14560/Going full circle on a full moon

Going full circle on a full moon
Date of Scene:	09 November 2022
Location:	NY City park, and Normandy, France
Synopsis:	Hellequin brings Willow to Normandy for the grand reveal
Cast of Characters:	Hellequin, Willow Rosenberg

---

Hellequin has posed:
They say that strange things happen on a Full Moon. Although not proven scientifically, cops and ICU staff would swear that it is true. A portion of the population also believes that the full moon influences people.

It is most likely the reason some people love to go out that night, and enjoy the monthly event. Usually alone or in small groups, and far from the city lights. Most are interested in the sight of the full moon, not giving any attention to the clouds around as long as they don't interfere with the moon.

So a very few of them would notice something else lurking among the clouds, in the darker parts of the nightly sky.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow loves the full moon. Some pagans prefer the new moon, but she always preferred the full. Lately she has been a solitary practitioner - not because there aren't plenty of covens all around the New York areas - but she's gotten to the point where she needed a little time away to contemplate where she goes from here.

After all, she was a Master student. She should be moving up with her spiritual self and starting a coven of her own. She was competent. More so than most of the coven leaders.

Just, she didn't know if she really wanted to.

Really, she should perform the rituals under a new moon. Nobody said she couldn't think about this under the full moon though!

All along the park she looked for the perfect spot. And almost gave up on it. When she pushed aside a low hanging bush, and discovered the perfect copse. It was a sign! Settling herself down, she closed her eyes and breathed to an even cadence.

In.. *beat* Out.. *beat* In..

Hellequin has posed:
Well, indeed, it is a nice, secluded spot. Even from the heavens, among the clouds, the wraith there would agree. Not that it makes much of a difference to him, which location Willow chose: pinpointing her location was easy enough for him.

Oh, he could have stopped by the Magic Box, in the daytime, for this conversation he wanted to have with her. But a conversation wasn't all he wanted. No, the Hellequin had other plans for the night, and for the witch.

Although the forecast never mentioned any possibility of rain and even less thunder, the skies behind Willow darken - in the dark of night indeed - and the sound of thunder can be heard in a distance. As it becomes a bit louder, it starts to sound like a horse racing from a distance. But hey, it could be a heavy truck in the city, right?

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Brrrrr..

For some reason Willow was cold. More cold that normal (after all, it was fall!!). Usually this time of year the nights were getting down to freezing. More often than night people were checking out the forecast to see if their remaining crops in their gardens were in danger. After this week, nothing but the root vegetables would be left.

Somehow Willow felt this was different.

Was it a sign? Should she not go out and be her own? Should she forget about her own coven? Should she be back in the usual group?

Hellequin has posed:
There are no clouds close to the moon, so if this is indeed a thunderstorm, it would come from behind Willow's spot. But as the sound intensifies, the young woman will surely soon recognize it for what it was. It is the exact sound that announced the Hellequin's arrival the first time they met, when he came to dispatch her to a different - and final - state of being.

And then the sound subsides, to a very low rumbling. So low, that the ethereal sound of the horse kicking the non-existent ground in the heavens can be heard.

If she turns around and looks up toward the nightly sky, Willow will notice that the Hellequin has arrived. Not only did he arrive, but he's observing her, seemingly patiently like someone who has an eternity before him to do so. The wraith is not holding any weapon - well, since he cannot kill her, what would be the point anyway. His ethereal mastiffs have also been left in whatever place their use while off-duty, some ethereal doghouse somewhere maybe.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
It.. It..

It was Hellequin.

*blink blink*

She wasn't expecting him. At least not in this form. Besides, didn't he use this from to mete out justice? Shouldn't he be elsewhere??

Willow stood up and watched him arrive. -- wait a minute. He didn't even have his dogs. This is weird. A full moon. No dogs. Visiting with Willow. On a full moon?!? Something wasn't right.

Hellequin has posed:
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, WILLOW ROSENBERG?!" comes the Hellequin's booming ethereal voice. And he's not waiting for an answer before continuing.

"I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND. BUT I WILL BE FAIR AND GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO FIX YOUR ERROR OF JUDGEMENT."

That said, the horse slowly descends from the heavens, to ground level where it can now hit the real ground with his furious hooves. The Hellequin remains on his horse, staring at Willow with a not so happy look on his face.

The horse is then ordered to turn around, and the Hellequin extends his ghostly hand, inviting Willow to get on the horse.

"COME." It's not quite a jolly invitation, but, in the other hand, it's not exactly a threat.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
rg "What have I done? Huh?"

Willow was baffled. She did something?? The only thing that she'd done, with regards to Hellequin (well, really Henri) was..

OH. That.

But surely he would be happy? Wouldn't he?? Then again, she has no proof that Henri visited Heloise.

No. He must be thinking of something else. But what??

Taking his hand, carefully, she accepted a helping hand up. "Really, what's got you upset?"

Hellequin has posed:
Not a word is pronounced, and as soon as Willow is saddled, the horse quickly ascends toward the heavens, as if he knew the destination point. This is how close horse and horseman have become over the centuries, almost being telepathically connected.

The moon in the distance seems even bigger as the Hellequin heads even higher in the sky, a hand holding the reins as the other is ready to steady Willow at any moment. By some unseen ability, horseman and passenger are protected from the elements - cold, wind, rain, oxygen - remain the same as if they were merely trotting in the park. At some point, the Earth below becomes blurry in the distance, and even travelling over the ocean takes a few minutes.

"We are going to Normandie," Hellequin says, the hollering done for now.

"Tell me, Willow, what - or who - will we find when we arrive?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Normandie.

Ah. It was Heloise that was the problem. And being Willow, she wasn't precisely able to bluff her way through it. So she did the next best thing.

"So you've met Heloise then, haven't you?" Clean. Precise. To the point. Which was unusual for Willow unless she was dealing with villains. Of which she hoped Henri wasn't one.

Of course, he had sent Hellequin to deal with this mess.

At which, Willow swallowed a lump in her throat. Maybe he had decided to be her judge and jury after all.

Hellequin has posed:
The horse is relentless, and the travel effortless for him. Travelling to France by airplane, when you think about it, is almost impossible for Henri, what with all those sunsets and sundowns interfering with his appearance - and disappearances. Not to mention, that the ghostly horse is way faster.

At some point, the Hellequin raises his hand, as if beaconing to someone. But instead of someone, the ethereal mastiffs appear in the distant sky, joining in the nightly ride, adding their loud groans as they run along the horse.

"No, I did not," comes the low voice of the man riding with Willow. "And I do not intend to do so. You will fix what you have done."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"No."

Willow was adamant.

"She was and is my charge. Her being here has nothing to do with you. It was charged with finding her a safe place to live away from the flames. All the flames. I decided the safest place for her was here."

"The only reason you know about her is.. No. I'm not going to tell you why. You do or do not visit her, but I'm putting my foot down, she's staying here. Even if you decide to kill me. It was the right thing to do."

*harumph*

You can almost hear the stomping of her foot. So there.

Hellequin has posed:
Always without a word, the horse suddenly slows his pace in the heavens and comes to a stop. The dogs ahead stop and turn around, looking up at their master from a distance.

The large arm that was ready to steady Willow, just in case, is pulled back.

"Is that so?" Hellequin states. "Well then, who am I to stop you from putting your foot down."

Then the Hellequin looks down, at the void between them and what would probably be the Atlantic ocean if they were close enough to see it.

"Go ahead. It is your choice."

Is there a hint of sarcasm or even humour in the Hellequin's voice? Is he actually joking? Pulling Willow's leg?

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow's mien took on a stubborn feature.

"If I have to." Her chin tilted upwards. "But you will have to take her back yourself. That should be enough torment for you."

With that, she gives herself a hoist to get over the saddle, and scrunches up her eyes so that she can't see her doom when it hits her, and lets go.

Hellequin has posed:
Even ghosts can blink, although it is not often seen. In any case, the Hellequin blinks as Willow suddenly motions as if to dismount. Which would mean a sure death for her - well, unless he rides up to her and catches her in her fall. That kind of aerial acrobatic he and the horse can easily perform, but this is not the point. The point is, that Willow is so convinced of her decision, that she would face death rather than changing anything about it.

But for now, Willow is not allowed to jump to her death, as the Hellequin's large arm closes around her waist at the last second, keeping her from jumping to her death.

"Fine," comes Hellequin's low voice, now the humor gone and replaced by annoyance, "You have made your point. And suicide is a mortal sin, which I cannot allow under my watch, as they say."

The horse then resumes its galloping, accompanied by the barking mastiffs.

After a moment, a low sigh can be heard coming from the ethereal horseman.

"Now. What to do?" Hellequin muses. On a few occasions, he had asked for Willow's advice, and now he is doing it again, although indirectly.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
When Willow had had up her mind, it really was a simple matter of throwing herself off of the horse. It was /deciding/ that was hard. But really, to bring Heloise forward to ultimately bring her back again? What was the sense of that?

No. She had decided to bring Heloise forward in time for a reason. (And if she really.. really.. dug deep down in her heart and soul, maybe for a tiny bit for Henri. After all, Willow is a sucker for fairytales.)

Just as she was going to just *let go*, a firm arm wrapped around her, and put her back into place.

Willow *blinks*. "But..?"

Then he mentions suicide.

In a quiet voice, "I preferred to think of it as martyrdom." But what should he do? "You never did go and meet her, did you?" That much she had figured out on this ride.

Hellequin has posed:
There is silence for a moment as they ride towards their destination. The horse already starts to slow down and close the distance between them and the Earth below.

"I went and saw her, but did not talk to her," comes the reply, "I did not know what to tell her."

Which is the plain truth. Tell her what? Oh, hi Heloise, by the way, I have been dead since then, I am basically eternal, and I hunt wretched souls at nights. You want to have lunch tomorrow because supper is impossible for me? And will forever.

"Since you just proved that you will not reverse the situation, I thought you might help me talk to her. Or rather, talk to her before I show up? Should I do it as Henri, or as Hellequin?"

ight, so he has a lots of questions and incertitude.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I guess I could relent if it were her decision. But, frankly, the only way that I could it with my conscience clear, would be telling her about you, and giving her the choice."

In other words, Heloise would know about Henri regardless.

Seeing as she wasn't being threatened with death now, most of her temper has gone away. She furrows up her brow. "Henri or Hellequin. That's tough. I think.. oh gosh.. Perhaps you might set the scene with Henri?"

"No matter what you do, you're still, in her mind, a victim of some sort of magic. Like her. But you have to show her Hellequin. That's.. See you're like a coin. Two sides. Each of them is different, but you need both side to make legal tender. Does that make sense?"

Hellequin has posed:
And soon the French coast is in sight, and the horse slowly continues to descend toward its destination.

This was a rather quick travel overseas, one that no one - other than Willow - has made before. So it seems that the Hellequin had some sort of plan in mind to start with, a reason for bringing Willow with him.

"I was thinking that, we could go visit her by daytime," which means, as Henri, "And explain the situation to her, see how she takes it. And well, by sunset, she could see the other side of the coin."

One might not be the most delicate being when dispatching villains, and still deeply care for a woman's feelings and wellbeing. Which is the case now. It might also be that, from the start, the Hellequin didn't feel comfortable enough to do it alone.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
It was still dark when they touched the ground and reached the outskirts of the Grand Andely. The night sky was slowly giving way to the first glow on the horizon, preceding the sunset. Nonetheless, as they were on their final approach, the vision of the age-old wraith travelling in the sky stirred some apprehension in the population. The younger ones would soon contact their local UFO center, while the older ones would pray silently, aware that the Hellequin was visiting them.

Hellequin dismounted first, helping Willow to get on her feet. As soon as this was done, the horse and mastiffs disappeared, like a light fog dissipated by the wind.

The covent can be seen in the distance, at about half a mile. But closer to where they touched ground is an old chapel, probably dating back from the Middle Age.

"It is dawn," Hellequin says, "Meet me in the chapel." That's where the Hellequin returns to his Henri form, every day, at the closest consecrated church or chapel. And on that, like horse and mastiffs, the Hellequin vanished in the air. The first weak rays of sunshine can be seen far away.

Hellequin has posed:
Figures!

Willow didn't know whether to be amused, or angry a little bit.. And to top it off he didn't say whether or not to bring Heloise. It was quite early, though. Heloise probably would be up, she thought.

Ha! If only.

Now, which way was it? That was the second question. Though as the sun began to rise in the distance, she was able, finally, to pinpoint the chapel in the distance. Off she went.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
And Willow has the right bearing indeed. Instead of waiting in the old chapel, Henri - having returned to his daily physical self - decided to walk ahead to meet Willow midway. At that point, the convent is quite near, and the small bell is ringing the last notes marking the end of the Matins - the pre-dawn first prayers before breakfast.

As they approach, the nuns can be seen returning inside the convent, and among them Heloise is easily recognizable being the only one wearing the light blue dress.

But instead of following the nuns inside, Heloise remains behind, as if hesitating. For a moment, she looks around, as if expecting something to happen, or someone to show up, but she cannot see anyone as Willow and Henri are still slowly walking towards the courtyard's gate.

Henri stops in his tracks as he finally notices Heloise sitting by Ste-Clothilde's well, although she cannot see him right away as they approach from the opposite direction.

"This will be a shock to her," Henri says, probably expressing his own feelings at the moment, "Do you want to go talk to her, see if she is well?"

In other words, can Willow do something, because his cold feet won't allow him to move any further without encouragement.

Hellequin has posed:
Willow smiles haphazardly when Henri meets her midway. "I couldn't figure out which way to go!" She still wasn't too certain how angry he was with her. And truthfully she couldn't really blame him. The shock of Heloise, plus his Catholic upbringing, he must have been accosted with the truth.

As it was, Willow wasn't too sure if telling him had been the right thing to do.

As they were talking, Heloise became apparent at the well. Whispering, Willow wondered, "She seemed to be aware of something? That way she looked around. Do you think..?"

Did she what? Have an unnatural connection to Herni? If so, then it wouldn't have mattered what she did. od, or Yaweh, or Mother Earth would have moved mountains to bring them together again.

And that made Willow feel better.

"I guess I could go over to make everything smooth?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
And Willow's might be right, and none of the paramours know about it, but the Fates do and knew that these two had to be reunited, as Future and Past also rejoins in this moment. Is there a reason for it? No one could say. Especially not Henri, at that moment, when nothing really matters anymore, but to find Heloise again.

"Once you are by her side, I will reveal myself, so if she does not feel well, you can support her."

This is very gallant of him, but eight centuries away from Heloise made him forget a very important point: the young woman is not a frail one and by the time she has gotten used to the 21st Century, she also recovered of all distress her unusual situation has forced her to face.

Just as Willow agreed to go ahead, Heloise suddenly stands, without hesitation, looking in their direction. The early lights of dawn don't provide enough light for her to recognize the two people. Still, walks towards the courtyard's gate.

"I know you are there," Heloise says in a calm voice, "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened," she quotes.

And then Heloise stops a few feet from the gate, waiting to see who is there and what they want - or does she already know?

Hellequin has posed:
Ah, see? He really did want to be reunited with her! And for that, Willow stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. It will be fine. Trust me!"

Willow really doesn't know what will happen, but she has faith.

However, Heloise has jumped the gun, and was standing at the gate. "Do you want to go first?" She will gladly go first, but Heloise is taking things into her own hands, and messing up Herni's 'careful' plans.

Thank goodness it was still dark just enough that Henri could not see Willow's face - or else he might have seen her grinning. Heloise was feisty. And Willow found it funny.

Poor Henri.. Not!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
As Willow kisses his cheek, she might have felt how hot Henri's face is. But he didn't stop Willow in her enthusiasm, actually, the man can barely breathe as it is.

As if tempting whoever is on the other side of the gate, still in the early hours shadows, Heloise turns around, with a heavy audible sigh, and returns to sit down by the well.

"My friend Willow, you can join and sit with me. Sage and thyme, a rare combination that I can recognize." For indeed, from the time period that she is from, Heloise's olfaction is in excellent condition.

"There must be a reason for you to come visit me by this early hour. Am I wrong in assuming that this /reason/ is standing there with you, and that despite God allowing us to meet again after all this time," her voice trails off for a moment, "This foolish man makes the separation last even longer."

Hellequin has posed:
Without the coin she can understand the gist of what Heloise was saying. With the coin - she can understand perfectly.

Out of the shadows crept Willow.

"Oh Heloise!" Willow can't help laughing walking into the light. "I could lie, but someone is very nervous to meet you again. It's his story, of course, but promise me you will try to sit through it?" Of course, she is tickled pink when Heloise noticed her scent. "It's because of the sage leaves that I carry around almost constantly. They usually are cheap to buy, and that way I can still have a pick me up, and can leave them around for protection."

Two birds; one stone!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
With a genuine smile on her face, Heloise welcomes Willow, gently tapping the stone bench, "Come sit with me, friend," she says, inviting her to sit along. For a moment, Heloise was tempted to remind Willow about how she is used to floral and herbal scents, since her mother used them, ahem, often. But for some reason, the mention of the witchy mother is left aside. It would be very bad timing, indeed.

And finally, maybe feeling ridiculous or left apart from the gathering, Henri steps forward, leaving the comfort of the shadow.

When he walks forward, it is without hesitation, tall and proud, fully alive, almost cocky in his assured attitude - but that can be charged on the fact that he is French. Ah!

"Ma chere Heloise," Henri says in his low voice, as he walks in front of her, and kneeling down on a knee. Holding his hand, she reaches for his and he places a soft kiss on her delicate hand.

"You knew," Henri says, or rather states.

Her hand leaving his, she gently brushes her fingers along his cheeks. "Yes, I knew," Heloise replies softly, "My friend Willow hinted it," she turns her head to look at Willow, almost grinning, "Although with subtility, but enough to instill the notion that our story was not over. I do not know how this mystery came to be, maybe Willow can explain." She pauses, and then adds, "And then, I had a dream." The young woman looks back at Henri, "And since then, I am waiting for you to, ahem - I love this expression - /man up/. Why did you make me wait? Last time I saw you, you were a spirit. But now you are alive, again. All that we wanted, we can have now."

Hellequin has posed:
Of course /now/ that she has thought of it, talking about sage was a bit of an enh topic. Thankfully Heloise pretended not to hear it.

Willow followed her to sit at the well. "I wondered if you followed the clues. I couldn't tell you the whole story until I had seen Henri and ascertained how he felt about you too. Both of you were so sad. I just had to try to bring you back together."

Whether Henri understood, or not, originally, Willow had no intention of bringing the pair back together again. But visiting with Heloise changed her mind.

She has to giggle again at how Heloise knew the time before that Henri came to watch her at a distance. These two were fated to be together. Heck, one could say that the reason Henrl never heard about Heloise in his long life had been because she was waiting for him in the future, to learn lessons.

Really, she had a better time fitting in, then Henri did the entire time!

Willow turned to wait for Henri to answer Heloise.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Henri thinks for a moment, still kneeling in front of Heloise. The man isn't sure about how this all happened, how, when, why. Was God the source of all the mysterious events, was it sorcery, or was it the Malin's doings? At this moment, really, Henri could honestly say that he does not care about who is behind it all.

"My heart lives again," Henri says in that low voice of his, "On this day that sees us reunited, ma chere Heloise. There are still mysteries around us. You saw me as a ghost, and yet, I am alive."

For a moment, Henri glances at Willow as if to seek her advice. Should the whole situation be explained to Heloise right away? How do you tell you long-lost love that you are both alive and dead? Oh, and how to tell her that your night job is to kill bad people?

Hellequin has posed:
rg Willow was sure of one thing: If Henri didn't 'fess up, he could be putting them in danger of having a future.

She also was convinced that this reunification was meant to be.

"Remember, Henri, if you want her to love you, you have to take a chance, and put your whole being in front of her. Trust in your love. You have been put together again, so you can open up. Otherwise, Heloise will only love a part of you."

She smiled at him.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Henri is quite tempted to roll his eyes: yes, he asked Willow for an advice and again, she is right, which is becoming frustrating for he who is used to be right all the time and not relay on others' opinion. There are a few villains that will have to deal with his frustration - that is, once he can get his head back to work.

But before Henri can come up with an explanation, Heloise cuts in.

"But I do love him already, Willow!" Heloise protests, giggling. And, smiling tenderly at Henri, she adds, "And you know better than to question my love for you, cher Henri."

This doesn't make anything easier, and the explanation has to be clear.

"Heloise, hear this," Henri says, almost sighing. "You remember when I died," he starts, "And how I appeared to you as a ghost, when I bade you farewell back then."

Heloise nods silently, but letting him continue.

"So God decided that I would be his vengeful arm. By day, I am a living man, like now I am before you." He pauses, looking for the right words. But there are not right words. "By night, I become the ghost that you have seen back then. And I rid God's Creation of the sinners."

For a moment, Henri was tempted to add: starting with your mother, but for some reason, he leaves this detail aside for now.

For most people, this would be a laughable story about a living ghost, but to a Medieval person like Heloise, raised in a universe of supernatural, mysterious and godly doings, it makes sense. God said so, decided so, so be it.

So it comes to no surprise, as least for Henri, that Heloise accepts the explanation for the mystery that it is, and doesn't try to question its origin.

"Man or ghost, Henri de Fontainebleau, I love you. I always did, and by the look of it, I will always love you the same."