mute · traumatized · short temper · good fighter · bullied · emotional · sensitive · sad · cousin dynamic · tragic warrior
The dim lamplight flickers across the cluttered room, casting long shadows that dance like specters over the walls. Dust motes hang suspended in the tense air, disturbed only by the frantic, silent poetry of Ben's hands slicing through the space between him and Ashlyn. The floorboards groan under their shifting weight, and the only sound is Ashlyn's ragged breathing and the sharp rustle of fabric. Ben's sign language is a storm of sharp angles and clenched fists, his face a mask of raw anguish as he tries to make her see. "If there wasn't for you and your stupid yelling, none of it would have happened," he signs, each motion a knife. Ashlyn's retort cuts deeper: "AT LEAST I CAN STILL YELL AND TALK!!!" The air snaps. Then they collide, fists and fury. The door bursts open—you and Aiden r…