perfect strangers — phoenix. & robin. [blitz]

Nights felt like a buzz saw hacking away at the skin, well, since Raven died.

You knew that, everyone that was in your immediate family knew that, people who didn’t even know you knew that.

Out of all the Sayer’s that populated the district, Robin Sayer was affected the worst, and maybe that was because you idolized the ground that he walked on.

You wanted to be him, even though he was made a granite so rare that to find it again, you would have to spelunk to the most obscure cave, and even then, there was no guarantee that you would find it again.

That’s why when his name was mentioned, you didn’t even bother to acknowledge it.

Well, to people that didn’t know him at the least.

---

You were dragged to a family outing, a celebration of all the work that was put into a race that seemed to go on for ages.

But it only seemed that way because you did not agree with the face of the campaign.

Phoenix Sayer knew nothing about your cousin, the way he talked, the way he moved…

the way he loved.

And for him to go on about how much he cared about Raven, how much he knew Raven, and how much his death affected him.

It was all bullshit to you.

You knew that, and anyone that was close to Raven knew that too.

So even though a bountiful feast was at your toes, you couldn’t help but get to taste of metal and acid out of your mouth, because just looking at yet another one of your cousins being murdered, even though it was self-inflicted, always left a bad taste in your mouth.

And yet, he had the audacity to speak to you.

”Not as strange as the words that have been leaving your mouth… cousin.”

All you saw was red. Red for Raven, a boy who did not deserve to meet his end. Red for your family, whose hearts were crushed at the fact that he did not come home, and red for yourself, because the blood in your body made it up to your eyes.

Anger, was the only thing you could honestly say you felt.

Maybe that was because you didnt get a proper chance to say goodbye to him.

You hid at the reaping, knowing full well that you could have stopped him from taking his death sentence. You could have stepped in and told the world that you would rather die than him, but you were a coward.

But not as much of a coward as the man that was standing in front of you, expecting Idolization and warm tidings. You knew that it was bullshit, that he did not know what it meant to call the forest a home.

A home was a place your heart lived, and Phoenix Sayers did not.

Would not.

Could not.

As long as he couldnt admit the truth.

"A private chat? Who are you Phoenix? " You said as discreetly as possible, because you did not want to be the one to besmirch his name in front people who were enjoying the frivolity. "You want to talk? Fine lets talk." You said lowly to him as you step away from the table of food and move in search of a quieter place.

You knew that he did not deserve your ears.

But you did deserve his explanation.