[ PLOT ] Trapped!

[Teigra]

Normally difficult enough to see in the nighttime, the lone figure practically flying through the pounding rain and hurricane-strength wind was nearly invisible. Panting and inhaling a mixture of air and water with each breath, the oddly-colored tiger had taken what he'd thought was a lull in the storm as opportunity to shift positions and attempt to find a better place to ride out the weather.

Yes, this was a lull in the storm...which was still trying to blow him airborne, even in his heavier feline form. As Kane paused briefly to try and survey the area, it was obvious that the tiger's form seemed gaunt and slimmer than it should be. It seemed to be a bit more than one would expect from only dripping fur being plastered to skin by the pummeling rain and wind.

In any case, he was soon off again, eyes fixed on a tiny point of light in the distance, the only thing visible in the storm. He was weak, battered by the storm, and soaked. Even Kane needed shelter at this point. The storm attempted to blow him off course, and his paws faltered from time to time, but his eyes remained fixed on the light as it grew from a pinprick in the darkness to a soft glow. The light turned out to be home of some sort. Unfamiliar, but anything had to help at this point.

Still, this was Kane. He had no intentions of going inside the house. As it was, he neared the house and, gauging the direction of the wind and rain, headed towards the wall that would offer him the most protection from its wrath. Near the front door, the tiger hunkered down against the wall, slowly shifting back to his demonic form, thankful for once that it was smaller than the beast. Looking perhaps the most pathetic he had in his life, Kane shivered, hair dripping in his eyes as he watched the rain and wished the damn weather would have pity and let up. Didn't he have enough s**t to deal with?  

[Seiana_ZI]

Texas was... worried.

It took a few days, but after the whole odd drunken event between Magnus and Kane, Magnus started to seem less cheerful than usual. Not as into his own hedonistic habits as he usually was, the fae of intoxication had taken on a weird mood of contemplation, eventually once blurting out to Texas, "Why? Why did I sleep with... Kane?!"

Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't bother Magnus at all. He was pretty good at forgetting things and shoving them aside; perhaps, though, that was mostly because he never bothered thinking on them. This, though, seemed to almost grate at Magnus' mind, and after a conversation where the only thing Texas was able to say was, "...I don't actually know everything, Magnus," the fae retreated to his room to think on it more.

The house was quiet, besides for the sound of his son's music and the occassional rattling of the windows. The demonic stood over a pot of soup, stirring the mixture around with a ladle somewhat absent-mindedly. If Magnus was acting this bad, how was Kane doing? It had been a small while since the event now, and the tiger was nowhere to be found. This... also worried him. He promised he would come back, but now not only were their shaky friendship issues, there was also a pouring, blowing monsoon.

The overly-concerned demonic jumped when he thought he heard something thump against the front wall. Dropping the ladle, he cautiously headed towards the door, hoping that the house had obtained no damages from some flying debris and not once thinking it was another Pae'il. All he needed was a damaged home with all of the damaged people living within its walls. Texas sighed lightly, before taking in a deep breath and preparing himself for the worst.

...It was... Kane. Pitiful, wet, thin? Kane. The demon had always seemed so healthy before. And he had known the man before; something seemed different about his form, less dangerous... This monsoon wasn't exactly the best for finding fresh prey, he assumed.

Uncertain if Kane had already sensed his presense yet or not, Texas announced, "Kane, if you wanted some shelter, all you needed to do was ask."  

[Teigra]

As if proving just how out of it the demon was, Kane jumped at the voice, going stiff...but notably absent were his usual hisses or growls that accompanied the rare event of being startled. Instead, he seemed honestly shaken.

Hoshit...Texas?!? This is Texas' house?!?

Perhaps the forest had been a better option afterall. Still, he couldn't have known. The monsoon had washed away any scent evidence in the area and he'd certainly never ASKED where the other demonic lived. It was purely a coincidence.

Damn the Guardians and their sense of irony.

Quickly, Kane dropped the momentary shocked look he'd aimed at Texas, glancing back out at the rain. "I...I've got shelter. I'm fine." Even with his arms crossed over his chest and his wings wrapped around him, Kane was having trouble keeping his shivers contained and unnoticeable. He dropped his eyes to the side, muttering, "Just stopped for a rest. I'm sure it'll let up soon..."  

[Seiana_ZI]

Kane's behavior shook Texas. The feral one seemed sincerely shaken when Texas had talked, unusual enough in itself since he had such highly alert senses. His hearing was exceptionally good; he heard Faroth and Criofan long before Texas or Magnus did when they were dealing with the Isle fall...

Not only that, Kane didn't only seem to be startled, he seemed to be shaking. ...Seeing Kane like this was almost heart-breaking. He looked pathetic and pitiful, and there was no way the brown demonic was going to let him stay out here in good conscience. With a small sigh, Texas responded, "Kane, it's been raining and blowing for the past few days now, and the skies don't hint of it letting up any time soon."

He ventured closer, not once thinking of his own safety in the rains and winds and far more concerned about getting his feral friend to safety under his roof. "This isn't shelter, this is the front wall of a building. A building you're welcomed into." Texas knit his brows in concern, before mumbling, "Kane, don't do this to yourself."  

[Teigra]

"Gotta' run out of rain at some point, don't they?"

Yes, he knew it was it was a weak argument that made him look like an idiot. Still, Kane wasn't about to accept help...not from Texas. Not like this. Not even in his current condition. Only once in his life had he sought out help...and he blamed that on being partially delirious due to the poison.

Even cold and half-starved, something in Kane's very makeup kept him from accepting help. He didn't want to depend on anyone else for anything. Dependence was a weakness. Accepting help put him in the position where he felt he owed someone something. He didn't like owing people anything either.

So, he remained crouched against the wall, suppressing shivers and trying to look stronger and more sure than he felt. "It's shelter enough when you live in the wild like I do. Don't need a fancy house to call it 'shelter'. A tree can be shelter..." He glanced to the side, watching Tex move closer and frowning. What was he doing coming out here? Kane did not want to go inside and Tex sure couldn't want to come outside.

Despite the howling winds, Kane's ear caught the mumbled note of concern, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. No one was supposed to give a s**t about him. It made things awkward and complicated, not to mention it just felt...weird. "I'm...not doing anything," he muttered, then glared at Tex. He didn't like this much attention. Better to turn it around...

"You'd better get back inside before you get hit by something out here. You'll end up sick if nothing else." Crap, that sounded...err... Quickly, he added with a half-hearted sneer, "You're too spoiled and soft to deal with the elements."  

[Seiana_ZI]

Shelter his a**. If the winds changed direction, Kane could easily find himself in the brunt of the rain and the wind with the way he was huddled against the wall in his horribly pitiful state; Texas was not about to buy into that argument and, even if he did, probably would have still pursued the idea of venturing closer anyway... as he did. The demonic, refusing to take the rejection, made a few more steps forward, instinctively gathering his wings in so the wind didn't catch them and blow him off upwards.

Texas didn't cringe at the glare, only coming closer. Perhaps, the exact problem was that Kane wasn't doing anything. He was huddled against a wall, looking much frailer than usual, visibly shaking and not daring to accept an invitation to somewhere safer. That in itself was... dangerous. And while Kane seemed to live a life of danger, Texas determined that Kane had already taken too much of a beating.

...Though Kane was still able to throw Texas off-balance. Completely missing the pathetic sneer--or perhaps just not paying any attention to it--Texas zoned in on the obvious statement of concern that didn't sound quite like Kane. The demonic stopped momentarily, wide-eyed, not only surprised that someone would care about his well-being, but also pleasantly surprised it was Kane that was caring about his well-being.

It was certainly an interesting development. Perhaps Kane had taken Texas' words of friendship and concern to heart. The shock faded into a smile, but unfortunately for Kane, that only encouraged Texas in his pursuit to get his feral friend to safety. "I'm not going back in there without you with me, Kane." With a pause, he further offered, "I can't, in any good conscience, leave you out here to weather such a terrible monsoon. You'll only get badly injured if you don't get some proper cover."

Fine. If Kane was going to insist Texas get some shelter... he was going to insist Kane get some too.  

[Teigra]

Dammit, Texas!

Kane should leave...he should turn and take off, fast as possible. It'd be easy enough to lose Texas in the storm. The urge was strong, but...at the same time, something kept Kane from fleeing. His luck, stupid moron would follow him anyway. Probably get himself hurt or killed in the process. He wasn't sure why he even cared...maybe 'cause someone would blame him. Yeah. That.

Still...he was sick of being cold and wet, staggering from one sorry hiding place to another to try and outlast the storm. He was weak from being half-starved. Hunting had been bad for a week before the monsoon moved in, all the prey animals having gone into hiding in preparation. Kane had felt the storm coming as well, but...certain events had left him far from the top of his game. Forget hunting during this insane storm.

And yet...he couldn't bring himself to ask for, or even accept, help. Torn between the two desires, one to flee, one to take shelter...he simply held his ground, unhappily indecisive. A sudden gust of wind threw the demon off-balance and he was forced to shoot out one arm from beneath his wings to catch himself against the wall. He aimed a mildly frustrated glare at the nearing demon. "You idiot..."

...I'm not worth it.  

[Seiana_ZI]

It probably would be easy enough to lose Texas for a little while, but Texas was well-prepared to follow Kane to wherever it took to get that guy some shelter, food, and warmth, three necessities that he seemed to be lacking at the moment. Perhaps Texas had a one-track mind when it came to helping others: he would help them, no matter what the cost to himself and his own well-being may be.

And that was why Texas lunged forward when Kane suddenly started falling towards his side. While Kane had found his support against the wall, Texas grabbed onto Kane's oddly thin wrist and stared him in the eyes. "I'd be an idiot if I left you out here, yes." He replied, simply, before beginning to pull the blue striped demon towards the still open, and rattling, door of Texas' household.

He said that if he was going inside, Kane was coming with him, and Texas was a man of his word. It was obvious he wasn't going to convince the stubborn one at this point, so it was best to take matters into his own hands. Kane was going to get some shelter whether he wanted it or not.  

[Teigra]

Why? Why the hell did he care?!?

Under normal circumstances, Kane would have pulled away from the contact, fighting free and refusing to have anything to do with the other demon or his house. Unfortunately for him, this situation was far from normal. To be honest...he felt too weak to resist Tex's determination any longer. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

Ah hell...

He allowed Texas to pull him to his feet, even if he frowned and seemed unnerved at feeling so powerless. The other demon pulled him towards the door and he didn't argue anymore, weak enough to be obedient for the moment. As they neared the doorway, the scents from within grew stronger and Kane's sharp senses picked them apart, analyzing each.

Something was cooking...something nice and warm, likely on the stove. It was a savory smell and Kane's stomach muscles tightened as he hoped his hunger wasn't as obvious as he thought it might be. Obviously, he could pick out Texas' scent as well, but he WAS walking right next to him. Another smell, younger...woodsy sort of...must be the faun kid. Yeah, that's right, the little blue one. One last scent, fainter, joined the rest...

Kane stiffened, eyes wide. No, no, no...he'd forgotten...HOW could he forget? It was just...there was so much else going on...then the storm, then Tex... He hadn't made the connection until that scent hit him.

Of course, he'd be here! They're brothers, you idiot!

Momentarily panicked, Kane shot out his free hand to grab the door frame, bracing his feet before Texas could drag him the rest of the way into the house. So much for being docile and obedient. No, shelter wasn't worth this. He'd take his chances with the storm. But...there's no way Tex would give up with Kane's reasoning for changing his mind...

Glancing down at his feet, Kane's mind raced, trying to come up with something...anything... His mud-splattered feet and legs were the only thing he could see...and he was desperate. "Err...wait...maybe I'd better not. I mean, I'm a mess...and your house...and all. With all the mud and water..."

Okay, this was just...pathetic...  

[Seiana_ZI]

It was almost eeriely easily to pull the usually incredibly stubborn and resistant demon behind him towards the household. In any other situation, he might turn around and ask why Kane wasn't resisting his hold. However, he wasn't going to question his cooperativeness in this case. It was better to get Kane under a roof and well-nourished first, before Texas even questioned the thought of asking Kane anything. This was no time to be contemplating.

...And then, Kane went stiff. So much for cooperation. Texas looked behind him, waiting for the inevitable snarl and coarse snap that demanded Texas let him go ... but perhaps even more eeriely, that never came.

No, instead, Kane looked like a washing board, stiffened, with wide eyes and wearing an expression of what Texas thought was the type of fear that a deer would show. And then it happened, a hand came shooting towards the doorframe to stop Texas completely, and Texas leaned his head back to allow Kane to do so; if Kane wanted to resist, Texas would let him. If anything, he was curious as to why the feral one had so suddenly changed his mind.

And then there came the excuse. Mud. And water. Texas didn't believe that was the actual reason for a second. He wouldn't freeze up like that and try to insist going inside just if he was worried about getting the floor dirty. Kane didn't seem like that type of guy. Perhaps he might believe it coming from Aysu or something, but this seemed more than a little ridiculous and uncharacteristic.

The disbelief showed on Texas' face, but he didn't roll his eyes or make any snarky remarks about it. Arguing with Kane would only fuel him. Instead, Texas calmly insisted, "Kane, get in the damn house," before forcing one final tug on the arm that he was still grasping, hoping to loosen Kane from the door long enough to get him inside.  

[Teigra]

The insistent order and forceful tug seemed to do the job. Kane's muddied hand slipped from the doorway, as something kept him from instinctively sinking his claws in to save his grip. The striped demon stumbled inside, deeming it a success that he managed to keep his footing and not fall. Sad, considering his usual grace.

Blue eyes darted around the room, the same way he'd do in the forest while searching for any threats. In fact, much like he'd do in Dragnid rather than Loka Nei, considering there was little in the lighter forest that he'd consider a threat. Then he glanced back at Texas and the door, mentally gauging his chances of escape.

Not good, given his weakened state.

He opted for the best he could do under the circumstances. Fine, Tex dragged him in here...that didn't mean he had to go any deeper into the house. So, near the door, he gave in and sank to his knees with a subtle sigh of defeat, then leaned against the inside of the front wall.

"Okay, fine, I'm in. I'll be alright right here."  

[Seiana_ZI]

What was Kane's problem? It was just some shelter. Texas moved forward to lock the door shut to help secure it more, before watching Kane as he surveyed the surroundings almost suspiciously. While this confirmed for Texas that Kane definitely had other reasons to not wanting to come in there besides for 'getting the house dirty,' or whatever bad excuse his gave, Texas couldn't exactly tell quite what the problem was and therefore, for the moment, wasn't going to pursue it.

At least, for the moment. For now, there were larger things to worry about, like the fact that Kane looked like he hadn't gotten proper nourishment in too long of a time. At least Kane was sitting down, no longer exerting a no doubt already tired body with not much nourishment to thrive off of. Still... his eagerness to stay with his back against the wall didn't sit right. Why would he purposely trap himself against a wall?

Of course, Kane had been shown to be acting quite strange already. The weakness must have been getting to him. It was pitiful. With a light sigh, Texas backed off a few steps to let the tiger have his space now that he had finally gotten a dry canopy over his head. That, however, didn't mean Texas was going to leave him alone.

"You don't look so good," offered Texas, the worry he held for those whom he held close creeping into his voice. "I was making some soup on the stove... just chicken noodle, no big deal. I'll go get you some." Texas wasn't about to accept no for an answer. Maybe, "But if you want something else, I can see if I have it." But he wasn't going to take a no.  

[Teigra]

While Tex locked the door, Kane tried to distract himself from the instinctual panic at the feeling of being trapped by watching the water and mud drip from his body. Water dripped from his hair into his eyes, which he blinked away rapidly, still staring at his mud-splattered limbs. On instinct, he started to shake off the wetness...then froze mid-gesture. Wait...indoors...in a house...not a good idea.

Though that left him completely puzzled as to how the hell to clean up, even a little.

It was a good enough distraction, until Tex's voice broke through his pointless musings. All this, and now he was offering to share his food with Kane? The tiger demon didn't like feeling like he owed people anything. In addition to that, he was used to hunting his own food...he'd done so for years now. The thought that someone wanted to share their own food with him, even if they didn't always go to the same effort he did in procuring his, well...it made him uncomfortable.

So, automatically ignoring the way he felt, as well as the part that was curious about this soup, he shook his head. "No...I'm fi--" An argumentative grumble arose from his midsection, protesting with the delicious scent hanging in the air. He aimed a momentarily pissed off glare at his own stomach...then slumped in defeat. Everything seemed so out of control, he'd lost grip on on his own life and seemed to be following someone else's orders. Deep down, his genetics didn't like that.

Didn't seem to matter what he wanted though.

Glancing aside, unable to look directly at the other demon, he muttered, "...alright. Chicken's fine."  

[Seiana_ZI]

With a smile, Texas replied, "Alright, I'll get you some of the soup." With that, the demonic turned around and headed for the kitchen, expression instantly falling as soon as he knew his face was no longer in sight of Kane's. What was wrong with him? He seemed weak and frail, but he seemed even weaker and frailer than he should've been from just being beaten from the storm. His personality itself seemed to be dimmer than it was before, not as proud and not as strong.

What had happened to him? Kane left that day so quickly; excused himself and claimed that he would be fine and would be back to visit. This was a bit of an unwilling visit in any case, but he kept to his word. However, the claims of being alright didn't seem to mesh well with the demon's current depressive mood.

It was almost like the monsoon was raining over him directly.

When he got into the kitchen, he saw that his son had already gotten himself a bowl and had sat himself on the stairs, humming quietly as he ate his soup. Texas felt bad for not being able to get it for him, but at the same time proud that his son was already so self-reliant. He picked up the carefully placed ladle and the larger bowl that he, himself, usually used, pouring the still hot soup into the bowl.

The soup smelled delicious, and Texas grinned proudly of what must have been one of his best yet. However, he wasn't about to let himself try any of it besides the typical chef's spoonful before he made sure that Vangelis and Kane got their fills. After putting a random spoon into the bowl, the demonic put his smile back on, assuming that the last thing Kane needed to see was Texas radiating worry, and returned to the slumped demonic.

"Here. This is delicious and warm... so it should help stop that shivering. After you get some food in your system, maybe we can get you cleaned up."  

[Teigra]

What was wrong with Kane?

Honestly, Kane was still trying to sort through that, so he couldn't have answered if he wanted to. After Texas left, he just sort of sat there and stared blankly at his own hand, thoughts swirling to the point where they made little sense. Perhaps his hunger was affecting his mind afterall.

He had little energy as he shifted positions, at least making himself more comfortable in his resting place against the wall. Head back and eyes closed, he cleared his mind and blissfully....thought about...nothing. Nothing but focusing his senses on the wonderful smell of food drifting out of the kitchen.

Other scents of the house kept him from relaxing completely.

As Texas returned, he opened one eye to track the other demon's movement. True, he was smiling again, seeming happy and content enough. However, he likely didn't realize that Kane didn't depend on just his sight to read other people's emotions. Even he wasn't sure how he did it sometimes, but...he could sense major emotional shifts in others. Most of the time, he just didn't care.

He could tell something wasn't quite right with the other demon though...he was hiding something, putting on a facade...just like Kane had been trying to do, if unsuccessfully.

Great, his shivering had been that obvious, even trying to hide it. Dammit all. Frowning slightly, Kane reached for the bowl, not bothering to disguise his hunger any longer. Too much effort; what was the point? He wasn't feeling particularly vocal and it wasn't really characteristic for him anyway...so he merely nodded briefly in thanks rather than saying anything. That...really did smell...absolutely delicious...

Ignoring the spoon, the striped demon started sipping from the edge of the bowl. The broth was savory and hot, and Kane could feel it warming his insides all the way down. With a break for a deep sigh, he started spooning up some noodles and chicken after that. Granted, not his usual fare...but it was savory rather than sweet, so in that way, it really was what he preferred regarding food.

He ate without a word, stopping only when the bowl was empty and leaning back against the wall with a sigh. Tempting as it might have been to have more, he didn't want to make himself sick with the first decent meal he'd had in a while. In his own form of gratitude, despite feeling uncomfortable, he commented, "That was...really good..." He wondered if Texas was just going to stand there and watch him eat, so he awkwardly added, "Err...aren't you going to eat?"