[color=gray][h2]Heretic; [sub]An Anchorite's Hideout.[/sub][/h2][/color]
[hider=Dreary Little Melody]
[Youtube]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSmZkR2o-U[/Youtube]
[/hider]
[hr]
With each stroke of a key, an out of tune melody filled the room. Dust had settled in the cracks of the piano. But the tips of the keys were kept clean through Bastian's regular meditation. Slow and dreary like a nightmarish fiend, but the soft movement of his hands kept his mind's eye occupied and content. 

[i]Happiness[/i]; Just the way Jasper wanted it.

Was it really so wrong to allow a Wild to have refuge within his soul? Perhaps. But the priest allowed it, welcomed the entity to embrace him, despite the social impact. Though Bastian was content with his current situation, it was not enough. Not enough to feed Jasper fully. The Corvid had once given Bastian flight, but reality about his brother had finally struck. Resulting in a near wingless grounding.

Soft taps of several misplaced keys, followed by a mental caw, caused Bastian to finally open his eyes. Something was wrong? But what? Bastian looked down to the keys, then back up. The priest mumbled, "Curious, rather [i]curious[/i]." The split mirror on the piano's mantle, told a [i]very [/i]interesting story. Bastian eyed curiously, as the streak of fuel crept down below the crack, then disappeared out of his sight's angle. 

Turned with a swivel on the bench, wanting to see for himself what the mirror had shown. The streak in the sky was still there, by the time he stood up and strolled over to the once stained glass window. The breeze was calm and the sky was clear... save for the fuel streak. Bastian mumbled again, "Maddox?" 

With a bit of a sigh, he rubbed at his brow. A trip of, what looked like leaving the heart of the city, was in order. Bastian had all but given up hope on finding Maddox [i]alive[/i], but some sort of closure would be nice. But maybe his little brother was still alive? What type of brother would he be, if he didn't at least go check it out.

Previous bit of contentment that Bastian had felt, turned into a slight sense of anxiety. He tried to calm his nerves as he gathered his gear. He'd need every bit of Jasper's help, if he'd come across any Umbra or Ghost mercenaries. There would probably be curious Wilds surrounding the space guests too. With Jasper's assistance in full affect, Bastian pulled his hood and face scarf up. Then started outside. Happy thoughts of[i] I've got this[/i] and [i]Maddox[/i] allowed him to float gently along most of the river bank...

[color=gray]A little while later...[/color]

Not surprisingly, Vin and the boys were already at the crash site. Bastian listened quietly as the conversation unfolded. Keeping himself floating invisibly, off behind a group of rugged men. The sip of holy water was getting hard to hold and finally found himself catching his breath. Letting the swallowed abyssal purified water snap him back into physical existence once more, but he remained floating as he continued to listen.

Finally, he approached the pod a little further as Vin's boys started to spread out. Without a hint of fear or stuttering to his voice, "Vin, I want Maddox if he's with them." The loose fabric stopped flowing freely as his feet hit the ground. Bastian had stopped floating to help ease any tension Vin might be having about his Wild's connection, then added softly, "I'm willing to trade with you."

Sadly for the other passengers, Bastian really didn't care what Vin's plans were for them. The rather calm priest spoke clearly, as he looked curiously to the woman in the insulation suit, "[i]MC-457-R2M-21[/i]. Is he with you?!" He narrowed his gaze, "Is he [i]alive[/i]?"

It'd taken him years of dealing with greedy idiots and bartering with other Lawless, to even gather the ID tag number Umbra had given Maddox, but that was the only information he'd ever been able to find after the abduction. Little Maddie just [i]had[/i] to be alive...

[color=gray]He isn't.[/color]