[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][INDENT][i]A handful of flowers were tightly grasped in the young man’s hands as the thirteen year-old Lorcán Roth returned from the meadows that dotted the inner of Dunira Island. It was his two-year anniversary with Ryan Clarke and he wanted to bring her something special. He had overheard his Mom and Ryan talking at one point and the young redheaded woman had alluded to wildflowers being her favourite.[/i]

[i]So naturally, Lorcán went and picked her a whole bouquet.[/i]

[i]He had spent most of the morning finding as many purple wildflowers as he could. Ryan always wore a lot of purple when she wasn’t in her Gulo uniform, it really brought out her hair. She had always been kind to Lorcán, helping to hone his abilities and more importantly, she didn’t treat him like some little boy or a nuisance. [/i]

[i]She laughed at his jokes, she liked his family. Lorcán really thought there was something between them. How could he not after all? She was the first girl to show him any sort of affection who wasn’t his mother. [/i]

[i]Ryan always met Lorcán out by the woodshed before they started their training and today was no different as Lorcán happily made his way behind the house, a bounce in his step and a look of pride upon his face. He had never made a bouquet before, but he had looked some images up online and was pretty proud of his handy work. [/i]

[i]A giggle caught Lorcán’s attention upon entering the backyard. He could hear it come from within the woodshed and a smile suddenly lit up his face. Was Ryan waiting inside with a surprise for him as well? Did she remember today was exactly two years to the date they had met?[/i]

[i]Excitedly, hurrying over to the woodshed, the young boy took hold of the doors and threw them wide open. Shoving the bouquet forward, he threw his other hand towards the sky before shouting.[/i]

[i][color=#fe650d]“Surprise!”[/color] [/i]

[i]The word died in his mouth as Lorcán felt the repulse of embarrassment. A wave of heat suddenly radiated out from him as his eyes began to register exactly what was happening.He could see Ryan in front of him, her jeans undone, hands belonging to an older boy intertwined with the thin red satin strap riding above her well-defined hip bones. Black lace peeked out from a shirt nearly completely discarded as Ryan’s tongue darted in and out from between the older boy’s lips, her hands firmly clenched around his jaw while their hips gyrated together. [/i]

[i]Lorcán looked down at the wilted bouquet in his hand, before tossing it aside and lunging for the older teen. His molten-eyes practically engulfed by flames as the rage filled boy tackled the larger male to the ground of the woodshed.[/i]

[i][color=#fe650d]“Get off her!”[/color] The younger boy roared, pulling back a fist and slugging Ryan’s suitor in the face. He pulled a fist back to strike again before the older teen managed to block the onslaught. Pushing Lorcán off him, he pinned the boy against a nearby shelf before trying to speak to him.[/i]

[i][color=#ffffff]“Calm down little man,”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#fe650d]“She’s not yours!”[/color] Lorcán shot back, suddenly superheating his hands. The older teen cried out in agony, releasing Lorcán before stumbling backwards and looking down at the freshly reddened skin of his palms. There was a small rumble before a vibration filled the air that sent Lorcán backward, slamming the back of his head hard against the shelf as the older teen retaliated. [/i]

[i]He lifted his hand to strike only for Ryan’s hand to land on his chest.[/i]

[i][color=#d9d2e9]“Lor, my little man,”[/color] Ryan interjected, pulling her shirt back up over her bra and hastily fastening her pants, [color=#d9d2e9]“Look, it’s sweet you want to protect me, but it’s fine, he’s not hurting me.”[/color] She tried to coax Lorcán down, bringing herself down to his height as she kneeled beside him.[/i]

[i][color=#d9d2e9]“This is Lance,”[/color] She said, introducing the older teen formally, [color=#d9d2e9]“He and I have been seeing each other for a bit.”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#ffffff]“Yeah,”[/color] Lance interrupted, [color=#ffffff]“I’m her boyfriend you little punk.” [/color]He winced while opening and closing his hands. [color=#ffffff]“C’mon, Ryan, let's get out of here, the twerp is putting me off.”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#d9d2e9]“I didn’t think we put a label on it yet,”[/color] Ryan muttered, her eyes shooting daggers at Lance. [/i]

[b][i]She turned to Lorcán, patting him on the head. [color=#d9d2e9]“Why don’t you head inside, my little man. We’ll talk about this later.”[/color][/i][/b]

[b][i]Lorcán nodded agreeably, standing up and dusting himself off.[/i][/b]

[b][i][color=#fe650d]“Sure, thanks Ryan.”[/color] He replied before walking out of the woodshed. The faint smell of smoke behind him.[/i][/b][/INDENT][/INDENT][CENTER][COLOR=#AC0D01][sup]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5504477][img]https://i.imgur.com/AW1mFws.jpeg[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=#E64C09][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]The Office of Dr. Miranda Rivers[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=#E64C09][b]Dance Monkey #4.020:[/b][/COLOR] [I]House of Memories[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=#AC0D01][SUP][sub]____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][color=#E64C09][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I]None[/i][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=#E64C09][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)[/I][/right][/SUP]
[INDENT][color=#ffffff]“No.”[/color] 

Miranda suddenly pulled back, reeling at the intense emotion surrounding the memory only for it to end nearly void of any. It was as though she had hit a wall. A barrier blocking not only her, but also Lorcán from experiencing the fullness of the event. 

She had felt mental blocks like this before, especially during her time with the Hyperhuman Investigative Tactical Unit. Most recently, she had found them in Hyperion’s followers. A mental block, put in place primarily to protect the affected by the trauma of their own mind.

So what was Lorcán’s hiding?

[color=#ffffff]“Lorcán, what can you tell me about Ryan Clarke?”[/color] Miranda asked, sitting back in her chair while Lorcán gave her a confused look.

[color=#fe650d]“Uh, I don’t really mean to question you, brah, but like my dreams haven’t been about Ryan,”[/color] He offered as Miranda first nodded before shaking his head.

[color=#ffffff]“I realize that, but the intensity of your emotions, they link back to a particular event with Ryan.”[/color]

Lorcán rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes trying to avoid Miranda’s before he finally spoke again.

[color=#fe650d]“I guess you say she was like my first crush. Ryan was my first friend who wasn’t related to me somehow and I thought she was hot. She was kind to me, she laughed with me, it was easy for a young boy to confuse that for some sort of mutual connection. But she had a boyfriend and I was too young for her to be interested anyways.”[/color] He finally spat out,

[color=#fe650d]“Y’know puppy love, kid stuff.”[/color] Lorcán added dismissively. 

[color=#ffffff]“Would you say you’ve buried those feelings,”[/color] Miranda asked,[color=#ffffff] “Or have you projected them onto… someone else?”[/color]

[color=#fe650d]“There’s only one Ryan,”[/color] Lorcán replied, [color=#fe650d]“She’s a totally just friend, and she was a mentor, but my feelings for her are like strictly platonic these days, kinda like an older sister.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Is the person you’re dreaming of also just a friend?”[/color]

[color=#fe650d]“Yes,”[/color] Lorcán answered, [color=#fe650d]“At least, that’s what I want but there’s also like some sort of tension I don’t understand.”[/color]

[i][color=#978184]“Are you really going to lie like that? I see the way you look at me,”[/color] Amma suddenly interrupted, slinging an arm around Lorcán’s neck before wiggling her way into his lap. “Tell the doc, I was your first and you’re crazy about me.”[/i]

[color=#fe650d]“Get off of me,”[/color] Lorcán blurted out. [i]He attempted to remove Amma from his lap, but the girl only held on tighter, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. He felt her cold tongue against his throat while teeth playful grazed his skin.[/i]

[color=#ffffff]“Is your friend in the room with us right now?”[/color] Miranda asked, her eyes looking straight at Lorcán, exactly where Amma would have been had she been real. Lorcán froze, the words failing to come out of his mouth.

[i]A pale hand wrapped around his chin, pulling his face to look into her own as Amma held a finger to her lips and shook her head. Crackles of red and silver danced across the fingers holding Lorcán’s face and the scar running the length of the right side burned suddenly.[/i]

[color=#ffffff]“Lorcán, if you don’t answer, I can’t help you.”[/color] Miranda insisted.

[color=#fe650d]“Yes.”[/color] A feeble response came before searing pain rippled through Lorcán scar causing him to cry out. Miranda stood, reaching out as she re-entered Lorcán’s mind coming face to face with a twisted echo of Amma haunting the recesses of the boy’s psyche.

[color=#ffffff]“What are you?”[/color] Miranda asked the apparition, the two women facing off in the void.

[color=#978184]“Something stronger.”[/color] It replied, [color=#978184]“And soon, this vessel will be mine.”[/color][/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]