There is a casserole waiting on Reza's doorstep when he arrives back home, and he stares at it for a very long time. It isn't the dish that he is thinking so hard about, though. It is his brother and the pain in his stomach. He turns the keys and unlocks his door before bending to retrieve the food that someone kindly gave him. The bottom of the glass container is still warm against Reza's skin, and his stomach growls loudly as he smells it. He  walks into his apartment and sets it on the counter, pausing to read what is written on the sticky note. 

Tuna casserole. Return clean dish to 122. 

The scrawled writing is neat, undoubtedly belonging to a woman. The note is not signed, as usual, though Reza does notice that he has received at least five dishes from that apartment number since he's moved here. Apparently this woman cares a bit more about the screaming in the night than most. Perhaps she has children or younger siblings and takes pity on him, a fourteen year old living all alone with his nightmares.

Reza leaves the note and casserole on the counter top and goes to his bathroom, flicking on the light to illuminate the cracked walls. He avoids looking at his face in the mirror as he lifts up the fabric of his sweatshirt. What he sees is what he expected, but he can't understand how it can possibly be there. An ugly purple and red bruise colors the pale skin of his stomach, just to the left of his belly button. The exact spot that Reza was stabbed by the specter earlier that day. 

Reza clenches his jaw and pulls his shirt back down. He uses the bathroom before heading back out into the kitchen, pausing a moment to simply look at the steaming dish on his counter. Tarsis is the one behind the nightmares, isn't he? Reza scours his tiny kitchen for a fork, then takes the lid off of the casserole and takes it with him to sit in the center of the floor. He sets the dish in his lap as he eats, not bothering to get a plate. 

As he eats, he deeply ponders. Tarsis... why would he do it? It isn't impossible to dream walk, though Reza wasn't aware that his brother possessed the skill necessary to do it. But he never took the nightmares that seriously, always assuming that it was his mind conjuring up fake memories. If this is dream walking, why would Tarsis show him this? He must be trying to deter Reza from coming after him, for some unknown reason. Did the slaughter really take place like that? Even if it did, Reza wasn't there to see it. Why would Tarsis place him there in that memory, then kill him? Is he trying to scare him away?

You should have stayed home, little brother. A familiar voice echoes through his head, haunting him, threatening to drag him back to the nightmare. But he is wide awake, why is he being plagued now? Perhaps it never was a dream, at all. What is Tarsis is showing him that scene in a vision of sorts? Is that even possible?

"But I did stay home!" Reza doesn't realize that he has said this out loud, shouting in his frustration. What is Tarsis trying to say? What is he trying to tell him?  Reza stops eating and stares at his floor, though he is not seeing the peeling laminate. His fair brow furrows in annoyance, as he is deeply bothered by the many unanswered questions that cloud his over trafficked brain. Tarsis, what are you doing to me? If only the response wasn't the empty apartment around him, maybe Reza wouldn't feel so alone.

By the time that he finishes chasing his thoughts around, he realizes he has eaten half of the casserole and it is 6:30. He wasted almost two hours thinking and didn't get any closer to the answer of why his brother would dream walk to Reza, only to utter those words and stab him.

You could have at least told be something useful. Damn it, Tarsis! He feels like screaming, but instead climbs to his feet and digs around for something to put the rest of the food in. Fifteen minutes later Reza has his dirty clothes gathered into one bag and has the clean dish ready to be returned to it's owner. Reza flips the sticky note over and takes a pen from the counter. 

Thank you.

Is all he writes before slipping it into the dish and putting the lid back on. His hand writing isn't pretty like the scrawl on the opposite side, but it is legible. He pulls his hood up and stuffs his apartment keys into his pocket, hoisting the bag of laundry over his shoulder. He locks his door and pulls it shut with his foot before making his way through the crumbling complex, to apartment 122. It isn't more than a few doors away from his, and he stands outside of the door for a moment, listening. It's very quiet, so he assumes that they may have left or have yet to come home. He thinks of extending his senses to see if anyone is home, but decides against violating their privacy. it isn't his business. Silent as a ghost, Reza sets the dish down on the door mat and leaves. 

The public laundry facilities building is deserted upon arrival, but the lights are on and the doors are unlocked. All of Reza's laundry requires two different washing machines to get it all done before closing, but no one else is present to require sharing them. Once he gets both machines going, he settles himself into a plastic chair nearby, allowing the noise made by his cleaning laundry to sooth him as much as it can. He presses his palms together like he is praying, and holds his hands in front of his lips, the way he does when he thinks about things. He tosses around a few more possibilities as to why his brother would do this to him, but comes up empty. Rarely does Reza come out blank like this, and it rather frustrates him. He is a smart boy, isn't he?

Then figure it out. 

It isn't until his head bobs that Reza realizes that he has begun to fall asleep. He rubs his eyes and glances around, not surprised to find that he is still alone. He glances out the window behind him before settling back into his uncomfortable chair, folding his arms over his stomach. He winces, realizing his mistake, and raises his arms higher to his chest. The comfort of a warm sweatshirt and food in his belly is a luxury that Reza doesn't often get, but now that he is awake, his mind gets working again, turning back to Tarsis. That seems to be all that he can think about lately, and it is slowly driving the boy insane. He turns his head to look out the window in attempts to distract himself, but the world outside is quiet and still in the night. 

The washing machines stop, and Reza gratefully turns to them for a distraction. It doesn't take long for him to switch his damp clothes into the double-load dryers, and he is once again left without a task. He decides to slip his hoodie over his head to throw it in with the other clothing, so that it will be warm against his skin in the cool night. He may as well be comfortable if he must walk home in the chill. Reza starts the dryer and pauses to look outside of the dark windows, suddenly wishing that he had kept his shirt on. 

To keep from falling asleep again, Reza takes to pacing through the isles of the building. Half way through the dryer cycle, the small bell above the door dings, signalling that someone else has just entered. Reza had been doing well at keeping his mind off of Tarsis, and had felt the newcomer from a hundred yards away.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stand out there." Reza comments flatly from across the facility. It had taken them fifteen minutes to decide what to do, which was plenty of time for Reza to figure out who had been lingering in the shadows.

Caledon comes to lean his back against one of the machines with his hands in his pockets, like usual. "I was debating. I went to visit your father earlier."

Reza narrows his eyes at the Crow, leaning his weight on one leg. His arms are folded in front of him, careful to avoid the sore spot on his abdomen this time, so not to let on to his soreness. His father wants to keep an eye on him to see how he is progressing, but Reza knew that from the beginning. With all of the rumors of his skill, how could Adelard not be interested? Reza was meant to be the weak, pathetic son.  Had Caledon told him that Reza is advancing at a quick pace? Does he know that his "worthless son" is better able to read people than all but one of his siblings? Is he aware of the strength in Reza's bones? Reza greatly doubts it, and it amuses him. 

Cale smiles a bit. "As cold as ever, I see," The smile fades as the Crow sobers up, suddenly looking tired. "Adelard wanted my opinion on how you're developing."

Reza doesn't react, having sensed this from the beginning of their conversation. He wants to ask what he told Adelard, but he knows that he won't have to; judging by the way he holds himself, Caledon hadn't come in here to say that and simply walk away. No, his position is one of someone who intends to stay for a while. For some reason, he wants Reza to know what he told his father about him. Is he trying to make friends with his student?

"I told him that you have promise- as much as your brother." Though he has  three of them, Reza doesn't have to ask which of his siblings the Crow is referring to. He means Tarsis, but is that the truth? Is Reza really that close in pace to his brother? He doesn't think so.  Reza knows himself to be a better match for his other brother, Airic, than Tarsis.

Tarsis is by far the strongest out of Adelard's children, but he isn't the only promising one in the clan. Adelard and his late wife, Amaya, had four children together, and Adelard hadn't re-married after his wife's death. Tarsis is the oldest, followed by twins two years later, whom the couple had named  Airic and Bronwyn. Bronwyn is the only current female commander in the Crows and Airic is the head Guard of the Person In Charge of Edan, who is responsible for the financial welfare and overall well being of the city. Neither were nice to Reza and made it their job to pick on him with harsh words, but never with their fists. The one time that they tried, Tarsis intervened and broke one of their arms. They didn't attempt to harm Reza again, after that, and took to ignoring him instead.

No one had actually seen Tarsis' ability for their own eyes, except for the squad that he was leading out on an A ranked mission. In order to save the life of his comrades and fulfill their mission when things got rough, Tarsis was forced to use his secret weapon against their assailants. The rumor is that Tarsis was so terrifying and powerful, that no one on his entire squad would dare utter a word about their Captain's ability to the public. When Reza asked about it, Tarsis smiled, ruffled his youngest brother's hair and said that he would show him one day. Now that he is older and circumstances have changed, Reza isn't sure if that is a good thing on his part, or not. Not when his stomach still throbs with pain, whispering betrayal into the crevices his heart. 

 Airic is able to see through physical objects and has an impressive amount of skill with any sort of blade, making him perfect for the job of protecting the Leader of Edan. Even walls cannot hide an assassin from Airic's eyes, and he is another reason to fear the Leofwin clan. Though Reza can extend his senses to "feel" objects behind closed doors, he cannot physically see them like his brother.

Bronwyn is the only female commander of the Crow Regiment since the city was built, and though her eyes do not have any unique ability like the other siblings, she is a blur on her feet. She is able to flip and move like a cat, and has a unique sense of smell. She is able to tell what someone had for lunch two floors above or below her location, but Reza always thought that would be more of a curse than a gift. He is rather convinced that it wasn't her skill that got her the position she has, but that it was the doing of her body. She has the strength to maintain her position of power, but Reza doesn't believe that she got there on her own. Surely their father had a hand in it, as well.

In Adelard's eyes, the twins are his only children now. Tarsis becoming a rogue was worse than a slap in their father's face, and caused his instant disowning from the Leofwin clan. Though he was the favorite, what Tarsis had done was an embarrassment and an unforgivable sin in Adelard's eyes. Reza was disowned from the moment his mother died, and had his care turned over to the servants of the family. None of them bonded with him though, afraid to get on Adelard's bad side, so once he was five, none of them would come near him anymore. That is when Tarsis stepped in as his parent figure and began teaching him things forbidden to him. 

Reza turns his back to go the the dryer right before it beeps, signaling that the load is done. The boy begins to fold his laundry in silence as the Crow watches him.  Caledon observes him with curiosity, tilting his head to the side just slightly. "Listen, Reza, I like you. Let me help further your training." Caledon's voice is honest, and Reza doesn't sense a lie on his breath. That unnerves him more than a fib would; Reza isn't accustomed to people liking him. 

The Leofwin boy doesn't turn to him as he sorts his clean clothes, relishing the warmth of the fabric against his hands. He would love to just climb into the machine and lie in a large pile of warm laundry, to just disappear beneath the comfort. But he knows better that to wish that things worked that way. The world is not moved by the dreams of insignificant people who are unwilling to make anything happen for themselves. This place is cruel and never stops; either you run alongside it, or you get left behind in the dust.

"I doubt that you could teach me a thing." Is Reza's cold reply.

"I think otherwise. What I teach to the others is all basic training, just kid stuff to you."

Reza turns his profile to the Crow, narrowing his pale gaze. "What you have started teaching Rowan is nothing childish. I know how low his energy levels were last night. Any more of that training of yours and he would have collapsed where he stood. I wouldn't be surprised if he was unable to move all day." 

Caledon blinks once, considering his answer carefully. "Rowan is strong."

Reza turns, anger coloring his words. "Rowan is a child. You cannot push that sort of power on him so early; you will destroy him before he is twenty."

Caledon raises his chin the slightest. This is the most emotion he has seen Reza show since he's known him, and he cannot say how he feels about it. A small part of him is telling him to back off, not to anger this boy, but the larger portion wants to see how far Reza can be pushed before he snaps. "What about you? I see what you're doing to yourself. You speak of me destroying, but you have already begun to tear yourself apart. Tell me something, how long have you been doing that?" 

Reza turns his back again and continues to fold his laundry and sort through holey socks. He doesn't respond and closes his eyes, forcing the heat in his belly down. Don't you dare. Reza scolds himself, kicking the fight from his veins. Do not allow yourself to be unnerved by him. That is the game he wants you to participate in. Do not take the bait.

"What are those nightmares you have every night, I wonder? Does Tarsis haunt you? I see the bruise on your stomach and that injury on your arm. Those were not given to you during practice. Do you inflict pain upon yourself?"

Reza pauses as the bruise pulses, as if reminding him that it is there. He resists a wince as he pulls his sweatshirt from a pile and slips it back over his body, hiding the inflicted flesh. "What I dream of is none of your business. You would be wise to watch your step." His tone shifts to that of a warning, and he turns to rest a cold, steady gaze against Caledon. 

The mentor frowns slightly, looking at the boy before him. He hates that his eyes waver and that his nerves hum, urging him to back down. He tries to write the shift of his attention off as a speck of lint on his vest, but Reza is not fooled by the aversion of his gaze. 

"Your interest in me is apparent to Leigh and Rowan now. Perhaps you should do your job and train them, as well, instead of directing your attention on one student. I do not require extra help from you, and Rowan keeps you busy enough as it is." 

Caledon smiles faintly, realizing that he is not going to get very far with this boy. "You really don't like me, do you?" 

Reza checks the time on the wall and decides to go get the bag that the clothes came in. It is five minutes until closing and all of the laundry will only come unfolded once put inside of the bag, anyway. He stuffs the clothes into the garbage bag and pulls the ties together, then hoists it over his shoulder. "It is your nosiness and lack of self-discipline that I do not like. It is rather pathetic. I can see why Tarsis out grew you so quickly." On his way out the door, something grabs Reza's ankle, stopping him in his tracks. He glances down to see a black figure wrapped around him, and he turns to glare at Caledon. It is hard to sense shadows, and Reza allowed himself to be distracted enough that he didn't feel them coming. "Let go of me." He demands, voice hard with warning.

Caledon pushes away from his post and comes over to where the boy stands. "You should treat your elders with respect, you know. Your brother wasn't nearly as mean as you are." 

"I am not my brother. Now, release me before I report you." He says, eyes like steel cutting into the older man's soul. A light directly over head flickers, almost in sync with the boy's dangerous voice. 

The Crow resists a shiver and regards Reza for a moment longer before sending his shadows away, releasing the grip they had on the boy's ankle. Even after Reza exits the cleaning facility, Caledon feels the chill inside of his chest lingering, the aftermath of such hateful eyes directing anger at him. He isn't sure that Reza noticed his shadow manipulation shaking before he released the hold he had on him.

~

Author's Note

So, I'm not entirely sure where this story is going yet, so I'm just along for the ride. I hope you enjoy and thank you for waiting ever so patiently for slow updates! I apologize for grammar and punctuation mistakes, if there are any that catch your eye. Feel free to point them out to me, and I will eventually get around to fixing them.

-A.