salivation | Act I

Act I - Scene I

We're doing things a little differently this time.

When one first thinks about how the planet might look if an an apocalypse were to strike; beautiful, lively forests are not the first thing that you might imagine. As the young, white haired man tread carefully over a root-covered deer path deep in the forest, he couldn’t stop himself from admiring it. Even though humankind was facing such a catastrophe of massive proportions, it was almost as if it had left nature alone. The birds were chirruping together in a cacophony of seductive bird-song, cries of warning and curiosity about the approaching humanoid, and whines of hunger from late hatchlings. The leaves were as green as ever, as if they were trying to make up for humanity. Even the flowers seemed to rebel against the hopeless state of the country and the dim mood of the forest’s intruder.

The young man sighed, though, as the sounds of life began to dissipate. He knew that he must be approaching his target when the lively forest became almost entirely silent, sans the echoes of life that he had already passed. There had been a notice on the message boards in one of the nearby villages, which contained a few of the vestiges of the war and was holding up against the onslaught of Irregularities-- It had said that a monster was spotted skulking around. Not only that, but it was being blamed for the disappearance of a child who had been playing in the outskirts of the village. While he had no idea if this monster could be blamed, the young man had taken it upon himself to protect the remainder of humanity as best as he could, and eradicate any potential Irregularities as they appeared.

At that point, even the echoes of life in the distance couldn’t be heard, and the young man could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise at every snap of a twig beneath him. The small, delicate wings folded against his back were starting to ruffle as he grew closer to the target that seemed to be threatening his very existence. The silence in the forest was slowly giving way to the sounds of wet breathing and shuffling just ahead, but the angel didn’t slow. Balls of light began to form and gather in the air around him, preparing for battle. He thought it was a good sign that he was getting so close to it but hadn’t seen any blood yet. It either meant that the missing child hadn’t been killed by the Irregularity yet, or they hadn’t been taken at all. These creatures were not well known for being polite eaters.

The angel’s body tensed as he felt its presence permeate his own, but he was startled when he realized that the signature read as something completely different from the Irregularity he was hoping to find. In fact, although he wasn’t aware of it, said Irregularity wasn’t too far away either. However, its presence was easily overpowered by the creature that threatened him right now, and the angel was suddenly aware of the fact that the magic that was still forming and preparing itself around him wouldn’t be enough for this fight. Heart jumping out of his chest, the angel fingered the single white gauge hanging from his earlobe and slid his amethyst eyes shut as the gauge stretched and slid out, pooling into his palm as it began to glow in a brighter light than the orbs that danced with anticipation around the angel’s form.

“Oblivion.” He whispered, and then the illuminated form seemed to come enthusiastically to life. It grew, stretched, and twisted in his fist until it took the shape of a bow, which made the relatively dark forest around him burst into light, scattering any creatures who hid from the terrifying presence nearby. The pressure from his own magic started to dance with the magic from his enemy, and his black cloak began to billow and flip wildly around him. His wings unfolded behind him and spread in order to gather the magic in the air more efficiently, and he steeled himself as he realized that the presence was starting to feel somewhat more familiar by the second.

His light show most certainly didn’t go unnoticed as the creature started hesitantly towards the angel and came more clearly into view. It was most certainly humanoid, unlike the Irregularities, and had the shape of a young man around the angel’s own age. It looked to be in his late teens or very early twenties, but apparent age had very little to do with this thing’s actual age. The angel knew this from experience. It had hair as black as coal and eyes that were a fiery, impossible shade of amber. As the creature gazed at the angel, its lip curled into snarling smirk, and moved forward with very little fear. Clearly, it knew the angel just as much as he knew it, and that did very little to ease his mind. As much as he wanted to run away, though, he stood his ground, and gripped Oblivion tightly.

“Brother.” It uttered as the angel shuddered at the horribly inaccurate title. It sounded less than friendly as it bared its teeth in a grin and moved even closer, summoning a dark weapon of its own. Since it was still more than far enough away for a long-range hit, the angel aimed his bow, and a bolt made from light appeared as he drew the invisible string back. He wasn’t about to wait for the creature to finish whatever little speech it had planned before attacking it. However, once his concentrated magic bolt flew, the demon disappeared in a flash, and it imbedded itself explosively in the tree behind it. In an instant, the raven haired abomination stood at the angel’s side with melodic laughter on its lips. “Don’t be ridiculous.” It crooned. “Do you really think a halfling like you is going to put a scratch on me?”

There was a brief impact, a sharp pain, and the angel was sent flying with the force of its attack. He was slammed into a large rock-face, and he felt something snap on his back. At first, he thought that he had simply hit a branch when he landed, but then the pain hit. Not even an angel can handle having one of their wings broken. The demon laughed from across the clearing, and cracked his knuckles. Even though he had his weapon, which was some sort of spear, the angel could tell that the wound in his side and the shrieking pain radiating through his body was created by a punch. When he stood up, he could feel that something inside of him was broken as well. A rib? Maybe two? Luckily, he could heal those a little easier than he’d like to admit. He kept his attention on his attacker as he felt the shape of Oblivion change into that of a sword. There was no way that he was going to hit him with that bow, so he’d have to stick with close-range. The weapon of light vibrated in his hand, and he could feel its excitement. He almost felt bad that he couldn’t return that excitement. He and Oblivion were rarely, if ever, in sync.

However, there was a shift. In response to the pain, he felt fangs lengthening from his jaw, and the familiar contracting deep in his eyes meant that they were swiftly changing color. His amethyst eyes became, instead, a deep and blood-like red. Steam rose out of the bloodied break in his wing, and he could tell that it was already beginning to heal--far too fast. He clicked his tongue, and then surged forward, apparently far faster than his enemy was expecting. He cut a deep wound down his torso that would have been fatal on any other creature, but the angel knew much better. The demon grunted and staggered back, but the angel couldn’t get another attack in before he felt its blade bite into his skin, and he was sent backwards once more.

The battle after that was brutal, and both their bodies and their clothes were in tatters within minutes. The angel was breathing heavily as blood poured heavily from his wounds, and the demon didn’t seem to be in much better shape. “Don’t you understand--” it rasped, clutching its blade. “--that we’re the same?” It made a quick lunge that the exhausted angel was able to dodge, but just barely. “Why do you fight? You might have those wings, but you’re not--” The demon coughed violently, spraying blood. “--you’re not one of them, idiot. They’d tear your guts out if they had the chance.” It gave him a bloody grin. Dark magic began to twirl around his blade once more as he bided his time for another large attack.

The angel followed suit, letting the white orbs that danced around him gather around Oblivion. “Shut up.” He snarled. “I’m nothing like you.” As his weapon began to shine even brighter, so brightly that neither he nor the creature could see, an accident occurred. They both raised their weapons, ready to clash once more, only for the Irregularity from earlier to charge out of the darkness. The things were rather unfortunately attracted to sources of light, so it was only to be expected that it would come to them. The mass of oozing flesh and limbs was between them in seconds, gurgling hungrily, and their blades connected with it in an instant. What neither of them knew was that these Irregularities--masses of mutilated and mutated humans--were a cruel creation made with Space-Time Magic. Another detail that eluded both of them was that Dark Magic, Light Magic, and Space-Time magic caused an explosion that ripped a hole in the walls of space. Said explosion destroyed the Irregularity immediately, and sent both the demon and the angel backwards, knocking them both out.

At the loss of consciousness, both of their weapons immediately recoiled and returned to their dormant form and position. The angel’s as a gauge in his ear and the demon as a simple, black ring. Their unconscious bodies only stayed there for a moment, before the massive rip in spacetime pulled them in. Their forms disappeared as if they were never there, and with only a little pause, the birds continued their various songs and the forest resumed its normal activities.

- - - - - - - - -

On that day, the sky was the kind of blue that could make you cry. The breeze was so gentle that it was nearly standing still, and the air was warm with the familiar chill of autumn starting to leak in. The clouds were fluffy and huge, indicating that there may be rain in the next few days--or perhaps not. It was the kind of ambiguous, comfortable beauty that pervaded that August day, and inspired a deep, passionate silence in the hearts of many.

Even though it was well into the afternoon already, two shooting stars seemed to streak through the sky, first traveling together and then splitting off. One landed in the woods that wrapped around the outskirts of the city--where children in the present, past, and future often played and formed small gangs that, at the time, were considered eternal. Another flashed past a certain, beautiful building, where one child was gazing in melancholy at the sunset and breathing his final breaths, and then landed in a small, ordinary park--perhaps considered meaningless by some. The star on the outskirts of the city is a tale for later. The star in that small, seemingly irrelevant park, was not falling debris from space, but rather turned out to be a very small, white bird.

The bird, which seemed to fall out of the sky, was immediately dismissed as dead by most. While the unconscious bird was still breathing, it had wounds all over its small body and a wing that seemed too broken for words. And strangely enough, steam seemed to rise from where it landed. However, by some miracle, it was still alive. Even if most passer-bys were calling it trash and muttering to each other that it better get “cleaned up” soon.

Edited 2016-05-24 06:18 (UTC)

The brilliant blue sky was almost bright enough to sparkle on that quiet afternoon, enticing those who lived beneath it out into the sunshine. But to Kaibus, there was something special about today, something that threatened to permeate his entire existence. He could feel it.

For as peaceful as the world was, he certainly didn't expect his comfortable saunter in the park to turn into a hurried run home without any warning. But here he was, cradling a shirt containing a badly injured bird with both arms as he dashed back toward his apartment. How was he planning to help? That's the part he wasn't quite sure of. But there had to be something he could do, something to help this barely breathing bird instead of leaving it in the grass to fend for itself.

Once he'd thrown the front door open, Kaibus set the bird and blood-flecked shirt it was nestled in down on the couch and pulled out the first aid kit he'd never needed up until this point. Safety pins, a small pair of scissors, band-aids, sterile wipes, a few cotton balls, lots of gauze.... Naturally, he'd never had any experience with something like this, but he could at least attempt what seemed right and hope for the best.

"It'll be alright." The words slipped out easily as he gently dabbed a wounded area with a damp cotton ball, soft and caring as if he were speaking to a child. Gingerly, he moved the bloodied wing back where it should be and wrapped it in gauze, followed by wrapping it once around the bird's small body like a sling before securing it in place. "You'll be all better soon. You'll be out there flying again before you know it."

Edited 2016-07-25 07:35 (UTC)

'It hurts...'

It was probably the setting of the bone in his wing that woke him up, but all Gabriel could feel or think about was the pain that radiated throughout his body. Even as his small, grape eyes fluttered opened and his feathered body shifted, it took him a moment to see past the pain. The only problem about being so small is that the pain is often worse than when you're bigger. Why is he small? The small bird, who was white but one certainly couldn't tell, jumped up onto unsteady legs, and glanced around the room in a very panicked way. His first instinct was to open his wings and fly, but one of them was locked to his body, and hurt viciously to even shift.

Uttering a startled chirp, the bird fell and rolled onto his side. In his tumble, he caught sight of a large, concerned pair of bright blue eyes. What was that...? Once again, the bird hopped up onto two legs, and stared directly at Kaibus. Once again, it chirped, then took one hop backwards. He couldn't possibly be sure if this man was dangerous to him or not, or if he was the one who injured him. So his feathers puff up intimidatingly, and he once again attempted to fly away in a state of panic, which of course slammed him with pain once more, which once again made him take another tumble. What is wrong with him?! The bird cried out shrilly, more from frustration than pain, and began to peck at the bandages that burdened him so.

If he wasn't so freaked out, the bird would have turned back, but all he could think about was the pain and the sharp scent of his own blood in the air. And the bindings keeping him in place certainly weren't helping him either. He couldn't even recall how he'd gotten here, or why he had changed so suddenly into a bird. He was in quite a predicament, wasn't he...?

As the small bird leapt to its feet and chirped loudly, Kaibus instinctively extended his hands and tried to keep it from moving so erratically. But just as his fingers got close, the bird puffed up its feathers and tumbled over a second time.

"No, you have to stay still!" The bandages surely couldn't have been comfortable, but in order for the wing to stay in place, it had to be bound properly. Gently, Kaibus attempted to lift the bird's chin away with a finger to keep it from pecking, and quickly covered the bandages with his hand once the opportunity arose. "I know it hurts, but you need to stay like this.... Okay?"

With only a fingertip, he barely reached forward and rubbed the soft down at the top of the bird's head. "It'll be okay. You can rest here for a while." Truthfully, as unfortunate as it was, Kaibus knew he couldn't do much more than this. He wasn't a doctor or a vet. He could offer this small creature food, water, and a comfortable area to sleep, but aside from that, there wasn't much he could do.... Was this the extent of the care he could give? Was this enough?

Smiling gently, he shifted the hand covering the injured wing to delicately, gingerly pet the bird's back, almost as if he were stroking a cat or a rabbit. "Once you feel better, you'll be able to fly again. But until then, you need to rest."

Of course, when the hand first touched him, Gabriel flinched and chirped indignantly before giving the offending hand a harsh but ultimately nondestructive nip. The gentle strokes on his bloody feathers, however, give him pause. Surely, a human who was intending to cause him harm wouldn't touch him so gently, or use the soft words that he's hearing. Once again, the panicked bird looked up, and this time really looked. The startling blue eyes that had beheld him earlier once again filled his vision, and he saw his face for the first time. He became still, breathing softly, and simply felt the caressing of his feathers. It was warm. And he was smiling. He was warm, whoever he was, and Gabriel could inexplicably feel himself start to calm down.

Despite his pain, despite his bleeding, despite everything, he couldn't help but find that smile beautiful.

After a moment of this, the bird was finally able to calm down long enough to go through the steps in order to become human once more. Gabriel had not been a bird in quite a long time, so part of him wondered how well he'd be able to do it, but the steps came back to him as if by muscle memory. It starts with a breath, a stretch, and the rest came rather easily. Too fast for the eye to catch, the small, pathetic looking bird suddenly morphed into a man. A very naked man. He had white hair, fair skin, and he was easily six feet tall. When he adjusted his starkly crimson eyes to accommodate for the sudden change in height, he locked gazes with the stranger once more, and sat up a little. The shift was enough to make him wince, and it was painfully obvious that the splint that had held in his bird shape was no longer holding his wing in place.

...His wing. Gabriel glanced away for a moment, trying to get a good look at his skewed appendage. Through his pained panic, he felt a dull sense of disappointment that they were still there; just as small and useless as always. He gingerly grazed the break, wincing once more, and then looked back towards the shocked man at his side.

"Did you bring me here?"

Blood oozed freely from a long gash on his chest, and it certainly wasn't the only source of the foul liquid staining this stranger's couch. He had many wounds, and he could already tell that they weren't going to heal anytime soon unless he succumbed to the urges that were rapidly encroaching on him. For the moment, though, the man focused on his breathing and was trying to get through one moment at a time.

It was almost startling in and of itself how quickly Kaibus went from smiling to incredibly alarmed, nearly falling backwards as he scrambled up onto his feet. He wasn't just seeing things, was he?! For one, there was a naked, winged man in his apartment.... and on top of that, the bird had vanished. If not for the gauze left behind and the blood on his person, Kaibus wouldn't have pieced together that this man was the bird from before. But with all of this evidence in front of him, there truly was no other explanation.

"Y-Yeah, I did. You were the bird.... weren't you? You're hurt, so I just...."

As their eyes met, Kaibus felt his cheeks warm just slightly. Regardless of who he was, this man was.... breathtakingly beautiful. But there was no time to worry about that! At a slight loss for what to do, he dashed off for a few moments before returning with a pair of boxers, sweatpants, and a towel. After somewhat hastily offering them to the injured man, he kneeled down again and surveyed the contents of the first aid kit. The most pressing matter was unquestionably the smattering of wounds and gashes on the man's body. Even just looking at them was enough to make his heart wrench.

"You can wear those, if you want to. I think they should fit." Upon looking more closely, the tips of his ears were clearly red, but Kaibus promptly looked away and began preparing gauze and bandages. Making sure this stranger didn't bleed out was far, far more important than the fact that he was naked, apparently a bird, or even here in the first place. First and foremost, he needed to take care of those.

"Um, you're really badly hurt, so.... I've never done anything like this before, but I want to try to help, if you'll let me."

"You seem rather alarmed." Gabriel said slowly. "Sometimes I get like that when I'm injured or ill."

Maybe this guy just doesn't know much about angels' other form, Gabriel thought. But he couldn't get the furrowed and questioning expression off of his face as he carefully observed Kaibus' flushed and hesitant expression. The angel couldn't imagine that the stranger was embarrassed by his body, as he assumed that this person was indeed a man, so it must be his wounds. Is he not used to the sight of blood? Such a person was rare in that time, since Alterra was in a state of such deterioration and calamity.

When the sweatpants were thrusted suddenly into his arms, the angel frowned in confusion, finding them completely unnecessary. However, since it seemed that they were a gift from this stranger, he slowly put them on, trying not aggravate any of the minor scratches on his thighs. Gabriel nodded after a moment of hesitation in response to Kaibus' proposal. He was wary, since no one had proposed to dress his wounds for a very, very long time, but he was also tired. This beautiful stranger would probably not hurt him, since he sensed no ill intent from him.

"You can, if you want." The angel shifted, slumping back against the cushions a bit. "I don't think I have the energy to heal myself anyway."

'Like that' meaning.... a bird? And what was that about being able to heal himself? It was difficult to let something so confounding go unexplained, but curious and startled as he was, Kaibus figured he could ask about it later. Besides, as useful as healing would be, prying wouldn't do any good if this stranger didn't have the energy to even attempt it.

"Okay. Then try to stay still, alright? Do you think you'll be able to stand up for a minute?" Rising to his feet once more, Kaibus surveyed the large gash on Gabriel's side, chewing lightly on his lower lip in frustration. A wound this deep would certainly need more care than a simple first aid kit could offer, but would it really be safe to bring a man with angel wings to the hospital? He couldn't imagine that would go over well.

"Um, so.... What's your name?"

Edited 2016-10-12 09:10 (UTC)

As the stranger stood, Gabriel observed with drowsy eyes. He had a slender form, with a strange style of clothing that he had never seen before. The color scheme seemed to bring out the brilliant blue hue of his eyes, as well as the subtle red in his bouncy hair. His lips were a perfect shade of pink, and his neck--

Wait, did he say something? Gabriel blinked, swallowing thickly, and splayed his hands down on the cushion so that he could get balance enough to try and stand up. While he was wobbly at first, Gabriel was able to stand with relative ease. He adjusted the sweatpants briefly before turning his gaze back to the brunette, who was suddenly quite a bit shorter than him. Wow...He had seemed pretty tall when Gabriel was looking up at him. Was his mind playing tricks...? Oh, well. As their gazes clashed, the angel swallowed again, and this time tried aim his focus at anything but the curvature of his throat.

He could control himself. Right?

"Gabriel," he said softly.

Wow.... The sleepy amethyst eyes looking up at him were nothing short of enchanting against the contrast of the boy's pale skin and hair, but even more than that, it was the fact that he was being watched so closely by this beautiful stranger that brought the slightest bit of colour to Kaibus' cheeks. Under such an intense gaze, how could he help but look back? Once his mind stopped racing, the absurdity of the situation would surely confound him, but for the time being, he needed to focus on wrapping these open wounds.

As the stranger got to his feet, Kaibus instinctively reached forward in case he needed to help steady him, wasting no time once he was upright to begin wiping him down with a towel. The blood wasn't freely flowing, but enough had been lost for it to be alarming, and it stained the gauze that Kaibus wrapped around his torso almost instantly. Rather than hurt him, it was okay for it to be a little loose, right?

Gabriel.... "That's a nice name," he started, smiling gently as he affixed cotton balls to some of the smaller lacerations with medical tape. "I'm Kaibus. Can you turn more toward me for a second?" More than a bird, this boy really did look like angel straight out of a storybook. But even that aside, the name really did suit him perfectly, somehow.

Gabriel watched the other boy get to work on his wounds, but within a few seconds he was quite confused. He’d never seen someone treat wounds like this. What is he doing? The angel simply keeps quiet and does as he’s told when Kaibus asks him to turn towards him, observing his strange methods carefully. Despite how strange it was, the brunette seemed to be concentrating quite hard, and he felt like it might be rude to tell him that the way he was affixing cotton balls to his open wounds was probably not very helpful. Besides, maybe he knew some sort of magic that make it make sense.

“Thank you…” He hesitated for a second, frown deepening. “I think you’re the first person I’ve met who’s liked it.”

Usually, the name brought a sense of fear to humans that made it impossible for them to even look at him directly. Angel names had that sort of effect on people. Gabriel’s was especially terrifying though, for good reason of course. He’d earned his reputation a long time ago. Was this boy ignorant of Gabriel’s infamy? Was he just stupid? Did he just not care? How strange…

“Kaibus… That’s a much nicer name, in my opinion.” Gabriel offered him a tired smile. He could feel his mind getting hazier as he watched the boy do his work, and he had to tear his eyes away from the pronounced vein on his neck as Kaibus swallowed. He could hear his heartbeat clearly in his ears, and he could smell him—God, could he smell him. He had the sweetest scent that he’d run into in quite a long time. Gabriel wasn’t sure about his self-control when he felt his mouth water, with his fangs extending and straining against the interior of his lips.

…He had to go. Soon.

“Uhm… I think that’s good, probably…” Gabriel wasn’t even convincing himself, but he hoped that the brunette would understand. “I should probably get going.”

"Really?" Given his reaction, Gabriel didn't seem fond of his name in the slightest. If he was going to frown like that each time Kaibus said his name, he'd need to come up with something else. But his thoughts were soon interrupted by a tired, soothing voice, and he couldn't help but pause upon registering the angel's words. The way he said his name was just so.... pleasant, and upon looking up with a barely timid smile, Gabriel's own small grin made his ears redden. Please, please don't let him seem too awkward. All he wanted to do was help an injured bird, that's all! An injured bird that somehow happened to be a very beautiful man.

But before he could regain focus, Gabriel's voice reached his ears once more, and Kaibus immediately set down the gauze in his hand. "Wait, you can't be serious, right? You're going to leave like this?" There was a slim chance he'd head toward a hospital, given his choice of words. "You can't just walk around with open wounds like that!"

Really, what was there to do? Kaibus glanced out of his window, remembering how the bird he'd found had seemingly tumbled out of the sky, and hesitantly shifted in place. "Where do you live? If there's someone who could pick you up, maybe they'd know how to take care of you...." But somehow, as soon as the words left his mouth, the more inconceivable the situation seemed. Where did this guy with white hair and wings even come from? If he was an angel like he seemed, maybe heaven....? But if he was actually a bird, that couldn't be right. What time was there to make sense of anything?

"It's not that bad. It's just..."

Gabriel looked down at his battered body, observing some blood oozing easily past one of the cotton balls affixed to it. He frowned, silvery brows furrowing together in mild frustration. He didn't have a truly good excuse to leave, aside from the truth. And... This boy wasn't someone he wanted to see terrified. For whatever reason, this guy was willing to take him in and treat him even after seeing his body. Wouldn't most humans be terrified, whether or not they knew about or believed in angels? Gabriel sighed softly and shifted on his feet.

"Just--" Almost as if on cue, another wave of Kaibus' lively scent washed over him, and he swallowed hard. It was getting harder and harder to ignore at that point. His neck was so smooth... He smelled so good. The blood pumping through his veins was loud in his ears. He swallowed again with a shiver. He had to resist. "Just hurry up. I can't stay here much longer."

Edited 2016-12-31 09:01 (UTC)

"No, it's really bad!" Was there really anyone who could look at Gabriel in this state and not be immediately concerned for his health? He'd lost an alarming amount of blood already, and at the very least, the deep wound along his side would unquestionably require stitches. Even simply allowing him to stand for an extended period of time like this was concerning, mostly because the blood was still slowly seeping through the layers of gauze around his torso. Momentarily silent, Kaibus motioned for Gabriel to sit down beside him on the couch.

"If you won't stay here, then where will you go? You seriously need someone to take care of you, even if it's just giving you a place to rest."

But in truth, even he knew that wasn't good enough. What Gabriel really needed was professional medical care, a blood transfusion and stitches at the very least, and a hospital visit was beginning to seem more and more likely. Was there anything he could do in this situation? Probably not on his own, but maybe, just maybe....

Turning fully toward Gabriel, Kaibus sat up straight as he recalled what he'd heard, earnest and genuine as ever. "You said something about healing, didn't you? Is that something you'd be able to do?"

Gabriel gazed at the bloody spot beside Kaibus suspiciously, nervous about what might happen if he were to relax himself. However, in his weakened state, it almost impossible for him to stay on his feet for very much longer. So with another suspicious glance cast towards Kaibus' overly trusting oceanic eyes, he slowly seated himself on the couch.

"I lost a lot of blood," Gabriel began cautiously, steepling long fingers in his lap top stop them from shaking. "So I can't regenerate as easily. So I need to--..."

He cut himself off, turning anxiously towards Kaibus.

"Answer me this." He licked his dry lips, trying to focus on anything but his addicting scent. "Am I still on Alterra?"

Battered as he was, Gabriel wasn't spurting blood, so the (already slightly bloody) towel beneath him would probably protect the couch.... or so Kaibus hoped. But much like the whole 'this guy was a bird five minutes ago' thing, it took a backseat in his mind when compared to the dilemma at hand.

"I don't know what you can or can't do, but can you regenerate blood? There's no way you can afford to be without it much longer, so if I take you to the hospital, then...." There was still time to call an ambulance, judging by the fact that Gabriel was still conscious. They'd make it in time, wouldn't they?

But before he had a chance to mention anything further, Gabriel turned toward him with apprehension clear in his eyes, and Kaibus' expression most likely gave away the answer as clearly as his words.

"Alterra?" he started, voice clear in spite of his uneasy gaze. "Sorry, I've never heard of it.... But I'm pretty sure that's not the answer you wanted." Saying 'on' meant that he was referring to a planet name, right? And if Gabriel was mentioning another world after all, everything would actually make sense. Kind of.

"This is Earth. I don't know if the name's familiar, but I've never seen anyone like you before."

Edited 2017-01-03 06:25 (UTC)

"I can't regenerate blood very easily." Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. "I don't need as much as normal humans though, I guess..."

Wanting to get as far away from this topic as possible, Gabriel shook his head and looked away from Kaibus' tantalizing form. He could feel himself salivating no matter where he looked, or how hard he tried not to breathe. This was definitely getting dangerous, but... What did he just say? Earth? He took pause, glancing at Kaibus once more before averting his eyes for his own safety.

"Earth?" The name was obviously foreign on his lips. He frowned. "I guess I got knocked into another world, then."

He said it casually enough, but Gabriel was just as shocked by the possibility as Kaibus probably was. Even in a world of magic, other worlds were nothing but fairy tales. Traveling to one sounds just as fictitious as dragons or fairies.

Even the reveal of that fact did little to put Kaibus at ease; Gabriel was clearly uncomfortable in every way, glancing away from him and seemingly quite anxious outside of the anemia and pain he was undoubtedly feeling. But really, who wouldn't be unsettled upon learning that they were on a different planet? It was so difficult to comprehend that Kaibus wasn't sure he understood even half of what it truly meant, regardless of how casually Gabriel seemed to react.

"So you're not from here after all.... Um, we don't really have people like you here, I guess. We're all humans." At least Gabriel seemed to be familiar with the human race, if nothing else. "That's why I'm worried people will freak out if I take you to the hospital, but there aren't any other options!"

With Gabriel's eyes averted once more, Kaibus set his fists firmly in his lap, tense in both voice and form. "So can you help me? Please! Just.... Just tell me what I need to do so you'll be okay!"

"So your kind isn't familiar with angels?" How peculiar. Gabriel considered this for a second before Kaibus' heart suddenly picked up its pace and his scent washed over Gabriel potently. He gritted his teeth, shuddering bodily as the stranger spoke to him in a tone of desperation that Gabriel found unfairly alluring. Daring another glance, the angel managed a slight scowl before returning to training his gaze on the wall.

"It's really not safe for you if I stay here any longer," Gabriel warned carefully. "I need to leave."

"You can't!"

Despite Gabriel only glancing his way for a moment, Kaibus didn't let his eyes waver even slightly, words steadfast yet uneasy.

"You don't have anywhere to go, right?! If you don't go to a hospital, you'll...." God, he was going to cry at this rate, wasn't he? But truly, if it was between life and death, there was only one answer. "It's your life that's in danger, not mine!"

If not for the fact that it truly was Kaibus' life in danger at this moment, that statement might be funny. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably again, then finally looked the smaller boy straight in the eye. His shoulders were straight and stiff, and his wings fluffed out in frustration. He was truly angry, though he didn't look so threatening in his currently pathetic state. His eyes, he knew, were at the very least glowing an intimidating red.

"You do not know anything about me," Gabriel growled, moving shakily to his feet. "Thank you for caring for my wounds, but I will be fine."

He turned around quickly, but was quickly overcome by a wave of dizziness that caused him to stumble and lean heavily against the wall. Gabriel took a heavy breath and whispered a small "damn it" under his breath.

Pained stubbornness was easy to fight, but when faced with both the spark of anger in Gabriel's eyes and the thankful words that followed it, what else was there to do? Stepping forward with one foot and barely reaching out his hand didn't change anything, and pushing on despite receiving such succinct gratitude would be....

But before he could decide how to act, the winged boy faltered and slumped against the wall, and Kaibus instinctively ran forward to steady him.

"You aren't fine at all!" Were the tears barely brimming in his eyes as obvious as he feared? "Please, just.... just stay here a little longer! I'll go in my room and not bother you, so until you're able to walk, just.... please! I can't let you leave like this!"

Edited 2017-01-06 07:33 (UTC)

As Gabriel attempted to regain control of his vision, he hadn't expected Kaibus' sudden touch. The moment he feels those warm, pulsing hands on his shoulder, Gabriel whirled around with a strange look in his crimson eyes. The exhaustion and frustration from earlier had melted away to something like hunger, and as he grabbed the front of Kaibus' shirt, all of his weakness seemed to have vanished.

Lifting him like a kitten, Gabriel suddenly slammed Kaibus into the wall. He released him then, but only to lock him in place with his hands on either side of the brunette's head. He pressed his hips roughly into him, not giving him any room to escape. Gabriel's breath was coming in rough gasps, and long fangs had pricked over the edge of his lips.

The angel leaned forward, opening his mouth slightly, but seemed to have a change of heart. With a quick intake of breath, he stopped himself and gritted his teeth together.

"You need to...get away..." He gasped, but he knew full well that he still had the boy pinned helplessly to the wall. It was too late. His voice became desperate. "Please."

Surprise more than evident on his face, Kaibus couldn't do much of anything as Gabriel whipped around and slammed him against the wall. He hadn't expected to wind up immobile only moments after reaching out, but even more shocking was the minimal distance between them, and the sudden closeness made his face flush almost instantly. Calm down, calm down....! How was he supposed to keep his heart from racing when Gabriel had him pinned firmly to the wall, hips pressed up against his stomach? Really, would anyone be able to stay calm when faced with the look in those eyes?

"W-Wait, what--"

Should he be scared? Of course he was rightfully startled and uncertain, but somehow, the instinct to run was suspiciously absent. Why wasn't he terrified out of his mind? He could easily die right now, couldn't he? The sharp fangs protruding from the angel's mouth certainly hadn't been there before - that much he was sure of. But once Gabriel hesitated and managed to voice his plea between gasps, Kaibus only felt a warm wave of sympathy in response. How could he ever doubt this boy? The desperation in his voice was too genuine, too desperate not to resonate deeply.

"I, I don't think I can," he answered uncertainly, attempting to shift away from the hold that kept him firmly in place. "But I can tell you don't want to hurt me.... Right, Gabe?"

Was he just being too hopeful? Maybe. But for whatever reason, something within him knew it was a hope he was willing to bet on.

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Act I - Scene I

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