#“draw them like thi--” body thuds to the ground

[junotter]

"people need to draw blank like blank" omfg shut upppppp

[comfy-whumpee]

NaNo 2

Kala was pacing up and down the kitchen in front of the range. She’d always been a pacing kind of person. Rain could remember her revising with them in college, up and down the living room while she tried to recite dates for their history course.

Now, she was pacing over the tiled floor because she was triggered, and trying to hold off a flashback. It was something she did often, when the spectres came back and she went quiet and tense and angry. She paced, working out the energy, forcing her body to produce endorphins for exercise and grounding herself with the hard press of the floor against her feet. Five paces from the coffee machine to the back door. Five paces from the back door to the coffee machine. Her fists were tight and swinging in the air with each stride.

Rain didn’t watch. It’d be the same as watching a pendulum. There was no point. They sat at the table, cardigan pulled around their shoulders, with their cup of tea between their hands. Chai was good for the mood today. Spicy, warm, and something homely too.

Kala had locked him in the attic, but didn’t know what to do about it.

Rain knew.

“It’s fucking illegal, but he deserves it, right?” she said, stopping suddenly and looking at them. “He deserves it and more. After all the shit he did to you.”

“And to you,” Rain agreed. “I think we can get away with it for a little while.”

She nodded. She resumed pacing. Rain sipped their tea, and thought about what they would write in their journal about today. Dear diary, today the man who tortured us begged us for help...

Kala stopped again. “But what if it’s real? He’s really lost his memories?”

Rain shook his head. “We can’t believe that right now. It’s too convenient.”

“Right,” she agreed, and started pacing again. “And even if he did, he’d still fucking deserve it. He doesn’t get to escape the consequences like that.”

Rain made a neutral noise. Dear diary, today we discussed whether it was ethical to torture someone who had tortured us.

It had started to drizzle, they noticed, looking out of the bay window above the sink. The sky had dimmed from pale blue to a light, fuzzy grey. Kala’s workout things were still in the garden on the grass. She definitely had better thing to worry about, though.

“But,” Kala said, frozen mid-stride.

Rain glanced over.

She shook her head, glared at the door, and paced on.

They waited, watching the rain patter against the window, droplets sliding down over it and meeting together where gravity willed it. The gentle undulation of white and grey moved sluggishly over the sky, drifting away from the sea. They could go to the beach later, while everyone else would be staying away.

“We have to figure out if it’s real, right?” Kala said, and when Rain glanced back they saw that she’d come to a stop in front of the kitchen table where they sat. “We have to... We have to see if it’s real. How the fuck do we do that?”

Rain put their mug down, drawing their hands back into the sleeves of their cardigan. “I can think of a couple of ways.”

-

Dear diary, today Kala and I tied up Lauritz Nielson and locked him in the attic.

He cut a pathetic figure. He always had, really, even while he’d held their lives in his grubby hand. Rain was scared of him, of course, but the initial panic had passed. They wouldn’t be blindsided now. They knew what to expect.

He was lying on his side, staring in apparent misery at the far wall, when the hatch opened. His head lifted, and he sat up, hope brightening his expression. It dimmed a little when Kala appeared behind them, but he moved his eyes to Rain and stayed there, leaning forwards slightly.

It was... unnerving. Rain rubbed their arm, feeling the goose bumps across it prickle in protest at the image. It was okay if they felt worried and weak, though. That was why Kala was with them, Kala was always with them. She would keep them safe. She would be fire enough to keep them both warm, as she always had been.

“Criminals don’t turn up on their victims’ doorstep pleading amnesia and begging for help,” Rain said, opening the conversation as a lawyer might, with the outline of their case. “That’s a fact. That doesn’t happen. There’s no reason for you to be here unless there’s a scheme involved somehow, and if there is, you’re a part of it.”

Lauritz watched them, appearing to listen intently. There was no immediate protest of his innocence. He just listened.

“That means, no matter how much you pretend amnesia, we can’t trust you. We won’t. The consequences are too great.”

He nodded, though he didn’t seem like he understood. More like he was just trying to show willingness to comply.

Bullshit, Rain thought. Absolute horseshit. Catshit. Dogshit. Whatever. It couldn’t be true, this guy was just – a liar, a damned fucking liar.

“You’re staying up here. We’re going to figure out what’s going on. Whoever’s idea it was to send you in here, they miscalculated.”

Kala was still wearing her black T-shirt and leggings from her workout. When she moved forwards, muscles clearly visible, Lauritz shrank back.

“N-Nobody sent me,” he protested finally, quietly. “I-I don’t think they did.”

Kala dropped to a crouch over him, and pushed him back by the shoulders until he was against the floor, back still lifted over his hands but otherwise flat. He didn’t resist the push. He was still trying to look at Rain.

“I don’t remember, I don’t know what I-I did to you.”

Rain’s eyes closed briefly. If he claimed not to know, he would make them retell it. He would force them to relive those memories for no reason other than to sate whatever sadistic urge was driving this performance.

Did he want them to hurt him? Surely not. He’d been a sadist, right. He didn’t want it turned back on him.

Kala’s hands and knees pinned him down, but he wasn’t resisting. He looked across the room at Rain, doggedly at Rain, as though they were in charge “D-Don’t hurt me,” he said.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Rain said.

“I am,” Kala interjected, and Rain smiled faintly at her theatrics. She looked down at him, her long black braid falling off her shoulder. “You don’t act like you used to, but people can change in three years, can’t they? You got to being a coward. I got fit. Heavy. I can fight now, you piece of shit.”

Lauritz stared up at her, paling. His teeth pressed into his lip. Rain watched, wondering at the catharsis this could create for them. Lauritz defeated.

“You’d fucking deserve it if Rain decided to gut you,” Kala said. “But I’m the muscle.”

Lauritz only blinked. His jaw was set, teeth clenched, as if something in him couldn’t hide the anger at her insolence, even as she overpowered him.

“Right now, though, we need to work out what your game is. So tell me.”

Lauritz didn’t sit up or try to shift positions, seemingly trapped by her heavy, stormy stare. “I-I don’t kno-ow,” he said, almost a whisper.

“You know,” Kala snapped back, her hand clipping his ribs. He winced, his breathing stuttering, and Rain kept silent, watching. “What’s the game?” she repeated, voice sharper, louder. It cut cold against Rain’s skin, and seemed to hurt Lauritz even more, as he whimpered.

When he shook his head, she hit him again, the dull thud of her fist heralding another noise of terrified pain. Was it possible for someone to act like this? What would the purpose even be?

Rain sat down, crossing their legs in the dust. Kala grabbed Lauritz’s hair and yanked his head back until his breathing squeezed down into short gasps. Still, he didn’t twitch to defend himself, no kicking, nor struggling. He just stared up at her as she drove fists against his sides, the interrogation giving way to a beating.

He had to be suppressing those instincts deliberately, Rain thought, watching closely as Kala’s fist smacked into his nose, and something crunched.

Her hand snapped back, and she hesitated as sudden tears filled Lauritz’s eyes and ran over, his cheeks reddening with an abrupt flush of colour. Seconds later, he was crying, sniffling and wincing, chest hitching erratically.

Rain reached forwards and put their hand around Kala’s elbow, stopping her from lashing out again. Her breathing was fast enough that she could have run a marathon, but she turned her face away from them, not wanting sympathy. “You deserved that,” she muttered.

Lauritz swallowed, shoulders hunching. Watery grey eyes moved to find Rain.

“You did,” they agreed.

The man’s gaze drifted down. He almost looked ashamed.

Maybe it wasn’t to manipulate them. Maybe he was trying to make penance, somehow, with a ridiculous lie as his shield to earn forgiveness from them. Maybe he wanted them to hurt him, so he could soothe his conscience.

Despite all the time they’d spent with him, at his mercy, they’d never figured him the kind of person to do this.

“Tell us why you’re here,” Kala said stonily, after a few moments to catch her breath. Her tone was as level as always. “The truth.”

Lauritz blinked. When he spoke, his voice was stuffy and nasal. “I w-woke up in a, a car park. It was n-near here. I remembered your address, thought it was – home. D-Didn’t know where else to go.”

Rain looked over him again, at the black sleeveless shirt, open flannel, and black skinny jeans with dirt encrusted around the knees and cuffs. He wasn’t wearing shoes, they realised suddenly. Just thick black socks.

There was nothing in his pockets, that much was clear. It would be trivial to see the shapes of whatever he was carrying. He had nothing on him. No weapon, no wire.

And yet he’d clearly shaved fairly recently. It didn’t make sense for him to be this dishevelled, but for his chin to only be dusted with stubble.

Something was off about this, they had to figure out what, and they wouldn’t take a single risk for the name of kindness. Even without his memories, if that could really be true, there was no proof he wasn’t the same bastard he’d always been. There was no guarantee those memories wouldn’t return. There were certain words in his voice that Rain never wanted to hear again.

“You think we’re fucking stupid?” Kala said, apparently having come to a different conclusion. “We could fucking kill you, you know that? And you’d deserve it!”

Again, as Rain watched, Lauritz merely looked back at her. He didn’t seem to have any objection to her claim.

Perhaps this was a search for atonement, then. Fine. Let him search. They had none to offer him.

Rain got to their feet, their bed socks gripping more easily on this floor than downstairs. They looked down at Lauritz, and Kala as her head turns.

“I’m going downstairs,” they announced, with a little shrug.

Kala nodded. She clearly had no intention of leaving Lauritz be.

Not their problem. Rain climbed back down the ladder, and as the sounds of the beating started up again, trailed to their room to write.

[voidtekarc]

Help Unwanted - Part II

Continued from previous story

It had been a few hours since the Garlean went to tracking down the merry band of heroes non-stop. As most of his prey, they didn't have the stamina nor the will power he possessed and had to make camp within a secluded ravine. There were six of them, all in different armor and wielding different weapons, including magic staves. They didn't look like a rag tag group of freedom fighters he was used to putting down. These individuals looked like they had some war miles on them.

Arcuris let out a sigh after lowering his binoculars and rubbed his eyes as the sun started to sit along Gyr Abania. He sat against a flat surfaced rock face before reaching into his side satchel. He pulled out one of his syringes, popping off the safety cap before stabbing himself in the side of the neck with it. He gripped the dirt harshly, his armored claws digging in the ground as the pain surged throughout his body. Arcuris stopped gritting his teeth as the pain subsided, placing the empty syringe back into his satchel.

The Garlean stood up and put his reinforced face mask back on, the same skull faced helmet he wore after becoming the magitek experimentation on his body. Only now it was painting black, as most of his armor was. He checked his weapons, counting the magazines and explosives he had on the bandoleers and satchels around his armor and coat. With his preliminary checks completed, he made his path down the rocky ravine, keeping an eye out for any of the six assigned as sentries. By the time he reached the area the heroes were resting, night had fallen across the land.

Arcuris spotted the first sentry after sneaking up on the encampment. He drew the shotgun from his back holster and slowly crept towards her. The sentry turned away from his direction for just a moment, long enough for the Garlean to get to her. He cracked her in the back of the head with the butt of the weapon, knocking her unconscious. He dragged her a short distance and hid her before making his way back to the outskirts of the encampment.

three of them were sitting by the campfire speaking to one another as the other slept nearby on a small bed. Arcuris looked a little more and spotted a woman, her hands clasped together in irons and she was chained to a heavy post. She looked devoid of any kind of emotion other than fear, no doubt from being dragged out of her home. The Garlean held up the shotgun, putting the stock to his shoulder while walking slowly from the shadows. One of the Ala Mhigans spotted him and tried to draw a bow.

Arcuris pointed the weapon specifically at him but also stated to the other poignantly as his voice boomed from the face mask, "Draw that weapon and it will be the last thing you do. Give me Kristin Fuller and you all walk away. Otherwise..."

The one appearing to the be the leader shot a glare at the Garlean, motioning for his friend to lower his weapon, "I guess Ribald couldn't even send a local to fetch his daughter? He went and hired from outside?" He noticed the attire of Arcuris and shook his head, "A fucking Garlean. Go figure..."

Arcuris said once more as his finger neared the trigger of his weapon, "The girl or you die. Final offer."

The leader cursed and snapped his fingers to his friend. One of the others went and got the key. However, he did it slowly and Arcuris knew better than to trust them on their word alone. He looked and counted that there were only four of them, one less than he counted all together. He saw the leader look behind the Garlean and made a suspicious motion.

Arcuris turned quickly and blasted the one that tried to sneak up behind him, shooting them twice in the chest. The man fell over, blood filling his lungs and coughing harshly as he dropped the knife in his hand to the ground. The leader yelled in anger, grabbing his sword as the others near him grabbed their implements of battle. Arcuris quickly loaded the weapon once more, firing the shotgun into the arm of one of the assailants before it was knocked out of his hands by the leader.

Arcuris quickly grabbed the knife from his side and slashed the leader across the face. He then turn his body quickly and used the momentum to kick the Ala Mhigan in the jaw, knocking him over to the ground and nearly knocking him out. Another shot a bow, hitting Arcuris in the arm with an arrow, biting deep into his flesh. The Garlean snarled in pain, hurling the knife with deadly precision into the neck of the one who fired the bow. Blood poured from the knife stuck in his neck before he fell over, trying to grab the knife as blood rand over both of his hands.

A mage grabbed his staff in the chaos, the air humming around her as she summoned a fireball that struck Arcuris and exploding, knocking him back and charring his flesh and his clothing. He snarled and looked up at his burned face, tissue exposed and burnt. To her horror she could see the skin and the flesh slowly pulling over the wound and sealing the blood and exposed tissue back together. She summoned more magic, firing a bolt of lightning through his chest and then sending shards of ice through his leg, trying to stop the monster.

Arcuris was sent to one of his knees from the blasts of magic. The mage seemed exhausted from using magic from being awoke from sleep and it was wearing her out quickly. One of the others ran towards Arcuris, hoping to finish off the wounded Garlean. To his surprised horror, Arcuris dodge the sword swing, and kicked the man in the side of a knee, breaking it so severely that bone and blood jutting out from the side. The man fell in pain, screaming in pain as blood leaked on the sand from the horrible wound.

Arcuris' eyes turned to the intimidating black and red from the resonant powers, charging at blinding speed, much too fast for the mage to react. He swung with such force that it crushed her jaw and the side of her head, sending blood and teeth out of her mouth as she spun around, striking a rock with her head before falling face first to the ground. The leader stood up from his dazed state, and charged to the Garlean. Arcuris dodged his swing with his inhuman speed before punching the man in the side, crushing his ribs.

Arcuris grabbed the sword as the leader stumbled forward and hacked the back of his legs, severing the back of them. The leader yelled in pain, falling down as his legs collapsed underneath of him. Arcuris stared to the man. He snarled and glared down as if he demonic eyes were about to set him on fire. He pulled out the pistol at his side and fired it into the leaders head. The back of it exploded as gore shot from the back of it, sending the man's corpse to the ground with a heavy thud. Arcuris walked over to the one he left mangled with a crippled leg.

The only one conscious shouted, "You sick piece of shit! I'll kill you for thi-"

Arcuris aimed the gun for his head and shot him, executing the man with a single shot. As he put his pistol back on his side holster, looked around and shook his head and yelled, "Gods fucking damn it now I have a mess on my hands. Why didn't you just give me the woman?!" He walked over to the captive woman who was shivering in fear at the sight that was laid in front of her. She didn't look to Arcuris as some of the captors' blood was splattered upon her clothing. Arcuris looked down at her and her condition and he frowned.

She turned away from him, placing herself in a fetal position and closing her eyes tight, trying to get away from him. She heard him rustle around and heard her shackles unlock. Arcuris pulled all the chains and restraints from her and tossed them to the side as the campfire started to die behind them. She slowly looked up to see him holding his open hand to her as he knelt down.

Arcuris spoke with an urgent tone yet low enough to not startle her, "Your father wants you back home. I'm here to retrieve you."