Death and Tide

[VisAnastasis]

A shiver run through the terrified creature, and despite it was the one that was alive right now, it itself felt more cornered than the dying creature of faltering health. Its lip trembled.
" It doesn't have to be like this... " he whispered hoarsely on Spirit language, with last shrivel of quiet, faltering hope. " You don't have to choose this. I... I am not a Spirit, true. You give no value to my life. But I value yours. Ask me for sanctuary, please. Ask me for hospitality. " he offered unexpectedly, but he sounded earnest. " You... you are not beyond saving. I am familiar with making good balms, good medicines from nature... I could help you. Why choose to die? You will accomplish nothing if you do... "

[Mirach]

The spirit watched him with a stubborn frown. "I want no help from you."

[VisAnastasis]

Cernunnos felt the weight of the snake around his neck intently, all the more so for words that he felt he has to say, even though he knew they will probably fall on the unfertile ground - but still, it was the words he had to give voice to, in his final try on reasoning.
" I repulse you, I get it. You are neither first nor the last to feel so. But... what about the help of someone that used to be your friend instead? " he asked quietly then, straightening as well as he could on his arms to a half-sitting position, as he spoke with heavier, more tense weight. " I know... who you are really after. Don't be my guest for my or your sake, but for his. " he found it hard to speak knowing the snake is listening, but he spoke anyway. " He came to me last night, seeking sanctuary - not merely from the night, but from you. He is very ill... but twice as grieved as ill. He is grieving that people he considered friends are coming after him to kill him. That grief is eating him... Do you really wish to leave him like that, grieving over your betrayal and making his health worse? Wouldn't you rather make peace with him? He looks so frail and sad... Maybe some happiness and life would return to him if at least one of those that went after him changed their mind... "

[Mirach]

(I thought there was a small chance that he would be convinced, like throwing 6 twice. I got 6 and 2...)

The spirit seemed to consider that for a moment, but then his features hardened. He did not want to lose strength by talking - he tried to get up again and attack. He did not manage that.

[VisAnastasis]

Cernunnos tensed at first and flinched in fear - but when creature fell and stumbled anew on the ground, there was a new brief window where he felt he had his last chance, despite fear, not giving up the last bit of hope.

" I... I can prove to you that he is my guest. Only he can conjure illusions so great to mess with senses of a demon hunter, right? He is with me, and I am not here either. See for yourself... " he said, and shakily, trying to overcome the fear, he crawled a little, toward the hunter this time, and extended his, despite the resolution, trembling hand, close enough so he could reach for it. " I am not here, you see. He just made me appear so, so we could take back his sword. I wasn't supposed to fight you. I just... I couldn't stand... being attacked like that. Not worth wasting the words for, no hesitation at all. It's always like that... "

[Mirach]

The spirit watched him intently, as if considering his words. But his look was getting unfocused, and then his eyes were staring into nothing. He died.

[VisAnastasis]

The creature felt a deep unexpected pang of grief, all the stronger when at last, he hoped he may be heard out and believed, but he run out of time. It was too much at the end of the long terrifying night. They won but it was not the victory creature wanted. It's streched hand lowered shakily and he had no reason to stagger to sit anymore. He curled down on the floor, and it seemed he had withdrawn his senses fully inwards, losing the sense of space and getting lost in the panic attack. Curled in a ball, with eyes tightly shut, he was breathing shallowly, and Death could feel worst of all suddenly how frail creature's health and mental state was - as in the sharp distress, he began oozing miasma again,  as he probably did often, when he was lonely and suffering.

[Mirach]

Death knew right away what happened, as the hunter's soul passed to him. He tried to hold on as well as he could, knowing that if he slips, the pain will return to Cernunnos, but the miasma was burning him, and he was slipping down slowly (3). "It's okay..." he hissed with effort. "It's okay... je's with me... I can finish what you started..."

[VisAnastasis]

" A-and what would that be? I did nothing. N-nothing right, at least. I just wanted to talk... and I killed him instead. I killed him. " creature stuttered, trembling, and hiding its face in its palms, appearing rather deeply distraught, as if holding back tears. " I just... I just wished to be good... So, why then? " he sobbed, his voice overflowing with dread. " Why am I so bad at it?"

[Mirach]

Death had no strength to hold o to him, the miasma weakening him (2). "You have sewn a seed of doubt into him..." he said through gritted teeth, still struggling. "That will help... a lot... please, can you support me a bit here?"

[VisAnastasis]

The words *support* and *please* seemed to be one of the things guaranteed to get Cernunnos's attention. He blinked away the tears and gazed down his neck in confusion and realized in horror that he is seeping miasma and that it's hurting the snake. Insticively he reached for it to keep it from slipping, but he seemed horrified, looking around frantically, as there was no chair or soffa unturned or unbroken that he could leave snake at, and in his confusion he didn't want to drop it on the cold stone floor.
" I am sorry, I am so sorry... I cannn.. n-not... stop... I am so sorry... " By the touch of his hand and skin, he seemed to be running a rather high fever anew and his words were a little incoherent." Go! Run! You can leave now, it's okay! I hurt e-enough of people today. Please, let me... Let me at least not hurt you... It's not fair... "

[Mirach]

"Just hold me, please... Tide will be here soon..." Death sighed, calling to the demon outside as he was talking to Cernunnos. "Just calm down... You didn't do anything wrong..."

[VisAnastasis]

Tide had left the river when he realized deed has been done. He first cleaned the sword, and when Death called him, he responded right away.
" Our host seemed upset, so I thought, maybe I should bury the hunter first... " he replied to him, and indeed, the creature seemed quite distraught, as it was eating him, despite he was trying to even out its breathing. He blinked anew a few times, as it seemed his vision was blurry and hazy, and he tried to get a good look at the snake.

" I-I have yet to see, " he whispered. " Have I... hurt you before? " he asked, and with trembling hands, he tried to focus and to trace the snake's spine and bones slowly, anxious to see if he had hurt or bruised it while he fought so fiercely before.

[Mirach]

"I need you here..." Death whispered to Tide with a hint of struggle in his mental voice, as the miasma was getting thicker. 

Cernunnos's hands still felt soothing, even though some parts of his body were sore, either from hitting the floor as the demon fell, or the strain of holding on to him.

[VisAnastasis]

Tide understood he wouldn't be called if it wasn't urgent, and he took the sword and right away stopped what he was doing, heading back to the fortress.
The ill demon noticed the subtle cues and traces of bruising, and that seemed to get him a little back to reality, but also sadden him more. He slowly turned on his back, so he could help an animal get on his chest and not fall on the floor, and lying on his back, he caressed the little snake with grief and regret.
" You... you must think so poorly of me... " he whispered hoarsely, looking at it with some insecurity as if it. " I am such a poor host... I am hurting you, and you won't leave... " he sighed. " You are.... you are too polite, you know? " he sobbed. " Too polite guest.. "

[Mirach]

Death curled on his chest, a bit relieved for not having to hold on anymore. "Where would I go? It's comfortable here..." he murmured. "And you need to understand that you did very well out there... Would he not mortally hurt, he wouldn't listen to you... He listened though, and there's a little doubt in his soul now. I can use it to explain myself to him..."

[VisAnastasis]

Oozing of miasma abated a little bit, as it seemed that the little praise soothed and washed out the effects of a grim and painful end of the Spirit a bit, as Death sounded so confident about it that it was hard not to believe him. Still, it didn't stop, as there was some tenseness around that subject - as encounter has sown a seed of uncertainty in Cernunnos's heart too.

" Could you ... explain yourself to me, too, then? " for the first time, frail demon bid him, as finally, he seemed to feel ready to ask that question. " It's impolite... to pry guests for answers... And I did not remember how it felt, to be without pain. I indulged myself in it, hoping to stretch the politeness forever, to never have to ask, to just accept it and be... But I can not. I must ask... why? " he gulped while caressing the little snake under its chin with some strange attitude - hesitant, but hopeful, attitude lonely and craving of acceptance, but scared of rejection. " You... aren't like others. You... " his voice trembled. " You are the only... only Spirit since the war started, that hasn't either run from me or tried to kill me on first sight... "

[Mirach]

"I am not like them, I am worse than them..." Dearh whispered, a bit feverish too. "I convinced them to do it... every one of them... while in truth, I did not believe it myself... And all of it just to protect myself..."

[VisAnastasis]

Creature listened intently, and its eyes widened, as it began to understand. The miasma lessened a little bit, as it thoughtfully and slowly kept caressing the snake, in subconscious seek for comfort.

" I am... as bad as you. I loved both Spirits and Demons... But I loved myself more. I wanted nothing with the war, just to stay in my life home... But I could not. Spirits would come to drive me away and not accept no.. so I killed them. Demons would come to invite me to fight with them and not accept no... So I killed them. But it changed nothing. I was still driven away. I just wanted not to fight... And I just ended up having to fight everyone. " He closed his eyes with pain." Both sides hated me... And in the end, Beings that came to kill me and destroy all that I love were again both demons and Spirits... My former friends that joined forced just to take me down." He blinked away tears to look at the snake." I... Am worse. You at least picked side. You at least managed to protect yourself. But look at me. I am a little more than a shadow. My acts destroyed both of my beloved cities and all Innocents living there. My former friends remained here, and each days for eons I had to fight them and fail to protect the remnant of people and creatures of the forest. You won at least...  I? I picked neutrality... And failed. In truth... Even demons such as Xia and Tide that warm up to me are rare... When they learn who I am and how I turned against my own kin..." He sobbed." Most of demons had scorn or wanted ill to me too... "

[Mirach]

"No, I didn't really pick a side, so I couldn't have won... I was just able to hide it better," Death said. "But now I couldn't hide it anymore and you see the result..."

[VisAnastasis]

" The hunters are after you... They... would sooner kill you to stop you than accept that helping a demon is a good thing. I could feel it in him. That he chooses to refuse me, again and again... like they always do. " Cernunnos murmured weakly, and his thin long fingers tightened their grip a little bit, as he added with more firmness to his voice. " But you... are their leader. You maybe gave no care to demons... but everyone knew how deeply you looked after your Spirits. You deserved their love. " he shook his head firmly, with a trace of anger. " I didn't want to kill him... But I would do it again if I had to. I wouldn't let him get to you. It's wrong... I would never... "

[Mirach]

"I deserved it... but I don't deserve it anymore. I convinced them about something and then betrayed them. I understand why they turned against me..."

[VisAnastasis]

" I didn't say it's not understandable... I just said it's not right. " creature shook its head lightly, but it seemed unsure as it tried to read snake's face and wanted to believe its words, but was anxious about being deceived. " I wish to trust you in this... Though I can not know if you may just make peace with your friends when they are reborn and deny ever fighting alongside me... " he trembled a little, trying to repress that thought. " Still, right now, they... They would kill you with no chance to explain yourself. It's not right... I can't take their side. " he whispered sadly. " Even if you change your mind later... I won't let them have you now, because... you are better than them, still. It's like Tide said. " creature tried to smile, frailty and unsurely as if trying to reach out and find some safe ground. " You had a choice this time. You could have done nothing, but you have been kind to me... you rather accepted be bruised and beaten, than not be kind to me. It is a lot, to me... it is... new, to me...  "



( OOC: Quick question: what colours do you imagine for Senecio's clothes/skin/hair? And how would his clothing look down from the shoulder, do you maybe have some photo reference you could send me? I may be trying to figure out the panel with him and Tide right now :D I kind of imagined clothes to be black myself, with details of another colour, like white/pink/gold/or blue maybe, but he's your character and I'd like to do him to your image :)

[Mirach]

Death didn't know what to say to that. He just lay quietly, trembling a little, his eyes with a feverish glow.

(OOC: Black with silver, something in the style of Westley from Princess bride, just with more silver lace and jewelry: wide sleeves, gathered at the wrist, tight pants and high boots. Hair and skin like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e80xyixgu7ki9jr/senecio2.jpg?dl=0

)

[VisAnastasis]

" It is... So new... so new to me... I do not know... I just do not... know... " creature was murmuring incoherently and unsurely in lack of a reply to respond to, as if it could not stand the rising silence, in dangerously rising fever as well, from upset and from miasma, weakened and burned by it too.

It seemed that the fortress was reacting to his mental state, as the layout of it seemed to shift and change to prevent Tide from finding them. It took him quite a while, only so when Cernunnos got too distant for his mental state to affect the place. When he finally found them, the sword fell from his hand as he realized how bad things were, and he ran to them.

(OOC: Wow, that's beautiful aesthetics :D I shall give my best, I had a lot of interruptions and there's still lot to do, but I'll be sending progress for feedback soon, I hope <3