Sortilege of Creation IC Thread

[Prisma*Illya]

Epilogue: Brand New Days

[NoIn-LoKi]

Three to six months later at the Sea of Estray

The sun was shining through the open window into the small but cozily furnished room, the white curtains wafted from time to time in a light breeze. It was summer again. Suddenly the door was thrown open without warning and Dubhe came running inside.

"I made it! I'm in! Now I can finally go to the research sites myself!" she called out and stopped short just before the desk and put her hands down on it with a bang. She was so excited, her face glowing. Just today she passed her exam to become a full-fledged researcher at the Sea of Estray's branch for rune magic.

The person sitting at the desk looked up and pulled his blond hair behind his ears. "Thats great Dubhe. I knew you could do it, but I'm still proud of you." Lonerin said, "Have you decided where you want to go first?" he asked.

Dubhe's brows pulled together and she sat down on the couch, putting her feet on the table.
"I haven't really, but I heard they discovered some new sites up in Sweden" she said and began to pet the fox that was lying next to her on the couch. "Yin, is there anywhere special you want to go?" she asked excitedly without really expecting an answer, "We basically can go anywhere, well as long as there's some runic inscriptions" she grinned.

She leaned back and enjoyed the sunshine on her face for a few minutes, but suddenly jumped up.
"Oh no, I gotta write Jean right away" she said "C'mon Yin. See you later, Lonerin" and with that she left his office in a hurry. With a light shake of his head and a smile on his lips, Lonerin went back to writing on his paper. Some things would never change. He was just glad that Dubhe hadn't taken any mental scars from what happened. Not that he could remember anything, but he knew her too well to think she would make something like that up and when he looked into her eyes, he could see how much she had grown.

By now, Dubhe and Yin had made it outside and Dubhe headed straight for a bench in the beautiful garden. Everything about her movements spoke of contentment, it was clear that she was happy. She sat down and searched in her bag for pen and paper.

Dear Jean, …

[Payne]

six months after, in Paris...

"Thank you." Tear said to the man who had just delivered the mail, keeping up a mask of calm as he turned to leave. Not quite matching her expression, Tear's fingers danced through the letters until they came to rest on the one she had been looking for. "Perfect timing..." She said, allowing a smile to creep across her face as she glanced over the letter's contents and then stuffed it back into the envelope before disappearing down the hall.

A few minutes later, she walked out onto the balcony, overlooking the garden, where Asche usually took her lunch. With as much grace as a woman five months pregnant could put forth, she slid into the chair across from Asche and picked up the cup of tea that had been sitting there, waiting for her. Tear took a sip and then sat the letter on the table, sliding it towards Asche. "You owe me."

She took another sip of her tea and leaned back into her chair, giving Asche time to read the letter.

Contents of the letter:

Spoiler

The Burial Agency of the Holy Church hereby grants sanctuary to Jester Calture, on profession of his new faith in Christ our Lord, and in return for information provided about magi activity in northern Europe, as well as for services to be rendered for the burial agency, under the direct supervision of his handler, Sister Asche Levatte.

Additionally, Sister Levatte and Mr. Calture are hereby granted their first order as an operational team.

The two shall depart immediately from Paris for Austria, where they shall receive further instructions about the task to be carried out. An informant has already been placed within close proximity to the target, and upon arrival, you should locate her as soon as possible. This informant's name is Ms. Izabella Lenoire, someone that has shown some promise as a contract agent with us over the last few months.

May the blessings of our Lord be with you in your travels...

[Prisma*Illya]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb3UmzOqios

Asche's eyes scanned the letter twice before she allowed herself a smile.

"Thank you," she said, setting down the letter and grasping Tear's hand. "Now that he's under the Church's protection, I think he can finally stop worrying about the Association. Besides, it doesn't hurt to have company on these things."

She looked over at Doll Mary, who was sitting quietly off to the side, staring up at the sky.

"You will keep Mary close, won't you? She's very determined to protect your child," Asche said, neglecting to mention that was on her orders. Just then, Darien walked in, waving at both of them.

"Of course we will," he said, kneeling down beside Tear. "Although I'm more than up to the task myself."

He smiled and patted Tear's stomach, whispering nonsense words to his little child. Asche smiled, imagining Jester doing the same thing to her some day. The idea made her blush, and she quickly shook the thought away.

"So, are you two leaving right away?" Darien asked, giving Tear a kiss before standing up and putting an arm around her shoulder. Asche nodded, tucking the letter away.

"These few months have been such a blessing, but I really have to get back to work. I won't forgive myself if my relaxation causes others like Tear and I to lose their families," she said, eyes flashing with resolve.

[Payne]

Sea of Estray

Yin had been awake from the moment Dubhe entered the room, as it would be impossible for anyone to sleep through the girl's apparent excitement, but she hadn't cracked an eye open until she felt fingers gliding through her fur.

"I'll go wherever you want." Yin yawned as she shifted into her human form. "It seems like regardless of where we go, there's never a dull moment when you're around. I'm actually starting to wonder if you've been cursed in a manner that makes chaos follow you..." She finished, somewhat sarcastically.

It was only seconds later that Dubhe made a run for the door, and Yin pushed herself up to follow her, giving a wave to Lonerin on her way out the door.

"I don't know why you'd want to leave here though. You do realize that your teacher is a total hottie, right?" The corners of Yin's mouth turned up in a playful smile as she sat down on the bench next to Dubhe. "Although, if you're not interested, I might take a crack at him..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paris

"You're welcome." Tear replied. "I had to use about half the names in my book to get that paperwork though. So, you'd better not lose it."

Before she could continue, Darien walked out onto the balcony and took a moment to rub the bulge that had once been a perfectly flat stomach. Tear blanched internally, thinking of how much work it would be to get back into shape after her term was over.

"I still think that you should take Mary with you, since you'll be more likely to run into trouble." She glanced in Darien's direction for a second. "Well, the kind of trouble we shouldn't be seeing for a while anyway."

Tear took another sip of her tea while Asche and Darien talked, but she sat it on the table and reached out to squeeze her sister's hand when they were through. "You two take care of each other." She smiled and pushed herself out of her chair.

"We should get going too." Tear continued as she turned to her husband. "Waiting on that letter was the only reason we hadn't left town already." She put an arm around Darien's back, leaning on him slightly to keep the weight off her feet.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving for Darien's home. He wanted his parents to meet his wife before their granddaughter was born."

[Prisma*Illya]

"I should have done it a long time ago," Darien said, sighing. "But it doesn't matter. We're doing it now, and that's what counts. I want to rebuild this family for our little girl."

He patted Tear's stomach affectionately once more before putting an arm around her shoulders to guide her out.

"Bye, Asche. Take care," he said, waving, "And Mary, you keep an eye on Jester. Who knows what kind of trouble he could get up to."

Doll Mary smiled and gave a wave as well as she stood up and moved to stand beside Asche.

"Shall we go as well then?" she asked the Executor. Asche nodded and stood, but suddenly took a few quick strides and caught up to Darien and Tear, pulling the latter away from her husband's arms and pulling her into a hug.

"Take care and let Darien baby you, all right?" she said, laughing. "And don't you dare hesitate to call if you feel the baby coming!"

She released her "sister" into Darien's hold once more and waved to them goodbye, sighing. She knew it was only a temporary separation, but this time together had been so reminiscent of their past that she felt she'd finally regained a lost piece of herself once more.

[Payne]

Tear allowed Asche to hold her in a tight embrace for a moment, savoring the contact that the two of them had shared much more often as children."He'd try to baby me, even if I didn't let him." She replied with a smile. "And you'll be the first person I call."

She retreated from the hug as Darien put his arm around her again to lead her away, feeling that she'd finally regained the sense of 'family' that she'd lost all those years ago when her mother had left her. "Be careful out there Asche, and tell Izzy I said hi."

"Alone at last..." Jester's voice rang through the air as his arm swept around the corner and he pulled Asche into the shadow of the building for a long kiss. "Well, mostly at least." He said, grinning up at Doll Mary, who hadn't moved from where she had been standing a moment before.

"So then, what's this trip I heard you all talking about mademoiselle?" He asked, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it. "And am I invited to join you on it?" His roguish smile practically dared her to say no and see how far that got her.

[Prisma*Illya]

Doll Mary gave a very slight shake of her head, emitting an amused exasperation at Jester's usual antics. She turned and walked over to the entrance, giving them a moment alone before they were ready to depart.

"The decision is out of my hands," Asche said, pursing her lips in mock disappoval as she waved the paper in front of Jester's face. "Church's orders."

She smirked and turned back to the balcony, giving a sigh as she took in the scenery.

"You know, Leo, seeing Tear and Darien has me thinking.." Asche said quietly, hair swaying in the breeze. "After this mission, I might like to consider making our relationship more.. official."

She turned back, smiling at Jester as she stepped closer, pressing her lips to his in a tantalizing kiss.

"Maybe," she said, pulling back. "We'll see."

She gave a happy hum to herself and walked over toward Mary, who stood waiting patiently.

"Are you coming?" Asche asked Jester with a grin, stepping out the door and into the sunlight.

--------------------

-I hope everything is going well with you, and Yin sends her best wishes. Write back soon!

Dubhe

Jean smiled as she set down the letter from Dubhe and picked up a piece of paper and pen to begin writing.

Dear Dubhe,

I'm so glad to hear that all is well with you. I've been enjoying my stay here at Clocktower. Marietta and I have been getting along well, and she's been so in her element here. She's been teaching me quite a lot, since she thinks it's necessary for me to learn to defend myself. But more than that, I want to be able to defend people I care about. I hope this will help.

We've been seeing a lot of Atticus as well, though I'm not so sure he appreciates that. It seems his teacher Olivia Edelfelt has been instructing Marietta in the curses branch here, and the two of them are a little too similar for poor Atticus' good. It's been good to see another familiar face though, and I've enjoyed the little time I get to see him. Maybe if you get a chance to come this way some time, we can all get together.

I wish I could write more, but I'm actually getting ready to go on an errand I've been meaning to get to for a while now. It's been long overdue. I'll tell you how it goes another time. Say hi to Yin for me.

Jean

Jean folded up the letter and placed it in an envelope before leaving the room. She tightened her sweater over her body as she felt the wind ruffle her hair and hurried from the campus and into London. Finding a mailbox, she slipped the letter inside and made her way down the street, checking the address it had taken months to discover. Jean swallowed as she reached the house, rich and stately. It's removal from Clocktower spoke great volumes about the family's withdrawal after losing the only heir to their name. No doubt their standing with the Mage's Association was no longer what it once was. But that mattered very little to Jean.

"Yes, I've waited too long for this," she said softly as a flood of memories passed before her eyes. She'd been avoiding it, escaping from it, but she finally needed this resolution. Swallowing, she approached with determined steps to the front door of the house, where she swung the knocker and waited patiently. A servant answered promptly, ushering her inside. She stood waiting in the large entrance hall, wondering what it would have been like to grow up in a home like this, as a small blonde princess had done. A sudden shattering noise startled her, and Jean swung about to see a pretty, slender woman with long brown hair standing in the doorway, her blue eyes fixed on Jean as her hand stifled a cry of disbelief. Jean felt tears prick at her eyes as she took tentative steps forward to the woman, finally standing before the woman and taking her hands into her own.

"Mother?" Jean asked, smiling happily.