036-[Action?] The Grinch who stabbed Christmas.... and little girls....

[friendly_ghosts]

[Remember Mindy's plan to save Christmas? Well, it turns out that Mindy failed to save anything, but Black Mage succeeded. Yay?

At any rate, those who actually go to the tree on Christmas eve as she requested, will be greeted with a gruesome sight. Mindy is dead, and her corpse is artfully hung on one of the lower branches of the tree as if it were

Comments

[thunder_ace]

[No

No

Fate could care less about this 'fake' business. She can't be sure if it's even true or not... but even if it was, there's no reason to kill them. They're still people, after all.

So when she sees the broken body of a child - a child from her house, one she was supposed to protect - she can't help but scream.]

[nosigntospeakof]

[He's here, just as Mindy requested. He's had a rough day, what with the love of his life trying to stab him and all, so the thought of just being able to quietly celebrate the holiday, even if it's just him and Mindy, is a nice one.

Until he actually gets to there and hears Fate's scream is painfully reminded of home.]

Mindy, no.

[thunder_ace]

Why... I can't... [Can't talk. Can't understand. She's been in the military for nearly twenty years now, and has seen some pretty horrible things. But a murdered child? It still hurts. Every time.]

How can someone do something like this...

[nosigntospeakof]

[He's seen so much senseless violence in his adult life. Death and spilled blood just based on color. It pained him every time, especially when ones so young were involved. This is no exception.

He swallows hard and approaches Fate, a mixture of feelings welling in his chest, and wraps his arm around her shoulders.]

Shoosh.

[fatefullfriend]

[Fate's wolf is around. She may be 'fake' but she's around... and not talking or approaching her master. Fate may catch sight of a bit of tail, a flash of orange or see a familiar paw print in the snow, but Arf doesn't approach.

And she wants to. With Fate's scream, knowing where it comes from, she... she wants to hold Fate in her arms, stroke her hair and tell her everything will somehow, SOMEHOW, be okay.

But she doesn't. The wolf just continues to watch over her master from afar. It's all she can do anymore.]

[thunder_ace]

[She doesn't care about "fakes" or people being "erased" or anything like that anymore. All that matters is that a child - a child under her care was killed, and it's hurting. Badly.

She doesn't even need their bond to sense Arf. There's no hatred or anything towards her anymore, if there was any at all; she of all people knows how cruel it can be to treat someone horribly because they look like, but aren't the same as, someone else.]

... Come here, please?

[fatefullfriend]

[A few long moments pass before the wolf's presence is felt behind Fate and there's a warmth of fur brushing against her lower back. Arf stops there, standing where Fate could lean back against her if she wished, where she could be support for her master.

But still, she says nothing.]

[thunder_ace]

[Fate doesn't lean backagainst her. Instead, she turns, kneels down, and wraps her arms tightly around Arf. Curls her hands into fists and buries her face in the long, thick fur.

She's not crying, but she seems close to it. So she stays like that for a long time, just clinging to the wolf.]

[fatefullfriend]

[Arf wraps her tail as much around Fate as she can and rests her head against her master's back. She thinks about shifting, wrapping Fate up in her arms, but... She shouldn't.

She just shouldn't.]