Aftermath

Saberteck said:

They walked along, her hand on his shoulder, they'd survived, they'd made it out, they were going to be ok. So much had happened in those few days, so many things. They'd cried and comforted each other, found companionship in each other, and together they'd made it out.

He gave a Klef a small smile even if she couldn't see it, it wasn't the first time he'd nearly died. He was so happy Klef made it out, happy they would both be ok.

@Ballerina

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Klet always thought of hospitals as warm and safe, but boy did she have a rude awakening. Dying tomato red and blind was not how she wanted to go, fortunately, her and James managed to snag a ride with the Rosales. Though she wasn't too fond of that one Roa dude, anything was better than the possibility of being blown up.

James had been alongside her the entire time, even when she couldn't see the familiar aura he always looked out for her. It was strange to her how two people who were once strangers could survive just by sticking together. She made an absolute fool of herself at the hospital, hitting one of the Rosales, throwing up in the lobby, and running into walls, yet James didn't seem to mind that he was friends with such a weirdo. It was beyond her comprehension how he put up with her antics, not to mention keeping her from reaching her inevitable death prematurely.

She slumped over his shoulder, letting him blaze the trail. Her eyes became faucets, tears poured out as she leaned her head against his shirt. It hurt like hell, but there was nothing else that she could do. " T-thanks..." Klef muttered softly, not questioning where they were going. As long as she was by his side, she felt safe.

Saberteck said:

He very gently wrapped an arm around her waist in a hug, "anytime," he said, and it was true. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," James was loyal, and when he found people he cared about he stuck with them.

So he held her, his friend, who for all he cared, was family to him. "I'll always be here," he meant it. And through all of it, the Shadow remained quiet, contemplating, watching. He held her, stopping to let her vent her emotions, he'd been there, he'd nearly died before, no one was there for him, but he'd be there for her. "We're ok," he whispered reassuringly.

James, they had made peace, but this was a side of Shadow he'd never seen, but he kept focusing on Klef, promising to always be there for her.

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Klef's slung her hand around his back, holding onto him. Her head sunk deeper into his chest, tears still flooding down her feverish red cheeks. She was never the type of person who was grateful for all the nice people out there because that was how people should always act according to her, of course, she never set the best example either. Nor did she think that she needed anyone else to help her, she did run away to for the sake of independence after all. So much for that. this entire week she had been relying on everyone to get better and stay safe. Heck, she even had to be rescued by a gang to get out of quarantine. It was pathetic and deep down she knew she could of handled it all by herself.

This was different though, she wanted James by her side. Sure, it was pathetic to use someone else for comfort and doubling as a pair of eyes, but she knew that she wouldn't stand a chance without him. Klef leaned further into his shoulder as she stood and softly sobbed.

At first she wasn't quite sure what she was crying over, but with a fever, she had little or no control over restraining her from doing so. Klef was crying over everything; her lost powers and sight, a near death experience, calling her uncle to tell him that she may die within the next week, and being so helpless in general.

" I-I know.... everything will be alright in the end..." Klef nodded, voice shaking. She wanted to believe James that they were both ok. Deep down she knew that it was nothing but a white lie, yet she still held it as truth.

"... what now?"

Saberteck said:

He hugged her, they were opposites. James appreciated everything, when one grows up like he did you learn appreciate things, and he appreciated Klef. Appreciated her friendship and everything it brought.

He whipped her tears away, "we'll go to my place, we have a spare bedroom," he knew his dad wouldn't mind. "We can stay there until everything is fixed," hid voice was filled with confidence, he he had grown a lot, "we have everything we need there."

He kept his arms around her, "tomorrow I'll make us breakfast," he didn't realize it, but he was growing up, into a leader, making plans, "after that I'll run to the school, gather your things."

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She let him hug her. Usually she pushed people away if they tried to get too close, but this was different. For the first time she was truly lost, no magical eyes to guide her out of trouble. The only thing that diluted the awful feeling was hugging her closest friend, James. Despite the warnings from her uncle that teenage boys are nothing but trouble, she trusted that he wouldn't lead her straight into traffic.

Klef nodded in acknowledgement to what James had said. She wanted to go home, back when she had her eyes and an uncle to keep her from doing stupid things like going to the party. To do that was to go back in time though, the next best thing was to be blind and miserable, but with a friend. The adrenaline from escaping. Quarantine was long gone, it was hard to do anything besides cry. Klef realized that she needed to calm down if they wanted to get anywhere. Escaping Quarantine was a step towards safety, but it definitely was not the only one. It was too obvious that both of them were sick. If they got caught by some authority figure during their escapade, they would be thoroughly screwed over, probably forced back into Quarantine. She took a deep breath, her shoulders quivered as her chest rose.

Tears ran down her face as she exhaled, followed by soft sobbing. Calming down was impossible, like trying to calm down a fire by dousing it in gasoline. She didn't know why she was crying so hard. It would be easy just to blame it on the mood swings that the virus brought with it, but clearly that couldn't be further from the truth. didn't know whether it was the fear of dying or the fact that a huge part of her had already died. The weather was chilly enough to see her attempts to slow down frantic breathing yet it felt was scorching. Stupid fever.

She took another deep breath. This time the tears and sobbing didn't follow. Staying calm was the only way that they could make it. With the little energy left, she spoke.

"I-I don't really have much things to gather... Most of my stuff is in my hoodie pocket, it's going to be too hard going back to school anyways... you're sick too." She told him, voice shaking and soft.

Even when her crying had died down to a small stream it still felt like she was drowning, struggling to breath and even harder to talk. She used to be able to ramble on for hours. It used to be so easy, why couldn't it be like that now? If they wanted to get anywhere she needed to calm down. She took it in baby steps. Right now, all she needed to do was make it to Jame's home.

She wasn't acting like herself, or at least what others saw. Klef tried to muster up the energy to talk, a vain attempt miraculously return to her once cheerful demeanor. " ...Breakfast sounds good though." She commented, loosening her grip on James.

The fabric of her coat stung her neck since James had worn it, yet it was somehow comforting. The way she wore it draped around her shoulders reminded her of a cape more than a coat, like something batman would wear if his costume was compromised out of a Sear's catalog. Klef appreciated how James looked out for her while they were out in the cold, even if it did not feel that way to the feverish girl. March was be one of those months where the snow has already melted, but the sun had yet to come out.

The stinging started to fade, she figured it was nothing more than just symptom of the virus that she was no longer quite sure which strand she had contracted, as it did not align with co-parvius. Whatever it was, it was apparent that she was not as human as she claimed to be.

Thanks to the few inches she gained while sick, Klef could have slapped Jame's across the back of the head if she had the energy. Of course he was not fine, hence why he had to stay in Quarantine with her. " Don't lie, I'm not blind I can see right through you'r-—- oh." Klef let out a disappointed sigh. She was indeed blind. It was going to have to take some getting used to, especially with her old powers revolving around her ability to see.

" A-a-anyways, you need to take care of yourself too... glad your house is nearby, was worried we might have gotten caught for a sec." She stuttered, talking had grown progressively harder after all the events of the week and not because she felt ill.

Klef picked up the pace, legs shaking, leaning onto James for support. She was surprised that James had thought he fell apart. From her perspective, he just cried and came on better terms with Shadow, she was no psychic, she had no idea what was going on inside his head. It was even more surprising to her that she was of some kind of help to him.

" ... That's what friends are for... soggy butt." A smile cracked on her face for the first time in weeks. Her eyes flickered before dying back down to a dull milky color