Ask to Join Powerless

[AssassinGallade]

“Thank you Easen.” Marybelle said as she returned to her feet, “it joys me to know that I’ll have some help controlling Mallory and Arisa, as for the food, I honestly don’t know, our best bet was finding on making a bowl like object or something similar and then having Fire boy over there heat it up but as you can probably tell he’s probably not recovering any time soon.” She told the young man.

———

At this point Mallory had his sights set on the blood knights, a sort of target that he has decided to steer clear from, “I didnt look at the stars last night, that’s how worried I was, I was so tired after using up my energy in my new form, and so busy trying to get Arisa to safety that I couldn’t look up even once to search the skies.” He thought to himself, “my bow is broken, if I were to get into a fight now it’s be at a severe disadvantage and I’d probably die, I’m going to have to ask Marybelle to either fix my bow or let me borrow one of her weapons until I can find someone who can, as for my new form, it engulfed my body in ice entirely but I wasn’t as powerful and I was only able to do it until Arisa was safe, perhaps it was rage, or.” Mallory stopped his thought as he came to the conclusion and laughed, “I was scared, it took me trying to keep a strangers promise and feeling a strong relationship for this child, that’s what it took for me to get stronger, but I think I can go farther.” He continued as he looked at the surrounding area, “we’re gonna have to do something, we probably have bounties on us and we won’t be able to head back into town very easily, once the others wake up I’m sure we’ll discuss the necessities.”

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Zaryu sighed and looked around. Davina was right. They're in the outskirt of a town so there's no big game around to hunt, except they would spent lots of time to hunt some rabbits or steal a sheep from the nearest shepherd. Both were not preferable by him. He still had lots of money and all of Harmonia's medicine has been used last night, so his choice was obvious. He walked to the main camp.

"I think some of us need to go to town to buy some foods while the others stay here to tend the sicks." He said it loud enough for the other members of the group to hear it.

"I will go to town. Anybody want to go with me?" He felt like he was the least involved with the event last night so the chance of the guards looking for him was pretty low... right?? He hoped so.

 

[Sky_]

As Mallory had walked off, Sky turned back to look at the girl who appeared to just have woken up. He flipped himself off the hammock, and walked over to return the introduction. "Good to meet you too, although I'm pretty sure I didn't catch your name." Glancing back at a different person, who had just made an offer to go into town, he added, "and I'm pretty sure getting some food would be a good idea. Pretty sure just stealing some would be more efficient, but if you have the money, I guess we might as well." He gave a nod to the necklace on her chest. "Let's just hope they haven't issued the bounty yet"

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

"Oh, my name... I'm Neta," she hesitated, because the world would know her by a different name if she were now a wanted woman. "If I come with you, I can buy food for everyone, so we won't have to steal..."

When Sky mentioned bounties, Neta feared that theft might be the least of their crimes. But even if her countrymen had already condemned her, the young woman did not want to consummate their criminalization by stealing.

She understood that they might have had to, without money. Like Parker had done all his life. Neta still had much to learn, but she wanted to know more about this boy.

"Parker, we won't be gone long. We're just going into town for a little. And when you wake up, I won't let you go hungry," she assured him, before leaving with Sky and Easen.

Neta had asked herself last night who was friend and who was foe, but the events that had transpired clearly defined those categories. Urias was a Blood Knight after Arisa, and Claro was a Blood Knight after her. Parker wanted to stay by her side and protect her. Mallory felt the same way about Arisa. If conflict hadn't brought them together, Neta might have stayed in her shell and never known them. She would have remained a nurse and tavern waitress, leaving her kindness at the table and otherwise keeping her distance from the men who constantly dogged her.

But Sky and Easen were by her side now. Was it because they were her friends? Why were they helping her? Surely they had their own reasons, but the burned inn and wounded Parker had plunged her into the depths of her own problems and prevented her from exploring them. Now was the time to understand theirs and seek the answers to her questions.

"I'm grateful that you're with me. But, I want to know what brought you to me. Easen, I know Arisa is on your mind, because the Blood Knights are after her and your sister is in danger," Neta began on the walk toward town. "And Sky, you've done so much for me already. Though, I don't know what I mean to you and why I'm worth protecting. I don't want to pry, but if I might ask your stories..." she trailed off.

 

[Sky_]

Sky shrugged. "Ask away." he said as they began to walk. "And well, I didn't see any reason to leave you back there to be captured by that Blood Knight." The real reason he stuck around was purely personal, and not something he was planning on admitting. Although, admittedly, it was nice to have somebody to speak to. Living alone was what he was used to, but the opportunity to just have a conversation with another person outside of a fight was a relatively rare opportunity for him

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

"You saw me in trouble, and helped me? Kind of... kind of like Parker," she mused quietly.

The past few days had been the most tumultuous of her life, yet people like Parker and Sky came to her aid, with nothing to gain from it. She was surprised that the worst of times brought out the best of people. Negative attention had always been something that she received, even when times were peaceful, but she was glad to know that her friends were there to balance it out when the situation became even more dire.

"I'm learning more about Aberrants every day, but there is still much I don't understand. Though I never regarded them as evil. I wouldn't, because I think it's wrong to judge people before getting to know them, or to judge them based on their appearance only. It's something I've struggled with," Neta told the blue-haired boy. "What I've heard, Aberrants are scattered throughout Pless, fending for themselves and resisting their own capture. But Sky, you went out of your way to resist mine, knowing that it puts you at risk. Is it because... we have a common enemy? Was Claro after you, too?"

Or maybe Sky fought for the freedom of anyone targeted by the government, not just his own. Was he trying to thwart the kingdom's every move, like Magnus seemed to be doing? But, Aberrants must have too many problems of their own to shoulder other people's burdens. She wanted to understand Sky, his history, and whether the government was after him. No, that was a stupid question, because if the Blood Knights weren't already, they would be now, because of her.

"Though, it fills me with hope," a softly smiling Neta muttered. "People have been unkind, treating me as an object and you as less than one, but you still show kindness to others."

 

[Sky_]

Sky grinned. "I'm one for freedom. Being restrained: confined to what others want you to do, is one of the worst things I could think of. And from what I've heard, the government wants to do exactly that to you. So there is no way in hell I'm letting that happen under and circumstances." A few berries suddenly flew from a nearby bush, which he promptly popped into his mouth and then continued. "I've run into Claro once or twice, although I'm not sure if he remembers me. I've probably fought around half their army, but I'm not exactly easy to catch, so I can just disappear and get back to safety." Sky's form suddenly disappeared, reforming a few seconds later on the other side of Neta to illustrate his point.

"You're still in a better place than me in terms of knowledge of Abherrants though. I don't even know how anything I do works, why I can replenish my power by simple flying high enough, why I have this." Sky's eyes narrowed, and a blue glow began to form about his hand, congealing together into a small, blue orb. "I don't know how it works, but as far as I know, this is the source of my abilities. Kinda like your lil' plant thing over there," he added, giving the ring on her hand a small flick.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Zaryu had been spacing out in the whole trip. The reason? Something Neta said reinvoke his thought last night.

Easen, I know Arisa is on your mind, because the Blood Knights are after her and your sister is in danger.

...

It's no good. No matter how much he put his thought into the matter. Everything was muddled. He lacks information, they lack information. Its like that they're just pawns on someone else's scheme. He felt powerless and he hates this kind of feeling.

His thought was cut off when they finally arrived at their destination. Zaryu snapped back to reality and looked at his surrounding. He could felt glances when they walked into town, but nobody said a word to them.

"Wait a minute. I will buy some medicines." He said to the other two as he entered a drugstore and bought his stuffs. The storekeeper gave him the medicines silently. He could heard the storekeeper ran off somewhere immediately after he exited the building.

"Is it just my feeling or the citizens of this town has been acting weird?" He asked his two companions.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

"If I could do that, I wouldn't get captured all the time..." Neta confessed, in awe at Sky's sudden disappearance. "Our powers, they're kind of opposites. You replenish yours by flying high, but when I try to do the same with my maple seeds, it drains me quickly. Sometimes I wish I could take to the skies and enjoy that kind of freedom, but my body has limits. I'm sure the plants feel the same way from time to time, growing as high as they can to reach the sun."

That's right. Every living thing desired freedom, not just humans. Sky understood. The government wanted Neta to spread her seed and create mindless Aberrant children who would see the sun but would never grow toward it, live up to the potential that it represented.

Sky seemed to personify the freedom that they would be denied, from the way he spoke to the carefree flick to her ring. When the blue-haired boy's finger struck the glass, however, the vine shot out and slapped him across the face. "X, stop that! He's my friend! Sky, I-I'm really sorry. X is sensitive to the touch, especially from other people..."

"Oh, um, speaking of slaps," she continued awkwardly, "thanks for last night. My mind was in a really dark place, and you helped me out of it."

~~~

Easen had remained silent on the walk to town. Neta would look at him from time to time with a hint of worry and curiosity in her eyes. She gathered that he was deep in thought and that her request to hear his story would go unanswered. If it was too personal to share, she would not press the issue.

When her friend finally did speak up, it was to excuse himself to go to the drugstore, leaving her and Sky alone in the crowded town. Their presence reduced the noise around them to whispers and massed the people around them into crowds. They would stare at her every morning, but the way they eyed her today was different. The constellation of gazes, some fearful and others predatory, made her more uncomfortable than usual.

"Is it just my feeling or the citizens of this town has been acting weird?"

"I agree, Easen. Something doesn't feel right..." Neta answered uneasily. "Could it be that-"

She was interrupted by a knife that barely missed her head and lodged in a piece of paper on the wall. No... it was no ordinary piece of paper. It was a wanted poster, which bore the name of...

"The Seed, Neta Briarwood, 50,000 gold, alive," came an ominous voice from the crowd.

"This can't be..." Neta's heart sank, as she suddenly understood why the townsfolk were looking at her with those distrusting, judgmental eyes. "This wanted poster- a-and the bounty- it bears my name, but... please don't be afraid, I-I'm no criminal. I was a nurse, and a waitress, and I've lived here nearly all my life," the young woman tried to explain herself to her fellow citizens. "Pless is my homeland!"

The crowd's response to her pleas was best captured by a second knife that sailed toward her. It would have hit her square between the eyes had Plant X not revealed itself and caught the blade just in time. In a quick, whipping motion, the vine flung it in the opposite direction and stuck the chest of the bounty hunter who had thrown it, dropping him instantly.

As soon as the first man went down, another appeared from the crowd and charged at Neta, shouting at the top of his lungs, prepared to cut her down. But X silenced him, shooting out like a spike and running him through. He sank to the ground with a mouthful of blood stifling his last breath, horrifying Neta.

"N-no, I-I have blood on my hands now, but- I don't kill. I'm not a killer!" she cried desperately. But no one believed her.

"WITCH!" a townswoman shouted.

"WHORE!" the local florist spat.

"MURDERER!" screamed another man.

"CAPTURE THE SEED!" a vender rallied.

They were quickly turning into a mob, picking up whatever tools they could find and closing in on Easen, Neta, and Sky.

"Please believe me... I'm not the Seed... my name is Neta..." she whispered tearfully.

 

[AnimeTail]

"Everyone back off," yelled Chase. "Let the professionals handle this one." Chase pointed a pistol at Neta, and then another at X. "Have any last words?" said Chase. Before Neta could answer, he shot the ground and sky (not the character Sky, the actual sky) to try and scare Neta. Chase laughed and was prepared to fight Neta, but if she was ready to die, then that would make Chase's job much easier.

 

[Sky_]

Sky gave a glance at X after returning knife to sender, commenting "Your rope's got the right idea," just before the 'professional' arrived. He spread his arms, emanating a burst of wind out from himself. The resulting blast send most civilians and rookie bounty hunters flying into the first solid object they hit, although careful to ensure the pulse excluded his comrades and the opposing bounty hunter.

"Now mate, let's look at this realistically. You can't fight Neta over here, not without loosing that precious 50,000 gold. Whereas if you just shot the guy without a gun or plant shield, you'd get..." Sky gestured towards the nearest poster, which shot into his hands. "150? Fuck me, that's a rubbish bounty." He shook his head, continuing. "Yeah, 150 gold. So you shoot me, and you've got the Seed too. So, what about it?" Most of what Sky had just told the bounty hunter was simply trickery. Neta was not defenceless, and nor was he. However, he wasn't sure how much of a fight she'd put up, considering how distraught she was when her plant killed one of the lesser hunters. Sky was confident he could wipe out this powerless hunter easily, especially considering how easy bullets were to stop with his powers.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Zaryu hadn't expect this sudden turns of event. The whole town suddenly turned into bounty hunters? Neta killed people? A professional hunter?? He gritted his teeth as he saw some people who were blasted by Sky's shockwave started to rose again. Now they had anger on their face.

"Let's revenge Marcus and Yaora!!" One of them yelled. Rallying the other to fight back. With renewed determination they charged at Sky, ignoring Chase's command to back off. Pitchforks, sickles and other mundane tools were held high as their desperate roar accompanied their unorganized attack.

"Neta, snap it out!" Zaryu squizzed Neta's shoulder and shook her. This was not the right time for crying. Although Neta was the one who drew the first blood, people's attention were distracted by Sky's action. This might be their only chance to sneak away.

"We should escape. Sky can take care of himself." Probably, hopefully.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

Neta trembled and whimpered when Chase fired shots at her, but she was still too shaken to move. Suddenly Easen was squeezing her shoulder and trying to snap her out of it, suggesting that they escape.

"But Easen, we can't... we can't just leave Sky behind!" she protested, the flow of words fighting the flow of tears. Why was it that Neta's friends came to her aid when she was in trouble, but they insisted that she not do the same for them? Everything that she owned had gone up in flames, but she swiped at the notion like smoke that she was still a humble waitress. Neta just didn't understand what made her so special. The fact that she was the Seed and that her bounty was higher didn't explain why she mattered any more than her friends.

"Sky, you don't have to offer yourself up for my sake. We can escape together!" Neta pleaded. The boy was carefree as usual, even inviting Chase to shoot him, so maybe he had a plan. But Neta couldn't help worrying. He was facing not only bullets but also a wave of pitchforks, sickles, and bodies.

"X, can you buy us some time?" Neta whispered to her plant, which swelled in size and shielded them before the hunter could fire off more rounds. "Please, X, no needles. I-I don't want anymore people to die. Etherflowers will do..."

The pink plants bloomed outside the barrier and released their gas. Using her machete Neta cut the thick vine from her ring and left the shield where it was, hoping that it would close the street off to anyone who was somehow still conscious. But she feared that the highest bounty in Plessian history, which was now on her head, would haunt her wherever she went and render escape just as impossible as the road was impassable.

How had this happened? What had Neta done to make herself the most wanted woman in the world? Was it truly fate? Had Claro been right that hers was sealed as soon as her father gave her the ring? Then... everything leading up to this, all the oppressive gazes and sexual harassment that she'd endured, had merely been Fate tormenting her. These were but little pricks of pain, cracking against her like a horsewhip and prodding her on to the edge, where she would face the ultimate despair.

"Sky, Easen, we should go..." Neta muttered.

 

[Sky_]

Throwing up an invisible barrier of wind between him and Chase to avoid any unsuspecting shots, Sky turned back to look at Neta and Easen. "Already? Look, you two just run for it. I'll be able to at least keep this guy distracted, and probably the civilians too. Just, get out of here before they all awake from the pink gas, yeah?" Seeing the worried look on Neta's face, he added "Chill, I'll be fine. Just get as far away as possible."

 

[AnimeTail]

"Do you want me to try and kill you?! Ha, this will be easy" said Chase. Chase fired 3 shots at Sky, but the invisble barrier stopped them. Then Chase threw 10 knives at the same target, but they all missed. "Well, I never said I had any good accuracy." Chase hoped that nobody else was around, so that he would have to use his last weapon.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

Sky reassured her that he'd be fine, but an unconvinced Neta still worried. She reserved her doubts, however, when several bullets whizzed over her shield and stopped midair before the boy. She nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I'll go but... please be safe, Sky! The gas only lasts 10 minutes-" Neta paused when her eyes drifted to the gunslinger. How was he fully conscious? Was it because his face was concealed, or had he known to hold his breath? Chase indeed appeared to be a professional bounty hunter. She shook her head. Neta had no time to ponder these things when Sky had urged them to flee.

"Easen, we need to warn the others," she focused, as she escaped into the forest with one of the few people left in this world whom she could trust.

~~~

"Mallory, Davina, we're not safe here anymore! We should get ready as soon as we can, because, the bounties! We're wanted... we're wanted criminals now..." a breathless Neta blurted out, speaking more slowly and bowing her head as she resigned herself to that concluding fact. "Sky is still down there fighting. I-I didn't want to leave him, but he assured us everything was under control and that we should go. I just hope he can make it back here soon..."

 

[AssassinGallade]

“What!?” Mallory yelled in confusion as he looked down at Arisa and then proceeded to grab his bow, “I’m going to help Sky,

“You’re not going anywhere Mallory.” Marybelle said, stopping him, “your bow’s broken, what are you gonna do fight with fists against a bounty.” She said as she unsheathed her rapier, keeping her lance on her. “Besides, your an abberant, if they have bounties on us me and Easen probably have the lowest merit seeing as we will play role in the blood Knight’s plans, stay here with the others so I’ll go in.” She said as she began running in the direction Neta had come from, “Mallory, take them to the base camp!” She yelled before leaving.

“Damn, she knew about the bow and now she’s trusting me with what she calls her home.” Mallory thought as he looked over at Arisa and Parker, “Alright, Neta Easen, you’ve got a choice to make, who’s staying and is anyone going?” He asked the two as he picked up Parker, “Davina’s bass camp isn’t very far from here, somewhere around I’d say a 30 minute walk.” If one if you is staying I’ll need you to help me carry Arisa and anything else that may be of importance.” He said as he waited for the two to respond.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

Neta looked to Easen, who nodded. He seemed very protective of his sister, so she'd leave Arisa to him and not intervene. The woman opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, however, when she saw Mallory pick up Parker. The boy had carried her when she couldn't walk on her own, and Neta had wanted to return that kindness. However, she also knew that now was no time to disagree over small details like who carried who.

"A choice to make?" a puzzled Neta asked. Davina had told Mallory to take them both to the base camp, but now he was deciding to let someone stay behind. Perhaps the latter didn't take orders, or they shared something of a sibling relationship that caused them to be at odds.

"It was hard enough for me to leave Sky, so escaping any further would feel like I'm abandoning my friends. I won't get in his way, but I'll stay by this tree and meet Sky and Davina when they come back. I'll be down there if I sense something is wrong..." she decided, then assured Arisa's brother. "My bounty is a problem, but I'm wanted alive. If you were to stay behind, Easen, and the hunters caught up to you, they wouldn't hold back... So I'll remain here and stay out of trouble if I can."

As Easen left carrying Arisa, Neta looked back at the distant town below. She wasn't being stubborn. It's just that twice now, she'd been able to help her friends from afar. When Parker was facing all the children on the roof the night she was kidnapped. When Claro's immobilizing scream would've burst his eardrums. She was there for a good reason.

 

[Sky_]

As Sky kept careful eye contact with the bounty hunter, something occurred to him. The whole town wasn't knocked out in the square, and people still lived on the outskirts. What would happen to the others? Or what if the Blood Knights found their whereabouts? It was just a bit paranoid, but it was a possibility either way. Sky pondered over his options for a few seconds, before deciding that hanging around and waiting for everybody else to wake up just wasn't worth the risk.
"Look, I would stick around, but I've got better things to do. So I guess I'll see you soon." Sky gave a wave, sending the bounty hunter flying into the wall behind him [Auto, I know, but he's been inactive for a while] and fading away.

Reappearing next to Neta, Sky raised his hand in greeting, asking "Everything good? No citizens followed you?" He jerked a thumb in the direction of the town "That got boring real fast, so I decided to leave. The bounty hunter should be out for at least half an hour, although I'm not sure about the guys you knocked out."

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

When Sky reappeared beside Neta unscathed, she was both amazed and relieved. But she couldn't concede that the boy had been right all along and that she worried too much. It was too soon to reserve her concerns when she now had Davina to worry about.

"I wasn't followed, I think. Easen and Mallory went to a base camp, but I didn't want to be too far away from you and stayed here by myself. I don't know where they are now, but Davina would," she answered, then looked at Sky hopefully. "Did you... see her on the way here? She was heading into town to meet you, but you're here now, so maybe you passed her by while you disappeared... and reappeared... next to me... without ever crossing paths..."

Neta barely finished her thought due to the mounting unlikeliness of what she was hoping for.

 

[Sky_]

"I think I saw her when I was passing by, I just assumed she was heading back too. Should I, like, go and tell her I'm okay? I don't want her charging into that mob and getting herself killed." Sky wasn't doubtful of her ability, but he was sure the Blood Knights would start showing up soon. And they were a lot more dangerous than a few bounty hunters and citizens.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

When Sky answered that he'd seen Davina, the mounting unlikeliness crumbled to dusts of relief, but Neta couldn't yet throw her cares to the wind and let them blow away. For her eyes widened when the blue-haired boy said that she could be charging into that mob and getting herself killed. Fighting the impulse to take Sky's hand and run back into town, Neta nodded patiently when he offered to find her.

But he wouldn't have to. There was a large gust of wind that Neta thought signaled the air master's departure, but when everything around her settled and she found herself staring at a woman with sky-blue hair, she understood that if the gust signaled anything, it was Davina's return.

~~~

She didn't exactly know where they were when she saw Easen and Mallory again, but this must have been the base camp that Davina had been talking about. They had fled deeper into the forest where it was less likely that they would be found. Here, secluded among the trees, they could safely discuss where they would go and what they would do next. But Neta, for whom these questions were the most pressing, couldn't even begin to answer them.

 

[Sky_]

Mallory, taking his eyes off the unconscious Parker in his arms, decided to speak up. "Easen mentioned a house in Wendell. We should probably start heading towards there sooner rather than later, considering the townspeople," he said, starting in the direction of the town.
Giving a small nod of approval, Sky began to follow him, as did the rest of the group.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

What Mallory referred to as a house was supposed to be a mansion, but it was so humbled by its destroyed quarter that his description seemed fitting. After all the tears they'd shed last night, and held back this morning, Neta's eyes were glossy in anticipation of her next breakdown. Or perhaps the sight of another ruined building extinguished what little hope she had of finding a safe place.

It could have been worse. The expansive estate wasn't crumbling any further; in fact, it looked like it had undergone weeks of reconstruction, stones piling up where it had lost its walls and beams peeking through where it was stripped of its roof.

Neta, however, was stripped of her words. Though Sky frequently engaged her and partially reconstructed them, she slipped back into silence on the way to the mansion. From dirty alleys to whitewashed clinics, modest inns to open forests, she was constantly being thrown into new environments. So it didn't strike her that she had just cleared the gates to a much nobler side of Pless, that they had crossed a massive lawn to reach an ornately handled door flanked by statues. Not a sound escaped her lips. Who were Easen and Arisa? How did they have such affluent connections? Not a question was raised.

The door was all that needed answering, and after three sharp knocks from Easen, it finally was. The man who received them had light brown hair and bright gray eyes that matched Arisa's, but he wore finer clothing and didn't hide his moderately bearded face with a hood.

"I didn't expect you to be back so soon, and without notice," he started, not hiding the unpleasant surprise, either.

"Things have changed, and Arisa," replied Easen, still using her alias and ensuring that they didn't know more than they needed to, "is safer here now. There are also five others with me."

"Well, the situation here has mostly calmed down, though I would've preferred you stayed away longer. As you can see, the kingdom's investigation ended and I'm steadily rebuilding."

By not introducing them, Easen was also keeping their host in the dark. But from the way he eyed her, the man seemed to know exactly who Neta was, and this didn't make her feel any safer. If he did, she understood that he was equally uncomfortable standing in the presence of the world's most wanted woman.

But the nobleman smiled.

"You may call me Guinard. I'll show you to your rooms."

~~~

She didn't need her lavish quarters, complete with a window's view of the backyard garden and lined with bookshelves that comprised a personal library. She didn't need the oversized bed and all its excess space, when her situation placed her in an increasingly tight one. She didn't need the dozen pillows, when all of them combined couldn't put the intense feeling of condemnation to rest.

So Neta hadn't stayed in her room long, staring at it absently and giving her host due thanks before moving on to Parker's. Thankfully, he was out of his dirty clothes, and hopefully, her therapeutic leaves were healing his injuries. She was as bewildered as she was worried, that the people whom she could trust the most now were not the ones she'd known her whole life but the strangers she'd met a few days ago. There Neta sat, at Parker's bedside, praying that he'd regain consciousness and she, a grip on reality.

"Please wake up..."

 

[Sky_]

"I guess it beats a rooftop," Sky shrugged, stepping through the doorway into the lavishly decorated mansion. While Neta seemed more distracted with Parker, he had decided to take the time to collect himself. Although he wasn't really one for looking behind him, as those memories were more often painful than not, being able to relax was essential. And, so far as he could tell, this place was safe, despite the building work. Just so long the poshos didn't sell them out, he'd be able to rest easy.

And yet he couldn't. Despite the room, filled with luxuries he'd never been able to experience, Sky spent a few hours tossing and turning underneath the quilt covers until he eventually realized the problem.

Slipping out of bed, his bare feet padded along the wooden floor on the way to the window, which he promptly unhooked. The night air was nippy, but nothing unbearable, so he grabbed the frame and executed a neat flip upwards, the wind giving him an extra boost to reach the rooftop.

Waving his hand to bring a warmer breeze to him, Sky curled up in a much more familiar position and drifted off to sleep after a few minutes

 

[SailorInSpace]

Merlin walked on the streets below. Late night and he was still wake. Nightmares are fun like that. The moon was at least a welcome part of his walk. The man had always been a fan of the beauty it provided. Some else had been too, but hey why think of that? No reason to be bothered by someone in the after life he couldn't bring back. There was only room to look forward. Never, ever walk backward.
"I wonder what tomorrow will bring..."

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

As a former nurse Neta understood that she should put her personal feelings aside, leave Parker's and allow him to recover. So by evening she returned to her room, ended her waking nightmare and entered a deep sleep.

Her slumber was so deep, in fact—or her body was so unaccustomed to the fancy bedding—that she woke up groggily. She'd experienced the same slow readjustment after retiring on a heap of trash, but perhaps the conscious face of the boy with whom she'd spent that night would snap her out of it. Instead, his brightly lit quarters extinguished the farthing of hope that she had left, revealing Parker's still comatose visage.

Neta sighed, silently descending the mansion stairs to the dining room. A maid informed her that their host had stepped out, and perhaps that was for the best. With her wanted status, she didn't have much to share with him at the table. The woman finished her meal absently, neither questioning nor distrusting the sprawling estate that seemed to fall out of the sky.

"Neta, you deserve an explanation as much as anyone," Easen willingly offered between spoonfuls of soup. "Arisa and I, we're not related by blood. My real name is Zaryu Cormwell, and she's Harmonia, daughter of the noble Galilei house that tasked me with her protection. Weeks ago a sudden display of Aberrant power nearly leveled the mansion, and she was at the center of it all. We feared that Harmonia would be discovered, so we fled and assumed false names."

"So they're after you too..." muttered a despondent Neta.

"It's not your fault. We were targets long before we ran into you," Easen assured. "You're going through a lot right now, but you're not alone."

Arisa and Parker were resting, Mallory and Davina seldom stayed in one place, but he remained to console her. She was clueless as to what his words implied; was he stuck with her for now, or actively shouldering her burden? But Neta spent most of her time in the garden, clearing her head instead of filling it with such doubts. As the days passed uneventfully, the verdant labyrinth became the closest thing to a home, recalling vague memories of her father's greenhouse.

In the evening, she gazed reflectingly at it from her balcony. Parker's bedridden muscles had relaxed completely, but he was still trapped in the unrelaxing grip of sleep. Arisa, or Harmonia, had regained her healthy glow and appetite. Guinard, when he wasn't away on business, did his best to make them feel welcome. Still, Neta hadn't settled here. She was constantly on the move, so if anything, her sense of security was fleeting.

Tonight, an owl foreboded its abrupt end, staring her down with piercing yellow eyes. Hooting yet seeming, like their host, to know exactly who she was, the bird briefly studied Neta from the tree across her window before it flew off into the darkness.

~~~

"What Guinard has told us is true. The Seed is indeed staying at the Galilei house," a cloaked man concluded upon the owl's return.

"Excellent. Then he'll be pleased to know that the Blood Knights have decided to overlook the Oracion incident and that his daughter is safe, on my authority," responded Claro. "Though I won't bother stopping Urias if she chooses to act on her own."

The knight was hardly a man of his word, but he had no qualms about letting Harmonia go. He personally believed that the government should cease chasing lesser threats and address its long-term goals.

"She's a slacker and a disgrace. Tracking Aberrants like yourself, however," he continued, "are indispensable to our cause. Thanks to you, the Seed won't escape me a second time."

 

[SailorInSpace]

Merlin was walking nearby when he saw an owl fly by. The man walked over to see what an owl was around for. Then, he heard the two mention Aberrant tracking...

"Hello, excuse me," said Merlin, approaching the two, "I couldn't help but overhear. If you are hunting Abhorrents, I may be of service to you."

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

"Hello, excuse me. I couldn't help but overhear. If you are hunting Abhorrents, I may be of service to you."

Subtlety wasn't an area in which the prominent, booming-voiced Blood Knight excelled, but Claro remained tight-lipped about the details of his important mission. Or so he'd liked to think. There he'd stood, discussing confidential information with his cloaked accomplice in the quiet of night, convinced that as long as no sound compromised the silence, no eavesdroppers were present to compromise his plans. So when an eccentric man with silky green hair, beige pants, a light-blue cotton shirt, and a pink, star-shaped pendant incongruous with his old cloak appeared out of nowhere and offered his services, the veteran soldier was caught off guard.

Claro drew his sword and leveled it at Merlin, distrust dripping from his gaze and spilling down the blade as he eyed the stranger. He wanted to assist them in hunting Abhorrents, did he? Based on his words alone, the knight would've deemed him an inept fool who couldn't even get the enemy's name right. But the unknown had concealed his presence like a proper hunter and evaded his detection, so perhaps he could be of use.

No. Even if he happened to be a seasoned bounty hunter, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Claro was hunting the most wanted Aberrant, not some petty thug. And were he to capture her, he wouldn't share the glory and the 50,000-gold bounty for some petty change. He'd made up his mind.

"Kill him," he ordered his tracker companion.

The owl tamer promptly produced a blade and rushed Merlin, spearheading his sudden glide on a path to impale his chest. Claro was seemingly unimpressed, flicking his head forward as he gave the command, but he hadn't completely dismissed the new arrival. Condemning him to death was the test rather than the failing grade. Should Merlin prove his skills and fell his assailant in battle, the knight might entertain his proposition.