'Revival' in C sharp

Staying at Karinaâ€s? How could she say no? Sure, Seraphim had some responsibilities back at her apartment, but honestly, she wanted to have one more day on her own. Alison would certainly need her attention later, but surely Tracy could help take care of that. It was good having the Kawaii living with her now. Not only was she like a younger sister too, and they both trained together, but Alison really got along with Tracy, and she could help take care of the sick girl while Seraphim was away. Which sadly, that was the only downside to White Gale, she didnâ€t get as much free time as she used to.

After saying goodbye and thanking Sindel for staying there with her for the night, Seraphim got herself ready to head over to Karinaâ€s. Having gotten used to long days in the AFW, Seraphim was smart enough to carry around a gym back nowadays, and fortunately was a spare change of clothing. Once again, it showed that for a street rat who grew up with no dignity or a scrap of manners, she had grown to become quite a well mannered person who even cared on her appearance. She was wearing a pair of neatly ironed, black dress pants, the bottoms tucked into shin high black boots that easily went past ten crosses of lacing. Then for a shirt, she had a gray, long sleeved, collared dress shirt. It had cuffs that she rolled back a little, and although it was tucked in with a black leather belt, the top button was undone, revealing the neck of a simple, white t-shirt. Then of course, sporting her infamous black eyepatch, one could say it put a whole new perspective on Seraphim, certainly making her look more professional, but with a touch of her dark side still there.

The girl entered along with Karina, a little surprised that it was a house, and not some apartment. But now that she thought about it, the Era of Hell probably paid pretty well. Still, a whole house for one person seemed a little unnecessary, but who was she to judge? ‘Then again… didnâ€t she say she had a sister?â€

“Hey thanks again.” Seraphim said with a calm smile, still walking a little slow, being careful with her sore wounds, but feeling a Heck of a lot better than she did yesterday evening, as she passed the couch Karina sat on, making a suggestion, followed by a question. “Ya know… I can cook if you want. Iâ€m not half bad if I do say so myself. Home cooked meals are a lot healthier than take out all the time.” Again displaying her desire to mostly eat healthy, Seraphim was happy to make the offer, in fact she worried a bit about Karinaâ€s diet. Before she got an answer though, Seraphim had to ask, just wanting to get something out of the way while she could. “Oh, and can I use your phone? Need to make an important call.” A sense of worry in her voice, it sounded like it was urgent. And to Seraphim, it was the most important thing she could do right now.

The house did give out a strange vibe once Seraphim would walk furter into her house, as if she was being watched from all sides, if was a odd and cold feeling, like one would get from feeling a sudden gust of cold air against the back of their necks. Karina listened to Seraphim while she tapped her finger frequently upon one of the buttons of her remote, zapping through channels untill finding something worth watching but kept the volume on 0 once she heard Seraphim asking to make a phone call. " Sure, the phone is right over there.. " She pointed at the large table the black phone was on, a little high tech with a touch screen and all that. Karina thought about what Seraphim had offered.. She never had someone cooking for her and she was also curious as to what Seraphim could cook. " Hmmm.. Well, if you want to cook, I'll let you.. But teach me to cook too! "

Karina looked over at Seraphim with a grin before she'd relax on the comfy couch, wiggling her back against it to really get comfortable, she really needed something soft instead of those hard pillows in the hospital, she was glad to be out of it, even though se had gotten free, good food.

Hoo-boy, teach her? Doing it was one thing, Seraphim had always been a good cook when she hadnâ€t been stuck stealing food on the streets. Heck, believe it or not, she learned from prison back when she was stuck on kitchen duty! But, aside from teaching people how to fight, she really didnâ€t have confidence in her teaching skills, and last thing she wanted was for Karina to chop off a finger or something! “Umm… h-hold that thought.” Seraphim said with a sweatdrop, walking slowly over to the phone as she settled her gym bag full of her things beside the large table, before picking up the phone. At first, Seraphim blinked a few times, trying to figure out the buttons. Call her old fashioned, but aside from the basics to a computer, she really wasnâ€t fond of much technology. But with how she grew up, who could blame her? “Er… how do I…? Oh, I-I get it.” One of those damned touchy-pad thingy-majigs… ugh she hated it, but a phone was a phone none the less. And after a minute, she dialed the number.

She seemed nervous though, eventually turning het back to Karina as it rang, biting the edge of he lips when it hit the fourth time and still no one picked up. Fortunately, just as the machine did, she heard an all too familiar voice, and a concerned smile came to her lips. “Hey, Alison! How are ya feelin�”
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“Uh-huh, good-good. So Tracyâ€s been helping you out?”
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“Yea, guess I owe her, glad you two are getting along.”
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“I thiiiink sheâ€s got a match later. So, youâ€ll be on your own. Do you think youâ€ll be okay?”
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“Well I made a new friend and was going to stay. Kinda needed to rest too after-“
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“N-No, of course Iâ€m fine! H-Hey, you know me.”
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“*Sigh* Iâ€ll try and be more careful, donâ€t worry ‘bout me.
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“Yea, I should be back tonight and-“
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“I thought… I thought I did?”
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“..Alright, donâ€t worry. I just made some extra money after my last match. It should be able to just cover the last doctor bills and the medication.”
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“Youâ€ll be fine, just rest, okay? Iâ€ll see you tonight and make you something special. If youâ€re hungry before then I left you something in the fridge, directions taped to it.”
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“Okay, good. Just… donâ€t push yourself, okay? Bye Alison-chan.”

Finally she hung up the phone, and with another sigh, a rather blunt looking face crossed her features. The white haired girl would then reach into her gym bag, fishing out from the smaller side pouches what looked to be a pack of cigarettes, the brown and white pack named in Swedish, but with the center saying in English ‘Bold Trooperâ€. Without a second guess, she plucked one of the dark brown cigarettes in between her lips, and leaned herself against the wall by the table, propping a foot up as she tilted her head back a little, looking quite stressed all of the sudden, but rather blunt as well. “..You donâ€t mind if I smoke, do ya?” Seraphim asked, sounding like right now she really needed it after that phone call.

Karina idly kept zapping while Seraphim spoke, then after a while of actually finding something, a comedy show no less. She looked up once Seraphim asked her something and shrugged with a grin " Go ahead, I'm not bothered by it. You can sit if you want, I don't bite. Only if I'm hungry. " Karina smirked teasingly at Seraphim before she'd place the remote on the table, watching the screen now while she thought about some things.. The Era of Hell knew where she lived but Lute said they wouldn't attack her, then there was Seraphim, now that Karina was a part of the White Gale, what would she expect?

Karina couldn't think for long though, her head still hurt from that match and that's where she suddenly started to grin, looking over at Seraphim. " Hey.. Let's heal up quickly, I want to fight you again. Best time of my life.. Made me completel forget about everything and were it not for those two bitches, we might've really gone overboard! " Karina then got back up walking to the kitchen and past Seraphim, deciding to check through various closests just to see if she had any health food. " Let's see.. "

For some reason, just for a moment, when Karina said she didnâ€t bite, Seraphim actually wanted to say ‘doubt it.†And that followed by an image in the girlâ€s mind of seeing Karina with a row of shark teeth, before taking a bit bite out of Seraphim. The white haired vixen actually paused for a moment at that thought and Karinaâ€s words, blinking like an idiot. â€Man… my mindâ€s been messed up lately.†She thought to herself, before shaking such silly thoughts aside.

Instead, she just chose to let it sink away with the spark of her lighter, fishing out a black and white striped one before clicking it and lighting her cigarette. She immediately took a long drag of it, exhaling a large cloud of smoke as she sighed pleasantly. “Nnhh.. fuck thatâ€s good…” Though she wasnâ€t a heavy smoker, the girl did find herself needing one when she was incredibly stressed, and right now, it felt as good as sex to have the cancer stick between her pink lips, taking another long puff. Karina would soon catch the scent of it, only it smelled… sweet? Ever so faintly, mixed in the smoke, there was a small, lingering scent of cocoa in it, proving they werenâ€t just a normal couple of cancer sticks.

Following Karina into the kitchen, Seraphim was acting a lot more casual and rugged now, the image of her almost looking more like a villain at the moment, sporting an eyepatch, a dull look in her eyes, smoking a cigarette as she had her hands shoved in her pockets, it certainly portrayed another side of Seraphim, one who just needed a break from leading such a good example, and to be like her old self. Although, when Karina did make that comment about their match, Seraphim did have to ask, sounding just a little blunt even though it was a serious question. “You know, for being the ‘best time of your life,†you certainly came off at first like a hormonal bitch on her period. ‘The Hell made you so pissed at the beginning of our tussle?”

Karina froze when she heard Serphim's question about her behaviour before the match. Karina remember exactly what hapened.. Her sister betrayed her right infront of her and everything just went bad for her.. She couldn't stop holding her guitar and always smashed something outside, luckily there was nothing broken in her house. Karina turned to look at Seraphim, leaning her back against the counter of the kitchen table, closing her eyes so she could not see the grl even though she was going to talk to her, for some reason, whenever she looked at Seraphim and remember her past... It felt like she needed to break own and cry, she wasn't sure how Seraphim kept doing this, maybe deep inside Karina was.. No.. Karina found herself a monster, nobody could love her, even her litle sister scolded her.

" Less then two days before the match.. My little sister betrayed me while we went to Cerbera's house.. I don't know how or why.. The day before we.. Well.. Slept together and really loved eachother as sisters.. It made me happy... SOMETHING happened while I left er with Cerbera, she was asleep.. Then later when she woke up, she attacked meand hit my forehead with some gem or something Cerbera carried with her and knocked me out. Afterwards I woke up and I was.. Angry.. Like very angry.. I couldn't stop wanting to hurt or break everything around me and I was forced to control it untill fighting you. "

Seraphim still carried that hard, chiseled attitude of hers right now, like she was intentionally trying to distance herself a bit from Karina. She needed to a little right now, Seraphim had too many things going on in her head right now that she felt like a ticking time bomb. It may have come off as a little rude, but it was her best way of protecting her friends from herself, and more importantly, just to keep her fragile mind intact. So, trying to distract herself a little, Seraphim used one hand to shuffle through the food that was here, trying to find something to work with. Spices, basic ingredients, just some form of food she could actually cook. But in the end, it looked like they would have to order out, because there was no way Seraphim was going to head out shopping right now, and with what little Karina had, it was just impossible. How on earth did she live like this??

Closing the cabinet, she turned back to Karina, and as the girl went on to explain, Seraphim felt her blunt facade fading a little, and she plucked the cigarette from her mouth, resting it between her middle and pointer finger as she listened. Even though Seraphim was feeling quite awful herself about a lot of things, there was no doubt that Karina was suffering too. Had Sindel not come, Seraphim would have just been a complete wreck, but right now, she at least had it in her to offer some support, reaching out to rest her hand on Karinaâ€s shoulder, patting her casually for a moment, silently also feeling a ping of jealousy again from the kimono. “..It sounds like theyâ€ve really been pulling a number on you. Iâ€m glad youâ€re outta there before they did anything worse.” Slowly but surely, the blunt tone in Seraphim faded, until finally, she looked at Karina with her crimson eye, and managed a small smile in the corner of her lips, hoping to cheer her up a little. There was a lot that Seraphim still wanted to know. What her sister was like and to meet her, what this was about some gem that seemed to instigate her anger, and what they were truly going to do now and how to help. But in the end, she knew she could at least offer support, and be there for when Karina needed it most. “Hey, ‘Women from Hell†or not, I can tell youâ€re a good person deep down. …Weâ€ll fix this, Iâ€m going to try my hardest to help even if I have to crawl out of a coffin to do it.”

Karina said nothing anymore once Seraphim had placed her hand on her shoulder, looking up at her for a moment before she'd move her hand to the hand that was on her shoulder and slowly removed it, suddenly staring deep into Seraphim's eyes. There was one thing she hated.. One thing she learned from Lute and suddenly spoke out harshly. " Deal with your own problems first. I don't... " Karina would walk past Seraphim again to head back to the couch to grab her guitar. " ...Want to lose you too. " It sounded odd, but thinking about what had happened in the Era of Hell.. How fast she lost her sister within minutes.. She atleast had to cherish her friendship with Seraphim.

Karina took her seat back on the couch and took a hold of her guitar, pulling it up and holding it closer against her chest, her fingers gently stroking over the strings, her eyelids starting to close completely and started to whisper to herself. " ..Whisper me a melody.. " Karina's head hung low and rested against the guitar, holding it very close against her body now as if it was slowly starting to die, it seemed so important for Karina as it was held like a long lost lover, her fingers gently stroking over the cords, one by one and up and down, waiting for something to happen, like it was play by itsself, ignoring Seraphim, the TV, everything around her.

What… was that about? Seraphim had just been looking towards Karina in a manner to cheer her up some, but the way she stared so intently back, it brought an unsettling feeling to Seraphim, leaving her speechless for a few seconds, especially after what Karina said. The girl was right though, and Seraphim wanted to kick herself in the teeth for not thinking it sooner, how she needed to take care of herself before anyone else. It was a lot easier said than done though, as Seraphim had her responsibilities. She had White Gale, which was a group of people by now. Fortunately, Sindel was there to help, but sometimes Seraphim wasnâ€t sure if it was still possible with the two of them. Then there was Alison… her only friend from the past, and slowly but surely, the girl was dying no matter how hard Seraphim tried. Her list of responsibilities just went on, and no matter what, even as Karina told her she had to deal with her own problems… it still felt impossible. She just couldnâ€t ignore seeing a friend in pain, it was her biggest weak point.

Out of habit, she stuck the now half way finished cigarette in between her lips, after dropping the ash in the sink, making sure to avoid any dishes as she did. The rest of the time though, her eyes were on Karina, watching the kimono clad warrior sit on the couch, looking like she was ready to just drift off into her own world. And then, when she grabbed the guitar, Seraphim just felt awkward, watching this all in a way that was just… off. She held the guitar so deeply, that it looked like it was the only thing that meant anything to her right now. Luteâ€s words echoed in the back of her mind, and again, Seraphim found herself getting conflicted again. Just… what was she supposed to do? The girl seemed to become obsessed, almost hypnotized with the thing as she held it, like the world around her faded away. Seraphim thought for a moment, maybe it should have been taken away. And yet… was it really the right thing to do? She hated being stuck with a decision like this, but something had to be done.

“You… care about that thing too much.” Seraphim finally said, letting out a long exhale and throwing the cigarette in the trash when it had burnt out before she started to slowly walk over to Karina. “Lute… she said I should take it away from you. I donâ€t want to see you upset or angry without it, but I canâ€t stand seeing you in the same state with it…” Not taking an action yet, Seraphim hoped that maybe Karina had something to say about it. The girl was starting to make Seraphim feel a little unsettled, and she wanted things to be calm and peaceful between them, but she knew this topic of discussion was going to really be a test to see if they were meant to be friends or not.

Karina started to tilt her head to the side, looking over at Seraphim but not saying anything to her.. It seemed like the girl was going to stay silent and ignore Seraphim but slowly but surely, she started to turn to look down at the guitar, bringing it away from her chest and look straight at it. She remember what it was like having always hugged the guitar and loving it while having no one else around.. Much like a cat playing with a ball of yarn and never letting anyone take it from it, that's how it was for Karina and her guitar, even though she was so fond of her guitar, she couldn't help but frown. These past two days.. It have been alot for her, like everything she did wrong in her life just came back to realization today, looking back up at Seraphim and sighd. " Maybe.. You're right.. But maybe.. You're wrong.. You know what Hell is like.. How much your life sucks.. You cling on the things most important to you.. My guitar was all I ever had untill yesterday, where I got to know you.. Befriend you.. And even... " Karina trailer off afterwads, thinking about her next words carefully, she finally had a friend she could depend on.. She had one other and for some reason.. She wanted to tell Seraphim everything..

" If you take it away.. All I have is you and you're never around.. Lute knows what it's like, really... What this guitar is for me.... ... Cerbera is for Lute. " Karina released a sighed and reluctantly.. She began to drop her guitar on the ground " You know how it feels.. To be called a monster, that can't love..? Even the Era of Hell called me that.. Just a strong weapon..A tool, well, you know. It's funny, how only Lute could see me differet, if it weren't for her, we probably never met. She was the one who told me, out of all people, to get in a match with you, even in my angered, hatefull state.. I couldn't deny what she said. She knew this was gonna happen and asking you that, she knew my answer would be. " Karina would stare at her guitar for a while, a soft smile appearing on her lips as she watched it's frame but most of all, the memories she shared with it. " I'm keeping it.. " Which was probably not the answer Seraphim wanted but Karina resumed a few seconds afterwards. " But you come first, allow me to help you. "