“Emotionless tool.”

Scarlet repeated. Those words had such familiarity. Damnit. This man. This fucking man was far too alike to her. It was uncanny.

“Emotionless tool...hah…” Scarlet ran a hand through her hair. “Yeh. Accurate description of me. Was. Maybe still is. Fuck. I don’t know. You saw what I had become. Imagine the destruction that followed. The amount of innocent children I ripped into, men, women, family.”

“I remember. And I remember you did not want it. You were broken. Beaten. Abandoned and abused.” She felt his fingers cup her face, his thumb rubbing the blood into her skin. She squinted, all she could see was a blur of colour and a smear of black, one she assumed was his face. He was silent for a moment, then his hand dropped from her face to curl fingers around her wrist.

“Don’t misinterpret me Hunter. I don't regret my actions. Perhaps that's the problem. I don’t care. I don’t regret them.” The fingers around her wrist tightened for a moment. Scarlet was tempted to squeeze back but that would only injure him. “I’m a cold and callous person. This world and the people in it. I hate it. I hate them. I don’t care if anything around me lives or dies.”

“But you don't want me to die.” His voice was soft as he interrupted her. His hand left for a moment, then returned to grip hers directly - and she realized he had pulled his glove off. She could feel his skin crackle against hers, but there was no other response from the man to the pain he must be in.

Fuck… she had said that. “I don’t.” Scarlet confirmed. “As with everything. There are exceptions.” Her fingers curled around his hand. “What are you doing?” She heard him snort.

“I'm holding your hand, Dawn girl.” He sounded - amused. There was a bit of strain in his voice - but he didn't budge his hand.

Scarlet went to pull it away but he held fast to her. “That’s not what I am fuckin’ talking about and you know it!” She snapped. Not being able to see was a bother. She couldn’t read his facial expression. She couldn’t see what his eyes were doing and whilst she could feel him move she couldn’t see where or what. He sighed, softly.

“The fuck do you think I'm doing, Dawn girl? I know you're not stupid.”

“Confusing me.” She hissed. “Youre fucking….confusing me…” She muttered, less bite to her voice. “All this insistence of not seeking anything beyond a fuck and a hunt. And then-this?”

“You - ah. You missed what I was trying to say.” He squeezed her hand, then finally let go, and she snatched her hand away, glaring in his general direction. “Dawn girl. I refuse to let them win. So fuck it. I'll have friends. Fuck it - maybe in time an actual relationship. But I have no idea what to do, not really.” He sighed, and she heard him shift back. “At the Academy, I was forced to be alone. It was subtle, but I was always kept from even having a chance to make a real friend. Only Huntsman in my class. For a reason. So - I'm sorry. But I am terrible at this. I can only do what I know - and that is to offer support when you need it.”

Scarlet still didn’t understand. How was she supposed to? Everyone, they always did something to gain something, and he was offering her friendship. For nothing more than the touch of skin, to hold her hand which no doubt burned him?


Scarlet fumbled, bare feet crunching in the snow as she tried to wander to a tree. Something. Anything to lean on. She may not feel the cold but her body did and it was heavy and numb.

Scarlet found the Hunter instead of a tree. She thumped against his chest, and he was - warm. She felt his hands at the coat on her shoulders, buttoning it before he slowly clasped his arms around her. Another embrace….?

“I’ve been getting a lot of these lately.” She mused. He chuckled softly.

“Perhaps, because you need them. And you're nice to hug?” She felt his arms shift as he shrugged.

“Are you using that as an excuse?” Scarlet stepped back and lifted her chin to peer into his eyes, well - the blur that was his face. Just like before her vision was slowly returning. She saw darkness draw across the silvery marks in the black blur - he had blinked?

“An...excuse? You are nice to hug. And I would think you need them.”

Scarlet furrowed her brow. Why did this….feel awkward? She wasn’t getting her intention across and she wasn’t used to that. She was used to barking orders and snide remarks and people doing as she asked, people running from her. Or inflicting pain. This? This whole mushy-feely hugging and quiet banter? No. No this was strange. It felt almost nostalgic but she couldn’t grasp at why. “I mean. You say I need them - but really, you just have a preference to hugging me. You said so yourself - but doesn’t it burn?”

“I do like hugging you yes. And I like making you squirm and bleed.” Another shrug. “But I told you. When you're close, and warm, the cracks slowly shrink. That - I am trying to help you. Because I do not want you to die either. And as for the burn - I heal. I may not be an outright masochist like you, Dawn girl, but that doesn't mean I despise it.”

“Fuckin’ freak.”

It was the only response she had. She wasn’t good with this sort of thing and she felt it too. What kind of person would want to help her after all she’s done? What kind of idiot would turn a blind eye to her tainted hands and soul only to casually shrug it off and be all ‘oh I like your hugs and want to help you ahahaaha let’s be friends!’ it was weird.

It was fuckin’ weird right?

“Yes. I am well aware that to most people, in whichever nation I am in, I am ‘not right’. Normal people do not get excited on causing pain.”

“That’s not what -” Scarlet shook her head and tried to pull away. It felt like they were continually dancing around some sort of unseen subject that she didn’t understand. Some sort of force pulling her to and fro and laughing at her confusion. Revelling in her frustration.

They were just repeating past conversations. What more was there to say or do? ‘Good job’ ‘Thank you’ ‘see you again’? None of those felt right.

“Forget it…” Scarlet sighed.

She’d go mad dwelling on such thoughts.