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 Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:22 pm
“How much longer until that guy gets here?” Darian's ears twitched as he listened to the guards from the back of his prison cell, though he didn't lift his gaze from the floor and he paced back and forth. “I heard this guy's a real psycho – the sooner we're done dealing with him, the better.”
“Yeah, he stabbed some guy out on the street, and it took 5 guys to bring him in. Apparently, he was shouting stuff about 'damned humans' the whole way here. He's off his bloody rocker.” One of the officers cast a nervous glance back at Darian, and this time, the impling returned the gaze – his eyes, however, were filled with anger, rather than the fear that the young guard was showing. The man quickly turned away, and Darian couldn't help but feel a tinge of satisfaction knowing that he was frightening the men. They SHOULD have been scared of him – he would have gutted them like a couple of fish if his dagger hadn't been wrestled away from him when he'd been arrested. The young man didn't know where his weapon was now, but as soon as he found a way out of this cell, he'd find it, and he'd make good use of it as well. He wouldn't be in here long either. The boy wasn't about to give any of the officers enough time to get any ideas. The last time that had happened...
A shiver of repulsion ran through him, and Darian found himself feeling unclean, as he always did whenever the memory came to mind. No amount of washing could rid himself of the disgusting sensation either – he was forever dirtied by the events that had transpired the last time he'd been put in a prison cell, and he wasn't about to let that happen again. He'd kill anyone who tried. By this point, Darian had stopped pacing, and was merely leaning against one of the back walls as he stared off into space, lost in his own thoughts, and oblivious to the fact that the two guards were looking at him again. Had he noticed, he probably would have hissed a warning at them.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:16 am
"Are you quite finished with complaining, boys?"
The deep voice came from the doorway, sounding both slightly amused, and slightly aggravated. He did not like when the officers chatted in front of his charges; it often made for bad situations. Sometimes they jarred the prisoner mentally with the things they said, and at others they got him riled up simply by having him there. Why the boy was still in the holding cell, Garret wasn't sure; what he did know, however, was that it was the wrong spot for him.
Supposedly, the young impling had stabbed someone; and he was fairly sure that, by now, he should have been processed and placed in a larger cell than this. Of course, the two officers that were currently here were rookies; and rookies were often afraid of getting stabbed.
He could practically feel it radiating off of them, without even trying to sense their emotions. A snort of derision as he walked by, to which one officer turned his head slightly and frowned. He realized that it had been out loud, rather than in his head, but said nothing to defend his actions.
"So this is him, then..?"
Slowly, and perhaps a bit unintentionally melodramatically, he strode from the shadows of the doorway to face the impling in the cell. He seemed rather in the spirit of the season, although it was unintentional. His fur was red, his hair was white, and his eyes were vibrantly green. As a plainclothes officer, and more specifically, a consultant, he didn't have to wear a uniform. Or carry a gun, or even have a badge; although, he did have the latter on him at all times. It made his life much easier, he found.
"...Good morning." He said to him, inclining his head slightly in a greeting. Speaking...it was a formality, meant to put Darian at ease; or to set him on edge, confuse him. Either way, Garret's access to his mind would be...easier. "How are you?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:11 am
The two rookies quickly turned to look at Garret as he arrived, both of them straightening as their faces flushed with embarrassment. Neither of them had an answer for the man until he asked about the impling inside the cell, to which one of them cleared his throat and forced out a reply. "Yes, sir - we were told to let you do with him what you saw fit..."
It took Darian a moment to realize that he was being addressed as he was pulled from his thoughts. A snarl formed on his lips as he turned his gaze towards the human who dared speaking with him in such a casual manner, only to freeze mid-growl - the man speaking to him was not a human, but a member of his own race. An impling.
As his eyes widened with shock, Darian pressed himself back against the wall without even realizing what it was that he was doing. A mixture of emotions spiraled through his mind as he stared at the older impling: joy, relief, and more prominently, confusion. It had been years since the last time that he'd seen another of his race alive, over a decade in fact. This was...this HAD to be some type of dream. Some, sick, twisted dream that had come from the depths of his mind, taunting him with the simple fact that he was alone, and he'd have to face that fact as soon as he woke up.
And yet, perhaps it wasn't. With his remaining good eye, Darian looked the man up and down, taking in the sight of the other impling. He was wearing the strange clothing that seemed to be quite normal for this place, but the man was an impling nonetheless. When Darian finally found his voice again, he did not respond to the man's question. "You...but...I thought I was...I'm not...the last one...?" His bewilderment was clearly shown in his eyes (or at least in the one that was still capable of expressing emotion), and he looked white as a sheet, as if he were looking at a ghost and not a being of flesh and blood. The teenager was so very, very confused...
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:14 am
The confusion that assailed Garret's mind was not what he'd expected, and certainly not anything he was prepared for. He stumbled back half a step as it hit the barriers of his mind, managing after a moment to steady himself. Half a second later he was swooping in, diving past Darian's defenses to see what was inside.
What he hit was...turmoil. He was shocked that the boy was even still functioning; further searching showed that he wasn't really doing that at all. A twisted mess of ******** up perceptions...
How did he survive?
He seemed to have created a world all his own, with it's own history and...wow.
It was rather in depth.
He hadn't seen a delusion this well developed in...well, a long time. It was so powerful...it was pulling him in, even!
Quickly, he jerked back, twisting through the paths of his mind to find his way out. As he did, he noticed sparks; vibrant and violet, they were...
Magic?
At that, he paused, strengthening his defenses. He hadn't meant to do anything but look around, but...this warranted examination.
This boy...he was not magic. He had no magical potential, and yet...and yet, he reeked of it. His very being vibrated with the power, and Garret couldn't help but wonder why.
He didn't have time for a look as deep as he wanted to have; he hadn't prepared for it. So, he extracted himself, stepping further away from Darian as he did. He took a moment to steady himself, pressing his hand over his temple and shaking his head as if to clear it. Then, he focused on the dark coloured impling once more.
"I think you're very confused..." He finally responded to Darian, slowly, and carefully. "But don't worry. I'm here to help..." His eyes flicked to the two guards, and he extended his hand.
"I'll be taking him, and the necessary paperwork." He hadn't seen much in his mind, but it had been hard to miss the two largest problems. One; he didn't like prison, and two? He hated humans.
Having him in a cell, surrounded by humans..? It was a bad idea. They could, of course, change his guard to an impling set, however it would be easier if he simply came to the clinic that Garret ran.
He was glad that Niel had called him in. This boy...he definitely needed help.
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:56 am
To say that Darian didn't know what to think of all this was the understatement of the century. The boy felt a twinge in his mind as the man delved in it, but the boy remained oblivious to what it was that he was doing - Darian was quite unfamiliar when it came to magics, and was thus had no idea that the other impling was doing anything at all. Besides, he was still far too shocked by this turn of events to pick up on anything at all.
It wasn't until the man spoke again that Darian jerked from his thoughts, taking a moment to register what it was that the other impling had said. After a moment, the boy nodded numbly - confused was one way of putting it. His eyes fell upon the hand that had extended to him, and for a moment, he looked as though he wasn't sure if he should take it. Would he wake up, only to find that this was a dream, as soon as he did? He didn't want that to happen...
Despite that, he lifted a hesitant hand, intending to reach out and take the one that was being offered to him - however, there was an interruption as he moved to do so.
"Are you crazy??? It took five guys to get him IN there! We can't just let you-" As the officer took a step towards Garret, Darian reacted on instinct, whipping in his direction before letting out a feral snarl. He bared his teeth at the human guard and jerked his hand back from Garret, bringing it up instead to take a defensive stance as he faced the human, his tail lashing behind them. It was a clear warning, telling the guard that if he came any closer, he'd regret it. The guard immediately took a step back, eyes widening slightly as he watched the growling impling that Garret was asking to take with him. Was he SERIOUS? "See?! He's off his rocker! You'll get yourself, and who knows who else killed!" Did this guy really understand what he was getting into?
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 1:29 am
Such a small gesture, thought Garret, but apparently it meant leaps and bounds to the boy in front of him. He could see the fragment of progress that he had achieved rise in Darian's eyes...
And abruptly shatter as the guard spoke.
Snarling, he whirled on him, gesturing with one angry hand.
"It took five men because you're uninformed imbeciles who frighten him unnecessarily! CLEARLY you forget who I am!" He took one threatening step toward them, opening his coat to show them his badge. "I am more effective than any armed escort or set of handcuffs. I don't need your protection, or your warnings! What I need is for you to shut up and stop bothering my patients! Now give me the keys, and be silent!"
With the command, he added a compulsion, just to prove his point. The keys were offered almost immediately, and he wasted no time in opening the door of the cell.
As the door opened, the guards readied themselves, touching their guns for comfort and reassurance; but, they wouldn't need it.
"The offer still stands." said the man to the deranged criminal. "It's still a choice for you to make. Do you want to come with me?" He smiled at Darian, his mind reaching out, twisting around and through the boy's. A fine tuned set of compulsions poked and prodded at Darian, whispering to him and suggesting that he'd already done what he wanted to do. The humans were gone.
Convincing him that they had left would have taken more effort. Twisting his memories to show that he'd killed them was a far easier endeavor, though not one Garret was particularly proud of.
"I have a home for you, if you want it. If not..I'm afraid you're going to have to stay in this cell, until they can transfer you to the main prison..."
They would have to deal with more legal bullshit later, he knew; but for now, he could bail Darian out, and help to prepare him for his trial.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:38 am
The compulsions and suggestions did their work wonderfully. Despite the fact that the guards stood there, alive and well - if more than a little nervous - Darian wholly believed that he'd managed to kill the two men. A feeling of terrible satisfactory crept over the boy, but was quickly smothered by the offer that was brought up to him again.
A home. He was being offered a home - a place to stay, somewhere to LIVE. To Darian, that meant more than just a shelter to stave off the cold winter. The teenager was being offered something that he hadn't had since he was a child. It was something that he'd never imagined getting back, not in his wildest dreams - and yet, here was a man, one of his own race that he thought lost forever, who was offering him the very thing that he'd wanted for so long. Under most circumstances, he would have done everything he could to keep from breaking down like a child - however, in this circumstance, he could only manage so much.
"A...A home...I..." A slight tremble started in his body, and Darian choked as he tried to gather up his thoughts. It was difficult, what with the jumble that his mind usually was. "I...please...don't leave me here!" Alone. He didn't want to be alone again. Not when he knew that, finally, he wasn't the only one. His longing for another of his people outweighed everything, and he wasn't about to turn down the chance that he'd been wanting for more than a decade. "I'll go with you!"
If this was a dream, then ********, he didn't want to wake up.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:19 pm
Once more Garret offered his hand, stepping closer to Darian as one would a cornered animal. Lightly, carefully, and ready should they snap and attack. Prepared for the inevitable, but also for what he hoped wouldn't happen.
"Then take my hand.." He said softly, reaching for Darian's. "I'll bring you home. Keep you safe..." He smiled, hoping to reassure Darian, and to calm him as much as he could. It was hard, and he didn't expect it to happen all at once...
But the effect seeing a member of his own race was having on him? It was amazing. He was still confused, and still deranged, but he was far less agitated. Sure, the compulsion may have had something to do with it, but Garret liked to stay optimistic.
Maybe...maybe he wasn't as far gone as Garret feared. Maybe....just maybe...he could bring him back from the brink.
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:52 pm
If Garret hadn't been an impling, Darian probably would have hesitated about going with him. Though he would never admit it, being around humans terrified him - and, unfortunately for those around him, the only way that he knew how to react to fear was by lashing out. In his state, he saw attacking as the only way to defend himself, whether the human that he was facing had the intention of actually attacking him or not. Killing a human wasn't a bad thing in his mind anyway - they were a terrible race, as far as he was concerned, and the less of them that there were in the world, the better. Even hatred wasn't a strong enough word to describe the feelings that Darian held towards that particular race.
That being said, seeing another of his race most definitely had the opposite effect on him. Not having seen one since he'd been a child was certainly a factor in that. Speaking of which, that was what Darian almost felt like - a child. Despite his confusion, and the jumble of thoughts running through his brain, Garret's presence allowed him, for the moment, the feel what was the closest to comfort that he'd felt in a long time.
This time, Darian took Garret's hand without pulling away, his reason for pulling back in the first place seemingly gone for the moment. "Safe...?" As that word entered his mind, another thought dawned on the boy, and his grip on Garret's hand tightened slightly. "We're...we're not safe here though!" His tail lashed as he looked towards the door that would lead them out of this area of the building, his body growing tense now. "There are more - and they'll lock us back up. Both of us! I...I need my knife! I can get us out if I have it!" He growled in frustration. "They took it though - I need to get it back..." It seemed as though Darian wasn't going to make Garret's job easy.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:14 pm
"They won't lock me up." Garret tried to assure him, using a voice as soothing as he could muster. "And as long as you're with me, they won't lock you up either. So long as you don't hurt any more of them, they won't attack you, alright?"
God was ******** him for thinking this would be simple, wasn't he? ******** him right up the a**. Most people would call that jinxing, but Garret saw this as slightly worse than that. Mainly because if it was just jinxing, people's lives wouldn't rest on his responses to the crazy a*****e he was trying to commandeer.
He massaged the back of Darian's hand with his thumb, hoping that he wouldn't have to control the boy completely to get him out of here.
"You trust me, don't you? I wouldn't lie to you." Not completely, anyways. He always left just enough truth in his words to make them easy to believe.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:15 pm
"They ALWAYS attack though!" Darian insisted, wondering how it was that Garret couldn't see how dangerous the humans were. They'd kill them in a second if he and the other impling simply tried to bypass them! To do otherwise would be, quite simply, foolish. "And if we don't fight back, they'll kill us, and-"
"You trust me, don't you? I wouldn't lie to you." The question and statement caught the boy off guard suddenly. Of course he trusted him, but...but this wasn't just about TRUST. This was about the fact that humans were ruthless, terrible creatures, and that they couldn't be trusted - SHOULDN'T be trusted, under any circumstances. If they did, things would surely go wrong, and...and...
"They'll kill you!" The boy's voice was a whisper as he spoke, as if he were afraid that someone would hear him just speaking to Garret. "And...and if they kill you..." He'd be alone again. All alone. He was gripping the older impling's hand by this point, as though afraid that he would disappear - not that Garret would, but Darian still wasn't completely convinced that he wasn't dreaming this. Dream or not, however, he was determined that he wouldn't let those damned humans take the first impling that he'd seen in years away from him! He'd...he'd kill them before they could! "I...I won't let them!"
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:19 pm
Garret suppressed a small smile; he was...well, he was crazy, but part of it was adorable. He couldn't help but pull him slightly closer, looking around the room before he squeezed Dorian's hand back.
"They won't see us. If they don't see us, they can't kill us." He told him gently. "Just keep calm...it won't work if you're agitated. Nobody's going to be killing anyone...and I'm not going to leave you."
Not unless he wanted the whole precinct to end up carved into little bitty pieces, anyways. Which, at the moment, he didn't. They weren't that useless, after all.
"You just need to follow me...I can get us out of here. I'll make them think we're one of them, okay?" Just in case, though...
He reached out as gently as he could, brushing against Darian's consciousness, ready to knock him out if he got violent. While he'd prefer to bring him to the Institute of his own free will, if Darian was going to flip his s**t and stab someone, Garret could and would stop him mentally. So long as he was prepared to; which, currently, he was.
It was better to be safe than sorry, after all.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 9:36 pm
Darian blinked as he was pulled closer, but didn't resist the gesture. It was strangely comforting, and the boy wasn't about to reject the action. He was, however, further baffled by Garret's words. "Won't...see us? But..." It took him a few moments to realize what that might have implied - magic. It wasn't something that the teenager was familiar with, but how else could Garret expect to sneak them out without anyone noticing? It made sense to him - and if it got them out, then he would go along with it. That being said, he didn't like the idea of looking like a human, but...
"Okay." Surprisingly enough, calm was an emotion that the boy was good with - he had to be sometimes. It was being calm that allowed him to sneak up behind people, and to hide without others noticing his presence. It probably wasn't the type of calm that Garret would have liked, but it was better than nothing at this point. The other option was for him to, well, carve everyone up. At least he was cooperating to a degree now. "As long as...we get out." And no one interfered. As good as he was being now, the boy was liable to snap quite quickly if something went wrong...
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:56 am
Garret breathed a sigh of relief when Darian agreed, looking around the room. The two guards were clearly confused as hell by the exchange, but they weren't stupid enough to talk and ruin the whole charade. One of them gestured to the papers they'd gathered for Garret, and the red furred Impling took them as he lead Darian out of the room. It was a shaky journey through the precinct, but thankfully nobody bothered him. This was in part to the distraction he laid upon them as he walked through, and the look he gave everyone as he headed through the main lobbey. There was an iffy point when a criminal being booked started freaking out, and the cops ran to restrain him; but nobody jostled Darian, and nobody was attacked.
He got him outside and into the car as quickly as he could, directing him to the back seat; which had child safety locks. He wasn't afraid of being attacked by Darian, after all. He was simply afraid of him running away and hurting someone else. Or worse? Himself.
He wondered if the boy would be confused at the sight and sounds around him, and confused about the car. Probably, he shrugged, starting the ignition. But, hopefully, he wouldn't react by having a mental breakdown in the back seat. It would be a pity to have to knock him out...
"I'm going to take you to my home. There are a few others there, but they're nothing to worry about. Alright? I'll show you a room you can sleep in personally." He smiled, hoping to relax the boy just a little bit further.
Suddenly, he was thankful that he only employed Implings. Any humans Darian saw could be written off as prisoners, or...something.
He didn't much want to feed his delusions, but he wasn't about to suddenly rip it out from under him. That would end worse than if he just played along for a little bit.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:59 pm
Though his eyes had darted around anxiously, Darian had managed to stay calm for the most part as he and Garret exited the precinct. He calmed down further when they were actually outside of the building, though he really didn't know what to make of the vehicle that Garret had told him to get into. He'd seen people driving them around, but the strange carriage still confused him - didn't it need horses to pull it? Or something? It was so strange...
The boy was momentarily pulled from his thoughts as Garret mentioned his home. Again, Darian found himself feeling anxious - this time, however, it was a good kind of anxious. A place to stay...finally. It was something that he'd hardly dared to hope for. Perhaps he was in a new, strange world that he didn't understand, but...at least now he had somewhere safe to stay. The boy nodded, another thought creeping into his mind and causing him to pause for a moment. "Do you...live alone?" he finally questioned, watching the back of Garret's head from the back seat. "Do you have a family?" It was obvious that Garret was old enough to live on his own, but that didn't mean that he lived alone - perhaps he had a wife? Children? He imagined that there was something of the like - he, for one, wouldn't have chosen to live alone if he'd had the choice. He hated being alone. It was...terrible.
He seemed like a slightly different person now that they were away from what Darian perceived as danger. The insanity still ate at his mind, but he wasn't rambling anymore for the moment, nor was he tense. A moment of clarity seemed to have settled over him, despite his confusion.
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