#malsticate

"no."  brows  furrow  as  she  pauses  in  wrapping  his  arm  to  stare  at  him.  she's  never  had  the  urge  to  strangle  someone  before,  but  she  can  understand  why  some  people  might  do  it.  why  would  he  even  ask  her  that?  after  what  they'd  just  seen?  what  it  took  to  get  somewhere  safe?  rayne  couldn't  imagine  leaving  anyone  behind,  much  less  mike.  did  he  think  he  would  slow  her  down?  or  was  he  thinking  of  being  a  hero  and  sacrificing  himself?

"hey."  she  cups  the  side  of  his  face  with  one  hand,  guiding  his  gaze  to  meet  hers.  "i'm  not  leaving  you  behind,  so  don't  even  think  about  doing  anything  stupid  or  i  will  never  forgive  you.  do  you  hear  me,  michael  munroe?"  her  thumb  brushes  where  it  rests  against  his  cheek,  shaking  her  head.  "we're  getting  out  of  this  together  or  not  at  all."  the  idea  of  leaving  him  behind  made  her  heart  ache  in  ways  she  couldn't  describe.

no.  no,  she  would  not  leave  him  behind.

"thank  .  .  .  you?"  she  .  .  .  really  shouldn't  be  surprised.  not  with  how  the  residents  here  were.  even  though  mr.  crawling  was  kind  to  her  and  protective,  he  was  still  a  resident  of  this  world.  there  was  no  telling  what  he  was  capable  of,  or  what  his  true  intentions  with  her  were.  in  all  honesty,  if  he  were  trying  to  trick  her,  rayne  wouldn't  see  it  coming.

she  trusted  him.

her  leg  is  scraped  from  tripping  over  debris,  fresh  blood  pooling  at  the  wound.  she  hisses  as  she  sits  up,  leaning  forward  to  examine  her  leg.  it  could  be  worse,  and  she  was  sure  she  could  still  walk.  still,  she  didn't  want  to  walk  around  with  blood  trickling  down  her  leg,  waiting  for  unwanted  visitors  to  spring  up  out  of  nowhere.

"are  you  okay?"  she  asks,  looking  over  at  him.  "i  don't  want  you  getting  cut  crawling  over  this  stuff,  too."  she  pulls  out  the  pair  of  scissors  they'd  found  earlier  so  she  can  cut  some  of  her  shirt  to  clean  up  the  blood.  using  the  same  piece  of  cloth,  she  ties  it  tight  around  the  wound.  for  now,  it's  all  she's  got.  if  they  could  find  mr.  silvair  .  .  .  maybe  he  could  help.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ❝ Have you no place to be, Rerkir ? ❞

Foolish inquiry ; of course not. Mr. Crawling - as he had come to be known - was a ... guide. But, too, was he more than that. While the other individuals here were near eager for violence, Mr. Crawling seemed to act out, only, when something he cared for had been endangered.

Melynerys makes himself smaller, tucking wings flush to his sides, almost- human hand almost hesitating to reach for the spirit. Mr. Crawling had been the sort to thrive off of touch. Connection. But, draconic beast moves forward, gingerly petting at dark hair.

“ oh? ”

the kitsune’s head tilts, ears twitching to better capture the other’s voice. she has no memory of visiting the young woman in the dead of night, of slipping into her dreams and feasting upon her essence. certainly, those hopes and memories and feelings would be ones worth remembering and yet — she has no recollection. hyperbole, then. tomie’s thoughts of her must have been so intense they visited her even in rest. it isn’t unusual. most find the nine tailed fox irresistible. but then again…

most are men.

so for such a beautiful young woman to be dreaming of her — it’s a great honor indeed. something ahri will cherish until the girl’s name has faded from her memory and all that’s left is the feeling. the longing. something distant and far off, but real nonetheless.