"--ore."

It came like a punch to the gut. The realization of what had been done. The searing heat, the stink of burning flesh. All gone.

He dropped his sword and rounded on Vera. The girl flinched, expecting the worst. But the words of anger never came. Instead, he just stood there looking down at her with a face she couldn't read.

"Thank you," Was all he said. His hands hurt, the stinging pain of freshly melted skin. He turned towards the sky and caught sight of a black pillar. Without a word, he followed it. 

The silence was deafening as the two walked. It was worse than anything. Worse than if he'd yelled at or hit her.  That, at least, she would understand. Could endure. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"You aren't angry?" Her voice was a tiny, strained whisper.

He replied without any emotion in particular. If anything, he sounded too calm. "You did it for my sake.  I don't have a reason to be angry with you. For saving me, at least." And then his tone changed, turning cold and hard. "But don't ever do that again." 

She winced. "I had to. You were going to--"

"I'm not fucking talking about that!" All of a sudden his voice cracked like a whip. "I mean staying with me! Risking yourself!" There was such maddened fury in his tone that Vera, in spite of herself, felt like she'd been struck. Her hands and scalp turned numb, scared of his spontaneous outburst. 

"The next time I tell you to go," He continued, the force behind him not abating in the slightest. "You go!" He stopped just then, locking onto her with those same familiar violet eyes she's always admired. Right now, they were bathed in red. "What, did you think I'd appreciate your little show of loyalty? That I'd be grateful? No. Don't think for a second I'd ever be fine with you suffering for my sake. "

She didn't know where she found the strength to speak back to him. But she did. Even if the words came out like a pitiful cry. "I wasn't going to just leave you." Her voice was heartbreakingly soft. "I can't."

He had no sympathy at all for that. "Learn how." He replied with a chilling intensity that turned her mute.

With that said, he continued forward. He clenched his jaw painfully the entire way. There was a kind of resentment in him at that moment that he didn't know what to do with. 

She should have run away the moment the heat hit their faces. Vera. But she didn't. Because she loves him. For the first time, that knowledge only pissed him off. It was his choice to remain behind and he accepted the consequence of that decision without regret. He knew there would be pain. Maybe a lot.  But he was okay with that. 

What he isn't okay with is Vera being in pain along with him. 

Never should a person have to suffer for love.  

At least, not like this. Heartache was inevitable, but physical pain? No. That was too much. Damien is willing to suffer for the things he believes in. His ideals are his own. No one has to understand or support them, but he does. He has to. 

What he isn't willing to do, however, is allow a person who loves him to suffer along with him. But that, too, would be their choice. Right? Yes. So? He didn't care. He didn't like what he didn't like. 

That included the stupid, self-sacrificing bullshit people did for those they loved. Maybe others would be okay with it, but not him. In fact, he considered anyone who is okay with that kind of nonsense to be scum of the highest order. 

Claiming to love someone, but being fine when that person is out there recklessly getting hurt for your sake?  That, to Damien, isn't love.

It's selfishness.

***

By the time they reached the burning building, there were guards everywhere. A few mages, in distinctive white and blue robes, were using magic to pour water over the flames. Meanwhile, the guards had already found Damien's slaves and were working to get them out of the bars wrapped around them.

"Shit." He cussed. 

The elf woman was nowhere to be seen. 

But to Vera, all those didn't matter. She followed him almost listlessly, his words playing over and over in her head.

Learn how...

They weren't fair. Not fair at all.

He can't ask me to do that. He can't. 

What was she supposed to do? Let him burn? When she could prevent it? It was cruel, telling her to run away by herself.

"Ah, Rex!" Damien suddenly exclaimed happily. As expected, the grey-coated kitten he'd recently stolen ran through the crowd of people surrounding the building and swiftly made its way towards Damien. '

"Rawr?" It licked its pink nose and stared up at him, rubbing its head on his leg with a purr. 

"Come here, you." He smiled and picked it up gently, tickling the underside of his chin lovingly. "At least you had the sense to run away, huh. Unlike certain other people." Damien glanced briefly at Vera. 

"I'm won't apologize for not leaving you." She coolly stated, having recovered from her previous bout of weakness. At least on the surface. 

"Oh, I'm not asking for one." I'm just saying you're a fool staying. The other half of that sentence went unsaid, but not unnoticed.

"I'm an elite maid of the Okeanos family. It's my job to be at your side at all times." Vera spoke with not a single inflection, as was usual with her. 

Damien didn't deign to comment further. No one's worth risking your life over, he thought moodily.

 He found himself offering a self-deprecating smirk at that. Shit, here I am angry at her for something I'd do myself for less. 

Damien didn't have to get involved in the elf slave's affairs, for example. Wasn't that also a risk to his life? Perhaps. And that woman is nothing to him. 

Even so, he'd interfered. 

Vera did what she did for love. It was a far better reason than he ever had for the things he'd done in the past.  

Well, humans are hypocritical by nature anyway.

He still wouldn't allow her to make such stupid choices in the future. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't give a damn. But he cared about Vera, so he wouldn't condone her risking herself for anyone.

Especially not him. He isn't worth that much. 

"Its about time you two showed up," A familiar voice sounded out. Mary. She walked with a hood over her head, but the brown cloak did nothing to hide her heart-stopping figure. The woman attracted the gaze of every man present without even trying.

I'm starting to wonder whether she has some Succubus in her, too, Damien thought wryly. The woman was simply too seductive not to be. 

"We should leave quickly," She lowered her voice as she closed the distance. "They've already started describing your appearance. Come nightfall, they'll have a drawing of you posted on every corner of Valen." 

"Who cares?" Damien shrugged. "I was planning to disguise myself anyway."

Mary let out a frustrated sigh. "Then why didn't you do so before we came here?" A cheek twitched. "You just set fire to a branch of the Blue Heavens auction house and lost them many valuable items. There's no way they won't figure out your identity, even if you do look much older than how you did a year ago." 

"And?" He blinked innocently, causing Mary to be taken aback.

"And...?" She repeated mindlessly. "You can't seriously be so cavalier. This is--"

"Going to be a very big headache for my father," He cut off. "Yes, I know. I don't care. I wasn't planning to remain a Claybrook anyhow. Why do you think I came here like this? If it causes those two even the slightest bit more trouble, it's worth it."

Damien is a man whom the words "Magnanimous" and "Petty" can be used for and both be equally true. 

It really just depended on the day, sometimes. 

"Whatever happened to that elf woman?" He asked.

"I didn't see her nearby. No one else seems to have reported seeing her, either," Mary informed.

"She's stark naked and busty. How the hell can no one notice her?" He shook his head in wonder. "Ah, forget it. She's probably fine if she hasn't been caught yet."

He can't be expected to take care of everyone. Had he the time, maybe he'd go look for her to make sure his work didn't go to waste. But something about that elf....

She's strange. Very strange. Somehow, he thought she was okay on her own. 

"Here, you guys ready the carriage. Meet me at the east gate." He once more handed Rex to Vera and started walking off.

"Where are you going now?" Mary called out.

He jerked a thumb towards the ongoing questioning performed by the guards. "If I can't put those scum to good work, I can at least send them to hell where they belong.."

"There are dozens of armed guards. Are you--" Mary stopped herself as she finally took note of his burned hands and charred clothing. A flash of white-hot guilt gnawed at her. Memories of his childhood came flooding in. It wouldn't be a stretch to say she, Mary, was the one who actually raise him into the man he is today. His own mother certainly lacked the patience to care for a child.

....And yet as soon as she caught sight of those flames, she'd abandoned him...

Not just him, but Vera, her own daughter, as well.

"What, insane?" He finished with a wild grin. "Of course I am. Don't you know? It's my most charming quality." With that, he tore off his tunic, which was in burnt tatters anyway, and proceeded towards the guards.

Mary moved to him almost unconsciously. She felt a need to apologize. To stop him from such recklessness. But Vera held her back.

"No matter what we say, it'll never get through to him." 

Mary didn't know why, but somehow she felt the truth of that statement quite sad.