Nautia vs Ethan

[20:20] Nautia returns to the camp!

Cordelia is following behind her. She stops beside Ethan, staring at her son.
(Nautia Avitus)
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[20:20] Ethan turned to face Nautia.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[20:21] Ethan Hawke says, "Hi."
[20:21] Nautia Avitus says, "We're going. Follow after me."
[20:21] Cordelia says, "...."
[20:22] Nautia turned to depart again, now. Just as quickly as she had arrived.
(Nautia Avitus)
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[20:22] Nautia Avitus asks, "What happened last night, Ethan?"
[20:23] Ethan Hawke asks, "..?"
[20:23] Nautia Avitus says, "With Donovan. And the Oscuri I told you -not- to be with."
[20:24] Ethan Hawke says, "She attacked us. I tried to defuse the situation. It didn't stop her."
[20:24] Nautia Avitus asks, "Why were you there with Vanika?"
[20:24] Ethan Hawke asks, "..?"
[20:25] She frowned, remaining quiet for the time being.
(Cordelia)
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[20:25] Nautia Avitus asks, "Was my question not clear?"
[20:25] Ethan Hawke says, "It wasn't."
[20:25] Nautia Avitus asks, "Why were you there with the Oscuri?"
[20:26] Ethan Hawke says, "It's the same question."
[20:27] Nautia Avitus says, "Then what's not clear about it? Answer it."
[20:27] Nautia Avitus says, "I am not in the mood for games."
[20:27] Cordelia says, "... Please just answer her, Ethan..."
[20:28] Ethan Hawke asks, "I already told you what I did - what's more to say?"
[20:28] Cordelia says, "She's asking -why- you were with Vanika."
[20:28] Nautia Avitus says, "Cain blessed me with at least -one- child who has a working brain."
[20:30] Ethan Hawke says, "I already said why I was there; to prevent her from getting killed over insults."
[20:30] Ethan looked over to Cordelia.

"I think you need a new brain."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[20:30] Nautia Avitus asks, "Ah, the same girl I told you not to be with, yes?"
[20:30] Nautia Avitus asks, "The same girl I told you not to talk to, even?"
[20:30] Cordelia says, "You didn't even specify that. You just said Donovan attacked you guys."
[20:30] Nautia Avitus asks, "You felt like I'd be okay with you protecting her life?"
[20:34] He shifted to face Nautia, being straightforward and honest with her - there was no point in hiding it, after all.

"I'd hope so." He said, pausing for a moment. There was a thought that passed by - one that might just get him out of this situation right there and then.

"I don't think you'd want your daughter-in-law to be hurt, mother."

He was pandering to her feelings - calling her by that name for the first time may just make her accept how he felt. He hoped so.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[20:36] Cordelia's eyes widened at the implication that Ethan's words gave. Was he truly that foolish? At this point, Cordelia's mouth shut, not sure what even to say or do to get Ethan out of this. It wasn't like she hadn't tried; she had offered suggestions.
(Cordelia)
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[20:40] Nautia doesn't move. She doesn't say anything. She stares. Her bloody-red eyes stare at her son's own, searching deep inside for something.

Anything.

But there was nothing. Nothing that could make her feel as if she needed to give this another thought, nothing that could make her feel as if she might regret reacting this way. The blonde's hand rises– and within the next moment, it connects with the Hawke's face, leaving a red imprint of it.

"Is that really what you think of me? That I'd be so weak that hearing you married someone and made such a bad mistake... I'd take her in? I'd want to protect her too?" She was astonished. Her own blood. Her Ethan. He was dumber than she could ever imagine.

"You were wrong, son." The winds around the woman began to rattle and stir, preparing for what's next. Things were getting cold– colder than ever before. Ice was building upon each and every one of Nautia's nails, lengthening into mesmerizing crystal talons. The shadow beneath the vampire joined the dance of snow and ice as well, beginning to shroud the woman with its dark veil.

"I won't let you make more of these mistakes, Ethan. You are not a child anymore," She ascended skywards, the storm of snow and ice only growing further- risking Cordelia now, as well.

"I will not be correcting your mistakes."
(Nautia Avitus)
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[20:47] Cordelia, at this point, looked to Nautia as she spoke. As the winds began to stir, and the temperature dropped, Cordelia did the smart thing and backed up. The ice that built up around them caused her to wince, before an aura of malicious fumes, and miasma danced around her form, aiming to try and protect the thrall from Nautia's own ice. She doubted it'd do very much, and she absolutely did not want to get involved in this.

In fact, she looked upset. She looked close to tears. She had honestly tried to save Ethan. She had offered up an idea for Vanika's life instead of his, and that was shot down. She didn't know how Ethan would escape from this one intact; she had watched Jesse pull off some sort of miracle and escape an entire slew of Vampires and their associates.

But this? What would he do? Run, or fight their mother? Could he even run and escape Nautia's rage?
(Cordelia)
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[20:52] Ethan's face was met with an open hand, one that carried disappointment and a smidge of anger. He felt it, but it wasn't enough for him to bow down - after all this mattered way more than anything else. Standing up to Nautia wouldn't be a first, but this might've been the only time he did it for something he truly cared about.

As icy winds picked up, so did heat. The kind that was unbearable, crashing right against the dark embrace of this polar vortex to provide both heat and light to the boy who had decided to walk this long path into a chilling territory.

"I didn't get married. I wouldn't do that without your permission, but I'm not gonna let you just... Get in the way of that, either. I like her— I love her. She manages to make me happy, no matter what. I know how much she gets in trouble. I know what kind of person she is at times, better than anyone else. But... This isn't a mistake."

Ethan's feet left the ground, ascending to get him at eye-level with the woman who seemed to be in the way of his heart.

"Without her around I wouldn't be there anymore." He said, before bringing an ultimatum that took as much courage as he had displayed by not even rubbing the mark left on his cheek.

"If you love me, you'll understand that I need her."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[20:58] No, that's not enough for the vampire to stop. Her son had been given chances. He blew them away. Even now, when the woman is preparing to fight him - to kill him - he doesn't plead his case. He isn't willing to stop.

The life of another is more important for him than his own. The life of a stranger– better than his mother's.

The icy storm begins its barrage, as Nautia herself shoots ahead– as a thick mass of floating shadows. The talons on her hands will be leaving a mark today.

Without the Oscuri, he wouldn't be here?
"..Then you will be no more, Ethan."
(Nautia Avitus)
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[21:05] There was no avoiding that, it seemed. This so-called mother of his had decided it was time to cut the ties and end what they had right there and then. The flames that danced around his body turned into a much brighter darkened color, unleashing forth more heat thant before.

With the ice rushing towards him the young Hawke had no other option but to fight back - to defend himself no matter what. He was alone in this. He always had been, hadn't he? Nautia was using his presence to further her own endeavors; it never had been about who he was or what he could do. With how easily replaceable he seemed to be, the blue-haired one's burried feelings for the vampires would surface. All the anger, the sadness, the hatred and the insanity that she had inflicted upon him was ready to be sent right back towards her.

He was fighting for his life, once again.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[21:31] Relentless.

This was the only qualification one could give to his assault; it was unfair, unmatched and without stop. Black flames completely melted down any challenge that came forth, reducing Nautia's attacks down to nothing. With illusions assaulting her mind being thrown in the mix, the woman who was once called mother was left helpless. Courage. Vengeance. Emotions he had never really displayed in great amounts before the woman surged forth.

"I just wanted to have fun in life. To take it slow and live on - to be with people I enjoyed being around! You... You just wanted me for your own purposes— whatever they are. You never stopped and tried to enjoy life with me! You never took the time to cherish what we had and what we could've been! You weren't interested in having a son, you just wanted an underling. Nothing more. Family's... Not about that. Even my idiot brother realized it."

The boy's hands reached out forth, unleashing a wave of black flames threatening to engulf Nautia whole.

"But we never really were family, were we?!"
(Ethan Hawke)
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[21:34] A dance of ice and fire, one that doesn't seem to cease. Nautia's storm is relentless, refusing to give up against the flames– which prove to be quite difficult to beat, as well. Her son had grown. He was stronger than he used to be.

There are burns all across the blonde's body, parts where the thick veil of shadows could no longer be seen- the flames got through it. The vampire hadn't seen it coming, of course. How could she? She though Ethan was still a young child who required protection - and without it? He'd die. He'd lose. It was the same way she told Cordelia - she was doing him a favor.

It was either this, or facing a much worse fate.

Maybe she should've stopped here. Maybe this was enough proof– no. It wasn't.

The storm around her grew harsher. Stronger. Tougher. The ice and snow attacked the woman too, but it mattered little. She was lost in the fight. In the thrill of it.

A monster,if you will.

Throughout the boy's entire speech, a sadistic smirk remains. "An underling..? Such compliments, Ethan. I've chosen you because you were ready to sacrifice your life for me- because you promised to do that," The woman explained, bloody-red eyes remaining focused on the child.

"But you lied, didn't you? That's why we could've never been a family."

And then she charges once more, allowing ice and snow to defend against the flames.
(Nautia Avitus)
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[21:38] The ice does not forgive. It does not forget.

Any reasons she had to hold back? They're gone. The vampire tosses them away. This was not the time for feelings. They're shut off- allowing the woman to become a monster. A true monster.

She will not stop. Not now, not ever.

The icy talons on her nails sweep through the boy's flames and body alike, imprinting bloody, cold marks on his body. The marks of an angry woman. The marks of a mother. He dared to choose someone else over her - and this? This was payback.

This was making sure he knew he made the wrong choice.

"..Vanika... Alastor already signed her death certificate," The woman teases. "Donovan will get to eat her."

She was rubbing salt on the wounds she inflicted, there was no doubt about it.
(Nautia Avitus)
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[21:41] As the cold grew colder Ethan was forced down on a knee. The taunting, the horrible words that Nautia was uttering were getting to him, for sure. A frown came to his face as she declared at Vanika would die, that she'd be eaten. It was too much. It was what he feared most, what he couldn't let happen.

A burst of dark flames came forth, exploding from his person and reaching out towards the vampire. He wasn't going to hold back anything any longer. She wasn't going to control his life; not now, not ever.

This was something that had to come. The first barrier to Ethan's freedom stood before him. Could he pierce through?
(Ethan Hawke)
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[21:56] Humans prevailed in the world for a few reasons; whether it be their determination or their incredible ability to work hard and make up for their inferior genetics, it always allowed them to survive. Ethan had grown. He was nothing more than a kid back in Dawn, one that got in a fist fight with his brother and ended up discovering his talents as a Magi out of the blue. He had become a hero to some, a villain to others. His ability to surpass the challenges that were put before him was unlike any other. From every mistake, he learned.

When the familiar freezing talons came to claim his life he remained calm. He refused to allow Nautia to have the upper hand. He kept his distance, using magic... Wisely. He used to be a far more intense and forward boy, but with time? He grew up to be a magnificent Magi. One that wouldn't allow the woman who had decided to break his heart to injure him. To get in the way of his future.

As she crumbled before him, he approached. His staff was brought down before her eyes - displaying both might and superiority in this moment. Breathing was a tad difficult but he'd manage.

".. I won't kill you. I know I should, but you made sure that I survived after my fight with Jesse. We're even, Nautia, and unless you're ready to let me be with her, we're over."

She had been given the same ultimatum as before, though this time he had proven himself capable, strong, older and... kind. There was no need to hurt her, to kill her. She'd be aware of how he felt and what she had inflicted upon him when their magics clashed; she had been offered a chance to change, too.

To become a better mother.
To become a better person.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:02] Another wave of intense, occultic flames hits the vampire- and this time, it proves to be fatal. The shroud of shadows falls prey to the fire's embrace, and the huntress drops from the skies - by luck managing to break the fall with a small pile of snow.

There are bruises and burns, mostly burns, all across her body- but she'll live. She was tougher than this, of course.

The same bloody-red eyes stare at the staff, not allowing it to remain above her for too long - Ethan won. Fair and square. But it wasn't the end. She was alive, and whether if it was by mercy or luck - it mattered little. She was here.

The monster remained. The storm hadn't been stopped- it won't be until an end is put to it entirely.

"Over it is. Although... I feel like I owe you this, at least. If you walk there - now or some other time, it doesn't matter - you will be killed. You are free now. There's no more protection, and no more family.Your brother wants you dead, Dawn wants you dead - the vampires want you dead," A warning. One he earned.

"If you'd like to give it to them, by all means."

The blonde gestured at the camp, inviting the boy to head there.

"I am not stopping you anymore."
(Nautia Avitus)
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[22:06] She had watched the fight closely; not out of some macabre desire to see Ethan die, no. But she was curious how it'd go. As it became clear Nautia was losing, Cordelia was on the edge of her proverbial seat, waiting with baited breath to see what precisely Ethan would do once he claimed victory.

Once he had, his words made her relax. He wasn't killing her, and she was thankful for that. But the idea that Ethan literally had no where to go bothered her, and she shifted uncomfortably on the sidelines of their battle. She shut her eyes, and neared the duo before she spoke up,

"... I'm glad...." she began, pausing briefly to collect her thoughts. She had tried hard to find a way to make everything okay but it'd always eventually come to this, wouldn't it? "I'm glad you're both alright." They both held a special place in her heart, after all.
(Cordelia)
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[22:12] As Nautia went on and on, rambling after telling him that it was over the boy did something rather... Unique. He reached down to his foot, slipping it out of his boot and pulling his sock from it. The vampire's world would go pitch-black for a moment before she'd find her long, multiple threats silenced by the black sock that had been balled up and forced into her mouth.

He put a sock in it.

He began walking off with only one sock on his person, uttering a few words as he did - showing that he had grown up past the point where the vampire could control him any longer; past the point where his mistakes shouldn't fall on him.

"I'll manage."

What would happen to Vanika in his absence? He had yet to even think about that, but the prospect was... Horrible.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:14] Nautia doesn't have a sock put into her mouth- as she had already risen from the ground and turned away. Ethan might just throw it at her back though.

"Maybe. We'll see how she does by the time you return."

There was no chance of changing her. Not this easily, at least. The blonde allows her eyes to stare at Cordelia next, remaining quiet for the time being. Maybe she still needed to process this.
(Nautia Avitus)
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[22:14] She'd watch Ethan walk off, crossing her arms as he turned his back on them. Where he'd go? No idea. Eventually she'd turn towards Nautia, a frown clear on her features.
(Cordelia)