Hollow Truth

Ren's Frustration

Yet another bump nearly sent Ren into the ceiling of the carriage, his precious hat knocked from his head once again. Grumbling, he bent down and scooped it up, wanting nothing more than Blake to give him the reins. He, no doubt, could drive much better than that incompetent fool. When they returned to the mansion, he'd have to give him a piece of his mind.

Placing the hat on the seat next to him, Ren relaxed again. He was exhausted. How his father had managed to do the whole Duke thing for so long eluded him. That was the one thing he loathed about coming of age. All of a sudden he was responsible. He was told every single day he had to keep the Baxter name polished and respectable. Today had been no different. He went to some fellow Duke's home to court his daughter. It was a horrible experience. All nobles were so... fake. He just couldn't take them seriously. He couldn't even take himself seriously. Doing it for the family name and reputation? There was no family! It was just him, damn it.

Sighing, he looked out the window into the stormy night. He couldn't see anything, but that was to be expected. Instead, he watched the water on the glass. The droplets trembled with the carriage, looking so vulnerable and delicate. He almost felt sorry for them. But before he could feel real pity, he was thrown unceremoniously across the carriage. Blake had stopped the carriage so suddenly. Just like him not to give a warning. He was going to kill that servant one day.

Pulling himself up, Ren brushed himself off, muttering curses to himself. He pushed the door open, and the howl of wind and the drum of rain replaced the quiet of the carriage. Stepping into the storm, he made his way to where Blake sat. His servant was trembling in the wind, and a slight feeling of pity weaseled its way into his stomach. Blake was so exposed to the elements.

"Lord Ren, sir, you're bleeding."

"Why have we stopped, Blake?" Ren asked, lightly touching his throbbing forehead. Examining the glove that covered his hand, he discovered he was indeed bleeding, and quite excessively at that. It wasn't that important to him at the moment, though.

"There's something in the road, sir." Blake seemed uneasy, constantly adjusting his grip on the reins. How he had managed to see the faint dark blob through the rain and utter darkness amazed Ren, though he would never admit it to Blake. Making his way over to it, Ren nudged it with his foot, barely noticing the wind and rain that constantly lashed at him. The form moved, letting out a small moan. A bit startled, Ren took a step back, but only for a moment.

Stooping down, Ren pulled their arm around his shoulders, struggling to rise back up. Once he had a good hold, Ren half carried, half dragged the stranger to the carriage, somehow managing to put them on the seat he had slammed his head on. Once the stranger was in the carriage, he went around front, telling Blake he was ready to depart. His servant seemed to be a bit surprised by the whole episode, barely even nodding his head in response. Sighing, Ren ducked back into the vehicle, pulling off his soaked overcoat. Ms. Gwen was going to kill him if he caught cold.

Pulling the handkerchief from his pocket, Ren pressed it against his forehead, unsure as to where the gash was. Pretty soon it was soaked in blood, and Ren couldn't help but wonder if he was going to bleed to death. It was possible, wasn't it? Shaking his head at himself, he turned his attention to the person he had taken in. With the miniscule amount of light sent from the lantern attached to the front of the carriage, Ren was able to see that the stranger was a boy that appeared to be about his age. Oddly enough, he had blue hair. It wasn't too unusual for someone with a Talent, like himself, to have odd colored hair that matched. But blue was unheard of. Even people who had some kind of water Talent only ever really had black hair with hints of blue. But this boy's hair was the same shade as the sky.