ℕaive as Adam & Eve.~

"There's a boy lost his way, looking for someone to play. There's a girl in the window, tears rolling down her face. We're only lost children. Trying to find our way home. (♤)

A blink of surprise (though Ada wouldn’t see it between the glasses and the bangs hanging down) and Leo had to pause for a minute. He’d left with enough time that he could get what he needed for Elliot and not be late, but he couldn’t take too long. Knowing the Nightray, he’d be more than a little annoyed that his valet was late coming back because he was helping a Vessalius, heaven forbid. He wasn’t particularly fond of the notion of having to spend a more extended period of time with her, but Ada was one of the more tolerable students at Lutwidge, so she was a better alternative than most. Tucking the book in his hand under his arm, Leo nodded and adjusted his glasses a bit.

Listening to the rest of his words, she mentally scolded herself for being so thoughtless. Her dormitory? She hadn’t been there since she awoke early morning, not even once. It was highly likely that her beloved pets could still be lurking around there, despite the majority of the school that she had searched. Why couldn’t she have thought of that sooner..? Now if they were there she would be deemed hopeless, and she also would have to quickly improvise through her embarrassment an excuse as for why she hadn’t thought of the suggestion for herself.

No.

The blond firmly refused to believe that - refused to accept that he’d lose someone else. Frantic steps slowed with the thought as he reached the end of another hall and his eyes froze, still and unmoving upon the ground. A lump in his throat suddenly made it hard to breath. Blood. Smeared crimson on pale stone, tainting the area and causing a fear to ring within the blond’s ears. Fingers may have risen to grip his temples in a panic. Weary legs were quick to move on their own accord, following the trail with the blind curiosity of a child but the fear of stalked prey. The sluggish pace escalated into a full blown sprint as the trail grew to look more fresh and the scent of blood became more nauseating to bear. Several more steps before he may very well have stopped breathing.

"A-Ada - Ada, Ada, are you okay?" The words flooded out with a stutter in a breathless, panicked, and raised mumble as his eyes land on her form. The first thing he noticed was her tarnished bright dress, heavily contrasting with the near colorless stone cold ground and bearing and ill and frightening presence in the area. Brows scrunched in fear as he crouched to her level on the ground. "Blood!" His eyes scrutinized over the girl’s dress, taking note of crimson blotches with extreme alarm. The words were rushing without pause because frankly, his mind was blaring with raw concern and reawakened dormant anger. Seeing the girl on the floor bleeding had his mind thoroughly seething with rage and hatred. No one else needed to die for him - no one else needed to get hurt and bleed and suffer… And die. No - it wasn’t the time to think of that; if his odd existence had taught him anything, it was that dwelling would not make things better. Ada was still alive and that’s what mattered - the reality of here and now.

"A-Ada - Ada, Ada, are you okay?"

She wanted to say something in response to that voice.. That voice that was absolutely recognisable to the young lady.. Whose voice was it again..? Ada couldn’t exactly recall at that given time down to the amount of blood loss combined with all of her inner thoughts raging at her, telling her to do something, anything, instead of just staying slouched on the floor in such a pathetic and ill state. But she couldn’t. Not after that cruel attack that had drained her of so much spirit. Physically, mentally and emotionally.. She couldn’t.

"Blood!"

Ah. That voice.. This was Oz. The one whom she dared to still call her brother. And his exclamation was entirely accurate. Blood it was indeed. Crimson tides flowed out from where the gashes remained on her frail skin; so many cuts and slashes that the scent of the blood arising from them alone would be enough for one to fall unconscious from. Luckily Ada hadn’t quite gotten to that point yet, although she did admit that the smell of it all was making her seriously nauseous and faint.

"Ada, where’s the blood coming from? Are you okay? What did they do to you?”

Noticing the immediate change in his tone of voice as he raised all of his questions, Ada realised that he must be trying to stay strong for her. It was a grave situation indeed with how deep some of the cuts which lined her body were, and she supposed herself lucky that the slashes had been attempts with quantity in mind over quality. Only a few cuts could be considered severe to the point where they could lead to fatality, but there were so many other cuts that lessened in severity yet prevented her from being able to maximise her strength in vital places such as her arms and legs.

Then, that left the other question. What had they done to her? It was all a little hazy but it slowly made its way back into her brain as she retraced her earlier steps in her mind, from the beginning of the day all the way up until now. Coming up with a logical answer, she finally managed to grasp enough breath down her throat and into her lungs to inform Oz of the situation she was in.