Simultaneous release

He was never going to get out of here.

Of course, the irony of the situation was that Lochlann had gotten out of here and not just once, but twice. Despite the fact that both times had been sheer dumb luck, Lochlann had developed a bit of a reputation.

There was also the fact that he'd broken the jaw of one of the orderlies. The man was down at the infirmary getting it reset with magic. They may have taken away his ability to transform and hypnotized, but they couldn't take away what he was: a cornered animal.

He'd been moved to the new wing this morning and Lochlann already hated it here. He hated everything about this place. If you'd try, you might learn to like it, he'd been told, but Lochlann didn't want to like it. He wanted to hate it. He wanted to get out of here.

His head was pounding. His throat was raw and covered in large, purple-black bruises. If someone where to get close enough, they'd be able to see that the bruises held the shape of human hands, but Lochlann wasn't letting anyone get close to him.

He was spread about on the couch in the lounge. He was wearing short sleeves--another thing he hated, Lochlann craved a hoodie--and his long arm was thrown over his face to block the glow of the florescent lights. He wasn't wearing shoes, either, and the thick, cold band of the neutralizing bracelet was visible over his ankle.

Every single part of him said, Fuck Off.

He looked like a panther lounging on a branch; sleek, lean, and pissed off.

No one had dared to approach him.

That was fine by Lochlann. He didn't need anyone else.

He needed a way out of here.

---

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

When Lochlann felt someone approach, he visibly tensed. The lean muscles in his arms tightened and coiled like a spring, but whoever it was never came any closer.

Lochlann never relaxed, but he didn't make any attempt to move away. Of course, he made no attempt to lift his arm from his pounding skull too look at whoever had approached him.

He hated this stage, the part where sounds became a physical assault on his ears. Lochlann had always been sensitive to sounds; under water, things were just way more muffled. Even the high-pitched clicks and schreeches were gently brought by a lull of waves.

He wanted to jump off those cliffs and into the waves again. He didn't even care if the chances of him surviving a second jump where slim to none. Anything would be better than here.

A voice broke him from his thoughts and he flinched even though she wasn't loud.

He pulled his arm from his face as though he was sliding a boulder back from a tomb on redemption day. Lochlann faltered.

His eyes widened and then the pupil contracted, then expanded suddenly. His nostrils flared slightly, taking in her scent even though he lacked the ability to distinguish it.

He mouthed her name, but of course, it wasn't her, it wasn''t-- "Guin."

She looked like Guin, but in the way a dog might look like a wolf, or a cabyll-ushtey might look like a horse.

Maybe it was because she was emoting while she spoke to him, curiosity evident on her face. He stared at her for a moment, and then Lochlann blinked, because it was painful. It was too bright in here.

He put his hand back over his face, both to shut her out and to stop her from seeing anything his face might betray.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm Lochlann."

His heart was hammering. His palms were wet. He wasn't hard, but he couldn't deny that his body was already starting to hum with interest.

He was overwhelmed by his need for another drink.

"Did you want something?" he asked. Despite his intentions, his voice wasn't entirely unfriendly.

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

She didn't quite answer his question, but for some reason, that didn't bother him. Not really, at least.

Lochlann didn't move.

This was in itself progress, though she wouldn't know this. Lochlann tended to bolt at the first sign of company, but she'd intrigued him with his offer. He was hurting so badly that he would do just about anything to numb the pain.

"I can't say i'm not interested," he said. How the hell could she have gotten something to numb the pain in here? He couldn't even assume it was powers, because no one's powers worked here, so it had to be something chemical.

Lochlann needed something chemical.

Reluctantly, Lochlann rolled onto his side towards her and dropped his arm from his face so it was propped below his chin, obscuring his bruises from her.

"Hello, Dani," Lochlann said.

He was still tense and his voice was wary, but she had his interest.

Of course, Lochlann knew that things like that didn't come without a price. If she was able to get pills or even a shot, she wasn't going to just offer it up. Lochlann made a mental inventory of what he had to offer; it wasn't much.

He closed his eyes and then opened them only a little, squinting at her to filter away some of the light. Even squinting, Dani's resemblance to her was uncanny. Lochlann wondered if he'd finally snapped and was just seeing Guin everywhere.

He blinked, but her appearance stayed the same. He blinked again, and then swallowed.

"What are you looking for in exchange?" he finally asked.

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

He watched her. When her eyes went to the ceiling, Lochlann followed them, but he couldn't look for long because the light hurt.

Then, she was up, and Lochlann tensed further, drawing inside himself with the curl of his shoulders, but she only walked to the edge of the couch and scooted his feet off. There was almost something playful about her reaction, and Lochlann found that...endearing.

He was curious.

What did she mean about someone to talk to? Lochlann was racking his mind for what information she might want. He was good at getting information from people. For some reason, people just wanted to tell him things. It was harder here, but he could do it, he could get what she needed.

She patted her lap and Lochlann eyed her askance.

The throbbing pain made his decision for her.

He shifted to the other side and Lochlann laid his head on her lap as though he was putting his head on a guillotine block.

"Why won't it work sitting up?" he thought to ask, but it was too late. His head was on her lap. He'd made the commitment.

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

He watched her face as she looked at him. Lochlann was searching her for signs of imminent betrayal. He'd given in easily, but that didn't mean he was out for the count.

She told him to close his eyes, and Lochlann didn't. He watched her dig into her bag, and then, wondering if he'd still get whatever it was if he wasn't complying, Lochlann closed his eyes.

"Okay," he said. His voice was very low and very quiet. There was danger behind it and a threat in the silence that followed.

If he was being honest with himself (and he wasn't), Lochlann would have realized that he trusted her only because she looked like a woman he could only trust not to trust. It was sort of ironic, really.

She told him to inhale, and Lochlann understood. It was an inhalant, some kind of chemical thing. That's why he had to have his eyes closed, and he had to be laying down.

He nodded slowly, and then took a deep breath.

The smell was familiar, but foreign at the same time.

He exhaled, and her fingers were on his forehead. For a second, the pain lifted, but Lochlann didn't register that. Lochlann jerked and trembled and then shot up from her lap; it was an action he immediately regretted because the pounding in his head did not respond well to the rapid movement.

He groaned and dropped his head between his knees, breathing heavily, trying not to pass out from the sudden rush of pain.

"Fuck," he whispered. His shoulders were hunched and his fists were clenched and pressed to his eye sockets. "Fuck."

He had not been expecting that. He was embarrassed by his reaction, but he couldn't take it back.

He said, "I'm sorry."

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

Lochlann didn't understand what she meant about the lotion, but he didn't understand a lot of things because his head was throbbing. Spots were dancing at the corners of his eyes now, and his words were thick and slurred when he was able to speak.

"Okay," he said. "Okay, I trust you."

he almost said, I trust you, Guin, but of course....this wasn't Guin.

But it was her accent, the same one that Guin had, and she had the same hair, almost, but not quite. He hated that this was familiar to him, but somehow, it put him at ease. He couldn't explain it.

His movements were jerky and unsteady, but Lochlann finally shifted his position so his head was back on her lap. He didn't close his eyes this time. Instead, he watched her carefully, bracing himself for the moment her hands would reach his face. His eyes watered in the brightness of the lights.

He didn't ask her the question that was burning on his mind, so instead, he asked, "Why do you have lotion for pain?"

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

Lochlann was quiet while she worked.

He remained tensed for much of the time, but he closed his eyes after the first minute, and then after a few more Dani was able to massage the grimace off his face.

He never relaxed completely, but she would be able to discern what he might look like outside of this hell hole, where he was a normal young man instead of a delinquent.

The joke was that he was always delinquent, but here, everyone knew it.

"It smells good," Lochlann said after a moment. He twitched his nose for a moment, and then said, "But I don't know if it's good enough to get addicted to. it smells like..."

He wracked his mind for what it smelled like.

It almost smelled like Her. but not quite. Her floral scent had been different, lighter, more water like.

"It smells like sleep," he said. Someone had probably washed his sheets in lavender fabric softener once, but it wasn't him. Lochlann was plane and unscented in comparison.

He did not bite at the opportunity to ask her. He preferred to have that sort of information freely given. But, since the pain was starting to subside to something more manageable, Lochlann found his resistance crumbling.

"Your mom, did she teach you massage, too?"

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

Lochlann grew still and attentive, hoping for more of the story hidden in her voice, but she didn't give him more than a tease.

It was easier to focus on something familiar. Sometimes, the pain was the most familiar thing, but right now it was the story of lavender under the pillow.

"Foxglove under the pillow will help with conception," Lochlann murmured. He wasn't sure why that fact just escaped his mouth. "And Saint John's wart is for nightmares. Those are the only two I remember my mom telling me about."

When she sang, Lochlann reacted like he'd been struck into unconsciousness. His body jerked and then relaxed and this time, when her hands grazed his face, Lochlann tilted into her touch.

"No," he said, and then elaborated. "It didn't hurt, I mean. Your voice is nice."

She'd stopped touching him but her hands were cool on his face and he was glad she hadn't removed them. He'd been warm for so long that Lochlann honestly couldn't tell if he had a fever or if he was just hot.

"Thank you," he said. "That was...that was nice."

He felt that he should move, but he was reluctant to. Nice things like this didn't last. He wanted to drag it out as long as possible.

His breathing had evened out and he'd relaxed considerably, but he still had that flighty sensation to him. It would probably never leave so long as he was in this place.

"You seem very nice," he said. There was an implied, so why are you here, but he didn't ask.

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

Lochlann had missed her smile because his eyes were still closed. It was probably a good thing, because then he would have smiled back, and it would have hurt.

He swallowed and his throat ached.

"What if I am?" Lochlann asked. He blinked his eyes open and was surprised to see that she was so much closer than he'd anticipated. For a second, he thought they were going to kiss, and Lochlann tilted his head a fraction of an inch to make it easier to press his lips to hers and--

--she'd sat up.

"I was never glaring," Lochlann said. He brought his hand up to his face to make it look like he'd tilted his head to brush away the hair that kept stubbornly falling back into his eyes. He was a little bit indignant. Lochlann did not glare, especially not at pretty girls.

His hands were resting on his chest as though he'd been prepared for burial.

He swallowed again and regretted it.

"What else do you know," Lochlann asked. "About getting rid of pain?"

That was why he was here, after all.

RE: Simultaneous release [KYROS]

Does it matter?

Did it? Lochlann didn't know. He didn't even know if he wanted it to matter.

It struck him that, only a few days prior, he'd literally fucked Guinevere Haze all night long. Now, he was here with his head on another girl's lap, and they were talking about pain. His pain.

It made him feel oddly vulnerable. That was not a feeling Lochlann liked having.

"Your sister," he asked. "Older or younger?"

It was good that she wasn't a doctor, because otherwise Lochlann wouldn't be talking to her. He almost told her that, but decided not to. He wasn't sure why he was letting her coax all this information about this.

When she pointed a finger to his bruises, Lochlann lifted on hand to cover his own throat. He'd been thinking more for the other pain, but he couldn't deny that they hurt.

Warm washcloth meant water. She'd be putting water on him.

Lochlann swallowed and averted his eyes for a moment.

"No," he said. "'But thank you. it was kind of you to offer."

Then, she'd asked about the bruises directly, and Lochlann couldn't find a way to get out of anwsering her.

"It was from a woman," he said. "A squid would have been a welcome relief."

It was his first attempt at making a joke in a long, long time.