A little tough love

@Eilish
Outfit: Link
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To be honest, Eilish had kept more to herself or staying with Samuel the more things that happened. She could understand the pain, but ever since Lion had almost lost his life, the numbness had returned. The only thing making her feel at home was being with Samuel or bantering with Cetas. Maybe it was selfish, but she was selfish, no reason to lie about that. She had gotten used to Samuel showering her with items, mostly she didn’t care, but she did like the clothes that she got to pick out. Most of her clothes had short lives as almost as soon as she got them on, the demon would rip them off of her and carry her to bed. She had decided to go for a stroll in Southside, a place she knew the ins and outs of. She spotted as Mariella moved into Cherry Pup, raising an eyebrow as she usually hadn’t left Reginald’s side since getting to this time. She shook of the thought and followed her, sitting down in silence next to her friend and ordered a drink. ”I’m not a stalker like those of your other friends,” she said in a relaxed voice. ”I actually don’t keep up with much happening at the mansion lately, I’m getting tired of all that dramatic shit,” she mumbled and payed for her drink, pulling the cosmopolitan to her, taking a sip before she looked to Mariella. ”You look like shit,” she remarked. ”How about you tell me what you guys have gotten yourself into now, and then maybe I’ll consider throwing you a pity party,” she said. Eilish had always been rather frank, not showing emotion, but she did care about Mariella. Mariella would be able to see the genuine worry behind her blank eyes, but that was only because it was Mariella.

”Missing? How do you lose a vampire?” Eilish asked with a toneless voice. Her humor was odd to say the least, but you either liked it or not, she wouldn’t care much for it either way. She noticed Mariella’s shaking hands, it was something the siren had done mostly back in the day, and it made Eilish raise an eyebrow at her friend. Being the person that she was, she let her friend finish talking before speaking her mind, looking at the fist that hammered into the table. Eilish sighed and shook her head before taking another sip of her drink, swirling her finger over the rim of the glass. ”You are not failing him just because you can’t find him – there’s a lot of good hiding places in this world, and some are hidden in plain sight,” she said in a rather manner-of-fact kind of voice. She placed a hand over Mariella’s fist and looked at her friend’s hazel eyes. ”You need to pull yourself together – I know for one that Reginald wouldn’t want to see you like this; looking like some fucking emotional mess,” she said shaking her head and moving her hand away. That was more than plenty of physical contact for Eilish to handle. The only person right now able to break down those touching walls was Samuel. ”If he needs you, then you’ll find him when the time comes – but blaming yourself sounds like an idiotic idea,” she said taking another sip of her drink. ”Besides, if you keep staying in this state of mind, we both know you’ll lose your marbles,” she said shrugging.

Eilish had always looked to Mariella as a sister – not that she would ever admit that out loud, but their friendship ran deeper than just friends. They had a mutual understanding of pain as well as the respect that they had for each other. Eilish had never had real siblings, so Mariella had to do. ”If you’re trying, you’re not doing,” she said, raising an eyebrow at her. She couldn’t understand what it was like having those around you leave, because to be honest, Eilish had gotten used to that feeling by now. It was a tough thing to realize, but it was sadly the truth. ”Fuck, me being stable sounds like a day job that I don’t want to work at,” Eilish grumbled, shaking her head. She thought Jamie was being selfish, and Lion was just taking his own shitty sexual frustration out on everyone around him. Eilish knew that, she knew that when her and Lion were an item, she could never really have him. Things were different with Samuel. She had taken him, and she had no intent on letting him out of her grasp. ”What’s the first law of the Serpents?” she asked, taking another sip of her drink as she looked around the bar. She wanted to remind Mariella that she was there for her. Even if the other Serpents forgot the laws set in place, that she still remembered. That she, through everything, would stand with Mariella in her troubles. She let out a sigh at her friends’ nostalgic memories. Those times had been simple, and to be honest she missed those times as well. Eilish had kept mostly to herself, even though she really wanted to go and see Nathan. To most Serpents he was the weird funny guy who knew how to put in a good punch in a fight, but to Eilish he was something else. A parental figure she never really had gotten the chance to get, as well as one of the first adults not to treat her like a child. ”Getting drunk and dancing wont fix anything, but I am up for a swim,” she said, not shutting down her ideas. Maybe a good swim and some time away would help both of them open up more. Eilish emptied her glass and pulled her small bag over her shoulder as she found some bank notes and placed it on the bar. She placed more than enough to cover their tabs, and then she grabbed Mariella’s arm, pulling her out of the bar and out in the fresh air. ”I’m parked around the corner,” she explained and walked ahead. The bike was nothing special, but it got from A to B, and that was all she needed. Samuel had suggested getting her a nicer ride, but she didn’t want him to own her in that way. She swung her leg over the bike, looking to Mariella. ”Jump on or I’m driving off without you,” she said in a rather serious tone.

Eilish chose not to comment on Mariella’s world, hurling the motorbikes engine on with a simple pump and spun the gas slightly. ”Hold on,” she mumbled, but she knew she didn’t have to tell Mariella that. The bike took off, Eilish leading it through the mosly empty city with ease. She rarely wore a helmet, but on longer rides it was the easiest, especially considering her hair. It didn’t take long for them to reach the coast, she saw the water shining and glinting in the moonlight, making her sigh under her breath as she sped up. The water always called for a siren, that was how the stories went, and Eilish didn’t hide that fact about her. As they got closer, Eilish could smell the salty water, making her eyes light up slightly at the sensation it gave her. She parked not far from the beach, looking at the pebbles that coveres most of the British beach. Eilish stripped herself of her pants, placing them in between a couple of rocks before stripping off the rest of her outfit. The long scar that ran from mid her hip down her leg visible in the moonlight. She gave Mariella an almost daring look before she sprinted off, naked, into the water. When she was far enough out, she felt her body transform, diving under the water to breathe in through her gills. Eilish was always more happy when she was under the water. Her tail had same colour as her eyes, and her scale wearing a blue and green hue that reflected the light under the water, making her blend in with her elements more. ”How far are you willing to swim?” she asked in their siren language under the water. It was more like telepathy, the way it worked, but it was easier than swimming to the surface and speaking.

It was in every siren’s nature to long for the water, but the two of them had always felt more drawn to it when they were together. When school wasn’t really something filling their days they would swim as far as they could, sometimes ending up in countries that maybe they shouldn’t have. It hadn’t helped that Nathan often encouraged them to go further, sometimes giving them a magic trinket each to swim further. ”There’s always limits,” Eilish replied in a calm tone. She felt like she could feel the ocean around her speaking, all the fish so much further out having conversations about nothing in particular. ”How about we swim out to Leah Abyss?” she suggested, knowing that Mariella liked the kingdom that her mother ruled. She sometimes still found it hard to understand that Mariella was royalty, even after all these years. Eilish swam ahead, turning around in the water to drift for a bit, looking up at the sky through the clear water. ”Or we could see if we could make it to Mako?” she suggested, not really caring at this point. Either place was a good swim away, but they were places where they could be safe in their sirenform. She knew that she had some news to share with her friend, but she honestly didn’t want to think about it all right now.

The gentle caresses from the water surrounding her felt almost bliss. Eilish could always count on the water to calm her down, making her slap her fin a little harder as she felt excited. Or she didn’t show that, but she knew Marcella could sense it. The two sirens had a special bond, one they never really needed to explain nor needed to pull others into. Even Melania had been able to infiltrate their great friendship. Although Eilish did care for Melania, she was way more connected with Mariella. She didn’t answer, but just started swimming in the direction of where Mako was located. Feeling the oxygen getting filtrate by the water from her fins, it felt almost cleaner than breathing it with her human-esque lungs. They had been swimming for a while in silence, but the two never really needed to talk to communicate. Just by being there for each other, it spoke louder than words. Eilish dove further down, gracing her hand through the soft sand of the underwater landscape, dusting up in the water like small diamonds in the moonlight. The stars above looked almost muddy, but the moon had a lot of power, reaching farther down than the humans could see. She moved her turquoise eyes around, looking at the many creatures, showing her long rows of teeth if some tried coming near. Eilish was a lone siren, if you could even call it that. She didn’t mind the animals around her, but she had little to no interest in them. Strangely enough she liked the dolphins most, her and Mariella often playing with them when they came close to Gaia. She saw the cave opening not far off in the distance, looking to Mariella with almost a crazed look in her glimmering eyes. It was clear they were going to compete in who was going to get there first. Eilish rarely showed this side of herself, but to be fair she rarely showed anything, mostly looking numb or bored when others were around. She swam for the opening, hoping that Mariella would give her the competition she needed.

Mariella sprinted ahead, and Eilish didn't really mind. She just wanted to feel the water around them get propelled backwards as they swam faster. Reaching Mako was not always an easy feat, but they had done it so many times by now, that it felt so easy. She poked her head up over the water, scoffing at Mariella's tease, but didn't take it to heart. The two of them had a rather strange friendship, but Eilish was rarely one having friends let alone hanging out with others. As her friend spoke again, she looked up at the sky above, breathing calmly in the cold waters. It was strange that she couldn't feel the cold here, it was always so pleasant against her scaly skin. "It feels like ages since it's just been the two of us," Eilish said. She was not known as someone to get sentimental, but with everything going on, she had to admit she had missed her friend. They weren't just friends, they were more like partners in crime. She took a deep breath, still looking up at the sky above, feeling a little lost for words. "You know I'm here for you, right? I'll always have your back," she said in a serious tone, turning her gaze to her friend. In the moonlight it seemed like Eilish's turquoise eyes glowed, even though they really didn't.

"I miss it too, but even though things have changed, I feel like I've gotten my friend back," she said rather truthfully. Jeremy had tried driving them apart, had tried to influence Eilish to get out of Mariella's life, but Reginald was a pure improvement. Besides the fact that Mariella now spent most of her time worrying about his safety. "I thought I would lose you back then ... Jeremy didn't have to tell me anything, I could see it in you," she said. She still felt ashamed that she hadn't been there for Mariella. That she had been pushed away, been forced to look from the outside in. Eilish took a deep breath as she looked back up at the sky above, watching the stars blink to them from millions of lightyears away. "I know I might not have said it, but I approve of Reginald - Hell he's probably the only one I would ever let get close to you, and if he ever hurt you you know I would stop at nothing to end his life," she said with a blank face, like she didn't give much thought to killing. Mariella knew more about her than anyone else would ever know, but it was because she could trust the siren not to run and tell. The two of them didn't need a pity party, they needed to be affirmed that they were strong and independent. "I've fallen in love," she whispered, closing her eyes and feeling stupid for saying it out loud.

Perhaps it was silly to speak of emotions all of a sudden, but Mariella knew everything about Eilish. They had made a promise to tell each other everything, even if it couldn't be said right the minute it happened. She took a deep breath, looking at the dark sky above, the stars twinkling at them. "Do you remember the man that helped us out of that idiot infested cave?" she asked, feeling her breath tremble at the thought. It had been awful, not the worst she had experienced, but awful none the less. Especially considering all the foolish acts that people had seemed to take once confided to a space like that. "The man who carried me after we got out - He's the one," she said, looking at her hand floating in the water. She was playing a bit with the rather warm water that existed here on Mako. It was always another temperature, like someone had decided it was to be placed more tropical before moving it closer to England. "We haven't expressed it verbally yet, but the way he looks at me, the way he touches me and speaks to me," she said, feeling rather vulnerable in this moment. It was very unlike Eilish to show any emotions, but thinking of Samuel it just brought forward in her something she had tried to hide. The hurt little girl that just wanted to know that it was alright to be herself. "He's fairly older than me, but when we're together, he doesn't see my age or the baggage I carry; He sees me," she said. It felt stupid to put words to it, because she couldn't even say they had something to call each other. They didn't label themselves as in a relationship, but somehow she knew that her place was with him. "I guess that's why I've stayed mostly clear of the mansion; I need to feel anything but pity from others, I need to feel like I belong, and when everyone just run off doing their own thing, I'm just left alone to my own devices anyways," she said, looking to her friend.

Eilish knew where her place was, and it was always going to be as Mariella's right hand. Though she loved Samuel, the bond of friendship the two girls had was more important than anything. "I don't feel like I deserve it," she confessed, frowning a little. She had done things in her life, things that only Mariella knew she was capable of. "I guess it's just hard wrapping my head around being someone anyone wants," she added taking a short inhale before shaking her head. It was stupid getting sentimental, because looking back she had cared for Lion, even if he couldn't care for her back, she had felt something. But maybe it was just the fact that it brought her closer to Mariella. It was all twisted in her mind, making her second guess what she ever did with him. "I found out ... Who my parents are," she said, looking down to the water again. She really didn't want for Mariella to get emotional, because to Eilish, those people would only ever be the ones that cast her out. "I'm not gonna go see them, I haven't got the need to get rejected to my face anyways," she commented. Eilish was often perceived as rather negative, however she was just very realistic in her way of thinking. She was never the kid to go around daydreaming. She knew Mariella would be there for her no matter what, it was just a fact, but hearing it verbally was just a sign of trust between them. "I don't need the apartment, what I need is for people to get their shit together and not run around thinking that messing with the past is alright," she said, gritting her teeth. She couldn't blame Mariella for seeking out her parents, but it was a dangerous game. Eilish knew she was being stupid for running around with Samuel in this time, but she hadn't disclosed any information to him of where she came from. She was in a grey area.