The room was small with wooden walls and sparse furniture. Only two wooden benches that faced each other, a table between them, and a few cabinets for employee use. Sera sat with a grim expression on one of the benches, her back straight and her legs crossed. The anger was palpable as it rolled off of her in waves; across from her was a very worried looking Finnick. The teen had his hands clenched in his lap as he waited patiently to be told what his father had done to his sister. Thought after thought flitted through his mind and it only got worse as time went on.
"Why did you wait so long to ask me to do this?" Sera finally spoke, both were glad that Cora, the topic of the discussion, was in the store with Galick. Finnick's eyes had been a spectrum of yellows of fear, anxiety, and frustration since Cora stepped into the shop. As he cast those same worried eyes to the ground, they turned a deep yet heavy brown.
"Would you want to face reality if you suspected such a thing? I tried handling it on my own but she would never tell me anything. Today seemed different, I needed help and I couldn't turn away from this. She just looked so… fragile." Finnick appealed to the older cat woman in a heart broken voice. Unshed tears filled his eyes as he thought back to the promise he made to his mother when he was five. He had promised to protect them both, but he was completely powerless to do just that.
Sera raised her hand to her head and rubbed her temple. It had already been a long day for the woman but this was the devilish icing on the demonic cake. What that man had attempted was inhuman even for someone with no human blood. He was a Nymph just like his wife was.
"Unfortunately, it's true. Your father tried to take advantage of Cora on several occasions. Thankfully, the most he was able to do was get handsy and was never able to take it further. From what Cora told me, it was you who stopped him each time by coming home unexpectedly. The other times he was either too drunk or she was able to get away from him with her own wits. She said that it was not too common for him to try something, he preferred to punch, kick, or curse her repeatedly." Sera explained and by the time she was done, she had an angry snarl on her face. Her sharp canines dug into her bottom lip as her tail whipped furiously behind her. Her black ears laid flat against her equally dark locks that looped down her back.
Finnick had never felt such rage, it was as if he was not in control of his own body. As he shot out of his seat not only had eyes taken on a ghoulish red but his vision had turned red as well. He felt as though he could lash out at anyone who came too close. He tore out of the store without a second thought about what he was about to do. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to hear the three voices that pleaded him to stop.
Before Finnick realized it, he had made it halfway back to his home. His instincts seemed to be in full control as a hand landed on his shoulder. Not knowing who it was nor caring, Finnick rounded on that person and pushed them to the ground in one swift movement. Galick was not fond of having his face pushed into the dirt but the look in the teens eyes was far more worrisome. Galick didn't resist as he doubted Finnick would truly hurt him even in his raged state.
"Finnick, come to your senses. Right now, Coradella is back at the shop in tears for her big brother. This was the reason she didn't want to tell you! Get it together!" Gale pleaded with the teen to return to his right mind. However, Finnick was more in tune with his emotions than most people. They did not just reflect in his eyes but also changed his state of mind. If he was too happy he was delirious and when he was enraged… he was a beast.
Every time Finnick had some semblance of peace, the rage would return at the thought of his father. He needed to relieve some of the pent up destruction that came along with the rage. So with the sliver of sanity he was able to regain, he headed for the heavily treed forest. Without any hesitation, he slammed his fist into tree after tree. By the time he was done, it looked like a wizard had tried to make a giant magic circle from the sky.
Gale, who had followed behind narrowly escaped being flattened several times. Yet, he did not mind as he noticed Finnick becoming more calm with every punch. All he could do was watch the young man.
"I don't care if I am meant to leave in a week, his ass is out of that house." Finnick growled in an almost animalistic nature. Gale took a deep breath as he watched the teen who normally was in full control pace angrily.
"You and Cora can stay with me above the workshop until tomorrow. I promise to let you go back to the house once you have a cool head. Hell, I will even go with you to beat his ass a bit before he is put out. You just need to be right in the head before you head out there. You might be strong but you have to be smart too." Galick Suggested but Finnick did not respond right away. His red eyes were glued to the scene behind the elf man; in the distance where a lake sat. It was beautiful… peaceful… with tall snow covered mountains and green pine trees were reflected in the lake. White sand surrounded the waters as the only division between reality and reflection. It took a few minutes but Finnick finally nodded in agreement.
Finnick's eyes remained red and both men assumed it would remain that way for quite some time. As they walked back, at a much slower pace, Finnick thought about his father. Had there been any clues? Why didn't he do something sooner? Why didn't he see it? Thoughts flooded his already addled brain. It was then that he noticed a lone blue stone, no bigger than a thumb nail, on the side of the path. It shone, like a polished gem, but the surface looked more like tiny scales jagged across the small surface. Something about the stone calmed the young man as it seemed to warm his palm all the way back to the workshop. Galick disliked the stone; It reminded him too much of someone he wished that he could forget. Neither of the men spoke until well after they reached the store.
As soon as Finnick entered the store, his heart fell through the floor and stuck in his throat at the same time. Behind the counter, just barely managing, was Sera with cora strewn across her sleeping. The child's face was red from crying and it tore at Finnicks misplaced heart.
Cora's delicate features were still wet as Finnick ran the back of his finger over his sister's cheek. The cat woman shook her head and Finnick could understand her disappointment. First he didn't see what was happening and then ran off to commit patricide.
"She just barely fell asleep… but what are you going to do now?" Sera asked, her slitted red eyes that matched Finnicks set with a burning glare. Pinned to the spot, Finnick released a sigh so deep the underworld could have heard it. Finnick ran an exhausted hand over his face as he pondered her question.
"For now, Cora and I will stay here. Tomorrow, we will have to see. That son of a b-" Finnick was cut off by his sister as her eyes fluttered open and she grabbed the hand on her cheek.
"Finnnnny" she whimpered as she tried to get to her brother. Finnick needed no more prompting and whisked the girl out of the cat woman's arms. Cora tucked her head into her brother's neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. Before he could say a word, her eyes had fallen closed, Finnick smiled at the familiar embrace, it was something she never grew out of. The two adults could only look on as the teen comforted the sister who was more of a daughter to him.
"I'm here, Cora." Finnick mumbled as he brushed a hand over her brown locks. It was only a moment later that her breathing evened out and she was asleep once more.
"That wasn't what I meant and you know it." Sera insisted and Finnick sighed. He knew all too well what Sera meant but with so many things up in the air… how could she expect an answer?
"You are joking, right? Everything is put on hold because this child is worth more than my own life. She has been my daughter since that day six years ago. I won't leave for now but I will have to before the end of next year." Finnick stated as he held the girl closer to him. This had thrown quite the wrench in his plans but that was not what mattered to the young man. No, The girl in his arms was a million times more important than any plan. When he was done talking, he was happy to see that the cat woman no longer aimed a glare in his direction; instead she wore a look of satisfaction.
"You might not have a plan but this is something you need to think hard about. What will you do when you leave and she wants to go? What if she wants to stay here?" Galick asked and the question stuck Finnick to the core. Of course, he had thought about the answers to both ever since he decided to leave Kirimi. Finnick knew that his sister would need and that he should be there for her. However, he also knew that his leaving was not a question, it was fact. Cora was loved in Kirimi, she had people who would happily be there for her as friends or guardians.
"I have thought about the answer to those questions for three years. As painful as it might be for both of us, I am going to be leaving this nameless village. I know for a fact that I can support myself on the road. If she wishes to join, it will be a bit harder on me, but I would welcome her company. I am able to hunt for food, make medicine, and have enough coin to last for quite some time." Finnick answered as he swayed back and forth between his feet; a habit he thought broken from when Cora was a new hatchling.
"If she wants to stay?" Sera reiterated after a few minutes of silence. This was the answer he had fretted over the most. It had always been a possibility she would wish to remain there but he hated the thought. Yet, he still made a plan and had everything in order in case things turned out that way.
"This was the answer I had the hardest time finding. Obviously, my first choice was to ask either of you to take care of her; unfortunately, it's for that reason that I cannot. One day, she will need to get a job and the places she knows best are here and the apothecary. If she lived with you, she would feel like she was just helping out and turn down any pay. That's why I decided that I would leave her with the Jonick family. They are well off, have no children, and have already agreed to take her in if need be." Finnick explained and the faces of the two adults soured. He could only smile as he knew why they looked so upset.
"What if I took her in and she got a job with the apothecary? Or vice versa" Galick suggested, quickly adding the last line when a glare from Sera landed on him. Finnick sighed, it was a question that he had already considered.
"And what if she can't make enough from her first job to live and save for the life she wants to live?" Finnick answered as he rubbed his temple. It had grown late in the time they had spent talking. The sun was no longer out and he wanted to put his sister to bed. However, it was best to get their questions out of the way. Sera released a hefty sigh at the same time Gale rubbed his face with his hands. Galick seemed to understand that enough was enough for the night and offered to walk Sera back. She accepted and followed the elf out the door as Galick told the young Nymph where the quest room was.
Instead of getting rest like the others urged Finnick to do, he went down to the workshop. The outrage was still fresh in his mind and wan't have been able to sleep. In order to distract himself from the gruesome thoughts of his father, he got to work in the very back room of the building. He sat down at a workbench with the blue stone he had found earlier. Before he realized it, he had taken out silver wire and begun to weave it into patterns around the azure stone. He incorporated some medium grade diamonds that held Mana reserves and a few silver beads. Finnick believed it to be the pride of things he had created thus far.
When the pendant was done, Finnick took out three stands of dark, nearly black, leather. It only took a couple of minutes for him to braid the strands together. It was a simple design that looked even more beautiful once the pendant hung in the center.
It was four in the morning by the time he finished and he felt every bit of his exhaustion. He wanted desperately to leave the workbench a mess and just climb into a comfortable bed. However, it had been engraved in his mind to always leave the bench and forges clear for the next person. It was quick but it felt like eternity as he picked everything up.
Once everything had found its home, Finnick slid the new necklace over his head. With sluggish steps, he climbed out of the workshop and toward the room he shared with his sister. However, just as he was about to reach the guest bedroom, pain bloomed on the skin above his heart. It felt as though one was carving into his skin with a white hot poker. Yet, he was alone in the hallway. It was over in a matter of moments but he was not given time to recover. Instead, the pain returned, but it was now on his rib-cage on the opposite side of his body. His teeth sank into his wrist in an attempt to stay quiet. To Finnick, it felt like hours but it had only been ten minutes since the pain started. When it finally ended, he was irritated to find that his bleeding wrist then hurt. His teeth had bitten deeper than he thought.