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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2019 9:46:44 GMT -8
Where did the cigarette come from?
Cress didn't even remember lighting it. Yet it dangled from the corner of his lips as if that was where it belonged, burning embers glowing orange as the smoke mingled with the rising steam. Ashes fell from its tip and disappeared into the hot water.
Weird stuff like that had been happening ever since he made his pact and took over Zeranna's sword and magic.
He needed only to want something, and sometimes, it would show up.
But did magic work the same with people? Could Melody sense his suffering and ushered herself into his life at just the right moment? She used the word 'destiny' before. Cress wasn't sure how much he believed in it. But this... thing between them? It was undeniable.
Some god, somewhere, was determined for the pair of them to be in each other's lives.
He watched Melody wriggle out of her clothing with some level of difficulty, her injured hand held aloft and useless until it could be mended. She stripped down to nothing but a black bikini, giving him ample view of her smooth tanned complexion and the sensuous curvature of her body. Before she was even fully into the pool, she began firing off a round of questions at him.
How old was he? What were his parents' names? There was no reprieve for him to answer her.
Melody sank into the water a little ways away from him, recounting her own past, as if she understood his reluctance to discuss such things and sought to ease him into the conversation.
His dark gaze slid away from Melody as he leaned his head backward and stared up at the ceiling. The past had always been an uncomfortable topic for Cress, and so much of it had been manipulated by Zeranna. How did he know what he could and could not trust? Yet her temporary death provided some much needed clarity, and even now he could feel her dark hold waning on him.
"I hate talking about this crap... but since you already spilled your guts... guess its my turn."
He removed his cigarette from the corner of his mouth and exhaled a large puff of smoke.
"Your guess is as good as mine as far as what I am and where I come from. All I got is what Zeranna, my mother, told me. I was born in Hell, tore my way right outta her womb. Almost killed her, too. That's when she knew I had the potential to be strong. She escaped Hell and brought me to the Western Lands, raised me along the westernmost coasts in a network of hidden subterranean caves. Like some sorta goddamn ghost."
He flicked his cigarette away before settling back into his corner. His eyes rested on the mosaic tile above his head: it depicted a great battle between a horde of Demon Namekians and the Grand Dukes themselves.
"Ever wonder if the entire world is just a load of bullshit? Or maybe I'm the one who's bullshit... I don't really exist, and this is some messed up dream. Tch... hell of a dream."
He drew himself up out of the water. His chest and shoulder wounds were mostly healed. They would scar, of course, but nothing he wasn't used to.
"C'mere, beautiful."
Cress stood to his full height, water sloshing around his hips as he stalked over toward Melody. He took her injured hand into one of his own, and with a wave of his other hand, the large grimoire appeared in a flash of black flame and violet energy.
"Let's see here..."
He stroked the stubble on his chin as the pages flipped of their own accord, seemingly controlled by his own thoughts.
"There we go. I know it hurts. Just... hold still, will ya?"
The grimoire began to glow brightly. Black flame surrounded Cress's hand and he pressed it against her own until the ethereal flames overtook it. It appeared as if the flames would consume it, but Melody would feel little more than a warm tickle as the dark magic worked to undo what his blade had done.
There was a stab of guilt in his heart, and his breath hitched in his throat for a moment as they locked eyes.
He never wanted to be the cause of her pain again.
"See? Told ya. You'll be right as rain in a little bit. So... stop squirmin'."
Even just holding her hand caused Melody to shift around quite a bit, as if his touch made her uncomfortable. Maybe he was misreading her body language? The physical contact of skin on skin sent butterflies fluttering about his own stomach.
"Anyway... Zeranna kept me there for a whole century until I was ready to conquer this world. I thought it was my destiny, you know? All that bull crap she put in my head about being the son of two empires. I'm not just a demon... I'm a Saiyan, too. My father was a Saiyan but I'm not sure about his name, or where he came from. I think it's Watercress, and I get my name from him. Mother always called me Zirconium, or Zirc for short... sometimes Belial... I don't know who the hell I am, truth be told. But you can bet I'm going to find out. But to answer your question... I'm around one hundred and sixty years old, give or take a decade or two."
He said it casually, as if it were perfectly normal to look like a human yet be that old. He returned his attention to her hand, unwrapping the bandages. The healing flames did a damn good job. He couldn't even tell she was injured to begin with, save for a scar along the webbing between her fingers where his blade had sundered her flesh.
"See? Right as rain. Sometimes... you just gotta trust me."
Melody
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Post by Melody on Nov 30, 2019 14:50:43 GMT -8
The idea of Cress’ birth, despite being half saiyan, was quite disturbing, she grimaced at the thought before she recollected herself to listen to the rest of what he had to say about his life; it was so full of suffering that whenever anything good happened, it was difficult to discern if it was real or not. Melody was having trouble believing in in the blinding rage that fueled her just moments ago, she was starting to understand how Icecap felt when attempted to murder her in the Southern Islands, and how frustrating it feels to lose. For the longest time the Duchess achieved success at everything she set her mind to except for putting Cress on pedestal.
It was unfair to expect him to change just because she wanted him to wear a crown next to her and she realized that rather late as the notion was rather foolish at this point. What exactly did she love about him so much when did not know any of the crucial details of what defines him as man and she almost killed him for it. She snapped out of reality when he called her beautiful, blushing at the compliment, and she decided right then that she was not going to try to change him. If he wanted to be with her, he was fully aware of what he was getting himself into, she had to trust that he was not that naive, and if he took too long trying to figure that out-- then it was his loss.
The demonic flames that engulfed her hand immediately mended her perfectly sliced wound, the muscles banded rather quickly together, fortunately her tendons controlling her fingers were still in tact, and she had broken a few finger bones since she left home. It reminded her of the fight against a patchwork covered rounin she met in the middle of the desert that rendered her unconscious. She bit her lip as she diverted her violet eyes to stop thinking about it, she needed to be strong enough to fight against any opponent, and not allow such injuries to get in the way of her ambition.
“Well, Lord Belial, son of two Empires, let me know when you need an Empress, I am hoping to still be alive by then, being that I am only human, bearing you a son might kill me based on what happened to Zeranna. However, I am not going to put up with any of your wild escapades and just take the throne from you by killing you myself.” Melody humored him for a minute, all this serious conversation was difficult to swallow, it was no wonder she detested listening to fictional stories, especially if none of it was real; that was the reality he needed to accept, he was not meeting his mother’s expectations so she made a joke out of it.
“Stick with Cress as your name, it suits you better, and the other names sound made up.” After a beat, she sighed, and prepared herself mentally, “So, did your saiyan father abandoned you? I don’t think Saiyans live that much longer than humans, I skipped learning a basic education, but I recall this fact from someone who said this as true. Not a whole lot is known about this race apart from a lineage. History books are stupid if everything is lost along the way. At one hundred and sixty years you outlived your old man.”
Melody looked at her fully healed hand and slowly lowered it into the hot steaming water feeling no paint from it, it was seamless, apart from the tiny scar between the webbing of her middle and ring fingers. She smiled genuinely, grateful to be able to save her hand for the next fight, and the ceiling lights in the bath house illuminated the scar on her cheek that Zerrana inflicted on her which started to fade away.
“I met a few demons in my travels, that I can trust my life with, and this may upset you a little… but Icecap is still childish so I forgive him despite being an adult to human standards, it seems he has learned nothing from Duke Glacier, at least not yet. A demon namekian salary man in the southern islands, saved my life, Icecap followed me all the way there just to catch me unguarded to stab me in the back. The little shit had it coming to him, the police got involved, got in my face, and I refused to comply to their bureaucratic justice system. They required that I make some kind of report to put him in jail longer than a night. I am sure his bail was paid for and they could not hold him without it. The Western Lands following a dueling order such trivial nonsense is a waste of time. I hope Icecap learns from this experience if he plans to be Duke of my old village, he is beginning to be more than an eye sore.”
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2019 19:55:58 GMT -8
She humored and teased him with his demon title. It was clearly a joke to her from the tone in which she used as she spoke it. She remarked she hoped to still be alive as the thought of giving birth to his child was beyond daunting.
Cress shrugged and took a long drag on his cigarette.
"Great risk, greater reward, am I right? Honestly, you'd probably be okay... so long as our son isn't a hellraiser like his old man."
The fact that he said 'son' instead of 'child' revealed Cress had already thought about this reality, yet before tonight, it was no more reality than him becoming the ruling emperor of both Earth and HFIL. While he could relinquish the sinister goal his mother thrust on his shoulders, a small part of him sought to cling to the idea of a legitimized future for himself and the duchess.
Besides... having children meant... they would finally...
He blushed and turned his gaze aside with an embarrassed huff, grateful for the water level of the sizzling bath. If it were any lower, no doubt she'd notice how... excited the thought made him.
Melody spoke again, this time in regards to his name and his father. She remarked that history was plain dumb if it failed to serve its purpose and preserve the life and times of those who wrote it. Even that was subjective and taken with a grain of salt—one's perspective could shape the course of history, and conquerors tended to flatter themselves.
"Maybe meeting my old man would've done me some good." He shrugged. "Not that I'll ever know..."
He tried to hide the deep seated resentment in his tone of having never known his father, and by extension, his Saiyan heritage. He had heard Saiyans were a proud warrior race and tied them into powerful Z Warriors much like Prince Vegeta, Broly, and the legendary Goku himself. But Cress didn't feel pride at such a thought; he doubted his old man claimed any ties to those three.
He was a has-been, and a loser. Much like Cress himself.
"He was a nobody. Unless you can prove otherwise... I guess I don't really give a damn to discuss it."
It wasn't that he was brushing her off. He still very much wanted to talk and learn all he could about his duchess.
The smile on Melody's face brightened the entirety of the bath house as she lowered her healed hand into the water. It caused his heart to swell in his chest, and a smirk tugged at the corners of his own lips. It pleased Cress to know he had done something to remedy the damage he caused Melody from before. It was a mystery, really—why did he care so much about this woman?
So many of his years were spent annihilating any foe that stood before him. Melody was the first to stand before him as a challenger and survive. More than that—she surpassed his own strength by the sheer will and fortitude the duchess mustered as ruler of Truffle Village.
Her tenacity, loyalty, and commitment were admirable.
Their conversation took yet another turn as Melody recalled some of the details of her trip. It sounded like she ran into some trouble of her own. He felt a flash of annoyance, and his squarish jaw tensed as he ground his teeth together in a bid to temper his anger.
"Don't see why you put up with that dumb little shit to begin with."
He rolled his eyes and folded his arms.
"Sometimes you're too damn nice, Melody. Then again... you being nice is the whole reason I'm here to begin with. So I guess, in that case..." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "...I can't blame you."
He realized he didn't want Melody to ever change.
"Enough sappy stuff. It's high time I told you what happened at that big meeting. C'mere."
Without waiting for her reply, Cress slid an arm around her and drew her back into the corner of the wide public bath with him. He cradled Melody against himself, wanting to hold her close. He lowered his voice and spoke in a more formal tone.
"Listen, Mel... it's bad. It's really bad. That pig guy, the Grand Duke? He was beyond pissed. Some of the other reps were mortified. Apparently a pig demon was viciously murdered, right here in Oolong City. Doesn't sound like it was some asinine squabble, either. Long story short, they demanded action be taken by the Dukes and Duchesses. I shoulda told you before now, and I'm sorry."
He looked at her, his expression dead serious.
"So... what's the plan, lady?"
Melody
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Post by Melody on Nov 30, 2019 21:28:37 GMT -8
Melody blushed as Cress humored her back with the idea of having a son together, for a brief second she demurely turned away unable to hide away her feelings on the matter, and suddenly it felt like the temperature of the steamy room increased a couple of degrees hotter. It was apparent that while they were both full of desire for one another, not knowing the details about each other made their relationship complicated, it was a misunderstanding that fueled their fight, and if they wanted to learn from their horrendous experience then the recovery required time to pass. It was their injuries that brought them here in the first place and it was enough to change the mood but not solve all of their problems. Cress being guarded about talking about his father meant he was not ready to discuss it openly, not because he did not know anything, he did not care to know, but perhaps he would be interested since she wanted to know his past; especially if had to explain his personal heritage to the next of kin, they deserved to know even if the half demon saiyan chose to ignore it.
“Eh, well we grew up together, and Icecap is Duke Glacier’s adopted heir, but they look so similar don’t they? He must be a bastard.” The last word echoed in the bath, she narrowed her violet eyes, and continued to speak, “He was always a bright and energetic kid, he became competitive during our sword training, since I am older than him I was able to remain ahead. Time would have to stop for at least five years for him to be at my level, the least he can do is grow up a little, and let go of this childhood rivalry.” She chuckled at the thought that it would never end.
“Being nice to people… well it’s difficult to be in such a sour mood all the time. As Duchess, I am required to socialize and shake hands with different people all the time, it is part of my duty, and making alliances is something that I require, if I wish to progress in all my zeni ventures. You already know that I invest in people if the opportunity strikes, like I have with you, and… I may have been a little carried away…just a bit. I know you don’t belong to me but every fiber of my being wants me to hold you so close. It’s irrational because I didn’t even know you well enough before, not as much as I recently learned now.”
The sappy stuff was cut short, just as Cress lured her out to the deeper end of the hot bath, which led to built in stone steps overlooking a cascading stone waterfall. While the news was grave to the Duchies, she rolled her eyes, it only proved that the Grand Dukes were careless, and somehow she had to take up investigating who committed the crime. The meeting meant they had no leads, what is the point of amassing fortune, if they could not solve their problems? Melody expressed all of this to Cress as they remained in the public bath house discussing their next course of action. At some point the bath house staff provided sake by request of the Duchess so she could clear her mind for a minute to devise a plan. Fortunately, the fact that her personal assistant was involved with witchcraft would allow them to find the clues they needed for their investigation and punish the culprit before any of the other Duchies in order to win the favor of Grand Duke Oolong himself.
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