January 10th, ??? / 11:20-11:45

Leroy Hall/Ethan Brimstone/Axel Founte

16/B-/O/A/Male/Trans male/Water/Aura Sensing/Quicker Healing/Both/Pansexual/Gay/Asexual Panromantic

*Major trigger warning: Gore, murder, Stockholm Syndrom, manipulation, and, of course, panic attacks*

Leroy nodded slightly in thanks to Nabih, accepting the washcloth and bowl. He looked up when TJ spoke and cursed quietly.

"They're supposed to check those frequently." He grumbled. "Okay, see if there's any pain medicine. I can't really use any of that. I don't want to risk freaking him out more by putting something... compressing...? On his head. Some cooling ointment would be good."

After this, Leroy turned back to Aries, silently cursing the hotel for not maintaining proper health risk standards, and himself for not checking in on Aries sooner. He should have known something would happen. Gently, he started wiping the blood from Aries's face, muttering apologies as he did so. The wounds weren't shallow.

---

Ethan continued to stare at Aries for a long moment, frozen in horror. The blood was triggering some unpleasant memories, and seeing his friend in so much pain was certainly not something E enjoyed. Without really thinking, the mute turned and trotted out the door of the suit, walking until he was outside of the hotel, and then sliding down the side of the building, shaking slightly and taking in gulps of fresh air, trying to calm himself.

'What the hell am I doing?!' He scolded himself once he got control of his body again. 'Your friend is in there! Your friend! And you just left? You could have helped! You could have! You've been in that situation before, you knew what to do, and you just stood there and stared! They probably all hate you now because of it.'

Ethan bit down on his tongue and pressed his palms to his eyes, trying to push away the tears. Maybe he could have done something, or maybe he couldn't have, but either way, the scene had been horrific. To be fully truthful, E had only seen Aries for a few seconds, after that he'd only seen her.

'Ethan was sitting at the kitchen table of his small house, playing a round of Uno with Charlette, his only real friend except for Val. She was sitting across from him, cradling a mug of tea with one hand and holding her cards with the other. She had that smirk on her face, the one that she always got when she knew she was going to win because she had a trick up her sleeve. Charlette always had a trick or two, it's what she did as a magician. Every game was always in her favor. E always pretended to be mad about it.

Now, her sapphire eyes gleamed as she lay down her second-to-last care, her auburn hair brushing the table lightly as she shifted forward. "Uno!" She called, and Ethan stuck out his tongue at her, knowing full and well that the last card in her hand was a wild, and no matter what he did now he still lost. Huffing, the mute threw down a yellow 2, and Charlette delicately place her last card on top, proving his theory correct. "Sorry, Mi Amor, it looks like you've lost this one." She cooed, and Ethan rolled his eyes and smiled, extending a hand which Charlette shook firmly, nodding. "Always a good sport!" She beamed, that radiant, Charlette smile that no one could ever quite match. Warm and bright, and always filled with amusement, as though she had told a joke that only you could understand.

She was a beautiful girl, really, with eyes that shown like gems and hair that was long and smooth, falling perfectly without her having to try. She was tall and graceful while maintaining curves in just the right places. Her face was always filled with life and light, and it was unusual to see her without some form of a smile.

Now, Charlette stood, opening her arms for an embrace that Ethan provided, and headed to the door, grabbing her bag as she went. She could never stay for long, Val didn't like E to have visitors. "Stay out of trouble while I'm gone, sí? I don't want you hurt, 'kay, not good for the looks." She winked and E grinned, wishing she didn't have to go. He loved Charlette as a sister, and it always broke his heart to see her walk away.

As she headed for the door this time, however, it swung open, emitting a gust of Autumn wind and the smell of alcohol. It seemed Val was home early. Ethan froze as his boyfriend eyed Charlette, who was standing wide-eyed facing him, with growing anger.

"Hola, sir, I was just leaving!" Charlette said quickly, and Val's eyes lit with fiery anger. He pounced on the girl before she could do anything, and she screamed.

Ethan ran forward and grabbed at Val's arm, trying desperately to pull him off his friend as he grabbed her head and started smashing it into the floor while she flailed and cried out. Val slammed his elbow into E's ribcage, knocking him backward and causing him to hit his head on the corner of the coffee table, stunning him.

The next thing he knew, the screaming fell silent and, as the world swam back into focus, Ethan was aware of the blood splattered on the floor, on his shirt, and, dominantly, on Val's hands, all coming from Charlette's head.

His boyfriend was starring at the dead girl with a psychotic smile, eyes bright with a type of cruel satisfaction that the mute had seen only a few times previously. "I said no visitors, Ethan. Don't disobey me."

Tears were suddenly spilling down Ethan's cheeks and he scrambled forward on hands and knees, fighting a wave of dizziness that came over him, and grabbed Charlette's shoulder, shaking her as though that would wake her up. Her face was slack, an expression of horror frozen there, and her eyes were glassy and unseeing. E, who was panicking, grabbed his deceased friend and placed her head in his lap, and pressed two fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse he knew was not there.

A few moments later, Val reappeared in his vision, his expression now one of panicked horror.

"Ethan, oh, Ethan, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to! I wasn't thinking, oh, Ethan! Please, I didn't mean to hurt you, or her. I can't go back to jail, please Ethan! My mind, it's not right, I didn't mean any of it, you have to understand! I can't go back, I can't, I can't! It'll kill me! Please Ethan, please, I'm so very sorry. It wasn't my fault!"

And despite everything, Val's pleas cut through Ethan's crazed mind, it wasn't Val's fault, it was never Val's fault. It was Ethan, he was the one who hadn't listened. He'd been in the wrong, not Val. Val couldn't be blamed. The mute managed a weak nod, and after a while, at Val's command, E found himself walking through the darkened woods, dragging his friend's body with him, and burying it in the night, marking it only with a stone from nearby.

At around midnight, the mute stumbled back to the house, cold, exhausted, and covered in dirt and dried blood, to fall into the manipulatively loving arms of the only person in the world he had left.'

Terrified, Ethan pressed his back into the wall and sobbed, his breaths coming in short gasps. He shouldn't have left home, he should have stayed. Why was he so stupid? Val was going to come. Val was going to come and he was going to kill them. He was going to kill them like he had Charlette, and it would be all Ethan's fault.

---

As Cal spoke, Axel listened silently, his emotions flipping constantly. At one point, Cal grabbed his face, and Axel could have sworn he was going to burst into flames, though he wasn't quite sure why.

And then Cal was standing, laughing nervously. “Gosh, didja hear that? You know, I’ve got a perfect plan! You stay here and uh… do fun stuff with your teddy bear or… think of something fun for us to do when I get back while I go investigate the sounds and grab a wet towel. Ya know. So you don’t overheat and all. Cause… a lot of… people die from overheating. About uh.. 1,300 people annually and… Fuck. Ima just skedaddle now! I’ll be back soon so don’t miss me too much!!”

Axel wanted to reach out, to ask him not to leave him alone again, that it was okay, but before he could even open his mouth, Calvin disappeared through the door, leaving the shy, sickly boy alone again with his thoughts.

---

“You guys are thinking about this in the wrong way, You’re thinking of Aries who is calm and not stressed. This Aries right now is probably not thinking straight and sees you all as threats. I mean- there are three of you and one of him, he’s backed against the wall, and you all are standing which could make you more prone to attacking. It’s street dog mentality and shit. I know I have from time to time done something similar to this… Now, I could be wrong as hell, but he looks like he needs us to back off a minute."

Leroy looked up when Cal spoke, frustration rising in his chest.

"I'm fully aware of the situation, Cal." He stated, keeping his voice low. "And yes, he needs space, but he also needs medical attention. I intend to fix up his head before letting him go off and bleed to death." The words came out harsher than Leroy meant them to, but the stress of this whole situation was getting to him and now Cal was trying to tell him how to help. Plus, Ethan had just run off. That was never good.

“Hey, Ethan? Or anyone else I guess… But uh.. Can you go get Axel’s teddy bear? Aries definitely liked that! You’re safe buds! Come have a seat here, will ya?”

Leroy bit his tongue and continued cleaning Aries's wounds. "The bear could help." He consented. "But getting Aries to move, definitely won't. Kindly let me finish medically first, then you can take the emotional job if you like. God, someone go find Ethan, please. He doesn't do well with blood."

January 10th, ????

G.A.F. 'KhorneAriethous'/N.R.V. | 16/17 | AB/B+ | Male | Pain Adren/High Intel | Both | C Demi(HML)/Pan | Mentions; The Others(Ind. & Dir.)

Figure one came back, and all three figures were around it then, and all it could think about was how they were going to put it in The Box. Figure two’s hand went towards its face and it jerked back, into the wall, it wanted to jerk away but the hand and suddenly, it’s face was being wiped at. It didn’t flinch from the pain, it had learned long ago that if they were actually helping, then flinching would only get it into The Box sooner.

--

Nabih glanced around the room and, deciding that he didn’t know what to do still, left the hallway. Passing Cal as he left, he was sure he was about to hear some sort of spiel about what was happening. After all, Cal and Aries were close. It would only be natural. So, he went into the kitchen, grabbed one of the few water bottles they all had brought, opened it, and waited in the kitchen for the spiel.

--

Another figure came into view, with figure three leaving the area. Figure four looked around, and if it had to guess- Figure three had just told them of the situation and now it was going to be taken to The Box and it would be trapped. It wondered, absently, how long it would be put there. A day? A week? Months? Did how long even matter, when it wouldn’t even know until after it was out? Figure four sat down though, so it wasn’t sure what was going to happen.

--

“You guys are thinking about this in the wrong way. You’re thinking of Aries who is calm and not stressed. This Aries right now is probably not thinking straight and sees you all as threats. I mean there are three of you and one of him, he’s backed against the wall, and you all are standing which could make you more prone to attacking. It’s street dog mentality and shit. I know I have from time to time done something similar to this… Now, I could be wrong as hell, but he looks like he needs us to back off a minute.”

--

Nabih thought for a second, thinking. Then, before he could say anything, Leroy was speaking.

--

“I'm fully aware of the situation, Cal. And yes, he needs space, but he also needs medical attention. I intend to fix up his head before letting him go off and bleed to death.”

--

“Hey, Ethan? Or anyone else I guess… But uh.. Can you go get Axel’s teddy bear? Aries definitely liked that!”

--

“The bear could help. But getting Aries to move, definitely won't. Kindly let me finish medically first, then you can take the emotional job if you like. God, someone go find Ethan, please. He doesn't do well with blood.”

--

Nabih watched as the scene played and then sighed, nodding to himself before looking at Tyler. “TJ, can you go and find Ethan? He likes you most. I’ll go grab the bear from Axel, unless Cal wants to. Otherwise, Cal, Leroy- Please don’t murder one another.”

--

And with that, Nabih put the water bottle on the counter and made his way to Cal and Axel’s room. Inside, he found Axel on the floor, sitting down. The sickly boy seemed as though he’d just had a mental breakdown, one concerning his depression if the bandages on his arms were anything to go by. Cal had come from in here though, so it had probably been dealt with already.

--

Voices filtered in and out of its head, it not being able to truly hear any of them fully. But figure two had just spoken and was still wiping at its face. Black spots danced in its vision, and when they cleared, figure two was cleaning one of the deeper wounds. It flinched, despite itself. And then it jerked away, because it had flinched. They were going to stop now, they were going to just put it in The Box and leave it. It would be there longer. It didn’t want to be in The Box.

--

“You’re..! Come…here, will…?”

--

Figure four was patting the ground next to them, looking right at it. And even though it couldn’t hear everything the voice said. It made out enough to understand that they wanted it to go over to them. That they were probably going to put it in The Box now. It backed up against the wall as much as possible, even though it knew that that would just result in a longer time in The Box. But figure four kept looking at it and it caved. It pushed figure two away, and forced itself into standing up. It had to show as much strength as possible, that would make it have less time in The Box.

--

It forced its legs into moving, getting over to figure four and sitting down next to them. Waiting. It forced itself not to shake, not to look them in the eye. It didn’t want more time, it really didn’t. It didn’t want to go into The Box at all, but it doubted it would get a say. It never got a say.

--

Regardless, Nabih moved further into the room, closing the door softly behind him. “Axel? I have half the mind to ask if you’re okay. Aries is out in the hallway being, er… Treated. At the moment. So I understand if you don’t want to come out.”

January 10th

================================================

Tyler 'TJ' Jacobson/16/O+/Spotted Hyena/Mono/Bisexual/Mentions: General, EVENT

================================================

"There's, uh, some mint essential oils?" He squinted at the label on the tiny bottle. It was a dark brown glass, covered in grey dust from being buried at the bottom of the box. "That would feel cold, if it's still good. There's also some over-the-counter acetaminophene. But it's pretty old, too. Seven years out of date." He rooted around in the box a little more until Nabih pointed out Ethan's exit. So it had been E that had passed behind him? Tyler upended the box in front of him, the meager contents piling on the ground. He quickly raked a hand through the assorted bandage and wipe packets, spreading them out enough to see most of what there was, then rolled to his feet through the still-open doorway.

~

It would be bad for him to jump down the stairs. It would be very bad if he were to swing himself over the railings and stagger-hop down the flights of stairs. He should not do that. Tyler should walk, calmly, down the stairs and not take them four at a time like he currently was. His grip on the banister lets him swing his body around at the ground level so he barely has to correct his path through the lobby. Distantly, Tyler can hear the too-busy receptionist shout in surprise at his blurred figure before he's pushed his way out of the metal-and-wood front doors and onto the streets. Tyler stops, for a second, trying to figure out where Ethan might have gone. If the ground was dirt, he probably wouldn't have had any problem figuring out the direction E might have gone in. However, cracked concrete was not the most conductive to holding tracks. In his moment of stillness, as the door behind him shuts with a heavy wheeze, Tyler can barely make out panicked gasping.

~

There. Ethan was panting with his back against the brick, a little ways off from the sidewalk. Thankfully, there didn't look to be anyone around. At least, not in immediate sight. Tyler crouched on the balls of his feet about a yard in front of Ethan, head tilted as he considered what to do. He wasn't physically hurt, and it didn't seem to be a person who'd caused this, so Tyler couldn't drop a severed limb at Ethan's feet to prove his safety. Apparently that made humans feel unsafe. Weirdos. And, as Aries had so succinctly demonstrated not ten minutes ago, Ethan probably didn't see him as pack, so picking him up would cause more panic than it would relieve. So...

~

"Hush, quiet. Calm, no threats. Safe for now. None to attack, one to defend. No predators, safe, rest. This one watches. Nest is near, safe place. Have many, large flock. Follow?" He trilled in bird. Birdspeak was supposed to relax humans, right? Just in case, Tyler made sure to soften the shriller, sharper notes. Some people had sensitive hearing, and all that. He kept up the chatter, cajoling and reassuring Ethan in a variety of dialects ranging from Alaskan Albatross to Mexican Jay.

January 10th, ??? / 11:20-11:45

Leroy Hall/Ethan Brimstone/Axel Founte

16/B-/O/A/Male/Trans male/Water/Aura Sensing/Quicker Healing/Both/Pansexual/Gay/Asexual Panromantic

Ethan continued shaking violently, trying to push away thoughts of past pain and regret. Then, out of nowhere, bird noises started up right in front of him. Well... sort of. By the simple tone and oddity of it, E knew it was TJ, there was no one else who would (or could) do such a thing that he knew of, and there was no way it was an actual bird.

He forced himself to take deeper breaths and looked up with teary eyes when he'd managed to get an ounce of control back. It was, as suspected, Tyler. The guy was crouched in front of him making odd but somehow soothing bird noses... literally. TJ saw a crying human he cared about and came to the conclusion that the best solution was to mimic animals with wings. Ethan didn't doubt other obscure thoughts had crossed through his friend's mind as well, and just the simple thought of it temporarily pushed away the panic in his chest and made him smile. It was just so weird, and yet it worked, obviously, and E honestly adored it.

Without really thinking, Ethan pushed himself off the wall and hugged TJ, causing them both to sway for a moment. This was the fastest he'd ever been able to calm down and it was because of fucking bird noises! What the hell?! It made him chuckle. I mean, come on, really?

---

"There's, uh, some mint essential oils? That would feel cold, if it's still good. There's also some over-the-counter acetaminophen. But it's pretty old, too. Seven years out of date."

Leroy huffed in frustration, shooting another quick glare at Cal as Aries forced himself up and across the floor. "Okay, yeah, whatever. That'll have to work for now then. Cal, just, like make sure Aries doesn't bleed to death, okay? I'm going to bed since I'm obviously useless out here anyway." Despite his annoyed tone, Leroy kept his voice quiet as he spoke so he didn't hurt Aries more. Then, he stood and walked swiftly to the room he and Nabih shared, closing the door behind him.

"Damn it." He growled, his annoyance changing to pain, regret, and worry. "Why can't I do anything? I can't help anyone." He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. His head was swimming with images of his dead brother and of Aries when he'd first stumbled in, covered in blood. He placed his head in his hands and took deep breaths, pressing his palms hard against his eyes. He really was useless. His only job was to take care of the others and he was failing.

If he'd gotten back sooner then maybe he could've stopped Aries, and maybe if he'd been there to help Cal he wouldn't have been on the roof in the first place. What if Ethan was hurt? And Tyler? They'd just run outside and Leroy had let them, repeating his first mistake. Ethan had probably been panicking, who knew what Val had done to him that Aries's blood may have triggered? And why had he trusted TJ to go after him? The guy was close to E, so he'd probably be the best comfort, but for all Leroy knew he may come back with several dead bodies and a stolen dog.

And Axel had been in his room practically since they'd arrived at the hotel, and with his depression... Oh. Oh god. Cal had gone in there when they got back, so Axel was probably fine, and Nabih was in there now, but what if... What if he'd hurt himself again? Leroy probably could have stopped that too and he didn't.

And Nabih... The guy had to be stressed out too, though he'd never admit it. Leroy hadn't checked in on him throughout the whole thing. What if he was hurting too?

"Shit, I really am a terrible person." Leroy hissed, pressing his palms harder against his eyes. "And an absolute fool."

---

“Axel? I have half the mind to ask if you’re okay. Aries is out in the hallway being, er… Treated. At the moment. So I understand if you don’t want to come out.”

Axel looked up again when Nabih spoke, blinking in surprise and worry.

"W-What? What happened to A-Aries? Is he o-okay? Oh! I bet he c-could use my bear, h-here, I can give it t-to him! It's okay, j-just give me a sec." He pulled his sweatshirt sleeves back down, ignoring the sting of pain as the fabric brushed his wound. "W-Where is he? In t-the hall? Okay, t-thanks, Nabih!" He said, his pain seeming to disappear as others' needs arose. He'd always found it easier to help others than to help himself.

Axel hurried into the hall, quickly locating Cal and Aries. He frowned in worry when he saw Aries's head, but quickly put his smile back.

"A-Aries! Look, I got you m-my bear!" He said, his voice soft and happy, repressing the worry and pain he was feeling. He knelt in front of Aries and extended the stuffed animal to his friend. "I-It's okay, you c-can take him! You can k-keep him as long as y-you like!"

Cal ‘Collie’ Thi Lê | 16 | AB- | Male | Visions | Both | Questioning | M: Everyone(Dir)

Cal was trying not to show it, but he was really happy to have Aries come sit by him, especially after Leroy had just gotten mad at him. Again. Honestly, Leroy was one of the few guys Cal was so confused by. One minute he seems so concerned and almost nervous, but the next moment, he seemed to be mad at Cal again. I mean, Cal wasn’t good with emotions himself, but it got pretty damn confusing for Cal.

Either way, Aries actually sat by him. That was… It was nice. Nice to know he could actually help. Cal’s smile was beaming. God, he was so happy to know he could help Leroy. Now that Aries was sitting down and calming down, it would be easier for Leroy to help Aries. Cal wasn’t good at medical stuff and, seeing how stressed Aries was, gave him this surprisingly brilliant idea, for one of Cal’s plans at least, to help Leroy by calming Aries. Perfect plan! Cal looked to Leroy with his confident and excited smile and-

Aaaaaand he’s leaving. Shit.

“Wait, Leroy, where are you-” Cal’s shoulders slumped as he looked back from Aries to Leroy with wide eyes and a slight panic. “I am not good at this! I need someone who actually knows this- this- this medical shit! I need-” Too late. Leroy was already gone. And just when Cal thought the two of them were bonding. Cal had also just now noticed that Ethan had disappeared and Nabih had vanished, leaving only Cal and Aries. Cal bit his lip and sighed over dramatically. “Looks like it is just you and me, Aries… Ari. Ariego man.” Cal paused before chuckling to himself. “Yeah, I need to figure out better nicknames…” Cal sighed before looking over to his friend after taking off his cap and ruffling his hair. Cal studied his features for a moment with concern displayed in his eyes. “So… uh Aries? What’s been going on with you today? You’re startin’ to get me worried if I’m honest! First the train station… and now this?” Cal laughed sadly as he looked away and to his hat for comfort. “I mean, yer head looks like a bloody pulp! You know I’m here to talk to if ya need someone… right?”

Cal got startled as he heard someone approaching, quickly putting his hat back on, as if his fluffy dark hair was a special small secret. Relaxing it was just Axel, Cal relaxed a bit and put on a smile. Axel had just been through a lot and maybe helping Aries would calm him. Axel would be calmed, Aries would be bandaged, and Cal wouldn’t have to deal with the stress of worrying about the both of them. Three birds with one stone.

Or three birds with one medic kit? Since Axel is fixing him up and stuff… Whatever, doesn’t really matter.

“Axel, thank God!” Cal said with a content sigh as he perked up a bit at Axel. “I thought I’d actually have to be smart and play nurse with Aries here! And the bear should be super helpful. I can only be so good at keeping people semi-stable…” Cal chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Seriously though, uhhh… thanks for coming over. I really need the help. Your help.” Cal’s smile faded as he paused before looking around. Cal opened his mouth before shutting it before quickly opening it again. “Uhhh… you don’t happen to know where- Ugh sorry. Nevermind. Of course you wouldn’t know… You were in our room so how would you know?” George huffed and folded his arms. “Man, everyone just- poof!- disappears! Constantly! It makes me wonder how we all made it off the train without losing someone who went off somewhere…

“I just got… the best solution for that!” George said excitedly after a moment of silent thought before he began his ramble. “Okay uhh… Well maybe I could just… Maybe it’d be best to…” Cal nodded excitedly to himself as his eyes began to shimmer with an excitable mischief that he was known for. Cal covered Aries’s ear gently before looking to Axel. “You might want to cover your ears because I am going to be loud!” Cal took a deep breath and shouted for everyone in the group to hear. And probably several of their neighbors as well, but that doesn’t matter. “Yo everyone! Get your asses over her for some motherfucking cuddle time!!”

Cal was a little confused by how everyone, himself included, could be so depressed and nervous despite the fact that they had a shot at a new life. Cal was going to try to make the best of this situation. He wasn’t going to let anything bad happen. Despite the fact that every time he moved from one place to another, shit got worse, Cal was hoping for something good to come out of this. How would it even be possible for things to get worse than rock bottom?

January 10th, ????

G.A.F. 'KhorneAriethous'/N.R.V. | 16/17 | AB/B+ | Male | Pain Adren/High Intel | Both | C Demi(HML)/Pan | Mentions; The Others(Ind. & Dir.)

Figure four kept looking at it, and their mouth kept moving too. But it couldn’t tell what was going on or what was being said, the black spots seemed to be getting worse. It wanted to sleep, but it distinctly remembered the last time it had slept before being put into The Box. And that was motivation enough to stay awake. Which left it staring at the ground, tense and waiting for figure four to take it to, well, to The Box.

--

“W-What? What happened to A-Aries? Is he o-okay? Oh! I bet he c-could use my bear, h-here, I can give it t-to him! It's okay, j-just give me a sec. W-Where is he? In t-the hall? Okay, t-thanks, Nabih!”

--

Nabih watched the boy rush around and leave before he could even say anything. He stood there, staring after Axel for a moment before blinking a few times. And then he thought, thought about how he should go to the kitchen and…

--

And he forced his train of thought to end there. He didn’t want to know where it led, especially if it went to where he thought it would. And chances were that it would. Because it was Nabih. Nabih, who was named after his father and couldn’t stop himself from becoming just like him and- And he shut that down too.

--

He should just go to his room. Go to his room and stay out of the way, make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else like he did Ethan on the train. So, with that decided, he left Axel and Cal’s room and entered his own. Just to see Leroy sitting on the bed and trying not to cry by pressing his palms into his eyes.

--

It startled when a loud voice managed to worm into its clouded mind, “Axel, thank God!”

--

And then it realized that someone else had entered the area, kneeling in front of it and hands extended, holding something, and how did they get so close? It forced itself not to flinch, not to jerk back and away. “A-Aries! Look…bear! I-It's okay…take him!…k-keep him…y-you like!”

--

The thing figure five was holding was pushed into its hands and it flinched. Flinched and stared at the figure, before looking down at the object and back up. Why it had been given something this soft, it didn’t know. It couldn’t do anything with the blob, nothing the figures would like, most certainly.

--

Nabih closed the door behind him quietly, and then walked over to Leroy, sitting next to him on the bed. When he spoke, his voice was steady and genuine. “I’m assuming you don’t want to talk about whatever is bothering you, but if you do, go ahead. If I’m right though, and you don’t, then we can just talk about something unrelated to what’s going on right now.”

--

It continued to stare at the blob, the black spots blocking the brown for longer amounts of time each time they came. It’s hearing also kept fading in and out, and it really wanted to sleep. But it didn’t want extra time in The Box, it didn’t. It really didn’t. A loud voice yelled as a hand covered one of its ears though. “Yo everyone! Get your asses over her for some motherfucking cuddle time!!”

--

It flinched, jumped, something akin to tears coming up to the corner of its eyes, and jerked back then though, no amount of tensing and holding back could’ve stopped that. It’s eyes went up, and it’s hands were immediately trying to push itself up. Trying to push itself away. Dizziness hit it though, and the black spots swam, and for a second everything was black and it was so tired. So it did the only thing it could think of that the figures would enjoy, that may result in less time from all of the added time it must’ve just gotten added. It reeled its head forward, away from the wall behind it, and then rammed it backwards at full force.

January 10th, ??? / 11:20-11:45

Leroy Hall/Ethan Brimstone/Axel Founte

16/B-/O/A/Male/Trans male/Water/Aura Sensing/Quicker Healing/Both/Pansexual/Gay/Asexual Panromantic

Axel smiled happily when Aries seemed to accept the bear. He looked calmer too, though only for a moment before Cal shouted.

“Yo, everyone! Get your asses over here for some motherfucking cuddle time!!”

Of course, that set Aries off again... wonderful.

Axel took a breath. "H-hey, Cal? I don't t-think Aries likes too m-much noise, so maybe t-try to be quieter? D-don't get me w-wrong, I'd love c-cuddle time, but it d-doesn't really strike me as an A-Aries thing, you know?" He smiled again and then flinched when Aries rammed his head into the wall with a bang.

"O-oh! Aries! Don't d-do that! You're hurting yourself m-more!"

He exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing Aries shoulder to keep him from doing so again. Axel grabbed the bear with his other hand and quickly placed it against Aries's hand, making sure he felt the soft fur. An idea sprung into his mind and he jumped to his feet, pressing the bear to Aries's chest and darting out of the hall, returning a moment later with a fuzzy blanket.

"I-I saw this e-earlier, maybe it can help." He said, hurrying back over and draping the blanket over Aries, leaving his head exposed. The blanket was light and fluffy, made of light blue material, if Aries wanted he could easily throw it off, which was something Axel made sure of. He didn't want it to feel confining. "T-there, how does that f-feel?" The sickly boy questioned, then looked to Cal. "I think t-the fuzz looks great o-on him, what do you think?" He joked, trying to make sure Cal didn't feel too bad about what had just happened.

He really just wanted to make everyone happy.

---

Leroy flinched in surprise when Nabih sat by him and was about to snap at him when he spoke.

“I’m assuming you don’t want to talk about whatever is bothering you, but if you do, go ahead. If I’m right though, and you don’t, then we can just talk about something unrelated to what’s going on right now.”

Leroy paused, lowering his hands and hesitating. He noticed, with a hint of affection, that Nabih was still wearing his jacket. Maybe, Leroy thought, he could talk to him. He was already keeping a secret for Nabih, so Nabih wouldn't have any reason to tell the others anyway. Besides, it might be nice to finally talk to somebody, it had been years since he openly discussed his emotions... On the other hand, Nabih might think of him as weak, and that was the last thing Leroy wanted, especially with Nabih. Still, what if...?

"I... It's really not a big deal." Leroy grumbled. "I just feel like I'm letting everyone down, you know? I mean, Aries is injured, Ethan's probably having a panic attack while birdman commits arson, and Axel probably already hurt himself too. Eva had a mental breakdown already, and I haven't even asked how you've been! I mean, are you okay? I'm trying to protect everyone and failing, and I can't keep up. I just- I feel useless. The one thing I'm good for is keeping everyone else safe, and if I can't do that... Well, if I can't do that I'm worth nothing at all, right?" It all came spilling out before Leroy could stop it, and once he started he couldn't stop. All of the pent-up emotion came pouring out, and the large male was suddenly very small, his normally strong voice shaking with pain and grief, his hands clenched in his lap. "I'm so fucking scared, Nabih. I try to hide and fight it, I really do, but I'm so scared of losing one of you. You're all I have left, and if I can't protect you I don't know what I can do. I'm not prepared to lose someone else, I still see my dead brother in my dreams, and, for a second, I saw him in Aries. I'm so terrified. What if something does happen? What if I could have stopped it but didn't? What if I'm just not good enough?" He shook his head, tears staining his cheeks. "I don't know what to do, Nabih."

After a moment, Leroy realized exactly what he'd just said, the fact that he'd just admitted to his brother's death. His deepest (or one of) secret was revealed. He closed his eyes. He couldn't take it back now, he'd just have to trust that Nabih wouldn't tell, and God, that was a lot more trust than Leroy was used to.

---

"Mmm. You better? Wanna stay here, or go back?"

Taking a deep breath, Ethan shrugged and pulled away slightly, jumping when a new voice called them gay, resulting in Tyler hissing and, quite literally, pulling out a knife. E quickly grabbed TJ's arm, shaking his head warningly.

Yeah... They better go back inside. He like Tyler a lot, but from his experience, his friend was very prone to animal activity and, in some cases, murder.

A great cuddle buddy, yes, not a great buddy to bring to the mall.

Like, at all.

The mute pointed towards the door and smiled charmingly, mostly just hoping to destract Tyler from murder. That, Ethan thought, was a great goal to have, but also a possibly unachievable one.

Cal ‘Collie’ Thi Lê | 16 | AB- | Male | Visions | Both | Questioning | M: Aries(Dir), Axel(Dir), + Everyone(Ind)

There goes my wishful thinkin’, Cal thought to himself as he was just about ready to shoot himself without a second thought. Man, it was nice while it lasted. Ah well, there goes my last sense of hope in the pits of crippling depression.

“Okay right, no noise…,” Cal mumbled with a small nod. So great. One of his main qualities, being loud as fuck, was now scaring Aries. It happened too fast. Cal was trying to be helpful and then Aries started banging his head against the wall like he was trying to break the wall or his skull. Either way, not a good look. Cal talked softly to Axel as Axel grabbed Aries. “Umm… this definitely isn’t normal right? I’m not going crazy am I?” Cal looked worriedly between the two as if looking for an answer. “This isn’t the first time today he’s been all-” Hurting himself? Very edgy? What way could Cal even phrase this without making Aries upset that he’d told someone about their top-secret, friendship talking but still help Axel understand the situation? Cal just bit his lip as he averted his eyes. “This isn’t the first time he’s gone all-” Cal did his best Aries impression- “‘I don’t care about my well-being for some reason and I will freak the flying fuck out of Cal!’ Not that he’d admit the first thing out loud ever… I mean, this is Aries. He talks just about as much as Ethan, and…” Cal threw his hands up in the air with a huff. “And yeah! You get what I mean…, right?”

Fuck, I screwed up… Cal’s mind whispered throughout his head. That little nagging thought wasn’t wrong either. He had messed up, but Cal’s worry over came that for him. Cal flipped the collar of his jacket up, content with hiding in its folds as he bit at his nails anxiously, a nervous habit he’d never been able to get rid of. Cal sank down into the wall as he swam in his thoughts. Why had he started acting like this to begin with? Closing his eyes, Cal thought and thought hard, his pinball-machine mind finally freezing and locking on the target of Aries himself. When Cal got to the alley way, he could smell smoke, a stench Cal was all to familiar with. No one else in the group smoked except for Aries, but even still, Aries rarely smoked in front of the others. Something must have caused him to smoke because, as Cal put it at least, Aries would never smoke in front of Axel.

The more Cal thought about it, the more random things popped into his head. Like how Aries smelled suspiciously like he’d been smoking recently. Aries had been mostly fine when they had gotten to the hotel so something must have happened between now and then. It wouldn’t be terrible to assume that Aries went out for a smoke, but the fact that he came back all bloody struck him as odd. Cal glanced back to his friend before noticing something on his arm. Something Cal was all too familiar with. A small circle burn scar, left behind by a Marlboro brand of cigarettes. Cal had to put his hand to his mouth to physically stop himself from gagging. Cal probably had hundreds of them on his upper arms and shoulders, but it didn’t make it easier to see the sight on his friend. The spot he was burned felt specific. Like, it was an unusual spot for someone to put out a cigarette. The lighter side of the forearm was not practical for inducing pain or for placing it to begin with if some stranger walked by and decided to do this. Just from the odd placement of the cigarette on his arm… could Aries have done this himself? It was just a hypothesis, but it still left him with one question: Why? Did someone force him to burn himself before beating him up? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Well there had do be an explanation! Deep down, Cal realized what had happened, but was too nervous to even think it.

“I think he did this to himself,” Cal whispered softly, ignoring the question about the blanket entirely as he remained fixated on this, while he curled up into a tight ball and hugged himself close. Cal’s head tilted forward and he hid his face away in his knees. “I mean… I still can’t figure out why he’d do this and I don’t have any concrete proof… Jesus, Axel, it’s crazy, but it’s got to be the truth! The burn it- you saw it too, right?- feels too helluva personal to just be some random guy… It wouldn’t make sense unless someone he knew popped up outta the blue! What the hell could have been goin’ through his mind to do that? It doesn’t make a damn lick of sense… Somethin’ had to have happened to make him do this, but-” Cal’s hands balled into fists before he let out a sigh. “I’m just worried that something helluva shitty happened and he felt the need to do all of this because of it…

“Sorry for not answering your question though,” Cal mumbled turning his head to face Aries and Axel again as he still rested the side of his head on his knees. Cal showed off his award-winning grin as he gave a faint chuckle, seeming as though he completely flipped a switch in his brain. “I think it looks great on him! It really goes good with his eyes!~” Cal chuckled to himself as he unraveled from the ball he had made of himself. Leaning back against the wall, continued to smile to himself.

“Just think for a second, Axel… We’re fucking free now… I don’t get why everyone is so sad right now.” Cal starting laughing hysterically. “We’re fucking free from that shithole! I wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone had been partying their asses off!” At this point, it seemed like Cal was just trying to distract himself or keep a conversation going without having there be an awkward silence following it. Cal did have to admit that saying that they were free was an exhilarating feeling, leaving him licking his lips as if that’d make the words last longer. “God, we’re free, Axel… I’m finally fucking free.” Cal gave a short pause to chuckle and shake his head. “Why can’t we just celebrate this?”

January 10th, ????

G.A.F. 'KhorneAriethous'/N.R.V. | 16/17 | AB/B+ | Male | Pain Adren/High Intel | Both | C Demi(HML)/Pan | Mentions; The Others(Ind. & Dir.)

“I... It's really not a big deal. I just feel like I'm letting everyone down, you know? I mean, Aries is injured, Ethan's probably having a panic attack while birdman commits arson, and Axel probably already hurt himself too. Eva had a mental breakdown already, and I haven't even asked how you've been! I mean, are you okay? I'm trying to protect everyone and failing, and I can't keep up. I just- I feel useless. The one thing I'm good for is keeping everyone else safe, and if I can't do that... Well, if I can't do that I'm worth nothing at all, right? I'm so fucking scared, Nabih. I try to hide and fight it, I really do, but I'm so scared of losing one of you. You're all I have left, and if I can't protect you I don't know what I can do. I'm not prepared to lose someone else, I still see my dead brother in my dreams, and, for a second, I saw him in Aries. I'm so terrified. What if something does happen? What if I could have stopped it but didn't? What if I'm just not good enough? I don't know what to do, Nabih.”

--

Okay, so maybe Nabih wasn’t expecting Leroy to actually want to talk about it, but that was in the past. Now, Nabih had to help. And ignore the part of his brain that spoke of his friend's pain as if it were just a way to redeem himself from earlier. It wasn’t. This wasn’t about redeeming himself, this was about helping his friend just because they needed help.

--

“Before you begin anything else. Let me clear some things up for you.” Nabih took in a breath and then started, “Eva did have one, but she’ll be alright, it was a small one. I’ve seen her at worse. Ethan most likely did have a panic attack, but put some trust into Tyler. I’m the one that sent him, and I did that because while TJ is prone to arson, he’s still protective and loyal to friends. Axel was comforted by Cal when you both returned, and is now helping Aries, I think that’s proof enough that he’ll be fine. At least for now. As for Aries, all we know is that he left for a walk and then came back injured. We don’t know the extent of the injuries yet, we don’t know what happened. And we had no way to know that it would happen. Out of everyone, Aries told us the least about himself. Even compared to you, Leroy. We had no way of knowing.”

--

Nabih paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts for the next point. “Next, you are not only here to protect us, and you’re not worthless if you’re unable to do so. You’re here be side you’re our friend, Leroy, and your job is just to stay safe and be here for us when or if we need you. If that. But not even that much is necessary, you just have to care. Anything else is just a bonus. As for not knowing what to do, you don’t need to know what to do. Everyone will be fine, I’ll make sure of it. Lastly, I don’t know what happened with your brother, but I'm sure that whatever happened won’t happen to Aries. And I’m sure that you are good enough. At least for me.”

--

It saw black for a few seconds, and it saw light blue. It felt a fluffy, light material covering it too. It sat there for a moment, more than a little confused. This had never happened before, but that just meant that this was a trap. To make it feel comfortable and trust the figures before getting taken to The Box. Right? So it waited, tense for when they would take it to the place it hated most.

--

As it waited though, the object covering it seemed to get heavier and heavier, more confining. But it had already messed up too much, throwing the covering off now would only result in more time. It didn’t want more time. But the covering was starting to get suffocatingly heavy. It gripped the softness in its hands tighter, hoping the figures didn’t notice its uneasiness.

--

Time passed, it assumed the figures were speaking to one another too quiet for it to hear. Or it’s hearing was just fading too much for it to hear them. Either way, panic was slowly climbing up its spine. It felt like it couldn’t breathe with the covering, like it was suffocating. Shaking ever so slightly and gripping the soft object in its hands as tight as possible. Despite everything though, it stayed as still as it possibly could.