One of these days....POW right in the kisser

[1<3[)r@I<3]

Rhys moved easily from form to form, wooden practice blade flicking out. The smooth motion and steady tempo of thwacks against the pells seemed to calm him, but inside he was a seething cauldron of frustration. The forced inactivity of the first few weeks he had been home had been bad enough, but the continued confinement imposed on him by Damon was wearing down his patience. He wanted to go see Sarah, or go to the cabin, anything but stay here. Rhys snarled and tightened his grip, slashing at the pells more quickly, the movements of the blade becoming jerky as his concentration faltered. The slight scrape of a boot on stone came to his ears as he lost focus entirely, the wooden blade slamming into the pells so hard that it snapped.

Rhys turned, tossing the splintered hilt aside, to see Damon approaching, and balled his hands into fists. "Go away, Brother. I'm in no mood to deal with you right now." He grabbed his shirt and began to walk toward the door, only to have Damon grab his arm. "Let. Go. Of. Me. Now." Rhys jerked his arm free of Damon's grasp and began to walk away again. Damon reached out and grabbed his arm once more, and spun Rhys around.

Damon looked Rhys over, seeing again the haggard look around his eyes. The forced rest and recuperation had not gone well for Rhys. He was used to being active and didn't have it in him to sit still for long, regardless of the reason. Nor had he taken well to being kept in the castle. Rhys was accustomed to being able to come and go as he pleased, not being stuck in one place.

"Rhys, we need to talk. You've snapped four of those practice blades already this week. And the guards have told me that they refuse to spar with you anymore. They're afraid of getting hurt. Now, I know you aren't happy about being here, but..."

He couldn't finish what he was saying. Rhys had driven his fist into Damon's gut, driving the air from his lungs. Then he grabbed his collar, holding him upright. "Not happy? Why the hell should I be happy? A gilded cage is still a cage." Each sentence Rhys spoke was accompanied with a punch, some to Damon's jaw, others to his stomach. The hard blows left the young man dazed and gasping for air. After a few more punches, Rhys slammed the battered and bloody young lord against the stone wall of the courtyard and drove his fist into Damon's gut once again. He drew his fast back and started to swing, intending to knock his baby brother unconscious.

[Neko]

A heavily pregnant blond woman was busy in the kitchen. Sure her sister and Damon could not eat but she could, granted it was not much but it was enough where she would actually dirty dishes up. She was working on a simply soup dish when she heard something. She stuck her tongue out in a playful manner and pretended she dropped something. Something that just happened to roll near the window. Peeking out she let a silent gasp out as she noticed Rhys preceding to kick the shit out of Damon.

Looking around she quickly grabbed her soup off the fire and made sure to stop the fire to avoid causing a larger one that would get her kicked out. Rushing down the many flights of stairs she made it down to ground level and by the two men just as Rhys threw him into the wall. She clutched the soup carefully and glared at Rhys. "What the hell are you doing?" She pursed her lips and furthered her glare. She spared a glance at Damon and saw that Rhys did not plan to stop...

Well she could not blame the idiot, he was the type who would leave at the drop of a hat and here he was caged up. So much for being a lone wolf he was practically a fixed dog at this point... She felt her glare melt into a blank look... She should be crying over Damon's limp body, making Rhys feel guilty, and be shouting at him to leave already but here she was feeling Damon somehow deserved the ass kicking he just got... Boy was she hormonal these days...

With a sigh she poked a finger in her soup and flinched at the hotness the soup still held. Blankly looking at the soup and then at Rhys who did not seem to notice anything besides the bloody man he was beating into pulp. Lifting the pot up she spun and with a little gasp she flung the pan. If he was so busy beating Damon up he would probably forget that there were other people visiting. It better hit at least, she had to risk being seen and had to buy these ingredients herself....

-forty minutes early-

Innocence had been kicked out by her sister... Yeah so she was hungry and blood was not the top meal on her menu, her sister gave her some cash and kicked her out... Well she was no in the mood for raw food and now she could not go home until sister cooled down... Darn she was stuck out here walking around, she was going to be spotted and something bad was going to happen it always went down like that...

-thirty minutes early-

Innocence had a charming little smile on her lips. She had the food bag tied to her dress and she was climbing the walls of Lee like the good ole days. Granted it was less cat like and she was not as quick on the go... She reached a hallway and moused around until she found the room she needed... Grabbing a pot she grabbed her ingredients and started to work.

-now-

She clenched her eyes closed and waited to hear crazy white headed person hit soup in hot pot. She figured Her sister would send for Walter soon enough to get her out of anything. He and Rhys had helped her and Sarah before. If Sarah had no come Rhys would not have come so in a way Walter would end up saving her again... That was if her sister really did send out for her and had cooled down... Oh dear god she hoped Walter came... She was to young and not to mention awesome to die...

[Graebelle]

It felt like it had been ages since she'd seen Rhys, and looking back it actually had nearly been that long. The months had dragged slowly by with Sarah waiting as patiently as she was able for word about him, when she would be able to see him again, anything. She was beginning to grow restless, after a more than decent time of remaining patient, and she tried to keep herself busy around the house tidying up so the thoughts wouldn't wear on her as much as they could.

Though there was an alterior motive to the tidying. With less to do around the house, there would be less for Aunt Rebecca to assign to her to keep her from leaving the house. It had been some time since she'd left her home for some purpose other than to run an errand for her aunt, and with a growing restlessness Sarah was ready to try and face the grand palace Rhys lived in. When she made the suggestion of letting herself out of the house for some time, just to get out, she could see a visible reluctance on her aunt's face, but even she agreed it was time her niece did a little wandering on her own and sent her out with the promise to be back before dark. Willing to promise anything so long as it got her outside and free, Sarah did and started off trekking for the Palace of Lee.

It was larger than she'd anticipated from looking at it from afar, almost intimidatingly so, but knowing Rhys waited somewhere inside was enough to give her the extra push to challenge custom and seek him out at his home. She fidgeted with her hands, twisting the ring around a bit nervously as she walked up to the gates and passed silently through them. A commotion in the courtyard surprised her into stopping not too far in, and with widening eyes she realized who was invovled in the whole mess. Sarah was running before she realized what she was doing, determined to interfere, help, anything she was able to stop the fight. "Rhys!" she yelled, glancing between him, his brother, and finally at Innocence as she saw the young woman toss a pot of something or other at the first. Kicking herself for not arriving sooner to possibly prevent the whole current ordeal from taking place she hurried to where the trio was standing around.

[1<3[)r@I<3]

Rhys heard yelling, though he was too angry to understand what was said, much less who was saying it. He felt something hot and wet hit his shoulder and immediately shifted his swing to grab Damon by the shoulder. He then tossed Damon away from the threat, though he still didn't know what it was, turning as he did. He was a little too slow, however. He yelped as almost all of the soup in Innocence's pot splashed over his back, though the pot itself missed him and clanged against the wall. Rhys realized how little control he had at that moment and looked at Damon with an apology in his eyes.

He bent to pick up his shirt and stalked to the far side of the courtyard, hearing Sarah call his name as he did so. He found what he was looking for near the stables. He plunged his head into the horse trough hoping to cool his temper, as well as the sting from the hot soup still dripping from his hair. He straightened, flinging his head back. Wet hair slapped against his bare back, soothing the slightly scalded skin, before he put his shirt on and turned toward Sarah. His face lit up and he took a single, hesitant step in her direction. He immediately felt better, but....

His gaze stole over to Damon and Innocence. Rhys' eyes narrowed for a moment, seeking the threat that had done the damage. Then he realized that he was the cause. That he had lost control and beaten Damon bloody. His eyes grew wide and he started in Damon's direction. He stopped and looked at Sarah, then back at Damon. He didn't know which way to go, who he needed to be with more. His focus shifted back and forth between the two, occasionally settling on Innocence as he caught echoes of what she was in for in the near future. The very near future, from what he could read. Then he remembered what had caused the whole mess in the first place and decided it would serve Damon right to be stuck with a woman in labor and no help in sight.

He walked to Sarah, pausing for a moment when he drew even with Damon and Innocence. Looking down at his brother, he sighed and shook his head. "Your a fool, Damon. You may not want this to happen, but you can't stop it. And you shouldn't even try." He looked at Innocence, wondering if she knew what was going to happen all too soon. "Good luck, kid. Your gonna need it. Now more than ever."

Turning away, he moved to Sarah, reaching out to take her hand. Reaching out with his other hand, he brushed her cheek. "Are... Are you really here? Or am I seeing what my heart wishes me to see?" His voice was soft, gentle, and full of hope. Rhys dropped her hand and wrapped his arms around her. "Sarah, love. I've missed you so much. I was afraid that..." He shook his head and fell silent, wondering why she had come. And hoping she would stay now that she was here.

[Neko]

What happened was not what she expected. Her hit with the soup... Which she had wanted to eat seemed to get through to Rhys. Well at least something gave right? With a sigh she crossed her arms and watched Rhys dip his head in water to cool his head and probably his back off... She then noticed Sarah. She sent a soft smile towards the girl but it turned into a sour frown when she glanced at Rhys again. "Your a fool, Damon. You may not want this to happen, but you can't stop it. And you shouldn't even try." Innocence held a solid glare at Rhys as he spoke.

"Good luck, kid. Your gonna need it. Now more than ever." Innocence listened to all Rhys had said and simply replied with, "Luck? Gramps since when has luck helped me? I would not need your little 'wish' if I had luck..." She placed a hand on her back and leaned back slightly. "As for Damon I could just leave him here but you know I cannot do that. So in short while he cannot fight the future, someone like me should not be caring him up stairs so in short you are the cause of all this." With a slight grin she watched as he turned towards Sarah. Shaking her head she looked at the bloody pulp of a man beside her.

She then looked at Rhys. "Just leave already, you know you might be a wolf but under current conditions you are no better then a tamed dog that lashed out at the hand that fed him. I am going to lead your idiot brother upstairs... You owe me some soup..." She gave one sorrowful but mocking look at the pot and then walked over to Damon, slipping an arm over her shoulder she started to slowly to partly drag him towards the entrance. She stopped before turning a corner and sent a slightly icy glare at Rhys, "The name is Innocence and has been for eighteen years so the next time I hear kid come from your lips you will crease to have any...

Sending a glare solidly for a moment, she then did a one eighty and send a gleeful smile at Sarah. "Have fun!" She then turned the corner, she felt a feeling of dread in the back of her mind but being the strange woman she was she would ignore it. She had a feeling her demonic child would be coming soon, she had been dreaming about it, Rhys had also said something... However Enigma had not told her the signs and therefore she would play dumb or at least be in denial she had only been like this for about several months hardly as long as Jezebelle had been... If her little demon seed was born she feared it would not be good for anyone...

[Graebelle]

She nearly stumbled over the hem of her dress as she ran, slowing her pace after that and then completely stopping when someone finally seemed to take actual notice of her. She looked in confusion at Innocence, who merely smiled at her despite what she had just done. Rhys was busy hurrying away from his battered brother to quickly dunk his head in the horse's trough, probably attempting to cool down from what Innocence had flung at him. Sarah stayed a few feet away, watching and waiting since she was still struggling to keep up with what had happened and what was going on. She felt like she had arrived a second too late, but at least things were appearing to calm down again.

Sopping wet, Rhys finally looked in her direction, and even as a soaking mess she was still incredibly happy just to see him again. She was positive her memory of him hadn't done him a bit of justice, the months feeling as if they had warped the mental image she'd thought of all during that time. And now here he was, standing in the flesh, the sweetest of memories brought to life before her eyes. Surely that time away hadn't done anything to change him. By appearances he looked the same, though she guessed he was restless beneath it all. And by the way he was looking at her she guessed his feelings matched her own somehow.

She heard faintly the words Rhys spoke to his brother and Innocence as he walked past, her attention mainly focused upon him, and as he walked away from them and towards her, Innocence's words were all but lost. As he reached for her hand, it came instictively up, taking his in a gentle squeeze. She could only smile and reply with a faint laugh as he spoke and touched her cheek, still getting over her own shock of seeing him again after such a long time away. When he reached to wrap his arms around her, she stepped into them, burying her face in his chest and holding him tightly. "I missed you too," she mumbled against him, turning her head to more easily speak. "I wanted to see you. It's been so long." She tried not to think of how long exactly, too happy now to be bothered by things of the past.

[1<3[)r@I<3]

Rhys sighed in contentment. "Too long. Are you alright? I...I can't remember much after the fight was over." He gave a slight chuckle. "I can barely remember the end of the fight. So much for my Hunting skills, eh?" Even a joke, lame as it was, was hard when she fairly took his breath away. He stepped back, releasing her, and started toward the tack-room next to the stable. His cloak and a spare sword were there. He didn't dare go into town unarmed, but the massive blade he used to Hunt would just be asking for trouble.

"I'll just grab a cloak. Then we can get away from here. If Damon wakes up and I'm still here, he might order the guards to keep me here. The idiot seems to think your bad for my health." He ducked into the small room and belted on the sword. He swung the cloak around his shoulders as he left. Stepping to Sarah's side, he offered her his arm. "Well, My Lady, shall we go?"

[Graebelle]

All Sarah could do when Rhys mentioned the much earlier fight jokingly was laugh quietly herself. Most of the details of the fighting that she'd witnessed had been forgotten, fading slowly with time, and none of it really mattered so much anymore now that she knew and could see for herself that Rhys wasn't any the worse for what had happened. She took a moment to look up at him, smiling as she did so, before responding with a simple, "I'm fine." She felt almost inclined to ask the same of him, but just from seeing him now she could tell he was much better. He had been moving quite well when she'd arrived, and the wound that had been inflicted to his arm seemed to have healed, so she stopped herself from asking.

As he released her and walked over to the tack room beside the stable, she followed, her eyes wandering over the castle grounds now that she had a moment to look. It seemed much bigger than it had from the village, even from the cottage nestled so closely within the forest to it. The structure was admirable, and she let her gaze wander as Rhys spoke to her, telling her of what he currently planned. She smiled at the thought of Damon forcing his brother into staying here at the Castle of Lee, but it took on a more confused look as he stated Damon's opinion of her. Bad for his health? "He only cares for you," Sarah responded, trying not to take the comment to heart. She couldn't quite understand how she might be bad for Rhys, but then she didn't know Damon's side of things either. She could only hope she would be given a chance to change that opinion later.

When Rhys was ready to go and had returned to her side while offering his arm, Sarah could feel a bright smile taking shape on her face, all those early feelings of butterflies and belly flips that came from a freshly blossomed relationship hitting her once again. It was such a wonderful feeling after going so long without it, and she hoped terribly that it wouldn't be gone for such a long time again. "Of course," she answered, taking the arm he offered.