Cero noticed at once that she was in pain, and put down his sandwich on a napkin. He had been eating it very neatly, so his hands were clean. Cero gently placed a pale hand on Crystal's shoulder and sent a calming spell of healing over her, calming the dragon that he felt raging inside of her, trying to get out. He put that wild dragon to sleep, in a way, knowing that it now wouldn't bother her for at least the rest of the night. And as he saw the dragon inside her, he saw bits and pieces of her, and why the dragon was so frantic to escape. The spell complete, Cero removed his hand from Crystal's shoulder and continued to eat, not making eye contact with Crystal, nervous about what she thought of him now. Jasper turned around in time to see Cero's hand drift away from Crystal, and Crystal's reaction, so he could tell that something had just happened, but he didn't know what. He passed Crystal he sandwich without comment, waiting for her to sort things out in her own mind first and speak, before saying anything.
Draki, The WereDragons. (Open, Advanced players only.)
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The fact that she now rejected the food worried Jasper all over again. "Are you alright?" he asked gently, not wanting to seem like he was prying, but he was genuinely concerned for Crystal. He didn't want to see her upset or hurt, and he seemed to be failing at that so far.
Cero was starting to feel guilty about putting her beast to rest. But he couldn't be expected to sit idly by and watch her suffer real pain. And it wasn't as though he had read her mind, or peered into the darkest depths of her soul, which he could have done if he had chosen to, but he had only seen those pieces of her identity and personality that were directly connected to her Draki half, specifically its restlessness. He had only meant to do good, but now Crystal was angry, upset, and it was all his fault. Of course. Everything always seemed to be his fault . . . -
Cero flinched at her first word, and almost seemed to cower himself. His shoulders drooped even more, and he put down the small remainder of his "sandwich." Jasper sighed. This clearly wasn't working. There was something seriously bothering her if she kept saying that she shouldn't've come, and who was he to hold her back? "If you really want to leave, I'll walk you home," he offered kindly, trying to be chivalrous, or at least polite. Besides, he wanted to ask her about what had happened while his back was turned that seemed to make her so irritated, so off-put. He hated the thought of seeing her go, but better to let her go freely than to have her run away, feeling trapped.
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Jasper grabbed his jacket as well, pulling on the heavy overcoat before following her out the apartment door. They walked down the ten flights of stairs in silence, with Jasper following behind. He was glad that she hadn't argued with him about walking her home; it was even more dangerous now than it was before, and it was still raining, doubling the chances of her getting assaulted again. Once they were outside, her followed her closely, standing by her side, and just a step behind. And so they walked on in companionable silence, that was only a little strained.
Cero wasn't in the mood to finish his sandwich, so he left it there and went to his room, feeling a dark, cold emptiness open up inside of him, in the place where his heart still beat in its rickety rhythm. She hadn't meant her apology at all, he had been able to tell. And perhaps it hurt all the more because of that. Cero lay down in bed with no care for his clothing, and rolled onto his side. Why did so many people these days lie so much? Every time he went out into the streets, to the library, even at the hospital, he was surrounded by lies. And he knew because he could sense them, could sense when a person was lying, and when they were sincere. And Crystal's apology had not been sincere. Why did she hate him for helping her, for easing her pain? He had saved her life, and given her at least twelve hours of not having to worry about her Draki acting up again, and she was too self-absorbed to even feel any genuine gratitude. Perhaps . . . perhaps Jasper was right, and not all people were worth putting your life on the line for. And as he lay there in the darkness, feeling cold and empty and so unbearably isolated from the rest of humanity, Cero began to weep silently. Cero, unlike most men, was not afraid of tears, nor did her dismiss them as "overly emotional" or "womanly" or "wimpy"; if Homer's great Odysseus was not afraid to cry, than neither was he. He turned his face into the pillow and pulled the blankets more tightly around himself, trying to block out the harsh reality he was forced to endure every day of his life.
All of Cero's thoughts became a concentrated cry of, "Why?" Why did he always have to feel--be--so alone? Why did he have to be so sickly? Why couldn't he be normal? Why did he have to suffer? Why did he exist? There must be some purpose to his life. He had to believe that, or otherwise he'd completely lose hope, and simply let go of his tenuous hold on life. He needed to find the answer to that question, but he didn't even know where to start. He was scared that there was no answer to that question, which would leave him an unnecessary being in this world that simply occupied space, consumed resources . . . and limited the joy and potential of another. Oh, he was fully aware of what Jasper was capable of, and he knew that if Jasper hadn't been stuck taking care of him, he could be a truly happy person by now. At the very least, he'd have a nicer apartment than this. He'd have a decent living, not this squalor. He'd probably have a girlfriend by this point, at the least, if it weren't for Cero. Guilt began to eat away at Cero's heart like acid, dissolving everything in its path with a slow burning pain that never ceased. -
OOC: Cero is really upset right now, and he's really sensitive. He could feel how angry she was, and that anger overpowered the gratitude or remorse that was within her, thus, he didn't feel it.
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Recap
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OOC: Cero acted weird for a bit; Jasper made them sandwiches; Crystal's draki tried to get out, causing her pain; Cero put her draki to sleep, seeing for certain that she was a draki and why her draki side was so insistent on getting out; Crystal got mad and decided to leave; Jasper is now accompanying her home.
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OOC: Where is everybody?? I am feeling so alone over here . . .
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Jasper grabbed his jacket as well, pulling on the heavy overcoat before following her out the apartment door. They walked down the ten flights of stairs in silence, with Jasper following behind. He was glad that she hadn't argued with him about walking her home; it was even more dangerous now than it was before, and it was still raining, doubling the chances of her getting assaulted again. Once they were outside, her followed her closely, standing by her side, and just a step behind. And so they walked on in companionable silence, that was only a little strained.
Cero wasn't in the mood to finish his sandwich, so he left it there and went to his room, feeling a dark, cold emptiness open up inside of him, in the place where his heart still beat in its rickety rhythm. She hadn't meant her apology at all, he had been able to tell. And perhaps it hurt all the more because of that. Cero lay down in bed with no care for his clothing, and rolled onto his side. Why did so many people these days lie so much? Every time he went out into the streets, to the library, even at the hospital, he was surrounded by lies. And he knew because he could sense them, could sense when a person was lying, and when they were sincere. And Crystal's apology had not been sincere. Why did she hate him for helping her, for easing her pain? He had saved her life, and given her at least twelve hours of not having to worry about her Draki acting up again, and she was too self-absorbed to even feel any genuine gratitude. Perhaps . . . perhaps Jasper was right, and not all people were worth putting your life on the line for. And as he lay there in the darkness, feeling cold and empty and so unbearably isolated from the rest of humanity, Cero began to weep silently. Cero, unlike most men, was not afraid of tears, nor did her dismiss them as "overly emotional" or "womanly" or "wimpy"; if Homer's great Odysseus was not afraid to cry, than neither was he. He turned his face into the pillow and pulled the blankets more tightly around himself, trying to block out the harsh reality he was forced to endure every day of his life, and trying to block out the truth that he was the reason that Crystal had left.
All of Cero's thoughts became a concentrated cry of, "Why?" Why did he always have to feel--be--so alone? Why did he have to be so sickly? Why couldn't he be normal? Why did he have to suffer? Why did he exist? There must be some purpose to his life. He had to believe that, or otherwise he'd completely lose hope, and simply let go of his tenuous hold on life. He needed to find the answer to that question, but he didn't even know where to start. He was scared that there was no answer to that question, which would leave him an unnecessary being in this world that simply occupied space, consumed resources . . . and limited the joy and potential of another. Oh, he was fully aware of what Jasper was capable of, and he knew that if Jasper hadn't been stuck taking care of him, he could be a truly happy person by now. At the very least, he'd have a nicer apartment than this. He'd have a decent living, not this squalor. He'd probably have a girlfriend by this point, at the least, if it weren't for Cero. Guilt began to eat away at Cero's heart like acid, dissolving everything in its path with a slow burning pain that never ceased. -
Tablet!!!!!!!!!!
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OOC: Could somebody please reply?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ANYBODY????
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Hi.
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OOC: -_- I mean, reply IC.
I don't want Cero to stay this sad forever . . .
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OOC: Okay, I was saving this for later on, but now's as good a time as ever, right? *sigh*IC:
A new bout of claustrophobia swept over Cero, making him feel suffocated, small, infinitesimally insignificant. He got out of bed and put his hat on once more, then left his room. Without bothering to put on his jacket, he left the apartment, rushing down the stairs and taking them two at a time. Thankfully, he didn't trip. Once he was out in the open air, and the rain, he began to walk in a random direction. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, pulled the brim of his hat down, and just kept walking. He crossed the streets at seemingly random intervals, completely ignoring his surroundings, just wanting to escape, though from what, he wasn't entirely sure. After 20 minutes of this, he stopped at a red light, and glanced around. He was definitely far away from the apartment now. And far away from wherever Crystal and Jasper were going. For he now found himself in the "night-life" district, where the clubs and bars and brothels and strippers were; and the alcoholics, the drug-dealers, the prostitutes, the drug-addicts, the sadists, and the suicidal; and the gangs, the street-fighters, the rapists, the criminals, the assassins, the muggers, the thieves, the pick-pockets. Well, at least he didn't have anything on him worth stealing. But Cero knew immediately that he was in danger. He just didn't know if he cared enough about that to leave or not.
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Grumbling slightly, Nikki sighed and stepped back, " Alright, well I guess I'll be going now." She said, stepping back more and going back towards her car. She opened her car door and got in, starting it and driving off. With a sigh, she realized she was going to be stuck staying the night in a hotel. As she began to drive home, which was near the hotel, she stopped the car and began to dig through it. If she could find her keys, she would be able to sleep at home tonight. She opened her car door and used her phone light to look at the floor of the car and under the seat and stuff. This was to no avail, and so she straightened up and looked around. She realized that she was in the bad neighborhood. She grumbled again and saw someone walking down the streets.
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OOC: Well, he'll be depressed as long as he's lonely . . . He needs <3.
IC:
Feeling rebelliously indignant, Cero had continued to walk down the streets, feeling like this neighborhood couldn't last for that long. As he began yo pass by the entrance to a nightclub, a group of people flowed out of it, all laughing raucously, and clearly drunk. Cero looked up at them, and began to skirt the group carefully. His eyes lingered for a few moments on one of the girls in the group, and for one of the men, that was a few moments too many. "Hey, you looking at my girl?" he said angrily in a heavy Italian accent, stepping forward to face Cero. Cero began backing away. He put his hands up and tried to explain that he had meant no harm, that he was just walking by, but the Italian would have none of it. He summoned two burly muscle men from the group, who pushed Cero into a dark alley that was formed between the nightclub and the next building over. One man held onto Cero's shoulder with a vice grip, and the other one threw an all-out punch into the pale boy's gut. Cero could actually feel his ribs cracking, and he groaned with pain, doubling over, unable to stand up straight after that. The man was getting ready to throw another punch, and the other man holding Cero's shoulder forced him into a semi-upright position. It was clear that this punch was going to be aimed at the head, if not the face, and Cero squeezed his eyes shut, half-hoping it would put him out of his misery.
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Seeing the people stream out, and hearing the Italian yelling at the stranger, Nikki closed her doorv and locked it, tucking the car keys into her pocket. As they dragged the guy into an alley, Nikki's Draki side began fo grumble inside of her. Her eyes began to become ice blue as she decided that she wasn't just gonna stand by and watch. She fast-walked over to the alley, in time to see the pale stranger being punched in the guts. She walked into the alley and t hen yelled. "Hey a**holes, " her eyes lit up more as her Draki side wanted to have a nice fight. She smiled a little,wondering how this would go.
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Cero opened his eyes when he heard her voice. He looked up at the girl who had spoken up, and who was now blocking the entrance to the alley. Her eyes seemed to shine with a cold fire in the the dimness of the alley, and she seemed very capable, very strong, very confident. And for a brief moment, Cero was able to admire her. Then the men who was about to punch him turned out to face her, and laughed, a cruel, mean laugh. "Haha, girly, this is not your fight. Leave now, while you still can, or you'll be sleeping with the rats just like your friend over here." The Italian nodded in Cero's direction, at which point the second burly man shoved Cero up against the stone wall, holding him loosely by the throat. Of course, Cero's hands immediately went up to that spot, trying to pry the man's hands away. The man gave a teasing squeeze to his throat, which made Cero gasp and choke, struggling against the man's hold on him. By this point, Cero's hat had been knocked off and lay in a murky puddle on the ground.