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" a whole new world "

──● jasmine
ALADDIN

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Sara Briars is still ridiculously attractive.

Dai Morrigan hates it.

He hates her pretty, perfect smile. He hates how she abandoned him with their two children, and little to no idea on how to be a father. Which he thinks, despite that, he still did a pretty good job. He hates her for how sharp-mouthed she is, and how she knows how to shift everything to her advantage. He hates how she just handed him Junpei like he was nothing to her. He hates how men bend to her every word, and praise her like a goddess.

Dai Morrigan hates a lot of things about Sara Briars.

What he hates the most, though, is how she could break his heart like he was nothing, when he gave her his entire being.

He does wish a little she would have aged horribly, in some fucked up way it might of made him feel better. But no. Now she was at his door - not his door - his father's door. Not only that, but it was after Benjiro Morrigan had just passed away and now she was here, smiling that pretty little innocent smile that made anyone within a ten foot radius swoon like there was no tommorow.

Because the thing about loving someone, is that you can't take it back, not really. No matter how many times it hurts, there's something deep inside of you, sitting there in the darkest parts of the heart, and no matter how many times you push it out, it always finds a way to worm back in. Because when you love someone, really love them, then you give them a piece of you. They have that forever, you can't take it back, even if they tried to give it back.

Dai guessed it was his mistake for loving her in the first place.

"Who is it dad?" There was a call from the other room, where the now empty chest remained.

Dai snapped his head back to the room where his twelve children were beginning to settle, then looked back to Sara, then back at the room, "No one! I'll just be one second." He stepped out onto the porch, forcing his ex-wife to take another step back. As soon as the door clicked, he whipped back to her, lowering his voice. "What are you doing here, Sara?"

She tilted her head, watching him innocently. "I don't know what you mean sweetheart, he was my father-in-law after all."

"Sara."

"Oh, hush, don't be so bitter. Exes can be friends, you know. It's not uncalled for." She ducked past him, worming her way into the home.

"You aren't welcome here anymore Sara, you know that." He reached to grab her arm, to stop her, but she clicked her tongue at him, dextrously dodging his grasp. Exasperatingly, he sighed, keeping his voice low. "This is my father's will reading - can't we do this later?"

"Well that's why I'm here, Dai, your attorney contacted me, saying that your father left me a little something." Her smile was innocent, but Dai knew better than to believe it, and even the words sent him spiraling, air caught in his chest. Certainly she was lying, participating in a little charade to throw him off his track.

Unfortunately, it worked, because the next thing he knew Sara had once again dodged his protests, heading straight into the room where his children were, and left him in the hallway, scrambling to regain some kind of control.

In another instant, he turned on his heel, chasing after her and trying to calm the exponential panic that was beginning to set in his soul. 

The room was now silent, and every pair of eyes watched Sara Briars trail across the room, towards one of the open seats for the reading. An aching kind of suspense slithered through them all, and he watched as Jady shifted uncomfortably, clutching Junpei's arm. Junpei had rapidly paled, looking almost sick. Thick dread, and a soft guilt began to pool at the bottom of Dai's stomach. It only worsened when Sara turned those alluring eyes of hers directly toward him.

In a single moment, Keitaro was there, staring at his mother with a quiet kind of disgust. Yume, just behind him, looked her up and down slowly. "What do you want."

"Is that any way to greet your mother, lovebug?" Sara's smile grew, like she was getting some sick pleasure out of her sadistic game in tormenting her own children.

"You stopped being my mother the moment you walked out on us." Yume half-snapped the words, clearly growing more irritated by the second. Emotion remained buried in her voice, lingering over every word she managed to speak. Kei angled his head then, glancing back at Yume, and they shared a silent glance. Some kind of unspoken conversation flickering between them. It must have somewhat sedated her, because Yume leaned back slightly, "Fine, why are you here then?"

"I was invited." Sara's smile didn't so much as flinch, and Dai narrowed his eyes as he realized exactly what she was doing. So Dai leaned against the door, crossing his arms over his chest as one-by-one his children turned to face him.

"Not by me." He hesitated at his next words, thinking about them carefully. "According to Sara, she's been included in the will, somehow. What my father would care to give her, I have no idea." He really didn't, other than maybe a middle finger, but that wasn't much in Benjiro's taste. 

Merlene scoffed, crossing her own arms over her chest, sending a whithering scowl towards his past lover, "Well, I can think of a few things i'd like to give her-" 

"Mer." Dai exchanged his own look with his daughter, less of a warning, and more of she's not worth it. And she wasn't, to put it quite simply. He was tired of fighting with Sara, especially because when it seemed to exhaust him, it excited her. It was irritating, and frankly, she wasn't worth the time, energy, or effort his kids were obviously ready to put in. They could much more productive things, than worry about the approval of Sara Briars.

If only Dai had figured that out sooner.

Merlene shared an argumentive glance with him, before huffing under her breath, settling back on her feet where she stood next to Junpei, who's eyes hadn't so much as moved from his birth mother. 

Sara, undettered as always, turned on a black stilleto to face Dai. "Well, aren't you going to invite me to sit?"

"No."

She pursed her lips, playing at a pout, "How rude, well, I'm going to sit anyway." She turned again sharply, pulling a chair out to do just that. However, before she could, her eyes caught on the empty chest sitting on the table. Instead of sitting, she opted to approach it, running light finger tips down the aged wood. "Oh how pretty, I would like this I think." Reaching the lock, she flicked at it.

"That doesn't belong to you." That time, it was Elliot, who seemed hesitant about speaking up, but the moment Sara made eye contact with him, he boldened. "That's not yours."

"Hmm." This time she angled her head at him, tilting it to the right. "Well, you're new, I don't believe I've seen you before." She looked to Dai, then sighed, almost dissapointedly. "I see." Despite him doing absolutely everything in his power to not let it get to him, it did anyway. Sara had called it an obsessive need - the fact that he adopted so many children, so often. The need to be the best father, the best parent, the best everything - he just had to fix everything, didn't he? It had been the source of one of their top arguments. A topic that seemed to continue to offend her even after their divorce was finalized. Sara's words again rang through the room, echoing against the floors as she once again turned her attention towards Elliot. "Your name?"

"You don't have to tell her-" Jady started, but Elliot cut her off, still infused with that apparent confidence.

"Elliot. My name is Elliot Morrigan."

"Oh!" She turned that time, back to the chest. "Well then, Elliot Morrigan, my name is Sara Briars-"

"He knows who you are, he's not an idiot." That time it was Elijah, who seemed to have a permanently etched scowl on his face. Obviously just as upset that Sara was here, bothering people at yet another funeral. He paused for a moment though, looking back at Elliot, and clearly (at least the people who knew him) debated on adding, all of the time. In the end, he seemed to go against it, deciding it wasn't the time for that sort of thing.

"Of course he does." She looked over her shoulder, this time directly at Dai, and suddenly he felt like he wanted to shrink into himself. "I'm sure my ex-husband talks about me all the time."

"That's enough." Keitaro finally spoke, stepping forward. "That's quite enough. This is embarrassing for you. Sit down, and behave like an adult, we've lost our grandfather, and not only are you behaving like a child who wasn't allowed to stay up past their bedtime, you're intentionally provoking a mourning family who just want a little peace and quiet." He looked at her, not anger painted on his features, but plain and simple: disgust.

For a moment, she was rendered silent, and then her eyes shifted, narrowed, and she opened her mouth, but was entirely inturrupted by the arrival of Dai's attorney. A broad man, with silvering hair. Niam Lamont.

"Yes, do sit down Miss Briars, I'd hate to remove you from the premises for harrassment." He had a low voice, striding towards the table in powerful, long movements. "You're here because your name was mentioned in the will, and it's custom that you do be here, but not inherently necessary. So if you would please." He opened his hands towards the chairs, and Sara, whose facade had cracked for only a second, nodded obediently, doing as she was told. 

Her smile, charasmatic, and irritatingly stunning, was back on after a moment or two. 

Niam offered a short nod, looking towards the other's in the room, then to Dai. "Very well, are you ready to begin?" Dai noted as a few others trickered into the room, more than a few, he should say. Friends and employees of his grandfather, people he'd treated like family at one point. He turned his attention back to Niam, who remained looking at him expextantly, and nodded.

And it begun.

Dai tried to focus on what was being said, but he couldn't really. He was grateful for Akiho, who remained sitting beside him, and was diligently taking notes as the long-winded will of Benjiro Morrigan was read through. If he's being entirely honest, Sara's arrival had thrown him off. That was the way it often happened when she showed up unexpectedly, and that happened far too often than it should have been.

Most people, after their names were read, quietly excused themselves from the room. Dai assumed it was out of respect for the mourning family, but really he couldn't be sure about their motives. He doubted, however, that his father would have put people in his will that would take every opportunity to snatch up handfuls of whatever trinkets and treasures could be found in this place. Which notably, was quite a lot.

It wasn't until he felt Akiho tense up beside him, that he realized they were nearing the end of the will, and Sara's name had been spoken. Without a second thought, Dai returned his attention to Niam's reading.

" . . . ex-daughter in law, i suppose i should specify, because i've had multiple daughters by marriage. Sara Briars, who despite all my attempts to reach out to her, remained determined to stay distant. They say it's unhealthy to carry anger and hatred with me, so I've decided to give Sara my forgivness." Niam paused, and his solemn, proffesional facade broke for an instant, before it returned. "But because that would be a collossal waste of time, and although I think she might deserve it, i'm not the kind of person to stoop so low-"

Behind him, he heard Jasiri snort, whispering to Delaney and Kasumi, "I am, just so we're clear." 

"i have also decided to give her a copy of a photobook, I have three of them, I believe. One to my dear grandson, Elijah's grandparents, one for my only child, Dai Morrigan, and the last, to Sara Briars."

There was a pause of silence, and Dai made the choice to look at his ex-wife, if only for a moment. She didn't look furious, or even irritated. Some emotion was painted on her face, plain and simple, and it hadn't been one that Dai had ever really seen from her. Not in a genuine way. Not quite confusion, or sadness, but more like the utter realization of what was happening to her.

Niam continued, announcing that the rest of the unannounced estate was to go directly to his son, who could carry on with the wealth for his grandchildren as needed. It didn't really matter - Dai knew that that had been coming anyway. He finished briefly, speaking closing statements, and excusing the room of people, mentioning momentarily to Dai about the experts that would no doubt be flooding in the house in a couple days to mark up the prices and things on the furniture and antiques.

It was a rapid motion, and everything seemed to happen in a blur. Painstakingly, Dai made the vague notation that he hadn't eaten today, or even so much as taken a sip of water, because the next thing he new, the room was entirely empty other than his twelve, suspiciously silent kids, and Sara, who'd remained sitting. Uncharacteristically quiet. 

She stood after a moment, and once again, all eyes remained trained on her. Sara didn't so much as look at the kids, approaching Dai once again. He couldn't do this - he didn't have the energy, for so much as another breath of negativity into the atmosphere.

Her voice came out suprisingly soft, mirroring the tone she used to use a long, long time ago. "I'll be going now, Dai." there was a pause, and thick silence sludged through the air in the room. Air that had long gone stale by now. "I'm sorry, about Benjiro. I did like him." Another dreary quiet, and Dai lifted his head to meet her eyes. "You look like your going to faint, by the way. You should probably drink something." Her tone had returned to that sarcastic inflection, but it sounded almost half-hearted as she turned, and walked out of the room.

Dai wasn't really sure what it was, that broke him exactly.

Maybe it was the fact that his ex-lover had shown up at his father's funeral, only days after he'd died. Maybe it was the fact that Sara for some reason noticed his condition. Maybe it was the fact that his children weren't saying anything at all, and the silence had grown a little to heavy. Maybe it was the fact that his father's death had been noted, been registered, and everything was beginning to bear down on him now. Maybe it was the fact that this room was so quiet, when it reminisced of children's laughter, and home-baked gingerbread. It could have been a lot of things. Maybe it was a little bit of all of them, because it didn't really matter what it was that actually caused it.

The moment they were home, and the Morrigan Estate was riddled with the edges of a fitful sleep for the entirety of the family, with books safely tucked away in places unknown, Dai went to his room.

And for the first time in about three years, he locked the door, and cried.

✦

✦ OPHELIA ✦

- third chapter; status: complete

- i'm so sorry that if it feels
slow these first few chapters
i promise it gets better
:sob:

- also i'm trying a slightly
different style of writing
let me know how it is pls -

- also sorry that i'm updating
so fast (that's a weird thing to
apologize for I know), but it
might get annoying cause
it's Christmas and shit,
but you're gonna have to get
used to it cause i can write
about 2500 words in like
90 minutes and i'm bored
(and maybe lonely), so 
apologies in advance

what is your characters opinions
on Sara Briars ?

──● answers