eswareinmal | Always feel like she's runnin on a hamster wheel

Entry tags:

Always feel like she's runnin on a hamster wheel

Characters: Ginia Solana, Rupert Giles, and Helios Sprensonne
Open? No
Where: Schwanheim to the Two Faced Forest
When: Morning of RD 19
What: It's time to put a stop to Ginia's stealing spree and Helios and Giles know just how to do it.
Warnings: Violence and language

There was always a fall. A dark, crashing, downward spiral after the high, after the moment, after that fleeting feeling of success. Ginia knew there would be a fall and now that she was falling it was all she could do to slow her descent.

She barely slept after the heist, laying awake under a dark bridge, making sure no guards were coming after her, too jittery to sleep. Some of the books were safely with Liara, the other half left in the house - she couldn't call it a home, not anymore - as a sort of offering to Giles and Helios. They would know what to do with them, with the information hidden inside. Because even if she wasn't entirely herself anymore, the parts that hung on loosely still remembered her dearest friend and lover.

The morning came too quickly. She stole some pastries from the bakery, sating her hunger and her need to steal, but it wasn't enough. Nothing was anymore.

So when she sees a ring left carelessly on the ground, sun hitting the gold surface just right, Ginia pounces on it and hides it in a pocket, quickly seeing another shiny thing several yards away. That too, she went after. Once she was a thief, meticulous and almost masterful, now she was desperate and predictable.

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Helios only notices because he's trying not to look at his arm. The pain is almost unbearable at this point, but he makes an effort to not make a sound. He moves then with another whimper of pain threatening to escape his throat.

"W-Wait. G-Ginia." His voice is laced with pain and anguish. He tries to turn in his position, tries to motion for Giles to move away and go to her. That he'll be fine and Ginia is far more important at this moment right now, because if she leaves she might never come back.

"G-Go s-stop her f-first." He'll be fine, really. And his look back at Giles says that clearly in his eyes. If she leaves now this might have all been for nothing anyway. The forest was far too dangerous to go into especially with the oncoming night fast approaching.

Giles stumbles to a stop, and looks back at where Helios is indicating. Looks back at where his chance to get Ginia back is leaving with her.

He looks at her, and then back at Helios, and then back to Ginia again, torn between the two most important people in his life.

But the look in Helios' eyes tells him that the other man won't submit to any kind of care until Ginia is back. It's almost a reassuring thought, really, and it's enough for Giles to linger just long enough to pass over his cloak to staunch the bleeding before he turns and runs for Ginia.

"Stop," he pleads - he's not too proud to beg, not anymore, not to her. "Ginia, please, stop. T-Talk to us."

And then, because he's desperate even if it is a dirty, underhanded blow: "Help me."

Getting Helios back to the house and taking care of his arm is going to be more than a one person job.

Talk? No, there's nothing really left to say. She can't even find the words to apologize, though she wants to. An apology now would be hollow, nowhere near what she wants to say, what she needs to do to make things up to them. But Ginia knows she can't leave, not after they've pleaded for her to stay.

Ginia turns to face Giles, but doesn't meet his eyes. She focuses on the cut on his cheek, the slow drip of blood on his skin. She looks past him at Helios, scraps of cloth around his bleeding arm. Stay. Help. After all she's done, she can't imagine why they still want her around. But she can help them back to their home, then from there...

Her knife comes out again as Ginia heads over to a tree. She slices down some vines and goes over to Helios, binding the bandages in place.

Helios breath hitches when he finally yanks out the knife in his arm. He blinks back tears as he applies pressure to the wound. The bloody knife lays motionlessly on the ground at his feet and he startles slightly when Ginia comes over. His breathing just a bit uneven as he battles with himself to keep his composure. And then when she wraps the few vines around his arm to keep the crude bandaging in place, Helios manages to look up at her and take her hand in his oddly warm one. The blood being the main factor to that sensation.

"It's n-not your f-fault." His voice is barely above a whisper as he speaks those words. But they are said no less sincere from him. This wasn't her fault and they all knew it. This was just like the masks on Halloween, it wasn't any different when one thought about it.

"No, it's not," Giles says quietly, as he comes back to join the two of them again. His hand finds Ginia and Helios', and gives both a quick squeeze before he goes to work trying to straighten out the binding on Helios' arm further, adding in a bit more padding around the vines.

"It...it wasn't even you, really."

Of that, he's been certain of for a while.

Now that the adrenaline is finally wearing off, Giles is remembering that he's bleeding. And he's realizing that it hurts...but, not so much that he can't ignore it, and so he tries to.

He's afraid of me, Ginia realizes with a sadness and shame when she sees Helios start, unable to read his action in any other way. Yet how could he be any other way? She terrorized and hurt him. Even as they say, insist, it wasn't her fault and take her hands, Ginia wants to rebel against the show of love and care. It's undeserved and it burns.

Why? Why do you care? Why are you doing this? She wants to ask, but her hands are trapped in theirs and even if they were free, she's not sure she'd be able to find the signs. When Giles releases her hand, she quickly drops her own. With shame, she picks her knife off the ground. Yet another weapon stained with the blood of one she cares about. The siren song or death rings in her ears again as she stares at the sharp tip.

Because, to her shame, she knows she enjoyed the rush stealing gave her. It was a decadent high that could be compared to little else. It was a dangerously sweet taste of her old life, one she missed no matter how many times she tried to walk away from it.

/We should go-/ she finally signs, stopping short before signing "home." Their home, yes, but her's? /-now./

Helios nods as he shakily and wobbles to his feet. It almost looks like he's about to collapse again but he steadies himself. A shake sigh passes his lips and he gives a small smile. He'll cradle his injured arm against his chest as he looks back at the town.

"Y-Yes we-we should." There's the unspoken all three of us there. Because it was their home, all three of theirs, and he's sure Giles can make Ginia see that. If anyone can he could.

All three of them. Because, if it's not all three of them, it might as well be none of them.

They've crossed the boundaries of worlds to be together. If Giles has any say in it, they won't be parting here.

He remembers the necklace of silver and emerald, safely tucked away in the very bottom of his bag. He has to give it to her. He hadn't foreseen Helios getting so badly wounded in the bargain, though - that has to be tended to. But, as long as he needs help, Giles trusts that Ginia will stay with him.

"I'll, um...why don't you let me try the sigil this time, Helios?" he asks quietly. "I've...well, um, I've seen you do it a dozen times by now."

And he has the blood to spare.

As much as she hates herself, as much as every line in her body begs to run and flee and banish herself, her love for them keeps her at their side. Until Helios and Giles are back at the house, she'll stay at their side. Even the most wild dog understands loyalty.

She begins to protest, but draws herself back. Even if she has the most blood to spare and by all rights should offer some, she lacks the magical power needed for the spell. So Ginia holds herself back and offers a tiny nod in agreement with Giles.

They've been through far too much together to have something like this to part them. But, time, time is a very important factor when it comes to these things. Helios knows how Ginia is feeling, they all do, because they've been there. And isolating oneself is not going to make any of this easier.

"If-if you w-want to." Helios doesn't really have a choice in this, does he? He shifts a little as he nods.

He doesn't - in the state he's in, even getting back to the house would almost certainly put Helios unconscious. No, Giles needs him awake, and as alert as he can possibly be.

Most importantly, he needs the help.

Giles kneels down on the ground. He takes off his bag, and sets it at his side. Then, after a second's further pause, he gives it a nudge towards Helios.

"Watch that, would you?" he asks, glancing up at his friend. The flap closing the bag has shifted just enough for Helios to be able to see the necklace glittering in it.

Might as well take the chance now. He gives Helios a slight nod of encouragement, before gathering some blood on his fingertips and beginning to pain the grass.

With nothing else for her to do, Ginia watches. She watches their surroundings to make sure no one stumbles upon them, though they are far enough into the forest that no one would reasonably stumble upon them. She watches the sky, too blue, clear, and happy for her liking. She watches Giles draw out the needed sigils, doing her best to commit each sign to memory in case there's a day where she can and will need to draw the sigils herself.

And she looks down at the bag, catching only a glimmer of silver. Her stomach twists and she pales as she remembers all the riches she stole. Even now her pockets were full of illicitly gained gems, coins, and jewelry. She'll have to return everything in some way.

And Helios looks back at Giles with a vague smile. He flips open the bag and takes out the necklace with its sliver skin and brilliant green emeralds. It glints in the sunlight as he holds it in his good hand. He looks back at Ginia and holds it a bit closer to her.

"It-it's for you. Giles p-picked it out. I-I just...put on some finishing t-touches." Helios gives the other man a smile as he holds it out to Ginia then, his hand slightly shaking still.

"It-it's much better looking than-than that o-other one, don't you th-think Giles?" Helios manages a truer smile that time.

"We thought you, um...m-might want a different sort of necklace, after all of this is over," Giles adds softly. He doesn't look up from his work, but he wears a faint, slightly hopeful smile, as he remembers his and Helios' work together, all for the sake of this necklace and this moment.

"Of course, um, in, in terms of his 'finishing touches'...well, um, Helios is being modest as always."

She'll see when she puts it on.

Besides - maybe being given something, friend to friend, will help. Ginia doesn't have to take anymore. She never did, of course, but now that she's herself again, perhaps she can see that for herself.

Against what they might have been expecting, Ginia coils at the first sight of the silver and emerald necklace. No. No, no more jewels, no more gems. No no no. Was this some kind of cruel trick? A trap? They already used the necklace once to lure her in. Logic regains control, reminding her they had no reason to trap or trick her, and that whatever they might have done in the morning was only to bring her back to her senses.

Still, Ginia continues to hesitate as she looks at the necklace. The mere sight of such finery makes her feel ill, but refusing such a gift would be rude and only hurt them more. Swallowing down her nervousness, guilt, and a bit of bile, she reaches out for the necklace and puts it on.

"Thank you," Ginia whispers, the words leaving her lips out of a gut reaction, and it takes her a moment to realize those were her words from her own mouth. There had been such a necklace before, a much plainer one, in a village nestled in a forest. She swallows, holding back her tears and the burst of emotion, allowing another word to escape instead.

"Why?"

Helios didn't expect her to do that, but he should have known. He looks at her sadly and with understanding as she takes it slowly, tentatively, seeing much of himself in her at the moment. It's only when she asks 'why' that he looks away. His own eyes burn a little because seeing her like this was truly unpleasant and he wished something like this would never have happened. But this world was filled with things they couldn't understand and couldn't really control. If anything Ginia was a victim in all of this as well.

"Because. That's what f-friends...no, f-family, that's what family does for one another. Isn't it?" They would not leave her because they were family and that word rolls off his tongue easily as he gives her a warm smile. They were all in this together after all and a cursed necklace was not going to impede on what they had.

"Because it was something good we could do for you, in the past. And if we could do so for you again...why wouldn't we?

We are...w-we are family, after all."

He didn't need to look up to see her reaction. The subtle changes in the air, the shifting of her body, the trembling in her returned voice...that had told Giles all he needed.

"And...and because I, I love you, and...and I've missed you, almost m-more than I could bear. W-We both have."

And any pain he endures from this fight, well, Giles sees it as just and fitting recompense for having to use such force against her. For her own good, maybe...but that hadn't made it easy to hurt her.

"...it's not the first time one of us has gotten caught up in a curse."

Helios still has the scars to prove that.

"I love you too. Both of you." Ginia's words still come as soft whispers because it's all she can do to keep herself composed. Anything louder and she knows she'll break and it wouldn't be fair to have the two of them take care of her. So she keeps everything contained, remembering again how easy it is to let everything spill out when words are so easy.

Her hands wring together and she holds them in front of her mouth, trying to find the words to say. It was a curse, but it was more than that. It preyed on her skills, her need for excitement, molded and shaped her until she lost sight of what she was.

She lost control. For the first time in years, for the first time since Alice's disappearance, she lost control.

"...It won't be the last, will it." Dour words, but truthful words edged with fear. It wasn't like an experiment, almost predictable depending on the time of year and from past patterns. Nothing was predictable here, and yet everything was. The laws of fairy tales. Things didn't change much between stories.

Ginia knows she should have known better and that bit of knowledge kills her the most.

Edited 2012-09-12 07:47 (UTC)

Love. It isn't a word he's used to hearing. But when it came to Giles and Ginia? It fit, so very well, despite not sharing blood they were the closest thing to a family that he had now. Helios looks sadly down at the ground at both of their words. They had an unfortunate propensity for getting caught up in curses, and mind altering condition. All of them were not of their own will.

"It won't. But...but we'll get through together, just like today and j-just like we have back in-in Luceti." The place and atmosphere here weren't the same, but the patterns were like experiments. Unpredictable and yet...at least the law of fairy tales had some balance to them.

No, it won't be the last. Giles can't stop his gaze from ticking over to Helios, at that, and his heart clenches in his chest. Did Helios ever bury the book, and get it away? Or is even now another cursed item working its will on one of his friends?

"...together. Just like today."

But they're his family, now - they're his world, and he loves them both more than words can say. Whatever happens...they'll come out together. There's not other way it can go.

Giles adds the last line to the sigil, before straightening up, and turning to face them both.

"That, um...that should do it, then.

Ready?"

"Together." Ginia whispers the word, finally managing to bring her head and eyes up enough to look at the two of them. They'd been through so many things the three of them, so much joy, sorrow, anger, anguish, triumphs, so many things binding them together. This was only another one. It didn't make things any easier to process, Ginia still felt the lumps of guilt weighing heavily as she took in the cut on Giles' cheek and Helios' bandaged arm.

But like everything else, this too would pass. They would go on together, the three of them.

She nods, looks over at Helios, ready to support him if he feels a bit weak. The urge to flee still lingers in her mind, but she pushes it away. It's not perfect, she still needs time, but the three of them. Together. The love they all share for each other. Those are the things Ginia clings onto because she has nothing else left.

It has not been buried or if it has, it was since then retrieved. But Helios would never say or mention it all that much, there was far too many other things to deal with at the moment. It was something to tackle another day. For now his sole concern was for Ginia and Giles, his efforts to patch up this mess were his entire focus now. Perhaps the book could actually help, but Helios hasn't actually tried to write in it yet. The forces and power unknown still to him.

Helios manages to get to his feet shakily as he wobbles a little. His face is pale in the growing sunlight of dawn, his eyes strained and tired. But he still gives a genuine smile.

"I think w-we are. Let's go back to-together then." Because that's what family does and that's what they will always do.

And, with that, Giles will use what power he has to activate the circle and bring them all home. The bright light, the sense of calling, the feeling of cold - probably familiar to all of them by now, but no less unpleasant, and it won't be long before they all find themselves, awareness returning, in the familiar environs of the little house they'd claimed for themselves on the edge of the city.

Immediately, as soon as he can think to do so, Giles moves to support Helios. He knows from painful past experience the reaction an injured body can have to teleportation.

Teleporting is much more cold and sudden than jumping about through shadows, but it's a good shock to the system and a wake up call as good as any. Shadows were soft and comfortable, deceptively warm and eager to share you up.

When they arrive in front of the house, Ginia also moves to support Helios, looking worriedly at him.

"I'm sorry." For hurting him, for hurting all of them, for causing all the trouble she has over the last few days. "Let's get you inside right away."

Teleportation does not do anything for bruises, aches, and cuts like they've all suffered. Helios is pale and barely biting back a gasp when they arrive in front of their home. He wobbles where he stands and would have fallen if not for Ginia and Giles supporting him. A shaky breath of air as he nods to Ginia's words.

"D-Don't. You don't have to apologize. Thank you f-for helping." And coming home when he knows it's probably taken so much out of her. But she did come with them and that's all that matters.

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