Torpid Void

Louis
Louis grinned at Alice. "Sounds good. What's your name, by the way? You probably heard me earlier, but yeah, I'm Louis." He glanced down at Harper. "You coming with, Harp'?" 

Harper
Harper wanted to protest the nickname, but finally found herself too mentally exhausted to even try. She nodded, her eyes half-masked in a stubborn, but submissive way.

Louis
He frowned. After a second of just studying the smaller girl, Louis bent to her height. "Are you okay?" 

Harper
Harper stared at Louis for a moment, letting her foot drift back as if she were going to step away from him. She felt abnormally vulnerable for once- a feeling she hated with all the might she had in her small body. But at the same time she couldn't push away the fear that nagged at her much longer. "I- I'm fine," was all she could really manage, swallowing after she did so.

Louis 
It hit him again how hard it probably was for her, and any kid pulled here, to be so suddenly taken from their family without explanation. Despite how much he wanted to help Harper, he knew that force would do no good. He couldn't yet return her home, either. "Let me let you in on a secret," Louis said, shifting forward so that he could whisper and she would hear without it reaching the others' ears. "I've been scared almost the entire time I've been here. And I miss my home. And that's okay." He sat back on his heels a little bit, and while he wasn't whispering he was still speaking quietly. "There's this thing that my parents would tell me. Courage isn't when you're not afraid, but it's when you're able to stand up to your fears." I'm terrible at pep talks. 

Harper
Harper listened to him, allowing a tiny smile to tug helplessly at her lips. "Yeah, I, um... I guess that's true."

Louis 
"Don't be afraid to be afraid," he quipped, smiling slightly. "And seriously, talk to me if you need to, okay?" 

Harper
Harper nodded, looking down at the ground uncertainly. "That's easier said than done for me to just talk."

Last edited on 2018-11-27 at 23:14:35 by Rainy Days Stable

Louis 
"That's alright. Take your time. I'm not going to force you." He straightened and ruffled her hair. "Good talk."

Last edited on 2018-11-27 at 22:38:17 by Oswin

Harper
Harper squirmed away from him, smiling slightly.

Louis 
He looked over at Alice. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

Kaylee
"Aww, thanks Aerow, you're the best." Kaylee focused on the shadows surrounding her, forcing every memory of the city into her mind. Don't apparate into a wall. Or anything else, really. The darker smoke loomed up infront of her, and Kaylee peered into the darkness, taking a confident step forwards into it. She stepped out into an alleyway, her body about two inches away from a wall, and, thanking every god ever that she didn't end up inside the wall, she looked around, forcing her tires body to the entrace of the alley, peering out at the goings on of this division. Shielding her face from the sun with her hand as she watched people pass, she realized that she had absolutely no idea where to go from here. Dark smoke curled around her ankles, and she waved it away, shutting the path with a dismissive wave of her hand. Okay, what now? Kaylee knew that if she caught the attention of whatever officials resided her she would be picked up and sold off again for sure, and she didn't have the energy nor well enough body to outrun them. 

Alice
"Nah, no need to apologize. I'm Alice."

Louis
"Cool. Nice to meet you." I didn't ask where I could find the abandoned houses. I guess I'll just have to look around.

Mason
 Mason snorted, having been doing his best to pay attention to what was being said, though doing so is a bit difficult when you're clutching your ribs in a weak attempt to dull the pain that flared from them. "How do you think I ended up like this? I'm not exactly a good Samaritan either." He turned to Rowan, resisting the urge to shrivel under the pain. It's gotten worse. That can't be good. "That only leaves you."

Rowan
"I'll come with, if possible. These fictional people don't appreciate poetry."