[h2][color=DarkBlue]Sapphire Rode[/color] - Infirmary[/h2]
Oswald's response made Sapphire remember precisely why she never tried to reason her way out of situations. It never worked for her. She always managed to hit just the wrong button no matter what her intentions were. She'd spent enough time around Oswald to know that when his aura become visible, even slightly it meant he'd thrown his guard against some specific emotional threat. She'd seen it while he was spilling his blood over the Beacon training floors after his last mission.

His attempt to deflect the conversation to his home didn't fool her and it didn't help him as it seemed to steer him into another set of painful memories that he seemed to quickly suppress. Even without the appearance of his aura she could see his posture becoming increasingly defensive with every word he spoke. [i]Smooth Sapphire, always hit the right switches don't you.[/i] she thought annoyed at herself.

Despite Sapphire's calm and collected demeanor she knew why he did it. Why he punched an inanimate object till his hands bled and he couldn't see straight. It was easier. Feeling that stinging pounding pain in the skin made it better. If you were hurting, your blood was being spilt, your wrists burning like they'd been set aflame, you didn't have to think about it. That soul crushing knowledge that you were responsible for someone else's suffering. The emptiness in your heart that said "You've failed". For those few moments the pain eclipsed it. It wasn't something a lot of people understood. Not unless they gone through it. It wasn't as though all the scars on Sapphire's arms were her father's fault.

[color=MidnightBlue]"It's not worth it."[/color] she whispered. The air she breathed came in tight evenly spaced breaths. The perfectly ordered breathing of someone who is making a desperate and mostly successful attempt to keep the emotion out of their voice. [color=MidnightBlue]"It gives you a moments reprieve but..."[/color] Sapphire had trouble finishing the thought. Her breath still coming in tight and controlled even as Oswald struggled to control his tear. [color=MidnightBlue]"It... It just makes you hate yourself more in the end."[/color] It was sort of hypocritical of her but Sapphire had come to terms a long time ago with the fact that she was damaged beyond any hope of ever being whole again. She could only do whatever she could to make sure no one else was ever as broken as she often felt.

Just then her scroll played a three second clip of a hurricane ripping apart a forest. Her custom tone for any of Shiro's texts. Desperate for an excuse not to meet Oswald's eyes after those few short sentences revealed more about her then she ever wanted anyone to know. Quickly she pulled her scroll out and read more or less what she was expecting, grateful not to have to look at Oswald. It was a group text to the team asking if they wanted to go out. She had no doubt she was only included so that she wouldn't find out second hand that her team went out on the town without her. No one on her team, particularly Shiro actually favored her company. Taking her time to compose a reply and her face at the same time, she texted back.

[quote]From: Sapphire Rode
To: Abel Fulgerate [@Lugubrious], Gren Orchid [@Lucius Cypher], Kuhaku Shiro [@harinezumikouken]
Subject: "Re: Arcade and pizza?"

"Now's not a good time. I'm rather involved with something at the moment."[/quote]

Normally she likely would have just said "No thanks." or "Not now." but Sapphire was dreading the look of pity that was probably already forming on Oswald's face. It was the last thing she ever needed, from anyone.
[@Multi_Media_Man]