[dplax]

Nivram

In this place that should have instilled a perfect feeling of calm and serenity inside of his mind, of the six, there was one who felt utterly foul. He knew not how much time had passed, he knew not where he was. But he knew that the headache and the horribly feelings of withdrawal that hit him in waves would not lessen unless he got his hands on alcohol. No pink fluffy bunnies, no feelings of cuteness, not even the comic sight of a fearful magician with a rabbit head could make him feel any better. He needed his liquor and he knew it.

And to make matters worse there was this tail. A ridiculous looking white fluffy stub. It looked revolting. Nivram hadn't been in such a foul mood for a long time and for once it showed on his face. Had any of those here known him better, they'd have recognised the signs of an impeding nervous break in Nivram. He sure saw them himself. A slight twitch in a finger, his blurry vision, although that might have come from the lack of booze, the prickling sensation at the tip of his hair.

He let the feelings flow over him, knowing that resisting them would only make him feel more miserable. Everyone needed to let some pressure, some tension out of himself. For Nivram the time was now.

While Telryn whined about the oh so cruel destiny the fates had dropped him into, not knowing that what he was living in was heaven compared to the living nightmare that Nivram had been in for years, Nivram's mind churned on. Typical of men to care only about the present, not giving heed to the grievances of the past. Knowingly, Nivram was pushing himself into one of the wildest outburst that he had ever produced. He simply did not care. No one cared if he was suffering. It was time for him to share his pain with others.

With a sudden violence that even surprised himself, Nivram lifted a bare foot and slammed it down on a small outcropping of dark blue crystal. Blood sprayed from the sole of his own foot, but he did not care. He did not feel the pain. His vision a red haze, he picked up the small, almost unnaturally sharp crystal shard. He held it in his hands, his knuckles white from the pressure he applied to it. Blood trickled down the shard as the cold crystal cut into his hand. He did not even notice.

He was about to jump at Telryn, when he heard Jason talk. He had not even noticed the bandit before. How the hell did he end up with the group again? From a distant mist, which seemed millions of years away a vague memory of a destroyed town and of a young boy letting the bandit roam free surfaced. How did the outlaw find them? Was he behind this rabbity madness?

The shard held even tighter in his hand, blood trickling freely down his forearm Nivram stepped behind Jason as the latter plopped down to the ground. The crystal shard was pressed against Jason's neck before he had the chance to react.

"Love?" Nivram hissed through his teeth. "A carrot they dangle in front of your eyes so that you follow blindly in the hopes of getting it. Wake up from your dream, you scum. You should never have been released from that cellar after all the suffering you have caused. Do you realise what the common peasant or farmer thinks of your type? Do you realise all the hurt that you cause to others?" The normally peaceful expression was gone from Nivram's eyes and an inferno of emotions blazed inside them. "Well I don't care whether you realise or not. I'd have preferred to have you meet your end by the law so as not to push myself into even more self-hate and self-guilt. But it seems that you are either very lucky or have uncanny abilities and evade them too often."

Blood trickled down Jason's neck, but to his own surprise it was not his own blood, but that of Nivram, from where he clutched the crystal shard.

"Those who care about the sufferings of others are very rare. Much more often you meet scum like you who do not lessen the pain of others, but add on a load to it. You know, it is time for me to share my own pain and suffering. It won't help me in the least, but it'll give you one glimpse into what you did during your life before you die. I dearly wish I could leave you alive, and miserable with thoughts similar to mine that don't leave you until you die, but unfortunately such magic is beyond me. I can however make you feel fear that you have never felt before. You already know that I just have to press a little harder and you'll be dead. I won't rush it though. That'd be too easy on you. You're not afraid enough yet."