[@Zelosse]

Day 2, Morning.

[Color=Turquoise]Cinera barely felt the touch of his strong arms as he lifted her up from where she was curled up on the ground. Her body was tense, almost resisting the movement as the fear swirled and turned within her stomach. [i]I-I can't breathe... I think I'm going to be sick...[/i] Something in her mind had registered that Delcastle was alive and well, and that he had taken a potion to restore his HP, but her emotions were far out of her reach at this point. Relief seemed impossible as she kept her eyes squeezed shut, shaking wildly as she expelled the tears from her eyes. Her orange locks clung to her damp face, and she looked and felt like a mess. Everything hurt - her back from the tree earlier, her eyes from the burning tears, her chest from the hyperventilating. Once again, she was diminished to a useless state.

This wasn't what was supposed to happen, today. When Cinera had sought out Delcastle and Bulwar, she had done so with the intention to get stronger and find people to support. That had only lasted for a few battles, obviously. It made her feel pathetic, worthless, a burden, everything that she had been afraid she would be when she first joined the World Walkers. None of this was even comprehensible to her as the world seemed to spin around her in her panic. The only solid image she could see was that fatal moment over and over and over again: Delcastle's blood spewing everywhere (in the form of pixels, of course), the wolf's teeth digging deep into his skin, that HP bar dropping from green to yellow, then yellow to red... and in her mind, from red to empty. She could see her own failure, and nothing else.

She was mildly conscious of being propped up against a tree, somewhere, though she had no sense of safety or danger. There was only this pain; any area would be no different. Her chest heaved as the tears kept coming, and her eyes slowly opened to try and get a grip. Everything was blurry, and the fear was so extreme. Cinera managed to look down at her hand, where the blood from that wolf earlier had dried, and that only made her cries louder and more painful. If she had been stronger... If she had been a better teammate... If she hadn't been so cocky... [i]If... If... If...[/i]

Cinera wanted to give up. She really did. Dying would be better than endangering others who were working so hard to help everyone else survive. Her hope was all but shattered when she first felt his warmth on her face, pulling her face up from her hand, where her gaze had not broken. His eyes were the first thing she was able to focus on, and they were soft and kind... not the eyes of someone who deserved to die. The eyes of someone who would fight for others. The eyes of the person who had saved her sorry ass when she screwed everything up. [i]Worthless...[/i] The sobs never broke as she tried to look away from him, her body shaking with her cries of fear and shame. He deserved a much better teammate. [i]I should have never come here. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for me. Maybe it would be best if I just dis-[/i]

Her thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected sensation. At first, she didn't quite process what was happening, but as her tears slowed she began to gain a bit more focus on the world around her. When she realized what was happening, her eyes widened. [i]W-We're... We're kissing...?[/i] She was really unsure of what to do, in this situation. Why was he kissing her? Cinera didn't understand what Delcastle was thinking or feeling, at all. What she [i]did[/i] know was that she liked this feeling... It was warm and soothing, like a wave of calmness was washing over her body from that little touch. She had initially tensed at the unexpected touch, but she slowly began to relax as the fear seeped out of her. His kiss seemed to fill her with the exact calm and level-headedness that she needed, and their fingers slowly became intertwined. He was so warm, so full of life... She was so happy he was alive. The tears did not stop falling down her cheeks, but her breathing had slowed and the shaking stopped in the midst of this. When he pulled away, her anxiety attack had almost completely subsided.

His words were soft like velvet as their eyes bore into one another during this very serious moment. He was absolutely right... She knew he was right. But even so... fighting it wasn't as easy as he thought. Cinera had never had to fight anything this serious, before. A game was one thing, but this was playing with people's real lives! It made her sick everytime she realized where they were. It took all of her strength not to break down like this constantly. How could she not be afraid? There were so many things she had left behind in the real world, things that she hadn't finished, people she never said goodbye to... She hadn't known that people could die so instantly, without any kind of farewell to the world. It felt unfair, and now that possibility loomed over her shoulder every day. For almost a full day now, she had to fear for her life.

Cinera knew that she had to fight. He had told her that before, and he was helping her, but was it really worth all of this...? The risk was great... She didn't know how to fight, anymore. As he spoke, her eyes gazed up at him, sad and broken, as much quieter sobs still escaped from her lips. She felt so lost... All she could do was search for a path in Delcastle's eyes. [b]"I-I know..."[/b] Her voice was quiet and meek as she spoke to him for the first time during this whole ordeal. [b]"I-I don't know... H-How to fight..."[/b] The pain welled up in her chest, again, as she gripped his hand tighter. [b]"I-I don't want... a-anyone... t-t-to die because of me...!"[/b] The tears came a bit faster, but she used all of her strength to suppress any other attack that might be ready to rise up inside of her. [b]"I-I'm just going... t-to get everyone... k-killed... I-I knew I would... b-be in the way..."[/b]Everything ached as she poured her heart out to Delcastle, completely trusting him, by this point. He could see her like this if he needed to - orange hair tangled and matted against her face, puffy red cheeks and swollen eyes - but she knew that she couldn't go on with this guild, anymore. Not if this was the result on Day 1.

[b]"I-I'd rather d-die than... than put you in d-danger... D-Delcastle..."[/b][/Color]