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EchoicChamber
Cyrania
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LupusIntus
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Einherjar 906
Sky Blue
Ivar
EricWald
Collaboration | Mirage was running. She couldn't move half as fast as she could in the water. At times like this, it caused her no end of frustration. All she wanted was to get to Metamorph. She *had* to get to him before the others did.
Memories of Atlantis flooded her mind. For once, not the irreparable damage she'd caused. But before that. Deluge, dolphin, and something in Metamorph's spirit. Not the wild cheer of Ja, nor the calm courage of Kila.
Something else. Someone else?
She'd never asked. After that mission, somewhere between spending a second night in Poseidonis Magical Isolation, and coming back to what was left of the team with her power collared, she'd simply shut down. Too afraid to face what she'd caused - and she had never asked him just what had occurred under the depths.
The guilt could wait, though. Right now, he was the mission, the most important thing. He'd offered his friendship without any caveat. He had been there for her, long after she ceased to deserve it.
He was…
He-
She sensed him just before rounding the corner. "Metamorph?" Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "...J- no, I'm wrong. Kila?"
The young lion was seated on the steps just below, still staring at his hands. This…wasn’t the first time he felt this. There were many times that he’d blacked out before; due to his animal side no doubt. But there was one other time that he felt it. It was hard to describe it as anything other than a pure form of fury.
He was roused from once again going into a memory trance at the soft melody of Mirage’s voice. He turned his head to look up at her. His fingers closed and he turned his head back to them.
“…The first time this had happened I was met with screams of pain from my enemies. This time I am met with silent horror from my own allies and the people I am meant to aid.”
The scent of blood smacked her in the face. Like a fresh kill outside of town, one that the sharks and scavengers hadn't gotten to. That coupled with the sense of her dearest friend in her mind was… odd. But she didn't break her stride until she was near him. Then she settled beside him on the step. "I am not horrified at you, my friend." Her voice was gentle as she encouraged him. He'd been watching over her while she got through the aftermath of Atlantis.
Whatever this was, she wouldn't let him deal with it alone.
"I am worried about you. Keep talking."
“I…I was able to see it; my animal side, as it…” he corrected, “As…I wreaked havoc on our enemies. It was as though I were dreaming lucidly. I was there…but I was not. All I felt I could do was to attempt to force my rampage away from the innocents…I suppose it worked. But I was losing that battle.”
Kassandra nodded quietly, indicating that she was listening. Beside her, the staff's runes lit a soft blue as water started to coalesce in midair. "Do you remember what happened before?" The ball of water grew slowly. "Anything at all?" There had to be a reason for it, right?
“I do not. Not in detail…My squad was given the mission to eliminate traitors of the country. Traitors that, I later learned, may have been in the right after all…I did not have as much control back then…I was much younger.” Kila reasoned. The sound of water moving caught his ear and he looked up.
Kassy's left hand was moving in a careful, graceful twist. The ball of water rotated slowly, and then faster as she increased the speed. "Oh. It makes sense that you wouldn't recall. You've been through a lot." She met his gaze when his head picked up. "Do you want to clean your hands? I know that feels… gross."
His eyes went down to his hands again. There was more blood on these hands than what was shown on these gloves. Somewhere between metaphorical and literal; symbolic. However, until he could find a solution, he could only press forward. With that, Kila raised his hands to be within Kassy’s reach, a tired yet pained expression in his eyes.
She pushed the ball forward until it engulfed Kila's hands to the wrist. Then, with the same twist of her hand, the water began to spin. It gained speed, the clear liquid taking on a deep, tainted red. But Kila's hands were soon clean again.
With some wonderment did he look upon both his now cleaned hands and the ball of tainted water that she now had. “Thank you.”
"Of course. Always." She offered up a small smile. She meant to turn aside and figure out what to do with the water. But there was a look in Kila's eyes that make her pause. She'd never seen that expression on his face; warm and soft. Filled with such light to bring his brown eyes to an amber shade, like the peeking sunrise. "Ki- Kila?"
Kilamanjaro was breathtakingly beautiful sometimes. Thank the Gods she was the only one who could come close to mind-reading.
A moment of silence sat between the two of them, before the young lion’s self-awareness kicked in. He broke eye contact.
“I am sorry…We need to clean up what’s left of this mission.” Was what he chose to say for now, as he stood. “…I should go find my mask.”
"Right. I will tend to the hostages."
There was clearly something else that he wanted to say but his body language elected that now wasn’t the time. When Kila left, reality came crashing through in his wake. Kassy sighed, her mind full of impossibilities as her steps led to her chosen task.