tushanshu_logs | Sage Family Matters [Closed]

Entry tags:

Sage Family Matters [Closed]

Characters: Genis, Raine (perhaps Solomon later?)
Date: 9 February
Location: Raine's room @ The Midnight Hotel
Situation: A "nice" homecoming of sibling "fluff," wherein Genis says hello to Raine, and Raine teaches Genis all about the horrors of Tu Vishan. It'll be great.
Warnings: None for now, though relationship discussions may happen at some point?

After the help of several individuals, Genis had finally managed to make his way from the Keeliai University in the centre of the shell to the Midnight Hotel and, ultimately, to Raine's room. Already, from what little he'd learned from both the kedan and from the foreigners, Genis... wasn't going to like this place. Asking questions of the kedan had gotten him some dark looks, and while it had netted a few cryptic answers, the only real answer he had received was that he wasn't exactly welcome in this town. Genis wasn't usually accustomed to biting his tongue, but he had done so slightly better than usual, which is to say that every idea that entered into his head wasn't directly said. But despite this, Genis was doing his best to behave.

Genis trudges up the stairs to the third floor and then immediately finds Room Eleven on the right, which is where he had heard that Raine was staying. With his escort to the Hotel gone, he's all alone for the second time since coming here, and it's an odd feeling being separated from everyone he remembers. The last time that had happened was on Derris-Kharlan when they all had been separated just before the final fight with Mithos. It is made all the more discomfiting due to the sudden new world that he had been thrust into. That couldn't be helped though, and so... he stands in front of the door, just a little out of sorts, hesitating to knock.

But his hesitation doesn't last long. He clutches his kendama forcefully, his knuckles white as he grips it. Once he finally makes up his mind, he knocks loudly at the door, the sound of his knuckles on the wooden frame echoing through the halls. He's not certain if Raine will be in--she could be at the clinic, of course--but he's really really hoping that she's there... if only so that he doesn't have to face the possibility of being lost in this strange new world alone.

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"And Zelos shouldn't be able to hate half-elves and still consider us among his friends," Raine points out. "People are complex things, with the potential to be internally inconsistent. And the entire population can't be wholly painted with the same brush. Opinions vary outside of the broad generalities: keep that in mind." She's happy enough to let it rest at that, though, hoping it will be enough for Genis not to do anything rash when she doesn't have eyes on him.

She can dream.

Raine doesn't even have to run the calculations for years. "Next year you'll be half my age again," she says, absently reassuring. Which maybe says something about how permanent she considers this situation, that 'next year' here is a thing she considers possible. "And if we return to our world at any point, the original status quo will be reset, of course."

She's a little more focused on his other question than the matter of the numbers. Because if Genis has picked up on that much, he cannot have missed the fact that there is only one bed, as well, and now Raine has to figure out how to explain Solomon to her brother in such a way that Genis does not take offense to his existence, which is a possibility she deems more likely than is optimal. She still remembers how long he carried a grudge against Regal. Raine starts with "Yes, that's correct," and in a moment adds, "I'll introduce you, when he returns." That's a solid enough place to begin.

Internal inconsistency? Don't tell Genis that one; he was willing to hate all humans... except for Lloyd... and Colette, and Presea... and Zelos... and you get the idea. He sighs a bit, knowing that he's certainly beat from a logical bent, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't feel like it's still just a bunch of hogwash. "Yeah, yeah. When I finally meet a kedan who's actually nice to me, I'll make sure to give them a second chance." But again, he's not exactly certain that such a thing exists. But it is only fair.

"Yeah, but I've grown up so much! You know how much it meant." It's a weird thing for him to be so caught up over, but he's only 12, and there's such a large age difference between them. Besides, it was him trying to bond with his sister. But at least he'll take a slightly more positive angle with her reassurance. "Well, you just wait for next year. It'll sneak up on you... again..."

However, Raine's standoffishness for answering his question only brings out the more playful side in Genis, and he just grins a little bit. He's already starting to get the hang of this place, and Raine is (of course) the primary reason for it. She's familiarity in the throes of insanity. And so of course his teasing side is going to come out just a little bit here. "Introduce me? To your roommate? Your guy roommate? What is he your boyfriend or something?" Yeah, no way. Not even a chance. Raine has always been more interested in books than men. And if that changed, Genis would... he didn't know what he'd do, but it would never change; he was convinced.

Raine nods approvingly at the first, taking the concession for what it is. Genis has been here less than twenty-four hours, he doesn't have reason to hate all the kedan yet, and she hopes this will head the worst of it off. The nod turns tolerant, her smile softer at his note on their age. "Yes, I know," she agrees. "You'll be taller than me before I know it."

This is a guess. Virginia was about Raine's height; she doesn't know if their father was tall or short or somewhere in between. It's reasonable to assume Genis will surpass her in both height and intelligence eventually, however, and she looks forward to it. Her job is to keep him safe that far.

She's expecting Genis to tease; she's not completely expecting him to have outright dismissed the possibility that she might be seeing someone, but his tone rather makes it sounds like he has. Raine hesitates very slightly over the answer. Not quite nervous, but not sure how he'll take it, either. "Yes," she says, giving up any pretense at subtlety. "I... suppose that's the term for it." Not one she prefers herself, but she's drawing a temporary blank on other terms.

Although the Healer's Guild wasn't exactly a well-paying occupation, it was something for Raine to do, something she obviously found fulfilling. It would have been a lie to say Solomon didn't envy her--the fact that she still had a purpose with her magic and could put it to good use. More and more, the fact Solomon was growing comfortable without his magic was the part that made him uneasy.

He had been intending to ask Raine about the possibility of putting the laboratory's Dreaming entrance somewhere in the guildhall, but hadn't quite managed it yet. Still, possibly it was something to bring up today, now they were both home. They'd barely managed to cross paths at the stairs, on Solomon's way down to the kitchen for something to eat.

Solomon came to their door bearing a tray with two mugs of tea and a plate full of Shudder's biscuits, manoeuvring through the door without dropping or spilling anything. He looked up with a smile which turned into vague surprise at the fact that not only was Raine not alone, but accompanied by a boy with features far too similar to be anything other than a relation.

Genis? Was this Genis? Solomon hadn't pictured someone so young--but perhaps the timeline was different between the two of them.

"Good day," he said, taking only a second to cover his surprise with a charming smile. "Should I be getting another mug of tea?"

There's a brief moment that Genis is excited by the prospect of the future. He's got a long way to catch up to Raine before he'll ever be as tall as her, but he's been not-so-jokingly threatening that for a long time, even if he's still thoroughly entertained by things his human peers his age might have surpassed long ago. "I keep telling you that. It's only a matter of time before people start mistaking you for my little sister."

But then his house of cards come tumbling down. Or perhaps the more apropos metaphor is that the ball failed dramatically to catch in the cups of his kendama. Finding himself alone and lost within the grand expanse of a new world had been a little frightening and terrifying, though he'd adjusted okay when he knew "others like him" were here. Knowing his sister was here had become the thing he had latched onto, just as he had latched onto Mithos as a friend in their extended "Journey of Regeneration." In a world as inconstant as this one, Raine had been that source of constancy, an anchor firmly planted in the old world that he could trust as a fixed point, a reliable guide through uncharted waters.

But Raine's admission... made it pertinently clear that that wasn't the case. She hadn't ever had time for dating; in all the years they were in Sylverant, Genis had felt safe and secure—even counted upon—Raine's perpetual attention towards Genis. She wasn't just a sister; she was a surrogate mother, though Genis would never voice that aloud. But the Raine of his memory no longer aligned with the Raine of reality. And he didn't know her.

"What? For real? You..."

And as if on cue, suddenly, who else would show up but the boyfriend himself. Or at least that's whom Genis was more or less presuming it would be. This was a hotel; he didn't knock. That spoke volumes. This is no casual visit; this presumed some amount of intimacy.

And if Raine had someone else, what did that mean for him?

Genis stares at Solomon with some look of trauma behind his features. Sorry, but even with that charming smile and an offer to be kind to him, this 12 year old has already had a pretty full on day.

He just remains speechless.

Raine's a little concerned; it's rare for Genis to be completely speechless. She reaches over to clasp his shoulder, part reassuring, part wordless request for his attention. She isn't fully sure what he's thinking, but can guess it's not entirely positive. "Yes, for real," she confirms, a little dryly, as Solomon has now quite by accident driven that point home.

She could wish his timing had been better, but the issues will need to be sorted out, and sooner is better than later. "Genis," she says, quite calmly, "this is Solomon Wreath. We've been -- courting -- for some time now." Which is probably the best way to put it for now.

To Solomon, she directs a little smile. "Perhaps in a moment," she says. "Solomon, I'd like you to meet my brother, Genis Sage." She's aware Solomon has almost certainly deduced that much by now, but there's a form to these sorts of things, and the established formality of introductions is a stable point in an otherwise unstable meeting. "He arrived here earlier today."

Given the boy's state of speechlessness, Solomon was acutely aware that his timing was, in this instance, most likely extremely inconvenient. He put the tray down on the nearest bureau which didn't require him to approach Genis, in case that would--well, if not frighten the boy, then make him react badly. The fact that it meant he didn't approach Raine either was probably of benefit.

What, Solomon wondered, exactly was the policy here? Though he was hiding it, he was himself somewhat discombobulated. He knew Raine had a brother, had even known she had practically raised him, but the thought of Genis arriving in Keeliai--let alone at such an emotional age--had never even occurred to Solomon as a possibility.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Genis," Solomon said directly to the boy with a bow--a proper one, the sort usually only reserved for people Solomon genuinely respected. (It was a short list.) "Raine has spoken of you most fondly."

In all reality, Solomon didn't seem all that bad. He seemed genuinely charming. And he seemed gentlemanly to boot. There shouldn't have been much to dislike about him.

But this is in some ways an even worse nightmare to face than finding out that Regal had some rather dubious history with Presea. That was his crush; this is his sister. He hadn't been there to get accustomed to this. He didn't know who this guy was. But his presence—or perhaps not his presence but more the mere knowledge that there was someone else in the picture—had transmogrified this rather familiar and homely place into something that is as foreign to him as the foreigners are to the kedan.

And in a world that's as uninviting as this one, it just made him want to push it all away.

There's a shake of his head. "Actually, don't bother with the tea," Genis says. There's some force behind his words. It's not necessarily anger, but there's definitely a strong sense that he's not at peace with this turn of events. He hops up from the chair, unable to sit still there while the room suddenly feels like it's practically suffocating him. There really isn't space for him here, is there? "Don't mind me. I don't want to be an interruption."

And with that, he just starts to head for the door.

"Genis," she says, sounding startled, maybe a little bit lost. "You're not--" She straightens, half-reaches after him, then lets her hand fall to her side.

Incineration threats she could handle. This just hurts, not least because Raine has no idea what to do about it. She's had her brother back for less than an hour, and now she might very well miss him more than she did previously.

Ah. This was rather terrible, wasn't it? Solomon had never had any siblings, but he remembered acutely Raine's request that he not abandon her, and saw the look on her face, and for a moment of clarity saw their own situation as if from an objective observer.

Including the fact that he was far closer to the door than Genis was. He was practically still in the entrance.

"No," he said firmly, reaching for his coat on the rack by the door and grateful for the fact he'd been wearing his shoes on this particular run down into the kitchen. "Raine hasn't seen you in at least a year. Please, stay. I've some more errands I can run." Possibly one of them should include arranging to use another room for the night. He stepped out the door before Genis could, meeting Raine's gaze over his head. "I'll be by again tomorrow."

That ought to be plenty of time for the two of them to talk, yes? Yes. Hopefully. Maybe he should ask Skulduggery--no, no, that was a terrible idea. Hm.

Regardless of exactly what he meant to do with the rest of the day, Solomon left to give Raine and Genis some privacy.

Raine's feeble protest falls on deaf ears. Right now, it just isn't... something Genis wanted to deal with. Genis is more or less heads down, not looking up at either of the two adults. It's ironic that Genis is just drowning with internal inconsistency when he practically lambasted the whole of the shell for suffering the same affliction. All he wants is out, out of the room, out from the stifling walls, out where he can just curl up into a ball in a corner with his kendama to help ease the pain.

Solomon's offer, however, doesn't quite have the same effect. He looks up briefly, though he doesn't give him a full gaze; he's only looking at him from the corner of his eye. But before he can even reply, Solomon is already out the door, leaving him and Raine alone. But it doesn't help the environs at all; it's still just like that trap he fell into up on Derris-Kharlan. But nonetheless, Genis pauses for just a moment, not reaching for the door.

Without turning back to Raine, he just just stands there, head down. "He can do whatever he wants, but I can't stay here. I can't be here right now. I swear I'll burn the door down if I have to."

Yes, she's his sister, and he still does care, but he just can't. He just can't.

Edited 2015-02-14 01:33 (UTC)

Solomon's choice was probably the wiser one, and she makes a note to thank him for it later. Raine takes a deep, purposeful breath, and folds her arms across her chest, watching her brother. She knows that set to his shoulders; that's not something worth contesting. "All right," she says, back to something approximating cool and even. "You shouldn't be alone in Keeliai right now, however, especially if your magic hasn't returned. Either I'm coming with you, or you should keep to the Hotel. I can arrange a place for you to stay with Anton, if you like."

Does he know the Hotel rules? That's another thing to make sure of, but right now Raine isn't sure he'll listen to her on much, if anything. Instead she presses her lips together, waits there. She just wants him safe; he has to know that much.

Genis knows the Hotel rules, and while there is a little vagueness about exactly the strict letter of the law about violence, no one ever mentioned burning doors, just ~~burning~~ harming the constituents of the Hotel. But he knows Raine well enough that she wouldn't let it come to that. Yes, there were times when Genis needed to be corrected sooner than later, but there were other times when Genis' anger wouldn't be cooled that easily. This is, unfortunately, the latter case, and Raine thankfully knew as much.

As upset over everything as Genis is, he knows deep down that Raine is right. He knows just from the experiences of the last few hours that Keeliai isn't safe. As big as he wanted to seem some days, there's something of a terror out there with the huge glut of people that could conceivably have it out for him. And he is... weak, deep down. He masks it well, but he knows, and it gnaws at him. No, she's right. She's looking out for him. She's there to help him. Raine is still his sister.

But she's a sister that's just unfamiliar enough to keep the hair at the back of his neck tingling.

"Fine," he says. It's a slightly softer voice that he uses now, but he's not back to the openly familiar self that he was just minutes ago. "I won't leave the Hotel for now. But whatever you want to do is fine."

"Thank you," Raine says, and there's a hint of relief in the previously neutral tone. The fact that her brother will not be wandering the city disempowered until all hours of the night is a greatly reassuring one, even with the evident strain. "I won't stop you."

He knows where to find her, now, if and when he wants. Raine is reasonably sure Genis will settle down eventually, but... until then, she's going to worry about him. She still doesn't understand exactly why he'd react like this -- has she changed so much? -- but when he's cooled down, they'll sort it out. Raine settles back against the desk in her initial position, and makes no move to follow, though it's difficult.

It's perhaps best that Raine isn't going to follow Genis out the door. Even if she had, Genis would have been either shockingly quiet or boisterously upset, and even he didn't know which it would have been. But with the headache starting to fall down upon him, perhaps it's best to actually not just bypass what's left of the Welcome Centre downstairs and actually talk things over with the management of the hotel.

Genis reaches for the door and opens it, but before taking his leave, he does look back. There's a solemn look in Genis' eyes as he looks at Raine. He lingers for a few seconds, obviously touched and obviously in great need and want, but eventually his fist tightens around his kendama. It's space and solitude he wants; he needs focus, and everything in this room is just chaos.

He turns away from Raine and closes the door behind him and heads down to the common area on the second floor. He doesn't even want to deal with the rest of humanity right now. He doesn't even want to deal with finding his own room. He just wants to be alone and to shut the world out.

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Sage Family Matters [Closed]

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