Soul Eater's Curse(BeyondPoetry X Mikanu)

[Poe]

Valerie calmed her own breathing. Freaking out wouldn’t do anything to help Eli. Stein would be here soon and be able to diagnose the problem, he always did. But she couldn’t help but feel helpless looking down at Eli, his face drenched in sweat and body jerking under whatever dream he was having. She reached back and grabbed a hand towel off the counter and began to wipe the sweat from his brow gently. Whatever was going on with him was painful – physically and emotionally. He was her weapon and she was going to protect him in whatever way she could.


When the door opened, Stein came in and crouched down next to the pair. She shook her head, trying to keep her cool, “I don’t know, we took a mission for this afternoon and the monster wasn’t anything special – but he was acting strange going into it and then after he got injured it wasn’t the same. The wound itself was pretty clean and easily managed so I didn’t think twice about bringing him back here. I mean, he got up and ate dinner, no problem. Then he just collapsed.”


“We need to get him to the infirmary,” Stein said, looking down at the clearly frazzled meister in front of him. He watched her slowly wipe the sweat beading on Eli’s brow and let out a sigh. It was a amazing how tender she got around him—knowing her most her life, he hadn’t seen her like this for quite a long time. “I’ll carry him, you pack a bag and we’ll get this sorted out.”


There was a glint in his glasses as he pulled Eli up into his arms, “And take it easy on that side, Valerie. I’d like to take a look at it after we’ve got Eli sorted out.”


And with all the worry, she couldn’t even bring herself to argue.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah remained peaceful-looking the whole way to the Infirmary. Inside, he was peaceful as well though he wished he could wake up. He could hear them talking, he knew someone was with Valerie but he couldn't figure it out. He felt so disabled, everything was drowned out for him yet he had full grasp on his own thoughts. It was as if he was drugged, perhaps paralyzed, though he didn't know how that would be. Eli stopped thinking after that, too tired to dwell on the questions he had. Even now, a short while after hearing the words, he could only remember snippets of it and thought it had just been his own mind that had told him these words. He felt like a failure.


Stein carried Eli easily in his arms, quiet the whole way. He wondered if the Weapon was suffering from what he thought he was. It wasn't impossible, though a case this bad hadn't been seen in a while. Collapsing only a short while afterwards? Stein couldn't help but wonder about it. He also couldn't help it as he envisioned Elijah sprawled out on an operating table, cut open. The problem was inside, always was, though Death had never let him actually experiment on a Weapon that had been infected with this. IF Eli had been infected with it.


When they entered the Infirmary, he lay Elijah down on a bed in the empty room. There was another bed, so he motioned for Valerie to sit down on it. He sat down on his chair and took a closer look at Eli. "How'd he get injured, Valerie?"

 

[Poe]

Valerie ignored Stein’s motion to the bed and instead made her way over to Eli’s bedside. Her hand clasped his gently for continued support – to remind him that as his meister, she would always be there for him through whatever the world threw their way.


“It was routine,” Valerie sighed, “I scanned the area, he held back and when the monster came out it wasn’t any faster or stronger than the others we’ve faced. Yeah, we were a bit sloppy tonight – I was tired and he seemed unsure – but like I said, it wasn’t affecting us much. I got hit once and dropped him, but then he got in the way to protect me like the idiot he is. And then the monster sunk its teeth into his shoulder and he was stuck there for probably five minutes while I tried to get him out. He still made the final blow and then collapsed but like I said the bleeding wasn’t too profuse. Clean cuts all around.”


Her hand snapped back from his in an instant so she could cross her arms across her chest in a self-protecting maneuver. She was never outwardly upset, in front of anyone, but suddenly it was almost too much to bear. Her heart beat in her throat as she looked at Stein taking inventory of Eli’s wounds. He’d always been able to tell her anything, so why was this any different? If something had been wrong, why didn’t he tell her?


“I trust you, Stein,” she whispered, her voice heavier than she expected it to be, “Take care of him and let me know when he wakes up.”


She walked out of the room quickly, brushing the stray tears from the corners of her eyes. She needed to hit something, so she threw caution to the wind and started towards the gym to get a little time in with the punching bag. That was all she could do – when she wasn’t good enough, she trained.

 

[Mikanu]

Stein listened to Valerie's words patiently and watched her face as she spoke about the battle. He pondered over her words, silently calculating as he remembered the little "breakout" of this same situation a few years ago. Hardly anyone had known about it, just the teachers and the worried Meisters of these weapons. In the end... The end hadn't been so good. It had been one of those bad endings you never thought would happen. He wondered how Valerie would react if one day he was forced to visit her and tell her there was no other choice but to exterminate Elijah. Exterminate? Would he use such a cruel word?


He snapped out of his thoughts when Valerie jerked her hand away from Eli's. He saw how upset she looked now, though he acted like he was paying it no mind as he continued to examine her partner. Was it the bite that had given Eli his doom? Being stuck? Had it been the monster himself? He didn't know, nor did he know if he should tell Valerie about the possible situation at hand. Stein looked at her and nodded, saying nothing to her. He watched her walk out, however, and felt a sense of relief. He didn't want to be the carrier of bad news, especially right now when it was clear the girl wasn't doing too well.


Stein rolled his chair over to the telephone and dialed a number. "Hello?" He waited for about a minute. "Yes, this is Professor Stein. I'm calling to report a possible case of the curse..." There was no answer for a long time, but he was patient. "Yes, the one we discussed a few years back. I know it has not been reported in a while, but this looks like the ones I've seen before." Another minute. "It looks like a bad case, I'm afraid." He listened to the speaker patiently, deaf to most of the words save for the question of who it was. "One Elijah Aeristo, weapon of Valerie Grayson. Seems to me it was transferred by bite. What do you suppose we do?" Stein listened for another long while and sighed. "I will see what I can do."


Meanwhile, Elijah was slowly opening up his eyes. "Where's Val?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth. He felt so very tired, not even shocked to be in the Infirmary. He hoped she hadn't carried him herself yet again. Despite everything, the thought made him smile. Not while under the gaze of Stein, however. His smile faded when he saw him. "Professor? Where is she?"


"She went," was Stein's simple reply as he hung up the phone, his back still turned towards him. He was leaning on his chair, looking at the wall in front of him, wondering how to go about doing what needed to be done.


"Went? Did you at least look at her injury?" Eli sat up a little. His head ached so he tried not to move around too much, wincing as the pain continued to blossom.


"Forgot." Stein's voice was rather nonchalant.


"You forgot? How could you forget?" Elijah's voice was almost a growl.


"I see it's setting in already." A sigh.


Eli was confused at Stein's words. He was acting a little weirder than usual. Then again, how was he supposed to know what was weird and what was normal when it came to Stein? "You're making no sense. I'm going to go find Val." He got up just as the Professor's chair turned towards him. Elijah made for the door, worried about his partner now. He had blacked out on her, twice in one day. He wondered, did she think he was a letdown?


"I wouldn't look for her, Mr. Aeristo. You should not be near her right now. It isn't safe. Stay here, alright? You're under observation for the time being."


"Well, alright." Elijah seemed to give up as he started back towards his bed, but the next moment he was running out the door. "Observation? I'm completely fine," he mumbled to himself.


"Elijah! I'm telling you, it's not safe!" Stein's voice sounded quite delighted, which made Eli go faster.


"Val! Val, I'm awake now!" Elijah ran down the hall, half to search for his partner and half to just get away from the Professor. He creeped him out a bit too much.

 

[Poe]

The gym was empty this late at night – the fluorescent lighting dim and a single ceiling light flickering in the corner over the weights. This was where Valerie felt most comfortable, where she felt the most at home. She peeled her shirt off over her head, leaving her body jean clad with a sports bra. Pain radiated from her side but a glance in the mirror showed that she had yet to reopen her wounds. She picked up the sandbag and hung it from the hook on the ceiling with a grunt.


This was the only place in the world she could go and let herself be as pissed off as she deserved to be. At her parents, herself, the monster, Elijah, herself, Stein, herself…herself…herself. She started swinging punches before she could even wrap her knuckles or put on gloves. She was just so mad. Stein’s face when he took stock of Elijah’s wounds told her that he was seeing something that he didn’t want to tell her – something bad. If she hadn’t slept in so late, maybe she could have gotten to the board first, chosen a different mission, or talked him out of taking anything on at all. What harm would it have done for them to take a day off? Why was she so convinced that everything she did wasn’t enough? Why did she allow Eli to be a casualty in her self-destructive behavior?


Eli.


Valerie wanted to cry. If Eli didn’t come out of this, she’d never be able to forgive herself. She’d never be able to get a new partner. She didn’t want a new partner. Why was she even thinking about all this?! Her fists began to jab faster and she could feel the way her hands slipped off the fabric from the fresh blood trickling from her knuckles. The whole situation was just overwhelming because she couldn’t control it. She couldn’t do anything to help Eli except sit here and swing at a stupid sand bag until her hands bled and her side screamed in pain.


“Val!” she thought she heard Eli’s voice, but she knew he still had to be unconscious. Idiot! She swung harder. He had collapsed twice today of course he wasn’t out of bed. So she kept swinging, so hard that eventually when her final hit landed the sandbag split open down the side and began spilling onto the floor—and so did her tears.


“Val!” her eyes stayed glued on the broken sandbag at her feet, her bloody knuckles half clenched at her sides, and tears silently streaming down her face.


She’d failed him.


She’d failed herself.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah stopped running when he had gotten far away from the Infirmary. He winced as he leaned against the wall, hardly able to tell that he was leaning on his bad shoulder. That was not what hurt, however... His head was pounding. He felt like it could explode at any moment. Eli knew that he should have stayed at the Infirmary, should have rested up. Collapsing twice in one day did not prove to be a good thing. At all. But Val... He needed to find her. No matter what, he needed to find her.


He didn't know where she was, his splitting headache making things that much worse since he couldn't focus on his thinking process too well. It was wave after wave of pain, barely noticed as his worry for Val swept him up, but now it was there and he couldn't get rid of it. He felt so tired, he just wanted to go to sleep. He wanted to forget all the failures of today. Heck, he would have gladly laid down right there in the middle of the hall at this point, just so tired. Eli laughed tiredly at himself. "This isn't about you, you idiot... It's about Val. You've got to find her. Stein didn't even look at her wound. I wonder if he even glanced at it. That stupid jerk..." His voice was filled with bitterness.


His feet started to move. He felt his forehead, felt the heat that radiated from it. No way could he be sick, however, there was just no way. He felt tired. That was probably all it was. Elijah started thinking. He thought hard, through the mass of pain rocking his brain, through the ailment he so wanted treated. Some medication would be good right now. "Focus, Eli, FOCUS!" He was growling at himself, shouting at himself as if he were the monster, his words reverberating through the halls. His headache was making him frustrated, but he needed to think. He knew he needed to.


Where would Val be? What would she be thinking right now, feeling right now, doing right now? Why hadn't she been at his bedside? Where would she have gone? WHERE? Now he thought about it, pushing his pain away, his eyes closed in concentration and not opening even as he nearly collided with the wall. Valerie wouldn't have gone to their apartment without him. She wouldn't have gone far, that he knew, she wouldn't have been enjoying a cup of coffee or doing anything overly pleasant. Eli knew she would be worried about him, just like he was worried about her too. Was she putting strain on her side? Where was she, WHERE!?


He hated Professor Stein. He despised him. He had been no help, he hadn't cared about his partner and he certainly hadn't cared about him! "All you care about is dissecting everyone around you, you freak! You hear me? YOU HEAR ME!?" Elijah shouted this back over his shoulder, so very angry. His headache was growing worse with the extra pressure of stress layered on top of everything else. Eli felt as if his hair would turn gray at any moment now. He needed to hit something!


Elijah stopped, frozen, his eyes wide. He needed to hit something! His anger melted away as he shot off, a feeling of elation settling over him.


He found her there, in the gym, gasping for breath having run so fast so far. "V...Val," he almost had no time to gasp out her name as he went to her, pulling her into his arms as the feeling of relief swept over him. He could barely think, he simply held on to Valerie for a moment, his headache slightly receding. He pulled back to look at her and noticed her tears. "Val... Why are you crying?" Eli hugged her again, wondering if it had been the stress of today that had gotten to her. "It's okay Val... It's okay. I'm here, everything's going to be fine."


After holding her for a little while, his mind nagged him to check on her wound. Or, it looked like, wounds. He slowly took her wrists in his hands, gently, and brought her knuckles up to see better. Bloody, wounded, hurt. Elijah looked at the broken sandbag as her feet and saw some trace of blood. He couldn't imagine just how much she had been holding back. "Val, we need to get you back to the Infirmary. Come on, you've got to come with me to Stein. He'll take care of you..." He looked at her with blue eyes filled with pain and regret as he wondered just how much he had put her through today. "I'm so sorry... About all this. Val, I... I never meant to let anything bad happen. I never meant to put you through anything you didn't need to be put through. This has been such a stressful day, for both of us. Let's go to the Infirmary, sleep it off there. You'll feel better in the morning. I promise."

 

[Poe]

Valerie didn’t expect to see Eli come running for her, gathering her up in his arms to comfort her. She felt so dumb because here she was crying over stupid, petty things while Eli was suffering from whatever was going on in his body and in his mind. He held her so close to himself that she couldn’t have broken anymore if she wanted to. The way his eyes raked over her wounds, the concern etched on his face, was heartbreaking. Her feelings were always valid to Eli, even when she felt like they weren’t. Even when she felt like she was the scum of the earth. He always looked at her like all the light in the room rearranged when she walked in.


She was so lucky to have him and she needed him more than he knew.


“I’m okay, Eli,” she choked out, wiping the tears from her eyes with her palms, “I’ll be okay. I promise.”


“You didn’t do anything wrong. All you did today was protect me. You’re my weapon; I’m your meister. That’s how its supposed to work. We protect each other through whatever,” she explained, “Even if it’s from ourselves.”


Pushing herself standing, she tried to gain her footing but the now apparent pain in her side pulsated so painfully that she lost her footing and fell back into his arms. “I’m sorry too, you know,” she whispered, “Really sorry. I should have protected you from the evil human and I didn’t. But next time, I swear I will, Eli. I swear.”


Instead of trying to stand up again, she merely nuzzled her face into his hold and took a deep breath. He was so mistaken. He didn’t put her through anything—he pulled her out of the darkness, the madness, the frustration of not feeling good enough. He was her light. The brightest light in her life.


And he’d always protect her.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah's gaze was held steadily on Valerie, on his Meister. He could barely feel the exploding headache now, the headache that had seemed to threaten that it would rip him apart inside out. The pain was numbing now, it was getting better even as he worried and fretted over Val's wounds. It wasn't the big kind of worry, the worry that had filled his whole being. It was calmer now, less panicky. Now that he had found her, things were okay. She was hurt, but it didn't look too bad. She'd heal. Bless the gods, she'd heal. No big damage. The relief was still in him, it hadn't faded away. He had just been worried. So worried he had almost gone crazy with it, shouting out loud like he was a madman, blaming both himself and Professor Stein, getting frustrated when there hadn't been anyone else to blame.


His hands let go of her wrists when she moved her own hands toward her face, and he watched as she wiped her tears away. A part of him ached to see that she had been crying, partly blaming himself for it. Eli had hardly ever seen her cry. Hardly ever, so he just felt as if he was to blame. Although, her promise made things better. It made his heart and his mind feel better. It was the reassurance he needed from her. He wanted to know that things would be okay too.


Eli caught her when she fell, startled though almost expecting it. He didn't think that her side would be okay after all that punching, he knew he had to get her to the Infirmary soon. Valerie's wounds required attention. "Yeah, we protect each other." Her words brought a nice warmth inside him and he decided he liked that. They protected each other, that was how it went. Elijah remembered what Valerie had done for him and smiled lightly. Even when she was injured, she got him all the way back to their apartment after he had fallen unconscious. She was always looking out for him like that, helping him like that.


"Oh Val... I was stupid enough to not watch out. I didn't plan things out carefully enough, it's my own fault. You don't have to be sorry. You don't have to be, it's okay. It's just an injury, nothing else. Just a simple injury. I get those things all the time." He rocked her lightly back and forth, his face pressed against her hair.


After a while of staying like that, Elijah paused. "Val, it's best to go now. I should get you to the Infirmary. I know that side of yours must hurt. If you can't walk, I'll carry you. Or, I can always lend a shoulder. You can lean on me, use me for support. Whatever you want. I just know I've got to get you to Stein. You need to get those wounds treated." He looked down at Val. Eli appreciate her so much, appreciated all she did for him. He hoped she knew that. He hoped that she knew that he would do anything for her. He would do anything to keep her safe.

 

[Poe]

“I know,” she muttered, her entire body exhausted from the day’s events. She could hardly keep her eyes open let alone pick herself up from the ground. It had definitely been a mistake to go to the gym, but Valerie knew it was the only way to make sense of the crazed thoughts in her head. A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.


She tried to get her body up, but she couldn’t manage it—and for once, she just let someone else take care of her. Eli, despite his injuries, picked her up effortlessly and cradled her in his arms. On a normal day, she’d kill him for even thinking about carrying her—but today had been far too long for her bones to process and she needed nothing more than to lie down and stay down. Just for a little while.


Tomorrow, they would figure this out. They had to. She’d confront Stein and even talk to Lord Death if she had to. Whatever was happening to Eli wasn’t normal and if there was someway she could take care of him or help him, Valerie would do it without hesitation. Even if it meant travelling to the ends of the earth and putting her life in danger. Eli was too good. He didn’t deserve this hurt, this pain.


The gentle bobbing motion of being in Eli’s arms was enough to send her into a deep enough sleep that she didn’t even register when they had made it into the infirmary. But a silent “thank you” lingered on her lips. 

“I know,” she muttered, her entire body exhausted from the day’s events. She could hardly keep her eyes open let alone pick herself up from the ground. It had definitely been a mistake to go to the gym, but Valerie knew it was the only way to make sense of the crazed thoughts in her head. A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.
She tried to get her body up, but she couldn’t manage it—and for once, she just let someone else take care of her. Eli, despite his injuries, picked her up effortlessly and cradled her in his arms. On a normal day, she’d kill him for even thinking about carrying her—but today had been far too long for her bones to process and she needed nothing more than to lie down and stay down. Just for a little while.


Tomorrow, they would figure this out. They had to. She’d confront Stein and even talk to Lord Death if she had to. Whatever was happening to Eli wasn’t normal and if there was someway she could take care of him or help him, Valerie would do it without hesitation. Even if it meant travelling to the ends of the earth and putting her life in danger. Eli was too good. He didn’t deserve this hurt, this pain.


The gentle bobbing motion of being in Eli’s arms was enough to send her into a deep enough sleep that she didn’t even register when they had made it into the infirmary. But a silent “thank you” lingered on her lips.

((Sorry it's so short! I'm in class but wanted to respond!))

 

[Mikanu]

(Oh what are you talking about?~ It's perfect! Not short at all! I'm happy you like this roleplay enough to respond in class. )


Elijah couldn't help but feel happy when Valerie didn't protest to him carrying her. He wanted to help her out, he did, and he knew now that she had placed a strain on her side by training, when he saw her trying to stand up. Eli didn't want her injuring herself even more, so when he got to carry her he just couldn't help the relief. Val was going to be a-okay, he could feel it. He was so glad about it.


He looked down at her as he walked and smiled when he saw her sleeping form. She looked peaceful and overall adorable. "Good that you're getting some rest, Val," he whispered, "You need it now more than ever." Eli took a glance at her knuckles as well as he walked, though he was careful to make sure he looked where he was going. Stein would wash the blood away. Elijah's teeth gritted together tightly as he thought about his seething hatred. Perhaps he'd actually DO something this time around!


Eli forcefully swallowed down his anger as he came to the Infirmary once again. He slightly shifted Val so that he could manage some form of a knock without letting his Meister bang into the door as well.


Stein opened the door, looking down at Eli as he did so. Eli felt three feet tall at the moment, especially under the dark gaze of the Professor. "A freak, you say?"


Elijah ignored him and Stein simply made to move out of the way with a sigh. The Weapon set his Meister down carefully on one of the beds. "You didn't check her wounds the last time. I want you to do it, now. No more games, Stein. I'm tired, my partner is tired."


"Promise to come straight to me in the morning." Stein had, apparently, ignored EVERY SINGLY WORD.


Eli scowled. "I promise to come straight to you in the morning. Now, please..." A hint of desperation was starting to leak into his words.


Stein got to work without another word, rolling around on his chair to get the supplies her needed. He wet a rag and slowly began to clean Val's knuckles of the dried blood that was still there, mostly avoiding her wounds in order to not bring her too much pain. He got some antibiotic cream onto her wounds too, then began to dress them properly. Once the Professor finished with that, he took a look at her side. "Alright, don't put strain on the side. You should be fine within a couple of days." He rolled his chair away.


"Thanks Stein." Eli looked down at Valerie and picked her up again. "He said not to strain the side," he gave her his explanation and then walked out of the Infirmary without a word. He carried her back to the apartment, able to even with his shoulder in bad shape. Though, it wasn't that bad. Just a couple of bite marks.

 

[Poe]

Wherever she was, it was so dark. The air was cold and she could feel the hairs on her body stand up on end, threatening to tear from her body with the next breeze. Valerie couldn’t even see two feet in front of her and instead waved her arms about trying to feel out her surroundings but it was no use. There wasn’t anything here—


“I’ve been waiting for you, Valerie,” a voice called out of the shadows.


--but there was someone here.


Suddenly a single light illuminated the room. The walls and floor were all bare and there were no doors or windows. It was just a single light on a single chair in the center of the room. After she blinked, however, there was a figure sitting with its leg crossed over the other. Their hands rested gently in their lap.


“Who are you?” Valerie called out.


“Really?” the voice called back, “You don’t recognize me?”


Valerie blinked a few times before she could see the figure clearly. Long black hair, headphones around her neck, piercing teal blue eyes looking back up at her. It couldn’t be—the person looking back at Valerie was…Valerie. Unscathed. She blinked a few more times and when the figure didn’t change she accepted that this had to be a dream of some sort. Otherwise she was going crazy.


“I’m confused,” she finally said, “How are you, me? How are you here?”


The other Valerie smiled a wicked smile, “Come on, when you don’t have Eli you need someone, don’t you? Why not me? The best version of you.”


“I’ve got Eli,” she snapped, “So thanks for the offer, but no thanks.”


“Ah, see that’s not how this works though,” the other Valerie laughed, “You think you have Eli, but I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t think, deep down, that he was slipping through your fingers. After all, why didn’t he tell you how he was feeling? I know you noticed, but c’mon Val we’re not stupid. Open your damn eyes.”


“You need to back off,” she bit.


“No, I need to push harder,” the other Valerie growled, “because you are so quick to give him the benefit of the doubt but what if what’s happening to him is something that you can’t fix? Huh? Have you thought about that yet?”


“Shut up,” she barked, “I don’t have to listen to you.”


“Well, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” the other Valerie shrugged, “One day you’ll wake up, Val.”


Her body jolted awake and her hand shot to grasp at her chest. What the hell was that dream about? Was she going insane or something? Valerie shook the fear from her eyes as she looked around to find herself back in her bedroom—Eli probably had carried her back. The sun was peaking through her window and her wounds were all re-bandaged and clean. Apparently, a lot had happened in the last few hours and she didn’t even remember falling asleep.


She wondered if Eli was in his own room, still asleep. But instead, she curled up on her good side and stared out the window. Not really in the mood to face anything – especially knowing neither Eli nor Stein would allow her anywhere near the gym this week. Great, she thought, just great.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah hadn't slept all night. Not a single wink. No, wait, perhaps he had dozed off for a few seconds... However, his dreams had woken him up. Dreams? No, what he had seen upon even trying to close his eyes wasn't a dream; it was a nightmare. It was one of those types of nightmares you could avoid by keeping your eyes peeled open until they watered from the lack of blinking. How his eyes had watered.


She kept whispering into his ear, as if trying to strike a deal with him. It was as if, anywhere he turned, anywhere he paced, she was there, lurking in the shadows. Waiting for him. He felt as if he was going mad, so tired from the lack of sleep that he wanted to rip his eyes out. The frustration was there, lingering, and he walked.


He walked the whole apartment. He must have taken a thousand steps by the time the first sign of light appeared. He had to keep moving, thinking, pacing. Anything, anything to keep this possible insanity down. Eli had felt like this, yesterday, when he had shouted back his anger at Stein. He had felt like this, yet not quite. He hadn't felt quite so ready to tear himself inside out. It was from lack of sleep, he knew. Lack of sleep could feel anyone feeling deranged. Not quite like this, though, not quite like this...


Eli kept wandering to Valerie's room. He had kept the door cracked, in order to keep an eye on her, perhaps check up on her when he awoke early in the morning. However, not quite like this... He stared at her without even knowing what he was doing. Elijah would perch at her door for several minutes and just stare. He didn't understand what he was doing anymore. The lack of sleep made him so giddy and confused at the same time.


The worst part of it all? She just kept CALLING for him, calling his name, laying down several threats he couldn't remember anymore, sometimes even screaming into his ear. For the first time in his life, he wanted to just drop dead. It was that awful. In his dreadfully tired state, he couldn't remember the whole thing lucidly. He remembered Valerie a lot, her sleeping face etching into his brain by the time he left the apartment. He had left...


Valerie had been having some sort of a nightmare. He remembered that. He remembered watching for an hour as she tossed and she turned. Eli wished he would have woken her up, but he hardly had the strength to even stand there. Yet he couldn't sit or lay down either, he just COULDN'T. He didn't think anybody in the whole entire world could relate to this, which made it even worse. He felt so alone. So many hours of feeling so alone. Hours upon hours.


All the while, she whispered pure poison into his ears. Was he really going insane, right there and then? He was just so tired. The day had left him with so much fatigue that had seeped into his muscles, into his soul. He wondered what he looked like right now. A tired, rumpled mess. Then he had left, at the first sign of light he went out of the apartment. He didn't go to the DWMA. He didn't report to Stein like he promised he would. He walked aimlessly. He was so tired of this.


He was leaving to get that Kishin Egg soul. Maybe then she'd leave him alone. Maybe then he could sleep.


(The suspense! Gosh you've left me curious about this 'other Valerie'.~)

 

[Poe]

By the time Valerie got out of bed, it was late in the morning – far later than she intended to stay in bed. She knew that if Eli had caught her out of bed, he wouldn’t rest until she was right back under the covers. If he ever became possessive, it was when he thought she had been hurt—and she was sure this was no different.


It surprised her to find out, however, that their apartment was empty upon her search for Eli. All the lights were off and the front door locked. Where could he have gone? There wasn’t a note or even a warning text. He was just gone and that worried Valerie. He could handle himself and maybe he needed a chance to sort through the thoughts clearly swirling around violently in his head, but she couldn’t let go what had happened yesterday.


So she did the only thing she knew how to do – she went to Stein.


When she arrived at the DWMA, students were all going about their normal routines and the mission board had been filled once again. Val had to pull her eyes away from it, convincing herself that they were in no shape to be taking on another mission for quite a while. Instead, she shoved her hands in her back pockets and walked slowly towards the infirmary. Meisters and weapons were all around here, joking and laughing about something that had happened earlier in the day or on their last mission, and it made her heart ache. Her and Eli had changed so much in just a few hours. What the hell was going on?


She knocked on the door to the infirmary a few times before letting herself in. There were no patients and the beds remained empty but of course, Stein sat in his desk chair, rolling around and trying to dissect whatever animal it was he had on his desk. When he looked back at her, she saw the way his eyes diverted quickly to her wounds and then back to her face. A smirk on his face.


“What can I do for you, Valerie?”


“Cut the sh*t, Stein,” she pulled up a chair and looked him dead in the eye, “Tell me what’s going on with Eli. I want the whole story—everything you know.”

 

[Mikanu]

Stein's smirk faded away as Valerie looked him dead in the eye. He was now torn between telling her and not. "It's better you don't know, Valerie, not when you don't have to." The Professor turned back to the animal, examining it to look like he was doing something. "It might be nothing anyway, he's mostly likely just shook up from yesterday. No need to get overly worried, you understand? No need at all. You keep going about your business and tell me if anything changes with him."


There was a long pause as Stein stared at the animal. "Where is Eli anyway? He was supposed to report to me in the morning. I'd like to take a proper look at him before I tell you my suspicions. An unconscious Elijah gave me simply nothing to work with. Get him in here, awake, and I'll see what I find. Then I'll tell you anything you wish to know."


He leaned heavily on his chair, figuring they had a problem on their hands if Eli was not here. It seemed to be worse than he had thought. Stein glanced back in his chair. "Got get him for me." A slight pause before he took a deep breath. He had to warn her. "And, Valerie? Be careful around Elijah. Be as careful as you can." Then he turned back to his dissection, a silent way of telling her to leave.


----------


Elijah felt like he was walking around in circles, even though she led him where she wanted him to go. He dragged his feet, tired from walking, tired from listening. He wanted to talk to Valerie. He wanted to tell her what was going on. Dealing with these demons of his alone was dreadful. He'd never felt so tired in his life.


He finally reached the spot. The exact same spot where Val and him fought the Evil Human. Where it had sunk its sharp teeth into his shoulder. Where it had raked its claws down his partner's side. The scene replayed in Eli's head, though it wasn't the same as what had actually happened. In his scene, the monster had killed Val. It had killed him soon after.


"If you hadn't gotten in the way, I think that would have been the outcome." It was her, the one who had kept whispering, badgering, threatening. Her voice was gleeful, cracked and frail but gleeful. She would have been happy if both had died.


"Give me the... soul," he whispered, his words placed apart almost as if he was out of breath.


"Oh you don't wish to talk?" She faked an upset voice, mocking him.


"No. What I want is for you to... leave me alone. Just... leave me alone."


"Not possible, not yet possible." She came out of the shadows, a witch, with the hat and the broomstick and the works. In her hands was the Kishin Egg soul, glowing brightly with a blood-red tint to it. "Such a failure you are! How could you forget such a thing? Seems you don't wish to be a Death Scythe?"


Eli stared at the soul, too tired to say anything. When she came close, he didn't flinch even though his whole being was telling him to. She dropped the soul into his arms.


"Go back home, Elijah." She then cackled as she turned away and flew away on her broomstick. Her cackle seemed to carry on even she she was long gone.


She had told him to go back home, so Elijah turned and went. He couldn't make sense of the whole conversation, but he still went back to the apartment. It wasn't too far. He thought about Valerie as he sluggishly walked and wondered where she was. He hoped she was okay. That was the only thought he could make sense of.

 

[Poe]

Valerie was taken back by Stein’s comment. What did he mean it was better that she didn’t know? Eli was her partner – the closest thing she had to a family. He was the only person who had ever just accepted her for whatever, whoever, she was and didn’t question it. It didn’t matter that she worked herself ragged or was usually pretty passive – he didn’t care that she locked herself in her room sometimes or constantly had music blaring out of her headphones to drown others out. He didn’t care that she woke up late every single morning for school. To have someone like that in her life – Valerie knew she was beyond lucky. Eli had done everything for her, so how dare Stein sit there and tell her it was none of her business what was going on with him?


“I’ll get him back here,” she answered in an attempt to ignore his safety warning. Eli would die before he let himself hurt her in any capacity, “But when I do I expect answers, Stein. I get you’re trying not to worry me, but you and I know how that’s worked out in the past. I’m strong enough to take it – and if it’s really a problem, then we’ll figure it out. Until then, cut it with the cryptic remarks.”


She took a deep breath and slid her headphones back onto her ears as she started out of the DWMA. Her and Stein had quite an interesting relationship – a definite mutual respect – but a strange history. When they were both young, he had been partnered with her father, another scythe, and so Valerie had spent her entire life growing up around the man, the monster, the legend that was Professor Stein. She trusted him, as much as she denied it, more so than most anyone except for Eli.


He owed it to her to tell her what was going on – even if it hurt.


“Eli!” Valerie yelled out into the warm Death City air. She had no idea where he’d be. He wasn’t in the apartment or the infirmary, but she wasn’t about to give up. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and tried to focus in on their wavelength, his soul – anything that could…


He was almost back at the apartment.


Her soul perception had spiked in her desperate need to find her partner and suddenly there is was – his soul floating in the darkness, beckoning her home. It looked a little bit like him, with a stupid boyish smile on its face. It didn’t look like it was going anywhere so she took her time walking back, babying her side enough to speed the healing process.


“We’ve got to get you a bell or something so you stop disappearing,” Valerie called out when she saw him walking sluggishly towards the building, “You look like hell, Eli. Come with me to Stein, please?”


She looked up at him, knowing how much he really disliked Stein. So she quickly put a hand on his arm and sighed, “I’ve gotta get him to check out my side anyway,” she quickly added, lying, “I’d go alone but it kills and I’m not sure I can make it there myself. Or that I want to be alone with Stein for a prolonged period of time, for that matter.”


There was a pang of guilt in her chest – she never lied to Eli, but it hadn’t been a total lie. Her side really did hurt something fierce, she really shouldn’t have been walking around on the injury in the first place and she really didn’t want to go back to Stein without him. Valerie just needed him to get to the infirmary long enough for Stein to give her some answers. She deserved them.


Hell, Eli deserved them.


Her hand shot to her side in a comforting gesture against the actual real pain of standing in one place for too long and she saw Eli’s eyes divert back to her wound. “But really, If you don’t want to, I can make it. I’m okay,” she added.

 

[Mikanu]

"Val," Elijah mumbled when she heard his partner. He was too tired to even grin at the joke, simply turning his head to look at her. His eyes showed how tired he was, half-closed. He swayed dangerously when she put a hand on his arm as if she had just pushed him, though he caught himself in time.


Stein? Was she talking about Stein? A growl erupted in his throat at the name, and he snatched his arm away from Valerie. He was too tired to process that it was her, he was just so very very tired. "Take... pain meds. I need sleep..." Eli began to drag his feet again, towards the apartment. But, then he seemed to remember something.


He showed his Meister the Kishin Egg he held. It looked somewhat different than the regular Evil Human soul, but who was he to know? He hadn't slept all night, his senses were far from getting alert. Nothing was clear, even Val's face was a little fuzzy. Wait... Was that Val, or was it her? He ran, suddenly, just got his feet moving and fled from her. He wasn't in his right mind at the moment, so confused and tired. He needed some sleep, just a little bit.


Valerie was hurt. That's what his flustered mind was telling him. Where was she, though? He couldn't remember anymore. His mind was too cloudy to remember. So, when he got to the apartment, he practically collapsed onto the rug and fell asleep there, snoring away peacefully.


(He's too tired for me to write much for him. xD )

 

[Poe]

Eli was scaring her. When Stein had told her to be careful, he’d meant it. This was not the same Eli who had shut off her alarm yesterday morning or looked up, bright eyed, and handed her a new mission with the promise of adventure. This Eli swayed violently at her touch and then ripped his arm out of her touch. He had simply told her to take pain meds. It wasn’t right. Her Eli would have stopped at nothing, come hell or high water, to get her to Stein if she admitted that she was in pain. The whole world would have stopped.


But then he had a Kishin Egg in hand and her heart stopped. What the hell was going on? And before she could even register what had happened, he was running away from her. If Valerie could have slapped that look off his face she would have. It wasn’t as thought he was looking at her, he was looking at her with the same scowled look he shot monsters and Kishins and…enemies. She tried to chalk it all up to lack of sleep, but she knew deep in her heart that something was very wrong here.


And Stein knew what it was.


Valerie had forgotten how to breathe for a moment, suddenly gasping. This hadn’t happened in a long time. The panic setting in deep in her heart and mind as she thought of losing Eli. She clawed her phone out of her back pocket and sat down on a bench, her free hand resting over her throat as if to help guide her breaths. She dialed the phone quickly and he picked up on the first ring.


“Did you find Eli?” Stein’s voice called back.


She closed her eyes, “He didn’t recognize me, Stein. He wouldn’t go so I told him I needed medical attention for my side and he just—he just—he brushed it off and ran away from me.”


“And, he’s got a Kishin Egg,” her voice lowered, “What do I do?”

 

[Mikanu]

"He didn't recognize you?" There was a long silence from Stein as he listened to Valerie. It was bad, he knew. Really bad. Worse than it should have been, perhaps, especially since only a day had passed since the infection. He sat back in his chair as he wondered whether to tell the Meister. It was clear she was worried about the boy. And, even though he and Elijah hadn't been exactly the best of pals, Stein couldn't help but feel some worry too. This was bad news.


"Elijah's been acting strange lately, hasn't he? Not like he would usually act? Valerie, we need to talk in person about this. I'll tell you what you wish to know, though it isn't going to be pretty." The Professor had finally made up his mind. Once he got permission, he would tell this girl the ugly truth. He didn't know how she would react, he couldn't even guess. What he did know what how much Eli meant to her. Indeed, this would be quite the ugly truth.


"A Kishin Egg... Where do you think he got that from?" A Kishin Egg was only seen once an Evil Human was defeated. Had Eli taken on an Evil Human by himself? An early case of insanity had led him to do so, possibly? At the moment, all the symptoms and the ailments that came with this curse were possible when it came to Eli. He seemed to be a special case... However, that just meant he would have to be exterminated quicker.


"Here's what you do... You go find him and you don't let him out of your sight. Keep connected with me on your phone, in case he moves, so you can tell me where he went. You have to find Eli. When you do, tell me where you are and I'll come and help you with him. After we have him settled and calm, I'll tell you what I know."

 

[Poe]

“Okay, I get what you’re saying,” Valerie started towards the apartment with her free arm crossed over her chest to keep the panic in, “and I have no idea where he would have gotten the Kishin Egg from. I don’t really know much of anything these days, huh?”


Her feet carried her quickly through the lobby of their apartment, “He’s just been different, I guess. You know, not like bad different but almost like he was just really nervous, you know? When we took on our last mission he looked like he had seen a ghost. I didn’t pay much attention to it because you know Eli, he’s an emotional rollercoaster sometimes.”


“And I don’t care if what’s going on with him isn’t pretty. I just can’t help if I don’t know what it is. I’m his meister, Stein, I need to protect—Eli!” she yelled, nearly dropping the phone as she made her way into the apartment. Her partner was unconscious on the rug of the living room. She leaned down to check his pulse and breathing – all normal, as if he was simply sleeping.


“He’s here, on the floor,” she took a deep breath, “I’ll lock the apartment and keep him in, just get yourself over here as soon as possible.”


She wiped the frustration and sweat from her forehead, “And I expect to hear everything. No secrets, Stein. You owe me that much.”

 

[Mikanu]

"It's alright not to know. When it comes to this situation, I would say it's natural." Stein shut his mouth when he realized he was speaking cryptically. Valerie still didn't know just how bad this was, which made him wonder yet again if he would be doing the right thing by telling her what was wrong with Elijah.


Stein's attention was grabbed by Valerie's comment of her Weapon's behavior. It was almost as if Eli had been sensing his own demise. That was certainly interesting. The Professor's fingers itched for a scalpel to cut the boy open with. He wanted to slice open his brain, see the inside. He wanted to marvel at the fascinating anatomy.


He shook his head clear of his thoughts and focused on Valerie's voice again. Stein knew that she wouldn't be able to help the boy, not by a mile. There was no cure. Mostly because the staff never let him dissect a cursed Weapon, but what did they know? He froze in his chair when the Meister called out her Weapon's name. There was a pause where all he could do was hope that she hadn't seen one of the 'symptoms of horror', as they called it. Sometimes, cursed Weapons died on their own terms. Their own bloody, deranged, grotesque terms. The curse was a simple gateway to insanity, most of the time, and all the Weapons could do was to retain their sanity for as long as possible.


"On the floor. What's he doing on the floor? Is he alright? Alive and well?" There was an alarmed tone of voice in Stein's tone of voice. His dissection would go undone! Then again, if Eli was dead... Stein's face lit up in a grin, but he quickly controlled himself. "You will hear everything Valerie. Every word I am able to give." He was on his way out the door.


A few minutes later, Stein was at the door of Valerie and Elijah's apartment. He knocked. "Valerie, let me examine him first. Make sure he's alright." The Professor entered and looked down at the sleeping Elijah. How strange. He was sleeping? He crouched and looked at him briefly, then got up and sat down. "He's suffering from something. Or well, perhaps 'suffering' isn't quite the right word. But it's the nicest."


"From now on, expect random behavior. Look for violent outbursts, an overload of emotion, fatigue, whispering to oneself, harmful weaponry of any kind, spontaneous transforming. What I want you to look out for most is any acts of violent behavior, any threatening remarks towards anybody, and utterances filled with hatred." He had told these same words to at least twenty Meisters before. "Don't be expecting any of this to occur, but watch out for it. He will act out of the blue. Which is where I come to the suggestion that we put him under tight observation." Stein leaned forward, looking at Valerie, an unreadable expression on his face. "Eli is the victim of a curse that has before affected Weapons in strange and different ways. He is not that same as he was before, Valerie. He's not."

 

[Poe]

“Suffering from something?” Valerie asked, bewildered, “Of course he’s suffering from something—or haven’t you noticed how crazed he’s been asking? Isn’t that your area of expertise?”


Her voice was sharp and later on, she might regret it, but right now she was worried about her partner. She knew, deep in her gut, that whatever this was – it wasn’t good. No, not just “not good,” it was something that was going to threaten their partnership, their friendship – this was going to change everything, if they let it.


“Random behavior? Fatigue and emotions? You realize you’re just describing him, right?” she laughed at the thought and then wiped the smile off her face, “Violent outbursts, yeah, okay. I can see that being a problem – I’ll keep an eye out for that.”


She pushed her hair back, exasperated, “And yeah, I get it. He’s a little screwed up right now – or, well, that’s an understatement, but you’ve got to understand that even if this is a curse, it’s still affecting Eli. My partner. I know him better than anyone else in the world – let me keep an eye on him and I’ll let you know at the first sign of trouble. Then we can figure out what kind of ‘observation’ we’re talking about.”


Without another word, Valerie maneuvered Eli onto her back and carried him into his room, tucking him beneath the covers of his bed and brushing the hair out of his eyes. If this was true…if there was a curse coursing through Eli’s veins, she’d find a way to help him. It didn’t matter that it had affected other weapons, this was her weapon they were talking about now—and Valerie didn’t take those kinds of threats lightly. She’d kill anyone who came within ten feet of Eli with the intention of harming him and if that meant she had to crawl through the depths of hell and back to save him, she would.


Valerie shut the room to his door softly and looked back to Stein with an unreadable expression, “Look, thank you for telling me. I’ll call you if anything changes and keep an eye out for psycho cursed behavior. I really appreciate you coming over here.”

 

[Mikanu]

Stein simply watched Valerie, not responding at all to her words. There was still so much left to say, yet he felt it could come later. 'There is no cure' was what was right on the tip of his tongue, wanting to be spoken, wanting to see how she'd react. Years of searching had turned up nothing. Years of experimentation, sweat, blood, tears... Nothing.


'We'll have to exterminate him soon'. 'He will become too unstable to handle.' 'Don't waste your time. There's nothing you can do.' "Alright, Valerie," was all he ended up saying, in the end, as he watched her carry her partner. He could have made for a fantastic Death Scythe. What a shame.


He got up and nodded to the girl, then left without another sound. Stein would have stayed to insist that Valerie make her Weapon come to the Infirmary in the morning, but he hardly saw the point. Eli was progressing quickly, that's all he could see at the moment. Valerie would tell him if the Weapon started acting stranger, he was sure of it. And so he left.


---


Elijah slept soundly. His mind was much too exhausted for dreams, his body too exhausted to move. He slept quite like a stone, the only way to tell if he was alive being his steady pulse and breathing. He slept the day away basically, not waking up till it was nighttime. Eli felt groggy, yet oh so refreshed when he finally did wake. He could feel some ache in his legs as he faintly remembered last night. He kept his head on the pillow, shutting his eyes again. At least she was leaving him alone, this time around.


It was a few minutes before he actually got up, rubbing his eyes slowly. He wondered what he looked like at the moment. Eli went out of his room, wandering around for a while before he realized what he really wanted to do. He wanted to find Valerie. He remembered something, back when he was tired, but he just couldn't quite recall the memory. "Valerie?"

 

[Poe]

Stein wasn’t telling her something, that much Valerie knew. It couldn’t have been good and as her mind cycled through the possibilities, she had to stop herself short of letting out a broken sob. Instead, she swallowed it back and watched Stein exit the apartment as if this had been just some normal consultation. And for the first time in a long time, Valerie didn’t have any clue what to do.


So she walked into her room and picked up her cell, dialing a number quickly (as though she’d never forgotten it) and awaited the voice on the other line.


“Valerie? Sweetheart, is that you?” she heard her mother’s voice on the other end of the line.


“Hi…Mom,” she hesitated, biting back the pride that crept up her throat, “Can I – “ she topped herself short and cleared her throat, “How are you?”


There was a deafening silence on the other end of the line and she could almost hear the tears forming in her mother’s eyes, “I’m great, sweetheart. How are you? Are you eating well? How’s school? Lord Death told us you’re doing an incredible job – we’re so proud of you, honey.”


“I’m good, yes, exhausting and thank you,” she answered quickly, all bite taken out of her voice for fear of upsetting her mother more, “Is…is Dad home?”


“Oh!” her mother exclaimed, “Yes, hold on he’s here somewhere. Leo?”


Valerie could hear the shuffling as her mother put her hand over the receiver. She called, Leo. It’s Valerie. She sounds like she’s doing well but she wants to talk to you – okay, hold on.


“Valerie, honey, he’s right here. Hold on,” there was a pause, “I love you.”


“I love you too, Mom,” Valerie mumbled and with a swift movement she hear the receiver being passed, no doubt, to her father.


“Hey, kiddo,” his voice was warm and strong, “What’s going on? It’s been a while.”


She shrugged, “I’ve just been doing some research for class and I wanted to ask you a question.”


“Shoot.”


“Is there such thing as a weapon curse? I can’t get any conclusive answers from my textbooks, but I figured I’m not a weapon and Eli doesn’t read so you were my best bet. I can’t tell if it’s any different from just plain madness or what brings it on,” she explained.


“What kind of class has you doing that kind of research?” he asked, his voice cryptic.


“Oh nothing, I was just reading for Stein’s class and came across some weird symptoms – Stein told me not to worry about it but I figured I’d ask you just to see if you could give me a different answer.”


“I wouldn’t worry about it, kid,” his voice was back to its usual timbre, “All that talk about a curse is just a bunch horror stories told to scare weapons. I wouldn’t put too much stock in it and let it be. Stein’s right, and even if there was such a thing – you wouldn’t have to worry about it anyway.”


“Right,” she bit her lip, “Not a weapon, not a problem.”


There was another pause. Her father breaking the silence with a sharp intake of breath after realizing what he insinuated, “What I’m saying, Val, is that all we ever hear is about how sought after a meister you are and how well you’re performing in class. There’s no doubt in my mind you’re going to accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish at the DWMA. Don’t let a little weapon folklore spook you, okay?”


“Right, thanks Dad,” she replied, “I gotta go.”


He sighed, “Alright. Love you, kiddo.”


“Love you too,” Val whispered before hanging up the phone and tossing it against the counter. Of course her parents wouldn’t be able to help. That’d be asking too much, right? For her weapon parents to lend a hand to their meister daughter? They talked about it as though being a weapon meant they were a different breed of human – and yes, they had special skills – but they were still the same flesh and blood as Valerie.


Accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish.


She growled at ran both of her hands through her hair, exasperated. What was she supposed to do now? Stein wouldn’t tell her, her parents couldn’t help her, and she knew Lord Death was the most cryptic of them all. Who could she turn to?


Eli had been the sole source of support in her life and now he was the problem.


She didn’t know how to do this alone.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah could hear that Valerie was in her room, talking to someone. He didn't want to snoop, however, so he simply moved on to the bathroom. A memory from the back of his mind was nagging him, yet he couldn't figure it out. Today was such a blur for him, and so was last night. He couldn't remember much, he only remembered having a restless night. It was like his mind didn't want him to recall anything, no matter how he tried to. His night hadn't been that agonizing, was it? It had just been a restless night.


There was a stranger in the mirror. Eli rubbed his eyes, but it didn't change a thing. That wasn't him, was it? That person staring back at him wasn't Elijah Aeristo. Although... Did mirrors really make mistakes like that? "You aren't me," he told the reflection. It was mocking him, mouthing those exact same words right back at him. The stranger's hair was disheveled and it was as if he had spent way too much time sleeping. His eyes were different, darker, much less brighter than they should have been. He hated the figure standing there in front of him. Eli knew this wasn't him. It couldn't be. The face was almost entirely different, looked older than it should have, more tired than it should have. He couldn't accept this as his own face.


"Who do you think you are? You aren't me, don't you know that? Stop pretending like you are!" The stranger continued to mock him, shooting the same words back, mimicking mercilessly. Eli's mind could barely take this, it was so hard for him to accept that he had changed. He hadn't changed, no, he couldn't think like that! Nothing had changed. It couldn't have.


When his fist flew towards the mirror, it was like something had taken over. A strange rage welling up inside of him. He had snapped and now smashed the mirror with his fist, screaming at the reflection as he did so. Another smash, another, another... He couldn't stop, just kept attacking the mirror mindlessly as if it had actually done something. He could hear a cackle in his ear which made the rage well out even more, pouring out all over the place. Eli had lost control over himself.

 

[Poe]

Valerie was having a one-woman pity party when the sound of shattering glass broke her out of her thoughts. Without hesitation she ran out of her room into the bathroom – not believing what she saw. Eli stood with his hands clenched in bloody fists as he swung mercilessly at the already shattered mirror. His wavelength was erratic, almost crazed, as he threw himself at the mirror again.


Look for violent outbursts.


An overload of emotion


He will act out of the blue.


“Eli!” she called out to him, stepping closer, but the sound of her voice seemed to only make him swing harder and faster. It was like he didn’t even recognize her voice. She felt her fear as she swallowed it back and understood that there was no reasoning with him – not like this. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around his back and tugged on his arms. “Eli, listen to me! You have to stop, please!” she called out to him, “Don’t let Stein be right about you! Show me that it’s still you, Eli. Show me that you’re still my Eli.”


She felt the sting of broken glass under her feet as she buried her face in his back. She had to be able to help him. She had to be able to pull him out of this. If not, what good was she? What kind of meister couldn’t protect her weapon, even from themselves?