Sorana

"Yes, of course." She said, still not looking at them. "What information are you interested in? Maybe I have already gathered some that might work." She wondered why they didn't do anything themselves. If they had created the gods, why did they need her. It didn't really make sense and she frowned, placed a hand on the glass of the window, looking outside. She felt strange, as if she tried to grasp something that was beyond her head, impossible for her to really understand.

Mike frowned, wondered why Xanas knew about Wes, and then just shook his head. He knew, Maybe Snake had spilled some details. He reached into his pocket and held up his device. "I could send him a message." He offered, unsure what to do now. He wasn't quite sure how meeting Wes would help him protect him, apart from the fact that being close to Wes was always a plus. But if Xanas wanted to meet Wes, it meant he wanted to have Mike leave and if Mike was allowed to leave - a slight smile spread on his face. He wasn't stuck here. He could leave whenever he wanted. The thought soothed him and he lowered the device again, suspected that it wouldn't work inside of the alleys anyway. Instead he studied Xanas for a while, tried to remember their conversation so far. It was blurred, his memories had holes when he had lost control completely and he wasn't sure if he remembered correctly. In the end - he owed Xanas, and while the thought left a salty taste in his mouth he forced himself to smile. Without him, he would be lost already. "When you approached me," he finally started, "I wasn't on the height of things, but - do you need more information about this place as it is today? I could give your a tour or something." @18th Shard

Death and destruction. So she had been right. It was only about her sword. "I see." Sagitta replied quietly, finally looking away from them. They had created the gods and here she was, bound by oath to the one being that stood for everything she had tried to change. Her fingers moved along the sheath of her sword, touched it gingerly, as if caressing it. Her father had been right. Once you started to destroy, there was no way to stop. She had thought, had hoped that maybe teaching Price would change something, that she could force a crossroads where none had been, but she had been wrong. She was worth nothing but her sword. It wasn't about good or evil, but it obviously wasn't about herself either. It simply was and what she did with it, was totally up to her. Frowning she stood up, buckled her sword and walked over to the window, recalling the light. It hadn't needed that lightshow to intimidate her, she had never before broken her word and she didn't plan to start breaking it now. "What do you need me to do?" She asked, still looking outside, not questioning why she saw the road they were travelling on. It just belonged her in a way her parents and her home never had.

Lena nodded, considered the words of the Warrior. A plasma reactor, only one of their priests could install. They couldn't use it, and it sounded as if it was heavy, but if they had something as complicated as that, they had to have something easier, something they could work with. "I agree." She grinned at him and continued to follow the two in front of them. "And it reduces the risk on our part a lot." The marines looked scary, but then - she only needed to find the right poison and they would die as easily as everybody else. Maybe she would have some time to experiment as well. Or she returned and could add something to their provisions later? "Let's try to take a look at what they have and what is protected in what way." She suggested and started to walk our to the marines. @Grey Knight

Althea hid a grimace when she watched the Underling turn away. She wouldn't leave without him, couldn't leave without him, but thankfully Adren's words gave her a good excuse to stay for a while longer. "Get ready to leave." She told Wes in a quiet voice, and knew that Max would hear her words as well. The others - probably, but it didn't matter. It wasn't secret anyway. She shifted her weight to her other leg and looked at the woman, waited to see her reaction to Adren's proposal. She had picked up some atium, but if they were willing to hand over some more she wouldn't mind. In the end every single bead could proove helpful. @kenod @Ookla the Maybe-Existent

The woman laughed at his words. "As if you are able to do something against us, little boy." She shook her head and turned her back to them, heard the red haired girl shift, probably preparing to fight. She wasn't really worried about them. "I will leave, as soon as I learnt what I want to learn." She walked a few steps, as if to clear the entrance and then turned around again. "What can you tell me about Jenna?" Her voice was calm, soothing as she tried to convince them to talk to her, to tell her the truth. It was easy, so easy for them to do. They would lead her to that vicious creature and then she would rip her apart. One person less to organize resistance. And if some of these kids died during the process - only better. "We outnumber your two to one." She stated instead and smiled a vicious, feral smile. "We will kill you all. So I would adivce to consider your next words." @Lunamor @Eluvianii @Wyndlerunner

It's part of his job description. His words hurt, feel like sharp pieces of glass shoved under your skin. You should have known. It's always the same, there was no reason for this to be different. Instead you search and search, yearn for something you know you will never obtain and you end up walking into the same pit. Every. Single. Time. Bringing him here was a risk and now that all cards are played, you can only watch his in awe, wonder when you had started to loose it all. "And are you satisfied?" You ask, your frown invisible as you turn away from him, fetch a blanket to cover your creation. Your hands grip the fabric too tight, but you can't help yourself. Lifting a hand you study it intently, look at the sinew and muscles moving beneath your skin. When you peel a layer away it only gets more interesting. You are nothing but a hand, an object. Something people study and then discard. It's why you care. Why you keep them all around, why you try to ensure your creations live. Because they are the only ones that care if you are around. "Did you sate your curiosity?" Iritation leaks into your voice as you continue. You know that you shouldn't, that you'd better stay silent, but the words spill out of your mouth any way. "Or do you need me to balance on a stool and juggle some apples?"

Concept of Endings, Finality. Sagitta closed her hand around her blade when she understood that she had ended up in the same position as always. Someone needed a kill and they ended up talking to her. She suppressed a strained laugh and then shook her head. "Who are you?" She repeated her earlier question and decided to specify it. "How do you relate to the goods?"

Falling silent, Mike stared at him. A crossroads. He had arrived at a crossroads? He waited for Xanas to go on, to say something else, maybe to strap him down and laugh into his face. When none of this happened he shifted his weight uncomfortably, considered Xanas' words again. A crossroads. And it was his decision to leave. His hands moved to the spikes in his chest again, touched them nearly gently when he wondered what he might do next. He would lie if he said that it wasn't tempting. Power, ruling, to be a hero like the ones he had seen in the movies. There would be no need to bow before the likes of Ark anymore, because he could simply pick them up and set them aside. His feet shifted a little when he tried to comprehend the borders of this offer, when his mind jerked in fear again. It was a trap. It had to be a trap. He would choose something and he would end up with more spikes. He would be part of another experiment and when he left again, maybe he never left again. And yet - if Xanas was right, then this was a crossroads, a chance. A possibility to do something else and Mike would be stupid if he discarded it so easily. And so he nodded leaned against a wall. A chance. This could be his chance to do something, to change something. But he wasn't entirely sure how. His throughts returned to the question Xanas had asked. Who did he want to see in the mirror. And who did he want to leave behind. "I want to be able to protect my friends." he finally said, his words quiet, so quiet that they were hard to hear. "I want to be able to support them and to give them a chance to go on." He fell silent, felt into the darkness again. It was empty. Nothing was there, apart from himself. It was nearly, as if it has never existed before. Mike finally looked up at Xanas. He doubted, that this was, what the man had wanted to hear, had wanted for him to reply. He had somehow offered him a throne and Mike had declined. But if he was honest, if this was really about who he wanted to see in the mirror then there was only one possible path. He had to make up for what he had messed up, he had to become stronger to prevent something like this happening again. He would protect Wes, and he would protect all the others. And if he paid for it with his live, he didn't care. The resolve felt strange and good, incredibly good. It had been over a year since he last felt that much in control, that complete confidence in his own thoughts an opinions. And yet - he was still at Xanas' mercy. Nothing of this mattered if Xanas wiped it away. @18th Shard

Sagitta considered the words, frowning. They gave the person absolute control over her and her actions. They made it impossible for her to do something else but to go on and help his cause. She grimaced, remembered a different oath she had sworn. To protect her country. And the promise to Price to train him. Add something this large and she would be nothing but a ball tossed around, with no will of its own. And yet, she had to protect her country, if not the continent. "I, Sagitta T’Sora of Hopearaa of the Twin Concepts of the Creator, give my word to the Concept Last that I will assist it in the gathering of information relating to the deterioration of Hopearaa, and if required participate in actions to stop or slow this condition." she started and then added. "I pledge my Power and my intentions to this cause, as long as it does not lead to me breaking previous promises and oaths." She left her eyes on theirs, suspected that they could see her, would know how she held herself. Only when she had spoken did she realize that she had no idea who this twin concept was supposed to be. They had ten gods, not two. And who was that creator. Feeling cold she was glad she had altered the oath, and yet, how could she have missed this? How could she have overlooked something as obvious as that?

Shana inclined her head in agreement and followed Edwin. "I agree." She said loudly, if only to hear her voice herself. " They had no choice. Not if they wanted to go on with their fight. To leave them here, alone, living. It would mean a constant threat in their neighbourhood. The woman smiled at them and watched Shana step inside, her eyes dark. Too dark. Probably lenses hiding her real self. Shana's fingers tightened around the crystals in her pocket and she confidently walked into the house. There were others as well. She could see at least three, but maybe some of them were waiting behind corners. "How did you find us?" She asked and the woman laughed. "It was easy. You leave a rather thick trail behind." Tilting her head to the side her eyes stayed on Shana, as if she waiting to eat her. "I am looking for someone. Did you have any - recent additions?" @Wyndlerunner @Eluvianii

What journey did he choose to be on. Mike sighed and got up, removed the little instruments from his skin and placed them on a table. He moved slowly, as if in a dream, wondered what he was supposed to reply. His path, his journey. A hand moved through his hair, when he tried to come up with something good, something worth the praise. "I chose nothing." He said bitterly, shook his head, recalling the images he had seen. "I have a hard time following orders, I am eaten up alive by the wish for revenge." Turning around he stared into Xanas' eyes for the first time. "I am not worthy to be compared to Kelsier or some other hero, because I'm not a hero. I'm unable to support those I love, I allow those dear to me die." Taking a step forward his voice started to shake from anger, anger at himself, anger at everything. "Only because for once I know what I'm doing -" a laugh escaped his lips, "that won't be like that for long. My life will go on and I will fall back into who I was, I will loose control again. They are a part of myself, but they are still here, and I doubt they will vanish. I still have no idea what to do, how to do it and nothing I do can change that." His eyes burnt with frustration. "I didn't choose a bright, heroic path to embarc upon, I'm just a leaf drifting around, propelled by dark thoughts and desires, by nothing but revenge and fury keeping me flying." He fell silent and frowned, finally sorting through everything that had happened. He had disobeyed direct orders. He had abandoned an official task. He hadn't followed Wes. "I saw myself. Happy, living a peaceful life with my friends and family, without a guild to burden me." He finally started. "And I saw myself, a member of a guild, but a respected one, someone who belongs." His voice was quiet at these last words. "There is no way for me to any of these two versions of myself. I thorougly burnt those bridges already." @18th Shard

"Burn the gold. You'll have to tap the other metalmind to be able to. Concentrate on what you see." Snake nodded, eager to go on to get rid of the voices in her head. She knew that she was stronger than before, that she had never been as much in control as she was now. She reached out for the other medallion and quickly tapped it, the process easy now, that she knew what she was supposed to do. Feeling into herself she looked for a change, her mouth opening in surprise at the reserve that had appeared in her chest. It was beautiful and she smiled, unconciously tasting the air again, before reaching for the power resting inside of her. It responded, as eager as she was to get this over with, to finish this progress, to finally be herself. Images sprang up in the air in front of her and she flinched back, as if hit by a strong slap. Mike was staring at her, his eyes dark and sad. He was wearing simple dark cloths, but his body was obviously weaker than the one she used, and he held himself in a harmless, soft way that repulsed her. Her eyes moved to his arm and she frowned in surprise when she saw the the tattoo was missing and now that she was looking closely. He appeared to be a child. There was nothing hard, nothing strong in the way he glanced around, nothing but weakness and innocence. This boy never had harmed anybody. With a disgusted noise she turned away, only to find another Mike staring at her. This Mike had the tattoo and he looked like the one she knew. But his gaze was strong and self confident, and he carried himself with a natural calm and peace that she had never seen in the Mike she used. At least not, when he was in charge. He was always grovveling around, trying to make everybody happy, trying to help the weak ones. With disdain she looked at the two faces, and then stopped. There was no point to go on. Mike stared at himself, at the choices he'd done or not done. Join the Ghostbloods or leave them alone. Try to revenge his friend or leave it alone. He stared and stared, at the calmness both versions of him emanated at the strange peace they all felt. Versions of himself that he could have been, if he had considered his actions for once, instead of rushing into everything without thinking twice. His eyes rested on the Mike that had been wise enough to not attack Ark, at the way he held himself, how he self strong and self confident. It hurt to see himself like that, so strong so calm, like a person that had earned the promotion he had declined. Suddenly the images were gone again and he paused, realized that he wanted to see them again. He reached for the reserve and the pictures appeared again, allowed him to see who he could have been, if he had been a wiser person. Who he could have been. Not who he was. He felt his body flinch, jerk in confusion when the images appeared again shortly after they had vanished, but he ignored it. Instead he reached out for the other medallion, tapped what had been stored inside. It felt strange, to do something, without having control over his body, but at the same time it worked, easily and quickly, as if he had done nothing else for years. Something changed around him, the darkness vanishing, and Mike turned around his own axis, as he saw them all. Snake, her tongue tasting the air, her scales a beautiful green that shone in the gently light around them. Fox, his fur not bloddy anymore, his eyes intelligent and strong, sitting there, his tail moving slightly now and then. Squirrel, sitting attentively on her hindlegs, her ears and face towards him. Salmon, as usual quiet and calm, but a part of the others just the same. Mike's eyes widened in surprise as he continued to turn as he saw the others waiting for him here. Wolf, licking his paws, his ear twitching every now and then. And squid, floating in the air as if it was water, radiating the quiet friendliness he had come to love. He paused when he saw the empty spot where Pocupine would have waited for him, a pang of sadness making his eyes water. He had lost her. The moment he had ripped the spike out he had lost her. Mike found himself smiling at them, despite the months of warring against each other, of fighting, of running away and hiding. There were here, they belonged to him, just as he belonged to them. Together they formed a larger picture, a whole image, on their own they were incomplete. He closed his eyes and then took a step forward. Mike opened his eyes. They were dark, their pupils round like a humans. He was still tapping identity could feel something change as he more and more resumed control over his body, over who he was. He opened his fingers, let go of Xanas wrist and touched the spikes hidden beneath his shirt. As usual they were cool to the touch, but for the first time he felt as if they were a part of him. He hadn't chosen them, hadn't chosen this path. But he had made the choice leading to it and while he could fight, could berate himself for years and years to come, he could also accept it, and just go on. "Thank you." He said quietly, not quite meeting Xanas eyes, lingering fear making him weary.

But I want to be here. The words struck her core like a spear of light and she nodded, her throat closing. It wanted to be here, be with her. It thought she was special. She continued to hold on to it, tried to keep up with what was happening and somehow failed. Her thoughts continued to turn around that one single part. It wanted to be here, it wanted to stay. It was the first time someone wanted to be around her, saw more in her than just a possibility to impress their neighbours, or a sword to kill their enemies. The words. She knew the words, had heard of them years ago, when she still had been her mother's beloved doll, smiling and pouring tea for their guests. She had changed, had seen it in her sister's eyes, in the way she had stared at her, at her scars and her weapon. She was a stranger, had cut all ties to her past and she might be able to forge them anew. With time and some luck probably as well. But this, this was different. This wasn't about her sister or the girl she had been. This was about herself about the woman she had become. The spren was here because of her. The same thought repeated again and again in different ways but all leading to the same point. She wasn't going to let him go again. She wanted for him to stay. And so she would speak the oath. "Life before death." She started, her voice low as if unsure if she could really do this. "Strength," a pause when she considered the next ones when she questioned herself again. Could she do this? Could she really bind herself to words, to these ideals. So easily make a decision that would influence her whole life, that would change everything. A decision she had no idea how huge, how massive its consequences would be. "before weakness. Journey before destination." She continued quickly before she would stop, before she lost her courage. She nearly squeezed her eyes shut, fear that it hadn't worked, that she had messed it up one way or the other clutching her heart.

Shana nodded and smiled at them, then walked over to the door. She forced a sweet smile on her face, tried to look as harmless as possible. Most likely this was nothing. Just some harmless people living peacefully next to them. She looked for a door bell, but as she couldn't find any, she lifted a hand and knocked. The sound seemed to be weak, but it didn't take long for steps to approach and the woman she had seen earlier opened the door. Short dark hair hung around her forehead and her ears, dark eyes swept over the group of them. "Hello-" Shana started but the woman only smiled. "I have waited for you." She replied without saying anything else and smiled. A shivver ran along Shana's spine at this smile and she found her own smile vanishing. "You better step inside. We don't want to disturb the poor civilians living in the houses all around us?" The woman continued and Shana needed a moment to grasp the situation. So she had been right. Something was off with this person. @Wyndlerunner @Lunamor @Dr. Dapper @Eluvianii

Snake smiled at the explanation and sat down when the servant brought a chair over. He didn't move as quickly as she would have liked, but Mike wouldn't have scolded him, so she carefully kept quiet. It sounded easy. Use the one with the identity and replace herself with Mike. She had no use for the second one, knew who he was and who she wanted to be. This was her chance. Mike was too weak and Fox, hopefully these medallions would help her to deal with Fox easily. She closed her hand around the medallion and concentrated, tried to figure out how she was supposed to tap some invisible identity stored inside. Mike looked around in the darkness surrounding him, covering him completely. It was eerie, the way it was so quiet, how it was so calm and still. At first he didn't even know who had taken over, only when he saw Fox lying around, appearently sleeping and found Squirrel sitting on his shoulder that he realized that it had been Snake. She had used his fear, his lack of control to ease him out of his place and gently set him aside. He stared up, somehow glad that Snake was gone, that he had escaped the situation and sat down, holding Squirrel to his chest. He would wait. Snake usually grew bored of being in control sooner rather than later. "She won't hand control back." The voice was quiet, nearly unhearable and he turned his head, looked at Salmon. "The medallions will decide who you will be and if she is in charge, she will continue to be." Cold ran along his spine and he felt a weight settle on his chest. So this was it. This was his end. And he had never even managed to find the one who had killed his friend. Staring into the darkness he sat there, did nothing while he tried to understand and to grasp what happened. He was here, she was up there. It had been a long time since he had been able to pull her back down and to reassert control all by himself. Something changed, the darkness growing smaller and Fox jumped to his feet, looked around, tried to find the reason. Salmon only turned around, swam away and Mike stood up again, looked at his hands, at his arms. He was growing transparent, was loosing his shape. Snake. She was strengthening herself, strengthening the part of him that was her, erasing him completly. Squirrel shuddered and Mike pushed against the darkness, fear racing through his body, followed by desperation. This was his body, his place. He had to look after Wes, had promised the other one, that he would be there for him. He had wanted to become someone Wes could trust, but so far, he had failed. He needed more time, needed to find the murderer, needed to find a way to protect Wes. Mike reached out for Snake and he pulled, pulled and pulled but nothing changed and he screamed, pulled some more. This was his body, his place. And he couldn't leave it to Snake. He had condemned one friend. He couldn't betray another. His left arm shot forward, scales vanishing and he reached for Xanas hand to grip it in a painfully tight grip. "Help." He whispered.

To save the world. He wanted her to help to save the world. Somehow she knew that it was true and she reacher over to her sword, it's weight comforting and calming. She wanted to fight for her country, wanted to protect. It was the reason she had decided to follow her father and brothers. "What do I need to do?" She asked and looked directly into their eyes.

"That depends." She replied slowly, considered her next words. She still couldn't place him and she didn't know how he was. He had intruded into her home and while she trusted her mother to allow only trusted persons into their house - there was no legitimation to him and to his words at all. "What are you aiming to achieve with it?" She asked and then added something else, something even more important. "And who are you working for?"

The words. Temeria found herself smiling when the spren twined itself around her hand, body glowing a warm orange. It held on to her, stared up with burning enthusiasm. Light makes fire, fire makes light. Light. Somehow she knew, that it wasn't talking about program. It was looking at her, as if she was important, as if it wanted to be here with her. And it had followed her around, even into the alley. Gently she tightened her fingers a little around the spren and tried to understand what she was supposed to do now. Light the fire. "You're no fire spren, are you?" She said quietly, voiced her thoughts about how different the spren behaved from the ones she remembered. It played with fire, but it was too intelligent, acted in a way that made sense. Spren didn't make sense like that. They appeared and they played, but this one, it was holding on to her, it talked to her. More like Aln's spren had acted than - Aln's spren. She frowned looked at the spren again, tried to see something, anything out of place. There was nothing, apart from the fact that it was touching her, that it was clinging to her hand. And that alone was enough to make her pause to recall what had happened so far. It had followed them, had imitated Mac, had played with the children and it had always followed her around. It had never stopped, had searched for her, had looked for her. It was special. And it wanted to be with her. She looked up at a loud sound from outside she couldn't place, listened for something indicating that this was a threat. The sound vanished again and left her behind in the empty, quiet house. Programs faint light slightly illuminated the room around her, as did the candles. Somehow that only enhanced the loneliness of the situation. She was used to the laughter of soldiers, of loud drunken voices, of shouting, boasting and gambling. Not this eerie quiet all around. Taking a deep breath she forced her attention back to the spren, concentrated on the way it was holding on to her hand. It was here. And it wanted to be here. She repeated the words to herself. It wanted to be here. It wanted to be with her. It had even asked if she wanted to be his friend. It could have left long ago, could have left her alone. But it hadn't. It had stayed. "If I say the words." She said quietly, hesitantly, nearly had to force the words out of her mouth. They felt stale, weak, as if there should be a better reason, some noble goal. But here, with the emptiness pressing in on her, she found herself trembling slightly as she forced herself to form the next sentence. Three words, that included everything else, that spoke of nights alone and in darkness, of her brother and sister turning away of friends lying dead on the battlefield around her. Some had betrayed her, some had discarded, but they had all left. Left until she had nothing to hold on to, until she had been desperate enough to try to get home, if only to see the town where she had grown up again. She stared back into the spren's face, wrapped her other hand around it's back, held on to it. "Will you stay?"

Brashen perked up after a while and Althea turned slightly in the direction he indicated. She watched them arrive, several of them and made sure to keep a part of her attention with Max and Wes. She wouldn't loose them now. Not here, not to the DA. Not when they had found something that at least resembled a peaceful solution. Calmly she watched them approach, her share of atium heavy and cold in her bag. It would be interesting to see if they would keep to the agreement they had come to. "Then we will leave you to it." she replied, not insisting to learn their name. It wasn't neccessary, and she doubted she would get anything to work with anyway. Instead she tried to commit their faces to memory and slung her bag over her shoulder, got ready to leave. She waited for Wes and Max, shot a look at Adren to see if he would stay, of if he was interested to take a look at some of the mushrooms they saw earlier. This was it. She'd gone on an expedition and it ended up with calling the DA to take care of things. It was strange and at the same time it was also comforting. She had considered so many things these last weeks, stepping down, leaving, maybe changing her life fundamentally, but in the end, in the end this place was her home. With the DA, with the conflicts with TUBA and with all the crazy stuff going on. And yet, when it came down to it, then suddenly they were able to talk, were able to come to a solution. It was strange, but at the same time, it was also good. Let the DA take care of things. this place belonged them anyway and she knew, that they had no intention to destroy it completely. At least not now. They somehow needed that place as well, if only to find subjects for their experiments. She never quite turned away from them while she waited for the others to get ready to leave as well. It was a good ending. A lot better than fighting each other to the bone. @kenod @Ookla the Maybe-Existent @ElephantEarwax

Your eyes never leave Sloane as he slowly walks around the table, his eyes wide as he takes your creation in. You lower yours and step back, give him the space to admire, to take a close look should he want to. It's not perfect, but it's close. As close as you are able to get with your current skill and knowledge. When he finally stopps and looks at you, he smiles and you allow your lips to smile as well, enjoy the way he looks at you, how his eyes move over your body. You know what he sees, the white cloths, the long blonde hair carefully held back by your braid. The way your eyes lit up when you smiled as well and of course the slight curve of your beautifully crafted red lips. Straight bones support your flesh and muscle, sinew and skin and while you trained, while you perfected it, you always had a very good base to work with. Why him. He asks the question as if it is the last riddle, the last information he misses, only to add another one, easily opening the door and inviting reality. Of course he would ask. Even someone without any medical knowledge at all has to be able to come to the conclusion, that you didn't create your body yourself. There is no way to create your own body. He is turned fully towards you, waiting for a reply while you try to figure out what to say, how to shape your thoughts into words and finally decide to answer them one after the other. "He isn't here." You say, a shadow flickering across your face. "He is in the north, looking after his own." It's vague and you know that he won't be satisfied with this reply, but you aren't willing to discuss your father with him. Despite the years, despite everything, you can't bring yourself to it. Not now, not today. Instead you make sure to force some lightness into your voice when you continue to speak. "I could ask the same." You say, proud that your voice isn't shaking at all. "Why did you decide to follow?" @Ookla the Maybe-Existent

A soldier. The words rang true and when she looked at the sword again, she knew that it was hers. And her fathers. He had given it to her, when she had joined the ranks. "Why are you here, Last?" She asked after a while, tried to place his words about her willing her father to be here and failing. Her father was at the front, fighting, same as her brothers. There were only she, her sister and her mother left and she doubted she could count herself. She was only here to spend a few days home before setting out again, off to a new place. To the far north of their territory this time, farther than she had been so far. They needed reinforcements and so she would go. Sagitta looked at her arms, at her wrists, the skin smooth and without any scars. A fact that would be changed soon.

Frozen Mike stared at the decive on his arm, stared and stared while the Man approched and place the amulets around his neck and stuffed them beneath his shirt. They were cool on his hot skin and he waited, waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Instead he relaxed slowly, his thoughts turning slightly sluggish when the toxin spread through his body. Tap the medallions. The words slowly registered and he wondered what he was suppossed to do. This was meant to help him. Help him? There was no way to help him. He looked up at Xanas, his fear slightly subsiding for the moment. Trapped, he was still trapped but for now, he might even be safe. Snake wrapped herself around him and peeked out at Xanas. She could test him, ask for something, see if the man meant what said. If he really wanted to help, maybe this was her chance. She could get rid of fox and of Mike at the same time. Squirrel might make a nice next meal and that fish, she didn't need to worry about a fish. "Could you contact Wes?" she asked, because that was, what Mike would have done, cold calculation slightly coloring her voice. "He will worry about me." Me not us. She wouldn't make squirrel's mistakes. She would trick that man. Her tongue darted out of Mike's mouths slightly longer than before when she tasted the air. "And how do I tap the amulets?" She added another question to keep him distracted. If things worked out as planned, this body would finally be hers and hers alone. @18th Shard

I'm finally done with the blanket.