WITH YOUR SICK HEAD

ilijas arthur valentine

[color=gray]"We're gonna... wash a dead body? Why?"

Ilijas was not familiar with murder. He had never taken a life from another or even entertained that thought, far too gentle in nature to possess the desire to simply strike down someone where they stood. Such was a partial lie though, the adolescent having once led an existence dependent on the death of others to survive, a monster shrouded in the skin of a gentleman who's fury was unmatched and who's wrath Ilijas would one day find himself atoning for. On several occasions, he had already been met with a strange ferocity that barely matched his nonchalant disposition, the bengal hardly able to process the new and unfamiliar emotion before it dissipated entirely. He never told anyone about his strange lapses however, far too afraid of what they might mean and what consequences might follow them.

[color=gray]"Did you do this?" Inquired the bengal curiously, tone not accusatory even as a metaphorical brow arched in mild skepticism. The body that lay twisted in the sand was not one he was familiar with, but then again, the young photographer was still learning his way around Sunhaven. The corpse did not succeed in unnerving him though, not really. He was an explorer of the wilderness, someone who had stumbled upon bodies claimed by the elements in his travels, forced to stomach them and continue moving lest he fall victim to the same fate. When it came down to it, he guessed death wasn't even that deep. [color=gray]"And why did you do it if you did?"

cause god, i never felt young

☀ — just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me

// gore warning sfdgsh + it’s 12:30 and im on mobile so this may or may not suck

Pierce had been on his usual little patrol of the Sunhaven territory when a familiar iron-like scent struck his nose, flooding his mouth with the taste of what was clearly blood- blood! Oh god, he smelled blood. The metallic stench could never mean anything good, but it was a smell prominent in far too many of Pierce's memories for him to be able to approach it calmly. He could still see the lifeless, bleeding form of his sister, still feel gaping wounds along his sides, the agony of a shattered leg. His whole life, Pierce had been followed by violence and gore, and though it was common, something no one else really seemed bothered by - and something he tried not to look bothered by -, the same terror gripped his body eavh time it reached his unsuspecting nose. Regardless of the less-than-cheerful memories, Pierce forced himself to follow the smell, reminding himself that it didn't always mean something horrible- maybe someone had just, like, skinned their knee, or something. Yeah, that was probably it.

When he neared the scene, however, he realized, that was most definitely not it.

There were Sunhaveners, some worried, some horrified, gathered around a stranger and a crumpled, bleeding form of a person  on the ground. Murder was not something Pierce was unfamiliar with- on the contrary, he’d seen clanmates and loved ones slaughtered before his very eyes quite a few times, and when that didn’t happen, he usually ended up stumbling across the aftermath. Not to mention, his life had been threatened countless times, and once, he’d even been stabbed to death.

Honey eyes flicked over the oozing wounds that decorated the corpse’s  body, expression rather unfeeling despite the sick twist he felt in his gut. Briefly, he could feel the hilt of a dagger gripped in his own paw, feel its impact as he brought it down upon his completely unsuspecting victim, green eyes dulled but still filled with confusion and betrayal.

Pierce’s gaze shifted back to Sparrow as he desperately tried to ignore the disturbing image created in his mind, though it was closer to a memory, that had entered his mind. That had never happened- what the hell was wrong with him? He brushed it off as a mere reaction to the murder scene, but he knew that simply was not accurate, and he could still feel his legs trembling slightly. He’d thought this place would be safe, safe for him, for Clem, a place where they could finally be happy and not have to worry about this kind of bullshit, but he should’ve known that idea was too good to be true.

The serval forced his attention onto Sparrow now, grasping at any possible thoughts and emotions other than the ones that currently plagued his mind. The man before him was a killer. Granted, Pierce had defended the same kind before, but this was different. He didn’t know if this had been with reason or not. For all he knew, this guy was just some fucking sicko. "Why?" was all Pierce uttered, not allowing himself to look back at the body that stained the sand below it. This man was guilty, he knew it- for one, why was he right beside the freshly-killed corpse, and second, the weapon strapped to his back seemed eerily like it could make the same wounds on the victim’s body. Pierce just wanted to know one thing- why? Had she done something to this guy before, to someone he cared about, perhaps? Was this justice? Or was this just his way of having “fun”?

"speech"

//mobile

ilijas arthur valentine

[color=gray]"Uh, sorry man but you overestimate how much I care about you or this gal that you killed. Forgiveness and hatred, in this context, are stupid. Just let us know why the hell you did it. It isn't that deep," Ilijas responded evenly, resisting the urge to scoff in the face of Sparrow. He was being... unnecessarily dramatic about this, enigmatic behavior making it difficult for the photographer to even deduce his motives for being upon the border with a corpse, of all things. Some strange and unfamiliar voice insisted that he execute the armed stranger for his crimes, but he ignored it easily, writing off the voice as another facet of a past he didn't understand, most likely linked to his strange bloodlust and desire to rip and shred and destory.

Ilijas shifted his weight, easily moving his satchel from one shoulder to the next to kill only a few, agonizing seconds as he awaited an answer, chestnut shaded eyes unblinking as he continued to stare at the masked stranger. Ah, yes... stranger. It occurred to the adolescent that he didn't know this individual's name. [color=gray]"Oh, and per clan policy or whatever - I'm still getting used to it myself - what's your name and reason for being here? If you didn't know, this is Sunhaven." Was he doing his job now? God, he hoped so. A promotion was neat and all, but Ilijas still didn't exactly know what his new position entailed. Hopefully, this was it.

(sorry for such a rushed and late response!! university has dominated all my time lately aaaa)

cause god, i never felt young

☀ — just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me

As he and Ilijas were addressed, the bright-eyed tom felt his jaw clench ever so slightly, processing the other's words wordlessly. He was denying them answers? After coming right up to their territory and murdering someone on their border? Yeah, sure. Taking another's life was never excusable nor forgivable, though it could sometimes be understandable. People had killed for him before, and he knew, if it came down to it, he would take another's life in a heartbeat for his daughter, who currently lay sick in his home. However, the fact that this man said nothing, did nothing, seemingly felt nothing, was very clearly bothering the smaller feline that stood before him. Was it anger that Pierce felt? He... wasn't sure. He couldn't be sure, unless he knew there had been a valid reason for this man to hurt the femme before them. But, Pierce had a feeling he wouldn't be avoiding the question if he hadn't done it out of malice.

Pierce so desperately wanted to snap at the stranger, to threaten him and tell him all sorts of horrible things, but Ilijas spoke before he could, which was probably for the best. Usually, Pierce was good at handling touchy situations, but this was something entirely different, and he held his breath as his fellow Hearthkeeper spoke, biting the inside of his cheek. It was true- they didn't know this man, had no reason to care for him in any way. But, this being their territory and Sparrow being the homicidal trespasser, they were certainly entitled to answers. "I suggest you answer fast, too," spoke up the serval, honey gaze burning holes in Sparrow's  metallic pelt as he glared at the canine. They were roughly the same size, but Sparrow was far stockier, and armed- if he wanted, he could kill Pierce, easy, but he doubted it would come to that. "'Cause about the best thing I see happening for you at the moment is you getting your ass chased off of our border, so make it quick." Pierce kind of had a feeling the others wouldn't try defending this mess, at least, not until they heard what he had to say- and perhaps he would end up convincing Pierce, too, but the dappled Hearthkeeper had a feeling that wasn't gonna happen.

"speech"