RP:I Hope You Suffer

Part of the The Day I Tried To Live Arc

Summary: Brand decides to investigate that frozen heart of Khitti's and is found by Lydia.

The Tranquility, Cenril Wharf

It was quite some time before Brand was able to act on any of his suspicions. It was quite some time before Khitti was guaranteed to be gone long enough for him to slip the master key into her door lock, granting him entry to an empty room. Green eyes glanced quickly over the bed, dresser, and a couple of her personal knick knacks laid about before he set to rummaging through the space under her bed. And… nope, it wasn’t there, but dammit, that heart had to be around here somewhere. Amarrah’s heart. He wasn’t even quite sure what he’d do when he found it, only that it might give him some reassurance to the worries plaguing his mind. Was Khitti somehow being corrupted by it? Was Amarrah still an influence on her even now? Was it possible something even more sinister was in play, and perhaps the Corruption targeting Larewen was spreading to the Khitti as well? And what answer was he even hoping for?

If it were here, there were only so many places it could be. Where there were notes left out, Brand leafed through them in hopes it would give him a clue. The search went on for some time, with great care to return everything to its prior condition. She couldn’t realize he’d been in here; she’d surely view it as a breach of trust.

Finally, it was time to wheel upon Khitti’s wardrobe. It was the only place left that made any sense.

As Brand searched through the piles on the table, and soon started to turn his attention towards the wardrobe, Lydia appeared. She seated herself all prim and proper like on the edge of the bed that faced the wardrobe, her own green, albeit ghostly eyes fixed on him, “Do you really think that’s a good idea? Snooping around here with the way she’s been lately might not be wise.” The ghost leaned forward, propping her head up on her arms, her elbows now on her knees. “You know she’s got enough people betraying her lately; don’t think you want to add your name to the list.”

Brand promptly bumped his head on a drawer left open above him. Because of course that -- and a timely Lydia -- would be his luck. “Nobody’s betrayin’ anybody,” retorted Brand, eyeing Khitti’s doppelganger now and rubbing at the sore spot on his head. He was half inclined to tell her to scram and mind her own business, but Lydia was a meddler and a meddler wouldn’t let this lie. Like it or not, he’d have to explain himself now, wouldn’t he? “You can’t tell her, though. It’s for your own good as much as mine.” He returned to his exhibition, his back to the redheaded ghost. “She seemed -off- to you at all, lately?”

“Khitti’s -always- been off. But, if you mean angrier, more paranoid, and prone to stabbing people in the face, then yes.” The ghost sighed and moved off the bed, stepping over to where he was at, “Stop.” The word was said calmly before she pointed down at the very bottom drawer. “Down there. Under the coat and papers.” Brand would find inside that coat that was identical to his own, only in a dark shade of blue, taking up the majority of the drawer. Beneath Dominic’s coat was his research papers, and the ingredients Khitti’s so far collected, all of which he’d seen but one (the sheet music Alvina helped with)--and of course, the frozen heart. “What exactly do you intend to do with that?” A pause. “She still hasn’t talked to you yet, has she?”

Brand hefted the weight of the heart about in his hands. “About what?” There didn’t -appear- to be anything blatantly wrong with Amarrah’s heart -- other than it having coming from Amarrah herself, of course. Brand sensed no dark magic emanating from it and didn’t particularly feel an urge to murder things (more than usual). “And how’d you figure what I was lookin’ for?”

“Her nightmares. They’re not like what she said she’d had before. Not of the trees. Not of home.” A spectral foot reached out and closed the drawer before Brand could inspect the contents any further; it had also been the place where Khitti’d hid that ring from Alvina, but with the way Brand was about such things, Lydia knew well to keep it hidden. “What else would you be in here looking for? You’re obviously not in here to try on her dresses.”

Brand snorted. “Obviously.” He stared at the heart a bit longer before holding it up to Lydia, head canted. “Can -you- sense anything? Any chance this has somethin’ to do with it? That was my theory, but I’m runnin’ on a whole lotta nothin’ in terms of theories, here.” Assuming there was a -reason- for Khitti’s behavior at all, and this wasn’t just… the new normal. “And what about these nightmares, then?”

Of course, Khitti hadn’t told him. Why would she? She’d scared Dominic off, hadn’t she? At least, that’s what Khitti had told Lydia. No point in telling Brand anything about dreams, right? Lydia studied the Catalian and then the heart and then him again before moving back to the bed. “I feel nothing. But, that doesn’t mean the heart isn’t tainted. Amarrah was pure evil when she died. You or I might not be able to sense it because Khitti’s magic could be blocking it. That’s -my- theory anyway.” Ghostly arms crossed over her chest as she peered up at Brand, “I’ve pretty much tasked myself with watching over her because you cannot or will not any longer--especially after you’ve already had to do so for so long. Whatever the case may be, you’re busy and I’m not.” Lydia paused, gathering her thoughts carefully. “Some nights, she wakes up screaming. Others, it’s fire or ice or the room is so thick with shadows that even -I- feel like I’m suffocating. Thankfully, I’m able to catch both instances before anyone hears her or her magic alerts your first mate again. The strangest thing though, is that most often when she awakens in the middle of the night, it starts as coughing and choking, and soon after, she’s spewing up putrid black water that should not even be in her body to begin with. She’s drowning in her sleep and that is a thing that should not be--not to a vampire.”

Geez. Thanks for the guilt trip, Lydia. “I dunno how the frak her magic could block it without her knowing about it. But I guess hers has always kinda worked that way. She’s never entirely had a handle on it.” Maybe it was something that came with having abilities forced on you that you didn’t want any part of, even if she seemed to have come to terms with it now. Something she’d had in common with Dominic, before he’d faded entirely. “Why tell me now? If you hang out on this ship even when she’s not around, there would’ve been plenty of opportunity. ‘Drowning’ sounds like somethin’ that Facilier asshole would do. Like that tattoo he gave her. Wouldn’t put it past him, that’s for gorram sure -- even if it meant enchanting his own daughter’s heart to do it.” With that thought rattling around in his mind, Brand stowed the heart away in one of his larger trouser pockets. “I’ll hold onto it, I think. Cover for me, Lydia.” And that was that. He turned as if to leave.

“W-wait! Where the hell do you think you’re going with that?! She needs it. She’ll find out.” Lydia grabbed Brand by the back of his collar and dragged him back further into the room. “What are you doing with it? You can’t destroy it, Brand. She needs it for her cure. If you think she gets angry and murderous now, just imagine how she’ll be if she found out you took it.” Lydia moved in front of the door, as if meaning to block him, but it’s not like a ghost was gonna do much. “I’m telling you now because I was waiting. Waiting to see if -you- were going to do something on your own. Because that means you actually -do- care about her and that you might not leave like she’s convinced you’re still going to do at some point.”

Brand shrugged coolly. Even Lydia’s panicked tone couldn’t rankle him. “Who said anything about destroyin’ it? If it’s got some effect, I’d rather it be on me than on her. I’m not the one already at their wit’s end with stress. If you think she’ll notice it’s gone before she needs it, I’ll have Onyx craft an illusion to make it look like it’s still there. Or somethin’. I dunno.” It wasn’t like Brand had thought this plan through, any more than he’d really thought through coming here in the first place. He came here because he had the suspicion and the opportunity arose to do some investigating, and nothing more. That second string of sentences, though… that got him to look Lydia in the eyes, hand still on the doorknob. He tried to formulate a response, but several half-formed ideas died on the way to his tongue, each climbing a little further over the corpses of the others until he finally managed: “And somehow -this- was the moment that convinced you, do I have that right? Weren’t you just accusing me of betrayin’ her a second ago?”

Lydia sighed and rolled her eyes, “Did you forget whose sister I am? Of course I’m going to give you hell for just barging into her room.” She shook her head and pointed at the wardrobe, “Put it back. Don’t just take it and assume things’ll be okay because it won’t. You know it won’t. You put it back and you help her finish this quickly. She won’t take it anywhere else--she doesn’t trust anywhere else--and that’s gotta mean something. Khitti’s got how many ingredients left...4? Including me?” Yeah, Lydia knew about the blood sacrifice. It was only a matter of time, really before she’d point out her knowledge on the subject. “She’s almost done. You’re the only thing keeping her from crossing over that line anymore than she already has. Just...keep helping her and I’ll keep watch over here when she’s here so you don’t have to.. But, just don’t ruin this thing you two have just because you’ve not thought things through properly.”

Brand had already opened his mouth to protest when that one particular revelation hit him. He wasn’t one to stammer often, but he did here. His first thought was to outright deny Lydia had any part in the cure, but… those weren’t the words of someone who had any doubt, were they? “Seven hells, Lydia. I can’t help her if you give me a gorram heart attack. You’ve known -how- long, exactly? And you’re just gonna stick around?”

“The two of you don’t quite yet know of the extent of his malice. This ‘ingredient’, specifically, he saw fit to tell me about while he had me locked up. He surely kept his promise, but he aims to continue to hurt her in the process.” Lydia finally moved away from the door with a heavy sigh, “What else am I supposed to do? Tell her no? Tell her she can’t try to be human again? Tell her there’s no point in her trying for this happy ending she wants so badly? I serve no purpose here. I don’t belong here. But, she won’t talk to me about any of this, much like she won’t with you--she doesn’t even know that I know, but she’s definitely already made her decision on using me. She’s become hardhearted and dark, or is, at least, quite a bit down that path.” A ghostly finger prodded him lightly in the chest, “You’re her light. You just being there for her gives her some amount of hope because you didn’t just give up on her. Not like Dominic did, and not like practically everyone else. Khitti -needs- you and if you take that heart right now, she’s going to think you gave up on her too...and then she’s going to get lost in the darkness.” The ghost finally pulls her hand away from him, moving over to Khitti’s table to slightly adjust a few things that he hadn’t put back perfectly after his search, “I -will- stay and I’ll keep an eye on her while she’s here until it’s my time to be of use to her. I don’t think it affects her while she’s gone nor does it seem likely to affect you either--you’re not really the one Facilier hates.”

Nevermind that Brand didn’t understand why Lydia would simply let Khitti use her -- what was all this talk of light and darkness? “You seem to think an awful lot hinges on me,” Brand sighed, returning the heart at last to its resting place. “But fine. If you’re that confident, we can play it your way for now.” For now, until things inevitably went awry. “Why would he waste that hate on Khitti? It’s not as if it were her idea to get strapped to Amarrah for a decade plus. And why tell you?” He had his theories, but surely Lydia had some of her own?

“I don’t know, Brand. Why do evil people do bad things? Because they’re crazy.” Khitti’s spectral mirror was exasperated by all the questions. He couldn’t ever just do as he’s told, could he? The answer to that was ‘no’, of course. “Who else does he have to take it out on? Can’t kill the mindflayer; that little cult’s dead thanks to their own stupidity. Can’t kill the necromancers that were here; Khitti killed all of those. Khitti and I are the only things left that had anything to do with that, so when he couldn’t get to her somehow, I was the next best thing. It helps that I just so happen to look like her, so he could -really- envision getting his revenge when he took it out on me.”

Lydia frowned at the thought of being back in the Shadow Plane and cringed, “Look. The dead talk about as much as you living do. I found out awhile ago, back when you were hauling her ass out of the dragon’s cave, that a lot of bad things happened after Amarrah was taken from her home. Her mom couldn’t handle the grief of losing their only daughter, so she killed herself. Not long after that, they were attacked several times through the years by the other tribe on the island--a bunch of bloodthirsty folk that used to be aligned with Facilier’s people in one giant clan--and that took a toll on the guy. Drove him to madness. People died because he wasn’t in his right mind to begin with after Amarrah. With everyone else connected to Dämmerung Stürze dead, and Khitti being the Queen of Bad Luck that she is, guess who he decided to blame for it? He even sacrificed his own daughter for the cause because he thought she was tainted from being over here for too long.” If Lydia were Khitti, now would be about the time where she’d start rubbing her eyes and temples in frustration. Lydia literally couldn’t do anything to help anyone and it was getting a bit aggravating.

“Well, that’s a bucket of frakked luck, but I dunno that it’s as simple as that.” Yeah. Brand just called that whole situation with Khitti and Amarrah and Shadow Plane politics ‘simple.’ Blame it on his Catalian lack-of-an-upbringing to see spectres behind every motive laid plain. “Most everyone’s the protagonist of their own thoughts. Might look like madness to you and I, but I’m sure there’s a sort of twisted logic to it. And who knows if he or anyone else would actually tell you the truth about anything over there.” Brand brushed a hand through his stubble, eyes to the ground, brows furrowed. No, there was definitely a missing piece here… he just couldn’t figure what or where. “If first and second impressions are any indication, the man’s smart. Cunning, y’might say. Still can’t help but wonder if this spell will do as claimed -- even knowin’ she’s got no choice but to try it anyway. And the prophecies… her nightmares… the heart...” He met Lydia’s gaze once again. “One way or another, I doubt we’ll be done with him even once Khitti’s got her cure. I dunno if she’s thought that far, but he’s not someone I’d want to be blindsided by.”

“The Shadow Plane’s business isn’t yours for now. Worry about it when the cure’s been dealt with. She’s got enough on her mind without having to take into consideration that Facilier might be doing ill deeds over there. Though, I wouldn’t put it out of your mind entirely. If there’s anyone that’d be able to handle things properly over there, it’s you two and whatever friends you decide to take along again. There’s many tribes over there that are going to need help if Facilier makes it to the mainland. Even if he doesn’t, his own tribe is in danger.” Lydia shook her head and sighed, “And the cure -will- work. He was bound by contract to make it real. Spellcrafting, for someone his age, is a cinch, but it’s clear he made it with malicious intent. You have to finish things, Brand, and quickly before anything else happens.”

Lydia seemed pretty certain, but there was no combination of words that could thoroughly convince Brand. He’d have to see this cure with his own eyes before he’d believe it. “All right. Well… I s’pose I shouldn’t stay here. She could always come back early, wonderin’ why I’d ‘betray’ her, as you so kindly put it.” Sarcasm? Brand? No, never. There was still a hint of distrust held toward Lydia; she’d proven her loyalty to Khitti, sure, but she’d also proven a penchant for meddling with his head. She’d be kept at that same arm’s length as Esche for that crime. Hand on the doorknob, Brand turned to ask one further question. “Lydia. If you can get into people’s dreams, why don’t you try to change or block the dreams Khitti’s havin’? Or get at the root of it, see if you can pull out what’s causin’ it?” In other words, make your meddling useful, woman.

Whatever sort of emotion had been there on Lydia’s spectral features were wiped away now with those last two questions from the blonde. There’s a few moments of silence, ghostly green eyes shifting about the room as she thought about the inquiries. “Because this is the path she chose. She chose to become human again, and betray -me- in the process. She could’ve asked me and I likely would have conceded. But she chose poorly. Consequences and the feelings of others, whether they’re alive are not, mean little to her now, if they ever really did before. Instead of being happy with what she had, and perhaps even giving -me- life again so we could finally live together as we should have all this time, she chose to forsake her own blood and that’s unforgivable.” Lydia paused, finally setting her line of sight on Brand, “I will watch over her because I love her more than anything in this world or the next. She won’t die, but I will see to it that she suffers for her choices, even if it’s just through these dreams. Until my end, until this is finished, she will know only darkness. And if you can’t prove that you’re worthy of her, that you can take my place as her companion for life, that you can be her light when she needs it as I have always been, I will drag my sister down into the void with me when I am released from this world and none of you will ever see her again.”

Brand was silent through Lydia’s monologue, though his hand retreated from the doorknob and his gaze found a hardness to it usually reserved for the likes of Facilier himself. “You two really -are- sisters. But if that heart -is- doin’ something to her, she at least has an excuse. And even if it isn’t, I can’t imagine livin’ with that butterfly in her head for so long didn’t leave some mark. So what’s your excuse, then?” The question was meant to be rhetorical. He was already making his exit. Better that than burning the ship down trying to burn Lydia.