Post by Phoenix on Jun 22, 2018 19:21:46 GMT
She stood high upon the tower’s balcony, gazing out into the distance, far away and far below. Long hair, full and turquoise, blew lazily in the breeze as violet eyes danced from rooftop to rooftop, wondering what the inhabitants of those homes were doing, what they were thinking, feeling, at that moment. She wondered if they were staring back at her.
A light and airy laugh. Her first in a while. With her father’s condition and the long healing process after her sister’s passing, there hadn’t been much cause for laughter. But tonight was different. It was special. It was marked by her fiancée’s return from his very important Captain’s business, far away. His ship was to sail in that very night, into the harbor, far below, but not so far away from the angelic figure, far too impatient for this much waiting.
It was also a very special anniversary.
Twenty years ago, exactly, on June 21, 1998, one Nylia Skye Havoc graced the world with her presence for the very first time. Much had changed since those days, including her name. Nyx Havoc Schwarz-Masu. That was her identity, each name spinning a different tale.
Nyx, the codename assigned to her by her second parents, her saviors. Goddess of Night. She chuckled, thinking of how so many thought her moniker oddly juxtaposed to her bright eyes and pure heart. In these past five years, those two had been thrown through the ringer, and only on rare nights such as these could she truly allow herself the freedom to feel like her old self again. No, she had come well into her namesake.
Havoc was her surname, at birth. A legacy that she had never touched, only seen in her grandmother’s watch and in the time traveler’s stories. She adored his stories, as much as she adored him. Aurelius Schwarz…
She took his name shortly after the events in Central City, events which terrified her to her core, which broke her and shattered her innocence, nearly six years ago- or was it longer? She couldn’t remember anymore- it isn’t every day you watch your father die, then see him return from the grave seconds later. Or rather, from the past- such is the life of a time traveler’s daughter, she mused. But even still, she had blocked that day from her memory. That one, and the day Aurelius Schwarz nearly died again, one part disease, one part grief.
After all, it isn’t every day you watch your daughter die, and await some miracle that never comes.
She blinked away a few stray tears and shook her head. It would be unbecoming of the leader of RIOTE to show such open weakness.
In recent years, she truly felt the way Aurel had to have felt for much of his life. She had thought him invincible and unwavering. Always confident and always five steps ahead. In his shoes, she had learned how very mortal her father was. What man of steel falls to pieces and nearly withers away? No, he was incredibly strong, and she took after him very well. But their strength, she learned, did not lie in invulnerability, but in accepting vulnerability and hiding it away behind a leader’s mask. To feel like giving up, dying, and letting go of all of the responsibilities and pains of bringing about such a massive change as world peace… And to shove them down in order to push forward. She had matured a lot and very quickly.
She’d had to.
When Aurel had fallen ill, four years, eight months, fourteen days, seven hours, and twenty-six minutes ago, Nyx first glimpsed her father’s fragility, and she was afraid for him, but she had been strong, holding onto him and refusing to let go. Even as he continued to grow wearier and more and more lost in his grieving Tatyana, five years later, she wouldn’t let him go, even as she took on his mantle, assuming his role and his mission. She would not fail him.
From her perch on the balcony, she could smell the unmistakable scent of fresh donuts emanating from the kitchen. A sparkle of child-like joy filled her eye and she grinned.
Her love was home.
She turned from the balcony with a soft whoosh, her dress cascading around her like the night sky, faintly glowing with shimmering stars. She still marveled at the shorter doorways in the house- in reality, of course, it wasn’t the doorways that had changed. Age eighteen had kept a very special growth spurt in sore for Nyx, and she was no longer the small child she once was, following Aurel’s footsteps close behind. Now she was blazing a new trail, past his footprints in the year-round snow. And that new trail led to the succulent scent of cinnamon apple donuts- her favorite.
Stepping back into the palatial RIOTE headquarters, Nyx took a moment to reflect on the fact that ten years ago, she hadn’t seen any of this in her future. She had been a prisoner, a caged bird, with only faint memories of family and friends. She had never even dreamed of having a home, or a father, or a mother, or a sister, or friends, or donuts, or anything. She hadn’t expected that one day she would be freed and years later, she would inherit one of the most powerful organizations in the world.
Or well, formerly the most powerful- the epidemic had made short work of many of their numbers. And the attack by the Ciel Dominion in 2017 left them battered, beaten, and on the run. They retreated for a time, only making rare appearances at events like last year’s summit to discuss plans for post-virus reparations, and to attempt an assassination on one Wolfgang Murinyo. Unfortunately, failed. She’d sent a figurehead to act on her behalf, and a team of RIOTE unaffiliated mercenaries to take down the Ciel king; the limelight was never hers, and she knew that. She was Night. She preferred acting behind the scenes.
Passing the portraits of Hild and Tatyana on her way to the kitchen, she smiled a sad smile, reaching out the touch them gently with a hand, as if she were touching her mother and big-little sister herself. She was still waiting for her sister’s birth to happen, eventually. Such was the life of a time traveler’s sibling. Like father like daughter, eh? She missed them a lot. Hild still haunted her dreams sometimes, so very many years later, and Tatyana had only been in her life for a little while before she had gone, so soon, and so recently- five years felt longer without her.
But she couldn’t let the past hold onto her. It was her birthday, and her “cake” was waiting, along with the baker.
Captain Salazar Masu. He was a fellow chimera, and also a pirate captain, and a very good cook. She still remembered her first meeting with him. It had been over donuts, and to this day, donuts had marked every birthday, Christmas, and whatever other days they decided were special enough for homemade donuts (which was most of them.) He was sweet, and kind, and brave, and a huge dork, and he made her smile.
She wasn’t sure if he would stay with her when he found out about her involvement with RIOTE. I mean, they did sorts blow up his home country on multiple occasions, and they were pretty much public enemy number one, worldwide. If he’d have gotten scared off, or even been angry at her for all that, she wouldn’t have blamed him. But, for whatever reason, he chose to stay, and this past year, eve worked up the courage (with his excessively tall and immaculately dressed first mate’s encouragement and guidance) to propose. He liked it, so he put a ring on it. In part. That was one reason she led RIOTE behind closed doors- to protect the man she loved. Lime something out of a fairytale.
Entering the kitchen, she could only smile sweetly at the scene before her- her beloved, draped in his finest apron and oven mitts, pouring ice cold milk into two fancy wine glasses. Beside him, a tray of six delectable looking donuts, sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped lavishly with cinnamon-baked apples. A big “20” birthday candle sat in the middle. He turned with a big grin and excitedly gestured to the donuts with his arms. “Surprise!! Happy birthday, Nyx!!”
She giggled and let out a happy sigh. “Sal…” Nyx was quick, and before her sweet kitty could react, she had pounced, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She looked up to him, meeting his eyes and grinned back at him, before planting her lips against his. The first of twenty birthday kisses, unbeknownst to the young man, thus far anyways. “I love you. So much.” Birthday kiss number two followed shortly.
“I also love donuts. You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.” She winked at him, then turned to her donuts. Taking in a deep breath, she thought about what she wished for. She smiled as the wish came to her mind, then she blew out the candle.
It was a very happy birthday, indeed, for now not-so-little Nyx.
A light and airy laugh. Her first in a while. With her father’s condition and the long healing process after her sister’s passing, there hadn’t been much cause for laughter. But tonight was different. It was special. It was marked by her fiancée’s return from his very important Captain’s business, far away. His ship was to sail in that very night, into the harbor, far below, but not so far away from the angelic figure, far too impatient for this much waiting.
It was also a very special anniversary.
Twenty years ago, exactly, on June 21, 1998, one Nylia Skye Havoc graced the world with her presence for the very first time. Much had changed since those days, including her name. Nyx Havoc Schwarz-Masu. That was her identity, each name spinning a different tale.
Nyx, the codename assigned to her by her second parents, her saviors. Goddess of Night. She chuckled, thinking of how so many thought her moniker oddly juxtaposed to her bright eyes and pure heart. In these past five years, those two had been thrown through the ringer, and only on rare nights such as these could she truly allow herself the freedom to feel like her old self again. No, she had come well into her namesake.
Havoc was her surname, at birth. A legacy that she had never touched, only seen in her grandmother’s watch and in the time traveler’s stories. She adored his stories, as much as she adored him. Aurelius Schwarz…
She took his name shortly after the events in Central City, events which terrified her to her core, which broke her and shattered her innocence, nearly six years ago- or was it longer? She couldn’t remember anymore- it isn’t every day you watch your father die, then see him return from the grave seconds later. Or rather, from the past- such is the life of a time traveler’s daughter, she mused. But even still, she had blocked that day from her memory. That one, and the day Aurelius Schwarz nearly died again, one part disease, one part grief.
After all, it isn’t every day you watch your daughter die, and await some miracle that never comes.
She blinked away a few stray tears and shook her head. It would be unbecoming of the leader of RIOTE to show such open weakness.
In recent years, she truly felt the way Aurel had to have felt for much of his life. She had thought him invincible and unwavering. Always confident and always five steps ahead. In his shoes, she had learned how very mortal her father was. What man of steel falls to pieces and nearly withers away? No, he was incredibly strong, and she took after him very well. But their strength, she learned, did not lie in invulnerability, but in accepting vulnerability and hiding it away behind a leader’s mask. To feel like giving up, dying, and letting go of all of the responsibilities and pains of bringing about such a massive change as world peace… And to shove them down in order to push forward. She had matured a lot and very quickly.
She’d had to.
When Aurel had fallen ill, four years, eight months, fourteen days, seven hours, and twenty-six minutes ago, Nyx first glimpsed her father’s fragility, and she was afraid for him, but she had been strong, holding onto him and refusing to let go. Even as he continued to grow wearier and more and more lost in his grieving Tatyana, five years later, she wouldn’t let him go, even as she took on his mantle, assuming his role and his mission. She would not fail him.
From her perch on the balcony, she could smell the unmistakable scent of fresh donuts emanating from the kitchen. A sparkle of child-like joy filled her eye and she grinned.
Her love was home.
She turned from the balcony with a soft whoosh, her dress cascading around her like the night sky, faintly glowing with shimmering stars. She still marveled at the shorter doorways in the house- in reality, of course, it wasn’t the doorways that had changed. Age eighteen had kept a very special growth spurt in sore for Nyx, and she was no longer the small child she once was, following Aurel’s footsteps close behind. Now she was blazing a new trail, past his footprints in the year-round snow. And that new trail led to the succulent scent of cinnamon apple donuts- her favorite.
Stepping back into the palatial RIOTE headquarters, Nyx took a moment to reflect on the fact that ten years ago, she hadn’t seen any of this in her future. She had been a prisoner, a caged bird, with only faint memories of family and friends. She had never even dreamed of having a home, or a father, or a mother, or a sister, or friends, or donuts, or anything. She hadn’t expected that one day she would be freed and years later, she would inherit one of the most powerful organizations in the world.
Or well, formerly the most powerful- the epidemic had made short work of many of their numbers. And the attack by the Ciel Dominion in 2017 left them battered, beaten, and on the run. They retreated for a time, only making rare appearances at events like last year’s summit to discuss plans for post-virus reparations, and to attempt an assassination on one Wolfgang Murinyo. Unfortunately, failed. She’d sent a figurehead to act on her behalf, and a team of RIOTE unaffiliated mercenaries to take down the Ciel king; the limelight was never hers, and she knew that. She was Night. She preferred acting behind the scenes.
Passing the portraits of Hild and Tatyana on her way to the kitchen, she smiled a sad smile, reaching out the touch them gently with a hand, as if she were touching her mother and big-little sister herself. She was still waiting for her sister’s birth to happen, eventually. Such was the life of a time traveler’s sibling. Like father like daughter, eh? She missed them a lot. Hild still haunted her dreams sometimes, so very many years later, and Tatyana had only been in her life for a little while before she had gone, so soon, and so recently- five years felt longer without her.
But she couldn’t let the past hold onto her. It was her birthday, and her “cake” was waiting, along with the baker.
Captain Salazar Masu. He was a fellow chimera, and also a pirate captain, and a very good cook. She still remembered her first meeting with him. It had been over donuts, and to this day, donuts had marked every birthday, Christmas, and whatever other days they decided were special enough for homemade donuts (which was most of them.) He was sweet, and kind, and brave, and a huge dork, and he made her smile.
She wasn’t sure if he would stay with her when he found out about her involvement with RIOTE. I mean, they did sorts blow up his home country on multiple occasions, and they were pretty much public enemy number one, worldwide. If he’d have gotten scared off, or even been angry at her for all that, she wouldn’t have blamed him. But, for whatever reason, he chose to stay, and this past year, eve worked up the courage (with his excessively tall and immaculately dressed first mate’s encouragement and guidance) to propose. He liked it, so he put a ring on it. In part. That was one reason she led RIOTE behind closed doors- to protect the man she loved. Lime something out of a fairytale.
Entering the kitchen, she could only smile sweetly at the scene before her- her beloved, draped in his finest apron and oven mitts, pouring ice cold milk into two fancy wine glasses. Beside him, a tray of six delectable looking donuts, sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped lavishly with cinnamon-baked apples. A big “20” birthday candle sat in the middle. He turned with a big grin and excitedly gestured to the donuts with his arms. “Surprise!! Happy birthday, Nyx!!”
She giggled and let out a happy sigh. “Sal…” Nyx was quick, and before her sweet kitty could react, she had pounced, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She looked up to him, meeting his eyes and grinned back at him, before planting her lips against his. The first of twenty birthday kisses, unbeknownst to the young man, thus far anyways. “I love you. So much.” Birthday kiss number two followed shortly.
“I also love donuts. You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.” She winked at him, then turned to her donuts. Taking in a deep breath, she thought about what she wished for. She smiled as the wish came to her mind, then she blew out the candle.
It was a very happy birthday, indeed, for now not-so-little Nyx.