Post by Jessica | Rémiel on Jun 4, 2017 0:28:04 GMT -5
[This is a Martin/Xaria collaboration by Mel and Allen! Enjoy!]
Darkness.
There was nothing but darkness.
Inside of a crystallized glass case and suspended in the air like a trophy on display, Xaria Karloff looked down at herself, wearing a pure white dress riddled with tears. Her eyes gazed down upon the city of Toronto engulfed in shadows. The sounds of pain and agony, screams, and cries, resonated from the darkness and her heart began to ache. They begged for an angel to save them. She slammed her fists against the glass, but the crystal reinforces them.
One particular cry echoed from the shadows and her eyes widened. She recognized that sound, the desperation and the suffering sent a chill down her spine. She drove her right fist against the wall once again to no avail. Her heartache grew stronger slowly yet surely. She watched helplessly as that cry resonated towards her crystal prison.
“Si’vous plait, arrête! Let me go!”
Xaria’s heart sank. In that instant, she knew exactly who was suffering. The darkness began to reflect haunting memories of a twenty-one-year-old Frenchwoman with blonde hair and green eyes, beaten and tortured, her wrists bound above her head by a single, rough and calloused hand. Her nose was broken, her right eye swollen and black, and the left corner of her mouth busted wide open. Her autumn dress was ripped, leaving little to cover the cuts and bruises all over her petite body. A man shrouded in darkness towered over her and easily overpowered her as he continued to break her.
“Please stop… It hurts!!”
She could visibly see the poor woman’s pained face… She was looking at her younger self from nearly ten years ago. Hopelessly, Xaria drove her fists against the crystallized glass case and screamed for the darkness to stop. Like her younger self, her words fell on deaf ears. She fell on her knees, covered her ears, and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see anymore. She didn’t want to hear any more. She knew it was a nightmare and all she wanted to do was wake up. Her heart was pounding against her chest and her entire body was shaking.
Toronto was the city where her purity and innocence were ripped away.
“NON!”
Outside of her dream, her body was trembling upon the bed, soft whimpers for someone to stop escaping her parted lips. She was covered in sweat and tears streamed down her face. Her brown hair was sticking to her face and she began to jerk and twitch in her nightmare-induced sleep. She was trying so hard to will herself to wake up.
“...please… stop…”
Martin Karloff slept next to his beautiful wife with a psychology book open on his chest. It was dog-eared and had notes scribbled all over it. The whimpers and pleading drew him back to consciousness and he looked over at Xaria. He knew if she was having a night terror he couldn't just wake her up, so he set his book aside and leaned over to very very gently whisper in her ear.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. You are safe."
Even with her ears covered, she could still hear the screams of anguish from her younger self. The reinforced glass was shaking around her and her body’s trembling grew more violent. The man shrouded in darkness chuckled darkly as he continued to take advantage of the poor blonde-haired woman. Suddenly a very gentle voice whispered to Xaria. She could hear it clearly through the horrors and her heart skipped a beat.
From her back, rainbow-colored angel wings began to sprout and their colors shimmered within the glass case. The bone structure pressed against the walls while the feathery wings attempted to spread to their complete wingspan. A gentle aura surrounded her as she screamed-- both in the terror and in reality-- and the crystallized prison shattered around her. As the shards fell towards the darkness, they reflected the light of her wings when she began to fly down towards her younger self. She spoke the words that were whispered to her.
“...Don’t be afraid… I’m here… You are safe…”
Xaria’s physical form shifted and she turned to lay on her side. There was a gentle warmth beside her and she slowly began to open her eyes. Her first visual was that of abdominal muscles that could be sculpted from perfection. She blinked and raised her head to gaze upon her husband, a hint of a blush caressing her cheeks.
“Mon amour…?”
She didn’t seem to have any recollection of what she dreamt of; this was a night terror. He watched her vulnerability begin to fade and he nodded.
"You were having a nightmare."
Martin reached down and ran a benevolent hand through her hair before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He pressed his hand to the same space he kissed.
"No fever, but you are sweating. Do you need to talk, Angel?"
There was a concern in the voice that most of the world knew to be monotonous and calculated. She was strangely confused. She would have vividly remembered her nightmare if she had one. Regardless, she was always in awe of his sweet gentleness. Now that she was awake, she realized her body was, indeed, covered in sweat. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I… I probably should.”
She nodded, pressed her palms against the mattress, and carefully sat up on the bed. Her eyes gazed upon her husband in clear admiration, how incredibly handsome he was. She couldn’t help but place her hand upon his abdomen, her fingers tracing the muscles. She could never stop herself from doing this, but at the moment it brought her ease.
“Toronto is the city where my wrestling career blossomed, but… it is also the city where I lost the one thing I can never get back. I was too weak to defend myself and it was forcefully taken from me.”
She didn’t want to say it, but she felt she had to. She’s actually never told him before. Her hand began to tremble, as did the rest of her body.
“...I was raped…”
Martin didn't have time to enjoy the way his wife looked at him and touched him as she often did. Instead, after her revelation, he took her trembling hand in his and interlaced their fingers.
"Xaria... I had no idea."
He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it sweetly.
"...of course I didn't. I could never for a second imagine you being truly helpless."
It was the truth. He squeezed her hand tightly. He'd never let go if he had the choice. The way he held her hand, the words he spoke softly, the vulnerability in his eyes, he never ceased to amaze her. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she leaned against him, her body pressing against his, and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop the tears that were coming.
“Somehow I… suppressed the memory. I tried to completely forget about it, but flying here made me realize that I couldn’t.”
Xaria trembled softly, her free arm bracing herself against him, clinging to him while she continued to hold his hand.
“I wish we could go home… fly back to our little angels and forget about the show. But I know that’s not possible…”
"It would certainly save you the embarrassment of being beaten by your student who you also married."
A joke. Martin told them so infrequently that hearing one from him is like seeing a Unicorn. However, Xaria did manage to smile a little as he continued.
"Terrible things happen. It is a fact of life. Do not let that terrible thing define you. Think, instead, of the person you became in spite of it. Think of your beautiful children. Think of your amazing fans. Think what would happen if...whoever this individual was... tried to do that to the Xaria of today. They'd still be putting him back together five years from now. I have seen nothing as jarring as you whimpering in your sleep just now...because I know how strong you are."
He only spoke the truth as he held her in his arms. Those arms that provided her with never-ending comfort. She could feel her body heat tempt him, taking deep breaths to ease her quiet sobbing. For the time being, she simply rested her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his calm and steady heartbeat.
"Mon amour… this feels like the first time we met since the schooling days of KWI. When I was so lost and miserable after the divorce, you came into my life and helped me in your own way. Now you’re helping me again, only this time as my beloved husband."
She lifted her head up, looked into his eyes, and smiled softly. She guided herself to kiss him softly yet sweetly, her lips capturing his. He returned the kiss gently, not letting the monster out even a bit. He broke the kiss just so he could kiss her forehead once more.
"What do you need from me, Angel? Until the bell rings, I am yours."
He pulled away and tilted her chin up so they were looking eye-to-eye. Gazing into his eyes, she found herself weakened by his caring, loyal nature. She blushed and smiled, reaching up with a hand and settling it against his cheek.
“Right now… all I need is to love and to be loved in return.”
She hesitantly broke their eye contact for a moment to look over herself.
“...and perhaps a nice shower with you.”
Now there was a not-so-innocent smile on her face. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“You know, there was an innocent Angel here a few moments ago. Any clue where she might have gone?”
A second joke. This must’ve been a record.
"Perhaps a shower is in order then. I am certain we will restrain our activities only to those that are entirely for hygienic purposes."
He smirked before kissing her gently and standing. He walked over to the bathroom, losing his pajamas as he walked. A soft red hue touched the surface of her cheeks as she rose from the bed, glancing down at her sweat-ridden nightgown. Xaria’s night terror must’ve been horrible, but she felt better knowing that her husband was able to help her once again. Her bare feet walked on the carpet and her nightgown was discarded behind her. She pursued Martin into the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a playful giggle.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Richie Norton
The Rainbow Angel
Xaria Veronica Karloff
The Angel Returneth Vol. 3 | The Character Development
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Darkness.
There was nothing but darkness.
Inside of a crystallized glass case and suspended in the air like a trophy on display, Xaria Karloff looked down at herself, wearing a pure white dress riddled with tears. Her eyes gazed down upon the city of Toronto engulfed in shadows. The sounds of pain and agony, screams, and cries, resonated from the darkness and her heart began to ache. They begged for an angel to save them. She slammed her fists against the glass, but the crystal reinforces them.
One particular cry echoed from the shadows and her eyes widened. She recognized that sound, the desperation and the suffering sent a chill down her spine. She drove her right fist against the wall once again to no avail. Her heartache grew stronger slowly yet surely. She watched helplessly as that cry resonated towards her crystal prison.
“Si’vous plait, arrête! Let me go!”
Xaria’s heart sank. In that instant, she knew exactly who was suffering. The darkness began to reflect haunting memories of a twenty-one-year-old Frenchwoman with blonde hair and green eyes, beaten and tortured, her wrists bound above her head by a single, rough and calloused hand. Her nose was broken, her right eye swollen and black, and the left corner of her mouth busted wide open. Her autumn dress was ripped, leaving little to cover the cuts and bruises all over her petite body. A man shrouded in darkness towered over her and easily overpowered her as he continued to break her.
“Please stop… It hurts!!”
She could visibly see the poor woman’s pained face… She was looking at her younger self from nearly ten years ago. Hopelessly, Xaria drove her fists against the crystallized glass case and screamed for the darkness to stop. Like her younger self, her words fell on deaf ears. She fell on her knees, covered her ears, and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see anymore. She didn’t want to hear any more. She knew it was a nightmare and all she wanted to do was wake up. Her heart was pounding against her chest and her entire body was shaking.
Toronto was the city where her purity and innocence were ripped away.
“NON!”
Outside of her dream, her body was trembling upon the bed, soft whimpers for someone to stop escaping her parted lips. She was covered in sweat and tears streamed down her face. Her brown hair was sticking to her face and she began to jerk and twitch in her nightmare-induced sleep. She was trying so hard to will herself to wake up.
“...please… stop…”
Martin Karloff slept next to his beautiful wife with a psychology book open on his chest. It was dog-eared and had notes scribbled all over it. The whimpers and pleading drew him back to consciousness and he looked over at Xaria. He knew if she was having a night terror he couldn't just wake her up, so he set his book aside and leaned over to very very gently whisper in her ear.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. You are safe."
Even with her ears covered, she could still hear the screams of anguish from her younger self. The reinforced glass was shaking around her and her body’s trembling grew more violent. The man shrouded in darkness chuckled darkly as he continued to take advantage of the poor blonde-haired woman. Suddenly a very gentle voice whispered to Xaria. She could hear it clearly through the horrors and her heart skipped a beat.
From her back, rainbow-colored angel wings began to sprout and their colors shimmered within the glass case. The bone structure pressed against the walls while the feathery wings attempted to spread to their complete wingspan. A gentle aura surrounded her as she screamed-- both in the terror and in reality-- and the crystallized prison shattered around her. As the shards fell towards the darkness, they reflected the light of her wings when she began to fly down towards her younger self. She spoke the words that were whispered to her.
“...Don’t be afraid… I’m here… You are safe…”
Xaria’s physical form shifted and she turned to lay on her side. There was a gentle warmth beside her and she slowly began to open her eyes. Her first visual was that of abdominal muscles that could be sculpted from perfection. She blinked and raised her head to gaze upon her husband, a hint of a blush caressing her cheeks.
“Mon amour…?”
She didn’t seem to have any recollection of what she dreamt of; this was a night terror. He watched her vulnerability begin to fade and he nodded.
"You were having a nightmare."
Martin reached down and ran a benevolent hand through her hair before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He pressed his hand to the same space he kissed.
"No fever, but you are sweating. Do you need to talk, Angel?"
There was a concern in the voice that most of the world knew to be monotonous and calculated. She was strangely confused. She would have vividly remembered her nightmare if she had one. Regardless, she was always in awe of his sweet gentleness. Now that she was awake, she realized her body was, indeed, covered in sweat. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I… I probably should.”
She nodded, pressed her palms against the mattress, and carefully sat up on the bed. Her eyes gazed upon her husband in clear admiration, how incredibly handsome he was. She couldn’t help but place her hand upon his abdomen, her fingers tracing the muscles. She could never stop herself from doing this, but at the moment it brought her ease.
“Toronto is the city where my wrestling career blossomed, but… it is also the city where I lost the one thing I can never get back. I was too weak to defend myself and it was forcefully taken from me.”
She didn’t want to say it, but she felt she had to. She’s actually never told him before. Her hand began to tremble, as did the rest of her body.
“...I was raped…”
Martin didn't have time to enjoy the way his wife looked at him and touched him as she often did. Instead, after her revelation, he took her trembling hand in his and interlaced their fingers.
"Xaria... I had no idea."
He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it sweetly.
"...of course I didn't. I could never for a second imagine you being truly helpless."
It was the truth. He squeezed her hand tightly. He'd never let go if he had the choice. The way he held her hand, the words he spoke softly, the vulnerability in his eyes, he never ceased to amaze her. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she leaned against him, her body pressing against his, and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop the tears that were coming.
“Somehow I… suppressed the memory. I tried to completely forget about it, but flying here made me realize that I couldn’t.”
Xaria trembled softly, her free arm bracing herself against him, clinging to him while she continued to hold his hand.
“I wish we could go home… fly back to our little angels and forget about the show. But I know that’s not possible…”
"It would certainly save you the embarrassment of being beaten by your student who you also married."
A joke. Martin told them so infrequently that hearing one from him is like seeing a Unicorn. However, Xaria did manage to smile a little as he continued.
"Terrible things happen. It is a fact of life. Do not let that terrible thing define you. Think, instead, of the person you became in spite of it. Think of your beautiful children. Think of your amazing fans. Think what would happen if...whoever this individual was... tried to do that to the Xaria of today. They'd still be putting him back together five years from now. I have seen nothing as jarring as you whimpering in your sleep just now...because I know how strong you are."
He only spoke the truth as he held her in his arms. Those arms that provided her with never-ending comfort. She could feel her body heat tempt him, taking deep breaths to ease her quiet sobbing. For the time being, she simply rested her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his calm and steady heartbeat.
"Mon amour… this feels like the first time we met since the schooling days of KWI. When I was so lost and miserable after the divorce, you came into my life and helped me in your own way. Now you’re helping me again, only this time as my beloved husband."
She lifted her head up, looked into his eyes, and smiled softly. She guided herself to kiss him softly yet sweetly, her lips capturing his. He returned the kiss gently, not letting the monster out even a bit. He broke the kiss just so he could kiss her forehead once more.
"What do you need from me, Angel? Until the bell rings, I am yours."
He pulled away and tilted her chin up so they were looking eye-to-eye. Gazing into his eyes, she found herself weakened by his caring, loyal nature. She blushed and smiled, reaching up with a hand and settling it against his cheek.
“Right now… all I need is to love and to be loved in return.”
She hesitantly broke their eye contact for a moment to look over herself.
“...and perhaps a nice shower with you.”
Now there was a not-so-innocent smile on her face. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“You know, there was an innocent Angel here a few moments ago. Any clue where she might have gone?”
A second joke. This must’ve been a record.
"Perhaps a shower is in order then. I am certain we will restrain our activities only to those that are entirely for hygienic purposes."
He smirked before kissing her gently and standing. He walked over to the bathroom, losing his pajamas as he walked. A soft red hue touched the surface of her cheeks as she rose from the bed, glancing down at her sweat-ridden nightgown. Xaria’s night terror must’ve been horrible, but she felt better knowing that her husband was able to help her once again. Her bare feet walked on the carpet and her nightgown was discarded behind her. She pursued Martin into the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a playful giggle.
