1x1 with Cloudsong

[cloudsong]

Nerea didn't notice the man casting looks back at her, and instead just kept her eyes cast downward, not wanting to let him have the satisfaction of seeing her so tired out. She heard the demons, perhaps miles away, shrieking in their foreign tongue. The sound made her eyes widen in fear, and she pressed onward, trying to ignore the harsh pains that stabbed in her sides from cramps deep within. It seemed as though the path stretched on endlessly, when in reality she was simply just exhausted at the distance seemed like a mile or more.

She only slowed her pace down when she felt herself nearing the man, and once she fell into step beside him, her eyes traveled to the trap door that was up ahead. It seemed completely obvious now that she knew what to be looking for, but it struck her as odd that in all of the years she had lived here, not once had she ever come across it. Perhaps I just wasn't looking, she thought vaguely. Yes, that had to be it. There was no other explanation, as she would never want to admit that she was just unobservant.

His words were harsh, and Nerea felt herself bristle at how commanding he sounded. She felt half-tempted to demand why he had even offered to help her in the first place, but was cut off as he suddenly descended into the darkness, leaving her alone in the street, the sound of harsh shrieks becoming louder in her ears. The decision between her pride and her safety was a simple one, and after a moment she followed him, taking care to close the door behind her as he had asked. The last thing she wanted was for the demons to discover the rest of the resistance for her fault. But if they were anything like this man, perhaps she wouldn't mind at all if they were completely pulverized by the demons. He had been fowl enough towards her to make her want to break her usual pacifism.

Nerea found herself descending down into what seemed to be a very dimly-lit hole. As she silently picked her way down, thankful that her tired legs did not give way underneath her weight, it became aware to her that her eyes were adjusting in the darkness, and shapes were beginning to form in front of her.

It seemed as though they were standing at the entrance of an enormous, underground auditorium. Tents scattered the ground, and she could see that the place was illuminated by firepits that were carefully placed between them. Along the back walls, she could see what appeared to be large jail cells, barred by thick iron poles. She wondered what exactly they kept in there, and found herself paling as she imagined. No doubt they kept their prisoners there, and she probably was going to be the next one. For a moment she considered dashing back up the stairs and into the world above, but the reminder of demons kept her standing still, her eyes set on the man in front of him. It seemed as though he was not very pleased to have returned, either. Was this camp as dark as it seemed?

She directed her gaze toward the man who had brought her here, taking in his appearance in the dim firelight. For being a part of the resistance, he certainly didn't seem very happy to be back at his camp. But why, though? The question burned on her tongue as she was tempted to voice it, but after a moment she reminded herself that she did not care. This man had been incredible rude, and she didn't need to feel anything towards him. Silently she approached him, her eyes still narrowed as they had been before. "So are you going to lock me up, then?" she asked conversationally, her voice hushed as she looked pointedly over towards the jail cells. She didn't seem as though the prospect of being imprisoned was one that particularly bothered her, however, and beneath her mask of annoyance, it was slightly visible that she also felt nervous to be a stranger in this environment.

[Leviathan]

Archie wasn't going to say anything until he heard the girl speak from behind. She seemed to voice her fear of being locked up. Would she be locked up? He doubted it, she was a female, ans a younger one at that, she would be used not as a prisoner, but as some plaything for some eager male no doubt. Which Archie supposed that she wouldn't like. A grin streaked across his face as he shook it slowly, releasing a slight chuckle. "No, I don't think you're going to be locked up. Well, at least not in one of those cells. The probability that you'll be locked in a tent until you do the deed with some greasy old man - well that," he couldn't help but smile even more. "That I think will happen." It was cynical for him to speak the way that he did, but that didn't bother him, this girl seemed like a tough-crack anyways, and he had no doubt that she would say the same thing as him had she been in his position. Well.. maybe not the exact same thing, as that, well, I mean- oh never mind. Point was he knew that she could take him talking like this, he was quite observant of people (or at least he thought so) he could see their personalities well before he even truly knew them. However what he gained in being observant he lost in social skills and being able to see what someone was feeling. This made him seemingly rude and bitter at times when he wasn't even trying.

Motioning for her to move forward, he started to walk through camp, he kept his head low, and his eyes to the ground, as all Flawed were required to do. He was not allowed to look at one of the "Pure" (how egoistical to call themselves that - eh?) in the eye, as that was a sign of rudeness, and would not be tolerated. He would have to speak with the resistance leader - Jacques. Though Archie had little to no respect towards any of these people he knew that Jacques was a good leader, and someone who always thought about the longterm goals before everything else. He's still a fool for what he believes will work to take down those demons, but he's a damned fine fellow. That was Archie's true thoughts on the French-Canadian man who was leading them. At least he had the best intentions, even if they weren't directed in the right place. As Archie continued to walk through camp he noticed some of the people looking up in slight interest, though he knew that it wasn't directed at him, but instead at the girl that he had brought with him. It was a rare occurrence for someone to find someone (alive) and bring them back to camp. He was honestly surprised that this girl had remained hidden for so long too, not just by the resistance, but from the demons as well. Archie had to give her that.

Finally when he got to the front of the camp, he saw the small incline of stone that worked as a sort of platform, a large blue tent was located here, as well as two large fire torches on either end of the platform. Looking up in the slightest he saw Jacques talking to another man, of whom he did not know. Jacques was a rather built man, only a few years older than Archie himself. Under normal circumstances Archie would imagine Jacques as one of those guys that girls faint over, and just die to catch his eye. Maybe this is what annoyed Archie the most about the man. He was not only great at talking, and being charming and charismatic, but he was also quite the handsome fellow. Jealousy was a bad thing, especially at a time like this, and so Archie always had to push those sour thoughts out from the front of his mind. He needed to value Jacques as a leader, not as some kind of competition. Walking up to Jacques he noticed the two men's attention turn from each other, but onto Archie and the girl. Dipping his head completely towards Jacques, so his eyes only saw the man's feet, Archie began to speak. "Sir, I've found this girl whilst I was out on patrol. She seemed unaware of our presence here and I brought her here so you could tell me what I do with her.... Uh.. sir."

"Oh Archer, I see." He noticed the man walk away from him, and saw that he was walking over to the girl. "And who may you be miss? I hope that Archer here didn't cause you too much trouble!" The man laughed as Archie rolled his eyes. Which apparently was noticed by the other man who had been speaking to Jacques. Quickly the man kicked Archie first in the leg, and then in the gut, making the young man fall to the ground.

"Have some respect you Flawed Scum!" The man literally spat on Archie, and the young man was unable to do nothing but remain sprawled out on the floor.

[cloudsong]

Nerea was unsure of how she should make out the man's reply. He seemed highly amused by the idea of having her be locked up with some old man, and that in itself caused her to doubt if his words were true. Was he just trying to scare her? Somehow she couldn't quite believe that he was just making a joke. He didn't strike him as the type to lie. The thought of having to sleep with someone against her will caused a shiver to run through her like electricity. Was there still time to run away? Being killed by demons might be a better fate than the latter. Perhaps at any other time, she might want to make some snide comment, but Nerea couldn't really bring herself to do so at a time like this. The uncertainty was plain to see on her features, and she silently took a step forward as he beckoned her towards him. Although he wasn't her favorite person right now, Archiecher was the only face she recognized around here. For now, he was her only friend.

She followed him closely as he walked down towards the collection of tents, finding herself noticing every little detail on him. Why did he walk so silently, and with his gaze so carefully glued on the floor? It was almost as if he were trying to preserve some secret law that made him a prisoner there. Like he had no right to look these people in the eyes. This struck her as strange, but she didn't allow herself to show it as she practically stuck herself to his side.

Only when they came to a stop in front of a group of men did Nerea finally allow her gaze to flit onto something other than her companion. The man that Archer spoke to was obviously the leader - she could tell by the way he composed himself, and by how all of his men looked at him in an adoring manner. She could see clearly that he was handsome, but it wasn't a characteristic that she particularly valued in the slightest. Nerea had never been taken by something because of its beauty, as she had learned that pretty things would only betray you in the long run. Instantly she felt on-guard, and as the man posed the question, she found herself narrowing her eyes, an unfriendly look dawning upon her face.

She couldn't contain the shock from her eyes as they suddenly began to beat him. For a moment a panicked look passed by her face, and it took a moment to control the pain that clouded her vision, but she seemed to snap as she saw her companion sprawled on the ground like some kind of dirt. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she snarled, taking a step forward to challenge them. "Leave him alone, you disgusting animals!" She took a step over the man's body as if to protect him, her teeth almost bared in a way that suggested that she would fight to protect this man - a man she barely knew.

[Leviathan]

She's a fool, a right big damned fool for trying to stand in the way for the natural way of things. I bet she doesn't even know what a Flawed is. I can't believe that some have gone for so long not knowing about us, and our nature. Damn, she's senseless in this, but she'll get out of it, because of her gender. Archie thought as pain burned through his ribs where he had been attacked the most. Breathing hurt, and it felt like a fire was raging in his throat. He shut his eyes for a moment, before looking up to seeing the girl's figure standing defensively over him, as if she was some kind of guard dog. The thought that she was protecting him was sort of funny, and he almost allowed a garbled chuckle to be released from his mouth. But his mouth was dry with the taste of dirt, and he felt terrible at the moment. He didn't think that he would be able to bring himself to act amused, even if he was. He then watched as the men didn't say a word, just stared at the girl with bewildered wonder, he knew what they were thinking: 'why is she defending a Flawed?' 'Doesn't she know what this man is?' Archie cringed at the fact that they would probably tell her that he was as good as some kind of rabid wolf, who would slaughter his own people for fun. Or maybe some kind of defected beast, savage in their nature and with only the longing of bloodlust in their minds. This of course was untrue, at least to a point. Earlier when he had been fighting the demons he had felt nothing other than the urge to kill. However on a regular basis he did not behave so poorly.

"What girl?" An older man with white hair, and a short pointed beard gasped. Archie believed his name to be Leopold, a fine locksmith and tinker. "Don't you know what this man is?"

"N-no, she doesn't." He didn't know if it was his right to speak, but he slowly rose to his feet, doubled over and holding his chest in pain. "She doesn't know what the Flawed are. She doesn't know anything about the infliction or the resistance." Of course he kept his eyes to the floor once more, his tone rough now that his lungs hurt, but he needed to let them know that she didn't know anything about those who like him were sentenced to a fate of terror and darkness. She was lucky not to know what the infliction is, the entire world was better off not knowing what is was. And just thinking and people were getting old and slightly demented. But now that they know, it's made life a lot harder on everyone. It's a burden knowing what the demons have done to some of us. But at the same time it's something that everyone should know.

There was a pause, and no one spoke. A lot of attention was being turned to them, from some of the people that were outside of their tents. A small group of young children stopped running around in a small circle, and even their full attention was now on the scene that was happening in front of them. "Oh, well I see... This is troubling." It was Jacques who spoke now, in his French-accent, which was strong within his voice. "Your friend here is not human, not completely anyways. Excuse me for being blunt, but he is the true animal here. He is the tainted - he is the Flawed." His voice had sharply inclined as he continued, as if he was speaking to the entire crowd. "The demon's have touched him, infected them with their curse. With the matter of a couple of decades he'll be a mindless husk doing whatever it is that his devil masters ask of him. He's even turning now, with each passing day his mind becomes less, and less his own. And more and more the darkness which pours through him. We allowed them to live because we're understanding, and know that they have some good few years left in them. But - they must not be mistaken as human beings. For they are as much the enemy as those who wait on our doorstep to kill us each and every day." There was a sort of passion in Jacques voice that caused Archie to almost form a scowl. But he knew better than to "mock" his leader for the second time in a row. "So now, young lady, you must understand why we act the way we do. Why this beast must be treated like the abomination that he is. For we are human, and he is nothing but a stain on our path to victory." That caused an uproar and cheer from all the people who had been listening. All except for the other Flawed, which were in the cells.

Because they knew that like Archie, they were just meat on the chopping board.

[cloudsong]

It seemed as though her companion did not welcome her attempts to protect him. There was pain still burning fiercely in his eyes, and for a moment Nerea was unsure if it was because of the physical brutalities these men had inflicted upon him. She didn't understand why he would be unhappy about her desire to protect him, as she had half-expected him to be grateful. Perhaps she had even been expecting a smile - something to show that he was not regretting their meeting in the first place. But why, though? The thought struck her harder than the man's words had, as she really did not have an answer as to why she was so eager to please this man, when he had given her nothing but disdain. She supposed that it could be because he alone was familiar to him in this entire gathering, even if it had just been as of an hour or so. But in this solitary life Nerea lived, knowing someone one hour without them killing you was enough to gain her trust.

There was shock reflecting back from nearly every person that had gathered around them. It seemed as though her words had not been greeted well, but in a manner she would not have expected. Rather than seeing her as a threat - as she would have expected, the people around her seemed more hostile towards their own, the man that she had met out in the city. Why did they view him as such a threat, though? Was he not part of their own forces? This question stumped Nerea, and she couldn't help but hesitate slightly, taking a step back. She suddenly felt very self-conscious to be under the looks of so many men, all of them looking at her like she was utterly clueless.

When an older man suddenly spoke up, Nerea found herself once again silent, her eyes betraying confusion as the people progressed onward towards her. From below, Archer was pulling himself up from his position on the ground, and to her surprise, he was speaking up. He spoke as though she weren't there in front of her, and at any other time, this would have vexed her. But his words were sad - almost heavy as he declared them. She doesn't know what the Flawed are. She doesn't know anything about the infliction or the resistance. All of the terms he used were foreign to her, and she couldn't find it within herself to make a smart reply to that. What could be an intelligent thing to say, when she had no idea what either of those things were?

It didn't take long for the man she had identified as the leader to speak up. He explained the terms - in his smooth, passionate voice, and Nerea listened in silence. It took her a moment to register the concept of her friend being half-demon, but after a few moments she seemed to accept it. She shuffled her feet, and silently allowed her gaze to land on Archie, who was watching her. For a moment she seemed unsure of what to say, until her eyes narrowed once more.

"Being touched by a demon is not something one can choose," she said after a moment, her words laced with fire. Almost as if she were taking the words personally. "You speak of them as if they were trash, even if they have decided to help out your cause? I think you are arrogant." She didn't seem conscious of the fact that her words would probably be her own ticket into the cell with this man - for in her own mind, she planned to return to the surface as soon as the demons had passed.

[Leviathan]

Archie almost wanted to smack the girl for what she just said. Didn't you know that she was just diving deeper, and deeper into this mess. She should have just accepted what had happened, and dealt with it. He had not shown any compassion, loyalty, or anything that would even remotely make her feel the need that she needed to defend him, and yet here she was trying to stand on the morale high-ground, and say that what they were doing to the Flawed was wrong. If she doesn't stop talking, well... They won't much do anything too foul to a female, but still- she could get into a lot of trouble for voicing her opinions like that. Maybe other people thought like her too, maybe others thought that the Flawed should be treated better, but they had learned to keep their mouths shut, and just go with the flow. Instead this girl was being too audacious and was telling people (who did not like to be wrong) that what they were doing was not as humane as they thought. It's not your fault if something happens to her Archie, if she gets herself into trouble you no longer have to deal with her. Regardless there's no reason that you should care about her fate. But maybe it was the fact that someone was sticking up for him that kind of actually made him want to care. It was strange, and he didn't really like it. But he was in fact mildly concerned for this girl's welfare. Huh, my luck.

The entire area fell silent after what the girl had said, even though Archie couldn't see them he imagined everyone was staring at her with blank faces. No one dared to speak up for the Flawed, that was something no one did. They were all probably shocked that she had just said what she did, but still probably not as much as Archie who now was so tense in the moment, and his mind was racing. Who would speak, and what would they say? That question was answered within the following moments. "My dear, you have not been around these monsters long enough to know truly what they are." It was Jacques, who to Archie's surprise still conducted his voice with calamity and peace. "I shall forgive you for your misjudgments as you have not seen what these abominations turn into. I do have to warn you though that there can be consequences for standing up for these mongrels. I respect the fact that you're a woman, and a young and surely strong one at that, but rules are rules, and order must be kept." There was a pause, and Archie was still quite alert to the man's words. "But I will not enforce too harsh a law on you, I would not like for you to get the wrong impression of us. The people just merely trying to survive." I don't think her impression of you is all too good Jacques, I'd say it's a bit too late for you to try and play nice. "So in doing so I will let you be the master of this.... thing. The thing in which you seem so content in protecting. He'll show you why you shouldn't give any sort of trust to them." The girl? His master?! Was Jacques kidding? He knew that some of the Flawed had elected masters to watch over them, and make sure that they did not hurt anyone. The Flawed were treated similar to how dogs were... well, abused dogs. Archie had never needed one, as they were mostly for more out of control Flawed, and yet here he was going to get one. And it just had to be her.

Within the next minute, a cuff had been placed around Archie's wrist, which was connected to a large metal chain, which was passed to the girl. It worked as a leash, making sure that Archie couldn't get too far out of sight, and become a possible danger. He had to admit that he was a bit upset with the girl, her plan had backfired, and if anything the Flawed would even be more boycotted now. Even everyone had gone back to what they were doing, and were now pretty much ignoring Archie and the girl. He walked up behind her, his face turned to the ground in a sign of respect. "Now look what you've gone and done," he whispered. "You should have kept your mouth shut. You don't argue with tradition. I'm not human, I'm less of worth, and you had go on and blubber about how it wasn't right, and blah blah blah. Well I guess now you're stuck with me. They aren't going to let you go, especially with the demons on the loose." He growled, as his eyes narrowed. Backing away from her he spoke aloud, clearly and without much annoyed tone, "is there anything you desire, master? Would you like me to find you a tent, some food, some water?" Honestly it killed him to speak politely to this girl, but unlike her, he knew his place.

[cloudsong]

There was an eerie silence that was greeted by her words, and it took all of Nerea's courage to stand her ground, and continue to defy them with her dark brown eyes. It seemed as though not a single face agreed with her words, and Nerea was put slightly on edge as she was greeted only by shock. Some of the men regarded her with anger - disgust, even. No doubt they were angered that a woman had her own opinions, and that she was trying to voice them in this manner. She half-expected them to lash out at her right then and there, until the leader suddenly began to speak again.

Like before, the man's words were carefully monitored, and undyingly calm. Nerea felt a cold shiver run down her spine as he spoke, and it was not because of their meaning, but more because of the tone. He put her on edge, as his tone was utterly powerful, and carefully spoken. She didn't like Jacques, and it wasn't likely that her opinion on him would be changing anytime soon. Usually when she decided on disliking someone, her feelings would stick for all of her eternity. She was the type of person to stick labels, and to be prejudice.

He went on to chain Archer up, and Nerea found herself narrowing her eyes in surprise. She had spoken up to try and bring some justice to this society, and certainly had not intended for him to become her responsibility. The concept of owning a person - even if they were Flawed, as he was - was very, very wrong in her mind. She took hold of the chain only because it was forced upon her, as much as she wished she could throw it to the side. It disgusted her to think that these men thought so lowly of the flawed, and it was partly because of her feelings of self-justice that fueled her emotions.

She did not get a chance to reply, as the meeting was unofficially called off as the leader took a step away from the pair of them. Nerea clenched the chain that linked her to the man between her fingers, her knuckles beginning to turn white from the pressure. As Archer approached her, she felt herself freeze up. The look on his face was not a welcoming one, but she was aware that the only reason he did not scream at her was because of the people he was in front of. She hadn't actually expected him to be thankful for having stood up for him, and it had not been her intention to change his opinion on her. Rather, she had only spoken up because of where she stood in her opinions. It wasn't because of who he was, but rather what, and how he had been treated.

"This wasn't my intention, and you know it," she replied after a moment, her voice taut with anger. "I didn't plan for this, and I certainly don't intend to stay here to 'be your keeper'. I'm not staying here. Just take me back up to the city, and you'll never have to see me again." She crossed her arms across her chest, her hand still gripping the chain in her iron-grip. Her expression was pained - almost as if she were distressed by some reason other than the one that stood in front of her. Something was biting at her, although her eyes said clearly that she would never admit to it. "I'm sure that would please you, wouldn't it? Then you can go back to serving these people like the slave you so obviously love to be." She paused for a moment. "Why are you still here, even? They treat you so cruelly." She seemed to hesitate once more. "I don't understand you."

[Leviathan]

This woman was really starting to push her luck. What she was saying was close to setting the man's emotions ablaze, and had circumstances been different he might have even attempted to give her a slight smack across the face. It wouldn't be fueled out of aggression, but rather annoyance that she was being too outgoing with what she thought. People in this time and era had learned to keep their opinions to themselves, especially the women. But she was a strange one, standing out as someone that was not afraid of the consequences of what she said, and only being content with voicing her views. This was rubbing Archie the wrong way, as he had never seen someone act like she did. Maybe that's because I don't know anyone outside of the resistance. Maybe there are people out there, people who have survived the demons, and who are now working in their own ways. But if they're all like her, I don't think I'd very much get on with them. That thought sparked what seemed to be a light flicker of hope in his mind - yes, was that real hope? Indeed it was. Hope that others were alive, that they might be trying to fight against the demons to. It seemed like a foolish thought, but it was one to be treasured.

As she spoke about him returning her to the surface, he looked up at her, ever so slightly, so that she would have been able to seen his 'are-you-crazy' expression. It would be suicide for him to bring her back up to the surface, they would be killed within minutes by the demonic forces. Not only that but the demons would no doubt be drawn down into the resistance hideout as well, and even though Archie was treated so poorly by them, he did not wish their deaths. "If we go outside we'll be slaughtered, and don't be foolish and say that we'd somehow make it. And even if we waited until after we'd need a good reason to go up on the surface. I doubt that they would let us go un-supervised, and that wouldn't make your great escape all that sneaky. Then I'd be probably killed, or worse." What he said was true, if she somehow managed to get away he would be interrogated and then tortured and killed. At least that seemed to be the most common way it went about. He might get it worse because it was a woman that he was letting get free. He wasn't going to risk his hide for this woman, even though she had (without meaning to)risked hers for him. He probably seemed like a pessimist, but in times like this he found it hard to be anything but.

"And I suggest that you keep your mouth shut about matters you know nothing about." There had been a tense pause before he had spoken once again. "My life is my own business, and so don't criticize me for matters you know nothing of." Archie had taken offence about what she had said, she spoke as if he had much choice to stay here, that life here was worse than it was anywhere else. In his mind he was nothing but a dog or rat anyways, he'd grown up believing that there was nothing else that he could do rather than serve these people until they killed him before he turned. Being beaten, locked up, and mocked seemed normal to him, and a life of freedom was not one that he knew anything of. He didn't even believe in freedom, not now, not with everything that was going on with their supernatural oppressors. And not with the fact that he was pretty much a mule and a slave to the people of the resistance.

[cloudsong]

Nerea could tell by his silence, that Archer certainly was debating between emotions. She could see it clearly on his face, that he wanted to give in to the anger that was so obviously resulting in an effort to keep in. It was as if the more time she spent in the resistance camp, the more she began to understand where this man's place was, and how desperately he was trying to keep it. He was not entitled to his own anger, and rather than feeling glad that he was not able to lash out at her, Nerea felt an unexplainable rush of pity for the man. Flawed as he was, she could still not find it justifiable that an individual who put so much into a cause - his life, in effect - could be treated with such violence and contempt. She stood her ground as he watched her, finding herself to notice how his jaw twitched in annoyance, and how he watched her with a disbelieving expression. Why was it that she felt so strongly as if she needed to protect his rights, when she scarecely knew him? He made it so clear that he disliked her mere existence. Nerea found herself once again scowling, this time not because of the man that stood in front of her, but rather at herself.

They would be slaughtered if they went up to the surface. Perhaps they would. Nerea bit down on her tongue to stop herself from lashing out, as the prospect of staying down here for a second longer was not one that she liked. But after a moment of processing the words that he had spoken to her, she seemed to accept them. Her fingers continued to clasp the chains that bind him, as if they were the only anchor she had in this moment to her own reality. This seemed like a dream - no, a nightmare. Her life was up on the surface, and she felt it calling to her like her own death.

She once again accepted her fate as he began to speak, and forced herself to stay silent, simply watching him carefully as he warned her to keep her mouth shut. It seemed, by his speech, that this man had no concept of the reality that she herself had once known. He viewed himself as trash, and it was probably justifiable as he had always been treated so. As a member of the resistance, Nerea was sure that he was not once given the rights of a human being - one that she had been so effortlessly granted simply by walking into the room. The reality of this was unnerving, and she found herself staring openly at him, her features plainly saying that she did not understand. He probably thought her an idiot, to just be standing there with her eyebrows knit together, staring at him like an open-mouthed fish.

It took her a moment to regain her fire, as his words had shocked her. When she finally did speak, her words were low and soft. "I apologize for trying to protect your rights," she murmured, almost half to herself. "Forgive me for actually having the opinion that you are worth more than how they treat you." There was a pause, and the girl seemed as though she wanted to add something. But after a moment, she simply blinked, her stillness returning as she clasped the chains between her fingers. All appearance of passion seemed to have died down from her dark brown eyes, and she seemed - for the first time since they had descended into this pit - somewhat lost.

She seemed to be deep in thought after that, and it took her a few moments to finally meet his gaze once more. When she did however, there was a sadness apparent that she had never showed to anyone before. Hastily she reached up with her free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. "It's just that you reminded me of someone." She paused, seeming to debate whether or not to go on. When she spoke again, she choked slightly on her words, as if they hurt her. "But that man is dead, and soon you will be too." The pain was gone as soon as it had come, and she silently approached the Flawed man, pressing the chain into his own palms. She didn't meet his eyes, nor did she try to take a step away from him. "You should have let me die up there," she said after a moment, her tone no more than a whisper.

[Leviathan]

At first there was a long silence that we held between the two of them, Archie could tell that she was deep in thought, probably trying to come up with some kind of response to what he had said. She really didn't know anything about what happened in the resistance, and what formalities, and protocols were put in place. Still he had to admire the fact that she had not allowed herself to be placed into everything so easily, and while this would no doubt create problems in the days to come, Archie was sure that they wouldn't be too chaotic. The main problem would be him having the girl as a master, and having to act as her slave for however long that Jacques deemed it. That was where he would struggle the most, and he would really have to try to keep himself under control. (Which was much easier said than done.) He was like the other Flawed in the sense that he knew his place, and he knew that he had to remain under control, but different in the fact that he actually looked for emotions, and found them. The others kept their minds blank, and their thoughts limited, but Archie wasn't a fan of this method, and took it upon himself to have feelings, values, and beliefs. Though these could not be noted, or in any way announced, it was nice to be able to have some control over his mind.

It was another minute or so before the girl actually spoke up, apologizing (in what he believed was a sarcastic matter) about standing up for him. This girl really didn't know much, nothing, in fact about how things worked here. He found this hard to understand, hard to picture a life in which he wasn't placed in the binds that the resistance had put on him. Their law, was his will, he knew nothing of freedom. He couldn't even understand the idea of living in a world in which having your own ideas was a good thing. This girl had opened up the thoughts of freedom from the resistance, and a life in peace (or at least- as much peace as you could get, in this time and age). Though he knew that it wasn't right to think of such things, and that he should keep his mind set on everyhing that was real, and that was happening in the here and now. He almost wondered how difficult it would be for him to leave the resistance... It wasn't like he was about to do it or anything, as an attempted escape from a Flawed would be grounds for death, it was a nice thought to run through his head. Though the thought left as quickly as it came, as he felt something cold being placed in his palms, and saw that the girl had handed over his chains to him. It was a strange gesture and one that he didn't know. Was she refusing to act as his master? Was she denying what the resistance wanted? He could not process what she was trying to do.

When she spoke again it was in a low whisper, one that would have only been able to be heard by the two of them. He narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, and a scowl covered his face. He wasn't sure how he could remind her of anyone, unless she knew one of the Flawed, which proved to be untrue. When she went on to say that he should have left her die up there he grunted slightly. "Yeah, maybe I should have." It was probably not that response that she had been expecting, though it was the first thing that crossed his mind. With a second realization that, that probably wasn't the best answer, he added; "but I didn't. Why? I don't know. All I know is that I risked my ass up there to help you get down to safety. So now you can at least do me the honors of following the traditions and ways of the resistance." He looked at her with his darkened eyes as he slightly held out the chains, for her to take back.

"Please."