"You know you don't have to stay, you can go back to looking for your friends." In the tavern two ladies sat across from each other In the midst of conversation. The younger of the two spoke first as she sighed taking a sip of whatever she was drinking. "I can look for them from here. Lets face it, I don't even know where to start and at least here we meet so many people that eventually someone is bound to have run into at least someone from the SOS group." The older one said with a lot more confidence than the younger lady seemed to have. Aislinn reached out and grabbed her sisters hand as she looked her in the eyes. "Besides, Adrian needs the help representing our world, and you need help with the kids. I left you once already, I am not going to do it again." "He is trying his best." Sarah instinctively tried to defend her husband, but Aislinn just smiled at her. "I know, he is doing a fine job, but it is a lot of work and I offered to help." Aislinn continued to try and convince Sarah before standing up getting ready to leave. "Tell you what, I know that you are stressed. I will watch the kids until the Summit meeting. You can go take a nap." Sarah looked like she was about to say no, but she took one look at her sister and knew that it was no use in arguing. "Alright, but don't you have to help Adrian with the Summit stuff too?" "I will be there for him when it is time, but he told me he wanted to learn to do this himself. Now go. I will go find Adrian and take the kids off of him." Aislinn informed Sarah before starting to head out of the bar, taking a glance at the boy talking to the bartender. She didn't think she knew anyone by that description, but she would keep an eye out anyways. 18/30
By the time her fathers footsteps faded, Karina was curled up on the floor in pain. She had never been good at handling her emotions, and while she was doing better as of late, being left in prison like this only made her more angry. She didn't even have to start yelling for the collar to go off, all it took was her thinking about it too much. It was hard not to think too much about it though when between the silence and the cuffed hands it was abundantly clear just how much she messed up. On top of that it was torture to just be able to see and hear her friends but not be able to go to them. She wished that she could at least see them once more again before she was carted away to get married, but her father would never allow that. He already told them that she had run away and was gone. There was no returning to them, not when she was stuck down there. Soon Karina heard a familiar voice again as she sat up to glance at her tv. Her father had arrived to bring the first person to trail and scatter her friends. Well it was nice seeing all of them while it lasted but now they were leaving and Karina was getting nervous for Kaida. Did Kaida even know who she was dealing with? She spoke optimistically, but Karina saw it as otherwise. Her father had promised to prosecute them to the highest degree because of her, she was going to get Kaida in even more trouble. "Kaida, do-" Before Karina could yell out at the screen, again she was shocked and Karina slouched forward again, just barely able to catch Kel's question. She couldn't help but wonder what he would reply to that. 17/30
"You brought this on yourself." Her father replied before turning to leave the cell block. Karina may have been in pain, but that didn't stop her from making one more comment. It was something she had been holding onto for when she had nothing else to lose. "I may have brought this on myself, but know who else brought something on himself? His name was Uniform, or Hughes something? I can't be bothered to remember. He seemed to know you, well and thought he could use it against me. If felt good when I killed him." Karina taunted her father. Her father stopped walking further, as he turned back around slowly. "Is that meant to infuriate me?... That you managed to eliminate one of my former lieutenants?" He began to walk back towards her, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. "You killed an old man?- That is your final statement to me?..." He shook his head in disappointment. "I'm holding much resentment towards you right now. Not because you kill that war horse, but because you can't do the one thing I told you to. But I'm done being mad. It's like being angry at a cup or lamp. Blaming something you own is foolish. You either have to get rid of it or throw it away." He leaned over and spoke softly. "Why do you think I'm trying to give you away?" He stood back up, letting that sink in. "I know full well that you are trying to get rid of me. I have know from before you first tried to marry me off. If you wanted me gone so bad, then you shouldn't have dragged me back here. I never planned to return home." Karina sat in a cold, simmering anger, nothing that raised her blood pressure or set off the collar. "But that isn't possible is it, because you are such a stuck up *Kupo*hole that you can't stand the thought of anything being out of your control. But guess what, this isn't home. These worlds, these people, my friends, they aren't governed by you. I can't wait to see your face when you lose control of more than just me." It was a threat and a promise. Uniform was just a start. "Really should've brought a muzzle with me," he stated before turning to leave again. Karina didn't even say anything in response, but her father was making her so frustrated that even without saying anything, her collar shocked her as she tried to scramble towards the bars after her father. If he smacked her it would be less painful than this stupid back and forth they were doing. If he would just be the abusive father she remembered than the manipulative one he was being now, it would at least feel more justified. Now it felt like she was being the bad one and she knew it was just her father not wanting to give her any ounce of satisfaction that she was right about him. He probably had an image to maintain here and beating his daughter to a bloody pulp wouldn't help it. Which only made her want to get under her fathers skin more, reveal his true identity. 16/30
Scott got closer again, Karina dropped the scissors down so they were no longer in her sleeve but in her hands. She turned and swung them, stabbing the scissors into Scott's neck. As she did so, the back of her dress ripped from the force of her movement. There was a snarl across Karina's face. "I will never mother you children." She wasn't able to stab the scissors in far, her movement was limited, but at least she managed some damage. Scott felt a graze from his neck and covered it with his hand in shock. Xares immediately dashed forward and grabbed Karina's wrist, twisting it behind her until it dropped. Scott picked up the scissors off the ground and held them to her cheek. "I can see you still need some behavioral readjustment." He licked his lips as he almost cut her. "Don't worry,... I can wait. I'm going to enjoy watching you slowly degrade into servitude." He took the scissors and cut a small chunk of her hair. "A small memento for making me wait more..." Xares dragged Karina out of the room silently as Scott waved gently to her as they left. Xares was silent as her dragged her to the elevator. Pressing his access code as they went down the elevator. Karina screamed. She screamed in frustration and anger. Even as he father wrestled her arm behind her back and Scott held the very scissors she cut him with to her cheek. She was not having any of this. She hated every moment of it. "I will never marry you. I will never let myself become your belonging, no matter what you do to me." Her dress ripped more as Karina continued to struggle. Her father tried to drag her to the elevator, and as soon as they were in away from any more guards, Karina stomped back onto her fathers foot trying to break it before twisting, using her other free arm to try and elbow him in the throat. She just needed to get him down long enough to get his tablet thing that he was carrying and the keys away so she could get away. "Stupid girl." He dodged her attack before dragging her hands down and grabbing a pair of cuffs from his belt, He then took a shock collar and put it around her neck. "Congratulations." The elevator door opened as they went down a long hallway. He threw her into a cell in a large empty prison. "You're the first Sanctuary resident to be sent to Maximum Security. You will stay here and you will fester until you are ready to do as you are told." He reached out his tablet and pushed a few buttons. "But don't worry, you can watch your friends in the meanwhile..." A small screen was visible in the center of the room for Karina to see. It was a view of Prison Block G, where all her friends were. "You're going to watch as I prosecute each and every one of them to the maximum penalty." How could all her training lead to nothing. She didn't manage to do any damage to her father, instead he simply locked her hands behind her back, immobilizing her. When she couldn't move her hands efficiently anymore, he managed to get some sort of collar around her neck. Karina wasn't sure what it was, but she wasn't liking the look of it. Her father pushed her down a long hallway, and the quietness of the area was bothersome to her as he father explained just where she got herself. "I am so glad that I get this privilege." Karina tried to put on a brave voice as she was thrown into a cell. A screen popped up in the middle and Karina stared at all her friends together, some in cells, but some of them free. "Don't you dare hurt them!" Karina snarled out at her father. As she did a sharp pain pulsed through her neck, leaving Karina gasping for air. Instinctively she tried to reach up to grab at her collar, but she couldn't with her arms behind her. She struggled against the manacles, trying to get free, but instead they were just cutting into her wrists. "Get this thing off of me!" She called to her father again as it zapped her once more and Karina was forced to her knees. Karina found herself slouched forward with tear in her eyes as she tried to fight off the pain long enough to keep speaking. 15/30
Hearing a knock at the door, Karina stiffened from where she now sat on her bed. Had it been half an hour already? It had to have been given the dressing and pimping her mom did, but the time really did go by fast. Karina looked down and waited, whether she said something or not her father would enter. Xares opened the door. "You're decent. Good." He moved out of the way and made room for Karina's betrothed to be. Into the room sauntered a rough, handsome looking man. He shot a tender smile towards Karina. "She looks simply breath taking," he spoke in a deep voice. "I never thought you'd get her in a dress General," he chuckled to Xares. "A little conviction goes a long way," he reassured. The man stepped forward and grabbed Karina by the shoulders tenderly. "I, Scott Stomond... Will make you the happiest wife." He caressed her cheek."Don't make it too much of an easy marriage though. I enjoy that spitfire spirit of yours," "Oh is that what you are calling blackmail now?" Karina would have crossed her arms if she could move that much, but the shoulders of the dress was too tight to do much. Karina tried to not show the disgust as Scott touched her, but that didn't work too well. It was clear as she flinched away and then pushed up off the bed to stand up and move away from Scott, glaring at him. "I highly doubt you can make me happy." Xares glared at his daughter in disapproval, hoping she would fall back in line. "Don't worry," he ran his thumb against the corner of her mouth. "I have my ways," he smiled. "As long as I am stuck back in our world and away from my friends, then I will not ever just be the happy little wife of your dreams." She never said she wouldn't do it, but she was not going to be happy about it and just fall in line so easily, despite her fathers wishes. "Don't worry sweetie, you can always make new friends. Besides... When you mother our children, you'll be kept plenty busy anyhow." Oh that was it, she could feel her hand trembling at her side as it was a struggle to keep it there. "Come closer and tell me that again." She might not have punched him yet, but her temper was getting the better of her at that moment. She couldn't keep her mouth shut. He went in closer. "I'm going to give you-" 14/30
Well now that she was alone, Karina supposed that she needed to make sure that everything was secure. She told her mother not to take the clothes, but her father would certainly take them when he saw them still sitting there. He might take them anyways just because he thought it looked too messy. Taking the clothes, Karina started to shove them under the bed and out of sight. While it wasn't a good long run solution, she hoped that she didn't actually need it for the long run. Ideally she would like to get out of here before her father thought it was needed to take a close look at the state of her bedroom. That only left one thing to do though. She needed hide the scissors she stole in such a way that she could use it later. Given how tight the sleeves were, it took a few tries, but Karina managed to get the scissors up her sleeve where it would be hidden at least for a little while. If she kept her arms in front of her or at her side, she could keep it hidden for quite some time. 13/30
Grabbing a set of scissors, Karina's mother stood behind her and started to clean up the ends of her hair. "Your hair used to be so long and beautiful." Karina decided that it was not worth replying. She didn't regret cutting her hair, it felt better having it shorter and out of her face more. Though she did admit that she probably hadn't done a good job in cutting her hair, which is why her mother now sat there trimming up the ends and evening it out. When she was done, she started to braid Karina's bangs back out of her hair, where it would meet with some sort of fancy bun, which Karina never bothered to learn to do. While her mother did that however, Karina slowly slid the scissors under her jacket, which was fold beside her. It took a few minutes for her mother to finish, but when she did, she simply collected her things and went to take Karina's clothes. "Don't take those." Karina instantly put her hand on the pile of clothes. "Oh, I was just going to clean them for you." But Karina doubted that she would get her clothes back if her mom cleaned them. It wasn't even the scissors she worried about, but she didn't wish lo lose anything in that pile. The coat was a reminder of the Black Coats group, and Lea who helped drag her out of a seemingly bottomless pit. The pants were from Beuce when things had gone all wrong, even if she didn't think she deserved it. Her pouch of keychains. She would never let that go. "Don't bother. If you take them dad won't give them back and you know it." She stated hoping her mother would understand. "Alright. Don't do anything too reckless." Karina could have sword there was a hint of a smile as he mom looked at her clothes. She hadn't missed the fact that the scissors were missing, but she didn't seem to be doing anything about it. For that she was thankful. However with that, the guards let her mother and and she was left alone once more. 12/30
Karina sat quietly before her mother as she cleaned and bandaged her hand. Her mother didn't speak to her much as she set to work bandaging the hand, but observing how quiet Karina was being eventually poured her another glass of whiskey. "It takes your mind off of things." She said quietly, her own bit of help for her daughter. Karina only nodded as she took a sip trying to hide the wince of pain as a small shard of mirror was dug out of her skin. Soon enough however her hand was cleaned and bandaged up to some extent. It was not perfect, but Karina had guesses why that would be. It would be unladylike to show the bandages, it was best to hide them, and since Karina saw no gloves with the dress, there would be nothing to hide the bandages with if they went any lower. With that done, Karina's mom picked up the dress and started to undo the ties on the back, before trying to help Karina out of her own clothes. "I can at least undress myself." She didn't need her mother doing everything for her. It hurt though, as she took off the pouch strapped to her leg. She remembered throwing it on the ground before she got her keyblade up. Ignis had picked them up and made sure that she kept them. There was no place to keep her keychains in a dress though. Her necklace was something that Karina didn't touch however. She would not lose that, and her mother, thankfully didn't question anything instead staring at the marks on Karina's now bare back. "I thought they would heal better." Her mothers quiet voice beckoned behind her as a cold hand touched her back. "Yeah, well they didn't have time to heal properly for a while when I was on the run." Karina snapped more than she expected, which set her mother to going back to trying to dress her. Karina stepped into the pink dress as her mother brought it up and started to lace up the back, tightly. Karina found it almost too tight. She couldn't move her arms properly, she could hardly breath as her mother tightened the back as tight as she could possibly make it. It was impossible to slouch like this. The sleeves came down low enough to cover most of the back of her hands, as it came to a point with a ring to go around her middle finger, holding the sleeves in place. "You look lovely, now sit, let me clean up your hair." Karina was thankful she broke the mirror. She didn't want to see herself right now, she refused to see herself in this state, embarrassed by it. She started to play with her necklace slowly, it was all she could do not to do something reckless that would have her father locking up her friends for good. 11/30
Didn't he know that he was already doing something far worse to her. At least alone in a cell she could have some peace and quiet and would be left to her own devices. Here she didn't know when her father would walk in and she honestly would prefer to be locked away than become anyone's belonging again. But she couldn't punish her friends by taking that choice, because if she kept resisting, her father would ensure that all the trails were rigged against them. Karina looked down and rubbed her wrist, bruises already forming from the way he was holding her. "Right, down the isle with bruises. That is still two months away, I am sure you can get a lot more damage in by then." Karina mumbled to herself as she rubbed her tender wrist looking at how much of a mess that arm was. Between the way her dad had grabbed her, and her punching the mirror, it was just a mess. She considered yelling at the camera that she had killed Uniform, just as a way of flipping her father off, but Karina figured she needed to wait until after her friends got out before that would be a safe choice. Just as she was pacing and thinking, Karina heard the door open again. Two guards stood before it as they stepped aside to let her mom in, and then locked the door behind her. Of course her father would have thought of everything, knew that she could overpower her mom and make a break for it if she wanted, and Karina would have if it weren't so clear that she had no key to this room of her own. Her mother held a pink dress in her arms as she walked in in complete silence. "Come, lets get you cleaned up and changed." Her mother spoke in a soft voice and averted her gaze. She wondered what sort of instructions were given to her before coming. Likely something that prevented her mother from seeming to care that she was here. Even if her mother faithfully followed her father, she was never bad to Karina. From what Eric was telling her, it seemed like her mother was excited that she was home, but she showed none of that as she stepped toward the bed, laying the dress out. Her father sent her in as a servant, not a mother, and Karina couldn't help but pity her. 10/30
Her mind screamed at her that he was lying, her father had to be lying, but the way he said it. Karina knew enough of her father to know the tones he used when he lied, this wasn't one of them. He was being serious and she could tell her father wielded power her. "Will you let them go? If I say yes, will you let them go?" She finally asked, there was defeat in her voice, but she couldn't let her friends pay for her own messed up life. She had promised not to go back to her father, but if that mean half her friends never being free, could she live with that? She didn't think she could because she found a family with these people. She wouldn't punish them for her actions and decisions. "If you promise, on your honour that they will be free, then I will put on the damn dress." 9/30
Of course she didn't get a hit him. Karina wasn't surprised that her father evaded her and now had her pinned. Her arm groaned in pain as grit her teeth, unable to even look at her father anymore. "Have you ever considered that they are lying." Beuce would know better, know better than to trust her father. He knew the pain her father had caused her and in the half an hour that he was gone, she was sure that he didn't manage to convince Beuce otherwise. Karina grunted in pain as her father tightened his grip on her arm. Her eyes watered a bit as her father spoke into her ear. "I will not." She retorted, kicking back at her father as hard as she could before trying to shake him off the best she could. "I will never marry Scott!" She roared her proclamation. 8/30
