Vignette - An Offer Of Sympathy

[x-empath.livejournal.com]

Manuel walked down the hallway from the boy's dorm rooms to the Kitchen. He was hungry, and a brief snack before going back to hitting the books would suit him just fine. Or, rather, it would have had he not been slapped with the tightly-controlled sensations of loss, regret, and pain coming from someone down the hall and around the corner.

Manuel slowed and leaned up against the wall, to catch his breath and to reinforce his shields. Someone was bleeding inside, and it was like acid along Manuel's nerves.

The source of the woe and misery quickly became apparent as Angelo rounded the corner. He had his shoulders slumped - even more than normal for the boy with six feet of extra skin. He had his eyes downcast, and he took small, shuffling steps. But most obviously of all was the black emotions he was radiating. He was the source of what Manuel had felt earlier.

He could have erased it - hell, he could make the boy dance and sing and weep for the joy in life. But instead, he walked towards the Mexican, pausing when he got close enough to put his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Usted curará de esto, ese."(1) he whispered in Spanish, giving Angelo's shoulder a brief squeeze before continuing down the hall towards the Kitchen.

(1) "You will heal from this.", according to the Fish. Blame them, not me, if the translation sucks.