[center][h3][color=cyan]『𝕊𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣』[/color] [color=8493ca]『ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤』[/color] [color fff79a] 『ℍ𝕒𝕫𝕖𝕝』[/color]
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[center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/xp0eIcQ.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/Kxn0drf.png[/img] [img]http://i66.tinypic.com/m7tcpe.png[/img] [/center]
[hr][center][color=silver]ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤   / /   [@RedDusk][@January][@GreenGoat][/color][/center][hr][hr][center][color=silver] 𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕   / /   ℤ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘'𝕤 𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖   / /  ~𝟘𝟝𝟘𝟘 [/color][/center][hr]
It all started with an alarm. Sander and Christmas had been sleeping up until that point, and when sounds and lights began to flare, Sander was up immediately, tugging Christmas with him and throwing clothes onto the boy. By the time they made it down to the basement, the sounds had subdued, but Sander could still tell the distinct scent of blood in the air. Without blood though, his power was useless, so there wasn’t much he could do. He probably wouldn’t be able to protect Christmas, if it all came down to combat. 
 
And it probably would.
 
Christmas was panicked and shaking, eyes wide as he looked around the basement, waiting for the worst and hoping for the best. He held on to Sander's arm, afraid to lose the taller boy in the rush of movement and then continued clutching at Sander for the duration of their wait, heart hammering in his chest.
 
So when the order was given, Sander didn’t give it much thought. He complied, moving toward the passage quietly with Christmas beside him.

Having gone into the passage first, Hazel turned towards the two before continuing walking forwards, clutching the outfit close to her. There was still the flare of anger and resentment whenever she looked at Sander, but oddly enough, it wasn't as intense as before. Was she getting stronger? There was that odd foreboding feeling, but she pushed it away, focusing on the now as always.

Noticing Hazel walking before him, Sander narrowed his eyes. She was going to join them on the ferry too, huh? Then he needed to have a word with her. Tapping on Christmas' grip around his arm, he prompted the blond boy to let go before jogging a few steps to catch up to Hazel. 

"[color cyan]Hey.[/color]" -He tapped lightly on her shoulder, scrunching his nose at the off scent of drugs -"[color cyan]Can I have a word?[/color]"

She froze for a moment when someone touched her shoulders, muscles tensing. Hazel relaxed as he spoke, resuming her walk towards the end of the passage.

[color=fff79a]"What is it?"[/color]

"[color cyan]Do you mind if I ask...what are the drugs for?[/color]"

Hazel stopped walking, silent as she stared straight ahead. A moment after she continued walking. [color=fff79a]"It suppresses my destructive urges."[/color]

There was no point in her keeping silent about those; it wasn't any sort of secret after all. But still, why that question, and why now of all times?

[color=fff79a]"Are you worried?"[/color]

"[color cyan]Yeah.[/color]" -Sander admitted easily -"[color cyan]I think you're very dangerous.[/color]" 

Seemingly unfazed by that remark, she stayed silent. There was no need for her to refute or acknowledge that comment, it was a simple fact, and a truth that she had already accepted. She was dangerous, that was why she was a weapon. But they were dangerous as well, that was why they were here with her.

But being unable to find the correct words to reply with, Hazel simply stayed silent.

"[color cyan]I wish you weren't.[/color]" -There was another beat of silence, and Sander had a look on his face that was probably regret -"[color cyan]But you are.[/color]" 

"[color cyan]I'm dangerous, too. And I don't have the pills.[/color]"

[color=fff79a]"I see. Then, could you not ask for some?"[/color]

She had nothing on save for her collar and cuffs, carrying only the outfit, so Hazel had nothing to offer him. There was still that feeling inside her whenever he spoke to her. A raspy feeling that made her head go strange and filled it with the urge to scream, or maybe slap him. An improvement from wanting to gut him certainly, but she still had no desire to stay near him for long.

"[color cyan]Doesn't work that way for me.[/color]" -Sander shook his head, memories of syringes and pills surfaced. None of those ever worked for him then, and he doubted they would start working now. 

Then again, those pills didn't appear to be very effective, considering what happened between him and Hazel in the woods the other night. 

"[color cyan]You hurt Christmas once, Hazel. I won't let you do it again.[/color]" 

At the mention of his name, the healer tensed, still steps away from the conversation because it seemed like he had nothing to do with it. Nothing to say. He swallowed, feeling the panic drying out his mouth until his tongue felt like cotton.

[color 8493ca]"It's--s'okay,"[/color] he mumbled, afraid to commit to the conversation.

[color=fff79a]"Is that so?"[/color]

Once again, Hazel remained silent as she continued walking. So, even he had someone he wanted to protect, someone he liked. Did she have any such things? No, she simply did not need any. It would just be a hindrance to her if there was someone like that. Perhaps if she was ordered to protect someone.

[color=fff79a]"Then, I'll leave it to you if I should try again next time."[/color]

"[color cyan]I don't want to kill you.[/color]" -Sander's steps slowed, and there was a bit of distance between him and Hazel before he finally called out -"[color cyan]Good luck.[/color]"

He watched with blank eyes as Hazel’s back slowly grew further away. He had seen that look in her eyes. A look no normal human should wear, and yet also one that adorned his own face every so often. Clear, just like the mark on his throat, to tell him what he was. What he will remain.
 
A damn animal.
 
[i]As if on cue, the world fell away into a sea of darkness. He saw the riptide, again, but this time, he was suspended above it, looking down into a swirling sea of black rage. What was holding him back? He turned, but he couldn’t look. Couldn’t take his eyes away from the void below. It drew him, and it called to him, even now.
 
The light protected, but did he really need it? Its grasp was so taut. So close to snapping.[/i]
 
The blood mage blinked back into reality with a stagger, suddenly leaning onto the wall. Christmas ran to him, the boy shaking as he placed a hand on Sander’s arm, mouth open to voice concern, but instead he stared at Sander, worried and anxious.

“[color cyan]I’m fine.[/color]” -Sander said quickly, feeling another spark of power collected in his chest. It gave and kept on giving. Why? It was never like this before, even back when he would beg and plead. 

Letting out a shaky breath to calm himself, he leaned onto Christmas, wrapping one arm around the blond boy’s shoulder, then just let the silence stretch between them for as long as he dared. Eventually though, it was him who broke it. 

“[color cyan]I would kill for you.[/color]” -He admitted, tugging Christmas’ into a slow stroll next to him -”[color cyan]I would die for you.[/color]”

Devotion of that caliber terrified Christmas as much as it flattered him. He didn’t know what to do with feelings that weren’t his own—and he could hardly manage the riptide of his own fears and thoughts most of the time. But he took heart in Sander’s wish to hear more of his wants, because it was permission to want and permission to express, two things he had never realized he desperately craved until they had been given to him.

[color 8493ca]”Don’t die,”[/color] he whispered back, shaking hands holding fast to Sander’s forearm.

“[color cyan]Can’t be with you if I do. So I won’t.[/color]” -The blood mage squeezed Christmas’ shoulders for a few seconds -”[color cyan]But for you, anything.[/color]”

[color 8493ca]”…M-Me, too.”[/color]

“[color cyan]Then do it for me too? Don’t die.[/color]”

He didn’t know if he could promise it because Christmas at least understood one thing about himself: he was weak, in so many ways. But for Sander he had promised to try to he leaned against the taller boy as they walked, a slow nod the only agreement he could muster. And yet, it was more than he had managed in a long while.