Still not safe.

[flint_garou]

Just one thing at a time.

20 July, 2012
The moon is in the waxing New (Ragabash) Moon phase (11% full).

Messages have been left, as well as a scrawled note on Slug's door that Flint's sleeping on the bed still when it came time that Slug had to stop keeping uneventful watch. The note includes an apology, and something else about it being urgent or the Gnawer would still be there. Nonetheless, the teen sleeps rather soundly, now, though most immediately noticeable is the fact that one sleeve of the shirt's been cut off, pants and shirt both coloured with blood, and the dark circles still under the boy's eyes.

Kavi doesn't knock, but opens the door slowly to peer inside. He swallows at what he sees, and looks back to Rina even as he steps across the threshold.

Whether the cliath is asleep or unconscious is difficult to tell. But at least Flint's breathing.

Rina comes to sit on the edge of the bed, dark eyes searching the boy's face. "Flint," she says hoarsely.

Kavi steps the rest of the way in after Rina and comes to stand by her. One hand comes to her shoulder as she studies the boy.

There's no visible response from Flint, just the slow and steady motion of breathing. Though, there's a raggedness to the breaths, a troubled and dark expression that rests on the boy's face even in sleep.

Rina reaches out and almost touches his cheek—then redirects that contact to more neutral territory, her hand settling on his shoulder. "Flint," she says again. "Wake up, hon."

Kavi remains quiet, but close, and he watches for signs that the boy wakes.

Flint stirs, at least, with the hand on his shoulder, and then there's the startled reaction of waking up in an unfamiliar place, and a clear echo of guilt, before he squints his eyes firmly shut again.

"It's all right," Rina says quietly. Her voice is still odd, distant.

"Shhhh," Kavi adds, but his hand tightens briefly on Rina's shoulder.

Flint curls up into himself somewhat, almost falling back into doze and exhaustion, not able to keep himself awake once there's recognition of Rina. His shoulders are tense, drawn, no relaxation there.

"Can you wake up, hon?" Rina's voice stays soft, touched with hoarseness. "Let's getcha back to your own apartment, yeah?"

Kavi doesn't add anything, this time, though he remains close.

There's an almost pliant way to how Flint gets up, pushes seated and then brings hands to his forehead for a moment, similar to the cooperation of a few nights before. He gets to his feet almost on autopilot, and nods, silent.

Rina rises swiftly, taking one of the boy's hands for a moment. "I'll make some tea, we can sit and talk some," she says, quiet but firm.

Kavi swallows again, and lets the others move ahead.

Flint grips her hand tightly, only half-letting go to start walking. "Lost it," Flint says, looking at the mostly-broken coffee-table of doors and cinderblocks before making it out to the hallway. "Why…" It's not a question, though, and there's another breath in. "You. Were, were right. Not, safe, yet."

"It's aright. You're fine, now, yeah? That's what matters." She keeps up a soothing trail of words for him to follow. Lots of words, so he doesn't have to say anything.

Kavi follows only a few steps behind, silent, pensive.

Flint swallows, making for the elevator, then shoving hand into his pocket as though he expects to find something there, but though he finds his keys, those apparently aren't it. "No, I'm not," he says, looking down at the bared arm, but nothing else is said, yet.

"You will be," Rina says firmly. It's practically an order: that tone of voice one doesn't argue with.

Kavi's steps falter at Rina's directive, but he catches himself and continues on until he stands with the others at the elevator.

Another nod from the cliath, and Flint presses the elevator button, and looks down at his arm again. His fingers trace over lines that aren't there, and a few faint, much older ones that are.

Rina takes his hand, gently. "You remember anything?"

Kavi looks from one to the other, and then back to Flint, gaze coming to rest on the boy's arm.

Flint almost never, ever wears short sleeves. It's always longsleeves, or the sweatshirt, and so the faint scar lines might in fact come as a surprise. Or less of one, given the more recent events. But he does let his hand be taken, and shakes his head. "Went. Went for a run, down. Bridge street, same as. Same's I always," he says, and there's a wince. "So much blood. I didn't, I didn't mean, to, I just. Running, didn't. It. Running, usually helps."

"You got a blade, somewhere?" Rina asks quietly.

Flint nods, ever so slightly, and his hand squeezes Rina's. "I'm sorry," he responds.

Kavi steps back to lean against the opposite wall as they wait for the elevator.

Rina shakes her head, a tiny movement. Her fingers lace with Flint's, and when the elevator arrives she steps in with him. "It's aright," she says quietly. "Any idea what made you flip out?"

Kavi glances down the hall before stepping in after the others.

Autopilot. Flint's easily enough half-led into the elevator, and he shakes his head. "I was running," he says. "Stopped, and. I don't know, I don't. I don't remember, I just. I. It all, was. So much all of a sudden. Magni—" Flint pauses, furrowing his brows. "Felt like, magnifying glass. All. All the way home, I. I couldn't, make it. I couldn't make it hurt enough," he says, barely above a whisper by the time he finishes speaking.

"C'mere," Rina says quietly. She gathers him into a hug, all lean bare arms, soft knits and hard edges. Over his shoulder, the dark eyes seek out Kavi's with a look of worry.

Kavi's expression carries worry as well, though he only meets her gaze for a moment before he looks away.

Flint only hugs back partially, head bowing to rest on her shoulder, though he doesn't pull away. The exhaustion is evident in this action as well. "Not, magnifying glass, anymore," he murmurs. "But."

"Tell me about the magnifying glass?" Rina says gently.

Kavi leans against the wall of the elevator, but he leans forward a little at Rina's question.

Flint squints his eyes shut, and his shoulders shake with breath drawn in. "Dunno. Stopped to… get water? The. The twenty-four hour. Except I. Never did, had. Had the blade, everything, felt. So much. No control, it was. It was, all." He shakes his head, then, not saying anything more.

Rina's brow furrows, lines etching deep in her forehead, around her eyes. "Where did you get the knife?" she asks, softly. "Didja buy it?"

Flint lifts his shoulders in a shrug. "Knife was," Flint says, less than entirely coherent as answers go. "Knife helps, forget the. The water."

Rina frowns in confusion, and looks over to Kavi as if for help. Just then, the elevator arrives on the fifth floor.

Kavi frowns as well, and shakes his head in silent answer to Rina. "Flint? Maybe. Maybe we can start from the beginning? Start… before the magnifying glass, and. And focus on just one thing at a time?"

Flint takes another breath in and nods. "I… I went running," he repeats, quietly. I went running, after. Last, night. I. I stopped, for. Catch my breath? Was. A… girl, there. She. She, said, stop for water."

Rina leads the way out, into the hall, down to Flint's door. "Okay," she says quietly. "What else did she say?"

Kavi remains behind the others, leaving a space between them as he follows. His brow furrows, though; something in Flint's tale catching his attention.

Flint shakes his head, stepping into his apartment and looking around, and then looking down at his clothing again. There's a lot of blood on him. "Helps, more," he says, continuing. "Forget the water. Blood, there was. Too much blood."

"Where'd you get the knife?" Rina asks, insistent.

Kavi shakes his head as he steps in after the others. "She said to stop for water. Go back to that. She said to stop for water. What did you do? What happened, then?" His gaze turns to Rina.

Flint looks at his clothing with an increasing furrow in his brow, then pulls on the ruined sleeve, but not with enough coordination to actually get the shirt off. "Went, to. Towards, the twenty-four hour. To get water, but. But water, knife. Knife, was, she," Flint says. "And, knife, and magnifying glass, and, no one, streets. No one there except."

"Except her," Rina says worriedly, giving Kavi another swift look. "What is the magnifying glass part?"

Kavi leans a shoulder against the door. "Slow," he says to Flint, the word itself a demonstration, soft and low as well. "Don't try to tell the whole thing. Focus just on one piece."

Flint half-sits, half-lays on one of the beanbag chairs, knees to chest, taking increasingly steady and slow breaths for a good minute, maybe a little longer of silence. "Stopped running, wasn't running anymore and it. It all, caught up, not safe, too much, everything felt too much, more. Should have been safe. More than it did, too much more and. She, knife. But I. I couldn't. I couldn't… couldn't make it hurt, enough," the teen says.

Rina's brow furrows. "Oh, hon," she says softly, dropping to a crouch beside him. "She gave you the knife."

Kavi's hands flex and fist. Tension building in his shoulders, he pushes off from the door to pace a few feet. "Flint," he says as he turns to the boy, his voice quiet but firm. "Tell us about the girl. Everything you can. Go slow. The… the details are important."

Flint chews his lower lip, and shakes his head. "Wasn't, wasn't… too much, magnifying glass, trying. Trying to, get, through that, I didn't… my height?" Flint says. "Said… Rose? I. I think. I… she saw," he continues, and there's a flash of pain, almost panic visible in the boy's face. His hand comes to wrap around his arm, nails digging in a little.

"It's all right," Rina says softly. "Flint, it's all right. It's us. There's nothin' t'be afraid of. Nothin' t'be ashamed of." Gently, she takes that hand and loosens his grip. "Shhh."

Kavi nods, but he looks away again at the shift in the boy's expression, remaining silent as Rina steps in.

The cliath is, overall, unsteady, and Flint almost fights to keep his grip on his arm. There's a good bit more strength there than… usual? as well. More than the usual strength of his birth form. "But, I. I should, have. Shouldn't have. Should have been safer."

"It's all right," Rina says softly. "Let me, Flint. It's all right, okay? We forgive you. You weren't feelin' good, after what happened. It's aright."

Still turned away, Kavi's head bows as Rina's words. He swallows, and chances a look back to the others.

Flint fends off her attempt to loosen his grip a moment longer, before he finally does relent. Shoulders rise and fall with each breath, and he nods. "Guess, okay. I. And I, I… I lost the, knife, too," he says. "I. I. I, shirt, I made the, bleeding stop, tried, got. Slug-rhya, found me, brought. Brought me, home."

Rina twines her fingers with his. "I'm glad he found you," she whispers, leaning over to wrap him in her lean arms.

Kavi watches for a moment and then turns away again to return to his pacing. He finishes crossing the room and turns back the other way again. As he moves, he catches his lower lip between his teeth.

Flint doesn't fight, but doesn't return the hug much, either, save for leaning against Rina. "Not… still not safe," he whispers, guilt still heavy on his voice. "Worse. Worse, not. Was. Running was supposed to, make it better. More sure not. Not less."

"I'll be here," Rina says quietly. "You'll be okay. Long as you need. I'll be here."

When he reaches the door again, Kavi stops. He doesn't move to leave, nor does he turn again to face the others. After a moment, one hand comes up to rake back through his hair, and he expels a breath as he turns around.

Flint takes a deep breath, looks down at his clothing, at the torn and ruined shirt. "I. Slug, found me, it was still. Magnifying glass. I tried, I tried but I. Lost it? I think?" He shakes his head. "I don't remember." There's quiet alarm in Flint's voice. "I remember, talking to Slug and, and, knife, and, then. Then you were. Were, there."

Rina still holds his shoulders, her head bent by his own. "It's all right," she whispers. "You're gonna be all right. Just rest up, yeah? Get some sleep. It'll be better t'morra. Always better after some sleep."

"Don't want to, to get, blood, on," Flint says, weak protest.

"Like I haven't been covered in it before," Rina murmurs.

Kavi nods at Rina's whispered words. "You can shower, before you sleep," he says, his own voice softer, now. "And. When you wake up? Maybe you can… It would be good if you could try to sketch her. The girl."

Flint nods. The teen's exhausted, enough to only care that he's covered in blood for a moment, as he gets up, trudges the few paces to flop back over on the bed and half-kick off his shoes. "I, I'll. Try. Didn't, look, much? I was, it was. There was, blood. On my hands, on, on her hands she tried to help. Lot of," Flint says.

Rina releases him, and heads to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth. When she returns, she lays it across his forehead. "It's okay. I'm gonna stay here, aright?" she says.

Kavi stills, again, back leaning against the wall next to the door.

Flint nods, and for all the protest, the teen is asleep soon thereafter. Although he certainly doesn't sleep soundly, either.

True to her word, Rina stays, sitting with her back against the wall and her knees drawn up. Eventually she curls up on the floor.

Kavi watches Rina for a while, even after the boy falls asleep, then, without a word, he nods, and slips out.