((O_O I hate playing mean people. xD It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I have nice, good-looking characters. xP))

Seth gritted his teeth, staring at the sobbing Krael.
"Krael," Seth's voice was gentle and caring, sympathetic and understanding. "Are you okay? I need to get your wrist into a sling. It's injured really badly. I also need to stop the bleeding because your leg is mangled as well. Don't pass out again! Please don't..."
His eyebrows were now knitted in a concerned 'V' and he had crossed him arms, appearing thoughtful, although pained at the same time, as if he would gladly take the pain that Krael was experiencing and have it become his own burden.

((xD Nah, I don't hate them, YT. But you're correct in saying I like to torture them xD I'm not even sure why.)) 

((LOL I'm really not sure why I love RPing meanies (God, that made me sound like I'm six years old XD) but I do xD Maybe... maybe because it comes easy to me (um, what does that say about me? D:) I just think it's really fun to do things that are completely unacceptable in real life. The characters I mainly play are Krael (jerk), Korven (also mega jerk), Svali (Smart, kind. Hard on herself), Xylon (Very intelligent, reserved but likes to help others. A little quirky) and Aerya (meek, quiet, shy, friendly once she's comfortable with you.)))

 Krael wanted to get away, wanted to hide in a hole and never emerge. He turned away from Seth as much as he could, hiding his face. The gentle tone in his voice sounded sincere, which surprised Krael. Nobody had cared about him since...

Since Svali. Krael winced and actually moved away a little when he thought her name. What's that called, when you bury painful memories? Repressing them? I need to do that, he thought.

Krael looked around, though he still had to squint through the vicious sandstorm. For the last five minutes or so, everything had changed. He felt cold, even though he could see the bright, angry sun shining down. He was numb, though the sand hadn't given up at whipping at him, making his skin turn red and even peel off altogether in places. Strangest of all was the shimmering quality everything had taken on, as if he were underwater and looking up at he surface through a pair of foggy goggles.

The pain was still there, at the front of Krael's mind, refusing to be ignored. Yet at the same time, it almost seemed... distant. Like a half remembered dream. Krael could feel himself nearly drift back into unconscious, felt as it offered to take away all the pain of his loss and of his injuries, if only he would surrender himself to it. It wasn't until that moment that he groggily noticed, barely even registering it in his mind, that he was clutching his broken wrist to his chest. He made up his mind to just give in and go back to his nightmares. It was better than reality, at least. But then suddenly there it was, Seth's voice, clear as a bell even through the howling of the sandstorm.  

"Don't pass out again!" he said, sounding like he was genuinely worried, like he cared. "Please don't..."

Krael laughed, causing pain to lance through him. Without turning to look at Seth, he began to speak. "Why are you helping me?" he asked. "It's just, you... you're so... gentle, I guess. It's kind of weird for me. I'm not used to it. And you don't even know me. I'm as good as dead, and yet still you stay with me? It's not that I'm ungrateful, but... Why bother?"

((I um... I'm going to have to stop here. Don't know what to say for my other charries. Svali is running away and Damien is with Lana, so...)) 

((ZOMG Why is the post so long? D: You're making me look like a bad RPer naow. o3o))

Lana blinked her eyes open, wanting to fall back asleep. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to stay awake, because she knew if she blacked out again, she may not wake up. She saw Damien, and her eyesight grew fuzzy. A red haze swept over her eyes, and she blinked furiously, trying to regain her vision. The red haze of pain and terror nearly made her oblivious to the sandstorm, but then sand entered her mouth as she opened it to speak and she nearly choked from the sand, spitting it out, but forced to swallow some. Smacking her lips disgustedly, Lana rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her arms and hands, crying silently to herself, the sand on her face turning damp from her tears.

---

Seth blinked at Krael confusedly. "Don't you help others too? It's the right thing to do. And I can't very well have you die." Crossing his arms, Seth thought for a moment, genuinely stunned by Krael's response. "My sister always did compare me to dogs. She always said I was like some sort of loyal dog like a German shepherd or a pitbull or some other kind of dog that always had to be the hero, always had to save everyone. I guess she was... is kind of right."

Seth was still hanging onto the small sliver of hope that his sister might still be alive, somewhere, somehow. 

((Lol. I make my posts long to compensate for the lack of deion/ anything good in them. Yours are deive and interesting, so it doesn't matter how long they are.)) 

Krael nodded. He could see the comparison between Seth and a loyal dog. He sat up, doing his best to ignore the screaming pain as he propped himself up with his good arm. Very quietly, Krael said "Do you know what the saddest part of all this is?"

He looked directly at the other boy, speaking calmly and quietly despite the fact that his icy, metallic-blue eyes were still wet. "The saddest part is that you're the closest thing I've ever had to a friend." He looked solemnly at Seth, then smirked to himself, shaking his head. "Isn't that just the biggest tragedy you ever heard?" 

~~~

Damien watched Lana cry. Gently, he pulled her closer to him. "It'll be okay," he whispered to her, though he knew it probably wasn't true. He was careful not to touch her back, so instead he lightly lay a hand on her upper arm. He put a finger under her chin, and gently moved her so she was looking at him. "Do you remember," Damien said, "when I said I would help you? Well I've never broken a promise before, and I'm sure as hell not going to start now."

Damien smiled at Lana, trying to look optimistic and brave. He ended up looking more frightened than anything. "Just trust me," he said.

((Not sure what to do with Svali. :/)) 

((D: I need to get on more. So busy in RL. T_T"))

Lana blinked at Damien. Her eyes stopped weeping, and she looked at him gently. Pursing her pink lips, she slightly dipped her head and wiped her eyes, despite the gritty sand covering her slender, long fingers. She stayed in that postition, feeling slightly awkward from his touch and his comforting words, and lowered her gaze, lost in thought. She winced as a new spasm of pain lanced through her, and thought of Seth. Her eyes grew mournful, and she tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear, her eyebrows in a concerned 'V.'

---

Seth blinked, startled. He couldn't help but laugh, his glittering, brooding golden eyes glowing with mirth. "Really?" He gasped, stifling his laughter for a moment. He blinked again, looking at Krael. "You've never had a friend? Never? I have a lot of friends.... I had a lot of friends." Seth looked not nearly as cheerful as before, and winced from the memories of him and his buddies. He fingered a small, crescent-shaped scar underneath his right eye. He had gotten it while his friends had shot pellets at each other using BB guns. Seth almost had to go to the emergency room because he had been shot underneath the eye. If he had been shot in the eye, he could've been blinded in that eye, but he didn't mind. In fact, after the wound underneath his eye had healed, he had blasted over to his buddies' houses and had shot the crap outta them using a BB gun. He couldn't help but laugh at that memory, chuckling slightly. 

((D: Sorry I haven't replied. I'm doing lifeguard stuff and it takes up like ALL of my time. And as if that wasn't bad enough, it's making me want to make one of my characters have a stroke or a heart attack or... drown, or something. xD I'm so mean. xD I'll start replying more often on Saturday.))

((I'm dead tired, so I'm probably going to make a ton of typos. Sorry Dx I also find that when I'm tired, I make zero sense and I guess my way of compensating for that is to ramble and use a lot of big words xD Like, it's so bad that I'll come on tomorrow and be like "What the hell? What was I even trying to say?" xDD))  

Krael stared at Seth. His eyes were full of pain, but otherwise he showed no sign of even being aware of his injuries. Slowly, he shook his head, then looked at the ground.

"No," he said. "I honestly can't think of one person I could genuinely call my friend. At school, I was always sitting either alone in the back of the classroom or in the principle's office. All the other kids avoided me at all costs, as if I were diseased and standing too close to me would infect them too. I suppose i don't blame them. They didn't understand, they were afraid."

Krael paused and sat up. The scorching pain was still present, very much so, but Krael was slowly becoming accustomed to it. He was starting to get a bit groggy, which he assumed was from the blood loss. His thoughts were becoming sluggish and unclear, like they were veiled in thick fog. Krael was about to continue speaking, but he stopped himself. No, if I tell Seth, it'll be the same thing all over again. Nobody needs to know. (But he deserves to!) But... he wouldn't understand.

Knowing he would regret it but doing it anyway, Krael said, "They had a reason to be afraid, Seth."

Krael silently cursed to himself. Too late to go back now. Now I have to tell him. 

He took a deep breath, then said the words, saying out loud the one thing he had always wanted to hide about himself. "I went to Juvie. I went to jail, Seth, and it's because they think I killed someone." 

((Pffft. If I don't think of something interesting to do with Svali soon, she's passing out. I don't know what I would say for Damien, either. He's just kind of awkwardly holding Lana xD))

((xD *snugs queen* I don't know what to post. D: *shuffles around in corner and thinks* DDD8 Brain fart! {I love saying brain fart. I also like saying Commander General. o3o} Anyways... Here goes...))

Seth blinked, surprised. "Did you really kill someone?" He was too shocked to say anything else, and silently cursed himself for being so straightforward. It was quite rude of him to just outright ask him. He should've went for something more indirect. Sighing, Seth shifted his position, breathing a sigh of relief now that the sandstorm was gradually easing up. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the sandstorm stopped and the air was clear again.

"That was sudden," Seth commented dryly, glancing with relief at the bright sunlight.

((Fail post. D: Gotta go. I might make this a 1x1 eventually...))

((LOL I just realized this is one of two roleplays I have left. The other is the house of 9 one. EVERYTHING ELSE DIED *cough*Itwasprobablymyfault*cough*))

Suddenly angry, Krael was about to shout something rude at Seth, but he stopped himself. Not worth the trouble, he decided.

Krael didn't answer Seth's question at first. Instead, he quietly repeated it, "Did you really kill someone?"

That was all he said, staying quiet until just after he heard Seth's remark about the sudden end of the sandstorm. Then, equally quiet, he began to speak again. 

"Do you have any idea how many times a day I hear tha-" he stopped himself again, because that wasn't true anymore, was it?

"Heard," he corrected himself. "Heard. People used to ask me all the time if it was true, if I had killed a man. And dozens of times each day, I would give them the same answer: No. I've never killed anyone and I never will."

Krael looked at Seth, searching his face, trying to read his ex
pression. "Of course," he said, voice barely more than a whisper, "barely anyone believed me, so I suppose I can't blame you if you don't either."  

 Krael stared at Seth a moment more before he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He looked at his broken wrist, ex
pression blank. 

"Can I... can I borrow your shirt?" he said, holding out his injured arm by way of explanation. "Like you said, I need a sling."

In that moment, there was a split second were Krael was glad for the pain. It gave him something to focus on. If only that were the only reason, he thought, putting his arm back in front of him. But there was something about Krael that could only have been brought on by all the blame, everyone that said it was his fault, everyone who hated him even though he was innocent. All those people had started to make Krael blame himself too, make him think it was his fault. And maybe... maybe it was.    

~~~

((Okay, that's it, she's passing out.))

 Thump, thump, thump, went the loud, steady rhythm of Svali's heart. She noticed that it was pounding along at almost the same pace as her feet. Normally, she would have smiled at a funny little coincidence like that, but she was too exhausted to do anything but run mindlessly away from-

Away from her. I left her, I left her. 

Suddenly, she felt her foot catch on a rock, and she fell to the ground. She was too tired to even scream as she tumbled downward and hit her head hard on the ground. She noticed, not even caring anymore, that the sandstorm had let up. Svali didn't even have time to wonder how long ago it had stopped before unconsciousness overcame her and she passed out.

((Epic fail, sorry. Will post for Damien next time.)) 

((Can't we just start RPing in the Fear for your Life one? I really miss that. D: I was so excited... and then suddenly... POOF. Everyone just POOFED. DDD8))

Seth shifted his weight. He stared at Krael for a while, gazing at him with a thoughtful ex
pression. Opening his mouth without hesitating, his voice rang out, clear and without any kind of regret. "I don't think you killed him. You're innocent until proven guilty, my friend. And I doubt anyone can prove you guilty now." There was a slight smile upon Seth's lips, and he gave Krael his shirt, even though it was kind of bloody and tattered by now. His head wound had stopped bleeding by now, so he didn't need to use his shirt as a bandage anymore.

---

Lana managed to struggle to her feet, letting out a sigh of pain and regret. She suddenly remembered Svali. Blinking, she wondered if the girl she had befriended had found water. Lana wondered if she was even still alive. She took a hesitant step, relieved to find out she could still walk, although she had a limping gait that was particularly gruesome to look at. She hobbled forward, feeling like an injured penguin for some odd reason. An injured penguin, lost in the world, trying to walk again. Fighting back a smirk, Lana still struggled forward, letting out huffs of pain.

((LOL injured penguin.))

((And yeah, I agree with you on the FFYL (Fear for your life) thing. We can just start posting and hope it works. I don't want it to die, but I'm afraid it might. If I have to revive it on a separate thread, I will. I'll reserve spots for you and Rabbah, but that's it. And do you want another character? You can have one since mercy isn't coming back. It can be male or female and then we'll just kill her other one. You don't have to though, jussayin'.))

Krael nodded in thanks, both for Seth's vote of confidence and for giving him his shirt. He took the tattered, bloody remains of the shirt in his right hand, then stared at his left. The skin where the bone broke had turned a dark shade of plum with brown mixed in.

"I've never broken a bone before," Krael said, gingerly touching his wrist with his finger. "It sucks."

Then, slightly embarrassed, he said "I've never had to make a sling, either. Do you... Can you help me?" his eyes were cast downward when he asked, and he inwardly cursed himself for being so incompetent.

((Omg I fail so hard.))

 ~~~

Shocked that Lana was trying to leave, Damien called out "Lana? Where are you going?"

He clambered to his feet and ran after her. "Are you crazy? Look at yourself, you won't make it wherever you're going like this. At least rest a while!"

((I'm sorry, my posts are so fail Dx))

((YUSH. *glomps queen and YT in a group hug* Queen, I want another character. <3 Imma gonna bring Seth in. <3 I just love him and Willow. I also love Lana, but she's not as beastly as Seth or Willow. xD))

"I... I need to find Svali," Lana gasped, stuttering from the pain. "She's a friend of mine that I met. She's another survivor, and she won't survive unless we help her!" Lana was becoming insistent now, shaking off Damien. She took another struggling, limping step onward, peering her eyes into tiny slits, hoping that she would find Svali by chance, and not her body. "If we're all in a group, we'll have a better chance of survival together."

---

Seth dipped his head, inclining it politely. He grasped his shirt and twisted it firmly. He wrapped one part around Krael's shoulder and gently grasped his injured wrist. He tied his shirt around and ripped off a part of the shirt. Securing the cloth securely around Krael's arm, and wrist, Seth then took the part he ripped off and stuffed it into the sling, creating a cushion for Krael's wrist.

"I hope that's alright. We didn't have the supplies for a proper one, but it should do."

((Omg. So I actually have an awesome excuse for not posting. That lifeguarding course I took? Well I got a really bad ear infection from it. I can't even hear out of one ear and I'm really dizzy. Oh yeah, and it feels like someone is repeatedly stabbing me in the head with burning knives. o_o So... yeah. It's an awful excuse but an excuse nonetheless. I'll try to get on more often, I swear Dx))

((Seth is love <3 Would you kill me if I just remade the thread and... stuff? I um. I don't really know what to do. If it was just Angel that wasn't posting, then I would say kill her charries and continue, but Loki isn't either and I don't know what to do. I'm reluctant to let anyone else in the RP in case the same thing happens again, which would mean we would all need three characters (unless we had NPCs. I could see that working) So um, let me know what you think.))

((LOL YT. Glad you're enjoying it xD)) 

Damien blinked. Another survivor? Why didn't she tell me?

"O-okay," he stammered. 

 There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask her, who was Svali? Why had she left Lana when she was obviously hurt? Where had she gone?

"I um," he said, staring at Lana, "Never mind. Just let me give you a hand." 

Damien walked up next to Lana and gently moved her arm so it was draped over his shoulder. He couldn't help but be reminded of all those action movies he used to watch, where inevitably the hero of a main character would go back for the girl, saving her and winning her over. Except, he thought, smiling despite himself, I'm hardly a hero, and I don't think I'll be winning Lana over any time soon. 

"Where to?" He asked uncertainly. For all he knew, this Svali girl could already be dead and this whole thing could just be a wild goose chase. All the same, he knew he couldn't let Lana go alone. Damien looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

~~~

Krael smiled tiredly. Under normal circumstances, he would never have accepted, let alone asked for a near stranger's help, but he was so exhausted he didn't even care. Krael nodded his thanks to Seth and looked at the makeshift sling. It was slightly damp in places, and he tried not to let himself think about why.

"What now?" He said, thinking about how desperately he wanted water, but also about his injuries, and Svali. "I mean, we can't sit here, but where else would we go?"

((*superglompattacks queen* Are you okay? DD: I know Seth is love. xD))

Lana gritted her teeth. She tried to shake Damien off, but she was too weak to do anything to try and escape from his helpful grasp. She hated getting help from others, but she would have to let it go this time. Sighing, she took a struggling step forward with Damien's help and let out a breath of frustration, pain, and a huge amount of confusion. She had no idea where on earth the other girl was. She needed to find Svali though, because she felt a sort of connection with her. Svali was her first friend and first companion after the disaster.

---

Seth got to his feet unsteadily. He felt the blood rush to his head. Pausing for a few seconds, he muttered something under his breath. He turned his attention to Krael, who was still on the floor. "Stay here," He ordered gently, but firmly. "I'll try and find water. But you have to stay here. With your injuries, I doubt you can walk for very long." His eyes were sympathetic, but stern, and he started walking evenly away, tossing a knife toward Krael so he could use it to protect himsef.