Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

She didn't struggle when he started to pull her into his lap, and once they were settled, found herself relaxing back into that familiar chest, letting out a long sigh as she closed her eyes and laid her hands over his. Oh how she had missed this.

"It's alright, I was just looking for busywork so we can have granola bars and dried cranberries instead."

Though Cora didn't open her eyes, she did raise one of her brows as a little chuckle worked up through her chest. She was just about to open her mouth and ask if that's why he had been chopping the potatoes, when she suddenly felt those sweet lips on her neck. Tilting her head to the side a bit, to give him better access, she instead let out another small sigh.

"Are you sure you're not a figment of my imagination, conjured up from what my idea of the perfect woman would be?"

That time she did laugh, though it was still a bit quiet. Opening her eyes, she looked ahead a bit wistfully before turning to give him a playful little grin.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not... Did you're imaginary, perfect, women have a pet snake that was also sentient? And I'm pretty if we are living in the realm of imagination, then I must have imagined you up, because only prince's save princesses from dangerous towers."

Cora's attention was solely on Damien at the moment, unaware that Vin was heading their way with his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. His walk was a bit slow though, as if he was hesitant to interrupt the couple.
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"I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he realized it was his car we were taking. I bet he's soooo angry. Like Terminator-mode angry."

My goodness she was adorable. She looked like a little gremlin, all wrapped up in that sleeping bag with that evil grin. It made Quint's own grin grow and the taller man to let out a short laugh before he could answer her.

"Oh you know he was. I wish I wasn't so out of it when Sabastian was saving our asses-Cory said she got to flip him off just before we started down the cliff."

He let out another laugh, remembering the way his sister had described it. She could do her own little impersonations pretty well when she tried, and they had spent a good portion of last night catching up a bit.

 

[Poprockz]

A rush of pride came through him, the man's lips curling up into a pleased smile. To be compared to a prince was a great feeling, but what felt even better was the fact that he had been able to rescue her. It could have gone horribly, they could have all died. However, through the resourcefulness of himself and his... friends? Acquaintances? Associates? Whatever their current relationship was, they had come together and pulled off a major victory. Cora was no longer suffering at the hands of the General, she was right there with him in his lap. He had accomplished something good and the fact that he had been successful could never be taken away from him.

This was happiness.

It was a mystery how Cora could restore him, but he found himself full to the brim of hope; as long as she was there with him, he would have more moments like this and be able to bring joy to her in return. A playful expression came to him and he smirked, turning his head slightly to whisper in her ear, the soft breeze unsuccessfully trying to steal away that hot breath of his.

"I don't know about that. My snake seems pretty sentient since it seems to know whenever you're around, so I don't necessarily think that's too off-base." A chuckle rumbled softly through his chest before he almost wolfishly nipped her ear. Though he heard the slight crunch of gravel nearby and turned his head to see who it was (part of him hoping to God it wasn't Quint).

"Oh... Hey Vin," The playful smile immediately fell off his face and he looked a bit guilty. Probably because he was guilty. They had tried to sneak off in the middle of the night, even when he had promised Vin that he wouldn't. There hadn't been a lot of trust to begin with after the cat was out of the bag, but he assumed that there was not a hair of it left between them. Back before when he had first met Vin, he didn't think he would ever really care about him, having thought to himself that it was unnecessary. It was still unnecessary, but now he knew what it was like to have a friend who cared enough to look out for him- it was a shame that it had ended.

"There's no coffee, but there are granola bars."

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Sayori's grin got just a tiny bit wider, "speaking of which..."

The woman shuffled a bit closer to him and her arm appeared from inside the sleeping bag, reaching out until she had clapped him very lightly on the shoulder. There were several moments where she just stared at him, waiting for the right moment. Just as it looked like he might have been tempted to break the silence, she said something in her best Quint impression.

"Don't take away my pixie dust away, I want to fly to Neverland with youuuuu!" The sentence was followed by some mad giggles, Sayori's eyes crinkling with mischievous mirth as she came back for a round two.

"So, Quint. I guess it's great that Sabastian's okay, right? Now you don't have to shove a firework up Francisco's butt with your hand." It seemed as though the giggles could only be held off while she was speaking, the hilarity of the memory simply being too much for her to handle. "Oh! But not with your hand, sorry. You were going to use a stick, right?"

 

[Drobabes]

"I don't know about that. My snake seems pretty sentient since it seems to know whenever you're around..."

A tingle ran down her spine and directly to her core at those devilishly tempting words, the women suddenly wanting to know just how much his beautiful snake had missed her. She would have thought after being...back in that place, that she wouldn't have wanted any kind of intimate touching, at least for a while. However, just like when she was first getting to know him, Damien simply had a way of eliciting and awakening that side of her. She didn't want to be clingy, but she always wanted him; day and night. If it were possible to not have to eat, sleep, or drink, then she imagined that Heaven for her would have been to simply stay in his embrace until the end of time.

"Oh... Hey Vin,"

The crunch in the gravel had startled her as well, her body stiffening as she straightened up a bit and went on the defensive. If Quint tried to get that overprotective with her-to the point where she couldn't be intimate with her lover, then Damien would likely be seeing that side of her that she had shown to Tiffany. It wasn't necessary, it would seem, though she still didn't completely put her guard back down. Damien had mentioned to Vin wanted to talk to her, but after the conversation with Sabastian last night, she was now ready.

The tattooed nomad looked down at Damien with a neutral expression as he came closer, before giving a little shrug.

"That's alright, I don't have much of an appetite yet. I actually just came over to ask if I could talk to you, Cora."

She started to move out of Damien's lap, but once she was up, she reached down to take his hand and help him stand as well. If Vin wanted to 'talk', then he could do it in front of the both of them.

"You can say whatever you want to Delvin, but I'm not changing my mind, alright?" she said, giving him a bit of a sharp look after Damien had stood up.

"I've made my choices, I know what the consequences are, and I'm no-"

"That's, not what I wanted to talk about" he interrupted, putting his hands up in a bit of an, 'easy there' manner. Shooting Damien another stoic look, his brown eyes came back to her with a bit of softness in them.

"I'm sure if you wanted to, you would ask for help. And I'll always be here for you if you ever do need help. With anything. But I..."

He let one of his hands fall down as the other one went to the back of his neck, and he tried to clear his throat a bit.

"I just wanted to apologize Cora. I'm sorry."

The feisty women had been expecting another argument, and this time, she had been geared and ready to go. So when Vin didn't do that, she was completely thrown off. Her hazel eyes looked over at Damien briefly, her brows furrowed in confusion, before they came back to Vin.

"Sorry for what? You don't have anything to apologize for."

His eyes looked sad and troubled as they stared down at her for a moment, Vin seemingly trying to collect his thoughts, or perhaps work up the courage to say what needed to be said. When he did speak again, his voice was tight with emotion.

"Back at the base, when I came to you with those pictures,"

Cora went a bit stiff, her hands balling up by her sides, though she didn't seem to notice she was doing it.

"You said we needed to go and I should have...listened to you. I was angry and upset, but I should have had a little more faith in you. Maybe if I had just trusted you and ran when you said to, we might not have-"

It was Cora's turn to interrupt, the women suddenly reaching out and putting a hand on his arm for a brief moment to stop him.

"Delvin, no. They already had us in a trap. What would we have done, if we did run? Leave the car there? Hide in the bushes?"

Her eyes started tearing up, and in turn, it was making it really hard for Vin to fight back his own. There was a brief pause then, as Vin simply took in what she was saying, and realizing that it was true. They were already caught in the cage, had already been followed long before they took the bait. Without a miracle happening, they only would have succeeded in adding a bit of time before the door shut and locked behind them.

"They hit you so hard..." she said quietly, the tears suddenly working up enough to run down her cheeks.
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Quint was so confused. Why was she looking at him like that? And speaking of what? Him being out of it, or the escape in general? He was just about to ask too when she suddenly tried to mimic his voice, repeating a line that sounded somewhat familiar, but also completely dopey and embarrassing as shit.

"Oh crap" was his initial reaction, his face dropping the smile as his brows started to pinch a bit. Had he really said that? What the hell else had he done?

"Now you don't have to shove a firework up Francisco's butt with your hand. Oh! But not with your hand, sorry. You were going to use a stick, right?"

For just one quick second, Quint actually looked mortified. Perhaps it could be mistaken for shocked embarrassment, but in his mind, he was questioning if he had said anything else. He hadn't given anything away had he? No, him and Francis had practiced many times, just to make sure if he ever wound up in such a situation involving drugs or...anything like that really, he could at least have a fighting chance. Still, chances were something he didn't like taking, so just in case...

"Alright, you know what, come here!"

His tone was serious, but the look on his face was very playful as he suddenly darted forward and scooped her up, wrapping the blanket tightly around her so as to prevent escape while he scooped her up and held her snugly against his chest like a football.

"You know too much," he says in a low tone before he suddenly reaches up and wraps a hand gently over her mouth.

"I'm going to have to put you in the trunk."

Bending them both over slightly, he looks first left, and then right, before he darts out the door and half jogs, half walks them over towards the Ferrari. He was completely unaware as to any other half zombies around that might have been spying on him, and possibly willing to interrupt his impromptu kidnapping.

 

[Poprockz]

He took Cora's hand, getting up and expecting for Cora to go off with Vin for a private talk. However, he was surprised that she opted to stay with him and demand the conversation be in both of their presences. That being said, it warmed his heart that she wanted him there by his side.

Vin's stoic look was returned with a little nod, acknowledging what was being referred to, though he stayed silent through the rest of the conversation. Damien simply listened, getting a better idea of what had happened. Of course Vin had told him what had happened in a general sense, the photos, the information, and the fact that Kuznet had lured them together before stealing her away. Though he had to admit he had been a little curious about what Vin had said to her and vice versa.

It sounded like he had questioned her, she had realized what was going on, had asked to leave, and then he hadn't understood the dire situation they were in. Damien wanted to say something to comfort Vin, but he didn't really feel like it was his place to say anything in this conversation. Kuznet was a mastermind, the type of person who orchestrated things about five steps ahead, planning for almost every outcome. In all likelihood, he probably had a plan in place just in case they were to try to run. Damien had been played too, almost provoked into killing Damien, his nature having been manipulated and used against him to try to coax him into destroying what he cherished with his own hands.

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Though she didn't quite grasp the gravity of his expression, it was clear he was trying to think about any other embarrassing things he might have said, second guessing himself. She figured she might even be able to convince him that he said more than that if she felt so inclined. It was super tempting to try to convince him that he had cried about peeing his pants, but at that point the giggles had taken over to the point that she wasn't able to pursue that line of teasing.

As such, she was at a disadvantage when he unexpectedly scooped her up and wrapped her up like a spider weaving its web around a spider in preparation to eat it. The difference was that her cocoon was made of cotton and other fibers, and he wasn't looking to gobble her up... hopefully.

She was about to demand her unconditional release when that hand came up and prevented her from doing so.

"You know too much. I'm going to have to put you in the trunk."

"Mm!" The fiend! If she had use of her mouth, she would have told him that he was never going to get away with it. Sayori gave him a playful glare and started to wiggle, trying to get out of that iron grip of his. It was no use though, the man quickly whisking her off to that candy-red car.

Sabastian had been coming over to load his and Vin's stuff into the car, though he ended up stopping and standing there when Quint came out. His head slowly turned as he watched in confusion, wondering what in the world was going on here. It almost looked as though Quint had some kind of animal wrapped up in the sleeping bag, but upon a little indignant "Mm!" being heard, he recognized Sayori's voice.

When Quint reached the trunk, Sabastian slowly set down the sleeping bags on the ground and walked up until he was about a meter away, at which point he put his hands on his hips. The jacket he had worn earlier was tied around them, somewhat obscuring the fact that he was still pretty hard.

"You two having fun?" Was what he led with, wondering how Quint would react at being caught.

Meanwhile, at the same time Sayori was executing an escape measure, having found the perfect opportunity. He was underestimating her power as a little sister, that hand not clamped tightly enough to save him from her wet little tongue. "Bleeeh!" The woman gave him him a good lick, her tongue stroking his palm and leaving a trail of saliva.

 

[Drobabes]

"I don't remember much after that" he said quietly, though he also looked away for a brief second. It was only half the truth, really. He didn't remember how he got in the truck, or the initial round of beatings, but he definitely remembered her scream. Even now it gave him gooseflesh.

"But hey, I'm alive, right?" he followed it up with, trying to lighten the mood, if only a little. It seemed to work, as she wiped her tears and gave him a little smile.

"Well I guess, since were already having this conversation" Cora said, suddenly reaching out and taking Damien's hand.

"I should apologize too. I tried to sneak off last night. I wanted Damien to come with me..."

Vin put his hands back in his pockets and gave a little nod.

"Sabastian told me."

"Right...I guess he would..."

"We want you to stick with us. Especially now. We're kind of all in this together now, until..."

His chocolate brown eyes went up for a moment, meeting Damien's.

"Well, I guess we'll figure that out when we get there. But until then, it's really not safe for any of us to split up. I think even if we could make it out there on our own, we got Kuznet hunting us all down now. And if he gets one of us, then he's basically got all of us."

Vin was trying to hide his concern behind reason, but Cora couldn't help but stare at him for a moment, wondering if there wasn't just a bit more. She could just see the palms of his hands, where they weren't completely down in his jeans. The burns were covered now by Quint's gel, but it was a solid reminder of how selflessly he had acted. Much like Damien, he hadn't needed to run into a burning building, but he had still done it without question. People only did those kinds of things when they were terrified of losing something precious to them, or were truly and foolishly kindhearted. But Vin didn't seem the foolish type.
___________________________

"You two having fun?"

Quint was just reaching out with a tentacle, searching for the trunk latch, when Sabastian's voice made his head whip over. Trying to fight off a grin, he kept it off his face by whipping his whole body towards the little blond and, still holding Sayori like he was about to run down the field with her, gave Sabastian a very serious, almost angry look.

"She knows too much" he says, his voice almost cracking as he fights off a laugh.

"I'm going to have to-EEeh!"

That lick to his hand definitely had the intended affect, as within seconds Sayori's feet were touching the ground as he dropped her down. Instead of letting her get away with such a dirty move, however, he very quickly brings his hand up and wipes the saliva on her neck, letting out his own bout of high pitched laughter as he jumps back from her wrath after.

 

[Poprockz]

"I should apologize too. I tried to sneak off last night. I wanted Damien to come with me..."

He gladly took her hand, squeezing it slightly as she went on to talk about the sensitive topic he knew would have to be brought up eventually.

"We want you to stick with us. Especially now. We're kind of all in this together now, until...Well, I guess we'll figure that out when we get there. But until then, it's really not safe for any of us to split up. I think even if we could make it out there on our own, we got Kuznet hunting us all down now. And if he gets one of us, then he's basically got all of us."

Cora wasn't the only one who was staring at that point. Part of him couldn't believe that Sabastian had convinced Vin to let him stay, having thought that Vin was wanting to part ways sooner rather than later. He supposed it made sense though- Sabastian wanting to stay with Cora and Damien and therefore Vin also wanting to do so to stay with them. There was no doubt that Vin cared about Cora, but he figured that being with his lover was a large part of it too.

The thing about all of them being linked was true too, he supposed. If Damien got captured, Cora might come after him and Vin might be made to go along to support her as well in her endeavor to free him. In that way, to protect Damien was to protect Cora in a way. That at least, is how Damien rationalized Vin's actions. He honestly was at a loss for what else it could be. The long-haired nomad had come into the burning shed, but now that Damien was calm his brain was telling him that he must have imagined the way he had looked at him as he stretched his hand down into that blazing basement.

His mother had always said that hope was a fantasy people clung to when they were too weak to deal with things as they were. It was better to quell the hope that Vin might ever be the same man to him as he was when they drank together. It made his heart feel heavy to do so, but it would save him pain in the long run.

Clearing his throat, Damien nodded. "I'm... very grateful that we'll be able to travel as a group." It almost looked like he was done talking, but after a second he added, "and thank you for helping me save Quint. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have made it out alive, and neither would I for that matter. I won't forget that." Those steely eyes met Vin's, wanting at the very least to express the fact that he would forever be grateful that Vin had stepped in to help.

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"Eep! Sayori squeaked when she felt that wet spit on her skin. The woman jumped slightly and whipped around; had Quint not jumped back, her arms might have grabbed him in time. Unfortunately for her, she only ended up grabbing at the air, the now slack sleeping bag slipping off her shoulders and down to the ground. She stood up tall and pointed at Quint, "Sabastian! If you can grab him for me, I'll tell you his biggest secret!"

Intrigued, Sabastian didn't think he could pass up that offer, the man's gaze fixing on Quint as a grin came to his face. "Pfft. As if I'd accept an offer like that. I already know Quint's biggest secret." And honestly that was probably partly true. He knew about the inside operation with Francisco's involvement, among other things that Quint likely didn't want anyone to know about. That being said, he was curious as to what her inside scoop was.

He leisurely strode forward a bit until he was within arm's length of the taller man, glancing at the shocked and slightly dismayed look on Sayori's face.

"B-but Sabastian!" She gestured at Quint again. "I thought we were comrades! I gave up my kidney for you! You were at my grandmother's sister's cousin's friend's priest's dog's wedding!" At that point a dainty hand came up and her shoulders shook slightly from her giggles. "Don't you- whew! Don't you remember the pug dressed as a police officer that couldn't stop humping the air?! And the- whew! the- whew! pfffft! the dog butt jewelry?! Ahahah!" There were tears in the corners of her eyes as she slowly leaned back against the car for support, unable to stop laughing at the image of dogs wearing the "twinkle tush" things for cats.

 

[Drobabes]

"Sayori, don't you dare!" he laughed, starting to step back up from the both of them. And when Sabastian actually started walking towards him, he got into a bit of a crouch and put his arms up like he was going to try and wrestle. The grin that he had on his face though, spoke as to how far he thought he could get with that-he knew Sabastian was way stronger.

"And the- whew! the- whew! pfffft!"

The way that she laughed had him almost putting his guard down, his own chest starting to shake from her little 'whew! whew!'. He had never heard a laugh quite like it and something about it just absolutely tickled his funny bone. HOWEVER,

Quint knew he was a gonner if he couldn't sneak himself out of this messy situation, so he waited for just the right time...waited until, there! Right when Sabastian turned his gaze over to Sayori, Quint turned and booked it in the direction of the other car.

...

"and thank you for helping me save Quint. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have made it out alive, and neither would I for that matter. I won't forget that."

Vin was quiet for a moment, his initial reaction having been to say something along the lines of, 'I couldn't just leave you to burn alive, that's no way to go', but upon having thought about that for more than a half second, it didn't seem right. Not with the way they had caught and killed that priest. So then what was the right thing to say? Anything? Maybe just a, you're welcome? He would never get the opportunity, as the second he opened his mouth to reply, he heard footsteps running their way.

Cora saw him coming, and had she not let go of Damien's hand and took a step over to the side, her doofus of a brother might have knocked him over like a damn bowling pin. As it were, he simply barreled between the two of them-giving no shits about Damien, or his car as he used it to stop his momentum, and then he quickly turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist while poking his head out to her other side.

"Cory help me! They be after me lucky charms!"

"What did you do?!" she growled, trying to dislodge his hands.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did you green flamingo!"

Vin took a step back, not wanting to get a stray kick to the shin from one of Cora's feet as her brother lifted her up into the air slightly-seemingly trying to use her body as a shield. He didn't really care if they played, and infact was kind of warmed by the fact that Cora was so lucky as to have her brother back, but he didn't plan on getting anywhere near the middle of it. He did give Quint a funny look when he stopped wrestling with her for a minute to sniff the air.

"Damn dude, you smell good" the half zombie said, looking at Vin in a very matter of fact way, which only made the nomad stare at him with an even weirder look. To be fair, Damien smelled rather good to him to, although he would rather eat horse shit than admit to it.

"Pft, he's taken Quinton."

"I didn't mean it like that El Stup-i-doe! It's just a weird...zombie thing. Like, I don't know, cologne or something-oh shit here they come!"

"Get him Sabastian!"

Quint's mouth dropped open, and he stared in mock horror and betrayal at his sister.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien had waited for a reply from Vin, but it never came, and he couldn't help but feel like perhaps he was rejecting his expression of gratitude. Perhaps Vin didn't find it worth responding to, or perhaps he was surprised that Damien had the audacity to say that "Vin helped." It was true that Damien was the one who had gone down into the basement, but he had ultimately failed to bring Quint back alive by himself. As he had said, if it hadn't been for Vin, the endeavor would have gone up in smoke.

Though he wanted to deny it, he felt a pang of sadness before the man looked away and pursed his lips unwittingly. The vulnerability in his expression didn't linger though, the cannonball that was Quint bursting between himself and Cora. Damien jumped to the side and watched in disgruntled shock as Quint picked her up and started squabbling back and forth. A sigh escaped him though and he crossed his arms, relaxing slightly. While he had been surprised, it was nice to see the two of them joking around.

The thing about Vin smelling good made him raise his eyebrow though, glancing at Vin before looking back at Quint. What was it about Vin that made him smell good to zombies? Was it his Native American Heritage or was it just some random thing? They may never know.

On the horizon, Sayori was running side-by-side with Sabastian, the two of them coming for the blue-eyed trickster. When they stopped, Sayori panted and pointed at Quint saying, "you have nowhere to run!"

"Get him Sabastian!"

Sabastian hadn't quite known how to proceed with Cora being used as a shield, but now he knew he had her blessing to take him down. He walked forward with a bit of a smug grin on his boyish face, all four of his extra arms slowly coming out as though winding up to unleash himself upon Quint. In one fell swoop, his arms swerved around Cora and tickled Quint's sides, his other tentacles aiming for his neck and armpits.

As soon as his grip on Cora loosened, he pulled her from him and moved in closer, wrapping his tentacles around Quint so that he was completely tied up in purple tentacles. It was stronger than iron, even though Sabastian was holding him gently.

"So Sayori, what was his biggest secret?" He turned his head to the woman, who scuttled over and cupped her hands over his ear, though she made sure Quint could hear her whisper, "he has a fetish for furbies. He has to have one in the room at all times or he can't get any satisfaction, even by himself."

It was... very unlikely that it was true, especially considering the way her face was barely holding on to a straight expression, the corners of her lips and eyebrows twitching as she tried not to give it away.

 

[Drobabes]

He was no match! Though he tried to fight him off with his own extra limbs, Sabastian very quickly won out as Quint started outright giggling, just like he had with Bowie, and jerking this way and that as he tried to escape. Cora took a step back and started laughing, though she quickly quieted down when Sayori leaned in to 'whisper' her secret.

Quint, in the mean time, took a moment to catch his breath as he watched her with mock anger. When she mentioned furbies of all things, he cracked up laughing again, though he tried to shake his head and deny it.

"Oh you guys don't even know" Cora said, an evil little twinkle in her eye as she stepped up beside them.

"This one time, I walked in to find him watching videos of-mm mmff!"

Where had that white tentacle come from?! And how had he managed to, possibly just from sheer panic alone, wiggle it out between Sabastian's just to shut her up?!

"Cora, I swear on the grave that if you finish that sentence you will regret it."

Her eyes were twinkling with barely contained mirth as they stared into each other's faces-Cora having a pretty humorous smile on her face, while Quint looked damn near murderous.

From the sidelines, Vin smirked and shook his head as he crossed his arms, coming to stand a bit closer to Damien. He simply watched their shenanigans for a quiet moment before he said anything to the steely eyed man.

"I couldn't just leave you in there, man, whether or not you got him out. Just wouldn't feel right."

He gave a little shrug before clearing his throat again and looking over towards the car.

"We should get going soon. Get some more miles between us and them."

Vin hadn't meant to do it, but the habit of planning with the steely eyed man was just second nature to him at this point. Maybe unconsciously he still saw Damien as an equal, and especially now that they had more people in their group that he felt the need to protect. Vin wanted his lover to have fun without having to feel the need to worry about the ever present doom of what was hanging over them, and Quint...well, Quint seemed a bit too childish to trust just yet with any serious matters. Of course, the nomad had no idea just how valuable the other half zombie would be in keeping them safe; nor how sharp his eyes were, even when he was playing around.

 

[Poprockz]

While Damien had glanced at Vin when he seemed to have gravitated closer to him, he hadn't been expecting for the other man to speak to him. What he said caused Damien to turn to him a bit wide-eyed before quickly looking away, his brow furrowing in slight confusion. So Vin had meant to save him? Even if Quint was no longer in the cards? And he did it because it "wouldn't feel right?" It was a bit to process, the man feeling unsure as to the extent of Vin's words.

When he had first told Vin about himself, he had been sure that if Vin had been more healthy he probably would have killed Damien. Even after, he was fine with using Damien as bait, so why the change of heart? Was it that he didn't feel like any life merited a death of that nature? No, that couldn't be it. Vin had tortured and killed a man for harming Cora and Sabastian, so he must be fine with justice being served. Why then? Why wouldn't it feel right?

He hadn't wanted to allow it, but the seed of hope had been planted without his permission. That being said, it only made him want to protect himself all the more.

"We should get going soon. Get some more miles between us and them."

"Mm," a businesslike nod was given to Vin as he straightened up, his demeanor becoming more like that of a distant business owner, engaged and focused on tasks and problem solving, not on his own personal feelings. Vin had a point- they really did need to start moving, as he was sure that Kuznet would stop at nothing to get Cora back in chains.

"I propose that that Cora and I take one car, and Quint and Sayori take the other. Where you and Sabastian choose to go is entirely up to you, but I feel that this arrangement would be ideal." His steely gaze searched for the potatoes and he frowned, discovering that Quint had actually knocked over the bowl in his playing around. Perhaps when they stopped they could thoroughly wash the potatoes and see if they were salvageable, the man squatting down and starting to pick them back up again. They really couldn't afford to waste food, especially since they had to figure out a way to get through winter. If they didn't make it to his cabin in time, it would be difficult to survive anywhere for too long without a reasonable amount of food.

It was a shame that Quint stopped her just in time, both Sabastian and Sayori having leaned closer in their eagerness to learn what kind of depraved stuff he had been looking up, both of them having no illusions that their own browser histories were probably equally as embarrassing.

Sayori tended to like tentacle porn and some vanilla things, though she did sometimes watch step-sibling porn right before deleting her history. On the other hand, Sabastian really liked DP, romantic porn, and videos with dominant men.

"You have committed a most serious crime- preventing us from hearing embarrassing shit about your life." The blonde leaned in so that only Quint could hear, his eyes glancing around a bit before his cheeks went slightly pink, "and I'm slightly salty that you were sniffing Vin, even if he does smell absolutely fucking amazing."

Clearing his throat, he raised his voice again and declared, "As punishment, I'm going to toss you into the air. Hope you're not afraid of heights, Quint."

With that, he pointed Quint's body up into the sky and launched him, chucking him a good thirty meters up before walking a couple steps over. While he was just playing around, he wanted to make sure his antics didn't him get hurt, his full concentration on Quint as he positioned himself to catch him. Just in case, he had all arms out, being ready when the other zombie finally came back down to earth, resting in Sabastian's arms.

 

[Drobabes]

The look hadn't gone unnoticed, but he didn't quite know what to make of it. Nor did he know what to make of Damien's behavior when he suddenly straightened up and got a bit harder in his tone. For the most part, Vin was pretty good at reading people, but he could be quite clueless in certain aspects. Especially when those aspects were directed at himself.

His own eyes followed Damien's down when the taller man frowned, noticing the spilt food and wondering if that was why he was upset. It kinda pissed him off as well, if he were being honest, his own thoughts taking a similar path to Damien's. Sure, they could probably raid a house for some canned goods, and maybe get lucky enough to find someone's garden (though that would be hard considering the summer heat would have probably destroyed anything that was edible, without anyone there to keep it watered), but now they were really on the run. Before they had the luxury of playing dumb because they thought they were only being watched; now they might not have the time to slow down for a while.

Vin's hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it in a somewhat nervous manner as he let out a little sigh. What the hell were they going to do? Where were they going to run to? Was it safe to go back to Jameson and his men? Maybe, but they would have to be damn fucking careful about it, and maybe find a way to contact him before they came back to the base. Maybe Sabastian could catch one of the soldiers on the supply routes and let them know what happened.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll ride with you and Cora."

He let his hand drop down, his eyes on the potatos for another moment, wondering if the sinks in the bathroom were still working. How long did they say it took water to shut off? Six weeks? Eight? Either way, it probably would hurt to wash them off and bag them up, and he had seen a little river nearby that looked like good, clean, water, even if the sinks weren't working. It probably wasn't a bad idea to fill their jugs up while they had the chance-they could boil the water later when they had a chance to stop. Suddenly a thought came to him, and he glanced over at Damien again.

"I'm not like, trying to keep an eye on you. Anymore. You've had a lot of chances to try and take off if you wanted, so I trust you as far as that goes. Don't break that trust," he finished a bit harshly, holding his hand up for a second as if he was going to point his finger at him before he stopped and crossed his arms, and his eyes went over to the trio of trouble.

"I just don't want to be sitting in a car with someone...fucking sniffing me" he grumbled, a bit of a scowl coming to his face.

"It's weird."

...

"You have committed a most serious crime- preventing us from hearing embarrassing shit about your life...and I'm slightly salty that you were sniffing Vin, even if he does smell absolutely fucking amazing."

Oh that look that Sabastian gave him would have made Quint cackle like a little demon...if he hadn't already been slightly salty himself for how he had been feeling all morning. He had been able to ignore it when he was messing around, but like a sticker stuck in the back of your shirt, Sabastian's arousal had been poking (ooc: heh, heh) at him with every step he took. And it had gotten especially annoying when he was trying to just enjoy his friendship with Sayori and keep his thoughts off the dark, and, extremely sexual, shit that they had escaped from. And speaking of which! Sabastian didn't fucking warn him what was going to happen when she had those eggs!

A bit of a scowl touched his own face as he started to open his mouth to reply, but as soon as he heard, "toss you into the air", it melted and was replaced with wide eyed panic. The little bastard wouldn't.

"AAaaaahhh!" was all they all heard for almost a full second before Quint was too high for his voice to carry down to them.

"S-Sabastian!" Cora suddenly shouted, panic rising up in her as she watched her brother be tossed up like a rocket.

"What the hell?! You! Y-you better catch him!"

Just like back at the cabin, when she had been scared for Bowie, she suddenly darted around Sayori and stood there with her hands balled up into little fists, looking like an angry chihuahua. She knew she couldn't really hurt him, but that wouldn't stop her from laying a few good blows to his back and shoulders if even so much as a hair was hurt on Quint's head. It would all be fine though, as just as soon as she looked up, he suddenly came rushing back down through the air, his own tentacles out to cushion his fall in case Sabastian couldn't catch him.

He ended up landing right in his arms though, his hands going around the little blond's neck like some cheesy romance scene. He didn't stay there for long, however, as very quickly he hopped up and half ran, half danced, a circle around Sabastian.

"Do it again! Do it again!" he laughed, only stopping long enough to hop up and down in place.

"Absolutely fucking not!" Cora yelled, her anger being redirected towards Quint as she started stomping towards him. He just laughed and dodged away from her.

"No really, do it again! I could see everything from up there!"

And it was true. While initially he had been terrified, once he had reached the peak of how high he was going to go, and he had that lag just before he started to drop, his eyes had been able to scan the horizon and see almost every structure within miles. And every car.

 

[Poprockz]

"I'm not like, trying to keep an eye on you... Don't break that trust."

The other man had simply nodded at Vin's decision to go in the car with himself and Cora, not thinking too much of it for the moment until Vin said something about it. The fact that he was saying such a thing out loud made him a bit suspicious that Vin was lying and simply feeling a bit guilty about still watching them after what Cora had said. Still, it wasn't anything Vin had to be ashamed about. After all, if Damien was in his position, he would have thought it wise to be prepared just in case the unexpected happened.

"I just don't want to be sitting in a car with someone...fucking sniffing me... It's weird."

There was silence for a moment before Damien nodded and stood up with his bowl of potatoes. "Hm. I imagine he nose what he was doing was weird and probably won't do it anymore, but I could see how that might have scent you some mixed messages." The inflection on those particular words was very subtle, but before Damien had realized it, the words had already come out of his mouth. He hadn't meant to joke around, thinking to himself in retrospect that Vin probably didn't appreciate being the butt of the joke, nor did he think they were in a place where he should be making jokes; he had merely slipped up because the atmosphere between them had almost seemed comfortable for a moment.

Clearing his throat, Damien looked down at the potatoes and busied himself by picking a couple pieces of grass off of them, an almost stoic look on his face. "Anyway, it doesn't matter to me who drives, so if no one else wants to, I would be okay with taking the wheel."

--------------------------------------------------

"Q-quint!"

From the sidelines, Sayori's face had transformed from that pixie-like grin to a look of apprehensive astonishment. She trusted that Sabastian knew what he was doing but it was still nerve-wracking to watch Quint go so high before plummeting like a bag of rocks. However, a sigh of relief came to her as he landed in Sabastian's arms, thinking to herself with amusement that were Sabastian just a bit taller, they might have been able to pull off that prince and princess image.

Cora's comment hadn't been answered due to Sabastian's need to concentrate, but once Quint was set on the ground, he nodded and said, "I was being extra careful. After all, we can't play around with him if he's a pancake."

He looked smug, proud of his accomplishment until he saw that Quint was actually... excited, at which his gleeful expression started to droop. When Quint requested to be tossed once more, the smaller man frowned, crossing his arms. "Why should I do that when you like it? The whole point of punishing someone isn't so they can get off on it." It would seem that Damien wasn't the only one with his foot in his mouth, Sabastian swallowing as his eyes flicked toward Vin and away again. Of course, that was the whole point of what Vin and Sabastian did, that large hand swooping down to give him those spanks of pain and pleasure. The bliss of being teased and tortured until he was absolutely at Vin's mercy. Despite himself, a tingle went through him and his frown only deepened despite his cheeks betraying him.

"Anyway, I'm not doing it again," he grumbled, making sure not to look Quint in the eye.

"Come on, Sabastian!" Sayori came over to him and had a rather eager look on her own face. "Are you really going to... take away his pixie dust?"

 

[Drobabes]

Delvin hadn't quite caught was Damien was saying at first, as for a moment, his eyes had widened and he had watched with apprehension as Cora's brother was sent so high up into the air. Maybe his age was starting to show a bit, but it reminded him too much of that time that his buddy had rode on top of the hood of his truck, only to get tossed off into the ditch when Vin took a turn too hard, and they spent the rest of the evening in the hospital. Accidents happened, and even if Sabastian did catch him, Quint might still land too hard on on his arm or foot and crack, possibly even break, a bone-and then they might be pretty fucked for a minute.

It was only when the zombie man was caught and safely put back on the ground, did the nomad have a chance for his brain to process what it had missed in that brief lag, and when it did, a little smile and snort left him before he quickly reached up to scratch the scruff that was growing just under his nose.

"Right," he said gruffly, almost puffing his chest as he tried to get his shit together. If Cora had been paying attention to the both of them, she might have had them both blushing with some choice words.

"Well, maybe Cora or Sabastian can drive. My hands are fucked, and your back will probably start bugging you after too long of chafing against the back seat."

A sniff was given as he crossed his arms again and looked away awkwardly, before he suddenly looked over at the bowl of potatoes.

"Here, I'll wash those and bag them" he said, reaching out to take them before Damien could argue, and leave him with nothing to do to hide his odd behavior.

"I'll load up when I'm done."

And with that, he was gone, quickly walking away before anything...else, could happen.
_____________________________

"The whole point of punishing someone isn't so they can get off on it."

There was that devilish smirk, the blue eyed man grinning at him wickedly as he momentarily stopped his hyper tick to lay his hands down near his hips and lean in a bit to try and catch Sabastian's eye. He wasn't going to embarrass the little man in front of the others, yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't fuck with him by making it obvious that his slip of the tongue hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Anyway, I'm not doing it again,"

"Are you really going to... take away his pixie dust?"

Quint dropped the smile in favour of the deadpan, turning his gaze between the two of them before he suddenly stood up straight and tried to use reason to hide behind his disappointment and embarrassment.

"Look, you got me really high up, and-shut up Cory! Snickering over there... Anyway, I could see a lot from up there. I'm not as strong as you, so I can't jump that high. I don't think..."

His face tilted up, his eyes squinting in the glare of the sun before he suddenly bunched his legs and then jumped, hard, knowing this time he wasn't going to hit his head on any concrete. And while he did go quite high-clearing well over three times as much as he had back in the cells, it was nowhere near what Sabastian had been able to do. When he landed, he immediately went back to arguing his point.

"So just toss me up there a few times, let me get a good look around us, and I can figure out where we should go. I already saw that we shouldn't head east," he said, bringing his hand up to gesture in that general direction.

"Because there's a huge pile up and the terrain around it just forest. If we try to veer off and go through a town, good 'Ol Fuck Face is probably going to have some of his mutts sitting there waiting for us, knowing we'll need food and water."

While Cora had been standing there with a smirk on her face, gleefully enjoying how her brother was strategically trying to get what he wanted, it soon melted off and was replaced with a serious look. She had just found out last night, that he had known this whole time. Almost ten years he had known. Had he been hiding them that whole time? It...kind of clicked now; some things. His 'random' fits when he didn't want to travel certain places, and his anger at her when she would try to accuse him of being a brat and simply wanting his way.

Suddenly she had an overwhelming amount of guilt and...anger? Had Sarah known too? Well maybe not everything, but she had to have known something, because she would always take his side in those instances, and only in those instances. Any other time, she always tried to find the middle ground between them.

Was she that broken to them? Did they really view her as that weak? Well...maybe they weren't completely wrong. Cora had, not always given things her best effort...

Turning away from them, she soon found herself in front of Damien, having wondered a few feet without consciously thinking about where she was going. When she did realize it, however, she turned to him seeking comfort for her confusing emotions. Putting her face down on his shoulder, she stood there for a quiet moment as her hand laid over his heart. She knew her brother could see her, and indeed, he did glance over and give a scowl before turning his attention back to Sabastian, but she simply didn't care. He needed to get used to it.

 

[Poprockz]

He could have been mistaken, but it almost seemed like Vin had been amused at his joke, Damien watching him as the man walked away with his potatoes.

....

The blonde didn't even have to look at Quint- he could sense that shitty grin on Quint's face and see his body posture out of his peripheral. It was obvious that Quint could read him like an open book that Sabastian had no idea how to shut. Was it going to be like this the whole time? Was Quint was going to be able to sense how horny and embarrassed he was at times? It was a bit annoying that he wasn't going to be able to keep some of this stuff to himself, and that only added to the man's grumpy demeanor.

Both he and Sayori watched as he jumped, wondering how high he might actually go. It was impressive to see a man jump that high, but it was obvious that he was right when he said he wasn't as strong as Sabastian. When he was in the cells, the grumpy man had thought that maybe Quint did have similar strength, simply not having been given the opportunity. Now though, the difference between them seemed stark, especially from the fact that he wasn't even using all of his strength. If he tried... He wasn't sure how high Quint would go.

Quint certainly had a point though, Sabastian stopping to actually think about it for a moment. His stubbornness wanted him to be bratty and shut Quint's request down, but logically the tactical advantage that they might gain from having a good survey of the land was a powerful argument. His eyes swept over the rest of them for a moment, recognizing them all as Kuznet's victims in one way or another. He never wanted any of them to suffer at the General's hands again, so it was in their best interest to play things as smart as possible and use all tools at their disposal- Kuznet certainly would be doing the same.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sayori though. She looked like she had thought of something funny, the corners of her mouth twitching before she said in her best gruff dwarf impression. "I cannot jump the distance. You're gonna have to toss me." The way she had said it was almost funnier than the actual reference, her soft feminine voice sounding comical as she tried to replicate Gimli's way of speaking.

Looking over at Sabastian, she added, "... don't tell the elf." Those brown eyes of hers twinkled with mirth, the woman unable to stop herself from giggling.

.....

Having been deprived of his task, Damien had considered also getting things ready or checking up on the cars before he noticed Cora drifting his way. His steely eyes watched her, noticing that she seemed to be deep in thought, likely with the sort of thoughts that ominously passed through one like a thunderstorm in the distance. When she stopped in front of him and leaned on his chest, he reached up and rested his head on the back of her head, though a moment later he thought to stroke that beautifully soft hair of hers.

His other arm went around her waist and he leaned down slightly to say softly, "you look troubled. Are you worried about... him catching up to us?" That had been the topic of conversation when she had started looking down, the man thinking that perhaps Quint's words were stirring up her anxiety about potentially being imprisoned so soon after escaping.

 

[Drobabes]

"I cannot jump the distance. You're gonna have to toss me."

"Pfft!"

Quint's hand went up to cover his mouth quickly, not wanting to spit on Sabastian by accident, though when Sayori quickly followed it up with the elf comment, he lost his shit. He started laughing so hard he had to turn away from them, holding his sides with his hands.

____________________

She let out a little sigh before she stepped back a bit and took his hand, then proceeded to gently tug it as she looked up at him.

"Come to the car with me? We can move the stuff in the back seat around a bit..."

Once they were a little further away and had a bit of privacy, she gave him a sad little smile.

"I am scared, but I was thinking about Quint. He's known this whole time that He was alive and I think, he's been keeping us safe. I just...kinda wish that I had acted a bit different throughout the years. Like, maybe if I had put in a little more effort, he might have felt like he could tell me, you know?"

She reached out and opened the door before starting to grab some of the small supplies they had back there, to move them to the trunk.

"I mean I get why he didn't tell me, but it just...I don't know" she ended, her last words coming out on a frustrated breath.

 

[Poprockz]

She grinned, pleased that she had been able to make Quint laugh, even Sabastian having cracked a grin from that reference.

"Fine, fine. I'll toss him." Sabastian chuckled and held out his arms to Quint as though he was waiting for the man to rush into his arms. Though what he got instead was Sayori coming closer with an eager expression.

"Toss me up too!"

The blonde stopped for a moment, his expression becoming surprised before he recovered with an adamant shake of the head. "No. I can't do the same thing with you. Quint's body is tough and he has extra arms so he would probably survive if I accidentally dropped him. You though, you wouldn't."

"Then just don't drop me," she countered, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrow.

"Sayori, even if I caught you, you'd probably get mad whiplash from me tossing you- your body just isn't like Quint's or mine." He wasn't going to back down just because she wanted to have some fun, knowing that her safety was a priority and that what they were doing just wasn't safe enough for her.

-------------------------------------------------------

Damien got the message, following her to the car and listened to what she had to say, leaning in and moving some of the things around as well. Occasionally he would hold an item for her when they were trying to organize it in a more optimal way.

So she was thinking about the fact that Quint had known about Kuznet being alive, hiding it from her in order to keep her safe.

"I would usually say that I can't imagine what it's like to see an evil person seemingly come back from the dead, but that would be a lie." His eyes flicked to her briefly before he pursed his lips and looked back at the trunk's contents. They both knew he was talking about his mother, the one he had thought was basically a vegetable before they found her alive and practically bursting with life and disgusting perversion. It had felt like his worst nightmare had come true, not even really feeling real at first.

"However, you had the added element of being sheltered by Quint without your knowledge for such a long time..." He was quiet, picking up a can of something and putting it over with the other canned goods. It seemed like he was trying to be supportive and at the same time, careful about what he said. This, he didn't have very much experience with, and he wasn't sure just how helpful he might be in helping her work things out.

"Obviously Quint had good intentions, wanting to protect you and all of that, but I imagine that doesn't soften the fact that you had your own choices taken from you in a sense. Do you..." He hesitated for a moment, looking a bit conflicted, "feel guilty at all? Do you feel guilty that he was bearing the brunt of keeping the two of you safe?"

The man's movements stopped and he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't mean to accuse, I just... think I would feel similarly, so I wanted to see if that was part of it."

 

[Drobabes]

"Sayori, even if I caught you, you'd probably get mad whiplash from me tossing you- your body just isn't like Quint's or mine."

Quint had been wiping his eyes after he got himself under control and getting ready for a round two, when Sayori asked to be tossed up as well. At first he had grinned, but then frowned when Sabastian stated his case. Was it true? Were their bodies stronger now, than they once had been? A nasty little shiver suddenly went up his spine as the sudden memory of Kuznet's knife came to the forefront of his mind, his eyes widening for just a split second as he quite clearly heard the 'click'. Very quickly he reached up and rubbed his eye, pretending to have gotten a bug, or a piece of dirt in it, to hide the look of shock on his face while he shook it off. That happened from time to time, but as long as he was in a safe place, usually a few seconds and a deep breathe was enough to keep it under control. But Sabastian was probably right, because he had certainly never been cut so deeply before, nor in such delicate areas.

When he let his hand fall down to his side, his fingers actually slapping against his jeans audibly, he looked down at Sayori and frowned. She had been through so much of that same shit, and even though she wasn't pouting or being sad, he suddenly had an overwhelming need to comfort her. Turning his gaze over, he gaze Sabastian a very serious, but sad, look.

"I'll hold her. You didn't toss me up high enough for terminal velocity to give her whiplash like that, and she would be cushioned by me on the way down anyway."

He could tell Sabastian was about to argue with his point, so he quickly followed it up with a quiet and pleading tone.

"She deserves to have a little bit of fun Sabastian. We all do..."
____________________________________________________

"I would usually say that I can't imagine what it's like to see an evil person seemingly come back from the dead, but that would be a lie."

She acknowledged what he was saying with a little nod, taking another can from him and stacking it neatly in one of the cardboard boxes they had. The very memory of it was enough to give her goosebumps, and only now, after she had had her own reality bomb dropped on her, could she truly appreciate how utterly terrified he must have been and why he had gone so pale.

As he went on to speak softly, she simply listened. The way he was speaking with her wasn't competitive, only inquisitive, so it made it easier for her to acknowledge her own shortcomings when he asked about them.

"I'm feeling a lot of things," she said, stopping to wrap her arms around her chest as she held herself a bit.

"It's just... Okay, like last night, when we were arguing, I brought it up and asked him why he hid it from me for so long. He told me it's because I would have given up if I knew, because I would have been too scared to try anything for fear of what He might do in retaliation. And that's a solid point," one of her hands came out to gesture the 'point', holding it out in the air like she were holding something up as her eyes stared down at a can of stew.

"But I just feel like... I've already been doing that, even when I thought he was dead."

She went quiet for a moment, pausing in her movements before she slowly brought her hand back to her side.

"I never...tried. Not enough for them to trust me I guess. They were always...shouldering me. Carrying me. Forcing me to leave my apartment when I would get really bad, always checking up on me. Making me eat" she chuckled, shaking her head a bit.

"And I guess, yea, I do feel guilty. I wish I...hadn't been so burdensome on them. But I just feel like, maybe if I had known...then I might have tried more? I might have had some hope to fight because we had already escaped him once, and I might have, really put in the effort to learn to protect myself, because then it wouldn't just be me I needed to protect, it would be them too..."

 

[Poprockz]

"I'll hold her. You didn't toss me up high enough for terminal velocity to give her whiplash like that, and she would be cushioned by me on the way down anyway."

While Quint's arguments probably would have swayed Sabastian, it was what he had felt from Quint that had sealed the deal. He hadn't been oblivious to the way Quint had seemed off for a moment, the feeling being a bit familiar. It reminded him of the time the other zombie had basically EMP'd him, knocking him unconscious with such a strong wave of physical and psychological pain. It made him anxious, wondering to himself if Quint was okay and what might have triggered him.

"She deserves to have a little bit of fun Sabastian. We all do..."

Sayori smiled at Quint, an appreciation in her eyes from the fact that he had also come forward to help her plead her case. Unfortunately, she had been looking at Sabastian when Quint had his little moment, so she wasn't as quick to notice, but she was a bit curious as to why Quint was suddenly acting a bit melancholy. Perhaps he was just trying to hold it together right now, still recovering from the awful events with the General. Her own smile almost faltered as she wondered if what happened between them still weighed heavily on him. He had been acting chipper with her, so she had almost been lured into thinking that maybe they would go back to the way they were; things weren't so simple though, it seemed.

Recovering quickly, she walked over, getting behind Quint and putting her hands on his shoulders before asking, "okay, so do you want me to piggy-back with you?"

Sabastian sighed, "alright, well if it's already decided and you're going up together, then I guess it's fine." He shrugged, waiting for them to be ready so he could chuck them into the air once more.


---------------------------------------------

"Did you ever really think he was dead though?" Damien stopped what he was doing and looked over to her, studying her face with a very serious expression on his own.

"From what I understand, you never got to see his "body" so there was never any real closure for you. I assume that part of you always worried about whether he was going to materialize, even though Quint told you he was dead. I don't think that it's that you didn't trust Quint... maybe it was that the General was just so formidable to you that you felt like he could have tricked Quint into thinking he had been taken down, like the villain mastermind from a movie."

He glanced into the back and saw a box of granola bars, grabbing them and taking them out to place on the grass nearby so he could hand them out for breakfast later. When they had been set down, he straightened up and moved closer to her, reaching out and letting a strand of her hair be draped over his palm as he looked at it and continued. "I could be completely wrong but... I feel like you acted that way in the past because you were already living with that fear at the back of your mind. There was no way to confront it either, so it wasn't something that could be dealt with or gotten rid of. At the very least if you had been told for certain that he was alive you would have been able to deal with your feelings."

 

[Drobabes]

"alright, well if it's already decided and you're going up together, then I guess it's fine."

He gave Sabastian a grin, his good mood returning rather quickly as the grumpy little marshmallow agreed to the both of them going up. The funny thing was, Sabastian himself could have just jumped up on his own and gotten a good look around himself, but Quint was willing to let the blond figure that out later, not wanting to squander their chance at a little playfulness. He turned around then, putting his arms our to Sayori.

"Nope, chest to chest. I'm going to look one way, and I want you to look the other way. There's going to be about a half second where we kind of just float before we start falling again, so take in as much detail as you can during that time" he said, his voice playful. And while it may have been a good idea, to have two people looking out, Quint was really just more concerned with dropping her. He didn't like the idea of Sayori being out of reach of his arms, as his extra limbs didn't have the dexterity of his hands and thumbs. And, maybe, you know, he kinda wanted to see that beaming, pixie smile of hers.

________________________________________

"Did you ever really think he was dead though?"

She looked up to meet his gaze as she pulled her arms in a bit tighter, the chill of the morning suddenly feeling a bit colder than it had just a few minutes ago.

"I guess not..." she said quietly, listening as he continued while her own mind replayed the night that she had almost been drugged. He was absolutely right, and while Cora had wanted to believe that he was gone, even having reached so far as to convince herself that her anxiety and fear was merely playing cruel games with her, making her see ghosts of her past where there were none, some part of her knew the truth. Some part of her recognized the circumstances for what they were, because of where they were, and so too did her soul know that she had really seen Jonathon out in the woods that day.

She hadn't just hallucinated that. He had stood there, after having gotten caught by her sharp eyes, and smiled at her. He fucking smiled, at, her. Taunting her. Degrading her. But what he hadn't been expecting was her anger, and the fury she felt for those sick fucks, to take over. That's why he had ran.

"I could be completely wrong but... I feel like you acted that way in the past because you were already living with that fear at the back of your mind. There was no way to confront it either, so it wasn't something that could be dealt with or gotten rid of. At the very least if you had been told for certain that he was alive you would have been able to deal with your feelings."

That soft hand reaching out to touch her hair brought her thoughts back to the present, and the small scowl that had begun to form on her pouty lips and hazel eyes quickly melted away. She watched his fingers for a moment before she reached up to take his hand between her own, her own fingers rubbing his skin softly.

"I don't think you're far off. No, actually, I think you're completely right on the money" she said, looking up to give him a little smile. She was quiet for a moment, simply staring into those soft steel eyes before her lips started to twist into a frown.

"I was so scared, Damien. He kept telling me such awful things, and I thought for sure that he had already gotten you, and he was only toying with me so that I would gain some sense of hope. I wanted to give up so badly, so I wouldn't be hurt..."

She stepped a bit closer to him and raised her hand up, her thumb coming up to stroke his cheek.

"But then I remembered what you told me, out in those woods...and Sayori reminded me of what people like him can't take from us. They try to take our hope and our love, because they themselves don't have any. It's kind of sad," she said, letting out a little sigh as her hand moved down to lay over his chest, and her eyes followed.

"That must be a very lonely existence..."

 

[Poprockz]

The woman smiled and accepted his invitation, stepping closer to Quint so she could put her arms around his neck. Due to his tallness she had to lean on him slightly to do so, though she tried to keep her breasts from smooshing into him very much. Though they were acting like friends typically did, she hoped he wasn't going to be made uncomfortable by being pressed against her. It was one thing to hold her sideways, it was another for them to be in the same position couples assumed when they were slow-dancing. They had basically been in this position when she had climbed onto his lap and taken advantage of him.

That very thought made a rush of guilt flow through her, the woman looking away from Quint to meet Sabastian's eyes. "Okay, I think we're ready. She assumed his own arms would be around her torso, keeping her safe as they were launched. For that reason, she felt a bit less nervous than she would otherwise.

Shrugging, Sabastian approached and reached out with his tentacles. It was a bit awkward throwing two people, but he managed to lift them by wrapping a tentacle around them and then supporting their feet with another. With that, he aimed them up and gave them a good amount of strength, making sure they went just as high as Quint had gone earlier, perhaps even a little bit higher. As they left his hands, he then began to prepare to catch them, taking it just as seriously as he had last time- after all, he wanted to keep them as safe as possible if they were going to be doing this.

Sabastian had indeed considered going up there on his own, but the thought of it made him a bit uneasy. Before he tried anything like that, he wanted to do some smaller practice jumps first. After all, he had never been that high before and if he jumped of his own volition, he might not know how to land in a way that would keep him from at least breaking something.

It was a bit scary to be ascending so quickly, so Sayori pressed herself more tightly against him and let her head tuck down against his chest with her eyes closed for a moment. She knew it would probably be fine, but she found great comfort in relying on Quint to shelter her until she was ready.
That time came fairly quickly as she soon felt them slowing down, prompting her to lift her head curiously.

When they reached the top, there was that sense of weightlessness and it almost felt like the whole world had stopped. Her eyes widened in joy and wonder and her mouth became slightly ajar, those pink lips of her rounding slightly as a simple, "oh..." came from her. It was a breathless word, the woman enraptured by the sight of the world around her. The beating of her heart had been quick during their ascent, but now it was beating for a different reason- it felt like she was in a dream... She would have never imagined that she would ever get an experience like this- floating in the sky with a friend while surveying the ground that seemed so far below.

Speaking of which, she realized she should actually be looking around to see if there was anything of interest. At that point, her eyes scanned the horizon and tried to get a feel for their surroundings.

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The phrase "on the money" was a bit amusing to him considering his background, but the seriousness of the conversation kept him from breaking into a smile. He didn't want her to think that he was mocking her feelings and he wanted to be supportive when she opened up and talked to him about her fears and thoughts. His expression did soften slightly though, looking back into her eyes as he waited for her to continue.

"I was so scared, Damien. He kept telling me such awful things, and I thought for sure that he had already gotten you, and he was only toying with me so that I would gain some sense of hope. I wanted to give up so badly, so I wouldn't be hurt..."

He wondered what exactly Kuznet had said to her, but he assumed it was something about him playing around before capturing Damien, then subjecting him to some horrific tortures before death. Not only himself though, but also Vin and possibly Sabastian. Though he imagined that Kuznet wouldn't get rid of Sabastian unless absolutely necessary, seeing as his good heart could be manipulated into doing things for the General.

"But then I remembered what you told me, out in those woods...and Sayori reminded me of what people like him can't take from us. They try to take our hope and our love, because they themselves don't have any. It's kind of sad.. That must be a very lonely existence..."

Damien was quiet for a few moments more, his mind in thought as he took comfort in the feeling of her hand on his chest. If there was one thing he knew about, it was loneliness. In his life, he had been starved for attention and love, both platonic and romantic. He had accepted that as his reality, merely thinking that the world being grey and empty was simply the way things were. Therefore, he had never truly considered how lacking his life truly was, not until he had met Cora. In his loneliness, he had done heinous things, things he greatly regretted.

"Loneliness... is suffocating, but it's not an excuse. We're all accountable for what we do," Damien sighed with a heavy heart, setting his hand atop hers on his chest and resting his other arm around her waist to pull her just a bit closer.

"I was really worried about you too. When I came to see where you went, the guards kept using excuses as to why I couldn't leave the compound. So I ended up looking for you and Vin for about three days. Apparently the General was keeping tabs on me, because he left me a message that incriminated Vin. He made it seem like Vin had sold you out, basically; from what Vin told me, he did something similar to him, telling him that I sold Sabastian out to regain some of my past wealth or power." A look of pain and regret came to Damien's face and he shook his head.

"I ended up at the bar and Dave made me drink some water since I was a bit dehydrated, and he told me Vin was up in one of the rooms. I was... a bit out of it and very angry so I almost did something I would have regretted. Bowie was there though, and he made me stop and think about it. I thought about you and how it wouldn't have been what you wanted... how you thought I was better than that." Though there was still a deep sadness in his eyes, he smiled softly, recognizing that at the very least he hadn't succumbed to his urges.

"That was when I went inside and talked to Vin and he asked me about... my past. I told him the truth. He was understandably upset, but he put it on hold and let Dave smuggle us out of there. We were going to wait until the right time to rescue you with the rebels, but... we found a tape in the car." He knew she knew which tape, the man pulling her against him and squeezing her tightly. "We couldn't wait after that." His voice sounded strained, the man feeling a lump forming in his throat.

 

[Drobabes]

Quint was way too distracted by the epic ride they were about to get to take too much notice of Sayori's soft chest pressing against his own hard muscles. His only real concern was making sure that she was safe enough within his grip, and once Sabastian was ready, he gave her a quick grin before they were launched like a rocket straight up.

"Whoo hoo hoo!" he shouted, one arm staying snugly around her waist while the other one went out to his side, half flailing, half attempting a one winged flight, as the air whipped around them. He then let out a laugh when he looked down to see her little face tucked against him, finding it pretty amusing that she couldn't bring herself to look until they were almost at the top of how far they could go.

When she finally had enough courage to look around her, Quint found himself enraptured by the wonder in her eyes. It was a joy that she had given him small glimpses of back in the cells, when his jokes and humor had found a way to crack through the despair. Now though, here in this moment-where she was completely free, he was starstruck by the beauty in her wondrous gaze.

Without realizing it, his arm had come back in, and his cool hand found her cheek. His thumb touched her chin gently, being ever so careful not to brush too hard against the bruises as his ocean jeweled eyes looked into her own with soft affection, and...sadness. Quint tried to smile, but found it difficult, and instead what ended up twisting his lips was a silently mouthed, "I'm sorry".

Suddenly they were falling again, and turning his attention away, he wrapped both his arms around her and simply held her as his eyes turned towards the ground, his tentacles coming out in preparation of helping Sabastian aid their fall if needed.
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"Loneliness... is suffocating, but it's not an excuse. We're all accountable for what we do,"

She walked forward a step until she could lay her head down on his chest, listening to his breathing as he held her. As he went on to explain what happened, she simply listened quietly, not surprised by any of it. It was a cruel game; tactical maneuvering meant to pit them all against each other. It had almost worked, too.

"I was... a bit out of it and very angry so I almost did something I would have regretted. Bowie was there though, and he made me stop and think about it."

Cora didn't move away from his chest, but her eyes looked out across the dirt, soon spotting the little danger noodle hanging over by Sabastian. Half his body was wrapped up in a circle, while his head was lifted up towards the sky, seemingly in a sort of trance. A little smile came to her face, as she realized that he was probably watching Quint having fun.

Bowie...he was such a good boy, and he always had been. Long, long before he ever became sentient, he had saved her so many times. And now he was saving Damien.

"You are better than..." she had started to say, though she soon realized he wasn't done explaining, so she let her quiet voice trail off.

"...but... we found a tape in the car. We couldn't wait after that."

Though he couldn't see it, Cora's face had become pale against his chest, and her hand on his shirt balled up a bit of the fabric. For a long moment, she was quiet, and the trembling of her fingers might have been mistaken for crying if it were not for the fact that her voice was rather calm when she spoke.

"He couldn't make me" she said first, before she had to swallow several times to wet her mouth enough to continue.

"He made me say...so many awful things, but he couldn't..."

She pulled back from him then, her wet eyes staring up into his own with the same intensity as she had had laying on that cold metal table.

"I'm yours Damien. I'll never belong to him. Ever."

 

[Poprockz]

She hadn't seen what Quint had said to her, though she did feel that cool hand under her chin, thinking to herself that he was probably trying to give her some encouragement. Based on the fact that she hid until she got to the top, she had assumed it was an "attagirl" gesture. However, after surveying the land her eyes very briefly caught his face before they went down, catching a glimpse of sadness for a split second.

It confused her, the woman wondering if maybe she had just imagined it. There didn't seem to be any apparent reason as to why he would be sad at the moment, unless the wonder of the landscape below them had him feeling melancholy. In any case, there wasn't very much time to think about it, as the soon started to fall once more, Sayori once more closing her eyes and tucking her head against him.

Once again, Sabastian carefully placed himself in the right spot, all tentacles out in preparation. They landed perfectly in his arms, the man then gentle setting them down and nodding with satisfaction. He had thought it would be awkward to catch two people at the same time, but it wasn't too much different other than the placement of his tentacles. It was difficult to read the expression on Quint's face right in the moment, but he could have sworn that he had felt sadness from him earlier, though he imagined Quint wanted to keep that to himself. Regardless of whether they were linked, sometimes one just simply needed to be left to process their own stuff.

"Sooo... Did you guys see anything cool up there?" He asked, looking back and forth between them.

Sayori raised her hand a bit and piped up, "oh yeah, it was amazing! I have never experienced anything like that before and everything looked so tiny! It was like being a superhero or something!" She grinned and looked at Quint excitedly before continuing, thinking that perhaps he would share in her enthusiasm. "I also saw what looked like moving cars off in the distance, a huge mall, a blocked-off road, and... get this... a herd of horses. Isn't that super weird? Like they were just running around like they didn't care."

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Those little changes, the balling of her fists and the shaking of her body, he imagined it was from the memory of having made the tape. It was obvious Kuznet had made it clear to her what they were doing and what purpose it would serve, the man trying to humiliate her while showing Damien that Cora would only be his alone. He suspected the man might have drugged her as well, though there was no real way to tell.

"He couldn't make me... He made me say...so many awful things, but he couldn't... I'm yours Damien. I'll never belong to him. Ever."

"I know." His voice was soft, the man having to look away for a moment and take a deep breath to keep his voice even. When his eyes returned to her, there was deep, somber regret within those pools of steel. Though she had been cumming, writhing, and moaning, she had almost looked to be in pain, the woman looking as though she would have given anything to not be forced into that orgasmic despair. Kuznet was deluded if he thought that Damien would buy it for a moment, though it was true that he had thought perhaps Cora had been broken under the massive psychological trauma.

"I never thought you would ever choose to be his. Despite what he... made you do and say, I could see it in your eyes that you didn't want any of that." Pursing his lips, he paused before pushing on.

"When I was watching your video, I realized that I've seen that same expression before in the eyes of other women I've taken. I never really realized just how awful it was until I saw that same look from within that screen on the woman I love." Damien withdrew his arms from her and clenched his hands, taking a step back from her and shaking his head. "I feel... sick. Cora, what have I done? What if I'm just like him?"

 

[Drobabes]

The guilt that Quint was feeling was from the incident with the eggs, again. Perhaps because they had been rather busy up until now, and it hadn't had a chance to sneak into the forefront of his mind, or maybe because there was still a bit of a tenseness between them. Just a little bit of something that couldn't quite be shook off, with their friendship. Every once in a while she would give him a look, or sometimes simply not look at him at all, and in those little seconds he couldn't help but wonder if he had screwed up and lost her trust. Quint wouldn't have blamed her, but it was silently eating away at his soul and he didn't know how to confront it-though confront it he would have to, if he ever wanted Sayori to forgive him for so selfishly giving in.

Not today though. As soon as they were on the ground once more, he was back to being his good old funny self, his face only mirroring back Sayori's happy grin, though in the back of his mind he was feeling grateful to Sabastian for not bringing it up. With how linked they seemed to be now, he knew he had probably felt it and Quint himself was going to do his best not to bring them both down, instead just giving in and letting Sayori's bubbling joy seep into him, and let him feel as light as they had up in those clouds.

"Herd of horses? Oh yea! I saw that too! I don't know what they're doing, but I can only guess they probably broke out of a farm or something."
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Vin had finished washing the food after having grabbed a Ziplock bag, and he was just heading back to sit it in the little cooler that they were using to pack some of the more perishable stuff. He had went ahead and filled another bag with some of the cold water from the creek, thinking it might help in keeping the food from spoiling, when he came close enough to the car to hear Cora and Damien talking. Seeing as he was on the other side, they hadn't seemed to notice he was there, though he immediately felt a bit awkward for having walked in on a conversation that seemed private.

"When I was watching your video, I realized that I've seen that same expression before in the eyes of other women I've taken. I never really realized just how awful it was...I feel... sick..."

His face paled a bit, realizing what they were talking about, though it was soon overtaken with a very somber look. Delvin had thought as much, after having stood there and watched the way that the tall man's face had shifted and then...that moment where he had seemed to almost break. Though Vin, deep down, didn't want to see Damien in pain, there was still a bit of a feeling of justice having been served. The tall man had finally had something metaphorically punch him in the face; something to make him really empathize with the victims he had created.

With a quiet little sigh, Vin turned and sat the two bags down on the hood of the car-knowing that they wouldn't forget to grab them before they drove off, and then he took a bit of a wide birth around the two before making his way over to Sabastian and their new companions. Once there, he simply bent down and picked Bowie up, enjoying the creatures company while he waited for everyone to get ready to go.

"Cora, what have I done? What if I'm just like him?"

Her hazel eyes were very serious as she looked into his own. This was a pinnacle moment for him, she knew. Despite how much she may have wanted to simply jump forward and take him into her arms, shushing him and telling him sweet, comforting things to alleviate his guilt, she knew that for his own sake, she couldn't do that. She couldn't just make light of the situation. But she didn't let him stand alone, either.

Walking forward to close the gap between them, in a way, trying to keep him from running from his past, she reached down and took one of his hands between her own and looked down at it for a moment.

"You have done...some very bad things..." she said quietly, a little tremor in her voice.

"You took women, and you...forced them. And you took, and you forced me."

She looked up at him slowly, her eyes searching his face for a moment until he would look down into her own.

"But while you were doing that, Damien..."

Letting one of her hands stop it's soft rubbing of his fingers, she brought it up to his face to cup his cheek, her thumbs soft attentions now being brought closer to his lips.

"Was there ever a time where you truly wanted to hurt those girls?...to hurt me?"

While Cora could have simply told him that he was wrong, that he wasn't at all like the man who had tortured so many people throughout the years, she knew that this was something he had to see on his own. He needed proof in the differences between them, to realize that while they may have both done something similar, Damien would have never been so cruel as to delight in the screams of the helpless; to find joy in the tears of his victims. And it was this piece of humanity that set him apart and would eventually set him free from his guilt-if only he could hang onto it.

 

[Poprockz]

It was almost as though Sabastian could sense him, the blonde turning and smiling at Vin when he came by and picked up the snake. In truth, it was just that he had caught a whiff of the man on the wind and had curiously been checking to see if Vin was going to grace them with his presence. With an amused look on his face, he watched Bowie slither over and around the man's arms, knowing that the little serpent was probably pretty happy with the heated skin of the hot-blooded man.

Sayori nodded at Quint in regards to his remarl, "hm... probably so. There's no doubt they would have had trouble holding their horses in these times." It was said casually, as though it wasn't even a joke at all.

The woman looked over and also noticed Vin approaching, wondering if she should introduce herself. The only real interaction they had was when he had asked about where Damien had been during the rescue and last night when they had been joking about Quint's healing abilities and alter ego - mad sex scientist Quintonian Bluefelderon. Of course she knew who he was, Sabastian having spoken about him in addition to him being mentioned by the General in order to threaten him. However, he probably had no idea who she was other than the fact that she was another prisoner along with Cora and Quint.

"I can't remember if I introduced myself to you or not in all the hubbub that happened between yesterday and today, but you're Vin, right? Sabastian mentioned you a few times." She gave him a good-natured smile and extended her hand toward him. "My name is Sayori Nakamura and it is nice to meet you." Those deep brown eyes went to his arm and she nodded at it. "That is some very beautiful ink, by the way. I always admired tattoos, though I was always afraid of the permanence of getting one. Is there a story behind yours?"

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"You have done...some very bad things... You took women, and you...forced them. And you took, and you forced me."

He didn't want to look her in the eyes, lest he see the potential disappointment behind them. If there was one thing he feared, it was disappointing the woman whose hazel eyes seemed to have stolen the power of gravity from the very Earth. Her gaze pulled his own down with an unseen strength and command, yet at the same time it felt like such a gentle pull. When he succumbed to her hazel depths, he found not disappointment nor reprimand but... a tender conviction.

It was such a wonder that she was able to be so firm with him while still being so merciful. It was almost baffling, really. There wasn't a time he could remember when his own mother, nor anyone he knew acted as she did with him. Mother had always criticized him harshly, not allowing Damien to talk back to her nor offering him a sliver of forgiveness. Even in her harshness and cruelty though, she was the one wo had paid him the most attention, the indifference of others causing him to be drawn to her even for such soul-crushing attention as her sharp words were. Though he had grown to hate her, there had always been a desperate need inside him to try to earn her love.

"But while you were doing that, Damien... Was there ever a time where you truly wanted to hurt those girls?...to hurt me?"

Those words gave him pause, the man soon shaking his head, "no. I just... wanted to be close to someone. Even if it wasn't real. I thought maybe it wasn't as bad as it truly was, or perhaps that's what I told myself to justify it. I... didn't think it was as harmful as it was." There was uncertainty in his eyes, the man unsure as to whether he was saying the right thing or not, or whether those were his true feelings. It was so hard to tell what he felt sometimes, seeing as he was so used to his own words and feelings being twisted back in on himself by his mother until he didn't know what to say or feel. Maybe he was remembering things wrong, or maybe he was making excuses- maybe he still didn't fully realize the gravity of things. There was really no way to know as he had no other point of reference other than himself, the man unsure of himself. One thing he was sure of though was that he was never going to lay a hand on anyone ever again now that he knew what he now knew.

 

[Drobabes]

"I can't remember if I introduced myself to you or not in all the hubbub that happened between yesterday and today, but you're Vin, right? Sabastian mentioned you a few times. My name is Sayori Nakamura and it is nice to meet you."

After getting Bowie situated so that he wouldn't fall off his shoulders, Vin stepped forward and took her hand between both of his, giving her a warm handshake with just as much of a warm smile.

"It's very nice to meet you Ms. Nakamura, my name's Delvin Forrester."

He let go of her hand and moved to stand close to Sabastian, softly laying his left arm over the little blond's shoulders. It was just a comfortable position for him, and he didn't think too much of it, though he figured that Sabastian would let him know if he was uncomfortable.

"That is some very beautiful ink, by the way. I always admired tattoos, though I was always afraid of the permanence of getting one. Is there a story behind yours?"

He gave her a good natured smile as she talked about the permanence of skin ink. Indeed, it wasn't a decision that shouldn't be made lightly, though like himself, he imagined that many people jumped first, then looked.

"Oh I have a story for every mark on my body, but you probably don't want to know the details on a third of them" he said with a laugh, enjoying the new company and a chance to be a bit of a showman again. With that said, he brought his hand up and turned it over so that he was showing her his forearm, where there was a small smile in blank ink. It was similar to that of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, though just different enough to have it's own style.

"This one is covering up a small scar, where my bone broke through my skin. I was a bit reckless when I was a teen and tried to show off-bet some of my buddies that I could kill a boar by jumping out of a tree and onto it's back. Well, needless to say, I got my boar, but I didn't see the big momma coming until she had her tusks in ribs and threw my cocky ass down the side of a hill."

Quint had certainly noticed the tattoos last night, his eyes now being much more equipped to handle dim light, but he hadn't really looked at the details of them seeing as Sabastian had come to him seeking help, and the healing of his burn wounds had come first and foremost. However, now that they were pointed out to him once more, Quint took a bit of a longer look and was immediately drawn to a somewhat sizeable feature of a beautiful pirate women mingled in the sleeve of other images, her arms and long, lightly shaded hair being wrapped around a slim bodied and slightly younger looking man with more soft, feminine features. Perhaps it was a shout-out to the man's sexual preferences, but the half zombie was more interested in the slight shape by the women's skirt, and why it didn't seem to quite fit. It looked like a cover up job, and this fact was soon confirmed by Vin himself.

"Got this one done when I sixteen," he said, his voice losing a bit of it's happiness as he took his arm from around Sabastian's shoulder to wipe his fingers over the older ink.

"You might not be able to tell, but it's a cover up. Something pretty and that reminds me of something I enjoy a bit more."

After he said that, he let out a little laugh and then looked down at Sabastian, flashing him his own personal grin and hoping his little man would get it.

"What's it covering up?" Quint asked curiously, though the gears in his mind were turning suspiciously. Most people only got names covered up, but the blue eyes man could swear that he saw a much more diamond shape beneath those lovely curves, and not just a line of text. Vin's eyes turned away from Sabastian, and the smile dropped off his face as he met him eye to eye. He was only quiet for the briefest pause though, having had to answer that question many times.

"Just a bad time in my life. Regrets. You know how it goes."

Quint nodded, keeping his expression neutral, though now he was making guesses. He thought he had a pretty good idea of what it used to be, and where he might have gotten it. It didn't mean he was a bad person-if Quint was right, and he had gotten the original tattoo in jail, or more than likely, prison, then it was understandable that he would have it covered up as soon as possible. You had to do what you had to do while in there, after all, but now he was wondering if, and why, he might have done some time.
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"no. I just... wanted to be close to someone. Even if it wasn't real. I thought maybe it wasn't as bad as it truly was, or perhaps that's what I told myself to justify it. I... didn't think it was as harmful as it was."

Cora moved her hand from his cheek, down to his shoulder, stroking him softly as she gave him a very serious nod.

"You didn't think it was that harmful" she said, once again a bit quiet. She then let her hand come down as her eyes moved away for a moment too.

"He...Kuznet..."

If she was going to make him face his past, then she needed to not run from hers either. Despite what it felt like, her tormentor was not some supernatural being. He was very powerful, no doubt, but he was also just as human as the rest of them.

"...he knew what he was doing, Damien. He's always known. He didn't have anything bad happen to him, and he had very loving parents. Kuznet knew how to get love and affection if he wanted it," she said bitterly, her voice taking on a bit of venom until she let out a little sigh and shook her head.

"But that's not what he wants. He wants pain. He wants torture. He wants, and likes it, when you grovel at his feet and beg him for mercy. That's what he gets off on."

Her arms come up to cross over her chest, her hazel eyes looking out at the forest for a long moment before she brings them back to meet his steel gaze.

"That's not you, Damien," she said, a little tremor in her voice.

"You don't enjoy it when you hurt people."