A Foreigner in the Facility...?

[TESLA]

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[atrb=background,http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz64/BLoobloo72/AugustShipsintheNightmiddle.png] Today, I confess.

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August led Xaen to the door, trying to be casual as he tugged her outside. August released his firm grip from her wrist but snaked his arm around the breadth of her shoulders, not in a possessive or passionate fashion, but with the intent of guiding her.
They walked with at a swift pace in silence until they had reached the end of the block, out of view from the house. August abruptly stopped and turned to face Xaen, standing an arm’s length away in front of her, blocking her path. His eyes burned with a passion, a striking determination that was alien to even himself. His breathing was somewhat ragged, hands shaking. He wasn’t sure if he was angry of afraid, but whatever emotion he felt consumed him.

”Xaen,” He started, holding a hand up when Xaen tried to interrupt. ”I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” ”August—“ ”No, let me talk. I pushed you away when you needed me. I cowered when you received punishment for a deed that I shared the guilt for. I… I should have talked to you sooner. I never blamed you for what happened; that was nothing, I just… I don’t know why I couldn’t talk to you. Every time I mustered the courage to head your way I would catch your eye and see the anger within, and I knew it was because of what I had done.
My dad was pissed when he got home, obviously. He thought it was one of my made-up guy friends that I use as an excuse and I wasn’t supposed to talk to ‘him’ anymore,” August scoffed. ”But when have I ever followed his word?” The comment was more for himself than Xaen. ”At first I understood why, and I tried to convince myself that I’d be better off that way, but I can’t lie like that. I need you,” He reached out with both hands to touch her arms, but hesitated when she flinched at both his words and the invitation to touch. He paused a moment, but reached out again, gently, resting his palms just above her elbows. August understood her apprehensiveness. ”As a friend,” He added softly, staring helplessly into her mismatched eyes, which avoided his gaze.

”I’ve never had someone like you. And I still can’t believe that you talk to me. Every day I used to look at your face and think, ‘what did I do to deserve being friends with her?’ And when your eyes would fall on me in the halls and you’d wave I’m still confused as to why you’re greeting me.” August suddenly lowered his gaze, realizing the words he had just said. They just seemed to pour out of his mouth before he even knew what he was saying. He dropped his arms and stepped back, stammering powerlessly. He struggled with his frustration to find words. ”I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying,” He sighed deeply. ”I don’t mean to come on to you or anything I just… I’m not… I can’t… I don’t feel happy without you anymore. Now that I’ve found you, the thought of losing you again is unbearable.”

There was a long pause. Every second dragged on painfully. Breathing didn’t feel comfortable anymore, as August stared in agony at Xaen’s face, expressions rolling over her features like frames on a television.
”Say something. Please,” He begged, the desperacy tangible in his voice. Still Xaen would not look at him, clearly trying to avoid to heavy look his chocolate eyes held, though he was aware that he was practically burning holes into her face as he examined her, begging for a sign that he hadn’t fucked things up.

The anxious teen had never felt so vulnerable, here on the street corner, the streets seemingly absent of life as dark grey clouds rolled about in the sky, promising a storm. He had just poured fragments of his soul into a speech he regretted so, to the one person he held closest, and never had he been so scared.

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[DA VINCI~]

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[atrb=background,http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz64/BLoobloo72/XaenCityofBWTableMiddle.png] "When did August get so... touchy?" He pulled at Xaen nearly three times today and even had the audacity to put his arm around her shoulders. It sparked even more suspicion to the situation at hand, even a little frustration towards his intent. It seemed as if there was something he needed to say- to get off his chest. Xaen tried to softly shrug his arm off, pinching her face in irritation when she failed. She was going to comment on it when August abruptly stopped and pivoted her way. Xaen stepped back instinctively. He said her name in an unfamiliar, gruff voice. The girl in question tried to respond but found it rhetorical as he silenced her, ”No, let me talk. I pushed you away when you needed me. I cowered when you received punishment for a deed that I shared the guilt for." She wasn't surprised that he'd heard of that. It was blatnltly obvious that she and August had vandalized the school; she knew of and accepted the consequences that came with such an action. Though for him to react so... emotionally... Xaen exhaled, trying to grasp the reason for his behavior. "I… I should have talked to you sooner. I never blamed you for what happened; that was nothing, I just… I don’t know why I couldn’t talk to you. Every time I mustered the courage to head your way I would catch your eye and see the anger within, and I knew it was because of what I had done." Xaen opened her mouth to try once more to calm him down but fell silent as continued speaking. His words were critically truthful, making her uncomfortable in the intensity. Xaen flinched when he took hold of her arms, tense still when he shifted to hold her just above the elbows. August didn't budge or take heed of her actions, though quieted his voice. ”At first I understood why, and I tried to convince myself that I'd be better off that way, but I can't lie like that. I need you,” Xaen widened her eyes in surprise. "As a friend," he added softly, meaningfully. She shook her head mutely with disbelief when he spoke of the importance of their friendship. Why was he telling her all this? He apologized again and again, blabbering on in a mad slur of words that seemed to weigh heavily on his chest. "I don't feel happy without you anymore. Now that I've found you, the thought of losing you again is unbearable.” The devotion pouring from his lips, draining into and being absorbed his words... It felt uncomfortable rather than cleansing, it smothered itself into Xaen's mind, trying to find a place to dwell. She wanted badly to reject the intruder; she wasn't ready for this, they were just people who hang out- normal friends. Why... How could someone be so Dependant on friendship? Dependency was a weakness; and Xaen wasn't ready to be the strength for that. August radiated frustration, and it began to suffocate Xaen as he continued to block her path, forcing her to face the emotion in his eyes every time she looked forward. There was confusion in her mind where she'd attempted to understand the meanings and origins of what August had confessed. She looked up into his pleading, intense eyes and felt a small guilty sadness for not being able to comprehend it all. "August... I don't," she began pathetically, looking away to hide her pitiful confusion. "I don't really understand what you're trying to say."

[TESLA]

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[atrb=background,http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz64/BLoobloo72/AugustShipsintheNightmiddle.png] August thrust forward, clamping his hands gently but passionately on Xaen’s face, pulling her close to him in one swift motion. He planted his lips on hers and in that moment, time went slack. All the longing he had felt, the compulsion to make such a bold move was fulfilled. All of the worry and pressure and time he had put into thinking about how to go about doing such a seemingly simple act dissipated. His train of thought went haywire; he thought of everything and yet nothing at the same time. All this time he had procrastinated or cowered, buckling under pressure, as he had always been under the impression that every variable had to be perfect, one thing out of place and everything would be ruined. But everything was perfect. The way his lips and hers interlocked. The taste of her lips and the smell of her breath when she gasped in shock. Her cold touch as she grabbed his wrists first in protest, then with a more ravenous grip. The only thing he could hear was their heartbeats coming together to form a unified melody. Xaen suddenly pressed her hands into his chest, shoving him off with panic-induced aggression. August snapped out of his momentary euphoric state, again becoming attuned to his surroundings, sounds flooding his ears. It was as if he were regaining consciousness, and it was then that he realized what he had done. The sparse air that August managed to take in was forced from his chest as he stumbled backwards, slightly winded from the aggressive shove Xaen committed against him. Somewhat disoriented, it took him a moment to calculate the situation, and the in the brief moment he took to recollect himself, Xaen had already started off at a panicked pace. ”Xaen, wait,” he pleaded, the desperateness more palpable in his voice than he intended. He reached out to grasp her shoulder but she dodged his hand and kept steady. He regained balance from the miss and thrust forward again, his hand locking tightly and frantically on her wrist. Xaen’s hand flew up, clenched tightly, two forefingers protruding instinctively as she prepared to throw a worthy punch. With self-control that August didn’t expect, she held back from clobbering his face. ”Just go home, August! Just… go home.” The fist that flew from her mouth was equally effective as her knuckles in their physical form would have been. August’s breath caught and his grip involuntarily loosened. She shook him off and stalked down the street, her sordid figure becoming a blurred image. His vision fuzzy, head spinning, August slowly took on a uniform posture and turned towards home. Feeling top-heavy, the teen shuffled home in a disoriented state, blood pounding in his ears, the adrenaline crash bringing him down significantly. The door that, minutes ago, brought him long-awaited glee slammed behind him with more force than necessary, whether out of spite or mere carelessness August didn’t care to wonder. The unbearable lost feeling he felt augmented into an anger that couldn’t be put to rest. So August burst into his room, grabbed an inadequate sketchbook and charcoal and promptly dashed out of the house again. Fleet-footed, he full-out ran on the cracked, damp sidewalk, turning corners, following a pathway he memorized long ago. He didn’t stop until he reached the edge on his neighborhood; a park stretched out before him, baron of anything but grass and weeds with the exception of an old set of swings to his far right and a remarkably aged oak tree atop a hill to his left. Panting, August made way for the tree. With not a moment of hesitation, August flung himself at the tree, scaling it the same way he had since the age of five. Once safe amongst the branches he pulled open the worn sketchbook, dented from his firm grip, and slashed the first blank page he came across with deep, confident black lines. The sketch slowly took shape before he even knew what he was drawing, and his heart sank when he felt his fingers tracing the curve he knew all too well. His hands had instinctively drawn the shape he had been practicing for months without much thought, down to the most minute details; his finger gingerly outlined Xaen’s feminine jaw line. His hand shook, and acting on impulse his fingers came together, ripping the page out and crumpling it in a hostile way. Then a quick release as the ball of paper and charcoal residue fell to the ground far below him. August cried out, throwing a needless punch at the branch nearest to him, blood spattering across his hand and the sodden tree bark when his skin split upon contact. A relieving sensation swam through the length of his arm and into his brain where it was recognized as pain, an immediate reaction calming August’s turmoil for a moment. And there he stayed a long while, back propped up against a branch with breadth thicker than his own body, feet resting on other branches, arms dangling. He had remained still, in a distant state for so long that he hardly noticed when his sketchbook eventually slipped off his torso onto the ground, break open to reveal black smears that used to be his prized accomplishments. Chocolate eyes were numb and emotionless to the sight, and he turned his head back up to face the wide, wet leaves above, eyelids shutting him away from the world.

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[DA VINCI~]

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[atrb=background,http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz64/BLoobloo72/XaenCityofBWTableMiddle.png] August's hands came up to cup each side of her face and Xaen felt a sudden and overwhelming fear of dread- the instinctive tensing in her body was due to threat of proximity and this new invading gesture. His hands were in a place seconds way from being able to slip down and grapple her throat or slide upwards and pierce her eyeballs with dull, thick fingers. Her hair immediately bristled and her eyes narrowed. Her hands moved in a swift, strict motion to clench his wrists hurtfully when August did something so completely opposite from her direction of thought- invaded her space on a completely different level, and molded her mind into an entirely vulnerable and open form. With his hands drawn at her face, he tilted her upwards where his lips crashed against hers and the peak of their noses touched. In that moment, she felt a dizziness overtake her and the strength put into her digging fingernails ebb away into nothingness. Her eyes were wide open and in seconds, she had to fight to keep from them from fluttering closed. The warmth and pressure of the kiss was just enough to give her sensitive lips a jolt that ran its exciting current throughout her body. Xaen wanted to deepen the gesture, to take it further and explore the warmth with detail but her eyes refused to close and her mind screamed in different voices and pitches; illing her away from this affinity. Xaen's body refused the acquiescence August's actions pushed for her. She chose to accost him at that moment and betray his advance- shoving him away though keeping her jaws ever so slightly parted, breathing in a manner that displayed her bewilderment and shock. It took a few moments for her scattered brain to fully register what had just happened, but in the place of an organized mind, Instinct commandeered its seat. Her feet began to move, silently and fluidly with barely a scuffle or a drag, away from August. She didn't know when she turned, but she was walking down a road that coaxed her towards home. From behind her, August plead for her attention verbally, followed by a futile physical attempt at grabbing at her. She continued on a steady, unbroken pace forward, quickening it when she felt him grow closer. Her mind swarmed with words and emotions, scattering what was left of her calm when she felt the smack of desperate fingers meeting her wrist as they curling around it possessively. There was a second, or even barely a moment when Xaen swore she heard a snap as she whirled around with her fist cutting through the air, meeting just barely inches from August's face where her joints locked in place and her muscles decided to abstain from going any further into the act of violence. Though her body had frozen this attempt at freeing itself, her throat rumbled with the acidic words she hissed next. "Just go home, August!" She took a sharp inhale and avoided his eyes, making the mistake of lowering them to the soft and inviting picture of his parted lips. "Just go home," came her cold, confused voice. His hand had fallen from her wrist with a sense of death. She didn't give it another thought and started her quick pace away again. The idea of home was not as welcoming as it was before; with her cold words still poisoning the air and stinging her eyes. Xaen loathed to think that they were tears and pulled her hood up around her head; the wind's sting wouldn't fool her. Despite the large distance she'd put between herself and the assault, she was hyper-aware of the freeze that replaced where August's lips had settled comfortably. This could've have to do with the blinding and cold light of the moon that forced itself through any break in the treetops and onto her skin; calling out the animalistic anger and sensibility within her. The confusion that played in her mind, building itself a front-sided playground and nestling itself in the distorted streams of her focus, kept throwing questions at the walls of her already exposed skull. She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of clicking somewhere near her waist. Xaen looked down to see that she'd unknowingly made her way into her trailer, donned her gloves and had just disabled the safety on her gun. She stared at it for a long while, breaking it only to look out the window where she was met with the extravagant and bold shine of the moon. Deciding against the weapon, she enabled the safety before tossing it back onto the cot in the corner of the home. Her hands hooked viciously under her shirt, lifting it with unnecessary strength and throwing it with the brief satisfaction of a child's tantrum before removing her pants. With the instinctive grinding of her teeth at the sight of the moon, her bones joined in; crackling and rubbing uncomfortably as they were rearranged. The pain of her spine, contracting and arching into that of an animals rivaled that of her legs which groaned and snapped into powerful canine hinds. Hair forced itself to pierce out from within the layers of skin, forming the dark and silken coat of a wolf. With an aggressive and short howl, Xaen thrashed her head before butting the door open and make way for the cover of forestry. Forget the gun; tonight, she would use the power of her bite and force the bittersweet taste of August from her mouth. ((Let the raids begin! In the next post, I'll have it that she's hanging around the Saltren divisions and go from there. Luna, you're replying with Amus' involvement and stuff, right?))

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