Nox Alekos (in_his_shadow) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2011-06-10 12:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | belle, nox |
Wednesday: December/10/08
Who: The newlyweds! AKA Belle and Nox
What: Surprise! Your husband is now a teenager!
Where: Their apartment
When: Wednesday evening.
Note: INCOMPLETE!!! Emily, your turn ;)
Belle wasn’t expecting Nox to be home at this point, since he’d normally be going along to the feeding class, but with that cancelled they had even more time together. So, you ask, what were the newlywed couple doing with this extra time? They were reading. Well, Nox was reading. Belle was sitting on the floor, with her students’ work spread out all around her, apparently marking it, but she kept getting distracted by anything and everything, until eventually she decided what they really needed was wine, and she volunteered to go out and get some. Anything to not do the marking she should
It wasn’t too long until Belle was letting herself back into the apartment, the bottle in one hand, purse clutched in her teeth, and key in her hand. Apparently it was long enough though, because the person in the apartment was not the man she knew and loved. Hell, he wasn’t even really a man. Her purse fell to the floor as she stared in shock. “Uh...Nox? What.... uh...wow...” That about summed it up.
---
Nox hadn’t felt anything change, which was perhaps the oddest thing of all. Suddenly, the years were just gone, and with them, the knowledge that had been obtained in that time. That was how he knew something was wrong. Why was he looking down at a book written in Chinese? He didn’t know Chinese! Nox folded the book quietly and looked up, his eyes scanning his environment. He didn’t recognize anything. This wasn’t his bedroom. This wasn’t his parents’ house. And, as he looked out the window behind him, he realized this wasn’t Hell. It looked like the Earthly realm. How had he gotten here?
Strangely, he wasn’t scared. Nox had always been very methodical when placed in an unfamiliar setting. He didn’t panic, he assessed. Right now, he felt comfortable staying where he was seated, in clothes that fit too losely to be his own, yet matched his aesthetic. He had to think this through. But his method was interrupted by the jangle of keys and the door opening. He sat there calmly, still, but he was always prepared to defend himself. His father taught him all he needed to know.
A woman stepped through and looked at him as though she knew him, and then she said his name. “Hello,” he said politely.
---
What exactly were you meant to do when you came home to what seemed to be a teenaged version of the man you literally just married less than a week ago? Belle wished she knew. He clearly had no idea who she was from the polite greeting, as if they were complete strangers. He didn’t seem distressed though, which should have been no surprise really. If anyone could turn into a teenager, in a place they shouldn’t know at that age, and stay calm, it would be Nox.
“Hi...” Walking further into the apartment, Belle set the bottle of wine and her keys on the kitchen table before she turned back to him. “You have no idea who I am do you?” A shocked little laugh came from her unexpectedly, and her eyes scanned his finger for his wedding band. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what just happened here? That would be really useful. No... of course you wouldn’t. Uh.... wow.” She repeated. “My name’s Belle by the way...” Not telling him her second name, since she thought he might have a heart attack if he heard her using Alekos.
---
Nox watched the woman carefully. She was very pretty. She seemed confused about something. He was confused too, but he wasn’t afraid of the oddness of this situation. He could handle it.
“No. I’m sorry. Should I? Are you a friend of my parents? Do you know Hesper?” She looked like she could be one of Hesper’s friends, though maybe not so wild. Hesper’s friends were a bit on the crazy side, and they generally made him nervous. He didn’t feel nervous around this woman. There was something about her that he liked a great deal, and it wasn’t just her physical appearance, although that was very nice.
Getting to his feet, because he wasn’t accomplishing anything by sitting, he actually had to grab at his waistband to keep his pants from slipping down. He would have offered his hand to her in greeting when she said her name, but he felt awkward doing so when he was holding his pants up. “It’s nice to meet you, Belle. Appropriate name,” he said with a small blush. She was beautiful.
---
Belle laughed again at his thoughts on how she could know him, and she scratched the back of her head. “Um.. I guess you could say that, yeah. I know Hesper....” Well, it was true. It just wasn’t the reason she knew him so much as a byproduct of it. It sounded better than ‘yes, I’m your wife and you’re actually in your fifties’. Although she guessed they were both things she really should tell him.
A happy glow came to her when he complimented her. Even as a teenager Nox was a charmer in his own little way. “Thank you! Do you... uh.. want to sit down? I can probably fill in some missing information but it’s sitting down sort of information....if that’s ok?” Even as she was suggesting it, she was sitting back down on the floor, clearing the papers away absently, watching Nox.
---
Nox gave a nod and reclaimed his spot on the sofa, scooting a little to make sure there was room for her to join him. He had a million questions he wanted to ask, but he was trying to be polite and process what was happening in a calm, rational way. He’d find the answers he sought with patience.
“I don’t know how I got here. I was reading, but I didn’t know the words. I don’t know Chinese, yet the book in my hand is written in it. And my clothes don’t seem to fit. Have I been ill?” It was his first assumption. Perhaps he’d contracted some sort of strange disease and was having periods of memory loss that caused him to feel disoriented when he came to.
---
Choosing to stay sitting on the floor, Belle listened to Nox pointing out the things that didn’t match out, but didn’t really respond for a few seconds. “I suppose I should at least be glad you’re a demon. Makes you more likely to believe me.” She muttered to herself before looking back at him properly. Time to just drop it all on him. She was pretty sure Nox could cope with it, even put bluntly. “The date today is December 10th, 2008. This is the mortal realm, and you should be in your late fifties, not your teens, although you do still look really good for your age.... I mean the older you. Something must have happened to make you regress. Following so far?” She asked brightly.
---
Belle didn’t intimidate Nox, so he wouldn’t have minded her joining him on the couch. He felt comfortable enough in this foreign setting. The decor set him at ease, as did the neat and tidy state of everything, well, save for the piles of papers on the floor that Belle had shuffled about. Perhaps they belonged to her. She had touched them as thought they did. Was this her home?
She started off referencing his nature. “Yes,” he confirmed. Was she not a demon? He’d never met someone who wasn’t. He knew of other races, but other than the Hellhounds who served demons, he’d never met another supernatural race.
Then Belle explained that it wasn’t 1950, that he wasn’t in Hell (as he’d suspected), and that he wasn’t really a teenager. Nox looked down at himself. Last he knew, he was eighteen years old. “Something magical changed me.” He had wondered at first when she said the year if maybe he’d traveled forward in time, but that didn’t seem to be the case if he was actually older. Besides, time travel was and exceptionally rare gift, and he wasn’t sure if it was possible to send someone without the ability forward in time. Also, Belle knew him. She must be familiar with him as an older man. “You know me well, don’t you?” She acted like she did.
---
See? Taking it perfectly fine. His acceptance of the crazy she was starting to pile on him made her relax even more and she nodded as he summarised what had happened. “Yes, at least that’s my bet. I don’t know how it changed you, but... you’re changed, and magical seems the only option sooooo... yes. You’re at a school for supernaturals so it’s not so surprising this kind of thing might happen.” Belle laughed, still a happy person even when explaining strange things to her husband who didn’t know her.
It seemed that Nox was going to learn some more on that subject though, as he guessed she knew him well. “I do...” She agreed, smiling softly. “Well, the older you. We just got married. Five days ago actually.” Belle revealed, lifting her left hand and wriggling the ring finger at him. “Surprise!” This was madness, yet somehow... amusing.
---
He was taking most of the information quite well. Magic could go very wrong at times, though perhaps a witch had decided to punish him, and this was intentional. He couldn’t imagine what an older version of himself might have done to deserve this though. Was he expected to learn something by being transformed back into a teenager? And wouldn’t he learn more in this state if he still had memories of the years that followed? No, it seemed more likely that this was a result of a magical mistake.
As he was trying to put together the pieces, Belle placed a rather large bit of new information in his lap. His eyes went wide. “Married?” First of all, he was still a virgin, at least as far as he could remember. He’d spent his life up to this point in training. The Alekos men were groomed to be protectors from the day they were born, and that had been his focus for the first eighteen years. He wasn’t even expected to start looking for a woman to marry for another year or two, and his parents would likely pick his mate. This woman wasn’t even a demon, and he’d waited until his fifties to marry her? What went wrong?
He looked down at his own left hand and spotted a wedding band. It fit loosely, just like his clothes, but there it was on his finger. He held it up and examined it carefully. “My parents did not arrange our marriage,” he stated. It wasn’t question. He knew his parents would have married him off to another shadow demon, likely someone from a family of influence, because marriage wasn’t just about love, it was also about alliances. He must have been the one to choose Belle, which meant he probably cared a great deal for her. She really was stunning, and he was proud of himself for that, plus, she seemed so nice. Funny too. “I’m very sorry that I don’t remember. I’d like to. Marrying you would be a good memory.” No doubt any memory that involved Belle would be a good one.
---
Ah, now that bit of information hit him a little harder. Belle just sat there patiently letting him take it in and process it. It was one of those moments when the elemental wished she knew what was going through his mind, but that wasn’t on the cards, so instead she had to wait until he said something, or did something to let her in on any of it. “No. Your parents didn’t arrange our marriage, although they did come to the wedding, so I think they’re ok with it. They probably would have preferred someone who would give them grandchildren though, instead of an elemental.” She shrugged, throwing in another piece of information there.
She smiled serenely as she looked at her wedding band and memories of the wedding ran through her mind. “It is a good memory... I hope you get it back, so we can share them.” It was clear she loved the man she had married, which was, she guessed, him in 30 or so years. “Are you ok? Is there anything else you want to know? Oh! You have a daughter! Katie! She’s amazing, but... actually....that’s not the best story...” Belle trailed off, trying to think of things to say.
---
Now that surprised him, far more than the idea that his parents didn’t arrange their marriage. She was an elemental, impossible of bearing his children and continuing the family line, and his parents were supportive of their marriage? He couldn’t quite grasp that. It didn’t seem possible. “They really don’t mind that I married someone who can’t continue our family line?” It was shocking. How could they be okay with that?
Seeing Belle examine her ring, not just the band but the engagement ring, which had a massive display of diamonds atop it, Nox started to get less comfortable with this situation. Was he wealthy? Why had he picked her? Yes, she was beautiful, but he wanted children eventually, and he knew his parents wanted him to have children. He was happy to be out of Hell though.
Lost in his thoughts, he nearly missed what she said next. Well then, the surprises just got bigger. His eyes went wide. “I have a daughter? A child from a previous relationship.. am I a widow?” Maybe that’s why his parents allowed this union. They had one grandchild already.
---
It was interesting to see which parts he took in his stride and which bits of information he stumbled over. She probably shouldn’t be finding so much amusement in her husband, or not yet husband’s, predicament, but there it was. “You ran away from hell quite a while ago, and well, you know what Hesper is like. I think your parents might be used to deviations from the script by now.” She was getting ahead of herself, that was a lot of his past that shaped those statements, but explaining everything in detail was going to take a while, so for now she was sticking to the big points.
There were perhaps gentler ways to broach the subject of Katie and her mother than blurting out that he had a daughter and then backtracking or changing the subject. Belle should have known that it was something he was going to latch on to though. Pulling a face, she tried to think of a good way to talk about it. “Yes, you have a daughter. Her name is Katie, she turned 25 not that long ago, and she’s a real sweetheart.” Oh if only she could stick to the nice details. “Not a widower though... things with Katie’s mother.... it’s complicated.” Hedging around it? Belle? Never!
---
“I ran away from Hell?” It wasn’t like Nox had never fantasized about doing that very thing, but he’d never formulated a plan to do it, and he wasn’t even sure how to go about entering the Earthly plane. Yet, here he was. Moving between the two worlds was not easy. It took strength that came with age, or the assistance of someone who was skilled in that sort of movement. Perhaps the older version of himself had help. But why did he run away? And had he disappointed his parents? Hesper was the troublemaker, not him. He did as he was told and understood that his future was mapped out. It wasn’t like him to rebel.
Focusing on so much strange information was making Nox less comfortable with this situation. He stood up when offered more details about this daughter of his. He didn’t doubt that Belle was telling him the truth, but it just sounded so foreign. “So.. she’s now older than me. That will be difficult to explain.” But he was less concerned with that than he was with the way Belle was avoiding discussing the mother of his child. “What aren’t you telling me?”
---
It was no surprise to Belle that Nox was shocked at the idea he had run away from Hell. Everyone who had met him over the course of his life knew he tended to follow the rules, and running away wasn’t really a part of them. “Kind of.... actually Hesper ran away and you came to get her... and ended up staying here. Well, not here. You didn’t surface here, but that’s not the point.” Yes, she was babbling, but this was haaaard!
She sighed slightly as he stood up, obviously getting a little more agitated. Belle really didn’t want to have to tell him the bad stuff, or freak him out, but it was all sort of part and parcel. “I guess, yeah, she is older than you at the moment. You might want to avoid answering the phone to her if she rings, just until we work out what’s going on and if this is permanent.” That was good advice, right? It was all she had anyhow. “Ok... um... well... you only met Katie for the first time last year, actually, about this time last year, December. She came to the school to look for you apparently.” Now see how he handled THAT!
---
“Oh,” he said at the news about Hesper. That made more sense. Nox would chase after his sister if she ran away, and he’d probably have his parents’ blessing to do it. Plus, the fact that he’d always wanted to go to the Earthly plane made it likely that he might stay once he got there.
“Permanent? I should hope not! I can’t stay like this if it’s not my natural state.” Not that he was all that comfortable with the idea of being in his fifties with a daughter and a new wife. That was a lot of responsibility.
“No. That’s not possible. How could I father a child and then not meet her until she was a grown woman? I would never do such a thing.” He’d not yet been with a woman, at least not that he could remember, but he knew he wouldn’t bed someone and then leave without taking responsibility for his actions. Such behavior was disgusting.
---
Somehow she thought the mention of Hesper’s involvement in his coming here might help to put it into context and help him understand why he had done it. Actually, she could probably make him believe all sorts of things by using Hesper as the excuse if she had the inclination, but she would never use his sister that way, and she wasn’t going to mislead him, taking advantage of his current situation. Ok, so maybe some little things as a joke, but it was too early for that.
“I hope not too! Not that you’re not amazing at this age as well, but I would quite like the husband I know back, no offense. I don’t know what happened to cause this though. A wish? A spell? Is my Nox back in the world you left or what?” Although the fact he was wearing the same clothes Nox had been wearing when she left earlier made her think it was unlikely to be a switch.
Belle groaned slightly, not liking the fact she was having to explain this all over again when it hurt him so much the first time he learnt of Katie’s mother’s deception. “You didn’t know. She never told you she was pregnant. Your relationship ended and... you didn’t know, so you moved on. You’d still never do something like that, don’t worry, you haven’t changed that much.”
---
That was a horrifying idea. What if there was an older version of him suddenly transported back to Hell? Would his parents be terrified? What if this older, clearly less responsible, version of himself did something to harm them? “We need to figure out what happened immediately and reverse it.”
Nox frowned and reclaimed his seat, looking quite deflated upon hearing the news that someone had deceived him like that. He felt foolish and hurt. Why would someone do that? Perhaps he wasn’t a nice man as an adult. Maybe he’d done something to deserve it. “Am I a good person? Is the man you married a good person?”
---
If Belle could have heard his thoughts she would have been laughing too hard to do anything else. The idea of anyone describing her Nox as ‘less responsible’ or thinking he would hurt his parents was so far off base it was hard to conceive. “That sounds like a good idea, but we don’t know how widespread this is. We might want to... wait until morning maybe? See what is going on then.” She’d offer him wine, but he didn’t even appear to be of legal drinking age. Then again, it wasn’t like he was a kid, so who cared?
There was no pause as he asked his question to her. “The best. He’s loyal, and sweet, and funny. He has values and he always does what he thinks is right. He can’t help but to try and help people, even when it means he hurts himself to do it. Good person can’t even come close to describing him. He’s so much more.”
---
“Wait until morning,” he repeated. That sounded wise, unless this was a progressive problem, and he was getting younger still. What if he woke up as an infant! Nox shook his head at that thought. He was jumping to conclusions. If he was getting younger, then he’d have no memory of this current conversation, because it would be erased like the rest of his future. The space time continuum was confusing. “Does that mean I’ll sleep here?” He felt a little uncomfortable with that idea. It didn’t matter that the older version of himself was married to Belle. Nox didn’t remember it. He didn’t feel right sharing a sleeping space with her. Perhaps they had a guest room, if not, he’d take the couch.
It comforted Nox a bit to hear Belle describe him so positively. If her judgment could be trusted, he’d grown to be an honorable man. It made him sit up a little straighter, trying to embody all the things she’d rattled off. “I’m very sorry that I’m not him.. yet. It must be difficult for you.” Especially since they were newlyweds. She must miss her husband.
---
Belle was glad he was considering her idea. It was already well into the evening and there was so much to process. Time to sleep on it all, or just time perhaps for Belle, was potentially a very beneficial thing. Unfortunately the same thought about him getting even younger had briefly crossed her mind, but she just knew she was going to be paranoid about what happened overnight anyway. All she could do was hope it fixed itself and didn’t get worse. “There’s a guest room. I’m told it’s very comfortable, if that’s ok with you? I can take you to a hotel room, or I can go to one if you’d prefer some space.” She offered, not wanting to stress him out any more.
“Yet.” She repeated. “You’re on your way to it though. It’s kind of interesting to see where my Nox developed from.” Belle smiled at him. “We’ll fix this though, and you can go back to becoming that person... if you remember it. I’m not quite sure how this will all work.” She laughed. What else was there to do? Worrying wouldn’t change things.
---
He shook his head immediately when she offered to leave. “No. That’s not necessary. This is your home. I’d never ask you to leave it.” That would be terribly rude. He didn’t much care to stay in a hotel either, because it was sure to be just as foreign, and he’d be around humans more than likely. At least Belle knew him. “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
Her compliments were nice. While she wasn’t ideal as a wife, what with being an elemental, he could see how a version of himself would fall in love with her, and it was easy to see that she loved him. “What if.. there’s no fixing it?” He was afraid of becoming the man she talked about, because he wasn’t familiar with that person, but the idea of being stuck like this and having to relearn everything was equally frightening. Plus, he’d feel bad for Belle and Katie. He wasn’t prepared to be a husband and father.
---
His decision to stay in the guest room was probably for the best. This was, in essence, a completely foreign world to him. Not only many years in his future, but also a different dimension to the one he was familiar with. Belle would feel better knowing he was here, somewhat protected. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll go make it up soon...” She nodded.
There was the million dollar question. What if there was no way to fix it. “Then.... we take it as it comes. A day at a time. Things will change, but hey, that’s how the world works. We just deal with it.” Belle answered simply, trying to stay positive. “But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, because I’m sure you’d much rather be back in your own time and life, and no offense, I would like my husband back.”
---
“Thank you. You’re very kind. I can see why he, I..” this was so strange. “It’s no surprise that this future version of myself would fall in love with you.” Nox felt a small bit of pride in knowing he’d attract a woman like her eventually. He had no idea he would appeal to someone as lovely as her.
Nox frowned. He felt bad. “I really am sorry. This must be difficult for you. I’ll do all I can to correct the situation. You deserve to have him back.”
---
Nox actually succeeded in making her blush a little with his words and compliments. “You say that now, but you haven’t yet been subjected to how much mess I make, and how disorganized I am.” She laughed, guessing that even as a teenager he was very neat and tidy. It always impressed her how her husband managed to put up with her mess.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, I doubt you had anything to do with this situation unless you have powers I don’t know about, or friends in high places.” Belle reassured the teen as she stood up, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “I’ll go make up the guest room. Feel free to open the wine if you think it will help you relax any.” And with that she disappeared to do just that.
---
Nox shrugged. “Hesper says I’m overly tidy, only she uses more colorful language when describing me.” Nox would not repeat those words, especially not in the company of a lady. “Regardless, I hardly think something as trivial as being less organized would dissuade me from liking you.”
Belle squeezed his hand, and Nox felt a little rush of excitement in his chest. She was extremely warm to the touch. She must be a fire elemental. But flutter inside him had nothing to do with the heat coming off her. It was attraction he felt. “Thank you,” he offered politely, trying to collect his senses.
He did get to his feet and search out the bottle. The packaging was unfamiliar to him. Alcohol came in much larger containers where he was from. The amount in this bottle was hardly enough to make any elemental feel its effects. But no matter. He also didn’t understand the stopper that had been placed in the opening. How was he meant to remove that? No knowing the correct procedure, he decided to break the neck of the bottle. Nox was much stronger than most people realized, and it didn’t take much effort for him to simply snap it with his hands. He made a bit of a mess in the process though, and then he felt his pants slipping again. Setting the bottle down, along with the broken top, he rushed over to the sink, holding up his pants, and grabbed a towel to soak up the bit of wine he’d spilled on the kitchen table.