"Catch me if you can!" From roof to roof, they jump. They ascended the rooftops of the shabby houses because the streets lacked appreciation for the young gang. Marisol flies like a free spirit, clutching stolen goods as the gray-haired female runs alongside her. 

Marcus chuckles as he slides to a stop, the trio of males panting as the females cross the street on a clothesline. "That Temptrest sure is something...." He whistles. 

Verando punches him firmly in the arm. 

"That's my sister. No way are you getting near her." 

Rolling his eyes, he ruffles Verando's hair. "No worries, I'll wait till you move on to the next distraction and swoop in when you aren't feeling so brotherly."  With a wink, he jumps to slide across the line and follow the girls. 

Caspian catches the gray-haired male's sleeve.

"Do you want to beat up Marcus?" His voice was serious. 

While the rage boiled in him, and he was ultimately tempted, it quickly dissipated. Marcus was his friend, his brother, he could never hurt him. Especially over something light-hearted. "No, Cas.. Marcus is our brother. I'm sure he was just kidding."

Pursing his lips, Caspian frowns, watching the small group disappear over the ledge of a nearby building. "Randy, do you consider me a brother?"

He shrugs one shoulder, walking along the seam of the roof as he watches Marisol come skipping back to collect them. Casually, he offers her a small wave, and she twiddles her fingers with a grin. "Well, you're my best friend. You've always got my back and helped me with what needs doing. So yeah, you're my brother." Putting an arm around him, Verando gives the other teen a firm squeeze.

While Verando practically salivated over Marisol, Caspian shifted awkwardly, exhaling roughly at the divided attention he received. "Randy, are you even listening to me?" he demands before shrugging him off. I don't want to be your brother. I..." 

With a heavy sigh, he runs his hands through his hair. 

"I offered that because I would do it. I would beat up Marcus for you, to protect Tempy. I want to..." He shuts his eyes, and Verando carefully places his hand on his shoulder, only for Caspian to glance up at him, hurt and yet hopeful. "I wish that things were different. I wish that we could hang out more, just the two of us, like we used to."

It was a topic that Caspian had been trying to bring up since they turned fifteen; for years, he'd chased him with a look as if he wanted more. But there was no more to give him, nothing Verando could think of that could persuade him to tread along the path that Caspian wanted. What was more? A relationship with a man? How would that even be possible, what would their town think?

Looking vacant of any hope and wonder, Caspian forces a small smile. "You're so pretty when you're deep in thought." Caspian attempts, making Verando cross his arms and take a step back. 

"Men aren't pretty, Cas. I don't like that, my father always claims I'm built like an underaged woman; that's bad enough."

"But it's true-" Caspian hesitates, sighing when he sees the hurt creeping onto his friend's face. "I'm sorry, Randy. I just- Actually.. why don't you go chase down Marisol? She looks like she has a smile for you."

Watching him go, seeing how Marisol was able to throw her arms around his neck and kiss the man he'd been pining for, was the epitome of unfair. He couldn't help but think that if they were raised differently, something in the gray-haired man might have allowed space for a relationship with him. A little older, a little wiser, further away from home, maybe a few more years of waiting, and the man would finally realize there was something between them. 

For now, he would be forced to wait. 

The torturer must be good at their job to extract information. 

This is much different than dealing with a sadist. Ideally, the person torturing the victim doesn't enjoy their suffering. When there is no information to give, nothing to extract, the only reward from displeasure is personal gain. 

The gentle sound of light snapping enters his subconscious. Crisp and short, unlike the dripping, it had no rhythm. His body fights surfacing to resume any more torment, the past few hours have been insurmountable in their attempts to break what remained of his tolerance. 

"Open your eyes." The voice is different this time, it's not Caspian. 

If he allowed his mind to tread back that far, the door was slammed quickly in his face. It felt like there was a vacancy from the moment he'd been pulled out of the vat until now. The wolf guarded it fiercely, refusing to allow him to touch the memory. Finally, after many attempts to surface, his eyes finally managed to open. 

As the lights of the room blind him, he takes a quiet inventory of his body. 

Sore from the fight and the chains, it was beyond his desire for recollection as to why his body ached so completely. Finding focus, he spots Gabriel sitting cross-legged in front of him. No words are produced; the crude gag fastened between his teeth stifled any attempt at an insult. 

 Sighing heavily at the realization, he settles back against the wall again. His legs and hips throb from the pressure of resting on the hard tile, his body felt heavy, as if gravity was too much to bear.

Without a smile, Gabriel simply relaxes his face when he sees the lycan is awake. "I wanted to speak to you without Caspian."

Well, it would seem that there were no other options. Not looking at him, Verando closes his eyes once more, praying for more sleep before the torment restarted. 

"I must say, I'm impressed. I've dissected a lot of magical users, sedated and unsedated; what you went through should have caused you a great deal of anguish. Why didn't you scream?"

 Opening his eyes abruptly, Verando glares towards the Solomonari, who pulls his lips into a thin line. 

"I'm not a bad person. I did it for science." Hesitating, he considers this for a moment. "At least, I used to think that. I do not like the cruelty I witnessed today. Even though you shot me, what happened to you was.. inhumane." 

Moving onto his knees, he crawls over and places his hand on the junction of Verando's jaw and throat. "Your pulse is pounding, yet you don't look afraid in your eyes. Very curious. Angry people usually redden from increased blood flow; maybe you're unsure what I will do to you. Frankly, I'm not either." 

Slowly Gabriel moves to sit beside the lycan, and the corner of his lip turns up slightly. "Lycans are so warm. It reminds me of a warm fire, or a blanket after being placed over the heating tin."

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Verando considers what it would be like to swallow his tongue and end this now. He didn't plan on the interpretation of the mentally insane. He managed to jerk away from the man at the attempt to touch him, attempt to spit out a command not to touch him. He couldn't handle that, not now. His body rejected any attempt at contact, his mind retreating to hide once more; it took everything in him to stay awake.

Sliding his hand up from his own knee, Gabriel cautiously touches the gray hair, slowly stroking it. "Only Romanian lycans are this soft. You have a double coat, that keeps you warm and cold. Did you know that?" 

Flinching away from his touch, Gabriel quickly retracts his hand. The tremble returns, yet he forces his face to remain stoic. Don't let them see how badly this affected you, you can fall apart later. 

"Right. Torture. I know you're not actually a dog; I just thought it might be soothing. Magical beings are quite odd at times, but it was worth a try. Did you like being petted?"

Agreeing in his mind that Gabriel had a screw loose, he proceeds to search the room for possible escape roots. Testing his binds, his body feels incapable of anything, let alone snapping these chains. As he squirms, Gabriel watches him with the same calm demeanor he had while searching for them outside the wraith forest.

"I thought a lot about what to do to you in the name of science, but...  if I can be honest with you, which I think I can... I'm tired of this."

Collectively, they pause, taking stock of each other. Pulling his eyebrows down, Gabriel suddenly looks very tired. "I thought that turning the world into a place for only magic users would save us. I even do all these experiments to understand how they function. But... I feel as though there is something not quite right here. I just can't put my finger on it. I worry-" Hesitating, he shakes his head at himself. "It's not important." 

Slowly, he reaches out to stroke the tangle of hair once more. 

His nimble fingers maneuver into the gray locks as he carefully strokes back as if petting a cat. "This is quite soothing." He muses, taking in the expression of terror and hatred yet proceeding with his coping mechanism. "If I take off your gag, you can't scream, or Caspian will come. Do you understand?"  

Verando nods one time, and he carefully unties the gag. 

"You're a psychopath," Verando tells him the second he's able. It's enough to make Gabriel chuckle, yet there is no hint of hysteria—just blatant amusement. 

With a shrug, he rests his hand on his lap. "Maybe. I really couldn't tell you. I was in that school for so long I can't help but think you might be right... I don't see a life the way that you see it, and yet here I am, talking to you. I'm enjoying this; I don't get to talk to people much." 

Gabriel sits up slightly as if he had forgotten to go through his mental checklist. "Let's try this. Ahem- Are you okay?"

Bewildered, Verando leans back against the wall to evaluate the situation. "No, I'm not. I want to die, but death won't come. I want to quit, but everyone depends on me. At the end of the day, there is no version of 'me' coming to help me, I'm it.. the end all.. and it fucking sucks." Jerking against the chain, it dawned on him that he was the one exhibiting traits of hysteria. 

Gabriel examines him, wide-eyed, as Verando meets his gaze. "Caspian said you were pretty. I'm trying to decide what that meant."

All at once, his stomach flipped, and he could vomit. "You asked if I'm ok. No, I'm not. I want to go home, Gabriel. Does that mean anything to you?"

Nodding, Gabriel twiddles his thumbs as he eyes the chains. "If I let you go, would you kill me?"

He'd like to, but, reasonably, in this state, he couldn't. "No. I wouldn't kill you. I couldn't if I tried, I've got nothing left."

"I will let you go then. I don't know what I'm feeling but- Can I do something before you leave?"

"You can't have my organs-"

With a laugh, Gabriel smiles, though it looks awkward on his bearded face. "You are quite amusing. I've never had a family, this feeling that you're feeling right now-" Jutting his hand forward again, he touches the junction on the Lycan's neck. "This feeling that makes your heart race." His eyes are large with wonder, peering at him as if he held the world's secrets. "I want to feel that. Can I-"

Verando exhales heavily. "You want to read my thoughts?"

Blinking, he looks surprised that the lycan would know about such things. "Yes."

"It's challenging. You have to stop touching me so personally. I... I can't-" Stopping himself, he shakes his head. "Put your hand on my shoulder and shut up." 

Gabriel grins once more and nods, resting his hand on his shoulder. 

"Just for a moment. Then you let me go. Promise?"

It seemed like quite a small trade-off, a moment of his emotions to possibly help this man understand why killing people in such terrible ways was wrong. As the connection begins, he thinks of me and what he misses about me, how he was grateful that he survived so that I would not experience any loss. Yet, as the memory progresses, the trauma of the night begins to creep in. 

As Caspian brings upon him the actions of his deepest desires, they both jerk away from each other, breathless. 

Verando's tanned skin was covered in a cold sweat, his body trembling all over again as he slumped back against the wall. Of all things to remember, why did it have to be that? Why.. how did he allow that to happen? Panting, it's difficult to breathe with the thought so fresh in his mind, the pain, the anguish, knowing that it was entirely against his will and that Caspian preferred it so.

Gabriel watches him, retracting his hands as his jaw hangs and his lips part. His eyebrows pulled together in anguish as he considered what he was just shown. "How did you not scream?" He asks gently. 

"I give no man that satisfaction. Screaming is an admittance of weakness, and for him, I have given him enough."

Resting his hand on the lock, Gabriel freezes it solid and snaps it off. The chains lazily fall away as the Solomonari steps back. "I've never felt that emotion before—either of those. If I did, it's not been for a long time- gods... I.. I think it is best if you go." 

Suddenly, his hand juts forward, placing it on the Lycan's forehead, sending a surge of energy into him. 

Verando jerks away with a low growl, flashing his teeth. 

"That should be enough to remove some discomfort from the chains."

Checking over his body, slowly, he climbs to his unstable feet and steps out of the chains. "I suggest you think over exactly what you're trying to accomplish here and whose side you are on. Your side does this to people; this is the world you create." 

Adjusting his pants and redoing the button and fly, he takes off at a jog to leave the building as quickly as possible. In the midday sun, he returns to the cave through the snow. 

Not daring to look back, not willing to fathom that Gabriel was setting him up or that anyone was following him, he jogged until his lungs were burning and his legs felt like they would give out. Skittering to a stop by a stream, he ripped off his clothes. 

He climbed in, scrubbing his body for as long as he could stand until his teeth chattered uncontrollably and his body shook from the terror of being anywhere near the water. 

When faced with cleanliness or survival, his mind picked cleanliness as it was his only means to cope. It was something he could control, and his body was begging to be in control once more. 

Before he dressed, his wolf ripped through his body; Alpha was sending off the alarm balls to get him as far away from here as possible, which turned into a desperate run as fast as his legs could carry him through the heavily wooded ferns. Paws reaching into the open air to take as much space as possible was enough to convince him that riding on the boat would not be an option after the past evening.

His work was not complete, leaving now would do nothing but put them all back in one place and if he was being truthful with himself, he could not face me after what he had endured. He wasn't ready to go home or prepared to admit his failure. What kind of man couldn't- stopping the thought, he allowed instinct to take over and let Alpha drive while he hid in the depths of the darkness. For once, the darkness was comforting; it gave him a hiding place.

When he finally returned to the cave, it was not as a human. The sun was beginning to go down, and as the group came to greet him, the air of uncertainty was heavy. How they looked at him as if they could tell something was off made his skin crawl. 

"Caspian is alive. I'm going to head back to France on foot."

Leo pulled his lips into a thin line. "Are you sure? That's quite a few days walk."

"Not for a lycan. I need to... I need to not be on a boat right now."

Sharing nervous glances at each other, Stefan excuses the group of vampires to approach, yet he doesn't touch. "Why aren't you human?"

"Don't touch me, Stefan." The command is stern. 

"Do you want your phone?" 

How would he carry it? He didn't intend to be human for quite some time. 

"Nic's going to think you're running...."

Shaking his head, Verando takes a step back. "Convince him otherwise. I'm not running; I'm going to come back. I need to find more people; coming up this way is the only way. I'll bring up the rear, build an army on foot, and join you all in France in a few days. Stefan. I'm begging you, keep Nic safe alright? That's all I can bear... that's all I can say." Even getting that out made him pant, accelerating his body as it wished to keep running.  

Stefan nods, and to his relief, he keeps his hands to himself. "Alright. Take care of yourself, and please be careful. Nic is not the only one who loves you-"

"Stefan, please. Please... stop.." Verando snaps, unable to stomach it. His entire body would rather cling to the pyre than hear one more admittance. He'd been loved enough for one day. Before they leave, he sighs and calls Stefan once more. "When the boats pull up to the port, have everyone jump into the harbor. Do not get off at the port."

After a moment, he nods. "Alright. That's what we will do, Randy."

Flinching, he lays his ears back. "I'll see you in a few days." 

With that, he quickly departs, unwilling to tolerate it for a second long. He wanted to run, and he was determined to run as fast as he could for as long as possible.