flash_on
(Thanks for the heads up!)
Eclipse forced himself not to tense up at that, wishing he had some way to help him, "Oh…." was all he was able to muster up as a response, not sure how to respond to that as he tried to think of a way to avoid it. "Is… Is there any way to stop it?" he asked softly.
(np!)
Nik shook his head. "I had chains back at camp that Aron would bind me in every night to keep me from getting out, but…those chains were the only things that could hold me, and now…" he sighed. "These ropes won't do anything but annoy it."
flash_on
Eclipse frowned worriedly, both for him, and the other, "Have…. Have you ever tried magical spells?" he asked softly, wondering if he could possibly come up with a powerful enough enchantement to stop it.
"They don't work. The monster is…is because I was cursed, so it doesn't…magic doesn't affect it." Nik replied quietly, closing his golden eyes and resting his head on Eclipse's chest still.
flash_on
"What kind of curse?" asked Eclipse softly, wishing he had some kind of solution, wishing he could hug the other, comfort him somehow…
"I don't know. It happened when my mom was still pregnant with me." Nik replied with a slight shrug. He shifted again, trying to get more comfortable. "My parents never told me, and…now I guess I'll never know."
flash_on
Eclipse hummed softly, "I.. I wish I could help…" he whispered quietly, curling around him as much as possible, the dried blood on his jaw and on his shirt clashing with his sad expression.
"It's okay." Nik mumbled. "You just can't let me fall asleep." he shook his head a little, and snuggled as close to Eclipse as he could. He knew he had to trust the other prince. Hell, he had just told him the secret that Nik made the most effort to hide.
flash_on
Eclipse nodded, "Whelp… I guess it helps now that I'm kinda a little nocturnal…" he said softly, "I stay up late a lot…" he sighed, "I won't let you sleep…. as long as I can alright?"
Nik nodded a little. "Alright. Thank you." he said softly, opening his eyes. "Best way to do that is probably to talk." he remarked, golden eyes finding Eclipse's. "So…what would you like to talk about?"
flash_on
"At this point I'm not sure." said Eclipse softly, "I mean, we could finish our game of twenty questions…" he sighed, not really sure what to do.
Nik chuckled quietly. "Mhm. There's always that." He thought of his father again, and shuddered slightly. He had lost both parents, now. And his father…his father…he swallowed, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them again.
flash_on
"Hey" eclipse gave him a sympathetic look, figuring he was thinking about his parents. "I'm here, okay? You're not alone, so stay with me."
Nik bit his lip. "But they're dead." He mumbled. "And it's my fault." Bile rose in the back of his throat as he remembered how his mother had died. And how his father had just died. It was all his fault. All his fault, and he couldn't fix it.
flash_on
"It's not your fault." said Eclipse, "I don't know how your mother died, but your father's death wasn't your fault. His blood lies on the hands of every man in this cam, they're the one's responsible for his death, not you."
"It is my fault." He whispered. "My mom died because I…I…" He couldn't say it. Didn't want to see the horror and revulsion that would come over Eclipse's face when he heard what Nik had done. "And dad…" He bit his lip.
flash_on
Eclipse felt tears come when it dawned on him what Nik was trying to say, and he fell silent, not sure how to comfort him, really really wishing he could hold the other tightly, let him mourn. But he couldn't. How could he when they were both tied up and helpless?
Nik closed his eyes helplessly, staying close to Eclipse. He let out a breath, shaking his head. "Eclipse, I…I don't know what to do." He admitted quietly.
flash_on
"I don't know either Nik…" he said softly, voice wavering a little as he pressed as close as possible to the other, "All I can think of is finding a way to escape…"
"How?" Nik asked helplessly. "How, when if I sleep I might…I might kill and eat everyone." He swallowed, taking a deep, shaky breath.
flash_on
"We're going to have to just figure it out." said Eclipse softly. "Is there any chance at all that if I conjure magical bindings they might hold you?"
Nik hesitated, then shrugged helplessly. "I…I don't know." He said. "They haven't before. I've tried magical bindings, and they don't always work…" He bit his lip.
flash_on
"Not even hybrid magic?" asked Eclipse quietly. "Because if I can create bindings that'll hold you, then I can conjure a shield to protect me…"
"I don't know." Nik replied. "And I don't want to test it when failure means I kill you. I can't be responsible for that, Eclipse. I can't…" I can't kill another person I care about.
flash_on
Eclipse nodded quietly, "If it weren't for the fact that I can't shift without hurting myself I would suggest out running you…" he trailed off, "I'm grasping at straws here…" he said softly.
"I know." Nik mumbled. "I'm sorry." He swallowed. "I-I don't mean to…to make things so hard." But I do anyways. He bit his lip anxiously.
flash_on
"It's not your fault." said Eclipse firmly. "None of this is so don't blame yourself. It's not helpful, if anything it's bad for moral. I… I should know.. I…" he sighed, "There were days when I would blame myself for my father's anger… it took years before I realized it was just him…"
Nik looked up at him. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I'm sure that must have been very hard." He didn't know what else to say.
flash_on
"There are still days where I wonder what the hell was wrong with me that he hated me so much… I mean… to try and pull me away from my soulmate…" he voice was wavering again. So much had happened in the last twenty four hours. So much.
Nik let out a breath. "I'm sorry, Eclipse." He said softly, wishing he could wrap his arms around the other man and comfort him.
