Help me, please (Mature: contains mentioning of rape, so read with caution) Private CLOSED

The tapping stopped, and Riel spun the cane about his fingers expertly as he stepped forward, tossing it up and letting it appear to vanish as he clapped. His gesture, coupled with the volume of it, seemed almost mocking, but the sincerity of it was clear enough, if only through the Bond alone. As he made it closer, the cane reappeared, and he propped himself with it, his typically gangly body filled out and muscled beneath the surface of clothing, toned and healthy, skin no longer sunken or sickly, eyes no longer hollow. What was the most obvious, and in many ways the most noteworthy, though, was his face itself --- there was no Glasglow, though when he smiled, his teeth seemed more predatory, sharpened, inhuman.

Oren blushed even harder because of the flow of emotion that entered his mind. He felt happy at the appreciation, but there was a slight fear to his joy. Riel may not mean any harm to Oren, and ORen did truly believe that, but he was still dangerous, and this was his Wonderland. The fact that it looked so warped and twisted said a lot about the inner mind of the boy in front of him. Still, he was happy that he was able to brighten it up ever so slightly. He liked how Riel looked here, though. He looked like the boy he could be if the world had not pissed on him. Sadness touched Oren's heart at that realization, but he refused to dwell on it. Shyly, Oren held out his hand, slightly shaking from nervousness. "So......do you want to show me around?" He asked, a slight hitch in his voice. He was going to have to get used to having a real voice while he was here.

Riel smiled just the slightest bit, setting Oren's hand atop the one on his cane and guiding him back to the path. Above them, a caw sounded, far more shrill than any standard bird, but though the very air seemed to tremble, Riel did not waver, even when the pitch black creature landed at his opposite shoulder. It squaked as it looked around in front of him. Beady eyes analyzed the muse, tilting its head, his lower beak popping just slight off-center beneath the top one. It's feathers seemed matted and grease-cloaked, but somehow, despite the dirty, grotesque appearance, it was evident enough that he was harmless. Riel paid him no mind, leading them along the whole while, back to the path and following down it.

Oren held on tightly to Riel's hand, not wanting to stray from him. The bird had surprised him by its sudden entrance. Looking at the horrid creature, Oren wanted to feel some form of fear. It just seemed like it would be the normal thing to feel. However, Riel ignored the creature entirely, and Oren did not feel endangered by the strange bird. He just decided to do as Riel did and ignore it. Following the road, Oren was greeted by a montage of different places, and many of them disturbed him greatly. The first that he saw was a bakery. It seemed normal on the outside, but the stench of death hung heavily in the air around it. Upon glancing briefly through the window, he saw nothing but clutching darkness and fire. A question danced in his tongue, but he silenced it. That place held darkness in Riel's mind, and Oren did not want to stir up anything.

They continued walking down the cobblestone path and Oren saw more places. Riel's Wonderland was a scary place that held a lot of Riel's demons. However, flickers of color and beauty would appear before them occasionally in the form of beautiful hummingbirds Their feathers looked downy soft and the color on them was gorgeous compared to the bleakness of the world around them. One of them was the color of pure silver, and it even seemed to shine a bit. It hovered down in front of Oren, letting him get a closer look of it. It truly was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, and it reminded him that, not matter how twisted Riel's mind may be, there was still light in it.

The innocent creature took off and went away as quickly as it had came. Oren had realized that they had kept walking throughout that whole experience. Both of them now stood in front of an entrance to a hedge maze. Bits and pieces of it hung low, their steams dry and cracked. They were clearly dead. Oren felt a sense of hesitation from looking at the place. He knew that they would not be entering this place today....possibly ever. He also had a feeling that this would be the end of their journey here. His mind felt heavy, sleepy. It has to be tiring for his mind to keep his projection here. He turned to Riel, taking his hand off of the cane, and just looked at him for a second. Before he could talk himself down, he quickly wrapped his arms around the muscled body and held him in a tight embrace. Speaking through the Bond, he whispered, "Thank you for showing me this place."

Oren felt the world around him begin to fall away as his mind began to leave Riel's and retunr to his own head. The trip had been exhausting and he knew that he would pass out soon. The real world had rebuilt around them, and Oren had his arms around Riel, and before he felt the blackness take him, he felt the slight pressure of arms returning his hug. Oren smiled, and then he slept.

When fantasy was shattered through with reality, Riel felt the form in front of him going lax, deadweight against him. A soft, broken chuckle escaped him, breaking into a full laugh as he struggled to stand with the Muse in his arms, carrying him over to the bed and setting him down as gently as the weapon could manage. He shook his head, and in the peace that had calmed his new friend, found the sheer vulnerability and devastation of him. Despite himself, his cracked, scarred lips pursed and he flinched at the gesture, the uncommon puckering tugging at the long-maintained circa trip, causing him more discomfort than he had expected. Shaking his head, he averted his gaze, a single digit tracing the disfigurements, free hand pulling over the motel blanket to envelope the sleeping form. Standing slowly, he gathered his things, changing out of his clothing and making his way from the room. Just before exiting, he caught sight of the spare key, paused, and took it, jotting a "be right back," on a memo pad.

The city night life was far more unforgiving than its days, but Riel's appearance alone kept most at bay, let alone the smell. Back alleys were his allies as much as his enemies, though the overwhelming stench of piss and overpriced drinks assaulted his senses in such a way that the bridge of his nose might very well go raw from his rubbing. Off in the distance, he could hear the hiccuping and drunken rabble of intoxication, and though he wanted to steer clear, it was their words that drew him close. He didn't want to hear them, didn't want to think of the implications, draw the conclusions that he did, but somehow... He knew.

Cockney curses shot through his mind like bullets flying from the barrel of an automatic as he turned heel and reset course. Even as he did, images flashed in his head, murky and muddled, as if through drunken eyes, but there nonetheless. The background edges, sparks of terror and pain, horror and helplessness, made it clear where things were reaching from; Oren's memories had become his nightmares. The weapon's hands balled to fists as his legs took to running --- the traitorous echo bouncing across the alley alerting one of the more-sober patrons to his presence --- and blood began to drip from his palms where his nails took the form of his knife tip. He ran, ignoring the shouts behind him, fighting back the images flashing in his mind, and darting in the main streets. The city bustle was deafening, contradicting everything he was used to, but the soothing melodies from the hours passed clung to him desperately, fighting him for his own control. He stopped dead, breathing heavily, the air around him whirling and suddenly dying down. The boy's mind seemed almost to isolate, fragmenting the world around him and breaking down of sight, every sound, every scent, until there was only the steady, inaudible dripping from his hands. He cursed softly, loosening his grip and retracting the form before turning and heading down the main street, hood encompassing his head and hiding the scars of his face.

By the time he made it back, his hands had long since stopped bleeding, and his hood clung to the oils of his hair disgustingly. A cough followed him as he opened up the door, and he tossed the hood back, ruffling his hair with an injured hand while pulling out a memo scrap with the other. "Oren, I'm back-"

Oren was already rushing to the door when e felt Riel's approach. His emotions had been barreling though the Bond since Oren had awoken just one hour prior. Oren had panicked slightly when Riel hadn't been in the room, but the note he had scrawled brought Oren some comfort. The very first thing he had noticed on Riel when he had entered was the blood on his hands and in his hair. In fact, Oren finally saw just how dirty the boy was. He put "Make him bathe" on the list. "Are you ok? What happened?" Oren asked in a rush, grabbing hold of the bleeding hands. The wounds looked like shallow puncture marks, like from a knife of some sort. Images of what Riel had been going through started to flow through the Bond, and Oren saw what happened.

He had seen one of them and.....and he hadn't done anything. Elation flowed through Oren, but worry from him placed that on hold. Oren's eyes began to glow slightly as he channeled his energy before he began to hum. The beauty of his power was that he could channel any of it through sound he creates. It was most powerful when channeled through an instrument, a song, or a dance since he was a Muse of Performance, but the humming of his vocal cords would be enough to heal those wounds. True to his intention, the knife marks began to knit and close, leaving noting behind, not even a scar. "Thank you so much for not hurting him. I am so happy." Oren said through the Bond.

However, the smirk that just Oren put on his face let Riel know that something shady was coming. "Not to be rude, but you don't exactly smell pleasant right now, and you ran blood all through your hair. You are taking a shower. I have stuff in the bathroom you can use." Oren ordered. His voice left no room for argument. He would drag that boy into the bathroom if he needed to.

Riel's eyes narrowed, brows knitting to an expression more akin to caution than offense. He knew that he hadn't bathed in forever, but to be told to, or even allowed to sent him a shock. The boy didn't move, gangly legs supporting him despite his weakened, malnourished state, but the light flow of adrenaline in him said clearly that fight or flight was trying to prepare itself, despite his logical mind.

Oren had expected a tight reaction. Riel definitely was not used to having any luxury in his life. Oren would have to handle this very carefully. He want Riel to trust him and not run from him. Slowly, Oren lifted his hand up, mimicking the action he took while his mind had wandered the Wonderland. He hoped that the motion would be familiar and comfortable to Riel. Once he felt the hot water from the shower, he'd be praising Oren's name forever.

Something in Riel's mind seemed to relent, and he nodded his head, sighing a bit as he made his way towards the bathroom. The motel wasn't exactly the most luxurious place to stay, but a fully-functional bathroom had been hard to come by throughout his life, and rain could only wash away so much grime. With the door closed behind him, he once again withdrew the scrap paper from his pocket, looking at the instructions on it curiously --- DWMA. The girl's handwriting was far better than his own, but the curviness of it through him through a loop that had him more than a little confused about what she was trying to convey. Regardless, when he saw the small gathering of street dancers using partial weapon forms in their acts, he found himself unable to resist questions --- was he not the only weapon?

The shower seemed to last far longer than one might expect, but when one considers just how many times he had to wash and rewash himself, it became reasonable. When he stepped back out, his towel was wrapped precariously about his waist, held up by his hand since he didn't know how to tie it. His skin appeared to be rubbed almost raw, his hair scrubbed thoroughly but scattered and fly-away from attempted towel drying, and damn near every bone in his body visible beneath the surface of his skin. Riel seemed relaxed and peaceful and yet exhausted, eyes more obviously sunken in, and only his scars left anything but scrubbed meticulously. The weapon forced a smile as he stepped out of the bathroom, holding the scrap paper out to the muse as he stood and waited, eyeing him tiredly.

Oren did a look-over at Riel once he came out of the shower. He looked even worse than Oren did. Oren was skinny, but Riel looked malnourished, and that hair! Oren moved quickly to him and, without asking, he began to straighten the boy's wild hair. He made sure to send nothing but kindness through the Bond in order to make sure Riel didn't freak out. Under Oren's meticulous hands, Riel's hair fell back to normal, well, as normal as it would go. "Do you like your hair this long?" Oren asked. Riel didn't seem to know what to do with all of it, so maybe it was only this long because he just never got it cut.

The boy shrugged, gripping the towel for modesty's sake alone and not really caring one way or the other. "It's a thick mop, but I've gotten used to it." His eyes looked about, instinctively looking for any chances in the air, trying to see if anything was off. All was normal, well. calm, and he wasn't used to having time to breathe. "Does it bother you?"

"Bother me? No. A lot of muses keep their hair long. I just never could find anything to do with it all, and taking proper care of it takes forever. My brother would wash his hair for an hour everyday. It was kind of funny." Oren said, not even noticing that his hands had never left Riel's hair. With it freshly washed, it just felt so soft. Looking at his face, he felt like the boy would look better with a nice trim. The fact that Riel was basically naked in front of him still hadn't registered to Oren. Muse society didn't really care about modesty since beauty was very important to them. "I am only asking because I can cut it for you, if you like." Oren said.

Riel offered a shrug, shifting the towel a bit to maintain grip better. "If you feel that there's the time." He lifted the note again, handing it over, The man's voice in his head was still a bit disorienting, but only so much could be done about that. "I think I found somewhere I could take you, if you want. Somewhere safe."

Oren took the note and read the message on it. It had instructions for how to get to a place called the DWMA. He had never heard of the place, but it seemed to be a school somewhere here in Nevada. It was the only lead that they had, so Oren had no problem with following it. However, he went over to his bag and pulled out his hair supplies. Oren had been cutting his own hair for awhile now and, when he left home, he had made sure to take it with him. Barbers charged a lot out here in the human world. "Take a seat on the bed. I think you'll feel much better with a haircut."

Once Riel had done what he asked, Oren began to work. The main thing his hair needed was thinning. Nevada was a hot place, and it could not be comfortable having all of that heat sit on your head. Oren worked quickly and efficiently, removing a layer of hair easily. He trimmed the length a bit bit until it fell to about the base of the cheekbones. He ran his hands through it, scratching out any loose hair and straightening it again. The entire process took about 30 minutes. "There. I'm all done. It'll feel a lot better now." Oren said, pleased with the finished look. It was still long and shaggy, but it was much neater and less.....moppy.

Riel paused for a moment, tilting his head to and fro before running his hand through it cautiously. It did seem far nicer than before, over all, and his head certainly felt lighter. What it looked like, he didn't particularly care to find out, as that would require a mirror, but he imagined that it was better than before, by a long shot. Standing, he brushed the loose strands and ends off of his skin, holding the towel loosely with one hand and looking at the mess the black mass made all over the bed and floor. He chuckled softly, looking for some way to clean it up before settling with the trashcan and his hand. "Do you want to try for this... DWMA place? It would be a bit of a walk, but we could manage..."

"I have enough cash to get a ride out there. I've been playing for tips here for about a year now, so I've managed to save some money. I've been trying to get an apartment." Oren said, helping Riel pick up the hair. He himself needed to get a shower and change into clothes of his own. Once they finished cleaning, he went into the bathroom and went through his own cleaning rituals. He showered, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and applied some lotion to his skin. The tips he made plus the location he chose to stay in meant he had a decent amount of disposable income. Not rolling in it, but he could afford some luxuries. He hadn't bothered wrapping himself up like Riel had. Nudity really didn't register with him. He just quickly threw on some underwear before it became awkward for Riel.

The other man wouldn't have noticed if his instincts hadn't forced him to look up at the movement, but he quickly averted his gaze, face flushing slightly, especially at the sheer differences in their physiques. Stretching, he groaned and rose to his feet, holding the towel until he made his way to his bag, turned around, and set about dressing himself in the cleanest clothes he could find. "Do you want to take a cab, then?" His eyes drifted over, and he shifted his hair out from in front of them, shaking out the ends again. "I imagine you need what money you have."

"It beats walking, and I can afford it. I promise." Oren said, throwing on the rest of his clothes. They were nothing fancy, but they were his, and he loved them. He grabbed his violin case and slung it over his back before going around and packing things into his duffel bag. Once the bathroom was packed up, he was ready to head out. "Let's grab some food before we leave the city. I am starving. You?" Oren asking, already knowing the answer.

Riel almost didn't understand the question; it seemed so absurd to him. Nodding, he lifted his back, shouldering it and looking about the room. "Where should we... go? I usually just... take." At the back of his mind, he knew the issue with his actions, as stealing had been problems for both his and... her families, and it had always come back on them. No one deserved that, but sometimes... well, sometimes people with fatter pockets don't notice when they become a mite thinner.

"Come on! There is a place I like to frequent. The owner is really nice." Oren said, grabbing Riel's hand and quasi-dragging him out of the room. Oren made sure to return the motel room key and thank the owner for letting him stay here so long. She gave him a hug and told him that he'd always have a place to stay here. The two left the building and walked down the street for a few blocks before coming upon a little place called Pinks. Oren loved the hot dogs here. The big guy inside saw them enter and cracked a big ol' smile and said, "Oren, my boy! How are doing?" Oren gave him two thumbs up.

"Great to hear. You want your usual? Your friend hungry to?" The man asked. Oren nodded.

"He a newbie?" Another nod from Oren.

"Perfect." He replied. He made up a New York dog for Oren and just plain one for Riel. They were footlongs, so they were pretty big, and very filling. Oren gave the man some money and went to sit down. He set Riel's plain hot dog in front of him and said, "Eat." He then proceeded to chow down on his own.

Riel spent several moments staring at it curiously, unsure of what to do, hiding behind the shade of his hood. His senses were on high alert. waiting for the change, the shift in the tide, in the winds, in his luck, waiting for something to go wrong and change and-

His stomach gave a load growl of protest at his stalling, and with a flushed face, he tentatively lifted the bun and dog, bringing it to his face. The cooked meat had him salivating further, and soon he had taken a good two inch bite from the monstrosity. His eyes went wide, and he set about trying to down the food as quickly as he could without making himself sick. Not a word escaped him, though, his stomach burning through what it could and struggling desperately to burn through the energy and sustenance it offered. When he caught Oren looking, he merely offered a thumbs up.

Oren gigled at Riel's response to food. He knew that he was starving, and he was happy that Riel was enjoying the food. Although, really, he'd probably enjoy anything edible. Still, they both ate rather quickly. Before they left, Oren got them some Minute Maid apple juice and gave on to Riel before they left the restaurant. Oren wanted to look at the train schedule to see if any one of them went to this Death City.

Riel cleaned as best he could before leaving, taking the cup and looking at it curiously before sipping. His eyes went wide again and he tilted the cup back, inadvertently tossing back the hood in the process. A humming escaped him that almost bordered a moan, the smile on his face was wide and almost childish, a strange reminder of more tender moments of his childhood. "Apples..."

Oren felt the emotion wash into him. Apparently, Riel like apples a lot. Oren would remember that. The two of them left Pinks and scrounged around for a train schedule. Once that was finally successful, and it had taken much longer than it should have, Oren was able was find a train that did run to Death City. "Come on, Riel. We can make the next train if we run!" Oren shouted before taking off.

Riel was more than a little slow to catch up on what was going on, and ended up running off of adrenaline to catch up to the other boy, darting as fast as he could. He knew that his muscles would greatly protest such action later, but at the moment, it somehow... didn't matter. Instead, though, he decided to try to boost his speed with his elemental abilities, a more strainious action than he had anticipated. Sleep was quickly becoming a necessity, and preferably sooner rather than later.