TAMED

Parade of the Elves

Though it was only just encroaching on 7pm, the sky was as dark as could be. That being said, the world beneath it was all but night, as lights and music and people filled every street, every table, and every alley. Vince had fallen in love with everything about Austria. From the food, to the beer, to the scenery, to the Danube river. The only thing he had found that he didn't quite enjoy, was the fact that restrooms were sort of far and few between, and that he desperately needed to learn more German than the word "worcestershire" which he was sure he had always pronounced wrong.

The parade began before too long, and Ares was at first a bit put off by the children who were all dressed as little Elves, dancing and singing on a float with santa's sleigh. The hound had never seen any such performance, but there wasn't a trace of aggression in his wonder struck eyes. He watched intently as he munched on a caramel covered apple.

"Hey!" A woman grumbled as she accidentally knocked into Ares and Levi both. Vince translated a brief 'excuse us' but she was clearly intoxicated. Something which was exceedingly rare in this country. Ares watched closely as the agent tried to calm her, and ultimately walking her to a police officer near by.

Vince swallowed as he thought things over. Though this was just one woman who had enjoyed a bit too much of the festivities, it could have escalated. Even here, in this unrealistically peaceful country, there were bound to be people now and then who cause trouble. That brought some uneasiness, it only took one person to do something stupid and cause...well...a calamity. Ares had been relatively calm since leaving the custody of his creators, he'd been shown a real life, real food, some freedoms like going to the restroom without having to ask permission, and they hoped he'd had the opportunity to experience true friendship, and the feeling of family. Vince looked around, there were children running and playing, couples laughing and just enjoying the season...he didn't want something terrible to happen here. He couldn't say yet that he trusted Ares, after all...he could be extremely unpredictable.

His head began to feel heavy, and his hearing became muddled as if he were under water. His heart raced, his face was clammy despite the cold winter air. He was falling into a panic attack. His breaths came in fast succession, puffs of cooled misty air escaped his mouth as they did so. He was so scared, and yet he didn't know exactly why. He had seen Ares in action, and despite knowing that those had been people with truly ill intentions, he had still killed them, without even thinking twice. The images of what he'd seen came flashing to the forefront of his mind. He clutched his chest as he hunched over a bit, opening his eyes wide as if to somehow visualize himself to a safer place. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, and he could feel the heat of anxiety like a veil over his face and eyes.

Suddenly a hand grasped his. The unexpected touch snapped him back to reality, if but only for a moment. He forced himself to try and focus on who had brought him back down to earth. His body trembled as he looked into the bright green eyes of the Hound beside him.

From behind his caramel apple, Ares didn't say a word, but his eyes smiled. A strange kind of wave washed over Vince, and he sensed himself relaxing. Ares...he wasn't just some mindless monster. He was a highly trained soldier, but he was also just a kid. A kid who, for some reason, meant so much to him.

The blonde did his best to steady his breathing as he looked down at the hand that held his. The rich dark tone of Ares' skin constrasted hugely against the fair ivory of Vinces'.

"Okay?" The Egyptian asked quietly. He was never one to make a lot of noise, something he had learned to survive early on. Of course, he did get noisy occasionally, especially when upset.

"Hey, you two..." The voice of Levi called from somewhere in the crowd behind them. It took a moment, but soon the pair were able to find the agent, thanks to his fancy christmas sweater he had actually blended in quite well. Vince continued to capture his breaths, and tried to find specific things to focus on, in order to keep his mind from spiralling out of control.