07-19-2018, 06:01 PM
[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]Baby hadn't been trained to trust either. In fact, he would go so far as to say the complete opposite; growing up as an urchin made it difficult to find anyone to rely on beyond himself, especially when others in similar positions were all too eager to steal any advancements he'd made. Food was the most sought after resource, and no one had been above thievery. Getting roped into the program where Silver reigned supreme was- an eye-opener, to put it simply. The lion hadn't realized his own willingness to form a bond, to latch onto a connection, until he and Silver made one. Baby's agreeableness to sharing a mind with someone had spread over his entire body in the metal plates, replacing fur with steel, except instead of seeing that mirrored in Silver, instead of seeing his willingness- it wasn't there. Tendrils and patches of it crept up later, but he could remember the moment he knew Silver didn't want it. Or him, by extension. So he became angry, most especially at Silver, and Baby could admit he wasn't always fair to him. Something went wrong? Silver's fault. A slip-up in training? Silver's fault. Bad weather? Again, Silver's doing. It wasn't reasonable, but hopes he didn't even know he had were dropped to shatter that day, the splinters worming under his skin, sharpening his anger.
This honestly felt like the universe's great jab, and it didn't matter what shit he'd done in his life. He'd be screwed over regardless, wouldn't he?
His companion didn't have a smooth life either, but Baby- well. He didn't allow Silver to have his mistakes. Baby could flaunt his own, and when Silver made even the smallest error, he tore it apart. So yeah, it was better that Baby was the one limping along, because he couldn't trust his own bedside manner, couldn't trust his anything when it came to Silver. At least he could admit to himself that the other lion deserved better than that. Hell, maybe Silver had known it from the beginning, yet here he was, still with Baby, bearing his own wounds after a fight gone south. Baby had never given him a reason to remain here, to push through the currents of pain he was getting from Baby in order to prop him up against his shoulder again. He'd given him more reasons not to help.
Exhaling heavily, his eyes fluttered shut, doing his best to keep from leaning the totality of his weight on the other lion. Strong as Silver was, he couldn't possibly walk for very long like that, with dead weight pulling him down. "It'd take a lot more to kill me," he managed to say, quiet and breathless. He wasn't so certain about the truth of that, but if he was anything, he was stubborn. Silver already knew that. These people didn't, and if he had more of his wits about him, he might've been startled, or he might've reacted beyond a grunt, but the trio had arrived at a bad time. To put it lightly. Drawing in another deep breath, Baby hid his face in the fur of Silver's neck, disguising the grimace and the grinding teeth from the strangers.
He caught bits and pieces of the things they said. Calypso, The Typhoon. Names. How. Medical attention. Registering everything was like trudging through thick mud.
"Baby. This one's Silver." Did the world always spin this much? "Fought somebody a while back. Just- need to rest." Somebodies, but the specifics didn't matter. Those people were dead now, but they'd left them both with more than enough damage to make up for it. His eyes squeezed shut again, blocking out the fuzziness and motion around him. "Robotic abilities." The lion snorted, which evolved into a wheeze. How funny. Unscathed. Yeah, the bleeding fissures in his pelt and the awkward set of his front leg were all signs of someone unscathed. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough energy left to tell him how dumb his question was.
This honestly felt like the universe's great jab, and it didn't matter what shit he'd done in his life. He'd be screwed over regardless, wouldn't he?
His companion didn't have a smooth life either, but Baby- well. He didn't allow Silver to have his mistakes. Baby could flaunt his own, and when Silver made even the smallest error, he tore it apart. So yeah, it was better that Baby was the one limping along, because he couldn't trust his own bedside manner, couldn't trust his anything when it came to Silver. At least he could admit to himself that the other lion deserved better than that. Hell, maybe Silver had known it from the beginning, yet here he was, still with Baby, bearing his own wounds after a fight gone south. Baby had never given him a reason to remain here, to push through the currents of pain he was getting from Baby in order to prop him up against his shoulder again. He'd given him more reasons not to help.
Exhaling heavily, his eyes fluttered shut, doing his best to keep from leaning the totality of his weight on the other lion. Strong as Silver was, he couldn't possibly walk for very long like that, with dead weight pulling him down. "It'd take a lot more to kill me," he managed to say, quiet and breathless. He wasn't so certain about the truth of that, but if he was anything, he was stubborn. Silver already knew that. These people didn't, and if he had more of his wits about him, he might've been startled, or he might've reacted beyond a grunt, but the trio had arrived at a bad time. To put it lightly. Drawing in another deep breath, Baby hid his face in the fur of Silver's neck, disguising the grimace and the grinding teeth from the strangers.
He caught bits and pieces of the things they said. Calypso, The Typhoon. Names. How. Medical attention. Registering everything was like trudging through thick mud.
"Baby. This one's Silver." Did the world always spin this much? "Fought somebody a while back. Just- need to rest." Somebodies, but the specifics didn't matter. Those people were dead now, but they'd left them both with more than enough damage to make up for it. His eyes squeezed shut again, blocking out the fuzziness and motion around him. "Robotic abilities." The lion snorted, which evolved into a wheeze. How funny. Unscathed. Yeah, the bleeding fissures in his pelt and the awkward set of his front leg were all signs of someone unscathed. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough energy left to tell him how dumb his question was.