The Final Goodbye (closed to Chelle)

"Cilian, I need you to do this for me. No one can know, not even Lilia...Chelle has to hear me out before it's too late...", those words rang in Cilian's head as he strode through the crowds of people on their late afternoon strolls. It was 6:40 pm and the sky had sunken into a deep mix of indigo and magenta as the sun slowly dipped it's glowing head into the distant horizon, commuters sped home to their loved ones trying to beat the rush hour traffic before it became too unbearable. The frenchman however, who was too lazy to purchase a car had no time to gaze at the daily activities of the new yorkers, nor did he pay attention to the grand spectacle of colour that spread across the evening sky...his mind was currently on other things which was strange in itself because he barely dwelled on anything that could possibly harass his blasé nature.

That morningSheryll Paxton , otherwise known as Agent Gossamer to her peers, had managed to once again break into his apartment that morning while he was still asleep, however this intrusion of hers was not as playful as her other spontaneous break ins for when he woke up he found her sitting at his dining table with head in hands, a worried almost pained look on her face. Although the Frenchman was going to overreact he knew that something particularly troublesome was nagging away at her soul...she obviously needed him then and there so he he simply sat with her and did what any good frien would do...listen. Sheryll was vague in her description of what was currently happening "behind the scenes" and she immediately questioned whether the Prince or any of the othe thrones members had any strange visitors lately. Cilian denied any unusual happenings, well more unusual than what he's gotten used to and this somehow releived the brunette woman of some of her stress. It was a short visit, she had snuck out of her apartment early in the morning, making sure that her 'younger sister', Lilia, was safe in bed. The deal was to meet her at 6:45 at the front of her apartment. She desperately needed to see Queen Chelle and she would not have done it if the Prince was not able to accompany her.

Cilian's brisk walking pace eventually took him to the front door of the red brick apartment complex, Sheryll who was dressed in a dark grey woolen sweater, waxy black tights and heels was leaning against the door post, biting her thumbnail. She looked beautiful, and the wily Frenchman, upon greeting her with a warm grin, placed a peck on her cheek in an attempt to make her smile. A small grin crept across her lips,"Evening my dear, I'm assuming Lilia is accounted for on this little trip" he spoke smoothly, cocking his head to the side as he stroked a strand of hair away from her eyes. "Lilia is inside with her stripper friend, although I don't know why I let that wannabe whore into my house. She's safe anyways, since i knew you're gonna ask", Sheryll said rolling her eyes with a subued amount of cheekiness. Cilian had grown fond of the Russian ballerina and taken her under his suited arm as a surrogate baby sister and the thoughts if her with this 'stripper' friend had him chuckling, "Anyways, I think we should go.. ", she muttered slipping her arm under his own as he began to escort her to the thones office.

***
The office was as exquisite and immaculate as it always was...the queen of throne had a knack for the fanciful and anything remotely shiny and the couple gazed around at the interior with raised eyebrows, some of the art pieces absoluety stunning inside the well lit office. It wasn't long before Chelle's assistant, Anna, came striding out of the hallway, appearing a little surprised at the sudden guests. "Good Evening Prince Cilian and ..uh, Sheryll. I'm assuming you want the Queen yes?" she spoke with a calm air of confidence, she was doing her job well, "if it is Chelle you want I shall chel in to see if she's avaliable. I'll only be a few moments" she said with a polite from before wandering off into the winding hallways of the office. An air of silence crept over the couple who awkwardly stood there for a moment not until Cilian spoke up with a surprised chuckle, eyebrows raised in mock suspicion.

"hmm, I think I've seen this chandelier somewhere before..although I'm not sure where" he spoke, scratching the back of his head. Only turning around when he heared the sounds of heels against the marble flooring, the Queen had arrived..

The suave Frenchman swivelled on the heels of his polished shoes, it was always interesting to see the queen and her choice of clothing. Cocking his head to the side with a little smirk he greeted the winged woman with a polite little bow. Sheryll grinned and nodded her head, brushing away hair that demanded it cover her eyes. Mimicking the finely dressed woman the couple quickly took their place on the loveseat opposite to her, the Prince choosing to skink back into the warm embrace of the embroidered fabric..Sheryll on the other hand sat up straight with hands clasped together.

"Ah magnifique,",Cilian spoke with enthusiasm as he propped himself forward to check out the selection of snacks. Once the various morsels were neatly set out on the table the distinct scents immediately wafted into the air above causing Cilian's mouth to water with unreasonable potency, the food looked great and the very fact that wine was on offer caused him to let out a restrained giggle. Drinking wine with Sheryll always ended up well a bit less civilized then he hopes but nevertheless he immediately went on to pour the ladies and himself a glass of the fine 1963 red. "Forgive us for our intrusion my Queen," he said in a solemn voice handing both women their glasses with a curt bow of his head, "But something has arisen..." he muttered, biting the bottom of his lip as he let the red liquid in his glass swirl around. It was more likely the case that Sheryll would do more of the talking from there on, he was simply there to support her and enjoy the free wine.

Clearing her throat the brunette woman began to speak, a hushed tone in her otherwise cheery voice "No I understand, this meeting never happened.." she said propping her glass in the cup if her hands staring intensely at the Queen, "I'm not going to sugar coat anything and what I speak of is the truth so please understand that what you're about to hear is information that is of class 6 classification...meaning not even the president knows about it " she spoke clearly, without pausing, she must've practiced this prior to the real thing, "A war is about to begin...and you and the members of thrones are going to get involved, I guarantee it" she said, clenching her fist together whilst quickly glancing at Cilian, this was dangerous information and she genuinely did not want to worry either of them, "Thrones is currently on a hitlist that contains information on known metahumans across the United States and it's neighboring countries...they plan on hunting you all down." she said, clenching her jaw as she finally revealed the grand plan that dominus had set out for itself.

"You have to believe me, it's already started.."

Cilian stared wide eyed at the Queen's more than positive response, it was a bit comical, considering he had completely not foreseen such an...energetic response, why it appeared that the Queen hersel was more blasé than he was. However Sheryll retained her air of seriousness, only briefly hugging Chelle back before gently pushing the woman of her body. If it were any other situation, if the couple had not come there for those exact reasons they would have eagerly accepted the Queen's suggestion to a drunk night of fun, the Frenchman had to block out any thoughts related to such an event and hurriedly gulped down his glass of wine to distract himself from some particularly questionable mental images.

"Chelle, you don't understand! No amount of partying will make this any better.." Sheryll spoke with increased urgency, clasping Chelle's arms to garner her utmost attention "Look I really don't want to say this but..but your younger brother is also on the list" she mumbled , looking to the ground as she revealed the painful truth. Dominus did not care for age, sex, or allegiance...if someone was not human they were the enemy. End of story.

"Please, you have to understand...this battle will reach your doorstep. They will come for the ones you love...and the ones I love... " she swallowed, briefly glancing at the man beside her with muted pain, he too was on the list...

Chelle's sudden, although expected, outburst had both Cilian and Sheryll flinch, the dramatic transformation the Queen took when angry was quite a sight to behold. Neither moved, although Cilian did wince when the wineglass fell, he could've had that, not that he would now that it was splayed across the floor, staining the Persian rug with a scarlet splash. Sheryll gulped, blinked twice and inhaled in an attempt to keep her composure even in front of the vampiric woman. Cilian shuffled closer to the agent, although he did not enjoy what he was hearing either she did not deserve the verbal assault directed at her. She glanced at him with troubled eyes, not knowing if she should continue a solemn nod from him encouragin her to continue. If by any chance the Queen did happen to go berserk and lunge at them he was more than certain that their particular 'talents' could hold her off...not that he'd want such a thing to happen anyways.

"As far as I'm concerned Victoria is not on the list, neither is a few other members. Dominus are solely focusing on metahumans...after the New York Assault things have become a bit less friendly to your kind..." she muttered, digging her nails into the palms of her hands in an attempt to quell her worry, "Look it doesn't matter if you guys are good or bad. Apparently you pose a possible threat to the wider community and they will not stop in bringing you down.." she said, the air in her voice running dry towards the end, this was a lot more difficult than she envisioned. It was true though, Dominus had listed not only Metahuman villains but those who actually do good for society. Pain, one of the greatest heroes in America was on the list, dominus had did not care for his allegiance to good..to them he was simply another Doctor Necrodium...

Taking in a deep breath, clutching her glass with a worrying amount of pressure she continued, "I only provided them with bare info on the metahuman thrones members, they have an understanding of your abilities and your general habits...I assume they gathered information on your brother from a variety of sources, me not being one of them.., guilt washed over her as she admitted to handing over the vital, albeit vague, information on her old colleagues. Had she not provided such information her father, Adam Paxton, threatened to send Lilia back to the care of her handlers, something the brunette woman swore would never happen. This moral dilemma involved all the people she cared for..betray the man she adores and the people who took her in or subject a girl to further abuse at the hands of men with zero humanity.

"They intend to hunt metahumans down and will strike them through different methods. Depending on who te target is they may send troopers or agents...or me" she mumbled in a hushed tone, staring down at her feet as she told of the hitlist and its purpose, "I don't know when or where they'll strike thrones...just please, be aware that they possess power that not even we could comprehend." She gazed at Cilian, he was the last person she wanted to hurt in all this and it appeared that the storm which was about to come would definately send the well dressed man into the heat of things..

Cilian stared wide eyed with mouth open as time seemed to slow down, the exquisite face looming towards his face, NOT THE FACE! he mentally screamed not wanting to break the tense atmosphere. Thankfully his body reacted quicker than his brain and a black, inky arm shot out from his chest catching the porcelain projectile centimetres away from his face, a strained yelp escaping his lips. "Please...don't do that agin..." he mumbled, hesitantly placing the vase at his feet where it would be safe from anymore angry women.

Whereas Sheryll listened with head bowed, gingerly sipping her wine as Chelle paced back and forth questioning whether a few other metahumans were listed. Sheryll did not know, if she did it wouldn't really equate to much. The list was practically endless and as the #1 Agent Sheryll only had the most powerful metahumans to worry about, "..I - I honestly don't recall seeing their names... she whispered, running her finger across the polished edge of the wineglass, "Even if i did there's nothing I can do. There are so many factors at play that not even I can release myself from this...every single player in this world of power will get involved.... Sheryll had now assumed a more serious tone, brushing her lip with her index finger as she clenched her eyebrows trying to think of all the elements involved in the coming 'shit-storm'.

"They know about this office, they know about Anna, they know about your love for lingerie as well...they also know that you aren't entirely human either.." she trailed off noting the fangs and wings, "As far as I'm concerned they don't know about the villa in Italy.." she spoke closing her eyes as if scanning her mind for any other vital pieces of info. This momentary concentration was shattered however.

A loud thud reverberated throughout the small room sending everyone jolting backwards. Something had hit the window. Something had caused glassy spiderwebbing across the window to Chelle's office. Someone who was obviously aiming for the Queen herself. The bullet, still lodged into the thick glass was placed in an area that would have hit the winged woman directly between the eyes. No noise was made, everyone was alert..even the Frenchman who was pouring his second glass of wine, completely ignoring the fact that the glass was now overflowing with the expensive red liquid.

Seconds passed and someone finally breathed a sigh of relief, someone had failed at assassinating the queen but the sound of shattering glass and a startled gasp changed that. Everyone turned their heads to the noise and the sight itself was a painful one. Anna, Chelle's servant girl was clasping her shoulder as a stream of blood flowed freely down her quivering arm, a shocked look on her face. The other maid screamed and as if time slowed down the three most experienced members got into action. Cilian spun on his feet and leaped towards Anna, catching her before she collapsed onto the ground. Her breathing was heavy and she was in obvious shock but was otherwise okay, a mere flesh wound.

"...They've come..." muttered Sheryll, who sat still, unmoving like a statue as a horrified look crept across her face. Dominus had arrived.

A familiar tingling sensation ran down his spine as Cilian swivelled around brandishing Balizarde in one fluid motion, glass flew everywhere around him and it was as if time itself had slowed down. He screamed for Sheryll, his voice reaching an uncomfortable pitch as he desperately clambered over to her still, unmoving form. Her eyes were still open, but all emotion was gone...like a doll or a puppet she had 'shut down'. No amount of his desperate pleas to wake her up could summon the bubbly personality to come back.

"SHERYLL! SHERYLL?! WAKE UP!", he screamed, shaking her body like a rag doll hoping she would at least respond. But there was nothing, not even a batter of her eyelids as she drooped, lifeless in his arms as he frantically looked around for something that could possibly help him. By then Chelle had dealt with the two troopers that breached the office and Anna and the other maid had disappeared from sight. "I need to get her somewhere safe!" he yelled at Chelle, hauling the brunette woman over his shoulder in one swift motion. Cilian leapt over the table and sprinted towards the nearest room, making sure that Sheryll's limp body wouldn't smack into anything.

As he sprinted the tattoos on his body quickly slid off his skin and sprung out like liquid black tendrils, they assumed the form of rapidly moving globs of ink, they could easily assume new shapes if fhe situation called for it. Horcering behind his body like eerie black specters the churning masses of swirled around the two as he gently placed her on a table, making sure she still had a heartbeat. It was there but it was very faint...a muted thudding noise that wa considerably slower than it should've been. The Frenchman was ready for anything that would happen, anything that could threaten the safety of Sheryll as well as his own. Clasping her limp hand in his own he prayed to whatever God there was, hoping that this situation would not get any worse...

However everything seemed a bit redundant when a two grenades crashed through the windows of the room. He barely ha time to react and without thinking jumped on top of her body in an attempt to protect her. His were shut tight and his body was clenched as time dragged on, a mere 3 seconds felt like 3 hours..

BOOM.

Cilian clenched his jaw, flicking his head around as he gazed at the Anna, who was still in shock but otherwise okay, "My dear, please let me carry you", he said with a wide grin in attempt to quell her worry. The woman was initially hesitatnt but accepted his offer, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hoisted her shivering body onto the back of his own. At that moment he didnt care if he got blood on the suit, the drycleaners could worry about that...although he would have to come up with a believable excuse as to why his pristine suit was coated in red.

He heard a gasp next to him and upon quickly turning around he came face to face with Sheryll, who was now conscious. A panicked look was on her face, then and there she was no stone cold assassin like she usually was in situations like this..she genuinely looked flabbergasted at the events. Staring at him in wide eyed confusion she clutched his sleeve with an iron grip, "...My father must've known..I..I don't know..", she stuttered with quickening breaths, flinching when he yanked her by the crease of her elbow as they ran after chelle.

"Sheryll, don't worry about any of that. I shall protect you!", he commanded with a surpassing air of dominance, his smooth delivery however portrayed no arrogance. He was going to protect her, even if it cost his life. He was simply lucky enough that the Queen jumped in to block the grenades. Dashing around a corner, past exquisite rooms and antique paintings the Frenchman moved with startling agility as he followed his queen out of the office, Sheryll, who was still gripping onto his arm, sprinted as well slowly regaining some semblance to the woman everyone had become so comfortable with.

Heaving his weight to the front as he balanced the fox girl on his back Cilian lept over broken glass and shattered wood as the chaos increased. Two troopers armed to the teeth with weapons appeared around the corner, guns raised as Cilian swept around the bend. Although on any other situation he may have let them live they had indirectly put both himself and the two girls in danger and almost by instinct his eyes immediately darkened, becoming horrid black orbs that stared the men down. Rushing forward, he shot his arm out sending a whole trail of writhing ink to slam into the two armed dominus troopers, their guns clattering against the floorsqnd walls as the shadowy liquid lashed out at them. Clenching his fist the swirling ink immediately became much more dense as it assumed a sharp, angular specter that cut through the Men's exposed mouths, shredding their vital organs from the inside and bursting out of their backs. It was a gruesome way to go but the Prince had to make a compromise if he planned on rescuing the two women..

The Frenchman reeled back, using Balizarde as an anchor before the heat wave from the explosion bloomed across the surrounding area, sending car alarms into a chorus of shrill beeps and honks...people will most definitely be swarming the area in no time. Clasping Sheryll in his arms he stared at her with an intense gaze, she blinked back taking in a deep breath, it appeared some life had return to her highly perceptive eyes. "Sheryll...I think it's time we return the favour..", he spoke slowly, a grin slowly spreading across his face as if he were trying to distract her from the current chaos that rained around them.

The brunette woman glanced to her left and smiled, the corners of her mouth creasing as a spark of fighting spirit returned to her girl face. Standing with a bounce to her step she began to limber up, cracking her neck she did so , "If we make it out alive..CIlian is definitely giving you a foot massage" she smirked glancing at Chelle who was now without her heels. The Frenchman cocked his head to the side as the strange deal was made...of course it was made without any of his consent, typical Sheryll. Once she had cracked her knuckles Sheryll closed her eyes, only to open them a few seconds later...a cold, still look of confidence sweeping across her face as she assumed her killer nature...things were about to get messy.

metal clasped the edge of the concrete roof, the sound of wire reeling back into holsters pierced the air as troopers scaled the side of the building intending to either capture or kill the metahuman targets on the roof. A gloved hand clasped the edge of the building, quickly by four more...the soldiers had arrived. As if the adrenaline had burst through his suited form Cilian dashed forward plunging Balizarde into the nearest hand that popped into view, a pained yelp bursting from hidden lips as the unknown soldier tumbled down the side of the building, screaming as he plunged to a certain death.

"VOILÁ! He cried, theatrically waving his sword in the air before kicking the nearest head that emerged from the corner of the building, polished heel met head, a muted thud cracking the atmosphere before sending the trooper sprawling to his side, luckily for him he managed to grab the edge before he joined his puddle of a friend on the pavement down below. This short moment of luck was shattered however when his very hand was cut clean off, the limb soaring into the concrete abyss down below. He screamed, blood spraying the surrounding area with a vibrant scarlet hue.

A wire shimmered in the air, a barely audible shrill coming from behind Cilian as the metal thread cut through the side of the roof, like a hot knife through butter. The men clasping onto their grappling hooks barely had any time to react as they were sent hurtling towards the ground below with half the roof following behind them, it was understandable.though..who would expect such a thin piece of string to slice their very chance at survival. Concrete shuddered against concrete as the roof met the road below crushing the men that fell with it, bones shattered and lives of 5 men were instantly extinguished with the flick of a wrist, or wire...the Iron maiden had returned.