for perhaps the first time, beniha looks at him with unrestrained contempt - a visceral hatred, the wretched gaze of medusa.

That was another kind of smile again, compared to what she'd seen before. She didn't think she liked it. Rather, she didn't think she was supposed to like it—he looked so cocksure, looking up at her now as he worked the pouch open. It was ridiculous—he had just been complaining about being menaced by a ten pound lizard. So where did that grin come from? Or the nerve to mock her? God, he'd probably thought she was… was flirting with him, with a stupid line like that.

As if! The very idea was offensive; Cerise was highly offended. How dare he think so, this Isidore. What made him think he was interesting enough for her to want to act like some kind of shameless nitwit? He wasn't. Just because he had somewhat pretty eyelashes and a generally appealing face? Did he think that's why she'd asked him all those questions? That was just—curiosity. About witchcraft, not the witch.

War. It always permeated through his veins. It was when he felt the most alive. The way his blade sang as it struck target after target, as it fell enemy after enemy. The way that the elements felts around him, the ground that shook under his feet, the air that ripped form the lungs of those around him as he sucked them into a vacuum. The way the fire danced in the moonlight as it burned the corpses of the fallen, and latched onto anyone that dared get close enough. To say that he was dangerous was an understatement, but that was exactly why he was here, wasn't it?

Golden were her waves that rushed long and voluminous, a gift from an unreachable place Valerie clenched in her hand. Only girls from there are beautiful. At least, were told they are. At least, they are.

It was something so simple as a hellion angrily screaming in his mind that finally made him pull his head out of his ass. It was like he suddenly remembered he had powers and abilities and that he wasn't entirely useless. It was like a switch flicked itself on in his head and suddenly, he was gone. The whole arena was plunged into a dark, murky shadow. Sixteen's deep laughter could be heard echoing around, before the screaming started. By the time the shadows drifted away, wrapping themselves and flickering around the beast that stood in the middle of the ring, the only thing left was carnage.

Comparatively, he and Akos were opposites in many ways. Sure, he and Akos worked extremely well together and got things done cleanly and efficiently, thus making them one of the top teams in SPEAR, but he'd always have to be faced by Akos's stark viewpoints of the world and had to be suffocated to keep things running smoothly between them. He and Dominik though...chaos lay in their wake after each mission. Sure, they were...chaotic and destructive but they got the job done. His ranking had dropped but he didn't really care much about that like he had before. With the stupid redhead he felt as though he could actually breathe without making a mistake. Had they messed up when assigning him a partner at first or... No, he wouldn't even bother to think about that. That was just complete and utter bullshit.

He shook his head before he eventually turned to actually face him, hesitating a few moments before he nodded his head. He glanced towards where the others were getting ready to begin the mission for a few minutes before he finally took a step forward and then another one towards his partner. His hands shook slightly as he hesitated in reaching out towards him, definitely fighting with himself in seeking comfort from the redhead. However, he stopped himself and took a step back as he withdrew his hands with a shake of his head. That was just...stupid. "Let's go..." He muttered, casting his gaze downwards as he moved past Dominik to begin heading towards the others.

Sixteen was fast, aggressive, and much like a deadly shark swimming in a tank too small, eagerly demolishing his prey. That was what he was built for, wasn't it? It was just another day of testing, but this was the proving grounds, this was where he was king, and everything else was the toy.

Shadow had seemed happy, at least. And Des? He was much harder for her to read. He was happy, she hoped. Or more so, at least? Here he wouldn't have to check the hallways before he left the single room she had to herself, or be silent all day long. Here he would be, as much as was possible, safe. Even if he paid for that safety in this ridiculous farce they'd committed themselves to. Husband and wife. The idea was laughable. If only she could laugh at it.

Hospitals made him uncomfortable on regular visits. They smelled like medicine, the doctors asked too many questions, and then there was the crap food. He'd heated better-tasting things in the microwave while waiting for mom to come home.

Kyte couldn’t suppress the shriek of absolute terror that left him when Sixteen dragged him into a shadow, looking like he’d just seen hell when he was released from the Kyte couldn’t suppress the shriek of absolute terror that left him when Sixteen dragged him into a shadow, looking like he’d just seen hell when he was released from the darkness. He gave a small sigh, a hand held to his chest, when the project greeted him, and pulled himself up to stand. He really hadn’t changed after all these years, huh? Old habits die hard, he supposed. Sixteen mentioned Kari having a surprise for him, and he couldn’t help the exhausted look plastered to his face.”If it’s anything like your surprise, I trust I’ll be an unrecognisable pile of ashes by the end of the day.”

The voices are gone because the MISTY TERRAIN supports only one champion.

KILLIAN DECKER.

The one and only.

It was easy, dangerously so, to picture a hundred evenings just like that one, a thousand. To imagine their conversations getting easier, no unknown territories or uncertain places. A lifetime of small pleasures, piling up bit by bit.