Broken Promise, Kept

"He had only one lover, and she destroyed him."

I blink, my brow furrowing. "What?"

A growl in the back of her throat rises a moment as she glares. "That would be your mother," her voice low, dangerous, "And you wish me to believe that this world needs the destroyers, the ones that drain the soul and spirit from the mortal world. He lost her and was lost himself."

"Bull. Shit." I state, and my voice is a little louder than I expected. "He didn't lose her, he left her. Left her to raise his half breed bastard. You know in a lot of places that could have gotten her killed? And as for destroyers, Kindred didn't rip up the land and poison the rivers, tear the heart out of the world mining for metal and fill the sky with soot. Kindred have their issues, I'll grant you that, and they're huge. But humans do plenty of destruction without help from anyone. I've been in this world forty years, I've seen what men do to a good patch of living earth." I draw a deep breath. "And that's the problem. Without Kindred, mankind lose all restraint, all sense of the sacred. And without humans, Kindred lose all drive, all passion. They're supposed to balance each other out."
I cock my head, hoping I've gotten through. But her emotions are like a wall of ice.

"That's the difference 'tween ills of the body and ills of the spirit; The land will always recover so long as the spirit lasts, and your mother tore his out of him. My mother deceived him and bore his child to force him to stop his search, and he still neglected those he had to stare out on the river." Adreana's tone goes flat and cold, the words, just over a whisper, noticeable lowering the temperature in the room.

I shrug."So our father is an ass." I state, the words a little harsh. "So he abandoned my mother, thought better of it too late, and then he mistreated yours. He's a louse. I can accept that." I lean forward. "You grew up lonely. I grew up always out of place, with a body that's put together wrong. My body and your heart show the marks of our father's carelessness.There's no reason for you to take issue with me."

Adriana hisses, "You really believe it, don't you; that he would leave the one person he treasured of his free will. He was force away from her. Would be better I didn't exist then be daughter of a cast off man, such as him. I take what legacy I can make of him after your mother cast him aside."

I clench my teeth, forcing them not to lengthen. "My mother loved him. He left her in the night, like a thief. And he never came back. He broke her inside. She's never taken another mate since he left. Not in all my life."
Overhead, the lights flicker and dim. Heels click-clack as my favorite waitress comes trotting over. Tall, blonde and beautiful, you'd never know she's a man under her dress.
"Boss man says lay off the magic, sugar." she drawls, "You're overloadin' the generator." She slips a small pipe and a packet of green leaves over the table. "Something to help you cool down."
I take a deep breath, and the lights steady. Looking up, I offer her a sheepish smile. "Sorry Dolly. I'm having...a really bad day." I push the pipe back. "I don't smoke, but a whiskey would really help."
Dolly smiles. "Sure thing sugar."
As she clatters off, I turn a glare at Adrianna. "Believe what you want. I thought you and I, both born to music, could do well together. Guess I was wrong. Sorry I wasted your time." Then I turn away, walking to the bar. I feel as stiff as a block of ice, and the hair along my spine is standing on end.

Calling to her back, Adriana taunts, "You praise the gift and curse the giver. I have right; I knew what was left of the man, and the only thing I can hold against him is his love for the woman that cast him out; he woke apart from her and wandered. The fairy stories banish the prince when he breaks the rules, but the princess normally tells him first. What evil did he do her to wake in a patch of nettles on the backside of the world?"

I turn slowly, shocked.
"He wandered..." I murmur softly. Wandered near our river, where there are so many ways between the worlds....
He never meant to leave. All these years, I thought he was just another man who took what he wanted. But if he fell between worlds...then perhaps...
I turn to face the furious girl, my heart in my throat. "He wandered. And he got lost. Thank you for telling me that. I owe you for that, at least."

I growl low at Adriana's words. "Girl you trade slight for imagined slight, and would fancy yourself a queen." my own anger making my voice lower then either have heard it, not monotone, but little more then a growl that cuts the sounds away from it. "Yet you choose to follow a path so very similar to your sister. her first companion a corpse that could not rest. your guardian a revenant." I draw the low parallel "You sing for your coin and take no joy in it. not true joy, your heart is bitter as only a childs can be." at this point i am not sure exactly where it is all coming from "you wish to talk of wrongs, you had hearth and home, even a broken father with a roof over your head is better then no roof at all." I snort derisively. "you have a lot to learn girl, weather i like you or not you are ignorant."

"Arrogance is a virtue here, and my sister doesn't know the truth she claims to profess, though she speaks with certainty from the only perspective she has ever known, Lazarus. And my companion is no walking dead, though his mistress charges them to his care." She glares at Liam, studying him coldly once more before adding, "Joy comes when the work is done, and you've seen me few enough times to judge the tones of my instrument and spirit."

I frown. "Enough." I call, and let a little power into the word, "This is a waste of all our time. Adrianna, I wish you well." I want to storm out, but something makes me stop. "If our father still lives, tell him....tell him that Ishk understands, and wishes him well, and that he should feel no guilt. Liam? Let's go."

I stand to follow Liv "Adrianna I know more then i let on," I roll my shoulders a little "Besides I meant it when i told you it doesn't matter that i like you, you have a lot to learn" I shake my head turning to leave "after you" I say to Liv, more then a little perturbed by the turn of events.

Adriana follows a few paces behind, and as Liam pushes open the door, a large dog, near five foot at the shoulder rises from its place beside the front door, huge paws spread aggressively. It's fur is matted and dark, smelling of the familiar scent of blood-soaked earth, tinged with sulfur. White fur, free of grim, shows in stripes on his fore and hind quarters, but save that his coat appears black in the moonlight and its eyes shine gold over large teeth. It relaxes as Adriana appears and rounds to her side before growling low in Liam's direction.

"Nice doggy." I comment dryly. I'm scared stiff to tell truth, but I refuse to show it here and now. "Well, goodbye then."

The dog's nose goes down in acknowledgement before turning back to Liam. A growl in it's chest shapes itself, and it addresses him, "Hel hasn't forgotten you; none escape her for long, even with a second chance." The dog seems to grin, its head cocked to a side, before effortlessly leaping to a rooftop, its shadowy form visible only in glimpses as it trails it's charge.

Liam calls after the dog " I was outside her domain when i escaped her, should my end meet the requirements to be of her domain, I will happily walk the night path and see my ancestors again" I smile

By the time we've rounded the corner, I've started shaking. The tension of the last few minutes was terribly intense, and I feel almost weak-kneed with it. I glance at Liam. "You okay?"
I get barely a glance.
It takes most of the walk for the shaking to stop. Finally, we're opening our own door. I smile at Djhuety, who's reading at the kitchen table. "Hey."

He looks up, then stands, the chair scrapping back loudly. His hands spread on the table. "That bad?" His voice flattens, forcing down emotion as he studies her face, the color only now returning.

"Yeah. Pretty much a clusterfuck."
I sigh, dropping into a chair. "No help from that quarter."

"No help, but will she be a hindrance?"

I shrug. "Oh I don't know. She has the anger in her...but I can't tell beyond that." I rest my chin on my hands. "So much anger. Damn the man who fathered me, he managed to cause more than his share of grief in these worlds."

His brow creases. "deep seeded issues. Is there anyone that doesn't have daddy issues in the Nightside?"

I snort. "Yes. The ones who have mommy issues. Or were spawned."