Practice?maybe...decidophobia is real

[Deathcap]

Raven sat cross legged in the dry grass, alone in the wide yard that sloped down behind the campus. He needed some time to think about.. well, everything... even though he was pretty sure mulling things over was only making him feel more conflicted. Everything that had happened the night before; demons, monsters, waking up alone in a city, had felt like a nightmare, and until now, he hadn't been convinced it wasn't some sort of dream. He flopped quietly onto his back and looked up at the rich blue of the cloudless sky; something he hadn't often seen in the place that he'd come from. It reminded him of autumn, coupled with the gentle coolness of the air and the weathered state of the grass, maybe it was Fall? He closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a breath. Just as he did so, he heard the sound of a foot crushing grass and sprang to his feet, heart racing as he looked around only to notice Kail and soften a little at the familiar face. Not really sure how to greet him after jumping like that, the boy awkwardly tried to be friendly. "Um, h-hey." He greeted, trying to smile a little and bringing his hand up in a sheepish half wave. It made him feel very odd for some reason, like he'd forgotten how to be social or casual, and he realized he couldn't remember the last time he'd heard a polite conversation that hadn't been about shooting some guy in the face or how they might have to eat the horses if the winter was too harsh- He shuddered and felt very self conscious and out of his element talking to the other boy; suddenly worried he'd say something to him that would make him uncomfortable or nervous. So he sat down again, abruptly nervous, and went quiet. Maybe Kail would want to talk instead? Maybe he wouldn't. Why did he care so much all of a sudden? (cuzyou'regayforhimthat'swhy)

[FictionalPieces]

Kail had tried to fall back to sleep, to go back to some place that wasn't here. Things had been pretty bad back at home, but he wasn't sure what was the worst. Here he had some crazed man after him for some reason, and he had learnt that he had powers he never knew he had had. As he walked around the campus, he glanced down towards his hands, his shoulder's sagging. If only he had known about this powers, if he had them previous to coming here, maybe he would have been able to save Yuki... Shaking the thought off, he let out a shaky sigh. It had been his fault. As happy as he had been with the male, it was his fault that he had been killed. He had been the one who wasn't being careful when hunting, which of course had led to him and Yuki meeting. He hadn't planned for anything to happen between him and Yuki, and even when they had gotten together, they had been so careful. In the end he had found out his mother had had a hand in pushing their relationship out into the open for the rest of the town to know, specifically the group that went after people who were different.
Being pulled out of his thoughts as he noticed Raven jump, Kail blinked and glanced towards the other male, a bit shocked that he was out and about this early. Though he couldn't really say much because he was out and about this early. A faint smile came to his face as Raven waved and spoke, albeit it was a nervous smile. "H-hey..." he replied, reaching a hand up to brush some hair out of his face as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. He wasn't exactly sure what to do. He could turn and leave Raven to whatever he had been up to, but of course it could be taken as rude. But if he wasn't wanted here, he doubted that the boy would tell him. Whatever social skills he had had had gone out of the door for the most part after losing Yuki. He had a hard time showing his face back out in public after the incident, afraid of what people would try to do. Not that he would have exactly minded being killed, it would have saved him from a lot of misery. "I'm uh... sorry about.. you know... scaring you..." he apologized, scratching the back of his head nervously as he watched Raven sit back down.

[Deathcap]

Raven turned a little as Kail spoke, surprised by how sad and downtrodden the other looked, and shook his head "Oh, no, it's fine... I just..." His words died at his lips as he realized he wasn't sure how to finish it. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked quietly. "...Couldn't sleep?" Raven had come to note that the last few mornings he had been waking up at least a couple hours before most of the other residents. He still woke up early, something that had been drilled into him from morning watch, regardless of how long he'd been out or what kind of nightmares infected his sleep. So he just laid still and listened to the creaking of the old wood or the soft breathing and snoring of the others and tried not to imagine what the howls he heard off in the distance were coming from.  But Kail being up now seemed unusual, and he wondered briefly if the brunet had had a nightmare or something.  Bringing his knees to his chest against the morning chill, he stayed facing Kail encase the other did want to talk.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail tried to smile as Raven tried to reassure him that it was fine, though it didn't work out exactly like he had planned. He just found it hard to do so anymore. He shrugged and shoulder and glanced down as he was asked if he couldn't sleep and if he was alright. "I guess you could say that...." he replied, chewing on his lip and scratching the back of his head nervously. It wasn't exactly something he liked to talk about, especially with someone he barely knew. Of course he trusted Raven the most out of the group of people he had met. He had been the kindest and hadn't shot him upon first meeting him. Which he was kind of thankful for. But then again, he wouldn't have had to come across the male after him and be pushed into the situation he was in now. How would he even be sure that he could trust the demons, even if they seemed to be willing to explain what was going on. But would that change simply because the man who he shared powers with had gone against them? Running his fingers through his hair, he then crossed his arms over his chest "I was just thinking about... uh... stuff that happened back home..."

[Deathcap]

Raven tipped his head a little to the right as he listened to the morose looking boy, and calmly got to his feet again, putting his hands in the pockets on his jacket. He could hear a weight in Kail's words, like they were a dam holding back a hundred other emotions. The other wasn't just ok, it was obvious. He'd spent so much time learning to understand Yoan's bottled up emotions that he could, for the most part, tell when some one was feeling a certain way, and the other boy had seemed anxious and insecure since he'd first met him. (But the last few days had been nerve-wracking. And who was he to call someone anxious?) "Did you... want to talk about it? Or maybe just walk around?" Raven asked, willing to  hear the other out if he felt like talking, or, if he didn't, to just give him some company and maybe get his mind off of things. It must be hard for him, suddenly ending up here like this... He thought. Maybe Kail had a family back home or something, and then having that terrifying man after him was likely only making things worse... He hadn't really thought about how torn the others might be feeling after being ripped away from parents and siblings and friends, when he himself had grown numb to that sort of agony, and hadn't anything left to lose. If anything, despite all the horror, he felt a relief here that wasn't simply knowing he'd be allowed to die when his body finally gave in to the sickness.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail tensed slightly as Raven got to his feet, even though he seemed calm. He felt so foolish, jumping at the smallest of things. He doubted that anyone here was going to do anything to harm him if he was innocent, and even if they tried to, he honestly wouldn't have blamed them. He was probably only going to get in the way of everyone else and get people killed. It wouldn't have been the first time. Kail was shocked to say the least as Raven asked him if he wanted to talk about it, or even just walk around. He didn't exactly want to talk about it, but maybe getting it off his chest would do him some good. He hadn't talked about it with anyone since it had happened months ago. He shrugged his shoulders and glanced down. "It's not really something I've liked to talk about..." he told the other, glancing over at him. He could talk about it, making sure to be vague, but surely that would only bring about questions? With a deep breath, the brunet glanced down once more, his shoulder's drooping slightly as his eyes closed about half-way. "I just, a few months ago I lost a loved one... I could have stopped it... None of it had to happen...but I wasn't able to..." he spoke quietly, almost in a whisper and his voice shaking slightly.

[Deathcap]

Shifting on his feet from where he stood next to the other, Raven listened quietly, looking up at Kail as he hesitated. As the last words left the boy's mouth, he felt a pang of anguish deep in his chest and his hands clenched involuntarily in his pockets. He remained in, silence for a moment, not sure what to say. He didn't think a "sorry" would mean much, if anything, to someone who was grieving. It's all you heard from anyone and it didn't make anything better. He couldn't tell Kail it wasn't his fault; he knew nothing about what had happened, and if anything it would probably only make things worse. He blinked at the ground. "Sometimes... horrible things happen to really good people... no matter how hard they try or what the people around them do to help or be supportive..." He started, stumbling over the words. "...and, maybe things could have turned out differently, depending on something we could have done differently in the past... but things happen no matter what we do. Someone might save a person from burning by pushing them into water, only to have them get ill from getting wet and cold." He tried to comfort, but worried it was coming out wrong. "I know how much it... it hurts to loose someone... wondering that maybe if you'd done or said something differently they'd still be there with you..." He went on, hesitantly glancing up at Kail again. "And if it's true what the others said about all these worlds and universes, and each one being different but similar? Then that same person is living and happy in thousands of them."

[FictionalPieces]

Kail chewed on his bottom lip and looked away as they stood in silence. Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up after all. He had been about to apologize for even bringing it up and making the mood worse before leaving. Though he was shocked when Raven actually started to speak. He hadn't been expecting it. And despite the fact that he was stumbling over his words and didn't really seem like he knew what he was saying, Kail appreciated the effort. It wasn't everyday that someone actually tried to comfort him, even though he didn't talk about it. Back home, people whispered about it, knowing full well what had happened after the group flaunted their 'accomplishment' around, but never once had he talked to anyone about what had happened to Yuki. He had received a few 'sorry's', but none of them meant it and he knew it. He hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say. "I... I could only hope that he's alive in some other universe and actually happy..." Kail shook his head and let out a sigh. "Though I doubt it... Even with all of these different universes they talk about, I doubt that anything would have been different..." He smiled faintly at him "T-Thank you for trying though...." he spoke softly. He debated on explaining more. He knew that no matter what universe they were in, it was highly unlikely that the group would change his mind. "The people of my hometown were really set in their ways. Nothing could change that, no matter what universe they're in. There... There was this group..." he started, refusing to look up at him. "If you were different, they'd come after you. If they thought that this rock," he paused for a moment, bending down to pick up a small rock that had found its way into the grass, "Was actually a boulder, and you thought that it was just a regular old rock, they'd probably come after you." Clenching the rock tightly in his hand, he looked down at the hand he held it in, the other arm wrapping around his torso. "It was like that with me and Yuki... We didn't do anything wrong, we just, didn't love like they wanted us to... They came after us and well... the rest is pretty explanatory..."

[Deathcap]

Raven glanced down, realizing he hadn't really said the right things as Kail half acknowledged him and seemed to remain disheartened. The boy and nodded a little as Kail thanked him, wishing he was a little better with people.  He looked at the other as Kail started to explain more, watching him pick up and use the stone as an example. He understood... sort of... It reminded him of his own society a little; thinking  or saying the wrong things could get put someone in a dangerous spot with the government.  But loving the wrong way? How could love be wrong?  That sort of thing wasn't really part of the laws and penalties back home; they were based on anything but emotions or human error, and while there was discrimination, it was based on more societal things than things like skin color or who you loved... But then... who you were in society could be based on those things when people judged you for that, so it was sort of the same thing then... Yoan, the people from her country, were hated and killed and discriminated against because of reasons and differences from people in his own country that no one even remembered, and it was sickening. ....But he'd fought and killed for an army that existed only to murder and discriminate and destroy, not of his own choosing, but there was no such thing as an innocent bystander in what he had been through. There had been chances he didn't take that would have saved lives by taking his own and those of his fellow soldiers, but he hadn't been able to at the time. So how was he any different from the people that had done this to Kail and the other boy that he had loved?  He felt an enormous wave of guilt and regret wash through him at the thought that he'd become so much like the soldier that had killed his friend for simply being born in the wrong country, that he'd almost become capable of doing all the horrible things he'd seen other soldiers do, and that he could have, under the right circumstances, caused the same pain and injustice that Kail had gone through. He felt weak all of a sudden, and tried to swallow back the taste of metal in his mouth.  "I'm sorry, Kail... I'm so sorry that people like that have to exist." He said quietly, the corners of his eyes getting wet in anger at himself as he looked away.

[FictionalPieces]

((o-omg what's this? Buttneigh ACTUALLY did the thing!?!? Eventhoughitsucks))

Thought it probablh didn't actually seem like it at the time, Kail honestly did appreciate Raven's efforts in trying to cheer him up or comfort him. It wasn't everyday that someone did such a thing. Back home, almost no one took the time to try and cheer anyone else up, regardless of who they were. No one tried to make a difference in the miserable lives of the villagers. Maybe if someone had, things would have turned out differently. Yuki would still be alive, along with countless other people who had long been forgotten. But thinking about it now, maybe... Maybe it had been for the better. He had been pulled away from everything he had known to... He still wasn't completely sure why he was here with all these other strangers, but regardless, he likely would have been brought here whether Yuki was alive or not. He just wasn't to sure what would was worse; having Yuki killed in front of his eyes, or being torn away from him and not being able to return to him. Shivering at the thought, he glanced up at Raven as he apologized, quickly catching a glimpse of what he assumed to be the start of tears. Hesitating for a brief moment, he reached out and placed a hand on Raven's shoulder, a sad, faint smile coming to his face. "It's okay, Raven... It's not your fault..." And it honestly wasn't. It wasn't anyones fault, for the most part. People simply learned from those before them, passing on beliefs and traditions throughout the ages and corrupting the minds of even more children, who then continued to pass on the hatred. "Besides, maybe someday the children of the future will learn... Mistakes need to be made in order to learn I guess..." He glanced around and let out a sigh. "As long as the whole earth's future isn't... this" he muttered, motioning slightly to the landscape around them. 

[Deathcap]

Raven looked up at Kail as the other touched his shoulder and spoke, flinching, but not pulling away, his gaze faltering. "I... don't think people will ever learn, Kail... Maybe your world isn't old enough yet... but my home is almost exactly like this... People still kill each other needlessly and call it glory. They had the future in their hands, they were happy, people were equal and they threw it all away and destroyed everything because of a misunderstanding. Now my world is dying and taking everyone with it... and instead of working together, my country was so focused on creating a dominate society that they were willing to slaughter innocent families and children because they fallowed different ideas. " He hesitated, his voice catching in his throat, and he couldn't finish. He didn't want Kail to hate him, to be any more afraid of him than he already seemed to be. And if I was part of that... as much as I never wanted to be... And if I pulled the trigger on people who were just trying to save their home... as willingly as I would have shot myself if it could have stopped what was happening...then how can it not be my fault? Not for the death of Kail's loved one, but for all the people like him who suffered because of my actions. He took a breath. “Maybe... maybe you're right... I guess I'm being too pessimistic.” He added weakly. It was hard to believe his own words after what he'd seen people do to each other, but he tried to be positive for Kail's sake.

Remembering the brunet's alarm and discomfort concerning his gun from the other day, it all came together now and he suddenly felt even more at fault. “That's... that's why...” He murmured to himself, turning away a little from the other boy. “Do you think people can change, Kail?...” He asked quietly.

[FictionalPieces]

Noticing the flinch, Kail allowed his hand to drop from Raven's shoulder. He hadn't thought before hand that it may not have been a good idea to place his hand on Raven's shoulder. He still wasn't exactly sure how Raven felt about such things. After all, they still were only strangers. He trusted Raven more than any of the other's that he had met, but it doesn't mean that Raven felt the same towards him or even wanted him touching him.
Dipping his head slightly as he listened to Raven, he glanced away with a sigh. "I know that some people are always going to be this way, no matter what happens in the future... Just.. it would be nice to know that it won't be as common in the future for someone to have to go through this." Frowning slightly, he tilted his head to the side for a moment, glancing over Raven's face as he hesitated before stopping for a moment. "I'm sorry... I guess all of our worlds are just a shitty place.."
Though Raven was trying to admit that he was probably being too pessimistic, he didn't blame him. The boy's world seemed worse off than his own was.

Hearing the murmuring coming from Raven, he tilted his head to the side slightly and looked at him as he turned away. He figured that the male was remembering their first encounter. He was still nervous around the gun, but surely Raven wouldn't use it against him or anyone else that they could trust. That's what he was hoping for anyway. "I think it depends on the situation and the person...Some people probably could, other's may seem like it, but deep down they're the same.."

[Deathcap]

Raven was quiet for a little while. "I... If we're stuck here, I guess it's a good time to start over, then." He said decisively, feeling a little bit hopeful. Then, on a whim, he stepped a few feet away, and carefully removed the gun from it's holster. He emptied the magazine into his hand with a quick motion, just to be safe, then focused  for a moment on the firearm and let heat seep into to the metal. In seconds it seemed to melt in his hand as he set it down and the weapon dissolved into lumps of dark silver at his feet before hardening and cooling off, almost swallowed by the grass.  "There." He said, satisfied. Getting rid of his weapon might not be the smartest idea, he knew that, but he had his fire, he had only ever resented the gun, and this way, maybe Kail wouldn't have to feel so uncomfortable.  He glanced up, a little awkward now... That had probably seemed like a pretty stupid thing to do, despite his reasons, but he was confident in this decision. "I'm sorry... about the gun... I didn't realize...But... if we're free here..." He trailed off his explanation uncertainly. "I don't want to use one again." Raven added quietly, looking back at Kail, not sure how the other was going to react. At this point, he wasn't sure if he was coming of as crazy or not.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail stood awkwardly in the silence, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He was afraid that Raven was going to just turn and walk away and not even bother with him anymore. He was so use to everyone turning their backs on him simply for some little detail about himself that he couldn't help. It wasn't like he had woken up one morning with the thought that he wanted to make his whole village hate him. Being pulled from his thoughts as Raven stepped back, he had been about to tell him not to go, that he wasn't going to try and pull anything or whatever else Raven may be thinking. As soon as the gun was pulled from it's holster, he took a step back, his eyes widening both in fear and shock. He hadn't been expecting the boy to melt his gun. Watching as the melting piece of metal fell to the ground, he blinked and looking up at Raven as he listened to his... explanation. It was a relief to see the gun gone, melted into the grass now, but on the same hand he knew it had been a stupid move. Sure the dark haired boy had fire powers, but the gun could have been a back up. He smiled faintly and shook his head as Raven apologized "There's no reason for you to be sorry... it wasn't like you knew... I hadn't planned on telling anyone but..." he said with a shrug, glancing back down towards the melted gun.

[Deathcap]

Raven shook his head, remaining quiet and fitting his cold hands back into his pockets.  He turned and walked down the hill a little bit. At the bottom it spread out to a couple trees, and a few buildings that looked like old lecture halls and a library. He turned on his heal and looked back sheepishly. "Did you want to walk around with me?" He offered, tilting his head a little to the side in question, his dark hair falling slightly in his eyes, though it didn't seem to bother him. "I'm just going to look around a little." If they were going to be here for a while, it made sense to know the area, and he hadn't seen any signs of the demons they had been attacked by deeper in the city, so he wasn't too worried.  He doubted Kail would want to come, but he didn't want to leave the other boy all alone of the hill... and he would really like having Kail to talk with, if he didn't think he was completely insane by now.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail looked down towards the ground, scuffing a foot in the dried up grass absentmindedly as silence fell upon them once again.   Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Raven walking down the little hill they stood on. His shoulder's sagged slightly. Maybe Raven didn't want to talk to him anymore... The thought was shook off as the boy turned and spoke to him.  He wouldn't mind walking around with Raven, even if it was just in silence, but he didn't want to seem to eager. Raven seemed okay with him right now, but he didn't want to chase him off. "It'd probably be good to stay in pairs..." he commented, fumbling down the hill after him. Normally such a hill would have been no problem to get down, but he quickly realized just how self-conscious he felt around this new group of strangers, and Raven in general. "It's probably safe...  And even if it wasn't for that fact, I would want to walk around with you." Realizing it probably sounded like he was rambling, he glanced away "I'm... Just gonna be quiet now..." he muttered. 

[Deathcap]

Raven waited for the other to catch up, a little bit surprised by the other's decision, he watched as Kail scrambled almost awkwardly down the hill, then turned to walk beside him as the other came up. "Yeah. I guess it's safer with a friend." He agreed, suppressing a shiver... Despite wearing a jacket, scarf and gloves, nothing he did seemed to keep the away the chill, he knew it was because he didn't eat enough; he should have weighed quite a bit more than he did, but the illness made it impossible  to stomach anything substantial. He wondered briefly if he would remain this way; what with the power and longevity the demons had explained they were going to possess. He couldn't remember a time where he had felt warm, or comfortable without the constant dragging ache in his chest and abdomen. He let go of the thought as Kail spoke again, glancing up, a little shocked by what he said.  "N-no, that's alright." Raven tried to assure the other. "It's nice to have someone to talk to." He admitted, attempting a small smile. "I used to have a friend- he never stopped talking. About everything too- books he'd read, food he'd eaten, things about all his little sisters, what sort of socks he was wearing. But I think it kept a lot of the others sane." Raven added reassuringly.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail dipped his head slightly as Raven agreed with him. It had taken quite a bit of talking to himself to even leave the safety of the main building after waking up. Though they were close to the rest of the demons, he still didn't feel safe out in the open with his demon counterpart after him. Falling into step next to him, he shoved his hands into his pockets as he glanced down towards the ground after falling silent like he had said he would. He was a bit surprised that Raven seemed fine with what he was assuming to be rambling. He smiled faintly as he nodded his head "I just... It's a bit weird talking to someone without them yelling at you or just not talking to you in general..." He hated feeling so out of place here. At home it was different when you knew everyone and knew why you were the outcast. But here he knew no one and while they had no idea about who he was or anything, it was worse. "I guess just depending on the situation it can be good to have a person like that."

[Deathcap]

Glancing between Kail and the path they were fallowing, Raven listened quietly to the other boy, feeling a pang of sympathy for the other. He sounded just like Yoan, with the way she had become so used to being treated like something worthless and being neglected that she had reacted with uncertainty and distrust when she wasn't being abused by the people around her.  Perhaps it was this that caused him to reach out-ever so slightly- on instinct in an attempt to comfort before hesitating and letting his hand fall to his side. He said nothing for a moment and just walked beside him. "... I won't yell at you." He spoke up quietly, after a long pause. It was an awkward thing to say, but he wanted Kail to know that he didn't have to be afraid of talking to him or being himself. "Don't worry about it, I mean, people getting mad at you here... I don't think a lot of the others seem hateful like that." Zeta, of course, was a different story, but after the way he'd had it handed to him, Raven doubted that the volatile man would be attacking them this close to the other ...''demons'', and the rest of them seemed pretty human, themselves, if a little quirky and pointy-toothed. 

He looked up as they came closer to the buildings at the bottom of the hill. Curious, he noticed an old plaque mounted on the decaying outer wall. A lot of the lettering had been rubbed out by age and weathering, but he could make out the words "Campus" and "Library" written in engraved characters. The amount of excitement he felt in the moment that the words registered was like something he couldn't describe. Irrational? Maybe. But he hadn't been to a library since the one in his city had been lost in the bombings; all the books burned and  ripped into dust, along with any knowledge stored in the electric data bases there. The only ''books'' he'd had access to were propaganda pamphlets and old partially burned volumes.   "D-do you want to check it out?" He asked after a few minuets of walking near it, the question coming out almost sheepishly. If Kail didn't want to- after all, it did look kind of creepy from the outside- he could always go and look later.  "It looks like there's a lot of books still in there."

[FictionalPieces]

Kail kept his gaze on the ground ahead of him as they walked through the campus. Though they really had set out to explore the campus a little more to figure out where things were, he wasn't paying that much attention. It had been to hard enough to focus on anything for the past few months, but now that he had been dragged away and forced into whatever was going on, as well as telling someone he didn't really know all that well what had happened, focusing was the last of his concerns.
From what he knew about Raven, he wasn't all that surprised when he was told that he wasn't going to yell at him, but there still was a little bit of shock. The brunette stayed silent for another moment or two as he tried to think of exactly what to say. ".. Thank you... Uh... same goes for you.." Even if he was 100% sure that no one here was going to yell at him, it wouldn't really help his worries. You just got use to it after so long of being an outcast in your own city. Even if it hadn't actually been that long. "I'm hoping that that's the case..."

As they made their way around the buildings, Kail slowly started to look around a little cautiously. Noticing that something had seemed to grab the attention of the dark haired male, he blinked as he looked up to the plaque that Raven had found. His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to make out the words even if he knew that it wasn't going to happen. He had never been taught to read just like numerous other people in the town, and it seemed quite obvious that Raven knew how. Putting on a small fake smile for the time being, he nodded his head "Why not? It wouldn't hurt to check it out." He didn't want the other to find out that he couldn't read, but after agreeing to go inside and look around, he realized that it was probably only going to bring it out into the open sooner.

[Deathcap]

He nodded as Kail trailed off. Though he was sure the other would end up yelling at him at some point; he did a lot of stupid things, but he was sure the others here would be kind enough to the other. "I'm sure it'll be alright- there's no valid reason for anyone to be mean to you here." As the other boy agreed to look around, Raven's eyes lit up a little. He walked around to the main door and tried it, as the windows looked to be locked. It was heavy oak and seemed to be stuck, though he could tell from the way it moved it wasn't locked. He pulled back on it, digging his heals into the concrete of the path leading up to it, and struggling to move it any further. Suddenly there was a wooden grinding noise and it opened slowly. He took a cautious step inside and held the door for Kail as he looked around. Warm golden light filtered through the dusty glass window panes, and the whole interior seemed to be a little disheveled and worn, but it didn't seem completely abandoned. 
Raven walked up to the closest shelf and marveled at the old volumes, scared to touch them for fear they might crumble into dust. But he carefully drew a small brown hardcover from it's place and flipped it open, and the smell of old ink and aged paper filled his senses. It seemed to be in pretty good shape, considering. Some sort of a romance novel. He closed it and slotted it back. Curious, he checked around, adoring the books and picking up quite a few.  He glanced at Kail. "Sorry, did you want to go? I never even asked if you like to read." He apologized, setting down a huge red tome of cooking recipes involving turnips.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail knew that Raven had a point. No one here had a reason to be angry at him or yell at him. Yet that was. He was sure that sometime down the road he would do something to piss someone off or something along those lines. He had no idea what the other's here where like, and whether they shared similar views and beliefs as those back home did. Noticing the other's eyes light up upon him agreeing to look around the library, Kail smiled a bit sheepishly before he followed Raven around to the front door. He stood awkwardly, glancing around as Raven attempted to open the door. When nothing was really changing, he had been about to offer some help to open the door but a grinding noise could be heard before it finally opened.
Following slowly behind Raven into the building, looking around at all of the books that lined the shelves. His eyes widened slightly as he looked around. He had never once in his life seen this many books. Stories had been told growing up, but never had they been in the form of a book. There had been a few books in his hometown, but they were a rare occurrence.
Chewing on his bottom lip as he looked around, he shoved his hands into his pockets as he watched Raven scan through the books and pick a few out before glancing over at him. He blinked slightly and shook his head, forcing a small smile. "It's okay... " he said softly, shrugging a shoulder as he looked down. "I just.. never was taught how to read..." he admitted quietly.

[Deathcap]

Raven tilted his head to the side as Kail confessed hesitantly that he couldn't read, a little surprised. "O-oh. Well, that's nothing to be embarrassed about." He paused, putting the large book he had back into it's nitch on a low shelf. He straightened up and dusted his jacket off and turning back to the other boy. "Would you like me to teach you? It's not difficult once you get used to it, and I could help you through it." He offered, glancing uncertainly at Kail. He didn't want the other to think he was patronizing him, but he thought to at least ask. Previous to being drafted, he'd worked and lived in a care center after being left there as a child. It was a place constantly full of people who needed shelter or medical care but couldn't reach or afford it. He had looked after countless children who passed through either with their parents or completely alone, and he had become used to reading to them or teaching them to read, when he had time for it. And Kail probably had a much longer attention span and willingness to learn than a little kid, if he wanted to that was.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail kept his gaze towards the ground as he was told that there was no need to be embarrassed about not being able to read. He felt like it was the complete opposite. Here he was, supposedly someone that had some importance, and he couldn't even read. Playing sheepishly with the end of one of his sleeves, he shrugged slightly "Our village didn't really thing it was that important... Or well.. only the more uh... higher up people in the village had the ability..." he muttered. Hearing the offer, Kail blinked in confusion as he looked up, a light blush coming to his cheeks as he quickly held his hands up "Oh no! I.. It's really okay!" He didn't want Raven to think that he had to teach him how to read. He was embarrassed about it sure, and maybe he'd have to read years down the road, but he didn't expect Raven to teach him. Hell, he didn't even expect the other to talk to him, and was shocked that he was still there with him.

[Deathcap]

Raven smiled back reassuringly. "It- it's no problem... and it's useful, if you're ever lost and need to read directions or something, or if someone gives you a note?" He replied, growing hesitant as the other's face blushed pink; he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger, so he spoke a little softer, trying not to get Kail upset. "If you want, I mean, I really wouldn't mind?"  He added. There was tons of words to read in this place, and if need be, he was sure he could find something easy for Kail to start with, or he could just read with him, (if the other boy cared to try), he wasn't going to force him.

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