"TK! Gimme the keys to Sam."
The red head looked up from his paper work, eyes narrowing at The Muse of
Conflict. In return to his glare, TK got a smooth, easy smile and Jericho's
hand running through his long silvery blue hair.
".You're not allowed in the cells." "Oh come on! I'm only checking up on the kid. And you know how Zaile hates it when experiments die on him." Jeri spread his hands, and turned to leave the room. "But hey, if you wanna leave the little kid to die and handle Zaile's wrath, fine by me." TK sighed and stood up. "Alright, you can check on him, but I'm bloody well coming with you. I don't trust you." Jericho simply smiled, holding open the door for his 'co-worker.'
They reached the cell. In one was an old experiment, one when Zaile had tried to 'create' angels. It was curled up and sleeping. In the other cell, stretched out on the narrow bed and staring unseeing up at the ceiling, was the small waif of a youth. More so a waif than ever before. Jericho fought back the urge to scream and rant. The kid had come back for his hamster for fucks sake! He was just a baby. barely 20. Built like a butterfly and weaker than an hour old kitten.
He'd been through hell and it showed. TK slipped the key into the lock and stepped into the cell, moving to the bed and looking into the staring eyes. Jericho followed. The red-head frowned, and waved his hand over Sam's eyes. No reaction.
"I think he's dead." "No." Jericho sighed, flicking a greasy, filthy strand of hair from the boy's eyes. "He's just not there any more." "What do you mean?" "He's still breathing," The muse pointed at the kid's chest. "But his mind had legged it. I've seen it happen before. In traumatic circumstances, the mind just slips away. Like the spirit flees and hides in a world where it can't be touched. Sometimes they come back. .and sometimes they don't." Jeri knelt down beside the bed, and felt for the youth's pulse. It was weak and slow. He sighed again, silver eyes moving to TK.
"Should I tell Zaile?" "No." "I think I should." "No, I don't think you should at all. After all, Sam isn't his concern anymore." "What do you mean?"
Jericho's fist lashed out as he rose, catching TK on the chin and snapping his head back. The VelKalm worker did not fall, only stumbled backwards and thudded into the wall. With a snarl he leapt at the muse, sending a thudding left jab to Jericho's face, following it with stinging right into his jaw. Jericho managed to dodge the left, but in doing so he slammed his own face into the right. Reeling a little, he fell back on the bed that Sam lay on. TK advanced, summoning a little astral magic, the white-ish blue light gleaming like a giant sphere over his hands. Curling his legs under him, and using the corner of the low bed as a launch pad, Jericho leapt at TK, tackling him around the waist and dragging him to the ground. They hit the stone floor, both slightly winded, but the muse recovered and rolled away quicker than the assassin. Rising smoothly to his feet he waited for the red-head to get up. Jericho did not believe in kick a man while he was down.
TK, still having the astral magic, hurled it at the muse. He expected the muse to run - if it landed it would be a fatal blow. But. The Muse of Conflict swayed a little out of the path of the magic, and then, against all reason, snaked a hand out and caught it. With a twisted grin he looked to the wielder, tossing the ball back and forth between his hands, with no effect on him whatsoever. Then he tossed it over his shoulder, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground where it dissipated.
"Not so smarmy now are ya TK?" The muse taunted, before throwing a kick that cracked against the astonished lab worker's temple. He sunk to the floor again without a sound.
Jericho ran his hands through his hair, looking at the unconscious TK. Now there was no doubt that VelKalm knew about the Muse of Cruelty's little discovery. But hey, that made the little 'war' a bit more interesting. Padding forwards he lifted the feather light boy into his arms and left the labs for the last time.
When he arrived in the abstract, the first one he came across was Michael. Mainly that was because he headed back to his little apartment above his bar, where he and Michael tended to hang out. The Muse of Repercussions was playing with Sam's hamster, Cookie, which he had 'rescued' from the labs.
"Oh gods Jeri, he looks like he's been through hell." "He has." The Muse of Conflict whispered, gently laying the kid down on the bed. Sam's eyes were still open, staring unseeing. Michael replaced the little hamster back in her cage, and sat beside the mortal, gently smoothing his hair from his eyes. "Noel is going to be crushed." Jericho said nothing. He'd been hoping that maybe Noel would've gone for the kid himself. But as time had gone by he hadn't. Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was the fact that if he did go back there, he'd probably end up back in the cell's as one of the experiments. But still.
He moved to the window and leant against the sill, staring out at the abstract. He could see Kiro's Manor, Akia's garden, Andrei's river. Narrowing his eyes the muse pulled the curtain shut. He didn't want to see the other muses. Not right now. Guilt was weighing heavily. He'd sat by while Yamiga had been tortured, he'd stood around watching the lab workers beat the crap out of Noel and torture Sam. But this gesture.
Moving to Michael he drew the little muse into his arms and cuddled him. Most people assumed that Jericho was a pretty nasty piece of work. And he was, in so many ways. But he was loyal to his people. or at least. when he'd joined VelKalm he'd thought it would be fun. Hanging out with Zaile and poking things, it would be like the old days. But Zaile had gone mad, and things got out of control. but there was so much fighting there. It was intoxicating.
"I should never have asked you to join VelKalm with me Mike." Jericho whispered.
Michael went to answer and that's when there was a knock on the door. Releasing his lover he moved over to it, and opened it to find a panicked and dishevelled Noel. The blue eyes moved straight to the bed where little Sam was. Wordlessly, the muse of fetishes moved forward and scooped him up, nodding a silent thanks and then leaving.
Jericho's heart broke, and as he shut the door he sank to the bed. And wept for the first time in his life.
".You're not allowed in the cells." "Oh come on! I'm only checking up on the kid. And you know how Zaile hates it when experiments die on him." Jeri spread his hands, and turned to leave the room. "But hey, if you wanna leave the little kid to die and handle Zaile's wrath, fine by me." TK sighed and stood up. "Alright, you can check on him, but I'm bloody well coming with you. I don't trust you." Jericho simply smiled, holding open the door for his 'co-worker.'
They reached the cell. In one was an old experiment, one when Zaile had tried to 'create' angels. It was curled up and sleeping. In the other cell, stretched out on the narrow bed and staring unseeing up at the ceiling, was the small waif of a youth. More so a waif than ever before. Jericho fought back the urge to scream and rant. The kid had come back for his hamster for fucks sake! He was just a baby. barely 20. Built like a butterfly and weaker than an hour old kitten.
He'd been through hell and it showed. TK slipped the key into the lock and stepped into the cell, moving to the bed and looking into the staring eyes. Jericho followed. The red-head frowned, and waved his hand over Sam's eyes. No reaction.
"I think he's dead." "No." Jericho sighed, flicking a greasy, filthy strand of hair from the boy's eyes. "He's just not there any more." "What do you mean?" "He's still breathing," The muse pointed at the kid's chest. "But his mind had legged it. I've seen it happen before. In traumatic circumstances, the mind just slips away. Like the spirit flees and hides in a world where it can't be touched. Sometimes they come back. .and sometimes they don't." Jeri knelt down beside the bed, and felt for the youth's pulse. It was weak and slow. He sighed again, silver eyes moving to TK.
"Should I tell Zaile?" "No." "I think I should." "No, I don't think you should at all. After all, Sam isn't his concern anymore." "What do you mean?"
Jericho's fist lashed out as he rose, catching TK on the chin and snapping his head back. The VelKalm worker did not fall, only stumbled backwards and thudded into the wall. With a snarl he leapt at the muse, sending a thudding left jab to Jericho's face, following it with stinging right into his jaw. Jericho managed to dodge the left, but in doing so he slammed his own face into the right. Reeling a little, he fell back on the bed that Sam lay on. TK advanced, summoning a little astral magic, the white-ish blue light gleaming like a giant sphere over his hands. Curling his legs under him, and using the corner of the low bed as a launch pad, Jericho leapt at TK, tackling him around the waist and dragging him to the ground. They hit the stone floor, both slightly winded, but the muse recovered and rolled away quicker than the assassin. Rising smoothly to his feet he waited for the red-head to get up. Jericho did not believe in kick a man while he was down.
TK, still having the astral magic, hurled it at the muse. He expected the muse to run - if it landed it would be a fatal blow. But. The Muse of Conflict swayed a little out of the path of the magic, and then, against all reason, snaked a hand out and caught it. With a twisted grin he looked to the wielder, tossing the ball back and forth between his hands, with no effect on him whatsoever. Then he tossed it over his shoulder, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground where it dissipated.
"Not so smarmy now are ya TK?" The muse taunted, before throwing a kick that cracked against the astonished lab worker's temple. He sunk to the floor again without a sound.
Jericho ran his hands through his hair, looking at the unconscious TK. Now there was no doubt that VelKalm knew about the Muse of Cruelty's little discovery. But hey, that made the little 'war' a bit more interesting. Padding forwards he lifted the feather light boy into his arms and left the labs for the last time.
When he arrived in the abstract, the first one he came across was Michael. Mainly that was because he headed back to his little apartment above his bar, where he and Michael tended to hang out. The Muse of Repercussions was playing with Sam's hamster, Cookie, which he had 'rescued' from the labs.
"Oh gods Jeri, he looks like he's been through hell." "He has." The Muse of Conflict whispered, gently laying the kid down on the bed. Sam's eyes were still open, staring unseeing. Michael replaced the little hamster back in her cage, and sat beside the mortal, gently smoothing his hair from his eyes. "Noel is going to be crushed." Jericho said nothing. He'd been hoping that maybe Noel would've gone for the kid himself. But as time had gone by he hadn't. Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was the fact that if he did go back there, he'd probably end up back in the cell's as one of the experiments. But still.
He moved to the window and leant against the sill, staring out at the abstract. He could see Kiro's Manor, Akia's garden, Andrei's river. Narrowing his eyes the muse pulled the curtain shut. He didn't want to see the other muses. Not right now. Guilt was weighing heavily. He'd sat by while Yamiga had been tortured, he'd stood around watching the lab workers beat the crap out of Noel and torture Sam. But this gesture.
Moving to Michael he drew the little muse into his arms and cuddled him. Most people assumed that Jericho was a pretty nasty piece of work. And he was, in so many ways. But he was loyal to his people. or at least. when he'd joined VelKalm he'd thought it would be fun. Hanging out with Zaile and poking things, it would be like the old days. But Zaile had gone mad, and things got out of control. but there was so much fighting there. It was intoxicating.
"I should never have asked you to join VelKalm with me Mike." Jericho whispered.
Michael went to answer and that's when there was a knock on the door. Releasing his lover he moved over to it, and opened it to find a panicked and dishevelled Noel. The blue eyes moved straight to the bed where little Sam was. Wordlessly, the muse of fetishes moved forward and scooped him up, nodding a silent thanks and then leaving.
Jericho's heart broke, and as he shut the door he sank to the bed. And wept for the first time in his life.