Feeling the bones shatter in my wrists and grate on each other when I continued to smash them into the bedframe cracked through my mind like it was my actual skull I was breaking.
I still couldn't slip out. Even with wrists so mangled that they hung limply off to the sides.
It's all I could work at. When Solanine came back to check on me, give me a bottle to piss in, drag me to the toilet so I didn't shit the bed, and dribble water or food into my mouth, I was a compliant hostage.
When he left to continue his life in the Base or join someone else on a Mission, I was tearing at my cords or bashing my broken wrists further so I could try and slip them loose.
I had hope. Now that I knew I could break myself to get my freedom, something fuelled me onward to finally reach that door.
Solanine really had made sure I couldn't get out. I didn't feel a thing, but I heard every crunch of the bone rubbing against itself from inside my skin. I could see it jutting out when I turned it a certain way too.
I had to make sure all I battered was my wrists. If I was too tempted to try another way and start breaking my ankles, then I would never leave here.
I needed to run. I didn't need my wrists to do that.
I heard Solanine's feet pattering back up the stairs again. This time they were followed by someone else's who were giggling as they followed him.
I heard a body slam into the wall at the top of the stairs and the giggling turn into a surprised gasp briefly.
The door was already closed to the bedroom here. I saw both pairs of feet flit under the door on the hunt for another surface.
This could give me more time to break free.
All I had to do was mince up my thumb so I could slip it out. It was the only thing stopping me now.
Solanine pushed into the kitchen table with the stranger who I could hear was a woman. The table creaked under the pressure in a steady rhythm to him pushing up against her. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtaJyDTXKn
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I didn't sound like he was actually fuckeling her yet, but she sure was groaning for it.
Maybe I could....
I smashed my thumb into the frame the same time Solanine pounded the woman. I paused, listening to thier uninterrupted desperate movements to make sure they were still preoccupied.
If I could break free and run for it while Solanine was fucking this woman, he wouldn't be able to chase me. He'd be glued to the bitch while I slipped past.
The woman gasped again and moaned loudly when the pounding paused. It started again, this time with more grunting from the both of them. I could hear how fucking wet both of them were for each other through thier kisses and heavy breathing.
It was going to be harder to bash my thumbs in to something a lot more intimate. They were still loud, but not nearly as much to cover my own noises. There were far too many gaps of silence now between them.
I kept at it though, choosing times in the woman's moans to quickly smash myself into the iron a few times.
I felt dirty doing it this way, but really had no choice. I was against the clock here if I wanted to escape.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcL5zboF1B
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What if she saw his face split during sex and fled in fear? I'd be left to deal with a very frustrated Solanine afterwards. He'd finish with me and if be trapped until he left again.
Feet scuffled and both bodies hit the floor. Solanine grunted and growled as he fucked the woman there who was almost screaming in pleasure, banging her fist on the ground.
One! Two! Three!
I heard my thumb pop and relax the tension wound up inside it at my own torture, and paused.
Solanine ceased the woman's banging to make her focus more on her own cries of ecstasy.
I didn't need her to mask my noises anymore. I slipped my thumb out of the right cord, forcing my twisted fingers to wriggle free one by one until my hand was loose.
I could actually feel the bed. Blood flowed to my arm like it had been submerged in cold water. I checked to make sure my blood wasn't pouring from the breaks it trickled from, and started working on my left to free it.
Solanine had already groaned out his climax and spilled around the woman when she was begging him to go again. When the noise started up again, I had my left hand free and was wedging my fingers into the knots around my ankles to loosen them so I could easily slip back in if I didn't make it out in time.
I wasn't going to be caught standing here naked if Solanine decided to pause his loud fucking to suddenly check on me. I was going to escape on my own terms.
The binds scraped down my heels when I kicked them free like a restricting pair of shoes trying to keep me bound within them. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgflfWerJI
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The skin there was raw from all the tearing I had been doing, and the back of both heels had torn skin crusted with dried blood.
I don't know how long I had been here for. All I knew was that Solanine seemed to leave at least once or twice a day, and that he had left me here quite often lately. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyt9Xz1369
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I couldn't rely on feeding schedules since those were so scarce. It felt like weeks since I had tasted water on my dry tongue or felt a can of beans coat the cracked tube I had for a throat. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVL7QyLfQg
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I could taste blood whenever I tried to swallow the non-existant moisture that refused to pool in my mouth.
My feet buckled when I tried to stand on them. They clambered over the ground as I clutched the bed desperately. The noise was brief and nothing to break through the arising second climax of Solanine.
Finding my footing, I crept to the door and placed both hand on the doorknob with mounting excitement.
Solanine cried out and I twisted the last barrier open.
But, the door didn't listen. The knob I held didn't even move under my grasp. My shattered wrists made my fingers just curl there uselessly, without any force able to be pumped into them.
I had wedged them into the layers of cord easily with my feet, but that required no real movement. Now that I actually was free and facing my last obsticle out of this room, I was trapped by my own actions.
I tried again, really leaning into the door to try and get the knob to turn. My fingers flopped from it and bent backwards on it when I tried again and again to twist the damn thing open.
I could hear Solanine already starting to clean himself up while the woman begged him for more. My throat choked me when his feet pounded to the door but continued past it to the bathroom.
I didn't have much time.
I bolted for the bed and jammed my feet into the binds again, tearing open the skin on the heels as I did.
Reaching up, I desperately wedged my right hand into the cord, realising that my bones really jutted out when my wrists were hung limp.
Keeping the upright hid most of the damage. If I curled my hands too, I could hide some of it behind my fists.
Solanine was already ordering the woman out of the room and down the stairs when I finally coaxed my left hand back in.
Did everything look alright? Was anything out of place?
I swept over the bed to make sure my binds were convincing. Solanine was already coming for the bedroom door when I checked how my hands were.
His silhoutte blocked the light flooding the room before my eyes adjusted.
Other than the towel wrapped around his waist, he was naked and gleaming in sweat. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT96M62rn5T
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He had scratches down his chest from the nails of the woman, and lipstick trails from his mouth down his neck.
I just scowled at his smirk and huffed.
"You done?"
I had to sell this. Don't have a glimmer of chance in your voice. You are a hostage; annoyed and defeated. He'll smell the advantage on you and tear it away.
"She was fun" he lifted his brows, leaning in the doorframe "a real screamer."
"So I heard."
"You aren't a screamer" his eyes found mine "you moan, almost like you are embarrassed of people hearing. She didn't give a fuck. She bangs and pants and carries on."
I burned at my sexual experience with him being thrown around like that. I couldn't tell if he was ridiculing me for the way I behaved in such a private moment with him, or if he was genuinely liking the difference.
He smiled at me, still looking me over.
Why was he lingering? Was he looking for something? Had he heard me?
"What?" I finally asked.
"You'd be better if you were obedient" he replied with a shrug "I could have you stretched out on my lap rather than my bed."
"I'd rather die" I bit back "again."
He chuckled and finally left the doorframe to come and sit on the bed.
Nervousness struck me. I kept my legs spread and arms up wide now that he was so close and able to see if anything was different.
Just don't look at your hands, Philly. Ignore them completely. He'll see your broken bones and put it all together.
Solanine's hand ran down my face gently. I felt his skin burn against mine in its tacky trail. I could smell the sex still fresh on his body and see the sweat running beads down to his belly button.
"You'll be mine" he whispered and placed a hot hand on my thigh "then you'll see how much I can protect you and keep you happy."
"And fuck around behind my back?" I jerked a head to the open door.
"Well, I'm not going to rape you" he patted me "I keep my word. I'll keep the ones who want me satisfied while you come to your senses and let me fuck you again. Screamers are great, but I prefer your little moans. They're harder to get."
His hand left me to cradle my chin now. Solanine's eyes held mine with such love and attention that I was confused if he really felt that way about me.
I was flattered and turned my head away. I knew what he was doing and I wasn't falling for it, no matter how it made me feel.
"I can hunt for you better than anyone else" he vowed "and I can respect you more than anyone else."
"By keeping me tied up like this?" I turned back to him "by starving me and keeping me in a dark room all day?"
"Only until you stop fighting what you have" he replied.
"I want food; proper food" I moaned back with tears in my eyes "I want to feel my feet and walk around without being dragged back to this bed. I don't want to be like this, Solo. You are torturing me and trying to call it love or something."
His eyes softened to me and he straightened on the bed.
"What do you want to eat then? I'll get it for you. Just name it and I'll make sure you are full and happy."
That was the only thing he was willing to fix. I didn't mind either, it would give me another chance to see how far I could get before my broken wrists stopped me.
"I want.... roast beef" I smiled at the thought "with all the potatoes, gravy, and peas that come with it on the side, like you get in the food court. I just want something hot."
That would keep him busy. There was no way he was going to head out there, buy some meat, and get back to cook it before I escaped. Even if he did grab it premade while he was out, only certain shops did a meal like that. He'd be on his own hunt for quite a while.
"Roast beef, got it" he nodded and leant over to plant a kiss on my recoiling forehead "don't go anywhere."
"Like I could" I retorted back sarcastically as he threw some clothes on from the cupboard and left the room, leaving the door open slightly for me.
I waited for his feet to storm down the stairs before I slipped out of my binds again and scampered for the door.
I was a jittering mess when I bolted to the kitchen to start drowning my throat with glasses of water that ran down my body and onto the ground.
The fire there was simmered and quenched. I could feel my tongue again and finally taste something other than blood.
My stomach growled when I left the kitchen to head for the stairs and wander down the first few to gaze at the door.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy. He had closed it behind him to make sure I was still trapped and no-one could find me.
Maybe there was something I could use to jam it that he wouldn't notice?
What was there around here? Solanine wasn't one to collect his trash by the looks of how clean everything was.
I abandoned the downstairs door to head for the bathroom instead, relieving myself while I was there.
There had to be something I could use to help me....
After flushing and washing, I reached for the hand towel hanging there that I stared at.
Maybe I could use it to tie around my shattered wrists to squeeze them back together? With support, surely I'd be able to turn the door knob?
There had to be some more in the cupboard in the room. I quickly ran my hands along this one and smoothed it back out before marching back for the bedroom door and the cupboard.
For someone who wasn't human, Solanine sure was stocked on the essentials. He had everything neatly folded here too and organised by each shelf which genre the item fell into.
I found the towels together and pulled out the bottom two before trying to smooth back out the upset of the pile.
I heard feet on the stairs and paused, gripping the hand towels tighter. The rustle of plastic came with the excited feet already near the top.
I wouldn't have enough time to slip back into the bed. He was already bounding to the door when I bolted for the bed, threw the hand towels under it and collapsed to the floor.
Solanine rustled the bag and grinned when he rounded the doorframe and saw me splayed on the ground.
I wailed loudly, holding up my broken wrists towards him and really snapping them forth to make the bones jutt out.
I turned my legs outwards on the ground too to try and sell that they had also been damaged.
"What happened?!" Solanine panicked, dropping down the food beside me so he could fall to his knees and lean me against him "I wasn't gone that long!"
"S-someone came!" I wailed, sniffling and carrying on without any tears "t-they came in h-here and tried to h-hurt me! They wanted me a-and couldn't g-get me off the bed so they..."
I whined and held up my hands that flopped back, bones jutting through the skin that peeled over it like plastic trying to keep them contained.
"Who was it?" Solanine's voice growled to me as he looked around.
"I don't k-know" I sniffled and wiped my eyes to cover my lack of tears "I didn't know h-him."
Make sure it's a he. There were way more men here than women to make it more convincing. More targets for Solanine to go hunting blindly through to buy me time.
"Can you walk?" he fretted and looked at my legs "was it the spider guy?"
"N-no!" I choked out and looked up at Solanine's stern expression "I didn't know him. It all happened so quick... I think he wanted to eat me."
That was a lot of people here too. Everyone and thier friends were hunters and killers of some sort. There had to be a few cannibals thrown in there too on the demon side of the Base.
I could see Solanine's eyes searching as he thought. His hand dragged the bag towards us and he spread his legs so I could be properly propped up against his body.
"You'll eat" his voice shook in anger as he pulled out a white foam box that had the meal I requested inside "then I've got some hunting to do."
I couldn't keep the smile from my face. I should get a damn Oscar for that performance.
"You like that, do you?" he smiled down to me while cutting up my meat with the plastic knife and fork.
"I just like how you saved me" I mumbled back while leaning on his chest "I was scared."
Milk it, Philly. He's an overprotective shit bag and has a hard-on for violence. Use it against him.
"How come you didn't run away?"
The fork met my lips to give me some time to think.
"I was scared" I replied "he broke my hands and was trying to..."
I swallowed, whimpering.
Solanine stiffened around me and stabbed the peas aggressively before gently putting the pile into my mouth.
If it wasn't for the absolute cunt of a person he was, he would actually make a good partner. The way he was being so caring and defensive over me as I leaned against him for support really showed that he did have some sort of compassion under those many, many layers of filth.
"I'll find him" Solanine vowed "you don't need to worry about that."
He was so easy to wind up. It felt like cheating at how eager he was to prove himself to me. Frankly, I didn't give a shit. He just needed to feed me and fuck off.
I didn't disturb him as he fed me. It got it done as quick as possible so he could throw out the plate and help me back into the bed without tying the cords around my wrists. He did keep my legs tied, but I already knew with my hands free that I could just wedge my fingers in again and slip free.
He pulled them tight, checking them over before coming up to inspect my wrists that I made a show of whimpering and sniffling at when they dangled yet again.
"You don't know anything about the man?" he soothed while stroking my head "his hair colour? Anything?"
"He had black hair" I glanced to Solanine's dangling over me "and I think he had darkish skin. He smelled like cigarettes too."
Literally describing himself. He really was a fool.
"Cigarettes?" he frowned down to me but accepted it with a kiss on my forehead "don't worry about him. I'll find him."
"Please do" I pleaded with him and tried to grab his hand in mine.
Sell it, Philly.
"When he was here trying to do those things to me, it made me realise that you would keep me safe. No-one would mess with anyone like you, Solo."
He smirked and rested my hands back down on the bed gently.
"Get some sleep" he spoke softly "I'll be back soon."
"Don't let him get me" I called to him as he marched for the door "please leave it open a little. I'm scared."
Solanine paused in the frame for a moment then continued onwards in burning determination without even closing the door.
He was going to kill an innocent man, but I was going to escape.
He must have been trying to fool himself hard to believe that shit. He didn't question a single bit of it and took it all as some duty to protect me.
What an idiot.
I waited for the pounding feet and slam of the front door to spring into action once more.
With the hand towels under the bed, I was able to tie them around my wrists and pull them tight as soon as I jerked myself free once more.
I was running out of time. Solanine was a good hunter and would be targeting anyone with that description.
Hurrying to the closet, I pulled on some pants and was surprised at how well my method was working. I slipped into one of his shirts too for good measure.
Covered, I easily passed the open door and raced for the stairs to peer down at the front door.
He had closed it too. That wasn't going to change.
The towels around my wrists were bulky and had to be cutting into my skin at how tight they were pulled. The fact that Solanine washed his with cheap detergent made the fabric starchy and easier to grip the door knob I wedged them against.
The knob twisted, making my eyes glisten at the opportunity just in the other side.
I wasn't going back to that damn bed. Who knew the damage it had already caused to my patched back from squirming and jerking around so much on it while tied up. It wasn't bothering me now, which is what I was hoping would last me until I was reunited with Talio.
The door cracked open and I breathed out in relief at the sight of the Base right there. It felt too good to be true and I was certain Solanine was just waiting around the corner ready to drag me back upstairs.
Peering around the door, I bolted along the others to my right, keeping my eyes peeled for any signs of movement while I ran hunched over, trying to make myself look smaller.
It wouldn't be any difference if Solanine caught sight of me, but it made me feel like I was trying to avoid that by staying low.
No-one kept thier doors locked around here. I was far too jittery to make the run aimlessly searching for Talio in one go, and chose to sneak into the closed doors to use them as shields on my advancement.
With other Souls also speckling the levels, I knew it was either morning or afternoon. The presence of people would slow down Solanine a little while I slipped further from the room and closer to protection.
With the sound of screaming breaking the air and my steady scampering, I knew Solanine had found his victim somewhere on the end of the upper level ahead. I heard the chorus of disgusted muttering and cries of astonishment follow above my head as I continued along the level towards the staircase it was trailing to.
Taking refuge behind a door opposite, i pressed myself to it to prepare to barricade myself in if I needed to.
I heard the slow thumping of something heavy crunch down the stairs until it stopped at the floor outside the door, dragging onwards past me to more comments and outcries.
I couldn't wait for them to die down completely. I needed to make a run for it.
Peering out into the Base, I saw Solanine's back steadily walking away while one arm dragged the leg of a limp darker skinned man with black hair behind him. There was a small trail of blood forming from where his head had hit each stair coming down that snaked along the Base to where they were now.
I bolted up the stairs, darting around the blood and people gathering to look at it.
My legs were shaking as I made a mad dash for the room closest to the burnt ones to yank it open and slam it shut.
Talio wouldn't be here, but it was the closest to anything once belonging to him. It was a good start in trying to find him.
I wouldn't be safe until I had found him. Solanine wouldn't want to tangle with him twice after almost being trapped in the burning room. He was my shield I needed desperately right now.
I had to keep moving. Solanine would be close to, if not inside, the hostage room and seeing I was no longer there. I was wearing his clothes too; I was sure he could track me through that scent alone.
Where would I go?
Scalpel's? I could ask him for directions. Or straight to Eagle? Would he care enough to help me? 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A4udiOh48
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Or did I risk it by harrasssing Souls on the levels into sharing information where he was? That slow method had landed me in this situation to begin with.
I just needed Talio.
I left the safety of the room and scanned the area for any signs of a familiar face. Only strangers stared back at me or gawked at my hand towel bracers from afar.
Maybe he was searching for me too and just didn't know I was here?
I didn't have a lot of time. For sure Solanine would be stalking the levels trying to find me again.
I had to get somewhere open and hope for the best.
Rushing for the stairs, I thundered down them and headed for the open area outside Scalpel's where Souls were sprinkled.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNE6ZYCzi9
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They had pulled up long tables from beneath the floor and were chatting around them or sharing Mission information.
I took my place in a gap beside a mumbling group pouring over papers and turned to them sheepishly.
"Do any of you know who Talio is or where I can find him?"
The confusion answered before they did. I dropped my eyes.
"Not a clue, sorry."
"Thats OK" I mumbled back.
I didn't like sitting out here with my back to th levels I knew Solanine would be on. I wanted to laugh and cry all at once at how lucky and stupid I was being.
I stood up, looking down the table desperately.
"Does anyone here know where I can find Talio? Tall guy, scar on his face, spider demon?"
Only mumbles to each other and shaken heads faced me. I felt like a fool putting myself out there like that.
Sitting back down, I kept my eyes on the levels instead while more Souls came to join the table.
I still couldn't see Solanine. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He could be anywhere and it was making me panic.
I wanted to cower under the table and just avoid everyone. I should just go to Scalpel and bother him into trying to tell me where Talio went.
I lifted myself up, swinging my leg over the bench when a Soul started snapping her fingers and waving to me.
"You were looking for Talio, right?" she breathed excitedly as she grabbed the arm of the Soul beside her she pointed to "this guy knows him."
That guy? He didn't look like anyone Talio would know. He was so plain compared to him with short brown hair and bland blue eyes. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NQrDbTuk9
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In a way, he was just like I had been.
"Really?"
The man agreed in a grumble, collecting up his papers and stepping from the table so I could rush over to him.
He really knew? I wasn't being tricked again?
"I'll take you there" he spoke and pushed the woman's shoulder "thanks for ratting me out."
She grinned and giggled when I followed behind the man back to the level I was avoiding.
"So, you must be the kid he's been looking for" the man stated "you've had everyone worried."
Everyone?
His eye trailed to me and he smiled.
Was he part of the family Talio had been looking for? He actually found them?
How long had I been missing for?
"You're Philly, right?" the man asked before stopping to check my Band "good. I don't want to be bringing just any Soul back to the family. They won't like that."
"So, you are all related?" I piped up.
How many where there again? Were they all brothers? I felt for the poor mother.
The man laughed and shook his head.
"Rush and Dashiell are brothers but Sparrow, Torture, and Resolve are triplets. All the others are from all other places, like me and you."
"And you are?"
The man stopped and laughed again, holding out his hand to me. I saw that the middle finger was only a stump.
"Plague" he grinned "sorry I didn't drop that earlier, I was a bit pissed about being pulled from my Mission when I just got there."
I slapped my hand into his quickly and kept my eyes low to avoid conflict between us.
"Not your fault" he brushed it off "you can't help it if you don't know how to find your own friends in this dump."
Plague really knew how to make me feel bad without sounding like he was rubbing it in. He found my shame amusing and only stopped again when he was outside another door.
I had passed this one earlier. In fact, I had hid in the one beside it when I had been weaving my way to freedom.
I burned in embarrassment at how close I had been to discovering it myself. I should have checked before rushing straight past...
Plague opened the door and was instantly locked on by a room full of eyes. He saw me hesitating and reached out to push me inside before closing the door once more.
I couldn't see Talio anywhere here. It was just strangers all looking me up and down while I stood awkwardly there.
"That's his friend" a teen breathed excitedly and rushed forward to look me over before stopping by Plague "I'll go let him know."
His green eyes trailed over me as if trying desperately to remember what I looked like. They sparkled with life and enthusiasm then tore from me to focus on the door he threw open.
I watched his blonde head dissappear and felt Plague's hand urge me forward so he could close the door once more with a sigh.
"I'm going to keep doing my stuff" he tapped my head with his folder "just make yourself at home while you wait. Meet some of the guys and grab a room."
"Uh, sure" I choked out and watched him leave.
"He's a little... little" a man snorted and approached me, towering over me while he circled around and lifted up my arms "what type are you anyway? A daddy long legs?"
The guy was a beast. I wasn't going to fight back against someone who was a head and shoulders taller than me and ripped with muscles. His dark skin and black hair was only contrasted by the swipes of red dye on the back of his palms and on his shoulders. His light silver eyes locked onto mine before he snorted again. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcVacrNY49
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He obviously liked to show off his strength by the singlet he wore that had both bulging arms exposed. Even in grey longs I could tell he was ripped beneath them.
"We can't be breeding his weak genes here" the man scoffed "look at him. The guy wears towels on his damn hands, probably to protect himself when someone hits him."
He laughed and moved aside when another emerged from the crowd to run his eyes over me.
I didn't know how it was possible but this one was a head taller than the last and so dark he matched the colour on my spider's fur. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYpwd1MPEy
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This one had gold eyes that matched his golden markings embedded into his hands and down his neck. I saw circles joining the lines that looked like they had been painted on.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupTevOra5h
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Everything about him oozed confidence and radiance. I was mesmerized by his kind face and the glowing eyes.
His hand held mine gently while he unwrapped the hand towels to drape over his shoulder.
"Did you do this?" he peered down to the bones jutting out with concern.
I just nodded and tried not to tear up when I saw just how broken both hands were.
"You'll stay in Talio's room. I think he had the extra bed made up for you anyway."
I wasn't going to fight that. Sleeping in the same room as him had happiness jumping through me for the first time in forever. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvCOrqrCwf
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I wiped my eyes on the backs of my hands when I followed the man through the crowd.
I saw the whole right had been modified into a row of five doors. I saw one of them open with one man laying on a bed pressed to the wall while another two patched him up. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHvFHVtuNi
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There was a bed opposite the first and enough room for a cupboard and shelving.
I looked to my left to see that this one room had been extended into the one beside it and further. The men here had bashed down the walls for four rooms to create this long one housing fifteen men.
I saw the staircases had been ripped out from the middle two rooms so it was only the outer two that led upwards. The entire length had been gutted so it could be refitted with a loungeroom and kitchen in the far left as well as little nooks leading to the remade bedroom doors.
Upstairs, the far left had been walled off with not a single door in sight. There was a room built before it that almost stretched the length of the other room but fell short so that a nook could be built that a woman was laying within, reading a book.
She was so pale she looked like porcelain. She was void of the markings the man beside me had, and had long hair spread around her. Her figure was so petite and her light blue eyes so pale I was sure she couldn't see me through them when they peered over to me and smiled.
"Talio's is the first one" the man steered me out of the gaze of the woman and towards the doors against the same wall as the ones below "he's been making quite a home of it."
The man opened the door to show me the orb nest of webs Talio had weaved around both beds he had pressed together in the middle of it. It dominated the whole left side of the room while the right had been fitted with a chair facing a cabinet that stored only a single figurine.
It was one of mine, melted on the bottom into a new stand and burnt on the face to make it forever blackened. Even the outstretched hand had been warped and had the fingers all melted down into a fist instead of an outstretched palm.
He had plans for this room involving the both of us. I saw his old kettle and pot planted down beside the cabinet on thier own table they were staged on with dried herbs and crystals around them.
"Lay yourself down and I'll make sure you get fixed up" the man nudged me towards the bed "I'm sure you'll hear Talio when he comes back."
I smiled at the image dancing in my mind and shuffled to the enterance of the orb at the foot of the bed before hesitating.
"Solanine won't get me here?" I worried to the man who stopped as well.
"He can't set a foot in here without a good reason" he reassured me "we give Eagle good soldiers, and in return he makes sure our family is kept safe. Solanine wouldn't dare to ruin the deal we have going with his boss."
I was safe here. I could feel the relief flooding me as the weight of all the stress and dispair lifted from my shoulders all at once.
The man closed the door lightly with another warm smile behind him.
I used my elbows to crawl into the nest and snuggle down on the padded quilt wrapped around both beds locked together. My head nestled into the cool pillow while I curled up on my side.
I saw tiny wildflowers woven into the sides of the nest, branching upwards towards where the peak glued to the roof. There, Talio had threaded more crystals that glinted in the light still flooding the room from around the bulb Talio had built the webs around. There were more flowers there packed into every available space to spill colour through the threads just for me.
I smiled up at them, feeling more tears surface now that I was safely tucked away. I could smell Talio on the sheets below me and feel where he had been sleeping curled up where I was now.
He really hadn't stopped or given up on me. He had been in pain from the moment we had been torn apart.
I nestled into the familiar smell, making sure to rub it all over the borrow clothes I still wore. I didn't know if it would mask the scent of Solanine or even help deter him tracking me, I just wanted to erase the bad memories and feelings of anything to do with that man.
I was safe here. I could drop my guard here. Nothing could get me.
I'd be reunited soon enough, and I would never leave Talio again. We had found what we had been searching for.
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