Shaking his head to try and clear a small remnant of haze that seemed to stubbornly stick there, he looked to his right arm. Near the shoulder, where she – where he'd imagined…? – she'd grabbed.
There was a nasty looking almost burn-like wound there, bruising darkly as pus trickled out to fill the shallow gorge. It didn't look just like a hand however; he could make out claw shapes as well.
Shuddering, he turned to begin his descent back the way down to his own room before stopping frozen again.
Pan stood there, wide-eyed and pale.
"Pan…?" he tilted his head at her turning subtly to try and casually remove the wound mostly from view.
Too late, she was staring right at it.
"Pan…" he tried again, knowing the girl never talked. He took in her expression carefully, trying to guess exactly what it meant.
"You…have pissed off something very wrong, Mr. Ascelin…" she whispered, looking faint.
"What?" he stepped towards her then, once, stopping again when she flinched. "What did you say? Did you see that – whatever just happened?"
More steps hurried up the stairway before she could answer. Lexi stood there, holding a shaking and upset Pyro. Tears ran from the boy's eyes and he was consistently whimpering.
"Ascelin?" Lexi stared him down, eyebrows furrowing lightly.
He was thankful now that he'd kept his injury out of sight. "Hm?"
"What…happened?"
"What do you mean?" he raised an eyebrow at her a moment before letting his eyes wander. "Pyro, what's wrong?"
Confused, Lexi slowly lowered the boy to the floor and he stood there, shivering with a sad, frantic gaze. Turning to Ascelin, he shuffled over. "I heard something, Brother. It sounded like an animal and then…you screamed…."
Ascelin shook his head. He hadn't had the chance to make a sound. "No, buddy. I'm alright; you were just having a nightmare. That's all," promptly, he lifted the boy simply enough with only his left arm.
Holding him close, staring back into those youthful eyes that were full of fear and alarm. "I'm okay, Pyro…"
The boy only looked, biting his bottom lip a little as he thought. "You promise, Brother?"
"I promise…" Ascelin sighed, wry, unable to help glancing back up again to Pan.
But she was already gone.
So his gaze found Lexi once more. She didn't look near convinced, her arms crossed before her chest and her head to the side. Worry lining the corners of her eyes and mouth. "Cel… I think you should go see Trish…"
"No, I'm fine," he repeated with another sigh. "Honestly. Nothing happened. I showed the family to their room and was about to head back down. That's it."
"At least stay…in my room – with me?" she wondered then.
Ascelin stared her down a whole minute before thinking up a response. "Why?"
"Because… you didn't just hear Pyro's cry. It was terrible and…gave me a fright, Cel. Please don't argue…"
"Fine," sighing for what felt like too many times in a few simple seconds, he followed her down to the first level. Handing Pyro back to her, the boy still anxiously squirming and watching his master intently, Ascelin slipped alone into his room to do something quick about his arm.
It was already getting worse.
Taking one of those blue pills Trish always seemed to have in constantly updated supply, he cleaned the gorge out before wrapping it up. Pulling on one of his undershirts afterwards to cover up the wrap before heading again back out.
Lexi had waited for him; and hugged concernedly to his side as they walked the rest of the distance to her room. Getting in, Hex squeaked from where he was sitting at the center of his mattress, wrapped up in a blanket, hiding his nose and down. "Sister…? Pyro?"
"Everything's okay, Hex. Don't worry; it was just a bad dream."
Ascelin shooed Pyro back over towards Hex after Lexi slid him down to his own feet again. Pyro looked back up at Ascelin over his shoulder once before climbing up beside his best friend.
Hex automatically shared the blanket and, more unwillingly, laid back down. Pyro right along with him.
Lexi had moved and was now sitting on her own bed, watching as Ascelin started towards a not particularly sleep-intended or even capable old recliner she had in the room.
"Hey."
He looked at her and she patted a place on the bed right beside her.
Hesitantly, he changed course and sat down there, looking at her.
Lexi pulled him down further beside her, keeping an arm over his chest as her head rested upon – thoughtfully – his left shoulder and side. They waited for the childrens' breathing to calm and slow before proclaiming it safe to speak aloud.
Lexi started, "Are you sure you're okay, Cel?"
"Why are we still on this topic?"
"Pyro's shout was seriously freaky, Ascelin. You didn't hear it. I did. And…I'm not necessarily just referring to tonight. I mean in general, just lately."
"Everything's alright," he tried to reassure again, holding her closer to his side as he glimpsed her face instead of the ceiling. "Everything's been perfectly fine since I ran into you again, actually. Nothing's gone wrong…" Before tonight, anyway.
"Okay. Good night, Cel…" she snuggled more before settling, closing her eyes.
"Night Lex," he murmured lowly back, softly. Flashbacks of old trying to intercept and take the attention of his mind.
But the thoughts passing through were focused elsewhere. Had Pan seen any of…that? How exactly much?
Did it even happen?
He wasn't sure. Ascelin was a smart guy about many things, generally lucky in the few areas where he hadn't an honest clue. But that image, those eyes, teeth, and claws just couldn't add up in his head.
Something was obviously very wrong.
Finally allowing his tired eyes some relief, his thoughts again returned to the small frail girl who had been trembling as she'd stared, leaning against the wall beside her for support. It was a wonder, how she'd managed to slip away evading attention completely for how unwell she was.
She'd gained a little of her weight back, since even his arrival. But that wouldn't stop Ascelin from easily holding the whole width of her wrist with only his index finger and thumb.
Not that he'd risk getting so close to her; would possibly cause her fragile figure to snap – just standing by him. At least that's what often it felt like. Which did suffice to him enough a reason to let her keep her space.
But really thinking, despite the smallness and rings always darkening the circles about her eyes, she was quite a little piece.
Her skin was snow white pale. Her hair long, touching just past the center of her back, and shining white-blond. Thick locks, too, perhaps the healthiest looking trait about her now. Her eyes were an ice blue, like light and transparent sapphires.
Sapphires? The word came to him with an odd feel. It had always been an un-thought and unsaid word. He just knew what it was, never once was it worthy enough a topic to be circling through his mind.
Wasn't like he'd ever seen one of the precious gems before, either.
Shifting slightly to get more comfortable, his mind went on. She was surprisingly fine too, in the way of the more…feminine features. More than once he'd stopped himself from glimpsing…most of the girls he was inevitably around every day.
Wasn't really his fault. He was a guy. And like most, he had certain desires.
Like the one to discover what it felt like…
Shifting again, suddenly, opening his eyes and then aware of Lexi once more. His dark gaze trailed over her.
Her sleeping face. Her soft skin and high cheek bones… The rest of her features and traits fitting perfectly together like a well done puzzle.
Her shirt was tugged down a bit at the collar from sleep, exposing bra and more cleavage than what normally would allow him to just skip past. It was in all truthfulness, a terrible tease that nearly woke something down below within himself…
Groaning, he let his head fall back down again and closed his eyes once more. Needing to get some sleep now before he tried to do something he'd later regret.
Managing it at some point though, his dreams were filled of images of both lust, passion, and pain. There was Lexi. And oddly, some glimpses of Pan. But once both girls faded completely and totally away, that thing took their places in their stead.
Those black eyes absolutely ruinous with a hungry desire. Those teeth moving and causing the gums to bleed more in their ecstasy at the thought of sinking into someone's soft and tender flesh. Those claws raking right through clothing, skin, and muscle alike…
It was hot. And frightening. And unbelievably alarming.
As those claws tore into himself further, those teeth biting at the exposed area of his throat. Ascelin thought he could hear Lexi laughing and Pan giggling in the background of the…screams? His screams? He was screaming?
And the burning… The pain of his arm, spreading throughout his body. Going up to his face, ten fold as bad as it had originally been.
And the stinging stayed there, on his cheek, and the burning lingered along as well. And just as it felt again he'd shout over the sounds of the laughing and bliss happening everywhere around him, something else intervened.
"Ascelin!"
His eyes shot open and down to Lexi. Where his eyebrows furrowed with the confusion of the look on her face.
Natural lighting was filtering in through what used to be a perfect window, had to be about noon right now. And Lexi's face…she was flushed. And his cheek still burned. And one of her hands was clenching his shirt while the other was up under, resting tensely on his chest over his heart.
And then his hands…the one had stayed caressing around her, where it was supposed to be. But the other…
He jerked it up out of her pants and likewise immediately, blood flooding to his own cheeks now. "Oh God… Lex, I'm sorry... Did you…slap me?"
She slapped him again, backhanded this time, the other side of his face. "That answer your question, jerk…"
"I said I'm sorry," he defended, frowning. "I can't help what the hell I do in my sleep."
"Whatever," she grumbled and he removed his other arm, letting her up.
"Lex…"
"What?"
"I'm sorry… I really am."
She sighed down at him this time, finger combing her own hair. "It's…fine, Cel. Let's just not speak of it and head out. We both slept in way too late."
"Big Sister…?" Hex yawned, sitting up from over where he had laid.
She smiled over at him, "Good afternoon, Hex. I wasn't talking to you. You always sleep in late."
"Okay," he laid back down and Pyro sat up next, pushing him off the bed.
Hex yelped and groaned from where he'd crashed to the floor, unmoving and unwillingly clicking on his hologram. Pouting up at Pyro as the slightly older child rolled off on top of him, smiling lightly.
Hex groaned louder.
"Big Brother?" Pyro wondered, seeming to be doing much better this morning. "Breakfast, Brother?"
"Go see what Derek's whipped up," Ascelin responded, standing as well.
"Come on, Hex!" Pyro demanded, pulling the thicker child to his own feet before racing out.
Lexi laughed as Hex grumbled and followed in heavy trudges.
And with one last look and a small blush his way, she followed after quickly. Leaving Ascelin standing there alone, to think once more about everything his mind felt like currently taunting him with.