Nova

[Wyosch]

Catherine smiled softly at Kieron as he noticed what he had said, nodding proudly. It always felt extremely great when a patient of hers - though Kieron was not a patient - realized their own mistakes without her having to say anything.
She nodded slowly as Kieron asked her about her mother.

"Yes, she did. Just a few months after my birth. It killed my father on the inside, but tore my sister apart. She killed herself. My father and three brothers died years later in one of my world's worst incidents - ignoring World War 1 and 2 - and then I spent 8 years in an orphanage, without even one family thinking of having me because you know, I was the 'weird kid'.", Catherine explained, lifting her shoulders before she gained a sorrowful expression when Kieron mentioned that his mother hadn't left to fight the darkness - but that she was the darkness.

"Wait wait wait - what?!", she called, making some big eyes as her jaw dropped.
"Your mother is the darkness? How- wh- what?"

 

[Fleckvieh]

Kieron"nine eleven, hm?", Kieron sighed sadly at Kate's mention of the incident in which her family had died. He had only been four years old back then, but he remembered the pictures everywhere in the news and papers and the pandemonium when the towers had collapsed.
"I remember the noise. Crying people. So many new kids in our orphanage because they had lost their families.", He mumbled, clearly saddened by the incident even though he hadn't lost anyone. He pitied those who had deeply. "I remember this one girl...I don't remember her actual name, everyone just called her Kitty because she was as skittish as a little kitten after she had lost her family in nine eleven... She was a couple of years older than me. Wonder what happened to her... She was the only one who didn't pick on me."

At Kate's question about his mother, Kieron nodded, his eyes going dark once more. "She was corrupted by the darkness when she tried to fight it.... The odd thing is that sometimes she seems to just... Disappear. I don't think she remembers anything... If she would, she wouldn't be destroying our world..."

MarcelineDownstairs, after Caine had told her that he had heard Kieron and Kate talking somewhere upstairs, Marceline went back into the living room, rested her forearms on Killian's shoulders from behind his chair and smiled softly.

"We found Kieron", she explained, pulling back her arms to slightly massage his shoulders while talking. "Kate is talking to him right now and Caine is waiting for her at the stairs. So I guess it's just you and me for now."

 

[Wyosch]

"I saw the plane crash into the first building and explode - I was ten at that time.", Catherine replied, a sad expression on her face - that however turned into a surprised, shocked one as Kieron mentioned having known a girl that everybody called 'Kitty'.
"This girl, Kitty - did she read a lot? Was her room filled with books and notes that it was hardly impossible to enter or leave? Did she always sit outside at dawn, while everyone else was having dinner, watching the stars...?"

Katie smiled sadly at Kieron for a moment before she just shook her head to come back to reality - which was that Kieron's mother was the darkness, and they had to somehow stop her from destroying Nova.

"Do you think she's already entirely gone, or do you think there's still a chance of us being able to get her back?"


Killian slightly tilted his head back to smile up at Marceline, his tensed muscles slowly relaxing with her massaging his shoulders.
"Thanks for that.", he mumbled, letting out a soft sigh before he replied to her comment about having found Kieron.

"So, you know already why he ran off?", he asked, still smiling idiotically - just because she was so incredibly close to him right now.
"I mean, he's a nice kid but we have to focus on fighting and not on babysitting him because he might run off every second."

 

[Fleckvieh]

Kieron frowned slightly before he nodded at Kate's flood of questions about Kitty.
"Mhm... She was a bit of an outsider, I guess, like me. I'd often sneak into my kindergarten's big-kids-library to swipe some new books for her, and in return, she'd teach me how to read."
He smiled both sadly and softly as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled a well-worn volume out; an old, brown, worn-down linen cover with a golden skull and guns, spelling 'Treasure Island' in bold, intricate letters above it.

"Treasure island...", He mumbled sadly. "Kitty's and my favorite. We spent entire nights brooding over plans how to get a ship and sail to Treasure Island ourselves. When she was grown-up and left the orphanage, I was... Ten, I think, she told me to watch over our book until she'd come to pick me up and take me out of that hell of an orphanage... But she never came-"

His voice had gone bitter at the last sentence, and he just stared at the book for a long while. "And one year later, they brought me back here and all my chances and hopes to ever see Kitty again were blown for good. She had always been like a big sister for me, but-... I guess that was just me being a dumb, foolish kid..."

At Kate's last question, Kieron lifted his shoulders. "Kate I wish I knew. But I have no idea."


"Oh come on, now you're exaggerating", Marceline chuckled with a soft, patient smile, playing around with a streak of Killian's hair as he tilted his head to look up at her.
"He's only two years younger than me; I'm 21; he's no kid anymore. And you have to give him that one- you tried to run off too."

Smirking benevolently at him, she planted a quick Peck on his forehead before she played on with his hair. "I think you two are more similar then you think. You both are scared of enduring any more heartache than you already have and you both think the world would be better off without you. And you both are wrong about that."

She came around from behind the chair to stand beside it and looked down at Killian with a patient, soft smile- and a slight blush on her pale face.
"Seriously though- don't go, okay? I'd miss you-"

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine took a deep breath as she saw the book Kieron took out of his jacket, looking away for a moment so he wouldn't see her tearing up.
"She tried, you know? She tried so hard to get you out of there, but it took ages to fill out all those forms and anytime she had finished, there was something not good enough and she had to start all over again. It was as if the orphanage just didn't want to adopt you out, and when she finally got everything ready and perfect for you - you were already gone, and she wasn't even told where you'd been adopted to...", she explained, by now tears having gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"I tried everything to get you out of there, Kieron. But nothing was good enough for them. It was either my apartment was too small, then I was too young, then I was unemployed... I fought so hard and then one day you were just gone-", Katie whispered, wiping the tears off of her cheeks.
"If you don't believe me, turn to page 43 of the book. That was a blank page and we drew ourselves - as stick figures - with lots of gold and big smiles on our faces. We also drew a boat in the distance called the 'USS K.K.' because of 'Kitty' aka Catherine and 'Kieron'. Go, look."


Killian had smirked softly as Marceline mentioned her only being two years older than Kieron - whom he had referred to as 'the kid', which he, in his eyes, still was - with a content expression on his face while she ran her fingers through his hair.

He gulped, turning bright red as the whisp gave him a quick peck on his forehead, glad that she continued playing with his hair so she wouldn't notice the similarities between him and a tomato.
And just as he wanted to reply to her comment about him being wrong thinking the world would be better off without him, she walked around the chair and told him she'd miss him if he'd ever leave - a big blush on her face.

Killian smiled softly, looking up at Marceline with a soft expression in his eyes.
"We can't let that happen, can we? Wouldn't want to see that pretty face of yours being sad.", he replied, winking - trying to joke his way out of having to deal with his own emotions, yet realizing that'd be unfair to Marceline and deciding to be a man - he figured all that out in a blink of an eye.
"I wouldn't want to leave. You'd make me come back, and I'm talking about me missing you too much."

 

[Fleckvieh]

"I don't have to look, I've been staring at that page for the last nine years...", Kieron whispered with big eyes.
Too much, he was just feeling far too much right now; happiness, relief, anger, disappointment, fear; it was overwhelming.
But one fact, one emotion stood out above everything; the heart-wtenching happiness to have one of the most important persons in his life back.

"Kitty!", He gasped with tears floating his eyes and turning his cheeks into waterfalls before he pulled her into a tight hug; as if he never wanted to let go again, too afraid she'd just disappear if he just wouldn't hold on enough.
"You- I mean- I can't believe-!"

Laughing and crying of happiness he jumped to his face, pulling Kate up right with him.
"You know what Kitty-?", He whispered to her ear before he let go and his smile turned into a grin while he rested his elbow on her head, raising one eyebrow.
"I'm finally taller than you."

[Gonna reply to Killian as soon as I'm off work ]

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine was grinning all over, her cheeks gaining a rosy color from hardly being able to breathe because she was crying too much.
She had never cared much for her mother. She had always said she wouldn't want to lose a thought about someone who didn't even care about her, and so she never did. The loss of her big sister, her motherly figure had broken her heart, and the tragic loss of her father and three brothers had broken her soul - but there had been this young boy, who had been only two when they had first met, who had been able to get into her brain and heal both her soul and heart.

"I had thought I would never see you again-", she whimpered, wiping off her tears with her arm, smiling lovingly at Kieron.
"I had tried everything to get you out of there, really - you have to believe me... but there was always something that the committee didn't like and so they wouldn't adopt you out. I do somehow think that was on purpose, now that I know the Aeterna only put you there until they'd find a suitable family here in Nova to adopt you."

Katie sighed sadly, raising an eyebrow and lastly laughing at him when he mentioned finally being taller than her.
"I always told you you'd grow, but you never wanted to believe me!", she replied, winking, flashing her 'little brother' a happy smile before gently swatting his shoulder.
"What did I say about not throwing every human in the same pot, hm? I'm not that bad, am I?"

[okidoki - just don't forget to like how you did with Enoch & Luna... xD]

 

[Fleckvieh]

"oh you are the worst of all!", Kieron chuckled lovingly, gently poking Kate's side with one finger before he sighed happily and just pulled her into another hug.
What were even the chances of them ever meeting again? They were miniscule, but here they were, siblings by heart reunited by a row of coincidents that were just too good to be true.

"Cat I'm so... So happy. And seriously confused. I mean, the chances were so low, but still we're here and- just wow."
His overthrown, happy smile however soon turned into a slight frown, full of sorrow.
"This time we won't lose each other again, will we? I missed you like hell..."


Marceline's blush deepened a bit at Kilians comment about missing her too much if he'd leave. Trying to distract both, him and herself, she finally took a seat at the table, grabbed one of the buns Alma had brought before she had left, and put a weird combination of cheese and Nutella on it- leaving a small spot of Nutella on her bottom lip after she had taken a bite.

"How come you try to avoid dealing with your own emotions by joking your way out of it?", She asked curiously, yet her voice soft and calming while her hand was resting on the table just beside Killian's, her finger tips less then an inch from his. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want, of course."


At night, a black and scarlet striped tent had appeared near the docks of Ajolos Harbor.
tarot readings, spelled the small, wooden sign right next to it, and that was that.
Nothing else would have given away anything about the inside of the tent, and it wouldn't have been anything special to have a wandering artist in the city- if it hadn't been for the odd gazes of the people when they left the tent again.

Kind of distraught, mindless even... And not a single one of them noticed that they were missing valuable belongings like golden jewelry and wallets.
And when they finally noticed, the tent just send to have disappeared, invisible for them while it was actually still standing there, the young woman inside smirking in silent satisfaction as she made another bag of money disappear in the depths of her dresses hidden pockets.

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine was grinning happily at Kieron, her long lost sibling by heart.
She had thought she would never see him again. She had thought that he had forgotten all about her, that he had forgotten about them being more than best friends - about them being just like siblings.
"I'm just as confused as you, Kieron. Probably even more. What were the odds..."

She sighed happily, a soft smile on her face as she put her hand on the young man's shoulder, shaking her head.
"You're my brother - we'll never be apart again, I promise. Okay?"
Katie hugged Kieron tightly, letting out a strange sounding squeal afterwards.
"Just wait until Caine hears this! He found his long-lost twin brother and I found my little brother!"


Killian gazed down at the table with a defeated expression on his face, chuckling as he looked up at Marceline again - moving a bit closer with his chair.
"You got something there-", he mumbled, lifting his hand and putting one finger under her chin so she wouldn't move her head, lifting his free hand to softly wipe off the nutella off of her lip.
"You had some nutella there."

Killian cleared his throat, swiftly moving his hands away from Marceline, running his fingers through his hair.
"Eh... to answer your question-", he mumbled, sinking his gaze to the floor once more.
"Honestly, I don't really know. Perhaps I'm just scared of my emotions? Perhaps I'm just so broken down that I don't know how to properly show my emotions anymore? I really don't know..."


Aiolos' Harbor.
A place for merchants from all over Nova to get together to sell their extravagant merchandise.
Street musicians, artists... many tried their luck to become known, maybe even to be picked up and become famous.
It was a wonderful place, full of wonder and -

"Bloody hell!"
People running, shots being fired - one man on the run, a dozen men hunting him.

It was no uncommon thing to see security, sometimes even soldiers or knights, hunting down thiefs and pirates - especially not when it came down to seeing Ryder Blade being chased down the docks.

Street Rat. Orphan. Thief.
Ryder Blade could be described with many names.
Criminal. Robber. Burglar.
Murderer.
The local police department had been after him for years, but he had somehow always managed to just slip away.
He was used to living in the shadows, depending on nobody else but himself, being alone with all his troubles.

He had thought robbing a store was a good idea, not knowing that someone had tipped the police off and had been waiting for him.
He'd walked out with so much cash he was hardly able to carry it all, not even wondering why it had been so easy to make the cashier do as told.
When walking around the corner, wanting to slip away into the dark alley like he was used to - he suddenly knew why this night had been too easy for his liking.
The entire local police force was waiting for him, their guns pointed at Ryder, giving him no other option but to give in and let them arrest him.
At least that's what the police thought.

With a movement as quick as lightning, Ryder threw the cash up in the air, fired some shots with his handgun and spinned around, going for the run.
His diversion sadly hadn't worked out the way he had wanted it to, most police officers immediately chasing after him while others ran into the opposite directions to cut off Ryder's escape way.

His lungs were burning, his legs fighting to keep on running.
It wasn't that Ryder was bad at running or had no condition, he just wasn't used to the police being that close on his tail.
There were shots fired, officers screaming at Ryder to stop, the young man screaming back that they'd never get him - until Ryder started slowing down, his breaths short, gasping for air.
He looked down at his body, having to steady himself against a fence so he wouldn't collapse.
His white shirt was quickly turning red, the faint scent of blood filling the air.
Ryder was shot.
Badly.

Upon hearing approaching footsteps, Ryder didn't think long before he entered a tent anf waited for the police force to run by.
He was safe for now.
Just as the fugitive wanted to make his way out of what looked like a tent of some artist reading the future or whatever, his body gave in and he collapsed against, barely being able to keep his eyes open.
His hand was pressed against his shot wound, yet it didn't make the bleeding stop and Ryder knew that he'd die if he wouldn't be able to get away and get some help.

 

[Fleckvieh]

Kieron smirked happily, nodding at Kate when she said that they'd never part again and were siblings.
That honestly relieved him so much- after all these years he had been afraid that time had made them strangers, but here they were, both grown-up now, but still connected, still like siblings.

"What's with you and Caine anyway?", He asked with a curious, cheeky grin. Are you two together?"
He chuckled softly as he remembered something from their past, elbowing Kate in the side with a laugh. "Remember when I was six? I told you I'd bite the ass of every boy who'd hurt you- and then there was this guy in the orphanage, Leroy or something like that, and he wanted to pursue you into dating him and it was just so obvious how uncomfortable it made you- so I literally bit his ass. That guy never dared to do anything again!"


Marceline frowned sadly when she saw and felt how bad Killian felt about himself.
How come their opinions of him were complete opposites?
When he wiped the Nutella off her lip, she felt her heartbeat fastening for just a moment.
if it just weren't his fingers but his lips touching mine right now....
She blinked a couple of times, startled by her own thoughts.

"Killian-...", She mumbled sadly, gently stroking over his cheek, leaving a trail of light that lasted for just a moment.
"Just because you have some rough edges and scars doesn't mean you're a bad person or a hopeless case. And you're not alone anymore. You have me. One word and I'll move heaven and hell to help where I can."


Being a thief and imposter, there was nothing as valuable as a quick mind, adapting to every given situation within the blink of an eye.
And so Rogue didn't even hesitate one second as she loaded the shot man onto her shoulder with surprising strength and hauled him through the back exit of her tent, into a wagon right behind it.

She went back to quickly grab all her bags of money and valuables, hid them under a second floor in her wagon and gave the Gypsy vanner dragging it the small command of "yepyep!" And it fell into a calm trot, pulling the wagon out of the city and to the outskirts of the harbor, while the tent just disappeared, like an illusion.
Milano, the horse, had been trained by her all his life, and their communication was perfect. He knew what it looked like when
Rouge wanted a quick and inconspicuous escape, and he knew exactly what to do and where to go, so the Gypsy could mind her own business inside.

Rouge was meanwhile giving the wounded stranger a slap on his cheek, her wild black locks falling into her eyes- one dark brown, fitting to her tan skin tone, the other however shining blue, giving her gaze an intensity that could melt rocks.
"Hey! Eyes open!", She called- oddly enough with a french accent- while she ripped his shirt open and used it to press it onto his shotwound to stem the bleeding.
A faint smirk crossed her face. "Good thing you're hot, makes it less awkward for both of us to have you shirtless, eh?"
Yes, she was thief and imposter, and she had wounded and probably killed more than just a few people, but it was clear that this man was chased by the police, and there was a strong codex of morality amongst people like her. Thieves never worked against each other.

After she had patched the man up- without any form of anesthesia in simple lack of the necessary meds- she disinfected his wound with a good shot of rum, her only warning being "this will burn", bandaged him with a bunch of colorful ribbons and lastly hauled him into her simple makeshift bed-a bunch of carpets with a sheepskin on top.

Rouge disappeared out of the trailer for a while, just to come neck with a cup of something steaming hot.
"Here, Drink", she said silently, while she lifted the badge to look at the wound. "You're lucky. The bullet went clean through your side; alas it isn't inside you anymore."
Putting the bandage back into place, she pointed one finger at the cup beside him, revealing her finger nails to be filed sharp and pointy.
"Really, drink. It's just Ginger, ribwort, poppy seeds and a bit of pot. eases the pain, disinfects the wound and restores energy. I'm Rouge."

 

[Wyosch]

"Yeah, I remember him. He was so incredibly annoying! Like I told him a dozen times I wasn't interested, but he couldn't take a no. Kept following me around and - I was already surprised he just stopped doing that! You really bit his ass? Literally?", Catherine replied, chuckling silently.
There were so many childhood memories coming back up, making her think back of all those years in the orphanage with a happy smile.

Upon remembering Kieron's question about her and Caine, she blushed to a deep red, giggling like a crushing girl - which she was.
"Eh well- I don't know how much you know about Cainssons but he's kinda imprinted on me and he grew wings because of me and we like-", she sighed dreamily, playing around with a streak of her hair.
"He's so dreamy! Like he's not only super handsome and has the most beautiful eyes ever but he's so sweet and caring and funny and smart and- really he's amazing."
Katie shook her head, letting out another soft giggle.
"I didn't even answer your question. Well, I think so? I mean, heh- we kissed and we obviously love each other and said so too and... yeah I- I really hope so."


Killian smirked softly for a moment, looking at Marceline with big, sparkling eyes.
"I think not being alone anymore scares me, because now I have something - rather someone - to lose.", he reply, gulping, his gaze wandering down to the whisp's soft lips for just a split second before he just quickly took a bite out of her nutella-cheese-sandwich so he wouldn't say or do anything stupid.

"Okay this is really good.", he mumbled after swallowing, fidgeting with his fingers before running his hand through his hair.
It probably was quite obvious that he was nervous around Marceline, but no matter how hard he tried to somehow hide it - it was impossible.
She made him feel... almost magical? As if he was caught in a beautiful daydream.
There was no denying that Killian was fond of her. Maybe a little more than just being fond of her. Probably a little more.
Definitely a little more.


"Ryder Blade, aka Rogue.", the man replied with a typical accent called 'sailish' - sounding like a cockney british one - thanking the woman with a faint smirk.
He lifted his arm and grabbed the cup with the strange-smelling liquid inside, downing it as quickly as someone else would blink.
"That was grotty, but when a lush maiden tells me to drink - I drink."

The man let out a soft chuckle, groaning painfully as his lungs started burning once again.
"Did the fuzz catch me?", he asked tiredly, taking in every detail of the woman.
She obviously wasn't someone who'd tell him out, so he believed her to either be a criminal herself or just a really nice person. Though it was probably his first thought.
"Thanks for stitching me up."

 

[Fleckvieh]

"you know how tiny I was, I couldn't reach up any higher", Kieron laughed at Kate's disbelief for him literally biting a teenager's ass.
When she started to swoon about Caine he just smirked softly.
"Yeah he's a good person. You know, my foster parents 'owned' him and a bunch of other Cainssons. There are two days he impressed me deeply; the day he arrived and the day he left. I remember it like it was yesterday- he was brought to our farm in chains, four men holding him, but when they passed the scene of a worker winding up his bullwhip to punish a Cainsson child for dropping an egg, he fought all four guards off and threw himself in front of the kid, taking the full blow for it without ever having seen it before. And the day he left, he did the same- but that time he jumped in front of me to defend me from another Cainsson. I can still hear him... 'don't touch the kid. We are better than them'."

"That was seven years ago; and you still remember it?"
The rough, deep voice of Caine broke the silence like thunder as he walked up to the boy and Kate, his steps soundless despite his size.
Kieron looked up at him as if he was some kind of hero. "Of course I do-"
"Don't mention it, kid. We both risked our bums for each other back there. I'm just glad you grew up nothing like your old man. There are way better role models out there then a whip-swinging alcoholic."
"Like-?", Kieron asked teasingly, a smug smirk forming on Caine's face. "eh, me?!", He joked, wrapping one arm around Kate's shoulders and wiggling his eyebrows. "I mean, I must've done something right to end up with this pretty damn perfect woman as my girlfriend, no?"
Winking, he smirked softly at Kate and kissed her cheek, his eyes sparkling gently. "That is, if she wants to give me a chance as her man."


Marceline smiled softly at Killian, her eyes sparkling gently when his feelings warmed her like the summer sun.
Sure, there was a good amount of nervousness, but the main feeling she was receiving from him was a warm, fuzzy happiness and amorousness.

She gently rested her hand on his fidgeting fingers, looking deep into his shining green eyes for a moment before she looked at his lips.
Was it planned or by accident that there was a tiny bit of Nutella left there?
"You have a little something there...", She whispered, softly steadying his face with one of her tiny hands on his cheek while she ran her thumb over his bottom lip, her face only inches away from his, smiling affectionately. "It's okay Killian, I like you too", she mumbled softly.


"I know who you are, Tiger", Rogue laughed, rolling her eyes as if it was totally obvious. "Wouldn't I be totally blind not recognizing you? After all your paper face floods every street of the harbor."
She fell silent for a moment, only to chuckle a moment later, a smug grin on her face.
"So, wait, we're Rogue the pirate and Rogue the Gypsy then, eh? Sounds like the material for a really bad joke."

When Ryder thanked her for patching him up, she just brushed it off with a smirk. "Don't mention it, Tiger. If we outlaws don't help each other, who would?"
Pointing at his shotwound, she raised one eyebrow, half considering, half challenging.
"So, I could close that there once and for good of you want, so you don't have to worry about it opening again, but I can promise you it'll be the worst pain of your life.", Rogue explained while she made some lightnings dance around her fingers to show him what she meant; cauterizing the wound.

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine was just looking up at Caine with big, loving eyes, happily leaning her head against his shoulder while she softly squeezed his hand.
"You're my man, sweetie.", she replied, winking as she gently elbowed his side before she let out a content sigh.
Here she was, a woman who had been alone for years, standing in her boyfriend's arms, her long-lost brother-by-heart watching them with a happy smile.

"So apparently I still have family left.", Kate mumbled after a while, pointing at Kieron with a happy smile.
"We spent 8 years together in the same orphanage, were like brother and sister - and now here we are again, still feeling like siblings, and that after nine years of being apart.", she explained, her eyes sparkling happily.
"You found your twin brother, I found my brother.", she said to Caine, just letting out another happy sigh.
"Talking about your twin brother - is there something between him and Marceline? I'm getting these vibes, you know?"


Killian looked at Marceline with a strange expression on his face, opening his mouth to talk but immediately shutting it again - slightly looking as if he was choking on his own words.
"Eh- wait, you- what?", he mumbled, making some big eyes at her, just staring at her for a moment.
Had she just said what he thought she said or had she said something and he had thought she had said something else?
Not even his thoughts were making any sense anymore.

"Could you repeat that? I think I misunderstood something you said there.", the man admitted, smiling akwardly at her while his gaze quickly shifted to her hand that was still on his cheek, while their faces were still only inches apart...


"It's hard being devilishly handsome and famous.", Ryder replied, smirking for a second before he let out a silent snort.
"Maybe we are a bad joke, M'lady. After all we're quite bad, aren't we?", the pirate tilted his head back, still smirking softly - raising an eyebrow as the woman mentioned sealing his wound.

"Worst pain of my life, yeah ri-", he abruptly shut his mouth as he saw what the Gypsy meant.
Yes, that'd definitely hurt.
"Alright, do it.", he said, leaning his head back again and just looking around the trailer.
"I have to admit, I like your accent. Where you from?"

 

[Fleckvieh]

"come here kid, good to have you back in the family", Caine chuckled, pulling Kieron into a bone-crushing hug- who just wheezed silently as all air was pressed out of his lungs.
"Good to have you two back-", the boy gasped, pointing at Caine's arms with a pleading smirk."could you- need- to breathe-"
"Oh sorry", Caine laughed, let go of Kieron and ran his hand through his hair for a moment, smirking softly.

At Katie's question about Killian and Marceline, he laughed once more, good bass voice chiming like Bell strokes.
"Vibes? More like, obvious as a bonfire. There's so definitely something between them I'm already starting to worry where I'll get a fitting suit for their wedding."
He winked at Kate, smiling softly as he took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Hey, when we have a moment alone sometime later... Could you give me some advice?", He asked silently, much more serious than before, but still smiling.


"I said that I'd once like to hike to Yoon. You know, that small fishing village near Marmoria", Marceline said making a confused, questioning face while she made just a bit more space between her and Killian.
She however couldn't keep it up for long, and soon burst into soft laughter.
"Kidding", she chuckled and sat down on his lap, her eyes sparkling softly as she cupped his face.

This was it. As weird as it was, minding that Killian was literally darkness and Marceline literally light; this was it. Killian was just such a sweet and brave man, trusting her while he wasn't even able to trust himself. She felt fragile and strong at the same time right here and now, but most of all, she knew that Killian had found a way into her heart where no one else had succeeded before.
"I said I like you too", she whispered with a sweet smile, kissing his nose tip.


"Very humble, Tiger", Rogue lauged before she removed his bandages and sent a row of the hottest lightnings she could make into the wound, that sizzled like frying meat before a gruesome stench of burned flesh filled the trailer and the wound turned black. Burned, but at least closed once and for good.

When she was done, she sat down on his bedside, shrugging at his last question.
"You like my accent?", She asked smirking, before speaking on, going from a french to a Russian, then a Spanish, a Chinese and lastly a sailish accent.
"I'm from nowhere and everywhere", she explained, this time without any accent at all before she went back to french.
"I've been traveling both worlds countless times, in countless personalities. But I was born over there, in a land called France. But human life style sucks, so I chose my own and boom-bada-bang; here I am. you know me too, by the way. I'm the one behind the attack on Marmoria's knighthood. Glorious day."

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine looked up at Caine with a sorrowful frown upon his serious-sounding question, just smiling softly at him before she turned to Kieron.
"We still haven't had breakfast yet! Could you go check if everything's still warm, and if not heat it up again?", she asked, pointing at Caine with her eyes to show Kieron they'd want to be alone for a moment.
"That'd be really sweet, thank you."


Killian held his breath as Marceline sat down on his lap, his face immediately turning bright red while he felt as if he was slowly melting because he was so warm.
Here she was, that beautiful and amazing woman - sitting on his lap, telling him she liked him, and kissing his nosetip.
This all had to be a dream!

He gulped nervously, looking deep into Marceline's sparkling eyes while he gently wrapped his arms around her waist.
"So-", he mumbled, however being too nervous to get any word other than 'so' out of his mouth.
This had to be hilarious for her.
A 5ft. small woman with tiny hands - able to make a 6'3''ft. tall, muscled ex-soldier as nervous as a fan meeting their favorite star just by sitting down on his lap.
Well actually just by existing.
"You s-sure?"


"Bloody fucking hell-", Ryder grumbled - obviously in pain - throwing his head back with his eyes closed while he breathed heavily for a moment, taking quite a while before he sat up to run his hand through his hair.
"You should definitely go and become a doctor, how fun would that be to watch you fry your patients?", he joked, taking a look at his wound - that was burnt black - making a disgusted face before looking back at the woman.

"Last time I checked humans didn't have any abilities.", the pirate mumbled, raising an eyebrow at Rogue.
"So, born on Earth and then found a portal to get to Nova? Quite impressive."
Ryder made big eyes as the Gypsy mentioned having been the one behind the attack on Marmoria's knighthood, a devilish smirk appearing on his face.
"That was a day I'll always remember. Beautiful how everyone immediately blamed me. I should thank you for making people love me even more, and for taking out so many knights that it was easy peasy lemon squeezy for me to rob some wealthy peeps. How'd you even get into the castle?"

 

[Fleckvieh]

"oh, y-yeah, sure!", Kieron said with a quick now, hurrying to get downstairs, where he immediately left the living room again upon seeing Killian and Marceline doing...whatever.

Upstairs, Caine was looking after Kieron before he sighed softly, running his hand through his hair.
"It's just-... I'm worried, I guess. These people here, they all- they are important to me. To each other, and we are on a mission of life and death. I'm just scared as hell for every single one of us. If just one of doesn't make it- we will all be destroyed..."


Marceline chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling in a mixture of amusement and love, scooting a bit closer to rest her head against his shoulder with a peaceful smile.
It was just so damn cute how her mere existence made him almost lose it if nervousness.

She just ran her fingers through his hair for a moment, her nosetip softly stroking over the side of his neck.
"What do you mean 'are you sure'?", She chuckled. God he was so cute!
"Of course I'm sure, dummy! Now will you keep dying of nervousness or will you finally make a move?"


Rogue smirked at Ryder's comment about huamns not having any abilities.
"My parents are an oracle and a magician; you can imagine they had to run from Cer Paravel as far as possible if they wanted to survive. And so I was born in France. Didn't work out between my father and me so I ran away and left to Nova when I was eleven."

At his comment about that glorious day when she had blown up the barracks of the royal knighthood, she grinned proudly, raising one eyebrow- before her black, curly hair turned reddish brown, her eyes blue and her tan skin light, with a couple of dragon scales.
"Let's say nobody would suspect a princess when she leisurely passes by", she chuckled and quickly turned back into her real appearance, wiggling her eyebrows.
"I create illusions. Makes it so easy to never be found."
Her evil grin was mirroring Ryder's, full of satisfaction and evil pleasure.
"You know what Tiger? We should definitely work together and do a real big thing sometime. I'm talking about the castle, if you know what I mean. Our government could use some refreshing."

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine looked up at Caine with a worried frown, sighing silently as he explained his sorrows.
She shared his worries and thoughts.
He was right to think like he did. It was a dangerous mission, and everyone who had agreed to participate in it knew this.
But still - they were going to take on a shadow army, and nobody knew what they were, let alone how to fight those creatures.

"I understand your worries, sweetie.", Kate replied, gently running her fingers over Caine's firm chest.
"I'm scared too. But I know we can do this. I know we will survive this - all of us! And I know that we will save Nova."
She smiled warmly, giving the Cainsson a quick peck on his lips.
"And I know what the darkness actually is..."


Killian let out an awkward scoff, gulping nervously as he slowly moved a little closer.
"I can't help it - you're just too... perfect not to be nervous about my every move.", he mumbled, looking at Marceline with a soft sparkling in his eyes before he moved closer, putting his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss.

His entire body felt alive, tingly. It felt as if there were fireworks exploding, butterflies flying around in his tummy - his heart lighting up and spreading this wonderful warmth throughout his entire body.
He felt so many positive emotions that it was impossible to pinpoint every single one, as they were all flowing into each other, mixing up to make even stronger emotions than before.
He was feeling something he had never thought it would be possible to feel:
love.


Ryder's joking expression fainted as Rogue mentioned her parents.
He was a humorous guy, always up for a good laugh - but he somehow always got extremely serious when people started talking about their family, specifically their parents or siblings.
"I'm sorry to hear it didn't work well between you and your father.", he admitted, nodding slowly. "What happened to your mother? Don't need to reply, of course."

His depressing mood however took a 180 degrees turn as Rogue showed her amazing ability of turning into Marmoria's princess.
"That was bloody awesome!", he exclaimed, an impressed smirk on his face.
"Wish I had abilities that fancy.", he added, winking - raising an eyebrow as the woman mentioned working together, an evil smirk appearing on his face as she mentioned the castle.
"Oh now you got me hooked. That sounds extremely interesting. What's this refreshment you're thinking of?"

 

[Fleckvieh]

Caine softly stroked over Kate's cheek, his deep green eyes lingering on her face with a sorrowful, yet loving expression.
His touch as light as the wing of a butterfly, he stroked a small streak of hair out of her face before he gently wrapped his free arm around Kate's waist and pulled her a bit closer.

"I guess I'm just scared to lose my brother and my reason to live", he mumbled softly. "You know, since you found me, I feel like... Like the sun is finally rising for me and- I don't want that. I can't."
He sighed silently, but frowned slightly when Kate mentioned knowing what the darkness was. "And that is-...?", He asked suspiciously.


Marceline was breathing sharply as a never known heat was rocketing through every single cell of her body.
She was basically glued to him when she pushed herself against Killian, depening the kiss and grabbing his hair with her hands.
Gasping, she pulled back, her eyes wide.
"Whoa... What was that...", She mumbled, kinda startled by her own reaction to a simple kiss.

Okay, first kiss, but still.
What had that just been?!
"I-i-i have absolutely no idea what that just was, I'm sorry, i- that was unexpected", she stuttered, a deep red blush on her face. "I'm sorry, I- heh-"


Rogue grinned proudly, winking at Ryder with a devilish grin.
"Well I was thinking about something big. Really big. Those jackasses up there are sitting on bags of money. Bet they could spare a bit if someone, say... Kidnapped the princess?"

At his question about her parents, she turned far more serious and shrugged slightly, looking to the ground.
"My father and I can't even stay in one room for longer than five minutes without shouting at each other... Whenever he'd be close I immediately was on alert. My mother is A-okay, but she'd never stand up for me against him. She's like Switzerland. Neutral forever."
Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. "They moved to another land shortly after I had run off. Austria. We didn't stay in touch for the last ten years."

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine lovingly looked at Caine, gently stroking over his cheek with her thumb before she pulled him into a soft kiss.
"Love is something beautiful, yet something dangerous and destructive at the same time. Without love, we're not whole. We feel empty and feel as if something's missing. With love, we're vulnerable. We can be hurt but feel alive. Loving someone, be it a partner, family, friends, pets... loving means losing someone.", she whispered, a soft smile appearing on her face.
"My sister wrote that. It was part of her suicide letter."

Katie smiled sadly, tightening her hug around Caine's waist, hoping it would help him get rid of all those negative thoughts.
"I understand how scary it is. I am scared too. Scared as hell I'll lose you, or Kieron - anyone, actually."
The woman looked up at the Cainsson, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"But I have faith that the stars have something else for us in mind. And that we'll live happily ever after... if you'd like that."


Killian gasped for breath, chuckling nervously while he looked away to try and get his thoughts back in place - as they were racing, totally in chaos and making no sense at all.
He had heard stories about what it was like, to love. Some played with the word, while others would die for it.
He had heard stories about how magical that one first kiss with that amazing and special person could be, but had never truly believed it -
until now.

"Wow.", he mumbled, swallowing thickly while running his hand through his hair.
"I don't know either what that was, but I like it-", he whispered, looking at Marceline with big, loving eyes - feeling nothing but a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of him.
"May I kiss you again?"


Ryder let out an evil laugh as Rogue told him about her plan, nodding in agreement.
"Ohh I like that!", he replied, already burning of excitement.
"I could work as diversion while you'd use your pretty illusion-powers to get in and get her out. I believe they got some fancy fountains over there, so it'll be wet. Very wet."

While he was only too thrilled to talk details about their 'little' plan, he could not ignore Rogue's family issue.
"You don't think they miss you?", he asked silently, slightly tilting his head at the Gypsy woman.
"I mean, I for sure didn't have the best role model, but if I were a father I'd surely miss my daughter horribly knowing she ran off."
The man shook his head, a sad smile on his face.
"As long as you are okay and able to live with the decision of leaving it behind, I'm good."

 

[Fleckvieh]

Caine frowned slightly sorrowful as he softly wiped the tear of Kate's face, pulling her into a soft kiss afterwards.
"Then why are your crying...?", He mumbled with big, helpless eyes, before his frown made space for a loving smile.
"I will protect you my love. I'll make sure this will take a good turn and we'll have our happy ever after."

He flinched when all of a sudden a peregrine falcon crashed through the open window and turned into Alma, her hair and clothes not well-kept and tidy as usually, but totally messed up.
"The darkness-", she gasped out of breath. "It attacked near Siam'han. Your have to leave. Now!"


Marceline just stared into Killian's eyes for a whole while, as if she still had to figure everything out and wrap her mind around it all.
This definitely hadn't just been a kiss, this had felt as if his darkness and her light were like two parts of a whole, pulling towards each other with a passion that was almost violent.

"Just come here and kiss me-", she whispered, still kinda breathless, and pulled him into another deep kiss. This time she wasn't scared of the odd desire between their light and darkness and just let it happen, let the darkness wash over her in silent enjoyment as it clashed into her light like ink on fresh snow. But they weren't fighting each other. They were embracing their utter differentness, almost dancing around each other and creating perfect Harmony.
Wildness and tenderness, violence and peace, in perfect balance.

As she lastly pulled back to breathe, she felt a tiny piece of his darkness remaining with her, but she didn't mind. Not even that her hair gained black roots. It actually felt like a long missing piece had finally been restored in her soul.
"Beautiful...", She whispered softly, her eyes locked to Killian's. "Did you feel that too?"


"The past is in the past, they are no part of my life", Rogue said with a hint of coldness in her voice, her eyes narrowed as she looked away.
"But it's fine. I have stopped caring about my father a long time ago. He's just a stranger I used to know, and my mother receives a letter now and then."

Shrugging, she grinned again as she looked at Ryder.
"Perfect plan, by the way, Tiger. I was thinking you could make them think you're attempting an attack on the castle and I'll go in as a guard and lure the princess out by telling her we need her help. There are some bushes around the castle. If you wait there for us after I got her out,we can take her out with some good old Chloroform And I'll make us invisible as we leave in my trailer. The perfect plan, whaddya think?"

 

[Wyosch]

Just as Catherine wanted to reply to Caine, Alma crashed through the window - as a bird - and told them the darkness had attacked near Siam'han.
Adrenaline started rushing through Katie's veins, her eyes open wide and alert.
"We have to go-", she gasped, quickly helping Alma up before she looked at Caine with big, terrified eyes.
"Killian and Marceline can teleport, they can take us with them - yeah?"

Even though she was as scared as she could be, she knew they all had to act swiftly or they'd end up hurt.
Had they trained and had they known each other longer than just a day or two, they could've started fighting, but not now, and not like this.
They had to leave now.
"Let's teleport to that harbor in the air, yeah? Or somewhere else, as long as it's far away from this city and the darkness."


Killian was still caught in the trance of their kiss, staring at Marceline with peaceful, sparkling eyes - his mind at ease.
He wasn't used to this calmth, to feeling this peaceful and warm. His mind had always been racing, filled with dark thoughts, guilt lingering in the darkest part of his brain.
But now, now he felt as if his heart was burning, as if there was this light inside of him that filled him with a feeling of warmth and love.

The man let out a calm sigh, looking at Marceline for a moment before he gently ran his fingers through her soft hair, still fascinated and mesmerized by that amazing woman.
"I felt it. I felt it and it's... beautiful.", he mumbled, smiling happily at the whisp, just quickly pulling her into a tight hug - breathing in deeply as he let go of her.
"I don't want to creep you out but... your hair, it's- it's kinda black. At the roots. It's beautiful, though."
Killian gave her a quick peck on her forehead, pure love in his eyes.
"I feel alive."


Ryder just chose to ignore the comments Rogue made about her parents, especially as she seemed to not really enjoy talking about it.
He smirked at the woman, nodding while she explained her plan to him about how they'd kidnap the princess.

"Excellent strategy, M'lady.", he commented, winking, crossing his arms with a thoughtful frown on his face.
"I'll do something big to distract them, and then you do what you gotta do. Though what are we gonna ask ask ransom? How much you think they're willing to pay for her? They'll probably try rescuing her."

 

[Fleckvieh]

"Katie- Ka-", Cain was trying to interrupt her when she started talking about teleportation, and lastly just grabbed her shoulders, staring down at her with blazing eyes.
"Katherine! We can't teleport. Those who can have a different physique that's adapted to teleporting. I might be able to survive it with severe injuries, but you would be torn to shreds as if you were standing in a giant mixer."

He frowned deeply for a while before he turned into his now winged wolf form and trotted back and forth while he was trying to figure out a way how they'd all get out of here quick and safe.
Lastly, he straightened up, staring down at Alma and Kate in determination
"We will fly. Card 5 formation. Marceline and me will take the front, I have the best senses of us to see an attack coming and Marceline can defend us with fire. Kieron will carry you, Kate, on his back in the middle, keeping you safe, and you, Alma, keep the back free with Killian. If things get rough you have abilities that are great to slow any enemy down.
I will also let the other Cainssons out there know that they might be in danger and should get out of the city at all cost.
Are we clear?"
As broken and scared as he had been when he had been saved, as bold and strong was he now.
He didn't seem like a former slave at all; he seemed like the Alpha.


Marceline smiled lovingly as she just rested her forehead against Killian's, her eyes closed in peace.
"I feel whole...", She whispered softly, gently running her fingers down his firm chest.
When he mentioned her hair, she raised one eyebrow and just grabbed a knife from the table to look at her reflection in the blade.
"Huh. Must have been your darkness...", She mumbled, before she just shrugged and smiled softly, stroking over Killian's cheek.

"All this time I was worried that our opposite natures would somehow... Fight each other or so, but it's just the contrary... They complete each other...", She mumbled thoughtfully, her eyes sparkling as she locked them to Killian's.
"I think this might be the start of something really good-"


"It's hard to rescue someone when they and their kidnappers are invisible", Rogue said with a devilish grin, winking at Ryder.
"What do you think would be a good random for the preppy little girl, hm? We're gonna rock those royals!"

Her grin disappeared for a moment as a soft frown formed on her face. "Personally... One thing I want them to give for the princess is a new law. Species equality in all ways. The racism all over Nova has been going on for too long. I know it's probably not what you expected, but- yeah-"

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine anxiously looked up at Caine, taking quite some fast, sharp breaths while she started rocking back and forth.
"Fly-?", she repeated, gulping nervously at the thought of being high up in the sky. With the possibility of being attacked by shadows.
She knew there was no other way of quickly leaving the city without being harmed, and she knew that she had to get over her fear - but this was all so abrupt, and she couldn't chicken out which put a lot of pressure on her.

"Okay, let's do it.", she replied, and even though her voice was shaking and her eyes tearing up, she sounded quite determined, brave even.
"We have to leave immediately though. Let's go tell the others."
Katie took a deep breath, clinging onto Caine's arm for a moment as she stood up on her tiptoes, giving him a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Please, be careful-", she whispered, sounding extremely terrified and sorrowful, her facial expression showing nothing but pure anxiety.


"Without darkness there can be no light, and without light there can be no darkness.", Killian replied, quoting a famous saying among Dark Ones - that actually made them believe they only existed so that light could exist too. Not the most positive message, however fitting for this particular situation.
"Humans have this thing called 'Yin' and 'Yang', I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but basically it's sends the same message. Darkness and light don't fight each other, but coexist in perfect harmony."

The man sighed happily, taking the whisp's tiny hand and giving it a kiss.
"I think so too.", he whispered, a content smile on his face as he stared deep into the woman's eyes, fascination and love written all over his face.
"Do you know how beautiful you are? If all the stars would leave, you could make the entire nightsky light up again. Wow that was cheesy, but the truth..."


Ryder just looked at the woman for a moment, his head slightly tilted to the side, a confused frown on his face.
He hadn't thought her to care about equal rights of different species.
"It's definitely not what I expected, but a great idea.", he replied, smiling softly at the woman.
"They can miss money, but change their laws to save the princess - win for everyone, and not just us."

The pirate nodded approvingly, thinking himself of some things they could make the government do.
"Laws forbidding animal cruelty, and anyone who harms an animal has to be treated like someone who harmed a person."

 

[Fleckvieh]

Caine bit his lip as he watched Kate's terrified expression, his heart wrenching just at the thought of making her go through something that scared her so much.
He knew exactly how she felt; as if she was trapped in a dark, tiny room, the air to breathe running out as the walls came closer and closer... Just how he felt behind cage bars.
"No", he just said, shaking his head and lastly turning away with a painful expression. "No. I won't do that to you."
As he turned back to Kate, he frowned deeply.
"Alma, you and the others fly. I will bring Kate and the other wolves out. We'll meet in Ajolos Harbor tomorrow, the big dome in the center."

The Aeterna started at him for a moment before she nodded and went downstairs while Caine, a wolf of 6 feet shoulder height, lay down on the ground to help our climb on his back. "Get up there and gold on to my fur, we have no time to lose."


Marceline just blushed deeply at Kilian's Last sentence, softly kissing his shoulder.
"Oh don't flatter me like that, you'll make me swoon", she chuckled with softly sparkling eyes, so full of warmth and love they seemed to glow.

However the beautiful moment was quite ruined by Alma rushing in.
"The darkness attacked. We are leaving, now. Caine and Kate will go by foot to rescue as many other Cainssons as possible, we will fly."
Kieron was standing in the hallway with a pale face, staring at Alma for a long moment until he snapped out of it.
"The darkness-?"
"Just a few miles behind the city. Hurry!", Alma said, trying to sound calm- quite unsuccessfull while rushing out into the hallway.
However when Kieron had finally caught up and shifted into his Thunderbird form, he found himself standing in the hallway alone; Alma was gone without a trace, bit a few seconds later he could hear the screeching scream of the darkness dangerously close.


"The question is how will it be handled too kill animals for food then?", Rogue threw in thoughtfully, paying with a streak of hair while thinking about it.
However her somber expression soon lightened up and she pushed the door of her trailer open to reveal that they actually were hiding in one of the many small floating island surrounding Ajolos Harbor.

"Well, and this is where I live", she explained, chuckling as a midnight black Vanner-Friesian mix stallion stuck it's had through the open door.
"And this is my friend Milano. If you're asking me, criminal plans are always more fun to work on sitting at a campfire with some good food. You in, Tiger?"

 

[Wyosch]

Catherine was staring at Caine with big eyes, not believing that he was putting himself at risk now to spare her from having to fly.
It only showed once more what a good man he was, and it definitely showed her how much he loved her.

Kate approached the wolf and ran her fingers through his fur, taking a deep breath before she climbed onto his back - holding on tightly so she wouldn't slip or fall off.
As a high-pitched scream filled her ears, sounding like something straight out of the scariest horror movie, Katie shut her eyes, a deep frown on her face as she held on even tighter.
"Let's go!"


Telling a man there was a threat approaching was a bad idea, especially when his love was right beside him.
Telling a former soldier there was a threat approaching them was a bad idea.
Telling a Dark One there was a threat approaching was also a bad idea.
All in all, it seemed like an extremely bad idea to tell Killian that the darkness was closing in on them.

The man immediately was on high alert, scanning the area with big eyes as he shifted into his 7ft. tall, pitch black gryphon form.
"I can feel the darkness. It's close, extremely close.", he mumbled, stretching his neck before he turned to Marceline.
"I know you can fly, but would you mind climbing on my back? A gryphon is faster than a whisp, and I'll feel safer with you really close to me -", he admitted, slowly sinking his massive head to the woman's ear,
"- and like that you'll be able to help me if the darkness would... you know, make me turn dark."


Ryder made some really big eyes as he saw the beautiful scenery, smiling softly at the little, cozy cottage - an even bigger smile appearing on his face as a horse suddenly stuck its head through the opening.
"Well hello there-", he chuckled, gently petting the stallion's nose before he turned back to the woman.
"Your place looks great. Wish I had something like that.", he admitted, winking.

"I'm totally in for anything that contains food, but would it be alright if I'd ask my friend, Bobby, over?", the pirate asked, rummaging around in his backpocket of his pants, taking out a strange-looking whistle.
He smiled, blowing it and just waiting a couple of seconds before he blew it again.
"Bob should be here soon-", he mumbled, and in that exact moment, a little greyish Hellhound puppy appeared out of nowhere on his lap, his little horns making him look like a regular dog that was dressed up.
"This is Bobby."