Stein — Roleplayer Guild

October 9, 2013

Makarios watched as Caleb left. Regret played through his mind as he watched the male leave, but he knew he’d made the right choice. Even if his necklace didn’t seem to think so. He could feel a slight shudder ripple from the object, playing ever so slightly on his chest. With a grunt of annoyance, Makarios shuffled to his feet. Meditation at this point was useless. He knew he would get nowhere, as his mind raced every which way, tackling this thought and that, never settling.

As he made his way back to his apartment, it’s almost like he could feel his necklace tugging away from him. It had to have been his imagination, but it was still disconcerting. Out of instinct, he placed his hand over it, as if trying to hold it down. It was odd, really. A large part of him wanted nothing to do with the thing, but he felt he needed it at random moments. It’s almost as if it was keeping him check, even when it caused him such mental unrest. But why was that? There was so much about this thing shrouded in mystery – so much about his own past that was shrouded in history – and the worst part was that no answers seemed to be near the horizon. But yet, the male pushed on. Makarios, above all things, was a fighter. A survivor. He would live on, and live a fruitful life, regardless of this damn…condition.

‘But, can this be considered living?’

The thought assaulted him quickly and without mercy. He stopped in front of his apartment door, keys in hand and eyes wide. It unlocked a series of uncomfortable realization and truths. Things that he had been hiding away that he hadn’t even realized.

“I’m not living. I’m breathing, thinking, reacting and sustaining myself. But I’m not living…I’m hiding… Hiding and hoping things get better.”

As he crossed the threshold into his apartment, it felt like he was walking through a portal where the gravity intensified and his sorrows became even heavier.

There was nothing strong about him.

He was a coward.

Evening:

The rhythmic pounding of his feet and beating of his heart helped ground Makarios in reality as he ran through the city. His black running tights kept him warm along with his form-fitting hoodie. Head bent and gaze intense, Makarios charged on, running to clear his mind, running to…he knew not. Somehow, he’d been running so long, he found himself in the banking district of the city, but Makarios didn’t care. As long as he kept moving, he didn’t have confront any more disconcerting thoughts. Though he couldn’t outrun who he was, as cliché as it was, if he kept moving, it wouldn’t hit as much.

’You’re not a coward. You’re just smart. You know that you can’t give in and you’re avoiding danger at all costs. Self-preservation, the most basic of all human traits.’

‘But…is it really self-preservation? Or am I just trying to deny a part of myself? A part I don’t understand and thus want to shun? ... When was the last time I tried to even understand it?’

Wrapped in his own mind, Makarios was dimly aware of his surroundings. Dodging this and that, he was in the physical plane, yet his soul and mind battled on an astral level, leaving him merely going through the motions of running.

His drop back in to reality was a sudden one. He felt a burning sensation on his chest as a cop sped past. His necklace pulsed and Makarios stumbled in his steady pace. The necklace pulsed again, shuddering and pulsing again. Clutching his chest, Makarios slowed to a halt, becoming aware of where he was.

He was smack dab in the middle of the banking district and commotion seemed to be everywhere. Chaos settled over the area and Makarios didn’t know where he was for a moment. He saw more cop cars and the bank they were headed to, and it dawned on him.

The cloud of smoke met him and he coughed instantly. There was so much of it! What could have happened in there? The authorities seemed to be in a state of disarray, though that didn’t seem too surprising. But there was a panic in the air and civilians were even staying clear of the damage. He knew he should as well. There was no sense in getting himself involved in yet another fiasco. Makarios turned to leave, sending his prayers if there was anyone inside, when the scent hit him. Body tensing and eyes narrowing, he recognized the scent instantly. How in the hell did that boy always find himself in these situations!?

“Dammit, Caleb,” Makarios growled as he turned back to the building. He felt a warmth grow on his chest and allowed all the various scents to come to him at once. It was jarring at first, and he reeled back, stumbling for the briefest of seconds before he sifted through them and honed in on one particular one. He honed in on Cal’s scent, certain that his friend had somehow found himself inside of that bank. “I’m going to kill him when I get my hands on him,” Makarios muttered to himself, blending back in to the crowd and making his way to a back alley not too far from the bank. Looking to his left, he noted the door to the bank, a side entrance, was ajar. Caleb’s scent was all over it. With a shake of his head, Makarios entered in, cautiously and pulled up his hood.

Once in, he rummaged around the room, looking for something to further hide his identity. He found a pair of sunglasses and a spare black T-shirt. He tied the shirt around his face, hiding his face, and put the sunglasses on. He was just about to make his way out of the room, following Caleb’s scent before he stopped.

He saw the dead gunmen and quickly took his gloves, further anonymity. Things must have already picked up in here and he needed to move quickly. But…

Why was he doing this? Cal had probably gone in here of his own volition, and the proper authorities would take care of the situation. He wasn’t obligated to do any of this.

So why?

‘Because I want to.’ Plain and simple. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, a part of him actually wanted to be here. The thought terrified him, but it couldn’t’ be helped. But…there was something else. Something past the urge of the necklace, some innate urge.

He actually wanted to help. In his fear of the monster he saw himself to be, he had completely neglected the part of him that held pure intentions. The intentions to help those around him, the yearning to resist his very nature and not bring them down, but help the downtrodden back up.

As soon as the thought hit him, his necklace pulsed once again, this time actually giving off a soft light for only a second. Makarios stared down in wonder, placing his hand over it. The sensation that washed over him could only be described as one of clarity and euphoria. He may not know what exactly this thing was, but some level of understanding had just been reached between the two.

Acceptance of what he was seemed far off, but the realization that he was something different, something more than the average human lingered in his mind and he resolved himself. Monster or not, he he would be in control, even if it killed him.

Makarios inhaled, picking up Caleb’s scent again. He took off running, making sure to stay silent as he moved. It didn’t take long for the scent to grow stronger and he knew he was close. As he rounded the corner, about to speak up, he saw Caleb, crouched, moving slowly. To his right, a gunmen, hidden in the shadows, raised his gun and aimed at his friend. Without thinking, Makarios placed his hand on his amulet. Without fear he delved in, feeling his animal. He felt the power, the feral intent, drive, focus, even the base urges as Tiger settled over him, hunching him down slightly.

Makarios took off around the corner, jumping and kicking off of the wall, sailing to the next, kicking off that one and bringing his foot up, around and down on the gunman’s shoulder before he had a chance to react. Touching down, Makarios’ hand shot out with a speed that surprised even him and closed around the man’s wrist. Makarios pulled him in and grabbed him by the throat. His hand closed and Makarios snarled at the man, the sound shocking even him. He sounded like a true tiger.

Not wanting to give the man a chance to cry out, he slammed his free fist into the man’s stomach and as he doubled over, Makarios brought his interwoven fingers up and down, striking the gunman in the back of the head. He crumpled quickly, out cold.

Makarios turned to Caleb, recognizing the scent.

“It looks like you really do need me.”

Stein Member

That's Queen Stein, thank you.

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