Chapter Text
Mist set down a steaming mug in front of Aether, of whom sat in a chair at her dining room table.
He peered down at it curiously, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears. She'd given him a mug of hot chocolate, two regular-sized fluffy marshmallows and crushed graham cracker flowing on the warm surface. Followed by a gob of whipped cream. It was pretty, and he just knew it tasted as pleasing as it had looked. A shaking hand soon slid around the hot ceramic, his fingers tapping it softly. His eyes refused to meet hers as he brought the mug up to his lips and took a long drink. The warmth of the liquid calmed his dry throat, spreading though his body like calming tendrils of smoke.
Mist sat across from him in a computer chair. There had only been one normal chair at the table since she'd lived alone. Her eyes studied him closely, her mask left behind to set on the kitchen counter, her balaclava pulled down to reveal her poofy mass of crimped hair. Short, but big. One side was shaved slightly, revealing even shorter signs of light brown hair.
“You can begin tell me whenever you like. This is important, brother -- Air or I must know or else we cannot figure out where he is.” she says calmly. She was prepared to wait for however long he wanted; he probably would have needed time to process such a large thing and she understood. Which was why she was thoroughly surprised when he began to speak shortly after setting his mug down.
A fine white line of melted marshmallow and whipped cream dashed across his lip.
“I...I had gone back to my room. I was lighting incense, planning on just hanging out and practicing. I sat down with his guitar...I'd played it before and wanted to try again, the black Gibson RD with his symbol...but I strummed a few of the first lines in a song and that's when I heard it,” a shiver clearly ran through his body and he immediately grabbed the mug again, taking a sip. As if the warmth of the drink would save him. “He said...in his exact words, ‘Water, Aether, I know you can hear me...please, I need your help; you are the only one I can reach since Air has lost his ability to hear me. That or he is blocked from hearing me. I am stuck in Sammæl’s dungeons. He is holding me here because of something I did...please find me, please, I don't want to be here anymore. There is a portal you have to find..Papa knows-,’....and then it cut out..” he held his mug instead of setting it down as he spoke, his eyes seemingly interested in the stained wood pattern of the table. “He...he was crying...I could hear it in his voice…”
Mist nodded after he'd spoken. “Papa knows...knows what?” she inquired, tapping her nails on the table. Aether shrugged, picking out a half-melted marshmallow with his neat claws and popping it into his mouth. “He either knows about where Omega is, why he is gone...or maybe he was just telling us he knows he is missing. I don't know,” he says around a mouthful of the sugary cream. He scrunched his nose in confusion and paused his chewing, leaning forward. “Who is Samuel?” he asked quizzically.
Mist shook her head. “No, not Samuel. Sammæl. That is an infernal name.” she responded. She only recognized it because she'd memorized the list. Aether bunched his eyebrows. “That doesn't make sense though...Sammæl...wouldn't he be on our side then? Plus, I'm sure that there is nobody going by that name that has remotely any right to be...stealing us. Or maybe…” he trailed off, tapping a claw on his lips as both sets of their eyes met after a moment. Conjuring the same thought.
“An imposter? Someone using that name as a...a ruse?” Mist’s voice had lowered as she leaned forward as well, her elbows on the table.
Her ghoul brother was right. Though he had not been the one to voice the thought they both shared, she knew he was thinking the same thing. “This man, demon, thing, whatever has Omega...it's obviously using a fake name...but what is it? What's it's real name?” she says, obvious confusion lacing her voice.
Aether raises his brows and downs the rest of his hot chocolate before setting the mug on the table. Wiping away some of the sticky sweet drink as it had left a trail from a corner of his mouth down to his chin. He sighed, standing and taking the mug to her sink to rinse it out so he wouldn't hassle her. “I don't know. Honestly, Mist, I'm just as lost as you are.” he says with yet another shrug that night, using a sponge to scrub out some of the melted marshmallow on the side of the mug. “He mentioned a portal...maybe that's what he means? A portal to his world and Papa knows where it's at?” he rinsed the mug with clean water from the faucet and set it in the sink, turning to speak to his sister while waving a hand in the air lazily.
A haze of purple covered his hand and the mug, the air seemingly raising it and placing it in a drying rack next to the basin behind him. Mist watched his action, slightly envious. She could do the same, but instead of controlling the ether around her, it was water droplets that would manifest and move things. Thing was, it got everything wet even though it was partially useful. Such as closing doors from across the room with just a wave of her hand, though the doorknob would be dripping afterwards.
“You're right. Portal. Do...do you think we could ask Papa about it? Or would he get mad?” she asked him, standing and almost pushing in the computer chair before realizing it didn't belong there at the dinner table.
Aether froze and his eyes shifted timidly as if he were unsure, still leaning against the counter. Mist frowned and dropped her shoulders. “Come on. You've known him longer than me! Surely you know by now how he'd react if we asked?” she put a hand on her hip as she spoke, the other arm propping herself on the table while her eyes focused on him.
Aether shrugged his shoulders, dropping his eyes to the linoleum tiles of the kitchen floor, arms dangling at his sides uselessly. He genuinely wasn't sure. He may have been a damn nameless ghoul, but he wasn't that close to Papa to know if he'd get upset or suspicious at such a question or not. Someone like Alpha or Air could most likely ask and maybe not suffer consequences. If there were any.
“Sister...I-I really don't know,” he begins, swallowing. He wasn't afraid of Emeritus, he just didn't want to be yelled at. He sighs, allowing his eyes to close.
“...I will talk to him. I only ask that you accompany me for evidence...and moral support.” he finally says, eyes opening and flicking to meet hers.
She looked at him a while longer before a smile spread across her face. “Moral support...” she chuckled. “Of course, Aether. Why would I have made you go alone anyways?”
The man in the kitchen returned the smile, inspecting the neat spats on his shoes. “Ah, I dunno. My brothers would have made me. They are cruel like that, you know.” he says jokingly, letting slip a breathy laugh. He pulls his phone from his back pocket, flicking it out of sleep mode to check the time.
He lets off the counter, stretching his back before moving to grab his own mask from the table. Clicking it in place on his head while Mist did the same.
They walked to the door and Aether offered her his arm. The last time he had done this, he was escorting her to become a ghoul. His eyes watched her from beyond the silver devil mask.
“Shall we?”