Just Checking Up! Part Forty-Seven: A Rip in Silks

Silks:

Purple rays of the sunset blended with a soft pink, the sun setting in a few minutes. Avery played with his grandfathers and grandmothers, his bat pajamas looking adorable on him. Mary Allen hovered close behind me, Nuit pecking her on her cheek. Sally Sue conversed with Mavis, both of them picking up on my stressed out expression. Rip was running late, something feeling simply off about it. Chewing on my bottom lip, Shal materialized out of nowhere. Lap and Linz bounded to my side, the spirit guides would make a complete team.

“Go on and find your husband.” He urged calmly, his hands sliding into his black jeans. “I can protect these guys. I happen to be quite fond of them.” Flashing him a sarcastic smirk, a slight chuckle tumbled off of my tongue. Hugging him tightly, silk brushed against my cheeks. Thanking him graciously, my boots clicked through the closet into Hell. Skidding into a calm scene, Shal tossed me one of Rip’s jackets. Such an item would be handy in the long run.

“Good luck, my dear.” He sang nervously, Avery smashing into his legs. “How is it going, my Little Fang!” Closing the door behind me, Mary Allen and Nuit snuggled into each other’s arms. Touched by their newfound romance, a small smile graced my lips. A light orange claimed the full moon, Harebell leapt onto my back. Cotton tickled my neck, a soft gray catching my eyes. Piercings twinkled on her ears, her big smile meeting my tired smirk.

“How about we tackle this together?” She suggested blithely, her fluffy tail wagging. Shooting out a quick yes, those bells on her ears twinkled with pure bliss. Her strength could be harnessed, orange flames crackling into the shape of a sludge hammer. Lowering it in front Lap, a blow hardened it into a solid weapon. Passing it back to her, Harebell sucked in a deep breath. Did she like it or not?

“This is sick!” She cried out excitedly, her hands clasping together. “Safe to assume that smashing things is the main objective of this wonderful gift.” Shooting her a thumbs up, her ears bounced a couple of times. Adjusting my burgundy skater style dress, jet black tights clung to my legs. Kicking at the dirt covering a cobblestone road, Linz signaled that a scent was driving the poor pup nuts. Holding onto her neck, orange flaming fire lilies whisked us into a church. Noticing a trap door with a puzzle, the scent of my father threw men off. Sliding off my back, a solemn look haunted Harebell’s features. What stole her thunder?

“Such sorrow laces this land. In fact this is where your father lost everything.” She explained to me dejectedly, her boots scratching at her legs. “Musette destroyed it all and fooled him into travelling alongside her. How do you still have your powers?” Soaking in the information, another crack lined my soul. Shrugging my shoulders, no words could escape my lips. How could I heal my father’s returned traumas? Sprinting over to the trapdoor, this was a puzzle my father had taught me. Shifting the pieces around, a deep male voice had me working a bit swifter. Clicking open, a couple of thuds had us in a sea of shadows.

“Miss Musette sent me to hunt y’all down.” That voice twanged, distress threatening to shorten my breath. “Game on, your majesty!” Flames flickered to life on torches, cowboy boots clomping towards the open trapdoor. Cursing under my breath, one look passed between Harebell and me. Linz whined, his paw digging at the floor. Exhaling a long sigh, guilt ate at me.

“Get to Rip and my father.” I pleaded nervously, her new sludge hammer bouncing off of her palm. “Get them home safely.” Stomping her foot much like a stubborn rabbit, a cute huff escaped her lips. Pinning her ears back, her sharp eyes darted over to Lap.

“Keep my big sis alive!” She snapped hotly, her nose twitching in annoyance. “Even if she is being stupid as they come.” Sprinting off after Linz, clouds of dust announced her fighting off that cowboy’s minions. Shouting out in pure bliss, her new weapon was clearly working. Stepping back into the shadows, dusty black cowboy boots jingled into view. Spurs glinted in the light, his seven foot seven muscular frame giving him a solid two feet on me. Silver details shimmered on his black cowboy shirt, blood stains coating his thick black denim pants. Flipping sleek silver pistols over his fingers, his tattered black cowboy hat hid a fair bit of scarlet curls. Scanning the space, his scarlet eyes narrowly meeting mine. Nuit and Mary Allen poked their heads over my shoulders, a summoning of my carved wooden pieces waking up grief. Fighting a wave of tears, the natural response of digging my claws into my palms had inky blood waking up their symbols. Crackling into dual scythes of uncontrollable orange flames, a single drop of sorrow dripped off of my chin.

“He can’t be that hard to beat, right?” Nuit chuckled anxiously, his brow twitching at the same rate of mine. Ignoring the searing agony of the flames, his words weren’t striking any core. Icy hands cooled down the burns, an apology slipping off of my tongue. Shaking off the negative emotions the best I could, a couple of steps brought me face to face to him. Wiggling his gray mustache, Nuit’s shadows devoured the space. Trapping us in a big enough cube to do enough damage, Mary Allen hovered awkwardly. Flying over to Nuit’s side, her fingers intertwined with his. Spikes shot up from the bottom, gold glinting in the darkness. Would this do?

“Howdy, Cowboy!” I taunted him sarcastically, a slight tremble lacing my voice. “I am afraid that your lovely lady isn’t the greatest to follow. From what I can sense, she is pure evil. Is this rooting tooting demon down with that?” Aiming his pistols in my direction, a clammy sweat beaded on his brow. Someone had fear haunting their every interaction, a devilish grin spreading ear to ear.

“Touch a nerve. She does love to throw her men away.” I continued briskly, his head shaking in pathetic denial. “Everyone she sends my way meets their end. Do you want to meet your death? Honestly, I could work w-” A pop had me twirling behind a spike, a lump forming in my throat. A bullet nicked the top of my ear, an obvious weakness presenting itself. So our sense of hearing was twice as flawless as our sight, my breathing slowing down to the near point of death.

“Nice trick, Miss Silks. Maybe understand that we play around in the hay every now and then.” He growled through gritted teeth, midnight black drops plopping onto my feet. “Too bad you can’t make bleeding silent!” Picking up on his energy, a swing of my dual scythes landed a blow into his soul. Shock rounded his eyes, orange fire lilies blooming from within his body.

“Tell her that I love her.” He wheezed with a big smile, a boom announcing him turning into a cloud of dust. Orange waves dissolved the shadow box saving the tunnel, a chill running up my spine at the sight of Musette. Tall boots hid her mechanical legs, her water scythes bouncing off her legs. The hem of her sparkling navy gown floated up with every strained huff, the slits giving her permission to fight freely.

“Naughty daughter! I should have known that he wouldn’t last a damn minute!” She hissed vehemently, a wave of my hands sending my animal familiars to safety. “Time to go at it again!” Splashing towards me, a leap into the air sent her stumbling into the wall. Landing gracefully behind her, her elbow jamming into my diaphragm paralyzed me. Disappearing in a splash of orange water, her energy was nowhere to be found. Motioning for Nuit and Mary Allen to go ahead, goosebumps dotted my exposed skin upon their departure. Cracks traveled underneath my boots, the ground giving away. Lap stared down at me, his ears pinning back. A cool breeze nipped my cheeks, his rabbit feet bounding away. Jagged dark gray rocks poked my back, a bit of snow confusing me. Crunching deeper into a winter wonderland, clouds of air coinciding with every breath reminded me of a dragon. A thump equivalent to a heartbeat had me sprinting towards the damn source, a scarlet egg stealing my attention. Approaching it cautiously, patterns of feathers intrigued me. Poking it once, flames burnt it to a crisp. Decaying to a pile of ash, a scarlet phoenix zoomed into the drifting snow. Stopping short of my face, a feminine energy swirled in its intense energy. Curling her body around my neck, a peck on my cheek resulted in a phoenix tattoo glowing to life over my heart.

“Master, my name is Kiba. My wings flutter for you and you alone.” A flaming orange akin to my own claimed her gray eyes, the color becoming permanent. Landing on my head, her long tail feathers tickled my neck. Staring numbly at my new mark, guilt ate at me. What would Flamios say? Would he be pissed at me for moving on? Running my finger through her tail feathers, sweet joy glittered in her eyes.

“Master, are you okay?” She queried blithely, inky tears staining my cheeks. “Do we miss my dear friend Flamios? He did send you this way, if you must know.” A blustery wind killed what would have been painful silence, the corner of my lips quivering. Curiosity mixed with a deep grief, her eyes ending up centimeters from mine. A lump formed in my throat, dread nauseating me.

“Master, how could you not know? We used to run his realm together. Well, until he sent me away to here.” She chattered gleefully, her tail feathers wagging away. “He informed me that he would die one day and pass on his skills to the right person. Once that happened, it fell on my pretty little feathers to take his place. Such an odd fellow. Us phoenixes live an eternity, so the world grows around us. Hell, this is my thirtieth cycle.” Flashing her an odd look, a shell of my genuine smile lingered on my lips.

“Thank you for stepping up.” I sniffled sadly, her feathers wiping away my tears. “Sorry I took an eternity to get here. We do need to get back. Not that I feel like it. Whenever I am alone, the tears flow a hell of a lot faster. Maybe it’s because I don’t have to act so strong.” Staring up at the small beam of orange moonlight, her head snuggled into mine.

“A proud fellow like him would always melt for someone like you.” She hummed delightfully, her feathers folding into a sort of embrace. “Shoot, I see what he saw. A brilliant queen like you deserves all the help you require to survive. Elementals like him float about aimlessly but friendships can keep them rooted in the best way. Let me do what he did for you.” Keeping to a much needed silence, the exit had to be somewhere around here. Throwing me onto her back, her giant size became apparent. Taking off up through the hole, a beautiful song flowed out of her beak. Tainted joy found its way into my tears, a broken grin dawning on my lips. Draping my arms around her neck, fine feathers brushed my cheeks. Sobbing into the fluffiest part of her neck, the release felt so freeing. Zooming through the tunnels, Rip and the others came into view.

“Do you mind doing another lap?” I requested shakily, tears lacing my tone. “I am not ready to face everyone, Kiba.” Turning around, her wings glided along a breeze. Flying until I was prepared to put on my mask, her talons hit the marble first. Rip lowered me onto the ground, Linz and a silver dragon playing around our feet. Examining me for any wounds, relief glimmered in his eyes. Putting my scythes away, the wood crumbled to nothing. Staring up at his tripling face, his hands lifted up my severely burnt hands.

“Flamios really kept this at bay, didn’t he?” He puzzled audibly, a single tear splashing onto my palm. Reversing half the damage, Kiba fluffed her feathers with an annoyed huff. Sorry for being such a damn troublemaker, I thought internally.

“Apparently you damaged yourself far too much, Master. How about we try to be careful from now on.” She begged sweetly, my gaze averting to my boots due to shame. Being careful wasn’t the issue, an apology waiting on deck.

“Being careful isn’t the issue, my dear friend.” I uttered under my breath, both Rip and her zeroing in on me falling apart. “Emotions result in my flames flaring uncontrollably. Until I learn how to fix that issue, I am afraid that nothing can repair this bullshit. Then again, you can’t shut down grief. Truth be told, no one but me can tighten up these flames. Working with my dad has helped a tiny bit.” Waving at me, his eyes focused on the phoenix attached to me.

“Kiba, how long has it been?” He laughed blithely, his brow cocking at my clearly more damaged hands. “Someone isn’t holding up okay. You do know you can open up to me, my darling. Kiba, entertain everyone else while I take my daughter on a walk. Worry not, we will be right back.” Rushing up to his side, our footfalls clacked away from everyone. Awkward silence bit the air, Kiba flying over to Rip. Harebell shouted out my name, her body smashing into mine once more. z something felt so cozy about it. Inky blood shimmered all over her sledgehammer, tears of relief soaking into my shoulder. Draping my arms over her shoulders, something told me her next words were going to sound like music to my ears.

“So, don’t be mad but I am moving in with you. No refusing my offer!” She asserted herself firmly between sniffles, my genuine smile illuminating my features. “If I must confess, every second by your side feels like a warm hug. May I stay within your flames? Maybe perhaps as a bodyguard.” Hugging her tighter, the sentiment wasn’t lost on me.

“Consider it my honor to have you as my bodyguard.” I answered in a big sister tone, her squeals making my day. “I will have your brother drop off your things. How does that sound?” Leaping ten feet into the air, her voice called out to Rip. Announcing the great news, his features visibly relaxed. Moving on with our stroll, Harebell danced up to Rip. Happy to see their friendship, a couple of cracks in my soul healed. Shifting my attention back to my father, his tortured grin met my matching expression.

“How are you holding up considering what is decaying above our head?” I queried cautiously, a long breath drawing from his lips. “Sucks that you had to suffer but thanks for having me. You deserve a trophy for the world’s greatest father.” Yanking me into a hearty embrace, our flames swirled around us. Basking in the moment, our stress melted away as we stepped back. Ruffling my hair, his big smile relaxed me further.

“Wouldn’t change a damn thing!” He announced proudly, his hands landing on his hips. “Being trapped in a cage wasn’t exactly a vacation but poking the bear proved quite entertaining. These past few moments will be cherished. If we are talking trophies, mother of the year goes to you. Worry not, you are nothing like her. How are you holding up, considering your recent loss?” Fighting a wave of tears, bitter sorrow stung my soul.

“Hell, loss bit me in the worst way. Kiba mentioned that it was her turn. Who would I be to not let her have her time. Flamios taught me so much. Shit, he was a band-aid to a bigger issue. Maybe you can teach me how to contain my flames when my emotions go haywire.” I choked out wetly, his palms cupping mine. “No matter what trick I attempt, it fails. Yet when I observe you, no struggle is found.” Tracing the burns, guilt ate at him.

“Unlike you, I had all the time in the world to learn.” He explained shamefully, his wet eyes meeting mine. “Perhaps we can train in a different way. More time with you would be a dream. Flames can be quite volatile if one ruminates over it, I love you, Silks. Together we can figure this out.” Crashing onto the closest collapsed column, dust blew up as I did the same. Regaling me with tales of his youth, his real smile never escaped his lips. Laughter exploded from our lips, his failed spells making me feel better about myself. Tossing in stories of my own, a twinkle glittered in his eyes. Forming a black flaming fire lily, the cool air hardened it into a sculpture. Pressing it into my palm, orange dyed the tips of the petals with every trace of my fingertip. Thanking him under my breath, such a gift would be forever cherished. Was this how the little demons felt when I handed them out? No wonder moods had lifted. Staring up at the tiny beam of orange moonlight, so many thoughts raced through my mind. Settling on one, it was time for a small chat with the big guy upstairs. Praying to the ones up above, may good luck rain down on us all.