Shattered Dreams [Lyre]

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

His cell had been damp and cold the night someone stared at him through the bars and solicited his attention with a calling finger. There had been something cautious and out of place about the stranger and that was the only reason Kaien glanced his way where he would have ignored the presence instead. Spectators of the arena came by frequently, intent on mocking the already tormented souls trapped down here when they weren’t discussing them for the purpose of bets during the spectacles. The man professed he was there to help and told Kaien about the escape route in the restrooms reserved for staff and guests. At first, he had thought it a test, another one of MVs false leads designed to entertain his clan of devils, but now that he was relatively uninjured and staring at a long lab coat and face mask forgotten in the medical ward quite near his bench, Kaien was torn with indecision.

He could risk the attempt and find that there’s no such escape route present in the restroom, or he could pass up the opportunity and hope to formulate a better plan of action instead. His entire body was tense with adrenaline. Tomorrow, another whole day of fighting availed him in the arena and it would leave his body weak with near-fatal wounds like it always did, if he didn’t fall to never rise again instead. It was try to go now and risk death through it, or don’t do anything and risk death tomorrow by remaining.

Kaien got up from the lone bench in the empty room and grabbed the lab coat from where it stayed discarded. His eyes were alive with his plan and he felt the shortest pang of guilt for leaving Leann behind. She had told him that she would never leave the arena and he hadn’t known how to understand that proclamation. In his mind, she had chosen death over living and he wasn’t ready to do the same. As such, the lab coat was already over his torn blue shirt and long, black jeans and the sanitation mask was tied to his face.

He made his way to the restroom with confidence he didn’t have in his steps, face hidden in a newspaper he had found on the way. His heart was hammering in his chest when he found the trap door like the man had promised and he was all too eager to slip into the sewers and make a run for it. Passing through corridors and corridors of murky water and slimy pipes, Kaien eventually found his way out but by the time he did, the alarm had been given and MV’s men were in pursuit of the escapee. There were bandages still on his legs, arms and abdomen, covering healing wounds with stitches and he hadn’t eaten since his meager meal of yesterday, but Kaien ran like he had never run before, knowing that this was his one chance to know freedom again.

The pursuit rushed through the night and neither assailants nor victim wanted to alert police attention. Kaien wasn’t, strictly speaking, in the law’s good graces and he didn’t want to escape one prison to land in another. It wasn’t very long before he realized just how weak he was from the weeks of near-starvation and exhaustion. By the time he made it into an apartment building because he had been surrounded outside and it had been his only remaining option, he was out of breath, our of strength and ready to die right there and then. He collapsed in the hallway, managing to grab himself on the stair railing and keep himself up with the last of his energy. Beads of sweat were running down the sides of his face.

They would catch up to him soon and all he still had energy to do was stay awake. A mirthless smile curved the corners of his lips. At least he had gotten to feel free one more time.

[Lyre Maybridge]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 300px; padding: 30px; background: url(http://i.imgur.com/jjzs9.png); border-left: #ffcccc solid 10px;][STYLE= color: #ffcccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; line-height: 70%; text-shadow: 1px 0px 2px #7C7C7C;]the future's open wide, beyond believing[/style][STYLE= background: #F0F0F0; width: 340px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #999999; padding: 10px; border-left: #ffcccc 10px solid;] "Mm.. no.. NO!" Waking with a start Lyre gasps for breath, sweat forming at her forehead and heart racing a mile a minute as she peers into her small and dark apartment. It wasn't much but it was really all she could afford off her budget, a one room apartment with a small kitchen barely big enough for one person that stretched into a living area, the only bathroom separated her room from the living room which supported with a pull out couch and a small coffee table in front. The coffee table served as her dining table and office, there was no TV as she couldn't afford to buy one nor the electric bill that accompanied it. Instead sat a modest bookshelf with varying types of books. From Shakespeare to a wide collection of text books for school and young adult books that she found interesting, they mostly consisted of magic. A glance at the time told her it was around 3 A.M. and one day away from when he would come into her apartment running from those people who kept him caged like an animal. Her decision to help him the moment she predicted he would end up in her apartment was an easy one, she couldn't allow herself not to help him. Lyre's dreams had predicted more than his escape though, when it wasn't showing her other people in the city it was focused on his fights and his escape here. This allowed her to prepare for his arrival, she stocked up on some easy cooking foods and bandages, but she wouldn't lie to say she wasn't slightly nervous. Lyre was well aware of his ability to neutralize hers and it scared her a little bit, not being able to predict if they would be in any type of danger the second he was around her. She could help him, but she wasn't sure how much of a help she would be if she couldn't keep him safe and the thought made her nervous, and she didn't even want to begin thinking about if he'd actually even accept her help. With a reluctant sigh, Lyre climbed off bed and headed toward her shower to begin her day. Sleeping again really wasn't an option. The day carried on much quicker then she had hoped, and as she stared at the clock before her, tapping her leg on the floor in a nervous habit while biting her lip. Watching the seconds tick down and glancing out the partially closed window, she had this down to a science. It would be exactly fifteen minutes before the men burst into her apartment building and dragged him back, she had exactly fifteen minutes to convince him to go with her and up two flights of stairs into her apartment. With a start, her watch went off telling her it was time to go and wasting no time, she shut it off. Shoes already on she quickly made her way out of her apartment, leaving it unlocked and hopping over one railing and running down the rest as quietly as she could, but enough noise to know that she was heading toward him. Slowing her steps and cautiously peering at him as she rounded toward the front doors. "I-I'm Lyre." Expression cautious, and unsure of how he would react, she walked over to the doors and quickly made sure they were shut, grabbing a chair she had placed there earlier today and placing it up against the handle for a harder entrance, before turning around to the man before her. "I've seen you coming." Frowning, she smacked her forehead. "Not seen, not like down the street coming but like predicted! I predict the future." Well that explanation could have been better, and her face flushed red while her hands shook with nerves. Would he accept her help? "I can help you, but you need to trust me. We don't have much time." Lips pursed and eyes unsure, she cautiously held out her hand for him to take.[/style][STYLE=float: left; width: 100px; height: 100px; background: url(http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s67/Tainted-Goddess/Lenalee/icon_lena66.png); border: #FFcccc solid 10px; margin-top: 10px;][/style][STYLE=float: left; width: 100px; height: 100px; background: url(http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s67/Tainted-Goddess/Lenalee/icon_lena66.png); border: #FFcccc solid 10px; margin-left: 05px; margin-top: 10px;][/style][STYLE= float: left; width: 100px; height: 100px; background: url(http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s67/Tainted-Goddess/Lenalee/icon_lena66.png); border: #FFcccc solid 10px; margin-left: 05px; margin-top: 10px;][/style]

[STYLE= text-align: right; font-family: courier new; font-size: 10px; width: 420px;]MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY[/style]

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

In the few moments available to him before Lyre reached him, Kaien thought of his family. All of them seemed so far away now, more like figments of his imagination than past reality, and he could remember with startling clarity what he had told Leann a couple of days ago. His heart was empty, purged of attachments, buried in favor of the path he had chosen. Over the year spent in Endonia, he had convinced himself that separation had been a necessity and avoidance a descriptor for the game he played. But if that was true, then why did he feel so lonely and miserable as he waited for the fate that was upon him? A death without glory or merits, that served no one and no purpose, or worse – a forced return to that place that tried so hard to strip him of everything that kept him sane.

It was the weirdest thing in the world to hear a casual introduction come from his left. Kaien simply stared, his grip still firm on the railing. She passed him then and went to… jam the doors with a chair. With some effort, he followed her movements, turning on the spot and leaning against the metal support. Anxiety, exhaustion and confusion were mingling on his face, his breath still coming in heavy. The strange girl returned to him.

Her forehead smacking was absurdly amusing, given the situation. However, when she told him she predicts the future, he showed no signs of bewilderment, but continued to simply stare, wrapping his mind around the idea. He lowered his crimson gaze to the nervously offered hand and hesitated only a moment before taking it. “Why are you helping me?” He asked, his voice a little rough from lack of use the past couple of days and his condition. Putting all of his effort into walking again, with some support offered from her as well, he would follow wherever she led.

Making it up the stairs required placing his arm around her shoulders. “Sorry.” He was in an embarrassingly weak state. “And my name is Kaien.” He furrowed his brows. “Or did you… already see that? I mean. Know my name. From your… predictions.” He sucked in more air, fingers clenching at the end of the arm he had around her shoulders. Of all the unlikely things to happen, this was one of the most unexpected. Hope was lit within him again, but his anxiety followed them up the stairs, for he expected someone to give chase as soon as they burst through the doors they were leaving behind.

By the time they reached her apartment, Kaien was ready to collapse again. “Your powers won’t work around me,” he felt the need to inform. “so if you need them, like right now, it’s not good to take me with you.” He had no idea why he was potentially sabotaging himself from effective aid. “Also, thank you.” He managed a ridiculously faint smile to suit the situation and his voice became quieter. “For seeing me coming.”


((Feel free to assume he went in and sat down where she placed him and such.))

[Lyre Maybridge]

[/color] She spoke, honestly.

Pit against each other was horrifying, and she can't say she'd like it all that much so if she had managed an escape, she would have been so very grateful that someone would lend her shelter. Lyre really couldn't expect someone to do that if she wasn't willing too, either, so it really didn't cross her mind to refuse to help him. Even though she knew nothing of him, she knew enough that no one deserved a fate like that.

It was slightly embarrassing how short she was, he was a good foot taller then her and helping him up the stairs proved more of a challenge then she had thought it would be. With one arm situated around his waist and the other holding his arm around her neck, she allowed him to lean heavily on her side as she trudged up the steps, one at a time.

"Don't apologize, I know your.. injuries are less then pleasant, and your meals have been poor." The thought of the injuries she had 'seen' is enough to make her face scrunch up at the thought that they're actually real, and the poor meals he's received were anything but sufficient in helping his recovery. Lyre may have not been a doctor, but she knew enough that proper nutrition was vital in recovery with injuries like his.

When he introduced himself, Lyre could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. Honestly she had never thought to consider his name as odd as that sounded. Her top priority when the decision was made, was preparing for his arrival, but as she thought about it with furrowed brows and a scrunched up nose like she often did when thinking, she couldn't recall his name ever being mentioned.

"No, usually I can 'see' things like your predicament and what you've endured.. but unless someone in those specific scenes mentions your name.. I won't know.." As she hefted him up the last steps and over to her apartment door, with numbers reading 32. Nudging the door open with her foot and bringing him into the dimly lit living room, the only source coming from the small lamp in the corner of the room on a small table by a closed window. Medical supplies sat on her recently cleared off coffee table, her school books and papers had all been shoved onto her bookshelf with papers sticking out in odd angles.

Bringing him over to the small couch, and easing him onto the cushions before she let him go and bounded back over to her door. Pressing it closed, bolting it locked and chaining the top before retreating to her bathroom and retrieving a towel to stuff in front of the door to cover the light shining through the crack at the bottom, so those on the outside would think that all the lights were off.

His explanation of his powers had her smiling genuinely as she finally turned toward him. He defiantly seemed like the prideful type but kind enough to warn her it seemed. "You're welcome." She spoke softly, moving into her kitchen and grabbing a bowl of water and placing it onto the coffee table. "Unfortunately most my predictions only come to me in my sleep, and unless I've already altered what I've seen, I can't predict what will happen as I'm altering it. I have another unreliable one which allows me to peer into the future if I look at certain areas, it will tell me what happens, but not the time it does. It could be five minutes to five hours." Sticking her tongue out and giving a small laugh at the slightly at the poor use of it, "It's pretty unreliable, but I'm working on it."

Sitting down on the other side of the coffee table on the edge, she placed a stack of bandages on her lap and looked up at him. "I know you have some pretty bad injuries that need to be cleaned.. The run here probably jarred a few, would you like to tend to them yourself, or have me help?"

Her face tinged pink at her own words, staring down at the bandages. She could suck it up and help him, she would but she couldn't say she wouldn't be embarrassed while doing so. After all, she hadn't even held a boys hand so much as seen one without a shirt. With another beep of her watch, which was turned off hastily, she motioned with her finger for him to be silent, their fifteen minutes were up and they would be bounding up. Luckily she had planned ahead and before he had arrived, opened a window in the downstairs laundry room to make it look like he had escaped through there since there would be no rooms that showed forced entry. She could only pray that they would take the bait, for now.[/ul][/size]

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

It was such a strange sight – someone’s genuinely happy expression. The weeks he’d spent fighting and recovering amongst tormented souls and grinning evil had made him temporarily forget what innocence and pleasantness looked like. Maybe he hadn’t noticed them for a longer time than that even. The petite girl shared her thoughts and Kaien replied instantly, without being able to help it. “The people who were enjoying it deserved it.” Some bitterness escaped in his tone and his crimson eyes were momentarily sharp and hateful. He wanted all of them to burn for laughing and feeling entertained by others’ suffering.

Relying on someone’s support and aid was another thing he hadn’t experienced in many years. He could tell she was fighting all the way to bring him up the stairs and he felt the touch of gratefulness spread through him. It made him concentrate whatever energy he could still muster into the task, wishing to be as little of a burden as he could. Kaien glanced at her from the corner of his eye when she confessed knowing of his injuries and treatment. Although he should have anticipated she would know a lot of things, it wasn’t easy to wrap your mind around being unintentionally spied on through dreams and visions.

They were in her apartment next and he was placed on a couch that felt so comfortable it made his senses melt with pleasure. He mentally praised his escape timing, for the clothes he wore could have been much filthier than they were now on a different day. As it were, the lab coat he wore over his mildly dusty but ripped blue shirt was brand new and his black jeans had been freshly washed and ironed, his entire attire actually prepared for the show that was going to happen the next day. There was something especially delicious about seeing new things get perfectly tattered. At least he wouldn’t be ruining the cushions of her couch, his pride wouldn’t have allowed it and he would have sat on the floor instead.

Lyre graced him with a smile again and he took it in through the haze in his tired vision. Although he was still weary, hungry and in pain, he couldn’t help but feel pleasant for being treated like a human being again. He stared after her as she retreated into another room, head leaning heavily against the couch’s back, stuck in that position. Kaien could fall asleep as she left him, but he made an effort to remain awake and even shifted his gaze to the bowl of water when she came back.

“Your power sounds scary,” he commented seriously but his tone turned to the slight tease when he continued, “how is someone supposed to keep a secret from you with it?” Kaien smiled faintly, pushing himself into a more sitting position, rather than lounging, after he regained some new strength. His eyes were clouded with thoughts when he dropped his elbows on his legs, leaning forward. “How do you manage to sleep at night with such dreams?” The tone he used was wrapped in simple consideration.

Kaien’s gaze focused on her when she pointed out his wounds and he felt them in that moment as well, becoming instantly aware of how right she was. Still, he didn’t quite grasp the seriousness of the situation. His wounds had been stitched and bandaged in questionable conditions of sanitation. While all of them had opened again and were bleeding through the bandages he currently had on, they were clean enough not to be a matter of concern. However, there was a stitched, deep knife cut under the bandage on the right side of his chest that had started to fester slightly, infection beginning to settle.

Kaien opened his mouth to answer her question but her watch beeped and she was silencing him with a raised finger. His lips fell shut and he listened as well. There was loud movement through the building and hastily exchanged remarks. The noise seemed to spread in two directions, some of the men continuing into the laundry room and possibly going out of the window and others rushing up the stairs, but not stopping at their door, they had no reason to believe someone had taken him in so quickly. Ten minutes later, the agitation seemed to have descended from the building and was pooling out, until there was no sound at all but those expected of neighbors.

“I think they’re gone,” he whispered, relief thick in his tone and breath finally coming in normally. He tried to find her gaze again. “Really. Thank you for taking me in.” Kaien didn’t take things for granted and he did everything he could to avoid debt, but in this case, there was no way he could have made it out of that situation without accepting her aid. The seriousness in his tired eyes mellowed and he raised a hand to accept offered bandages. “I can do it.” There was confidence in his tone that he didn’t feel.

After being given the bandages and shuffling as close as possible to the bowl of water, he discarded the lab coat, unbuttoned his shirt, and dropped that as well beside him on the couch. He twitched twice through the process and seemed to be completely devoid of any possible embarrassment. Underneath the clothes, he was almost entirely wrapped in already bloody bandages, some strips over his chest to just below his armpits and a greater wrap job around his toned abdomen. The long weeks of effort with little food left him rather on the slim side. There were bandages around the upper part of his arms as well and some around the lower portion of his forearm.

“These won’t look pretty,” he warned, placing a hand over the bloody bandage on his abdomen. “Maybe I could trouble you for a glass of water while I change them?” Manners, he had never had any, but now they were all coming back to him. Regardless of her answer, he started unwrapping red cloth and, with difficulty and much controlled cringing, cleaned the injuries on his abdomen, chest and arms with wet cloth (and other sanitizing agents available to him on the table). He would apply any salves (if they were available) on the wounds and proceed to wrap up the one on his abdomen and chest. When it came to the ones on his arms, however, he found he couldn’t tie them with just one hand.

(Assuming she was back in the room, or had never left). “Could you help me just with these?” His gaze shifted to the unfinished bandages on his arms. “Also, how long have you been seeing what’s going on in the arena?” A shadow passed behind his eyes and his tone became lower. “How many others have you seen?” He was recalling his sour last encounter with Leann. “Does anyone else escape?”


((The arena is set to fall and many mutants theoretically would go free after that so feel free to assume anything you like.))

[Lyre Maybridge]

[/i] twisted enough to hold such a thing would deserve it, but instead she kept her lips pursed on the matter. Stating what he already knew was pointless, and she doubted he would feel any comfort if she agreed.

When he was in her apartment, nestled onto her couch and practically sinking into the cushions as she brought the bowl of water she held back a faint smile. Placing the water down and making sure all the necessary things would be on the table, ointment, salves, sanitation supplies including a bottle and bowl filled with alcohol. Watching him slowly sit up as she took a seat at the edge of the table.

The question directed toward her had her blink once, "Scary?" She echoed back. "I guess, I can't really fight with it though. It really only helps me flee from things, I was never good at fighting." At his teasing a scarlet blush bloomed on her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It's kind of impossible really, I felt bad for my mum and dad. Trying to throw me surprise parties became impossible. Halloween was hilarious though, my dad would try to scare me but I 'see' danger when it comes, so it became very hard to catch me off guard with the intentions of scaring me in mind." With a faint laugh and watching him drop his elbows onto his leg as the question became a little bit more serious. Lyre faced away, looking toward her kitchen where the lights remained off, a sort of haze settling over her eyes as she considered his question, and remembered all that she's seen so far. "It's hard to sleep especially for long periods of time.. I'm not used to all I see yet and I doubt I ever will be, used to it I mean, and like people with nightmares they scare me awake. But there's medication for one." She replied earnestly. "But that doesn't take away what I see. The murders, rapes, shoot outs, people being beaten senselessly, people being in just the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the medication can't keep me asleep for long when that's all you see, there are just some nights I don't sleep. I try to, but I wake up because things I see are going to happen and I can't save everybody." Clutching the bandages in her hand her voice becoming softer. "I've tried."

When the threat had passed and he accepted the bandages, Lyre smiled at his gratitude as she passed the gauze and towels over to him. "That," She pointed to the bowl with a towel soaking in it near the bottle of alcohol, "Is for the worst of the infections you have, I'm assuming it's your stomach." She cast a glance at the bloody bandages around his middle with a puff of her cheeks and a frown. "It'll burn like the fiery pits of hell when applied, but make sure it soaks. I remember when my mum found out about this gnarly gash I had on my leg, that I assumed sticking a big band-aid on would suffice. The thing was infected by the time I started complaining, she took me into the bathroom ripped open my jeans - I swear she must have been a mutant with super strength - and ripped off the band-aid and before I had time to protest I was seeing white. That stuff burns, but it gets the job done! Infection free, guaranteed." She stated with a small laugh, dropping her hands to her lap. Having always been a person to use her hands as she talked, especially to emphasis stories.

At the mention of water she nearly jumped from her position on the coffee table, eyes lit up. "Oh! I have food for you already prepared and stuff, I just wanted your wounds cleaned up, so that when you're done eating you can just pass out." With that she scuttled into the kitchen flicking on the small light that illuminated the kitchen. It was small and nothing fancy, just hard counter tops a white fridge with a stainless steel sink and a matching white oven, a nice back-splash up against the wall that was a light green to match the light green on the tiles covering the kitchen floor that turned into a beige carpet, the only line to signal the separating of the kitchen from the living room. Grabbing the largest glass she owned and filling it with ice water and warming up some canned chicken noodle soup, with a small loaf of white bread. And by the time it was all cooked, she brought it all over, nudging stuff over as she bent down to set the stuff down. "It's canned, I never really knew how to make home-made chicken soup and I know you're probably starving right now, but if I give you anything more you'll probably throw it up. You haven't eaten much and if you start shoveling food down, you'll be throwing it up in a few hours, tops. I know from experience. Tomorrow morning I'll make a better breakfast and you can eat more, I promise." With that, she moved over to help him wrap up his arm, making sure it was tight but not enough to cut off circulation.

"I've seen it for maybe a month, give or take. But there's a girl," Lyre whispers at his question before finishing the last of the bandages he needed help with and taking a step back. Staring toward the window of her small apartment, "Long pink hair, I saw her with you a few times. From what I see, she doesn't.. she's angry.. Shooting sparks at everyone and generally causing havoc.." There's a pause and she glances at him. "In what I've seen.. if I hadn't helped.. You would be very much wounded, worse when you get back there. She's upset over it, or at least it looks that way. You both are in the arena together in one scene, then everything changes and there's chaos, things are falling there's electricity surging through the place, the others like us are everywhere. Some are staying behind and I see some attack the people who've captured them there. It honestly looks like the place is collapsing on its self. People are screaming and everyone's using everything and then there's a bright light that practically blinds but by then I usually wake up.." With a sigh, she hangs her head down and fumbles with the hem of her shirt.

Allowing him time to eat she began cleaning up the bloody bandages and tossing them into a garbage bin beneath the sink, she would have to burn those later or at least dump them in a neighboring apartment place to avoid suspicion. Moving about the house to clean up the bowls and throwing the bloody towels into the hamper beneath some other clothes. Trailing into her room through the bathroom and returning with some blankets, a pillow, sheets, and a pair of clothes on top, the stuff practically towering over her as she carried it. "I-I wasn't sure about what size you really are. I saw that you looked particularly tall.. but other than that I couldn't really tell what would fit or what wouldn't. I hope that they're not too big or small." She set the stuff down on the part of the coffee table that wasn't occupied by his food and water. "You're free to use the shower now or in the morning if you'd like, the couch also pulls out into a bed. We just have to move the coffee table but if you're too tired you can just sleep there as is. It's entirely up to you." Lyre shuffled back a few steps, clasping her hands behind her back and placing most her weight onto one foot. "Is there anything else I can get you? I mean I predicted a lot of the basic stuff.. food, clothes, bandages.. But anything you need in particular? I can run to the store in the morning when they open."

((Feel free to assume the next day, or that Lyre heads to bed. Whatever you desire!))[/size][/ul]

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

Kaien listened to her talk as he slowly relaxed and collected his energy. Although the trauma of the arena was still fresh, the normal conversation he was having now was shadowing its influence, urging it to start retreating into the recesses of his mind. The concept of Halloween felt so far away from him, however. His family had never really been the sort to partake in such holidays and his relationship with his divorced parents hadn’t the best in the first place. The more serious question about her dreams seemed to chase away the bit of lightheartedness he had managed to conjure. Kaien hadn’t expected it to be this difficult for her to rest. Thoughtfully, he glanced to the side.

When she warned him about the effects of alcohol he gave her a mirthless smile. “I’ve probably felt worse,” he reassured, fully intending to apply liberal amounts of the stinging liquid on his wounds. After the torture sessions and fights in the arena, Kaien had been through so much pain a little more would hardly register. It was pleasant to hear more about her experiences, however. It made him almost feel normal again.

When prompted for water she announced having a whole meal prepared. Quite thorough and thoughtful, this one. She was going to leave him in a pit of debt. Kaien looked after her when she left for the kitchen, still not quite sure she was real and not just a hunger deprived hallucination. When he decided his senses weren’t fooling him, he went about cleaning his wounds and refreshing the bandages. He finished by the time she returned with food. With pupils dilating, he stared at the meal, barely able to restrain himself from jumping at it while she tightened the last of his bandages. Her words registered, but only barely. He would realize he had questions about them later.

Trying to appear as civilized as possible despite being overcome by hunger, he took the bowl of soup in both hands and started drinking from it with pauses between mouthfuls, all the while listening to what she had to say about the arena. He almost chocked on a piece of bread when she practically described Leann and the destruction she was about to cause. Momentarily, the meal was abandoned. The worst thing about her words was him being in the arena with the pink haired girl. That had never happened. Maybe… it was a future avoided? Since her dreams were all prior to saving him. The future must have changed since, right? He swallowed the thought and returned to the meal.

She left the room then and he mulled over what she had said. Some guilt over his last encounter with Leann resurfaced, but the way she had reacted to his apology shattered it. Kaien stared into the finished bowl of chicken noodle soup. Her fate was none of his business. She could have left anytime she pleased. She wasn’t like the rest of them who had no choice. His eyelids lowered. He knew that wasn’t true. Placing the bowl down and finishing the last of the bread, he opted not to think of it again. Their paths had been divided.

Lyre came back into the room with a stack of thoughtful host articles in her arms. He hadn’t been prepared for any of this and he didn’t know how to respond to it. At first he just stared, gratefulness a whisper in his tired eyes, before he found he was selfish enough to have one more request. “Just stay.” The wish had come out unnecessarily solemn, he moved his hands to clarify. “I mean. It’s pleasant… talking to you. Could we just talk for a moment?”

This whole desire for conversation was a new thing and it had started in the arena. Kaien placed a hand to his forehead, obscuring his vision and he bowed his head. ”I’m sorry. You must be tired. Forget what I said.” He would take a bath, get some sleep and slip out in the morning. He had caused her enough inconvenience as it was.

[Lyre Maybridge]

Lyre was temporarily stunned by his request, grey eyes blinking at him before a small smile set itself on her face, ignoring the last of his sentence. She forgot that he might just be craving some form of human interaction and here she is eagerly acting like she wanted to get out of his presence when it was far from the truth in all honesty. Lyre hated to admit but she didn't have any friends and very, very, little social interaction outside of her job at the cafe. Never had she had a person like a mutant to talk to, either.

Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder not to startle him, her grey eyes seeking his own red ones. "It's okay to ask for something, I just figured all my babbling was annoying and that you wanted to sleep." With a small smile, she moved around the coffee table to sit on his other side with a bit of distance in between them so it wasn't awkward. "I didn't mean to make it sound like I was trying to avoid talking to you, I don't have any friends or anyone to talk to outside work.." She confessed, propped her toes up against the edge of the coffee table and wiggling them through her socks as she stared ahead, avoiding his eyes. "I'm just so used to having to keep chatting to people to a minimum at work that I just forget what it's like just having a decent conversation with someone for more then five or ten minutes." Placing her hands beneath her knees and leaning forward, she finally glanced at him with a small smile. "I don't talk to anyone outside of work honestly, it's always work or homework." She gave a small laugh and looked back down her feet. "Back home, no body wanted to talk to me. I was like the plague they avoided and it's been three years about, that people have really just wanted to talk. I mean there are the regulars at the cafe but that doesn't really count for anything because I know they don't really care. They like me because I'm polite enough to listen, but if they found out anything else I can guarantee it'd be my home town all over again." With a sigh, Lyre leaned up against the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

"You know people always claim they want to be different from everyone else, but the second someone really is different, it's almost like you've become a horror show. You should be normal like everyone else and they question why you're different and treat you like it too. Why seek out something so eagerly and then reject the possibility that some people really are different? It doesn't make sense to me."

This probably wasn't the idle chat he had in mind, so with a shake of her head and shrug of her shoulder she puffed her cheeks up with air and turned to face him with a serious expression. As serious as it could get with her cheeks puffed up like a pouting child, at least. "What's your favorite color?" It was question after question after that. What his favorite genre of books were, if he liked being tall, where he wanted to live if he could live anywhere in the world, what his favorite animal was, and all the nonsensical questions she could ask that avoided any of the serious questions that were going to be revolving around tomorrow. For tonight, they were just two strangers talking and getting to know each other and she was quite happy for that.

"-And then this one time, I predicted that I was going to get stuck in a tree because I would be too scared to climb back down. So the next day I decided to prove my predictions wrong and climb that tree and fearlessly climb down. Needless to say my mum had to call my dad after finding me in the tree three hours later, too terrified to climb down. He had to climb up the tree to get me and was not happy about it. I was grounded for a week." With a dramatic throw of her hands into the air and a pout on her face she looked at him, "A week because I got stuck in a tree." Crossing her arms with a huff, she playfully glared at the bookcase across from them. "Sometimes I wonder if I just predict my own stupidity."

Lyre let her hands fall back onto her lap and wrung her fingers together and nervously bit at her bottom lip as she contemplated on how she should word her feelings. With an almost silent sigh, she gazed ahead and avoided his eyes once more the words blurting out from her mouth the second she re-opened. "Thank you, for talking with me.. I really enjoy your company. It's nice." Lyre could feel the back of her neck and the tips of her ears warm which only happened when she really was embarrassed Well, I could have worded that slightly better and not sounded so desperate, she thought. But it was the truth, his company was not unwelcome and she enjoyed having someone there especially someone around her age, the apartment while small as it was had always felt slightly big and lonely. Though she knew he probably wouldn't stay for very long, she could enjoy it while it was here.

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

Now that he was slowly recovering and felt relieved of immediate danger, Kaien was more receptive to his environment. When her hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder he tensed out of reflex, so used to being touched with purely harmful intentions. He relaxed a moment later to the soft grey of her eyes. “It’s not annoying.” It was pleasant just to listen to her – someone normal and not on the brink of going crazy. His eyes narrowed briefly at himself and he felt a new pinprick of guilt. The accusation in his mind was directed at Leann and he knew it. Pushing the pink haired girl out of his mind again, he sunk in the comfortable couch beside Lyre, tired crimson eyes watching her face.

He could relate to having no friends and it was plain underneath his eyes. The closest thing to a friend that he had was a toad-like mutant named Farin. The meek little poet was probably worried. It made Kaien almost miss him. Almost. He would never admit to missing anyone. It was hard to ignore the loneliness behind her words, it was calling to the sentiment he’d felt when he hung on the railing downstairs, just waiting for his end. “You left home?” It was a part of her discourse that had touched his curiosity. “It’s been a year since I left my old life behind,” he confessed without meaning to, then shut his mouth and just continued listening.

Even leant against the couch’s back, he tilted his head minimally as he observed her. “You should be different within normal standards,” he chimed in to her line of questioning. His tone was laced with irony. Kaien considered her with more seriousness. “Does it bother you that much? That normal people don’t accept you?” The way he worded it sounded as if he could give less than a damn about it. He had stopped looking for approval or understanding from the common man since leaving home and it wasn’t even because of his power. Kaien glanced away from Lyre then and the beginning of a frown creased his forehead. He didn’t need anyone’s acceptance or understanding. He walked his own path and he was quite satisfied with it.

When she started poking him with light questions, Kaien was almost amused. He felt ill-equipped to face such attention, but didn’t deny her any answers. “Black. Thrillers.” He would have rubbed the back of his neck at her tall question, then with a slightly lowered gaze and keener eyes answered “Yes.” The question about ideal location made him pause to think, eyes glazing over with thoughts, before closing them and truly trying to find a desired destination. Normal dreams were not something he considered often. “Somewhere near the sea. On the beach. Going to sleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore.” He opened his eyes and the vision was gone. He quirked an eyebrow at the favorite animal question and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. A slightly devious smile. “The tiger.”

It was quite queer. Being subjected to a barrage of questions of the sort. Nobody really knew anything about his preferences, aside from his ex-girlfriend, who had deceived and cheated on him. A flash of darkness passed through his eyes, but he willed it away. The resentment he felt towards her had no place here. Lyre’s tree story amused him, as did her general gesticulation and expressivity. He felt himself relaxing even more into the couch. Quite suddenly, it felt, she was quiet and appeared to be struggling with something. He looked her way and froze at her words, because he didn’t know how to respond to them. Kaien hadn’t been considered pleasant company for longer than he could remember. It had been proven to him even down in the arena.

He stared for a moment, then very slowly, bits of his more casual self started coming back to help him form a reply. One of his eyebrows rose and his lips split to reveal a tiny grin. “Oh really? You shouldn’t encourage me. You may not be able to get rid of me afterwards.” His tone was teasing and the mischief was in his eyes as well, but slowly, the grin faded from his face and the dull shine in his eyes became serious. “I don’t really… talk to people like this.” He looked away then, eyes focusing on the bookshelf as well. “Since leaving home, I’ve been on a mission. Having friends or anything else in my life…” He shook his head. He wanted to think he didn’t have time for them, but truthfully, he just wanted to avoid the possibility of getting hurt or toyed with again.

The feeling he’d had just before they had met assaulted him again. He had found out he didn’t want to die alone either, with no one watching his back and no one to count on ever again. His fists clenched on his legs and he felt torn with indecision. Then, slowly, they relaxed and he looked to Lyre again. “I don’t know why chance made you save me, but I’m grateful for it. You don’t have to worry about not having anyone to talk to again.” He angled towards her slightly, leaning forward on his legs, determination in his eyes. “I want to listen to anything you have to share, that is, if you want me to.” Farin would think Kaien had taken a hard blow to the head if he heard him now.

“So.” Kaien leant back in his seat, casualness returning to his tone and arms spreading on the couch’s back leisurely. “What is your favorite color? Animal? Food?” He showed a half-grin. “What do you do for fun? If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would that be? Do you like ninjas or pirates? Cookies or pie? What’s your fondest memory?” He paused from the question-assault, considering something, some of the lightheartedness fading. “What's your favorite story?”

[Lyre Maybridge]

[/color] she confirmed, looking at him after he confessed leaving his home roughly around the same time she had. "I left a year ago, too. I had no choice." Lyre pulled her legs up to her chest, folding her arms beneath her knees as she gazed ahead in thought. "I predicted men who held association with the law, like cops or the FBI, came in the middle of the night and took me away from my home. I was told when I was shoved into the black van that people like me held no rights and that I could not get a lawyer and that should I disobey they wouldn't hesitate to hurt me." Her grey eyes narrowed, giving a glare like she could burn a hole through her bookcase as her fingers dug into her legs. "I could see my parents fighting them to get me, my mum crying and my father ready to start swinging and get himself into trouble with whoever those people were. So I left that night, only minutes before they arrived. I sent a text to my parents telling them I was okay before fleeing here."

Closing her eyes and slumping her shoulders she took a steady deep breath, allowing the anger to seep out of her system with her even breaths. "When I came here I had nothing more then forty bucks in my pocket, if I used my card or anything I knew they would track and find me so all I had was cash. I spent most of it on a bus ride to this city. I lived on the streets for a few weeks, until the women I work for at the cafe took me in and gave me a job. She said she always wanted kids, but her husband died of brain cancer and she never wanted to remarry and she couldn't support herself and a growing child at the same time. I sort of fit the profile I guess, I was old enough to take care of myself and work, she gave me a job. When I saved up enough I moved out into this apartment." She gave a brief glance around the apartment and shrugged. "It's not fabulous or in the best neighborhood, but it's home."

"Does it bother you that much? That normal people don't accept you?"

Lyre honestly didn't know how to respond for a while, mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish for a bit as she gathered her thoughts. Resting her head back against the couch and tilting her head toward him. "It's stupid, and I really shouldn't be affected by it so much but yes, it does." She could feel her throat tighten as she gazed away and up at the ceiling. "I lived in a really small town and everyone sort of knew me, and if they didn't know me personally they defiantly knew whose kid I was. I'm not saying that everyone liked me because there were a few people who I absolutely loathed and I'm sure the feeling was mutual. I can certainly have an attitude, or so I've been told." She gave a small laugh. "But when people dislike me before even knowing me, I was always slightly hurt or offended. I took it personal and it was and still is extremely stupid, I admit. But at the same time unlike everyone telling me to ignore it, I can't help the sharp discomfort I get when someone says they don't like me. And then my whole town hated me." She laughed, and tilted her head toward him a slightly bitter smile on her lips. "I became the devils advocate for predicting their demise and trying to warn them and they all hated me. You'd think after three years of it I would have grown a backbone and shrugged it off, but I could never really bring myself to. I guess as my mum would say, I wouldn't be the forgiving daughter if I had." She rolled her eyes.

As he answered her questions, Lyre situated herself on the couch more, turning to face him and resting her back up against the arm rest as he answered all the questions she fired off at him. Some things seemed to cross his eyes and he seemed to either get angry or upset over something but she kept quiet about it all, if he wanted to share it with her one day he could but she wasn't about to pry. She didn't even know if he was going to stay for awhile anyway, her shoulders slumped slightly at the thought, gaze lowering.

Kaien's teasing had Lyre lift her head up as she burst out laughing, the previous sadness fading and as her laughter quieted down she watched the grin fade and the shine in his eyes harden and she listened to him quietly. At the mention of a mission her interest was captured, he was like one of those heroes who left home to seek something out in many of the story books she's read - some even sat on her bookshelf. "Mission?" She questioned softly, unsure of how to approach a topic he may very well not want to talk about and she wasn't sure he even heard her. He seemed to be struggling with something and at his next words she could feel herself flush lightly in embarrassment, but she smiled none the less, the smile bright and honest. "And I'll always be sure to watch out for you." The term was in more ways the one, she would try her hardest to predict any danger toward him and help him whenever he needed it. In a childish gesture, she held her hand out toward him, lifting her pinkie up for a pinkie promise with a smile, hoping he'd indulge in her childish antics occasionally.

It was different and foreign to her and a part of her mind screamed that she was trusting way to easily and this could turn into what happened in her home town. But a bigger part reassured herself it wouldn't, they were both mutants and a part of her craved the social comfort a friend gave. To just know you had someone was enough and she so desperately wanted this that she wasn't going to allow it to slip through her fingers, she would fight for this.

His questions at her, had her sitting up in her seat and folding her legs in front of her as she pondered the questions he threw at her. "Purple, the raven, and steak." Her eyes lit up, she loved steak, but on her tight budget it was a delicacy for her. At his half-grin, she returned it with one of her own. "Fun? Hmmm." Tapping her index finger on her chin she thought seriously. Her life had consisted of work and more homework and she had bills to pay and things were hard and she didn't have time to have fun too often. "I love gymnastics, I used to do that back in my home town. It was my favorite thing to do, I always got scolded for practicing around furniture. I still enjoy it but I think I like going to the beach and swimming." With that, she continued his barrage of questions. "Anywhere in the world? The top of a high mountain away from the city to watch the stars." She gave a slight pout at the next question. "Uhm.. Ninjas and cake." She stated, dismissing the two options he gave her completely. Lyre loved chocolate cake and made some amazing ones as well but didn't make them too often. "My fondest memory was when my mom would be out of town on business, my father and I would stay up late watching the scary movies she said I couldn't. I had nightmares for weeks after, but it was always worth it." She waved a dismissive hand at the consequences of watching those movies. At his last question, she could see his facial features change slightly, a little less content. Considering his words carefully she thought about it, she was told many stories as a child but many of them were the same ones every child heard and even though she's read a lot of books, she couldn't say she had a favorite one. So with a look of contentment in her face she smiled and said, "The one I'm making."

Lyre's mother Ellen, had always been a firm believer of building a life off what you want it to be. She would often tell Lyre that her life was hers and it was a story she was building for the next generation to read and learn from. To read and learn and to teach how to make the next generations story and Lyre had taken it to heart. She had her own story and she was writing the chapters with her actions and her legacy would be like a good book in the future, read and enjoyed through generations.

"What about you?" She asked with a sly look from the corner of her eyes. "Favorite food, ninjas or pirates? What do you do for fun? Where would you be if you could be anywhere right now? And what's your favorite story and fondest memory?"

((Quick question~ Would you like Lyre to predict the coming of the MV arena people when they do go to sleep? I have an idea of how to go about it in her dreams if we still are planning it with Lazarus for a future thread.))[/ul][/size]

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

Kaien watched her as she explained the night of her would-have-been capture, were it not for her power. The strength in her glare made his own eyes narrow slightly, the hatred she felt for the people who hunted mutants all too familiar to him. When she relaxed, he pushed his own anger back under the surface, shifting slightly in the comfortable cushions of the couch. It was hard to be very upset after receiving such wonderful treatment anyway. He still felt trapped in a dream he should be waking any moment from.

His question seemed to make her pause and he watched her with patient eyes. She mirrored his position on the couch and he fought not to fall asleep, not because she was boring but because he was so tired and she just added to the sensation of peace he was experiencing. Her laugh made him smile faintly. An attitude, huh? That sounded entertaining. His smile faded when she revealed her town had turned against her. “It’s not bad to care,” he commented, glancing away. “Just don’t let the weight of ignorant rejection drag you down. Those people aren’t rejecting you – they’re rejecting an idea they’re too small to understand. That’s what people do, they turn against the things that intimidate them and want them to go away.” Kaien shrugged. He knew who he was and ignorant opinions thrown his way mattered as much as rotten apples in the dumpster.

Laughter. It was making him less tense and more open to answering her questions. So when she asked about something he should have not mentioned, he considered it for a moment, before replying. “I…” He frowned, lifting his head from the couch back and leaning forward on his legs, a hand coming to wipe across his face, pausing on his eyes and then dropping. “My sister, she…” He gritted his teeth slightly. “She was killed by these mutants who tried to rob the supermarket where we were shopping.” He looked in the opposite direction from Lyre, keeping his glare to himself. “I couldn’t let them go. I won’t let them go. I’ll hunt them until I find every last one of them.” There was the strength of hatred in his conviction but he failed to add that his hunt had extended to every criminal and deviant out there, be they mutant or not.

Kaien shook his head and let the darkness receded from his eyes. When he looked back to Lyre he was normal again. She said that she would “watch out for him” and he found himself staring a little, mouth slightly open. She didn’t owe him anything and the statement was just so… nice that he was momentarily struck wordless. The added “pinkie promise” approach made him remember how he wouldn’t be caught dead partaking in such silly gestures but he found himself raising his hand anyway and linking his pinkie with hers for a brief shake. It would be a deal. Somewhere at the back of his head, something echoed to him. Never say “always.” Then it faded.

Drawing away from the unspoken promise, Kaien resumed listening to her. His eyes gleamed at the mention of steak. It was also clear that he approved of beaches and swimming. There was something about water that attracted him immensely. He gave her a half-smile at choosing cake, even though it wasn’t mentioned, and quirked a brow at her last statement. “You’re writing a story?” Literature wasn’t exactly his forte or interest. Kaien didn’t have much time to read anymore, between working and playing out his vigilante role.

When his questioned were turned on him, he leant back, considering whether to share everything or not. The deliberation period was short, because he wasn’t the kind of person to withhold answers, unless they touched upon secrets and that wasn’t the case. However, he did catch the look in her eyes and met it with one of his own. If she was going to tiptoe into his private thoughts he wouldn’t spare her either. Somehow, Kaien always preferred to be the one who had the upper hand, when information about the other was concerned. He was willing to share personal thoughts so long as the other was sharing more than they were asking. So far, she was entertaining that need quite nicely.

“I share your love of steak. Preferably veal, in my case.” A short grin. All this mentioning of steak was making him crave it. He wasn’t exactly the rich type either and it struck him that he must have lost his more stable job because of disappearing. He would worry about that tomorrow. “Ninja by night, pirate by day.” It was one of those impossible choices for him, so he had to have both. The idea of “fun” made him pause a little more, eyes swishing though the room in consideration. For the past year, he hadn’t been having much fun at all, but he could easily recall what used to interest him.

Red eyes looked back to her and he decided to go for a quick list. “Basketball. Fencing. Swimming. Partying. Teasing people.” There was a devious glimmer in his eyes. “Sex.” Kaien sunk a little in his seat, eyes tracing up as he considered more. “When I went out with friends, I liked trying my hand at bowling and pool as well.” He peered at nothing in particular. “Watching movies has its appeal, though I could never last through operas.” He waved a dismissive hand and moved onto a new question. “If I could be anywhere…” He let his words trail off, eyes glazing with thoughts. It was remarkably hard to come up with an answer. There were many places he used to want to go and many sights he thought he wished to see, but in all the scenarios in his head, he felt like a solitary tourist. “I like being here right now.” Because he enjoyed the company. She made his life feel normal again. Another pang of guilt. He was here relaxing and enjoying himself while Leann… and the rest of the tortured mutants and humans in the arena were going through who knew what tortures.

It took a moment for him to get over the thought and remember she had asked one more question. He rubbed his temples and leant forward again. “My favorite story can be found in the movie “V for Vendetta” and my fondest memory is my 9th birthday. I got to spend it with my friends at the time and my parents took us all fishing, because I was into it then. I managed to catch a fish in the river with my bare hands and everyone praised me all day for it.” He smiled, fondness over the memory in his eyes. “That evening, we made a bonfire and roasted our fish around it while telling stories.”

Kaien sighed, slumping back against the couch. He was quiet for a moment. When it passed, he gingerly crossed his arms over his chest, for his wounds still hurt under the bandages, and turned his gaze to Lyre. “If you could get rid of your power, would you? If you could have a date with anyone in the world, who would it be?” Several actresses came to mind, in his case. “Would you have a dog or a cat as a pet? What’s your biggest dream?”


((No, the idea is for her power not to work so they can be surprised and caught?))

[Lyre Maybridge]

[/i] keep him from danger and away from it, after all he did seem like someone to get himself into trouble often. But she vowed to always try to help him, and keep an eye out for him to try and help him in the best ways she could. It wasn't much, but it was the best she could offer to him. And as he spoke up, questioning her story, her grey eyes lifted up from the couch and looked up into his crimson ones and gave a slight shrug and a smile as she waved a dismissive hand. "I'll explain another time."

As she finished his questions, she turned them around asking some of the similar questions he asked her. A lot of them were good questions and she studied his face carefully as he began to answer all of them. Sharing her love of steak which earned him a grin in return and his decision for both pirates and ninjas had her almost laugh. Lyre waited patiently as he seemed to mull over the question of what he did for fun before giving her a list, and at the mention of sex as something fun for him she gave a snort and rolled her eyes. The image of him sitting in an opera had a splitting grin appear on her face as she bit the inside of her cheek and held back her shaking laughter with a had covering her mouth. She may not know him other then these silly questions but the image of him sitting in an opera was just to much.

Though the grin and laughter faded as he confessed to wanting to be where he was right now and she eyed him curiously the tips of her ears red the only notion of her being slightly embarrassed of it all as she placed her hands beneath her knees and listened to him finish up answering her questions and the image of him with family and friends on his 9th birthday, she gave a small smile. He seemed so tired and she knew he was struggling to stay awake now and she didn't plan to keep him up any longer. He obviously needed sleep in order to start recovering faster and she hoped that she had indulged in his craving for social interaction long enough for him to want to sleep now.

Broken out of her revere of studying his face she caught his crimson gaze and slowly began to sit up as she considered his questions. "Date? I have no idea, I've never liked anyone enough to be on a date." She said with a shrug, "And it depends. Right now? A cat, they're more independent so if something happened to me they'd be more likely to take care of themselves. While I do love the loyalty and protective feeling a dog gives, I would be to afraid that I wouldn't always be here to take care of it. My biggest dream is to become a lawyer." The people who had wanted to take her away told her she held no rights and that she could not get a lawyer. She would prove them wrong, she would fight for their rights should they ever be exposed to the world completely. "And I don't think I'd get rid of my powers despite what its caused. I wouldn't trade it away for the world, after all it allowed me to help you."

Pushing herself off the arm rest of the couch she moved over to the pillows and blankets resting on the coffee table and placed them on the arm rest and looking at him. "You're ready to fall asleep, I can tell, and I can see the dark rings under your eyes grow by the minute." She teased, tossing a pillow at him gently. "Now, do you want to pull the couch out into a bed, or just sleep on it as is?"

((I wasn't sure if Kaien's ability worked while he's asleep or if it's only he when he was knocked unconscious. I worded the last question a bit poorly, sorry. xD ))[/size][/ul]

[Kaien Tsubakuro]

Kaien’s chin was in his palm when she answered his questions, eyes droopy. He was growing so tired he couldn’t even react properly to the revelations she presented. Never liked anyone, ever? That was hard to swallow, even for someone reserved emotionally. Maybe she was just exaggerating. Her dream to become a lawyer sounded ambitious. “Good luck with that.” His reply was rather dispassionate because Kaien didn’t believe in law. Anyone with even a shred of compassion would be tortured in the field, because there was no such thing as justice. Cases were won based on evidence and the persuasive skills of the lawyers not the actual guilt or lack of it of the person charged. Kaien even knew there were lawyers who liked to “challenge themselves” by winning cases for people who were evidently guilty but had deep pockets. How anyone could stand to work in such conditions and with such gross lack of justice he didn’t know. Lyre was probably just envisioning an inexistent ideal.

Her reasoning for keeping her powers made him crack a smile. She was definitely a good sort, this one. When she pointed out his obvious weariness, he gave a short nod and caught the pillow in his arms. “It’s fine as is. Don’t worry about it. I’m going to take a shower first.” And he was up, placing the pillow on the couch and taking the fresh clothes from the pile of offerings. When he passed her, his hand paused on her shoulder and he glanced at her from the corner of one eye. “Thanks. For everything. Go to sleep.” His palm lifted and he was off to the bathroom she had told him about earlier.

……………………………………………………………………...……...………………………………………..

The water had been warm and soothing. In retrospect, he should have left the bandage job after enjoying a shower but thinking clearly wasn’t his strong suit at the moment. It took quite some time to untangle from the bandages and recreate the folds afterwards, reapplying salves and all. One day he would have to repay Lyre for the consumption. When he finally got a chance to sit and sleep, darkness was heavy outside. His eyes closed but his mind would not turn off. He thought of all the people in the arena, of MV, of the volunteers and torturers. The nest of evil kept him awake through crushing weariness.

Kaien’s hand dug into the cushion he had been given. Was Leann down there now? It was night, of course she was. The bitterness of their last meeting was still in his eyes, but he could understand. She had been just as distressed as he was, maybe more so, due to her mother being involved, and he shouldn’t have been so cold with her. Kaien closed his eyes again and his grip on the pillow released. There was nothing he could do about it now and there wasn’t a chance in hell he could do anything about MV or his arena. Leann’s fate was in her own hands.

Kaien continued to be unable to fight off thoughts for a while, when all of a sudden, something light as a feather and quiet as a shadow slipped a napkin of chloroform to his nose and mouth. He struggled to get up but strong arms kept him down and in a few quick moments he lost the battle with the chemical and was out. In the other room, someone was applying the same treatment to Lyre. The stealthy agents were in MVs employ and they had been working on finding the two for quite some time after it was clear Kaien had never escaped from the building. They had come soundlessly through the window one of them had expertly unlocked.

And they were preparing to haul two unconscious mutants to the arena of carnage.


((Hope this works, we can start the thread with Lazarus’s Lee now. Lazarus, if you get to read this before we talk, would you like to start it and set the stage with Lee rampaging and all? Kaien and Lyre would be brought to MV’s bubble as we discussed.))