[center][color=9966cc][h2]Sai[/h2][/color]
[b]The Dirt Town Orphanage; Late Evening[/b][/center]
[hr][hr]

Death had a a physical presence in the Dirt Town Orphanage and it weighed heavily on a certain young man. He was perched by Old Man Fritz's side with his usual passive and unimpressed face. Suppressing his feelings was more difficult that it ever was before. Watching the only role model and teacher he's ever had wither away like a parchment in a fire, a part of Sai withered away with him. His white knuckled hands gripped the edge of Fritz's bed sheets. Shadows danced fretfully upon the man's face from the single candle that lit the room. It looked like something out of a fucking horror novel, at least to Sai it did. 

A nervous tic caused Sai to take his slender fingers and rake them through his hair, to the people close to him, this was one of the few tells that he was was actually in distress. Most of the littler ones saw him as an unemotional guardian of sorts, when they saw him react this way, they understood that this was the end. Every cough from the old man shook Sai to the core, he leaned close to hear the dying words of Old Man Fritz. It started with a warning, of the hard times to come. Which was true, Mr. Fritz was insanely strong and had kept them safe since Sai could remember. Sai rationalized that this death would probably shake the agreement of neutrality in Dirt Town. Soon enough they would have rival gangs fighting for domain over this territory. Their beloved home would probably be ravaged by ruthless killers who would either kill the remaining orphans or add them to their own ranks. Mr. Fritz talked about staying together but Sai was beginning to doubt that was even possible.

These kids were [i]used[/i] to people not giving a shit about them, how was he or anyone else supposed to rally them? Even if they did manage that, were they even strong enough or smart enough to fend their home? 

As Fritz took his last breath, hope seemed to leave with him as he traveled to the after life. Wails broke out in unison, cries of grief slammed his ears like a sludgehammer. Even Mary, the oldest of the kids, broke into heart-wrenching sobs. Sai's heart began to beat like a drum kit, sweat beaded along his forehead, his breathes became ragged. What was this? He needed out of this cramped place, this sadness was choking him. Sai couldn't tell because he was normally so good at staying calm, but he was experiencing his first ever panic attack. He staggered away from the bed and stumbled outside of the room into the hallway, gulping huge breaths of air. 

Sai's bloodshot eyes looked up to see two other kids as his steps carried himself further away from the room, he needed to clear his head. What the hell had even happened back there? It was unbalancing to lose control of his emotions so easily like that, usually he was able to shut down and focus on what needed to be done in the moment but he had totally fallen apart. Maybe there were chinks in his facade after all...

Arriving just in time to hear Ansgar's joke, Sai's steps slowed until they finally stopped in front of the two others. He leaned against the wall to steady himself and attempted to regain control of his emotions once again. Maybe small talk was exactly what he needed, anything to get his mind off of that Old Man. 

[i]"If I didn't know better, I would suggest the amount of wailing and sobbing would be loud enough to wake the dead in there."[/i]

Sai exhaled sharply through his nose, not in the mood to laugh, but he at least wanted to acknowledge the attempt. 

[b][color=9966cc]"They're probably rolling in their graves as we speak. If they keep it up we'll have gangs and the undead to deal with."[/color][/b]

Sai was usually expressed a witty sort of humor that most people appreciated, but this time  his voice was a little shaky and the joke kind of fell flat. Especially with the implication of gangs coming after them. But Mr. Fritz had been adamant about staying together, maybe he could convince the kids slowly and in small groups. With these thoughts revolving in his mind, he asked a hollow question.

[color=9966cc][b]"Do you think we have what it takes to work together with the Old Man gone now? It definitely wouldn't be easy to work with everyone, but if gangs start moving in and we're all fending for ourselves we're as good as fucked."[/b][/color]

Sai wasn't sure why he was talking so much, maybe it was a diversionary tactic, but it wasn't seeming to help the situation. It was probably all falling in deaf ears anyways, seeing as he was talking to Senna and Ansgar. He never saw much of them, honestly. Senna was usually up to no good and Ansgar... well, Sai wasn't really sure what Ansgar was always up to.

Wiping his eyes and streaked face, Sai vowed to make Old Man Fritz's final request a reality. Even if he lost a few, even if they lost everything, he promised that he would do it for Fritz. In his death, he gave Sai a reason to keep fighting. And in this world, hope was so so important. So, Sai would embrace chaos and show everyone that his family had what it took to survive in this odd city of Yire Alba.