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As they amble down the streets, a tomato lands on his face and he grimaces, clenching his fists. Gripping her by the upper of her left arm, he pulls her into a nearby alley.
"We have to talk, Mistral." ~ The lines on his face are painfully obvious; she reaches out to erase them, but he shudders at her touch ~ "Please... let me finish." ~ His green eyes darken for a moment before he continues.
"I... I think we had better part ways, Mistral." ~ Horror holds her in a death grip and she feels the world spinning around her mercilessly ~ "We've had our good times, of course. And I... I still have feelings for you. But I am tired." ~ His pleading gaze pierces her heart ~ "I am trying so hard to prove to myself and my father that I am worthy of respect. Yet each day I walk down the streets with you, I gain exactly the opposite of that." ~ He swallows a gulp ~ "I'm sure you know it's nothing personal... and you have always been strong. You will manage fine without me." ~ Abruptly, he turns to go ~
"No! Larry! Please... do not forsake me now..." ~ Desperate tears course down her cheek ~ "I need you... I was a fool...I have always needed you..." ~ She clings to his arm, kneeling down before him ~ "I beg of you... do not abandon me now... you are all that I have left." ~
He turns his head to look at her, with a sudden fire in his eyes ~ "Yes... you need me... you only need me now when you're trapped in this pool of filth. If you were not, you'd have gone flitting somewhere again, breaking my heart over and over again..." ~ His voice hardens ~ "Well, let me tell you that I'm sick of being treated as a slave and an errand-boy, spinning like a top around you. I have my own life to lead, and now I choose to do so." ~
Her body begins to tremble and she listens helplessly to his next words ~ "You have never considered how I would feel each time you left me. And now, you cling to me like a leech, because you have no other purpose in your life. It seems our roles are reversed now, and you had better get used to it." ~ He kicks her hands away and begins to re-enter the main street.
"No!... Larry... please don't leave me..." ~ Her cries are in vain; he walks on without a further glance at her...~
In reality, she shivers, her limbs turning icy. Her feet struggle to move, but remain strangely immobilised. With a scream, she wakes up once again, the pallor of her cheeks emphasising the darkness of her hair. She clutches the blanket with her clammy hands and draws them up to her chest once more. Her eyes flicker with dread, before filling with tears.
The quickening of her heartbeat arouses more emotions than she thought were possible. She begins weeping hopelessly into her pillow. Isabeau hovers about her helplessly.
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