Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

“I doesn’t want to talk, I want to die, don’t ‘cha see that?” He shuddered. “I said leave. Go. Git outta here.”

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

"Why?" Fischer asked to keep Nico talked while he returned with the blankets. The sight of blood hardly phased him as he kept his mind in the battle space, moving to wrap the blanket around Nico to slow the bleeding.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"What, ya want the list?" Nico teared up, scoffing. "I's a coward, a pushover. I sent the man I loved to die all b'cause I wasn't willin' to do the same. I let 'em whores do what they will with me 'cause I'm too scared to do nothin'. I'm hardly a man."

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

Fischer paused, thoughts clouding his focus no matter how hard he tried to return to the focus. He cleared his throat, "what uh- What do you think makes a man?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Brav'ry. Loyalty. I doesn't have that. I's horrible, I am an' you know just why."

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

Fischer tried to continue putting on the blankets, but all he could manage to do was apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding while his mind whipped between thoughts faster than he could track. ""Do ya think that uh, that maybe being a man ain't what matters?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Sure the Mal matters to the king, it does. An' I-I... I can' live with me-self no more, Fischer. 'Livia gave me a way out an' I'm takin' it, I am."

[xinoehp512 he/him]

19 hours ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

“Umbra. Shadow. Very nice.” He smiled. “I don’t really do masters, you understand.”

Umbra shrugged. "You do now." She glanced at the cloaked figure that had brought Maverick here. "You'll be looking for an edge?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"An edge?" Maverick repeated. "What's that?"

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

"No, you're not," Fischer told him as he worked harder on the blanket. "Being a man matters nothing a' the end of the day, all it'll end up doing is getting ya dead. It's more abou' those ya do good to." He paused for a moment, having to force the words out as a whisper. "Like saving a life, even if they think they don't wan' it."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Yeah, you's better 'an me Fischer, always 'ave been. Doesn't have to rub that in."

[xinoehp512 he/him]

3 minutes ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"An edge?" Maverick repeated. "What's that?"

"A line on the boundary of an object," said Umbra very slowly, as if explaining to a child. She pulled out a spike of black and ran her finger over the referenced entity. "Like this."

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

2 minutes ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"Yeah, you's better 'an me Fischer, always 'ave been. Doesn't have to rub that in."

"I was talkin' 'bout you," he said as he yanked the blanket tight around Nico's waist. "I thought it would be better if I died by your side ven continue withou' you. Obviously I was," Fischer cleared his throat again, "I was wrong."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

3 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

"A line on the boundary of an object," said Umbra very slowly, as if explaining to a child. She pulled out a spike of black and ran her finger over the referenced entity. "Like this."

Maverick raised an eyebrow, thoroughly annoyed by this woman. "If you offered more respect, I might actually be more inclined to call you master. It's backwards you've chosen the form of a child to reside in. You practically breathe opportunity to be disregarded."

1 minute ago, The Ward's Guard said:

"I was talkin' 'bout you," he said as he yanked the blanket tight around Nico's waist. "I thought it would be better if I died by your side ven continue withou' you. Obviously I was," Fischer cleared his throat again, "I was wrong."

"Iffin' 'at's true, why was you so furious with me at the bar?"

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

1 minute ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"Iffin' 'at's true, why was you so furious with me at the bar?"

"I didn' wanna believe it," Fischer checked over the bandages once more before nodding. "Can ya stand?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"I'll stand in Mal..." Nico muttered. He closed his eyes.

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

Fischer grabbed Nico under the arms, and heaved him up. "C'mon, ya don' wanna be a fool like me."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Nico allowed himself to be dragged, mostly because he was so tired. "I'll just find another way to die when ya leave," he said. 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

9 minutes ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

Maverick raised an eyebrow, thoroughly annoyed by this woman. "If you offered more respect, I might actually be more inclined to call you master. It's backwards you've chosen the form of a child to reside in. You practically breathe opportunity to be disregarded."

Umbra rolled her eyes. "Oh boy, a smart one." She tossed the spike to Maverick.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Maverick caught it carefully, then gave her a flat look. "Throwing sharp objects is frowned upon, child," he said.

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

"See, now you're star'in' ta sound like me when we were younger." Fischer dragged Nico out of the room, heading towards the closest medical center he knew of. "I don' care wha' ya think, you're worth saving."

[xinoehp512 he/him]

1 minute ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

Maverick caught it carefully, then gave her a flat look. "Throwing sharp objects is frowned upon, child," he said.

Umbra grinned sharkishly. "But cutting you is the point."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

1 minute ago, The Ward's Guard said:

"See, now you're star'in' ta sound like me when we were younger." Fischer dragged Nico out of the room, heading towards the closest medical center he knew of. "I don' care wha' ya think, you're worth saving."

"I ain't worth crem..." 

1 minute ago, xinoehp512 said:

Umbra grinned sharkishly. "But cutting you is the point."

"You're disturbing, you know that?" He sighed. "You probably do. What do you want from me?"

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

Just now, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"I ain't worth crem..." 

"Righ', you're worth more than tha'." Fischer nodded to himself, "you're the bes' thing that happened ta many people, I suspect."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Just tuh make up for 'ow 'orrible I am."