The shadow ball shivered and pulsated, as if it was something alive, when Amante came closer. It stilled then, but a shadowy tendril reached out and touched his hand, then wrapped around it. It felt like something physical, cold yet warm at the same time, in an impossible manner. A moment later, something human like separated from the mass, its hand being the tendril now, which it moved and threw Amante at the wall, with full force.

"Depart now, thou hath no dealings here," the being spoke, it's voice quiet, but certainly audible.

Within the ball, Leila knew someone had approached, but she had no idea who it was... She just wanted it to leave, whatever it took. The girl whimpered quietly, but the sound set off a coughing fit, which left bloody marks on her hand.

Alice watched as he was taken away to another room. She was concerned but she knew he would be ok. Staying back against the pillows, she closed her eyes and listened to a soft scuttling and a low growl, all of which she thought were a delusion... and she drifted off to sleep.

__


Outside, Eve was munching on an apple while sitting on the bad of a younger male, whom was on his hands and knees. She watched the others brawl each other and picked up a rock, throwing it at one of them, "Come on!" She yelled, "Keep your hands UP!" Aggravated, she shook her head and took another bite out of her apple.

A low growl rang in her ears and she looked over her shoulder and spotted a figure crawling along the walls of the buildings far behind herself. Dismissing it, she turned back to the group infront of her and paused. The male under her had complained, well, he'd asked when his sentence was over. Without blinking or a twitch of expression, she told him, "Now."

Eve stood up and heeled him in the gut, then hooked her foot over his side further from herself and hopped up while kicking him forward and into the fray, "Horde him!" Everyone she could see who was practicing rushed him and pummeled at him until she told him to stop. They backed off after a good 3 minutes and he looked pretty horrible.

She walked over and grabbed him by the shirt, jerking him from the ground and tossing him into another brawler, "Take him out." She nodded and helped him keep standing and quickly led him up to the hospital. Unsatisfied, she tore another piece out of her apple and continued to oversee the group.

He was forced back against a wall and quickly rebounded, a growl broiling inside of his torso and throat. Dusting himself off, he approached, "I know Leila is in there and I can smell her blood." They'd made the mistake of opening up, leaving her open to the senses of others. "She's not going to get any help here because she's completely isolated and no where is around for miles."

He pointed at the shadows, knowing how childish and blindly subservient they could be, "If you want her to live, you need to ignore her wishes and let me take her to safety." Amante withdrew his ponting finger and crossed his arms against his chest, "Or would you rather lose your master forever?"

The ball quivered, as if it had received a direct hit, at his words. Only thing that remained still was the shadow that had separated it self from the rest. The tentacle had retreated from Amante's body, but it was swaying dangerously close.

"Our mighty mistresss... she doth not perisssh so lightly. Take thou deceit elsssewhere." This Shadou, much older than the rest, had seen many masters come and go, and was not as gullible as the others, his mind having come back close to the state of a regular human. It was worried greatly, though, and wished that the mistress would let this being help her.

"Enough," Leila gasped. "Thank you, but enough." The shadows immediately retreated, to a form of shadowy tentacles, snaking around her, and that one Shadou, who knelt down next to the girl. She crawled back a little with its help, to rest her back against the wall and looked at the tall man from under her bangs. There were bags under her eyes and blood on her chin, and with her face paler than normally, it stood out very much.

Casually, she took out handkerchief and wiped blood, then drank a bit water. As Amante hadn't left, she sighed. "The 'enough' was directed at you, too. Just leave. You can't do anything about it. It's an old injury." The girl smoothly lied, looking in his eyes, not even a muscle on her face betraying her. "I am already better in any case."

Leila had let the shadow ball go only because she needed to move and inject medicine, but within it, it was rather hard. While the shadows gave her strength, they sometime limited the humanly actions.

"I see you're doing well," Elek commented, stopping nearby. "Maybe I should take some lessons from you, too. I don't think my tutor was as good as you," he chuckled. "But he could match you in strictness, that's for sure." The man recalled all the bruises, injuries and curses he had received, as well as the broken bones his inability had earned him. Only the fact he had treated others just as harshly brought some peace to Elek's mind. That man had taught him many great lessons, the rest he had to figure out on his own.
"Thank you for doing this.

Elek leaned against the table slightly. Seeing had become harder after his trip to Alice's mind, but otherwise, he perceived information more clearly. It was strange to start relying more on human emotion location than actual vision and Elek hoped it would change back to normal. He never complained to anyone about his problems, but the man still got tired of being the cripple that he knew he was. Seeing all the emotions in the 'court room' had taken a deal out of him, too, and all that had been said would occupy his mind for quite a while more.

He frowned at her as she denied his help and put his hands up at his sides, "What? You think just because busybody up top that you can't accept help from people like us? No." Amante approached her and scooped her up into his arms. He could smell the drugs on her and in her things and knew this was not only caused by a sickness, but he said nothing. "Do you have any more medicine?"

The plan was for her to inject herself or take a pill, again, if she needed to. Then, he would take her back to the outpost and have her looked at, maybe sweat out the drugs or get some answers from her. Either way, leaving her here was not an option and it was obvious.

One of her brows quirked and she scoffed, talking to him over her shoulder without glancing over as she was too busy watching all of the pricks scramble. "Just keep paying me and I'll make sure they can defend themselves for once." She bit out another piece of the apple and tossed away the core as she chewed, both hands on her hips.

She knew he was blind, as did everyone else, but it was never a forethought. If anything, she'd always forgotten about it and, even when she looked at his face, she didn't see the glaze. She knew it was there, she wasn't blind like him or ignorant like some newbie who just came in through the tunnels, she just didn't recognize it. To her, he was not a cripple.

"Wha-" Leila began, but then Amante picked her up as if she weighted nothing and it was the most casual thing in the world. Her eyes widened and she gasped, shocked. This girl didn't like to be touched by anyone and this was by far too close contact. The feeling of being exposed and weak in front of him became overwhelming.

"HEY! Let me go! You're the busybody here who thinks he can do whatever the fuck he pleases!" She shouted and struggled, but it turned into another coughing fit which left her gasping for air. Leila felt that tears were about to come in her eyes, and in spiteful anger, she aimed an attack at point she knew would make him fall and release her, but, something held her hand back.
"I beg thee, mistress, if it hath come to this moment, let the man help thee."

"People like you... are the reason I have to keep going on no matter what." Leila didn't explain what she meant with it, but bit her lip and turned face away from him. There was always someone stronger, someone who would simply overpower her. This time, Amante meant no harm, but if it was someone else, she could already by dead by now. Indeed, woman was no match for man sometimes and nothing aggravated her more than that.

"Yes, I have medicine, that's why I said you can leave me alone. But you don't listen to anything." She swallowed hard. "Put me down and let me take my things and medicine." Her tone was cold, and the girl was still not looking at Amante.

"Then I will stop by tomorrow. Good luck," Elek nodded and left. He sensed that Eve might not think of him highly, but her reasons did not grow from the fact he was blind, and that was a rare trait. Only few people looked past the fact and simply forgot or didn't accept it. They then became his friends. And although the man wasn't sure Eve would ever be friends with him, there was a chance they would earn each other's respect. And that, in this wretched world where everything was based on one's powers and position, was such a precious thing.

Aiolia had watched the small word exchange from afar, and her thoughts grew a little heavy. She wished she could know what either of them were thinking, or that she could beat Eve... Be helpful. The more gifted people came, the harder it was to be the useless one. And although Elek never made her notice that, and made her feel worthy, Aiolia knew that when time would come, he would have to rely on the changed ones, on Eve... Would she eventually be cast away? No, Elek thought of her as friend. But friend only. With a sigh, she turned around and left, to have few hours of sleep.

He let her struggle and held onto her. He did not squeeze her tight or confine her but simply made sure she would not fall out of his arms. When she was done and turned away from him, he let her speak and say her bit. Obviously, she was damaged and he could feel it even if he couldn't see it. The worst and most insensitive thing to do would be to point it out and it didn't even cross his mind to do so.

When she mentioned her medicine, he grabbed her things and carefully rustled through it. quietly, he asked her, "Is it this one?" He showed her the needled and knew, if it wasn't this that it would be the pills as that was all there were. His tone was calm and almost caring. He just wanted to help her, that was it. No strings attached, no repaying, no nothing. She didn't even have to thank him.

Eve barked another order at the group and, when they were done brawling, she made them run it off for an hour, nonstop movement. If they got too slow, below a job, she'd kicked them over and have everyone trample them. The training was brutal and inhumane, but they needed to know their limits and how to push past them to create new limits. That was part of becoming a warrior. Luckily for them, bullets were not involved.

by about an hour or two after dinner, they were released to go eat. She grabbed two trays for herself and went back to her home, kicking the door open, then shut and locking it up before dropping one tray onto the floor and sitting down against the door. It was homemade pizza with some veggies and weird jello shit with marshmallows and... pineapple? She grimaced, "Ugh, gross."

She shoved the dessert off onto Evan's tray, whom was already snarfing at the food after dropping down from the ceiling. Eve started to eat at the pizza, letting out a quiet groan of enjoyment. She hadn't had pizza in a while and it was so damned good. finally, between bites, she asked, "So, what did you see?" White teeth tore cheese off from the rest of the slice and her tongue scooped it up into her mouth.

Evan snarled over her plate, slashing at the floor with a claw and inhaling sharply through her nostrils. Eve kept silent and listened, watching, the night soon growing quiet as they ate and tended to themselves for the night...

"Yes," she said quietly, pain coming back for another round. "But give me the pills." Leila hesitated for a moment, thinking if she should explain that she didn't have much of the liquid, stronger pain killer left. But then decided to leave it out. Amante didn't need to know all the reasons or details. He already knew too much, far too much... A sigh broke out of her lips and the girl squeezed eyes shut, trying to endure the pain quietly. Her hands clenched, knuckles turning white, and nails dug deep in her palms. It would it would be too disarming to let Amante know how she suffered, to turn to him for comfort. When she did, she would have put all her dignity and weapons down, drawing red circle on her heart, so there was no chance he would miss. It was enough that she had made that mistake once...

Shadows swarmed around them like water, they sneaked tentacles up to Leila, to touch her and comfort her as they could, not really caring if they were exposed anymore. She was their Mistress, their black light in the world, the beacon light to call them. Many of them had been shaped by her, out of torment and sadness, and they were thankful to her. Others, especially the older ones, appreciated the way Leila treated them - not as slaves or minions, but comrades and even friends. Some understood her pain, her past. And all wanted to be there for her during hard times.

He gave a nod and rummaged through the bag, finding the pills. Fingers dropped the covered syringe inside and he carried pressed the pills into her mouth. "Do you have any water?" Amante started to rummage through the bag again, looking for a bottle of some kind with water or juice for her to take her medicine with.

"Yea," Leila replied, slightly muffled. "In the outer pocket," she added a moment later. Her head was getting heavy and dizzy, as if her brains were getting stuffed with fluff, or something like that. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all that she didn't have to walk... The thought passed quickly, though, and didn't make aggravation disappear. "Out of all people to find me, it just had to be this stalker..." the girl thought, a little sadly. Then again, if it had been an enemy, that would have turned out a lot worse and bloody. She wouldn't be taken down too easily, even in this current state.

When Amante found the drink and gave it to her, Leila gulped the water down nearly greedily. Her mouth felt so dry, the saliva was sticky. Not to mention, the pills were about to start melting on her tongue and that wouldn't be pleasant. "So, you're gonna put me down now, since I am being a 'good girl'?" Leila asked him, throwing a questioning glance in his direction, with slight sarcasm in her voice, but the tiredness was far more prominent.

"We got it, we got it!" someone banged on Elek's door, yelling excitedly. The man jumped in his seat, then rushed over to the door and opened it. Two boys stumbled in the room, followed by a man in his forties and woman who looked like made of liquid metal or glass. The latter two, of course, were much calmer, but they carried a sense of accomplishment as well.

"Calm down and tell me how it went. Are you all fine?" Elek asked, looking them all over in his mind's eye the best he could. When he was assured that they indeed were fine, he suggested moving to 'sitting room' and maybe eat something while their adventures were retold. The idea was cheerfully accepted and everyone ate cookies (saved for special occasions), washing them down with too dark and bitter coffee soon.

The four, mostly Keyth and Mike in their unique 'finish each other's sentences in perfect sync' manner, retold how they had sneaked in the large hospital, past all the guards and people there, and into laboratories. It had included lots of sneaking, few struggles with the personnel, disguises and other such 'cool things'. Predicting it would be so, Elek had strongly opposed to the idea of twins going on this mission, but they were needed as technicians. However, all was well than ended well, and Elek felt happy and relieved.

The group had brought back the artificial shoulder join that Ryan's arm needed. But it wasn't just a simple thing, they had gotten the best possible. With a special metal bone fragment, when placed in his arm, it would 'grow' over time and merge with the bones of his whole arm and hand, therefor strengthening and supporting it. The operation had been put off for the past few days because they lacked this item. It had been debated that Keyth and Mike could try to make an artificial arm for Ryan, but there was much higher chance of it not being successful, his body not accepting it or an infection spreading around, as well the operation would be harder on his weakened body.

After all the details had been discussed, and the excitement had died down a little, they went to sleep. Elek knew it was going to be an awfully long day tomorrow, and he looked towards it with mixed feelings.

Aiolia was not one to sulk for long. Yesterday's gloominess was now replaced with steely determination to make the best she could of her human life. Another thought was stirring in back of her mind, but while the plan was not set, becoming stronger was the best option. So, she arrived to hand to hand combat class, along with the 'older members'. The girl had not taken part before, because she was quite good at it, but now she wanted to improve, as much as possible.

Elek stopped next to her, on the edge of the group. He wasn't ashamed to be beaten, even in front of other people, but he hoped to put up at least a decent fight. Against other students, it wouldn't be hard, unless Eve forbade for him to peak into their minds. But, that would be basically taking away a sense from him, and she didn't do it with others, so the man doubted that. He chatted it up with Aiolia and few other people, before Eve arrives. Most seemed to be worn down and tired, even annoyed, but their pride made them come back.

Ryan sat in wheelchair and felt rather strange, as they wheeled him to the operation room. It had been just not long ago that he had been a prisoner, even if Elek had promised to take care of his health, and now he was treated just like any patient. A quick change, but not unpleasant.

Ryan had asked to go to Alice, but she was fast asleep, and while he wished they could've spent some time together, the man was glad she was resting. He thought that it would be nice to tell her later that now him and his arm would be all right and 'fancied up'. Ryan was somewhat nervous about the operation, but not as much as some would expect. The medicine and fewer had dulled his senses and fears somewhat.

He was helped on the table and the nurse added nodes to his head. The little machine was supposed to tell doctor how much anesthesia he could take. Doctor seemed a little displeased with the result, but proceeded with the preparations. After a little while, Ryan submitted to anesthesia without much troubles.

As various examinations showed, part of Ryan's arm bones had simply turned soft, and the nerves nearby had also started dying, due to the poison. The bullet had gotten stuck in his bone and spread its deadly content without much trouble. It took a while for the doctor to clean everything and take out the damaged, unusable bone, but finally, he was able to insert the new joint and work onto getting it connected. Ryan came closer to waking, so they put mask on him.

Eventually, the operation was successfully finished and Ryan was transported back to his room. First thing he realized when he woke up was that Earth really spun - well, his room certainly. He stifled a groan and squeezed eyes shut. That didn't help, though. Ryan felt dizzy, stiff and nauseous, and just wanted to be alone. But, in next few hours, he had various visitors, such as Elek and Aiolia, and the mechanic twins. They all wished him good recovery and the boys were all too enthusiastic, telling how 'totally awesome' he is going to be with his new metal arm when it's done "growing". Finally, he was left in peace and could sleep.

With some difficulty, he opened up the bottle, after finding it, while carrying her in his arms and helped her take a few gulps. He capped the bottle and put it into her bag, which he lay on her stomach and started walking. With a smile, Amante remarked, "Not a chance." He continued forward through the darkness of the sewers and continued, "Get some rest. I'll wake you up when we get there..."


November 30th, Chicago; Sewer #17.


But he didn't. Amante entered the camp and took her to her tent, where he lay here down in bed, tossed her bag under the bed but where it could be easily reached and tucked her in under the blankets.