#openopenopenopen

It was of course a common thing for the busy streets of Lindblum to be disturbed by some kind of rowdy dispute. But it was often times between young ruffians, and not shopkeepers. The city watch hadn't arrived yet, and it would take them a while considering the layout of the streets and how utterly packed it was, and it was uncertain as to whether or not anyone had already went to alert the watch.

"You're LYING! I saw you do it this time! You pull the cog of that wheel every time, don't you?!" Merun thrust a hand at the fallen cart on the street, vials spilled out of their crates and shattered under various types of log and staves. Kure was doing his best to clean up the mess, but he couldn't fix the wheel this time... the cog had gone missing.

"Ha! You're delusional, scrawny! I couldn't have reached down there!" "You didn't have to, you KICKED it!" "Okay, so what if I did?" The weapons shopkeeper said, finally fessing up-- but he was big and strong, and seemed to be growing interested in hitting someone, specifically Merun. "No matter who you tell, nobody would believe someone like you." "Someone like Me! What's that supposed to mean?!" "Means yer not wanted here, kid! You AND your stupid moogle! I'll be doin' the city a favor by movin' you out by force!" "But why?! We never even DID anything to you!" Merun's head was beginning to scream at him, the aches coming on full force. "Oh ya HAVEN'T, eh?!" The weapons shopkeeper laughed loudly, attracting extra attention to Merun as he pointed a big, beefy finger at him. "A BLACK MAGE hasn't done anything! Hear that everybody?"

All eyes were on him now, boring into his head with unforgiving malice. He could hear people scoffing, whispering among themselves. Just like back then... 

Something snapped.

"Don't call me a black mage..." Merun mumbled, trembling with rage and fear. He didn't even feel Kure tapping his arm, only the searing, annoying aches. "Ehh?? Speak up, scrawny!" "I said DON'T CALL ME A BLACK MAGE!!" His sudden outburst shocked everyone, including Kure, into backing off as he whipped a pair of fallen staves off the ground and powered them both up at the same time. 

Derek stood at the edge of the cemetery, once again visiting his long since deceased family. With a heavy sigh, he sat down near the tree that provided him with a cool shade on those long summer days he'd spend down in the yard, wishing so desperately that his mother would come up behind him and tell him it was time to come home; that they could go get ice cream later that night if he wanted to.

The guilt was overbearing more often than not. And now, Laura was there with the rest of them. His brothers, and his parents, and his grandparents; they were all gone -- all because of him.

The alpha let his head fall back against the tree trunk, breathing in deeply, allowing the comforting aroma of the sap to make its way in through his nostrils to pool warmly in his lungs.His eyes fell shut, and he allowed himself to get lost. Just for a little while, he was alone with the pain he felt, and he didn't have to hide it from anybody. Not Scott. Not Stiles. Not Isaac. Not Peter.

Not Laura.