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Chapter 1, Part 5

(!⚠️WARNING⚠️!: Contains Violence, Blood/Gore/Minor Count of Dismemberment, )
[Correct me if I missed something!]
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Waking up abruptly, he swivels his head around. He woke up late. That usually... doesn't happen. The day passes a bit like always. It seemed longer than usual. It always did when Jack wasn't around. His only friend.. he hasn't shown up in days. Rhodochrosite thinks to himself a bit. He hopes Jack's alright. The diner door opens but.. he felt his hair stand on end. As he looked up at the stranger, the stranger had his eyebrows furrowed and was constantly glancing around as though he was looking for something. The person then turned to him, making Rhodochrosite look at the table. But the stranger did not look away.
"Are you Rhodochrosite?" the person asked, their voice was full of anger.
He kept staring at his reflection in the table, hoping that the person would just go away before the stranger slammed their hand onto the table, making him flinch.
"Answer me." they said, their voice stern. Out of panic, Rhodochrosite nodded fast, trying to not make any other movement otherwise. The stranger then sat on the other side of the table, glaring at Rhodochrosite. He couldn't help but glance up occasionally and then turn back to the table as though staring too long in his eyes would suck his soul out.
"Listen, Rhodochrosite, I'm Lavrentie and I know you care about Jack. I would know, I live at Jack's house and, heh, I received your letter. But I have a harsh reality check for you, buddy. Jack doesn't care. He doesn't love you. He doesn't consider you a friend. I don't know why you decided you needed to mail a letter to my house but I need you to stay the hell away from him. You got that?" the stranger said. Rhodochrosite clenched his fists in both fear and anger. Jack... doesn't like him? He's been admiring... a person... who doesn't even like him as a friend, let alone a lover. He's just... been pretending.
"Hey! You got that?! Answer me!". Rhodochrosite nodded quickly again, nervous. Lavrentie starts at Rhodochrosite for a moment, his eyes squinting.
"Your finger. Your finger's gone. You've made business with Anti. You've made business with Anti, haven't you?!" the man yells out, standing up a bit as he reached his hand in his pocket. As soon as Rhodochrosite saw the glistening, he panicked and stood up, backing away from Lavrentie. Fear struck him like lightning as he approached with a handgun pointed at him. Suddenly, his adrenaline kicked in and he grabbed Lavrentie's wrist from the inside, trying to pull his finger away from the trigger as he slammed the outside of his hand into the wall as hard as he could. With a small pop, he drops the gun and yells in pain before Rhodochrosite snatched the gun and hit him in the head with it, knocking him out. In panic, he stands there in shock before he hears a small voice in the back of his head, similar to the Sunflower Cafe books he had read.
"Run."
Suddenly, he charges out of the cafe, running as far as his feet will take him as he breathes heavily. He slips the gun into his pocket, breathing heavily as he continues pacing down the streets. Speeding across roads with reckless abandon, he has no idea where he's heading. Bolting into another person, he stumbles and so does the stranger.
"Woah- Hey, where are you hurrying to???" the stranger asked with a sort of angry tone but they calmed down when seeing Rhodochrosite's face and they then got nervous. "Are you alright?" Rhodochrosite, shaking his head, tries to run away again. As he did so, he kept glancing behind him, as though Lavrentie would reappear at any moment and finish him off then and there. The stranger holds onto him lightly and yanks him back, noticing his suspicious behavior. Do you need a hiding spot...?" the stranger asks quietly, still looking concerned. Rhodochrosite waits a moment before nodding and the stranger takes him inside their house, shutting the door behind them and closing the blinds and gesturing for Rhodochrosite to sit down on the couch. "Here, take a seat. Do you need anything? Medical care, food, drinks, a phone call to anyone?". Rhodochrosite shook his head again. "Are you alright with me sitting next to you?" the stranger questioned, pointing at the empty space on the couch. Rhodochrosite nodded and the stranger sat down next to him but not too close, trying to make sure he's comfortable and that they are not in his personal space. Rhodochrosite nodded. As the stranger turned to Rhodochrosite, they immediately grabbed Rhodochrosite's hand by the wrist, staring with fear and shock at his severed finger. "My goodness! Wh- I- I'll be right back, do not move!" The stranger ordered as they hopped to their feet and bolted into a different room. Rhodochrosite watched the doorway, a bit nervous but trying to follow their orders before they came back in with a pack of gauze pads in their hands and a roll or two of bandage wrap. Jeez, it's not that big of a wound... I suppose it's best to stay well prepared though, right? The stranger kneeled down a bit, grabbing Rhodochrosite by the wrist cautiously once more, placing a gauze pad onto the bleeding wound and wrapping it tightly, securing it with the bandage wrap. The stranger then, after treating Rhodochrosite's wound, looked back up into Rhodochrosite's eyes with knitted eyebrows and a worried yet kind expression. "Are you alright?" Rhodochrosite nodded silently and the stranger let out a sigh, calming down a bit yet still worrying for Rhodochrosite. "Okay. Okay.. that's good." The stranger stood back up fully and took a quick moment to process what had just happened before sitting next to Rhodochrosite again. "So um... What's your name?". Rhodochrosite turned to the stranger and felt as though he had to respond but as he tried and tried, he just couldn't bring himself to. And so he just turned his face towards the ground, not saying anything. "It's okay if- if you don't talk much. I understand, I used to be pretty quiet too. I'm Ciri." the stranger, who is apparently named Ciri, said with a small smile. She extended a hand for a handshake and Rhodochrosite reluctantly shook her hand. "So! Um.. make yourself at home!" Ciri said awkwardly with a small chuckle afterwards, not really sure what to say to Rhodochrosite. But he just sat there, confused about all that's happened today. Eventually, the sun begins to set and Ciri hands him everything Rhodochrosite may have needed for his indefinite stay but.. Rhodochrosite just accepted everything quietly, his mind still racing with thoughts and memories replaying in his mind. As he eventually took the folded blanket from the seat next him after Ciri had went to bed in her own room, Rhodochrosite uncomfortably laid down on the couch, pulling the cover over himself and staring at the moonlight peering through the window as his eyes slowly shut until he had fell asleep with one last thought in his head.
Did Jack betray me?