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[indent][indent][indent][color=gray][sub][right][color=dc143c][b]Location:[/b][/color] City Sewers -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria[/right][/sub][/color]
[hr]A dull ring sounded in his ears. Muscles tensed. Pens and needles ran along every inch of skin as his perception warped, acutely aware of even the smallest movement. He could hear a bead of sweat run down a forehead, or the distant sound of something small falling into a pool. Could feel every individual beat of his quickening heart. Could smell far too acutely all the muck swirling in the air all around them. Inhale, exhale. Strange, confusing, alarming for this to happen here and now.

It wasn't a pleasant story. He didn't like following little Kelly back to that room. Didn't want to climb into that closest and see what she'd seen. But a poor facsimile of the real thing that it was- how must it have felt for her then? How could one comprehend even a fraction of what she felt then? He couldn't understand. No one could, he understood now. He was but a passenger, waiting to get off at the next stop and never look back. She was stuck on this train. Stuck in this closet.

[color=dc143c]"Jesus, Kells,"[/color] he murmured, stupefied.

It struck him how unprepared he was for this. He hadn't a clue how to comfort someone in so much pain. All he was doing was staring like a dumbstruck idiot, arguing with himself whether it was okay to reach out or say anything. He had to think back to every time he'd seen someone else in his position, hoping to mimic what they'd done, but none of it seemed right.

Death wasn't something Grays talked about. They talked in circles around it. If it got too serious somebody made a crass joke about the deceased and they all pretended it was funny before shuffling off to be alone. That just wouldn't do here, chiefly because he had nowhere to retreat to.

This time he didn't flinch away when her head landed on his shoulder. Took all the courage he had, but he did it. Her cries were guttural, drummed up from the depths of her soul. It hurt to hear her like that. Hurt to know what she'd hid away for so long so well. Why was he the one here and not someone better equipped? Seele'd know what to do. She'd tell Alja it was alright, that it wasn't her fault. Say something profound, probably, about how Gavin would be proud of who she was now. She'd hug her for as long as Alja needed. Hell, just about anyone but Rael would do better here than he.

But it wasn't anyone else. He was all she said. An uncomfortably familiar situation, that.

[color=dc143c]"Hey,"[/color] he quietly said, reaching an unsure hand 'round to her other shoulder. Chin rested against her head- Anna did that once and he remembered feeling safe. The fuck should he do with his other hand? It was just sitting there, dumb as a rock. Wipe a tear? No, too awkward. Maybe just hug her. It felt wrong, but it was probably the right call.

Gotta say something, too. Clear your throat. Keep it simple, don't overthink it. [color=dc143c]"You were just'a kid. S'not your fault."[/color]

That was the best he could manage. Now all he could do was just...be there, for as long as he was needed.
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