Who: Dallas & Therese What: Dallas is sinking into a pit of despair and needs Therese to bring him out of it. Where: Combat Magic classroom When: (backdated) May 21st, evening Rating: Low/Medium
Dallas was frustrated, hurt, confused, angry and...frustrated. Jack's words felt like knives. And the worst part, he knew he was right. Dallas didn't know what he was doing. He was out of his element. Being the one kids go to with their problems. That wasn't him. He wasn't the one his nieces went to when they needed comfort. They went to Chance, their father. Dallas would often watch him, watch how much faith they had that 'Daddy would make it better.' He would hold them and rock them like they were children. Would whisper words of comfort, then crack a stupid joke to make them smile. He wasn't afraid to let his guard down, let people see his soft side.
Dallas didn't know how to be a father. Chance knew how, he had a father, a father who loved and encouraged him. He had an older brother who always looked out for him. He had people he could turn to. Dallas never did. By the time he got family who cared it was too late. He was too old to cry and have his sister stroke his hair and comfort him. Also it wasn't her place anyway. He was the older sibling, it was his job to hold her and comfort her. To hold her as she cried and protect her from anyone who would dare make her cry. But as he said, it was too late. She was a grown woman and she had a husband who was that for her. She became a mother and thrived at it. Of course Lori had grown up in a strict manner but she had people who loved her. She had Chance and before him she assumed her mother. He had never known her mother but he assumed they had a good relationship as she gave named her eldest daughter for her. Lori and Chance knew love growing up.
Dallas knew running, knew fear, knew not letting anyone close because they could turn an kill you at any second. Of course he had his mother for much of his youth, but she was stripped away before he began the long path to manhood. He was just a boy. He had no thoughts or concerns of marriage or kids or family or being a father. When he came of that age he had nothing but others who were hiding as role models. They taught him how to fight, how to hide. 'Never let anyone see you cry, never show your weakness, be strong, be hard, be firm. Your heart is your weakness, never let any see it break.' Sure one wouldn't look at Dallas and see him as hard and firm, but he wasn't one to cry. He hadn't cried since he was a boy. More than a thousand years and no tears.
The lovers he had over the years were the ones to make his heart from becoming completely made of stone and the few friends he had along the way. That is where he got the reputation of the 'fun' guy. The guy who is never down. He found it easier to wear a smile to mask the pain. It was Lori who had started to chip away at the parts of his heart that had turned to stone, her daughters helped as well. It wasn't until he met Therese did his heart burst from the stone encasing it. She warmed and healed it. And now...now he felt it starting to break.
No...show now weakness, never let anyone see your heart break. So...he did what he always did when he felt it start to break. He fought. Now there was no one to fight but he had an empty classroom that was built to withstand attacks of all kinds. His Combat Magic classroom. He stripped of his outer layers down to his undershirt as he knew it was going to get warm in there. Dallas brought the targets out and started practicing, making sure his aim wasn't getting rusty. Fireball after fireball knocked down target after target. Then he tried a few energy blasts. They were all down, but Dallas wasn't through, his rage was leaking out and he didn't want to hold back anymore so he just kept firing at the walls that had been charmed to not burn or degrade. He let out screams as he did shot after shot and he felt them turn into cries as he heart ached. He was a failure, a god damn failure. He was letting everyone down again, just like he did his mother. He was a failure...and everyone knew it.