Back;;{{Arden

[Lilian Parker]

Finally. I was finally back in London. Not in hiding. And definitely not dead. Even if pretty much everybody still thought that I was dead. I guess I would have to straighten that out. Except that, that basically meant that the past many months have been for nothing. I still couldn't even believe that I let Riyann make me go into hiding. I didn't want to go, so I shoud not have let her force me into it. I'm sure that everything would have been fine.

But nevertheless, I was still gone and even though it felt great to be back home, I almost felt out of place. It'd been too long since I'd walked down this street. And I really had no idea what had been happening the past months I wasn't here. Something felt different and it was bothering me that I didn't know what it was.

I saw an empty bench, sitting here the edge of the grass near the sidewalk and I walked over to it, taking a seat. I let out a sigh as I plopped down on the bench and looked over the area, trying to see if I could notice anything different. But there really wasn't much to notice so I just looked back down at the hands and thought about how I was going to go visit my family.

[Arden Patricks]

It feels like ages since I've been for a walk, but I'm not really sure what was getting in the way. Weather, mostly - it's been insanely cold. Today is incredibly nice though, for January, and I feel like I'm being cleansed. Honestly, this must be what spiritual people feel like about their various churches.

It's such a nice day, in fact, that I find myself smiling at strangers. I've never really changed in that regard, the fact that I like to be totally alone on my walks and thus get irrationally annoyed when someone's around. But today I don't mind.

((Meh, short and... meh, but at least I finally answered....))

[Lilian Parker]

[[ yay for answering! and I totally don't mind the shortness, cause mine is probably going to be shorter ]]

I bit my lip softly with a small sigh. I stretched my fingers out after playing with my hands slightly and looked down at my engagement ring.. which I was still wearing. I hadn't gone to visit Jon yet. Even though I promised Riyann that I would go yesterday. But I just couldn't get myself to do it.
Actually, I probably shoudn't even be out of hiding after everything Riyann let happen because of it..
Funny how things like that work. I wanted to see everyone again so badly, but at the same time, I was scared that he already moved on, or he didn't want me or something. I let go of the lip I was biting and tore my eyes away from the ring, folding my arms tightly infront of my chest. It was sort of cold out today, but not as cold as it seemed to have been the days before.
I looked around my surroundings and seeing Arden, walking a bit away from me, froze for a second. I was assuming that she was going to recognize me, but I honestly didn't know what her reaction would be if she actually thought that it was me.
I mean, I've been dead for more than a couple months now.

[Arden Patricks]

((Wee! Whoops... forgot to bookmark. ))

I'm distracted by thoughts for a bit, but come out of them enough to smile again at a stranger a few minutes later - some girl/woman sitting on a bench and looking... kind of distressed.
In the mood I'm in, I kind of want to talk to her, ask her why and if there's anything I can do... but that's weird, isn't it? Wouldn't she probably just back away from me or something?

Or would she not, because we know each other?
I stop dead still about two yards down the street, turning around quickly to decide if my mind's playing tricks. If she is who I think then I haven't really met her all that often, so maybe... maybe i should ask, just so it isn't bothering me all day. I backtrack quickly and frown, hoping she doesn't think 'm crazy if it isn't her.
"Sorry, but is there any chance that I know you?"

[Lilian Parker]

[ !.. lol, i hate when i do that xD ]

Arden walks by me, giving a smile and I smiled faintly back thinking that she did remember me. At least, that is before she passes me up. Then again.. I hadn't really talked to her many times. I just felt like I knew her better becuase of how much I heard from Riley.
But before I could think of anything else, she turned around and came closer to me, causing me to look up to her when she spoke.
I smiled a little bit again and nodded. "Yeah.. I'm Riley's sister.. Lil."

[Arden Patricks]

Oh. Well, that's what I thought, so... all right then.
I can't make the words come out of my mouth, though, 'cause I'm too busy staring at her. It's hardly the first time I've met someone who I thought was dead - honestly, I think I've lost count - but somehow it never gets any less shocking.
"Oh," I manage after a moment... and then suddenly I'm thinking of the look on Riley's face when he came and told me she was dead. And the fact that Riyann reportedly killed her. And the twins. And....
"Do you have any idea how annoying it is when someone goes off and 'dies' when they're not really dead?"

[Lilian Parker]

The smile I did have faded at what she said and I nodded faintly. "Yeah.. I really wasn't.. planning." I said quietly with a small sigh, looking down to the ground again.
"I told Riyann that I didn't want to and she wouldn't listen to me.. practically forced me into it.."
I shrugged faintly, glancing up to her again.

[Arden Patricks]

I wince slightly in sympathy because I really didn't mean to be accusing about it.
"Did she now...." I look away, biting my lip. And then went and claimed that she killed her. And now I feel awful because honestly I'd rather think badly of her.
"You know that she and Riley are divorced now, over that?" I ask, looking back at Lillian. Again, I don't mean to make her fel guilty or anything. It just slips out.

[Lilian Parker]

I nodded a little bit at what she asks. "Yeah.. Riyann told me.. She won't let me say it's my fault, but I'm pretty convinced that it is." I said with a faint shrug. "But she keeps insisting that they were over before it happened anyway.. She loves him, but they can't be together.. or something.. She's being really thick about the whole thing." I sighed again and shrugged.

[Arden Patricks]

"Well, I might be biased, but maybe she's right about that." I shrug slightly. "And it's hardly your fault if she made you, and then decided to say that it was her who killed you."

[Lilian Parker]

"Right about what exactly?" I asked looking up to her again, wondering if she was going to sit down, or just stand by the bench, talking to me like this. I shrugged slightly, "I let her make me though.. but yeah, that was just stupid of her. I don't know why she decided she should kill me."

[Arden Patricks]

"Maybe because she's insane?" I shrug slightly. I'm really not inclined to judge Riyann kindly after all of her threats, and the stabbing, and the fact that she blackmailed my brother....
"But I think she might be right that she and Riley were falling apart anyway, at least from what I saw." And the fact that he and I kept kissing and such....

[Lilian Parker]

I raised my eyebrows slightly, "Insane?" I asked looking to her again. I never really noticed. She always seemed perfectly sane when she was around me. "That was insane of her though.."
"Oh.. right.." I said with a small nod and letting out another sigh. "I guess I wasn't around enough to notice... they always seemed fine to me... but why are you bias then?" I asked, that last question with some curiosity.

[Arden Patricks]

"I think she may have lost i just a little, recently." I shrug slightly. And Azkaban probably didn't help....
I look down at the ground then at her question, feeling awful. "It's... a long story," I say, then swallow hard. "Suffice it to say that I broke your brother's heart after possibly helping to break up his marriage." And now I back away a step, because I really wouldn't blame her if she hit me or something.

[Lilian Parker]

"Oh.. Probably shouldn't let her leave then.." I said feeling slightly worried. "Don't even know where she's going..."
I watched her back away slightly after hearing what she said. I wasn't planning on hitting her, or anything like that, but that didn't mean that it wasn't sort of upsetting. "... So you just... led him on, and then decided that you didn't want him?" I asked frowning a bit as I stared up at her.

[Arden Patricks]

"Well... more or less," I say, wincing. "Not intentionally, obviously, but I don't know how much better that really is."
What she first said sinks in then, after a moment, and I frown. "Wait a minute... what do you mean by letting her leave? Leave where?"

[Lilian Parker]

I shrugged. "A little better, but really not that much." I said glancing over to her again. "What made you change your mind then? About Riley?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I don't know where.. she just said she needed to think or something. I dunno where she's going.. She promised me she'd be back though.."

[Arden Patricks]

"Hm...." I bite my lip briefly, but I really can't be bothered worrying about Riyann.
"It wasn't so much that I changed my mind, just... realized what it was actually saying." I shrug slightly. "I love him like a brother, but I love someone else a little more than that." And I still feel awful about it, so I can't say any of this without looking at the ground.

[Riley Pearson]

I shrugged a little bit, wondering now if she was even gonna come back.
I looked up at her thoughtfully as she continued and nodded as she spoke. "As long as you didn't make him think it for too long then.. it's not like you can break him." I said with a faint shrug. "Is he alright though?" I asked her a moment later, not really asking specifically about this topic, but just how he was in general.

[Arden Patricks]

Well, how long is 'too long'? I think but don't ask. Then I bite my lip. "I... don't really know. Not great, but not a wreck either I guess. Hasn't self-destructed it. But I think he really needs to... run away for a while, before he does."

[Riley Pearson]

I become a bit more alert when she said 'self-destructed'. "What do you mean, 'self-destructed'?" I asked frowning some toward her. I really didn't think that Riley would ever do anything.. like that. It was weird to think he might do that. I nodded faintly. "Maybe it'll help that I'm not dead?"

[[ i keep forgetting to switch charries lol ]]

[Arden Patricks]

Whoa. "I said that he hasn't," I say quickly, before she can get too worried. "And yes, that'll probably help... a lot." Except for the guilt when he realizes that Riyann didn't kill you.

[Riley Pearson]

I relax a little bit, but not too much. "But why would you think that then?" I asked, still feeling a bti worried and thinking maybe I should go see him first.
I nodded, "Hope so.." I said quietly with a small sigh.

[Arden Patricks]

"Well, because I've seen it happen before, I guess." I shrug slightly. I guess it didn't occur to me that she wouldn't know what I mean, but I guess I've never really announced to Lilith that I used to scratch my arms up. "But he seems to be doing all right now."

[Riley Pearson]

I shifted my eyes to the ground, staying quiet for a moment or two. "I didn't know he's done that before..." I said looking up to her for a moment. I nodded again. "That's good... hope it stays that way then..."

[Arden Patricks]

"Mostly drinking...." I shrug, since I'm wondering what she's thinking. "I caught him with a switchblade once but I don't think he actually cut."

[Riley Pearson]

I bit my lip a little, turning my attention back to Arden. "I've only seen him drunk once... Christmas party couple years ago." I rolled my eyes slightly with a faint smile. I'm sure that the situation right now was nothing to smile about, but it was hard to associate any other situation with drinking and Riley. And that party was hilarious.
But her next phrase makes me a bit more serious looking and I'm surprised again. "I can't imagine him doing that..."

[Arden Patricks]

"No... I don't think he actually did, after I yelled at him... but it was after Riyann died, so...." I shrug, figuring that's enough explanation. "Really though... it doesn't seem like he's reached that low a point now, so all of this is kind of moot and in the past."

[Lilian Parker]

I nodded slightly, still feeling nervous about that.. and glad at the same time that I didn't know about this when it was going on ten years ago. Actually, I probably wouldn't have understood it. "You're sure he's okay then?" I asked again, feeling slightly uneasy.

[Arden Patricks]

"Pretty sure...." I shrug, biting my lip again. "I haven't really seen him in a bit, but... I don't know. You are going to 'come back from the dead,' aren't you?"