Anger Issues

Frederick entered his room with the same boiling anger he had the moment he left the guild hall. Slamming the door open with a loud bang as it crashed into his desk, which was so unfortunately placed next to the doorway that colliding with the door itself was inevitable. And concluding from how the ruined edges of the desk, it received this sort of treatment more then often.

But being in his room didn't calm Frederick down one bit, no instead he was pacing up and down towards every direction. Kicking everything that would cross his path. Like his trashcan which was filled crumbled pieces of paper. Kicking it away, made sure it now laid somewhere in the corner of his room while its contents were spread all around. And seeing that made him even angrier, knowing that when he had calmed down he had to clean it up. Again!

'Aaargh!! Freddy-chan! That insolent little girl! How dares she to belittle me like that! Me!'

Frederick was loud, loud enough to even hear his words from down the hall. Nearly shouting even, probably from being unable to process his own thoughts in his head alone right now. Just because Raven, his guild master made lightly of his own name. Well maybe that wasn't entirely true, in fact Frederick was more upset because he was at a loss of words the moment she called him that.

'Damn her! And those jolly perky teenagers!... I need some air!


Coming to a standstill Frederick loosened the pauldron on his shoulder, and threw it on his bed the moment it detached himself from the rest of the attire. Along with the cloak that attached to it with press studs. All while in the meanwhile he stampeded over to two large doors that lead him to his balcony.

Raven happily skipped up the stairs to Frederick's room, giggling each time her feet landed on the cool surface of the stairs. Just a while ago, the violet haired girl had called Frederik, the dark lord, Freddy chan in front of the whole guild, not only cracking down his mask a bit but also causing a huge roar of laughter in the hall. However, after all which was said and done, Raven knew she had to go and cool him down too. Thus, she was midway up the stairs when she initially heard the sound of something slam against something equally hard. Without a doubt, that guy had probably taken his anger out on his door...again. This wasn't very rare.

"Ow" she commented, scratching the back of her head while grinning like a fool. She had really done it this time, hadn't she? She had pulled Fred's legs before plenty of times but today, she was pretty sure she had hit the last nail in his coffin by calling him something that cute in such a sickeningly sweet voice in front of the entire guild. Definitely, the proud guy was probably dreaming of strangling her to her death. Wait a minute! That thought actually made her halt. 'Should I really be going into that cave?" she wondered for a minute, resembling a rabbit and shuddering at the thought of facing Fred and one of his tantrums.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself forward and reached Fred's room just in time to see him pace around the room, kicking and throwing anything and everything he laid his eyes on. While Raven hid behind the door, peeking in at the cloaked man, her head ran thousand mantras on calming an angry beast down. But then again, this wasn't the first time Raven had seen this. She could easily take his anger and threats now that they were about equal in ranks.

So when Fred finally loosened his cloak and let it fall before going to the balcony, Raven sneaked into his room, evading the pieces of paper along the way. 'Poor thing'. They had to receive what Raven should have got. She silently apologized to them as she finally reached right behind Fred. 'Here goes nothing. Either he will kill me or I'll live' she thought, opening her mouth, taking a huge gulp of air. "Freddy chan!~" she sang.

~Freddy-chan~

His name, once again being reduced to a state worthy of some candy character, was suddenly being dropped right behind him. The tone was playful, childishly sweet even. And belonged to no one else then the Raven the guild master of Sabertooth and the perpetrator of calling him that the first time. 
An anime sweat drop appeared on the back of his head, realizing that he had left the door wide open. And showed anyone who passed by the tantrum he was been throwing in his own room, as some child who didn't got his mother to buy the toy he wanted. To make matters worse, the very person he didn't want to see all that, had just probably seen it. Of that Frederick had no doubt.

'Ra-Raven, what are you doing here!' he said, barely able to utter his words, from surprise and frustration. 'Wait I know' he continued with a returned anger in his voice, the moment he thought of what she had called him once again. 'You came here to gloat right?! That's it isn't it Raven! Reducing me to a stuttering fool upstairs wasn't enough! So you came down here to gloat! And rub my face in it'

What was it about this woman that made him crazy all the time, because for some reason lately every time he started something out of spite, or anger. And she was around, it ended in some sort of discussion between them, or him trying to calm him down or something. It didn't matter what it was all about, but one thing was a constant. He seemed always to be the loser in the outcome.

In the meantime while he was shouting, he also had turned around, facing Raven straight on. Almost intimidating as his usual black aura vaguely started to appear and surround him. Which dwindled up into the air like the smoke, of a lit candle.

'Eeeeeeeepppp!' an imaginary chibi Raven screamed as it started running around inside her head, whacking itself. The glare that Frederick threw at them had managed to send Raven's mind into an uproar of fear and panic. If she couldn't calm him down soon! However, something about the look he gave her also reminded her of a small cat. It reminded her of a cat that was trying to protect itself by baring its fangs at the people that passes by, looking incredibly cute as it did so.

Raven carefully hid the small panic attack in her head and smiled at the man who had a black aura surrounding him. She wondered where she got this courage and confidence from sometimes but Frederick was someone that she saw as a close friend, despite knowing very well that he would deny it anytime. Maybe it was because she had been with him for a while and had interacted with him more often than with others.

"Frederick Frederick Frederick," she started in a fake scolding tone, curling her fingers in front of her mouth and coughing. "Anger is not good for health, you know? It will cause all sorts of wrinkles on your face and will make you look older than you are now! You know, someone in the guild once asked me who the old man is!" she made it sound like it was the worst thing that could possibly happen while she, confidently, ran a finger over his frowning eyebrows. "Also, I'm not here to gloat! I'm here to tell you how cute you looked when you left like that," she finished, smiling as if what she said was nothing at all.

Inside, Raven was well aware of the fact that she was digging her own grave. Hopefully, this would send Frederick's mind into complete emptiness, which would, if she needed, buy her enough time to run out of him room and make sure she lives for another day.

And there it was, the last vein on Frederick's head snapped. Putting him into a state of utter and complete disarray. Unable to comprehend what just happened, unable to process the very words the girl said to him.

At first he was about to burst in an even great rage, the moment Raven put her finger on Frederick's forehead and let it follow the lines of his eyebrows. But then knocked him completely out of the park with her next words. Turning his anger in a moment of awkwardness and embarrassment. It even showed physically as the man's cheeks started to blush with a faint red color. 

The truth was, after the passing of his fiancee, and the years of secluding himself from any normal social norm as a dark mage. Has made him really, really bad with women. Especially those who were taunted him like that. Sure he knew she was probably just trying to get under his skin, but that didn't meant a simple word could send him into a turmoil.

'Wh-what, I am nothing of the sorts..' he replied with a staggering voice, yet still with the underlining and boiling anger. Which slowly started to reach the surface again.

Uh-uh here we go again. He was flustered one moment and angry again the next, Raven mused with a shake of her head. Now this was what made this person so hard to understand in her opinion. However, Raven was done flying at the sight of his anger. So she did what she would do in the presence of any other person in the guild; turned around, walked back into the room and sat down with her legs crossed on his bed. Leaving the white haired man to himself then would just mean more abuse for whatever object he had in his room and Raven was tired of buying replacements for him every time he had a fit.

"I'm not leaving till you calm down, sir Frederik," she sang with one eye open and the other closed. The still open eye was following Frederik's movements just in case he decided to send one of his spells at her. Her palms supported her head as her elbows rested on either of her thighs. Her gaze was lazy when she completely opened her eyes to run them across the half destroyed room again. Normally it was so neat and tidy that you would really wonder if Fred lived there but sometimes, on days much like these, the room looked like a hurricane had passed by. "Don't you think it's time you shook off the wolf's skin and showed everyone how much of a carebear you are?" she drawled, swaying her head from side to side, her eyes remaining passive as she indicated that she was being serious at that moment.

Even though Raven gave off a rather 'I'm bored now' vibe, by swaying her head from right to left and speaking in a slow mannered fashion. Frederick knew that this wasn't the case. Not only because her questions were suddenly straightly directed at him, instead of the usual poking the dragon act she was holding until now. But also her eyes had turned serious, no longer was there the playful twinkle in her eyes that often was to ben seen during childish mischief. But instead a stare that pierced straight through Frederick's outer shell.

And even though Frederick was still angry, this sudden change in attitude did made him calmer. Or at least able to talk in a more rational sense instead of erupting like a natural disaster with every word he uttered.

He turned around towards her, and observed her sitting there on his bed. One of the few objects in the room that hadn't suffered much destruction. Staring straight back into violet gems that were her eyes. 

'And how do you expect me to do that huh?'' he replied harshly. 'Act like I am a normal person? Bask in idle chitchat with those petty weak mages as if there isn't a care in the world?! Because last time I remembered I am still the dark mage who has ruined so many lives, ripped families apart!'

"Yes" she answered his question without missing a beat, her eyes still passive and her voice as strong and commanding as ever when it came to being serious. She had only heard rumors of Fred's past. Sometimes in the form of hushed whispers and sometimes in the form of scorn, she had heard a lot on the brooding mage from time to time from her own guild members, people that should be having his back in a fight. All those times, she passed by them without uttering a word. Because, in the end, it wasn't her place to lash out at them and tell them how insensitive they are being.

"You and I both know that's past, Frederik. You came to Sabertooth to move on and I know you are trying your best. I also know the feeling to having to live your life with the scent of blood in your hands. I have clearly experienced it before and I still do. I know how it feels like. The feeling of not being able to forgive yourself but wanting to break free from the nightmares so badly. I know," she slowed down, sighing and covering her face with her palms. "I know..."

She had a past much like his. The only difference was that when he murdered people consciously, she did it unconsciously and under the influence of Raven Heart. But, she could still feel the burning sensation of her own species' blood in her hand. She had once killed off the beings she was supposed to protect. It had traumatized her for years before this very guild she was now the guild master of managed to pull her out of everything and gave her a new ray of hope.

"Closing yourself to the world won't help you, Fred. You have to open up and let people in. It's fine giving them some of your worries. They are your friends, Fred. They are those who would have your back in a fight. Let them carry some of your burden and believe in them. Just as...how I believe in you to put an end to me if I ever....ever..." she started seriously, trailed off at the end and turning her attention elsewhere. Something stabbed her in the chest, clenching and crushing her already weeping heart.

Frederick could erupt the moment he heard her answer to his rant, because it was nothing more then a simple word. An easy confirmation of that he should exactly do what he just had scorned. Yet before he even had the chance to fall back into his previous behavior, Raven continued. Striking right into Frederick's guilt, the realization of how insensitive and egotistical he had been with Raven this entire time.

Here he was, wailing in his own self-pity, his own inability to deal with his feelings regarding what he did. While this entire time there was this woman who knew exactly what he felt, someone who might understand the difficulties of letting go of the person whom he once was. Maybe even more so then Frederick did himself.

As he looked at Raven, who's porcelain face stared off into the distant with a troubled look. A look that he had probably caused because of his attitude the entire time. Made him felt ashamed of himself. He had been acting out like some frustrated teenager, even back then when some dark guild attacked the guild hall. There instead of helping Raven who obviously had a past similar to his, he'd responded with was actually nothing more then a simple death threat. And unknowingly hurt her feelings, not because of the words he said, but because he made her realize that she could turn against her comrades just like she did with her own kin.

'I...I am sorry' replied Frederick 'Back then I was just angry, I acted out and said something I shouldn't have.' Frederick could punch himself, hearing himself uttering such an obvious and half assed apology. He knew very well that that Raven feared the day that she ever fell back into the same state that made her an orphan of her entire race. 

'Ugh... what I mean is' continued Frederick, trying to find the words to say some more constructive then some high school level excuse. 'When push comes to shove I could never kill you. I'd beat you until I pulled you out of whatever dark pit you find yourself... but kill you..'

Raven smiled. Suddenly, she felt as if a ball of light had passed right through her chest, spreading warmth all over her. This was the same feeling that willed her to come out of her careless attitude. This was what made her want to level herself up and finally take the guild master position. The same warmth and the feeling of protecting and being protected. She was confident that she wouldn't hurt her new mates when she took up this position. However, she would be lying to herself if she said that these thoughts...these dark thoughts of everyone lying lifeless, covered in blood had never occurred to her after becoming the guild master. More importantly, she was scared. Scared that a day might come when...

Mhhm She didn't want to dwell on those thoughts anymore than she already had. Her mind immediately wandered over to another thought much like a bee flying from flower to flower in search for nectar. Had Fred just showed affection towards her? She had heard him clearly. He, though hesitant, did tell her that he would never kill her but fight for her. There was that unexplainable feeling in the pit of her stomach again. But she ignored it and smiled cheekily at the man in front of her. "Aww But Freddy chan! I was counting on you to kill me! That would have been so romantic! Moooawh! You are no fun!" She cried and sang like a child, intentionally raising the pitch of her voice just to irritate him. Emotional conversations were never good between them anyway. She was better off irritating the hell out of him. It was, undeniably, far more entertaining.