(LIBERNA)
When Damian’s head hit a pillow, his first tired, half-conscious thought was, “I’m going to bleed straight through my mattress.” All other thoughts were chased away when a bare foot came down on Damian’s throat. Damian’s eyes snapped open and on instinct he grabbed the ankle. The man above him was a stranger, a half-naked man with messy, chin-length red hair, blue eyes, and stubble on his chin. The man looked away from him, over his shoulder, and said something in a language Damian couldn’t understand, his foot pressing down harder the second his eyes looked away.
Another man, quite a bit younger looking than the first and dressed in a shirt and boxers, stepped forward into Damian’s view. He was a tan young man with short brown hair and brown eyes who looked quite a bit like a younger Desmond. The younger man reached for Damian’s face. Damian had to tighten his grip on the red-headed man’s foot to keep himself from swiping at the hand with the Claws. This wasn’t his apartment, he was a strange intruder, they hadn’t done anything wrong yet.
The young man’s finger was warm against Damian’s cheek for a second before he tugged his mask down. His eyes widened, as if this complete stranger recognized Damian. He backed away a couple of steps and said something in that unknown language, gesturing at Damian.
The red-haired man pushed his hair back from his face and replied in a sulky tone.
The younger man whispered something angrily, eyes flicking towards Damian.
After another quick exchange of words, the younger man left Damian’s field of view, a door opening and closing off to the side.
Damian once again met the eyes of the red-haired man and shuddered. The look the man gave him was one of cold, concentrated malice. Just as Damian was starting to think he would have to fight to defend himself, the man finally removed his foot from Damian’s throat.
He crouched on the bed between Damian’s legs, an elbow on one of his knees and his chin resting in his hand. Damian tried to push himself into a more upright position but when he put some pressure on his right side, he remembered the pain in his shoulder. With a grunt, he flopped back down.
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The man said something to him in that same strange language. “Do you speak English?” Damian asked. When the man gave no indication that he understood, Damian took another shot in the dark, “¿Hablas Español?”
To Damian’s surprise, the man suddenly sat up straight and said with a heavy accent Damian couldn’t place, “¿la lengua de Dulcinea?”
*
Symeon arrived at the crime scene at the same time as three teenagers in casual civilian clothes, though one was rather proudly displaying his Guardian badge. The one displaying his badge was a blonde young man with bright blue eyes and a rather severe bedhead. The other two Symeon recognized from their reputations. The extremely short and tan young man with red-rimmed glasses was Dexter Beso, a trouble-maker Symeon had been warned about. He seemed of a similar sort to Aedan, hateful of authority despite being a Guardian. The third one, a young woman with a blonde bob and dark blue eyes was Page Chayse, the girl who assumed her younger brother’s identity for over five years to become a Guardian. When she was found out Princess Rosemund advocated for her life to be saved and for girls to be allowed to be Guardians. The three girls who had joined Kitten Academy in the wake of this decision quit after only a month. She was wearing baggy, masculine clothing as if still clinging to her cross-dresser identity.
The two famous recent graduates were known to hang out with two others, their roommates from Kitten Academy. One of those two must be the blonde young man with them, the other... Symeon looked up at the quietly looming white stone Lore Townhouse... the first survivor of Hurricane and Tsunami.
*
Wren’s hands shot out, one grabbing Page, the other grabbing Dexter, stopping the two in their tracks. They were approaching Jardin’s family townhouse at the same time as a Tiger rank Guardian. And not just any Tiger ranked Guardian, but the youngest ever to reach Tiger rank, “Guys, it’s Symeon Faikes,” he whispered, staring a bit awestruck.
Tiger Faikes gave them all a once over as he passed by and Dexter fought the urge to hide behind Wren as those brown eyes that seemed to know all roved over him.
Page pulled her arm out of Wren’s grip, “well, yeah, he’s one of the people leading this case, of course he’d be here.” Despite her words, her tone was rambling and her eyes followed him, unable to hide that she was starstruck too.
Feeling uneasiness settling in his gut, Dexter adjusted his arm until he was holding Wren’s hand. Wren looked at him in wide-eyed surprise. “Let’s go, Jardin needs us.” Dexter stepped forward, dragging Wren along as he entered the townhouse behind Tiger Faikes.