#aaaaaah .

“ WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF WAR , MEIN HERZ . “ and it is something he answers him heavily . though , he does not break —— he wouldn’t . still , a slight shadow is cast across the man’s rigid face , as he looks into the eye of his consort . his monster . his heart . he cannot bear to see him so full of sorrow , to see him struck with anguish , and not speak upon it . not be tempted to hold him closer , to kiss him , to grace him with comfort … his fingers curl gently in the locks of nnoitra’s hair , spilled such like ink . “ I cannot just abandon my station here completely .

tonight , however . we could go elsewhere . but we must return by dawn … I’m expected back in the morning hours .

where would you like to go , hm ? anywhere in the realms , you would like . i could take you . ”

    “  no  ,      no! you don’t get to do this. you don’t get to come back and... ”      one might think it would get tiring;      fueling a constant need to shuffle the focus onto something,      somebody else,      in this fine case---him,      in order to avoid a blinding spotlight that threatened to illuminate her minds most repressed possessions.      “ ...and act like you know any of us! we were kids, just kids... hell, i thought we made you up! ”      see,    he actually knew her better than shirl cared to admit.      she bore an innate ability to overlook even what presented itself with absolute clarity to,    as he had said,      protect herself.      the doctor challenged every last of those self preservation skills.      he punctured holes in her head of believed rationality.      what else had shirley shoved out of sight or allowed herself to accept were merely forged from imagination when in fact it were so very real?      oh,      she’d never learn either though for as they stood there,      she still would not grant herself permission to mull such a concept over.      shirley instead hid behind her glacial walls.      her bite delivered bitter from the cold.      “ seven of us lived in that house and two of us died in it, okay? there; how’s that, i remember! is that enough? do you feel like you’ve helped enough now? ”