Aiki hiccuped weakly, unable to bite back their tears any longer. A couple of tears managed to get past his eyes and roll down his cheeks as he quivered in Farah's arms. I'm not a 'creature'… I'm not…. I'm not an animal. I'm a person. He insisted to himself in his thoughts. "You shouldn't… h-have to get used to bad things like this…" They said weakly, glancing up at Saul and holding a bit closer to Farah, clearly anxious and uncomfortable.
Farah smoothed Aiki's hair comfortingly as Saul sporadically lashed out at the air until he ran out of energy. When he finished, he looked over at Farah with a fiery gaze and paced over to her quickly.
"Saul?" she asked in a small, quiet voice.
Without speaking, he pulled her to her feet, cupped her face in his hands, and then slowly guided her in for a soft kiss – just the opposite of his behavior mere seconds before. She gasped quietly, but she let herself embrace the comforting feeling. After a few seconds, they broke apart, but Saul continued to keep her trembling body close.
Aiki shied away when Saul pulled Farah away. He was uneasy with Saul acting like this, but he still knew that Saul wasn't going to hurt Farah. They looked up at the two of them, smiling weakly when they kissed.
He sighed shakily and lay back down on the bed, still visibly trembling. They were struggling to focus, and for once they were not thankful for the mental clarity that came with actually eating something.
"Saul," Farah whispered, shaking in his arms. "You know I don't like when you do that."
"I'm sorry, Farah," Saul murmured. "Rosalind just…" He inhaled sharply. "It makes me so angry I can't contain it. I hate that she can do this to you and get away with it every time. I don't want her to hurt you, Farah, I… I don't want anyone to hurt you."
She whimpered quietly and buried her face in his chest.
*
(Sorry, it's just hard to reply since you're kinda just doing your own thing with your characters and Aiki is sort of sidelined at the moment ^^;)
(Sorry, my b! Let me change it)
"Saul," Farah whispered, shaking in his arms. "You know I don't like when you do that."
"I'm sorry, Farah," Saul murmured. "Rosalind just…" He inhaled sharply. "It makes me so angry I can't contain it. I hate that she can do this to you and get away with it every time. I don't want her to hurt you, Farah, I… I don't want anyone to hurt you."
Farah whimpered quietly and buried her face in his chest. Saul held her against him protectively and looked to Aiki, only now noticing how the fox boy had shied away from him. "Aiki, I'm so sorry," he apologized genuinely. "Are you alright?"
Aiki wouldn't meet Saul's eyes as they nodded hesitantly, rubbing at their eyes with one fist as subtly as they could. His ears were still turned back, and he looked pretty uncomfortable. "Y-Yeah… m'fine…" They mumbled in reply. His gaze was distant and he still hadn't really quite recovered. Their mind was clearly elsewhere, and their hands were trembling. "It's nothing…"
Saul felt bad for scaring Aiki, but he didn't know what to say. "I… I didn't mean to…" Saul tried to apologize, but Farah silenced him with a chaste kiss on his lips.
"Shh," Farah whispered. "It's okay. Why don't you and Ben go take a walk for a minute? Get out of this stuffy dorm. Some fresh air will do you good," she murmured, running her fingers slowly through his hair.
Saul's eyes closed for a brief moment, savoring her touch one last time before he let her slide out of his grip. Ben stood and clapped Saul's shoulder as he passed. "C'mon, Saul," he urged. "There's something I've been meaning to show you, anyway."
Not breaking eye contact with Farah, Saul backtracked until backed into the door. Farah covered her lips with her hand and giggled. Saul winced and rubbed the back of his head, but he grinned when he saw it had made Farah laugh. "I love you," he whispered, and she blew him a kiss in response. His eyes melted, but Ben shut the door behind them as they left.
Once Saul left, Farah again let her façade drop, and she sank onto the bed tiredly. "I'm so sorry, Aiki," she whispered. "What's going on?"
Aiki watched the three of them messing around with tired eyes, fidgeting nervously with his hands. They still couldn't make eye contact with any of them, and they seemed really antsy and uncomfortable. He definitely didn't really want to talk, but he felt obligated to.
"You can't… talk about this." They said softly. "I-I never even told Eiji what actually happened…" He took a couple deep breaths to muster up the courage to actually speak. "U-Um… when… when I was about ten, I wandered off on my own and got lost in the woods, and… some people picked me up." They trailed off, their face pale and their heart pounding with nerves. "They… um… weren't great people, a-and basically treated me like an animal…? Kept me in a cage, talked down to me and about me like I was a pet or something… s-so when Rosalind called me a 'creature', like… like they used to do… it struck a really bad chord." He drew in a shaky breath. "I was stuck with them for about a month, a-and when I got back to my family, I just… told them I was lost in the woods."
Tears shone in Farah's dark eyes as listened to Aiki's story. Her heart broke for them and all the pain they had to have dealt with. She listened with compassion and care, and when they were finished, she slowly opened her arms if he wanted a hug. She wasn't sure if they would, but she vowed then and there that she would be there to provide whatever kind of support Aiki needed at any time. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Aiki looked up at Farah quietly and hesitated before hugging her. He gripped her tightly and buried his face in her shoulder, trembling lightly. "I-I thought… I thought I was over it by now…" They whispered weakly. "I didn't… d-didn't think that it bothered me so much anymore… b-but it's really hard to forget stuff like that…" They hiccuped and tightened their grip, flattening their ears against their head.
Farah took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm. Only moments ago, she had been the one trembling and needing a rock to cling to, but now Aiki was the one who needed someone strong and sure. She gasped quietly when the hug tightened, but in no way did she move to let go. Instead, she gently rubbed Aiki's back in long, soothing strokes. "It's alright. I get it. There is so much I wish I could forget, but instead, I have the images burned into my memory." Literally, she thought and did her best not to shudder. Rosalind's abilities were immense, and her power was not something she reserved. Many hours during training were forever pressed into Farah's memory, keeping her up at night in terror, but at the same time, somehow, loyal to her mentor. "I wish I could give you peace," she whispered, feeling her heart continue to break for them. "But even if I did, it would only be temporary. I'm sorry. You're so young. You didn't deserve any of this."
Aiki drew in a couple harsh, wavering breaths, trying their best to keep from crying. "I'm sorry… I-I'm sorry… you guys have so much to deal with, a-and this isn't even that relevant, it's just that one stupid little comment just… a-and I…" He stammered, struggling to find the right words, or any word at all. Anything they tried to say seemed to get caught behind the lump in their throat. "I'm the… I-I'm supposed to be the fun… funny, upbeat one…" He whispered. "I'm not really supposed to feel the serious emotions…? I love Eiji, but… and it's my fault, but… it's hard to vent about this kinda stuff, because I'm not sure anybody would believe me…"
"Shh, shh. Don't say that. You have nothing to be apologizing for," Farah kindly, but firmly interjected. But as she listened to them speak, she felt pieces of herself breaking off, the pain too much for her to continue to carry. Still, she continued to rub Aiki's back, discreetly transferring a bit of her happier emotions to them. "I'm not allowed to feel many emotions, especially when I'm around Rosalind. I believe you," she whispered.
Aiki relaxed a bit at the magic, but it didn't stop a few tears from rolling down their cheeks. He hiccuped weakly, his tail still bristled up and his face pale. "It's just… b-been so long ago at this point?" They whispered, drawing in a shaky breath. "I feel like… they would just think I'm coming up with stories… I want to tell Eiji, b-but it just… doesn't matter anymore… telling him won't change anything. He'll either think I'm joking, or… it'll only upset him…"
Farah continued to reassure them, "You're going to be alright. If you don't feel comfortable with telling Eiji, I'll always be here. You'll always have me to talk to, alright? Even once you get home, I'll always be a gateway away if you need anything. I won't tell anyone. Not even Saul." Saying this might not have sounded like much to Aiki, but it meant more than they could ever know to Farah. Her bond with Saul was special and very very strong. They told each other just about everything. He knew her darkest secrets, and she knew his.
"I-I don't… I don't really care if you tell Saul… you just can't tell Eiji or my parents…" Aiki hiccuped again, slowly relaxing in Farah's arms. "I d-don't wanna come between you guys' trust or whatever…" He sighed shakily, keeping his face hidden for now to hide the tears. "I'm s-sorry… I feel really stupid for getting so worked up over something as small as that… I just… I don't think I'm comfortable around Rosalind if that's how she sees me…"
Farah nodded in understanding. "Alright." She felt him relax, and she smiled weakly. The hug was warm, and while Farah was more toned than the average female due to Rosalind's intense training procedures, her touch was gentle, delicate, soft. "Please don't feel stupid," she murmured. "You're allowed to feel. It's a basic right for all beings. No one is strong enough to keep everything inside and never let it out." Though I was trying to be before I met Saul. "And as for Rosalind…" Farah's forehead creased with something akin to confusion. For some reason, she found herself wanting to defend her mentor and former headmistress. Rosalind had conditioned her long and hard, and now some parts of Farah's mind weren't even her own; they had been created or shaped by Rosalind. She shook her head slightly. "As for Rosalind, I will do everything within my power to keep her as far away from you as possible, alright?"
"I don't have the luxury of… of expressing serious emotions most of the time…" Aiki replied weakly. "Gotta be happy and chipper and normal all the time… a-and I am, usually!" He insisted. "Don't get me wrong, I am actually happy a good deal of the time. For the most part, I have a pretty good life. B-But during the bad times, I… um… don't really have any means of dealing with it." They sighed and clung to Farah, although they were still much more relaxed than before. "Thank you… I-I know she's your teacher or leader or whatever she is, I just… I dunno… she's always just gonna see me as an animal. Lesser."
"Now you do," she promised wholeheartedly. "In the bad times, talk to me." She let the silence linger for a moment, then she spoke again. "You were very open with me, Aiki. I believe it is my turn to be very open with you." Farah sighed and began.
"The building we are currently in is Alfea. It's a school for fairies, like me and Ben and Rosalind, as well as Specialists, like Saul and Andreas. The four of us – Saul, Ben, Andreas, and I – all graduated from Alfea last year as the most powerful two fairies and strongest two Specialists. As such, we were recruited by Rosalind for her premier battalion to lead a crusade against the Burned Ones. Rosalind… is the headmistress of Alfea. And my mentor. She officially took me on as her protégé after I had graduated, but she trained me relentlessly while I still attended school. I…" Here, Farah's voice finally started to break. She took a shaky inhale to collect herself before she continued. "I spent hours of my time in the headmistress's office for private sessions with Rosalind. The majority of the sessions ended when I lost consciousness in one way or another. She values solely me for my natural power. When I said that this wasn't the first time and that I've gotten used to it… I've only gotten better at hiding the pain," she admitted. Her face contorted like she was physically wounded.
Aiki listened quietly as Farah told her story, making sure not to interject anything or interrupt so she could get through it. They could tell it was a difficult story to be telling them, after all. He tried to piece together some questions while she spoke so he could ask them when she was done.
"I'm sorry… that sounds awful. My school is a bit like that, but not quite to that extent. It's intended to help those with powers train them so that they can help people with them and stuff. Eiji's more of a support class since he's a healer." They were quiet for a moment as they tried to remember their questions. "So… you and Ben are fairies, and Saul and Andreas are specialists, and… Rosalind likes to pair up strong fairies and specialists, right? So are Ben and Andreas a pair like you and Saul?" He asked. "And if this place is a school, is it more like a high school or a college? How old are you guys?"
"Alfea is a college, and I'm 22," Farah answered. "And yes, Saul and I are a pair, and Andreas and Ben are a pair. I…" She paused again, but this time it was because her eyes clouded with nostalgia and she smiled. "I repeatedly asked to be paired with Saul. He was my top choice; well, my only choice obviously over Andreas since they were the only two to choose from. I don't think Rosalind has ever told Saul I chose him. Several times, Rosalind has terrified him by threatening to pair me with Andreas instead. The two of them constantly call out his flaws. It wasn't his fault the Burned One hurt me, it was mine entirely. You saw it. But they would never believe me if I told them, so…" Saying this, she looked so tired, so defeated, it forced anyone who saw her to have serious doubts that she was only 22 years old.
"Mm… how does Ben deal with Andreas?" Aiki asked. "He seems like he's pretty problematic most of the time… I know people like him at my school, and they're impossible to deal with. I don't even like hanging around them if I can avoid it." He laughed softly and ran his fingers through his hair. "Eiji and I have always planned to pair up when we're older. I guess it's a similar sort of thing? What with a fighter and a healer doing stuff together… I-I dunno. It's a nice thought, anyway."
Farah laughed a bit at the question. "Ben is one of the most patient people I've ever met. I don't know quite how he deals with Andreas, but he does it in his own way, and it works. If I was paired with Andreas…" Suddenly Farah trailed off. Her expression went blank for a second, but she shook her head to recover. "I couldn't imagine it. I do suppose your fighter-healer relationship is similar to the fairies and Specialists dynamic… What sort of enemies do you encounter in your world?"