The Simple Art of Arbitration

Act 1, Scene 5

The Simple Art of Arbitration

---

"Carmella…"

Falling, falling, and falling down.

"Carmella…"

Something in the distance, a shape, a body.

"Please, please. For the love of all things! Please don't let it be him!"

"Carmella…"

Dragging and dragging and dragging over.

"Carmella…"

His voice! Oh, gods not his voice!!

Warm… wet… sticky.

"Carme--"

The voice trails off; too much of him has been spilt. Death, nothing but death!

The world burns around them, yes. The world burns to ash around them.

Yet, you live.

You live, el Escudo.

You that are meant to protect.

You that failed la Espada.

 You that survived.

 ---

Maricella violently wakes up; drenched in sweat, panting… she puts her fist into her mouth to keep from screaming out. She is shivering, shaken by this all too vivid dream.

Free hand moves to her side, it lacks a certain person.

Panic sets in.

Where's Christopher?!

She looks, but the dark is too oppressive. She's blinded by her own violent awakening, her hands grope the sheets.

Nothing, he's gone…

He's gone…

He's gone like… like… like…

Her adrenaline sets in. Her vision clears, she can see again. Then, a shape next to the bed, head slightly bent downwards. She bites down hard, she tastes blood.

 No… no… not again!

Free hand quivers, she must touch him. She must!

Hair, soft hair… Stress levels suddenly rocketing. Eyes are now burning with excess intake of light. Pupils are too dilated.

Movement, she makes a sound. He turns, confused, concerned.

Too much… too much, then suddenly blackness, relief overcomes her.

The night speaks no longer, as she lies upon the sheets, drenched.

 ---

The morning comes in bright, too damn brightly. She tries to open her eyes, but it hurts too much. It's then that she hears movement and the sound of something sliding.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

A woman's voice, it was Christopher's mother Adara,

"There the light shouldn't be as bad now."

Adara moves over to the window to draw the heavier curtain, shutting out the light.

A croak, then a few words later,

"I'm okay, just… very thirsty for some reason."

Maricella turns as she hears something being poured into a glass,

"Here you go, drink slowly. Christopher woke me up in a panic, he said he heard a noise and found you drenched in sweat."

Maricella could tell she didn't fully buy her son's explanation, but wasn't just yet ready to level any sort of punishment until it was confirmed or denied by Maricella.

"I can see why he would be upset, then."

Which was true, without giving away too many details, she was sure he found her in disarray.

"I worry about him sometimes, I'm just glad he wasn't up to any shenanigans then."

"No need to worry, Adara."

She nodded, looking relieved that he wasn't doing anything perverted. Crisis averted.

Though this brought something rather important to mind as she sat up more,

"Where is Christopher?"

A knock on the doorframe and Sapphire walks in with a tray of food,

"I sent him to the convenience store to get some more milk, he was hovering and we needed to restock."

Maricella was visibly relieved, as Sapphire set the tray on her lap gently,

"Worried about my daft older brother?"

 A smile, an honest smile came about her,

"Yeah… oddly enough."

 Sapphire sits down at the foot of the bed and sighing knowingly,

"Nothing odd about it, he has that effect on people."

Adara starred to hum happily, nodding as if to agree, as she spoke her voice had a very melodic quality, as if speaking in beat to the song,

"He's always had my heart, and Sapph here my soul."

As she leans down to kiss her daughter on the temple,

"I'll go make us some breakfast now."

As Adara leaves, Sapphire turns to look at Maricella more fully,

"Do you need to borrow some clothing?"

Maricella face turns slightly pink,

"Forgive me! I haven't had a chance to go back home, sometimes the most mundane things…"

Sapphire just giggles it off,

"Don't worry about it. You're slightly more developed than me in the chest area, but I'm sure you'll be able to squeeze in just nicely."

Maricella just nods, bemused by this kindness,

"How is it that you three as so kind to me?"

Smiling, Sapphire stands up,

"Our mother taught us well, I hope to one day emulate her and make my own husband as happy as she made my father."

Maricella starts to chew on her bottom lip lightly, nodding lightly. Sapphire just gave her a sad, but warm smile leaving the room, calling to her as she made her way out,

"I'll be back in a bit with something for you wear!"

Maricella nods, with a smile,

"I'll be waiting, then."

Lying back down on the bed, careful of the tray on her lap, she exhales a name.

"Christopher…"

As she closed her eyes, she inadvertently drifts off into sleep.

In the hall, Sapphire hears the murmur call and waits as her hand clutches her chest. She waits for a moment and then silently leaves for her room upstairs.

 ---

Christopher's trip to the store took longer than usual, as they store closest to his home had run out of milk. Having texted his mother that he was going to be running a bit late, he made a dash for another store. As he finally made his return, he was in for a surprise when he found that everyone, including another stranger were all seated in the living room.

 It was his erratic mother that spoke up first,

"Chrissy! Finally! Did you to the store down by Corner Street?!"

 Christopher only nodded,

"Yeah…"

 He stopped to give the man sitting in the living room a nod,

"Welcome, sir."

The man stood, Christopher noted the rather expensive looking suit,

"Ah, young Christopher!" actually bowing, he waved a hand in a rather grandiose gesture, "Please, carry on. I'll be more than happy to wait until you're ready to receive me. Your lovely family and Maricella have been keeping me with the loveliest of conversation."

Christopher only arched an eyebrow at this peculiar man, but nodded as he went into the kitchen to put the milk away, no sooner had he made his way into the living room that Mr. Peculiar start to speak again.

"Very well then, since we are all here now I will once again reaffirm my introduction," bowing once again, only this time faaaar more gracefully than before, with a flourish of his hand, "I am Theodore Benedict Patrick, Esquire. I am a representative of the Patrick, Patrick and Patrick Law Office."

Patrick, Patrick and Patrick? What are the chances!

Quite chancy if you ask me.

The voice within his mind was clearly the man's

In a blink, the world around him took on a very peculiar haze indeed. He could see his mother and his sister through the haze, but they were as still as stone statues. It was so surreal that when he heard the voice within his mind, actually speak he jumped!

"Now, now no need to be so jumpy, Christopher this way we can discuss what is most important about you and Maricella without having to involve everyone present."

Christopher was just about to object, when Maricella having kept silent the entire time since his return, stop him,

"Don't argue, Christopher. It's important that you listen to Theodore."

Exhaling and swallowing back his words, nodding,

"Fine…"

Theodore just smiled as he sat back down,

"Most prudent! Now, we have decided what your fates will be, but this comes with certain conditions."

Christopher frowned at this,

"Already?"

Theodore just smiled at him, if not a bit darkly,

"You have no concept of how lucky you are, Chrissy. Not only were you slated for death, your death did… had some rather valuable repercussions to a certain segment of the Society. Of course, my family and our law firm made a very healthy commission off your non-death so I can't say we aren't grateful for your ability to call upon a Maiden. In fact, it's the only reason why I'm here; we owe you a certain degree of gratitude."

Christopher had to clench his teeth. No one called him Chrissy, which was not his family or a person he approved of. No one.

Yet this fop in expensive clothing had the guts to do so; it was Maricella again that cut him off at the pass.

"Chrissy, please… this isn't the time to try and get into a fight. Believe me when I tell you that we could not have asked for a better arbitrator."

"Indeed! Due to your Sine awakening as you were dying you were able to call, of all creatures in this glorious multiverse, one of Eight Maidens, la jeune fille au cœur de lion!

The Lion-Hearted Maiden!

My boy, you've called the one maiden that swore to never again pick up her shield, to never again burn with the power of her House. Hence, the conditions you set, dear Christopher are as follows!"

With a grand showing of his arms, he points to Christopher like the Ringleader in a circus sideshow,

"You shall be her Shield!"

And to Maricella,

"You shall be his Sword!"

Blankly, he looked between Theodore and Maricella. He didn't want to sound insensitive, but…

Having not received any outburst from Christopher, Theodore looked quite displeased,

"Have you told him nothing!?"

Maricella throw him a withering look,

"This wasn't meant to be, Theo! You know this!! I meant to travel the Moon and Sky as my penance, never was I to be called by such a Sine! Yet here I am trying to reconcile the fact that I'll have to be saved by…" Maricella trailed off, and after a pause continued, "Instead of what should have been my duty, to protect!" 

She said this through clenched teeth, through eyes shut so tightly that tears were having a problem streaming down her cheeks.

Christopher could see the pain and fully appreciated the situation now,

"Is this like asking the flower to love the butterfly?"

Theodore expression turned to surprise and suddenly chuckled, so deep and low, as she shook his head in disbelief,

"Only the chances are greater that such a thing could happen, Christopher. You would have an easier time turning bread to stone."

He placed a hand upon Maricella's shoulder and nodded, as she continued to weep silently to herself,

"You've worked hard to allow this to happen, haven't you?"

Theodore bowed.

"Thank you for the acknowledgement. The simple answer is, yes. The complex answer is you don't have any other choice, but to accept. No matter how impossible this may seem to Maricella. In short, if you accept this agreement you will be a wolf in a pride of Lions and she will be a lioness protecting a Branch of Wolf."

Something within Christopher resonated,

'A Branch of Wolf?" The look he gave Theo was one of confusion,

"What do you mean?"

The look Theodore he gave Maricella and then his family was one of complete and total amazement,

"You jest, no doubt! I mean..."

Christopher had a look of complete, well... bafflement. Even more so when Maricella suddenly took to her knees and reached for Theo's hand,

"Don't! Not, now... Theo... This isn't the time."

Theodore turned his attention over at Christopher and shook his head,

"This is their decision, Branch of Wolf.

Then Christopher turned to look at Maricella,

"Your oath, is that you will not pick up this role of Shield until your penance is complete, correct?"

She nodded, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed by his affirmation.

"I will not pretend to understand your world, I can hardly understand why I even call myself wolf or the fact you two have acknowledge this as such, but will you lend me your strength? Will you be able to make up for the deficit of my own power until your oath is fulfilled?"

Such a simple answer to a complex question,

"Y-Yes, of course, I never said I wouldn't be of aid to another Shield."

Turning to Theodore, his eyes narrowed slightly as he drove his own conditions into the fray,

"There you have it. I shall live as a wolf among the lions, but never will a lioness have to live as a wolf." 

It hit Theodore at first with a silent chuckle, and then slowly it turned into a deep, resounding laugh. So very manic was this laugh! It took a while for him to gain some level of composure.

"Oh Christopher, I am pleased! I have never laughed so hard in my life! To challenge the will of the Society with an even better act of self-sacrifice! Consider it done and accepted!"

Then his eyes turned dark, his smile that of a devil.

"Now I shall see how much you can suffer the aspects of both la Espada y le Escudo. You will find this path far from simple, but fear not because I will aid you along the way. Yes, I will aid to see just how much a Dark One like you can withstand before imploding from within."

Then, suddenly whatever space or magick he had cast was gone, his mother and sister came back to life from this previous immobile states. It as if nothing had happen, both had the impression that Christopher was now fully employed, that Maricella had a position as well within the firm.

Even as Theodore left, he felt the chill of his words echo in his mind.

'I will aid to see just how much a Dark One like you can withstand before imploding from within.'

After all the pleasantries and Theodore leaving the house, Maricella said that she wanted to head back to bed, just to be on the safe side, so that by tomorrow she was at her full strengthen. After helping and getting reassurances of her well-being, Christopher had noticed that her clothing looked rather familiar. Having left her room, he went in search of his sister, his mother returning with the empty tray and heading for the kitchen.

He found her in the living room cleaning up,

"Is she wearing one of your outfits?"

Sapphire suddenly smiled and nodded,

"She is! What you think, did she look cute in my clothing or what?!"

Christopher couldn't help but smile, in the past few days he'd been neglecting her,

"Hey, are you busy today?"

She turned her fully attention to him now, her bright smile never leaving her,

"Not really, why do you ask?"

"Since you have an off day today, why don't we go out to movies or something?"

Sapphire's heart filled with excitement,

"Let me finish up here and I'll go get ready!"

With a nod, Christopher returned the smile,

"I'll let mom know, then."

She had already put all the cups away in the sink, so as she finished straightening the living room Sapphire ran upstairs. Truth be told she had felt neglected by him, jealous of her, but her brother had once again pulled through. He always knew when to act to her benefit, always!

Yet even with this heartwarming feeling, as she dressed and prepared herself for an outing with her brother, there was a feeling that still lingered and then the words that Maricella had uttered made her wonder all the more.

Has he forgotten? Has he forgotten the promise he made to me that day?

Has he forgotten? Has he forgotten the promise he made to me that day?

Tender, tenderly falling. Ashes upon ashes, something is calling.