[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/krDrRUi.png[/img]
[color=254f28][u][b]Location[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Azhar's Car.
💀 Mafioso Tunnel.

[color=254f28][u][b]Time[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Evening.

[color=254f28][u][b]Interactions[/b][/u][/color]
💀 [@Rabidporcupine]
[/center][hr]

Samson’s words had remained fixed in the young mutant’s mind. Everyone had their uses, despite every flaw. Indeed, perhaps Azhar had been too hard on the man at his side. A drunk he was, but a useful drunk. Joseph Moore was a man with a dark past, and that was an unfortunate truth none could free him of. Zee recalled what the dark Hero had been told on a distant helicopter ride across Mexico, and yet another tale spun over a campfire. Joseph struggled in a manner not too dissimilar to Azhar, himself. Indeed, they were both seeking to outrun a foe constantly hounding them in spirit, mind, and body alike. 

[color=254f28]"I am sorry,"[/color] came a soft-spoken statement from the foreigner, his typical Arabic accent trickling through every word. [color=254f28]"You are.., going through more shit than people will acknowledge,"[/color] Azhar continued, his large black gaze maintained on the nightly street before them, his claws gently grasping the steering wheel. It was, at times, difficult to separate the silliness surrounding HERO’s crime fighters, from a more serious disposition. What had come to pass in regards to Joseph’s past, an event he desperately attempted to outpace, appeared almost brushed aside by the others. Yet again, Azhar’s thoughts found themselves returning to a specific conversation held between himself and the drunk.

[color=254f28]"I was a bit too harsh on you, I think,"[/color] the mutant spoke, stopping by a red light as his attention briefly shifted towards Joseph where he sat, in Azhar’s car. [color=254f28]"That said..,"[/color] the boy sighed, [color=254f28]"I do not believe that you’ll find the escape you’re looking for at the end of a bottle."[/color] A silent pause laid itself across their conversation as if a blanket, strangling further speech until finally, Zee decided to utter himself once more. He had learned that American men rarely spoke of their issues, which was a similar setup to what he had grown used to, in Lebanon. Additionally, Joseph was often reduced to little more than comic relief, an individual others were quick to discredit.

[color=254f28]"I am afraid, too,"[/color] the Middle Easterner confessed, his clawed fingers tightly grasping the wheel. [color=254f28]"It’s getting more difficult for me to control myself,"[/color] he revealed, a recent conversation brushing over his thoughts. A conversation with Astral, the villain. Indeed, Azhar moved through the mind-games with what appeared to be professional grace, but was one to truly analyze the boy, mood swings would clearly make themselves known. [color=254f28]"It feels kind of like.., something else takes over, sometimes."[/color] Azhar explained, exhaling a small breath. [color=254f28]"Something that has no reservations, or insecurities. Something that just wants to..,"[/color] he paused, the boy’s sharp teeth clenching. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to express those words. Yes, indeed, it felt like Zee was harboring two sides of himself, two blatantly opposing forces within his own mind. A side which smirked in the face of adversity, gladly revealing those shark-like teeth in a display of supremacy, and another akin to a whimpering child. 

It came and went, as people said. Some days were better than others. However, one thing remained. Every single day, Azhar longed to release his powers, and above all, he wanted to discard that bracelet circling his forearm. That infernal trinket which constantly strangled him, and lulled a supernatural force into dormancy. A force that roared with a single desire. [color=254f28]"We’re here,"[/color] came an end to their conversation. They had reached the destination afforded them by Christina, and the hatch which allowed the Heroes access into an underground tunnel stood on display. 

Placing a hand on the door, Azhar turned off his car and proceeded to step outside. It was time to attack this mansion Thomas had spoken of, and save their friends. Perhaps a dangerous prospect, but one Zee was gleefully looking forward to. A notion which terrified the whimpering boy within.