Just Checking Up! Part Forty-Six: Memories of a Siren!

Rip:

Glancing down at the orange ball at my feet, Frice flew into my eager palms. Her beautiful dragon eye met mine, discomfort rising at how overdressed my embroidered black suit felt. Parting my lips to speak several times, deep sorrow laced my shattered soul. Fussing with my frilly dress shirt, one touch of dress boots sent us flying into a swirl of orange water. Splashing into a pool of water, a much younger Musette paced behind what had to be her deceased parents. Inky blood coated her hands, a devilish grin lingering on her lips. Hoping she would feel remorse, her tiny body shook with wild giggles.

“Finally, I am free!” She squeaked gleefully, her palms clasping together. “Talk about ending someone’s life being easy!” Horror rounded our eyes, evil coursing through her veins. Stumbling back, her angry eyes darted in our direction. Flashing water blades, her stained silk tea time dress floating up with every skip towards us. Tripping onto another ball, a wave tossed us into an abandoned church. Clutching Frice close to my chest, the natural action to protect her must have come from becoming a father. Hiding behind the most held together pew, a ten year old Musette trudged in with an animal skin bag of blood.

“Time to reap my rewards!” She sang gleefully, her fangs tickling the top of the bag as she soaked in the ashy gray wood. “Why does it smell like there are intruders?” A younger Dade crept out of the shadows, his kind gaze meeting her crazed expression. Dusting off his simple black dress shirt and pants, a blush flushed both of their cheeks. Approaching her cautiously, his long hair floated up. Flaming black vines whipped around him, his lips curling into a sympathetic smile.

“Are you okay?” He inquired sweetly, his fingers scratching at the back of his neck. “My parents were attacked in the village a couple of miles back. Did you need a friend to wander about with?” Recognizing the same caring pattern in Silks, her deceptive aura swirled wildly. Sniffing the air, his parents’ blood sloshed in the bag. Holding my tongue, her bare feet thumped inches from him. Pretending to cry for her strife, hatred brewed in my chest.

“She played him from day one, my phoenix side seeing the damage from that day.” Frice confessed dejectedly, her age making sense. “Time after time, my body was reborn until her water touched my body. No longer could I rise from the ashes.” A single tear splashed onto my knee, my gentle smile doing little to comfort her.

Another pearl rolled to my feet, another force tearing us from the scene. Must this be so fast paced! Tossing us into a foggy field, the current versions of them stood inches from each other. Holding her stomach, his smile never left his face. Crawling through the bushes, their conversation entered my earshot.

“I didn’t want to become a mother! This thing is going to ruin my plans!” She argued bitterly, his smile falling. “Our mate bond is done!” Stumbling back, his hand clutched his heart while his lips moved a mile a minute. Snatching him by the waist, the scene shifted to his cage. Kicking him into the prison we discovered him in, that determined grin reminded me of Silks. Holding his chin up high, raw fury raged in his eyes.

“No matter what you do to harm her from this point, you will find that I have hindered you in a most annoying way. Mark my words, I will get out of this cage.” He threatened her darkly, a fit of laughter bursting from his lips. “Good luck besting someone with the best traits belonging to both of us.” Settling in the center of his prison, inky tears welled up in his waterline. Hang on buddy, your daughter will free you eventually.

The edges pulsed wildly, my breath hitching at the sight of Musette stepping up to a table at Silks’ male guardian’s prison. The chair squealed as she plopped into the chair, her scarlet business suit and false lawyer card had let her in. Drumming her fingernails on the metal table, true fear rounded his eyes. Motioning for him to sit, his hands ran through his unkempt hair. Plucking at his orange prison garb, his fingers scratched at his lap. Fear hardly ever struck him in such a way.

“How hard is it to complete what I couldn’t do!” She whispered harshly, his body shrinking down into the harsh looking metal chair. “Fine, I’ll do it myself!” Rising to her feet, orange water whisked her away. Landing clumsily in a sterile white room, a younger Silks slumbered underneath a heap of blankets. Assuming this was the mental part of the hospital, Musette towered over her. Sculpting her water into dual scythes, she brought it behind her head. Bringing it down, a layer of flaming black fire lilies bloomed to life. Attempting to strike them repeatedly, her attacks became weaker. Cursing under her breath, a devious smirk spread ear to ear on my lips. Shit, he cast a spell of protection upon her before he couldn’t change his fate.

Spinning into another splash of orange water, a haggard version of Dade sat up with a triumphant grin. Resting his hands with wrist on his knees, his long hair having been twisted into a bun.

“Fail to do what you desire.” He taunted her playfully, his fingers drumming a happy rhythm on his legs. “How one could assume that I would leave her without protection is a most foolish error on their end. Sure it will wear off eventually. By that time, she will be a demon once more. Good luck once that occurs.” Kicking the cage in a fit of rage, a couple of screams exploded from her lips. Clawing at the side of her face, pure darkness deepened the shadow of her aura.

“How dare you!” She roared thunderously, a wave of water failing to go past the cage. “Don’t you love me anymore?” Drawing a long sigh, hurt flashed in his eyes before hatred replaced it. Someone hadn’t learned to control their manipulative behaviors.

“Nope, not an ounce!” He returned cheerfully, that triumphant grin pissing her off further. “Thanks for visiting though. A time will come when she will take you out. Hopefully, my dumb ass will be there supporting her. I am still trying to figure a way out of my lovely abode. Tell me, was it nice to play the part of a fool?” Poking the bear was his sole form of entertainment.

“I am no fool.” She hissed vehemently, her eyes narrowing in his direction. “Have it be known that your reputation is being destroyed with your copies.” Shrugging his shoulders, defiance shimmered in his eyes. Leaning close to the bar, a sternness shut down her attempt to hide the fright in her posture.

“Compassion often finds its strength in the long run. Fright is essentially a flash in the pan, darling.” He uttered calmly, that familiar grin warming my soul. “Pride cometh before the fall. Remember that, Musette.” A clap stole me away from the memory, Dade’s hand grasping my shoulder. Spinning on my heels, an empty space of swirling gray danced around our bodies.

“Sorry about that. She must be coming apart at the seams.” He sighed dejectedly, his hands landing on hips. “Now to get out of here. Funny you found them and not her. Please don’t think little of me.” Bowing his head in shame, his eyes averted to the furthest corner of the space. Shouting hey a couple of times, the words went in one ear and out the other. Snapping my fingers in his face, wet eyes met mine.

“Nothing was going to change your path, Dade.” I comforted him awkwardly, my mixed emotions from what I witnessed flashing in my eyes. “From what I learned in my life, the monsters that walked next to us aren’t who we are. From what I witnessed, Miss Musette was evil from day one. If you didn’t go through all of that, we wouldn’t have Silks. Something good had to blossom from this madness.” Agreeing with a numb stare, damage had been dealt. Dark bags haunted underneath his kind eyes, his lips pressing into a thin line. Please don’t break due to my emotions.

“Well, you aren’t incorrect.” He mused brightly, the false smile not fooling me. “Frice, how the hell did someone make you a book? I thought she melted you.” Joy illuminated her one eye, an extra shimmer danced along her scales.

“That library fellow scooped up my remaining feathers and combined me with these dragon scales. This makes me the second oldest book alive. Here’s the deal, boys. We need to find a crack. After that, we make the hike back home.” Fussing with his simple black dress shirt and dress pants, he had leapt up from whatever he was doing at our home. Examining the space hopelessly, nothing presented itself. Tapping the ground, a solid material echoed underneath me.

“Perhaps a dragon spell can crack this.” She sang gleefully, her pages fluttering. “Judging by your soul, our magic should be compatible. Spell coming right up!” Cracking open, yellowed pages flipped open to a page of complicated symbols. A lump formed in my throat, panic flashing in my eyes. Doors were my thing but this was a whole new level of magic. Sinking to my knee, a slice to the corner of her book created a pool of ink. Images of Bookworth flashed in my mind, guilt distracting me for a second. Zoning out to stop the emotional arrow to my heart, Frice shouting out my name whipped me back to reality. Apologizing sincerely, her eye blinked a couple of times. Dipping the tip of my fingers into my shimmering blood, a quake claimed my hand.

“Bookworth brought you to the capacity of handling all types of magic. Show him what you can do, young master.” She encouraged me brightly, her feathers fluffing up. “Fate brought us together. Let’s show the world what we can do.” Nodding a couple of times, the tip of my finger danced with ease. Warmth heated up my soul, a fire mixing with ice to stabilize it. Finishing up the last circle, a rub of my palms coated them both. Slamming them onto the closest symbols, imaging what you desired would grant you flawless results. Picturing cracks along the surface, a glow flickered in and out of my closed eyes. A nudge to my shoulders forced me to open them, all five circles spinning as glowing dragons clawed at the surface. Cracks spread every which way, a wasteland coming into view. Dade dropkicked the bottom, the rest of the trap crumbling to a pile of rubble. Hitting muddy gray dirt with a dull thud and a groan, the lack of a nose bleed had me smiling brokenly to myself. Basking in the embrace of dragon magic, something about it clicked with me. Dade seemed seconds from a panic attack, the church from the memory taunting him. Fighting a wave of tears, a most familiar false smile shattering my soul.

“Bad luck really adores me on a such fine fucking day.” He uttered sarcastically, his smile dropping into the most crestfallen expression. “Life can be as bitchy as her. I know the way back to the Lust district. Magic doesn’t function around here so don’t even try. Her attack canceled that ability in the aftermath.” Running his hand through his hair, raw emotional strife haunted his tired eyes. Checking on Frice, his words held every ounce of truth. No eye stared up at me, dismay biting at me.

“At this point, recent events lead me to believe bad luck is all of our best pals.” I joked lightly, hoping to pick up his mood. “A dream team is standing right here, the two of us stronger than ever. Come now!” Spinning around and placing my hand on my hip, a tuckered out chuckle bounced off of his tongue. Trudging towards the church, a few sighs slipped off of his tongue.

“Thank you for protecting her.” I spoke up loud enough to break him out of his mental funk. “Lord knows what my life would look like if I had never met her. She is a carbon copy of your personality. You have nothing to worry about. That queen of mine will go down as the greatest queen of Hell. Hold that in your heart. Also, you are one of the world’s best grandfathers. Shall we get home to them?” Flashing me that real smile that I knew all too real, my words had reached him.

“If it means anything, she could have turned out like Musette. Yet with all the bullshit she suffered through, her compassion spun her into the demon she is today.” I continued honestly, his gentle expression meeting mine. “Hell, she took the part of the crown to spare my old man. You know, your best friend. Don’t think I don’t see how much you two chatter together. Trust me, I love that for you two.” Kicking in the church doors, time had taken its toll. No pews remained intact, stress building in my head as he chose to dig around for some sort of exit instead of talking with me. Apparently the gift of silence was a family trait, eager to be passed on.

“Forgive me for being a bit quiet.” He breathed shyly, his boot hitting a rusty puzzle as embarrassment flushed my cheeks. “Focusing often takes my full attention. The moment she was made, I knew that she would be nothing like her. When next generations are brought to life in a womb, one of the parents can see the future or their freaking aura. Considering my job was to write that shit down for the council, my skills far surpass anyone else’s. Much like your magic is a delight to witness. Your father has fantastic abilities but, Rip, you are the most powerful spell caster that I have had the honor of meeting. Consider me honored to be your father-in-law.” Crashing to his knees, his slender fingers worked the puzzle. Finishing up with a clap, one second passed. Genius tendencies seemed to be gifted from generation to generation as well, rust floating into the air as he peeled it open.

“Your aura is quite a wonderful one to marvel at. The colors are intriguing. Sorrow laces yours but I miss Bookworth as well. He and I would chat about the old times. What a fellow.” He laughed depressingly, his eyes scanning a dripping tunnel system. “She told me your love story by the way. How adorable. Fate lined you up from day one, and I couldn’t be any happier for you. True love has a way of latching on and never letting go. Speaking of getting home, shall we?” Hopping into the hole, nothing held me back from following suit. Hitting cracking silvery marble, orange flames flickered to life. Magic was supposed to be shut down, his lips parting several times. Sniffing the air, brimstone spoke of a dragon.

“Dragon magic isn’t totally affected, you idiots.” Frice hissed irritably, her one eye flitting between the two of us. “That being said, a dragon egg is somewhere around here. They smell like my kin. Please aid them for my sake?” Assuring her via a mouthed out sure, shadow figures darted around the corners of many twists and turns. Sniffing the air once more, Dade nipped on my heels as I chased down what was calling me. Sprinting faster, a rough skid to a rough stop threatened to land me on my face. Ice curled around a silver egg, the top reaching my hip. Poking the shell, violent rattling had me leaping back. Exploding into shards, a waist high silver dragon plopped down in front of me. Violet dragon eyes shone bright with pure love, its horns and spikes matching its breathtaking eyes. A bit of lilac purple shimmered in its scale, Frice’s voice whipping me back into the situation.

“She is a sweetheart. Her name is Glacia and she breathes ice. Claim her as your dragon.” She urged excitedly, a gust of warm air throwing my palm onto Glacia’s head. “Relax and let the relationship form naturally.” Closing my eyes, fluffy clouds and piles of snow hitting my face played out like a movie. Ice nipped the surface of my hand, a step back resulting in Glacia curling her body around my ankles. The warm air melted the ice, a dragon tattoo glowing to life on my right wrist. Not going to lie, every cell of me desired a dragon. Talk about the best form of transportation, a mighty sweet one at that.

“Would you look at that? Add the title of dragon owner to the resume.” Dade joked blithely, his fingers tickling underneath Glacia’s snout. “Aren’t we adorable?” Scooping her up, the way he bounced her up and down woke up the light in his eyes. Allowing him to bask in the joy of finding a dragon, the thought of Silks being thrilled heated up the flames of hope. Throwing her into my arms, her scales tickled my skin on her way around my neck. Snuggling into my shoulder, her snores echoed in my ears. Clouds of ice crystals shot past my ear, pure bliss lightening the mood. Praying to the one above, please guide us back home in one piece.