Why had she dragged him out today? He didn't want to go out. It was so...noisy. So noisy. Noisy noisy noisy...
Even though Valentina had picked a quieter street of shops in Era, it was still a little too much for Santiago's delicate composition. He preferred to sleep as much as possible. The screams stopped then. There was no noise then. There was...nothing. Blissful nothingness.
But his sister cared for him, so she insisted that he go out and get some fresh air and try to return to normal. That's why he was in a nearly deserted shop full of random convenience things. Santi hardly noticed the items, since he was just wandering to keep busy while Valli picked up some clothes that were on sale. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched forward. Whether it was shyness, discomfort, or trying to keep from being stared at because of the scars, it was clear that Santi would rather keep to himself.
He remembered when life had been normal. He'd always been prone to emotional outbursts and tantrums over inconveniences and disappointments, but he'd easily gone out in public and even had friends. The memories of a happier time were so clear, yet they felt like they belonged to someone else. Anything before the roaring of a towering scaled creature bursting from the water and torching him, his crewmates, and the boat as a whole was like watching a TV show. The man that returned from that mission wasn't Santi, it was Hush. And Hush knew he wasn't okay.
It was a daily struggle to not do the things he fantasized about. At first, the daydreams and passing thoughts served as enough of a thrill to get him by, enough to make him feel alive. But as with most stimulants, he adjusted and grew immune to them. Even now, as he slowly wandered the store out from under his sister's watchful eye, he felt the urges, the voices. Do something. Feel alive. If you don't, you won't be able to stand it! Doing nothing made it feel like he was on fire, and Santi knew from experience how unpleasant it was to burn alive! What could he do to make it stop, but have his blood pump so hard that it could put out the fire?
Blue eyes peeking back and forth, a hand whipped out of his pocket and snagged a bag of chips and a stick of gum, which he snuck back into his pocket. Yes, there was that little hit of adrenaline, a little thrill from stealing something and hoping he didn't get caught by anyone...
[wc: 443]
Even though Valentina had picked a quieter street of shops in Era, it was still a little too much for Santiago's delicate composition. He preferred to sleep as much as possible. The screams stopped then. There was no noise then. There was...nothing. Blissful nothingness.
But his sister cared for him, so she insisted that he go out and get some fresh air and try to return to normal. That's why he was in a nearly deserted shop full of random convenience things. Santi hardly noticed the items, since he was just wandering to keep busy while Valli picked up some clothes that were on sale. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched forward. Whether it was shyness, discomfort, or trying to keep from being stared at because of the scars, it was clear that Santi would rather keep to himself.
He remembered when life had been normal. He'd always been prone to emotional outbursts and tantrums over inconveniences and disappointments, but he'd easily gone out in public and even had friends. The memories of a happier time were so clear, yet they felt like they belonged to someone else. Anything before the roaring of a towering scaled creature bursting from the water and torching him, his crewmates, and the boat as a whole was like watching a TV show. The man that returned from that mission wasn't Santi, it was Hush. And Hush knew he wasn't okay.
It was a daily struggle to not do the things he fantasized about. At first, the daydreams and passing thoughts served as enough of a thrill to get him by, enough to make him feel alive. But as with most stimulants, he adjusted and grew immune to them. Even now, as he slowly wandered the store out from under his sister's watchful eye, he felt the urges, the voices. Do something. Feel alive. If you don't, you won't be able to stand it! Doing nothing made it feel like he was on fire, and Santi knew from experience how unpleasant it was to burn alive! What could he do to make it stop, but have his blood pump so hard that it could put out the fire?
Blue eyes peeking back and forth, a hand whipped out of his pocket and snagged a bag of chips and a stick of gum, which he snuck back into his pocket. Yes, there was that little hit of adrenaline, a little thrill from stealing something and hoping he didn't get caught by anyone...
[wc: 443]