Blue Eyes, Red Eyes

"Blue Eyes, Red Eyes" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit wasn’t having the luck Blunt was when it came to finding his friend. Which was irritating cause Akkey was small and good at blending in, where as Nala was…well…a demon that did no blend in…ever. 
However Stonegit had a trick up his sleeve, and cupped a hand around his mouth. “Hey Woodchuck!” He called. 
The Warden: Stonegit only heard a few quick footsteps behind him before Nala scooped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug from behind, lifting his feet several inches off the ground despite being on one knee to even be able to reach him. She was laughing a bit, having already been emotionally overwhelmed with several other greetings during the day.
Why, dark-eyes, she teased, I thought we’d never be able to tear you away from the king’s side, and yet, here you are!
Stonegit Elmiss: “Come on now I’m not that bad at visiting.” Stonegit laughed.
He always did act more like that young boy around Nala more than any other person he encountered. 
He shifted out of her grip enough to hug her back, and then took her hands. “Shax.” He said. “Are you okay with everything with that? He isn’t being a dick to you is he?”
The Warden: The Warden waved her hand carelessly and returned it to Stonegit’s gentle hold. I would be more concerned if he were kinder to me, she remarked. I might be afraid someone had a hold of his name. She cupped the side of his face and squinted as she inspected his mind. Are you alright? What are you and Blunt doing here? As much as I enjoy your presence, the conditions we have been seeing old faces in has been less than favorable. A lot is about to happen. Trying to keep an upbeat face, she had a smile in her words as she added, I would be worried you can’t keep up in your old age.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Gods Nala I’m only forty five.” Stonegit growled good naturedly. “And I’m doing all right. Getting through things one step at a time, and a day off to catch up with some friends was one list.” He rubbed his chin. “Most of it’s thanks to you though, what with putting that contract on Rhenco to keep him locked up.”
The Warden: Her good nature lessened a bit, and she gave an uncertain laugh. Stonegit, I’m not sure if you remember correctly, the contract I made with that beast disappeared after a week…
Stonegit Elmiss: “No, no, no…” Stonegit waved a hand. “Sorry, I’m probably not being very clear. I’m talking about the one you gave him after that kid related to Grey burnt Rhenco to a crisp. Between him hating fire, him realizing that he’d never beat us without dying, for good that is, and you putting the contract on him to force him to his word, I had the reassurance to come here. That’s the one I mean.”
The Warden: Stonegit, what on earth are you talking about? Her essence darkened to a red-violet. I have no idea where Rhenco is, let alone have I made a deal with him again. What contract? What do you mean, his word?
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit opened his mouth, and then took a step back. He blinked a few times, and then told her what he had learned in Grey’s report. “Rhenco kidnapped Sven and took him to some screwed up murder hotel when the week was up. But he escaped. His cousin, I think, showed up later and burned Rhenco with fire magic, which apparently really bothers him. Good news for me right?”
“Rhenco makes some sort of realization with that Milae goat guy, the details I don’t know, but it ends with him surrendering to the rebellion. He’s locked up now. But apparently before he was taken away a demon made a contract with him to hold him to the conditions of his surrender, and that demon was you.”
The Warden: Nala gripped Stonegit’s arms. I arrived on Haligan today. I have not been here since Sven was kidnapped. Whatever demon contracted with Rhenco must have deceived the Rebellion. She turned her head to the side, distracted as she spread her consciousness across the island and with disgust, picked out the one mind she was searching for. Of course he is here, she growled, and not at the bottom of the sea, where he belongs. I need to talk to him and find out the nature of his contract in case it puts us in danger.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Alright, yes, absolutely.” Stonegit said, trying to get her attention back to him. “But for now, things are okay. You can sort that out later” He shifted. “At least until my day off is over…”
The Warden: She gazed at him, her own scarlet eyes shifting back and forth between his milky blue ones, and she slowly relaxed his hold on his arms and reluctantly pulled her mind away from Rhenco.
I…you’re right. As long as he stays put, she said in a warning grumble.
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit’s shoulders relaxed. Glad he was still going to get the time to be with his friend. He studied her pyshcial form. “So do you have to stay in that vessel or can you….?” He glanced down and vaguely motioned at himself with one hand.
The Warden: Catching his drift, Nala’s eyes curved up in a smile, and as her body stood, her essence rushed out of her synthetic vessel and poured into Stonegit, and her body reformed in front of the guard as a familiar, feminine figure. Her fur was thicker and darker, her tusks longer and blackened at the tips, and she gave a little grin, the tips of her fangs curling over her lip.
She gave Stonegit another hug now that she was not so monstrously proportioned, her double tails curling around both of them happily. Well, what next? I know you humans have many…greeting rituals when you have not seen each other for long. She made an exaggerated displeased expression and waved a clawed hand in front of her face. Ghyl rq'rh, these cobwebs in your head. You are old.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Stop.” He growled at her again, and batted a hand at her image. “And looks who’s talking. You’re the one thats literally old as dirt.”
He paused and then huffed a smile. “Dont worry about rituals with us. Let’s just be what we are to one another.” He began to walk, remembering the many times he had taken strolls like this with the demon.
The Warden: The Warden’s body paced off in the opposite direction as her astral form strode next to Stonegit, still several inches taller than him, but feeling much closer with her old shape. How is your work treating you? I assume you were granted time away to visit a distant place such as Haligan.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Work is…” Stonegit trailed off, and looked towards the sea.
He was silent for a minute.
He was silent for another…
Finally he inhaled with a shake of his head. “Work has been very different.” He huffed a laugh. “Egil can drive me up a wall…but I love him dearly.”
The Warden: Feeling the shift in the color of his thoughts, Nala gently reached out with a hand and brushed Stonegit’s wrist, nonverbally acknowledging his leftover grief. He is a character, she said casually, while also sharing the emotional loss she herself felt with her friend. Though I don’t have the pleasure of interacting with him as much as you do, I imagine. The royal court is surely far too wary of me.
I miss him too.
Stonegit Elmiss: Funny…he probably doesn’t miss you at all.
Stonegit let the thought run through his mind and gave her a smirk. And then he relaxed into the, now, comfortable feeling of their union. He tilted his head in thought. “Woodchuck…” he began. “There’s something I feel as though you should hear.”
The Warden: What’s that, dark-eyes? She focused on his profile, finding both familiarity and strangeness in his features.
Stonegit Elmiss: He glanced at her, he had a thought that was clear. But he was still trying to find a way to articulate it. He drew a breath.
“Stop hmm… ” he rubbed his chin, and then gave a careful nod. “Stop trying to live…as a mortal…”
The Warden: Nala was tempted to get defensive and irritated at the brief statement, but she knew Stonegit. He was incredibly observant. Instead, she dipped her chin in his direction, her hidden eyes focused on him. Perhaps you can elaborate, my local expert in mortal-demon relations, she said in humorous curiosity. I assume you have an example of what you mean.
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit shook his head. “Not really, nothing solid it’s more of a feeling really. I’m just worried about you. I dont want you to get hurt and…” He hummed again.
“You care for everyone…so deeply…and you needed that. You needed that humanity, empathy. But…you are still a demon Nala. You are still near eternal, powerful, above the mental pay grade of humans, more knowledgable and ferocious…” He stood in front of her, and pointed back. “You finding out that Rhenco hurt me, I’m glad you felt empathy towards me. When I was in a coma…I’m glad you decided to keep me alive. But…but someone like Rhenco…he never should have been able to hold that kind of sick power over your head just recently. Protection or not, threats or not, he ought to be scared shittless facing off against the likes of you.”
“I love you woodchuck. But I also want you to be free. Free to change, and free to learn…while still being you. Otherwise, living a half and half life is going to screw up your head.
Nala could feel his intentions. Pure and loving. But also…resigned for some reason.
The Warden: Nala gave a tender smile, and she stepped forward and took his hands, gently pressing the lower half of her face to his forehead. Then she stepped through him, her body shimmering like a mist, sending warmth coursing throughout him. I understand. She looked over her shoulder, inviting him to keep walking alongside her. There may be some things I have difficulty learning in such a short amount of time…short from my perspective, not yours…but I have still learned them regardless. 
To love is not free, you are right. Love is binding, love will always bring your heart and your mind back to those you hold close. She tilted her face up towards the sky, her hair parting to briefly show a part of her black eyes, enigmatic and unreadable. I once felt nothing of the sort. But now that I know the feeling of love, true love, I now understand how its absence corrupts and destroys. I know what void love fills, and it is a terrible cavity to behold. Especially for a demon.
I had a sibling I never really mentioned to you, Stonegit. Her voice was solemn. The Praetor. They were rotting, inside and out, from the time I knew them to the time I had to finally face them. They felt nothing even so much as the barest pity for those around him or under them, including myself and the rest of our family. It was this that led them to killing my father, for the acquisition of power. Then they came after my brother and I. We had no choice but to destroy them instead.
She was quiet for several long strides afterwards. The absence of love tore my family apart. Were I able to care less about those around me…this world would be a very different place. It is a small price to pay, to save myself from becoming a force of mindless ruin. You see mortals and my sentiments as my shackles. I see them as… She flourished a hand to the side, turning her wrist as she attempted to put her mental stream into words. Several keys to a complex puzzle. Each turn appears to be pain. Each click appears to trap me more. But in the end…I am completely different. And I am free. My family was intrinsically created like this, created to care and feel such intense emotions as this. Do you know what a Catalyst is? In turning to look at him as she asked the question, Stonegit was surrounded by the distinct impression that he was one such of what she was referring to.
Stonegit Elmiss: “I do…” He answered, paying close attention to her words. He waited for her to continue.
The Warden: She nodded once. You were my Catalyst. A flare of scarlet light flashed through her fur and trailed off its ends like dye releasing in water. There wqas a fierce gleam in her eye. And if I am a weaker demon, a more susceptible target, for binding myself to mortals such as you…then so be it. I would do it a hundred times over again if given the choice.
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit blinked several times. “Wait no I…” he shook his head as if dazed. “You meant a catalyst….” he said, or maybe it was asked, in some confusion.
The Warden: Chuckling, Nala paused in her walk again and took him by the forearms. Yes and no. What I mean is, you are a specific person that a demon discovers that begins their journey to their new self. So far, it is a phenomenon specific to my lineage, and has only happened to a few of my other siblings. She gave another sharp grin. I hear it’s quite the honor among those humans that study demons.
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit’s fingers gripped her arms in turn. “Well I’m no scholar…” he said, humbled by the words. His grip tightened as he found some of his wits again. “I just…” He bit his lip. “I’m happy for you, and I’m glad this is a good thing. I never doubted that it was but.”
He glanced in the direction of the dungeons. “Woodchuck I’m scared. I dont think what happened with Rhenco was ever about me. I think, for some reason, this became about you to him and…” He looked back at her, and some clarity came to his eyes.
“You see…humans, they can love so deeply and give so much. But that allows them to get hurt. We have to find a balance between self protection, and being open and loving enough to be healthy. But you dont have a bar of reference for that yet. And I’m scared he’s gonna find some way to hurt you through that. Same goes for when I eventually die…and I am…Nala. I figure four decades tops.”
The Warden: I understand. And now the Warden looked unsure.
I won’t lie to you. I’m afraid, too. I don’t yet have an answer on how to keep him from harming more of you. And I will need one if I am to be at peace with taking my eyes off Haligan. From the sound of it, I will be doing so more and more. 
She brought his hands up to her chest. She now understood his reasons fully, and it truly touched her at the same time that it worried her. Your concern is a blessing to me, but this is not something I can simply snuff out within me anytime soon. So I may as well deal with it how I must.
Stonegit Elmiss: “And that’s what I want. For you to deal with it as you. And not one of us, or any other mortal. That’s all.”
He gave a small smile. “I’m proud of you, you know that?”
The Warden: Seeing how my first attempt at solving this problem was a cascade of failures, I can hardly imagine why. Nala made to turn away, intending on continuing walking onwards to hide her face from Stonegit. Her regret and shame was building back up within her.
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit snagged her wrist and pulled her back, poking a finger in her chest. “That. That nonsense right there is what I mean. Look at me woodchuck…Nala…really look at me. I, can, see. I can hear too. There is no damage done. Human life, it’s short enough that we have the luxury of worrying about the nitty gritties of feelings. Your life is going to be way too long for you to feel that level of shame I just picked up on, over something that is both resolved, and not held against you.”
The Warden: And I have told you, Nala said patiently, if remorsefully, it is a burden I cannot afford to remove. I will not fall victim to the emotional sloth that affects so many others of my kind. The consequences would be greater than both of us know. 
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit seemed skeptical. But of course he would. He was always the boy who, even of a great stone wall stood in his way, he would spend days looking for the one crack he could fit through.
“Alright…” He said though. This response also made sense. As he had cleared years ago that pushing an issue tended to make things worse, and a little trust went a long way. “Just…just be okay, promise?”
The Warden: I promise. She tapped the middle of his forehead playfully. So long as you promise the same.
Stonegit Elmiss: Stonegit batted at her hand with a smile. “I’ll do my best but you know how things go with me woodchuck. If I mess it up and get in trouble you can just bail me out again.”
The Warden: The demon sighed dramatically. I suppose I must…I would get lonely without having to save your hide every now and again. But her subconscious was full of tender affection and concern for him.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Gotta be good for something.” Stonegit teased back. “Where to next then woodchuck?”
The Warden: Well if by where, you mean physically, it does not matter to me, dark-eyes. The island is enjoyable, but quite mundane to me. She turned and began walking down the street again, walking languidly and fluidly, almost like a dancer taking their time to arrive at their destination. But at the very least I am curious as to why you came all this way, other than to congratulate me for a doppelgänger’s doing. I see you brought Blunt, as well. She noted the name with a bit of humor; the two hadn’t properly met in some time. I hope he is in good health.
Stonegit Elmiss: “I came here because I wanted to see you.” Stonegit answered simply. “Especially with what’s been going on. I wanted to keep close.” He ran a hand through his air. “As for Blunt, he’s in fantastic health. If he didnt drink so much beer I’d honestly be worried about him. There has to be some chink in the armor you know.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Honestly I still think he’s nervous around you. Although probably not for the reason you think.”
The Warden: I cannot tell if that reason would be intimidation or hopeless affection, she laughed. Neither surprise me.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Oh he still thinks you’re going to kick his ass for the watermelon scare he calls it.” Stonegit rolled his head to look at her. “And yes, he’s also declared you ‘tapabble’ as well.”
The Warden: Ah, wonderful. Nala spread her arms out in a defeated gesture. It is both. I don’t suppose he would want to converse on less desperate terms, would he? She knew she was asking for trouble but at this point in time she was genuinely amused by the man.
Stonegit Elmiss: “Nah he’d love to talk to you. Just dont take anything he says seriously.” Stonegit told her. “He’s probably over this way if you want to see him. Last I saw he was looking for Akkey.”
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Act I
Category:Events
Category:The Warden
Category:Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss