Xerxes Arvanitis
and
Syleste Astrea (Vos) Nioré
Location: Sky Lakes Medical Center
Interacting With: Each Other
Pleased that Gage had left Syleste’s side without much of a fight, Xerxes approached her bed, his hand reaching out to hold the top of her hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
”I’m sorry about the pain, Syleste. But I promise, you’ll start feeling much better fairly soon.” Even though he knew she couldn’t see him, he gave her a fatherly smile before withdrawing his hand to collect the clipboard at the edge of her bed.
”I’m going to give us some privacy, okay?” he explained before pulling the curtain along the rail on the ceiling, shielding them from the others in the room.
”How are you feeling?”Her head dropping at the sound of the curtain being drawn between them and the others left in the room, Syleste hesitated. She knew that tone… right now, he wasn’t being her doctor… right now, he was being her friend- the man that had helped to look out for her the past two years of her life whenever her mother had started to struggle…
“..I-I’m scared…”The familiar sting hitting her eyes, she shut them, her brows furrowing together as she curled her shoulders over slightly, her long and wavy pink locks bunching up around her as she seemed to try and make herself as small as she possibly could in the moment. It wasn’t as though she was lying- she couldn’t. Not to him,
“..I-I don’t understand what’s going on…””I know. It’s a lot to take in…” Doing what he could to keep his voice low and calm, despite the residual angry emotions he held from the incompetent nurse and the druid-warlock duo. Taking a moment, Xerxes sat himself next to Syleste on the bed by her hip, his torso twisting some so that he was facing her, hoping that his close presence was at least somewhat comforting.
”What parts do you understand? Maybe I can help from there.”“..that something’s different- something’s changed, but I don’t understand what…” Shaking her head lightly from side to side as she spoke, she shut her eyes tighter than before, not seeming to care about who was watching, or to hesitate as she leant herself into his body, seeking out the fatherly comfort he always gave her when she really needed it. It didn’t matter that they weren’t related; whenever she needed him, he was there for her… he was the closest thing she had to a real father aside from the annual letters and presents she got from her actual father on her birthday and on Christmas.
“..we were attacked; I heard the screams. It-... It was so scary… but everyone’s okay, right..? Everyone… except Sebastian and me… I don’t-... I don’t understand…”It took most of Xerxes’ willpower to not sigh - not at all at Syleste’s expense, but rather that he really just didn’t know how he was going to explain this all to her. By instinct, he lifted his arm to put around her shoulders, keeping her held to him where he knew she felt most comfortable. If she felt any pain from the stitches by the movement, she certainly wasn’t showing it.
“A wolf attacked you and your friends. But Syleste, it was no ordinary wolf. This is a wolf from stories you would call fiction - a wolf with shapeshifting abilities that decided to stir things up in Klamath by preying on a group of teenagers. Syleste… you were attacked by a Werewolf. And a Werewolf’s bite can change a human into becoming one of them. And since Werewolves have incredibly quick healing, everyone but you and Sebastian were completely fine by the time they came to the hospital.”“..a werewolf..?”Repeating the words softly, she felt her head start to spin with the information he had just given to her. This-... This couldn’t be right. Werewolves didn’t exist- they were made up creatures found in children’s tales, along with occult and horror movies,
“..n-no… no they aren’t-... they aren’t real. You’re lying- why are you lying..?””Syleste, I haven’t lied to you once since you’ve come into mine and Cassie’s lives. As hard as this might be to swallow, I promise you that I’m not doing so now. Your friends have been turned - that is why Zoé came and talked to you all last night. She had to let you all know what was happening before things got really bad. My Cassie accepted her as her Alpha, and your friends followed her example. They are a part of a pack now, though none of them really know what that means just yet. They are learning, just as you are. Just as you and Sebastian will be.”“..but…” Pausing a moment, she furrowed her brows, not truly understanding everything he was saying, though one thing in particular seemed to stick out, lingering in her mind,
“..but we didn’t heal like the others…””No. You didn’t.” he agreed.
”That is because the bite of a Werewolf can not change someone who is already a supernatural.” He paused, thinking his words over carefully before diving in.
”You and Sebastian are something special - a beautiful species known for their powerful singing voices…” He paused again, this time, able to hear Sebastian humming quietly to himself from the next room. Even a hum, he realized, was enough to start and enchant him. It truly was beautiful, and Xerxes wanted nothing more than to just sit back, relax, and listen, but Syleste’s warm body against his reminded him that he needed to keep going.
”Syleste, you and Sebastian are Sirens. I don’t know how either of you came to be this way, but I myself am pretty sensitive when it comes to being around other supernaturals. I knew from the very moment I met you, though you didn’t seem to know anything and so I left it at that. Like with Cassie, I wanted to protect you from this world - I wanted to keep you safe. It’s my job, see. Because I… I’m an Angel…”It was overwhelming… and if she hadn’t been confused before, she most certainly was now. Curling herself further into his body, she opened her eyes, her confusion clear over her gentle features as she lifted her head up, allowing her unseeing gaze to move in the direction she could hear his voice coming from,
“..like from heaven..?”Xerxes couldn’t help but to chuckle and felt his heart melting a bit.
”Something like that, yeah. There is a celestial, sacred ground where Angels can fly to - a safe haven for our kind where we can even watch from afar to protect those we care for. I decided to come here to help people in a different way and became a doctor, had Cassie, and adopted you into my life.” He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, slightly hugging her into him for a moment.
”And I promise, Syleste, I will continue to protect you and Cassandra for as long as I shall live. You needn’t be scared of anything. Not while I’m here.”“..I love you, daddy…”The words slipping from her lips before they even had time to register in her mind, she closed her eyes, her head dropping slightly as she curled up against his side, her fingers curling lightly as she took a hold of the front of his lab coat, doing all that she could to ignore the pain pulsing through her body at the movement.
Something pulled on his heartstrings - was it surprise? Guilt? Love? The doctor could not identify the emotion that went through him when Syleste referred to him as her father. They had been close since she and Cassandra had become friends, yes, but this was definitely a first.
He lifted his hand to hold the back of her head, fingers brushing against a few strands of her bright, bubblegum pink hair.
”...I love you too, kid. Always will.” He gave himself a moment to bend at his waist enough to kiss the top of her head - much like he would do with his own daughter when she was upset or needed his comfort about something. He remained silent for a few moments, simply letting Syleste get out all of her fears in the simple gesture of their physical contact before he cleared his throat and regretfully pulled himself away from her, albeit slowly.
”Now… let me have a look at those stitches. The sooner you heal up, the quicker you can go back home.”
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