Down Under

Rochelle snuggled clsoe.
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Crystal bit into his wrist.
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Jackson pulled her oto his lap.

Damion kissed the side of her head. "Sleep well."

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"Drink your fill Crystal, I'll be fine," Stefan soothed softly, running his free hand through her hair. "I can sort that despicable creature out for putting you in this state."

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Auriele held onto him as tight as she could, shifting her weight so she could wrap her legs around his waist loosely as she sobbed against his shoulder.

"You sleep to."
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Crystal nodded and she kept drinking from him.
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He held her close.

"Of course I'm gonna sleep. Having your soul snatched is a tiring experience, as you obviously know."

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"Plenty of people interested in Prophets. Purebloods are rare these days, Condemned or not." Stefan mused to himself, still petting her hair gently.

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Auriele eventually calmed down, loosening her grip on him as she sighed heavily, lifting her head from his shoulder.

Kaidan moved to tug on Thane's shirt, mumbling, "Is everything okay?"

"And if you get hurt?"
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"Yes I do." She mumbled.
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"It's going to be ok Auriele."

Thane nodded to him.

"They can't blame me for divine intervention," Stefan muttered. "I'll barely be involved. It wouldn't be traced back to me."

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Damion kissed her head again, but shifted just slightly to rest his cheek on her hair. "Rest."

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Auriele gave a wordless mumble, too worked up to concentrate on English because she was missing her bracelet. Her fingers were gripping and then loosening weakly against his back.

"W-Why did she attack A-Auntie Crystal?" Kaidan sounded almost frightened.

"Rochelle and Damion will know."
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"You to."
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Jackson slowly slid her bracelet onto her wrist.

"Long story that I don't even know how to start."

"I doubt they would complain much. Damion hates the Prophet too, and doesn't like Thane interacting with it. I'm not sure how Rochelle would react. Have you had enough, or do you want more?" He gestured with his bloody wrist, that was already beginning to heal.

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"Why do you sound so anxious that I might not have a rest too?"

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Auriele flinched at the feel of the cold metal, fingers spasming violently before she relaxed at realising what it was.

"S-She's really s-scary, h-huh?" Kaidan was almost cowering behind Thane, too nervous of being seen by Auriele. "D-Did you see t-the big b-black t-thing surrounding her? I-It sucked all the l-light out." Because he was a 'Conduit' he could see much more than normal people.

"I think I'm ok."
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"Because I couldn't find you on the other side and I got scared." She whispered.
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"It's ok, I've got you."

"Come on, let's go and see mum and dad."

"Are you sure?" Stefan sounded worried. "If you don't feel full yet, I'd rather you had more."

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"I forget you're still part Prophet, no matter how small," Damion murmured. "You were aware of each moment. I was essentially dead for the majority of it, Rochelle. I couldn't have found you if I tried."

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"She wasn't supposed to touch him," Auriele's voice was a whimper. "What if he likes her better? He has her scent and feel, he might not like me any more." Auriele pressed her forehead to his collarbone, back hunched slightly. She was obviously talking about Mathias and then flinched at hearing Kaidan in the background.

"It was disgusting, she was - it was like breathing in death." Kaidan shuddered violently. "Like moving through tar..."

"Come on Kaidan out."

"That will never happen, he bonded with you, not her."
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"It scared me being away from you." She moved to gently slid her hand into his just needing the closeness.
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She nodded.

"I don't want to see your friends any more," Kaidan mumbled, moving to take his hand. "They smell of rotting carcasses and old blood."

"But her...she's cleaner than me, they always like the cleaner ones, always, not like mine, not...they don't like the not clean ones. Like Thane's okinchi says what am. They don't like those." The translation didn't properly work for the one word, but it was clear, by her slightly miserable tone, she meant Thane's brother or family member.

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Damion squeezed her hand tightly, resting his head against hers as he closed his eyes. "Please, sleep now. We can talk in the morning, or just forget about it by that time."

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Stefan combed his fingers through her hair before he ran his hands over his head, breathing out slowly as if he'd stopped breathing a long time ago.

"He wants to stay with you." Jackson told her. "Mathias is your son, no matter what he will prefer you."
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She nodded and settled down closing her eyes.
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"Can I have a hug?"

"You can't promise now that he saw her. Now he's had her scent and touch and..." Auriele closed her hands into fists. "H-He might...not want...not want me near, or touch, or talk..."

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Damion relaxed next to her, as if falling asleep.

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Stefan leaned forward to hug her, pulling her against his front.

"Thane bring Mathias in." Jackson told his friend who done as he asked and brought Mathias to them and immediately he reached for Aurielle.
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Rochelle fell asleep.
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She stayed close to him.

((Skip for Rochelle and Damion?))

Auriele cringed into Jackson, as if trying to hide against him no matter how impossible it was, too frightened to look at Mathias. She hadn't seen his reaction.

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"Are you feeling better?" Stefan pet her hair.

"Look at him." Jackson encouaged her.
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She nodded.

Auriele shook her head weakly and whimpered.

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"Promise? Do I have to do anything drastic?"

"I promise."
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"Come on baby look at him, he wants to see you."

((gotta go))

"So I needn't kill anyone, or hurt them, huh?"

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Auriele kept herself tucked against him as she nervously peered at Mathias.

Mathias held his hands out to her.
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"Exactly."

Auriele huddled nervously for a moment against Jackson before reaching slowly towards him in return.

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"Good. Don't want to mess about with the Prophet unless I have to, no matter how fun it would be."

Jackson put him into her arms and Mathias snuggled close.
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She nodded.

Auriele stared at him before her eyes welled with tears and she pressed against Jackson, arms cradled carefully around Mathias.

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"Did you want to rest or would you rather do something else?"

Jackson held them both close.
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"Can we go and rest?"