a_gentle_boy | Death Comes As the End

Death Comes As the End

[Thursday - Extra Fortified Poison]
[When his alarm goes off at 4:00 Thursday morning, Lucas immediately bolts out of bed. He takes his blankets with him, settling down on the front porch with his head leaning back against the door, his eyes scanning the dark streets for any sign of a whistling madman. His patience is rewarded soon enough. He doesn't even take the deliveries in, simply uncapping a bottle and drinking it down right there, probably to the Milkman's great pleasure.

While nothing comes out, no spiders or razor blades or dinosaurs with rocket launchers... There is the sense, immediately, that something is wrong. Poison. A different sensation than the spider venom or snakebites he was more familiar with, but... He knew what this feeling was. It was the same as he'd had last year, in Westport. No matter. He could heal it. The boy concentrates and casts the appropriate PSI, and.... nothing. He tries again. Over and over, he casts Healing until he knows, in the pit of his stomach, that there won't be anything he can do to save himself this time around.

He'll try to stand up; to his great surprise, his muscles rebel. He manages only to smash his head against the door feebly instead. ...Lucas sinks back down to a sitting position, wraps his blankets around himself as much as he can, and tries to keep his breathing under control.

He's never been a very strong child. In fifteen minutes, he is dead.]

[Saturday - Mood Swings]
[He's evenly matched with Silence today. They race. Lucas cheats with PK Flash. Lucas wins. When the milk goes down, he wipes his mouth off triumphantly with a cheerful shout.]

See, Mr. Silence? Nothing even happened this time! I can take care of myself.

[Following their conversation, Lucas will run out the front door, singing a sort of obnoxious song as loudly as he can. This continues until he reaches the park, at which point he pauses, bursts into tears, and begins to attack an oak tree with a small stick he picks up.]

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[Maybe Lucas smacking his head against the door frame alerts Silence to the fact that he's been outmatched today - or perhaps he'd just gotten up only a shade later than Lucas to begin with. Either way, he comes out not long after Lucas finishes drinking - which is just as well, since Lucas doesn't have long - and stares down at the boy in mingled shock and alarm.

Today, Lucas beat him. And apparently today's batch was especially bad. The guilt sets in almost immediately - he should have been the one to drink it, not Lucas. He should have tried harder, taking more precautions against the boy's altruistic stubbornness...

But there's no point reflecting on that now. Silence isn't sure what he can do, but he doesn't want to just leave the boy out in the damp morning air, sitting on the porch. He leans down and picks Lucas up, blanket and all, to carry inside. The expression on his face as he looks down at the boy is one of pure concern, but he isn't stopping to take the time to write out any thoughts or questions he might have, so Lucas is left to guess at them.]

[Lucas smiles wanly when Silence comes to the door, in an effort to convey some measure of strength. ...He wonders, momentarily, how terrible he looks to inspire such an expression of alarm on the face of his 'father'. Perhaps he had turned bright purple.

Lucas doesn't resist being carried - He couldn't, honestly, the only real movement he could manage now were what amounted to uncoordinated muscle spasms. Whatever kind of poison this was, it was slowly shutting down his motor processes. He'll whisper a few words.]

My turn... Sorry...

[Silence makes a low shushing sound - he may not have a voice, but noises like sighs and hisses require only the movement of air, and are within his capabilities.

After a brief pause once he's inside, Silence opts to carry Lucas all the way up to his room. It isn't difficult; the mystic is stronger - and Lucas lighter - than he looks. He lays Lucas down carefully on his bed, kneeling down beside him with wings already drooping in sorrow.

He's seen death come to people before. As much as he would like to deny it, he knows it's coming for Lucas now. Part of him wants to run to Nusakan's, to drag the doctor back here in the hopes that he could do something, but...the more sensible part of him doesn't think the boy should be left alone, not like this. And the brutally honest part of him can't look at Lucas now and truly think that he'd be back in time if he left, anyway...]

[Lucas had heard the cliche about his life supposedly flashing before his eyes. He was a bit disappointed that memories from his youth didn't come bubbling back to the surface; it would have been nice to recall things he had forgotten. Instead, he can't help but think how lucky it was that he'd gone a year and a half without ever actually dying. Almost all of the friend he'd made... The Netherlands, consumed in the fire. Margot, collapsed on the street in Westport. Horohoro, killed by the haz-mats; Crowe and Kay, executed after the break-in; Nanashi, sacrificing herself in a vain attempt to distract the Milk-Mech.

And then, all of the times he'd been in such danger. His fight with the Night of Wallachia, his defiance in Soviet Mayfield, his run-in with Billy Smith at the party... There comes a sudden realization that brings a flicker of a smile to his lips.]

My face...

[The shiny scar tissue around his eye would finally regenerate. ...That was something positive, right? What a silly little thing to think about...]

[Silence frowns in confusion, not really following; he isn't aware of all the intricacies of Mayfield resurrections. But he dismisses it quickly enough - there's too much else on his mind right now.

He pulls out his notebook, scribbling a short message - and very large, in case Lucas' sight is already failing.]

WHAT CAN I DO?

[Lucas blinks slowly, but he can see the text clearly enough. He'll shake his head slowly, in some contrast to the smile that remains on his face.]

Stay.

[The smile will remain even as his breaths slowly become more drawn-out, shallower.]

[Silence nods readily in response to this request. Unless it had been to get Lucas help, or something he needed - he'd had no intention of leaving. After a moment's pause, he reaches out, delicate fingers stroking Lucas' hair.

He feels the need to reassure Lucas in some way, even if it's only by stating the obvious. He braces the notebook against the bed and writes one-handed, before holding it up for him to see with a wistful smile.]

SEE YOU TOMORROW.

[He'll smile even brighter than he had before, and with the last of his strength, nods deeply in response. No sound comes out, but he'll mouth some words.]

See you.

[There really isn't much reason, he feels, to continue holding on after that. With the control over his mind he has, Lucas closes his eyes and stimulates the mental storm that he so masterfully inflicted on others within his own mind. ...In his imagination, he thinks he sees a beautiful show of fireworks, gazing up at the sky to see burst after burst of radiant light.

He shudders once, briefly, before falling unconscious. And then... within a minute or two, the poison comes to full effect.]

[Silence stays beside Lucas, stroking his hair, until he's sure the boy is gone. Then he gets quietly to his feet and carefully pulls a blanket over the boy as a shroud before slipping out of the room.

He'll spend quite a bit of today perched quietly on the roof, wings drooping listlessly behind him as he reflects.]

[Silence's exasperation and alarm at being beaten to the milk a second time is extreme - especially since, for the past two days, the milk has been lethal. But it seems to be for nothing; there's nothing obviously in the milk, such as razors or spiders, and Lucas seems to be suffering no ill effects...indeed, he seems remarkably cheerful.

The song is what tips him off that it's too cheerful. Lucas can be quite happy and cheerful, certainly, but he's a fairly quiet boy even then. Even taking into account the satisfaction of beating Silence, and the relief at a harmless bottle...this seems excessive. And Silence wants to keep an eye on him to make sure.

So he quietly follows Lucas to the park, hardly noticed in the wake of the boy's exuberance. But when Lucas' mood suddenly and dramatically shifts upon their arrival, Silence's eyes go wide.

Apparently his instincts were right, and something is very wrong...although he does suppose there's a slim possibility these extreme emotions are just belated reactions to the week they've had. But his concern for Lucas remains the same regardless of cause, so he approaches the boy cautiously, laying a hand that's meant to be simultaneously comforting and restraining on his shoulder.]

[He doesn't seem very surprised to feel the touch; Lucas will spin around immediately and bury his face into Silence's chest area. He'll manage a few words in between hiccups and wails.]

I-I-It's not fair.......! I... I should've gone!

[Silence is startled by Lucas' sudden shift; the boy has been almost stubbornly self-contained recently, and - despite his growing suspicion that this was related to the milk - he had almost expected the boy to hide his misery once he realized he had company.

Regardless of what's causing it and why, Silence puts an arm around Lucas' shoulders, the other stroking his hair. The gestures are meant to be comforting, and only the very perceptive would be able to detect a faint undercurrent of bafflement in them.]

[Lucas continues to weep inconsolably for a while, mumbling indecipherably all the while. It seems, though, that he is upset about Silence having gone twice in a row...

After about two minutes of this, he suddenly stops and dries his eyes.]

Sorry. What were you saying?

[Silence quirks an eyebrow at this. He's rapidly coming to the conclusion that it would be best if Lucas came back home with him; he's not sure the boy running around in this volatile state can possibly lead to anything good.

He separates himself long enough to scribble a note.]

COME HOME? MILK MAY BE MAKING YOU...ERRATIC.

Erratic?

[Lucas considers this for a moment or two.]

But I feel fine. Really, I don't think there was anything wrong this time...

YOU MAY NOT REALIZE. OR MAY BE LATE ONSET. TRUST ME? [It's a fairly gentle request, although Silence isn't certain how likely Lucas will be to listen - or what he'll do if he isn't. Chaperone him from a distance, he supposes.]

[Lucas considers this for a moment and seems mildly confused.]

...I'm old enough to take care of myself, you know. I'm turning fifteen in a few weeks.

I KNOW. BUT THE MILK HAS BEEN - UNPREDICTABLE. JUST IN CASE. PLEASE?

...

No.

I don't want to be told what to do. Leave me alone.

[Silence's expression doesn't change at this sudden rebellion, beyond all expression closing off; his wings hang a bit heavier on his back, but that seems to be the extent of his reaction. He doesn't actually have much to do with teenagers much - he isn't sure if this objection to his fussing is a product of the milk or if he's actually being overbearing. (Though he suspects it's the milk, purely due to the fact that Lucas seems the sort to object in a more respectful manner than this.)

Either way, he was prepared for a refusal, and has already accepted that he can't actually make Lucas cooperate without going to lengths he isn't prepared to. His only response is a restrained bow as he takes a few steps backwards.

He fully intends to keep following Lucas, and watching over him, but apparently he'll have to do it from a distance.]

And don't follow me around all day, OK?! I'm fine!

[His voice has probably never been that loud before in the past year. Lucas picks up and throws a branch randomly into the distance before storming off, an expression of irritation on his face. He'll just be kicking at trees as he goes.]</small.

[Silence follows anyway, although he takes care to stay as far away and out of sight as due diligence allows. Fortunately, years of working with Fuse have done wonders in his not taking personally the ire of those he's fond of.]

[Lucas does nothing particularly exciting aside from storm through the park, blasting a tree every now and then with his PSI, apparently solely out of some type of bizarre anger.]

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Death Comes As the End

[Thursday]

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[Saturday]

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