All my roleplays are dead please give me attention // closed oxo (I'll do more though)

Farah had prepared to tell Aiki about Saul and the battalion's history, but she clammed up when Ben and Andreas returned, specifically Andreas. Suddenly, she became very self-consious of letting her hair down, and she reached up to tie it back into a knot.

"Don't do that," Andreas protested, approaching her from behind. "You look great with it down."

Farah froze and shot Saul a side-eye look, and she saw him eying the situation with a fire behind his stare. In one swift motion, Farah put her hair in a tail and shifted her seat so she faced away from Andreas and more towards Saul, Aiki, and Ben. The weary smile on her lips didn't spread to her eyes. She briefly cleared her throat and asked, "How's the food, Aiki?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Farah replied. "We'll get you back in no time, I promise. Eiji will barely have had any time to miss you."

Saul's gaze shifted from Farah to Andreas, who was already looking at him with narrowed eyes. Saul looked as though he was about to challenge Andreas when footsteps appeared at the door. The entire battalion turned their heads to see Rosalind at the entrance to the dormitory wearing the same jumpsuit from earlier.

"Farah. Come here," she said coolly before disappearing into the hallway again.

Farah drew in a breath and stood to follow Rosalind into the hallway.

Saul crossed his arms over his broad chest and shifted his weight from his left leg to his right and back again as Farah left, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't contradict Rosalind's orders. He sighed anxiously when Farah rounded the door and disappeared from sight.

"Close the door," Rosalind ordered. She was leaning against the wall with her eyes shut.

Farah's heart began to race. She reached back inside the room to pull the door shut. When she did, she spared a look at Saul, who was already looking at her. Their eyes made contact, and he saw the fear threatening to break through the surface of her normally gentle and cool features. The second Farah pulled the door shut, Rosalind's eyes flew open, and her power unleashed. Farah's eyes turned grey like Rosalind's were, and she winced as Rosalind's voice rang in her mind.

"What the hell, Farah? What took you two so long to bring back the Burned One, and why did you come back with this creature?"

"Aiki is not a creature," Farah replied out loud. "He was weak in the forest when we found him, and–" Searing pain ripped through her head. Farah cried out and fell to her knees, whimpering.

"Pitiful," Rosalind sneered. "Now tell me. What role did this creature have in your fight against the Burned One?"

"We protected him from it," Farah whispered.

"Don't lie to me." Another bolt of pain forced Farah to curl into a ball. "Don't make me push further, Farah."

"Tell me why he really is here. Tell me why you and Saul suddenly decided not to brief me about your mission. Tell me why it took so long for you to track, kill, and return with the Burned One!"

Farah's head pounded as the agonizing pain built up. It was too much for her to bear, but Rosalind continued to push. A painful scream erupted from her lips.

–

Farah's screams reached Saul's ears through the door, and white-hot fury consumed him. He stormed towards the door only to be intercepted by Ben.

"There's nothing you can do," Ben muttered as Saul strained against him. "Farah is strong. She can handle it. She has before."

"This isn't right," Saul countered, shoving himself towards the door. "She doesn't deserve this!"

The screams stopped abruptly. After a few minutes of silence, the door reopened, and Farah entered. "Andreas," she addressed him quietly. "Could I have a moment alone with Saul, Ben, and Aiki, please?"

Andreas' eyes narrowed slightly, but he respected Farah's wish. He left promptly, shutting the door behind him. The second he was gone, Farah sank to her knees, racked with sobs. Saul was at her side in less than an second, hugging her and whispering in her ear, and Ben knelt beside her, rubbing her back gently.

"It's okay. She's gone. He's gone. I'm here. Ben's here. Aiki's here."

At Aiki's name, Farah quickly looked up at him. "Oh, Aiki… I'm so sorry you had to hear that," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Did you tell her?" Saul asked, and Farah replied by shaking her head slowly.

"No."

Saul closed his eyes and sighed. "Farah…"

She trembled violently and burst into another round of tears. Saul hugged her close, and she buried her face in his chest while he gently placed kisses in her hair.

After another minute of ragged breaths and choking sobs, Farah forced herself to stand and walked over to Aiki, much to the surprise of Saul and Ben.

She sat on the edge of the bed. Her warm chocolate eyes shone with tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered again, wrapping Aiki in a hug. "You're going to be fine. Rosalind won't hurt you."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Farah whispered, trying to keep her voice level despite the cries that wanted to come out. "This isn't your fault either. I can handle it."

Saul's vision blurred at Farah's words, and he turned away. His beautiful, precious Farah was hurting, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Nothing hurt him more.

"Shhh, shhh," Farah whispered. "It's alright. It's okay." She exchanged a look with Ben. "Don't worry about Rosalind. I will protect you from her. She won't get near you, and she certainly won't call you a 'creature' again if I have any say in it. And… don't worry too much about me. This… wasn't the first time. I've gotten used to it," she tried to joke, but her voice was tight. Her head still pounded violently.

At that, Saul whirled around, his anger back. "Damn it!" he exclaimed, lashing out at the air. Farah hugged Aiki tighter against her, and Ben moved out of Saul's way and sat down on the opposite side of the bed as Farah. They both knew better than to get in Saul's way when he was angry.

Farah smoothed Aiki's hair comfortingly as Saul sporadically lashed out at the air until he ran out of energy. When he finished, he looked over at Farah with a fiery gaze and paced over to her quickly.

"Saul?" she asked in a small, quiet voice.

Without speaking, he pulled her to her feet, cupped her face in his hands, and then slowly guided her in for a soft kiss – just the opposite of his behavior mere seconds before. She gasped quietly, but she let herself embrace the comforting feeling. After a few seconds, they broke apart, but Saul continued to keep her trembling body close.

"Saul," Farah whispered, shaking in his arms. "You know I don't like when you do that."

"I'm sorry, Farah," Saul murmured. "Rosalind just…" He inhaled sharply. "It makes me so angry I can't contain it. I hate that she can do this to you and get away with it every time. I don't want her to hurt you, Farah, I… I don't want anyone to hurt you."

She whimpered quietly and buried her face in his chest.

*

(Sorry, my b! Let me change it)

"Saul," Farah whispered, shaking in his arms. "You know I don't like when you do that."

"I'm sorry, Farah," Saul murmured. "Rosalind just…" He inhaled sharply. "It makes me so angry I can't contain it. I hate that she can do this to you and get away with it every time. I don't want her to hurt you, Farah, I… I don't want anyone to hurt you."

Farah whimpered quietly and buried her face in his chest. Saul held her against him protectively and looked to Aiki, only now noticing how the fox boy had shied away from him. "Aiki, I'm so sorry," he apologized genuinely. "Are you alright?"

Saul felt bad for scaring Aiki, but he didn't know what to say. "I… I didn't mean to…" Saul tried to apologize, but Farah silenced him with a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Shh," Farah whispered. "It's okay. Why don't you and Ben go take a walk for a minute? Get out of this stuffy dorm. Some fresh air will do you good," she murmured, running her fingers slowly through his hair.

Saul's eyes closed for a brief moment, savoring her touch one last time before he let her slide out of his grip. Ben stood and clapped Saul's shoulder as he passed. "C'mon, Saul," he urged. "There's something I've been meaning to show you, anyway."

Not breaking eye contact with Farah, Saul backtracked until backed into the door. Farah covered her lips with her hand and giggled. Saul winced and rubbed the back of his head, but he grinned when he saw it had made Farah laugh. "I love you," he whispered, and she blew him a kiss in response. His eyes melted, but Ben shut the door behind them as they left.

Once Saul left, Farah again let her façade drop, and she sank onto the bed tiredly. "I'm so sorry, Aiki," she whispered. "What's going on?"

Tears shone in Farah's dark eyes as listened to Aiki's story. Her heart broke for them and all the pain they had to have dealt with. She listened with compassion and care, and when they were finished, she slowly opened her arms if he wanted a hug. She wasn't sure if they would, but she vowed then and there that she would be there to provide whatever kind of support Aiki needed at any time. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Farah took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm. Only moments ago, she had been the one trembling and needing a rock to cling to, but now Aiki was the one who needed someone strong and sure. She gasped quietly when the hug tightened, but in no way did she move to let go. Instead, she gently rubbed Aiki's back in long, soothing strokes. "It's alright. I get it. There is so much I wish I could forget, but instead, I have the images burned into my memory." Literally, she thought and did her best not to shudder. Rosalind's abilities were immense, and her power was not something she reserved. Many hours during training were forever pressed into Farah's memory, keeping her up at night in terror, but at the same time, somehow, loyal to her mentor. "I wish I could give you peace," she whispered, feeling her heart continue to break for them. "But even if I did, it would only be temporary. I'm sorry. You're so young. You didn't deserve any of this."

"Shh, shh. Don't say that. You have nothing to be apologizing for," Farah kindly, but firmly interjected. But as she listened to them speak, she felt pieces of herself breaking off, the pain too much for her to continue to carry. Still, she continued to rub Aiki's back, discreetly transferring a bit of her happier emotions to them. "I'm not allowed to feel many emotions, especially when I'm around Rosalind. I believe you," she whispered.