As Mina stopped in her room, Drake paused by the doorway to wait for her. And even as she expressed her doubts, he said nothing. Mostly because he agreed. The hope that Larke might join them was pretty wishful thinking, but sometimes a little optimism could go a long way, however unlikely it may have been.

As she pulled at the string for the attic and released the putrid smell from above, Drake reached to move his jacket across his mouth and nose to block the retched smell that burned at his nostrils and throat. [color=#A2A2A2]“Oh god, the smell…”[/color] he trailed off, tucking his wings in to ascend the ladder.

He waited until he was standing evenly at the base of the attic before raising his eyes to take in the horror that was Larke’s broken state. [color=#A2A2A2]“Holy [i]shit[/i], Larke-”[/color]

Drake broke eye contact for a minute, looking away to close his eyes and cover his mouth. He felt violently ill from what he saw, and the smell of vomit in the air wasn’t helping. The boy swallowed hard before looking back toward his friend, then broke off swiftly across the room to join his side, being sure to stay out of the way of Mina’s handiwork. 

He lifted his hand, gently placing it on Larke’s shoulder with some hesitation. [color=#A2A2A2]“I’m here Larke. It’s me, Drake."[/color] His eyes wavered as he took in Larke's visage. [color=#A2A2A2]"I know, it’s been a while... But we’re gonna fix this, okay? I... I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, I was-”[/color] Drake’s voice caught in his throat as his eyes looked over Larke’s condition up close now. Memories of their time in that Erubescan cell filtered back into his mind, causing his stomach to tighten and churn with empathy and severe remorse.

[color=#A2A2A2]“Mina,”[/color] he choked, completely shook, [color=#A2A2A2]“What are they doing to him?”[/color]