RP:What The Heck?!

Part of the Dissonance Theory Arc

Summary: Meri finds out that Khitti doesn't know who the heck her husband is at all and the two have their first fight.

The Apartment Above The Bakery

Khitti || “Momma! I’m hungry!” Dominic was busy coloring away as Khitti made dinner, his little stomach growling as loudly as a tikifhlee. “I’m well aware and it’ll be done soon, okay? You just keep coloring!” Khitti smirked as she bent backwards a bit to make sure her kid did indeed go back to coloring. She was extremely thankful that it didn’t take much to entertain him--he very much had his mother’s overactive imagination. Roasted chicken and veggies was on the menu for today… though Khitti would not tell Dominic this. It was roasted phoenix. Not chicken. It would be bad if it was chicken. She’d tell him when he was a little older that they do indeed eat chicken, but they would never eat -his chickens-. The usual went into checking to see if it was done: basting it a bit, maybe move around the veggies a little to make sure they’re not overdone. Eventually, she’d go over and sit at the dining room table where Dominic was, and watched him quietly. “Who are you drawing today?” Khitti tried to discern one scribble from another, but of course that was rather difficult. “The ship,” he said. Oh so that was a ship. Khitti started to wonder if it was some sort of weird brown whale. “Who’s that steering the ship? It doesn’t look like Viera,” she asked, scooting over to the chair next to him. “It’s not Viera. It’s Daddy.” Khitti just said nothing to this, though there was a look of concern on her face.

Meri had shown up at the bakery to get the Rochester-Boyce household their fix of sweets. Khitti had made addicts out of all of them, you see. However she is quickly distracted by the scent of Khitti cooking something delicious upstairs. Khitti was a good chef, you see, and Meri could smell just about every ingredient that the woman was using. It was enough to cause Meri to drool. Well. Almost. In her mind she was definitely drooling though. It is decided that she'll get the sweets on the way out. Priorities. She wants to see if she can't get some of that dinner. Meri of course has little shame in showing herself into her sister's apartment. There is no knock of warning this time and Meri enters just in time to hear the conversation between Khitti and Dominic. "Who is Viera?" Meri asks of them both, moving further into the room so that she can get a better look at Dominic's artwork...and Khitti's expression when she is forced to answer this question.

Khitti || There was a bit of a delayed reaction as Khitti pulled her attention away from Dominic to look at her sister, the gears turning inside to process Meri’s sudden arrival and the question she asked. She also would get a weird look. “You know. Viera. Been friends with her for years? Captain of the Tranquility?” Khitti side-eyed the floor as she also added, “And recently my girlfriend…” An awkward cough was given in an attempt to cover it up a little. She knew Meri would’ve heard it, but she still hadn’t told Dominic yet about her and Viera’s upgraded relationship. “What’s the occasion?” She meant Meri being here of course and it was also said with a smirk. Meri didn’t need an occasion and they both knew that. Khitti was attempting normal conversation while also trying to figure things out in her head. It wasn’t going well.

Meri is no healer, so she has absolutely no idea what the proper protocol is for this situation...but Meri reaches out to press the flat of her hand to Khitti's forehead. She's not talking to Khitti though, Aunt Meri is talking to Dominic. "It doesn't seem like your mother has a fever or anything....And I don't see any bruises...but...Are you sure she did not fall down and hit her head, Dom?" At the rate this was going, Meri was sorely tempted to march right over to the Tranquility to have a few words with Brand. Everything seemed normal to her just a couple of weeks ago when she got hitched. To Khitti now, "I have never met anyone named Viera before in my life." Okay, that might be a stretch of the truth. Somewhere in her lifespan she may have met a Viera. "Brand is the Captain of the Tranquility...and has been for years. Ever since we got it for him...when we were trying to save the world from giant bugs? Brand is also Dominic's father...?" See Dominic! Someone remembered! "Is this some sort of twisted joke? For reals, who the hell is Viera?"

Khitti || Dominic wholeheartedly and loudly agreed with Meri, then looked a bit sad as he answered her questions as best as an almost four year old could, “I haven’t seen Daddy in a long time… When is he coming back? Mommy’s been with Viera a lot… and no one on the ship believes me either.” Khitti on the other hand looked… panicky? Uncomfortable? Overwhelmed? “What are you even talking about? What are both of you even talking about? There is no ‘Brand’. Dominic’s dad is just… I don’t know. Out there. Somewhere. You know this. I told you forever ago. It was a ‘one night stand’ thing. I don’t…” A sharp pain went through Khitti’s head, a hand moving to her forehead as if that was going to actually help anything. “Viera has always been captain…”

Meri folds her arms across her chest and adopts a rather stern expression, as Khitti has clearly gone off her rocker. The psion is silent for a moment, trying to figure out what could have possibly happened to her sister in such a short amount of time. What sort of trouble has she gotten into? Is it related to the Warrior's Guild? Something else? It could easily be something else, Khitti has a knack for finding trouble. After a moment she steals a piece of paper from Dominic and proceeds to sketch out a rough drawing of Brand using one of his coloring sticks. The black one. Because. It's the closest thing to a piece of charcoal Meri has right now. "What do you mean what am I talking about? What are YOU talking about?" Meri holds up this very quick sketch of Brand. "Come on. This guy? I think..we literally have him painted on one of the walls of his ship too? You and I both did that together?" Meri is perplexed. "Come on, Khitti, how likely is it that Dominic and I are both completely making up Brand up?"

Khitti stared at Meri’s picture. She’d seen that face. Viera had chosen that face for Khitti, when they were causing trouble in the Shadow Plane somewhat recently. There’s vague recognition, but only slightly, as the hand that had been on her head reached out and touched the drawing--the same hand that typically had Khitti’s wedding ring. It was gone… and it seemed so was the bracelet Brand (and Dominic’s predecessor) had given her years ago. “That mural… it had Viera on it. I’ve got tons of drawings of her. I always draw her… Those Catalian looks make the lineart really easy on me...” She got up out of her chair, went into the bedroom, and started rummaging around in her satchel for her own sketchpad. Khitti returned to her seat with it, put it on the table and started flipping through it. Mind flayers. Tranquility. Dominic’s chickens. And... “See? It’s Vie--.” But it wasn’t Viera anymore. It was this “Brand”. All the pages that she knew to be Viera was not this person she had looked like briefly some time ago, thanks to Viera’s magic. “No. No!” Khitti threw the book into the living room like a frisbee, pages scattering everywhere. The pain came back. And so did a memory with it. Her and this Brand, in Frostmaw, dancing in their room at the inn. They’d both been drunk. And harsh words had been said, but they always ended up back together somehow. Like it was fate. But just as soon as the memory was there, it was gone. Every ounce of it was gone. Replaced with a memory of Khitti in that room, by herself, researching her mission for her vampirism cure. The pain got worse and Khitti held her head with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t… I really don’t.”

Meri :: As far as Meri could tell, Khitti was suffering from a case of amnesia. It was not the first time, but last time...Dominic wasn't in existence. Aunt Meri was suddenly feeling very protective of her nephew. It wasn't that she had any concern that Khitti would intentionally harm Dominic...but really, who the hell was this Viera. "Are you sure that...maybe you don't want Dominic to come and stay with me for a bit while we work this out.?" Meri asks right around the point that Khitti starts to have tears build up. "It might be safer for him...while you try and figure out who this Viera really is." Unfortunately, while Meri has known Brand for years, they've not had a deep heart-to-heart on his maybe-not-an-ex named Viera. "Because I promise you....Brand is the person you are in love with. Not this Viera..."

Khitti || “No. He stays with me. I know full well who Viera is, damn it. I’m in love -with her-. I have always been in love -with her- and she loves me too. This is why we’re together. She is my girlfriend and that’s not going to change.” Khitti finally let her hands drop to the table and shook her head. “If this is supposed to be some sort of a joke, I don’t like it. Did Lionel put you up to this? To get Dominic to think this too? Because it’s not funny. At all.” She sniffled, wiped at her eyes, and then stood up. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Bare feet brought her into the kitchen, so she could take dinner out of the oven, the large roasting pan set on top of the stove. “Do you want dinner while you’re here?” It was very obvious that she was trying to change the subject. Dominic, for his part in all of this, just watched his aunt and mother. He knew there was something wrong, but that little toddler brain of his couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. “It’s okay, Aunt Meri… Momma will figure it out.” He was extremely confident in this and it showed. Khitti, however, just ignored it and started cutting up the chicken, and stared a hole into it like -it- was the one that put Meri up to this.

Meri stares at Khitti like she has lost her mind, because she clearly has. It was a warranted expression, "Hi, yes, you know I barely talk to Lionel like, ever." When was the last time Meri even saw Lionel? She could not even put a timeframe to it, it has been that long. While Meri's initial intention was to get a free meal out of this encounter, that notion is entirely lost to her. Even with Khitti point blank offering as an attempt to change the subject. "No, actually. Something has just come up." This situation with Khitti, specifically. Talk of trying to take Dominic with her is abandoned completely, and Meri would not go so far as to try and kidnap her nephew. "I have things to do now." Like trying to figure out just who the heck this Viera was. She hitches her thumb over her shoulder toward the exit. "I'll show myself out." The temptation to linger was there, but if Meri was to stay she would have to press on with this subject...which would only further upset Khitti. Meri has no idea what her next plan of action is, but it certainly won't involve her returning home with a load of sweet anymore. So sad for Callum and Fleur.

Khitti || ‘Something came up.’ Sure. Khitti pressed her lips into a thin line, doing her best to keep her composure as Meri gave her excuses and went to leave. “But, Mer--.” She stopped herself from finishing her thought, watching the blonde go. Khitti sighed heavily and continued working on dinner. Chicken and veggies were plated, utensils grabbed, drinks too (a nice glass of whiskey for Khitti, of course), and Dominic’s coloring stuff moved so she could put down his food in front of him. “Come on, you. Eat your phoenix. Can’t get better with that fire magic of yours without it.” His mother would eat very little though. Just enough to sate her stomach and keep her from getting sick because of the alcohol. Dominic continued on with things as if nothing had even happened and Khitti made it a point to be attentive to him when he talked, to show that she wasn’t upset with him. Or Meri. She didn’t know who to be upset with and not know where to direct all those emotions was probably the worst thing of all right now.

Meri :: That 'but Mer-' was almost enough to get the blonde to stop dead in her tracks and turn around. Almost. A frown weighs heavily on her painted red lips. She shakes any guilt she might be feeling for leaving her sister off with the justification and reminder that...she has some crazy woman named Viera to stalk. Who the heck was this woman? Alas, Meri might not be returning to the Kelay-Sage area until she has some sort of resolution. Why would she? She has this studio that gives her a good view of the Tranquility were she to go up to it's roof-top. She also has this handy little shadow pendant. Either way, the need for answers wins out over any guilt Meri might be feeling. "I'll check in soon," she says before making good on her promise to show herself out.