Fifteen

                                    

                                          
I wish I could say I was startled by Captain Vangeance's offer, but I wasn't. It seemed that we'd already put some of the most crucial details of our lives on the table, so at this point it wasn't anything farfetched. "Alright," I began, "I'll keep my spell activated to use up my mana. Could I ask why you feel like you need the mask though? Why care so much about what others think of you?"
He hummed, closing his eyes and looking forward. "I was always looked down upon for the way I looked. I was called a cursed child not only for that, but because I'm the illegitimate child of a noble. My mother passed when I was young, and when my father's heir died, they found me and brought me into the capital. There, my foster mother abused me because she hated my face. When Julius found me, he didn't care about the way I looked and asked me to get stronger to join his Magic Knight Squad. Because I'd been conditioned to assume everyone would think me repulsive, Julius made this mask for me so I wouldn't have to worry."
As I listened, I slowly felt my mana depleting with every second I kept my whip out and rolled up on my lap. "I see," I muttered, surprised that he would share such details with me. Instinctively, I reached out to place my hand on one of his which rested in his lap. "I'm sorry you went through all of that," I told honestly. "No one deserves that."
We made eye contact again, his expression wavering for a moment before he swallowed hard and looked away. His eyes fell on my hand over his, staring intensely at my fingers. I pulled away a few moments after that, worried that I was making him uncomfortable. I too sat and looked forward after that, only noticing a single, quick glance from him as we then sat in silence.
"Thank you," Captain Vangeance spoke suddenly, causing me to turn my head to look at him again.
"For?" I inquired, curious as to why he was thanking me.
"For giving me your honest and truthful sympathy," he explained.
It all clicked in my head once he said that. Obviously not many had seen his face, and the few people who did either abused him for it in some way, or simply pitied him to make them feel better about themselves. Besides Julius and Yami of course. Most didn't truly care for this man, who to me, seemed so sweet and kind. It... Was a shame. "You're welcome," I answered simply before adding, "You showed me kindness tonight, so I guess my way of paying you back for that is to be honest and tell you that you deserve to be around people who really honestly care about you and accept you no matter what you look like."
He smiled softly, looking down at his lap again. "Well, I certainly am enjoying your company. It's a nice change from the usual members of the Golden Dawn."
His comment made me a bit flustered, so I looked away again and laughed nervously. "I feel the same. I love the Black Bulls, and they all recently found out about my memory loss, so they accept me as the freak I am, but they can be a bit much sometimes!" I expressed. And even Nozel can be... Quite a bit too, but in his own interesting way.
I guess my words were amusing, for Vangeance let out a single puff of air in a laugh. "Yami has assembled quite the group, I see."
This time, I laughed in a much more lighthearted, carefree way. "That's for sure! Yami is something else. But we all love him, and I know he loves us all too! And-" I paused, suddenly feeling a change in my mana. I instantly felt nervous, and my change made my host become more alert too. I cleared my throat, fulling knowing that my hidden scar was now visible. Then, I let my spell dissipate.
"Has it appeared?" he asked gently. 
"Yes," I replied, unsure of what he would think of me, especially because we could relate in that specific area. He sighed, and I turned my head farther away. I could've sworn I'd heard him audibly gulp before the sound of his clothes brushing against themselves told me he was revealing his bare skin. When I heard the clink of his mask on the glass-topped coffee table, I shuddered with anticipation. "Are you ready?"