Forum of the Elder Gods (Grave;Cross)

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Stepping up to where his sister fell, he found the rather shocking sight of her merely floating in the middle of the rib-high depth. Rather than surface, she just seemed to float limply without motion nor attempt to surface. Grave found that his suspect that she might have received injuries was true, as the girl likely hit her head on the floor of the bath when she tried to run away from him in anger. But even as she floated, no one seemed to notice the fact that Envy was actually in danger. The only one that knew was Cynder himself... Besides the point, amongst demons, they might not care should he... Perhaps...

Let her drown?

Even though before, he made the decision not to kill her, there was no doubt she was causing trouble for him. Not to mention, she was a demon of rather powerful magic. Would it be so wrong to let her meet her end in the waters of the bath? But if he found it truly worth it, perhaps for reasons he couldn't understand, she might actually change her attitude if he chose to...

Save her instead.

No matter how one could look at the situation, it was as Cynthia told him when she attached the collar. Envy was his responsibility now, to do with as he willed. Now was a fine moment to decide if she was truly worth being directly linked to, as he could easily remove the collar without worry of drawbacks from her corpse.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave blinked. This was a little unexpected. A part of him noted that there was something incredibly amusing about the sight, though he wasn't exactly sure why. It seemed, though, that he was the only one who cared about Envy's current state. It was unlikely anyone would help her. He could let her drown... Or get her out of the water. In a moment, Cynder made his decision. Reaching down, he grabbed her and pulled her out of the pool, setting her down on the floor near it's edge. As he checked whether she was still breathing, he wondered exactly why he was doing that. Sure, she was a demon and a danger to him. Sure, she was a headache to keep around. Sure, he'd feel a lot more comfortable without that damned collar. But then again, he did resolve not to kill her. Going back on that decision wasn't something he felt happy about. Besides, he had a nagging feeling he'd end up in trouble even without her, and he supposed that a living demon would be more helpful than a dead one if he could get her to help him. And as much as he hated to admit it, now that he had people around him, he wasn't exactly willing to get rid of them so fast. Isolation wasn't something he was fond of.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Taking her out, her long blond hair was heavy from the water making it wet, and stuck to Grave's arm as he took her, and placed her on the side of the water, where she wouldn't drown. Her body was very light, feeling almost delicate in Cynder's grip. Now that her devilish aura was much weaker, she seemed much more like a normal girl, rather than an evil demon. Checking her, it didn't seem that she was breathing. And it was a given that she was unconscious, as she'd likely have an angry fit for Grave daring to touch her.

A black haired demon, her raven hair short cropped to her shoulders, and combed back, leaned over, looking at Envy, "It seems like you're going to have to perform CPR," she informed Cynder. "Just open her mouth, and breath some air into her, and then push your hands against her chest, just under her boobs, three times, and then breath some more air into her mouth. You've gotta get all the water out." she educated him, seeming perhaps a bit too calm.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

'Well, crap.' Grave became significantly worried as he noticed that his sister wasn't breathing. In different circumstances, he'd have been busy observing how different she seemed to be without that malicious aura of hers, maybe even grow to like her a bit more. Now, however, such thoughts were pushed aside. It seemed he didn't have much of a choice - CPR was the only thing he could do. His memory was a bit hazy - he could vaguely recall his old man teaching him that at one point. He forgot the details as soon as those lessons were over - he was not very happy about the idea of helping anyone back then, not when living in that damn village. Fortunately, it seemed that one of the guests cared to help him with that. "Thanks." Cynder glanced at her, ignoring the air of detachment, already focusing on his next task. It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried about it. Envy would pitch one Hell of a fit if she found out about it. Trying not to think about the consequences, he leaned over his sister, carefully opening her mouth, then making a seal between his mouth and her mouth to blow the air in. Once the "kiss" was out of the way, he'd move on to the next step, pressing his hands below his sister's bosom, one palm resting on top of the other, giving the girl three strong pushes before repeating the first step. The half-blood guessed he'd just have to keep this up until she coughed up all the water and started breathing.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

When his lips met Envy's, something strange had happened. Energy suddenly felt as if it was leaving his body in small amounts, and entering her own. And as he breathed into her mouth, her eyes jerked open, before she suddenly coughed up a fit, spilling some of the bath water out of her mouth, a little going into Grave's, causing them to share bodily fluids. Then, she quickly retreated from him in pure shock, still coughing, trying desperately to speak, "-Kiss!?" she exclaimed between coughs. "-Bastard!" she choked.

The black haired demon stepped forward, and held Envy's forehead, causing the girl to flail angrily in response to the touching before the succubus turned to Cynder. "Her energy is very low. She probably collapsed in the water because the shock was too much for her. If she's your master, you should feed her, you know?" she instructed Grave, before stepping into the water, and relaxing as she took a seat.

Unable to speak, Envy actually sounded as if she was crying as she continued to cough, her voice sounded pained as she struggled with her near-death experience. Struggling for breath, Envy held her throat, trying to stop herself from choking, and making the pain worse.

Without warning, Envy suddenly turned to Cynder, and lunged at him, gripping his shoulders, and forcing her lips onto his own. This time, she was aggressively taking his energy, his whole body shuddering from the sensation of being sucked into Envy's lips. Lasting only a moment, Envy quickly pulled back, and began to spit over and over again, taking some of the water from the pool and washing her mouth out. "Disgusting..." she announced from the side of the pool, before turning to Grave, and gripping him by the leash, pulling him in to butt heads with him, and stare at him angrily with her red eyes. Her words shifted about, her teeth gritted against each other, but she couldn't seem to be able to communicate what she wanted. "I... I did that purely for survival, do you understand!?" she growled at him. And Grave didn't even have a chance to reply to that before she rose her fist at him, "Shut up!" she shouted, and launched it forward to hit him.

It collided with his chest as a gentle thud. He barely felt it. "Give me back my powers, damn it!" she pouted at him hatefully, assaulting him with her weak flailing, pounding her arms against his chest. "Give me back my powers so I can kill you!"

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave was a little suprised by the small energy drain... It seemed as if his sister fed on his power unconsciously. Was this the trait of a demon? Still, it didn't interrupt him at all - he had to make sure Envy was safe first. On the other hand, having water coughed up into his mouth did, especially since the girl seemed awake now - and of course she just had to misinterpret his actions. Lovely. Turning his head to the side to spit out the water, he briefly wondered how to explain things to her before Envy's coughing fit drew his attention again. Cynder watched the other succubus approach his sister before instructing him. Nodding absently, he returned to scrutinizing his demonic sibling, thinking. He probably should have helped her with that coughing, but it was unlikely she'd accept. He briefly wondered about the suggestion he got - to replenish her energy - and shuddered. He was beginning to get a rough idea what feeding implied, and didn't like it one bit.

It seemed, however, that Grave wouldn't get a choice in the matter. Envy latched onto him, forcing a kiss and draining more of his energy. He felt uncomfortable, his mind reeling and his body urging him to throw the girl off, but thankfully she broke the contact before the sensation got really bad. Dazed, freaked out and not exactly sure what the Hell was happening, the half-blood briefly considered following his sister example and washing his mouth - A KISS WITH HIS BLOODY SISTER! WRONG, WROOOOOOOOOOOONG! - before he was grabbed again. As he was pulled closer and stared into Envy's eyes, still somewhat afraid she might do it again, he was shown a spectacle he did not expect to see. First, his sister seemed to be unable to express herself, then she started to throw a bloody tantrum. Thankfully, at least she couldn't hit him too hard - he flinched out of reflex when the first blow connected, before realizing it didn't hurt. Still not sure what the Hell was going on, Cynder decided to take a deep breath and think it over again.

Replaying the situation in his mind, Grave managed to understand that the kiss was simply for the sake of charging Envy up. What bothered him more was the fact that his sister, who seemed like a twisted, cold-hearted killer at first, was basically throwing tantrums like a child. This was a little jarring, though it had a side effect of bringing back that image of Envy as a girl, rather than a demon. Deciding he'd have to re-think this later, in a calmer enviroment (and without a girl trying to pummel him to a pulp, the key word being trying), Cynder opted to gently catch her fists on the next couple of blows and attempt to talk his sister down. "All right, I get it. Survival." Hopefully if he just went along with that, she wouldn't protest too much. "Uh... Maybe we should go? We've made a scene, and I think a break might be in order."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

When Grave grabbed her wrists, she struggled in his grip, calling him a pervert and a rapist, before he brought home the reality of the unwanted attention her tantrum was grabbing. With a panic, and a blood red face, Envy quickly stood, grabbed Cynder's wrist, and ran as fast as she could to the exit of the pool, back to the changing room. Letting go of his hand once they were inside, she leaned forward, panting heavily, more from shame than from the run it seemed.

Once she caught her breath, she turned her head around to glare at Grave, "Don't get the wrong idea..." she growled at him, "I definitely didn't need you to kiss me to give me energy!" she snapped at him, her face red, and her eyebrows lowered in a permanent frown.

Of course, that was exactly what she needed.

"But now look what's happened!" she shouted at him, turning to him completely and pointing her finger at him, "Because of YOU, they know that I don't have my powers!" she accused him.

Of course, it was really her fault.

Frustrated, and angry, she locked her hands behind her head, and crouched down, curling into a ball, and cringing with anger. "Damn it...! You're like some kind of fucking nightmare! Dragging me around by a collar, and kissing me when I'm unconscious!" Even though he saved her life. "I can't believe... You were the first one to kiss me...!" she whispered hatefully. "I'm so angry... I can't even see straight..." she said with a much weaker voice than before, and then slowly tilted over until she fell to her side, seeming to be extremely exhausted.

Letting out a groan, and stretching her arms, Luna made her presence known from behind. "That girl really is a spoiled brat." she commented, before stepping over to Envy, and putting her hand to her forehead, "She's suffering from heat exhaustion. She's much more delicate than she seems." she chuckled, before turning her head to glance at Grave. "You shouldn't worry too much, I already knew of your situation beforehand. I wasn't born last year, you know. And I'm just as serious as I was before. Siding with the demons means something different now than it used to." she told Cynder as she stood back up to her feet. "You should take Envy to the room I've prepared for you three, let her rest. I'll be there shortly to conclude my offer." she announced, before stepping over Envy, and past the corner to where her clothes were, and undressing, out of Grave's vision, into her formal clothes.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave let Envy drag him as she ran back to the changing room. Once inside, he settled on waiting for his sister to settle down and collect her thoughts. Hopefully, he'd be able to talk to her normally once she was calm. Alas, it seemed he was too naive. With a look that suggested complete exasperation, he could only stare as the girl blamed him for everything, seemingly unable to realize how reality looked. Putting her first two accusations aside, Cynder was ready to tell his sister that no, he was NOT trying to kiss her, but he wasn't sure whether it'd be wise to argue with someone so out of touch with reality due to anger. Before he managed to voice his complaints about her accusations, though, Envy seemed to drop down to the floor. And of course, Luna showed up as well, startling him with her sudden appearance. The half-blood was less that pleased by her company, to be honest - he didn't want witnesses when dealing with his current problem and Luna would probably use this to her advantage somehow.

"Why am I not suprised?" Grave commented dryly as Luna revealed she was aware of the truth - frankly, he suspected that from the get go. It'd be up to him to deal with the lady of the mansion somehow. Perhaps if he managed to please her somehow without being tied down by any binding contract or anything, he could get himself out of here safely. He carefully approached Envy, to see if she needed any immediate help again. "Where is that room, by the way?" Once he managed to confirm that everything was ok, Cynder intended to take a step back to the pool and call Club - it was probably a bad idea to get separated in this place, and it was probably bad to leave the little girl without supervision in general. Afterwards, he just intended to get dressed and get Envy in bed as soon as possible. He briefly wondered whether the earlier assassination attempt somehow weakened her before she was bound - after all, magic was pretty damn difficult and tiring as far as he knew. Aside of that, there was also one more thing he was wondering about - what did she mean by him being the first one to kiss her? This didn't fit with his earlier assumptions about monster girls and demons. It occured to him that his sister could be some kind of a special case...

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

After checking on Envy, it really did seem to be that she was suffering. The heat from the bath was still flowing in, and now that it seemed her demonic aura was fading, she was appearing more and more like a frail girl, instead of a force of destruction. Heat exhaustion, drowning, shortness of breath, and now she was unconscious. It really seemed like she was falling apart. But just as he'd want to go out and meet with Club, she suddenly came walking in with several other girls about her size, them looking like children and Club looking like the adult, given her physique and age, and bragging to them at the same time.

"Club doesn't mean to brag, but Club gets all her love from how strong she is! Men respect Club's strength!" she gloated as if dozens of men were falling head over heels with her.

A cute girl with blond hair leaned in towards Club with envy, "Wooow! So strength and power are what men like?" she giggled with excitement.

A calmer looking demon girl with red eyes and black hair cut short to her jaw line smiled at Club, "I always assumed men liked to be the predators for those of us with small bodies, but it seems Love Master Club knows that aggression is the only way to a man's heart. Men respect power." she calculated.

"Ah, Gwave!" Club announced, running up to him and glancing at Envy, "You killed her, huh? Oh well~" she seemed happy for the riddance. "Let's go to our rooms and celebrate by gettin' busy!"

"As expected of the Love Master," the black haired girl commented.

"Very bold and straightforward!" the blond girl also commented.

"The rooms are to the left, and down the hall; your's is 201." Luna said flatly as she walked out of the room, heading to the right.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave frowned. Envy was looking really bad. He wasn't sure whether heat exhaustion alone could produce such results, but even if there was more to his current problem, he still had to get his sister to the room as soon as possible. Thankfully, at least he didn't have to look for Club... Altough he did not expect her to bring company with her. And he sure as Hell did not expect the little girl to gain fangirls. Sighing and holding back the comments that came to his mind, he simply decided to just dress himself - though he had to admit, Club probably got all the loving from men that crossed her path because of her strenght and her will to use it against said men. Cynder wasn't sure whether aggression really was the way to his heart, but it certainly was effective at getting into his pants. He couldn't say he appreciated the way his companion so casually dismissed Envy's plight, but merely rolled his eyes. Those two didn't get along, but then again, his sister probably didn't get along with anyone. "She's not dead, just ill. I'll leave her in the room to let her rest." The half-blood wondered how to inform Club about Luna's incoming visit. "Let's get going. Luna said she's going to drop by soon for a bit, too. I think she wants to talk about something." That was, of course, one Hell of an understatement. But telling the truth would cause only trouble. Shaking his head, the young man approached the place where he left his clothes, wondering whether they've been washed already as his host had promised.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Club didn't seem to pay much care to the situation Grave described as she non-nonchalantly went for her clothes, and redressed right in front of him. "Whatever, let's go watch as another girl tries to take Gwave away," she said with a voice seemingly filled with disgust, following him out of the bath. "By the way, Gwave," she announced without looking at him, "Once we get in the room. Sex," Club stated matter-of-factly, and with total seriousness. "Club will crush your balls if you get seduced by vampire lady or try to rape your sister, okay?" she asked him to confirm he heard her. Club seemed to be, for the first time, genuinely cold towards Cynder. Even as she walked into the room that Grave found, she stood by the door inside the room, folded her arms, and stared at him intensely with her cold, blue eyes.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave was caught off-guard by Club's statements and change in attitude. Between dressing himself, carrying both his sister and her clothes (he didn't try to re-dress her himself, suspecting that she'd kill him for trying, magic leash or no), and finding the right room in a place he never navigated in before his attention wasn't fully focused, so while the girl's cold tone set him somewhat on the edge, her last threat startled him. "Duly noted." Cynder replied as he studied his little companion carefully, fumbling a bit with the door (his hands were somewhat full, after all). Going through all the words and signs she showed him so far, he finally concluded that Club was not happy about other girls hanging around him - in other words, she was jealous. Still, did it really warrant such a reaction? He didn't even manage to be indignant about the fact that Club suspected he'd rape his sister - seriously, why was everyone around him accusing him of such intentions? One does not do his own family, for crying out loud! And why were all the women around him so easy to piss off? Did he have some kind of talent or something.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Inside the room, there wasn't too many locations to place Envy other than the bed. He could perhaps sit her in a straight chair, but no doubt she would be fairly uncomfortable there. Wherever he chose to set Envy down, Club was soon to plant her hand against his gut, and hurl him onto the bed. A feeling of weightlessness overtook him as he soared through the air, until he bounced on the bed, with Club soon after him, jumping through the air, and landing on him in a straddling position with a great thud, knocking some wind out of him. Thankfully, she was still light, so it didn't have enough impact that her strength does, which would absolutely crush him. In a swift motion, she discarded her pants, turned around so that her back was facing him, and planted her rump in his face. "Club's pussy is the only pussy Gwave should want," Club informed him, rubbing her thin folds along his nose and lips, letting out a moan as she did so.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Letting out a sigh as he entered the room, Grave put Envy on the bed before taking one last look at her. He doubted she was capable of staying in a chair at all, not before she got any better at least. Before he could think, do or say anything else, he found himself flying through the air - seriously, this had to be the third time he was thrown by someone in the past two days, at least - barely managing to catch a glimpse of the insane little girl that pushed him. After he landed on the bed - fortunately, this time he wasn't rammed into a wall or something - Cynder barely managed to focus before the goblin slammed into him, disorienting him for another brief moment. By the time he collected himself enough to glare at the girl, she already slammed her lower body into his face, much to his displeasure. Muttering a few quiet curses under his breath - not that Club would understand them, as the young man made sure to switch languages and his words were muffled anyway - he decided to oblige her and get this over with. All he had to do was lick, right? At least, he guessed that it was what she wanted.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Once Grave was secure underneath her, Club seemed to become comfortable. Holding one hand on his head, gripping his clean hair, she leaned back, and rested her other hand on his body, angling herself on his face, gently rocking her hips back and forth along Cynder's face. Her genitals rubbed along his tongue, should he have extended it, and along his lips and nose. Her small, yet overpowering body was in complete few over him. From her crotch and upwards, he could see the entirety of her nude form. She was well toned, to be sure, but her muscles looked so compact that one would never guess that she possessed the power of a giant within herself. Even during the smothering, it seemed that Club remained angry. Grinding herself against his face harshly enough to suffocate him slightly, Club wasn't at all satisfied by his motions coming from the thought of simply doing what he had to do in order to simply get by the situation. Because of that, she harshly pulled his head back from her crotch, looking down at him with a deep frown.

"Do you not love Club?" she asked him quickly, and seriously.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave paused to carefully consider the question. He had a feeling - no, he knew - that the wrong answer would get him into more trouble than he could deal with. At the same time, he had no idea what the right answer was. Saying "yes" was out of the question. He suspected that an outright denial would be met with disbelief - Club wouldn't ask him something like that if she simply trusted him to love her. Cynder had no idea how to react... He never really had anyone close to him. People around him typically either avoided him or were hostile to him, and most of the time he didn't want to have anything to do with them either, doing all he can to keep them at a distance.

Having someone who actually wanted to be this close to him was a new experience, and Grave didn't know what to do. So he just went with what he percieved to be the flow of the situation, hoping that things will work out. Obviously, however, he missed something important. Did Club expect him to cling to her like she did to him? Altough more important question was: what should he tell her now? Cynder tried to put his thoughts into words. Expression was never one of strong suits, though, and he hastily stumbled from one thought to another, hoping to put a coherent sentence in time. "I'm not... Used to having someone close to me... It's just that, most of the time people hurt me, so I tried to keep them at a distance, and having someone suddenly this close... I just never really went through such a thing and..."

Inwardly, Grave was really beginning to panic. The truth was, he was simply afraid of suddenly finding himself in such contacts, but he didn't want to admit this, hoping the problem would fix himself if he somehow endured. Good luck getting Cynder to admit to that, though.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Club looked down at him with a frown on her face, yet her eyes tracked his own oval eyes as he made his reply. Crawling backwards on her knees, she removed herself from his face, and sat on his chest. Her arms at her sides, her head lowered in thought. Her eyes were on his neck, but her mind seemed elsewhere. Silence was her initial response. Her small frame finally seemed to show some vulnerability as she sat on top of him. No matter of force could move her, but as she was, a simple word seemed like it could run her through. "Club... Was crying, remember?" she asked Grave, tears starting to well up in her eyes like the day they met, before events seemed to spiral out of control. Her eyes still looked in nowhere in particular. It was all she could do to talk. "Club's friends were all gone. Club was mad, but she didn't know where they went. Against all the bad things that would try to hurt Club's friends, Club fought all the time against bigger, tougher monsters to get stronger... No matter what came, Club would crush anything that tried to come into her home... But..."

Club suddenly shook, slumping a little against Cynder as a pair of tears rolled down her cheeks. "They were all gone... Club abandoned her tribe to live there, and... Club couldn't do anything!" she suddenly wailed, falling forward, and pressing herself against Grave, holding him in her small, yet powerful arms. His shirt quickly became wet and warm where she was sobbing against him. "Club doesn't even know if all her friends are gone forever! All she has is Gwave!"

Her grip tightened around him, as if she were holding onto him for dear life. It almost seemed like if she were to lose her grip on him, she really would die. "So please... Gwave... Don't tell Club to go away! Don't tell Club she's annoying! Club is dumb, and she breaks things, but...! Club... I...

"I love you, Gwave..."

"If Gwave doesn't want Club... Then Club will go away forever..."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave tried not to show any of his emotions on his face. It's not that he hated Club, or didn't want her around him. However, his aversion to people, loner personality and lack of social experience made bearing with her difficult. Slowly, her wrapped his arms around the girl crying on top of him. "Sorry." He couldn't help but feel this was his fault, somehow. He didn't want to hurt her. He was, however, a failure when it came to dealing with other people... When it came to living, he thought bitterly. Club was lonely and desperate, having just lost everyone around her. As he watched the girl, the half-blood couldn't help but recall the time his old man died. He didn't like to think about it - the period he spent near his bed, hoping to help him fight off the weakness that came so suddenly, watching helplessly as his master faded... That was the worst memory of his entire life, which came to haunt him often when he was younger. Nowadays, it didn't hurt as much... But back then, he was a wreck. Cynder felt an urge to smash his skull open against a wall as realization dawned upon him. "I'm sorry..." 'For being such a failure.'

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Laying in Grave's arms, Club continued to cry, and sob. Going motionless suddenly, Club's fingers clutched at Cynder's shirt. "Gwave is... Sorry..." she repeated what he said slowly, as if the words cut her deep. "Gwave doesn't love Club... Gwave-!"

Just as Club seemed on the verge of a breakdown, she was interrupted from a loud yelp of pain brought on by Grave himself as he felt Envy's fingernails scratching him harshly enough to cause serious pain without drawing blood. Looking on at him with surprise and concern, Cynder saw Envy turn from where she lay, giving him a silent stare with her red eyes, giving him silent indication that she did what she did both to punish him, and to give him the few seconds he needed to tell Club the very important thing she wanted to hear.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Hell's Vacation Resort (Grave)

Grave knew he screwed things up as soon as he felt Club cease all movement. He just knew it. Rapidly panicking, he tried to come up with some kind of response, anything, until he was interrupted by an unexpected pain flaring somewhere in his side. A quick look allowed him to confirm that suprisingly (or not, he wasn't sure) it was Envy who did that. Well, actually her causing him pain wasn't suprising. Her buying him time, on the other hand, was. He wasn't sure how or why he guessed that, maybe it was just his imagination. Or maybe it was true, and she managed to calm down and realize he tried to help her back then, and this was her method of repaying him? As he pondered that, Cynder realized he was distracting himself from the important issue. Thankfully, the pain cleared his head somewhat, and the young man realized he had to say something... But what?

"It's not what I wanted to say!" Grave nearly shouted urgently, searching for an argument. How to explain what he said before? For that matter, what exactly he was apologizing for? Suddenly, it dawned on him. Perhaps this was the best way to explain things. "You are important to me. I just... Wanted to apologize for failing you." Cynder swallowed. He was starting to feel very uncomfortable - talking about such things did that to him. He forced himself to calm down and keep talking, while he still could. "Five years ago... When my old man got sick and died. I was also left without anyone I could go to, anyone I could live with..." He took a breath. It was hard, speaking about this after suppressing the feelings for so long. "I was near him when it happened, and couldn't do anything... And I had to run away from the village after he died. People there hated me. That... Was the worst thing that happened to me." 'Don't cry. For the love of god, don't cry now!' "And now I realize... That's how you feel, right? And even though I knew that... I did nothing to help... And made you cry. I'm sorry for failing you like that."

He could feel his hands shake like crazy. His composure was rapidly breaking and his voice was starting to crack. "I wanted someone to come... And accept me back then... But I had no one. And now..." Fighting down an urge to sob, the half-blood took a deep breath, readying himself for the final push. "I love you, and... I shouldn't have done this to you." He fell silent, not trusting himself to say another word.