- Shiloh looked as if he had more to say, but Melany was moving. The tone of her voice cut him deeply, embedded into his chest like jagged steel poles, and he braced for it. He waited for the swift slap, the punch, the beat down—it was only belatedly that he remembered she couldn't harm him, not while he was a part of her Court, but it didn't matter in the moment. Instead she spoke again, clearly, enunciated each syllable.
Mercy.
"M-Madame I—thank you, I—" Beel's long fingers dug into his shoulder sharply and it stopped him, his voice catching in his throat. Jeremiah was the one who spoke next, and Shiloh watched as he went to Alexis' side with ill ease.
This entire meeting had transformed into a train wreck, but no one had died. He wondered if that was truly a pro or not. He watched the exchanges met around the Court, Melany's final words, and then her inevitable pass out back into the girl who was nothing like the Spinel Lady.
His chest hurt. Between this and the information on the paper and Lady's tear streaked face and Rabbit in all his despair and Alexis, poor ******** Alexis, stripped of their powers—and Ezra with his voice cracking, and—
"Shiloh." Beel shook him a little.
"I-I," He shook his head, "R-Right, yeah." He righted himself as Hart departed with Melany. He made a conscious choice to stay away from her. He wanted more than ever to reach out again.
What was the Spinel Lady's goals? Why was she willing to listen? Why did she relinquish her control the way she did to return back home? Vessel left a sour taste in his mouth.
"One thing at a time..." He was murmuring more or less to himself. Beel of course heard, anyone within his earshot would. "I want to see this Court made right, but I want Melany to be alright first."
Beel nodded, "I know..." Something about the timbre of his voice was... sad. Upset.
Shiloh sensed it.
"Thank you," He told his fetch, "For handling yourself the way you did."
Beel was silent.
"I want to help you too, you know." He told him quietly, "I can't help you reclaim your humanity, you know. That's something mental." He tapped his own head, "But if I can get you back your skin, then I will."
The fetch dipped his head.
"I guess this meeting is... over." He sighed, shoulders slumping, frame heavy. He went to fix the mourning veil back in his hair, appreciating the window it blocked for his eyes. "Unless anyone has any other questions. I think we can at least agree to hold future gatherings not at Court." He paused, "But uh... I won't blame you if you don't want to come." He was only trying to include the tithes and the fetches. He supposed he saw how well that went.
When Mercer spoke to him, he regarded him... in a rather stoic way, his posture deflated like a balloon absent of air. "Mercer. I hope you can excuse me for a moment." His head dipped. He was obviously so, so, so tired. "I, um." He rubbed at his eye underneath his veil. "Sorry." He needed a moment of respite, a place to breathe, something. He felt weak running off like this, but...
"Lord Mercer, Shiloh is tired." Beel said swiftly as he cut in, "I'm sure you can find room to talk later." He nudged his patron and Shiloh only nodded. "There's quite a bit on his mind."
Shiloh did take a moment to address Silk however, "I'm sorry it turned out to be more of a mess," he said quietly, "But thank you for your insights. Mercer, I'll speak with you later about, about..." He sighed, hand clenching the charter, the fingerprint results.
There was a lot to think about.
shibrogane
azuredreams
iloveyouDIE
daekie
cibarium
The Semblance of Unity
Smerdle
