It was thrown away. Charlotte stood above the trashcan in the kitchen with a decidedly satisfied smile gracing her features. The sign was no longer needed....the house was sold. And for a dollar, no less!
The morning had gone by in a flurry, the packing started at once so that the new owner could move in. Dakota Steele. She and Brian wanted to give the home to someone who would take care of it and appreciated its worth and the land. Char was excited beyond words, this was an adventure. A new page in the life book of this Ravenlock family.
Did I mention packing? Well, there wasn't alot of that actually. Just a few boxes. No, Charlotte spent most of the morning in what would have been Lucy's room. Brian had destroyed in during the peak of his pain...when she'd severed her bonds with the family. Heartbreaking, really. SHe did manage to clean that room, after spending hours and hours up there. It was empty now. As it should be...as empty as her heart.
Around 1 o'clock, Charlotte decided to take a break and go into town; see who was at the Tavern. Jewell and Skyler were there, whom she spoke with for a while.
It made Charlotte so happy to see them both together again. Skyler just wasn't himself without Jewell, and she was sure that Jewell felt the same about Skyler while she was away. This family deserved a little happiness, and damnit, they were gonna have it!
However, Jewell had caught Charlotte scratching. Again. Not a conversation she really wanted to have with her sister, so she went outside. This is where the day got really interesting.
She took a seat on the porch swing, Eliza sprawled out on the wooden planks in front of her in the sun. The tiger sized cub had one eye open, lazily watching the street. Charlotte rocked gently, still holding the ice filled towel to her abdomen.
At a corner table, shadows otherwise set moving by all other activities in the common room seem to hold still... they deepen, then begin to disperse again, pushed away by brief, chilly breezes as he emerges, not all of a sudden, but still swiftly, vague in one split-second and fully formed a full second later, walking towards the front door. His stare is cast only a moment towards the common room as he jerks the front door open and walks out onto the front porch.
Eliza was quite unnerved by the man appearing so suddenly near to her. Up she got, scrambling over to Charlotte and dug her claws into her skirts, climbing up into her lap.
"...Good afternoon, Charlotte." The gaze of the crisply dressed man lowers to the ice pressed to her abdomen, a carefully measured frown darkening his countenance. "Are you feeling all right?"
She was surprised he spoke to her, even more so that he'd worry about her. She hesitated, she didn't want attention, but perhaps he could help after all. Brian did say she should be checked out. A sigh was issued and she removed the ice and lifted her shirt a little, revealing the raised and enflamed lines of scratches criss-crossing her skin. A few damn near to tears.
"It itches." Spoken simply.
His eyebrows lift. "I would imagine so." He draws cautiously closer, meeting her eyes... and a hand briefly goes to the inflamed lines. Though they do not heal, a cooling feeling permeates deeper than the ice was able to, relieving the itching feeling... temporarily. "When did this begin?"
"I thought it might just be a pregnancy thing...but my sister said that she'd never had any symptoms."
"And how often have these scratches occurred since that time? With what frequency?"
"I'm not sure. Sometimes I don't even realize it, then my husband will point out that I'm scratching again. Other times, its so irritating I wish I could slice myself open to relieve the pain." She licked her lips, wetting them before goign on. "So I guess it hasn't stopped, but its safe to say its gotten worse."
His frown deepens further, considering this... considering the lines... "It is an illness I have not seen much of before... but I have seen it, and treated it once. It will be difficult... but I think I may be able to help."
Her eyes widened. "You've seen this before? What is it?"
"Parasites. I cannot say how you contracted them... but there it is."
"PARASITES?! WHAT THE HELL? What's it doing to my baby?" She glanced to her still flat abdomen.
Watching her eyes carefully, "Hopefully not harming it too much. I will need time, and yourcooperation, to ascertain your child's health."
She looked like she was going to be sick. THis was disturbing...highly disturbing. "I will need to speak with my husband, obviously. But I'm very thankful for your offer."
He nods his head. "I trust he will make the right decision to protect his child... I will speak to Kairee about this... about the best way to go about this."
She nodded and placed a hand over her belly, her baby, her reason to live. "My baby won't die, will it?"
He looks down. "If no treatment is pursued... then the risk is very high."
"I will speak with him later today when he returns home."
His eyes move to the door, watching a patron emerge from it... then he turns and nods to Charlotte. "Very well. I will seek out Kairee."
-s- "Thank you."
"She will be very helpful. I can only do so much for relieving the pain, and that is very temporary."
"Should my husband give his consent, when will I see you again, Braxeus?"
"You have read my book... you know how to call me without magic. Draw or etch my sign, and three drops of blood should be enough for me to feel the summon from anywhere in Rhy'Din."
"Blood...oh yeah." Scenes of the massacre last night swam into view in Char's head, the Destroyers blood spewed everywhere...Jodiah's on her fingertips....the cold look in his eyes. She stood abruptly.
He watches her rise. "...Take care of yourself, Charlotte."
The Moor kitten mewed in protest as she thunked against the floor boards. A nod given to Braxeus before descending the stairs, Eliza once again at her heels.
Hours later, Charlotte lay on the livingroom floor, pouring over books, tryign to find out what could have caused such a thing to occur within her body. She needed to speak with Brian...and would do this until he got home. Maybe she could find an answer.
The morning had gone by in a flurry, the packing started at once so that the new owner could move in. Dakota Steele. She and Brian wanted to give the home to someone who would take care of it and appreciated its worth and the land. Char was excited beyond words, this was an adventure. A new page in the life book of this Ravenlock family.
Did I mention packing? Well, there wasn't alot of that actually. Just a few boxes. No, Charlotte spent most of the morning in what would have been Lucy's room. Brian had destroyed in during the peak of his pain...when she'd severed her bonds with the family. Heartbreaking, really. SHe did manage to clean that room, after spending hours and hours up there. It was empty now. As it should be...as empty as her heart.
Around 1 o'clock, Charlotte decided to take a break and go into town; see who was at the Tavern. Jewell and Skyler were there, whom she spoke with for a while.
It made Charlotte so happy to see them both together again. Skyler just wasn't himself without Jewell, and she was sure that Jewell felt the same about Skyler while she was away. This family deserved a little happiness, and damnit, they were gonna have it!
However, Jewell had caught Charlotte scratching. Again. Not a conversation she really wanted to have with her sister, so she went outside. This is where the day got really interesting.
She took a seat on the porch swing, Eliza sprawled out on the wooden planks in front of her in the sun. The tiger sized cub had one eye open, lazily watching the street. Charlotte rocked gently, still holding the ice filled towel to her abdomen.
At a corner table, shadows otherwise set moving by all other activities in the common room seem to hold still... they deepen, then begin to disperse again, pushed away by brief, chilly breezes as he emerges, not all of a sudden, but still swiftly, vague in one split-second and fully formed a full second later, walking towards the front door. His stare is cast only a moment towards the common room as he jerks the front door open and walks out onto the front porch.
Eliza was quite unnerved by the man appearing so suddenly near to her. Up she got, scrambling over to Charlotte and dug her claws into her skirts, climbing up into her lap.
"...Good afternoon, Charlotte." The gaze of the crisply dressed man lowers to the ice pressed to her abdomen, a carefully measured frown darkening his countenance. "Are you feeling all right?"
She was surprised he spoke to her, even more so that he'd worry about her. She hesitated, she didn't want attention, but perhaps he could help after all. Brian did say she should be checked out. A sigh was issued and she removed the ice and lifted her shirt a little, revealing the raised and enflamed lines of scratches criss-crossing her skin. A few damn near to tears.
"It itches." Spoken simply.
His eyebrows lift. "I would imagine so." He draws cautiously closer, meeting her eyes... and a hand briefly goes to the inflamed lines. Though they do not heal, a cooling feeling permeates deeper than the ice was able to, relieving the itching feeling... temporarily. "When did this begin?"
"I thought it might just be a pregnancy thing...but my sister said that she'd never had any symptoms."
"And how often have these scratches occurred since that time? With what frequency?"
"I'm not sure. Sometimes I don't even realize it, then my husband will point out that I'm scratching again. Other times, its so irritating I wish I could slice myself open to relieve the pain." She licked her lips, wetting them before goign on. "So I guess it hasn't stopped, but its safe to say its gotten worse."
His frown deepens further, considering this... considering the lines... "It is an illness I have not seen much of before... but I have seen it, and treated it once. It will be difficult... but I think I may be able to help."
Her eyes widened. "You've seen this before? What is it?"
"Parasites. I cannot say how you contracted them... but there it is."
"PARASITES?! WHAT THE HELL? What's it doing to my baby?" She glanced to her still flat abdomen.
Watching her eyes carefully, "Hopefully not harming it too much. I will need time, and yourcooperation, to ascertain your child's health."
She looked like she was going to be sick. THis was disturbing...highly disturbing. "I will need to speak with my husband, obviously. But I'm very thankful for your offer."
He nods his head. "I trust he will make the right decision to protect his child... I will speak to Kairee about this... about the best way to go about this."
She nodded and placed a hand over her belly, her baby, her reason to live. "My baby won't die, will it?"
He looks down. "If no treatment is pursued... then the risk is very high."
"I will speak with him later today when he returns home."
His eyes move to the door, watching a patron emerge from it... then he turns and nods to Charlotte. "Very well. I will seek out Kairee."
-s- "Thank you."
"She will be very helpful. I can only do so much for relieving the pain, and that is very temporary."
"Should my husband give his consent, when will I see you again, Braxeus?"
"You have read my book... you know how to call me without magic. Draw or etch my sign, and three drops of blood should be enough for me to feel the summon from anywhere in Rhy'Din."
"Blood...oh yeah." Scenes of the massacre last night swam into view in Char's head, the Destroyers blood spewed everywhere...Jodiah's on her fingertips....the cold look in his eyes. She stood abruptly.
He watches her rise. "...Take care of yourself, Charlotte."
The Moor kitten mewed in protest as she thunked against the floor boards. A nod given to Braxeus before descending the stairs, Eliza once again at her heels.
Hours later, Charlotte lay on the livingroom floor, pouring over books, tryign to find out what could have caused such a thing to occur within her body. She needed to speak with Brian...and would do this until he got home. Maybe she could find an answer.