Just Checking Up! Part Forty-Three: Green With Envy or Not!

Silks:

Gier poked my shoulder, her long bangs bouncing as we stood outside a quaint New England small town. Granted I was in Hell, her three worded request had me pulling an all nighter after a long day of no leads. The cult went underground, clues often dying away before we could even touch them. Nuit hovered behind me, the rest of my spirit team remaining behind to protect Avery. Wondering what was wrong with the picture, Nuit pointed towards the abnormal amount of darkness in each home.

“Madness may have claimed him.” She barely whispered, tears splashing onto my head. “Usually he calls me every night and he has failed to communicate with me for a few days. Please do a wellness check.” Fussing with the hem of her soft gray sweatshirt dress, her worn boots dug in at the cracking concrete. Adjusting my burgundy leather coat dress, the frills of my black blouse stuck out of the top just right. Scratching at my legs with my favorite burgundy boots, an ominous feeling hung in the air.

“Okay,count on me to fix it for you. Can you send out a few shadows, Nuit?” I comforted her with a bright smile, her fingers clinging to my arm. Shadows extended from his boots, pensive silence bit the air. Retracting it in a matter of seconds, the grimace in his eyes didn’t bode well for us in the slightest.

“Seems he found himself locked in a room due to a takeover of some sort of curse.” He informed me dejectedly, his claws scratching at his face. Golden ice traveled up to my toes, Gier’s anxiety manifesting itself physically. Stepping forward, the ice thickened. Quivering in her spot, her claws sank into my arm. Every breath shortened, a cube of ice locking us in. Trauma sure had a way of hitting us when we least expected it.

“You don’t get it!” She shouted desperately, her hands yanking back. “When he gets like this, his wall is as thick as mine. Fuck, he fights as hard as Musette! Please don’t be too rough on my darling Wolfsbane Envios.” Chewing on my bottom lips, her fear wasn’t unfounded. Flipping through what to say, the volume in her voice spoke of a familiarity between the two. Pressing my palm on the smooth surface, fire lilies bloomed along the surface. Melting it in seconds, scarlet water rained down me. Marching ahead against her pleas, a storm cloud brewed over a rather large Dutch colonial house. Being a queen meant working with my council at their worst, my compassion wanting to solve all of their issues. Well, they distracted me from my own issues at the very least. Approaching the thick dark wooden door, the way it swung open woke up earned suspicion. Perhaps more was going on, a darting shadow speaking as much. The door slammed shut behind me, a busted emerald encrusted pocket watch skidded to my boots. Scooping it up, dread bubbled in my gut. Scratched out initials sent chills up my spine, a ruffle of a tattered gray cloak woke up an even bigger fear.

“Come on out, you slimy twit!” I called out bitingly, a long sigh drawing from my lips upon the lock clicking. “Must we be so chicken sh-” Claws yanked me back, emerald wolf ears flickered in a sliver of dark orange moonlight. Spinning on my heels, golden demonic wolf eyes stared down at me. Towering over me, the demon had to be about seven tall. A dark green plaid shirt clung to a bulky muscular frame, a strand of hair falling out of his slipped back emerald hair. A fluffy wolf tail of a rich matching green stiffened, inky stains covering his jeans. A beat up rifle rested on his shoulders, mixed emotions flashed on his features. A fuming snarl twitched on his inky lips, his fangs sinking into his bottom lip.

“Careful, Miss Silks. That bastard has me trapped in some sort of loop for a couple of weeks." He explained in a rush, his demeanor not matching the characteristics of Envy. “Did Gier send for you? I feel so guilty for missing our date. She is my mate after all, your majesty.” Cutting my palms on his claws, carved wooden spikes appeared in my palm. Orange flames crackled into dual scythes, shadows casting themselves across his strong features.

“Wolfsbane, you might want to destroy this.” I pointed out simply, horror widening his eyes the second I dropped the pocket watch into his free palm. “Distracting whatever this is will now rest on my shoulders. I love these pocket watch demons. Figure it out.” Skidding into the center of a well lit living room, worn furniture and arguing cloaked figures wrote his back story. Bickering about who was the more attractive one, a younger version of him pleaded with them to stop. Screaming for him to get lost, something told me to track the young wolf demon. Chasing after him, the center of this trap had to exist somewhere. Tapping my toes a couple of times, fire lilies bloomed into a single pathway. Sprinting along it, scales glinted in the light of my flames. Claws clashed violently with my scythes, sparks danced alongside ash. Spinning underneath the heaviest blows, a pop threw me off. Claws ran through my stomach, an emerald bullet shattering a portion of his scales. Tossing a shattered pocket watch to our feet, his head cocked to the left.

“What the fuck are you?” He interrogated my attacker intensely, rage boiling in his eyes. Ripping me off of his claws, blast after blast shattered his torturer. Finishing him up in seconds, the inky blood spilling through my fingers seemed rather pointless. The curse failed to fade away, bewilderment twisting our features.

“How many demons did you piss off?” I coughed, each fit painting his floor. “No offense, this seems like a rather big tiff.” Grinning nervously, a steady stream of curse words slipped off of his tongue. Hiding my annoyance underneath the shadow of my smile, these Sins came with a shit ton of baggage. Parting his lips to speak several times, the clock rewound itself in front of us. No enemy stood in our presence, his mind proving to be the damn issue. A bullet whistled by my head, horror rounding my eyes. Clammy sweat beaded on my brow, a midnight blackness overshadowing his eyes. Popping to my feet, Gier wasn’t wrong, his inky darkness dying his veins. Shit, this wasn't going great.

“Come back to me, damn it!” I pleaded through a wall of tears, every cell in me not wanting him to die. “Wake up! Wake up! Anger and jealousy only gets one so far. I understand the strife of abusive parents. I lived that freaking life! My own guardian tried to murder me, okay!” Dodging another bullet with my scythe, a bite claimed the air. Choking down a glob of blood, words weren’t getting to him. Charging at him, the gravity of my wound stung the second our bodies smashed together. Piercing him in the non deadly spots, his body was pinned to the wall. Struggling while swiping at the air, every labored pace back and forth stole more of my energy.

“Let me out of your trap, you foul bitch!” He barked fiercely, pure rage boiling in his eyes. “No one traps the great Sin of Envy!” Attitude showed up on stage, his ego seconds from making me lose my temper. Kicking my scythes deeper into his wounds, a bit of time had been bought. Kicking up his rifle, it would be best to take it with me. Skulking back into the scene, his younger self quivered behind a wall. Long waves floated around his waist, his ten year old hands dripping with fresh black blood. Staring at the floor, the cloaked figures twitched one more time before breathing one final time. Scratching at the sides of his neck, his labored breathing reminded me of myself on that day. Crouching down to his level, his wet eyes met my genuine smile.

“Hey, buddy. I don’t know what went down but none of this is your fault.” I comforted him in a motherly tone, his eyes flitting over to the rifle. “When I had to defend myself from a crazy guardian, that action never stopped haunting me.” Shivering in his spot, his head shook violently between sobs. Burying his face in his palms, every part of my soul shattered.

“You can’t believe that. People will always call me a hothead or a damn freak!” He cried out through his fingers. “How do you fix that!” Bowing my head in a mixture of shame and sorrow, no easy answer rose to the occasion. Wiping the blood off of his hands with my jacket, confusion contorted his features.

“You don’t.” I answered simply, tears of my own staining my cheeks. “People will always judge you and torture you in ways you didn’t know. What I do know is that you have a very special lady in your life. Her name is or will be Gier. Yes, she is painfully awkward. Boy oh boy, is she sweet as can be. Rip is my Gier. Hell, he gave up his beating heart. Shadows come and go but lanterns will always light the way. Are you picking up what I am saying?” The edges of his mind trap frayed, my words sinking in. Everything tripled, exhaustion weighed on my eyelids. Sweet slumber swept me away, his pleas becoming the last thing I heard.

Groaning awake, a mattress squeaked as I rolled over. Gier’s intense ruby eyes bore into mine, a goofy grin never leaving her lips. Leaping onto the bed, more squeaks announced her climbing onto my lap. Personal space, where was the concept of personal space in that head of hers.

“I don’t know what you did but he is smiling more than ever!” She squealed excitedly, a shorter haircut and bangs exposing her stunning features a bit more. “He even asked me to move in with him. We can combine our territories and all that jazz. Thank you so much.” A throat clearing had her jumping ten feet into the air, Wolfsbane catching her. Pecking the top of her head, Gier hid her blushing face behind her sleeve. Smiling softly to myself, my soul ached for Rip and my family.

“Many apologies for shooting at you.” He apologized with a gentle Southern drawl, his rifle hanging off of his back. “Most people don’t bust into my head like that and keep fighting. She has always fought from the outside but those words were nice to hear. Also, you did save my life. Dying because a lack of control in the emotional department would have been embarrassing.” Remembering my clause for attacking me, a deep scarlet flushed his cheeks. Setting her back down on the floor, his request for her to go fresh gauze didn’t fall on deaf ears. Bouncing away, this side of her was rather nice to witness.

“Sorry, I never told her how my parents died. The one who got killed at your table was my uncle.” He blurted out awkwardly, his fingers scratching at the back of his neck. “Will you let me tell her when I am ready?” Itching the poorly healed wounds, another outfit had been destroyed due to my need to help out. Why the fuck not?

“No problem. Rip probably knew about mine because of his government job.” I assured him, a flash of my genuine smile confirming our respect for each other. “Next time you start to lose your shit, stop by either of my homes. We can talk it out instead of whatever that was. As for the shooting at me, PTSD can be a bitch. Dying on me isn’t an option. Can’t you see that I don’t want any of you guys to kick the bucket on me? Sure I have that safety net but no I would rather any situation never reach that point.” Sitting up with a gruff groan, a hearty chuckle bounced off of his tongue. What a nice noise to hear.

“For real, Silks! Dang, what a way to find out.” He mused lightly, his kind gaze meeting mine. “Thank you for purifying my land in your sleep. Here I thought you had to be awake for that one. Safety is a nice thing to have. Too bad you can’t do that for my head.” Touched by his admiration, Gier dancing in had him grinning ear to ear. How sweet of a moment to witness. Maybe Hell could heal through my guidance, a bit of light returning to my eyes. Chaos erupted in the hall, the other Sins I knew skidded in. Rip and my family tumbled in behind them, Avery jumping onto the bed. Dad and Shal hung back with Rip, his arms clinging to my waist. Wincing in pain, his healing powers dissolved them in seconds. Introducing each other, Wolfsbane and Gier became a welcome addition to my found family. Wagging his tail upon the friendly interactions, Avery calling me mom whipped me back to him.

“All my grandfathers took me hunting today.” He chattered pleasantly, a big grin resting on his lips as our spirit guides gathered around Nuit and Linz. “Boy, was it fun! Fishing also occurred. Then we practiced a bit of nature magic. How was your day?” Blinking rapidly, it took a second to soak in all of that information. Fixing his hair, his skull t-shirt and dark jeans reminded me of a younger Rip. What a sweetheart. How could I keep such joy in his life?

“How about we go hunting on my next day off? Maybe I can teach a bit of fire magic.” I offered in a motherly tone, his features brightening visibly. “I love you with all of my heart, Avery.” Ruffling his hair, his twinkling eyes met mine. Plopping down next to me, Rip rushed up to my side. His simple black button shirt and simple black jeans stole my breath away, the back of his hand feeling my forehead. Kissing my lips tenderly, his palm grazed my cheek.

“Such a magical touch, my dear queen.” He whispered affectionately, several conversations breaking out around us. “This king is lucky to be your husband. Cal found a solid lead and we need your expertise. Did you want to head out tomorrow? Bonus, it is another live ceremony. End it on that part and shut it down in Hell. Hopefully it goes better this time.” Snorting under my breath, his eye roll matched mine.

“When have our plans ever worked out?” I teased sarcastically, his smirk twitching a bit due to bemusement. “Honestly, winging it usually is a better payday. The Sins are proving to be one hell of an A-team. If anything, our chances are improving by the day.” Laying down on the other side of me, relief was cut short by a mental call.

Excusing myself, a walk down the hall gave me pause. A dark energy snatched me by the waist, shadowy flames whisking me away. Tossing me inches from crashing orange waves, panic rounded my eyes. How the fuck did it kidnap me! No, this was a loyal fighter. Her egg hummed behind me in a deep pool, the thick layer of magic preventing me from ever getting to her. Imagining my fire lilies, the lack of transportation frightened the hell out of me. Right! Wit would have to be my pal, Flamios making his way out of my soul.

“Be careful with this guy. He is a dark elemental and they don’t play nice.” He warned me sternly, his form crackling next to me. “Shit, he is going to t-” The scene shifted to something else, an endless sea of gray ash and dead trees swallowing me whole. A lump formed in my throat, dread bubbling in my gut, the change in scenery not exactly helping me in the planning department. Adopting this one would screw me up but killing it seemed wrong. Cocking my brow at the one crumbling old school building, shelter would provide me a bit of sanity. Chewing on my bottom lip, Flamios spoke up in a dejected tone.

“Someone is going to have to break in. Let’s try to survive together.” He informed me shakily, fear dripping in his voice. “Hope your stamina is strong. Shall we enter that building?” Sprinting towards the dark carved wooden doors, a smash through landed me on worn wooden floors. Desks sat in perfect lines, a chalk board sent chills up my spine. Chanting echoed all around me, the other side taunting the crap out of me. Locking the door behind me, orange fire lilies bloomed with every step. Jumping onto the teacher’s desk, my fingers curled around the one piece of chalk. Tucking it into my pocket, patience would bring it to the moment I could send my message. Perhaps they could open up a door, the bad guys helping out for once. Bringing my knees to my chest, the bite of loneliness plagued me. Missing my family and friends, silent tears danced off of my chin. The door handles rattled wildly, the dread swelling in my gut. Burying my face into my knees, Flamios rubbed my back. Panicking wouldn’t do any good but it was all I could manage at the moment. Feeling helpless landed me in this dark mental place, the silence besides the wiggling door digging her spikes into my very veins. Screaming into my knees, the dam broke. No longer could I contain the river of pent up emotions. God, please protect me. Please!