Yes, there's love if you want it.

Larkin slowly, but swiftly moved towards Tic, letting the axe drop to his side in one hand, the other shooting out to grasp Tic's upper arm. His fingers trembled against the boy's flesh for a moment, as if he were debating on whether to squeeze tighter or not. And then the trembling grew to Larkin's arm, threatening to shake the stuffing from the boy's rag doll form.

His eyes stared hard at Tic. Maybe this was part of his power, brainwashing the minds of others to feel as if they couldn't, wouldn't, and didn't want to hurt him. It gave Larkin a thought, and the idea to prove that assumption wrong. But he didn't dare, and didn't know why.

He'd just play his game.

"Are you well?" he asked, pulling Tic closer, swiftly looking him up and down for signs of harm from the previous excitement. He asked again, speaking as if the man were already dead, "Who was he?"

He'd asked the man's name himself before, but had already forgot it. And if he had thought true about whom Matthias was, surely Tic would tell him. If not, he could always poke and prod the boy's mind for the truth. Despite the way the truth of last question had disappointed him.

Larkin watched as Tic's mouth opened, then closed, and opened again to say something. The man was just unaware of how terrifying he was, leaning over Tic and holding him tightly, a weapon in hand. He frowned at this, though. It was hard to make someone who was utterly horrified to speak. So, in a soothing voice, he said, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Even though Larkin didn't know how much truth that statement held.

"Who was he and what did he say to you?" he repeated, then slowly added a third question, his voice returning to a low, dark tone, "What did… you tell him?"