LOYALTY.

"I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime that most people aren't supposed to see." Henry said, "I can handle it. I know what you're like, and I understand your heart." As much as he did not approve of Danila risking his life and freedom for revenge on some bastard, Henry wasn't blind to what it meant. Danila was just the type to act on things most people only thought about. He wasn't out to kill for the sake of it, or harm anyone innocent, so Henry couldn't blame him for wanting the man dead.

"I'm ok." He said honestly, the further away he got from the night before, the calmer he was beginning to feel. It could have been much worse, and luckily it hadn't been, for the pair of them anyway. There was no point dwelling on what might have happened.

He wasn't sure what he would have done if Henry hadn't.

Nele shrugged. She'd be an open book about her ex and his arrest but she could already feel herself be a little too lazy to hide her own involvement in this. Besides, that stupid little brain worm of hers tickled whenever she thought of sharing her more violent nature with Danila. For those reasons she grit her teeth and forced herself to stay a little more focused as to not trip over her own words for now. In other words: just avoid the subject "copycat killer boyfriend" in general.

"Kinda, yeah. I used to be really active in snuff forums a while back." That was a half-truth. Seeing people die on video didn't really count but it was the forum she had met Matt in. "Found a homeless guy dead in front of a grocery store back when I had my first job in Germany."

She glanced over at Danila. Yeah, none of those were comparable to killing a person yourself, with your own hands. She knew, knew because she had experienced how different both of them had felt. Still, she couldn't tell, not while the trial was still ongoing.

"But that's not the same and you still haven't answered my question."

"Dead homeless guy, I get. That happens. But why snuff forums?" A sharp breath hissed between his teeth. The woman before him looked like a stranger now. "That's disgusting."

Those friends didn't seem all too friendly after all judging by the way the two of them interacted but Nele couldn't condemn the guy for masking the truth behind nice words, after all that's all she ever did herself.

Nele looked at Danila over her shoulder. She could feel his urge to leave and was basically just waiting for angry stranger to give in and leave them alone for now... just so she herself could bug Danila with all kinds of questions. Their mistake to make something seem interesting enough for her to be nosy about.

"Right, Danila is supposed to be my plus-one today."

"Yeah, bye," Danila replied, trying to nudge Nele out of the door as fast as possible.

Go into my inbox and tell me a situation you’d love to see my Muse go through.

Curious how my muse would handle heartbreak? Want an open where my Muse is irrationally upset or in danger? Toss all the ideas at me! I might get inspired!

Anon is optional.

"I like ta give everyone a lil' nickname, people seem to like it, makes em' feel more at ease, all friendly-like." He smiled, he was enjoying this new foreign person, he was fitting in nicely already.

Riff lit up two smokes in his mouth and passed one to Danila. Then he started to introduce all the guys that were sitting around. Not many of them went by their real names, like Mouthpiece, and Baby John, and especially not Anybodys, but Riff knew them all like they were family, because these guys were his family.

"You got yourself a girl, too? You've really built yourself a home here," Danila smiled before taking another puff of the cigarette.

She tried not to let it show, but the fact that he offered to give her the address lifted her mood. It was a small step in the right direction.

“Do you know what kind of meeting this is?” She took another drag on her cigarette, but the nicotine wasn’t having the desired effect on her today. Instead of calming her down, it seemed to rile her up even more. “It would be a shame if I barged into a party and wasn’t dressed properly.” The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile.

It was a small attempt to lighten the situation. But if the tension continued, something might blow up today.

She steps away, busying herself with gathering the cut away threads and stained gauze into the small receptacle by the desk. Danila helped, a little, obediently lifting his hand off the metal when she made to remove the absorbent sheet. Her eyes flick to his face as he spoke, took in the satisfied smirk that curved his lips when he shared about the man he'd put down. Some slimey guy, apparently, getting what he deserved and more. Miriel could only regret not being able to lay her blades on him first. It was usually a challenge to retrieve targets from hospitals, not to mention the paperwork she'd inflict on a few colleagues.

Though, perhaps, if Danila's victim survived his stay…

"You need to watch him whole night?" A hint of guilt flashed on his face. Not because he felt bad for what he had done to the man, but because he might have forced Miriel to work longer hours than expected.

Henry clasped Danila's hand when it was offered and felt an immense sense of relief that his lover was going to listen to him. Danila hadn't promised not to kill the bastard, but at least he wasn't going to do it right now and destroy their future together. They'd worked too hard to lose each other now.

They walked back to the room in silence, encountering a few looks from people in the hallway, but otherwise, made it back to safety. Henry had no idea what the fuck the guard was up to when he was supposed to be guarding the room. He'd have to look into that later.

The sun had painted a bright rectangle on the sheets. Danila stared at it through Henry's hug and kisses, fingers picking on a scab on his knuckles.

"You weren't supposed to see that." People tended to leave when they witnessed that side of him. Which is exactly why he had wised up quickly and made sure to keep it from them. But Henry had seen it–and saved him from making the biggest mistake of his life instead of turning his back on him.

"Really?"

Oh, touchy subject. Even better! Danila rarely showed any emotion. The way that he was trying to be avoidant right now told her enough already but she still wanted to know more. People needed to be poked in sensitive places, forced out of their comfort zone every now and then. Nele was just too happy to provide such a service, albeit unasked for. Maybe in another life, a life where she had a little more ambition and self-discipline she could've become a decent therapist, psychiatrist even. Morbid curiosity or genuine goodwill, didn't matter what it was as long as it helped people process.

"Well I just did."

Picking at his cuticles, he glared at Nele. Any kind of tactfulness was clearly too much to ask for.

Danila's eyebrows arched in surprise at the revelation. Still, he was about to mumble that it made no difference at all until he realized the opportunity to get the attention off of himself.