Venn pushed open the last door at the end of the hall. "Jasper? You in here?"

Jasper froze halfway through bandaging her right arm. Her hands were covered in blood. She stared at Venn with scared, wide eyes.

Venn slid into the room and closed the door behind him. Concern showed in his black eyes. "Jasper, are you okay? What happened?"

Jasper couldn't respond. The bandage slipped and fell to the floor. She tried to turn away, hiding her arm from Venn.

Venn gently put a hand on her shoulder and turned her back. He took her arm, despite her squirming. He pressed his cold hand onto the dozens of bite marks. Some had scarred, some were half healed, and a few were fresh. "What happened?" Venn asked again, quietly. "What bit you?"

Jasper couldn't look at Venn. She pulled away and this time, he let her go. She picked up ther bandage and resumed binding her injuries, trying to hold back tears.

Venn sat down on the edge of the bed. "Jasper, please. I can help you if you tell me..."

Jasper sniffled. Tears of shame and fear started to fall from her eyes. "I-I did it..."

Venn watched her finish bandaging her arm before he spoke again. "Come here," he said softly. He patted the bed next to him. He didn't look angry or even really surprised more just... sad.

Jasper shuffled over and sat down. Her breathing caught as she tried to stop crying. She hunched over and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Why?" Venn's question wasn't accusing. His tone was calm and even almost conversational, as if this was normal.

Jasper looked down at her hands. "I... I thought it would help me... It distracts me from..." she broke off with a quiet sob and buried her face in her knees.

Venn scooted closer and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

Jasper leaned into him. "Y-you don't u-understand. It h-hurts."

Venn closed his eyes. Instead of responding, he started to sing. The song was quiet and haunting. The words were filled with emotion, describing his past. Malvagio, the pain, the journey, the beatings, experiments, and torture. Dying, coming back, living, fighting, leaving again. His voice lilted up, then down as he ended the song with, "I understand."

Jasper hadn't stopped crying. She looked at him now with a similar expression that he had looked at her when he first entered. "All those stories you told us.... they were real?"

Venn gave her a small, sad smile. "Every last one."

Jasper suddenly tackled him in a hug. Venn fell backwards with a yelp of surprise. She buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry..."

Venn held her close. "It's alright. All of those things made me who I am. Pain and scars can be good for you sometimes."

Jasper looked at him and touched the scar over his eye. "This was good for you?"

Venn laughed quietly. "Maybe not that one," he teased, earning a giggle from Jasper.

The two lay there in silence for a long time. Then, by some unspoken agreement, the two sat up. Venn reached up to the back of his neck and unclipped something. He pulled a necklace from under his shirt where it had hidden. It was a small iron cross completely devoid of decoration.

Jasper looked at it, seeming confused.

Venn held out the cross. "I want you to have this. It's my own self inflicted pain." He let the little cross drop into Jasper's outstretched hand. "I shouldn't touch iron. It burns like fire. But I have that. It helped me remember my life but I had the realization yesterday..." he touched the rose pinned to his blazer. "That's what this is for."

Jasper looked down at the cross and rubbed it between her fingers. "This hurt you?"

Venn pulled down the collar of his shirt slightly. An angry looking red spot about the size of a fifty cent coin rested beneath the shirt. "It did."

Jasper put the necklace on. She made no response. She grabbed her notebook off of the pillow and handed it to Venn.

Venn stayed silent as he took the notebook. He kept glancing at Jasper as he opened the notebook and started flipping through the pages. Each page held a song, doodles, poems, or a short story. Each song was about life or happiness, the doodles varied, poems described how it felt to be sad, and short stories were filled with vibrant descriptions of animals, mostly birds, running or flying free.

Everything spoke of a family, except for the poems. The poems were straight from the heart. They didnt describe a fantasy. They described what was real. The pain and sorrow.

Venn turned and tilted his head at Jasper. "These are amazing." The thought he had discussed with Brielle before coming shouted loudly for his attention. Brielle and Giovanni were downstairs waiting. Even so, Venn didnt know how to ask.

Jasper studied his face. "Your face looks like you just ate something faintly unpleasant."

Venn laughed quietly. "No just thinking about my words. If I think too long though I might not say anything so..." he ran a hand through his hair. "So... uh... how would you like to.... live with my family?"

Jasper's eyes widened. One hand went to her mouth. She stared at him incredulously. "Y-you want to adopt me?"

Venn grinned. "I dont know who wouldn't, principessa."

Jasper attacked him with another hug, crying from happiness now. "Yes! Yes please!"

Venn hugged her back quickly. "Get your things packed up fast. Brielle and Giovanni are waiting."

Jasper leaped off of Venn and ran around collecting her few possessions. She nearly glowed with excitement. Venn left to wait downstairs. He stepped into the living room and saw that Brielle had finished as much of the paperwork as she could without Venn's signature as well.

Brielle looked up, mock accusation in her eyes. "Oh sure, now you show up."

Venn chuckled and sat next to her. "Oh come now. I know how much you love paperwork."

Giovanni giggled and Brielle rolled her eyes and shoved the papers into his lap. "And now it's your turn."

Venn sighed dramatically and started signing the papers. His head snapped up when Jasper stepped silently into the room. She had a backpack over her shoulder.

Brielle got up and walked over to Jasper. "Hey, Jasper! How's it going?"

Jasper grinned up at Brielle. "Amazing."

Brielle laughed. Giovanni got up and inched over. He gave Jasper an awkward hug. "Welcome to the family, sorella."

Venn watched them with a smile before turning back to the papers. It was a good day.

A very good day.