#VERSE. ┊ twisted and deranged‚ the ones you fear in the dark. ( GRISHAVERSE )

[huyaoxiaozi]

@soulfulempathy | PLOTTED STARTER.

       It had taken Zane a year and a half to pick up the pieces of his broken life and find a way to stability. After his chance encounter with the Eastern Shu man who'd saved him from slavers' seeking hands, he'd given in to retreat soon enough. His paranoia had gotten the best of him, but the stranger had given him the name of the studio where he claimed someone had trained him how to use his power effectively. Impact studio. Once he'd had stability, Zane had looked into it — he'd found the place easily enough and moreover, he believed he'd figured out the identity of the man who'd helped him. Yuki Hashikawa.

       It had taken another six months for him to seek Yuki out, as ... he'd seen Zane at his worst. He'd seen him in a way he hadn't allowed from anyone — hell, when he'd sought out work from the Red Fox Clan, he'd even gone through the trouble of cleaning himself up as much as he could, making himself look presentable ... and maybe he'd given himself a nasty cold from cleaning with frigid water on the streets of Ketterdam, but it didn't matter. It had gotten him work and his facade had been effective. No one had known how desperate he'd really been. Except for Yuki.

       Despite how dead and empty the studio looked from the outside, Zane reached to pull open the left glass door — and, to his surprise, it was unlocked. As he peered inside, he noted that there were lights on further in, but most of the lighting was dim or off completely. There was a shoe cubby to his left and, with only one pair of shoes tucked away, it made sense now why the lights were so dim. He just hoped that the one lone person here happened to be Yuki.

       Zane stepped inside and closed the door behind him, then bent down to remove his shoes. He placed them in one of the little cubbies before finally venturing further inside.

       It didn't take long for him to hear a thunk! and, only after a minute or two, the same sound followed. Again and again it went, with short pauses in-between, so ... Zane followed the sound. Soon enough, he did indeed find the man he'd been looking for. Yuki was dressed in loose trousers and a sleeveless shirt, clearly practicing his knife throwing. Each throw seemed to have a personal emotional intensity to it, however — as if he were infusing each knife with whatever pained him and casting it away. At the time, he'd lacked the capacity to notice that Yuki was attractive, but now he certainly didn't.

       Zane tucked one hand into the pocket of his trousers, took a steadying breath and allowed any nervous tension to bleed out of him. He wore a mask of easy confidence as he cleared his throat softly and rapped his knuckles loud enough to be audible against the door frame. When their eyes met, he knew for certain that this was indeed the man who'd saved him from an even more terrible fate than he'd already suffered — and a soft, crooked smile curled at his lips. ❝Is this a bad time? ❞