this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
Valencia thought that she was prepared for this moment since the day that he walked out of her life.
However, preparation was one of the hardest things because it could never be done in a way that would provide closure for unforeseen events. Every step that she took to the Bell's Bar was rewarded with the uneasiness of an unpredictable meeting. Arion said nothing to encourage her that this was the right decision but he didn't deter her either. The only warning that she received from her familiar before he faded was to keep her head held high. She wouldn't delude herself by saying that she was no longer the little girl who grew excited at the very existence of her brother; her love for him would never die.
"Then why are you here," Arion asked. "What is it that you want from him?"
Answers.
Acknowledgement.
Reassurance.
She wasn't even sure if the person she was told about was him. Contrary to popular belief, the Godfrey family weren't the only redheads in Sundial City. It could've been anyone posing as Cain, even to draw her out.
"You're questioning your motives. Look ahead."
Her feet came to a halt once she was outside of Bell's Bar. Once the door was open, she was pulled into a world of excitement and warmth. There were people talking among themselves and others who were drunkenly boasting their feats. Some glanced at her and choked on their drinks while others quickly adverted their eyes. Valencia clicked her tongue as she scanned the crowd for a familiar face. On days like this, she chose to remove her professional clothes and wear something fitting. But there was no hiding who she was and if it kept others in line, then she'd gladly flaunt it.
A waitress passed her by and Valencia called out to the young woman.
"I'm looking for a young man around six feet tall with red hair, a surly disposition, and a high tolerance for alcohol."
The waitress took a moment to think about the description before directing Valencia to a quieter part of the bar. Once they were close enough, Valencia held up her hand and the young woman turned away.
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i refuse to being just a footnote in your history
[attr="class","salvatore"]There was rarely anything better than a good cold home-brewed beer after a hard day's work. Once again, Cain Godfrey was patronizing Bell's Bar, his presence mixing into the large crowd, even as he sat in his lonesome at a small table in the corner. He was clad in a plain white shirt, and his leather jacket was ever present, its fur now completely white in color. In the past, it had turned a few shades yellow due to dirt and wear, but after meeting Loraina and following up on her offer for a place that provided clean clothes and a warm bed, Cain actually had the capability to sufficiently wash his clothes without worrying about not having enough clean water for everything else. He wasn't going to overuse it, of course. He did not want to owe the Brooks that much, but he could not deny that it had been something he had needed for the longest time.
A pair of black pants covered his lower body, held in place by a weathered leather belt, ending then in a pair of boots that looked like they were about to reach the end of the mileage. Such was the appearance of a poor man, despite the obvious improvement in hygiene, and it fit the red-head rather perfectly, considering his circumstances. Despite Loraina's much-appreciated gift, Cain still lived and stayed in the slums, not having enough money yet to actually work his way out of there. Studying magic was an even harder task, with the scrolls costing quite a bit of fortune. Or at least, in comparison to what finances he had, it was a fortune. Still, he always had enough of a spare, from rewards off his missions in Silvertongue, to get himself a mug or two of beer, in good ol' Bell's Bar.
He brought the drink up to his mouth, taking in the oaky salty taste of the home-brewed beer. Having been mostly kept in wooden kegs at a nearby warehouse, facing the sea, it would come to no one's surprise that the taste would carry such extra features to it. Nonetheless, it was what made Bell's Bar famous as well, for any regular to this place would liken the taste to home. Nostalgia was a good seller, after all, and considering most of the patrons were sailors that left Sundial Town for months at a time, business was certainly booming. As was the volume, almost every night.
The bar would quieten down a bit, then, and Cain found the sudden change rather peculiar. Looking up from the table, he cocked his eyebrow. "Hm?" he hummed curiously, before noticing that a large portion of the patrons were glancing towards a common direction. He blinked. What had caught their attention now? Cain was sure that it had to be a she, and a bombshell at that. His curiosity piqued, Cain followed the direction of their gaze, and he felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes widening as the figure came into view. Six years it had been since he last saw her, but he could recognize her anywhere.
What the hell was she doing here?
He gulped, before glancing towards the door. It was located on the opposite side of her, and Cain was starting to doubt that he'd actually be able to make it through without her spotting him. He frowned, tucking his chin in to hide his face using the white fur collar of his jacket. How'd she find him? Was it Loraina? He knew it. He knew that her connection with the Godfreys would put him back in their radar, and among all people, they had sent his sister to link up with him. He grumbled, glancing down at his drink. And despite for a relief, he downed the remaining contents, knowing that he was going to have to be quite intoxicated to survive the pressure he was about to feel.
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Valencia couldn't shake the feeling that she'd been in a situation like this before. Where all eyes were on her to observe any sign of weakness. However, she wasn't alone this time. She was right here with him but she couldn't relax just yet.
"Look at me," she said. "Please."
This couldn't be a dream. And if it was, she didn't want to wake up just yet. Others could call it what they will but she loved Cain enough to plead with him. For years she didn't know whether he was dead or alive and the notion that he could've still been drawing breath on Salem's soil wasn't enough for her. Their mother taught her that proof was necessary for belief and Valencia learned that blind faith wasn't enough. But the idea of seeing him again and going off the words of people that she'd recently met was a gamble that she was willing to put a bit of hope in.
She sat down on the stool nearest to him despite her initial inhibitions about the bar. None of it seemed to matter and all she wanted was the person in front of her. A bartender approached the pair and Valencia lifted her head to acknowledge him. The look on her face must've said it all as he quickly backed away. She turned her attention back to Cain and spoke quietly, loud enough for him to listen, but soft enough so others could only guess what she had to say.
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i refuse to being just a footnote in your history
[attr="class","salvatore"]"Look at me, please."
And it felt as if someone had taken an icicle, and stabbed it right into the center of his chest. Despite his innate warmth from his elemental nature, despite the jacket that he wore, despite the heat that simply radiated from the familiar hidden in the inner chest pocket of his jacket, he felt a cold wave spread throughout his entire torso, originating from the center. He flinched, scrunching his face lightly at the 'please'. He knew that sooner or later, he was going to have to face a member of his family. After all, he had been labelled by not only his direct family, but relatives as well, to be the stain in the family's honor. A stain that they definitely would not hesitate to remove, in the form of an 'accident'. They wouldn't just let him wander around and continue to carry the Godfrey name across the dirt, with how he was presently living his life. That hadn't been his intention, of course, his main motivation being reaching the beyond what they were capable, using only his own strength.
He had honestly expected it to be his older brother, his skills in magic was comparatively better than Cain, by leagues. He would have had an easy time removing Cain from the equation, and make it look like an accident too. He would have hated being done off by that pet trophy of a man, but to send his sister to do the deed instead? And he thought his father couldn't be any lower. He sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment, and was about to look up when the red-haired girl instead choose to take the seat opposite him, prompting him to stare at her anyway. He narrowed his eyes. Why did she look so sad if she had come here to do the deed?
She probably regretted it. He understood. The two of them had been close, she being the only member of his family that he could communicate with, and the only one that still regarded him as blood. Was their father trying to harden her heart too? And this was the very reason why he had chosen to disown that family.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. In his head, a vortex of thoughts and emotion whirled too. Of course, he was happy. Happy that he would be reunited with his sister after six years. It was at an even higher level than the excitement he had felt when he met Loraina once more. However, at the same time, he was troubled. She looked as if she hadn't come here to clean up a stain. Instead, it almost seemed as if she had gone looking for him, out of concern. If so, where had she been the past six years? And did she not realize that this would only get her into trouble with mother?
And finally, he was angry. Angry that when everything seemed to be going upwards smoothly for him, someone just decided to roll large boulders down at his direction. The first one was a pink-haired woman name Loraina. And now, it was his red-haired beautiful younger sister, Valencia. Fate was one cruel bitch, indeed.
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Valencia felt her heart tighten in her chest as his gaze met hers. Every nerve in her body was set on fire and she felt so small. It took all of her strength not to pull him into an embrace and hug him as tight as she could. She searched everywhere for him and finally, she found him. The relief washed over her and a soft gasp escaped her. She tried to steady her hand as she reached out to touch his cheek. In the years that he'd been gone, Cain grew so much. He wasn't the boy that she used to follow after in her early childhood or the one that she was happy to greet during the weeks when she'd return home.
There was a fire that burned in his eyes and a desire for something that she couldn't have given him back then. Even if he had left her without a word, she hoped that he found exactly what he'd been looking for in his absence. Her fingers ran along his cheekbones and brushed against red locks of hair. She always did love his hair even though it would never stay in a tamed state for long.
Just like him, she mused.
He asked her again what she was doing there and for a moment, Valencia had forgotten herself. She was so happy to see him that nothing else mattered. But there was distance between them. A span of six years in which mistrust may have built where love once stood. And she would have to face it even if she wanted to return to the past.
"I've been looking for you," she said. "For six years, five months and eighteen days, I've been looking for you."
She settled her hands in her lap and took in a deep breath. It was shaky but she did her best not to show the toll that her anxiety took. Their parents seemed unconcerned with her search for Cain although their elder brother asked her to give it up. Cain left of his own accord, they reminded her, and it wasn't her duty to be his keeper.
But they didn't understand.
And maybe Cain didn't understand either.
But...
"All I've wanted is to know that you're okay," she continued. "I wanted to give you something that day and when I got home you were.."
She trailed off and squeezed her eyes shut. The memory was fresh as if it had only happened yesterday. Everyone else was going about their days as per usual but the air in the Godfrey manor was different. She remembered hurrying up the steps with a parcel in her hand and words rehearsed to tell him of what she'd done. However, when she opened the door, there was no one there and not even a remnant of his presence. She'd ask and prodded but no one had answers.
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i am not your rolling wheels, i am the highway
[attr="class","salvatore"]She placed a hand on his cheek, a gesture that he reacted to with widened eyes. What was this? This affection? He could sense no malice, nor hostile intent from her. Wasn't she here to eliminate him? He glanced towards the hand, before pulling his eyes back up to meet her pained ones. Then, the answer came to his head, and he felt his heart drop. It couldn't be, right? Had she really come to seek him out on her own accord? Did she really still hold him in that much regard? He narrowed his eyes, obviously bothered by this realization. She ran her soft fingers across his cheek, and he could not help but lean his hand towards it. It was something he had never thought about before, now did he try to, but now that she was there in front of him, with the usual love she had shown him when they were children, he realized it.
He missed her.
She pulled her hand back, stating the amount of time they had been apart. It had been that long? Cain was even more surprised that she had counted the days down. The two of them were close, but he never realized how much she loved him like that. For someone who had completely cut himself out from his past, his family, his history, learning now that there was someone from that part of him that wanted to reconnect, that cared about him, made him happy beyond measure. His heart was racing, and he could feel the warmth slowly spreading across his body, until it reached his face, embodied by the soft smile that slowly grew on his lips.
The topic of his departure then came, and the smile faded as he remembered the day. He had packed his most precious belongings, one of which was the very jacket that he wore, a gift from her, and left without saying a word, right on the very hour he turned eighteen. He had been done with the household, and the family. He left without a word to anyone, not even to Valencia, mostly because he knew that she would try to stop him. And she would have succeeded, too. He couldn't have let her do that, as cruel as it was to her, but it was what he wanted. No, it was what he needed.
"I'm sorry..." he replied, lowering his head. "I wanted to tell you, but I just didn't want to spend any second longer in that place. You know how I was treated there. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to lea--" he paused, remembering that she was here, with him. And for personal reasons, at that. His eyes widened, as he looked up at her, in fear and concern.
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Valencia couldn't forget the reason that she was here and in the back of her mind, she chided herself for becoming so wrapped up in her relief that she almost forgot. There was something wrong in the Godfrey household and she hadn't been able to shake the feeling since Cain's departure. No, if she was honest with herself, she'd felt something was amiss even before her brother left her side. But the fear in his eyes and the concern painted across his features only served to remind her that they weren't out of the woods just yet. There was still more to be done and she would have to be prepared for the storm that would come.
However, she'd cut ties with the Godfrey mainhouse in the proper way by telling their parents that she had to focus on her studies and wouldn't have time to visit them as often. And once she became a knight, it only grew more evident that she wouldn't be returning home. Valencia could remember a time when their elder brother came to her home and said that she should visit their parents.
She turned him away at the doorstep without a second thought.
He was the one who decided to cut familial ties with Cain even though he should've been the one most aware of what was happening. The idea that he'd even try to persuade her to make amends was sickening.
However, she had to ground herself and muster a reassuring smile for the piece of her family that she wouldn't trade for the world. Settling her hands on Cain's shoulders, her fingers tangled into the fur on the jacket that she made for him, she found a peace and solace that she'd been missing for some time.
"They don't know that I'm here," she reassured him. "And I know the reason why you left."
She touched his cheek again and sighed. The weight that'd been on her shoulders for so long lifted immediately and she felt at peace. Warm. Safe. But she couldn't forget and she had to remember the look on his face when he'd first seen her.
"Cain," she said softly. "Why did you think I was here?"
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i am not your rolling wheels, i am the highway
[attr="class","salvatore"]She was leaning across the table now, literally reaching over it towards Cain just go maintain the physical contact she yearned for with him. Cain wasn't complaining. For her, it was a reassurance that he was really there, that he was no illusion. For him, it was a reminder. A reminder of the one light in the darkness he had lived in through his childhood. The other patrons in the bar now stared towards their direction, one due to Valencia's choice of appearance, and another due to the close proximity they were showing. The little rebellious red-head, it seemed, had scored a hottie in their eyes, their eyes and minds too intoxicated at that moment to realize just how similar the two looked in terms of appearance. Of course they'd think it to be a sexual relationship, for that was the only regard they had for Valencia at that moment. Sex appeal. Cain could not deny that over the years they had apart, she had grown remarkably.
That was rather surprising to hear. The patriarch had no idea where his treasured daughter was? Even more so, their mother, who had focused entirely on turning Valencia into a woman of the Godfrey to be proud of. "Good," Cain replied, sighing in relief. If they had known that Valencia had found Cain, and hadn't done anything to him, even finding him just for the sake of family love, they'd have disapproved. Strongly. She then inquired on the root of his worries for that evening, and he looked back up at her. A scoff escaped his throat, as he gave a light shrug.
"For a moment, I thought they sent you to remove the stain in their family honor," he replied, being vague and at the same time being precise about it. She would have gotten what he meant. The Patriarch tolerated no shame, nor humiliation. And as far as Cain knew, he was his greatest. The Godfreys were never known to be discreet in their methods either. They never outright broke the law, but that didn't mean they didn't follow it. They went by their own rules, and there were many times they had gotten into trouble with the authorities, but they never could touch the influential and powerful family.
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The Godfreys believed that Cain was a blight to be rectified with the swiftest and most permanent of punishments. A laugh could've escaped her if she felt the need to but it would've been hollow and chilling to hear. She'd suspected foul play in her family before and even wondered why the apathy in their brother's voice or their parents' expressions had come to play. If Cain had somehow managed to leave their home and find himself in an accident, then it would've been all the better. They simply wanted him out of sight and out of mind so that he couldn't embarrass them with his presence.
Valencia bit the inside of her cheek and drummed her fingers against the table's surface. She had to make plans and make sure that all of her affairs were in order. There were things to be done and people to keep quiet. While a whirlwind of thoughts were clouding her mind, Cain's voice sliced through them and brought her back to reality. The drumming stopped and she looked to him with a blank expression.
He thought that she'd come there to kill him and complete what their family sought from the very beginning. But, now he believed in her. He believed that he was just being paranoid.
She bit down on her bottom lip and settled in her chair as she adverted her gaze.
"This is all wrong," she muttered to herself.
Valencia shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Where are you staying?"
She looked to him as her eyebrow quirked.
"Loraina told me that she offered you a place for the time being but I doubt that you would've stayed there for very long."
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i am not your rolling wheels, i am the highway
[attr="class","salvatore"]Cain scoffed, as he glanced down at his mug. In his earlier panic, he had finished the entire container, and found himself now feeling a bit thirsty, and in a dire need of a buzz to numb his nerves. Grabbing the handle, he brought the mug up, calling for the barkeep at the same time. The man glanced towards his direction and understood the message, as he gave a nod of his head and a smirk. Of course he'd be happy. He was getting paid for this. Cain nodded his head back in reaction, before setting his mug down, turning his eyes and attention back to Valencia. "Tell me something I don't already know," he replied, sounding quite down at that fact. It had been his entire life, and the reason he had abandoned his entire past to find an escape, a relief. The Patriarch held stronger to his family honor than to his familial relations.
She then asked about where he stayed, and he blinked, tilting his head. "The slums. Why?" he replied, simply, not wanting to get too specific in case their parents decided to ask her for that information. He may have established that he could trust her, and that she wasn't there to hurt him, but he didn't trust his family to let it go once they learned that she knew where he was. Especially Richard.
Then came Loraina. Another scoff. He knew it. Loraina had talked about her a few days back, and had revealed the fact that they had met in before then. Though she refused to talk much about it, Cain had pretty much figured that fact out. Still, it still served as a surprise to see her in person like this, even when he already had an idea that she was around in Sundial City. He blinked, before nodding his head. Indeed, Loraina had offered him such a thing, but really, he had only ever used the availability of clean water. He had never stayed there for any longer than that.
It didn't feel right living off of the charity of someone whose childhood he made miserable.
"I knew it," Cain scoffed. "She hinted to me that she had met you. Slipped off her tongue, I think. And yeah, she did, but I've never used it past the clean water it provided. I... Don't think I deserve that charity from her," Cain replied, trailing off at the end. She would have understood what it was he meant, considering she had stopped him a couple of times back when they were children.
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Even though she reprimanded Cain for his behavior when they were children, she realized that it may have come from a place of hurt. He wasn't excused because of it and she wasn't going to regret the things that she may have said to him but there was some sympathy in her memories. She sighed and placed her hands in her lap as she leaned back to look at him from a different angle. He did seem remorseful which was a good sign but the issues between them were something that she couldn't fix, and it wasn't something that she would try to.
"Perhaps you don't," she confirmed. "But you two are more alike than you'd ever realize."
She remembered her meeting with Loraina as if it was yesterday. The way her childhood friend curled around her like a snake trapping its prey. She whispered words of doubt in her ear and tried to make her doubt or at least reconsider the way she viewed her brother. And in truth, Valencia knew that she would never worship the ground that Cain walked on. But she did adore him for the the good that she saw in him even when in her childhood, she was blinded to the bad.
"That isn't entirely a good thing though, and there are issues that you both need to resolve together."
She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair.
"It'll take some time but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out."
He'd done well so far. And to think that he'd been living in the Hovel, perhaps word of mouth could be trusted a little more than she'd previous thought. Nonetheless she'd have to make sure that this is where he'd want to stay. If not, she could find somewhere to hide him.
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i am not your rolling wheels, i am the highway
[attr="class","salvatore"]"Hah?" Cain replied in shock at her comment. How were the two of them alike? They were completely different. One was loaded, the other struggled in the slums. One was an Ice mage, the other was Fire. One hated the other, and the other could not help but find her attractive. She was forgiving and kind, and he was just short-tempered and distrusting. In no manner of means - not counting their similar familiars, but that was only in nature, not personality - were they ever similar. "What are you talking about? We're like complete opposites, Val," he replied, unable to help but feel compelled to comment on her statement. It was a rather revealing rebuttal, though, which only served to show how much Loraina had been in his mind recently. Enough to, at least, push aside the topic of their conversation on hand to voice his thoughts on her.
Cain would be distracted momentarily as the bartender arrived with his drink, and Cain gave him a nod of his head and a "Thanks," before wrapping his fingers around the handle. Bringing it up to his lips, he allowed himself the quick relief of the bitter oaky taste of alcohol, evidently flustered at her comment earlier. The red-head reacted in a snap at her following comment with a scoff, rolling his eyes. "Issues is certainly one way to put it. She threw me a chain of insults when we first met a few weeks back. She never forgave me for how I was to her in the past, Val, and I'm not entirely sure I can get her to do just that," he muttered, unaware that he carried a hint of regret in his tone.
And then finally came the issue of his living conditions. He looked up at Val, before lowering his drink and releasing a sigh. For a moment, he stared at her, allowing himself to form a proper reply in his head. "I'm fine, Val. I left the Godfrey household to make something of myself, for myself. I can't very well be doing that if all I'm doing is getting help from others. I'll leave the Hovel eventually, of course, but I'll do it with my own effort," Cain replied, and though he felt a bit bitter rejecting her offer like that, it was something he knew he had to be resolute in. Otherwise, his suffering and trials for the past six years, he felt, would be discounted. As if they hadn't really mattered, and all he had had to do was find Valencia.
No, he had to do it. Otherwise, the message he was trying to drive at his family wouldn't be as legitimate.
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There was a time where Valencia thought that Cain's willingness to set off on his own was endearing. However when faced with the information that someone in their own ranks or in another coven could be out for her brother's life, she wasn't exactly thrilled by it. Arion asked her to count down from ten as the amount of worry in her chest became suffocating. Surely by now Cain must have realized that she would've done anything to find him and even more so to keep him safe.
But Valencia knew that she couldn't deny him his freedom and the right to live his life in the way that he wanted.
And that is what this was all about, wasn't it?
Her brother having the chance to live his life in the way that he wanted to until he no longer wanted to live anymore. But, if she could stop him from breathing his last breath then it would be all the bett—
What ifs.
Her train of thought came to a screeching halt as she brought herself back to reality. Being stuck in her own head wouldn't do anything and it wouldn't change Cain's mind. She knew from experience that more than likely, it was already made up on what he was to do.
"Very well," she sighed. "But the very least you can allow me is a chance to see you from time to time."
She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.The conversation between him and Loraina along with their similarities was something that she'd let slide for now. After all, that was their battle to fight and something that they'd have to resolve together.
[attr="class","azotar"][googlefont="Iceland:400"]i am not your rolling wheels, i am the highway
[attr="class","salvatore"]She had the biggest heart among them. Their parents recognized that she had the largest potential in terms of magic capabilities among them, sure, but she also had the largest heart among them. When asked to disregard Cain as a sibling, she had argued in his defense. When Cain had been caught by her bullying Loriana, she had scolded him and consoled the little pink-haired girl. When Cain was left alone in his room at the back of the mansion, she would visit him whenever she came back, and she'd always come back on his birthday. And now, despite the years they had spent apart and the clear betrayal he had done upon her trust, she still came looking for him, out of concern. She had the biggest magical potential, and she also had the biggest heart. And she was always going to be better than Cain or Richard. It was just too bad they could not change how she was. Make her as loyal as their Dick of a brother - pun intended - was.
Cain sighed, allowing a soft smile to come upon his face, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never be able to rid himself of her. She was stuck to him, for better or worse. In a way, as annoying as it sounded, Cain was relieved. It was good to know that despite everything, he was never going to be truly alone. "Fine," he replied, as he took a sip off his new mug of mead, before setting it back down with another sigh. "I work in Silvertongue, and I come to this bar quite often. You can mostly find me in these places," he added on, though he doubted that she didn't already know that. If she had managed to track him down here, in Bell's Bar - of all places - then she probably knew more about him than she was letting on.
"Did..." Cain cleared his throat, before taking another sip off his drink, but kept the glass up to partially hide his face, as he opted to look as casual as he possibly could. "She say anything about me?" he inquired, finally allowing the curiosity that had been bugging him for a while now about their meeting. He never expected his younger sister to meet Loriana first, especially after the two had reunited. Hell, everything was coming back together into place suddenly, wasn't it? And it all started when Cain became an official member of Silvertongue, too.
He cleared his throat again and lowered his mug, suddenly shrugging his own question off. "How've you been, sister?"
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It was much easier for her to do what she pleased when it came to Cain. Perhaps it was because she was his only and dearest little sister or because her tenacity was staggering, but she'd always seem to get her way. With a little cajoling and a few well-placed puppy dog eyes. Even adulthood couldn't take away the cuteness factor that came with being the youngest sibling. As she basked in the glow of her victory and stocked the information away with the rest labeled 'Cain', the question that she dreaded had been asked.
She clicked her tongue and resisted the urge to sigh. The conversation between her and Loraina about Cain hadn't ended on the best of her terms. While she acknowledged that her brother was an absolute terror, she reaffirmed her devotion and love for him. Loraina didn't seem sold on the idea but resigned to it out of not wanting to upset her. Nonetheless it wouldn't bode well for her to tell Cain a lie either. If he thought that he had a chance with Loraina in that sense, as his feigned disinterest implied, honesty would be required.
"She wasn't exactly thrilled," Valencia admitted. "To be fair, she spoke to me as if you wouldn't want to see me if I sought you out."
Valencia could practically feel her heart breaking at the idea. But she moved on, strong as she did when in the face of Loraina herself.
"That you were running not only from our family but me as well."
There was rarely anything better than a good cold home-brewed beer after a hard day's work. Once again, Cain Godfrey was patronizing Bell's Bar, his presence mixing into the large crowd, even as he sat in his lonesome at a small table in the corner. He was clad in a plain white shirt, and his leather jacket was ever present, its fur now completely white in color. In the past, it had turned a few shades yellow due to dirt and wear, but after meeting Loraina and following up on her offer for a place that provided clean clothes and a warm bed, Cain actually had the capability to sufficiently wash his clothes without worrying about not having enough clean water for everything else. He wasn't going to overuse it, of course. He did not want to owe the Brooks that much, but he could not deny that it had been something he had needed for the longest time.
