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Post by Nanari on Jun 8, 2016 21:27:28 GMT
Nanari knew she would so get into trouble with Percy for her next move, but she really couldn't help it, taking a handful of flour, Nanari quickly gave a smirk before using her training to move quickly and swiftly to his hair and rubbing in the flour. "You mean like this?" Nanari moved quickly into focusing on measuring ingredients, listing out what Percy could do and ignoring the fact she ever dared to do such a think to him, keeping half an eye out in case he decided to get her back at all. Giving Percy the bowl once everything was mixed together for the pie and asking him to set it aside, she gave him a look before smiling. "Do you want an apple pie, or pecan, or strawberry, and I can sneak in some of fathers peaches if you want a peach cobbler kind of pie..." Nanari would let Percy pick, as it was him sharing it with her, and she would go all out on the bread, he had never tried her version of something so simple before, Nanari going all out on it. Though if anyone asked, she would forever deny being found licking the bowl of filling clean, along side the spoon to accompany it.
(Little interlude between the baking of everything and making of the bread.)
Nanari dragged Percy in from the living room as she knew the pie and bread was done, the smells in the air filling the house. Setting the pie on the side to cool, Nanari began to half the bread into baskets for Percy later on. Chocolate chip, Banana, Pumpkin and a variety of different herb related carbs... She would also deny ever being found devouring a fresh out the oven Chocolate Chip roll. "Help yourself to anything cooked as well as drinks... I can make you tea if you want, unfortunately no alcohol as mother and father don't tend to keep any in the house, otherwise I would have offered."
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Post by Percival Ohere on Jun 8, 2016 21:44:08 GMT
Indeed Percy should have seen it coming. He'd barely finished warning Nanari about the flour before he was puffing out a cloud of the stuff as it fell down his face. Nanari was unbelievably quick, he'd not the chance to her doing so. He couldn't find much chance to get his revenge, the girl was expecting it. Percy was almost tempted to just freeze time and do something, but resisted. "Strawberries." He replied quickly, smiling a little. Certain a favourite fruit of his, but, honestly, Percy had almost forgotten what they tasted like, he just remembered the excitement at getting to grow some as a child once. Plus strawberries made into a jam were a perfect sticky red. So as Nanari relaxed a little more, tempted herself with licking the bowl or spoon clean, Percy shuffled passed her to collect a clean spoon, innocently touching her shoulder as he went, and leaving a lovely mark of jam on it, that for now went unnoticed.
He had his little revenge, and it made Percy smile a little more as they worked, soon the boy fell into a rhythm of enjoying himself. Laughing at the jokes Nanari made, talking a little more openly about himself, the hobbies he had. There weren't many besides drinking and being gloomy, but Percy did sometimes find interest in collecting things. His room was full of useless collections he'd gathered over the years. Smooth rocks, leaves, feathers, anything he found around Rycora when kept there as a child. The bread and pie smelt perfect, Percy almost reluctant to leave the kitchen where the smell was stronger. His mouth lifted into a half smile, "Alcohol has little point around you, Nanari, and your 'spoil the fun by sobering up Percival' powers." He commented openly, before thinking. "Well, I'm not too hungry," said the man who'd ate a total of three bites of pie today as his daily intake, "But... I suppose a drink of tea wouldn't be too bad."
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Post by Nanari on Jun 8, 2016 22:10:36 GMT
Nanari was glad Percy was seemingly enjoying himself, though she grumbled as she finally discovered the sticky jam on her shoulder. She let it slide for now, working out the perfect way to get him back, which came n the form of tea. Now Nanari heard the stories on how she use to be a tea lover, and matched with her mother now, that love never went away, but intensified. And over her years, as well as her mothers many, they both had a rather large collection of tea flavours, and Nanari gave a smirk to Percy before she began to speak. "Tea it is then. What flavour would you like, we have strawberry, vanilla, earl grey, lemon, plain tea leaves and raspberry." Taking a breath, Nanari knew the perfect way to get Percy back without doing anything more to him. "We also have, pomegranate, pumpkin, mink, blueberry, caramel, chai, chamomile, chocolate, cinnamon, cranberry, ginger, hibiscus, lemongrass, mango, orange, peach, blackberry, mixed berry, red berry, cherry, peppermint, honey, oolong, herbal, spiced, basil, star fruit, green tea, black tea, rooibos, lime, beetroot, liquorish, tropical, coconut, rhubarb, dragon fruit, winter spice, summer spice, blood orange, grapefruit, fennel, rosehip, Echinacea, spiced apple and nettle." Nanari meant to blabber on this time around, her intensive tea collection by memory, and she had all these flavours... Plus a few more. "Rose, mandarin, elderberry, jasmine, star anise, honey bush, chilly, apricot, hazel nut, chestnut, walnut, plum, papaya, guava fruit, goose berry, kiwi and my personal favourite, apple." Nanari finally calmed down enough to smirk and breathe, to give Percy time to pick while she headed over to start the kettle for a drink, they couldn't hover too much longer, parents due home and Nanari having one last stop before the end of today, but she would always have enough time for tea.
Note: WORTH IT!! Xxx
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Post by Percival Ohere on Jun 9, 2016 20:37:09 GMT
Percy had the time to blink excessively, then side on the edge of a sofa as Nanari wouldn't stop. The amount of tea in this household must take up an entire room, it was crazy. However, Percy was ever so patient waiting for Nanari to finished. He'd attempted to catch some of the flavours that took his fancy, but Nanari blabbered far too fast and gave out too many names for Percy to grasp at one. But, he still smiled patiently, waiting for what felt like a hour for the girl to finish. As she did, Percy didn't no whether to make sure she was still breathing, or applaud her for the show, instead he hummed in thought, before his eyes flashed with a little cunning. He followed Nanari into the kitchen, "Actually..." He began, hiding his smirk, "I think I'll change my mind, a glass of water would be lovely, thank you." And the smirk finally showed after that. Two could play this game, and Percy was no chump when it came to discovering when he was being toyed with. He waited to see hope drain from Nanari's eyes, before chuckling. "But if I had to, the apple flavour." He added finally, glancing out a window. Where had the day gone? Already it was getting dark, and yet even Percy, a user of Time magic, couldn't understand why today went to quick.
He shrugged it off, enjoying his tea, talking more to Nanari, before they had to leave for the sake of avoiding her parents, and Percy was happy to follow once more. One last destination on this day of humouring Nanari, for all it was worth, it had been more enjoyable than what Percy had been expecting.
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Post by Nanari on Jun 12, 2016 20:36:58 GMT
Nanari sent a glare over to Percy as he asked for water, going to fill the kettle anyways, she was having one regardless. But she did give a chuckle as he made a choice, reaching into the cupboard for the right packet. It was at the front, as it was her favourite alongside the star fruit for mother, so she didn't have to search through the flavours. Pouring a cup as the kettle whistled, Nanari also filled a glass with water and handed it to Percy. "You asked for water. Right?" Giving a smirk, Nanari left him with the first mug of tea before pouring a second and leading him to the sofa to talk while they finished up. Once they did, Nanari took both mugs and left them on the side before grabbing Percy's hand once more. "Mother and Father should be on their way back, and its late, but I have one more thing to show you first..." Giving him a smile, Nanari dragged him out the house, and flew to her second favourite spot in Aura.
The bridge was secluded at night, in the mist of a newer garden built when the humans moved up. A river running under which lead all the way to the lake, as Nanari followed to find out, but took hours to fly down. Giving a last check around to make sure none were about, Nanari pointed up to the sky and smiled. "Best place to see the stars here. They shine so bright. My somewhat brother Gensho made them, god of night and all. They always calm me when the lake does not, I like to search the sky for the constellations, point as many out as I can... Watch them look down upon the world, like they have their own personality, like its their job to watch over and protect in the middle of the night when everyone's guards are down. I mean, I always imagined Pisces to be two beings that complete each other, good and bad, balance each other out. And Scorpio as a man not to be messed with, a poisonous touch but makes his victims trust him first, or appears from no where... I'm sorry, I'm blabbering on again."
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Post by Percival Ohere on Jun 12, 2016 21:07:57 GMT
Percy did smirk to Nanari's glare, holding back a snort as she actually handed him some water. They both seemed to match one another in this game. And the smile on Percy's face was a genuine one, lasting for a while, until they had to move once more. He replaced his hat, following behind Nanari at an easy pace now, getting used to following her flight. It was a bridge, created near an area that Humans had adopted recently. From it, the lake that they'd been at not too long ago was just a few miles down, from what Percy gathered from Nanari's memories. He settled down quietly, leaning on the side of the bridge. He listened to Nanari talk, a small smile on his face, that vanished when she spoke of the stars. Such beautiful things yes, but deadly. A level of deadly that Percy could wield, that he could use, if he ever wanted to.
And the signs, the constellations, Nanari hit it spot on about them being alive, having thoughts and personalities. But, that was all she got right. The only job Percy knew them for was causing suffering, appearing to 'protect' the boy and doing nothing but making others afraid. Percy had spent some time with each Zodiac, getting to grips with what each one was like. They were all brutal and blunt in their own ways, but all also unique. Thinking on it, Percy sighed deeply. "Aries is impatient, Taurus is a stubborn ass, Gemini just never stops, Cancer is over-protective, Leo is a massive drama queen, Virgo is a snob, Libra is a perfectionist, Scorpio is bold and angry, Sagittarius is too clever, Capricorn is silent and dull, Aquarius is needy and Pisces is naive." Percy listed, his voice just a drone as he stated it all to Nanari. "And they're all deadly, dangerous beings you don't want to ever meet." Percy replied. He sighed again. There were other stars as well, the Drake, the Pegasus. Those signs were far more simple beings, without personalities beyond a simple or feral kind.
Percy felt Nanari's eyes bore into him, like he'd ruined a dream of hers by speaking harshly of the spirits. So he rubbed his eyes a little. "Want to know how I know all this?" Percy hissed, before glaring over to an empty space. He put one hand forward, speaking in an ancient tongue, and ending it with "Sagittarius." There was a orchestra of hums and lights, before with a flash, a being made of dark blue, ethereal mass appeared before them. Percy was stiff, knees bent as he looked defensively at the large being. He'd summoned him to prove a point, as soon as Sagittarius was violent, Percy could cast him back, before Nanari was harmed, but it didn't stop the boy looking fearfully at someone he'd witnessed doing powerful things in the past. Sagittarius appeared as one would think he would. A centaur. Body of a horse and a man. His human half was just a full set of knight armour, face a pointed helm. Silently he looked down at them. And... before Percy could say anything, the spirit put one hand to his chest, and bowed, awkwardly kneeling on his four hoofed legs. Percy didn't speak then, just watched this calm, gentle giant pay respects to them both, so many doubts rushing through his mind as he did.
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Post by Nanari on Jun 12, 2016 21:20:16 GMT
Nanari turned her gaze onto Percy as he spoke, eyes widening in disbelief... Did he believe that the constellations had personalities too, and was just bitter on the ideas behind what? Or was it something more? She knew Emeri held space as a magic, but had no idea such a thing existed when it came to that, Gensho being the one to look over them and all. Giving a silent nod, in shock still over hearing what each were like, Nanari's eyes somehow grew wider as the form of Sagittarius appeared before them. "Oh my..." Shaking in awe and excitement, Nanari bowed back to the being, lifting her dress a little in a half curtsy. Looking to Percy in awe, Nanari gave a breathless chuckle and a smile so large it hurt her face. "This is amazing Percy... I mean wow... I never would have thought..." Giving Percy a quick kiss on the cheek, Nanari took a step closer, looking to the being. "May I come closer?" Nanari didn't want to be disrespectful to the being, but she wanted to come closer see if the being was real in a sense, to touch what could very well be considered a star, but also did not wish to over step her boundaries.
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Post by Percival Ohere on Jun 12, 2016 21:37:52 GMT
Sagittarius got up from the bow, standing still over the two. Percy looked up to the armoured Centaur, still unable to fathom words. This was what they were like, when not attacking people and defending Percy from more fatal injuries. They were proud, gracious and... calming to watch. Percy had known all of them for so many years, and yet he'd never seen them in such a respectful way. And, gradually his shock turned to a smile, when Nanari walked forward, glee painted on her face. And a kiss on his cheek, leaving a heat there that seemed to linger. Finally Percy found his voice, when Nanari's curiosity peaked in the form of questions. "He's here for ten minutes.... Usually they appear out of their own will to protect me from harm. I've..." Percy's eyes dropped uncomfortably for a moment, "To be honest, I've never really met them outside of a fight... I thought they'd always be so... violent." He explained, before taking a deep breath. "Uh... Sagittarius," Percy almost flinched as the being's helmed head turned his way, "Offer Nanari your hand." He ordered carefully. With a flick of his tail, Sagittarius turned his gaze to Nanari, dropping his four legs to lie down and lower himself to a more reasonable level, slowly moving one hand forward to be touched. The command was done without any hesitation, and so for the duration of Sagittarius being summoned, Percy asked him simple things, anything that Nanari found curious. Eventually, the spirit's form wavered, and the Centaur faded into just a cloud of firefly-like lights, gradually fading away. Percy sighed heavily, there was a lot of effort when summoning a Zodiac, hence why it was a once a day thing. But, Percy thought it was worth it, just so see how much Nanari gleamed from the experience. And his cheek still felt a little warm.
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Post by Nanari on Jun 12, 2016 21:53:22 GMT
Nanari tried and failed to stop bouncing in excitement as she was allowed to touch the centaurs hand, carefully and gently running her fingers over the skin, transfixed on the fact this was a constellation from the sky, a living star that she was with. She didn't ask for much, not wishing to overstep her boundaries still. However she did once more bow before he disappeared, in a form of thanks to the being for allowing that privilege, before turning back to Percy, happy tears in her eyes, and still the same wide smile from earlier. "Thank you... Just thank you for that..." Dragging Percy into a hug, she buried her head in his shoulder for a moment. "Thank you." It may not have seemed like much what he did, but it was more then Percy would ever realise, and she hoped he knew that. Moving from the hug, Nanari dried her tears before giving a small chuckle. "Sorry, I got your shoulder wet from my tears." Brushing his shoulder over the marks, Nanari looked up to Percy and smiled. "Thank you for today... I hope you enjoyed it, however reluctant you were to join... And I hope we can possibly do so again, next time you can plan what we do though..."
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Post by Percival Ohere on Jun 13, 2016 21:16:30 GMT
Percy watched the small flickers of stars dissipate, floating back up to the night sky, wondering about this whole thing. In one day, just how many things was Percy going to see in a new light? How many times was he going to struggle against the locks around his heart, try to change the shallow and grim believes that the boy had followed all this time? Nanari's kindness, the lake's serene grace and peace, then seeing Sagittarius, a soul that Percy had witnessed destroying so much, bowing like a respectful and honourable knight. So many new things, all in one day. He'd sort through them soon, leaving such uncertainties on the edge of his mind was unhealthy. For now, he looked over to Nanari, frowning to the new shine in her eyes. Before Percy could say anything, she pulled him into a hug, Percy's arms stiff by his side. He'd... he'd not expected gratitude, then again, Percy brought Sagittarius forth to scare Nanari, show her what he thought was the violent truth about the Zodiac signs. He didn't ever expect praise for things, or tears of joy. Or hugs. And whilst Nanari's face was hidden, Percy let the confusion and guilt overcome him for a brief moment, glaring towards the ground. What was even going on? This entire day had been focused on settling some sort of debt Percy had to Nanari for helping him out. He'd continuously reminded himself of that, to grin and bear this day. But, over the time spent here, Percy had done more than humour her, he'd humoured himself as well, allowed himself to freely smile, to trust this odd woman. He'd had a day like no other in his life here with Nanari, doing things Percy never usually did, things he'd try to avoid at any cost. And yet, God... he had enjoyed it so much.
Nanari's touch was warm, the smiles on her face that Percy mirrored were genuine. As as Percy had grinned back, he felt the unused muscles in his face lift in relief, and he felt himself calm down for a moment. Could he get used to this? Percy didn't know, and he felt uncomfortable thinking about either option, shunning away Nanari from now on, or accepting this kindness into his life. For a moment he wondered what her feelings would be? Was Percy just another poor sap this kind girl plucked off the streets to help, or was he something rarer to her? He didn't know if Nanari would care if Percy vanished from her life, they barely knew each other, and she had plenty of friends and family already, he doubted he'd be leaving a gap in her life. But... what if she really did care? This wasn't a ruse to get Percy's trust then break it later, Nanari actually, honestly, cared about the lowlife forgotten prince. If Percy thought about it like that a day ago, he would of snorted, but now... now, he felt a flicker warm his heart for a moment. He'd choose not to care if tomorrow Nanari wanted nothing to do with him, but if she did... right now, Percy wouldn't deny wanting to be a part of this Angels life.. or rather, have her shed just a little light on his. Once Nanari pulled away, a smile was back on Percy's face, and a soft hint of red around his cheeks. "It's fine... um.." Percy quickly replied, realising he'd just been staring. "I should really thank you for this. Today's been... if I'm honest, a lot more enjoyable than what I'd expected." He admitted.
Percy soon noticed how bad he was at saying good-bye, opening and closing his mouth quite a few times with what to say, before pausing to think more. Eventually, he just cleared his throat, "I need to get to Delilah... So I suppose... I'll see you later?" Percy asked, "I mean, down in the Tavern, where I still work... thanks again for that, by the way." Percy added. And after a bit more spluttering of his words, Percy backed off, leaving Nanari up in Aura as he floated on down to Baransu, landing down into a quiet street. He sighed heavily, the cold air down here stinging his lungs a little. He supposed, it was back to the usual now. No need to hold back his grimaces or natural glares now that Nanari wasn't around. He could let the pain in his head fester and bug him now, without trying to force it back. Back to the usual.
And yet, as Percy glanced at his reflection in a window as he walked, he couldn't help but notice the smile he had on his face, going from ear to ear.
He'd admittedly landed far from the Tavern, to let the walk clear his head a little. Because Percy really did need to think. He spent the silent walk honestly just picturing Nanari, unable to shake her from his mind. Perhaps thinking about his... friend? Could she be called that? made Percy distracted, unable to predict what was ahead of him. Or what stalked him from behind. There was an impact on the back of Percy's head, it sent his knees forward onto the ground, the boy landing on his hands, grunting in confusion as he brought himself to the side, looking up to who'd struck him. "Found you... little shit." Angus growled, dropping the brick as a small patch of crimson tricked down one of it's edges. The same warm trickle Percy then felt down the side of his head. The world shook heavily, everything on full impact in the boy's head now. But even as words did come to Percy, he didn't get to say them. Angus had already grabbed his collar, lifting the small and lanky Prince up and carrying him into an alleyway. "Followed you all day, you know? How dare you take all that stuff! Did you even think what my Ma's going to have to go through now with the old git? Peter already wants to work us like slaves." Angus hissed, forcing Percy against a wall, giving him some leeway to move one hand, curl it into a fist and collide it multiple times into Percy's stomach. Each impact Percy was more prepared for, but the pain still shuddered across his body, his stomach twisted and almost forced bile out from Percy's mouth. He gasped for a breath once Angus was done, a drop of sickly saliva dribbling from his mouth. "It.... It was sorted.. Angus. Nanari.. she p.. paid for me." Percy explained, but it only made Angus's eyes flare even more wild. A fist smashed into Percy's face, square in the centre, and caused a gush of blood to come out his nose. "You got Miss Nanari involved? You.... you little scum! How dare you swindle her of her money!" Angus barked out, teeth baring. And through the intense pain across Percy's face, he could swear Angus looked... sad? "Miss Nanari is nice and kind! She's been a valued customer to me and Ma for years. You... don't ever touch her, you hear me?" Angus threatened, his grip on Percy's collar shaking a little. Then Angus dropped Percy completely, going for a full-on punch to the side of Percy's face, one that took Percy with it as it hit, knocking him straight to the ground. There was a crack, a definite one, around Percy's jaw, and he winced as blood filled up his mouth. On the ground, Percy tried nurturing his broken jaw, all the while spitting out what blood and bile was in his mouth and glare up at Angus. He then began to chuckle, something that made Angus stiffen a little. "You like her, don't you Angus?" Percy asked, not needing an answer, the red blush to Angus's face told him enough. Whilst the larger boy was stunned, Percy groaned, stumbling up to his feet, one arm over his bruised stomach, the other still supporting his painful jaw. "That's... that's what this really is, isn't it? You don't like it that Nanari wanted to talk to me, and not you. You're just jealous, aren't you Angus?"
Percy should have stopped, all he had were words. Whereas Angus had quite the opposite. The word 'Jealous' came out, and Angus's glare returned, he stormed over to Percy. He grasped the boy's arm that supported his jaw, and with a jolt of his arm, pulled the whole thing from it's socket in one harsh tug. Percy heard the snap of tendons and cried out in pain. Which was cathartic for about two seconds until Angus shut him up with another punch to the face. And then another, and another. The punches kept coming until things started to blur, and with a stumble back, Percy dropped to the wall, slumped down whilst the world spun and everything hurt. "What's there to be jealous of? The fact that she's pitying scum like you? Please. You've got no chance with someone like Miss. Nanari, you threw your lot in with being an alcoholic piece of dirt, and that's just all you'll ever be, got it?" Angus spat, granting Percy one last kick to his stomach, pushing the boy flat against the cold and damp floor of the alleyway, before snorting and walking off. He didn't need to say more, because as he'd noticed, and then shortly after so did Percy, that the wounded Prince had started to cry. Percy felt the warm tears travel down his face for a few seconds, before everything faded out, and his reddened eyes dropped shut as he passed out.
Percy woke up to the same dark alley, coat beginning to soak in the dirty dampness around him, and blood drying over his face and shirt. He blinked a few times, slowly coming to, while staring up at the night sky. The moon was in the centre now, beyond the point of midnight. Percy groaned and hissed in pain as he lifted himself up, he'd passed out too long. No doubt Delilah had given up on him turning up and done the job herself. Percy sighed, taking slow breaths as breathing caused spikes of pain against his broken jaw. After the world stopped spinning, Percy struggled to his feet, stumbling a few times before finding his bearings. His dislocated arm was just a dead weight now, and he clutched it with his good one as he walked. He aimed for the Tavern, for some unknown reason. Because despite what awful things just transpired, Percy needed to let Delilah know why he'd not been there. He almost tripped as he knocked into the door frame, looking around the empty Tavern and hearing a gasp. "Percy!" Delilah called, dropping a cloth in her hand to support the injured boy. "What in the Goddess's name happened to you?" She asked. Percy went to answer, before seeing someone else approach from the kitchens. Angus watched him with fake worry, but his gaze hardened when Percy went to explain himself.
"I... I had a fall." Percy lied. Delilah almost snorted, "A fall? From where, Aura?" She asked, shaking her head as she helped him over to a chair. Percy smiled weakly, but didn't reply. And Delilah, being a good judge of emotions, kept her mouth shut. She knew Percy got into fights, and if this was because of one, then she wouldn't pester him about it. She didn't know it was her own son's doing, and Percy wasn't going to tell her it was either. These two only had each other, and Delilah had a lot of faith in her son to do good in life. Percy didn't want to see the break in Delilah's heart if she knew what Angus had done. "Did... did you do the stock take?" Percy eventually asked, whilst Delilah dabbed a wet cloth against the many cuts and bruises on his face. She tutted, "Yes, Angus came back to help me with it. And don't you say anything mister, you had a good excuse not to be here. I'll let you off this once." Delilah replied, giving Percy a smirk, whilst her hand rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. Percy only smiled again once Delilah had done resetting his arm- which was almost as pain as when it had been dislocated- and then offered Percy a drink. He sat quietly in one corner of the empty Tavern, watching Delilah slowly grow more tired, and eventually go upstairs to retire. Once she was gone, Angus immediately walked to Percy's side. He put a hand over Percy's shoulder and squeezed it, and considering that was the arm that had been dislocated, Percy to bite his tongue to not cry in pain. "This changes nothing, scum." Angus warned, "If I find you skulking around Miss Nanari again, this-" He squeezed the shoulder again, "-will be the last of your worries." And with that, Angus pushed off Percy to storm into the back, leaving Percy in silence. His breath shuddered, and hands shook as he downed the last of what was given to him. Sweat beaded down Percy's head as for a moment his whole body panicked. But, after a while, it relaxed, Percy's eyes lost their colour they'd regained from the day, and his entire body just sagged. He stopped questioning why this was happening to him. Because Percy very bitterly remembered: Because he knew better then expect the world to be anything but cruel.
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