Tiph Nightshade: ::Tiphareth was seated, well, more like curled up into an Armani clad ball of hybrid in a corner of the richly upholstered crimson velvet loveseat in the great room, her arms wrapped around her knees, hugging them to her chest. Her expression was lowly, meek, innocent almost, and she looked for all the world like a lost and frightened child. She trembled and shuddered from time to time, murmuring what seemed to be nothing more than gibberish, in fact it was her own alien language, which none, save herself and her partner could speak and comprehend. Over the arm of the small sofa was strewm Darrian's trench. Haunted glowing orbs flit over the room, and she occasionally blinked or teared, yet she was seeing absolutely nothing.::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::Having received no answer to his knocks, he had let himself in. As always when he entered the curious manor, he was taken aback by it's size. His estate was large, but spread out. This place was simply huge. Walking down it's hallways, his boots echoing eerily throughout the halls, he glanced down the various side passages, searching for sign of life. This place creeped him out half the time. The place wasn't scary to him, just.....eerie. His stride casual and relaxed, his posture tall he wore his norm as of late. His secondary weapon, his longsword, forged of mithril and platinum, hung at his waist. Reaching the door of the main room of this level, he pulled on it's handles, his jade eyes peering into the room.:: Hello? Is anybody home?? ::His voice echoed slightly, though not as much as the hall, for this room was furnished rather nicely. The Nightshades, though not having guests often, were obviously ones for comfortable living.::

Tiph Nightshade: ::She started, finally registering the opening of the front door, and shook her head approaching violently, in attempts to clear the fog that had settled onto her brain. She tensed and peered to the room's entrance, wishing in vain that Darrian was around.. In her present state of mind, she couldn't really apperceive a whole lot, but it was most definitely not her husband's voice she heard ringing into the room. For him to ask such a thing would be less than fitting anyway, but her reason did not trail along that far. She blinked rapidly and narrowed her eyes, chanting a laughably short and simple spell to light the chandelier that hung from the ceiling of the story above, brightening up the previously darkened room, the only thing that had been able to be seen in the shadows, were her glowing eyes. Seeing Jacen, she wondered what he could possibly be doing here, letting himself in as if he owned the place. She settled her chin onto her knees, relaxing slightly, not bothering to get up:: You wanted something? ::In a tired and forced tone::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He stood in the doorway, his jade orbs falling upon Tiph. He breahed a quiet sigh of relief. After all Nich had told him, he had been quite concerned for her. He gestured behind him as he spoke up, loudly enough to be clearly heard from across the room.:: I knocked for many minutes. No one answered.... ::Unable to keep his gnawing curiosity aside any longer, he took a few small strides into the room, his face mirroring an expression of concern for one of the few he held among his friends.:: Tiph, Nich told me that she came here the other day and found nothing but Damian and blood. Your blood. I was concerned, else I would never have barged in like this. Is everything alright Tiph?

Tiph Nightshade: ::She nodded over zealously:: Fine fine peachy keen hunky dory. We are all just perfect here. ::She trailed off and muttered something in the foreign tongue, choking and frantically smoothing her silken chestnut brown tresses, though they had been their usual brown perfection to begin with. She fingered gingerly over the still bruised cheek and then dropped the hand again to clutch her knees to her shaking form, nearly drowning in the oversized suit of her husband, the tie of which was tied in a knot, and added a little more of a comical look to her already odd appearance. She sneezed quietly, and leaned back, jaws chattering, against the loveseat.:: Nich said... so you've talked to her then? That's ::She paused for a painfully long moment:: good, maybe. Yes, everything is ::She hummed and looked at the chandelier, then whispered:: Good... There's no blood. You see any blood? Not me, nope.. No blood here..

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He nodded slowly to her question, chosing to ignore the obvious lie.:: Yes I've seen Nich. We are working things out. Slowly but surely... ::A small smile crossed his lips as he looked down, almost boyishly, his voice softening a bit.:: She's feeding of her own will again. ::Regaining his composure once more, he looked up and to her once more.:: Because there's no blood does not mean that there wasn't any blood at all. That trick won't work. ::He took a few more steps towards her, coming to a stop a few feet from her.:: I see you've taken to wearing Darrian's clothes once more.. ::Gently prodding, already able to tell the problem but trying to get her to tell it to him herself, he pressed lightly.:: If I recall, the last time you did this, you had been without seeing him for some time...has he been around Tiph?

Tiph Nightshade: ::She stared up at him as if she'd been slapped, her mouth dropping open, and then closing, and opening again in a continuous pattern, as if she was fighting to choke some word or phrase out that simply refused to come. She abruptly clamped her mouth shut, pained glowing twins still locked onto him, clawing at the soft flesh directly behind her left ear with her left hand and then just as suddenly, shoving the hand deeply into the left front pocket on the suit coat.:: I dunno if you know this, but an armored suit can only feel comfortable for so long, until I need a change.. ::She quieted down, scooching down further into the oversized suit, wriggling her head part way down into the coat, until her neck was out of view, looking somewhat like a turtle retreating into the security of it's shell:: this smells like him..

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He shrugged his shoulders and let that one go as well.:: I was merely wondering what has become of my drinking partner. Haven't seen him in a while.. ::He shrugged again and turned away. Walking over to the small coffee table that occupied the room, he picked up a small, gold framed picture of the family. It was a nice picture, he had never seen it before. Darrian, as stylish as ever, stood behind Tiph, who was dressed in a rather elegant and attractive gown, holding baby Damian who was wearing a mini replica of Darrian's armani suit. Amazingly they had managed to capture a moment when Damian was sitting still, had a smile on his face, and was actually facing the camera. From the small expression of impatience on Tiph's face, this very well could have taken a while. Darrian had nothing but a loving smile on his face, his eyes locked to his son and wife. Jacen smiled, finding it rare to see Darrian smile, he thoroughly missed his friend. Still gazing at the picture, he spoke up:: This is a nice picture. I've never seen it before. Such a nice family you three make.

Tiph Nightshade: Three goddamned weeks I haven't seen him, heard from him, nothing. Three goddamned mother fucking weeks. I don't know what happened to him, he could be dead, he could be hurt, trapped.. Such a nice family we three make indeed.. I don't even know where my baby is. I woke up and he was just.. gone; maybe something ate him, maybe he ate something poisoned.. maybe.. maybe.. ::She whined softly and grabbed at the trench coat, pulling it over her head and hiding. She continued on with her whining for a minute or two until she could contain her gried no more, and cried, the "tent" of trench shaking slightly as her body was wracked with her sobs. Having held all of her anxiety and heartache in had not been a very good idea, but she hadn't really been able to do much else, and now letting it out was agonizing. She fell onto her side on the couch and just lied there, shining tears washing down her pallid, bruised slightly green cheeks, and wished to die::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::Quickly setting the picture back down, he rushed to her side, kneeling on the floor beside her. Reaching out to her, he softly stroked her hair, his voice soft and soothing:: Shh...Tiph, ssshhh....it's ok hun. Darrian is strong. Wherever he is, I'm sure he alright...don't cry. He will come back to you Tiph. He always has before hasn't he? And he's had some pretty tough jobs before... ::He scooted a bit closer, putting his arm fully about her, rubbing her back soothingly:: It will be ok Tiph. Sshh....

Tiph Nightshade: ::Tiphareth took in a slow, long, shuddery breath, her entire upper half trembling like a shaky leaf in the autumn winds, about to be torn from the anchor of it's stem to the branch that it'd budded from. She was entirely at the mercy of her emotions, which were presently kicked into overdrive and running amuck, deprived of her savior, she simply could not function. Never having gone this long without seeing him, not even by half, it all had been too much.:: Tough jobs yes there have been, absences yes there have been. But never this long. ::She raised her voice for even more emphasis, clenching a fist at her side until her knuckles went white.:: Never this long. Hell. It has never been even remotely close to this long. This is not ok, I am far from being ok, and I shudder to think what's become of him. I can't stand not knowing. I am clueless and agonizing, killing myself with worry and dread, and so fucking helpless to do anything about it. ::The shining azure Mako tears were still furiously spilling from her alien oculars, as she shoved herself to a sitting position and swallowed:: And what about Damian.. I call myself a mother, how could I lose my child.. ::She fell to silence then, entirely disgusted with herself.::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He spoke up eagerly, thankful for something he could answer confidently:: Damian is with Nich! ::He nodded quickly, and held out his finger to show her. Two small pricks decorated it:: I saw him just the other day. He's doing fine, the little rascal. ::He smiled softly, soothingly and stroked her back lightly once more, his expression becoming serious once more.:: Tiph I know you are scared and worried for Darrian. But working yourself into a fit like this will do you no good. You have to keep your patience and your faith in him. ::He nodded slowly:: Darrian will come back. He's misunderstood at times, but I know him. He is a good man. I know how much he loves you, Tiph. I know how much he loves Damian. He would never leave you.

Tiph Nightshade: The thought of him leaving me had never entered my head.. ::She was horrified:: until that. Leave me? Leave me!?! What are you trying to say? Oh my god.. ::She stumbled to her feet and staggered away, breaking into a full run after a moment, her form a literal blur of black fabric and brown flowing locks disappearing around the corner, headed for the kitchen. Once there, she froze in the center of the room, eyes glazed and unfocused, staring off at nothing. The cold crimson and obsidian tiles chilled the soles of her tiny bare feet, but she took no notice of it. Thumb and index finger of her right hand twisted her wedding band around her finger slowly, and she bit into her lower lip::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::Cursing himself for his lack of tactfulness, he sprung to his feet and quickly followed her.:: Tiph! I wasn't saying trying to say anything! He's not leaving you Tiph. Of course he's not. ::He stopped a few feet from her, his arms held down and open. He spoke softly to her, trying to soothe over her volatile mood:: Tiph, dear, you know he's not leaving you. It was stupid of me to have even said such a thing... ::he took small steps towards her as he spoke to her gently:: Let's just calm down... ::he didn't like the vibe that he got from the kitchen. Not one bit. All those knives...::

Tiph Nightshade: Of course he's not ::Her voice small and choked:: Of course he's not.. ::She was becoming quieter by the moment:: I just.. ::Her lower lip trembled, and she gave him a heart breaking look:: If Darrian were here, he would tell me to be strong, and have faith, and to take good care of Damian and not to worry... ::Drenching folds of the expensive Armani seemed to almost swallow her whole, as she walked mindlessly forward, to the sink, and hopped onto the counter, pressing one hand to the cold pane of glass, leaving a small handprint on the window. Rain trickled endlessly down it's surface, muddling her view of the water soaked world outside.:: But he's not here... and who will take care of me.. ::Her voice so soft it was barely audible::

JacenSilvermoon: ::He walked over beside her and leaned up against the counter beside her, turning to look at her as he spoke:: Tiph, if Dar were here, that's exactly what he would say, and he's right. You have to be strong. If not for yourself, for Damian's sake. Tiph, you're a warrior. You may be a mother, you may be a wife, but somewhere, you're still a warrior. You are made of tougher things than this. You have to be strong, you have to be brave. You have to take care of not only yourself, but for your son now Tiph. Do these things for him at the very least.

Tiph Nightshade: I was more of a killer than a warrior Jacen. They did things to me while I was still a helpless infant, that mutated my flesh and warped my mind to make me crave the bloodshed. Until Darrian, I cared for nothing else, I had no reason to.. I am made of horrid, disgusting things. Unspeakable things.. ::She trailed off, not wanting to discuss such things just now, even in her state of half sanity she knew that going into that would only serve to make her predicament much much worse.:: He became my strength, my world, my focus.. so that I stopped caring about all of those other things.. But when he's gone, I feel myself starting to slip back into it.. and when I try and fight it ::She paused and shuddered:: Bad things happen

Tiph Nightshade: ::Tiphareth turned slowly from the window, and the cold winter rain, her tear streaked, pale visage facing his. The tears were a glistening, uncannily thick consistency, an other wordly ooze in shining sapphire. Her eyes radiated their poison at a frenzied pace, casting an eerie azure glow. She sighed a bit and settled her hands in her lap, still twisting the wedding band around her ring finger, and put her feet against the separation between the sinks:: I don't mean to worry anyone, and I appreciate your caring.. but there's likely nothing that anyone can do about this. ::She raked one hand across her eyes, eradicating the tears. She shook her head sadly and her gaze wandered to the knife rack, lingered there for a split second, and she looked back to him once more:: I'll be fine ::Though she herself wasn't even sure that she could believe that::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He sighed softly and shook his head:: Tiph, he'll be back sooner than you think. Not sooner than you'd like, but sooner than you'd think. I know it seems so lonely without him, but he's not gone forever....

Tiph Nightshade: One moment apart from him feels like an eternity. But I think you know the feeling. ::She released a tired sigh, took her feet from their perch on the sink, and pushed herself from the counter.:: I can't help but fear his leaving was my doing though. ::She took a few steps to the doorway, muttered something alien, biting her lower lip harshly, and turned back to him:: I'm going back to the great room.. Sitting in the sink, just.. ::She frowned and shook her head to clear the proverbial cobwebs from it:: I dunno what's wrong with me

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He smiled softly, his thoughts drifting not to far, they were rarely away from Nich anyway, and nodded:: Yes..I know full well what the feeling is like. ::He watched her with concern as she moved back into the other room. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, he followed.:: Lucky for you you're in an Armani or else I would've splashed you! ::smiling softly, but doubting that lifted the mood any, he shrugged to himself and looked about the room once more. Again, in an attempt to distract her, he changed subjects:: That's room is stunning. It must have cost quite a bit to furnish and decorrate. ::He turned back to her and smiled softly, inwardly cursing himself for his utter failure to do anything for his friend::

Tiph Nightshade: It was all Darrian's doing.. he's been here much longer than I have. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to pick decor or anything anyway. ::She flashed a tired, forced smile, settling herself back into the cozy corner of the loveseat again, after gazing with longing at the life size family portrait above the gaping fireplace, a bittersweet longing washing over her at the scene, which called to mind the happy memory. She "called" to her blades for no apparant reason, and seemed to draw some sort of comfort just from having the finely honed metal in her hand. She looked with non expression at the hilt, embedded with a few materia orbs, fingering over the black one, which was emitting a menacing glow::

JacenSilvermoon: ::Walking to the arm of the couch, he sat on it. His boots clean, he figured there was no harm and brought one foot up, propping it on the cushion, locking his hands together around his knee. He nodded and looked around:: My own estate is no where near this extravagent. It's fairly modest..old things, relics of my ancestors, my parent's few belongings that weren't stolen during the riots. You should see the library though. Simply amazing.. ::He watched her with curiosity and concern at the same time. He respected the bond that a warrior had with his or her weapon and knew it well. Joyeux was like an extension of his arm. Without it, he felt incomplete to say the least. Tiph's own blades were always of interest to him. Her ability to summon them was impressive to say the least. She appeared to be such a innocent woman. Almost childlike, due to her small size, but he knew better of course.:: What is it doing?

Tiph Nightshade: Hmm? Oh.. well this materia is an oddity and supremely evil in nature, hence the disturbing glow.. It always does that. It summons .. heh, well, that's not really important ::She smiled faintly and cast both blades to the center of the room, telling them exactly where and how to fly and when and where to stop. Ever obedient, they hung suspended underneath the chandelier:: Psychic swords are hard to come by, but I couldn't bear to be without them.. or have a normal one either for that matter

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He smiled and nodded, understanding full well:: Yes, I miss my own blade dearly. I have a secondary, but it's as you sid. Normal, and just not the same. Psychic swords though..that's just ismply incredible. Impressive. My own was once my father's. It may be old, but it is crafted to perfection and has a bit of special abilities to it itself. I couldn't bear to own any other. ::He shurgged slightly. If there were two things he could talk someone's ear of about, it was Nich and Joyeux. In that order. He shut up though, knowing few cared to hear about a sword. His thoughts drifted to Nich and a warm smile played across his face, never able to hide his love for her, he could did little else. Sighing wistfully, he stared at the swords hanging suspended in the air, though not really seeing them anymore.::

Tiph Nightshade: Where did it go..? ::She quirked up a brow, pulling her knees closer to her slim form, every now and again, casting an eye to the curious sable orb that her right Masamune was equipped with, as if she were checking on it, or something of the like. Her mind had never left it's anguish over Darrian's disappearance, but at least outwardly she could pretend to be focused on something else, for a little while at least.::

Jacen Silvermoon: ::Sighing, missing Nich too much now, he turned to her once more, his voice soft:: Tiph, I have to get going.. I have um, ::he blushed a bit, forever the boyish type:: things I have to attend to. I'm sorry for leaving you, I know how you're feeling. You have to be strong Tiph. He'll be back sooner than you know it. ::Sighing, wishing that there was more he could do for her, he rose slowly to his feet:: I'm sorry Tiph. Just have faith in him..

Tiph Nightshade: ::She nodded slowly, sure that Darrian would be back sometime, but however soon it was, in her mind it would not be nearly soon enough. She chose to remain silent however, not wanting to drag anyone else down with her as she let herself sink down further into despair. Watching the doorway, she remembered something and spoke up one last time before he departed:: When you see Nich, tell her I want my baby back please...

Jacen Silvermoon: ::He smiled back to her and nodded:: Of course Tiph. He's been without mommy for long enough, and besides..I want my alone time wiht Auntie Nich back! ::He smiled once more and turned back to head for the door:: I'll be sure to tell her for you dear. Be safe. I'll see you again soon. ::Pulling open the door, he stepped through and headed outside into the now night sky::