[center][h3]The Habsburg [color=6ecff6]Ruin[/color][/h3][/center]
[center][@ERode][@DrowsyPangolin] [/center]

[i]Don't shoot.[/i]

Powerless to even say the words that scorched in his head the decrepit guard could only mouth them, lips cracked and bleeding as his sore jaw forced them to part. Of course it was too good to be true, of course there was no second chance. The reaper had changed their mind, come back to collect, the dark shape in his eyesight kicked the door in like it was made of tin, leveled the silhouette in their hands at him as they swept the room. His tired body lurched in place, remembering the feeling of being shot at as death loomed. How long, how long, how long...

The shadow lowered their weapon. Eyes nearly swollen shut struggled to watch as they took a step forward and knelt down. A cool hand swept his residue matted hair from his sight, pulled down the darkness over their face to reveal a soft color. Even though it was dim, color was all that he could remember. It was the green that had terrified him, the void he felt in himself while staring into something without a soul. Two eyes. Two eyes of gallant silver stared at him, a noble color, wisdom, warmth... The regal shape of her face swam in his burnt-away vision but he was looking at someone he didn't know, and that was the most comforting feeling he'd had in years.

He could hear just fine. Perhaps a weak pulse made the world sound far away and dreamlike, perhaps they were words his mind was not set to receive, but he could hear and not answer. Hands covered in blood shook as they reached up to the teacup, gingerly accepting the out of place vessel without wondering why someone would carry such a thing. It stung his lips as he turned it up, trying to drink as much as he could without spilling any. He felt every drop he did, the rivulet running down his chin reawakening the diminishing sting of the chemical agent lingering on his skin. 

[b]"Thank you, thank you... Thank you."[/b] His voice came on weak, croaking through the phlegm and inflammation until he finally came to resemble a human, hoarse but alive. [b]"Somebody shot the place up, just drove through the gate and... Got me pretty good. Are you guys robbing the place? I won't say shit, I won't say shit..."[/b]

The guard felt compelled to go on speaking for the voice. A series of blinks cleared his eyes. The grim reaper was kind of a looker, actually. And there were two. A different girl had crept into the scene, wrought in brighter colors, but the two wore the same kind of accessories. A burglar team? Fuck it, he'd happily empty his wallet for a glass of water delivered with such aplomb. The second one was holding out a flask. He'd heard of smelling salts, there was some ammonia in the response kit under the desk. Why hadn't he thought of that? Before he could even worry about the horrible smell his mind felt sharper, the pain in his leg rescinding into a dull nervous throb. They stood up, leaving him to the questions of the silver woman.

[b]"I don't know what happened next. The woman just got out of her car and started shooting. I couldn't see much, there was gas everywhere, and then... Fuck I dunno, everything was exploding and I was getting thrown around like a baseball. By the time the smoke cleared the building was leveled, nobody was on the radio anymore, and I heard Principal Detail's truck, uh, the guys who are supposed to watch Hapsburg, driving out from the garden. I guess he's alright, fuck him he'll just cut us loose after this, I just hope the guys made it out with him."[/b] He lingered, glancing up at the window and the absence of the estate's front face. His hands twitched emphatically in his lap, his arms feeling too numbed to do it themselves. Talking took his mind off the aches. [b]"They, the, uh, her... The shooter came back around, missing an eye, really cut up, still carried me around like a kid. Threw me in here, bound up my leg and told me the pain would keep me awake. They told me to run for the country when I could-"[/b]

[b]"Hey are you calling the cops?"[/b] He bolted upright at the sight of a phone, staring up at Naoko with the widest eyes he'd managed yet. [b]"Hold- hold on. They said if I went to the hospital or the cops there'd be people trying to kill me. Please, don't, don't."[/b]