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Darkseeker
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His eyebrows pushed together as he listened to Xevon, if he had known why had he not said anything to him before? Had he done it out of concern for Callisto's reaction or something else? He had to push the thoughts away, it wasn't something he wanted to think about. "Your family sent you there?" He questioned the obvious, bringing his eyes to rest on his own hands. "I am sorry you had to become involved in it at all. Nobody should have endured that place." Callisto narrowed his eyes, flexing his hands slightly. "That cruel creature should have withered and died centuries ago." There was a small growl to his words, barely noticeable at the back of his throat. It took him a moment, but eventually Callisto tilted his head to look up at Xevon. "Did I do the wrong thing by coming back for you?" He broke his silence with another soft question, hesitant. He wasn't sure if Xevon would appreciate the life he could have now after all that had happened to him. Perhaps he would have been happier letting himself fall victim to the lantern eventually.
He forced himself not to think about the image that flashed in his mind of when he first found Xevon and Veles. Callisto was just as touch starved as the man beside him, could he really have said he would not have done the same as Xevon if he were in his shoes? He knew Veles well. He could be very convincing. |
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Lightbringer
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Xevon shook his head lightly before shrugging. “Vincent was staying in a tiny apartment with his wife,” he replied loosely. It wasn’t really his fault that he had believed him. “To be fair, the hotel was just another tourist hub at that point. I didn’t really notice anything different,” he murmured quietly. “Some guy--the hotel manager, Mister V--came up and mentioned how I looked, uh, tired. Offered to upgrade my room and add a few bottles of Champagne. I shouldn’t have done it but I did. Gramps always warned me about drinking,” he let out a dry sigh, letting the silence draw on. It had been a rough few weeks leading up to that point. The cheating, the squadron, the other poor young woman... everything. It had been a long, long few weeks. He had forgotten about it, largely, since it wasn’t very pertinent information in the hotel with Veles. But the next question had him hesitating. Did he do the wrong thing? Not at all, he would’ve done the same. But he... had to question what had happened and... knew full well what he had done. While he had no memory of the incident, he knew now. “No,” Xevon murmured quietly, “but I wasn’t expecting you to come back so soon... or at all. I--” his voice broke off, unwilling to let himself say it out loud. No, he couldn’t admit it. “I wasn’t prepared,” the man finally said, briefly. “There were two others that came in and he took them too. But it didn’t matter anyways, that lantern wasn’t taking me anytime soon. I tried. I got so angry, so frustrated, that I tried to shove myself into that lantern. She said no.” |
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Darkseeker
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Callisto forced himself to keep looking up at Xevon, making sure he didn't let any rogue emotions sweep over his expression. He hadn't spoken about his family before, the mere mention of the them was something to be honoured by. Xevon never talked about himself, even though he held all of his memories. "I could not leave you there." He steadied his voice to ensure he didn't let it tremble. "It is selfish..but I wanted you back. I am glad she did not take you away." And damn it, his voice wavered the slightly bit towards the end. Callisto turned his head away to avoid any teasing comment that might be coming next. "I thought I had lost you."
"You deserve more than this." He gestured to himself and the ruins they sat in, scrunching his nose up is distaste. "Far more. I thought that if we managed to get you out, you could enjoy life. A fresh start away from the cult.." Callisto began to trail off, once again realising he was rambling. Devon was usually the one to chatter away while Callisto stood by like a stubborn mule, but it was incredibly hard to shut his mouth up. Perhaps he was going to receive a so called reprimand from Xevon in a moment, that he was jabbering too much and he needed to sleep. Either way he was simply grateful that it wasn't a half faded ghost next to him but a solid living version. |
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Lightbringer
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Xevon let out a short noise. At the least, Callisto was brave though he had his doubts he would’ve made it far without the living helping him. And that woman. Something about her was... powerful. Much to his own chagrin. There was something she knew that others didn’t. “More than this?” Xevon echoed dryly before shaking his head, unable to really think before he spoke. The swell of emotion at thinking that he, of all people, deserved more than this was strong. It was full of distaste and disgust at himself. “this is more than I deserve,” he finally stated, his head shaking back and forth. He had killed a woman in anguish, she had no clue who he was. He had ... blown the foot off of a man out of sheer spite. There were countless times he had attacked Veles solely because he wanted to and nothing else. The man shook his head, turning his head to the woman by the doorway. She wasn’t looking back but he could tell she knew they were awake still. “You’ll want to get to sleep,” he finally said, dropping the subject. “We all will, but you more than others. You were injured gravely, I know you need to rest.” His eyes turned back to the woman, watching her and waiting for the moment she was going to slip away and take a break. He felt wired, as if sleep was far away and nowhere nearby. |
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Darkseeker
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Callisto narrowed his eyes at the self contempt in Xevon's tone, but he but his tongue again. He didn't want to disrupt the very fact that Xevon was talking to him almost normally. "Yes, you deserve more. Even if you think otherwise." He settled on a happy medium of not pointing out the tone of Xevon's voice, instead sticking to his guns. The man lifted his head, feeling the briefest brush of feathers against the back of his head, and looked around the small space. Most pointedly at the gap where he could see Alma, he knew she would be eavesdropping as best she could. He had come to terms with her constant involvement, now it was Xevon's turn. "You need to sleep as well, you have not slept in literal decades." Callisto pointed out as he lifted himself from the pile of rubble. As much as he enjoyed the closeness, he wasn't going to fall sleep on top of the jagged rocks. "Trust me, she will be fine. Made of something tough, that one." He gave a small glance over his shoulder towards Alma. In fact, she scared him. He didn't move far, instead favouring the ground just beside the rubble, he tried not to grimace as his suit pants hit the dirt and were marred with dust and gravel. |
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Lightbringer
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Xevon shook his head lightly. Deserve more? No. Not at all. But that was not something he was going to talk about. If Callisto believed it, he would let him. But he would only let him believe it, that was all. There wouldn’t be anything more than sheer belief. His chest lifted and fell before he shook his head. “The dead need no sleep,” he murmured shortly. Not to mention the adrenaline running through his system. He hadn’t felt like this since-- The thought was cut off quickly. He knew. He knew exactly the last time he had felt like this. But now, somehow, it was worse. He wasn’t with a squadron of men who all knew the exact same training. He had a scary woman who had some sort of blood of something coursing through her veins, Callisto in a suit, poor Lily and the absolute brain-dead knob of a meat shield that hung around her. Ugh, that kid was absolutely infuriating. Sure, go in, just start asking about his family and if he had any plans after this. That was smart. Was he a bit harsh? Maybe. But he was furious with the light-hearted reaction to what was really going on. It was survive or die. And Xevon knew full well that he wouldn’t be joining them when he died. He’d just get the opportunity to wander this place instead of the hotel. Lovely. It wasn’t long after he had settled down that Alma had stood up, looked at him and nodded briefly. The man stood up and made his way to the doorway. He didn’t even sit down, he just stood there, silently. He was on guard, on watch, his post would be kept until he was relieved. He had survived once. He would survive again. |
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Fall 
Day 
Fog
