Kai released Kitty when he felt her start to pull away and sat back on his heels. He watched her curl in on herself, silent for a moment in the aftermath of her question. Weighing the truth against all his other options. Maybe it would make everything that came after easier if he lied.
He couldn't make himself do it in the face of the pathetic state that she was in. Kicking her while she was down was the kind of thing that Ash would do.
Kai remembered the plan again and cringed away from that thought.
"No, Kitty," he sighed. "I'd never hate you."
With her and with Cali, honesty was the worst thing of all right now. He wanted to go back to seeing the world through a filter of denial.
He slid his bag off his shoulder and let it drop, then extended a hand to her. "We need to get you cleaned up," he repeated. "Come on."
And When I Bite Down, I Don’t Stop Until My Teeth Are Touching
Day 8, Private
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1557
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
Katelyn looked up, surprised. That sigh told her more than Kai's words ever could. It was that same sigh he always gave her when he was tired of her beating herself up, the sigh that always signaled that he thought better of her than she did of herself. He must've meant it when he said he didn't hate her, even if everything up to this point had strained their relationship almost to the point of breaking.
She smiled at him, but it was weak and uncertain, only lasting a brief second before she remembered where she was, who she was, and what she had just done, and it turned back into the same old frown.
If nothing else, at least she still had him.
Katelyn took his hand, letting him hoist her up as he stood to his feet. Almost involuntarily, as though she were influenced by an old and hateful curse, her head twisted back over to look at Ash's crumpled body, and the knife still sticking out of her back. She grimaced as another pang of guilt and shame hit her, and she let go of Kai's hand, returning to Ash's side once more.
She reached down, and yanked the blade out of her sister's back. Nothing would undo what had happened, but she didn't want to add insult to injury by leaving it there. Automatically, in a similar way to how she would clean her knife after each and every kill while hunting, she wiped it off on her already bloodstained sleeve, and returned it to the sheathe in her boot.
For a while after, she couldn't tear her eye away from the body, trying to keep herself from crying again, but eventually she shook her head and finally returned to Kai's side.
"Okay," she murmured. "I'm... ready. I guess."
She smiled at him, but it was weak and uncertain, only lasting a brief second before she remembered where she was, who she was, and what she had just done, and it turned back into the same old frown.
If nothing else, at least she still had him.
Katelyn took his hand, letting him hoist her up as he stood to his feet. Almost involuntarily, as though she were influenced by an old and hateful curse, her head twisted back over to look at Ash's crumpled body, and the knife still sticking out of her back. She grimaced as another pang of guilt and shame hit her, and she let go of Kai's hand, returning to Ash's side once more.
She reached down, and yanked the blade out of her sister's back. Nothing would undo what had happened, but she didn't want to add insult to injury by leaving it there. Automatically, in a similar way to how she would clean her knife after each and every kill while hunting, she wiped it off on her already bloodstained sleeve, and returned it to the sheathe in her boot.
For a while after, she couldn't tear her eye away from the body, trying to keep herself from crying again, but eventually she shook her head and finally returned to Kai's side.
"Okay," she murmured. "I'm... ready. I guess."
Kai retrieved his first-aid kit and flashlight as Kitty approached Ash and set the kit on a nearby chair to root around. He kept his head down and focused on picking through the supplies, searching for anything that might help the swelling in her eye, but was frustrated to come up with little. No ice pack. Maybe the people who had put them here figured there was plenty of ice to go around outside. Ha ha.
The noise that the knife made as Kitty pulled it from Ash's corpse was faint but still made his stomach churn. Kai set aside some of the painkillers, stitches, and needles, and instead picked up the saline and wipes.
"Come sit here and let me see your cheek. You don't want to get-" Your sister's blood. "-anything in there."
The noise that the knife made as Kitty pulled it from Ash's corpse was faint but still made his stomach churn. Kai set aside some of the painkillers, stitches, and needles, and instead picked up the saline and wipes.
"Come sit here and let me see your cheek. You don't want to get-" Your sister's blood. "-anything in there."
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1557
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
Katelyn dutifully followed Kai's instructions, sitting down in front of him, directly in his flashlight beam. She lowered her bloodied hood and took off her hat, the cold air stinging her warm head like a hot coal. She took another deep breath to steady herself and turned her injured cheek to where Kai could get at it.
Not much was said between them in the following few minutes, Katelyn opting to quiet allow Kai to wipe down her face and re-dress her cheek wound. It was a strangely pleasant experience, despite Katelyn's usual aversion to being touched by others. To her, it felt violating to have her personal space invaded by someone else, but she trusted Kai with her life, and he was oh-so gentle as he went about helping her. Even when he went over the tender spots where she had been hit, be it by Ash, Chiara, or even Ingrid, it was only mildly unpleasant at most.
Being doted on like this reminded her of her meeting with Kelsey, and the gentle affection she had been given then. She hoped Kelsey was alright, wherever she was, even if it seemed like she had left Katelyn behind. It wasn't like she could actually fault Kelsey for that, given all the she had done. Still, it would've been nice to have another friend around.
By the time Kai got done, and Katelyn's face felt cleaner than it had the entire last week, a wave of exhaustion passed over her. All the fighting this morning and her lack of sleep the previous night were finally catching up to her, and now all she could feel herself wanting to do was take a little catnap. Sleep would be a respite from her current circumstances, at least, and she could continue processing everything that had just occurred when she woke up.
"I'm sleepy," she said to Kai, eye half-lidded, after putting her hat back on.
Without any warning, and without asking, Katelyn curled up next to Kai, resting her head on his lap.
"I'm... gonna... nap," she trailed off.
((Her breathing slowed, and before she knew it, she was asleep.))
Not much was said between them in the following few minutes, Katelyn opting to quiet allow Kai to wipe down her face and re-dress her cheek wound. It was a strangely pleasant experience, despite Katelyn's usual aversion to being touched by others. To her, it felt violating to have her personal space invaded by someone else, but she trusted Kai with her life, and he was oh-so gentle as he went about helping her. Even when he went over the tender spots where she had been hit, be it by Ash, Chiara, or even Ingrid, it was only mildly unpleasant at most.
Being doted on like this reminded her of her meeting with Kelsey, and the gentle affection she had been given then. She hoped Kelsey was alright, wherever she was, even if it seemed like she had left Katelyn behind. It wasn't like she could actually fault Kelsey for that, given all the she had done. Still, it would've been nice to have another friend around.
By the time Kai got done, and Katelyn's face felt cleaner than it had the entire last week, a wave of exhaustion passed over her. All the fighting this morning and her lack of sleep the previous night were finally catching up to her, and now all she could feel herself wanting to do was take a little catnap. Sleep would be a respite from her current circumstances, at least, and she could continue processing everything that had just occurred when she woke up.
"I'm sleepy," she said to Kai, eye half-lidded, after putting her hat back on.
Without any warning, and without asking, Katelyn curled up next to Kai, resting her head on his lap.
"I'm... gonna... nap," she trailed off.
((Her breathing slowed, and before she knew it, she was asleep.))
Kai tossed the used first-aid supplied away without much care for where they landed among the rest of the mess in the basement and then methodically replaced everything else. He kept his eyes averted from Kitty after he finished cleaning and patching her up, but when she curled up against him, he rested an arm over her back all the same.
And then she was asleep, and he was, effectively, alone.
So Kai sat alone in the dark. Stared at the crumpled, pale shape of Ash's body. Listened to Kitty's breathing.
Waited for the moment when he'd be able to will himself to move and face what happened next.
((Kai Rosado-Prince continued in Black Rose))
And then she was asleep, and he was, effectively, alone.
So Kai sat alone in the dark. Stared at the crumpled, pale shape of Ash's body. Listened to Kitty's breathing.
Waited for the moment when he'd be able to will himself to move and face what happened next.
((Kai Rosado-Prince continued in Black Rose))
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."