Torn Fabric, Torn Heart

Miriam had walked up the stairs quickly, but hesitated with taking the last few steps, not sure if she wanted to see what was up there. When it was from Rin, she expected the worst. It could be a trap, she could get killed up there, but she doubted as much. He had probably left in a hurry as he was hurt, not stayed behind to set up a death trap.
She had taken a deep breath as she walked up the last couple of steps.
Now she was sitting on the floor with the bloodied top in her hands, doing nothing but stare at it. She didn't know what it meant, but she saw it more as a warning than anything else. Rin was deadly, even if she hadn't treated him like it earlier, she realized that now.
Letting her thumb run over the ripped fabric, stained with blood, she unwillingly let out a sudden sob.
She had not wanted to cry, but the tears had welled up in her eyes so fast she did not even have time to realize what she was doing until she had broken down completely, hugging the top tightly as she let her knees curl up, resting her head on them.
She had tried to be so strong, so brave. She just wanted to get the bastards, and not let them see her hurt. She had wanted so badly to pretend everything was okay. Like she wasn't phased by it. Like she didn't care. But she did, she was only human after all.
Her family had been all she had, and they were all gone now... both of them...
A furious frown grew on her red face and tears kept streaming down her face.
She cursed herself for being so weak.

Proteus had waited for a while in the hallway, a long while according to him. Miriam had asked him to wait there, but she had also said that it wouldn't have taken a lot, but she still wasn't back.
Proteus frowned: had he to go to check if everything was alright? She was the kind of girl that didn't appreciate to be bothered, but it was even true that it had passed a long time and in a situation like that was pretty normal worry...
He looked at the stairs: maybe he should have gone, maybe he should have stayed... in the end he sighed and approached the stairs. If everything was alright, and he really hopes so, he hoped she wouldn't be mad at him for have reached her. But, to be sure to not commit again the same imprudences of the last times, he put a hand on the knife that he was keeping tied to the belt, ready to use it.
He started silently to climb the steps, careful to every noise he could listen, and after a short while he actually listened something... it seemed that someone was crying... it seemed Miriam but he couldn't be totally sure: still walking silently, he reached in the end the last steps where Miriam was.
She was alone and... she was actually crying.
"Miriam! Are you ok? What's happened?" he asked approaching her with an honestly worried expression on his face

"I told you to stay!" she yelled loudly, with a broken voice, as she whipped her head around. It was an abrupt, sudden outburst of panic.
Quickly she wiped away her tears, but her red eyes were still red. In either case he had already seen her.
Her heart was beating wildly in her chest by the thought of him seeing her, and it only made her want to cry more. However she did not, the tears had completely stopped running. What was he doing there?
In a heartbeat she was on her feet, trying to shake it off, but her legs were unsteady as she got up.
"We need to.. ehh.. get rid of this," she said more calmly as she held up her bloody shirt.

He had actually expected a similar reaction from her, so he wasn't too surprised to hear her yell against him. But he couldn't help but keep being worried: was it just a break down due to the whole situation, or had happened something? He didn't know, but he knew she wouldn't have replied to his question so he avoided to ask.
He would have wanted to help her, somehow, to dry her eyes, to comfort her, but she was a 'tough girl' and he had the neat impression that she would have simply refused every attention.
But in the end he couldn't help and he had at least to tell her "Miriam... in a situation like that is normal to cry, is just being human, is not a weakness." he gave her a hint of a smile before to continue serious "I won't push you, but if you need to talk, just come to me."
He was honest, it was clear in his glance, but after all he always was.
When she made him look at the bloody shirt he repressed all his disgusted and worried feelings, instead he simply nodded.

She ignored his every word as she bent over and grabbed her bra as well, tucking it inside the top to keep it away from Proteus' eyes.
"Let's go," she said sternly as she walked past him, not even looking at him in fear he would notice her red eyes again and be reminded.
She walked straight down the stairs and into the kitchen, quickly throwing it in the bin. Ideally she would have burned it, but found it impossible in a situation like this. They would have no where to burn it.