The Truth Hurts [Maximillian, Flynn, Destiny, Ghost, Demi, Nanalie, Amaranth, Niala or Invite][NR]

The notification had been sent. Another one of these meetings was about to take place. Alec knew this could very well mean the end of a once strong friendship, or even the death of an old friend or a loved one. But Flynn, and Maximillian, they both had some explaining to do. There was no guarantee that either of them would leave this office alive.

Alec had begun to suffer what he diagnosed as "Sith War Syndrome." He was in a very agitated/paranoid state, the same as he was in many years of being involved with The Chaos Squad; highly untrusting, constantly expecting attacks at any moment, pissed that friends were being murdered. He was heavily intoxicated, having a large pile of Marijuana upon his desk, and many "cigars" rolled up to be smoked. An ashtry was nearby on the desktop containing many butts. Alec had smoked so much that a green fog hovered within the large, spacious office.

Many guns were out of his bag, spread across the desk as well, along with ammunition. The Mossberg was leaning on the desk at his right side. For the most part, Alec tried to keep the face he did when fighting: emotionless, blank, impossible to read, but one with a trained eye could see that Alec was in a foul mood. As usual when in one of these moods, there were very bad rainstorms outside as a large grey mass hung above, emptying endless amounts of water upon the unsuspecting metropolis. Furious lightning strikes accompanied by loud cracks of thunder could be heard.

Where the fuck were you, Maxi? Where the fuck were you, Flynn? Silver eyes remain locked on the door to the office, waiting for one or both of them to enter.

Ghost sat on the floor with his back leaning on one side of Alec's desk, eating a corned beef sandwich. There was some bad weather outside, so he didn't want to be out in it for long. Alec said he'd sent a word out for Maxi and Demi's husband Flynn to meet him in his office. With the way Alec was looking, he wondered if he was gonna kick their asses, or even kill them. What was Destiny gonna do when and if they showed up? Ghost knew he wasn't going to try stopping either of them.

He was here to keep an eye on Demi just in case something bad happened, and do his best to fix her if things did go south. So far she seemed fine. But with things like this, there were never any guarantees, and all he could do was just keep his eyes open for now...

Since Demi had first entered the office she had been seated a little off to the side of Alec's desk, behind it, positioned right in front of the window. She had sat herself down Indian style and hadn't budged from the spot. She had quickly realized that what she had been wondering when they had arrived, if she was afraid of heights or not, hadn't been a worry at all. She loved it this high up, she didn't know why, but she did.

So, there she sat, with a penny in front of her that she was slowly trying to trail up the glass window. It was harder then she remembered it being, but then again, she was a ghost now, not human, or whatever it had been when she died. So, the task of running the penny up the side of the glass was more complicated, and slightly frustrating. Every so often she would get the penny to move up the glass a few inches before it would fall back to the ground and she would have to start her attempt over. She was winging how to do it, trying to concentrate to make it happen: and sometimes it worked, but other times nothing at all happened.

During one of these many attempts, as the penny slowly dragged up along the glass she spoke, "So... where do I live and stuff? Cause, I can't remember anything... Well, I remember stealing food from this dude's outside cart, it was a loaf of bread I think, and he chased after me... "

Rage.

Pure and complete rage pulsed from Destiny in waves. Her face was entirely passive, except for the constant twitch in her right eyebrow, right by her temple. It was a twitch that signaled only one thing for anyone who had known her long enough: she was close to exploding, or something else was, in the very real, very physical sense of the word. The only thing she hadn't begun to do yet was to start ticking, but depending on how things went down that would happen soon enough.

She had positioned herself nearby Demi, on the other side of her so that her father's desk wouldn't get in her way if whoever came through the door pissed her off enough for her to attack. Her back was against the glass, and arms folded across her chest. She was doing a rather perfect impression of some sort of very dangerous bodyguard at the moment. The aura she gave off simply spoke: touch her, and die. And she couldn't bring herself to care enough to lower the level of threat she was giving off.

If someone didn't like it? They could have a quick lesson in flying... right out the window behind herself.

From time to time she would glance down at Demi, watching the penny go slightly higher than it had the previous time. It sparked a little bit of hope in Destiny that perhaps her friend could make it just fine how she was, and was slowly improving with every passing second she was stuck as a ghost. But, it still wasn't enough to cure her anger.

As she waited for someone to come through the office doors she found herself wondering where Nanalie was, and how much she had possibly seen. Dez herself had been four when she went through a several day long battle of killing person after person, and that had been traumatic enough: but what if Nanalie, at only five years old, had seen her mother die? Dez knew the image of Demi headless was something she personally was never going to get out of her head, she could only imagine the pain it might have been causing little Nanalie...

But, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Demi spoke, and her gaze moved down to her ghostly best friend, and then over to her father...

Amaranth landed on the roof, already instantly soaked due to the incredible rain, her unfolded gun-scythe resting on her shoulder, and cape billowing around her form in the nasty storm wind. She walked to the stairwell door after a glance around and headed down a floor to the floor her grandfather's office was on, leaving a trail of wet footprints from her red and black boots behind, and droplets of water that dripped off of her skin and clothing.

As she reached her grandfather's door she turned the handle and stepped inside, shutting the door behind herself after ensuring she wasn't going to get the scythe's blade caught in it. She took a moment to glance around the room before her silvery gaze rested on her grandfather, water trailing down her face. "Mind telling me what in the five...seven.. nine, however many layers of Hell is going on? And perhaps why there's a massive pile of blood decorating a good portion of my island?", an eyebrow raised with her question, her voice not holding any sort of anger, but more of worry and curiosity, as she really didn't know what had happened and probably thought the worst.

Then, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye: Demi. Only, she was far younger than what she had been. That wasn't what bothered her the most though, no, it was the fact that Demi was a ghost... "Oh god..."

"MOMMY! I want to see my mommy!"

She shouted the words from outside of Darkman Tower, tears pouring down her face. She knew her mother was inside, knew that she was somewhere, very far up above her. And she wanted her, now. She wanted to know that she was okay. That she wasn't dead, or wandering around without her head. Or whatever other horrible and nightmarish things her mind was coming up with that scared her.

"MOMMY!"

She didn't care about the rain, or the fact that she was soaked, or cold. None of it. All she cared about was getting inside of Darkman Tower and seeing her mother. She moved towards the door (so long as she wasn't stopped) and began to knock, over and over again.

"Please... I want to see my mommy!"

The door opened slowly; the form he was likely the least recognizable in appearing to anyone that looked; Nanalie safely perched on his shoulders for the moment. Nothing actually held her there; she was free to move away whenever she was ready. He'd chosen this form for one reason; and one reason alone.

In this form he was supremely vulnerable.

In this form he could be killed.

In this form it didn't hurt as badly...

In the back of his mind, the part where all logic and reason had ceased to exist; the part that felt the loss of his mate and the pain his child was forced to endure; in that part of his mind he wanted to die; he was ready to atone for his failure. He had failed to protect her; and she had died because of it. The only way to fix that was to die himself...

Or maybe that was the pain he still felt from his first failure bleeding through and mixing to make it all worse.

And then everything stopped when he realized that there was one too many people in the room.

And then he realized who the extra was.

What the extra was.

"Demi...?"

Ghost. She was a ghost? She was... then Nanalie was right... but why did he still feel like she was gone... like everything was broken and wrong and pain and madness and the bond was broken and ohgodohgodohgod.

"I don't care about the specifics. Someone just... what the hell happened...?"

Wrath.

Forever his sin, forever his pleasure. Rage brimmed from his form, heating the air in his immediate vicinity to the point that the rain burned away before it even contacted him. The resulting steam would leave the trail as he walked, giving away his location for anywho chose to see. For those whom could see him, his appearance had not changed much since his days in INC; the black and red hair, waving wildly in the enraged aura. He was barechested as usual, those old tribal tats crossed his chest and even inside; the large 'hollow' hole where his heart used to be even had inscriptions to protect him while he walked the earth. He wore a different set of jeans for once, but still black.

Why did this shit have to happen? He though she was safe out on her own; even married, she was supposed to be safe.

Apparently, she wasnt. Something had happened, something or someone had murdered his daughter. The Cobweb was buzzing with the information; the chylde of the great Maximiliian King, executed like a common neo-phyte. No no no no!

The sounds of screams, the very fabric of existance wanting to respond to his voice; begging, crying to be put out of its misery so it did not have to listen to the vampire's wailing. The earth trembled, shifting as creature of lore began to stir as if in a dream, responding to his call; was the end nigh?

That night, nothing was safe. A whole realm, destoryed. The very earth around his home ripped apart, straight to the depths of hell. From it, the demons ascended, and into it, the Madness descended like a plague, devouring, ifecting and spreading. Levels one through five had been ripped apart, stone by stone, hand over hand before the battallion of angels had come to invesigate. Could they even comprehend what had happened? The Madness looked upon them, and reached, proclaiming that they would know his grief, his pain and suffering. Heavenly enchantments were damned, feathers had flown, bodies ripped apart as Chaos Incarnate reveled in his own Sin. Souls that were meant for the Final Battle would not make it, devoured to feel the hunger.

But now this. This summons. What did the angel want with him? Unless he was going to revive his daughter, if that was even possible, he wanted nothing to do with this. Words would not calm him; bloodshed would. Rivers would run red, whole countries would vanish. Nothing would stop him unil the man responsible for his daughter's death was locked away in the Madness, flaying his own flesh to keep himself sane. But it would not be enough. It would never be enough.

Violet eyes looked upon Darkman Tower before the male stepped up, and launched himself into the air. One thousand stories straight up to the roof, rage fueling the actions. The elder landed on the roof with a loud thud and proceeded to make his way inside...

Amaranth showed up. Alec figured this much would happen. He'd left a big red stain on her island that used to be named Cross. She was going to show up wanting answers sooner or later. Those would be answered, but for now, he remained silent, and heavily puffed upon one of many "cigars."

Flynn was the first of the two to arrive, carrying the child, Nanalie. Many loud booms of thunder echoed around the tower; the lightning flashes making the office resemble a disco. Still, Alec said nothing, and continued smoking while waiting for Maxi. Alec surely thought he wasn't going to come.

...But then, there he was. He leapt into the air, 1k floors off of the ground to land upon the heliport. A familiar feeling he hadn't felt in over 4 years. Sooner or later he'd show up, after it was all over, wanting answers. He was going to get those, then have some to give himself. When Maxi walked into the office, there were more flashes of thunder and lightning. With his face twitching as he fought hard to compose himself in a professional manner, Alec would simply reach forward and slowly begin typing something upon the invisible keyboard with one finger in a slow, half baked manner.

"So... here's the thing. ...I'm gonna show you and tell you everything that's been going on... and the two of you are gonna tell me why you were nowhere to be found. ...If either of you... attempt to feed me some bullshit, I might just kill you. Think before you talk..."

A large 3d hologram screen appeared in front of Maxi and Flynn, but the screen was large enough so that everyone in the room would be able to see it. Demi would be seen upon this screen, in her grown up form, wearing that yellow outfit that left little to the imagination. Alec began to tell both of them the story of how everything started that lead to Demi being beheaded. Demi in Shinkai, painting rainbows and knocking over statues. Demi leaving, only to return later on with Squall, a close acquaintance of Maxi. Squall getting the idea of Himitsu supporting slavery, and the murders of innocent Shinkai citizens to drive her out. Alec calling them off, disciplining them both. Alec asking Squall not to go back to that city, and Squall 'politely refusing' the request. Squall's wholesale destruction of Shinkai resulting in the deaths of many, and the creation of a spirit of revenge. Squall's painful death at the hands of this spirit, and the revelation that Squall as well as Demi's deaths are required for it to pass on.

While informing them both that the spirit was still alive and out there somewhere, Alec fast forwarded to the present point in time, in which Demi left after her 'lockdown' in Darkman Tower and returned to Sugure. The Vampire Hunter Cross attacks, and Demi's violent and painful death at his hands.

Alec made it a point to rewind Demi's sacrifice for Nanalie and her beheading several times in front of both of their faces. Alec also made it a point to show all of the surrounding areas, letting them both know that there was no support or back-up for her and her innocent child.

The next part of the video showed Alec's arrival, and what eventually happened to Cross after having the barrel of a shotgun forcefully inserted into his mouth. The end of the video was of Alec resurrecting Demi. When Alec turned the video off and sparked fire to another "cigar," clutching his shotgun that was red on the end of it in his right hand, his head began to hurt with all of the rage that was inside of him.

"...Ghost... you're the professor on the matters of life and death... Explain to them how fucked shit really is now."

Ghost, still in his child from with orange hair, fanned smoke away from his face and stood up, clearing his throat.

"Ok...i'll try to explain this the best way I can without confusing you," he said. "When someone dies, and someone else has the means to bring them back to life, a lot of different things can happen. Sometimes the person comes back as someone else, sometimes the person doesn't come back at all. Many different things can happen. In Demi's case, she came back as an earlier version of herself. In instances like these, they return with memories of times and of other people either damaged or totally gone. The chances of these memories returning are little to none. Trying to tamper with her while she is in such a fragile state is highly dangerous and always turn out disastrous. We have to keep her in a calm mood because anything can happen. Now, it appears that she still remembers Alec, Destiny and me. We were able to gauge that she's in the mind set she was when we first formed INC back in JA."

Ghost looked over at Demi. "Hey, Demi? Can you tell me if you know who those three people are?" He pointed at Maxi, Flynn and Nanalie.

The penny trailed up the window, making a soft scraping noise as it did so. Higher and higher it went with her intangible finger pressed against the other side of it. But it wasn't her finger that kept it there, not at all, there was nothing solid left of her being to do such a task: it was her mind, her concentration. Concentration that was shattered when she tuned into Ghost asking her a question.

She had been either ignoring or completely oblivious to everything that was going on around her: finding it much too hard to concentrate on everything at once when attempting to manipulate the penny up the glass window. But, now she was paying attention, and she turned, blinking, towards the three new people who had entered the room, and the screen that was playing her life. None of which she remembered; but it was her nonetheless. Her causing chaos, and property damage. Her with some unknown male who later went back and killed a bunch of people. Her having to hide out here for safety... her.... diving in front of a little girl, sacrificing her own life so that that little girl could run away. Her... coming back.

Then Ghost's words penetrated her mind, as did his question to her. Her gaze went to Flynn first, taking in his appearance as she began to rack her brain for the answer. She figured she probably should know these people, especially if she was being asked such a question. But, for the moment, no matter how hard she poked and prodded her own mind she just couldn't come up with who he was.

Her gaze then went to Maximillian, taking in his appearance. The smallest twinge of a headache began as she followed the same process as before. It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes, but.. but it was like it was there and yet gone. Suppressed by something she couldn't, or wouldn't, overcome.

Then her gaze fell upon the child and she stared hard. There was... something there. Some sort of link, a bond of sorts between herself and the little girl. And then there came that bloody fucking migraine. A groan escaped her as her arms covered her head, as if that would protect her mind from feeling like razor blades were being pulled through it. Memories flooded her mind's eye again, like some sort of violent and painful assault. Nananlie as a baby. Nanalie being born. Nanalie's first words.

"Hnn... it... it hurts, the memories hurt."

She looked up through her arms, gaze leveled on Nanalie. "Nanalie...? I.. I think.. I think I know her."

Dez's eyebrow began to twitch more and more at the new arrivals as she continued to radiate pure and unfiltered rage. Rage which only increased as she watched the screen that her father had showing her death over and over again. A soft ticking noise began deep within Destiny, the signal to the brewing explosion that was going to come.

The ticking grew louder as Demi's mental pain increased, and as her best friend clutched her head. Her lightning blue gaze left her best friend, and landed on Amaranth, her daughter. She didn't want Amaranth to be part of this anymore than she had to be, especially if things were going to get violent: and with Destiny's current mood that's exactly what was going to happen.

"Amaranth, dear... do me a favor, go get me my old scrap book from the penthouse in my old room... it should be black with a purple ribbon wrapped around it." This would prove useful, not only to get Amaranth out of the office for a little bit as she looked for the book, but because the book held things that might help Demi remember in a far less painful manner.

'Well, that about explains everything...', she thought to herself as she both watched the screen and listened to her grandfather's explanation. Sadness filled her gaze as she looked to Demi, watching her go through all of that mental pain. She could only begin to imagine what that must have felt like: so confusing, chaotic, and just outright painful as her own brain hurt itself.

Her silvery gaze snapped to her mother as she spoke to her and she gave a nod. She wasn't going to argue, even though she was sure her mother was using sending her on this errand as an excuse to get her out of the office and out of the way encase an explosion of violent proportions happened to go off.

She turned without another word and left... heading up to the penthouse.

-Exit.-

The screen came down but she didn't care. She had eyes only for her mother right now. She could still recognize her, even though she was younger. She had the same facial features, only far younger than what they had been the last time she had seen her alive.

She jumped herself down from her father's shoulder and slowly walked forward, pausing as her mother seemed to experience a great deal of pain. Her bottom lip began to tremble and tears once more leaked from her eyes and began to run down her cheeks.

When her mother spoke her name however she began to move forward again, and didn't stop until she was standing directly in front of her. She reached a hand out, wanting to touch her face... wondering if she could any more.

That... was a kick in the gut. He knew that look; he was good enough at reading facial expressions. She didn't remember him, at all. Blank, no reactions. Nothing.

No wonder he still felt alone. The madness still crept into his mind; his heart still burned away. She was... there... but she wasn't the same Demi. Not enough to stop his own nature from destroying him.

She remembered Nanalie... that was something at least. Nanalie wouldn't have to suffer as badly. It was... comfort; what little he could feel.

To the rest; he couldn't focus on her right now, not with that blank look; he had to focus on something else. His answer; his failure... that... for now.

"Answers... nothing I can say would be anything but; as you say; bullshit. The truth, the simple truth; it is an excuse either way. I am not like you, any of you. Psychics, mentally open to any and everything. Unless I am present when something happens; I have no way of knowing anything is happening. Mind Blind. That is my handicap; as you would think. To my people it is a strength; it is the only reason why I survived when the rest burned away."

Hands raised to his temples; pressed lightly and rubbing in an effort to focus; force the madness and pain away long enough to finish his response.

"To compound that... I am old. You forget with my appearance; I am very old. The oldest among you; if you wish to be serious. You whom are immortal, nearly so; you see me as the same; with my slow aging and youthful form. In truth; I am not the warrior I once was; my reflexes have slowed, by senses dimmed by age and the sin of sloth. I have forgotten my place; I have renounced my life as a solider; in favor of the pleasures and comforts of an easy life. This old tiger wants nothing more then that; to lay in the sun and nap all day; play with my child and my family; enjoy the life I never had."

"A life I never earned."

"I brought about the end of my people by failing to protect my charges once."

"The same folly follows me now. My inability to be anything but what I am; my handicaps and my body's failings... yet again have led to the loss of all I hold dear."

"I cannot help, or deny that I failed today. In my age, in my body; there is a need for sleep that I cannot stop, cannot deny. That was what I was doing when this happened. Sleeping; like a lazy old man. Time is not my friend; I force myself to function on schedule and rhythm not my own; your day/night cycles destroy me. To me... the week or more I slumber in those states is but a few minutes, maybe even an hour with enough luck. Your days are little better. I see time in larger stretches then anything of the human world; months are hours, years are nothing. Decades, nothing. Centuries... your centuries are barely years to my kind. But we pay the price in full for our relatively long lives; I am 5225 years old by your measurements; give or take several months to a year; and among my people I am little more then an old man; not even fit for a desk job, if you will. A lesser of my people would have died centuries ago. I would be relegated to home life; telling stories of my glory days with the rest of the old soldiers; living the last of my days doing exactly as I have been; sunbathing, napping, and playing with my descendants. I have lost much of what made my the greatest protector my people had seen in generations. I am an old man; and old man that walks the path of the old solider reliving his glory to any and all that listen; passing what I know to whomever I can in an attempt at immortality. I am nothing; NOTHING; compared to you, Any of you. Your powers, your strengths; I have nothing to compare. I am a beast, a creature of this world that existed before anything and everything. But I am just a lowly tiger; crippled with age and lacking in the abilities that made my people strong, once. I am the last; I am the least."

"My excuse?"

"I offer none. For none can excuse my failings; not then, not now. If it is my fate to die here today; to atone for my failures; so be it. I do not run from death; nor will I start now. Kill me, banish me, I do not care. If she is unable to remember me; my own body, my very nature, will finish the job soon enough. You will have the pleasure of watching me fall apart from the inside; my people cannot survive the loss of a bonded mate intact. I stand here now only because my daughter lives... and for the moment that is enough for me to remain functioning. The process of my destruction has long since begun; the decent into madness unstoppable. Once that is complete... months at best; before my body shuts down; a slow, painful death. That which I likely deserve. I face it now; I do not run. I was raised in submission to those more powerful; to the rulers of the world; I will continue as such here and now. Kill me, let me live; it matters little. I can face the afterlife so long as Nanalie is safe. So long as something of Demi survives."

A hand crept forward, dropping onto Flynn's shoulder as he finished, meant to reassure him."Calm, Flynn. It is fine..." Crimson tears welled in the elder's eyes; what cruelty was this? His daughter was indeed alive, but did not remember her husband, nor her father? Fuck you, fate.

The rage had dimished down upon seeing Demitria indeed alive, even as a spirit. But it was cruel fate; the daughter of Madness, the child whom many had called Insanity's Finest, reduced to a shadow of what she once was. This would not stand.

"I have no excuse, Kane. I will not bullshit you. You know me better than that." Those violet eyes flickered; anger was palpable here. A sweet aphrodisiac, one that stirred his mind to begin raging once more. The building was intense. "what Flynn says is true. He cannot divine the future; he would have seen nothing unless he was there. And as for me.. I closed my eyes to Demitria when she was married. Out of respect, not neglect, mind you."

The male's legs folded beneath him, allowing him to sit cross-legged upon the air. "Demitria is a grown woman, Alec. I closed my mind to allow her privacy; otherwise, every detail of her life would be revealed to me. Just as surely as I sit here and watch you, my minds eye would watch the world through her eyes. Her every sensation, taste, touch, sight and smell would have been mine as if I shared her body." Those eyes blinked slowly, his head tilting in Nanalie's direction. "Her conception, and birth, are two things I would NOT like to share with my daughter."

"The Cobweb is a powerful tool, Alec and dangerously so for an elder of my age and power. She cannot lock me out of her mind, and so, to spare us both the awkward conversations.. I locked myself out." A small chuckle left him, as he looked at the floor, allowing a red tear to drop to the floor. "But given the current situation, I would gladly take those conversations."

Arms folded across his chest, eyes narrowing at Alec. "If you wish to call me neglectful, careless, stupid, whatever, do so. If you need to pull that trigger with me in the sights, do so. Even in death, I will do all that I can for her, same as before. Take my head, garlic fill my mouth and burn the body. Madness will live on, and Madness will bring her back to what she once was, even stronger than before." Fingers drummed on, waiting. If he died, then the cycle would continue. Various precautions had been taken long ago to ensure this. The cycle of Madness would never end; upon his death, his spirit, the sum total of his power would be divided and implanted within certain individuals, Demitria included.

Alec rose from his fathers recliner, the "cigar" held in place by clenched teeth. Silver eyes were light red, either from all of the smoke in the office, or from wiping away a tear every once in a while. That look on Nanalie's face was one he fought hard to prevent seeing on any of their faces anymore...

The Mossberg Shotgun trembled within his right hand, with the clicks as noises of the weapon audible. Alec's Halo was glowing a bight white with electricity occasionally popping around it. So... neither one of them had any sort of explanation. Flynn was basically somewhere sleeping, and Maxi was off farting around somewhere for 5 years, having no contact with his child, and not even bothering to check in with his friends. Were they still his friends, even?

Alec pointed the shotgun at Flynn's face while green smoke rose from either of his nostrils, the barrel of the weapon with a red chunky substance still clinging to it inches from Flynn's nostrils.

"You... A bullet in you?... That would be right up your alley then, according to what you're saying. A quick, easy way to be put out of your misery... Well as much as I want to pull this trigger, i'd rather you live... Live with this shit, the physical and mental pain for the rest of your life... what's left of it, anyway. Go away somewhere... Go crawl in some hole somewhere and wait to die, with the pictures I just showed you replaying in your eyes over and over again until the end."

But Maxi? Call him names? Shove the Mossberg into his mouth next? He hadn't seen this guy in 5 years. Alec totally understood what he was saying, but that wasn't enough.

"What father totally cuts them self off from their offspring for five fucking years?? FIVE YEARS, Maxi! This is not the glorious reunion I had in mind! You waltz back in here after all this fucking time and attempt to feed me this horse shit?"

A "Police Kick" (often used to forcefully open a locked door) would be launched toward the area just below Maxi's chin, with his right leg. He intended to drive the steel toed boot into bone and rattle his rib cage, surely causing several of the bones to snap on impact. Knowing Maxi, that would soon heal, not before it hurt like hell though. Assuming the kick launched toward him were to hit, the Malkavian would probably be thrown backwards at high velocity to smash through several walls, creating a large mess that would cost thousands to have cleaned and fixed. Alec was invisible to any sort of precog, or the eyes of those that could read and predict movements because, well, he was unpredictable. This meant that no one would have expected Alec to do anything of the sort, until it was too late...

Unpredictable:

Precog Immunity:

"Nether one of you are fit enough, or even have the right to be involved with either of them... So your family is now my family, and they'll remain here with me. I've been responsible for their well being since all of this madness started... so I might as well make it official."

Alec would turn then, walking back around to sit within the leathery confines of his father's large recliner, heavily puffing upon his "cigar."
"I don't care what you do, or where you go... But I'd suggest vacating my father's building and leaving city limits as soon as possible..."

So Flynn was an old guy, over the hill, on a downward slide. If he was as old as he was making himself out to be, why did he have a kid? In this day and age, with monsters lurking out there? A child would expect their parents to protect their loved ones in a bad time. Yet Flynn made it seem that he couldn't anymore...

And Maxi, Ghost was pretty excited to see his old pal again, but he was still left wondering what he'd been doing all this time while he was away. Almost 5 years. Ghost heard a rumor somewhere that he'd ran off with some fusion of cat and human and started some other family somewhere. Closing the connection between he and Demi sounded reasonable, as he didn't want to see Demi's "Romantic Moments" or experience childbirth, but not even looking in for a peek every once in a while... that wasn't right, Maxi. That wasn't right at all...

Ghost shook his head with a disappointed look while looking at Maxi, whom he once considered an amazing fighter and looked up to as a hero...

Demitria looked upon the little girl who stood in front of her, with tears running down her cheeks, and who reached for her like she wished to touch her.... and she did. At random a sudden heartbeat sprang up in Demitria's chest, filling the ears of any of those with sensitive enough hearing with its wet sounding beats, just as her body became tangible. She gasped suddenly, filling her lungs with air and the green substance that hung in the air of Alec's office.

She didn't hesitate, or waste a second of what might or might not last, and therefore reached forward, wrapping her arms around Nanalie and dragging the child into her lap. She knew who she was, even if she didn't remember her at the age she was now. Either way, that love for her child was still there, still strong. "Don't cry... no more tears...", she whispered into the child's ear before her gaze snapped up to Alec as he got up.

That same gaze then moved to Maximillian, and she stared hard at him. She could feel something in the back of her brain, something that said she should remember who he was. That she knew him and would remember if she just poked a little harder at that mental brick wall. But... that proverbial brick wall hurt. She would give it a mental poke, only to feel like she went ten rounds in a boxing ring mentally afterwards. It was like some sort of barrier protecting her from memories, or whatever was behind it. Every so often she would glimpse it, or /hear/ it: little whispers, different voices, but nothing that actually stood out, nothing that she could actually understand, it was all chaotic and just made her brain hurt more than it already did.

A sudden idea appeared in her head, something that she began to play with and poke at. She was a ghost, right? Ghosts haunted cars, houses, graveyards... why couldn't they haunt people? Maybe that was what she would do... she would haunt him. Constantly follow him around and pester him until she figured out what was behind that wall that her mind was protecting her or keeping her from...

Dez had listened in silence to both Flynn and Maxi speak. She had no words to offer to Flynn, no sort of comfort or anything of the like. Demitria had died, painfully, from both contact with those bullets and the sword to her neck... and she had done it all to save her daughter. While he slept. Like an old man.

She watched Demi hug her child and then flickered her gaze towards Maxi's direction. His words had made sense too. She herself wouldn't have wanted her father poking around in her head, able to see in such graphic detail the more private details of her life: but to block Demi out completely? That... that had to hurt.

But, as she had been since she arrived... Demi seemed immune to what was going on... but a glance back back to her best friend and she caught the determined expression on her face. Demi... Demi was up to something....

She had no more urge to attack Maxi, even if her father did. All she wanted was for the drama to be over with so that she wouldn't have to worry about Demitria suddenly snapping and turning into some vessel of vengeance or some shit... she had plenty to be pissed off at all of them about, after all.

Nanalie curled into a ball in her mother's lap, wrapping her little arms around her and burying her face into her side. The fact that her mother was suddenly solid, that heartbeat crystal clear to her own ears... it was comforting. But, even she, at such a young age, knew that it might not last, and therefore began to try her hardest not to get her hopes up.

She closed her eyes, and reached up to cover her ears. She didn't want to hear anymore, didn't want to see anymore. She just wanted what she had now, comfort in her mother's lap. Everyone was talking about death and dying, and she was a smart enough child to know what those terms meant, what the words spoken meant. She was going to feel the same pain she felt now again soon, only this time for her father. Her father wouldn't last long unless Demi remembered him, and her grandfather... he admitted he had messed up.

But, she couldn't take listening to anymore... "No... No more."

Banishment? Better then he deserved; but it was the will of the master of this land. He had no ties here; not beyond the daughter that would be safe with them; and her...

He didn't even want to try to think anymore.

He would leave the land and find a hole; that was enough. Maybe swim to the bottom of the ocean and find a cave; lose himself until he drowned. Fitting; no one would have to deal with the cleanup then.

"As commanded; so I do."

Words not spoken since his prime; the response given to the master of his people on the rare times an order was ever given. The words he'd spoken only twice in his life; both times ending in disaster. First Snow's eye... then Snow's life... Silver's life... everyone's lives; lost because of a command.

It was his turn now; it would seem. They where right, of course; an old cat like him... he had no right to want for the things a youth desired. Too old for love; to old for a family; to old to be alive. He was out of his time; out of his place; and now it was time to balance the scales.

A sound; a song almost; growled and feral and low... words for his daughter's ears only.

I'm sorry... Goodbye...

She was better off without him. They all where.

A turn; no words; just... movement. Out the door; out the holes he'd left. To jump from the tower as he had before; a form shift on the ground. It hurt more now... in his natural forms; tiger and bipedal; it wouldn't matter. But... his tiger form moved quicker, and over more terrain; 4 legs better then 2, always. Where he'd go; even he didn't care. If anyone cared to find him; alive or dead; his scent would be enough, the runic energy of his bow and blades; both on his person, hidden in storage in plain sight; that energy was a marker that could be traced. He was unneeded there. Unwanted.

A familiar place; for a washed up solider.

An old solider doesn't die; he merely fades away...

-exit-

A boot to the chest. Painful, it was, but it was not the worst thing to ever happen to him. No, the worst thing to happen to him was the hole in his chest, the one that went straight through his body. Large enough to for a heart to fit there...

The Elder removed himself from the wall without a sound. He'd deserved that; to some extent. He'd been keeping tabs on his child, despite the lockout; young neophytes were always open to suggestions, whispers from the web that told them to find a certain girl, and to watch her. But doing so was hard when there was a dead zone; the moment of crossing into Edge, connections were ceased until the trackers stepped out. Simplpy because he was not there, didnt mean he was not watching.


"Nether one of you are fit enough, or even have the right to be involved with either of them... So your family is now my family, and they'll remain here with me. I've been responsible for their well being since all of this madness started... so I might as well make it official."

What..? No, no no!

The rage was back, Madness seeping into the crevices of his own mind and tapping into the powers that had only begun to dream. He'd nearly lost Demitria before, but she'd been returned. And Alec wanted to take her away completely because he was 'unfit'? No...



The scene was glorious to behold. Chaos was in full effect, Madness reigned supreme. The sick snapping of the spine to make way for the extra ribs to grow, the elongating of the spine for the tail. Canines elongated to a terrifying length, filling his mouth to the point he could barely speak. His face broke, elongating into a muzzle to fit the lupine apapreance. The wall surrounding him exploded as the Malkavian released a primal roar, removing himself from the wreck. From his shoulder blades the wings would grow, leathery membranes stretched across bones as the enranged beast flew across the room and landed upon the desk. clothing was ripped to shreds as the body grew in size, the muscules braiding into thick chords of power beneath the skin. Guns and ammo were scattered about, papers flying about as clawed toes grouged into the wood. Those voilet eyes had gone gold; the beast was here.

Outside, the earth would tremble, the lighting strikes becoming more frequent as Chaos spilled off of his body. He was beyond controlling it; it had a will of its own at this point. The sky darkened even more, the downpours becoming torrential. Those eyes stared down at Alec in his desk, lips drawn back in a snarl.

Chaos Inducement:

"It is out of respect for the friendship we have that I do not rip you limb from limb, Alec Kane. You may call me unfit, unworthy of seeing my daughter and grandchild, but you will NOT, in this life nor the ANY, stop me from seeing them. I considered us all to be family, Kane. You think I was not watching her all this time? The Cobweb is MINE to do as I see fit. Any neo-phyte I can control, and have them watch her to be sure she is safe. I saw more than you think; the laws of your city create a lapse in the information that I get concerning her. But you know what? I was FINE with that. Never assume for a second that I didnt care. If there was a lapse in information, I knew it was because she was still here, under YOUR protection."

"So now, Alec... for you to tell me that I can never see my daughter or her child anymore... You will have to kill me. I will not stop, and you know this. You're going to have to kill me." The beast snorted. "And the best part about that? That wont even stop me. You and I both it; the cycle will begin again. Madness never dies; it is only reborn."

Flynn walked out, gave up. Disappointing. Was there really no fight left in him? Would he truly just walk out on Demi and his daughter like that, to truly go off somewhere and die? Alec just shook his head in pure disappointment that there wasn't even a protest or an argument. He just turned around and left.

But Maxi started transforming into the beast from hell, which didn't even cause Alec to bat an eye, even as shit began getting more crazy in the environment. Because of what Maxi was causing outside, he'd suddenly become a target. Many lights began to aim toward the Malkavian. Alec opened a drawer without looking to reach in quickly, grab something shiny connected to a chain, and toss it toward Maxi before his transformation caused him to grow too much. Accurately, it landed around his neck. Alec had just saved his life, whether he knew it or not, and the effects that had begun to surround Maxi's body suddenly ceased.

What was thrown at Maxi:

"You ain't gonna rip anything besides a fart from being so full of SHIT, you Vampire transforming son of a bitch. Come in my house after all of this time and have the nerve to threaten me, after everything i've done for your family? YOU'RE lucky I don't shove this shotgun up your fucking ASS."

Alec stood up from the desk again, fearlessly walking around the desk to Maxi, sending a glance to Ghost. 1 second passed between them, but to the two of them, that second was about 20 minutes. Alec and Ghost had a short conversation telepathically, afterwards, Alec would nod to Ghost, then turn back to this beast Maxi, staring a second before letting a half grin form upon his face.

"...But you know what? It's good to see that at least one of you still has some fight left, and that's all I wanted to see. I wanted to see if one of you actually CARED."
Alec socked Maxi on the arm; a harmless bro blow.
"That's the General I remember. Now turn back into your regular ugly self, this shit here is too much to be looking at."

Ghost grinned to see that Maxi was still the same old Maxi. Flynn bailed out on his woman and child, but it was awesome to see that Maxi still cared for his kid, and Ghost wasn't expecting any less. Ghost grinned, still considering Maxi one of his heroes, even though he looked like something out of a nightmare at the moment.

Ghost caught a glance from Alec, and time seemed to stop for everyone except the two of them. Alec first asked Ghost to fix the mess in the office, then to go after Flynn and try talking some sense into him. Alec said he didn't really mean what he'd said to Flynn, and despite being pissed off, all he wanted Flynn to do was to have a reaction similar to Maxi's, to see if he truly cared, and to possibly spark some sort of a reaction from Demi. Right now, that didn't look likely. So Ghost would be tasked to go get inside of Flynn's head and see what he was thinking, even if it meant literally.

Like a movie going in rewind, the mess in the office and the holes in the wall began to be repaired. The papers, guns and weed that had been sent scattering about returned to their original resting places, and the hole caused from Alec kicking Maxi was no longer there.

Matter Manipulation:

After repairing the damage, Ghost turned to Destiny, Demi and Nanalie. "I have to go for a while, take a trip. I won't be gone very long, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."

With a grin Ghost sank into the floor, and vanished from sight.

[Exit]