cockaigne ( noun ) - an imaginary land of luxury and idleness

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ now playing ; hall of fame by the script; will.i.am

ECHO HAD MISSED HOME
MORE THAN SHE THOUGHT

Echo walked along the beach, towards the main lobby, the sweet scent of petrichor lingering in the hazy skies above them, promising a thunderstorm.

The main house, where the immortals often gathered during the day to spend time together, stood only a ways back from the beach. At full tide, that is. Echo thought Cue preferred it that way. The smell of salt water, and sea breeze floating through open windows, promising either storms, wind, or fresh sunshine. The sea wasn't her favorite place in the world, certainly not, but she couldn't deny that something about it reminded her of home.

The arches of the entrance walked a stone path, and plants and vines grew up along them like old ruins, and even now, Echo can't resist the urge to brush her fingertips on the wilting leaves. Her attention returned to the front, but absently, she glanced at Cue - who was now walking in front of her, and only pursed her lips together.

"Where's the body?"

"Cordelia, has a name, thank you." He slanted his gaze over his shoulder, only once, before returning it ahead to walk over the threshold and inside to the main living room.

Echo huffed a response in return, but followed regardless, refusing to bat her wings in obvious frustration of her counterpart. Her brewing was quickly stalled by the little string of pain that shot down her wing, and through her spine.

Broken. Right.

Muttering another half-hearted curse under her breath, she pushed open the front door, the one made of something that felt smooth against her fingers, and inscripted with Cue's mother language.

Something long forgotten by now certainly.

Cue would probably tell her as much if she asked.

The sound of something, or rather someone bitter interrupted her thoughts, and Echo turned entirely into the house, warm scented air flowing out the door. Sharp in contrast to the cool air that was beginning to build due to the oncoming storm. Looking ahead, past the threshold, on the couch, was Cordelia.

Her long hair braided back still, not quite as impeccable as it had been before, and the other immortals were cautiously looking over. Cue, unphased as always, was sitting in his chair, flipping absently through a book he'd probably already memorized by now. Cordelia however was sitting, her face scrunched in some kind of knotted expression, glaring daggers at the currently wingless immortal.

Cue looked up towards Echo, raising his eyebrow, and then returning a slow gaze back behind Cordelia where the other immortals were, as if waiting for them to realize something.

It didn't occur to Echo that what they might have been waiting for, had been her.

Anastaisa saw her first, and Echo wouldn't lie and say it made her a little happy to see that she'd been worried, because the moment Asia's eyes met hers, they softened from that hard, dark waters, into something warmer. Affectionate. And in the next instant the immortal was in front of her, gripping her arms. "Echo. What happened?" Anxious eyes searched her face, going back to her badly bandaged wing, and before Echo could respond, Anastasia snapped towards Cue. "Cue. What happened?" Her tone had shifted from something warm, into something mildly threatening.

Cue, naturally, only turned the page in his book. "She broke her wing."

"How did she break her wing?? Isn't it magic?" Her gaze flicked back to Echo, speaking offhandedly, "Not that she should even have wings to break in the first place." It'd been the source of good-natured arguments and teasing between many of the previously mortal group members now, but Asia shook her head in disbelief. "What happened-"

"Will you relax, Anastasia?" Cue looked up from his book, blinking evenly. "The reason she broke her wing is because she shifted too close to the ocean. The shift paired with the momentum she had gathered in falling, risked a break as it was. It could have been worse."

Asia's answering sneer, the scrunch of her nose was the only response that Cue got, but she quieted enough, rolling her eyes, muttering something unintelligible as her attention returned to her make-shift little sister before her. "Bullshit-shifter magic, my ass...he doesn't know what he's talking about."

Echo smiled at that, shaking her head as a bubbly giggle escaped her mouth. Hand waving away Asia's worries, she only shrugged "It's alright, really. It's only a broken wing." Granted, Echo was very upset about it. She couldn't fly for a while, or even shift back to being without the wings without risking permanent damage, especially because they didn't summon them often anymore.

But...they didn't need to know she was upset over it. It was hardly worth being upset over. Not when they had much more pressing matters. Asia's eyebrows knitted, and a frown played on her face. A usual motion, but something slightly more irritated. It was the same face she made when Cassian's relentless flirting took on other targets.

Speaking of Cassian, a smooth voice, cut from stone interrupted them. "Darling, Echo said she was fine, didn't she?"

"I have a name, Cassian, and it isn't darling." Asia's eyes didn't tear from Echo, remaining unphased by the flirting for the moment.

"Well maybe you could remind me, then." A pause, deliberate, and long enough that Echo and the others knew what was coming. "Darling."

Sometimes. Sometimes Echo thought that Cassian might have a death wish. Asia's gaze snapped to the side, angling her very special brand of sharp stare at him, to which Cass chose to respond with prettily smiling. A heartthrob kind of smile.

Before things could escalate further, Echo puffed out her cheeks. She was fine. Waving her hands, she pressed through the other immortals, careful of her damaged wings as she took a seat near Amir, who already had bandages out. Freddie was there too, sitting quietly beside Echo, and giving her a short-lived smile. Joon was hanging back, just a bit, as if looking over the situation carefully, although his gaze caught Echo's once. Only briefly, before moving on like he'd found something more interesting to look at.

Echo didn't let it go to heart.

Okay, more like she tried not to let it go to heart.

Once again, her busying thoughts were soothed by a voice quite unfamiliar to the one's she'd heard before.

"And who, pray tell, are you?" Echo turned to see Cordelia's gaze, sharp and unwavering looking towards her. Her tone wasn't accusing, but rather skeptical, similar to many of the experiences they had here. The only difference was that this time, she was the last one. They were done gathering Immortals after this.

"I'm Echo."

"And what do you do?" Her head cocked, arms crossed over her chest. "I've met what it is..Reincarnation.." She motioned towards Anastasia, who was now mirroring the stance. "Siren," She put her thumb towards the back, aiming towards Joon. "Heartbreak, Chemistry, and Crush." Motioning towards Cassian, Freddie and Amir then, before sending a more than irritated half-scowl towards Cue, who merely continued reading. "Cupid." Then a fixed gaze was once again settling over Echo. It sent shivers down her spine, like someone was prying into her very being, her entire persona, with a mere glance. "And you are Echo. So what do you do?"

It was less of a question, and more of a demand. One that Echo wasn't really sure how to answer. She was the heir to all of this magic, she didn't do much of anything but think of mediocre plans on how to kidnap people. There was a pregnant pause, one that built up the kind of heavy embarrassment that rests at the base of your chest, as you grasp to realize what exactly you do do here.

Fortunately for her, Joon saved the day, flipping the knife he had in his hand absently, likely from something he'd been cooking, he grinned "Well, you see Cordelia, because i'm the pretty boy, here in this environment, Echo is the back-up, just in case I need an off day." He winked, and Echo had to bite back the blooming smile that was threatening her cheeks, silently thanking him as Amir beside her laughed.

"Echo is rather pretty."

Joon grinned, bracing his crossed arms over the couch, leaning over it slightly. "I know. That's what I said, and I'm always right so-"

"Okay, disagree, what in the hell are you talking about Joon?" Asia snorted, leaning into the wall of the hallway, "You thought it was a good idea to scare Freddie in the middle of an experiment."

"I never said it was a good idea, I said it was a funny idea."

Joon huffed at that, playfully petulant, "It was not that bad, Asia."

Echo snorted, smothering her laugh behind her hand, "Joon, Freddie ended up spilling hot coffee all over you!"

"Worth it."

Echo laughed again, a bright, bubbly kind of sound. The kind of laughter that you can feel when you hear it, soothing and uplifting - like the embodiment of optimism. It didn't last forever, but it did provide a small break, in the clearly tense situation, even if Cordelia's brow had furrowed even further.

"So...let me get this straight. You are all immortals, correct?"

"Yes." Cue nodded, glancing up now, and although his mouth was neutral as usual, Echo could see the glint of amusement in his eyes. Something that had become much more frequent, especially with more people around.

"Not all of us by choice, '' was Asia's muted, but mainly ignored response. Although Cassian heard her, and only muttered something that made her glare at him more, but Echo could have sworn she saw the slightest coloring on her cheeks, before returning her attention to the given conversation.

"Okay, and, our job is what exactly? To bring love and peace to the world?"

"Well, no-" Echo shook her head, "No, because peace is practically an impossible goal. We're striving for happiness really, and we want everyone to be able to find that little bit of happiness in life, because if we look at it from a worldly perspective, it does seem impossible. So it's like..like making sure the people who need each other in this life, find each other." Echo paused. Thinking about it for a brief moment. "Think about it this way, Coredelia-"

"Delia"

"Sorry?"

"I prefer Delia." There was a pause of hesitation, then a shortly added, "please."

Echo merely nodded, continuing on with her thought process, "Think about it this way, there are a lot of people who are unloved, and are unhappy, and our job is to do our best to make sure that love, regardless if it's platonic, romantic, familial, or otherwise, remains very present. Because lots of people find a lot of hope through love, and that includes self-love too, so really, it seems like a small miniscule task, but in the end, kindness and happiness and all those things do stem from love, just different types of it."

There was another brief note of silence, and Cordelia was quiet, thinking over what was said. "..okay." Another pause, "So..i'm sorry, this is a lot to take in, very quickly, so-" her hands clasped in front of her mouth, eyebrows furrowed in concentration once more. "We are all immortals now, some of us with wings.." She motioned towards both Echo, and then Cue, before waving it off, "And some of us were mortal before...and our purpose is to make sure love, I guess, remains on earth in some way, shape or form. And we all live on this magic island from who the fuck knows where, and i'm the one in charge of soulmates?" She looked up then. "Because I can probably comprehend the other things, but soulmates are not my forte, fuck, friends, aren't even my forte."

It was scary, and new, and probably very overwhelming, but that's how most everything is at first. Of course, this was probably on a whole new level, but at it's basis, it was a new, frightening, environment that they were all going to have to get used to together. Well, not so much herself and Cue, but the others. And her and Cue would have to get used to having lots of other people around too. Echo only offered a smile, something warm and sweet, and that flood of arcana returned into the pit of her soul. Something softer than what she had used to summon her wings, something more precise, and gentle.

Something, oh so very much Echo.

And everyone could feel it too, the way it seemed to curl around the room, spreading in waves of emotional magics, brushing with the tides of the ocean as it spilled out the open windows in waterfalls of unseen energy. "Well, yes. I suppose you're right. But, in all honesty, i'm not sure if friends are anybody's forte, at least not the people in this room."

In the corner of her eye, she saw both Joon and Cassian open their mouths to beg to differ, but her gaze shifted, side-eyeing them with silent threats, all while a smile remained mounted on her face, before she slid them back to Cordelia. "But, the best part about all of this, is that no one is doing this alone. And it might sound very, well, cliche, but we're doing this together now, regardless of how we got here. So, it'd be best I think to try to keep an open-mind?" Echo smiled brightly, laughing to herself, "Besides! It's really a lovely island, and being immortal is much more fun with friends anyway."

There was a silent pause then, and Cordelia stared at her, right back into the depths of Echo's soul. "....You don't know me."

"No." Echo smiled anyway, standing as she fluttered out her wings, extending a hand towards Cordelia's, "But I'd certainly like too."

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

ophelia !!

third chapter done !

sorry it took so long to get out!
college is kinda kicking my ass

and tbh i don't love this chapter
as much as i'd like to, sorry
if it's bad <3333

i hope school is going super well for you all!!

please don't forget to finish the opinions and love interests of your characters !!

and as for the question for today that [yes] you must answer !

[ what is the best date that your character has gone on ? what's their dream date ? ]

answers ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥