Activity

“Uhhmmm…Sorry about that.” The boy who tried to touch his hair was stammering. “I didn’t know…”

Didn’t…didn’t know?! Nathair tensed more, glancing from him to Alessio as if the boy with the mismatched eyes had telepathy or something. But he was just assuming, wasn’t he? Why should he even care if the weird boy knew anything about him? He didn’t care!!

“Uhhh…Do you like butterflies?” Crazy Inquisitive Boy swapped topics with all the randomness that…Nathair looked back at Alessio. Why should you care!?! He glared viciously at the Inquisitive One. He wanted to bite and claw at everyone in his way and just make his escape. But he jumped when a winged creature flittered around him.

Then he stared at it blankly as the small thing glided about. He flinched when one landed on his nose and bit the urge to back into his corner.

 

Alessio had never actually seen Nathair scared. Or he hadn’t…he’d never seen him so clearly scared, Nathair was so good at hiding his emotions…

But now he was…just a scared child, like Alessio…

“What about flowers?” Sage persisted morphing shimmery white flowers by Nathair. “Mother liked flowers.”

Whoa…those looked cool…

Alessio glanced back at Crorie (whose hand he was still holding) to see if she liked them. Maybe, he could do that with his fire? Quickly he looked around for Nithel, just because he wanted the reassurance of knowing he was still there. He wanted to touch a ‘butterfly’, and the only one that had landed anywhere was the one on Nathair’s nose!

Yeah. Alessio wasn’t that desperate to get gutted.

“What an impressive talent!” Search was clapping for Sage, which made Alessio feel…inexplicably warm. He’d just never met anyone who simply liked someone’s powers. It wasn’t a trick, to get them to trust her!?

Crack!

“THE SPIDER’S FREE!!!” Arsene shrieks with terror, like it was some ginorma…oh.

“That one could bite a leg off…” Alessio whispered.

“SPIDER?!?!?!” Burn squeaked, and in a tense voice. “Where?! Where is the spider?!”

“GRIMME!”

“Do…most spiders grow that bi-Wait don’t!!” Alessio gasped too late as “Grimme” sliced the spider apart.

“No…No! Stop!” Sage is screaming

“It grows bigger when it’s hurt…” Alessio pointed out belatedly, instinctively shielding Crorie with his arm, his gaze riveted on the spider.

“Saga, you should probably stop shouting.”

Arsene didn’t stop shouting.

“I think the spider is following you because of the noise you’re making…” Sage continues.

“Uhhhhh, Arsen-?” Jumps out a window, why is Alessio not surprised?

“Heyyy!!!! Get back here!!” Alessio yells at the window about to chase after him but Nathair tugs him back by his sleeve. “Huh?”

For a flash Alessio saw Nathair’s eyes glint with…rage? It disappeared in a second as he clung to Alessio’s sleeve jutting his chin stubbornly. His crystal blue eyes were now a lot wider and…Alessio shivered involuntarily. He could’ve…just imagined that look before, it was too much like the Nathair he remembered. It hadn’t happened yet, and he hadn’t experienced that betrayal yet, but that didn’t change the fact that he remembered, and it was hard to look at the man who hurt him so badly then and see the scared child he was now…

“I’ve got to get Arsene back,” Alessio protested to Nathair, and added more gently. “You see Leana, and Nithel? You can trust them, ok?”

Nathair didn’t answer but he didn’t look at all happy.

“I’ll be right back!” Alessio said before he yeeted himself out the window after Arsene. Followed with a muffled. “Come back hereeeeee!!!”

 

@ragnarok, @kimlikesart, @hannahrenner @sarafini