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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 0:46:40 GMT -5
Lyra didn't understand what she was supposed to be quick about. She hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. She was either looking at Nik as she plead her case or she was staring at anything nearer the floor and trying to hide from his judgmental eyes.
She climbed out of the carriage and realized where they were. She smiled instantly and made to hug Nicolas but caught his annoyed expression and stopped herself. She turned and reached back into the carriage, leaning over to reach the painting that sat on the seat with the backside of the canvas facing out.
Holding the portrait tight against her chest, Lyra hurried up toward the mansion.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 0:52:30 GMT -5
Nik followed and knocked on the door.
Costa answered. Upon seeing Lyra again his elf face hardened, "Master is not home. Goodbye!" he said heatedly preparing to shut the door again.
"Costa." Nik said.
Costa's demeanor immediately changed as he opened the door widely, "Master Nicolas! Sir!" he said with all deference.
"Miss Lyra is here to return a painting. I understand you turned her away earlier." Nik said with disapproval in his voice.
"Uh...Yes sir...but the Master... he ordered Costa-"
"Costa." Nik said with all the authority of a king, "Miss Lyra is Master Julian's cherished guest."
"But Master Julian ordered-"
"Costa." Nik said sternly.
"Yes Master Nik." he grumbled opening the door.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 0:58:34 GMT -5
Lyra stood on the front steps, clutching her painting, feeling as though she were a small child again. It was as if they were choosing who was going to play on who's quidditch team and no one wanted to pick the runt Lyra to join their game. When Costa finally relented and let them inside, Lyra said a soft "thank you" to the house elf as she walked past him.
She turned to Nik, concern and sadness on her face. "Did Julian tell them not to let me in?"
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 1:17:06 GMT -5
"Of course not you silly girl." Nik said exasperated. "No one's allowed in except the owner." he said simply.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 1:26:10 GMT -5
Of course. That made much more sense, but Lyra was still uncertain. She felt as though she couldn't predict anything Julian would do or may have already had done. How could Nik be certain that Julian hadn't told them specifically to not let Lyra in? He couldn't, just like she couldn't be certain that Julian had left because he loved her and not because he hated her so much.
She chewed on her lip as she looked around. Julian had never let her into his studio before and after she realized the importance of the space she never asked to see it. She had always been curious and she had asked him about it a few times, but she was always very careful to make him feel comfortable in knowing it was his safe space and that she wouldn't intrude. Lyra looked at Nik.
"I...I don't know where it is," she admitted. Saying it aloud, unaccompanied by the lengthy reasoning in her head, only strengthened the idea that she and Julian had never really been together.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 1:33:25 GMT -5
"This way." he said guiding her through the halls. It wasn't nearly as difficult as the Montgomery castle, but still varied enough to get lost.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 1:49:44 GMT -5
Lyra followed Nik through the corridors, letting her fingertips trail lightly on the edges of the frames which held some of Julian's work. She paused as she caught his signature in the lower corner of one of the pieces and gave a soft whimper like a lost puppy. She blinked and then turned to see that Nicolas had not waited for her. She hurried to catch up with his long strides.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 1:53:25 GMT -5
Toward the back of the house was Julian's newly renovated art studio. It was his addition to the house. His 'legacy' so to speak to leave for future generations, except Julian didn't believe he would have future generations. He couldn't handle a relationship, let alone the very idea of a child.
"In here." he said attempting to turn the knob. He frowned when he found the door locked.
"Hold on." he said with a sigh and pulled a key ring from his pocket. The question was, what key?
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 2:01:05 GMT -5
As Nicolas looked at his key ring trying to find the one the would unlock the studio, Lyra stayed quiet. She watched Nik for a minute but her attention was drawn away to the studio doors. Large, double doors. Lyra ran her fingers down the panel slowly.
She had never seen Julian's art studio before and now she would be entering with Nik instead of Julian. It felt wrong, but she couldn't keep the portrait that was tucked under her arm. She'd simply go inside, leave it on a table, and come out. She was determined not to snoop. Julian's thoughts and feelings were locked inside; Lyra meant to have them stay his.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 2:09:01 GMT -5
Nik tried a few keys before getting frustrated.
"Costa!" he called waiting for the house elf to arrive.
"Open the damned door." he said handing the elf his keys.
"But Master Julian said-"
"Now Costa!" Nik said cutting the house elf off.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 2:18:23 GMT -5
Nik was having trouble with the lock, which was strange as there were far fewer keys needed for Julian's home than Samantha's and he moved around the castle as if he owned the place. But then, he had a skeleton key for Samantha's house. Julian obviously hadn't given anything of the sort to his friend before leaving.
"Maybe we shouldn't-" she started to say, but stopped as she heard the lock click. Costa had found the proper key. Lyra felt butterflies in her stomach.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 2:34:31 GMT -5
The door swung inward with a loud creak. It was dark inside, the light from the hallway only barely illuminating a path into the room, but that small illumination was enough to set off a bad feeling in Nik's stomach.
"Lumos." he said retrieving his wand from his pocket.
As the studio lit up Nik's mouth fell open.
Paint was everywhere. Various paintings were strewn about the studio in various states of ruin. Tools were scattered about. Sculptures were broken. Furniture was destroyed. The long curtains that opened to reveal floor to ceiling windows were torn down from the wall. In short it was absolute chaos.
But the most startling thing about Julian's studio were how many piece of art were of Lyra. They were now all ruined of course, but the sheer number of paintings, pastels, oils, acrylics, sculptures, sketches that had some feature of the woman showed just how deep Julian's obsession with Lyra had been.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 3:05:00 GMT -5
Lyra took a deep breath in the hallway before following Nicolas inside. She kept her head down, determined not to pry into Julian's private thoughts but Nik's sudden stillness forced her attention and she looked up. Lyra gasped as she saw the destruction. Nearly everything was broken. Paint had been flung angrily around the room splattering the shattered pieces of easels, shredded paintings, and the floor and windows.
Her eyes shifted from piece to piece as she looked at the wreckage. A common theme was evident as she stared in horror. Lyra. There were sketches of her torn in half and crumpled on the floor. There was a sculpture that was clearly Lyra laughing, knocked over on it's side with half the head and one of the arms broken into tiny pieces on the floor around it. There were paintings, once as beautiful as the one she held now, with holes in them where they'd been sliced with tools and even thrown over other items that punctured the canvas. A painting of Lyra sleeping in a carriage had streaks of red paint thrown across it that made it look as though Lyra were not asleep but dead, her throat slit and bleeding.
Julian hated Lyra. He couldn't stand to look at her image. He had destroyed every last piece that reminded him of her and even then it wasn't enough. Even after all of this chaos he still had to leave the country to be away from her.
Lyra dropped the painting onto the floor and ran, crying, from the room. She ran down the hallway, not paying attention to where she was going or where she had been. Corner after corner, she hurried down the maze of corridors, her vision blinded by tears. She ran until she couldn't find a way out and when she finally looked around she was met by Belle. Lyra screamed angrily at the serene beauty, staring down at her in her riding habit. Belle's picture was intact. Lyra's were in ruins. She fell to the floor sobbing, hitting the floor with her fists.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 3:11:22 GMT -5
"Lyra! Lyra wait!" Nik was still stunned by the wreckage that he hadn't seen Lyra run away until she was too far ahead of him. He had the longer legs and longer strides, but she was running as though the hounds of hell were on her heels.
"Sh*t." he cursed having lost her.
"Costa! Miss Newbury, find her." he ordered.
Costa appeared in front of the troubled witch, disappeared and then reappeared with Nik.
"Lyra what are you-" he turned and saw the painting of Belle and sighed, "Let's get the hell out of here. C'mon." he said lifting her easily into his arms and carrying her toward the exit.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 3:23:20 GMT -5
Lyra curled into Nik's hold and wrapped her arms around his neck as she cried crocodile tears onto his shoulder. The carnage inside of Julian's sanctuary was proof enough; Julian was never coming back for Lyra. If and when Julian returned to Britain he wouldn't want anything to do with her.
She had nothing left to cling to. No hope. No distant future where they could be happy together. Julian hadn't been lying when he told her that he would be happy after he left. He had meant it. He was happy now, wherever he was, and Lyra was left twisted and mangled in a puddle of her own tears.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 3:42:41 GMT -5
He held her tighter and let her cry. Shushing her now and again and making empty promises about everything being okay. He was worried about Julian too, having seen the man's studio. What a mess they had made of everything.
He thought Julian had been a coward to run away instead of face Lyra and own up to his actions, but seeing Julian's studio knocked into Nik that Julian was just as flawed as Lyra was. Perhaps more. It was evident how deeply Julian loved her, how tortured he was by his love for her. How that love had become an obsession and spiraled out of control. His love for Lyra had become dangerous, and he had to leave to prevent damage. Nik could respect that.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 4:04:17 GMT -5
Lyra locked herself in her bedroom to cry. She refused anyone entry, even Nicolas, and would scream and hurl the dishes at the wall whenever a house elf popped into the room to bring her a meal. The first night she had finished the entire bottle of vintage wine that she had been saving for Julian in the back of her closet. The next day she summoned more wine from the kitchens. She didn't bother with a glass. After the third day she was done.
Lyra appeared outside of Nik's room. Her makeup was done, her hair was curled, and she wore a form flattering dress and heels. She looked as though nothing had happened. Nothing, that was what it was. A nothingness. She knocked on his door.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 4:10:02 GMT -5
Nik was worried about her. So was Sam. They had discussed it several times, but Nik headed Sam off when the younger girl threatened to have a 'come to Jesus' talk with Lyra. Sam could be intimidating for such a small creature.
Nik would talk to her in the morning and see if anything had changed, otherwise they would have to bring in Dr. Nadeer.
So it was quite a surprise when she knocked on his door. Even more of a surprise to see her put together.
"Lyra." He smiled, "Come in."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 22, 2017 4:25:57 GMT -5
Lyra stayed in the hallway despite the offer. Her expression was neutral, she certainly didn't appear upset. "Actually, I'm not here to chat. I want to train." Her voice was as steady as her features. She wasn't asking or demanding. There was no excitement in her voice. No clues that she had been hurt. She nearly almost resembled the robots that the rest of her friends could so easily become when needed.
Mason turned it on when she confessed her infidelity. Samantha practically lived in her robotic casing. Nicolas himself had suggested she shut it off. Apparently losing all hope that she would ever find happiness was the way to flip the switch.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 22, 2017 4:31:38 GMT -5
In some ways that robotic defense mechanism only made them love harder. They were all well accustomed to heartache and pain, they were also smarter when it came to giving their heart to others. There was hope, but it was buried beneath a wall to protect it.
Nik's brow furrowed in confusion, "Now?" he asked. It was a strange request, she was acting strangely, but he wouldn't shut her down if she were starting to heal.
"I can meet you in the training room in fifteen minutes." he said hoping to appease her.
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