RP:I Wish You Would Step Back From That Ledge, My Friend

Summary: Pilar, distraught over the supposed death of her lover Casandra, tries to take her own life. Valen, passing through, stops her.

Scenic View

Pilar stood at the cliff's edge, the wind whipping her hair around. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she looked out at the natural beauty of the land, for what would be the last time. There was a paper clutched in her hand. She took a step forward and looked down. Even a vampire would not survive a fall from this height, and that was what she was counting on.

The ambient sounds in the area would stop. There would be no birds chirping, no crickets, no wind...Just for a split second, at least. When the sounds resume, a voice from behind her would say, quite familiar, "Don't..." Valen would be there, wide eyed and in shock, as he knew all to well what someone was going to do, when they looked like that, and got that close to the edge....especially here, and it was from personal experience. "Miss Pilar...please, don't."   Pilar turned to look at Valen, her despair clear on her face. "I... I can't go on, Mister Valen. She was... She was my everything. And now she's gone..." She started to sob. "I-I-I ne-e-ever even s-sang her the stu-stupid song..." She turned back to the cliffside. "I ju-just want to see-see her again... Her and my family... I shou-ould never have s-s-survived that n-night..."

Valen's heart would go out to her, and before he knew what he was doing, he was walking up to her and enveloping Pilar in the most deep hug he could give. "Take it easy..." he would say, looking at her with those kind and beautiful blue eyes, mustering a smile to try and help her relax...somewhat. "Who says you cannot see her? What about Miss Cas and your family?" Concern now tugged at him, just what had happened? "Show me some way to help you. How have you come to grief, in such a place as this?"   Pilar sniffed and showed him the paper. It was an article torn from the Chartsend Times. A ship had gone down in the middle of the ocean. The only survivor had been a vampire who had let the tide carry them back to land. "Sh-she was on th-that sh-shi-ship... And my-my family-ly, they all d-died three... three years ago. Slau-aughtered like--" She choked on a sob and pushed Valen away. "Th-there's a note in the... The Destrier... P-put it on... other boards... so they know." With that, she took another step backward and began to fall.

Valen could feel it. He could feel the reasoning behind what he knew she was trying to do, and if anything had happened to York, he would honestly have done the same. Hell, he had done the same before, or tried to at least, when Irenic had stuck a proverbial spike through his chest. The news of Cas' assumed premature death, weighed heavily on his mind. This poor woman. As she fell though, it registered in his mind that he had let her go, and without hesitation, without concern for his own life and limbs. She would see him hurtling towards her at breakneck speed...beautiful angelic wings of the purest black, made from shadow, as he raced down towards her before reaching out, and catching her at the last second, leveling out and carrying her towards some cliff-less area. He held her in those arms of his, bridal style, and would set her down gently upon reaching the impromptu destination. Anger coursed through him, but so did love, and concern. "Pilar." he would say sternly, looking at her. Wasn't Cas a dragon? How could this woman believe that a dragon would be done in by a simple ship-wreck? It was not impossible, just not probable. "Pilar death is not the answer. Sure, it might fix things for you. But it will just be something to make other's sad, making them deppressed as well as they remembered a troubled soul who lost a battle against herself. That is no way to leave people dearest...No one, should ever do that willingly..." Here a hand would go to dry any tears. "Talk with me."   Pilar would have greeted Death with open arms. But instead, the arms she found were Valen's. As they touched down, Pilar crumpled to the ground, sobbing. She just wanted to die. Why wouldn't anyone let her?   Valen watched her crumple to the ground, and ultimately felt helpless. Never had he been the one to try and stop someone from suicide, it was always the other way around. Was this what it felt like? Or was it just him? Finally, his eyes would change from blue, to green. His hair would now be a mixture of crimson and blonde as Maldor was the one to speak, and he was not amused. "...I hope those are tears of happiness, that Valen saved your ass." he would say, before going to sit down next to her, legs to his chest. "You want to know the worst thing? It's not the fact of losing someone. People die all the time. It's all the days they stay dead." With that, reaching into the shadows, he would pull out a bottle of liquid, drink some, then hand the rest to her. "Here. This will help. You and I are going to talk, little lady, and if at the end you still want to die...Then I will do it myself if that is what you need, or ask of me."

The change in his eyes was just like when Cassy turned into Sandra. It was too much to bear. She threw the bottle against a tree, causing it to shatter. "Just kill me now! I don't want to live anymore! All it is is pain and more pain!" she sobbed. "I don't even remember what happiness feels like..."

Maldor would simply narrow his eyes, and purse his lips. That...had been his best booze. "You don't want to die. You just want to not feel this way anymore and are unaware of how else to go about it. If you wanted to die, you wouldn't have wasted time walking to the Scenic View. You want to remember what happiness feels like though? Do you? I will easily show you that." With that, he would go to take her by the hand. "Because I -do- know a way you can be happy, without tearing your soul out like this. But you need to decide right now, whether you want it enough to stop trying to kill yourself. Is living, -happy-...worth it, to you?"   Pilar looked at Maldor, lip quivering, eyes leaking. "How... How can you make me happy?" She pulled her hand away. She didn't trust this guy. Valen was sweet. This man wasn't him.

Maldor would roll his eyes "By having you actually listen to what Valen has to say. I can't make you happy, but Valen can certainly come close. My brother usually has a way with words, but you have to be willing to listen. You understand me on that?"   Pilar sniffled. "Y-you're wasting your time. Just... Just leave me." She looked towards the broken glass. Surely that would be sharp enough to break the skin of her throat...

Maldor's eyes would glare at her for a moment before grabbing a shard, and would hold it up to Pilar's throat. "You think you want to die....woman. You know nothing of what awaits in that black abyss. All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished. There s nothing but the void beyond, and I will -not- let one like you waste such a life, waste such potential, just because you have something going on in your head. People die, people love, people are born. It's the way of the world, and life is -not- fair." Here, if she had pressed into the shard and cut herself deep, Maldor would move the shadows to cover her wound while he would turn the shard on his own neck. "Now, I -could- be a bastard. I -could- end Valen and myself right here because I just found out my own wife and son and daughter are dead. But what would that serve? I know there is much more to offer." Here, he would draw the shard across his own skin, leaving a trail of crimson that slowly seeps out. "But you know what? I'd rather live with the pain. I'd rather go on, and not insult their memory. I know for a fact that Enwa would want me to go on, and not follow her in death. I know, because of the bond we shared. If you and that woman, had any sort of similar feelings, then you will see that no matter what, she would never forgive you for taking your own life."

Pilar took the chance that was offered, and cut her throat, only to have the shadows staunch the bleeding. When he turned shard on himself, she let out a wordless cry. As he continued to talk, she started to sob anew. Her heart hurt so much, but not as much as the truth of his words.

Maldor, again, would roll his eyes in an annoyed fashion. "Look. Kid. Lady. I cant and wont be the answer to everyone's problems. You can either be strong for the good memories, or you can break down and give up because of the bad ones. If the good memories are worth nothing, then go ahead, kill yourself. When you are dead, you will not remember anything. Cas will truly die, when you stop remembering. Is that what you want? Your memory could be the only thing keeping her alive in your heart. If you want to have her be forgotten, then go ahead. Otherwise, live, and remember the times you had...and she can live on in you."

Pilar continued to weep, unable to speak for a time. The harder she tried to stop, the harder she cried. She couldn't be strong. She didn't WANT to be strong. She wanted to leave all the pain behind. She wanted Cassy and her family back. But that would never happen. They were lost to her forever, and death was the only way to reunite with them. But Maldor was making sense, too. She was just so lost, so hurt... "I-I-I..." she started hiccupping. "I'm-m not st-st-strong... I do-don't kn-kn-know how to be-e..."   Maldor would ultimately reach the end of his rope. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he would stand the two of them both up, and glare into her eyes. "You -are- strong, and you -will- be strong. You want to know how to be? Learn to say no. LEarn how to say no for once in your life. I dont mean tell other people no, I mean tell the universe 'no'. You don't like what is happening? You tell it 'no', and you do what you need to do in order to get what you want." With that, he would raise his right hand in a threatening gesture "Consider this the first part of your lesson. Im going to start hitting you now, I don't know when I will stop." Ultimately, in his head, he was hoping she will tell him 'no...to prove she got his point.   Pilar looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. She wanted an end to the pain, not more of it. "N-n-no..." she said weakly, pathetically. "D-Don't... Pl-please, I j-j-just want to..."   Maldor would stay his hand for a moment as he looked at her. Yes, true. She had told him no, and that was a very big and good start but it needed to be more than that. "You just want to what, be happy? -Make- yourself happy. No one else is going to do that for you. Here's a better idea. Start making yourself happy. You -truly- want to not be in pain? Learn how to use magic again. I'm not going to continue this any longer though." With that, the Blue eyes would return, along with his full head of crimson hair. Valen would hold his head for a moment before hugging Pilar tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Miss Pilar please don't!"   Pilar, shaking, hugged Valen back. "I... I... I don't know what else to do... I can't, can't see anything good ahead... I can't make myself be happy..." She looked up at him with big, sad eyes. "I'm so... lost..."

Valen would hold her tight, sympathy flooding into his mind. "I know how that feels...I really do. the last time I felt that, I tried to do the exact same thing..." He had not admitted that aloud to anyone since he had tried to kill himself at the very spot a few months ago. For now, he would just hold her, as only a true friend could, even crying with her as he saw her eyes. "I am so sorry sweetheart..."

Pilar squeezed him tight. He understood. That's all she needed. Someone who understood. "Thank you, Valen... I'm glad you're still here." She sniffled. "I... What can I do? I can't... I can't force myself to be happy. Even my magic coming back... It wouldn't fill the emptiness inside..."

Valen would just hold her close to him, hand moving up and down her back, while another was pressed to the back of her head to simply hold her close. How had he beat this? It all had gone away when he spent time trying to pine after those he was interested in but he was NOT certain that this was the correct thing to say now. His author has Aspergers, therefore so does this Vamp, and it has bit them both in the butt before. So he thought, and very slowly said "Maybe if you spend some time with friends, Miss Pilar? It may not fill it completely....I..." Here he would look down. He was just a fountain of truth today. "I still know what it means to have a hole. Mine is not as big now, because I have York, and it is slowly filling, but I still have one....from leaving Xzavior, from being without him. I...know that may seem wrong, but as I said....it -is- being filled in. Your magic...could be a useful distraction? A hobby? Trying to re-aquaint yourself with it? It seems to me that a distraction is what you could really use right now sweety..."

"That... maybe. I, I don't think I'm ready to try just yet. You have your wedding to plan, besides. But maybe... maybe in a few days we can try?"

A kiss would be given to the top of her forehead, and an immediate answer given. "Of course we can. I have to say I -am- a bit nervous but I think things will go smoothly. So long as Irenic or an asshat named Lycidas don't show up, I think things will go quite well....But certainly. Maybe when York and I get back from our honeymoon?"

Pilar nodded. "That would be good... Thank you, Valen. For everything. I owe you."