A meeting long overdue [inami/calypso]

Betwixt dreary monotone marble pillars, shaded by amethyst shadows and dusky fog, pale ashtavon green eyes gazed out upon dark azure waters. With the faint red hues of their demonic realm fringing what might be the closest definition of night that the denizens of the demon realm knew of.  The Queen of chaya Nation gazed out upon the waves that rippled against a jagged, Rocky shore. The warm, yet powerful breeze tangling her pink and black hair, causing it to whip violently about her.

" humans... are quite the conundrum.  "

Inamis words escaped almost with a wistful tone from her lips, as she came to sit upon a broken marble pillar, her pale fingers running slowly acrost the decrepit, broken, aged stone. Inamis eyes, which had been gazing out across the expanse, slid down to drift across the many imperfections of her perch, a farcry from the gilded throne that she often sat upon. Despite that fact however, this imperfect pillar brought a kind of comfort to the queen.

Maybe it was because she identified with the state of irreparable decay that her perch was in, or maybe, it was the thought of the lives that this pillar may have supported. Either way, a rueful smile found its way to Inamis mouth, her eyes gleaming faintly as she thought almost mockingly to herself.

"and yet... Family is what I am always troubled the most by."

a soft snort came unbidden at that thought, still, the tension in her shouldered softened, and uncertainty and hesitation once more faded into indifference, and maybe somewhat into acceptance. She had been avoiding the meeting with her niece, calypso, for quite some time now. She had managed to put it off for almost a year. Yet, she knew that she could put it off no longer, which was why she had but a fortnight ago responded to her letter.

It was not however a formal visitation, therefor for the first time in a while, the queen found herself far from the reaches of her castle, at this remote, quiet place. A place where she could speak freely, and more importantly, be herself, and not the queen expected by her people.

So why, despite all this preparation, did she feel... Daunted, by the prospect of meeting the progeny of one of her dearest sisters. Was it due to the confliction in  her own heart? Or was it due to the fear of rejection? Inami... didn't know, and in part that was why she was here to see.

Would the newest member of their family intrigue her? Or would her encroaching apathy once more get the better of her? Honestly, she didn't have the faintest idea of what would happen, but that was why she was here wasn't it?

That mocking little smile upon her face finally settled into tranquility as she scooped up a flat rock from the edge of her perch, hurling it to skip across the water with a deft flick of her wrist. Her eyes following the speeding white stone as it made its way across the lake. It was such a mundane action, yet she enjoyed it greatly. Simplicity, sometimes was best.

Despite her nieces best intentions, she had been... quite aware for some time that another demon had been trying to sneak up on her position. She hadn't moved simply because she was interested in seeing who had the gal to sneak up on one of the most powerful demons in existance. A question that soon would reveal itself once the rabbit began to morph and contort like a macabre horror show. A rather twisted visage of her niece appearing before her, full of bluster and confidence that had eluded her previously.

A sign escaped Inami's lips as she glanced at the figure before her, who bore an uncanny resemblance to her sister mana, and then she allowed an almost lazy smile to adorn her lips, one that didn't quite reach her eyes as she responded in a drawling tone.

"Unfortunately, I don't think there's anyone who could sneak up on me in this nation. I commend you for trying though."

After that candid response the queen hopped up from her perch to land on the sideways, crumbling pillar. Her arms spread out as if she needed to use them to help balance herself as she took a step forward, speaking as she did so.

" Sense of self? Dear, the only thing i've regained is bemusement and interest. This world is.. very colorful now, and it is that color that combats the apathy that gnawed at my soul. "

She hopped from the pillar, landing gracefully upon the glass-calm surface of the lake infront of them, faint ripples spreading out from her foot, causing tiny waves to lap upon the shore. The queens eyes studied those ripples, before the bemused smile grew weary and she asked in a contemplative tone.

"I asked you here to see the progeny of my sister and get.. acquainted. Us sisters have very few kin in this world that truly hold our bloodline, and so Ironically, very few people that truly understand us. "

The water had rippled faintly, and then suddently, the space between the two of them shifted and twisted, faint vibrations rippling through the air before the queen seemed to appear right infront of her dearest niece, a faint tendril of black fog escaping her lips as she leaned forward until their noses where practically touching, her eyes squinted as if in doing so she could scrutinize some unfathomably small detail she had previously overlooked. Her next works came out husky and soft, with an almost predatory, yet bemused silky purr.

"And because those of our blood understand the.. deficiencies that lay within I must ask dearest niece-- are you truly yourself? Or have you become gluttonously drunk on the power that by birthright you were destined to have? "

Then, the queen let out a prim and propper giggle, it's faint tone spanning the space between them before she hopped upwards, sitting on a tilted, upright pillar, her lengs dangling askance the weeds that grew from the stones decrepit face, her nose buried in a creeping vine, smelling it's wonderful fragrance, from a mysterious purple flower.

"I only ask this out of love poppet, for it is oh so easy for those of our blood to lose ourselves to power, and to let it change us, irreversably so. "

when she spoke, her words carried a tinge of sorrow, and also an almost ancient air, while also carring a deep seated bemusement, her heterochromia luminous as they studied her youngest niece.

Inami's heterochromatic eyes studied the haphazard soul that lay infront of her. The incandescent monochrome hues of emotion were layered over the brilliant flare of demon energy. The dusky red of the sky framed the remote place the two had chosen to meet in, and all these things.. they.. made the queen look fairly ominous. The small smile that adorned her face grew, a sultry smirk that blossomed into a grin that threatened to bisect her face.

The queen had many faults, and she had many shortcomings, however, her protectiveness for what was hers was undoubtedly one of her greatest strengths. The Queen had longed to be a mother for quite some time, but fate had never given her the chance to step into that particular role. Still, because of this the Queen was acutely protective over the younger members of the Asthavon family, and for this reason, she hated nothing more than to watch one of those youngins lie to her.

"You're full of it." Tendrils of black smoke and demon energy blossomed from the queens lips, the words coming out in a sultry purr, sinfully smooth, and full of her disdain for her kins choice, which was to bury the misgivings deep within herself, to pretend that they weren't even there. so be it, i'll rip her little barriers asunder and let her experience the emotions she leaves repressed. the thought came to her as the queen let a boisterous, terrible peal of laughter rip and roil haphazardly from her vocal chords.

The dissonant chorus of her grating laugh was both mesmerizing and terrible at the same time. Within it the distant wails of the damned, and the veberating differences in her own ideals, aspirations, and her very being all seemed to be at war with one another, each vying to be dominant, but all remaining equally unfettered. The best description was to imagine a symphony of deaf people, all playing their own take on the same song. There was definitely a beauty in the chaos, but it was also a terribly kind of beauty.

" Oh dear, you don't think I can't see the haunted look in your eye when you talk of your mother. It's oh so apparent baby dearest. The stench of your revulsion is a sweet, charred, spicy sensation that dances across my tongue. Did you forget who you are speaking with?"

With those words, soft and yet powerful, all ground out with the same sultry, velvet purr that had adorned her first words, were truly spoken from her heart.

" You think death is a resolve for our kind? I feel you are dissilussioned dear."

The queen allowed her hand to raise to gesture across the expanse around them, a jeering expression adorning her porciline features.

"We are nigh immortal, and our emotions will ravage us for aeons to come. Empires will rise and fall, and one day, when the nations of earth have long since decayed and been swept away by the unceasing march of time, we will remain. "

The queen's words were punctuated by an almost sad smile as she rose from her perch and strode down a stairway of smoke that curled down beneath her feet. Her heterochromia for the moment would seem to bore into Calypso's very soul as she sighed and reached a hand out to cup her nieces jaw, her thumb gently rubbing against her cheek in a display of affection. It was clear as day Inami said these words because she cared.

" Demons, almost more than any other race, must come to terms with our emotions, and accept them. Allowing misgivings to fester may not cause any harm today, but a thousand years from now, or a million years from now, those tiny misgivings could lead to you living a life worse than death. "

Her words were raw, as they were words that came from experience.

"Even if you don't understand your mom, and even if you don't wish to become like her, know this: deep within her heart, which has been clouded by powers she has drank until she has become gluttony incarnate, is a deep and bountiful love for you. "
Inami said softly as she let her hand recede from Calypso's jaw, a sigh leaving her lips as she let the next words flow freely.

"To the rest of the world, to an untold amount of demons, and billions of humans, and countless shinigami, iramasha, and the myriad races that make up this vast universe, I am a mighty, unassailable queen, whose status is a pillar for our realm. However, to you, I am your aunt, and while we have not talked much, the blood that flows within our veins binds us together. I care deeply for your wellbeing, and i wish to help you. Which I cannot do unless you are willing to be both honest with me, and with yourself, Calypso dearest. "

For a being as whimsical, and detached as Inami typically was, the blatant lie that left calypso’s mouth was… sickening. The acrid taste of despair and sadness, potent enough to choke on, cascaded upon the tip of Inami’s tongue. The fact that her kin would lie to her, that they would take the path that she once embarked upon: a path of loneliness and sorrow--hurt her dearly.

For a queen that could shatter nations, and bind realms together, who was willing to fight to the death for the worldview she percieved to be right, the fact that she couldn’t stop her dearest family from slipping into depravity and chaos, it sickened her, it caused her stomache to churn and curl. It caused her to quiver in an anger and sadness so profound that it was as if she was teetering on the edge of a knife. So the next action she took was more bound by her emotion than her common sense.

The resounding sound of Inami’s hand coming into contact with the flesh of calypso’s face, and the second sound of every bone in her hand shattering from the force she put behind it, were nearly one and the same. Inami’s blood mingled with the mark that would be left behind, as her bones slowly regrew and mended as her hand withdrew.

”If we lie to the one's who will be with us for eternity, then we are truly alone calypso. “

Inami’s willowy arms drew around her nieces body as she pulled her into a tight embrace. Wetness would drip down calypso’s shoulder as the queens face rest there. No words left her mouth at first, there would just be the faint tremors that were barely held in check. But finally after what felt like an eternity, Inami’s hoarse, strangled voice managed to be heard, muffled into calypso’s shoulder.

”You are far to young to choose to be alone. You are far too beloved to pretend before your kin. I would fight the world for you, I would slay gods and demons for you. You are my niece, blood of my blood, kin of my kin. I could give you anything you wanted, and yet.”

Inami’s words escaped as a strangled whisper in the end, her fingers digging into the cloth on calypso’s back. The mighty queen, was breaking at the sight of another soul that was almost as tortured as she.

”I cannot help you if you reject me. I cannot help mend the wounds that ail you if you shun me, keeping me at arms length. Let me in, and don't be afraid, I will always be here for you. That is a promise.”

Sometimes the things that needed to be done, were the one's that hurt the most. Even now, as the queen felt the tears flow freely, for the hurt that had been done, she would not relent, she could not relent. If there was one thing that the queen of chaya, ruler of beasts, had learned during her time staring at the abyss, alone with her own flaws, fears and imperfections was that if she gave up now, she would have failed. She would fail this fledgling being before her, borne from chaos and instability, who had always seeked to be more.

Despite her callous exterior, her unreachable person, Inami had paid attention to the girl as she grew, as she interacted with the wide world and in turn grew more sure of her self. She watched her from the moment she had taken her first steps, even if she couldn’t be there, she had kept track, such was the way of family.

This was the thing that made Inami bizzarre, while many emotions she had were unfathomable by mortal convention, her boundless love for her family was vast. She knew when everything else was gone, and they no longer remembered the days when they ruled over the world of man, they would be with eachother.

As a family, they would continue to stand side by side. It was that thought, that made Inami unable to accept the harm that had come to her niece. It wasn’t a harm that was easy to see, because it was a harm that lingered deep within, festering and growing like an ugly blemish. The seeds of unrest had been sown, the very real emotion that lingered within her replaced by euphoria, and joy.

A imperfect joy, that was built upon a bed of lies was not something that Inami could abide. She would rather wallow in the depths of despair, than allow for those she cared for to be toyed with. She could not bare to see those that remained around her to break any further. Even if that meant she must take upon herself that burden, she could not allow it. SHE WOULD NOT ALLOW IT.

It was for that reason that her arms ensnared the fledgling being in her arms, it was why one hand caressed her hair and drew her into her bosom as she straightened out. It was why the tones that left her lips had lost all anger and defiance, all sultry joy and whimsy. The vestiges of unruly chaos that typically adorned the aura of the queen was swept away by a far more powerful emotion.

Her vast love for her family. It was the panacea that quelled the warring emotions to allow her to with a look of tenderness to gently run her fingers through calypso’s raven locks, to gently tease her hair as she did not fight against the tides of insanity that threatened to drown her. She did not argue, nor condemn her niece for her emotions. Instead the only thing that left her lips, in the tone a mother might take towards their young, who was hiding fearfully under the covers as they fretted about monsters in the closet.

”Shh.. It’s alright to let it out. It’s okay to not be okay. I am here, and you are not alone.”

They were the words she had wished someone had to said to her so very long ago. The words that she had been searching for for so long, before allowing the hurt to become a part of her. It was these words that she delivered to the girl that lay within her arms, the girl who sought to be happy at the expense of something far more precious. A small girl who continued to flail wildly in the dark, unable to find the way.

Maybe they were not the words that would give her salvation, and that was just fine with the chaya Queen. So long as they afforded this weary, tired soul a respite from the turbulence that lay within them, then that was enough for her. Mending hurt was not a fast process, and for now the best thing for her dearest niece was to let it out. To let the hurt flow, to let the ugliness bleed dry; and she would be here for the tears that fell, for the ugliness and heartache. She was done running.

Caressing the hair of the girl within her arms, she waited, waited for the hurt to flow.