Maybe if she were normal, she’d react better to his touches, wouldn’t flinch at his helpful and kind gestures, but as it is she isn’t normal. Overhaul has made it abundantly clear that her existence, in general, is one of pain. If she ran away she’d only cause trouble to those who tried to help her. She knew this and yet here she is, unable to catch her breath after running with all her might for the past two minutes.
“…” She accepts his offered hand (notes how gentle it is…) and allows him to hoist her up, not having enough strength to do so herself. He asked a question, but Eri can’t seem to find her voice. She keeps jerking her head from either side, checking if Overhaul or any of his goons have caught up to her. There’s still no sign of them, but that couldn’t last for long… She needed to keep running. She couldn’t do so with this man in her way and he doesn’t seem like the type to just let her go. So upsetting, she really doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt!
“E-Eri…” She looks over her shoulder one more time. Her feet, raw as they are, make it difficult to stand in one position for too long, so she begins shifting her weight from one to the other. Maybe she can start running against once he looks away… That’ll give her enough time to breathe.
🚀—“Jｏｉｎ ｗｉｔｈ ｙｅｓｔｅｒｄａｙ'ｓ ｆｏｅ ｔｏ ｓｍａｓｈ ｆａｔｅ,
💫 — ａｎｄ ｇｒａｂ ｔｏｍｏｒｒｏｗ'ｓ ｐａｔｈ
❝Eri, is it? That’s a good name.
Daring, and lovely, too. You’re a brave girl, Eri.
Mine is Viral. Viral Teppelin. You were headed this direction, weren’t you? We can go together. In fact, I could carry you.❞
He spoke soothingly, a faint, encouraging smile never fading from his mouth. But Viral was honest to a fault, and his eyes were incensed with a deep and boundless ire. Just what kind of hell had this child climbed out from? Her every motion, her every response, expounded volumes upon her fears and even mistreatment. ...as if the surplus of bandages weren’t enough to confide those dark secrets...
The Beastman pressed his thumb up beneath her fingers, her whole hand being too small to adequately encircle the single digit. But he could read her desperate desire to move on from that spot. If she was fleeing the site of cruelty, then he couldn’t take a chance in slowing her down. He rose to a standing posture and offered to leave with her,
❝It’s dangerous, right? Let’s hurry.❞
How far would they get before the enemy appeared? Where could he take her? Was it beyond UA to intervene? He didn’t have many answers, but he did have one truth: he would do anything it took to protect this child. Would she acquiesce to his company?
Moreover, he was a guest here, in this world. His purview, even as an honorary Hero under special conditions, was limited by the government, itself. And of course, without hesitation, if protecting this little girl meant that he had to violate the clause of his visitation contract.... then he would accept the consequences. Viral gave her hand a little squeeze,
No matter how fearsome or insurmountable the obstacles before you seem, don’t give up.
They may try to fool you into thinking that you’re all alone, with false ceilings to cage you in, but there are as many caring hands as there are stars in the sky; so never stop reaching out.❞
That brave little hand of hers... its weightlessness, like a bird in his palm, reminded him of a dream he’d once had. He’d let go, back then, of that autumn child. Left behind a good dream, to contend with the endless truths and challenges, and joys of the waking world. Yet he loved her, even now. And even now, he remembered the tumbling laughter of the child he’d dreamed of, ringing like bells, as she was held fast and safe within his arms. That had been years ago. It was an old dream. But he would never forget that tiny hands had once planted their touch in his hair, upon his face. And he would never forget how it felt, to place her back upon the earth, knowing that goodbye was all that he could give her, by waking.
He wasn’t letting this little hand go.
🐾—ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ ,
‘ǝɹǝɥ ǝɹ'noʎ ǝsnɐɔǝb ǝɹǝɥ ɯ'I
ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ ɴᴏᴡ!”
“!ʍon ɯǝןboɹd ɐ ʇoƃ ǝʌ'noʎ
