(TITLE BECAUSE I LOVE THE COMIC JOHNNY WANDER A BIT TOO MUCH
Also I may have spelt your name wrong)

A man ran through the cobblestone streets from guards, also desprately trying to not look into anyone's eyes..This man stood at 6'0'' and had long mossy green hair, tanned skin and light pink eyes, with pupils that were almost white, as if he was blind. He could see fine, but soon he would never see anyone again, or anything for that matter.

He wore loose clothing in earthy tones, and had two useless little white wings on his back, and slightly sharpened canines. People who know what a basilisk, or a cockatrice is may recognise why he never could make eye contact--and a good explanation to why he ran so fast.

He was barefoot, so his feet were being scratched and scraped against everything the city could throw at him, including..A rock.

He tripped forward onto his face, and in the panicked fall he couldn't close his eyes fast enough and a shocked person in front of him looking back to see what the commotion was turned to solid stone. the other people around him ran off screaming, and the guards caught up. they secured a makeshift blindfold around his eyes and dragged the man off through the streets, to the prison across town. he had rocks thrown at him and many other things, heard hateful whispers, but also confused children andother people whispering around him.

"Mama, why are they taking that poor blind man away?"

"I met that man before, he worked in that nice tea shop across town, shame he turned into a criminal.."

"Thank the gods they have him blinded!I saw it before my own eyes, that man has Medusa's curse!"

This had happened time and time again, no matter what city he had been to, but this is the first time they had actually thrown him in prison..He had no name, he had been born this way, his mother was the same, but she never wanted a son that was the same.. He had turned his father to stone the moment he opened his eyes for the first time. He had many names among the people. Gorgon, Basilisk, Cockatrice..He liked the sound of 'Basilisk' the best, so that is what he called himself. but as long as he was not found out, it was just 'Basil'.

They threw him into a lonely dark prison cell and chained him up in thick shackles on his arms and legs, even if he did escape his feet wouldn't be able to take him far with the weight on his ankles from those thick, thick shackles around them. He sat in there for weeks and weeks..Maybe months, he couldn't keep track any longer.If only somehow someone could save him..

Dei sighed quietly as he stepped into the cell. It was clearly not a comforting place, and he could very easily end up here if anything was done wrong that night. He’d already gotten this far, and he didn’t have any desire at all to continue. This wasn’t something he would ever normally do, but he didn’t want to just stop now. There were so many reasons as to why he shouldn’t be there, but not one mattered any more. He was finally there, and now he just had to get out, and he hoped that this man would be leaving with him. Taking one soft step forward, he looked down at the man he’d come for. He was asleep, and while that relieved him it also made his job there a bit more difficult. He hoped that he wouldn’t make too much noise waking up, though this was sure to be a surprise for him.

He bent down in front of the other, hoping more than anything that this would work and go well. Having heard many things about this man, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but he was sure that he didn’t belong here. He took another deep breath, exhaling slowly. His eyes closed as he reached forward with one hand, placing it on the man’s shoulder and shaking him gently. He didn’t have any idea what to expect from now on, but he hoped that it would go as well as things had so far. His hair fell uncomfortable in front of his face, but he didn’t bother to move it away, too focused on what was happening. It was good that he did well under pressure, as this was far from anything he’d done in his life.

He could feel a bit of movement as the other man woke, and he immediately felt that he should say something. Clearly in a situation like this one, anyone would want some explanation while waking to this. Even he wanted to stop to think things over again, but there wasn’t time for that. He would simply have to do it later, as his attention was needed more with what he was doing. Pretending to reassure himself would only take up time that could be used getting the two out of the cell and back to his home. He finally thought of what he should say, and hoped now that the other was awake enough to hear it properly.

“don’t… make too much noise. We need to get out quickly.” Dei could barely even hear his own voice; it was half whispered and weak, showing just how overwhelmed he felt by the whole situation.

Basilisk lightly gasped as he was awoken and he flinched, expecting a rough guard to be there, to beat him or to take him somewhere..He was shocked to hear a friendly voice, and his eyes opened--he didn't know why he did this, as if the man had removed his blindfold, he would have turned this man who was trying to save him into stone. He closed his eyes again, just in case, and spoke barely above a whisper, simply because he was so weak. "W-who are you?" He asked, trying to move his arms with no luck, then his legs..

"I don't want to break the law by getting out..But I swear I did nothing, I'm innocent..Please help me..Ah..Th-the shackles on my arms are in a very weak section of wall, and I don't know what my legs were bound to, they blindfolded me before I could see..Please don't remove the blindfold, whatever you do.." He said, a few tears falling from his eyes, wetting the cloth that covered those light pink orbs. "The one on my right arm feels like it's about to come undone, like I've loosened a link, or pulled it from the wall a bit..I can't struggle anymore though.I don't remember how long ago it was when they last gave me a meal.." He weakly whispered, trying to keep breathing.Even with his loose clothes you could tell that he was very thin underneath them, and he had already been thin when he came in, so this life couldn't have done anything good for him--If his shirt was off, you could see every one of his ribs, most likely.

Dei had to resist rolling his eyes at this. He’d just said to not make much noise, and it would be so easy to put this into fewer words than the man had. Still, he understood, and there was probably so much more than this that he needed to say, and there really was no sense at all in telling him this. Dei quickly moved away from him, working carefully on the chains that bound him. The first was easy, as he had been told, and he probably wouldn’t have had to do this for him. The next few took longer than he had hoped for, though none of this was as easy for him as he wanted.

“My name is Javan Dei Imella…Call me Dei.” He didn’t even think to answer any of the other questions, more focused on everything else to care. If everything worked properly, they would have time for the rest later. He was very used to being called by his middle name. His friends had said that it was much cuter, and he had no objection to it at all. A few minutes passed while he worked on freeing the other. Chains still hung from his wrists and ankles, but it was enough that he could move. He looked back up to the man, staring at him for a moment before speaking again.

“…Should I carry you?” It was beyond obvious that the other was weak, but he had no way of knowing just how weak he was. Carrying him would definitely slow him down, and that would only make this all harder on Dei’s mind, but if he had to he would. Dei wasn’t very strong himself, but he could handle this much.

"I have no name..So you can call me Basilisk..I-I think I can walk, but I may need a bit of help.I haven't walked in at least two months.." He said quietly, shakily standing from the position he was in, on his knees, which was as close to laying down as he could go with the shackles on his arms.

"The guards leave me without anyone to guard me at this time of night, so it should be fairly easy..There are men patrolling, though, at nine, midnight, and three in the morning they pass my cell." He said, being quiet now, trying to get used to walking and standing with the heavy shackles around his ankles. "..That means we must hurry, I heard the nine o' clock bell quite a while ago."

There was a church just a bit away from the jail, and his hearing had become very strong to make up for the fact that he didn't often see, which could be made obvious by a detail I didn't mention--Elongated ears. Just a few inches off his head with pointed tips, and they could flop over and go under his thick hair, when he didn't want them seen.They were quite cute.

It pleased him that he could tell time so well, as it was very helpful to him. Still, he couldn’t be sure how long a while ago was, so he didn’t know completely what the other man meant with this. Either way, they would need to be hasty with their escape. He stood also, looking at the man, Basilisk apparently, and stepped closer. Though it would still slow them down, he wouldn’t mind giving him aid with walking. Comparing the two though, he wasn’t sure if carrying him would be faster or not. Either way, he would be prepared to help him.

“Right.” Dei nodded, putting his arm around the man to support him while they walked. “We should leave quickly then. We’ll go when you’re ready, and… I’ll lead you.” He didn’t know how this would work at all, with Basilisk being unable to see where he was going exactly, but he wasn’t too worried about that part. He was more concerned about being caught here, but they would need to leave. He didn’t feel comfortable at all with waiting and hoping to go unseen after the next patrol, and their only other option was to leave.

Basilisk began to walk alongside Dei, opening his eyes now that he wasn't looking at the other man.He could barely see through the blindfold, but at least he could.He kept a hold of Dei, trying to walk as fast as he possibly could so he wouldn't slow this mysterious man down, trusting that Dei wouldn't run him into anything.He himself followed the breeze, and the smell of the outside, the sound of the crickets chirping.None of the cells had this, so he followed it, mostly just letting Dei lead. if he had gotten in, it wouldn't be too hard for him to get out the same way, right?

His legs shook every once in a while, but he continued onward, keeping close 'watch' of the smells and noises, seeing if he could smell the fires of the soldier's lantern, or the sound of footsteps other than his own, and that of his savior.

Dei could easily feel every shake from the man beside him. It surprised him at first that there wasn’t any further questioning, but it made sense to him that Basilisk wouldn’t care too much at first. Staying there for so long had to be driving him towards insanity. It was ban enough that he couldn’t move, but being unable to see would make it so much worse. He hoped that he was making a good decision that night, though he was sure that he was right with this. The only thing that bothered him about any of it was that he had to actually do it, and this could result in worse things than being stuck in a cell he was sure.

It amazed him how fast it seemed that they were away from the prison, though the whole walk seemed to last so long for him. He was sure that this wasn’t the case for Basilisk however, who hadn’t had a chance to move for so long. But overall, what surprised him the most was that they’d made it out, and it seemed like they had done so safely. He sighed again, keeping his arm around the man. They still needed to get home, but that would be the easiest part of his job.

“Are you alright?” He turned to face the other, though he knew that Basilisk wouldn’t be able to see him through the fabric over his eyes… if he could see at all, which he wasn’t quite sure of. He’d heard the rumors about what his eyes could do, which was another thing he was unsure of.

Basilisk breathed heavily, and shook his head. "I--Now that we're youside..Please, I can't go further.My legs f-feel like they're going to fall off if I do.." He said, leaning against Dei, his trembling hands clutching onto the man's shirt as he attempted to stay standing.It was quite obvious that he couldn't walk another step if he had to to live, he was simply too weak, too hungry.

He needed some real rest, some good food and time to recover, although by the way he kept his eyes averted from Dei's even through the cloth, it was obvious that he would never take a blindfold off again, unless it was to blind himself forever, so he could never hurt another person again.

Finally, his vision went completely black and he passed out, slowly slipping to the ground unless Dei were to lift him up.

Dei watched as the other man fell, not surprised at all by how weak he was. He had no problem with carrying him, and it was surely what would be best for him, awake or unconscious. He bent down, putting his arms around Basilisk and lifting him carefully. Cradling him, he held the man close to his chest as he carried him home. It was good that he didn’t live too far from there, though it would make it easier for them to be discovered. The walk also seemed to take longer than it did, but once they reached home, it didn’t matter anymore.

He smiled as he placed his guest down on the bed, happy to be able to just let him rest. The man obviously needed it. It took him a while before he felt comfortable with resting also, be eventually, Dei laid down beside him. Sleep came easier for him than it usually did now. He’d never slept well on his own, so this was actually very good for him.

Basilisk was surprisingly light for a full grown man, but the limp ragdoll effect his unconcious body had made him feel heavier.When they arrived at Dei's home, he rested peacefully on the bed until Dei got in with him, then he--subconciously, of course-- wrapped his arms around the other man, and for once, had calm, happy dreams, instead of the nightmares that had plagued him before.

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Around mid morning he awoke slowly, sleepily, to the sounds of birds outside. a soft smile went across his face, and he sat up slowly, opening his eyes behind that beige, ragged blindfold he had on. He could see better now that there was light, but only slightly..At least he could.He was tempted to take the blindfold off to survey his surroundings, but he didn't know where that man was that saved him..So he remained blindfolded, resting happily in the bed.Even though he still had his legs and arms in shackles he seemed very comfortable, wriggling his toes around in the soft blankets with a rather goofy grin on his face.

Dei smiled as he felt the other sit up. He waited a bit before speaking, giving Basilisk some time to actually wake up. Eventually he sat up also, stretching his arms before turning to face the man. He’d noticed that he’d had the other man’s arm around him, but he chose to say nothing about it, knowing that it hadn’t been intentional. He had enjoyed it.

“You should stay here a bit longer. I can… prepare something for you to eat.” He still wasn’t used to the idea of having him there. There really was no plan for him at all, though, so Dei was likely to just keep the man around. This wouldn’t bother him at all, but it was still strange to him. He’d had unfamiliar men with him before, waking up beside him, but that wasn’t the same, far from what he was dealing with now. He stood from the bed, taking a moment before speaking again.

“Will that be alright?”

"I'm not going anywhere..Not until I know they stopped searching for me.Eventually they'll think I left the city, adn they'll stop searching..Most other towns just exile me.." Basilisk sighed.

"That sounds fine..I need at least a week to recover, but I can leave sooner if it's needed..I have a question, though..Why did you save me?I don't know you, to this town I am like a witch or a demon..So why?" Basilisk said, turning his head towards the sound of Dei's voice, as he had closed his eyes again. "I mean..My only real talent is I can brew pretty good tea, unless you want me to turn my power on someone you dislike.If so, I leave right at this moment."

He nodded once, though he knew that Basilisk would not see it. Thinking over everything the man had just said, he smiled for just a moment. He hadn’t been sure at all of what to think, but knowing that it was true what this man’s eyes could do… he felt sorry for him.

“You’re welcome to leave whenever you’d like, but, I only helped you because I was sure that you didn’t belong where you were. But, you won’t have to worry about that. I wouldn’t think of having you do anything like that.” He didn’t know what to say, really, and hoped that this sounded appropriate. He had never done anything like this before though, so it probably didn’t matter. He leaned just a bit closer, getting a better look at the blindfold that covered Basilisk’s eyes. It didn’t appear to be comfortable at all. He stepped back again, glancing around the room before speaking to him.

“…Really, I suppose you don’t need to leave fore a while if you would like. There is no one else living with me, and I would hate for you to be caught again without my immediate knowing. I don’t plan on ever doing anything like it again, so I would like it if you kept yourself safe.”

"I'd like to stay..I have nowhere to go..And I'm tired of feeling like a nomad of sorts." Basilisk smiled a bit. "Go on and go make us breakfast..Please, actually, I'd like to see where I am, and I don't want the risk of you getting too curious..Unless you look at my eyes through a mirror." He said, fiddling with the chain on one of his shackles.

"..After breakfast, can I bathe? I haven't in months, and I know I'm used to it, but I know I can't smell very pleasant to you..Thank you, for everything.It's nice to know there are kind souls in this world..That I haven't turned to stone by accident.." Well that was kind of specific, it was obvious by the tone in his voice that it was a touchy subject, one to not bring up.

He smiled at this, happy to hear that the man would be staying there with him. He had never slept well on his own, though it didn’t mean much yet, as he didn’t know if the other would want to sleep in a separate bed. But, he wouldn’t at all mind sharing his home with Basilisk. It might be nice, living with him.

“Well, I might also benefit if you were to stay. So, that’s fine, just please don’t feel like you’re getting in my way.” Dei felt that he needed to say this; he didn’t want anything to be awkward between them. It would be easier this way for both of them. “And, yes, you may have a bath.” He wouldn’t mind this either. Basilisk would need it, and he was sure that he wasn’t allowed this much where he had been. He did want to keep the man taken care of, so Dei was happy to offer this to him.

“Just wait here… I’ll be back in a bit.”

Minutes later, he returned, placing a bow filled with a simple salad on his lap. Dei sat down beside him, staring thoughtfully at the floor. He wasn’t sure what to say, though he knew he wanted to say something. It was strange for him, knowing that the other man could see… or at least, he thought he could. It would make a bit more sense that way.

“I can be careful, so… if it’s any better for you, you can remove the blindfold for a while.” He glanced up, then looked back to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest. He liked having someone around, but he didn’t want to have it to be like this, so it would be good to allow him this. Basilisk probably hadn’t actually seen anything beyond that strip of fabric for quite a while.

"Thank you, I'd like to not crash into anything, my sense of hearing and scent can only bring me so far, unless I carry a cane..If you want to see my eyes, I can look towards a mirror..But otherwise, try to resist all human impulse to look into them.." Basilisk said, reaching around his head to untie his blindfold.The chains of his wrist's bindings jingled as he did so, and the piece of cloth fell to his lap.He opened his eyes, and his pupils freaked out a bit over the bright light. he squinted until they adjusted, and he looked over at Dei. He flushed a bit, surprised at how handsome he was, from what he could see. Not that his voice didn't match his appearance, he just didn't expect the man to be like this..

He looked around the room, trying to memorise everything so when he put his blindfold back on, he wouldn't run into anything or trip. "...Is this for me?" He asked, referencing to the bowl of salad.It was a bit odd to see the man's eyes, through a mirror--He looked blind as could be, with milky white pupils and those light pink irises--But he could see just fine, although not seeing for so long may have weakened his vision, as his body may have felt he started to no longer need vision.

“It is. That’s the only thing I can prepare that isn’t time consuming.” He leaned back, allowing himself to fall onto the bed. His eyes closed as he did this, waiting for his guest to finish his meal. Dei knew it was the more healthy thing to do, but he preferred to wait to eat, not wanting to eat first thing after getting up. Basilisk however would probably need this, and he didn’t want the man to suffer any more than he had already. That was why he’d brought him home, and he had no interest at all in wasting the effort he’d put into it. There would never be a repeat of what had happened the night before, so he wanted it to be worth it. Having the man live with him would probably help him to feel better about this, being able to know how he’s doing and making sure that he is still safe.

His eyes opened, just a bit, to look up into the large mirror on his wall. Slowly, he smiled at what he saw, enjoying the sight of Basilisk’s expression. He was clearly happy with what was happening, which pleased Dei. And his eyes… his eyes were lovely, though he knew he would never get to see them any other way than this. He didn’t have much of a problem with it, but he didn’t like how it might affect Basilisk, and it was uncomfortable for him to have to see the other man in a blindfold every day. But, it was what needed to be done.

Basilisk ate happily, blushing quite deeply when he looked over at the large mirror, noticing he was being watched. He shyly waved to the mirror, and went back to his food. "See, you aren't missing out on much..My eyes are nothing very pretty to look at, I look blind.." He said a bit sadly, gently touching his face, and pushing back a lock of mossy hair. "Your house is very nice..But I guess I suppose at this point, anything is like a palace compared to that horrible place..Not that I don't like your home.I'm sorry, taht last part made it sound like I was saying taht it was just okay, that I had seen better. I haven't, honestly.."

Soon Basilisk finished his meal, and smiled towards the mirror. "I'm done.." He said, closing his eyes so Dei could turn around. "Could you please lead me to where I can bathe?" He asked very politely, rather weakly swinging his legs off of the bed, still seeming shaky about the whole walking thing, but the night of sleep and the food seemed to make it so he wouldn't entirely fall over and pass out like he did the previous night, which was obviously a good sign.

He just laughed softly as he listened to this. Hearing the man easily getting all flustered on his own surprised him, but it was amusing. He would most likely enjoy Basilisk’s company. His eyes kept closed while he waited for the other to finish his meal, thinking to himself about what their future might be like. He didn’t really want to think about it, sure that they would be discovered, but there had to be some way around that. Dei was relieved as he heard his friend speak again, pleased by the interruption of these thoughts.

“Yes, I can lead you there.” He stood, helping the other man up. He again kept an arm around Basilisk, remembering how he’d fainted the night before. That wasn’t as likely to happen now, and he was thankful for this, but it still made him worry. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt them at all to be safe just in case. He led Basilisk from the bedroom, into a much smaller room. The wooden tub there wasn’t at all large, but it was already filled with water, ready for use. He didn’t look to the man as he spoke.

“It won’t be warm, but you will be able to get yourself clean… If you need any help at all, let me know.” He wasn’t sure how weak the man was, so he suggested this just to be sure.

"Thank you--I'm sensitive to heat anyway, to it's fine.." he said, pulling off his clothing. "I've memorised the room already, so..You can open your eyes, I won't need to now.I'll tell you if I do.I was raised by a blind man, so he taught me how to live without my vision.The blind are the only ones spared from my curse, as they can't actually see my eyes." He said, slipping down into the water once he was stripped down. He really was extremely thin, it was quite depressing really, it seemed as if he had been like that before his prison stay as well, most likely caused by lack of money..He didn't seem to bothered by it, though.

"I don't really have any shame about my physical body..So feel free to look, if you would like..I warn you though--My diet over the years hasn't been kind to me.It might be shocking to you, seeing how healthy I look wtih my clothing on."

Dei was surprised at first, seeing just how thin the man was. He’d actually expected to see this, but it still impressed him how well the other could move. He stood there as Basilisk got himself into the tub, not wanting to leave if he would need any help. After seeing that his assistance wasn’t needed, he sat down, hoping to chat with the other.

“You should be able to gain in health after staying here for a while.” He ignored the other comment, unsure of how to respond. Feel free to look? He couldn’t understand why he might want to, as there really wasn’t any reason he could think of. But, whatever the other meant, he was sure that he had a reason that didn’t involve anything Dei might have in mind.

“I’m looking forward to it, so let’s home it will last a while. I’d really hate for us to get caught here.”

"I'll do anything to keep you and I safe, if I must...I'd even uut my hair, and I haven't since I was a young child.If it helps, I won't even leave the house unless I must..If I endanger you, I will leave.I don't want to hurt anyone ever again.." Basilisk said, rather sadly. "My mother's curse has brought too many people sorrow.At times I think about taking out my own eyes--Ending my problems forever..But i could never bring myself to do it, what I do get to see of the world is too beautiful to give up..My curse is incurable, although it's effect isn't..It's just very hard to return someone to normal, and after a week, it's impossible..The person inside entirely dies after that.." He said, scrubbing down his thin, lightly tanned body.

"The only thing that can cure my curse is Mandragora root, which is very hard to come by..As the beast itself paralyzes people.Also it's very hard to deliver the cure unless you are frozen with your mouth open..I'm sorry, this must be all so depressing for you to listen to, but it's all that ever really runs through my mind..My mother was the daughter of Medusa herself, I guess I am lucky, my hair is the color of a snake but it is not snakes.Unfortunately the loving man who gave me this hair was my first victim." Basilisk sighed. "Then my mother abandoned me, and my adoptive father found me.My mother hated me, simply because of the curse she passed along to me. I wasn't even a day old when she wished I was never even concieved.."

He listened carefully to the other man’s story, beginning to wonder just how old he really was. His age wouldn’t really make any difference to Dei, as their situation was very unlikely to change. His eyes focused on the wall across from him, occasionally glancing to other parts of the tiny room. His friend was right; the story was depressing to hear, but at least things could get better now. He would look forward to that. The man had no desire at all to tell his story however, and he didn’t plan to do so any time soon.

“believe that cutting your hair would be a wise choice, but I really wouldn’t want to do it. But, you might not have to worry about getting a job…” He hoped that there would be no questions about this either, as it was another thing he didn’t want to talk about. “Let’s hope you won’t have to, but I’m sure you would want to get out once in a while. We’ll figure things out…” He was mostly thinking out loud, but hoped that Basilisk would have something to say.

"It'll really be a shame to lose it all, but it's just hair, it'll grow back..I'd like if you helped, So it doesn't look silly. I don't usually worry about my appearance, but still.." He said, wetting his hair and relaxing back in the tub, letting his legs hang out. it appeared he was VERY flexible, most of his body was his legs, and his arms were rather long to match. "I liked working at the tea house..But I can't do that anymore obviously, that's the first place they would look.I can still make tea for you though, if you like it..It's very relaxing.All the skill I have is all from my father." He chuckled, wiggling his toes around a bit. He seemed quite happy to talk of the man who treated him like his own son, raised him and cared for him.

Truth be told he was quite young, only 25.But he was quite wise, again, due to his upbringing.One could say he was almost lucky that his mother abandoned him.