Rædnael would have been content with a hug.

He didn't have time to question Lionel's request, so he closed his eyes, expecting to be shown something – a letter, a trinket, some sentimental charm...

While not liking having his eyes closed like that, he felt like he could trust Lionel, not wanting to argue on their potentially last time meeting.

Time seemed to have slowed down once his eyes were closed, and then came to a standstill as he felt himself pulled lower by his clothes, feeling a warm breath against his face that was immediately replaced by the soft pressing of lips against his own.

Frozen in time, unable to fully grasp what was happening.

He just knew that it was pleasant.

That he liked it.

That he didn't want this kiss to end—

A kiss?

Rædnael flinched as a cold sensation washed over him, almost as though he was being stripped off his clothes in a rainstorm, followed by a burning anxiety igniting in his chest as Lionel suddenly pulled away and released his grip, causing the halfling to stagger back. His eyes fluttered open to shocked gasps and murmurs around him, unable to even look around as he caught sight of Lionel, confused and wiping at his lips. He then looked up and their eyes locked, and Rædnael felt the air escaping his lungs as the soft, brown eyes lost their warm twinkle and turned sharp and menacing, even without the silver veins running through the irises.

"YOU!" Lionel roared at the halfling that stood there like a deer in headlight as more people in the plaza stopped to look on as things got heated. "You...Lying! Snake!" He spat, teeth grit as he inched closer. "I knew you were a no-good wretch, but THIS?!"

Feeling every single word plunging and twisting into his heart like serrated knives, Rædnael brought his hands up to his chest as if to protect himself, to no avail. "Lionel, I—"

"That's Officer Young, to you!"

"Please, I can explain!" The halfling pleaded, staggering back as Lionel stomped closer.

"Like you explained at the Withering Lilly?" Lionel hissed. "I bet you had those Aritons tackle me to cover for you so you can run away."

"No, I swear I don't—"

"Like your word means anything now. It never did," seething, Lionel took out his phone, ringing up the station. "This is Officer Young, asking for a unit to the Rosso Plaza for an unauthorized exile in the mixed district."

The hardened voice gave Rædnael's heart another sharp twist, finally making him aware of the gathering crowd around them, confirming that what he felt before was his disguise wearing off. He never felt so vulnerable, so cornered out in the open.

His vision blurred, as he took another shaky step back. "Please..." even knowing it'd be futile, he tried pleading one more time as his throat threatened to close up.

"Shut up and stay put, don't make me have to chase you again," Lionel dismissed the halfling's pleas.

Rædnael's vision was a blotchy blur as Lionel came closer. This was his answer, wasn't it? All that everyone tried to do to help him, all the chances he got to end this thing before either of them was in too deep, just because he tripped once. Got desperate. Got framed.

Why would he even try to run, at this point?

But something inside him awakened. Even when he saw no reason to do anything but surrender, the burning anxiety in his chest grew the more he felt cornered and surrounded. The more Lionel felt like a threat.

Until suddenly his eyes widened and his vision sharpened, realizing he was now within an arm's reach from Lionel. And as if something within him reached a limit and popped, without second thought he snapped around, kicking the ground to launch himself through the crowd, where people immediately jumped back, thinking he wanted to attack.

Rædnael could hear Lionel yelling behind him, knowing even without looking that he was sprinting behind him. Even without having Shrapnel while off duty, apparently he was a proficient sprinter.

He couldn't think clearly enough while engaged in his escape. And yet, he could feel that whatever it was that moved his body away from this sense of danger, it wasn't caught up to his physical state. The burst of energy that got him past the crowd was exactly that - a burst that had already left him winded. If he can't find safety soon, he won't have the energy to keep running for long.

He didn't even know where he was running to, but he knew for a fact it was not in the same direction as the one he came from, as he didn't know any part of the mixed district other than his own hidden access path and the plaza.

Hearing Lionel was still on his tracks and that there will soon be a whole demon-capturing unit on his tail. And he was losing his breath fast.

Rædnael looked around to look for someplace to duck into, while feeling for his pockets for the vial he got from Adder, trying not to think of how he was going to excuse having squandered the trial shift he worked so hard to set for him. Clenching his teeth as he felt his fingers grasping the vial, he couldn't afford to stop and throw it to the ground like he was supposed to, so he did the next best thing and smashed it against his chest, flinching at the small cuts from the fragile glass.

Pale purple mist erupted from the vial on impact, and Rædnael tried his best to not cough up as he broke left behind a parking van nearby to catch his breath and carefully clear his throat, hearing Lionel's steps slowing down and his frustrated breaths as he clearly lost sight of him, not finding any mark on the ground as to where he disappeared to.

"DAMN YOU, FUCKING LIAR!" Lionel yelled out in frustration after coming to a stop, stomping and kicking at the ground. "Demon bastard! How did I not see right through you?!"

Unable to move away from the van, Rædnael watched the officer's outbursts as he stomped in place, looking like he was trying not to chuck his phone to the ground and smash it to pieces. The pain in his voice was so overwhelming, even more than his anger, that it made the halfling's insides tie themselves in knots.

He was so afraid of hurting Lionel by leaving, but he had done so much worse by keeping up the lie, to what seemed to be its only inevitable end.

"Can't get through our shields so you're going for emotional damage now?" Lionel continued, clearly thinking he’s talking to an empty street now. "Taking revenge for ruining your...stupid refineries?" he huffed, and for a moment he was just standing there, planted in the middle of the street. "Could've just stabbed me in the heart...but guess you wanted to make it hurt," his voice fell into a murmur, words choking out through tears now.

Rædnael watched him from his spot, feeling his flight instincts subsiding and allowing him to get to his feet, still unseen. But he couldn't leave. Not with seeing Lionel like this.

But what could he do? All he wanted was to hold him, to apologize for lying and beg for forgiveness, for another chance to show that he was just the same as Rodrick is...

There was no longer a "Rodrick", though. Just a mask, a pretend thing. Something that pretends to be a human but would never be one.

Still, he found himself reaching out, not even knowing how much control he actually had over his actions. He felt compelled to reach out, but at the same time he knew for certain that it was against any and all of his interests. That the best thing he could do was to run away and hole himself up in his home, until they eventually come for him.

Rædnael could hardly take his eyes off the beaten down Lionel, so focused on his own inner turmoil that he couldn't process him picking up his phone, nor what was said in the brief exchange.

By the time he managed to just open his mouth, not even to make a sound, he was immediately interrupted by a sudden flash of light turning the corner, flinching at the sound of tires screeching nearby.

"EXILE SPOTTED, NEUTRALIZE!"

Both Rædnael and Lionel turned around at the light, shielding their eyes from the patrol car's headlights, and the stunned halfling just barely saw policemen spilling out of the vehicle with some intricate headgear, but the light was too strong for him to see anything much more than a silhouette.

He didn't have time to adjust to the light or even look for somewhere to run before a sharp pain hit his shoulder and delivered a short but powerful electrical surge to his whole body, not even letting him cry out in pain before he was tackled to the harsh asphalt below, undoing the invisibility effect as the air was knocked clean out of his lungs, causing him to wheeze and cough under the weight of the officer who tackled him and was now tugging his arms back, binding them with specialized cuffs that felt like ice against his exposed wrists.

"You wouldn't even run away. Were you just waiting to finish what you started?" Lionel stood over him, glaring and somehow sounding even more furious despite talking calmly. He wasn't calm. Rædnael could feel it. It was as though there was some ethical code that was the only thing holding him back from kicking the halfling square in the face.

Rædnael tried to glance up, but quickly gave up and put his head down, letting his whole body go limp. What could he say back? What could he say that Lionel won't dismiss as a lie? He took a deep breath, fearing that even his tears of pain and terror might be perceived as attempted manipulation.

Even after pulling him up to his feet and into the back of the patrol car, muzzles were raised at him when he pulled his knees up to his chest, thinking he was about to kick and thrash, only lowering them after he remained curled up as much as he could without having the cuffs painfully dig into his wrists.

Why would he even fight anymore?

He was too tired.

It was over.

Even without looking up, Rædnael could feel every officer in the station glaring at him as he was marched through to be registered, like he committed a murder. Regardless, he complied with everything he's been told to provide - ID number, fingerprints, even a DNA sample - knowing that any protest on his side would only get him more trouble. He couldn't get Heks or Adder involved, meaning he didn't even have anyone to use his one phone call for.

Since details of the events were hastily given but no reports of related injuries were filed, they could only leave him in a holding cell until details of his misdemeanors were cleared up.

Not too long after being put in the cell, due to the late hour, he was given a light meal through the hatch in the magically reinforced bars, even if Rædnael felt they were reluctant to provide him that. Not that it mattered, as he simply kept to the corner of the room on the hard bed-shelf provided for him, facing away from the curling under the thin blanket, arms hugging his knees and tail curled around his whole body.

He couldn't even think of eating at this moment. Or ever.

Exhausted, the halfling tried to let himself fall asleep within the bustle of the station, but found himself startled into alertness to the sound of a somewhat familiar gait approaching the bars of his cell, stopping and falling silent for a long moment.

"Rædnael?" He recognized the voice. It was Sofia. Of course, she was Lionel's superior. Of course she'd be here, too. "Or...was it Rodrick?"

He flinched at the name, hesitant to ask at first.

But her voice, it was...she was worried.

"There's...no Rodrick...I'm sorry."

Sofia sighed, staying by the bars. "Why Lionel?"

Rædnael swallowed hard, shuddering. "He...he was nice to m—" he paused, shaking his head, "to Rodrick."

"Your belongings had a one-day work permit to the mixed district," she said after another pause. "Why didn't you show it to anyone?"

The halfling shrugged. He didn't think it'll matter.

But Sofia kept pushing. "You're a halfling, right?"

"I...yes, ma'am. I can't tell you anything about my parents, though..." he sighed, "you guys might know more than I do."

"I see. How did you get that disguise? Halflings aren't usually able to do that naturally."

Rædnael fell silent again. Was this a trap? Was she trying to dub him for accomplices? Figuring that staying quiet is not lying, he just shook his head.

"I understand," she hummed, sounding perfectly genuine, as she moved away from the bars. "I'm on night shift now, so I'll see you again in the morning. And I'll make sure no one bothers you tonight. Please eat something," she said before stepping away from the cell.

It was only when her steps disappeared that Rædnael dared turn around. He felt like he imagined it all.

And he might've believed himself, if it wasn't for a small plastic-wrapped chocolate muffin left at the foot of the bars, inside of his cell.