Gwendolyn Jumped As The Front Door To The Home He Was Staying At Slammed Open. He Sat Up From Where He

Gwendolyn jumped as the front door to the home he was staying at slammed open. He sat up from where he sat, placing his propped up feet back onto the floor. "Illy?" He stood and approached the woman he'd come to know as a friend who had somehow found where he was staying. "What are you doing here?"

Illendra stood in the doorway, dripping wet from the rain outside. She glared up from under her wet bangs and spoke clearly. "How do I die?" Her voice was firm, but shaky. And her eyes, dark with hate and anger. Wet with something other than the rain.

Gwendolyn drooped at the question and extended his arms to Illendra, trying to comfort her. "Illy. You know I can't-"

"Don't give me that shit, Rolfe!" Illendra stepped inside, pointing an accusatory finger at Gwendolyn. "I know you know and, damnit, you're the only one I can trust to tell me!" She motioned angrily, "Just- be the rebel you say you are and fucking tell me! I can't do this if- If I don't- If I don't know what he-" Illendra looked away and hugged herself. 

Gwendolyn sighed and took off his coat, placing it over her shoulders gently. "Let's get you dried off, yeah? We can talk about this later, okay?"

"No!" Illendra shook off his coat, "I'm tired of all this! I'm tired of not knowing, of you looking at me with that pitying fucking look in you eyes-" Gwendolyn flicked his eyes away sheepishly at the point, knowing he'd been doing that. "I'm tired of- of Boss and this stupid fucking fate, and the stupid fucking curse bitch and- and-" Illendra buried a hand in her hair roughly, tears spilling freely at this point. 

Gwendolyn blinked a few times, before sighing deeply and looking behind himself a moment in thinking before looking back to Illendra. "You know if I tell you, you can't go back to not knowing."

"You think I don't know that, Gwen?!" Illendra's voice cracked, sniffing angrily and wiping her eyes roughly. "I just.... Wouldn't you have wanted to know?" She looked away, hugging herself, "Before you made your own mistake? Left for your own fate?"

Gwendolyn looked to the floor, distantly. Thousands of screams and the terrible sirens rang somewhere in his mind. He bent down and picked up his coat, "You're impaled," Illendra startled at him actually saying something, instead of saying sorry and moving her along. He began to fold the coat absently, not looking at her, "In your abdomen. Right above your belly button. Your lung gets pierced and the sword exits to the right of your spine. You go into shock pretty much immediately, after he removes the blade. So you don't feel much. You bleed out, I think."

Illendra blinked a few times as Gwendolyn talked, having turned away from her and hung his coat over the arm of his coach as he spoke. He swallowed thickly and leaned on the coach, head hung as he took off his hat and put it on his chest in a mourning method. "I- .... You're not alone. As you die. There is someone there. I cannot say who, but it is not him. He flees after you fall. A small comfort, I know but...." He choked on what he could say after that. 

Illendra sniffed and clutched at her stomach, gripping her shirt fabric there roughly. She smiled, however, tears flowing freely, "Thank you, Gwen."

"Sure," Gwendolyn's own voice cracked dryly, trying to ignore the future gurgling of pain and fear ringing in his ears. Knowing it was him who had to hold her as she died. Comfort her and tell her that it was okay. He didn't know if she would realize it was him. And she didn't need to know it was him. But... She didn't deserve to die alone. He knew he'd go there as soon as he knew. He knew he'd want the same. And so he'd give the same. For her. Because he-

"I'm sorry I asked you do that-" Illendra looked away a moment, sniffing, "I just-"

"It's fine," Gwendolyn pretended he wasn't crying and ran a hand through his hair. "You want something to drink? And a towel? You're dripping all over my carpet." 

Illendra looked down before laughing bitterly, "Sorry. Sure. Thanks." 

Gwendolyn nodded and went to the kitchen. Leaning against the wall next to the doorway after he finally entered it and covering his mouth. So he could finally sob openly.