[ Husk makes it to the little place he and his family have been given within Ghost City to rest while the heat is very truly on them. He looks exhausted. His wounds have healed by now, but his fur is still scruffier than usual, and his bowtie is crooked. He looks pretty miserable, too- this is not going to be an easy conversation, but it's one they have to have.
He seeks out his daughter, clearing his throat to get her attention. ]
[ Lapis has been a bundle of anxious energy even since the path to the depths of the fortress had been opened up - it's only a matter of time before they face Cu. But right now her focus is on her father, concern flooding her expression when he gets back and looks... miserable.
The fact he needs to talk to her tells her this is most likely not going to be a nice conversation, but she still nods. Not hesitating to shift closer to him, a hand squeezing his arm in an attempt to ease... whatever is bothering him. ]
[ It's probably noteable that Husk doesn't have a drink in his hand as he's doing this. It's awful, and he will absolutely get wasted at some point after this- once he knows Lapis is as okay as she can be. But for now, he needs to deal with this as close as an approximation of "sober" as he can manage.
He does offer a brief smile at the arm squeeze, though it doesn't meet his eyes. He nods over to a couch, moving for them to sit. Okay. Shit. He can do it. ]
So... you know the fortress was a place being used to keep prisoners down there? People the Order didn't want to or couldn't seal or kill but were too fuckin' dangerous or valuable to be out in the wilds?
[ He taps an unsteady tempo on the arm of the couch. ]
[ The fact he's doing this as sober as possible does makes her all the more apprenshive - just what did that find down there? But she goes to sit with no fuss, brows furrowed as she listens to him. There's just some nodding, already quietly dreading where this is going.
Then he says that name, a name she hasn't thought about in so long, and it feels like her heart has stopped. ]
Gi - [ She can't even get the name out, her voice catching in her throat. There's... no way it could be her, right? How? Why?
How long has that woman been alive? Does she know Lapis even exists in this lifetime? Why does the Order have her, how long has she been trapped down there?
It feels like she's filled with static, hands twisting into the fabric of her skirt so they don't tremble. She needs to breathe, take a deep breath and gather her thoughts; she's barely even noticed how her breathing has become shallow, the wash of panic so overwhelming that it blocked everything else out. ]
[He watches her tense at that woman's name, he can sense the dread coiling in her, how her hands curl into her dress and her breathing shallows, and he hates it. He hates seeing her suffer. Ginerva was a horror, a ghost in Lapis' past that would continue to haunt her no matter what.
But at least now, he knows she can't harm her in this life. If nothing else, this is proof he did the right thing- that removing that monster from the equation was what was needed. He doesn't know if Lapis will hate him for it, but he kneows it had to be done regardless.
He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, to dispel some of the worried energy settling in his chest. ]
Acted like a crazy person, attacked us, talked shit about you, tried to fuckin' kill us real good. 'Bout what you'd expect.
[ His brow furrows, glancing down at his hands. ]
She's dead. Killed her myself. She ain't coming anywhere near you in this life, at least.
[ Everything feels so... out of place, like she isn't even sitting here. Nothing feels right; her breathing is stuttered and shaky and panic clenches around her chest so tightly that she feels sick. But she keeps her fingers twisted into her dress, forcing herself to just breathe and listen to Husk. At the very least, she can focus on his voice - grasping onto it as she's always done before.
But it's still all so hard to hear. That Ginerva was alive, that she tried to kill others, and she has to once again remind herself to take breaths.
Then he tells her she's dead, that he killed her.
Now there was no chance for her to ever meet that woman in this life. ]
S-she's... dead. [ Lapis repeats that back, before her breath stutters in a sob. Her hands fly to cover her mouth as she tries to take deep breaths, her mind reeling - it's all still so much to take in.
But she's dead. She won't be her tool anymore - it's a freedom she thought she would never get. ]
I-I... Sorry, thank you- [ Lapis knows how badly things would've gone, if they met again. That this distance has allowed her to see what this woman had done to her in a life before.
But it was still the woman who raised her, once upon a time. Her tears are both of relief and to mourn the woman she once was. ]
[Husk waits patiently, allowing Lapis to try and process all of this. He understands it's a lot, a huge, weighty, terrible thing. He wishes he could lift it all away from her, but he can't. He's done all he can, but removing that monster from the equation, but the rest? The figuring out how to heal from this? Well, he can only support her- the rest of it has to be on Lapis herself.
When the sob breaks, though, he shifts a hand to curl around her arm. He gives her arm a single, brief squeeze. Understanding, comfort, support: all rolled into one. ]
Anytime. 'S my job.
[ Doing what he can to make her as safe as possible, which admittedly isn't much in a world like this one. He has no intention of telling Lapis the drivel the old woman spouted- he doesn't want her to be hurt by that monster any more than she has been, but he does sigh.]
It was the only way around it. She wasn't- there wasn't much left to fuckin' reason with even if I wanted to.
[ The squeeze to her arm helps to ground her, giving her another thing to focus on amongst the panic and sheer... sadness? Relief? It's such a dizzying mix of emotions right now, and how she's sobbing right now doesn't help.
Her chest aches, tight and constricting in a way that she hasn't felt for years, and she reaches to rub at her eyes as she tries to calm down. Just take a deep breath, in and out. Husk's words don't surprise her thought - even before, she was... difficult to speak to. It was one of the many reasons why she was apprehensive of the old woman. ]
How... [ Her words trail off as her breath stutters, but she gives herself a moment - taking a deep breath and trying again. It's such a harsh shock that she's already feeling her head pound from it, but she can work past this. ]
[As Lapis struggles to control her breathing, as she tries to swim through the depth of emotion she's been dunked into, Husk stays by her side. After a moment, the wing closest to her shifts, wrapping around her back to give her extra comfort. A shield from all the bullshit happening in her own head.
He can't do anything to undo what the Order has done here- nor can he undo what that monster of a woman did to her in the past. But he can be here and he guesses that's got to be enough. Showing her she's not alone.]
I don't know exactly. From the looks of things? A long fuckin' time. Felt like they'd just left her there to rot.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Post grandma fight- time for pain!!
He seeks out his daughter, clearing his throat to get her attention. ]
Hey, Kid. We gotta talk.
OH BOY HERE WE GO
The fact he needs to talk to her tells her this is most likely not going to be a nice conversation, but she still nods. Not hesitating to shift closer to him, a hand squeezing his arm in an attempt to ease... whatever is bothering him. ]
What's wrong, Dad?
TIME FOR MANY BRICKS
He does offer a brief smile at the arm squeeze, though it doesn't meet his eyes. He nods over to a couch, moving for them to sit. Okay. Shit. He can do it. ]
So... you know the fortress was a place being used to keep prisoners down there? People the Order didn't want to or couldn't seal or kill but were too fuckin' dangerous or valuable to be out in the wilds?
[ He taps an unsteady tempo on the arm of the couch. ]
...We found Ginerva down there.
SO MANY
Then he says that name, a name she hasn't thought about in so long, and it feels like her heart has stopped. ]
Gi - [ She can't even get the name out, her voice catching in her throat. There's... no way it could be her, right? How? Why?
How long has that woman been alive? Does she know Lapis even exists in this lifetime? Why does the Order have her, how long has she been trapped down there?
It feels like she's filled with static, hands twisting into the fabric of her skirt so they don't tremble. She needs to breathe, take a deep breath and gather her thoughts; she's barely even noticed how her breathing has become shallow, the wash of panic so overwhelming that it blocked everything else out. ]
Wh... What happened to her?
no subject
But at least now, he knows she can't harm her in this life. If nothing else, this is proof he did the right thing- that removing that monster from the equation was what was needed. He doesn't know if Lapis will hate him for it, but he kneows it had to be done regardless.
He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, to dispel some of the worried energy settling in his chest. ]
Acted like a crazy person, attacked us, talked shit about you, tried to fuckin' kill us real good. 'Bout what you'd expect.
[ His brow furrows, glancing down at his hands. ]
She's dead. Killed her myself. She ain't coming anywhere near you in this life, at least.
no subject
But it's still all so hard to hear. That Ginerva was alive, that she tried to kill others, and she has to once again remind herself to take breaths.
Then he tells her she's dead, that he killed her.
Now there was no chance for her to ever meet that woman in this life. ]
S-she's... dead. [ Lapis repeats that back, before her breath stutters in a sob. Her hands fly to cover her mouth as she tries to take deep breaths, her mind reeling - it's all still so much to take in.
But she's dead. She won't be her tool anymore - it's a freedom she thought she would never get. ]
I-I... Sorry, thank you- [ Lapis knows how badly things would've gone, if they met again. That this distance has allowed her to see what this woman had done to her in a life before.
But it was still the woman who raised her, once upon a time. Her tears are both of relief and to mourn the woman she once was. ]
no subject
When the sob breaks, though, he shifts a hand to curl around her arm. He gives her arm a single, brief squeeze. Understanding, comfort, support: all rolled into one. ]
Anytime. 'S my job.
[ Doing what he can to make her as safe as possible, which admittedly isn't much in a world like this one. He has no intention of telling Lapis the drivel the old woman spouted- he doesn't want her to be hurt by that monster any more than she has been, but he does sigh.]
It was the only way around it. She wasn't- there wasn't much left to fuckin' reason with even if I wanted to.
no subject
Her chest aches, tight and constricting in a way that she hasn't felt for years, and she reaches to rub at her eyes as she tries to calm down. Just take a deep breath, in and out. Husk's words don't surprise her thought - even before, she was... difficult to speak to. It was one of the many reasons why she was apprehensive of the old woman. ]
How... [ Her words trail off as her breath stutters, but she gives herself a moment - taking a deep breath and trying again. It's such a harsh shock that she's already feeling her head pound from it, but she can work past this. ]
How long was she... down there?
no subject
He can't do anything to undo what the Order has done here- nor can he undo what that monster of a woman did to her in the past. But he can be here and he guesses that's got to be enough. Showing her she's not alone.]
I don't know exactly. From the looks of things? A long fuckin' time. Felt like they'd just left her there to rot.