Gen’ya Hiei Hikari | AMAB Demi-Boy | 17 | Apresexual Demiromantic | Ambi | Trust/Truth - Lie Detection / Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

“Very cool! I don't think I've heard that band before. I think my favorite band is probably ABBA. Most of their music is upbeat and fun, which I enjoy. Do you have a favorite animal?”

--

Gen’ya almost had the urge to correct him, that the ‘emo trinity’ was more of a group of bands. But, well, they didn’t really think they should. They didn’t want Micha to think they were some sort of know-it-all. Nor did they want Micha to feel stupid or something for not realizing what they’d meant. Besides, Micha had asked a new question, so any chance to correct him was definitely gone by now.

--

So, he nodded along, and thought of an answer to the question. “ABBA’s a good pick, it’s a bit of an older band, right? My favorite animal is probably a corvus of some kind. Crows, ravens, and magpies are all high on my list. What are yours?”

*~*~*~*

Revan Rafe-Hassen Rowland | Male | 18 | Gay | Ambi | Space - Alter Gravity | Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

Revan ended up being able to type out a single sentence by the time his mind caught up to that fact that Ni- Mx. Cosmos was speaking again. And then he had to force himself to actually listen and process all that he’d missed or almost missed.

--

It took him far longer than he would’ve liked to get his mind to fully switch from the work he had been trying to do and instead towards what had been said. The one saving grace that he had to let him know that even though it took him longer than he liked, was that he’d managed before and it had always turned out fine. No one had ever mentioned it before, now wouldn’t be different.

--

“Okay, sorry! Don't know what got into me there! So, uh, am I allowed to ask what... er... company you work for... And, I guess, I work for now?”

--

Revan blinked a bit after he’d managed to process it, trying to think up a response. He gave a small, curt nod as a way to buy some time, and then kept his eyes on the screen of his phone when he did reply. “I work for what is currently my mother’s company, Rowland Inc.” The practice he had in doing so was the only way that he managed to keep his tone free of venom when he mentioned his mother, solely due to the same reason he had to attend weekly dinners. They both knew what it’d do to their public images if they didn’t. Even then, he barely managed it now… He’d figure something out that wasn’t sleep. He’d have to at this rate, with how much his tolerance to the deprivation seemed to be waning… No matter, it was fine. For now, it would have to be.

Gwyar ‘Aries’ Ariethous Fraoch | Male | 17 | Demisexual | Ambi | Physical - Weapon Knowledge | Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

It stopped when it reached a new room, watching as its main wielder walked to a table and set down a box. It wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, what was about to happen, but it didn’t need to. The main wielder did and that was all that was necessary.

--

As the main wielder turned towards it and the group around it, it straightened and made careful certainty to not look him in the eyes, focusing all of its attention to its main wielder. So much so, it barely even recognized Briar mumbling out an apology, it was so focused on listening to the main wielder as he started speaking.

--

“Okay, first of all, we won't be doing anything too taxing for the first week, mainly just exploring powers and getting to know each other.”

--

It listened intently, filing the information away. A bit odd that it wouldn’t be fighting too much yet. But, then again, Tyrgrim and Gunnr hadn’t brought it to the arena until for some time at first either. Besides, it knew better than to question its main wielder. It surely didn’t know better than him.

--

“Training will start every day at 10:00 AM, except Sundays, which you get off. You'll do personal training from 10:00 until noon, then there's a lunch break, and then group training from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, after that, the rest of the evening is yours. You have the ability and right to leave this building as long as you're back at training times, and I have the ability to contact you if necessary. This isn't meant to be a prison, I'm not going to monitor your every move. I do, however, recommend familiarizing yourself with the surrounding area if you intend to leave the building. I'm happy to help if you have any questions.”

--

It didn’t nod, it didn’t react to the words spoken. It stood stock still there, keeping its breathing as unnoticeable as possible, and committed the schedule to memory. The arena had given a similar spiel about not being a prison. Its Forger had given a spiel about not being a prison, about helping if it had questions or concerns. It knew better now, of course. It knew better. Main wielder didn’t want to be bothered by it. Whoever the Forger here was definitely didn’t want to be bothered by it. It knew better.

--

“Each of you may choose a set of earrings, a necklace, or a bracelet. It's completely up to you, and whichever you prefer is great. Before you do, though, let me explain. These aren't simply pieces of jewelry, they're programmed and filled with information. The basic things that you need to know are; if you ever need help for any reason, you can press the charm on your piece twice and it will immediately alert the rest of the group of your location.”

--

It didn’t risk looking at the pieces of jewelry. It wasn’t sure if the main wielder was even speaking to it now. If he was then it still knew better. Choice wasn’t really a choice for it. Main wielder had one he wanted it to pick. It had to figure out which that was. The information was well enough to have regardless though, so it stayed still and listened.

--

“If you press the charm three times, you can send your location to the whole group or specific member and you will be placed into contact with them, similar to a standard phone call. Finally, if you press the charm once, it will assess your vitals and determine what help you need, if any. That information will be sent directly to Gorōta, our healing holder, and me, along with your location.”

--

It went rigid, that had to be the forger. It almost did a sweep to look around and find out who that was, but it didn’t. It didn’t because it knew better. It knew better. It bit down on its tongue and didn’t move, stayed stock still and listened.

--

“It's a quick and effective way to communicate without taking extra time or looking suspicious. That said, your specific piece will only answer to you, once you claim it, no one else's touch will give a response. It's not obvious to anyone who might be watching, as it picks up and communicates with you and the rest of the group based on brain waves and trains of thought. If someone sets off an emergency call for help, you'll hear a higher-pitched beeping in your head three to five times, and, if everything works properly, you should instinctively know where to go to get to the person in need. Don't be afraid to use these, but do use them responsibly.”

--

It stayed still, stayed as rigid as it was meant to stay. That last sentence probably meant to never use them. Or at least that’s probably what the sentence meant for itself. It knew better. It did. It refused to come across as anything other than the sharpened weapon it was supposed to be in front of these new wielders. The new forger. It couldn’t be dull already, it was certainly already on thin ice due to the time in the hallways with Briar.

--

“Alright everyone, go for it. Once everyone has theirs, we'll do a test run to make sure everything works.”

--

It stayed still, Briar stumbled slightly and mumbled an apology it didn’t pay attention to. It stayed still, like what Briar should be doing to not be corrected. It stayed still, watched as someone stepped forward. It didn’t know them, it didn’t think. Though, it couldn’t think anyways, so it wasn’t sure. Were they an opponent? A wielder? The forger? It didn’t know, so it simply watched. Watched as they went up, grabbed a piece of jewelry, and walked back.

--

“This place literally just keeps getting better and better! I thought magic plates were cool, but this has to be even better, somehow!”

--

“I'm glad you like them.”

--

It immediately regained whatever posture it might have lost, that was the main wielder speaking. It paid attention if he said anything else. Nothing was said, someone else stepped up. It stayed still, it watched, and it listened. Just as it was supposed to do.

--

“Thank you. This is really pretty.”

--

“Of course. Really though, it was Juno's doing, she's quite incredible like that.”

--

Another name. Who was that? Another wielder? It would assume so, given how the main wielder spoke of her. It stayed still, and watched as the one who had gone up came back to where they’d been before. Watched as the next three all went up, took something, and went back without a word. Each one right after the other. It still stayed still, just as it was supposed to do. Hopefully.

*~*~*~*

Gorōta Sanae Ryuugo | Male | 16 | Demisexual | Ambi | Emotional/Healing - Heal Physical Wounds | Mentions; Everyone(Ind).

--

“Okay, first of all, we won't be doing anything too taxing for the first week, mainly just exploring powers and getting to know each other. Training will start every day at 10:00 AM, except Sundays, which you get off. You'll do personal training from 10:00 until noon, then there's a lunch break, and then group training from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, after that, the rest of the evening is yours. You have the ability and right to leave this building as long as you're back at training times, and I have the ability to contact you if necessary. This isn't meant to be a prison, I'm not going to monitor your every move. I do, however, recommend familiarizing yourself with the surrounding area if you intend to leave the building. I'm happy to help if you have any questions.”

--

Gorōta listened intently, trying to run through the information again in his head to make sure it stuck. He wasn’t sure if it would or not, but he had time to learn… Probably. He could always write it down in his journal. That might work best. He’d do that later though, since Horatio was speaking again, and about magic jewelry no less…

--

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Everything else here was magic, why wouldn’t the jewelry here be too? Still, he ran through all the information being given as well as he could to make sure he’d remember it enough to write it down later. He still wasn’t sure when he was going to ask all the questions that he needed to ask… He resolved not to think about that.

--

“Finally, if you press the charm once, it will assess your vitals and determine what help you need, if any. That information will be sent directly to Gorōta, our healing holder, and me, along with your location.”

--

He looked up at his name, and nodded quickly. That was smart. It’d be very helpful to know the vitals and what help was needed, and the location of the one needing help, with just a press of a… Piece of jewelry. This was incredibly different from what he’d been expecting. Though, honestly, he wasn’t even sure what he’d been expecting anyways.

--

Horatio went over the jewelry a bit more, before picking up a bracelet himself and telling them that they could. Unfortunately for him, Gorōta definitely didn’t want to be the first one to step up. So he watched as Nico did instead, practically running with excitement to pick one out. And then just as quickly, Nico was back besides Rowland.

--

“This place literally just keeps getting better and better! I thought magic plates were cool, but this has to be even better, somehow!”

--

“I'm glad you like them.”

--

He supposed Nico might be a good place to start for the questions. They seemed open enough that he might not have to pry as much. Them or Micha, he’d seemed pretty open from what Gorōta had seen of him… He bit his lip a bit, he’d already spoken so much yesterday. But he had a job to do and he had to be clear and he didn’t know anything about these people so he had to— He took a deep breath before he went completely down the rabbit hole that were his panic attacks, and looked back up to see that Micha had already walked over, Horatio responding to something he had said.

--

“Of course. Really though, it was Juno's doing, she's quite incredible like that.”

--

He took another breath and watched as Micha walked back to where Gen’ya stood, who ended up going up next, grabbing something, and walking right on back without anything but a nod of appreciation given to Horatio.

--

He glanced at Rowland, and then at Aries and Briar. All three seemed a bit out of it to him but, well, he didn’t know yet. He wasn’t close enough to them, and he hadn’t really spoken to any of them, and he didn’t want to. Not because of them! Of course not!… He was lost in his head long enough that Rowland actually went up before him, looking away from his phone just long enough to pick something out before walking back, focusing immediately on his phone again.

--

Gorōta supposed he should just go ahead and get it over with. So he did, he walked up and over to Horatio and the box, looked at the necklaces and bracelets and earrings. And then he reached into the box, with a shaking and hesitant hand as if the box would snap at him, and took one of the necklaces. As soon as he took a step back and put it on, a snake wrapped around a staff became the charm. He looked at it for a second before looking up at Horatio and offered a smile, small and thankful. He hoped it worked well enough instead of having to use any words. And with that, he went back to where he’d been standing.

*~*~*~*

Gen’ya Hiei Hikari | AMAB Demi-Boy | 17 | Apresexual Demiromantic | Ambi | Trust/Truth - Lie Detection / Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

“Yup! Founded in the 1970's! Ooo, good choices! I think I like cats best, though I actually really enjoy reptiles as well! Really, I like basically all animals. But, yeah, cats are probably my favorite! Especially Maine coons, they're so fluffy and cute!”

--

Gen’ya nodded, finding themselves smiling at the answers. Cats were very cute, and reptiles were really cool. Before they could speak though, the group was in a new room and Horatio was speaking, so they directed their attention towards him instead.

--

“Okay, first of all, we won't be doing anything too taxing for the first week, mainly just exploring powers and getting to know each other. Training will start every day at 10:00 AM, except Sundays, which you get off. You'll do personal training from 10:00 until noon, then there's a lunch break, and then group training from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, after that, the rest of the evening is yours. You have the ability and right to leave this building as long as you're back at training times, and I have the ability to contact you if necessary. This isn't meant to be a prison, I'm not going to monitor your every move. I do, however, recommend familiarizing yourself with the surrounding area if you intend to leave the building. I'm happy to help if you have any questions.”

--

Gen’ya could’ve sighed in relief at being told that the group wouldn’t be doing anything taxing yet. That was good. Alas, he managed to hold it back. Mostly because of the fact that he’d have to get up in time to do the training at 10 AM. The only saving grace was that he wouldn’t have to waste time on breakfast. Figuring out a way to work around the two hour lunch break would cause some issues though, so he’d have to be careful with that. Getting to leave the building was probably good though, since it meant that he might still be able to do the concerts with the band…

--

Ugh, there was a lot to go over and figure out that they didn’t want to be doing. Regardless, they returned their focus to Horatio as he started speaking again, opening the box and showing off golden pieces of jewelry. Earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Their eyes sparkled at the idea of new jewelry, it was always a treat when they got some. And these were free. Which was undeniably better.

--

“Each of you may choose a set of earrings, a necklace, or a bracelet. It's completely up to you, and whichever you prefer is great. Before you do, though, let me explain. These aren't simply pieces of jewelry, they're programmed and filled with information. The basic things that you need to know are; if you ever need help for any reason, you can press the charm on your piece twice and it will immediately alert the rest of the group of your location. If you press the charm three times, you can send your location to the whole group or specific member and you will be placed into contact with them, similar to a standard phone call. Finally, if you press the charm once, it will assess your vitals and determine what help you need, if any. That information will be sent directly to Gorōta, our healing holder, and me, along with your location. It's a quick and effective way to communicate without taking extra time or looking suspicious. That said, your specific piece will only answer to you, once you claim it, no one else's touch will give a response. It's not obvious to anyone who might be watching, as it picks up and communicates with you and the rest of the group based on brain waves and trains of thought. If someone sets off an emergency call for help, you'll hear a higher-pitched beeping in your head three to five times, and, if everything works properly, you should instinctively know where to go to get to the person in need. Don't be afraid to use these, but do use them responsibly.”

--

Gen’ya’s eyes narrowed as Horatio continued on about the jewelry and how they worked. He… Wasn’t too sure how to feel about them. He definitely wasn’t a fan of the idea of being one tap away from having two people find out how disgusting he was constantly.

--

“Alright everyone, go for it. Once everyone has theirs, we'll do a test run to make sure everything works.”

--

And- Well, they certainly didn’t like that idea. They watched as Nico ran forwards though, and they tried themselves to glance around to come up with some way of getting out of the test runs. New, free jewelry was great. The test run that would end up giving Horatio and Gorōta vitals that would only show how unhealthy they were? Show how disgusting they were? That wasn’t great. That was nowhere near great. Though, they could always explain that they were working on it. Because they were. They were and if they just went a bit longer then they’d see some sign of it working.

--

“This place literally just keeps getting better and better! I thought magic plates were cool, but this has to be even better, somehow!”

--

“I'm glad you like them.”

--

Oh. Nico was already done picking and back at their area. He should probably be paying better attention to what was actually going on. It seemed like Nico had grabbed a pair of earrings, which was nice, and probably what he was going to do. He already had his choker, and a bracelet was out of the question, so earrings were the only choice left at that point.

--

Gen’ya watched as Micha stepped forward next, timid and hesitant. They offered a smile, watching as he chose a bracelet and looked up at Horatio.

--

“Thank you. This is really pretty.”

--

“Of course. Really though, it was Juno's doing, she's quite incredible like that.”

--

Almost in time with Micha himself, he glanced over at the two girls, and then offered Micha a smile as he made his way back over to where he’d been before.

--

Deciding to go ahead and grab their own so that they could get everything over with quicker rather than slower, they stepped forward and over to the box next, staring at the golden jewelry before picking up a pair of earrings. They watched as they shifted in their hand into two identical handshake studs. They smiled softly, nodding a silent thanks to Horatio before walking back to where they’d been standing and switching out their old earrings with the new pair. They only had to wait for things to go south now.

*~*~*~*

Revan Rafe-Hassen Rowland | Male | 18 | Gay | Ambi | Space - Alter Gravity | Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

The group stopped in a room before Mx. Cosmos could respond, or at least before Revan’s mind processed a response so he assumed that to be the case. He didn’t care to figure out if they had said anything. He kept his eyes to his phone, working at getting something done before training actually started.

--

He didn’t realize Mr. Caeso was speaking until halfway through the first spiel, and at that point he was fairly certain that he’d missed too much to really get anything else from it, so instead he tried to get the rest of it.

--

“You have the ability and right to leave this building as long as you're back at training times, and I have the ability to contact you if necessary. This isn't meant to be a prison, I'm not going to monitor your every move. I do, however, recommend familiarizing yourself with the surrounding area if you intend to leave the building. I'm happy to help if you have any questions.”

--

And… Well, he supposed that meant he didn’t have any way to tell his mother that he couldn’t attend the weekly dinners. He didn’t really expect her to listen to him even if he did, so it wasn’t too much of a failure. Though he would have to figure out the schedule from someone at some point, he’d rather like to know how much time would be taken away from his actual job. Oh, wait, Horatio was opening the box and talking again. He blinked, and tried to catch up.

--

“These aren't simply pieces of jewelry, they're programmed and filled with information. The basic things that you need to know are; if you ever need help for any reason, you can press the charm on your piece twice and it will immediately alert the rest of the group of your location. If you press the charm three times, you can send your location to the whole group or specific member and you will be placed into contact with them, similar to a standard phone call. Finally, if you press the charm once, it will assess your vitals and determine what help you need, if any.”

--

Well, that was great information to have that he’d never use. He didn’t need help, he wouldn’t ever need help. He’d refuse it until the day he died, he’d make sure of that… He paused, there that was again, a thought he’d been so sure he’d gotten past already… Mr. Caeso was still talking, apparently having already finished whatever spiel Revan had just missed out on. He should be trying to listen, not figuring out what all that was about. He didn’t have time for that. He was fairly certain that he never would. That was fine though, he was busy right now.

--

“Alright everyone, go for it. Once everyone has theirs, we'll do a test run to make sure everything works.”

--

Oh. That was all. He kept his eyes on his phone, sensing Mx. Cosmos rush up first more than anything else. And with everyone starting, he turned his focus entirely on his phone. He’d go up soon, but not just yet. He needed to figure out this sentence. It was something about a camera? Or had that been the last paragraph? He blinked, and looked for where he’d been again on the screen.

--

When he’d finally managed another sentence, he glanced around a bit, and upon seeing no one else stepping forward, he walked up. Looking up from his phone momentarily so he’d know what he was choosing from.

--

The array wasn’t anything grand, not like the jewelry his mother owned. It was rather simple, actually. Golden pieces of jewelry. Bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Without much thought, he took a pair of earrings. The least likely thing to have his mother yell at him, it was good enough. So he walked back to where he’d been before, eyes already back at the phone in one of his hands as he went about managing to put in the earrings with his other one. He had enough practice that it wasn’t too hard to manage, and he even ended up noticing as someone else went to grab a piece of jewelry. Regardless, he busied himself with the screen of his phone again.

Gwyar ‘Aries’ Ariethous Fraoch | Male | 17 | Demisexual | Ambi | Physical - Weapon Knowledge | Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

It stayed still, waiting for the main wielder to speak again. To tell it what to do. Because there had to be something for it to do. Right? The silence stretched on though, and it stood there, trying to ignore how Briar was still leaning on it. They’d get in trouble for leaning on it. It didn't want them to get in trouble… Well, it couldn’t want anything anyways. Things can’t have wants, after all. But still. Briar should know better than to show weakness in front of wielders, in front of the main wielder.

--

Someone was walking over towards them. A girl. Juno? Or someone else? Was she a wielder? She was probably a wielder. It tried to straighten itself more, avoiding eye contact. It knew the rules, it knew how to act. It slowed its breathing more, if she caught it breathing she’d be more upset with it.

--

“Hey, hey! You're okay! Here, let me see your hands, okay? Both of you. It's alright, I got you.”

--

Without a word, without hesitation, it offered its hands. It knew better than to refuse, to argue, to deny. Whatever punishment she wanted to give it, it would accept. Corrections with its hands weren’t as common, it couldn’t hold an extension like the daggers as easily if its hands were injured, but it wouldn’t complain. It couldn’t and shouldn’t.

--

In the corner of its eyes, it recognized that Briar had flinched away from her hands reaching out to theirs. Its breath caught in its throat, and it took everything in it to not apologize for them. To not claim the punishment that was sure to cause. Instead, it saw as the wielder backed away.

--

“Okay. It's fine, I won't touch you if you aren't okay with it.”

--

It… Definitely didn’t understand that. Though, that’d been said to Briar. Not itself. It didn’t really know Briar’s footing. Probably different from its own though, if the wielder had said that. It stood there, and then noticed as someone else came rushing towards Briar and it. Another girl, she was holding something though. Something—

--

It had to bite its tongue to make sure it didn’t breathe in as it practically scrambled to straighten itself more. It couldn’t breathe, not in the presence of a forger this close to it. She’d certainly notice. It’d get in more trouble. And it was already in enough to warrant a forger. A forger. It needed to behave. It couldn’t look away from that box though.

--

“Okay, Briar? Aries? What do you need?”

--

It barely registered the question, straining its ears to listen because it had to listen. Straining its back to be as straight as possible, as correct as possible. It knew better than to not answer, but what was the right answer? It didn’t need anything, it couldn’t need anything. It was a thing, things don’t need anything. But it couldn’t tell a wielder that; she knew better than it. It couldn’t tell a forger that.

--

A forger was here though. She’d tell her what it needed fixing, what correction would help it the most. So it stayed quiet, its hands still rigid where it had offered the two up. The forger here would tell her what was needed. It just had to wait. It just had to wait and accept what correction she decided on for it.

*~*~*~*

Gorōta Sanae Ryuugo | Male | 16 | Demisexual | Ambi | Emotional/Healing - Heal Physical Wounds | Mentions; Everyone(Ind).

--

When Aries and Briar still hadn’t gone up and gotten their pieces of jewelry, Gorōta quickly became worried. It was his nature, and he had looked over in their direction to see if there was a problem.

--

There was. That much was obvious. Briar was leaning against Aries for support, pale and their eyes concerningly unfocused, wrist bleeding and hands bloody. Aries wasn’t any better, rigid and tense, eyes nowhere near anyone else’s, his hands covered in blood too. For a second, he even thought that Aries wasn’t even breathing, before he realized that he was. Just so shallow and slow that it was incredibly hard to tell. Which definitely wasn’t good.

--

Luckily, he wasn’t the only one to notice, and he watched as Mira rushed forward to help. He probably should be doing the same, but he… He couldn’t get himself to go over yet. He’d have to talk. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to help but he didn’t want to talk. Besides, he didn’t have anything on him. He didn’t know what they needed. He didn’t know how they’d react to too many people. He didn’t know how they’d react to Mira reaching out towards their hands. Oh, that was probably a bad idea with how out of it they both seemed to be.

--

“Hey, hey! You're okay! Here, let me see your hands, okay? Both of you. It's alright, I got you. Okay. It's fine, I won't touch you if you aren't okay with it. Okay, Briar? Aries? What do you need?”

--

Surprisingly enough, only Briar flinched away from Mira reaching out towards them. Also relatively surprising, Aries had been present enough to immediately offer up his hands when Mira asked to see them. Which, that was kind of off-putting, if he were being honest. More worryingly though, was that neither responded and Aries seemed to have actually stopped breathing when Juno had come back with a medkit.

--

He stepped forward then, walking over slower than he should’ve been. This wasn’t good. This definitely wasn’t good. He needed to be closer to be able to tell what was going on though, to be able to help. He just hoped he didn’t have to talk in order to do so.

Gwyar ‘Aries’ Ariethous Fraoch | Male | 17 | Demisexual | Ambi | Physical - Weapon Knowledge | Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

It stood there, noticing out of the corner of its eyes as someone else started to come over. The forger still hadn’t said anything, silence hung in the air thickly. It didn’t dare to disrespect anyone by breathing. Especially not with a forger so close. It had already messed up enough. It couldn’t mess up more. It couldn’t.

--

“Alright, um, try to focus on breathing, yeah? Deep breaths, like this!”

--

It… Had no clue what that was about. Was that a test? Was that meant for Briar? It didn’t move, it didn’t breathe. It knew better. The forger hadn’t told it anything yet. It’d take the correction from the wielder over the forger. Though, it wasn’t even sure if the wielder had been speaking to it and not Briar anyways.

--

Its chest burned though, and it wasn’t too sure why. Not that any of that mattered. It just had to stay still, stay still and not breathe and everything would be fine.

--

Another person was walking over. The main wielder. It had messed up exceedingly well, hadn’t it? And the other person was over here too now, closer to the forger than the wielder. Was that the main forger that had been mentioned? They did have an eye covered, was that a trend of head forgers? It didn’t know, it really didn’t know. Neither the main wielder nor either of the forgers said anything though. So it stayed silent, stayed still, stayed away from eye contact, and kept its breathing nonexistent.

--

“You’re okay, you’re safe. No one here wants to hurt you. Everything will be fine.”

--

The wielder that had tried to trick it into breathing spoke again. And- They had to be talking to Briar. Right? Plus, Briar was reacting, so that had to be what was going on.

--

Wait— Reacting? It wasn’t sure if it could, but it felt like it stiffened more. Briar was reacting, worse, Briar was denying what the wielder had said. And breathing. Briar was breathing, in the presence of a forger, and that wasn’t good. It knew better. Did Briar not know better? It should’ve gone over the rules it knew with them before any of this happened, shouldn’t’ve it? It didn’t want them to get hurt but if they kept this up then it’d lose the chance of making sure it took all the discipline. Well, it didn’t want anything. But it definitely didn’t want that.

--

And then Briar was collapsing and apologizing with a single “Sorry.”

--

It stayed frozen, dark spots collecting in its vision and chest burning. Why had they apologized, and such a terrible one at that? Now it’d have a harder time keeping them safe, convincing those there that it was the only one in need of correction. It had to fix this. This fell on it, it’d messed up. It had caused Briar’s, whatever that had happened to them, so it had to take the blame. It had to fix this. It didn’t know how to fix this. It had to though, it had to.

--

It wasn’t really listening for whatever any of those around it might’ve been saying at the moment, it just had to fix this. Fix this and make sure only it was corrected. And the only way to do that… The only way it could guess to do that… Was shifting just enough to be in front of Briar, and then drop a knee into a kneel, and apologize. It didn’t know if that would work, or if they wanted it to beg or grovel or bow. But this was what it could come up with.

--

So, with little hesitation, it stepped in front of Briar. With even less hesitation, it dropped to a half-kneel, head bowed downwards and leaning that way. It stared at the floor, at the wielders and forgers’ feet. And then, it stayed still. It took a deep breath, mostly to keep the attention on itself, its skin crawling as it did so. If it broke more rules in front of them then they’d correct it, not Briar. But the forgers were right there. It ended up freezing without any breath for a few seconds, it was in so much trouble and it hadn’t even followed through completely. But the forgers were right there. It bit its tongue, and took another breath. Briar was more important. It could handle whatever they did. It could. It had before.

--

Panic clung to it as it continued to force itself to breathe, and even more so as it forced itself to speak, loud enough only for the wielders and forgers and Briar. Mostly because it couldn’t force itself to go any louder with the panic that clung to it. “It apologizes for the behavior of Briar and itself, and it’ll take whatever,” Its voice cracked as it took a breath, it had to do this for Briar, “Correction you find necessary.” It leaned forward more, kept its gaze on the floor below it. “Just don’t correct Briar, they didn’t do anything. It caused this. It messed up, broke. So don’t correct Briar,” And even though the word never worked, it leaned forward more and added, “Please.”

--

And then, as soon as the apology and request had been made, it stopped its breathing and stayed right where it was, listening for whatever would be said. It knew better than to hope that they'd listen, but it still did.

*~*~*~*

Gorōta Sanae Ryuugo | Male | 16 | Demisexual | Ambi | Emotional/Healing - Heal Physical Wounds | Mentions; Everyone(Ind).

--

“Alright, um, try to focus on breathing, yeah? Deep breaths, like this!”

--

Gorōta reached where Mira and Juno were standing, closer to Juno just because if the medkit was needed he figured that he would be better able to help with that. He had also noticed that Horatio was now moving to come over here too. Regardless of that though, neither Briar nor Aries had listened to Mira telling them to breathe. Briar looked incredibly confused, staring and eyes glazed over and— Oh. They were probably dissociating, weren’t they? He tried to think about what all the books he’d read had told him to do. Or what Briar had told him helped them.

--

He did a quick once over of Aries too, who looked even more tense and still wasn’t breathing. This was… Concerning. Out of his depth. Especially since Aries seemed present. He didn’t know what to do there, he wasn’t sure what was going on.

--

And, oh, Horatio was here now. Gorōta tried to focus on what he needed to remember, to figure out so that they could help the two. His memory was failing with the thick tension in the air though, and he’d have to talk if he remembered. He didn’t want to talk. As selfish as it was, he didn’t want to.

--

“You’re okay, you’re safe. No one here wants to hurt you. Everything will be fine.”

--

Aries didn’t react, Briar shook their head. This wasn’t good, especially as Briar took in a sharp breath and collapsed to the ground. Gorōta’s own breath got trapped in his throat, if only for a few seconds. This really wasn’t good. And Aries was even more tense now too. He was really out of his depth here, wasn’t he? He shouldn’t have moved. He was only going to hinder them as they tried to get them back to a stable place.

--

“Sorry.”

--

Oh, and great! Now Briar was apologizing for collapsing and Gorōta still hadn’t done anything. He needed to do something. He had to help but he didn’t know how to and what was the point of reading all those books if he couldn’t help when it mattered? He wasn’t sure if this was his panic or everyone else’s, he felt like it was probably both. So he swallowed it down as best he could, just in time to watch as Aries moved in front of Briar protectively and kneeled. Kneeled in front of them, staring at the ground and still not breathing and this was bad. Only then Aries did breathe, and after a few breaths, he spoke.

--

“It apologizes for the behavior of Briar and itself, and it’ll take whatever correction you find necessary. Just don’t correct Briar, they didn’t do anything. It caused this. It messed up, broke. So don’t correct Briar, please.”

--

The words made Gorōta freeze, made him tense and stare at the kneeling figure of Aries, leaned forward and staring at the ground. And as soon as the words had been spoken, Aries wasn’t breathing again. This was bad. Especially if correction was supposed to mean a punishment of some kind, which it- Which that probably did. That word didn’t sound right at the moment. This wasn’t right, just in general. But he didn’t know what to do, he was so out of his depth right now.

Gwyar ‘Aries’ Ariethous Fraoch | Male | 17 | Demisexual | Ambi | Physical - Weapon Knowledge | Mentions; Everyone(Dir/Ind).

--

Silence stretched on, it didn’t dare move. It didn’t dare breathe or look up or shift at all. It waited, tense and silent for either the main wielder or head forger to speak. Instead, it held back a wince as a hand was placed on its shoulder. It tensed, bracing itself for whatever would happen. But it didn’t dare move or breathe, it knew better. And then it heard Briar speak and it did wince, because it’d just tried to keep them safe and now they wouldn’t be safe.

--

“The creature... wants... protect you... Thanks... you... but... don't hurt... self…”

--

It stiffened, and fought against everything to not look at Briar. To not drop its other leg and beg. It’d already used its chance, it couldn’t reiterate. No matter how much it wanted to, it couldn’t. That would only make things worse for both Briar and itself. It didn’t really process what Briar said in all honesty, only knowing that whatever they’d said would not help.

--

“Creature can't... can't see... needs something... Mirror?... Please?”

--

This time, it could tell that Briar was asking for something. A mirror. This time, it did shift. Not to beg, but it did lean further, trying to silently get them to forgive Briar and understand that this was its fault. It hadn’t told Briar the rules, and hadn't done what it needed to do. It had messed up. Briar just didn’t know, that wasn’t any fault of Briar’s. Only it was to blame. Please.

--

When the main wielder began speaking, it stiffened more, waiting to hear the verdict, the decision, the command. In short, the words weren’t what it’d been bracing for, at all.

--

“Mira, go get a mirror. Gorōta, you and Juno check Briar's wounds and make sure they didn't get a concussion or something when they fell.”

--

Mira must’ve been the wielder that had been speaking to it and Briar before. Gorōta and Juno had to be the forgers. Wasn’t Gorōta the main forger? It stiffened. That wasn’t good. That wasn’t good. The forgers would hurt Briar. Why was Briar getting the worse correction? Hadn’t its apology been enough? It leaned more, trying to will the main wielder to change his mind. Still, it didn’t do anything else. It couldn’t, not if it had any chance of him listening.

--

The main wielder’s shoes came closer into view, walking towards it. It stiffened, tense and braced, keeping its eyes down as the main wielder kne- crouched. Wielders don’t kneel, not to things. Not to items.

--

“Aries, look at me.”

--

It tensed, but immediately did as told. It looked up, keeping its eyes away from the main wielder’s eyes. It wasn’t sure why he’d used that name. But maybe they weren’t going to let it hide behind different names anymore. Maybe they were going to take away that name and twist the letters to where they only hurt it to hear them. It didn’t want that. It didn’t want anything though, it wasn’t able to want.

--

“Briar will be fine, no one will... correct them. It's unnecessary.”

--

It could’ve sighed in relief, could’ve crumpled on the ground right there and then, uncaring of the consequences and correction it would face. Because Briar was safe, and the forgers were close enough to hear that they couldn’t do anything. Couldn’t correct them, only look over them and make sure they were okay. It still didn’t move though, didn’t breathe and didn’t move. It couldn’t. It had helped Briar, now it just had to make sure its own correction didn’t get even worse. The main wielder hadn’t said anything about its correction, after all, and neither had the forgers.

--

“Try to follow my breathing. I need you to calm down if you're able.”

--

The words were confusing, especially with the forgers still so close. But it opened its airways enough to allow some breathing, just a bit. As unnoticeable as possible. The forgers weren’t looking at it, they were busy with Briar, it’d be fine to listen to the main wielder right now. It just had to be discreet. It just had to not allow the panic still trying to claw out of it to show. The main wielder probably just wanted it to breathe so that its correction would be longer lasting. It did tend to lose consciousness rather quickly whenever it didn’t breathe during them, after all. That had to be what was going on. So, it listened.

*~*~*~*

Gorōta Sanae Ryuugo | Male | 16 | Demisexual | Ambi | Emotional/Healing - Heal Physical Wounds | Mentions; Everyone(Ind).

--

Silence stretched. Normally, Gorōta was fine with silence. That silence usually meant that he wasn’t talking. But right now? Right now that silence meant that Briar was collapsed on the ground and Aries was kneeling and not breathing and trying to convince them to not hurt Briar and to hurt him instead. Point being, this silence was bad. Very, very bad. He didn’t like this silence.

--

But then Briar was trying to sit up and reached a hand towards Aries, missing several times before finally landing one on his shoulder. Gorōta winced and braced for a bad reaction from the contact, and yet— Aries only tensed, bracing for something, an injury, Gorōta realized with a start, that wouldn’t ever come. And then Briar spoke.

--

“The creature... wants... protect you... Thanks... you... but... don't hurt... self… Creature can't... can't see... needs something... Mirror?... Please?”

--

And… Well, Gorōta wouldn’t be using the words ‘it’ or ‘creature’ anytime soon. That was for sure. This was way out of his depth. Briar looked terrible, like they’d collapse again at any second. And Aries, he looked about ready to explode with all the tension he held. Either that or beg them to listen to him and not hurt Briar. He stood there, unsure of what to do… Horatio came to the rescue though, which had him sighing in relief silently. Mostly because that meant he wouldn’t have to talk. Probably.

--

“Mira, go get a mirror. Gorōta, you and Juno check Briar's wounds and make sure they didn't get a concussion or something when they fell.”

--

He nodded immediately and stepped forward with Juno, towards Briar, slow enough that he hoped they wouldn’t be frightened by him getting closer. He crouched nearby, and tried to remember what Briar had told him yesterday as he watched Juno with the first aid kit. He shook a bit as he realized he’d have to speak. Briar had mentioned that explaining things helped. That meant talking though. He didn’t want to talk. As selfish as that was, he didn’t want to. He glanced at Juno though, who didn’t know that about Briar, and then remembered the notebook he had on him. The notebook that had that information. So, he offered the notebook to her, hoping beyond hope that she’d understand and he wouldn’t have to talk.