Friends of cats

[Cori Viera]

Cori laughed because Rip laughed in a funny kinda way, and they were both laughing because Cori failed to kill someone with his cursed fingers. Whereas Lieve had magic fingers, Cori's brought with them the plague of black death. Literally. It was hard not to feel incredibly down about that, especially since he loved plants--and in particularly loved hanging out with Lieve while Lieve tended to plants. Cori's job in those instances was to blather on about everything under the sun while Lieve did the heavy lifting.

"Ooh! Okay!" He pulled back from Rip and looked at the poor little plant again. "Who does that belong to? I should write them a note to apologize about killing that one..." Or he could pull it off and hide the evidence, but Cori wasn't that sneaky to begin with. Now that he wasn't death on two legs, he took some time to look around the room and to appreciate everything in it.

"This is a pretty cool room! Look at all the neat stuff this guy's been collecting!" He hopped off the bed and ran over to the desk, where a cute lunch tin sat. "Oooh! I love this! Isn't this awesome Rip? Oh--the plant! I gotta do the plant thing first!" Cori bounced over to the window next and gingerly selected another piece of the succulent to touch.

He expected it to wither, or ideally for nothing to happen.

Instead...

"AAHHH!" Cori yelled and leapt back as the plant... exploded. It exploded in a sudden mass of growth, spilling over the side of the pot and then falling over with the weight of all the new offshoots and clusters of leaves that sprang to life out of nowhere.

[Ripper Nightshade]

They probably looked like a couple of hysterical weirdos but maybe that's because they were. Rip gave Cori one more awkward little pat on the back before the embrace ended and he sat where he was, hands between his legs as he watched Cori looking around the room.

"Raphael. This is his room." Was? Rip wasn't sure. He hadn't heard or seen hide nor hair from either Raphael or Rhys in a few days now. Keith just assumed they were dead but Rip really hoped that wasn't the case. Apparently they were traitors and that meant death. But... surely the king wouldn't kill his own son, especially if he really wasn't doing well and needed an heir on the throne. Rhys was the closest to the throne of any of them. Maybe... he had gone back home. As for Raphael...

Rip didn't want to think about it, honestly.

"I thought you'd like this room." He felt pleased with himself for guessing correctly. But also, it was still the only bedroom he felt confident taking Cori to. Whether Rhys was dead or back home, there was still the tiniest off chance he could just be working on something... and if he came back to somebody in his room... Rip didn't want to be the one to cross him.

It seemed like Cori was either distracted by the coolness of Raphael's room or he was trying desperately not to do The Thing. But he seemed somewhat excited to do The Thing so Rip thought maybe it was the former. He watched, too, as Cori touched the plant in the window, tense and hopeful. Ideally, nothing would happen. And for a second--but no. Rip immediately got to his feet as Cori cried out and the plant began to explode with sudden growth.

Panic rose in him as the plant continued to grow at an alarming speed, even when Cori's hand was no longer touching it.

"Oh! Oh no..." How on earth did they stop it??? Rip didn't have any sort of thoughts on how to fix something like this. It wasn't even on his radar of things to expect when Cori touched the plant. It was either he corrupted it or he didn't corrupt it. It certainly wasn't... this!

"K-Kei-Pax!" he shouted as he pulled Cori with him out of the room as the plant continued to burst into new and bigger plants.

[Cori Viera]

"Tha-that plant's gone CRAZY!" Cori shouted as he ran out of the room with Rip, while the plant just took over the entire room. Oh... oh all of the cool stuff inside! All the collections and the lunch tin! He heard things bumping around, falling, being jostled around as the plant began to fill the space, and Cori couldn't help but feel as though he really, really owed that Raphael person a big huge apology after this!

The dark-haired man returned when Rip called to him and he was frowning heavily. "What's going on?" His gaze fell onto a tidal wave of succulent leaves barreling towards them and for a moment even he looked shocked. "Who did this?" he asked sternly.

Cori raised his hand tentatively.

"...take the prince to the living room. I'll handle this."

"Prince?" Cori looked up at Rip. "Are you a Prince?!"

[Ripper Nightshade]

Uh, yeah... That plant was definitely going crazy in there. Rip had no idea what to think of it; he was on panic mode now. All he could imagine was that the plant would keep growing until it took over the entirety of Greenwood and then Hazleton and then the world! Who knew that Cori was this powerful?!

"Yes, sir!"

Rip was just glad that neither of them were being lashed with invisible whips (yet--he feared for their future though). Grabbing hold of Cori's hand, he tugged him down the hallway and into the living room. Hopefully Pax had the power to do something about that plant before it took over the entire world. Why was it even still growing?! It was like Cori super-charged it with some kind of crazy growth hormone.

"No, no. I'm not a prince, you are," Rip said, somewhat distractedly as he sat Cori down on the couch.

[Cori Viera]

"I am not you silly!" Cori laughed deliriously, the same kind of laugh Rip laughed earlier. He ran into the living room with Rip and sat on the couch, but almost immediately leapt up, pointing to the door. The unguarded door. "Rip! Rip look! The door! We can leave!"

Ooh freedom was right there within reach! He tugged on Rip's hand urgently. "Rip hurry! While he's distracted by the plant, we can go!" Ooh this was the perfect opportunity! He wanted to just run out so badly but--not without his new friend Rip. He couldn't live with himself if he got out but Rip didn't! Meanwhile, behind them in that plant-filled room, Pax seemed to be struggling to contain them...

[Ripper Nightshade]

But he was. Cori was the prince. A prince. And that dream he had about his mother being kidnapped was quite... strange, too. Rip hadn't had a chance to really unpack that information but it did nag at him. It was important; he just didn't know why it was important. It was like having a puzzle piece but lacking the ones around it to loan it context.

"Huh?"

Rip looked over at the front door as Cori bounced right back to his feet, excitedly pointing out the not-so-well-guarded door. There was nobody standing there but that didn't mean there wasn't a spell on it. Cori was too excited to see the forest for the trees, so he was bounding for the door, likely ecstatic that he could make his escape.

"I don't think we should--" he tried to say but they were already at the front door. Rip tried to use the hand he still held to pull Cori away from the door. "Be careful! There could be wards all over it!"

[Cori Viera]

Bouncing comically off the invisible barrier over the door, Cori clutched at his nose with his free hand, yelping. That hurt! He ran into that face-first and it hurt! "What--" He stared at the door. It was open; the hallway outside was empty, normal. But he couldn't get through! He was stopped by something! Cori kicked a foot at the door; the barrier showed itself briefly in a low shimmer, and then vanished from view.

"Wha--it's--they can't do this!" He turned to Rip angrily. "They can't just kidnap people! What do they want, Rip? Is it money? I don't have any! My mom's not even here and--I just want to go home..." Cori trailed off miserably. He looked at the door again, with freedom so close and yet... so far. Cori couldn't make the barrier go away--he didn't know how to do magic. He was only a human!

"Why is this happening, Rip? Do you know?"

[Ripper Nightshade]

His attempts to keep Cori from the door were for naught; he made it to the door and opened it and smashed straight into a brick wall of wards. Rip sighed; he knew that was coming. There was no way they'd just leave the door open for Cori to leave. They wanted to corrupt him. They wanted Rip to watch him until he was corrupted and then... He would likely be shipped off back to the fairy realm to meet his true destiny.

Rip was silent while Cori went on an angry (and fearful) tirade about being kidnapped and money and Rip slightly shook his head. It wasn't about money. Money was useless to a fairy. They used it because they had to in this world but it held no real value to most of them. Human money was useless back home. And here, there wasn't much to want to buy.

This wasn't strictly true; Raphael liked to collect things here and Rip liked certain things too. But they weren't coming home with him when he eventually had to leave so... He just enjoyed those things from afar. Besides, the things Rip really yearned for weren't really about money. Cats. Friends. Experiences.

"It's because you're a prince," he said sadly. If he hadn't been born a prince, he wouldn't be cursed with the life that no doubt awaited him. Rip wished he could help him escape... but... Glancing back, at where he could still hear Pax struggling with the never-ending growth of that once tiny plant, he let go of Cori's hand and he indicated the ward on the doorway.

"Maybe," he said quietly, "you can escape on your own power."

Cori was obviously powerful. Maybe the most powerful of the princes.

"Try touching the barrier and..." He tried to think of a good way of visualizing this one. "And imagine it's made of glass. Imagine that where you touch it, it starts to crack..."

[Cori Viera]

"I'm not! I'm not a prince!" Cori could have cried with frustration at this point! He wasn't a prince and he had no money so if they thought he was somebody else, then they were wrong! But nobody was telling him WHAT they wanted! That blond guy wasn't even here anymore but somebody else took his place, and then they blocked the door with freaky spells to stop him from leaving...

Cori grasped at his curls and let out a purely anguished noise. He just wanted to go home! To find Lieve! To find his mom!

"What? He drew closer to Rip. What was he saying? That Cori had some kind of power? "But I'm..." Human... He was cursed, and that was why the thing with the plant happened. And this thing now, well maybe it was the curse backfiring. It couldn't be him! His mom never told him anything about being special the way Lieve was! Cori was desperate though.

Desperate enough to try.

He did what Rip told him, even though it was difficult to focus. But he forced himself and he tried to find a weak spot. To make it crack. Something glimmered. Just by the door jamb, it glistened and Cori stared at it. "Is that--do you see that?" He walked forward and prodded it and then, just like glass, the entire ward shattered. Cori stared.

"Rip!" He grabbed Rip's hand as he stuck a foot out experimentally. It went through! "RIP!" Cori yanked on his hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

[Ripper Nightshade]

Oh, he was definitely a prince. He was younger than the others but he was definitely from the royal bloodline. It was plain to see; he had the telltale traits. And... he was powerful. It almost seemed to Rip that... somehow... he had dispelled the corruption with his own power. And that was... that was something. It gave Rip hope, though. That maybe... he could make it out of here. Cori wasn't stuck here. He could do it.

He hovered nearby and watched Cori anxiously, hoping he could do it without attracting any attention from Pax. The plants had been a worthy distraction--even if it was an accident. And now... Rip waited, holding his breath as he waited to see if Cori could do it.

"Yes," he said in a whisper. He saw it. Cori definitely could do it. Breaking somebody else's ward. That was high level magic. And Cori... he literally broke through it like it was actually glass. Rip smiled--he did it! He really did it! But then Cori was grabbing onto him and pulling him along... And Rip had to pull his hand from his grasp.

"I can't." Rip didn't have the same options that Cori did. He looked over his shoulder, heart thumping. Then back to Cori. "Get out of here as fast as you can. And... and when you do... imagine a big heavy cloak over you that nobody can see through. Do it. Quick now, before he sees you."

[Cori Viera]

Rip wasn't coming with him...

He felt the resistance against his hand, the one that pulled frantically to get Rip to leave with him. Cori shook his head like a wet dog. "No! No Rip! You have to come with me! We can leave now! I'm not leaving without you Rip!"

See, in a time of need, Rip helped him. He was here to calm Cori down and to make sure that he was okay. His presence and his advice helped Cori to get rid of that nasty curse—although now he was cursed to make plants grow forever, it seemed, and in the back of his mind he wondered if the thing would... take over the world if it didn't stop!

But a friend in need was a friend indeed and Cori couldn't see himself running away without Rip! Rip was trapped here too, wasn't he? He wasn't mean like that blond guy; he wasn't scary stern like the black-haired one. Rip looked like somebody who might've gotten mixed up in this without knowing it. He was innocent. There was innocence in him that only innocence could recognize.

"Please Rip! Come with me! I'll hide you! We can go to Lieve's house and—and I'll use magic to keep you safe!" Even if it wasn't his magic, he could make more plants grow and distract that other guy again! There had to be a way!

[Ripper Nightshade]

"You have to."

Rip hadn't been given an order to stay yet by Pax but that didn't matter. If he left with Cori, he was going to be the beacon to find him again. Cori couldn't possibly want that. And anyway, for letting Cori get away, Rip was probably going to be punished much more severely than Keith was.

"You can't keep me safe. And I can't keep you safe. If I go with you, you'll be found again." He tugged his hand back. "Go," he urged Cori. "Now!"

Who knew when he would get a chance this good? And if he was caught now, the wards would be tougher, there would be more, they'd be more complex. There would be less chance of getting out.

[Cori Viera]

"But! But Rip! What's gonna happen to you?!" Cori clung to his hand desperately, still trying to tug him out. He didn't understand why Rip wasn't leaving with him. He didn't see why Rip had to stay here when the way was already clear for him to leave. Cori wanted him to escape too. He wanted Rip to run out with him so that they could get back to Lieve's place, where there were all kinds of nice herby plants and it was clean and bright and cheerful--not like this place, where kidnappers and crazy plants grew and scary guys kept magical wards on the doors.

There was a loud BANG from the other room, though, and what sounded like a sigh of relief. Cori cast frightened eyes toward Raphael's bedroom. Rip wasn't leaving; he was adamant about staying. And if Cori didn't go... he might never escape. With a low choked sound welling up in his throat, he threw his arms around Rip and hugged him fiercely about the neck.

"I'll come back for you! I'll find help Rip! I promise! I promise!" He blinked hard. "Thank you! I'll be back with help!"

Then he had to go, because he heard footsteps approaching. Cori did what Rip told him to; he imagined a cloak falling over him from head to toe, covering him like a shield. As he ran, he scrubbed a hand over his eyes but his jaw was tight and his expression was determined. He was going to help Rip if it meant getting the whole police department down here to arrest these terrible kidnappers!

"Ripper? What happened?" The dark-haired man's voice was calm, low. "Where did the prince go?"

[Ripper Nightshade]

He didn't know. Rip didn't know what was going to happen to him but he dreaded it. He dreaded it as much as he could see the dread and panic in Cori's eyes. Maybe it showed in his own, too. But he couldn't leave with Cori. There was no telling what would happen to Cori if he did. And... he really was dealing with a wildcard here. His panic rose as he heard the sounds behind them. For a second, he thought Cori was going to stay, that he would be caught.

"Please..." Cori's embrace made him feel so much worse about it. He wished... he wanted... he yearned to go with him. But he couldn't. He swallowed hard as Cori promised to come back for him. "...don't." He shook his head. Don't come back for me. He wanted to say it but he couldn't bring himself to say anything else. His throat was tight. He almost didn't want to let go of him but he did and he stepped back and away from the doorway as Cori slipped away.

"...he escaped." Rip lowered his gaze, bracing himself for the worst.

[Paxton Ames]

"I see."

Pax strode over to the door and inspected what remained of his wards and charms. Shattered. He glanced over his shoulder at Ripper, who stood deferentially close by with lowered gaze, then returned his attention back to the door. Pax reached out and stroked the jamb of the door; the barrier returned. It took a great deal of magic to do this. But also--to do this without him sensing or feeling it, distracted as he was with that ridiculous plant that refused to stop growing.

Ripper didn't have the ability to break his charms, nor did he have anywhere near the amount of sheer power it required to mask this from his own master.

"The prince realized his powers," he said slowly as he returned to Ripper, standing directly before him. Pax didn't touch him; his hands remained clasped behind his back. "And he broke the ward and ran out. Correct?"