RP:If I Burn

Part of the On Stranger Tides Arc

Part of the Dissonance Theory Arc

This is a Devout's Guild RP.

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

Summary: Brand's past comes back to haunt him...

The Apartment Above The Bakery, Cenril

Brand’s dreams had only gotten worse since their escape from those accursed islands. Before, he’d at least found relief from special incense or draughts, but now there was no relief to be had. The dreams even followed him into his waking hours, turning everything to shades of green and grey, blue and black, the color palette of a sunken ship and all its merry corpses. He was going to be one of them, soon. Living, healthy people didn’t grow scales that no one else could see. They didn’t hear voices in the walls, voices that cried out in pain, walls that seemed to breathe as he did, walls that teemed with a new and rotten life that slipped out between the cracks and oozed out onto the floorboards and made everything stink of spoiled fish.

Brand || His last act as captain, ten days after the mission that had doomed him, was to update his will and testament. He told Dozla she was only taking over temporarily, but he knew better. Perhaps she knew better, too, but proper decorum prevented her from asking too many questions. At least, he mused, his illness didn’t appear to be spreading to anyone else. The last mission had been dangerous, but he could die knowing he was the ship’s only casualty. He’d kept everyone else safe, and that at least was something to be proud of.

Brand || As he retreated to the apartment, planning to drink himself into a stupor one last time, he wondered who would find him. Hopefully not Dominic. As much as he hated to think of it, it would probably be Khitti… and it would probably be a horrible surprise. She didn’t even know he was sick, or at least not the extent of it. She’d asked him to see Lennier when she noticed the itching, but a dozen of the elf’s most complicated instruments all seemed to think he was perfectly fine. Lennier had prescribed him a skin cream, and that had been the end of it. All fine. Nothing to see here.

Brand || He was three drinks in now, and it was time to relieve himself. He staggered to the bathroom without really looking, did his business, and tried to ignore the squelching of the wall as he leaned himself against it. He took both hands into the washbasin and splashed water on his face, then braced himself for a glance in the mirror. He’d see how far the scales were spreading. Surely they were up to his face, now. Only… the face that looked back wasn’t his own. It was a woman’s, pure and clear and unmarred by any degree of scales. He saw her in full color, a stunning contrast from the drab hues his world had been reduced to. She moved as he’d expect of his own reflections, limb for limb in perfect synchronicity. Suddenly he could feel the weight of her hair on his shoulders, thick blonde curls that obeyed no attempt to tame them. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter, lithe fingers tipped with perfect crescent nails. Then a hand shot forward, the looking glass shattered, and Brand saw no more.

Khitti probably should’ve been more concerned about this itching of Brand’s than she was, but she’d also had a lot of things on her plate, so she chalked it up to a new allergy he’d gotten that Lennier had yet to figure out. Even now she was still trying to process the massive weight she no longer felt from having her magic essentially belong to someone else. It felt weird. And wrong. Wasn’t she always supposed to be chained to someone or something? Well, the only person she was truly chained to now, now had more chains of his own. There was nothing worse than invisible shackles. How could you ever truly break something of the sort? Khitti hadn’t even broken her own herself. It was the Archipelago that’d done that. Who could she even talk to about that? About the fact that everything about her was her own now? Likely, she would’ve talked to Brand, if she’d had the time. But, all the organizations she was a part of, as well as her bakery and the little quest she’d long since started to unlock all of the Black Tides abilities… they waited for no one. And they cared even less so for how tired she was. There’d been no true downtime, just like she’d told Rilla on their journey back from the Cave of Regret. There never was.

Khitti || Except for now--even if it was only for a few hours. Khitti wandered through the apartment’s door, shut it, threw her keys on the counter, kicked her boots to wherever the hell they wanted to land, weaved through the dining room, and collapsed onto the couch in the living room, one of her legs hanging off the side of it. There’s an exceptionally heavy sigh as both of Khitti’s hands reached up to rub her eyes and face. Unfortunately, she had not had the energy, or the fraks, to make it all the way to the Tranquility. Brand was probably expecting her to come back, but it wouldn’t be tonight. She was extremely grateful that Meri had not been busy and had been able to take Dominic for a few days because all she wanted to do now was sleep.

Brand || Something was waiting for her. There was a presence in the house, a presence that grew stronger and stronger with every passing moment. Khitti would feel it long before she saw the woman in the chair across from her, quite settled in as though she’d been there the whole time. She’d watched Khitti move with cold blue eyes, and a colder smirk spread across her face the moment Khitti saw her. Her skin was pale and freckled and lacked the usual olive tint of a Catalian, but the sharpness of her nose remained a dead giveaway. Blonde curls and manicured brows framed her face, and a mess of black sequins and lace splayed in several layers around her legs. She was holding a dagger in one hand, idly, almost as if she’d forgotten it was there. The hilt was forged from some sort of crystal, and it reflected hues of violet, crimson, and chartreuse in wild streaks of light around the room. The woman took a deep breath, deep, deeper, as if relishing the very ability to breathe. Finally, she spoke. “Do you know who I am?”

Khitti || Something had felt off… because it -was- off. The something’s presence was stifling. It reminded Khitti of Facilier’s power, how he could all but strangle her with it all the way from in the Shadow Plane. How it somehow worsened as the veil between the Shadow Plane and this one was nearly nonexistent. How could something like that get worse? How was someone that powerful? A red alert was going on in Khitti’s mind. DANGER! This and similar things kept running through her head as she laid there, eyes still covered in an attempt to block out the light. Khitti was just dwelling on this too much. That’s what Brand would tell her. Just… quit thinking about it. Quit. Thinking. About. It. And yet, she could not. To the point that it frustrated her. But a certain blonde individual announced her presence more fully, leading Khitti to realize that the alert in her mind was not quite for what she thought it was…. “Probably not. But you’re in my home and I’m tired enough to warn you to get out before I set you on fire.” Khitti took another moment, then finally sat up with a pained, irritated sigh, olive-green eyes settling on the very, obviously Catalian woman.

Khitti || “You’re from Catal, that much is clear,” she said at length, after taking in the woman’s appearance. “I’m pretty sure I’m one of the only people here in Lithrydel that could pick all of you out from a lineup. There’s so few of you and yet, you’re all so very obvious.” Khitti’s line of sight shifted to the Catalian’s hair as she attempted to suppress a smirk, “And blonde.” So, there was at least one Catalian that wasn’t, but most of them had been. “What exactly makes you so important that I should care to know who you are? Fancy titles aren’t really my thing to fawn over. I can point you in the direction of your former prince that’d vouch for that.” Khitti smiled sweetly. Probably too sweetly. The kind of sweet where it was obvious she wasn’t actually being sweet whatsoever. “If you’re a Lionel O’Connor fangirl, I can try to get you a date, but I can’t promise anything.”

Brand || “Hmm.” The woman smiled sweetly back. Too sweetly. “Incorrect. But I suppose it doesn’t matter. I have something of yours.” Her free hand lifted towards her chest. Her fingers slipped past fabric and skin and found somewhere deeper, an impossible space that she accessed as easily as if she were dipping a hand into water. She was searching for something inside herself, the tendons twitching, her forearm obscured much past her elbow. Finally she grasped something and withdrew her arm with haste, slinging an object away from her. It hit the far wall with a wet smack and started scurrying toward the window. Whatever it was, it was alive -- and it was fast. The woman watched it go. Only when it neared its escape did she move again, throwing her knife and pinning it expertly in its center. The creature flailed about, shrieking miserably, unable to free itself. Now that it was stuck in place, it was clear that it was an eel, dark and oily, made half of substance and half of shadow. The woman strode up to it and clicked her tongue. “You did this to yourself, you know. If you still think you can run from me, you’re an even bigger fool than I imagined.” She turned back to Khitti now, as if only just remembering that she was present. “You know him as Brand. But do you know who he is, really?”

Khitti just watched as the woman reached inside and pulled out something wriggling from somewhere within. If it had been any other person, they probably would’ve thrown up. Or screamed. Or headed for the door. Khitti though? She just tilted her head with vague curiosity and stared. She’d seen enough, been through enough, to not really be phased by this sort of thing. The horrors of the Shadow Plane and the Archipelago had rattled the minds of far too many of Khitti’s family, friends, and acquaintances, but not Khitti. Oh? She has something of hers? Khitti had yet to actually keep some sort of water-based pet--though it’s a wonder it hadn’t happened yet. Did that mermaid Nemona count? No, no. That didn’t matter right now. What did matter was that the blonde woman was speaking and stabbing the poor creature and then telling Khitti that it was her husband. Panic set in… and rage. She didn’t show it, however. There was only one person this woman could be and Khitti had had a terrible feeling when she noted the blonde hair and the dagger and those Catalian features.

Khitti || “Viera. Dear. It’s lovely to meet you finally,” Khitti smiled, doing her best to keep her attention off of Brand. Don’t look at him. Doooon’t do it. “I’m surprised you’re not just a pile of talking ashes! Death by fire? Ugh. I’ve been there. It does not do wonders for the complexion. As for Brand, oh honey… I know everything.” She really didn’t. It wasn’t something she was going to ever press him about. What did it matter? Viera had been dead and gone and was never going to come back… And yet… Thankfully, she knew just enough from that story of his years ago to fake it a bit. “Such a tragedy. You just wanted to have a career! And poor Brand. He had no control over that. Terrible. Absolutely terrible. The whole star-crossed lovers thing? Ugh. We went through that too. Fate is not kind, Viera. Not at all.” Goddamn it. If Brand was well and truly an eel at this point, he did not have long before he was going to start suffocating and Khitti knew it. That dagger wasn’t helping anything either. She could feel the shadows radiating off of him but for the moment, she chose not to do anything, fighting off the urge to even just freeze him in shadow-ice temporarily. “Would you like some tea? Coffee? Water? I think Brand could use some water… couldn’t you, dear?” Viera was a smart lady. She would very much pick up what Khitti was putting down: please remove the dagger from my slimy eel of a husband and let me put him in water. Somewhere. Anywhere. You don’t even have to turn him back yet. I literally do not care.

Brand || But Viera had wheeled around before Khitti had finished and was no longer listening. She snapped her fingers, and the eel transformed. Brand -- or his shadowy likeness, at least -- was slumped against the wall. The dagger pierced him three inches south of his ribcage, though the wound didn’t seem to bleed. Viera crouched by his side, hissing into his ear. “Is -that- what you told her? That we were -lovers-?! That I wanted anything to do with you?” Brand groaned and coughed up a dark substance. He didn’t have the strength to wipe it away, much less to respond. Viera touched a hand to his face and closed her eyes, as if listening very carefully to something faint and far away. When she distanced herself and turned to Khitti again, it was with a very different sort of energy: less antagonistic, an eerie sort of calm. Her voice shook with restrained emotion. “I’ll tell you the -real- story sometime, maybe. But right now, the Lord Below has business with him. He has sins that must be spoken for.”

Brand || The apartment disappeared. They were on a beach now, a place lit only by a waning moon, and there was a rumbling in the water. A creature of darkness rose from the depths, its many eyes shining bold and yellow like the lamps that warned of dangerous and rocky shores. Viera dragged Brand by the collar and strode with him into the water. “I don’t know why you wanted him alive.” She was speaking to the creature now. Several of its eyes blinked. A great tentacle cradled Brand before both sank under the water. The creature groaned like the creaking of an ancient ship. “Yes, I understand. But I’m telling you, there’s nothing in him worth redeeming. I spent ten days inside his mind -- there’s nothing.” The creature groaned again. A wave rose up and shattered on the docks. A tentacle reached out and pointed at Khitti. Viera scowled. “She doesn’t count. He couldn’t even tell her the truth about what he did to me.” The tentacle pointed, more insistently. Then, it beckoned.

Khitti || Ten days? Ten days. Viera’s been here for Ten. Frakking. Days. Khitti’s world had melted away leaving them on the beach and that bitch of a Catalian talking to some eldritch entity. And yet, all Khitti could focus on was how long she’d been here, the gears turning in her head as she pieced everything together. Ten. Days. The itching Brand had had. The spirits on the Archipelago. Maybe the bad feeling she’d had was not even meant for Lionel at all… Maybe it was for Brand. She dwelled on it too much, as she was wont to do, and hadn’t even processed the fact that the creature had pulled Brand’s shadowy form away until it was too late.

Khitti || “You’ve been inside him for 10 days? You think that’s enough? I’ve been with him nearly every day for four and a half years. Whatever he used to be, he isn’t that anymore. You’re just bitter because you died,” Khitti said angrily, her line of sight fixed on the blonde. “News flash: we’re all going to die. Get over it.” The tentacle was still pointing at her and Khitti finally looked toward it again, disdain for the creature that reminded her far too much of a mind flayer clearly written all over her face. But, she did as she was told and stepped closer towards the thing, though some of her words were still somewhat directed towards Viera. “Have you been inside -her- head at all? Is -she- even telling the truth? Dying fraks up your memories. I’ve been there. Dealt with it. It’s entirely possible both of them are lying. I literally do not care who’s lying or who’s telling the truth. I just want my husband.”

Brand || Khitti would receive no answers from the pair. Instead, the water rose up around her, swallowing her whole. For a time, there was no light and no sound. Maybe she would die in this place, cold and alone, suffocated in the depths of the ocean. But no… there was a pinprick of light, far away yet quickly growing closer. In the time it took to blink, she’d find herself in a new place entirely. It looked like a room inside the Tranquility, only it had no doors, no windows, no furniture, and only a single other person: Brand, looking perfectly himself again (if a bit worse for wear). When he saw her, a newfound sense of urgency lit up his face. He ran up to her and took her hands in his. “Oh, thank frak. Listen, I don’t think we have a lot of time, and I need to explain some things.” His words came out in a rush. “I frakked up, a long time ago. I was a different person back then, and -- and it doesn’t matter. Point is, I did things -- before. Terrible things. Things I never told you about. I thought you’d think less of me. -I- still think less of me. Viera’s a priestess following a very old god, and she came for me back then like she’s comin’ for me now. And what I did to her, I… I --” His voice broke. The words that followed were strained, breathy. There was fear in his eyes. He never showed fear, but there was fear now. “I deserve it. Whatever happens to me, I deserve it.” His hands were on her shoulders now. He was practically shaking her. “Don’t frak with her. -Promise- me you won’t frak with her. She’s so much stronger now. Just… keep your head down. Take care of Dominic. This won’t be forever, but you -can’t- do anything to make things worse. Promise me. Promise me…”

Khitti || If Khitti was going to die, now would be the time to do it. If Viera’s plans were as dark as they seemed, what was the point? Viera was probably going to take Brand from her forever and… Khitti really could not see herself living without him. Hadn’t that been the point of getting her cure? So she would not have to live without him for too long, if he did happen to go first? Dominic would be fine. Either Meri or Dozla or both would care for him and give him a proper life. She floated there, in the darkness, resigning herself to her fate as the breath she’d had held within very quickly dissipated and was replaced with the feeling of suffocation. But then, just like too many times before, she didn’t die. It was a feeling she was starting to get rather sick of.

Khitti || While she tried to get her bearings, Brand was already in her face, telling her the truth, shaking her, making her promise things she didn’t want to promise. “Brand…” She tried to cut in several times. “Brand!” But he just kept going and she could only sigh as she let him finish his train of thought. “Haven’t you been listening to me? I don’t -care- what you’ve done. I don’t care how bad it is. I don’t. I. Just. Want. You. Okay?” Khitti put her hands on the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her. “I am going to find a way to get you out of this. I’m not going to provoke her. I’m not going to attack her. But I am going to get you out.” Before releasing his face, she’d kiss him. It was definitely one of those “this needs to be done because I don’t know when I’m going to see you again” kisses. Khitti was trying ever so hard to be brave and strong and not cry, but it was clear that she was probably going to once this was over with. She might have gained her freedom but Brand immediately lost his -again- and that was so much worse. He’d worked so hard to get to where he was and now it was like nothing even mattered. “Take this,” she said, as she scrambled to get the seashell bracelet off her wrist and shoved it into his hand. “I will find you again, okay? I promise.”

Brand clenched the bracelet to his chest, then slipped it into his breast pocket. He'd only just hidden it away when Viera appeared, stepping into the room like a certain 'good witch' descending from her bubble. All she was missing was the wand. "All right, sunshines. Praised be a generous god, allowing you to say your goodbyes." She paused, for dramatic effect or perhaps waiting for some kind of confirmatory response. It didn't seem to please her that she received none. "That means time's up. Let's go."

Brand || The room vanished once again. They were back in the apartment now. Brand was gone, as was the monstrous creature from under the waves. Viera picked up her dagger from where it lay on the floor and slid it into a hilt that was hidden within the bodice of her dress. "Now. Khitti. I'm permitted to do whatever I want with you, within certain... parameters. But I'm afraid I wasn't expecting him to have -family- of all the damned things when I found him; you weren't part of my plans. I was -planning- to go gallivanting off into the sunset alone, to be perfectly honest. But... tell me, you've done this before. You know what it's like to celebrate a second chance at life. I think it might be more fun with friends, don't you think?" She'd been smiling that sickeningly sweet smile this whole time, but now the sweetness fell away. There was a power in her voice, a power that had to be listened to. Viera would shape a new reality, and Khitti would have no choice but to live in it.

Khitti just stared at Brand, even after Viera’s appearance. The longest they had ever really been apart was after he got out of Raiez’s cave. Or was it when she’d run away to the ruins in Frostmaw? No, the longest was when she’d died and was not at all herself when she came back. That had gone on for a few months before things went back to normal. Even she had been upset by it all once she got her memories back. There had been so much time lost then, even if they had still been together. The realization of this hit her and finally those tears showed up. She wanted to say ‘I love you’, but she did not want to give Viera the satisfaction of using something like that against either of them--even though she was probably going to do it anyway. Brand knew it, at least, and that would have to suffice.

The room melted away again. Brand was gone. And Khitti was alone. This was not a feeling she liked. Sure, some people have moments where they feel alone occasionally, but this was the -big- ‘I’m alone’. She hadn’t really felt it in years. Not since she’d shown up on Lithrydel’s doorstep. She wiped at her eyes and sighed heavily, turning around to finally face Viera. “Sure. Why not. I used to be friends with someone like you. Full disclosure though: I ripped out her heart, twice,” she said, smiling cheerily at the blonde. Despite this, Khitti did not actually attack Viera or do anything else to provoke her. That was all the warning she was going to get. If Brand died, Viera was very much going to also.

Brand || “No, I don’t think you understand.” Viera stood close, very close. She smelled of ocean salt and cucumber. “We’re friends now. We’ve been friends for a long time, actually. I think you might even have a crush on me!” Viera pretended, for a moment, to look scandalized. “And Brand? You don’t know who that is. Dominic’s father isn’t in the picture. Captain -Viera- runs the Tranquility.” She smiled and slipped the wedding ring off of Khitti’s finger. It disappeared into a pocket somewhere, perhaps never to be seen again. “Isn’t that right, sunshine?”

Khitti || Viera spewed her lies and Khitti started to feel a little lightheaded. Not enough to really pass out, but enough that she closed her eyes in an attempt to focus. There were a couple slow blinks, once Viera’s magic had set in and did what it needed to do. “Viera?” Khitti quickly realized how close the blonde was to her and took a step back, doing her best to hide the fact that she was blushing. “Sorry. I’m a little out of it. There’s been too much going on with all these guilds. I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea to join them.” She rubbed her eyes a bit and sighed. Wait. Why did her eyes feel watery? Geez, maybe those lovely seasonal allergies were acting up. Ugh.

Brand || “I keep telling you, sunshine. You work yourself too hard. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Viera ushered Khitti into the bedroom, barely concealing her giddiness. Everything had gone so smoothly. Khitti wasn’t going to be a problem, and anyone else would be simple to deal with if they caused any trouble. She could live her new life in bliss, with anyone who’d ever opposed her either dead or ground under her heel. Brand, especially, was not going to be happy when he realized what had happened to him, the limitless bounds of what she was capable of. She could do -anything-. And she would. Oh, she certainly would.