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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=dc143c][b]Location:[/b][/color] Laughing Worg Tavern - City of Thorinn, Aetheria[/right][/sub][/color]
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Regret came knocking on Andrew's door like an old friend the moment Kazuki spoke up again. He knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what he was doing, he just didn't care. He didn't care until he saw the other man's face twitching- holding to a remarkable calm, given the circumstances- and he [i]agreed[/i]. That was the worst part. Graves could've handled being hit. Could've handled Kazu getting loud back, trying to dig in some needles of his own: that was all business as usual. It was another thing entirely to find the dagger had gone a [i]little[/i] too deep. 

But you couldn't take words back. They were as permanent as a punch to the face.

There was the apology Graves had asked for, freely given and plain as could be. It would've satisfied, probably. It might've even been enough for Graves to stick around even after this shitshow. He still believed in what he'd said, after all; he still cared about these fucking insufferable dipshits and didn't want anything to happen to them because he had too much of an ego to stick around.

Then Benkei opened his giant God damn mouth.

[color=98A9B1]”You killed them.”[/color]

[color=dc143c]"Don't you throw that in my face!"[/color] Graves all but roared, lowering his face down until there was less than an inch between them. He never touched Benkei. He felt the rage boil the center of his gullet. That burning, ugly hate he'd felt every second since they left that accursed hall. [color=dc143c]"You think I wanted to be standing here instead of him? He's the one who [b]deserved[/b] a second chance, not-"[/color]

[i]You can't fix everything, Andy.[/i]

And for the second time in that argument he was interrupted by someone who didn't belong in it. One of the women who worked the bar had apparently had enough of their shit flinging, and threatened to have them removed if they didn't put a stop to it. He had half a mind to keep going anyway. Half a mind to let her try. Right now he felt like he could tear an elephant in half. But he didn't want to kill anyone. He didn't [i]want[/i] to hurt them.

[i]'You gotta learn to accept that sometimes- sometimes things just are a certain way.'[/i]

Everyone was trying to stop them. Alja, Alex, even Seele was on the move. Nobody wanted this to go there, but if Graves stayed in that tavern for another thirty seconds he was sure that was how it'd all end.

[i]Adapt.[/i]

His hands were up in the air. He was shaking his head, taking a step back. It wasn't worth it. No matter how angry he was, no matter how much he wanted to let it all out on this bastard right in front of him, he knew it wouldn't be worth it. So he turned away, grabbed his belongings and threw them back over his shoulder. His whole life was in the bag. It'd been with him since he started playing and it'd be with him at the end. He took it, and he started for the door.

[color=dc143c]"I knew this wasn't gonna work." [/color]Graves kept his face low, walking slow. Had to keep up appearances, right? Even now. [color=dc143c]"Good luck with the whole [i]together[/i] thing. This group was always a fucking time bomb anyway."[/color]

He shoved his way outta the door and into the street, and he was off. He was off to try to fix the mistakes that'd been haunting him since this whole thing began. Or maybe he'd die trying. Either way worked.

[i]That's how you survive.[/i]
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