I don't mind if you put me out

Just like a candle flame

I don't mind if you slam the door

Leave me in the rain

You can cheat me blind, you can lie

But you can't break my heart

No, you can't break my heart

Natsu and Sting’s peculiar relationship wasn’t something he’d exactly call normal, but then again, the Dragon Slayer found normal to be a bit overrated. Nonetheless, he was fond of what they had, even if the time they spent together was limited in the fact that Sting was the guild master and Natsu had team missions to attend to. Combining all of those things together apparently led Natsu to volunteer to do menial tasks such as cleaning up dishes. So, after he had finished cleaning up─which was just a fancy way of saying he dumped it all in the sink for later─the dragon wandered after Sting into the bath.

As he entered the water, the pinkette managed a low hum, enjoying the warmth. Anything that encompassed him in warmth, like the thought of fire did, had him happy. The Salamander cracked an eye open, his lips curling up as Sting moved closer. “Don’t go accidentally making yourself seem old, Sting.” Natsu joked, hitting his shoulder against the other man’s in order to get him to turn around.

Instead of starting off with washing Sting’s back like he had asked, Natsu let his hands warm up until his body temperature was slightly hotter than the water. He moved to let his hands work on the knots in Sting’s back, eyebrows raising when he realized that the blond really hadn’t been lying about being achey─there were knots everywhere. “I know ya gotta do all that paperwork, but could it kill you to have a little posture while you’re doing it?” You had to know you should fix your habits when Natsu started lecturing about them.

Adjusting his position slightly in order for Natsu to begin, quite literally, working his magic, hand came to mess dampening blond hair. It was nice that the two were comfortable enough with each other to not worry about insecurities, now, and the fact cheered him to no end. Albeit, things were a struggle at this point in time--but that flaming idiot was always there to have his back. Once again, literally.

The first name began to glow brighter than the rest. The text seemed to lift off the pillar and rearranged to form letters of the standard Latin alphabet.

Caelik Tahlanfeloth Orleundlin Teason’valsa

So Caelik would be the first image. Should be pretty easy to constrain herself then. True, she cared for him. But everyone in the City of Fern did. This part of the challenge would have had a much bigger impact if it had happened a billion years ago when the romance between them was still in the air. Now, though she respected him greatly and admired him as a friend, she didn't care for him as much.

Calliope wasn't even sure if any of these scenes would have an effect on her though. Even if they were to show each person, whoever the five others were, dying, all she had to do was use common sense and remember that this was a dream, a place of illusion. Regardless of what happened to them here, back home in reality they were still alive and well. The only two people who weren't alive and well back in reality were Aurelie and Elwynn - they were drugged up as shit just like she was.

Within seconds the imaged of Caelik appeared. Though slightly paler than she remember - Calliope attributed this to it being the fact that this was a dream version of him - he was just as gorgeous and beautiful as he always was. A shining image of what physical perfection was in elvish society. In any society really, the man was absolutely stunning. And then he began to speak. Why did he have to speak though? Couldn't he just play through his scene and get it over with?

"Myself and the following five scenes will represent the six elements of life: water, air, death, earth, life, and fire. In each one something you love will be destroyed, until you have seen your entire life in shatters. As you know, to win the challenge you must control the pain you feel, you must learn restraint. Over the years you have become a master at hiding behind an blank stare and a stern expression. Here there is no hiding. No hiding from the white flames and no hiding from your suffering. All of your emotions will be brought to the surface and you will be forced to feel the pain of the past, present, and possible future."

"With each name that is crossed off the list, it will become increasingly difficult not to reach out and help the ones you love. To get up from that throne and protect them from the horrors they will succumb to. But it is what you must do to win. And you do want to win, don't you?" There was the Caelik she was used to seeing. The one who pushed her to be better than she was, to find her full potential. It had only taken the illusion an entire monologue to get his personality right. Then he started to speak again. Apparently there was more.

"Caelik represents water. A fluid being that though not constant has always been there through your life." There it was again. The ancients, or whatever the creepy voices before were, speaking through the illusion of Caelik again. If they wanted to break her, then they were going to have to make these visions more believable.

The figure moved backwards and closer to the stone pillar. After retreating about seven metres, he stopped and an image of herself appeared. The two started to reenact a scene from their past, way back from when they were still wrapped up in a romance of sorts. Hand in hand they danced over to an illusion of a rock that had now appeared. He pushed her up against the stone and began to kiss her, the waterfall running out over top of them and crashing in a lake that couldn't be seen somewhere behind him.

As their lips crashed into one another like the running water crashing into the calm lake after it fell, everything in the scene appeared to alright. Then the illusion of herself stood up and started to move them, pushing the entwined pair closer to the water, edging closer and closer until only a sliver of air was between Caelik and the falls. That's when the illusion of herself push Caelik backwards. Overpowered by the force of the water, his beautiful and - to be brutally honest - frail body collided harshly with the jagged rocks below. As his body fell, it was if her view moved to follow him, the overall scene never actually transferring from its position.

The sight was gory, his limbs tore from his body so that the blood from both the gaping holes they left, as well as the limbs themselves that now floated int the lake, was starting to dye the crystal clear water a deep, dark red. A peak in the rock had pierced right through his thin stomach, spewing his inner organs all over both the torso of his corpse as well as the small area of uncovered rock beside him. There was a break in his neck where one would usually slit the throat, but unlike the clean cut that came from a blade, it looked as though the skin had been ripped open. Blood flowed effortlessly from the wound, though left his face untouched. Obviously his neck had broken on impact, the force apparently enough to not only break the spine but also tear the skin.

Calliope wouldn't lie, the sight was unnerving. However, it didn't really bother her that much. Caelik was a valued friend, but her world wasn't going to end if he died. Sure, it was strange to see him all bloodied up when she was pretty sure the man had never fought a real - by her standards anyways - battle in his life, but it wasn't emotionally triggering. Not even slightly did she feel the urge to get out of the chair and help him. It was just an illusion, and she knew that. She did, however, have a slight urge to go and poke the organs that were now so openly displayed. She would love to take a knife and see how they cut, see if they were the same as those of reality. But that was a small and barely pressing urge.