Than give you control

The entire eastern side ...destroyed? The Sink had nothing to do with it; Tic would have known. It must have been an self-taught expert mechanic renegade, borne of The Sink and gone independent in the ways of apocalyptic explosives. Tic felt slight admiration for who ever pulled it off, but a jerk of worry reminded him of the many guised Sink members who might've died from its devastating effects.

The sudden news had interrupted the 'highness', momentarily diverting his attention away from Tic. Tilting his head down, he slowly rubbed his eyes against a white sleeve. His eyes had been stinging him ever since he dared to ponder a life without free will, without free thinking, or liberty. Only now, sitting in chains, did he yearn for these freedoms. Maybe the man would just have him killed? No, captivity was much worse.. He had lived an emancipated life; now, one full of bitterness and anger would follow if he was to let this happen to him.... No, you can't take that away from me.

And why, right now, did he begin to think about all this again? Its inevitability overwhelmed him; water began to blur his vision once more.

Tic turned his head as the man returned his focus on him. "I was very disappointed that you were the only one to be caught," he said clearly, letting the words linger. Only Tic? Out of all of the Sink members that could have been left behind, he, a mere first-time rookie of rebellions, had to be caught to receive all the punishment? His heart sunk to the floor. He didn't want to be there anymore. He wished he'd declined Krobe's offer.. he could have cleanly avoided it.. but no, he'd audaciously convinced himself to go. His eyes stung sharply.

"You're just a boy," the man continued, "and perhaps your interrogation will not be too long." He crouched before Tic, again putting his warm, gloved hands to Tic's face and forcing him to turn his head. Tic avoided the man's glance this time, not daring to look again, or to reveal his wet eyes. He felt unpleasantly uncomfortable, wishing the man would stop touching him. He could hardly ignore the dull pressure of numbness that surrounded his mind as a tear escaped the captivity of his eye and began a slow descent down his cheek.

"Look at me," the man coaxed softly, having noticed Tic's avoidance. The warm droplet cascaded down further, softly mingling with the warmth of the man's hands. Tic felt the man hesitate, then smile, as he became aware. A grim feeling of shame came over him.

"Look at me, and I will not harm you," the man offered. It was an irresistibly tempting promise, even if it was a lie. There was a brief pause, where the muffled sounds of distant chains and outside noises vacated the moment's emptiness. Tic shut his eyes gently and another tear slipped out, sliding against his cheek in suit. He raised his head and proceeded to lift his eyelids. Staring longingly into the orange abyss of eyes, the man returned his gaze without a conceivable expression. Tic's own deep, violet eyes shined through the gloomy darkness, their true beauty revealed in a soft patch of light.