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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 2:45:13 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Sept 24, 2020 23:28:59 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Sept 24, 2020 23:28:59 GMT -7
my whole existence is flawed
May 18, 2025 Horizon Alley – Violent Hound Pub @maria
She didn't answer him and he clenched his jaw, his brow now furrowed. She didn't even turn to look at him. Rhys moved a few steps closer, he didn't know what to say and she answered him. Who was Elias to her? Why this change in demeanor? He opened his mouth to speak but she spoke first and her words shocked him but also hit him. "How did y--" Rhys suddenly had emotions come to the surface, remnants of what he had been trying to shove down and there was an ache in his chest and not from the scratches. "Maria." He said sternly taking another step. "How do you know my brother?" She knew the anniversary. What was a witch in England doing mourning the death of a Durmstrang student?
She dropped the photo and startled scrambling to gather her belongings but this time she was speaking quickly and half of what she spoke he didn't understand but it was familiar as if he'd heard it before. Rhys saw her grab her dress, her undergarments but the shoes had been thrown somehow near the kitchen. He looked around quickly and turned around and walked the few paces to grab the one shoe he was able to see offhand and to also grab his wand from the kitchen and try to clean up some of this glass before they both stepped all over it. "You mind telling me what's wrong?" What had happened? Not ten minutes ago they were healing from their hangovers and eyeing each other much as they had done the entire night before and now she looked like she'd seen a ghost, or Elias' ghost rather.
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last online May 5, 2024 4:50:44 GMT -7
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Sept 24, 2020 23:42:41 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2020 23:42:41 GMT -7
What did you say or do in this situation? He was speaking, asking her something, but stopping to ask her how she knew his brother again. While he hadn't finished the first question "how do you know that", or something similar, it had definitely triggered her. "Because I was on that godforsaken ship!" She'd survived. She'd been one of the few Durmstrang students that had survived the explosion. She couldn't help but glare at the bracelet on her wrist. She hadn't taken it off, even last night. It hid a faint burn mark, one she'd refused to let the healers heal. The bracelet Elias had given her, that would burn hot when he was in danger. It had burned so hot it'd seared the skin during the explosion, then gone ice cold. It'd been cold ever since.
She gave up on her shoes for now, as Rhys had moved towards the kitchen. Instead, she focused on trying to shimmy her clothes on without dropping the sheet. She wasn't shy, but the realization that this was Elias' half brother had definitely killed the mood. She only tossed the sheet aside once her under garments were on and she had to use both hands to step into her dress. She'd just slipped her arms through the short sleeves when he asked what was wrong. UGH. He had no clue. No clue at all. Not bothering to try and zip of her dress yet she practically glared daggers at him, her hands literally sparking. Not quite fire but.. oh definitely sparks. "I'm his fucking cousin!" Well... Was. But who cared about being grammatically correct.
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 2:45:13 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Sept 25, 2020 0:08:08 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Sept 25, 2020 0:08:08 GMT -7
my whole existence is flawed
May 18, 2025 Horizon Alley – Violent Hound Pub @maria
Rhys closed his eyes as if to pause for the moment. The ship. The ship Elias had been on, well it made sense that should would be wary of yesterday as from he recalled there had been fewer survivors than dead. She knew his brother, which explained why she recognized him in the photograph but it didn't quite explain the panic. "Oh..." He muttered. What does one say to the survivor of a terrorist attack? Still, even as he just felt awkward he was still waiting. She scurried to put on her clothes while still using the sheet for cover and she'd moved so quickly he hadn't even had a chance to offer to leave and also he was afraid she really would just disappear without giving him the answers he wanted.
However, Rhys moved the shoe to his left hand while his right still held his wand. Her hands, they were....sparking. What was this? Rhys was wary now, his faced showing him alert at this phenomenon before him. But, he was about to get his answer but it was not what he expected. Had Rhys still been holding his coffee mug he might have dropped it out of pure shock at the absolute bombshell that had just been dropped. For a moment he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly, he couldn't have--right? He looked away feeling as though he'd just been physically smacked in the face although, gratefully, he hadn't since her hands looked very dangerous. Those same hands that had touched him, scratched him now looked like weapons.
"You're what?" He couldn't stop the words that came out of his mouth. Of course he knew what a cousin was and as far as he knew he didn't have any himself. "But---so--" Rhys was rendered almost speechless but he managed to stammer out "I mean we're not.." Good god, she wasn't his own cousin was she? Rhys looked away and dropped the shoe he was holding, it wasn't important anymore. His arms were cross and his right hand up to his face in thought. No. It couldn't be. So many emotions were running through his head competing with his racing thoughts as his brain desperately tried to put the pieces together. And then it did. Elias' cousin. As the realization hit him he closed his eyes and ran his right hand over his face.
"You're Maria." Oh good God what had he done. If Maria didn't murder him his sisters might.
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last online May 5, 2024 4:50:44 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2020 0:29:47 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 0:29:47 GMT -7
Well, at least she wasn't the only one feeling absolutely shell shocked. Her dead cousin's half brother. His dead half-brother's cousin. However you put it they had a blood connection. God, she should have known sooner. Or he should have known. To be fair, Rhys looked more like Elias then Maria did. Maria may have gotten dark hair and eyes from her father, but most her looks were from her Veela mother. People had often wondered how the two were related, though it made more sense once the Veela blood was brought into consideration.
As he spoke, Maria gave him a "You heard what I said" look. Cousin. Yeah, that's right. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to slow her racing heart and slow her breathing. She needed to not explode right now, but it was very, very hard. It wasn't his fault. Or hers.... technically. Elias hadn't, for good reason, introduced Maria to his older half brother. She'd vaguely known there was an older sibling but never cared to know more. If they had known about each other, at least more, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Rhys seemed to have gotten on the same wavelength she was, muttering out "we're not", but trailing off. "No! No, no. Definitely not. Other side of the family." If they had... Oh Maria still felt sick. Maybe that as the remnants of the alcohol, but Elias's half-brother.
Then, the emphasis on her name. As if realization. "What's that supposed to mean?" She sounded defensive. Why did he say her name like that? Oh dear god, what did he know about her? From Elias? From the bitch sisters?
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 2:45:13 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Sept 25, 2020 1:07:20 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Sept 25, 2020 1:07:20 GMT -7
You can have my isolation You can have the hate that it brings You can have my absence of faith
May 18, 2025 Horizon Alley – Violent Hound Pub @maria
Rhys let out the breath he seemed to be holding, he felt tense which wasn't helping with his already aching self. Ok. Good. They were not related, only indirectly with Elias having been the link. In all the time he'd hung around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade with his siblings, observing the tasks as much as he was allowed and interacting he had never seen her. The only mention had been when Jamie and Max had been describing this woman to him who wouldn't leave Elias' side. Another Durmstrang student and his cousin, but not one that was related to them or had anything to do with Fenrir. And she was half Veela. Well, that explained one thing--no wonder he couldn't keep his eyes off her though right now he was too lost in thought to focus on that.
Her tone was defensive and he looked up dropping his arms in the process, he hadn't meant to say it like that but it had come out as such. "Sorry, I mean my sisters told me about you." Rhys wasn't sure what to say but he tried to regain whatever composure he could manage at that moment. At least with him he'd certainly gotten off on a much better footing than his siblings and he wondered if that was the reason Elias had never introduced them. If Jamie had been upset by her then one could only imagine the reaction of their Slytherin half-siblings which where Max and Rhys. "I know you are not on the best terms with them, they told me that much and that your my brother's cousin and also half-Veela." What were the fucking odds. The odds that these two would find themselves mourning the same loss the same way and providing a distraction from one another.
His instinct was to side with his siblings, his family but she had been Elias' family. Rhys opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, with how defensive she had become and how her hands were nearly a aflame he didn't want to get blasted into his kitchen. "Truthfully, Elias hadn't talked to me about you." He paused and then continued. "But I'm sure my sisters had something to do with that." Rhys' suspected Elias had been wary and he couldn't imagine how tense it would have been at the Castle for him. And perhaps Rhys would have reacted or try to intervene on behalf of his sisters and even Elias to a non-Greyback. As far as they all knew he was the eldest, the alpha although they were hardly a pack and maybe he would have felt more like an alpha if his siblings bothered to listen to him most of the time but he loved them and his instinct was a protective one.
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last online May 5, 2024 4:50:44 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2020 8:45:52 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 8:45:52 GMT -7
Maria closed her first, tightly. Trying to stop the very much wanted fire. It wasn't.. his fault. They hadn't really known about each other. And Maria, knowing herself, had to have instigated a lot of last night (despite still having some gaps in her memory). She saw how people fell under the Veela charm every day. It was a damn hard thing to fight when it was being intentionally used. But still... Elias' brother.
Maria, her head still a whirlwind of emotions, collapsed onto the couch, thankfully having been right by it. She clasped her hands together, as if trying to smother the flames that were fighting to escape. "Ugh, them. All lovely things, I bet." His sisters. The only Greyback girls Maria knew was Jamie and Maxima. Stuck up bitches. She rolled her eyes hard when he mentioned not being on the best terms with them. That was a bit of an understatement. Maria had... okay she hadn't helped the situation and definitely been a total bitch herself. But they'd thrown the first figurative punch. If you treated Maria like the bad guy, she'd be the goddamn bad guy.
The fact that Rhys mentioned Elias never mentioning her was like a sucker punch. What? Why? She pursed her lips tightly together. Rhys' guess, that it had to do with the girls didn't help. She eyes dropped to the floor, glaring. Angry at Elias for not mentioning anything. Angry at herself for being angry and Elias because he was dead. She got up from the couch, silent as she crossed to the kitchen, and scooped up the first shoe by him. She still didn't say anything as she found the second. She didn't bother putting them on. "I don't blame him," she muttered under her breath. "I'm not exactly someone to be proud of." Of course Elias wouldn't mention her. WHo would tell their happy new family about the psycho cousin? "I should get going..."
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 2:45:13 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Sept 25, 2020 10:26:52 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Sept 25, 2020 10:26:52 GMT -7
You can have my isolation You can have the hate that it brings You can have my absence of faith
May 18, 2025 Horizon Alley – Violent Hound Pub @maria
It was evident to Rhys that there was no love lost between Maria and his sisters. Which was a shame, he was sure that things could have been ironed out had Elias not been killed. The very idea made him more sad, there had been so much potential there and then it was all gone. The events of that year hadn't quite been explained to him and he really hadn't thought to ask since it didn't seem like an urgent or pressing issue at the time. Truthfully he'd been working quite a bit and traveling in between tasks and if he did have free time he would try to stop by. Rhys cross his arms again, putting his wand in his back pocket for now as he didn't sense the same level of danger before.
His brow was furrowed in thought, something was missing here and while he loved his family he knew they all believed in the unity of their pack he knew each had a distinct personality that all responded differently to the same event. Rhys would have to dig a little deeper to figure out what had happened that year. It was interesting, had he never met Maria the previous night he never would have gotten his story and life would have gone on. As soon as he admitted his brother had not mentioned his cousin he saw the shift in her expression, her eyes and he wished he hadn't said anything or found a better way to phrase that.
She was silent and it made Rhys uncomfortable, one of those moments you wished they would just say something. It can't have been easy to find that out, as someone who had grown up with nobody he clung to his family in a deep seated fear of abandonment and failure. What if Elias had hidden him from people he was close to? She spoke and Rhys felt all the more awkward, though he found it hard to know exactly what he was feeling. Confused? Sad? Annoyed? Despite her regal features he saw the hurt on her face. "Maria..." What does one say in these things? "I'm sorry." It wasn't how he would have wanted to meet someone close to his late younger brother nor was he comfortable with whatever feud existed with her and his sisters.
Rhys didn't respond when she mentioned leaving and only nodded his head slightly, truthfully he need some time to think and process. As much as the drinking and distraction had worked in temporarily alleviating his depressive state he felt it coming back a little bit stronger.
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last online May 5, 2024 4:50:44 GMT -7
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Sept 25, 2020 11:08:57 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 11:08:57 GMT -7
Maria's emotions, even on the best of days, were a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster in the dark. You never knew what way she might turn, what emotion would come out, or how long it would last. For some it would be like whiplash, trying to keep up with her. As had just happened, she'd just flipped form anger, to shock, to depression in a matter of minutes. Now, she just felt numb. Like she'd been dunked in frigid water until she couldn't feel anything at all.
"Don't be," she muttered as he apologized. It wasn't his fault Elias hadn't mentioned anything to him. It was Elias'. But she couldn't be angry at him because he was dead. No, all she had was to be angry at herself for being the type of person that wasn't worth mentioning. Unfortunately that was never enough to make her change. There were too many scars to try to be a better person.
"See you around, Rhys..." Though, probably not. Now that he knew who she was. She left the apartment, shoes still in hand, and not caring who might judge her. She'd been judged plenty in her life.
[Fin!]
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