Attention Attention

Black Soul

Notes ▶︎

Word count: 1084
Triggers: Strong language - Talk for abuse
Timeline: #6 Leigh 23 years old / Wren 22 years old
Overview: Three-way dialogue only story. 

“This is madness. You can’t just announce you’re leaving and expect me to be ok with it.”

“I don’t expect anything, big brother, but this is something I have to do… for me. I’m… I’m fed up of being a victim, Joss. Every time I look at my reflection, all I see are the tattered remains of what they left behind. I need more than that… I need to be more than that.”

“By the Gods Wren, you are… You are so much more than just those scars!”

“Am I? Who do you see when you look at me?”

“I just see my sister… I don’t care about anything else; Let me help put you back together.”

“Back to…? I’m not a fucking patchwork quilt, Joss. There is no, ‘putting me back together’…  Seriously, I can’t with you sometimes.”

“Me? I’m not the one running away… I’m not the one abandoning the only family they have, all for some insane revenge plan… An assassin, Wren, really…? What are you going to do bite their ankles and swot them into submission…?”

“Don’t be a twat… I’ve been putting your bulky ass on the ground for years; you really think I can’t take care of myself.”

“Joss….”

“What Leigh… it’s true… We’re in this mess because she couldn’t look after herself, and now we’re in hiding… and she wants to just swan the fuck off… to who knows where… on some quest to regain her ‘sense of self’”

“Fuck you, Joss... This isn’t about you and your wounded pride. You fucked up that night as much as me, it’s just I paid the price…”

“And you think I didn’t… You almost died… If it wasn’t for Leigh…”

“Don’t you dare compare the two… Your ego got dented… Boohoo. My bones were fucking broken, bones Joss… multiple… not one or two… Those wolves hunted me for sport, like prey, and teared at my skin... My back is marred. My stomach is a map of teeth and claws…”

“Guys…. Please stop this… It’s not getting us anywhere.”

“You do this Wren, and there is no coming back… Your soul will be tainted for the rest of your life.”

“It already is… I’m just giving it a purpose… some direction…”

“Leigh, by the Gods, will you talk some sense into her?”

“What exactly do you expect me to do? Slip her a sleeping draft? Bind her in irons until she agrees to stay?”

“Of course not… I… don’t know…”

“Joss, don’t be a dickhead all your life, this is my choice, my decision.”

“I can’t… I can’t do this with you right now, Wren. If you won’t listen to reason… I can’t… I need some air…”

“Go, I’ll talk to her… Go calm down… You are no good to either of you in the state you’re in… You’re just winding her up… There, he's gone… Do you want to sit with me and talk this through…”

“Do I have to?”

“Stop pouting, it doesn’t suit you. You just dropped this bombshell on us… the least you can do is talk it through.”

“Fine. Have you got any wine? This feels like a talk with liquor situation.”

“You say that about every conversation.”

“True...”

“Here…”

“What is it?”

“Elderberry wine… I 'liberated' some of Willard stock… What?… Don’t act surprised… I have a dark side too…”

“Sure you do…”

“So, an assassin, huh…?”

“Yeah, I-ah I finally tracked one down. It took some persistence, but I manage to convince him to sponsor me. I just have to pass the entrance test… ”

“And what will that entail?”

“Not sure, he didn’t say. He didn’t say much of anything really. I think he was just trying to get rid of me, but he swore me an oath so…”

“Do you know when this trial will happen?”

“No, it’s all cloaks and daggers. By all accounts, I’ll receive an invitation by courier with what’s expected of me. If I complete the task, Master Roux will take me as his apprentice.”

“And you’re sure this is what you want? Is this the path you want to go down? Joss is being an ass, but he’s right… There's no turning back from this. You can’t unwind taking a life…”

“They deserve to die Leigh. And this'll give me the skills I need to go up against them”

“Goddess, yes! They deserve everything that comes to them and more, but it won’t just be them, will it. There will be others…”

“There are plenty of worthless, sacks of shit out there that don't deserve the oxygen in their lungs. The world would be better off without them… You tell Joss about these tears, and I swear…”

“I value my life, Wren; I wouldn’t dare piss off a would-be assassin…”

“I love you Leigh… You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know. Just like you know, I’m with you on this no matter where it takes you…”

“Yeah…”

“So, you’re really going after them… those wolves?”

“Yeah… My soul is already fucked… What does it matter if it gets a little dirty…”

“You soul isn’t any blacker than mine, or Joss’. You’re hurt, Wren. A little broken maybe… Frayed around the edges. We all are. Doesn’t mean you’re not perfect. You’re still the same girl who jumped off a waterfall to save a stranger’s life. I wouldn't be here without, Arawn would have claimed my soul that day, if not for you. You saved me, and I will forever stand by your side because of it.  Where you go, I go… Remember?"

“Fuck… and now I’m crying again…”

“It’s ok, we’ll blame the wine… Here… I want you to have this…”

“Your bracelet…? I can’t…”

“You can, and you will. The obsidian will keep you safe, tiger eye for strength, and garnet to bring you luck… Wear it on your right wrist. Keep it on - no matter what.”

“Ooooo witchy crap… I LOVE it when you do witchy crap…”

“It’s just some crystals… not real magic…”

“Whatever... But... thank you, Leigh, for understanding.”

“Always, I’d breach the gates of Annwyn for you… you know that.”

“Are you sure that would just be for me? Nothing to do with tall, blonde, and ever-so-slightly-possessive?”

“Shut up, or I’m cutting you off… Are you staying? I can make up the sofa…”

“Thanks, I doubt Joss’ll want to see me anyway.”

“Just let him cool off. Things will look better come morning. And if they don’t, there’s always more wine…”

Lyrics ▶︎

Who's the victim now?
Stand up and take a bow, a bow
Face right, face left
Face everyone you disrespect
So who's the asshole now?
Holier-than-thou, you're not
'Cause baby's got a black soul, got a black soul
Got a black soul

You made a mess of your life
And you've been burned once or twice
Now you play roulette with the watergun

Wake up
Pull yourself together
Speak up
'Cause no one heard your name
Erupt
It's better late than never
And if I take forever
To put you back together

Face right, face left
Face everyone you disrespect

Now their on their feet
To watch you double down hard and take it too far
And you know you're in too deep
'Cause you're runnin' out of time and you're talkin' in your sleep
Baby's got a black soul
Baby's got no control
Baby's got a black soul, got a black soul
Got a black soul

You made a mess of your life
And you been buried alive
Now you play roulette with the watergun

Wake up
Pull yourself together
Speak up
'Cause no one heard your name
Erupt
It's better late than never
And if I take forever
To put you back together

Ohh
Ohh

Wake up
Pull yourself together
Speak up
'Cause no one heard your name
Erupt
It's better late than never
And if I take forever

Wake up
Pull yourself together
Speak up
'Cause no one heard your name
Erupt
It's better late than never
And if I take forever
To put you back together