A Secret Breather (tags: Lilium)

Kilian bowed his head unbothered at Alex' apology. As she continued his eyes widened and he began to listen more carefully. So this girl was about to get out of here, too? Interesting. For one moment he estimated her and asked hisself seriously if she might could be a potential ally, but then he reminded himself the fewer persons knew about his plans the higher his chance to escape. Regarding this he was very splitted at the moment. The need to talk finally to someone who wasn't up to destroy his illusions and plans rised steadily. He observed her thoughtfully, then he sighed and glanced around the garden for a moment before he turned his head on her again.

He pointed at her collar. "This will stem your powers and make sure you'll not leaving the area. If you'll try it'll shock you, so be careful. I didn't experience it so far, but I guess it isn't very enjoyable." Well, that was not the complete truth. A few minutes before he met Fenrir he managed to teleport himself outside of his room on the corridor, but it hurted like hell.
That it worked was nothing but luck at least.
"... and believe it or not, you just intervened when I started working on my escape plan", he said with  cautious voice, settling back on the lawn and scouting around if someone was overhearing their conversation. "I would appreciate it if you're not gonna spreading this around. The people here are so hard to estimate... it's hard to tell wether someone is trust-worthy or not."

Kilian stroked over his own collar what always reminded him of being just as a potential threat as Fenrir and the other freaks, although he may had another attitude - but the collar beared in his mind  what was lurking inside of him.
"I didn't only talk about you and the rest", he said resigned then with a mournful look. "Maybe I'm not the best person you should make your only spark of hope. In the end maybe you'll get disappointed..." To make the sudden disquieting mood appear he swiftly changed the topic and put on a more gladder mien. "So, if you'll get outta here is there someone waiting for you? Do you have a girl- or boyfriend? A family waiting? Anything else?"
Kilian made a mental note to follow up on her so called useless ability later on. But firstly he wanted to learn with what kind of person he dealed with, later he would take care of her powers.

"If it's any comfort to you I know exactly how you feel", Kilian said regarding her first report and felt how he began to smile a little bit, the first honest smile for a long time. He even allowed her patting on his shoulder without flinching. Hearing that she left family back, although she didn't point it out very detailed somehow made him wish he would have someone out there, too.
Even if he learned to fear and hate people the last couple of years - wasn't it a good feeling to know somebody was waiting for you? He couldn't remember the feeling of missing someone, therefor he wasn't attached to any person for too long and it kind of made him questioning his longstanding attitude. Another turn of the screw was when Alex asked himself the same question. With his eyes stuck on the grass he remembered hazy his last relationship, the last time he had true feelings for another person. But it turned out this relation wasn't very healthy... neither mentally, nor physically.
"A few years ago there was this boy", he began shy, but then he stopped. "Nevermind. I have no one left. I hate people."

It was good the girl finally calmed down, she lost her restless look and seemed more balanced - and the most important: less dazed than before. Kind of funny he feeled more relaxed, too, even if he wasn't as nervous as she was after roaming around the institution. And she was right, it was so good and helpful to talk finally to someone who was not a potential threat.
Kilian raised his eyes when she asked him about his former boyfriend. Or whatever he may was. It wasn't something he liked to speak about, one reason was that Sváfa felt horrible bothered by his memories she had to share what made things worse. But when he looked into Alex' face, maybe the only friendly face at the intitution he changed his mind. "I met him a couple of years ago. I was maybe 18 or 19 and he was the dealer of my former girlfriend. Well, I guess she was more a alibi girlfriend. It's easy to say you're in a relationship when you share your shit and needles." Kilian signed at his arms, meaning his bruises to emphasize what he was talking about.

"I was already a run-down scrounger, but not as wrecked down as afterwards. Yeah, I mean we had our fun. We had our dope. But only enough money for the weekend and so on. And we had debts. It turned out our relation wasn't very healthy. Neither mentally, nor physically." He stopped absently for a second. "You have no expectations what you're willing to do if you're desperate and a junkie. He left me all alone with those guys we 'worked' for, I never saw him again. Being a con or an addict is one thing, getting humilated and abused something whole different. Blundering into the wrong society will always leave it's marks. Once you get in, you'll never get out again - well, unless you get kidnapped and taken to a whorehouse with the biggest freaks on earth", he added with a sadly laugh and pointed around.
"So, enough with my bad past. What about you? Not the type for a relationship due to your aversion of loud people? Maybe your power is a problem or...?" Kilian observed her asking.

Hugging him was maybe one of the last things Kilian expected Alex to. Exposing herself to be yet one of those bloodthirsty weirdos at least without him noticing it, yes – but giving him a kind hug? He tightened up a bit, more in surprise about what was going on than in worry and even his eyes widened, being not used to people treating him like this with a nice smile. The hug she gave him maybe was the first hug in years. Well, at least a gentle one without ulterior motives...
“I see”, he answered and gave her a pensive look. “Then I guess I have the duty to keep you away from the crowds of loud freaks here. You’re a really kind person, so far the only one I know and this virtue is something precious what must be protected – although you’re a bit weird, but not as weird as you maybe think you are.” He shyly remained silent for a few moments, just observing her. Then, tending a bit closer to her Kilian continued almost voiceless because of being afraid they could be overheard without noticing it in a conspiratorially tone:

“Do you know what keeps my thoughts spinning around? Why our employers take people with special abilities in here just to repress their powers and making them whoring theirselfes. This doesn’t make any sense. I think there’s a purpose because we’re almost surrounded by dangerous guys. I feel like sitting in a highly explosive melting pot.” Since a few minutes he wanted to ask her finally about her powers, but he didn’t knew how to express it without revealing he still feared it was something terrifying, although she pointed out her ability was kind of useless in this place. But finally he brang himself to speak it out. “So… what’s your ability? You lately mentioned only your sister knows about it? If we want to become allies in breaking out maybe I should know that.”

Stating she thought he was a kind guy somehow made Kilian feel good. He felt how his look got brighter and how he started smiling with his eyes. He never would have guessed to end up here in this garden with someone like her, conspiring a flight and talking about all and sundry. However it was almost like when he was a teen, just hanging out with some buddies in a park. Almost… He listened interested as she began to talk about her power, never heared of anything similar before and the picture which he just got in his head made him excited. “Are you kidding me? You can make paintings, words and sketches move? Really?! Wow, I mean… that’s nice. Pretty nice! And how, with your mind or...? I wish you could show me.” Being interested in every creative topic as long as he could remember this sounded like a dream. Damn, he really wish he could see it! In addition this was a very dainty power comparing to those of the other guys in here. He just thought about a situation she would need it the least like she mentioned as she suddenly asked him about his own. He sheered off from Alex, not sure if he should tell her, but at least it was just fair to let her know about it. Leastways a raw notion.

“… my personal special ‘talent’ is to play the piano like a pro. The rest isn’t really mine”, he began with uneasy voice. “Want to know why they put me in here? I wasn’t born a freak naturally or even meant to work here, but rather to be their lab rat they could experiment on. They manipulated my genes, combined them with DNA of supernatural beings and stuff like that… they even carved me open a few times.” He pulled his shirt up a bit and showed her the jagged redlined scars on his belly, remembering the sessions with a shiver. “Now I am mainly able to use telekinesis and teleporting.” He didn’t mention Sváfa and the rest by purpose. Everything else but teleporting wouldn’t work with that damn collar. And he would only tell Alex about his demon when he was sure he could really trust her.

Paintings stepping out of their frames… to have a dance party! Kilian didn’t notice how his face got an impressed expression the more Alex talked at first. He must look foolish how he stared at her with big eyes and half opened lips like he wanted to say something, but forgot it. But he couldn’t help imagining how it would be to experience art coming alive.
“You’ll learn to control it, I’m sure”, he said with a cheery smirk, his mood suddenly brightened up out of nothing. But when she mentioned those collars he dropped again down. When Alex began to comment about his powers, he still listened with interest, but his thoughts slightly drifted away by every word. If those collars wouldn’t be there were a lot of opportunities to get out of here…
His eyes wandered across the garden, searching for a weak point, but all he could see was a broken and elusive paradise among a prison.
Kilian let out a blue snort, then he gave Alex an empathic side glance and picked himself up, removing the grass blades from his trousers and said: “Once we’re outta here maybe you will hear me play the piano. And then you can show me how you can make ink and paintings dance.” He held out his hand to Alex to help her up. “Come on, let’s have a walk. Maybe we’ll find something helpful.”