#and are capable of talking and there is a moment where Jak like hates them I n a low key racist way

[chloepleasestopdying]

Also also love the random people liking the drunk posts. Wait no am I not supposed to acknowledge the lurkers or is that just twitch logic. Fuck I like you the normal amount

[browneyedmissy]

JV: Childhood Part II

Summary: Her brother was off at college. She had to take care of her siblings. When her schoolwork struggles as a result, she made a friend who only made things more complicated.

Part one here

Author's Note: I actually had this written up already and was supposed to be part of the first half but I somehow wrote too much and Tumblr wouldn't let me post it all at once.

High school took a sharp turn for her.

Without Avi, Jackie was taking care of her siblings more while her parents were at work. She would walk directly from her school when the bell rang to her siblings' schools and then make them a snack when they got home. She was able to start her homework a bit before dinner and she would work some more afterwards to keep up.

There were days where she found herself deeply envious of her classmates. Most of them were involved in clubs after school and sometimes she longed for the normalcy. But that feeling was squelched when she got to school and saw her siblings run up to her with bright eyes and full of love.

She found a deep level of interest in biology and was able to keep up until her junior year when the workload she had in addition to her responsibilities at home began to take a toll on her.

When her parents came home and she wanted to mention something to them about taking less responsibility, she stopped when she saw the weariness in their eyes. She had watched what it was like for them as Indian immigrants who spoke perfect English but with a heavy accent to live in the United States. Sometimes while they were out, the people they interacted would not understand them and she would see her mother hesitate just a fraction of a second and before her mother could turn to her, Jackie would step up.

They had tried for years to open up the store they had back up but after all of the costs, even their combined salary had made it hard to save for what they needed to start it up again.

"We're lucky we have you, beta." Her mother had said with a murmur, smoothing the top of her head.

She would nod and feel the burning of guilt she had of being a normal high school student.

Her grades started slipping and when she saw the C on her math examination, she felt her cheeks burn especially when she noticed that her classmates on either side of her had gotten a B+ and an A-. She suddenly felt like she was an imposter, masquerading as a smart person and that someone was going to come in and kick her out of class at any moment.

"How did you learn how to do those word problems?" Jackie asked the classmate on the left. What was her name again?

"My mom has been helping me. I didn't get them at first and I know most of our classmates have tutors. I can help you after school, if you'd like." She said with a smile.

"I have to take care of my siblings." Jackie said with a grimace.

"Dev and Anika, right? My mom's one of the teachers in the elementary school and Dev was one of her students last year."

She blinked at the girl. How did she know that when this was the first time Jackie had talked to her? "Uhh yeah, I…"

"You don't know my name, do you?" The girl quirked an eyebrow at her. "We've been in classes together since freshman year."

Jackie had the decency to feel embarrassed as she shook her head.

"Alexa Chan." She laughed good naturedly and stuck out her hand. Jackie shook it.

"Jackie Varma."

Alexa gave her a grin. "I know. How about I come home with you and we can work on the homework together?"

-

Her siblings adored Alexa.

The first thing she did when she met them at the school was bend at the knees a little so that she could look them straight in the eye when she shook their hand. Dev's eyes had widened a little and he puffed up his chest as if he was full grown. When Ani asked if she was coming over, Alexa had nodded, telling her that she needed to tell her mom first.

Their eyes had been wide as saucers when they figured out who her mom was.

They had gone to school the next day to tell everyone who would listen that Mrs. Chan's daughter was friends with their sister and she was over at their house.

Her parents liked her as well. She was extended a dinner invitation often and her parents were happy she had found a friend who was smart and capable.

Alexa started coming over twice a week when she didn't have swim practice to help Jackie with math. In return, Jackie helped her memorize her science flashcards.

Alexa wanted to be an engineer, Jackie learned. She was good at math because her mother had taught her how to understand it since she was a kid and she liked looking for patterns. She was an only child so she liked being around her mother's students and around her siblings.

And she was so pretty. Jackie couldn't help but notice her soft her hair looked and how kind and genuine her smile was. Sometimes at night, she had dreams where they were walking down the street, holding hands and no one did a double take when she leaned over and pressed a kiss on Alexa's lips.

She shook her head. Alexa was the only friend she had made in years and she couldn't jeopardize it over a crush.

It wasn't as if she hadn't had crushes before. But she kept her feelings close to her chest, especially when she realized that she might like girls as well. Or prefer girls. The sexuality thing freaked her out because the last thing she needed was for people to stare at her for being Indian and gay.

"Hey, do you want to come watch me swim on Friday? I'm going to be swimming with the varsity team." Alexa said excitedly.

"Yeah, Avi just came home so I can ask him to watch my siblings."

"Ooh yay!" Alexa gave Jackie a hug and pulled back with a horrified expression. "Sorry, I don't think I've ever hugged you before."

Jackie felt her cheeks burning. "We're good."

-

"Avi, I need you to watch Dev and Anika after school on Friday." Jackie said as she got home that day, her two siblings in tow. "My friend is competing in a swim meet."

Avi raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "You have a friend, behan?"

"Haha." She rolled her eyes. Her brother stared at her before his face broke into a grin.

"You look happy, Jaks." He observed. "Is this friend actually a friend or do you have a paramour, little sister?"

"My friend's name is Alexa." She said, avoiding the subject.

He didn't skip a beat. "She can be your paramour too."

Jackie blinked as she looked at her brother whose face had become very serious.

"I-" She glanced at their siblings who were out of earshot coloring at the table. "I might like her Avi. But she's also the first friend I've made in a long time."

"If you're willing to let her in, then it might be worth exploring."

-

Jackie took a seat in the bleachers, a book perched on her lap and sunglasses on. She could see the girls warming up on the other side of the pool and Alexa grinned and waved when she saw her. She said something to her teammates and walked over her direction and Jackie felt her heart pounding.

"You came! I'm so excited, Coach says I might have a chance at winning first for the butterfly heat." Alexa said brightly. "I'm up against one of the best swimmers, but I've been training hard."

"Good luck." Jackie offered a smile. Alexa offered one in return before heading back to her team.

The swim meet began and Jackie watched as people swam back and forth in the pool. Her eyes were trained to follow Alexa when she swam, the graceful arch of her legs as she jumped off the block and the way her arms moved through the water effortlessly.

Finally, it was time for the event that Alexa was most excited about. As she stepped up to the block, Jackie felt her heart pounding.

"You got this Alexa!" She shouted. Alexa looked up in surprise and smiled back before getting refocused on the pool.

Her opponent pulled ahead of her the first two laps but Jackie noticed she wasn't keeping up the quick pace. Alexa on the other hand had paced herself and was closing ranks. The last lap they were swimming in tandem and as they reached the wall, Alexa pulled slightly ahead and-

"The winner of the heat is Alexa Chan, by 0.02 seconds!"

"Yes!" Jackie shouted in triumph. She ignored the glances she got from the people around her as she ran over to Alexa who threw her arms out for a hug, her eyes bright.

And as Alexa threw her arms around her, without thinking, Jackie pressed her lips against hers. They were soft and she smelled a little like chlorine as she moved her hands to tangle into Alexa's hair-

Jackie didn't notice the stares until she pulled away from Alexa who had a surprised but pleased look on her face. She pulled back and glanced around as people turned and whispered and suddenly, she felt like she was back in 5th grade, introducing herself to her classmates as Jackie Varma.

"Jackie-"

Without giving her a chance to say anything else Jackie turned and fled.

-

She threw herself into her bedroom, rushing past Avi as she reached home. She ignored him calling her name and she threw herself into her bed facedown.

There was a knock on the door.

"Go away."

"Jaks, your friend Alexa called my phone and wants to speak to you."

"I'm not here."

There was a moment of hesitation before Avi said something Jackie couldn't quite make out.

"Okay, I told her you would call later. Can I come in now?"

"Fine." She said muffled into her pillows.

Her brother opened the door.

"What happened?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Nothing you would understand."

"Behan, I think I of all people would understand."

"No, you won't! You don't live at home anymore, Ani! You don't know what I'm going through and it's easy when you don't have to be around people who know and judge you anymore!"

A terse silence passed. "Do you hate me for leaving? I had to. You'll understand one day. I don't know what you're going through with your friend Alexa, but-"

"I don't want to talk about it! I'm already stared at because we're Indian and I kept my head down through that. I want people to stop staring at me and why can't I just be normal?"

Her voice broke on a sob. Avi sighed and walked over to put a hand on her head.

"Jackie…"

"Don't touch me!" Jackie jumped back and glared at her brother. "Just leave! You're going back to school soon anyways, just- go."

-

She kept her head down for the next few days. Avi had gone back to school and things were sort of back to normal. Alexa had tried to talk to her during class, find her at lunch and after school but Jackie had just stayed silent, staring at the board until Alexa had given up.

Jackie sighed. She missed her best friend but already there were rumors going around the school. They were nosy and Jackie wanted them out of her face.

"You've been avoiding me." Jackie had opened the door to see Alexa standing in front later that day. "Can we talk?"

"Shouldn't you be at swim practice?"

"So you can try to avoid me again? I knew you were keeping track of my schedule. I skipped it. I figured this was kinda important."

"Alexa!" Dev said excitedly when he heard her voice. He moved past Jackie to grab her hand and pull her into the kitchen. "I made a drawing of you and sissy."

Her mouth twitched as she saw the colored drawing. She held it up and Jackie saw two girls, holding hands. Jackie felt her chest tighten.

"Why are they holding hands, Dev?" Jackie choked out.

"They're best friends and they love each other." He said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"I-"

"Dev, can you take Ani to the backyard for a bit so your sister and I can talk?" Alexa said softly. "Thank you for the drawing."

He nodded and took Ani outside. When the door closed, she turned back to Jackie.

"Alexa, when I kissed you…" Jackie stammered.

"I wasn't expecting it." Alexa interrupted with a smile. "But I didn't not like it. But you just ran off before I could say anything."

Jackie stared at the girl in front of her.

"I do like you." Alexa said with a shrug. "I don't know what my sexuality is. Still figuring that out. But I do know that you're smart and pretty and my best friend. And I liked kissing you."

"People saw me kiss you." Jackie's face paled.

"Let them talk."

"How are you so casual about this?" Jackie said weakly. "People are going to stare at us. It'll be just like when I was in 5th grade-"

"Jackie. People are going to talk and stare no matter what. We're different from them. Not just because of that kiss but because we're not white."

Jackie felt nausea coming back up. "I can't have people stare. I won't have it. I can't be seen with you."

Her friend blinked and gave her a sad look.

"Okay. I'm not going to fight you on this, Jackie. I know you better than to try that. I'll keep my distance. But… let me know if you need anything."

As Alexa closed the door, Jackie could feel her heart shattering.

-

Her grades dipped again afterwards. Alexa had been a huge help with her siblings and it was hard to concentrate, especially in math when she still sat next to her.

She started feeling angry. She was angry that she was in charge of her siblings in the first place which led her to meeting Alexa.

She was angry at herself for being a coward and not being able to take people staring at her.

"Jackie, I want to talk to you." Her science teacher stopped her one day after class. Jackie dropped her bag on the ground with a huff. "Is everything okay? Your grades are dropping in my class."

"Yup. Fine. Can I go now?"

"Jackie."

"I don't know what you want me to say Ms. Torres. I have to take care of my siblings after school because the program only lasts until 3:30 for them. My parents can't afford to put them anywhere so I have to help out. So why should I give a damn?” Jackie said angrily. “I can't do anything about it, my siblings need me. And people stare at me because I'm different but I can't do anything about it!"

“You’ve been dealt a crappy hand.” Her teacher said with a critical eye before gesturing at a desk in front of her. Jackie gave a huff before sitting down at the desk and crossing her arms. “It sucks that what you want and what your parents want for you is not the same because that puts you at a disadvantage especially against all of your classmates whose parents can do things like afford tutors and know how to get their classmates into college.”

“It’s not fair.”

The words left her mouth before she could swallow them down to join resentment buried deep down in her heart.

“I know.”

Jackie uncrossed her arms, feeling herself deflate. All the anger that she felt mixed with the exhaustion and sadness that she had felt ever since she had realized how much the world hated her when she was nine and she was left just feeling tired.

“Neither of my parents went to college and they both worked full time jobs. And I was expected to take care of my siblings on top of going to school especially as I got older. I did well enough until I got to junior high and all of my classmates started doing things like going to camp and getting tutors to help them get ahead. All of a sudden, I was the Latina girl who was struggling to compete because they had all these advantages.”

"Exactly. If it's not fair, why should I try?"

Ms. Torres observed her quietly for a moment. "Your brother said the same thing."

"Avi?"

"He was one of my first students. He gave me trouble most of the year and then he and I talked just like you did. He told me that you were going to go do advanced classes in junior high and he felt like he missed out on his chance because he had to take care of you and your siblings."

"I didn't know."

"Because he cared about you and Dev and Anika more than anyone. And he got himself together when he realized he wanted to make sure you did more with your life."

Jackie brought her sleeve to her face and it came back wet.

-

"Behan?"

"Hey, Avi. I miss you. And I'm sorry."

He gave a chuckle over the phone. "I wish I had recorded that so I could play it back to you whenever I needed it."

"I kissed Alexa. I might be gay. I don't know. I don't want to label it right now."

"And you don't have to. You do not have to tell anyone, unless you want to, Jaks."

"I want to go to college." Her voice trembled. "I want to be a doctor. I love science and I'm good at it."

"You go do that then." He said firmly.

"Dev and Anika-"

"Will be fine. Mom and Dad will figure it out. You need to make sure you take care of you too."

"Okay. I love you, bhai."

[the-instituterp-blog]

Return (6)

[9/14/16, 2:21:19 PM] Azuna: It has been 3 months. Our group has not fared much better since their awakening from the Midnight Exigent machine, but they're making progress. The lone window in the confinement chamber, spanning most of one wall, gives a clear view of the outside world. Azuna is standing, forehead pressed against the window, humming softly to himself. The light in the chamber is still broken, so the only light is coming from the overhead waxing moon, nearly full. A dim, eerie glow is cast into the chamber, tinting everything a somewhat depressing blue hue. The Midnight Exigent has since been removed from the chamber, to no one's dismay.

Dagda, Forge, and Robin are awake as well, silent for the moment.

Despite the time that has passed, our group is still haunted by the events of a mere 3 months ago. Tasting freedom, feeling safe for once, only to have it ripped from their grasp.

Will they attempt another escape? Or have they, once and for all, accepted their fate? Time will tell... [9/14/16, 2:28:14 PM] Forge: Forge had sat idly in one of the chambers corners, quietly singing to himself by the flickering light he produced in his palm, the ember dancing about his fingers like a living thing

O' I know where I'm going And I know who's going with me I know who I love And my dear knows who I'll marry.

I have stockings of silk And shoes of bright green leather Combs to buckle my hair And a ring for every finger...

The Scot stared at his single hand and sighed, extinguishing the meager flame and rubbing the residual warmth into the stub of his missing left hand All five o' them... He almost whispered [9/14/16, 2:32:32 PM] Dag: Dag chews at his lower lip while stabbing more ink into the skin of his left forearm, hands twitching occasionally with nervous energy as he makes the designs in his arm permanent. "Gettin' a bit dull in here" he mutters to no one in particular. [9/14/16, 2:35:02 PM] Robin: Robin sits silently, hardly acknowledging anyone else’s presence in the room. She hasn’t said a thing in hours, and has rarely spoken at all in the months following their fake escape. [9/14/16, 2:36:46 PM] Azuna: Azuna sighs. It's been quiet, for everyone. He continues to stare out the window, observing the night wind move through the trees below. "A change of pace would be nice, yeah." His tone is half-dead. [9/14/16, 2:37:39 PM] Robin: "Would be nice..." Robin repeats, half mocking and have monotone. [9/14/16, 2:38:18 PM] Azuna: Azuna glances in Robin's direction, but doesn't say anything, and quickly turns his gaze back out the window. [9/14/16, 2:39:10 PM] Forge: Grunting, Forge hoists himself onto his one leg and hobbles along the wall until he reaches the window, staring out at the moon Aye, suppose anythin' ta break the mold, eh? Got any ideas, lad? [9/14/16, 2:41:56 PM] Azuna: Azuna opened his mouth, but thought better of himself. What he was about to say may not have garnered the best response. He put his back to the wall and sank to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest. [9/14/16, 2:42:21 PM] Robin: “We could leave,” Robin muttered. [9/14/16, 2:43:37 PM] Forge: A harsh, croaking laugh escaped the man's lips Oh tha'd be lovely, lass! Shame the las' time we did, it was a ruddy nightmare! He slammed his fist angrily into the glass, still bitter over the perceived escape from this clinical hell [9/14/16, 2:44:57 PM] Azuna: Azuna looked at Robin again. A spark of...something...flared in his eyes. Hope? Maybe. Couldn't have been a bad thing. He straightened his legs out, and an odd look came over his face. Wheels turning in his head, no doubt. It was the first time in months that he had thought about something like this. Incredible. [9/14/16, 2:45:02 PM] Dagda: "Not fer nothin' but it wouldn't be have bad of an idea to take things in a more stir things in that sorta way," he drawls, looking up from his work, "just sayin....dreams can come true if yer willin' to put in the dirty work." [9/14/16, 2:46:15 PM] Azuna: Azuna put his hands together and lowered his head slightly. His eyes darted around, as if he was trying to focus on something in the negative space in front of him. He was definitely thinking about something. [9/14/16, 2:46:47 PM] Robin: “What’s on your mind?” Robin looked at Azuna. [9/14/16, 2:48:07 PM] Dagda: Dag's eyes flick to Azuna as well, a shadow of the smirk he used to wear showing through slightly. "Fearless has a bee in his bonnet?" [9/14/16, 2:48:23 PM] Azuna: "I..." He looked up, locking eyes with her. The light in his eyes seemed to extinguish momentarily. "I don't know, something stupid." He dipped his head again. [9/14/16, 2:48:54 PM] Robin: “I could list off a thousand stupid things that we’ve all done before. Tell us.” [9/14/16, 2:49:16 PM] Dagda: "Nah, darlin'" Dag chuckles, "ain't stupid until it fails." [9/14/16, 2:50:38 PM] Forge: Unless yer one o' the White Coats. Then yes, everything is stupid. Forge scoffed and slid down next to Azuna Talk if ye wan' ta, lad. [9/14/16, 2:53:51 PM] Azuna: His eyes flared again. "Alright." He clapped his hands together, and smiled for the first time in a long, long time. "Let's try it." He stood and walked towards the door, locked tight for the night. He put a hand on the cold steel, shuddering slightly as he remembered what awaited him several times when he walked out of this door in the past. "You want to leave? This time, we're actually going to. But we need to plan." [9/14/16, 2:54:24 PM] Robin: “We could always kill everyone in our path.” [9/14/16, 2:54:56 PM] Azuna: Azuna chuckled darkly. "That is one option, yes." [9/14/16, 2:55:11 PM] Azuna: "I was more referring to our way out, though." [9/14/16, 2:55:49 PM] Forge: ...Lad, I hate ta be a downer, but I'm sittin' this one out. Forge's expression falls to a stone like seriousness, eyes drifting to the floor [9/14/16, 2:56:44 PM] Dagda: Dag gives Forge a disappointed look. "Yeh mean that yeh aren't up for a little white coat slaughterhouse? Way to be borin' darlin'." [9/14/16, 2:57:11 PM] Robin: “We don’t know what’s out there,” Robin said. [9/14/16, 2:59:29 PM] Azuna: "Which is precisely why we need to be hyper-observant for the next couple days. See everything. Security shifts, paths they take, doors, vents, anything we can use, you need to have an eye on." Azuna absentmindedly rubbed his upper right arm, psychosomatic pain flaring up. He took a shaky breath. "We still have...conditioning." He half-choked out the word. "You have to use that time out of this room to your advantage, as best as you can." [9/14/16, 2:59:58 PM] Azuna: Azuna turned to Forge, a pained look in his eyes. "Why stay? We're more than capable of getting out of here." [9/14/16, 3:00:22 PM] Robin: “We don’t know that. Maybe they made it easy on us last time.” [9/14/16, 3:00:56 PM] Azuna: "I don't doubt that." [9/14/16, 3:00:59 PM] Robin: “If everything was a simulation, we don’t even know if our powers are as effective as they were." [9/14/16, 3:01:45 PM] Dagda: "And who's to say we can't test that?" [9/14/16, 3:02:01 PM] Forge: The Scot looked up at Azuna, his gaze harder than steel Lad, look at me. Look. At. Me. I'm half a bloody man with useless bloody powers. Because, guess what! These walls won't... His words are punctuated by hard strikes to the wall fuckin' BEND! [9/14/16, 3:02:41 PM] Robin: “We can’t just bust out right now. Like Az said, we have no idea where the exit even is..." [9/14/16, 3:04:58 PM] Dagda: "So we start somewhere," Dag chimes in, "we find out what we need to know and make a fuckin' plan. Better than wastin' away in here." [9/14/16, 3:06:00 PM] Azuna: "You shouldn't give up before the fight even starts." Az knelt down next to Forge. "I'm standing by what I said. We're more than capable of getting out of here. Every night for the last 3 fucking months, I've looked out that window and I've wondered what it really feels like. You, none of you, can tell me you haven't thought the same thing." He looked to Robin. "We may not know where the exit is, we may not know the true extent of our abilities, but that doesn't mean that we can't figure it out. We literally have all the time in the world. Dag's right, we have to at least start." [9/14/16, 3:06:30 PM] Robin: Robin nodded. [9/14/16, 3:08:20 PM] Azuna: "So we practice. Every day. We show those lab coats that we are stronger, faster, smarter, then they will ever be. We can, and we will, get out of here." [9/14/16, 3:08:51 PM] Azuna: He took a deep breath, and continued, quieter. "And this time, it won't be a lie." [9/14/16, 3:09:27 PM] Robin: “I hope...." [9/14/16, 3:09:35 PM] Forge: Lad... Azuna... I'm... Forge sighed and ran his hand through his hair, looking away from everyone into the darkest corner of the chamber I don' think I'm strong enough for this... Not without me limbs... My flames aren' as strong as Jak's and I can' bend smoke when there ain't any... [9/14/16, 3:11:07 PM] Dagda: Dag growled and stood up angrily walking over to Forge. "Then stay here! Let them keep pickin' away at yeh until yeh don't even have yer dick left! Although the clearly yeh don't anyway!" [9/14/16, 3:12:54 PM] Forge: Well then maybe I should gnaw off yer arms and legs, aye! Show you how it fuckin' feels to be useless! Forge shakily raised up to his full height, glaring down at Dag Maybe carve out yer eyes and tongue while I'm at it! Make a poin' o' bein' disabled! [9/14/16, 3:13:53 PM] Dagda: "Fuckin' do it then darlin'" he snarled back, "show me that yeh got somethin' left in there!!" [9/14/16, 3:15:39 PM] Forge: Growling angrily, the man throws his whole weight at Dag, aiming to wrap his arm around his throat [9/14/16, 3:15:53 PM] Robin: Robin curled up closer in on herself. [9/14/16, 3:16:50 PM] Dagda: Dag cackles like a madman as he grapples with Forge. "There it's is love!! Still got some fire!!" His eyes glimmer with the faintest flicker of gold. [9/14/16, 3:17:50 PM] Azuna: Azuna eyed the scene unfolding before him from his spot by the window. He sighed quietly, opting to let them fight it out. One can only take confinement for so long without venting, after all. [9/14/16, 3:19:08 PM] Forge: Wrapping his powerful legs around the Irishman's waist, Forge attempts to beat Dagda with his remaining fist, grunting and growling like a wild animal You don't know! You'll never fuckin' know! [9/14/16, 3:21:18 PM] Dagda: "Quit yer pity party yeh stupid fuck!" He spat back between the hits, blood beginning to fleck his lips. "Yeh don't have limbs so yer gonna lay back and fuckin' die?! Yeh really are half a man if that's how yeh think darlin'!!!" [9/14/16, 3:23:49 PM] Forge: Forge sat there, panting and sweating atop of the smaller man before pulling himself off and dragging himself back into his corner Why'd ya think I called meself tha'? I'm only half a man... [9/14/16, 3:26:06 PM] Dagda: Dag spits out another mouthful of blood, giving a small, wheezing laugh. "Nah darlin' but I will if yeh give up." [9/14/16, 3:30:26 PM] Forge: Fuck off... He said quietly as he laid on his side and rolled over to face the wall. Were anyone close enough to him, they would hear his quiet sobs, tears mixing with the sweat and blood on his face [9/14/16, 3:35:50 PM] Dagda: Dag sits up with a sigh, knowing that he hadn't managed to accomplish what was needed to do. "I just....I don't want to leave anyone behind..." He mutters [9/14/16, 3:41:47 PM] Robin: “You both done?” Robin asks flatly as she stands. [9/14/16, 3:43:02 PM] Dagda: Dag laughs wearily. "Never darlin'....not til I ain't breathing' anymore..." [9/14/16, 3:44:48 PM] Robin: “Forge, we will help each other out of this. It’s what we did way back when. We were constantly helping each other out, and this will be no different, got it?” [9/14/16, 3:46:08 PM] Forge: No response from the man, simple quiet sobs and cold shudders against the unloving metal floor [9/14/16, 3:47:03 PM] Robin: Robin stoops down in front of him. “Forge, we can do this. And you will come with us. And we will help you get out of here. And we will all be better for it. I promise you that." [9/14/16, 3:49:23 PM] Forge: His sobs have stopped, their end marked by a long, slow breath as he gives Robin a plodding nod ...Alright... Alright, if you promise. If not fer me, fer yerselves... [9/14/16, 3:49:34 PM] Azuna: "For all of us." [9/14/16, 3:49:45 PM] Robin: Robin hugs Forge. [9/14/16, 3:49:46 PM] Azuna: Azuna finally spoke, ripped from his trance. [9/14/16, 3:50:10 PM] Azuna: "We each fight for each other. We will fight, and we will win." [9/14/16, 3:50:55 PM] Azuna: Azuna stood, a flame in his eyes. "We just have to try." [9/14/16, 3:51:12 PM] Robin: “It’s all we can do.” [9/14/16, 3:53:16 PM] Dag: "So....its...agreed then?" Dag asks, sounding oddly subdued. [9/14/16, 3:55:37 PM] Azuna: The massive vault-like door, their only way out of confinement, hissed and clicked as the locks within shuffled and retracted. The door opened with a whoosh, revealing a dark hallway. The only light source that could be seen was a single fluorescent light about 15 feet from the door. It swayed ominously. A figure was thrown into the room. In the dim light, it was difficult to make out who it was. That is until he began speaking. The door hissed closed as quickly as it had opened. [9/14/16, 3:58:53 PM] Azuna: Azuna squinted. "Who in the hell..."