[color=gray] [center][b][color=limegreen][h1]Kazumin Nagasa[/h1][/color][/b] [img]https://i.ibb.co/YX1sZZL/download.png[/img] [/center] [color=limegreen]Time: [/color] Evening-late dusk [color=limegreen]Location: [/color] Castle Balcony [color=limegreen]Interactions:[/color] [@potter] Lady Olivia/Percy, [color=limegreen]Mentions:[/color] [@princess] Calbert/ Edin, Victoria, Charlotte [@Reusablesword] Roman, [@Tpartywithzombi] Violet, Ariella. [hr] This night was meant to be festive and fun, filled with merry chatting and sharing of bread, where new bonds were forged in between exchanges. Instead, nothing but heated arguments and cruel heartache mockery given a royal audience for all to see, and it left Kazu feeling tense and ill, his body annoyingly sensitive to the nauseating thick air of pungent negativity and stress. Kazu hated the way it felt walking through this hall, even when surrounded by countless flashy splendors and rare delicacies only ever envisioned in dreams. But, all he could sense was the lack of warmth or any actual joy, with dishes piled like mountains and booze to drink well away into the night until shitfaced wasted if they so chose to. Yet, what gripped at the cowlicked blonde most was a cold dread sitting at the pit of his stomach, a small gurgle of warning from his gut as he pictured Olivia waiting just behind them as he came to a stop upon reaching the door knobs, where he took a moment to take a deep breath trying to settle his nervous trembling body for even from here, could sense that something was wrong; how she kept shifting, agitated in her seat, all the while he tried to keep himself distracted with the halls going on and food, but it was too overwhelming to not tell his closest friend was struggling. Fear nearly overtook him as he gripped the knobs; a part of him telling of danger, to run, but Olivia’s whispered plea tickled his ears with glimpses of how she held him when he was at his lowest, when he had no one else he could go to and… “[color=limegreen] This..this is what you wanted…ever since she came back, and now she needs you..[/color]” Kazu whispered to his trembling heart, still reeling from the unpleasant table exchanges, thankful for Charlotte’s hug, a much-needed comfort. Though something told him they would pale in comparison to what awaited him out on the balcony. Like jumping from the frying pan and straight into the fire, the dark thought meant to scare, instead amused the candy-dressed farmhand as that’s what he seemed to do, whether intentional or not, this farmhand hardly ever paid much care to his own agency. And he had no intention of changing that, not when the woman he cared most struggled to hold herself together. A grounding inhale to settle himself, and with a gentle turning click, opened the door, where he nervously popped his head in first.” [color=limegreen]Ah, apologies for the delay, Lady Olivia.[/color]” A greeting raising of the hat with an awkward little chuckle as he hesitantly pushed his way through and closed the door behind with two cautious steps forward, his hands folding behind his back with the cane gingerly held and rolled between gloves fingers. He gave a respectful light bow to the yellow-sun dressed Olivia’s turned back, and in that brief instance caught the moonlight dancing off her braided fiery red hair in a gentle, elegant glow compared to Percy’s sun glittering blonde. Her dress appeared to give off a dazzling illuminance beneath its lunar glow that left Kazu staring transfixed by the breathtaking scenery. Whether as Percy or Olivia, it didn’t matter in his eyes. A momentary wish that he could be standing at her side, sharing it with her. Gone on a sad breeze, drifting and fading, short and fleeting. Then she turned, the air almost seeming to shimmer as she did so, which filled Kazu with a strong sense of unease as he lifted his gaze to her face, scared of what he might see, then he peered into her eyes and his breath hitched in shock, unsure what he was seeing, the faint shimmers in the air, her eyes looked off, filled with sadness and pain and…something he struggled to described but it unnerved and frightened him. Soon Olivia spoke, the words started tumbling and spilling out one after the other with no sign of stopping. Not that Kazu would dare interrupt, not when he was finally getting what he wanted..answers…to understand why. And so, taking a deep breath to prepare himself and as an excuse to hold his tongue as he stood at attention. Hands gripping the cane with light squeezing grips; something to hold steady as he listened fervently to Olivia’s words, her posture, her mannerism, all of it. Right now, at this time, he was there only for her, the feast, the world behind him no longer conscious to him. Here, they were alone, from prying eyes, the risks of ruining her cover no longer an issue, as much as he wanted to hug her then and even now…he longed to tell her it would be ok. [color=lightpink]”From the time I was born, I could always feel this… This urge, this dark magic calling to me.” [/color]Her voice was hushed, as she looked away. She couldn’t bear to read his expression. [color=lightpink]”As a kid, I never knew what it was–there was this lingering feeling that something, something was missing. This hunger, unsatisfied by food, was always there. My parents started showing me magic when I was a little kid. I didn’t really understand it. It was something cool that could happen–summoning fire above your palm, shooting ice out of your hands, talking to animals, affecting emotions, changing your hair color; all sorts of things. I wasn't allowed to talk about it to others, even you. My parents told me they’d know if I did, so I never could.”[/color] Olivia took a deep breath and then continued. Yet, as Olivia spoke, her every word seeped in emotions long pent up, felt like another wound of worry to his flesh. Hearing her tell of dark magic, how it had always been there, tempting her, and a never-ending hunger that had him picture how she had been eating so aggressively.*[b][color=limegreen] You always ate like you were never given a proper meal. But…but.. It's wrong.[/color][/b]* His chest panged with a slight shake of the head, almost in disbelief, not wanting to accept all this dark magic nonsense; chocolate brown eyes misted up at the thought of this…this wicked force having been tempting and luring this poor girl to warp and use her gift to do harm? * [b][color=limegreen]No..not Percy..not the fiery firefly who never hesitated to jump in to stop bullies…who would rather feed someone needier over herself?[/color][/b]* A small gasp left his lips, finding the air growing heavier and harder to breathe, like an unseen pressure within the shimmer, warning of something worse kept hazy from his visions. [color=lightpink]"It was just the norm, till my dad got fired from the castle–he was a mess, a mixture of fury, disgust, desperation, and insanity. He was rambling a bunch and shielded whatever it was from me. My mom was grief stricken that he was fired because that was our income. Then, as you know, I disappeared from life. We tried and tried and tried to make money otherwise and it just wasn't happenin. The magic usage in our house increased by tenfold. Our bakery was struggling cause we didn’t have ingredients to make anything out of. The paranoia from the magic was suffocating. My mom and dad began using dark magic and forced me to start it too. Then, it was like the lightbulb went on–my hunger was becoming rapidly satisfied and unsatisfied. I finally realized why I was so, so, hungry all the time, even after eating all the food out of the fridge.[/color] As she carried on after catching her breath, a brief respite, little as it was. As she began detailing her past in full, mentions of her parents elicited a gradual stiffening of his body, and cold fury that had long been buried away began to bubble in his veins. He had gone to great lengths not to think of those two. Kazu had plenty of reason to detest them for denying letting him visit and see Percy, but had no idea just how awful and cruel they truly had been. A slow, barely contained huffing inhale and tightening squeeze of the cane, on the surface his posture was a strained, icy, cool calmness, though beneath his blood boiled in loathing disgust that they...any parent could push their child down such dark paths because of their failures? To deny her the freedom to enjoy her magical gift? Kazu battled to keep himself rooted to the spot through harshly gritted teeth while forcing his gaze to stay on her, refusing to look away for even a second. [color=lightpink] ”And so, you know, the bakery burned down–I was trying to sneak some bread, was starvin, losin weight and not bein able to do nothin about it. I was bein all sneaky and shit, till Asher’s crew came and spooked me. A fight broke out and I used fire magic, something I seem to have an affinity for using…”[/color] Liv gulped and wiped her teary eyes. A laugh escaped her slightly insane and sarcastic.[color=lightpink] ”...And I accidentally burned down our bakery, and ended up with no food, and now enemies on the street. I ran, ran like the wind, to get the hell away, but when I came home all sooty and ashy, even with washing out in the river, my parents punished me–by forcing me to use more dark magic. I became obsessed with it over time. Using it once was too much, ten times was never enough.” [/color] A battle he nearly crumbled upon being reminded of that bakery incident, the crackling building ever fresh in his nightmares made all the more raw when seeing Olivia’s tear-filled eyes, a bitter laugh, hollow and empty.*[b] [color=limegreen]An accident…it..it was only an accident..and..and I knew it, knew you were alive.[/color][/b]* Tilting his head slightly with a faint relieved sigh only to wince with a hard squeeze of the cane with small cracks from the building rage being pooled there, fighting to keep his mind from thinking all the awful things she had to endure out on the streets..and her punishing parents. A godsend, they had been sent to their graves, vile people as they were. Olivia turned to Kazumin now, and for a moment, her pupils briefly turned black. [color=lightpink]”Do you know,”[/color] her voice came out in a low hiss. [color=lightpink]”How hard is it to sit in that room, listenin to that pig of a king belittle and criticize people? The dumbass has had a silver spoon up his arse entire life. These despicable royals sit there, with all this food that’ll get tossed and never given to the poor, the poor who suffer all the time and starve? The fuckin’ poor who eat acorns and dig through the trash–the person I was before meeting Charlotte?”[/color] Black tendrils began visibly wrapping around her. [color=lightpink]”They sit on their high fuckin’ horses, mocking and fighting each other over fuck knows what. Those Danroses.. They expect us to kiss their asses because they were born with a silver spoon up their asses. And Calbert? He sits there actin like he never did nothin to us this entire fuckin’ feast. Fuckin’ asshole.” [/color] The chilly hiss in her voice grabbed his attention once more, and what he saw turned his boiling veins cold with dread as black tendrils began forming, or perhaps had been ther,e and…then he recalled her mentioning the various gifts and how she invaded Calbert’s manor, her aggressive appetite…was this it? This…dark force? This..this felt wrong, this was not the magic he had glimpsed in peeks, even looking at her alone was enough to sense something had been different about her. Before it was her parents, now it was that damn pig king and Count smug fuck causing her so much turmoil. He wanted to tell her what he thought of them, hated them carrying on with their shameless showboating and braggery; laughing in delight at his own people’s pain like it was fun entertainment while shoveling slop down his gullet, while people starved and fought for the mere chance at scraps and a place just to survive to the next day. The sight of the growing dark tendrils, however, held him in place, parts of him wanting to run from this terrifying display though Kazu refused to let any of it show, his eyes shifting to hide the fear, but more to hide the scared thrill buzzing along his skin like eletricity that he could not explain. She clenched her fists and visibly began trembling. [color=lightpink]”He ruined my family’s fuckin’ lives, that bastard of a king. Why? I have no idea, but I’m going to fuckin find out. And you know somethin, too? Asteroth. He fuckin’ wouldn’t let me see you after my parents died. Did you know that? Did you know I was shooed away by him with a broom like I was some fuckin’ stray cat? Yeah, Kaz–that arsehole kept our friendship apart,”[/color] Olivia dug her nails into her hands, almost hard enough to draw blood. His widening eyes snapped to the trembling woman trying to grasp at what she had said about Asteroth, having his mind wheeling.”[color=limegreen] W-what?[/color]” He uttered the single word on a shaky breath, face expressing confuddled disbelief, the king ruining her life was upsetting enough already, and he wanted to help her with that, but to hear that even Asteroth had been keeping them apart? The man he thought he could trust..that cared about his safety?*[b][color=limegreen] T-that…gruff bearded fucker! After I saved his life and…and he..*dares*?![/color][/b]* He thought of the man darkly, cane cracking beneath his barely subdued fury at this betrayal, tears of rage and hurt spilled down his cheek. [color=lightpink]”Time and time again, life has told me I’m not wanted here, three, nowhere. Always shooed away, always denied the pleasures of life. Sleeping in a tree, or in a barn with my horse who got more food than me, always. The only good thing goin for me is this stupid facade I can barely hold down. Actin all prissy and noble, with manners. Pretending to be someone I’m not and you know what? People already fuckin know who I am–some masked dick at the ball. Who the fuck was he, I don’t fuckin know. I bet Calbert does know too. Who fuckin cares when there’s people starvin, getting murdered the slums, beaten up cause they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Getting kicked outta places, unable to make a livin and barely livin, and hopin they aren’t killed in their sleep. Y’know how many times I had to evade Asher’s gang, only to come home and listenin’ to my parents yellin’ and fighting using magic and drugs and alcohol to get by? There is no hope in this world. Everywhere fuckin’ sucks.”[/color] The black tendrils weaved around her like ribbons, curling this way and that. Fortunately, it was only visible to those two. Every word that continued to spill from her lips felt like a dagger at his heart; unable to help but envision Percy at the locations, scared, hungry, and fighting, just her and her horse. Turned away and denied help by Asteroth as well, a man he thought cared about the plight of those in desperate need, instead left her to fend against the slums and gangs. Listening to the woman he cared about most, who never once left his mind since the day he first heard that little stomach rumble? Now, standing here talking about no hope, that life was nothing more than survival for her, with a world that hated her? It broke and infuriated his heart, having to see the woman he loved breaking apart right before his eyes, while her wondrous gift, meant to be shared, was hated or coveted by those only seeking to use her. And there he was, stuck glued to the spot, unable to think of how to help her, what could he do against these black tendrils? Fear and hesitation kept him back; countless thoughts and concerns plagued him with ideas, but having so much dumped on him all at once made it difficult to grasp what he needed to do. [color=lightpink]”It's only a matter of time till I’m kicked out of here too. I should just back to the fuckin slums and deal with life on my own before I fuck this up too. Only a matter of time till the bad luck train comes back. You should save yourself and stay the fuck away from me. All of you. I’m going to jinx your fuckin lives at some point. Kaz, you should stay away.”[/color] [center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdU3tsDOWn8&ab_channel=MySong] The puppet’s silent battle ends [/url][/center] As he tried to wrestle through his thoughts, Olivia's finishing statement had cut through all the confusion, rage, and doubts, leaving Kazu taken aback as if he had just been stabbed in the chest.” [color=limegreen]I- H-how…[/color]” For the first time since entering the balcony, Kazu let his body move, sagging forward slightly with his right lightly clenched hand extended forward shakily as he huffed through strained teeth.” [color=limegreen]After all that….you unload all this then..then expect me to just leave?![/color]” He intended to speak calmly, but it came out harsher than he intended.” [color=limegreen]When..when yer the one who asked me here![/color]” Throwing up his arms in confused sputtering exasperation Olivia slowly, and finally, looked up at him, her eyes searching for a trace of him denying her desperation and pleas. Tears welled up in her eyes and began sliding down her cheeks. As soon as they rolled off her face, they disintegrated into black wisps. Her pupils kept switching from their normal green to flecks of black. She grabbed her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Multiple conflicting emotions had been whirling in his brown eyes with his mind split on what he wanted to say, having been put through such nigh novel’s worth of history and facts, but when his eyes met hers, tear-filled green eyes flickering with specks of black and in that single glance he saw the fire, a tiny firefly spark of a flame being choked by these wicked tendrils. Whatever animosity and rage he felt melted away in that instance and with it knew what he needed to do; and it terrified him..not of what he planned to do but what may follow, yet after all that he had experienced up to now with Calbert, the tree and the king…no more. He refused to keep silent anymore. And took a step forward with a defiant swipe of his right arm.”[color=limegreen] And go where? Huh? Back to Asteroth? Considering what ya just told me, hardly much of a safe place is it? Certainly not after my little incident, or have ya forgotten that already?[/color]” A reluctant wave of his gloved hands, a widening forced grin on his face, the stained cheeks and eyes wide with a slight maniacal twitch at the corner.”[color=limegreen] Shall I run to Charlotte and bring my troubles onto them too? Or should I run back home to find my family possibly dead? If I even make it that far…[/color]” His body shuddered with a hitched breath and quickly shook the horrid possibility away.” [color=limegreen] You think you’re the only one jinxed?[/color]” Nearly panting his words now as he took another step forward, pushing through the ominous shimmering around her. A sharp intake through the nose.” [color=limegreen]Yer not the only one who has been treated as an outcast, to be abandoned….betrayed.[/color]” His voice faltered and cracked as he stood trembling before Olivia, but he gulped in fresh air and pushed on.” [color=limegreen]I had nothing but my step-family, as anywhere else, no matter how hard I tried, I felt unwanted, that I didn’t fit in…to be looked down on with disdain and disgust just for being some peasant farmhand? To be laughed at and mocked by even my own people? Do..do you have any idea what it's like being an outcast among the outcasts? A joke, a clown, that’s all people see me as. Look at how I’m dressed for Pete’s sake?![/color]” Tugging at his shirt on a heated pant upon pointing out his obnoxious multi-colored suit. Another step taken forward.” [color=limegreen]Time and time again, I’m told what and how I’m told to live, that I need to be the meager nobody that keeps his head down and mouth shut like everyone else while those snobby, egotistical prudes get to sit on their high horses, scarfing down slop like undeserved gods.[/color]” Shaking head, hands trembling.” [color=limegreen]All cause they lucked into their positions like that fat pig fucker king. You think you’re the only one repulsed by that blob thing? I should know cause I met to that blob sicko, oh yeah that’s right. We had a nice little chat not too long ago..how does that make ya feel since we’re telling hard secrets now, huh?![/color]” Kazu bit his lip, fighting through the guilt of talking like this, but it was clear mere words would not be enough; something more drastic was needed from the sign of spreading, and for now had to keep her attention on him as his face became heatedly flushed.”[color=limegreen] And guess what? I can’t even stomach milk now cause of him…why does that fat fuck stink of milk? I couldn’t tell ya but doubt it's anything pleasant..and I’m a farmer, Olivia! How da fuck am I gonna farm if I can’t handle milk? That screams of some real bad vibes, that’s for certain![/color]” His tone a little spastic as he was wheeling and cringing, the interaction all to fresh in his mind. A step forward, standing in front of her now. “[color=limegreen] And don’t even get me started on Calby…oh the things I have to say about him..I could rant all day what a twatwaffle prick he is. What he has done to you…to Charlotte and Lorenzo…him and that asshat Marek…oh you can believe I want to figure this nonsense with the king, with Calbert and this whole game they’ve been playing and using the damn kingdom as their playground…treating the lives of not just the peasant..but their own kind..hell…their own family for fuck’s sake!?[/color]” The cowlicked blonde huffed incredulously, thinking of how that duchess openly mocked and belittled her daughter or niece, how Roman casually mocked Violet after breaking her heart, that alone was already maddeningly frustrating, but to do so openly in front of court with that dopey smile plastered on his face while Calbert…Calbert, who should have comforted his daughter, instead chose to protect the family image. A man who touts his love, but it was merely a guise for control. That’s all it seemed to be about, control. The cruel thought sat in his head as he peered back at the woman gripping her head, wrestling with something. “ [color=limegreen]You asked me how hard it was to sit in that room? Torture..hellish torture. Almost lost my appetite over it… I hated witnessing and hearing the bickering, seeing that king sit up there, gobbling dish after dish while that cuntess bitch openly insults that poor girl to the point of retaliating or that blacksmith asshat…I don’t care what reason he has, none justifies an open mockery of heartbreak with a damn smile?[/color]” He gulped, nearly crushing the cane beneath his vice grip, envisioning Violet’s pain-filled face and peering at Olivia and finding himself picturing the face she would express, and turning away from the horrid imagery, the inkling of ever saying anything to let her cry…he would rather jump off this balcony before ever thinking of betraying any friend, let alone Percy, even when she left him in the dark..left him to think her dead. And yet, somehow, here she stood and was finally opening up to him, only to push him away? After being kept apart..again…and again?” [color=limegreen] And if you think these dark theatrics with the dark tendrils or some jinx is going to make this farmboy running with his tail between his legs, then ya forgettin who ya talkin to![/color]” A challenging laugh at the ominous energy with a squaring of his chest.” [color=limegreen]You know what I have to say this bullshit dark magic clinging to ya? Bitch please, think yer scary? I had Calbert’s gun to my face, oblivious and all, and you know what I did? I laughed in his fucking face![/color]” Kazu let out a quick merry laugh, mimicking that instance. “ [color=limegreen]If only you saw the look on that prick’s smug face as he held that gun at me in his own dining hall, I expected to die then..I should have…[/color]” The fierce, angry defiance in his face softened, his welling-up eyes observing the despairing woman, who kept trying to fight so hard to carry it all. A gulping inhale, steeling himself, his heart pounding frantically as the soft thunk of cane dropping, the faint rustling of gloves being pulled off, then gingerly reached his hands up until she felt the unexpected warmth of his rough, callused hands.”[color=limegreen] But then you saved me…even when I never asked or expected it[/color]” Flashes of himself being drugged out of the Damien state, the carnage she had left in their wake, how it thrilled him, making their daring escape. “ [color=limegreen]And again, when my garden got attacked…When I thought it hopeless..that the only things I ever had could be taken from me…[/color]” Tears flowed freely down his face as he gazed adoringly at her face, gently trying to resist his touch.”[color=limegreen] You were there without hesitation… and you didn’t judge…you simply held me when I thought I would break, when I had nowhere else to go and hardly anyone around me I could trust.[/color]” Shaking his head, picturing Charlotte, the only other one that made him feel like he deserved to matter.” [color=limegreen]All those times I watched you jump to other people's aid without fear..or hesitation..how you got upset for others sake and didn’t take bullies shit even when they’re bigger than you?[/color]” A scoffing chuckle, hardly able to think of a guy back home, that hasn’t felt the fiery sting of her fists, he included, from the fun scuffles or rare heated spats, and she made sure none forget their burn. Inhaling slowly with a gentle brush of his thumb against her tear-streaked cheek.”[color=limegreen] I had always admired you, your ferocity, your bravery. How..how you fight so relentlessly trying to save people and when you can’t….[/color]” He sighed, hating what this dark magic had done to her..made her think.”[color=limegreen] So I’ll be damned if you think I’m gonna let you shove me away so this black hoo doo can keep feeding crap that you’re some kind of killer?[/color]” A fierce glint of stubborn defiance burned in his eyes as he gently lifted her face upward until facing him, her tightly closed eyes, like always, hiding whenever Kazu got too close…how she seemed to want to sink into the dark allure with nothing seemingly stopping her.” [color=limegreen]Well, too bad…cause I won’t let you, cause I’m not going anywhere…not this time..not again..not ever.[/color]” Closing his eyes on a shaky exhale, having experienced losing her once already and given this miracle a second chance, there was so much he wanted to tell her..to show just how much she meant to him, but doubted she could resist much longer. Gulping with a nervous bite of his lip, chest pounding like ferocious drumming.”[color=limegreen] As there’s no darn tootin way in hell I’m leaving you to deal with Asher’s gang or Calbert or whoever on your own…[/color]” Trailing off as if wanting to say more, instead.. As he gazed at Olivia's face, picturing her pretty smiling face illuminated by the fireflies, the small flame in her palm, glowing like moonlight, a flame made not to burn, but to heal.” [color=limegreen]I always knew you were magical..with or without this magic, to me you were already a dazzling sun and…[/color]” His eyes gazed wide, lovingly at this dangerous woman who both terrified and thrilled him in ways no food or story could match.” [color=limegreen]And if you ever start to doubt that or hear that damn voice try to make you believe otherwise then…then…[/color]” The image of Percy kissing him on the forehead popped into his mind causing an intense burning blush on his face as all the hesistations and doubts that always made him too late, how many times he must have let her down, how much he had worried over her non-stop and had longed for nothing more in this moment than to be with this woman and give her all his feelings..even if she didn’t return it. Without warning pushed the last few inches forward, his lips awkwardly pressed against hers in a clumsily deepning kiss pouring every ounce of tenderness and love he could muster into this moment, the world freezing, no longer mattering, only the eletric touch of her lips, each second lasting hours as his mouth burned fiercely as if he was kissing the sun itself. What lasted only a second felt like a lifetime, and still, he craved for more even when he could no longer breathe. Breaking the kiss, unsure how long it had lasted or what would happen after..might get punched or worse, but he loved her regardless, and now she knew, whether she rejected him or not, as long as she knew he would always come to her side. [/color]