(Untitled)

[joylesslife]

[A regally-dressed woman stands, wavering, in the center of the lobby, which has transformed into a very plush mansion with high windows that look out into different worlds. Her white shawl and dress are stained with blood, but she doesn't appear to be injured. She inspects herself, then looks around.

In a deceivingly sweet voice:] Zelos, you can

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[winningside]

[Oh, dear Goddess.

Or...whoever.

He knows that voice. He knows that voice, even after the better part of twenty years, he could never forget, not for a moment.

Feeling sick, but trying not to shake, he steps into the room quietly.]

...Mom?

[joylesslife]

[She lets go of another curtain and turns. The red hair shocks her, but she doesn't recognize him otherwise. The looks she gives him is terribly cold and terribly familiar.]

Who are you?

[winningside]

[She doesn't recognize him. Of course she doesn't - she died when he was a kid. She still expects him to be eight.]

It's me, Mom. ...It's Zelos.

[joylesslife]

[Her eyebrows go up, and she feels her blood run a little cold, and then-- she's reaching for a knife sitting on another tray nearby, clutching it like it'll save her. Her voice cracks, but then she finds her control again.]

Is this some kind of joke? My son is still a child. Myara! Sebastian! Someone clear away this... this...

[Goddess, he really does look just like her. And him. She can't help but think of /him/ when she sees that unruly hair, and-- no, it's not right. It can't be.]

... You're dead. You must be dead.

[eternityunseen]

[ There's a young man near one of the windows, listening to the chaos. He twitches whenever something else is brought down, yet seems to be focusing on something; listening for her footfalls, trying to tell where she'll strike next. ]

No one's asking anything of you. Not here.

[joylesslife]

[She stops, of course, upon noticing that there's someone else here. His presence alone shocks her into silence for a few good seconds, before she starts questioning him.]

Then why bring me here? Why not give me oblivion? I don't want to be here.

[eternityunseen]

[ He seems a little bit nervous at the long silence... then relaxes when she speaks. ] Some things just aren't up to us.

[joylesslife]

[She studies him. He's dressed very strangely. Perhaps he's stuck in the same hell from some far away land, though she can't imagine where he could have come from.]

I know that much. [Icy, isn't she?] Who are you?