"H-Hey, Or-Orsin right?"

Orsin blinked, looking up from the utensils on the floor. "Y-yes?"

Those sunken blue eyes peered into his own. "Will it always be this way? Is this what living with Ira is like?"

Orsin's eyes watered, and he looked away. How could he answer that? He pressed his hand over his eyes, trying to rub away the tears as he mentally scrambled for anything that could bring some hope into the smaller man.

Only he was too late.

"…Your silence feels me with confidence."

Tristan's bitter chuckle broke the stunned silence, and Orsin could only hunch helplessly. He gulped and pulled his hat from his head, clutching it much like a child would clutch a precious doll. "Tri-Tristan… Ira loves you. She t-talks about you all the time. I know it's been hard—"

Orsin jumped back as the cart toppled over again, sliding past him and colliding against the opposite wall. He gripped his hat tightly to his chest as he looked back at Tristan.

Tristan lowered his foot back down to the floor, his glare striking like lightning. "Hard? HARD?! That's an understatement! Look at me!" He lifted his shirt with one scarred hand, the other presenting his collection. "This is what her love has done to me! Even when she promised to stop-stop hurting me, she still did! She still did!"

"It-it was a nightmare—"

"SO YOU WATCHED?!"

Orsin stepped back as Tristan stepped forward, sweat down his chin, "N-no! I don't…I couldn't watch her do that…"

Gluttony towered over him, yet Tristan had him cowering, "You 'can't' watch but yet you let her do this! Everyone in this fucking hellhole has stood by and let her do this to me. Most of them I can handle since the Dante family are all drug dealers, murderers, fucking mafioso bastards. Yet you claim to 'can't watch' her torture me, but you just stand by! That makes you, Gluttony—" He stabbed his finger into Orsin's chest, "Are a fucking coward."

Orsin swallowed again, looking at the scarred rings that circles each knuckle of Tristan's index finger. Big tears fell down his cheeks, and he nodded, honeyed eyes closing as he sniffled. "I know…I know I am, and I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened. I wanted you two to be happy and instead, it ended up like this. I'm so-so sorry."

Tristan pulled his finger back, stepping away and falling back down onto the bed. He stared up at the ceiling; his scars burned as he stretched his neck. He had to look anywhere but at the blubbering man begging for forgiveness. This wasn't the Mad Scientist, electrocuting his dick. This wasn't the officer or guards, looking at him like an unwelcomed worm in the mud.

This wasn't Ira, embracing him one moment, either conscious or not, beating him to a pulp the next.

This was just some schmuck, some giant wuss of a man who was crying over a sin he didn't commit. "Just go. I'm not hungry and I can't handle someone else's pity. Just get out and tell your 'Boss' that—"

I want her to come back.

Stop ignoring me.

The larger man spoke before Tristan could finish, "I'm letting you go." Orsin put his hat back on his head, wiping his nose and eyes, "I can't let her keep doing this."

Tristan leaned his head forward, scoffing, remembering the fate of Jeffries, Eric, Daniel, and the long list of other poor schmucks. "You can't force Ira to do anything."

"I…I have to try. I have to try again."

"You…you tried before?" That was surprising. Someone tried and wasn't murdered for it.

"Yeah, but n-not enough." Orsin gulped, his eyelids fluttering over his large caramel eyes before he nodded. "L-look, it was…too much and it's hard to believe me. I can't even…promise I can change anything. Yet, she loves you. I know she does."

Tristan's tired blue eyes gazed into sincere orange ones. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, his fingers rubbed his arm through his shirt. Ira loved him, which made everything worse. He flinched as he felt his skin tear under his nails, blood seeping into the fabric.

As Tristan silently welcomed the pain, The waver in Orsin’s deep voice faded as the large man gathered all the courage he could muster, "She wants you happy and to do that she HAS to let you go." His face grew ashen and Tristan could've sworn the man looked like he was going to puke, "So I'm gonna try to get her to do it."

Again, this Orsin was not aspiring confidence; it seemed the idea of even facing Ira is enough to make this giant bear of a man sweat, his large fingers fidgeting. Tristan expected him to either faint or piss his pants. Yet that deep bass voice filled with genuine kindness helped the beaten down paramour relax, "What makes you think she'll listen this time?"

Orsin pursed his lips, deep in thought, "…I never asked her for-for anything. She protected me since we were kids. Everything she did," He flinched, "She did for me."

…what…?

Tristan felt his core tighten, his gut twisting in on itself. His foot bounced up and down on the floor, his teeth digging into his bottom lip, cutting into the skin.

"So, I have to take-take responsibility somehow. She can't keep you here." Orsin nodded to himself, steeling himself. "She can do one-one more sacrifice for me, I can re-remind her of that." He tipped his hat to Tristan, his own feet tapping rapidly as he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, "S-So just…please-please be patient, okay? This will all be over soon."

As the large man turned his back to him, a storm brewed within Tristan. He gasped, tasting blood and digging his nails into the skin over his stomach.

There was no way that word could sway Wrath. Even if she regretted the pain she inflicted, there was no way she would let him go.

Right?

Even when he cussed her out, rejecting her, she still didn't let him go.

Even when he tore at her clothes, insulting her in every way he could, she didn't let him go.

Even when he begged and prostrated him before her, she still didn't let him go!

Even though he managed to headbutt her, managing an actual hit on her person, she still didn't let him go!

I promise, I will never let you go.

Orsin, Gluttony, was too soft, too weak-willed. If he couldn't get through to the bitch, then there was no way this giant wuss of a man could either.

Right?

Tristan gulped, his eyes closing tightly as he curled the bread knife against his palm.

Gluttony was too naïve to get through to Ira. Even when marching towards the steel door, his feet scuffed against the wood with each hesitant step.

There was something else that gnawed deep into Tristan's heart. Coiling and twisting as he stood up, twirling the knife in his hand.

He hated that feeling, unwilling to name it, to fathom it, but more than his doubt, it drove him forward.

To take this last chance.

The lights in the room flickered. Orsin paused as he raised an eyebrow, noticing the bulb flushing once and then twice. "What?"

"I don't believe you."

Blood splattered over Orsin's shirt collar, orange eyes going wide as the side of his neck opened. He spasmed, gasping as he stumbled back, only for his side to open as well; an invisible and serrated slice penetrating through skin that Orsin previously believed was impenetrable.

Unless a high velocity was involved.

As he fell onto his knees, one hand pressed against his neck, and the other against his side, he looked up with a desperate grimace towards the long tormented prisoner who was taking a chance to escape, "W-Wait, please…please a-wait."

Tristan glanced downwards, neon lightning glaring into pained honey, "I waited enough. I can't stay here." He clenched the bloodied handle, "This hellhole has taken enough from me."