Murder House
Kokoro looks down at the tiny dæmon, pressed against her boy's side. Michael isn't old enough to have a personality, barely big enough to have emotions, so Yami is shifting between a dozen forms each time the wind blows wrong or Michael stirs in his sleep.
'Thanks, Constance, I really appreciate this.'
Ben's words are hollow as he picks his dæmon from the counter and bends down over Michael. He presses his lips, to the baby's forehead, not reacting as he begins to squirm and cry. Constance steps forward, picking up the baby as Ben turns to leave, the lizard on his shoulder staring down at the snake on her arm.
They leave Constance's house, walking back to their own with slow, weighed down steps. They finally collapse in the living room, Kokoro leaning on Ben's neck as he breaks down. They have lost their wife, daughter and newborn son and still need to look after another baby.
'I don't know what to do, Ko.' Ben mutters, staring down at his hands.
The gecko shakes her head, her tail wrapping around his neck, in an small attempt to provide him comfort.
The house is silent as Ben begins to cry.
Vivien rests a hand on her stomach, smiling as Luke walks out the door. Ben glares after him for a second before returning to his office, apologising to whatever patient he has in there. Ibune, perching on her shoulder, tuts slightly, pulling a face after their husband.
'Bit hypocritical, isn't it?'
Vivien rolls her eyes, smirking at the dove. 'Oh, you know Ben. If I gave him time, he'd find a way to make this breakup my fault.'
Ibune laughs, low in his throat. 'I'm sure he would. Did he at least promise to pay child support?'
She strokes her baby bump again, thinking of the last time she and Ben actually talked. Ibune had been to busy diving at Kokoro to pay attention to what was being said. 'Why do you think I let him have the office? He's making us money.'
The dove nods, hopping from her shoulder to the arm of the chair and looking fondly at her bump. 'Well it doesn't matter, does it? We're going to be parents.'
Vivien smiles, moving her free hand to stroke his feathers, thinking of the future and her new sons.. She can't wait for her babies to be born.
Violet watches Tate walk out the door, almost forcing herself not to follow him. Sumelang looks up at her, confusion and worry clear on his face. Violet sighs, turning on her heal and storming back to her room. She pauses for a second outside the door but, predictably, neither of her parents have noticed anything.
'We're not really moving, are we Vi?' He dæmon says, jumping onto her bed as she closes the door.
Violet shrugs, flopping down beside him. 'I dunno, Lang. Mum says we are.'
The skunk hops up, fur on edge. 'But we can't move, I like it here. You like it here, I know you do.'
Violet rolls over slightly, scratching Lang's back. 'I never said I didn't. But the parents don't like it and they make the decisions.'
Sumelang slumps for a moment, tail drooping. A thought occurs to him and he perks up, looking straight at her. 'What if they didn't though? We could run away, Vi. Tate and Gendheng would come with us, I know they would.'
'It wouldn't work.' Violet sighs, cutting off his excitement. 'Besides, Tate doesn't love us that much, does he? Not living person loves someone else like that.'
He had expected to lose her when he died. She had foreseen it too and had tried to rebel against his plan. Tried to stop him, tried to talk him out of it until he caged her in a corner and walked away until she promised to be good. The pain didn't bother him, he was going to give out far worse.
Then the SWAT team had arrived and he lost her, his little spider dæmon.
He didn't expect to come back. He didn't expect to have her with him. He certainly didn't expect her to change.
The scorpion on his shoulder is crueler than his previous dæmon, more happy to go along with his plans, even happier to make them up herself. She reacts to pain and separation from him with an almost sadistic pleasure, saying it shows that she is stronger now. Tate doesn't use her name aloud anymore, not sure if she is the same dæmon, or if his real soul was taken and replaced by a monster. She still uses the name herself but with a smirk as if she knows his thoughts.
In life, nothing had scared him.
In death, only Gendheng has that honour.
Constance looks up at the house, eyes glinting and a small smile forming on her face. Her child runs past her, eager to see what the house is like, to choose his new room and learn all it's secrets. His dæmon runs after him, shouting as he almost crashes into the front door.
'Eager, isn't he?' Mati says, uncoiling himself from her wrist to slither up towards her shoulder. 'Should we be worried? He barely noticed when we told him about the illegal abortions.'
'Oh, he noticed.' Constance smiles as the delivery men finally leave the house, awkwardly shaking hands with her as they go. 'He was just more interested in the murders that happened here.'
Mati nods his head, hissing slightly as Constance walks into the room, shouting for the boy. His father is in the house somewhere, probably off wallowing in self pity.
'Look what I found.'
Constance turns, seeing the mouse, a real living mouse, clamped in the other dæmon's mouth. The snake on her shoulder shakes his head as the children smile, obviously proud of themselves.
'Oh, Michael.' Constance smiles, hugging her grandson and hoping the ghost's listen. 'What am I going to do with you?'
'You haven't changed.'
Priti tilts his head, looking up as Hayden stomps into the room. Since almost being separated permanently, they've had a much long reach and, although the hare likes to relax in the master bedroom, Hayden likes to walk around the house, trying to get Ben's attention.
'Is that a problem?'
Hayden pauses for a second, as if she hadn't actually thought that far into the conversation. 'I suppose not, it's just disappointing. Tate's dæmon changed and the ugly maid's.'
'Moira.' Priti supplies, staring at his girl. She's different, not enough for him to change but enough for him to notice. She was never so hurtful before.
'Do I care?' Hayden scoffs, sitting down on Ben and Vivien's bed, a sickly smile forming on her face. The hare jumps up after her, forcing down his revulsion at her obsessive actions. 'I don't know, Pri, it's like your not my dæmon anymore.'
She runs a hand through his fur, the motions more soothing for her than him. He makes himself stay still as nausea rushes over him, reminding him of the terrible moment he burst into golden Dust and left her, if only briefly.
'Yeah, I suppose it is.'
Hwasang limps after her man as he grumbles, complaining about ungrateful women and stupid young men. Larry doesn't even pause when she falls, chin hitting the pavement as she scrambles to her feet. The greyhound trots after him, trying to get his attention as he continues to moan.
'What are you planning, Larry?' She groans, her insides hurting as she speeds up. 'Where are we going?'
'We're going to get her. She ruined our life.'
The greyhound doesn't need to ask who he is talking about and can only sign as he picks up speed. 'You heard Lorraine. She doesn't blame Constance, she blames us, we're at fault.'
But Larry isn't listening, continuing to walk towards his apartment. 'She manipulated us into loving her. She ruined our marriage.'
'We ruined our marriage!' She shouts, stopping and forcing him to halt as well. He glares at her, obviously not wanting to accept anything she is saying. She stares back at him, her next words coming out slower, calming. 'We ruined out marriage, Larry. We killed her and we should pay for it. Not Constance.'
Larry blinks twice before heading back in the other direction. 'C'mon, Sang. We're going to the station.'
'No, Thaddeus. Go away.'
Her boy flees from her as she shouts, her husband stood to the side and staring after him. Nora rolls her eyes slightly and Charles dashes off, shouting for Thaddeus to come back. Nora doesn't want to know what the doctor intends to do, just decides to recline on the sofa, her dæmon resting beside her.
'Why has no one visited?'
The peacock tilts his head at her, pondering the question. 'I suppose they are giving us time. Mother always says it's rude to interrupt grief, especially barely a month in.'
Nora nods, one hand moving to rest on Uahan's neck. It's strange, she's sure that more than a month has passed, closer to a year than a month. Her brow furrows as she tries to think, her hand going further up Uahan's neck.
She pauses, mouth dropping open slightly. 'What's that? On your head?'
Her dæmon turns to face her and they blink, confused as always. As they blink, Nora's head bursts in pain, her world going black.
She blinks awake, Uahan beside her untangling his feathers. They both look up as Thaddeus runs towards them, screaming with his teeth bare.
'No, Thaddeus! Go away!'
Moira watches the new family walk around the house, the third one in as many years. None of them can understand why Marcy continues to try and sell it. Byeonhwa stands next to her, in his larger form, his preferred form. Men see him as a sleek tabby, small and unassuming whereas women see him as his newer form, the sand cat shape he assumed after Moira was killed.
'She doesn't learn, does she?' Moira smiles down at her dæmon, moving into position for that evening, when the ghosts will have some fun. 'She's never going to sell this house.'
Byeonhwa shakes his head, forming flickering slightly as they wait for night to fall. 'Why doesn't she just turn it into a museum or something?'
Moira shrugs, stroking his tail as her own image changes, suiting her task for the evening. She smirks, the twisted expression fitting her younger self better. 'If she did that, Byeon, she wouldn't be Marcy. Beside, life would get boring.'
The sand cat laughs, drawing Violet and Vivien's attention as they walk past with Jeffrey. They smile at her, waving the baby's hand. Moira waves back and Byeon grins up at her.
'No, it wouldn't.'
'Come back, come back!'
Adelaide frowns as Beau runs away from her, scurrying into the shadows with his squirrel dæmon. Turning, she notices Violet taking some boxes out of the attic, Tate helping her. Violet waves at Addie but her brother tilts his head, seemingly confused about her presence. Aleumdaun's fur goes up on end as Gendheng stares down at him, Addie desperately trying to calm him down before the scorpion notices.
Once they've gone, Addie and her monkey dæmon relax again, grabbing Beau's ball and rolling it into the shadows for him. He doesn't come out but he does roll it back, making Addie giggle.
'I miss you, Beau.' Leum says, pinching the ball before Addie can and rolling it back. 'But it's okay, mum says we'll move here soon. We'll move back and all be a family.'
Beau moans at the word 'all' and Addie grips Leum's arm. 'Maybe not all of us. But we'll have a new family, Beau, and they seem really nice.'
Beau laughs and Addie smiles, even as Beau stops playing. Leum leans against her, frowning slightly. 'I don't want to come back here, Ad.'
'Me neither.' She whispers. 'But we might have to.'