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Riley couldn't look Malodore in the eye. She could tell that if she did, that thin film of mist would spill into tears, and she refused to cry for it right now. Not after what had happened.

She had promised herself she would forgive everything when they were out of the fog. When they were safe. She knew that Malodore could not truly be blamed for none of this, but until they left the fog, she couldn't stand being hurt anymore. She didn't want to forgive just to see it turn on her again. She didn't want to hear those words that she'd known were true.

Most assuredly, she did not want to believe again.

What the mind knows and what the heart wants have always been two separate things.

Automatically, she looked up at Malodore, and as she'd expected, the tears instantly fell. She narrowed her eyes and brushed them away before anyone could know any better. She glared at him with all the force she could muster, which wasn't very much. It faded as quickly as it came, and all that was left was an aching loneliness.

I needed you. She whispered in a tiny voice. Her eyes widened just slightly. I need you. Here, with me.

((i forgot to roll

IGNORE THIS LOL))

The idea of watching someone you care about explode, vanish, and/or torn apart all in the same day did sound like an epic amount of ********. She counted herself lucky that her hallucinations hadn't actually seen Malodore hurt. A brief thought on the idea, and her hands clutched the gravel they lay on. If she had watched Malodore be hurt, in any way..

.. She would have gone crazy.

All the anger in her body melted away helplessly. She wanted to stay mad. She really did. There was simply no way she could do so when faced with that stark reality - and after all it had been through, Malodore deserved no more suffering.

She rose both of her hands up and cupped the sides of his mask gently, running her thumbs along the edge of the beak in a loving gesture. Okay, Malodore. She whispered, in a much softer, affectionate tone. I'll stay in one piece.

She heard Claire pipe up her name suddenly, and she almost laughed at the awkwardness of the moment. She refused to let Malodore go, even as she turned her head to one side and gave Claire an almost joyous expression.

Hey, Claire.

Sharra curled his claws about his opponent's neck, still growling angrily. The darkness would not have him...not here...not... Hold... Freezing, his claws tightened ever so slightly, only to release once he realized that there was something altogether strange and familiar about the position that he was in just now, and the build of the body below him...

...trying to blink away the stupor once more, he saw Aksaja below him, glowing eyes and all, but...it was still the dragon, at least, the nergal hoped it was the dragon. Shaking the other's shoulders, Sharra's own eyes narrowed. "Hey! Aksaja!? THIS HAD BETTER BE YOU OR I SWEAR I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

....not the most logical of threats, but admittedly it had been a long day.

There was nothing as healing as the feel of Malodore's arms tightening around her, she realized in a sudden rush of emotion. When it pulled away, she already missed it, but there was a lingering sense of comfort that remained around her even after it was gone. She reached out when the hand was offered, and her fingers slid slowly into those familiar claws. As she clutched the hand, she felt something click inside of her, and she heaved a heavy, cleansing sigh.

It felt like coming home.

She pushed herself up to her feet with it's help, and as soon as she stood, she pulled Malodore against her. Her own arms finally wrapped around it in an equally tight hug, filling in the gaps that it's absence had left behind. She slipped away, bending down to pick up Charlie - HOW did he sleep through all of this?! - and swinging the boy back around like a living backpack. One hand gripped both of Charlie's arms tight around her neck, and the other slid greedily back into Malodore's claws. Mine, her claiming hold said.

She gave Claire a wink and a nod, and turned to head out. Good idea. Let's get out of here.

The lightning dragon blinked at that tone in the other's voice, glancing down to where Sharra had hold of his arm. "What?" he asked, confused, blinking. He moved to sit up a bit more, putting his other hand on the ground to brace himself.

Then he reached out and shook the other just a bit. "Sharra . . . what d'you see? C'mon, talk to me." He could still hear the dragon roaring somewhere in the fog but now that he was focused on the other boil, it was easier to ignore. Easier to hold onto what was real . . .

Sepheran curled up...gone...everything was gone. There was nothing...nobody...he was alone. What use were eyes when you couldn't look at others with them? No....if this was what seeing brought him he would rather be blind...he'd rather go back to the darkness again.

Lifting his arm he watched as his nails grew sharp. One quick stab...one stab and he would be back in the darkness...slowly Sepheran began to bring his nails closer to his eyes. Just one stab...it will hurt but he wouldn't kill anyone...his friends would be safe. Liannan...Liannan wouldn't have died if he did this earlier...Liannan...

As his nails started to draw closer Sepheran felt a sudden pain shoot through his shoulder making his scream his hands moving away from his face to hold the injured shoulder. A hot burning sensation and his vision clouded fading away once more...wait...blinking Sepheran felt the skin on his shoulder, the scaly skin belonging to Liannan. It was still warm to the touch and the voice...her hiss he could hear her!

She...she wasn't dead?! His vision...it wasn't real? He didn't get his sight back?! Sepheran was glad for the first time he hadn't killed Liannan. "Liannan..." he said happily uncaring of the throbbing pain.

Liannan having seen Sepheran raise his hands to his eyes had snapped out of her own stupor and bit him on his shoulder to snap him awake...or she had a illusion of her own that Sepheran was a nice big juicy cricket...nobody could be sure...what mattered now was that Sepheran was awake, brought back to reality.

Was those voice he heard? They didn't sound very far off...the voice of his friends. This was real wasn't it...surely it was since Liannan just snapped him out of it.

"Arachne? Lizzy? Mac?! Is that you guys?! Where you at?! Keep talking so I can find you guys!" Sepheran called out hoping the others would lead him back tot he group...if they were real anyway.