[Hider=Seren][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/KRURxYv.jpg[/IMG][/hider]Raphael flailed at Serens's abrupt introduction, causing Seren to half reach out to catch him. Thankfully, he stabilized before they could even finish the motion. They let out the breath that caught in their throat, but soon Raph gave them a new reason to tense up. Yellow eyes winced as gold eyes sharpened. Seren wanted to curl into a ball, and it took all their effort to not physically flinch. They couldn't stay still for long though as Raphael made his feline landing right where they once stood.

[Indent][color=gold]”I’m fine. And I don’t need your help. Sneaking up on sleeping people is rude, just so you know.”[/color][/indent]Seren's embarrassment was immediately sobered. Their silence a somber one. Guilt dropped to the pit of their stomach like a two ton weight. Hearing Raphael speak paired with taking in his features finally made the familiarity in his voice make sense. [I][color=gold]"Just leave alone already!"[/color][/I] They shouldn't have seen what they'd seen. It was beyond private. Beyond personal. Seren knew quite literally how it felt to have those kind of things thrust upon you after believing they'd gone away. Seren felt every taunt, every strike of the ruler, and every ragged breath heaved out of Raphael's lungs as he ran in aimless, desperate panic towards [I]The Academy[/I]. Putting all the pieces together reminded Seren of their own night-terrors, and how devastated Seren felt when they even [I]imagined[/I] anyone finding out about them. This recollection deafened the outside world.

They heard Raphael speak, but their attention was lost on his face. He was sharp as a knife, but knowing what Seren knew made it clear that his edges hid his vulnerability. His memories told Seren what Raph wouldn't admit, and this kind of lying –the avoidant kind– was all too recognizable from Seren's home-life.  Was as familiar to Seren as their own oversized hoodie. Funny how things turned out this way. Two people cut from the same cloth, but at different ends, have the same taste in jacket size.

[Indent][Color=gold]”Well? Did you need something or are you just being a pest?”[/color][/indent]Seren couldn't just leave him to be alone again. They knew how lonely it felt to lie like this. Like everything was fine when it wasn't. Maybe Seren was reading too much into it, but they couldn't help but feel connected to the fae boy. The cambion doubted he'd accept their company willing though, so Seren had to come up up with something quick. They lightly jogged to catch up with the fae as they strung together an excuse to watch over him.

[Color=FAD7A0]"Oh, uh, b-but surly I can be of some help to you! I nearly startled you out of that tree; all from my laps in manners."[/color] Expectedly, this wasn't well received. It wasn't often Seren embraced uncomfortable honesty, but Raphael forced them to make an exception. So pulling together what little confidence Maeve had instilled in them, they walking ahead just enough to face the boy. Seren took a deep breath. They didn't know how he was going to react to this, but they had to get it out. Anxiety was ironed out of their now determined eyes by hardening resolve, yet they still faltered at the last second. [Color=FAD7A0]"I have wrong you, I have invaded your most exclusive of privacy, and I'm going make for it."[/color] In actuality, Seren wasn't over their fear of explaining the impact of their powers, and so they defaulted to being vague from years of censoring themself. However they put off chastising themself later, in order to fix Raphael with the hardest stare they could muster. 

Their other habit kicked in, and Seren added [Color=FAD7A0]"please,"[/color] but did their best impression of their mother's signature [I]I'm-asking-you-but-really-I've-made-up-my-mind[/I] tone. They needed to do this. For Raphael, they told themself. Because no one had been there for him when he first experienced the moments from the dream. Because he needed someone. . . . What their subconscious didn't tell them? That this was for Seren. Because Seren never never allowed anyone to be there for them in the aftermath of their own tormenting dreams. Because even though they were trying to change their own future all by themself, they need someone. So Seren had to help.

[@Cherrywitch]