mal? Why did you leave?

------------------------------------------------------

The knock on his door roused the man. A snort of surprise as he looked around the room before his bearings came back to him. Mal! His mind raced as he only thought of her, joy leaping in his heart as he stood quickly and nearly ran to the door.

Throwing it open, irritation quickly burned out the joy he had felt as he spied Mal's new pet standing there, smoking.

"And how shall I receive you this morning, most handsome of men?" the comment from Trahaearn laced with sarcasm as he squared himself in the door frame.
 
“I should be asking that of you. I didn’t know she could knee such small targets.” Joseph said, nodding to the space beyond. “I’m not here to attack you. I wanted to know why you took liberties with my woman. You clearly know her. I want to know everything. About you two.”

He waited, patiently. He wasn’t about to be baited by this brute bastard again. Not was he going to lose his temper. He felt...cold. Cold and protective of his Shuck. She’d hurt him, but he still loved her more than anything. He was going to fight for her, and he needed to know more about this pretty boy to do so.

——————————

Kitty was downstairs, and found Shuck dressed and looking as though she’d been crying all night. The sphynx jumped up and sat next to her, making a strange chittering noise. A few more cats came, setting up tea, sugar, milk, and little pastries shaped like fish stuffed with cream cheese and salmon.

Kitty had another dish of snake hearts brought for Shuck, and poured her some tea. “Are you alright?” She asked. “After last night I imagine you didn’t get much rest.”
 
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Reactions: Trahaearn
A smile appeared as the little man attempted to bite back. Oh how little the man before him knew just yet. Given time, the attitude that this pet displayed might endear him to Mal's retainer in some begrudging way. At the moment, it grated in the worst way. The second part of the mans speech made every feeling of malice that he had ever felt in his existence pale in comparison to what he currently felt, the urge to deal with the impudent runt kept at bay by the mere fact that he too belonged to Mal in some way.

"I would hope after four thousand years it would be easy for her to find." He managed to say with what amounted to a smile. He turned at the last word and walked to his bed, pointing to a chair across the room. "Close the door behind you, there are questions and answers to be had." When the man sat down, Trahaearn schooled his expression into something bland, but boiling anger sang in his blood as he looked over the man.

"First and foremost, she is Lady Malice. She is not your woman. She is not my woman. She is not property to be bought, sold, bartered, or traded. Lady Malice is her own being. We, are her property. At least, I assume you are her property given the uh." Trahaearn pointed to the mans golden collar. Mal always did enjoy having a variety of bedding options, and adding a cripple certainly wasn't the worst thing she has likely bedded he thought to himself as he eyed the man. "She is your lord and you will address her as Lord Malice. A Countess in human terms, though court titles are neuter in fae speak." He stopped talking for a moment as he thought on the term.

"Well, I guess you can call her Lady Malice, being as you are her pet. Only her close confidantes call her Lady." He paused briefly as a broad smile appeared before getting to his favorite subject. "As for me, you can call me Sir Trahaearn. A Baron, in human terms. I am a retainer, a knight and bodyguard of sorts. I am muscle when something needs done, and would like to think one of her closest confidantes as her benefactor of our deal. Consort however, uh." Trahaearn hem and hawed, rolling his hand in the air as if grasping for words, before another grin appeared as the words finally came to him. "Is a tad formal. She does not have a consort, per say. Well, actually." He paused once more as he turned away for a brief second, shaking his hand dismissively and continuing.

"Never you mind. Mal and I have had an agreement for a little over four thousand years. She grants me certain powers and abilities that are hers, and I have served her however she has seen fit. Anything beyond that is between she and I." Trahaearn finished his side before sitting forward and smile falling away from him.

"Now Joseph, I am assuming your name is Joseph." Trahaearn spoke as he stopped and pointed. "Is that the pet name she gave you? If so, I must say it lacks the usual creativity my Lady brings to the table. Anyways, I have answered your questions. Now you will answer mine." The hand dropped into his lap as his gaze settled on the man. "Why are you here in The Cat, and why does my Lady not remember me?"
 
Hearing him say he wanted to be alone, she hesitated on the lip of the bath for several long moments. Compassion told her to disregard his words and climb in with him. They sorely needed to talk about what had happened today, about what was happening to her, and she didn't want to go sleep in that huge bed all by herself.

But he wanted to be alone. That implicitly said he didn't want to he near her, and that hurt her. It was that hurt that settled like a block of ice in her stomach as she stood and slowly backed away.

"If that's what you want," she replied quietly as she retreated. She wouldn't argue. If he didn't want to be near her, she wouldn't force he presence on him.

She went back to the bedroom, but couldn't bear to lay in the bed, so she sat in the chair again. Her body was screaming at her for food, but the idea of eating was so unappealing. Half of it had been knocked to the floor, and looking at it was torture. Chiming the bell, she asked for the mess to be taken away. Silent, she paid no mind to the cats that came, cleaned up, and left her with a steaming pot of tea, already sweetened to perfection in what was, undoubtedly, yet another show of their familiarity.

Drinking her tea, she watched the storm slowly subside while the one inside of her kept building. The tea didn't alleviate her hunger, and that frustrated her. Joseph didn't change his mind and remained secluded in the other room, and that made her ache. And the image of Trahaearn still lingered in the back of her mind, and that made her angry.

She drank her tea, but stubbornly refused to lie down. Curling herself into the cushioned chair, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She felt the hot tears of anger and frustration and sorrow burning her eyes, and she didn't stop them.


She awoke to the sound of the door closing. Rousing, she unveiled from her ball in the chair. Her muscles were stiff, but she sat up and looked at the room.

"Joseph?" She checked the bathroom for him and found the tub filling with water and her companion nowhere to be seen. That same cold ball pressed into her stomach.

She bathed alone. The tub felt massive and empty, and the memories of their previous day tainted whatever pleasure the warm water might have offered. She dressed, finding the armoire holding an array of gowns that, of course, fit her. Randomly grabbing a dark teal swathe of fabric, she wrestled her way into the long sleeves and summoned Violet to fasten the buttons up the back since Joseph had yet to return.

Feeling bitter at being left alone, she followed Violet down to the lounges below. She ignored the other people in the room and sat at the small table in a secluded corner that the purple cat gestured to. Loneliness didn't look good on her, and she sat staring at the table with a scowl. The lounge wasn't a bedroom, however, so it was somehow preferable. Wrapping her arms around herself for comfort, she didn't see Kitty until she hopped up into the seat next to her.

Some more cats brought tea and snacks, and shortly thereafter another tray of hearts. She wanted to say that the frequency with which the delicacy was being put in front of her was overkill, but it was difficult to look at Kitty once she'd seen them.

"I didn't sleep much," she admitted. The shuck felt oddly compelled to be honest with this pretty woman-faced cat. It was strange. "And I'm not alright. I've messed things up and I don't know what's going on. I can't lie, but I don't even know the truth. I'm a very stupid girl."

There was no lie, no burn in her mouth when she said the words. She didn't need the extra conviction, and somehow knowing she'd spoken the truth made her sadder. And, because she'd come downstairs to try and do something other than being sad, she ate one of those infernal hearts. It almost felt wrong to enjoy something so good when she was feeling this awful, so she shoved in another. They only just began to satisfy hunger, however, and everything compacted into the inexplicable urge to cry more -- as if she had more tears in her body to shed. It seemed impossible and yet the wobble of her lip and the blurring of the room told her plainly enough that she was wrong.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
"I think she might have kept the jeweler's glass she used to find your manhood." Joseph replied. He stepped into the room and looked Trahaearn up and down. Obviously the other man discounted him because of his size and his leg. He was used to that, and he liked it. He liked being underestimated right up until he ripped out someone's throat. He settled into a chair. He raised an eyebrow at the man's speech. He thought he was a slave? "I'm with her of my own free will. Kitty insisted I wear this thing as humans aren't typically found here." he explained. "I'm not her property. She is not mine. I want to be hers, and she mine. Ask her yourself. It's nothing so unemotional as slavery or ownership. We're both willing converts."

He'd known men like this. Arrogant, full of themselves. Puffed up like cockerels. He hated men like this. "Whatever you were to her has changed." he said coldly. "It is up to her whether she wants you as a bodyguard, and whether to honor your agreement. What we have together is not to be touched by the likes of you. Kiss her again without her permission and you'll be speaking around your balls. Why we are here is far more important than you. She is dying. We're trying to find her heart, and replenish her. She doesn't remember her name. Her true name, since calling her Malice hasn't seemed to cure a goddamn thing."

He stood up. "You can either help us in this, or you can leave. Either way, we've done just find travelling alone so far." He was done with this man. He needed to speak with Shuck. Trahaearn could probably help them find her name, and if so he'd suffer the man's presence. But there was a rift between them they needed to heal. His heart was breaking without her. This Trahaearn was nothing but a past lover with chuffed up ideas of his own importance. A half-breed mongrel whose powers were just as stolen as his own. He'd thought Trahaearn another black shuck. That seemed to be a grave mistake. This one was nothing without Shuck, which was why he clung to her so tightly. He was a leech, a parasite, a tapeworm. Joseph wasn't going to let him take advantage of her.

He turned his back on Trahaearn and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

______________________________________________

Kitty tutted. "My lady. You are not stupid. The squabbles of men are for women to observe with a mixture of disgust and sarcasm. They are and will always be overly emotional, brutal beasts who would rather beat each other to a paste than discuss things properly." she said lightly, curling her tail around herself and nibbling at one of her fish pastries. "Your human was only defending you, gods know why....you're perfectly capable of breaking something up yourself if you wished it. Trahaearn's injuries are proof of that. But do you not see the reason? Your pet is jealous. Trahaearn is everything he is not. Handsome, tall, muscular. Whole. He clearly had something to prove to you in attacking Trahaearn."

Kitty shook her head. "Men." she huffed disgustedly. "Why is it always up to us women to put an end to their petty grievances? Only you are to decide who has a claim to you as a mate. I would not choose either of them personally. Your pet is a human and will expire long before you do....he's ill tempered, a cripple, and his magic has gone haywire in the fae lands. The other is a half-breed with court standing who thinks far too much of himself. There are far more suitable mates in this world my lady. Don't settle."

She patted her when tears prickled at Shuck's eyes, and flicked her ears up. "There is your pet now." Kitty said, leaping off the couch and trotting off. Joseph approached her slowly, and sat next to her in silence.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "For losing my temper at you. It's not your fault."
 
Kitty seemed to believe that her mistakes involved Trahaearn and Joseph's squabble, and while yes, that was probably her fault, it wasn't exactly what she'd meant. Still, it helped to ease her concern over that matter. She'd seen plenty of fights in the streets of her village, right under the eyes of their gods for all to see as they were resolved once and forever. Womenfolk had never been the ones to wage this violence, whether because of disposition or a social structure didn't allow it.

The reminder that she was capable of taking care of herself made a small smile return to her lips and look sidelong at Kitty.

"Was my bark that scary?" she asked, but her smile faded as quickly as it arose. She didn't want to be scary. She wanted to be strong, yes, but not frightening.

She didn't like Kitty's advice regarding the issue of Joseph's jealousy. Why would he be jealous? She wasn't jealous of his late wife or the love and family she had given him. Why was he jealous of a man she didn't remember and, frankly, would be glad to never see again after she got the answers to her questions. She didn't have any desires for him.

Then again, she couldn't tell Joseph she loved him. She laid a hand over her chest and silver lined her eyes suddenly. She felt nothing -- no rhythm as within Joseph's chest. A memory tickled the back of her mind, Heinrich's words haunting her all over again.

He was wrong. She cared for Joseph; his life was more precious than her own and she wanted to love him. That was enough, wasn't it?

Kitty patted her leg and announced Joseph's presence before leaving the two with some privacy. She glanced up at him before looking away and quickly wiping away the tears that were like little jewels on her angular cheeks. He sat down beside her but she wouldn't look at him. Last night he'd sent her away and she was shamelessly petty in her refusal to say anything until he deigned to grant her the privilege of speaking to him again. Needing to occupy herself, she ate the final heart and cracker and continued to look anywhere but at him.

She immediately felt guilty when he apologized. Her breathing changed, and her throat worked for a moment before she answered.

"It is my fault," she said, looking down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Kitty had already told me about Trahaearn, and I didn't tell you because..." She paused, considering how to say it. "It didn't seem like a good time. You were hurting enough already, and I didn't want to tell you that I had a consort -- or that Malice had a consort."

She worked her fingers through each other, twisting and untwisting them.

"And I'm sorry about... yesterday," she continued softly, still not looking at him. "My answer was sloppy and insensitive, and I didn't get the chance to try explaining myself. But if... If you don't want to talk about it, I'll understand."

Her eyes were searing and she nervously glanced toward him, but couldn't bring herself to look at him. The shame, betrayal, and hurt in his eyes had been too much yesterday, and it would be just as painful to her today.

// Joseph Meier //
 
Joseph ran his fingers through his hair. He watched her eat....the hearts again. Why did she have such a craving for them? He hadn't seen her eat like this before they'd come to the fae lands. Oscar's insinuations haunted him. What if they had gone too far, and these cravings were a warning of something else? He shook the thought away. The last thing he wanted to think about was some poet's extrapolations on his life. He looked at her. She had been crying. So had he. "The only thing that's important to me is whether you want him as a consort now." he said quietly. "And if you do...I'll step aside. I talked to him. You've known him for four thousand years...and he insinuated you've been.....for that long."

He swallowed thickly, and gingerly took her hand, as if he was unsure whether she'd allow him to do so. "I pushed it on you." he said softly. "And I'm sorry. I thought...I was scared. I love you, and I do want to marry you, but I knew it wasn't the right time. I was just....with the way Kitty had been treating you I was afraid you would be swept up in the court and forget about me." It sounded so stupid to say it aloud. "I wanted you to know that I was yours, for as long as I live. It....was a dumb idea." Gods, the memory of her face still hurt him. She couldn't lie, but he could. He'd been so swept up in love, and had been so blind to how different they were. She was a courtier, he was just a human.

He didn't know what else to say about it. "I think he can help you get your name back, and find your heart." Joseph said quietly. Did her finding her identity mean that their idyllic romance was over? That was the question that terrified him more than anything else. Was Trahaearn more suited to her?
 
Her mind instantly backpedaled when he asked if she still wanted Trahaearn as her consort now.

"Absolutely not," she said firmly, finally looking at him. Her face was one of obvious distaste. "He is a complete stranger and is very rude." He was nothing like Joseph, who was to be the ultimate measuring stick for all men in her opinion. Joseph took one of her hands and she laced her fingers between his. The unsaturated gray of her skin was in sharp contrast to the pale peace of his.

He was hurting; she'd known that, and yet hearing him hesitate and stumble over words somehow made it that much worse. Turning more fully toward him, she curled her free fingers under his chin and tipped his face up to look her in the eye.

"I don't care what I used to be to all of these people. I don't care about court or consorts or any of that. I care about you," she said gently. Brushing the back of her hand across his sharp cheekbones, she leaned in and gave him a chaste, lingering kiss. She continued to hold his face in her hand and touched her forehead against his. Her voice was somber when she continued.

"Something is wrong with me without my heart. I want things, but I can't lie to you, Joseph. And I know you love me, but..." She sighed and finally sat back, turning away and looking at the empty plate. "I'm sorry, but I still mean what I said. Marriage contracts with fae bind you across all lifetimes; you'd be bound to me as I am now and to Malice when I get my name back -- for better or for worse. If she is anything like these people..."

Kitty had been kind, but she turned back to Joseph and her fingers brushed against the collar and she sighed.

"I care too much to let any version of myself treat you like they've treated you here. You're not some pet to be kept in a cage with a collar like an animal. You're Joseph." Her silver eyes met his, grappling with the truth she was making sense to herself only as she said it aloud. "If taking my name back and becoming Malice is going to turn me into that, then... Then I'd rather enjoy what time I have left with you and forget about finding my name."

It was a hard truth to say out loud, but she meant it. She couldn't lie, after all. Her breath quickened at the thought of her mortality, racing toward her faster than ever, but she didn't rescind the remark. She would do it for him; if protecting Joseph from Malice meant allowing herself to die, then so be it. She was afraid, but that didn't make her a coward.

// Joseph Meier //
 
Her reply left him thunderstruck. He'd assumed she didn't want to. He'd dared assume her hesitation was out of reluctance to commit. But when he thought about it...she was right. It would bind her to him, and he to her, for eternity. If Mal was anything like what these people were saying....cruel, wise, sadistic...he could understand. "How dare I ever question you..." he said softly, in complete and total shock. He kissed her, putting his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "I will never question your love for me again."he said earnestly. She turned away from him, and he could understand her fear. He gently steered her face back to face him with a touch on her cheek.

"Listen to me. Whatever you were, that's in the past. Whatever spectre of horror you were, it was before you were humbled by becoming what you were. It was before Oscar. It was before you saving me from the Naiads, and insisting I be treated equally by people who see me as less than animal. Don't let Mal change you. Change Mal." He kissed her, looking at her. His large eyes were filled with determination and fire. With love for her. "We will find your name. We will find your heart. You don't have to spend what time you have left, because you have all of eterinity with me. Mal isn't going to make you some monster. If Mal and Shuck have to war inside of you, tip the odds in the favor of the side you want to win."

He kissed her again. "I love you, but I can't watch you fade away. I can't exist without you. The world can't lose you. I can't lose you." he pulled her close into his arms. He didn't care if she was so much longer and taller than he was, he needed her near. He was crying, but it was a good thing. He was crying because he wanted her to live, and he would be damned if she withered away like flowers in a vase because she was afraid.
 
Don't let Mal change you. Change Mal.

Something had changed, and she felt it coursing between them. She searched those dark eyes and found that any trace of that awful pain she'd seen earlier was gone. In its place she saw a determination that was infectious. It was like those early days of excitement and conviction renewed. They were going to do this, and they were going to do it together. Whatever uncertainties she'd had, he scattered them like sand on the wind. Tears began to gather in his eyes, but they didn't seem sad. She kissed him and held him tightly when he pulled her into a hug, pressing her cheek against the top of his head.

"Let's go have a snuggle before we have to go see that man again." She sat back and rapidly shoved three of the pastries into her mouth before scooping one arm under his knees and the other behind his back and hoisting him up with her when she stood. It was hard not to laugh out loud at his surprise and lose her pastries.

Ignoring everyone else, she packed Joseph up to their room. She was a mess of giggles as she fiddled with the knob, refusing to put him down, and awkwardly kicked the door shut behind her. Of course, she still had questions for Trahaearn, but they needed some time alone first to get their feet back underneath of them and talk more thoroughly about what he'd already learned from the man. Kitty's place had been full of grief and challenges, but they'd both learned an important lesson in trusting the other.

They curled up together in the bed, the shuck snuggling up close to him. “I’m sleepy,” she confessed. It would have been easy to close her eyes and let the emptiness take her. Between the crying and feeling awful before finally falling asleep in the chair, she felt like she hadn't slept at all. But she remembered the reason they had been fighting in the first place, and sighed.

“We should go talk to Trahaearn. I have questions for him.” As little as she wanted to talk about him, she needed answers. “If I don’t get up and ask him now, I’ll sleep all day and he might come knocking.”

Her face turned down in a sour frown, but a playful one. She didn’t, however, move to get up. Rather, she slipped her arms around him and pulled him closer.

// Joseph Meier //
 
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Joseph was exhausted after their lovemaking. He wanted nothing more than to curl up with her and sleep. "I'm not sure how much talking I'll do. My tongue's tired." he chuckled and put his arm around her. He kissed her neck as his lover began to talk about the other man. Joseph felt a little better. They had made a connection again. They had learned and forgiven one another. As far as Joseph was concerned they were stronger than ever. An arrogant blowhard wasn't going to take that away from them. He laced his fingers in hers, meeting her lovely if worried silver eyes with his own.

"I know. But he has answers. And with you at my side I could do anything." he said softly. "Besides, I don't want him seeing me naked. Or you naked. This..." he kissed each breast playfully. "...is mine."

He sat up and pulled his shirt over his head. He had noticed that the cats seemed to spirit away their clothing at a moment's notice; all of their clothes were neatly cleaned and folded at the foot of the bed. Had they been so absorbed in sex they hadn't noticed the little patter of cat feet on the carpet? He raised an eyebrow but pulled his pants over his hips anyway, looking at Shuck. "We ought to go soon."
 
She sat back with a gasp at his joke, initially. Then, a wicked smile flashed across her face and she burst into a fit of giggles. "Joseph!" she chastised. "Scandalous."

In all honesty, she didn't mind it. He'd always had a way with words, after all. And sassy. She quickly forgot how bitter and cynical he'd been when they'd met just weeks prior, but a part of her yearned for his clever turns of phrase. If this Trahaearn fellow elicited more of that, maybe he wouldn't be so bad to have around.

She groaned reluctantly, not yet wanting to be parted from him. He moved to leave her and she wrapped her arms around him possessively, but still let him go without much actual attempt at restraining him. She rose after him with a great sigh when he advised they leave soon. Her dress was still too complicated for her to figure out on her own, and she sat patiently while he buttoned and laced it for her. It was an awful design, she thought, but the finished product would be beautiful.

As she sat waiting, however, a thought drifted back to her.

"Where did you go this morning?" She dared to peer over her shoulder, toward him but not at him. She wouldn't press the subject if it touched too close to the bitter morning he'd had, but she had intended to talk to him more before they went to talk to Trahaearn. There was a lot to talk about, after all.

// Joseph Meier //
 
He snickered and kissed her when she tried to restrain him. He played along for a few seconds, but ultimately they had to get up and get dressed. He briefly went to go wash his face, shave, and help her with her dress. His long, elegant fingers laced her up quickly, and he gave her a light kiss when he looked at the finished product. "I told you, I went to go speak with him." he said. "Traded a few verbal barbs, nothing serious. He seemed to think he's your property, and so am I. Tried to correct me on a number of things, actually. Poor man thinks he's your slave." Joseph smirked and played with her hair. "Let's set him straight, and get more answers about your name. I wonder if he knows it, or just called you Malice."

Joseph looked at her, touching her cheek. There was nothing but love in his eyes. "Listen. He respects you. You should be able to get some answers out of him. He hates me, but I figured that would be the case."
 
"My property?" The shuck turned to look back at him with a deep crease between her brow. "Ugh. I can't stand this place."

She'd had an ambiguous opinion of slavery prior to leaving her cemetery, the more she learned about the intricacy and intimacy of individuals, the more she realized that slaves likely had lives and goals as much as their owners. Why should one be subjugated beneath the other? More keenly, she didn't like the way Joseph had been treated by the fae. Were all humans treated that way? Or was it just 'pets' like Joseph?

Placing her hand over his, she turned her face into his palm and gave it a brief kiss. Then, thinking, she looked away from him and sighed.

"Did he say anything else? Just... flaunt that he used to... know me? Hardly a topic of reverence." Her cheeks were colored, bringing a scarlet flush to her ashen face. She couldn't bear to look at him. The familiarity of his kiss -- the insistence that it was a greeting as if she'd have welcomed it at one time. She fiddled with his fingers between hers.

// Joseph Meier //
 
Joseph sighed. "He was confused you didn't know him. Seemed to brush it off easily enough but it might have been an act in front of me. We spent the rest of the time insulting one another. He knows you don't have your name, and we're looking for it. I hoped he knew it so I could give it to you, but he either doesn't know your true name...or didn't want to give it to her lover. You've shared powers with him. That explains why he was able to turn into a black shuck when we fought. In exchange, he protects you, serves you...and apparently served as a bed companion." he kissed her cheek.

"Nothing says you have to take him as your bed mate again. You are your own woman." Joseph told her gently. "But if we're going to forge a life together, you do need your name. He can get us into the Unseelie Court. He can help us. I don't have connections here...and I'm basically property." he scratched under the collar. Why didn't this thing have any padding? He didn't mind it only for a single reason: it meant he was ignored. Servants and slaves were the eyes and ears of a court and knew more than anyone about personal habits, who was fucking who, and often knew secrets. If she could use Trahaearn to get into the higher echelons, he could investigate the servants with impugnity.

It did trample on his dignity but as long as he had Shuck, he could stand it. Besides, it was a pretty collar and he was a proud creature. He kissed her fingers and led her over to the door. They had to go talk to Trahaern. It was time.
 
His more thorough explanation answered most of her questions, but not all of them and not entirely. Listening quietly, her pensive frown gre until she sighed sharply at his remark as property once more. She planted a kiss on his forehead.

"You're no property of mine, no matter what court law says." She didn't like this, and hearing him say it was somehow made it worse, like he was already accepting it.

They walked in silence to Trhaearn's door. At least, she assumed it was his door, because that's where Joseph led her. She didn't let go of his hand when she knocked, standing resolute with her fingers tightly woven with his.

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
Trahaearn had not gone after the man or tried to stop him when he left. The information, or lack thereof was plenty to go off of as he sat quietly and thought about his time having searched for Mal. The lack of summoning him, not knowing where she had gone, his own lapse in memory. All of it made sense when he had said she was looking for her name.

Someone had taken it.

The fabric across his chest tightened as he stretched out on the bed, sitting in a position to cradle his head in his left hand as he gazed out of the window, thoughts barraging him as he tried to make sense of the past four hundred years.

Whoever has done this knew exactly what they were doing. She had been in a state to not remember him, so she had likely forgotten most of her life in the court. Which led to her not seeking him in the first place. The heart issue was no concern of his.

She had lived for some time now without one. It had always been a mystery for him how she had done it. And it had been at first alarming when he had noticed the lack of its rhythm one night, but little had changed without it.

She had still been Mal, if a bit colder in her dealings with him. Seemingly more apathetic than she had been previously, again, given the circumstances that he had come to realize for her removing it. He all to well understood why she had done such a thing.

His mood had not changed, the rage burning inside him still if only for a different reason. Someone was playing a game with Mal. The list of names he had mentally kept of her enemies or those she had slighted now came roaring back to the front as he debated the validity of their interference in their lives.

Some of the names he set aside, as some of the slights had already been remedied or even settled within the court as debt paid. But the names remained, never forgotten, only set aside to focus on the newest ones.

His finger traced his lower lip, his thoughts swirling around trying to recall the last things that had happened before whoever was doing this had set their game into motion. Perhaps the offenders had even found these two as they were, and continued to play with them on their travels. Joseph had said they had made it here just fine, but Trahaearn doubted the involved parties hadn't tried to keep an eye on their prey all the while.

More questions arose in his mind. Names that he had dismissed resurfaced, debts and grudges following behind them. His own heart beat in his chest as he thought of just how Mal had forgotten him, wondering if it was just due to her name. Or if it had to do with the time she had spent in the mortal world.

He didn't have answers, wouldn't until they returned to ask their own. The time they had spent away from him doing whatever, likely enjoying themselves considering the length of time and current setting, he spent trying to line out everything.

And coming to dead ends with no answers and far less conclusions. Until they returned, and they worked together, little else could be done to find the end of this game trail.

He had called for food shortly after Joseph had left, the plate still containing leftovers as it sat on the table across from the bed. Picked at, but not truly devoured. His appetite had been meager after his discussion with Joseph and his stomach was in disagreement with what he had ate.

A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts. His eyes focussing back to the room as he eyes the door. Not knowing her name left all of this on a dangerous precipe, as there would be some that came out of the woodwork to attack them if it became known to any outside of those that already knew. His brow wrinkled a bit as he thought of another question.

“Come in.” He called, not moving from his comfortable spot on the bed. There was explaining to do, and he wasn't about to start pacing or put himself into a position to seem aggressive until some things had been worked out.
 
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Giving Joseph's hand a brief squeeze, she entered the room upon the summons.

Trahaearn was quite unlike Joseph. Her beloved was small and angular, with dark hair and fair skin. She wasn't surebifbhebwas considered handsome, but his eyes were intelligent and his smile made her knees wobbly. He was unassuming in all regards, a veritable snake in the grass.

This man was a close opposite. Though his hair was dark, it shimmered almost silver in the light from the window. His skin was a rich gold, and his eyes a stormy gray not unlike her own. Tall, broad, and muscular, he was still several inches shorter than she was, but held himself upright.

The symmetry of his long, straight features were likely to be considered good looking, even if she thought his eyes were too narrow and his jaw too broad. And his whiskered face! She resisted the urge to rub at the offended skin again. Confidence dripped from every movement, and his cocky smile made her want to kick him again -- harder.

"Trahaearn," she greeted him slowly. She didn't let go of Joseph's hand until the door was closed behind them and she took a seat without bothering to ask. Her eyes were fixed on the man across from her.

"I have questions, and I'm assuming you do as well. If what you've told Joseph is true, that is."

She held her chin aloft, doing her best to keep calm. They needed this jerk, no matter who he was. His help would be invaluable if he truly knew her as well as he implied.

"Joseph tells me that you and I are bound to one another in court as well as an agreement. I want to know about both. What is your relationship to me, and what is the nature of our contract? Why was it my magic I saw you using?"

// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
 
They both entered, though Mal took a seat without asking to. Which in the least did not surprise him. Even if she didn't remember him, small things kept nudging to the fact that it was still his Mal that stood before him. He couldn't stop the small smile that formed when she asked about the nature of their relationship and of their contract. It went against the heavy sigh that followed, a sad undertone to his question about hers.

“Our contract and relationship are very much tied together. In regards to you, I do not lie, since lying about, or to a Fae is pointless. Being a human, I can lie. But Fae can tell when you lie. I must ask though, do you want the full tale to better understand the entirety of our relationship, and deal?” His tone and demeanor wilted as he spoke. The severity of the situation dawning upon him as she asked about their past.

The air of confidence waned as memories came to him. The first time they had met, and everything after, still as vivid as if it had happened only yesterday. The feelings associated with them had made sure to burn themselves into his very being, every detail, every nuance. Nothing forgotten,
 
Joseph let go of her hand when she went to go sit down. He sat next to her, looking like a very proud if small husband. He looked at Trahaearn with a mixture of patience and disgust. He didn’t like him. He didn’t like that he thought he could kiss Shuck whenever he liked. Joseph ached to lean forward and slap the grin off of his face. He stayed silent. He was here to protect her and serve as her lover. He wasn’t here to start fights.

He too was curious as to the nature of Trahaearns relationship with her. He hoped to the gods this man didn’t think she would actually resume any sort of sexual interaction with him.
 
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