Advent of Chaos

14

Mora wasn't used to being in such a cramped position, she realized as she curled her fists at the edge of the circular couch. Dorn was pressed firmly into her left side, and Uriel to her right-- practically burying his face into her arm. She occasionally nudged him away, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"How much longer?" Mora asked, staring down the row of impatient, dissatisfied guardians, plus two exiled-- both restrained by holographic chains and cuffs.

Toryn just looked at her across from Dorn, narrowing his eyes plainly at her, giving her a sarcastic smile before adding; "Just a few light years." It was clearly meant for a joke, but it irritated her slightly more than necessary.

Mora's pursue was in an unsure state of dormancy, it seemed. Each day they waited, the more she was left to contemplate her mental and physical state. The corruption seemed to be growing on her flesh, and she found herself constantly clawing at her skin when she was alone.

As if responding to her thoughts, her chest became irritated, and she stifled a groan at the urge to tear at it furiously. Uriel blinked in her direction, only now noticing her efforts.
There was never an easy moment for her-- nothing she knew could suppress this flood of--

She didn't let her mind dwell on the darker side of her state. Mora wouldn't let herself fall apart that easily.

Her eyes scanned the room once more, catching Uriel as he lifted himself from his spot beside her.
"Where are you headed?" Mora asked without quite thinking.

"The restroom. Unless you'd like to join me for some quality time on the John." Uriel winked, his shoulders shifting proudly to tease her. For some reason, her face burned with a silent anger, and she exhaled blandly- doing her best to hide her embarrassment.
"Yes, because I'd love to be in a quiet, confined space with a fox adorned with more than just a silver tongue." Her words were a bit more teasing than she intended.

But when she looked into Uriel's face, his eyes-- his features were serious. She stood, as if compelled by his silent words, and walked past him, into the small room. Mora suddenly found her eyes unfocusing, and she blinked at the stinging pain. The world slowed, and a phantom of Uriel's figure moved from his body-- the silver outline flashing at her gaze-- and shut the door behind him, suddenly throwing itself into her figure.

Mora gasped, but didn't make a sound, and suddenly, Uriel was back to his original place, just beginning to shut the door behind them. But he froze when he saw her eyes, their light fading back to normal as soon as his eyes met them.

Suddenly, catching his foot on an uneven fold in the carpet, Uriel practically threw himself in her direction, and she groaned when her head hit the thick metal bar behind her.  An airlock. Quickly, she caught herself, pushing him off of her and readjusting her own stance.

"Get up, asshole. Watch where you're going." Mora exhaled, trying to cover her fear. This was the second time that had happened. She felt everything focus once more, the haze in her eyes disappearing. It had often felt as if one were emerging from a shower, winking water out of their eyes, she found.

"Yeah-- can you explain to me what the fuck just happened to you?" His gaze met with hers, her face practically burned onto the door. She didn't want to be here for too long, she concluded when Uriel stepped towards her. His eyes trailed down her armor, fixing on a loosened button. He reached towards her to fix it, but she swatted his hand away.

"Don't." Mora swallowed hard, peeling away at the skin of her lip anxiously.

"You pulled me in here to talk to me about something. What was it?" She asked bluntly, ignoring his earlier question-- to which she had no logical explanation.

"This whole thing involving the relkan.. Your behavior.. You've changed. There's obviously something bothering you." Uriel pressed, pure concern lacing his features. Mora couldn't help but wince just thinking about the creatures. Every day, she felt that chaos grow a little stronger, and every day-- it manipulated her.

"It was traumatic for all of us-- haven't you forgotten--"

Uriel cut her short, "Forgotten what? You weren't the only one who forgot how to breathe around them, Mor." Mora grew slightly more irritated.

"Stop calling me that." She hissed, and attempted to step past him, through the door. He stepped in front of her, his figure towering over hers as she grumbled like thunder. His face was dark, the room dimmed and gloomy like herself. She vaguely saw his eyes dart to her chest, something awful flashing in her mind before she could brush off the thought.

"Let me out." She demanded, but he didn't move, and her voice grew dark. But he didn't seem to care as he quickly snatched at the loose button of her robes, revealing her chest, and the black splotch of decay spreading across it. Mora didn't move, didn't even flinch when his eyes dared glancing further. But he didn't gawk at her chest, no-- it was the claw marks on her flesh that caught his eye.

"Mora..." He started, and she closed her eyes, letting him speak. She didn't care. "What did this to you?" He asked finally, his voice softer, quieter than usual.

"I did." She said, forcing his hands away to button up her robe. She watched him swallow his pride as she pushed past him, the contact no more than a bitter graze of the shoulders. She knew the question he would ask anyway.

When she exited the room occupying him, Mora emerged with a half-smile, her face burning with false amusement.

"He doesn't last very long." She teased through her teeth, brushing past the rest of the group. Ankou watched her, then met Toryn's gaze. But the only one who kept his eyes on her was Dorn as she slipped through another doorway into her own chambers. She looked at the time, blinking furiously to find that it was 10 pm, and she was already exhausted.

Mora slipped into her bed, the red blanket darkening like the blood red eyes of Cassain as she closed her own. Tossing and turning was all she could manage for a while.