At the bar in the Second Circle the staff were getting ready for the coming night’s guests, stocking booze and glasses of all kinds as not to want for anything. As they did the door opened as the first guest arrived for the night, a bit earlier than perhaps expected. Tourmaline was once again visiting the Circle and then Hall to see her father and Serafina, she had news, and gifts. However as she walked over to the bar the keep eyed the half angel over and frowned as Tour sat on one of the stood. She looked terrible, her hair while normally messy was completely ignored and sticking out all over from under her helm that she removed and set on the bar top. She walked slow and it seemed without any kind of purpose, like she was just going through the motion and working on memory without putting any thought to where she would step.

But it was her dark yellow reptilian eyes that showed the worst of all. They were red and puffy from crying, and the bag under her eyes and the exhausted look on her face just screamed that she had not slept in days. ”Are you doing ok, love? Anything I can get you?” The bartender asked, not without a bit of concern in her voice as she eyed the burlap sack that Tour had carried in with her and the bag on her hip that had something heavy in it.

Tour blinked and after a moment it seemed to click finally what had been asked of her. ”Oh uh, a bourbon, neat, make it a double please.” Tour asked and produced some coins from a small pouch on her belt. The keep was quick to pour the drink and Tour downed it in one gulp and set the glass down and waved for another which she also paid for right away. She didn’t need the drink, but she wanted it, really really badly. The keep asked if she wanted anything else and Tourmaline nodded. ”If it’s not too much trouble, is it possible if I can speak with the Queen please? If she’s not around I’ll get a room and sleep until she gets here.” More like she would wake up screaming from nightmares again like she had been the last two nights. ”If you could tell her that Tourmaline is here that would be much appreciated, thank you. She’ll probably have an idea of why I’m here.” Tour requested trying to make her voice sound more friendly instead of about like she was about to smack her head on the bar top when she passed out, cause that was close. Tour blinked and then spoke again as the keep turned. ”But can you pour me another before you go, please?” She asked and was rewarded with more booze and again she paid for it up front.

After fulfilling Tourmaline’s request for a second glass of bourbon, the barkeep – a new addition that Serafina had yet to get to know all that well – went off to let her mistress know that she had a visitor. Serafina was just located in her back office, with a door right off of the bar. She had been spending a decent amount of time in there as of late, preparing a particular list of items that she wanted to procure. Most of the bar staff had been kept in the dark save Jasuin as to what the items were, and what they were for. She planned on letting Cassandra in on the information soon, but the time had not come just yet.

When the barkeep stepped through the door into Serafina’s office, the goddess looked at her with an air of annoyance, but did her best to keep a straight tone to her words. ”What is it?” she said, though she ended up snapping a bit more than she intended.

The girl stuttered something that may have been an apology for interrupting her, but Serafina couldn’t make out most of what she had said. ”You have a visitor, and I would not have bothered you, but she made it sound as though you would be expecting her – her name is Tourmaline,” she said, and Serafina’s eyebrows raised slightly.

”Tourmaline is here?” she asked, to which the timid barkeep nodded rather sheepishly.

”She is, ma’am, and she looks, well, rather worse for the wear,” she added.

”Thank you, that will be all,” Serafina said, dismissing the girl with a wave of her hand. She pushed the parchments on her desk into a neat stack and tucked them away into a drawer for safe keeping. She got up and walked out of the office into the bar, where she saw Tourmaline waiting for her. The barkeep had been correct – she did look rather… downtrodden, for lack of a better word.

”Tourmaline, I would say it was nice to see you again but now, I am not so sure, given your current state… come with me, my dear, and let us talk,” she spoke as she stepped out from behind the bartop, moving to place a hand on Tourmaline’s shoulder so she could lead her away to a private room.

When they reached one of the sitting rooms, Serafina sat Tourmaline down, her eye on the burlap bag Tourmaline carried, feeling a hint of foreboding about what could be contained within – from Tourmaline’s appearance, she had a feeling she knew what was inside of it, or at least the general realm of what it fell into.

Serafina sat Tourmaline down on a comfortable sofa, sitting down opposite her on a lush looking recliner. With a wave of her hand, a crystal decanter of bourbon appeared on the table along with two glasses, and she poured some for Tourmaline, passing it across the table between the two of them to her before pouring some for herself.

”You aren’t looking too well today, Tourmaline. What has happened? Though, I have a feeling I may know already,” she said, her mouth in neither a smile nor a frown. She was curious as to whether or not Tourmaline had sought out her revenge against Xyaban. Serafina hadn’t sensed Xyaban’s passing, but that could just mean that Tourmaline’s idea of revenge was not Death.

Thankfully Serafina was in tonight and she wasn’t long in coming out to see Tourmaline. Tour managed a small smile as Serafina placed a hand on her should and spoke. ”Thank you.” Tourmaline replied and followed Serafina into the private room and Tour sat in the comfy chair, gods she could just fall asleep right here and now! The decanter of bourbon appeared along with two glasses and Serafina poured them out and passed one to Tourmaline. ”Again, thank you.” Tour said but instead of shooting this glass she only sipped it.

She hadn’t missed the glancing at the bag at her side and as Serafina spoke again Tourmaline nodded slowly, like she could barely move her head. ”I feel like shit, which is why I look that way right now.” She sipped her drink. ”You probably guessed right then, and, of course, if possible, could I see my father again, please? One last time.” She replied and the way she said did have meaning behind it, this would be the last time she would see Hacesh. But, before Serafina could summon him or take Tour there the half angel spoke as she reached out and set the bag on the floor between her and Serafina. Intentionally it was partially open and some mousey brown hair spilled from the bag, the same colour of hair that Xyaban had had. ”I’m, fuck, I’m not proud of what I did, Serafina, let alone the way I had to do it.” A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. ”That… monster, a month, a whole month I had to pretend to like her and get along so I could get close and make sure she didn’t have any defences up when the time came. I’ll tell how if you want, but I really don’t have to tell it twice so if I could wait for dad to be here please that would be best.” She sipped her drink again and wiped away another tear and pulled her legs up onto the chair with her.

But she had to move one leg to the floor again to lean forward and placed the second smaller not head filled bag she carried on the table. She opened it and an orb had been within, a poisonous green energy shifting around inside. ”I’m sure you can tell what this is, and I’m sorry to you personally if it’s something that would normally offend you. But I felt I had to do it, give her no chance at any kind of peaceful end.” The ord was some kind of soul snare Tourmaline had acquired at great expense.

Xyaban’s soul was trapped within, a truly horrible end to the beast she had been. ”Please, do with it what you will, Serafina, I’m, I’m just exhausted.”

Serafina sat back, listening as Tourmaline gave a very brief explanation of why she was there, and why she was in the state that she currently was. It made sense to Serafina, and she wasn’t even remotely surprised that it had come to this. In fact, she would have found herself more surprised had Tourmaline not, in the end, killed Xyaban. There was not much of a reaction other than confirmation that she had been correct when she saw the hair spill out of the bag as it was set on the floor between the pair of them.

There was a part inside of Serafina that had never existed before, and that part of her wanted to comfort Tourmaline, and offer her some sort of solace, much as one would to a close friend. The pair hadn’t spent much time together at all, but Serafina did feel connected to her life. At Tourmaline’s request to see her father again, she nodded immediately. ”Of course. I will bring him here, this time,” she said, though she did not move to do so at first, instead letting Tourmaline continue talking.

Serafina had sensed something since Tourmaline had come in, and when the orb was revealed, she knew at once what it was. It was clearly Xyaban’s soul, and Tourmaline had figured out a way to trap it when she had killed her. She internally gave Tourmaline a lot of credit for this, it was rather ingenious and something that she would have thought of herself. ”It takes a lot to offend me, and this is nowhere near that threshold,” she said, reassuring Tourmaline that she hadn’t made her uncomfortable.

Reaching down with two hands, Serafina grasped the orb, feeling the energy and darkness of Xyaban’s soul swirling within it. She did not question how Tourmaline had come to possess the orb, but she knew it had to have been rather difficult. Something like that did not come easily.

”Let’s get your father here, Tourmaline,” she said, still holding the orb in her hands. ”Perhaps you and he can choose which Circle of Inferos her soul belongs in for torment. If not, I will…. Do something, with it,” she said, her voice with a bit of a sinister hint to it. She did not want to put any further burden on Tourmaline as it was clear (even before she said it) that she was utterly exhausted.

A few moments later, Hacesh had been summoned, and Tourmaline’s father was materializing in the room.

Tourmaline ran her hands through her dull green hair as Serafina assured her that she wasn’t offended by Tour having the soul capturing orb. ”Oh good, cause the damn that wasn’t easy or cheap to get. Having access to a literal dragon’s hoard, however, does make things easier.” Xyaban had allowed Tourmaline access to Hacesh’s part of the combined hoard, so Tourmaline had no issues with how expensive it was to buy the orb. Tracking it down had been the most difficult part.

Tourmaline took a large gulp of her drink as Serafina spoke and before long Hacesh was summoned and he was starting to appear in the room. When he was fully there he looked right away to his daughter. ”Tourmaline… what happened?” He asked, concerned, he could tell just from looking at her something was wrong. He looked to Serafina for a moment and then back to Tourmaline.

Tourmaline stood before Hacesh could sit down next to her and wrapped her arms around him. ”She’s dead.” Tour stated simply.

Hacesh hugged her back and his eyes widened a bit as she said those two words and he looked down at the bag on the ground with the hair sticking out of it. Then to the orb that was on the table, he was old enough to know what that kind of thing was on sight and knew what it now contained. ”Oh, my little sparrow, I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Hacesh squeezed her close.

Tourmaline wiped some tears from her eyes, and, in a moment, she was crying. She pulled back from her father and sat, finding her legs had gone numb. Hacesh sat next to her and let her cry as she needed to as he examined the bag and the orb, yes, now he could smell it on the air, Xy’s blood. He wanted to ask how, but, he was almost scared to. Tourmaline looked like a mess and like she had not slept in days.

It took a few minutes, but Tourmaline collected herself enough to start to talk, she needed to vent this all out, she needed to talk to someone! So, the half angel started to spill everything that had happened. ”I know you told me to go home but I couldn’t, I had to do something. I hung around her for the better part of a month, visiting every other day, acting like I liked her, or even loved her. Hell, I started to call her mom I got too far into it.” She wiped her eyes and just grabbed the whole decanter of bourbon, clearly not realizing that she had, and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls.

”She dragged some guy off the roads and just… tortured him, for fun, for two days, for now reason other than she could. I wanted to stop her, but I knew if I tried she might catch on to my acting, so I couldn’t do anything.” She ran her hand though her hair again. ”She gave me easy access to your hoard, dad, so I used it to buy up some things, including that soul orb. I found a cave a short flight away from her cave and took her there. I had dragged a torture rack up there, among other things.”

She looked to Hacesh, shame written all over her face. ”I remembered you said she liked pain, so I used it to make her vulnerable. I used her trust of me against her, got her strapped down on it and I even nailed her to it just to be sure, after she had me rip out her quills and, thankfully, her blade and needle in her wrists.” Tour sat back and rubbed at her eyes. ”I used the rack on her, damn it all but she got aroused by it, it was sick. But I saw how fast she healed, I needed to overcome it and I couldn’t think of any other way than to use her love of pain to overwhelm her healing. I used a knife to tease her, pierced her… places with nails. I had an iron disk in a brazier I would set on her belly to burn her, but fuck me she healed from that within a few minutes.”

”While she had the plate on her I had hidden two hollow needles and some metal tubes I had made. I had two metal belts with spikes on them and wrapped them around her thigh, using the pain from them to mask when I put the needles into the arteries into her and used the metal tubes to direct her blood so she wouldn’t feel it running down her leg. It worked, somehow, she didn’t feel herself being bled out and it slowed her healing.” Tourmaline gulped down more bourbon and then leaned back again.

”She had told me of her weakness to the cold, and, well, I inherited your ice magic, dad, so I used it. She brought you up and I sort of lost control then. I made the room colder a little at a time, until she noticed it and started to panic. When the frost started to form and we could see our breaths she was in full panic by then, and… fuck me, I enjoyed watching her be in pain and panicking like that. As my emotions got the better of me I lost track of how cold I was making it in the cave, and ice and snow started to form. I kept turning the rack as she struggled until I had her arms and legs dislocated, and she was still strapped and nailed down.” She gulped more bourbon down, and then finished off the decanter and set it on the table. As she leaned back again Hacesh wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. ”I went too far, I could have just cut her throat and been done with it, but I was in a rage. I created a foot long icicle and shoved it in… her, she screamed, and started to bed me to stop, so I climbed up on the rack and stomped down on her stomach to shattered the icicle in her and froze the nails I had put in her.”

”I straddled her on the rack and created a dagger of ice and froze her eyes open and then I stabbed her in the heart, then I lost track after thirty.” She hugged her dad again, looking between him and Serafina. ”I don’t even remember when I took her head off.” She went back to racked sobs again and Hacesh held her close, she couldn’t say anything more, she had got out what she needed to.

Hacesh was silent for a few moments and looked with worry to Serafina for a moment before speaking to Tourmaline. ”My little sparrow, I am sorry you had to go through all of that. She’s gone, it’s over, you’re strong willed, you’ll get past this, I know you will.” He tried to reassure her. ”Cry as much as you need, Tourmaline.” Hacesh whispered and glanced over to Serafina as if asking for any kind of help that she could provide.

Listening to Tourmaline go through and explain what had happened to her father was difficult to listen to, even for someone with as much of a sordid history as Serafina had. Though she had a tough exterior and a tough demeanor these days, Serafina’s past, particularly when she had still been a human long before she had been made vaewolf by Nemesis, was far beyond traumatic. Deityhood had granted her further compassion and insight into the feelings of others, and what Tourmaline had made herself do in order to exact her revenge… that was something that would leave a lasting mark on her psyche.

As Hacesh held his daughter while she cried, Serafina met his worried gaze, a façade of worry cascaded over her own features as well. She hadn’t gotten to know Tourmaline all that well in the few times they had spoke, but she had grown close enough to her due to their connection via Xyaban and the late dragoness’s treachery. Besides, Tourmaline was a child to Hacesh, and Serafina had a certain soft spot for Hacesh. She had always found him pleasant and amusing, perhaps that had been why she had been so willing to allow him out of Inferos on so many occasions. Unfortunately, she needed to set a precedent, and this would likely be the last time she could allow such.

”Tourmaline,” she said gently, in an effort to assuage some of the overwhelming emotion that she must have been feeling. ”Healing will come with time, but the thorn in your side is now gone,” she said softly. ”I am going to take my leave, but know that you and your father can stay here as long as you like,” she began. She turned to look at Hacesh again. ”I am afraid, however, that this is going to be the last time I can allow Hacesh to leave Inferos so freely,” she continued, frowning slightly. ”I must not allow the other denizens to see that I do have a soft side, after all,” she added. ”You can stay out as long as you like, but when you return, it will be permanent.” She knew that he would understand this.

She looked back to Tourmaline. ”Should you ever need anything at all, you know that you can come to me. I will be more than happy to oblige, within reason,” she said, smiling at her. With that, she stepped forward and reached up, placing a hand on Hacesh’s arm. ”As always, my friend, it has been a pleasure,” she said, squeezing gently. She then turned to Tourmline and embraced her tightly for a brief moment. ”I am glad to have met you, even with the circumstances it has taken place in,” she added, smiling again.

”Enjoy your time together, you two,” she said, backing out of the room and closing the door behind her. The pair would have as much time there together as they wanted, and of course Serafina would be available should they need anything. When the time came, Hacesh would dematerialize back to Inferos, where he would stay permanently this time.

When Serafina started to speak Tourmaline looked over to her, eyes puffy and red from crying as she spoke. The words she said, the fact that this would be the last time Hacesh would be allowed out of Infenos, stung deep, but Tour nodded her understanding and Hacesh did as well. When Serafina hugged her Tourmaline hugged her tightly back, her large wings wrapping around the Goddess to, a full embrace usually reserved for close family and close friends. ”I can’t thank you enough, Serafina, for everything you have done, and I’m glad to have met you too.” She managed a small smile as the hug broke and she nodded to Serafina as she took her leave.

Tour sat back down again and for the next two hours at least she had her father spoke, about, everything really. She caught Hacesh up on the last one hundred and some years since they had seen each other, and he listened patiently like any good father. He told Tourmaline some stories to, but some he kept to himself for his own reasons. But soon they both knew that their time together was coming to an end and they embraced one last time. ]”I love you, dad, thank you for everything you have done for me and taught me in my life.” Tourmaline said.

”I love you too, my little sparrow, Tourmaline.” He wiped a tear from his eyes. ”I’m proud of you, Tour, I always will be, and please, tell your mother I love her too and, that I made a mistake when I left.” He saw the confused look on her face and smiled. ”I still love your mother, I always have, but I followed my nature instead of my heart. It was a mistake that I have lived with since I left, I regretted ever since, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back, I knew she was angry with me.” He explained and hugged her, he could feel himself getting drawn back to Infernos. ”Take care of yourself and your mother, Tourmaline, and know that I am proud of you and will always love you.” Tourmaline would have said more but her throat was tight from crying and all she could do was hug him tightly for a long moment.

Hacesh hugged her back for that time before gently pushing her back. ”Please, go, don’t watch me fade away, please? He didn’t want that to be her last memory of him, fading away, he’d rather she walk out the door before that.

”O, ok, I love you.” She nodded and walked to the door taking a deep breath as she reached for the handle.

She looked back one last time and he smiled to her. ”I love you too.”

Tourmaline took another deep breath and headed out the door, as she shut it behind her she got about three steps away before she broke down crying leaning against the wall. For his part, Hacesh did the same as he sat down and cried until he faded away back to Infernos.

Tourmaline leaned against the wall for a few minutes just trying to collect herself before deciding that she knew what she wanted to help her get through at least a night or two and sleep. She made her way back to the bar to find Serafina and happily the Goddess was already there. Managing a smile she took a seat next to Serafina. ”Thank you again, Serafina.” She started. ”Um, dad and I discussed a few other things that I wanted to bring up with you. One of them was what to do with that… stone. We don’t care, if you have a place for it that’s good enough for us, as long as what’s inside can’t get out. Secondly, it seems that I have now inherited a rather large horde of treasure, dad was over three thousand years old, so, you can imagine a bit what kind of hoard he had built up by then. Hers wasn’t exactly small either. The thing is, I don’t want any of it, or at least I only want enough to help set mom up for the rest of her life with a nice house and everything. Plus I won’t argue for some extra spending silver.” She managed a small grin. ”That leaves what would amount to what would still be a huge fortune, and, dad and I agreed that, if you want it it’s yours to use as you see fit. If you don’t personally want it, perhaps you’d know of good causes it can go towards? I can give you the location of the cave and how to get it, dad had the same place for the better part of a thousand years and it’s never been found.”

She paused a moment. ”Also, I did have one small request I was hoping you could help me with.” She bit her lip as her wings twitched a bit. ”I’d like to get a room for the night, and some, uh, company. Not for sex, well… ok, not just for sex, but, someone who is ok with keeping me company for a night, or two, if that makes sense?” She didn’t want to be alone, and if she had someone with her that might help her get some kind of sleep again. ”And booze, if I can’t fall asleep normally, then I’ll pass out and call it close enough.”

Serafina looked to Tourmaline when she found her at the bar, having kept her distance while she and Hacesh had their final moments together. She could see that she had been crying, but of course Serafina wasn’t going to say anything regarding that. As heartless as most thought the goddess of death was, she had a soft side, as well. ”Happy to have been able to help, at least in some capacity,” she said warmly as Tourmaline sat down next to her. ”I can lock that stone away in the depths of Inferos, and never let Xyaban’s wretched soul out,” she explained. ”It will never be seen again.” She looked contemplative as Tourmaline went on to explain the treasure horde she had inherited. ”Ah, that is a kind gesture, Tourmaline, but I’ve no use for the wealth. However, if you’d like to be rid of it, I can find something to do with it,” she added after a moment, realizing that the only reason Tourmaline would be offering such a thing is that she wanted nothing to do with it.

Her ears perked up as Tourmaline mentioned a small request. ”Anything, my friend,” she said, knowing that Tourmaline would understand the offer of ‘everything’ came with a few restrictions. What was asked for, however, was something incredibly easy for Serafina to offer. ”That wouldn’t be a problem, not at all. You can take your pick of the staff – they’ll treat you however you wish to be treated. The bar is open to you – let Cassandra down there know what you’d like and she’ll have it brought to your room and keep a steady supply coming. And, if you’d like more than one person with you, take as many as you like. We’ve men, women… your choice,” she said with a smile.

If there was anything else that Tourmaline would need, Serafina would be happy to oblige. If that was all that needed to be done, Serafina had Cassandra pour her a quick glass of wine before taking Tourmaline’s ‘order,’ and she sat at the bar, sipping it. She felt a soft sense of satisfaction that she had been able to help Tourmaline see this through to the end – it had ended rather darkly, of course, but that was no matter to her. It was another friend she had managed to help, and it made her feel good that she had been of assistance.