But In Your Arms, There is Peace (SSoDI-N)

[DanteMGalileo]

"... Urk..."

Upon materializing in the church's garden, Liderc placed a hand to his stomach, feeling nauseous. By Faravahar in whatever realm he may dwell, what had he done? Why did he do it? Why did he make me kill him?! No, why did I kill him?! He made me kill him! There had to have been another way! This was the only way and you know it.

Calm yourself, or you'll get another one of those splitting command locus pain episodes!

I AM PERFECTLY FINE!!

No you're not!

Yes I am!

No you're not!

Yes I am!

Who am I talking to!?

"G-urgh...!" Quickly conjuring up another bucket composed of molten rock, Liderc brought the thing to his face, and began to wretch. Green. Slick. Chunks of tissue mixed in. The bucket ignited, and yet, he still continued to fill it back up as the contents burned.

When his episode was over, Liderc found himself trying to find something he could use as a mirror, to survey the damage he had taken. Not just from his fight with the demonic girl, but his own sickness.

"... It doesn't do you good to hide in the shadows like that. At least not when it comes to me."

[DMis]

"So killing your half brother.... Then fighting a possessed pink hairless monkey..." A familiar voice offered as a mint skinned being stepped out of the shadows. She looked at Liderc with disappointment. "Keruv... What drove you to do these things?"

[DanteMGalileo]

"... You know I'm not accustomed to failure... and that I'm a vindictive man," Liderc replied, looking up at Sophi, shoving the bucket of bodily fluids out of sight. His wings- ah, there's the one the dragon clawed- wrapped around his bare torso, concealing the ancient, ugly scars from sight as they fluffed up in the chilly night air. "I don't... I don't have time for failure. You know why. You just caught me having a sick episode..."

You are but a beast with a handsome face.
Do not deny this.
You crave blood.
You must fulfill your destiny.

"... You know my time is... limited," Liderc admitted, gesturing for the mint angel to join him. "Even more than we suspected. I have to carry out my obligations, settle my scores... Before I can't. Before I become physically unable to." He bit back another bought of bloody vomit for her sake. "You know what I did. You're the one angel in this entire bloody fleet I trust..." He exposed his wrist to her, revealing the self-inflicted bite wounds.

"My soul is already condemned as it is. How will what I've done now affect it? And yet... my victory over Sampati... why does it feel so... empty? Why does this blade feel so much heavier, now that it is stained with my treacherous brother's filthy blood?"

[DMis]

"Expell if you need to. I've got an iron stomach remember," Sophi replied as she sat with him. "Because he wasn't the problem. Neither is his twin. They're distractions and they always have been. Higher ups have been talking and things are getting lobbed around...." She paused for a moment. "It probably just needs cleaned." It was odd for her to jump subjects like that.

[DanteMGalileo]

"I can just wash away the blood, but I can't take back what I've done," Liderc replied. "You know... you know what I've done. I've come too far to turn back. When I... when I do... well, when I do the thing that I told you about..." He pulled out the jagged sword, studying the dark yellow stains still left upon the blade. "I will be disowned from House Serapis and dishonourably discharged from the Paradiso fleet."

So, you do acknowledge it.
You beast.

"True, Sampati and Fenella are just distractions," Liderc admitted, putting the filthy blade away. The less he had to look at it, the better. "But you know I'm not going to last much longer, and I don't just mean physically." He dragged himself closer to Sophi. "When I carry out... well... that... my personality as we know it will effectively cease to exist. I... I'm sorry, Sophi, but I've made up my mind." He let out a low sigh, looking down at his lap.

"... But before then... I'm glad to have called you my best friend... my only real friend."

[DMis]

Sophi nodded. "I'll note the smushy feelings for later. But even if you are discharged and disowned... You did what you had to. And I will see that you are remembered for that," she offered. "As long as I live, I promise."

[DanteMGalileo]

"... Heh..."

He... really didn't deserve a friend like her. Most people would have made a shot at his wings for what he was planning by now. "And you know that... well... even if I wasn't planning to do that, that I don't have much time left. The physicians said my lifespan would be less than the lowliest Ferro, perhaps fifteen hundred years..." He coughed into his hand, green splattering the pale flesh. Well, at least there weren't any chunks this time.

"... It went down to ten thousand. And now, I believe that even in an ideal world, I wouldn't even make it to that." He frowned at his bloody hand, the implications thereof. "... You can sense it, right? This... ailment of mine..." Liderc looked away from his hand, at Sophi. "I can feel the locomotion enablers and connective tissues of my wings weakening. I'm... going to die anyway..."

[DMis]

Sophi nodded. "I can. You almost look as terrible as the day I learned of your sickness... I'm still not turning my back on you. You're still the Keruv and my closest confidant," she replied.

[DanteMGalileo]

"... It's strange, isn't it?" Liderc stated, looking up at the sky, slowly starting to turn red and orange. "We know I'm going to die. I've resolved to do this, go out on my own terms." He sighed, brushing a stray piece of hair off his shoulder, shuffling closer to Sophi. "And yet..."

I regret not being able to tell you everything now, while I'm still alive.

"... I feel at peace. Like there's nobody here but us. Thank you. For everything."

[DMis]

Sophi nodded. "You're welcome," she offered softly as she let him rest against her.