Homeland [Brandon & Ciara]

[Ciara Devlin - Council]

The halls of Hallows Hill Manor were silent, not even the sound of a mouse scurrying on through could be heard; for The Sisterhood were asleep or simply too afraid to scare the silence which loomed over their home. The shadows danced by candlelight, and the moon casted shadows to enclose the grand building from the outside. It was unusual for the gothic building to be so incredibly still, however, not unheard of; death still happened, but the screams were muffled, ingested and swallowed. It was common practice, that on the 1st November each year, The Banshee’s would not scream, they would not please their Elders out of due respect. The Sisterhood took a vow of silence to mourn, to remember and to reflect on those that have passed; either by brute force by a common enemy of from the evil hands of The Matron. 

The night remained still, and only awoke as the sun peaked through the overindulging fog which plagued the land the Manor sat upon. Ciara spent the night at the Manor, which was becoming more and more unusual, but alas; as she woke, there was a knock upon her door - The Matron’s little sidekick informing her that her presence was needed. A series of foul words fell out of Ciara’s mouth but she did as she was requested, and made her appearance known at the grand oak wood doors which opened up into The Matron’s study. 

“My Petal. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes this morning” The Matron encircled Ciara into her arms, and rocked her back and forth ever so gently, making brief hushing sounds. Ciara knew better than to fight the condescending love that was being showered upon her. 

“There is tea. Coffee. Whisky should you wish” The Matron indicated to her side cabinet and took a seat behind her desk; the log fire crackling behind her. “I have received word from The Elders” She went on. 

“Oh I know.” Ciara snarked back over her shoulder as she poured herself a generous glass of whisky. She could never get a moment's peace without The Elders lurking somewhere in her consciousness.  

“Then, you know where I’m going to send you. To our homeland, to the place of your birth and death” The painted red lips of The Matron’s curled upward as she relished in the thought of Ciara being so tormented. “To retrieve something lost of ours, something that will strengthen our bond to The Elders.” The Matron leaned forwards and lit up a cigarette. Ciara downed the glass of whisky and poured herself another. 

“Pack lightly, and head to the airport. You'll be met by a driver on the other side who has all the details to share” The Matron dismissed Ciara with her hand. “Don’t worry, My Precious Petal. I’ll keep an eye on That Eternal for you.” She mocked before spinning her chair round to face the fire. 

__________________________________________ 

Ciara found herself at the airport but most importantly in the lounge where drinks were almost bottomless. She sat in the booth nearest to the window, watching the planes come and go. Both hands occupied with a glass of some unknown sin. Her grey coated eyes closed, and her nostrils flared. “What are you doing here?”

[Brandon LeCreaux - Council]

✧ Homeland ✧

Well this wasn’t how he was expecting to send the next few weeks. Showing up on Dimitris door to inform him that Madeline had learned that he was not dead but that he was dead. Explaining it to the little flower was torture to his soul. Yet watching her hate him, be relieved, then realize that he had no idea how long he would be allowed to walk this earthen plane before he was taken from them all once again. It was a secret that they had kept to her to allow her to grieve him once. Yet it seems that plan was to fall apart. He knew he had to inform Ciara of it, since she seemed to keep her distance as is.

Through a mutual banshee friends that they had he learned she was to return to their homeland. A place he hadn’t seen since the wind was still to him. He had actively avoided it because he wanted to not be caught by Madeline. The beauty of his job is death was everywhere and he could never get in trouble with taking trips around the world. For the first few years he had watched over Ciara's grave till learning what she had become, after that he traveled. Yet returning home was not something he saw coming as he walked into the airport that day.

With his sense he found her in the booth nearest the window watching the planes take off. He moved closer to say something and yet she had beat him to it. With a gentle sigh he shifted into the seat across from her and settled there for a moment waving down to get a drink himself. “Heard that you were being shipped back to the homeland.” He said in his native accent he often kept buried. “Madeline found me in New York. On accident. I was doing my job and she caught me by surprise. She was selling Dimitri’s work.”

When the drink was placed in his hand he found comfort in holding it. Knowing that he wouldn’t drink it, it was in fact for Ciara. “I’m sorry Madam.” He said holding the drink out to her with a bow of his head. “I never meant for her to find me as we had all agreed. She is angry and upset over it all.” He frowned softly. “I am not sure what to do.”

[Ciara Devlin - Council]

Homeland

Ciara knew her own Screams, and Brandon was one of hers.

Ciara knew who it was before her eyes even fell upon him; the deathly chill couldn’t fool anyone of the Supernatural kind - even more so for a Banshee who shared similar duties. Despite all of that, Ciara knew her own Screams, and Brandon was one of hers; a poor boy who had his lungs filled with an overpowering energy; she remembered the sheer panic, and the sudden and rather abrupt ending. The thought alone created goosebumps to appear on her forearms before she eventually glanced up at him as he appeared in the booth before her. “It is nice to finally see you again, Brandon, The Boy Who Got Hit By Lightning” Ciara’s mouth curled at one end,. “You put up quite a fight to survive, it was applaudable” She raised a glass in a toast like manner; it was clear that she almost wanted to dodge the conversation of Dimitri and Madeline.

“Try not to beat yourself up about it, she was bound to find out eventually” The banshee shrugged, and accepted the drink but soon ordered the waiter to grab a drink for the reaper opposite her. “Rough few months, finding out your Mother and Best Friend are actually alive” Cici actually laughed at that, although she found it rather strange that they had decided to keep his deathly rebirth a secret. “Do share, what was her reaction?” Ciara leaned forwards, intrigued simply because their own reunion wasn’t exactly the best.

“Whilst I’m on the topic of questioning you, what and why are you going to the Homeland?” She quizzed with a skeptic eye. “The Matron surely wouldn’t want you dappling in our business, but then again, she likes to throw spanners in the work and why not add you to the drama which is my life” A force but quick smile appeared as she downed the rest of the drink.

[Brandon LeCreaux - Council]

✧ Homeland ✧

Brandon tried to keep his old life separate from his life as a Reaper, he never wanted to cause those who loved him alive to fear a second loss of him. Yet it seemed the universe had other plans for that. So here he was meeting up with Ciara and hoped not to get beat up over causing her daughter, and Dimitri such stress. He was overly sure that Dimitri would try to repeatedly kill him for the pain he had caused Madeline. Even though part of it was Dimitri's fault as well.

“As they say, don't let death take you easily, right?” He said with a sad smile on his face. They both had a weird connection in that moment as Madeline had found out about them being alive, him more so in a dead state then the scream queen across from him. “She was so pissed, she tried to hold it together but the air around us while she reacted was that of Hades' anger.” A fire he had felt against his own face when he was late to pulling out a soul from its body which caused the soul to be tortured till he removed it. “Dimitri is going to kill me.” He sighed out leaning his head back to look out the window.

“I bought the ticket to catch you. You are rather hard to find nowadays since I no longer have the wind.” He said with a sigh finally looking back at her. “I haven’t been back to the Homeland since I stopped watching over your grave. Dimitri told me it would be best for me to keep my space for Madeline to not find out I was still roaming the earth.” He shifted and picked up the menu. “Maybe I will come with you, if you don’t mind.” He gave a weak smile, “for the drama of course.”

[Ciara Devlin - Council]

HOMELAND

Her mind was now twisted, damaged and worked in peculiar ways.

Ciara twirled the glass in her hand, watching the liquid dance around its confinements as the reaper shared his story of the latest interaction with Madeline and Dimitri. Although her mind was now twisted, damaged and worked in peculiar ways compared to the average being, she could still, albeit, rarely understand true emotion; and believe it or not, she could see that his encounter with Madeline was tearing him apart. “You kept it a secret from her, Brandon. What did you expect her to do when you’ve kept this secret from her the whole time?” She relayed, however, in this moment of being lucid, she supposed what she was describing was the feeling Dimitri had with The Matron who refused to tell him that Ciara was unalive and kicking. “You think she would take it with warm, cuddly arms?” The Banshee snorted. “She is half Devlin, apparently, and us Devlin’s have a rage that is unspeakable.”

She had seen that rage in her Mother, although Alanna often kept it underwraps; it was the same with Ciara, albeit she was a little more feisty, a little more argumentative. However, she would always state it was because she didn’t have a normal upbringing, no schooling to make her more civilised. Ciara was always a little more feral than the other girls in The Pleasure House. “But she’ll get over it, she’ll forgive and just be over the moon that her buddy ole pal is back” She raised her glass to toast that glorious reunion. “And for Dimitri, he couldn’t kill a ghost” She shrugged.

“I have to be hard to find, for apparently reasons like this” Ciara grinned, and mainly because The Matron was possessive of her and didn’t want to share her delicate wallflower. “Although surprising for a Reaper. Our two species are so often in sync” She quirked a brow and looked over at him inquisitively. “Well, you’re here now, you might as well embark on this trip down memory lane with me” She cooed. “To County Mayo”

[Brandon LeCreaux - Council]

✧ Homeland ✧

Brandon was perpetually the life of the party, ensuring that everyone felt a sense of belonging and looking out for others by dutifully following their orders. Once upon a time, he was the individual upon whom anyone could lean, the steadfast pillar, until the day that he was not. Brandon sensed the smile that he often donned fall from his face momentarily, his dark eyes flickering towards the window to peer out at the living world. "I had always harbored the hope that I would fulfill my obligations to Hades and move forward without encountering her again. She needed to undergo her trials; she did not need to scour the world in search of rescuing her friend." Brandon sighed softly in resignation. "I am uncertain as to what I anticipated, ultimately. I had never intended to become a part of her life once more."

There was much truth in the assertion that Maddie's fury mirrored that of her mother's. Despite the circumstances surrounding Maddie's birth, one might presume that she was a troublemaker, yet she displayed warmth and kindness in her youth. Brandon had spent a substantial amount of time with her, to the point where they were akin to siblings, relying on each other. He had disappointed her, feeling more ashamed of himself in those fleeting moments than angry at her response. It would plague him, even as he eventually moved forward, prepared to endure any consequences in the afterlife for his actions.

"I do not believe that forgiveness is forthcoming anytime in the near future," he grumbled somewhat, his cantankerous side emerging. With Ciara, he could lower his guard, unveiling the darker, less sanguine aspect of his persona. "Well, I suppose there is a silver lining to being in the paradox of nearly being deceased. Nothing can render you more deceased than you are already." A malevolent chuckle escaped as their glasses clinked together, resonating in the nearly deserted room.

When Ciara flashed a smile at him, he understood why Dimitri had been smitten with her at first glance; even in her undead state, she exuded beauty. "I am confident that when someone is determined to locate you, they will leave no stone unturned in their quest." A subtle smirk graced his lips, both of them embodying two sides of the same coin, "Indeed, we are, akin to a peculiar superhero duo whose exploits culminate in demise for others." He was taken aback by her consent to allow him to accompany her, "I wonder what revelations lie in store for us as we traverse memory lane." His gaze returned to the aircraft arriving, "Even in death, I still harbor disdain for airplanes.