Blackfeather Woods [m] The world laughed at any attempts we made to exist in it without pain

Accused of something, but he knew not what. Was this the other's revenge over what had transpired with the girl? He couldn't believe that, unable to wrap his head around any logical reason for how their fight could have warranted a sabotage. Had he done something else? An attempt was made at thinking back, picking through various memories, only to get lost within his mind several times. Eventually, he'd been cast back out, but with nothing to show for his internal journey. There'd been nothing to grab because there'd been nothing to find; this, Xan was certain of, for he usually did well to keep track of any crimes that he might have committed. Against Cicero, he'd not acted out, save for that one time.

Lips parted, a question lingering on the tip of his tongue, but he'd not been able to get it out. As if on cue, there came a stab of pain from within his stomach, causing for him to wince. It had started off as tolerable enough, but grew into something greater, clawing at his innards and then escaping into the rest of his body. Not used to such a feeling, a yelp had escaped past his lips, prompting him to grit his teeth together. Another attempt was made at reaching out to Cicero, only this time he'd actually fallen, the impact adding onto the already searing pain and causing for his teeth to rattle. His mind had yet to be infiltrated again, giving him the necessary means to focus; even if only partially, it was enough to have his gaze searching for the other's. "Why—why did you do this?" Each word was spoken through a clenched jaw, reluctant to cry out again, despite how imposing the pain was. "What did I ever do to you?" Aside from push his face into the dirt, of course.