When you woke up sunshine was still streaming through the bars of your window. The room they had put you in had a small bathroom attached, and you stared at your tired-looking self in the mirror above the sink. In an effort to freshen up, you splashed some cold water on your face, wishing you could have a proper shower and a set of clean clothes. After an attempt to comb through your hair with your fingers to smooth it down, you tried the door. As you thought it wasn't locked, so you went out and headed back toward the big living room where you had done the healing before. When you got closer you could hear voices as well as the sound of rapid gunfire and explosions.
It turned out Feitan was back on the couch, but now playing some FPS game that you didn't recognize, while Phinks and a blond guy watched and enthusiastically shouted advice.
'Good, you're up,' Phinks said when he noticed you. 'There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry. Oh, and this is Shalnark.' He nodded toward the other guy, who seemed young enough to be in his teens.
'Hi there, ' Shalnark said, turning away from the screen to look at you. 'Hey, I remember you. You were with Hisoka on Greed Island, right?'
"With Hisoka." That was one way of putting it, you thought. You'd tried pretty hard not to think about him or what had happened between the two of you in that game. But yes, you had been with him when he'd met up with some of the spiders. That much was true.
'Yeah, we were on the same team in one of the games, and spent some time together afterward,' you answered. 'There were some kids I think you've met as well. Gon and Killua.'
Phinks and Shalnark nodded, both of them with a rather annoyed look and you were not really surprised. Those two kids seemed to have a real talent for getting around and becoming mixed up in all kinds of things they probably shouldn't be meddling with.
'No like Hisoka. He traitor,' Feitan hissed, tearing his eyes from the screen for a second, just long enough to give you a suspicious look.
Speaking of Hisoka... there was something that had bothered you and you turned to Phinks,
'I wanted to ask you how you knew about my healing. I'm sure it wasn't mentioned when we met in the game, and not too many people know about it.'
Actually, only a handful of people knew, so for Phinks to have found out...there could really only be one answer, you thought.
'Hisoka told me,' Phinks confirmed your suspicions, and you frowned. Damn that clown. Who else might he have told? Or what else?
'Humph, I see,' you muttered. 'And just how long are you planning to keep me here? Unless you've changed your mind and decided to let me go. Like you said I have no idea where we are, and anyway I wouldn't tell anyone. Promise.'
'Not sure. Boss should be back here in a couple of weeks, a month maybe. Probably not more than two,' he shrugged. 'Until then you stay put. We can always use another healer around here. And just to be clear. You can stay here as our guest or our prisoner, it depends entirely on your behavior. We owe you for saving Feitan, but that will only get you so far. Understood?'
'I understand,' you said, groaning on the inside. A month or two... you looked down on your clothes, they were wrinkled after being slept in, and had big stains of blood and other goo on them.
'Then won't you at least let me go home and get some clothes and stuff? Please?'
'So you can make a run for it?' he asked bluntly.
'So I don't have to wear clothes with Feitan's blood on them for any longer,' you retorted, pointing to the stains. Phinks looked you up and down, he might not like the idea, but it was not an unreasonable request. He turned back towards the couch,
'Hey Fei, when you die next time, it's my turn to play. You go and steal some new stuff for her.'
'Why me?' Feitan didn't take his eyes off the screen, his fingers rapidly tapping the controller as he gunned down a number of enemies.
'Because she just saved your life. And I don't want to.''
'You do it. You know girly stuff. Girly Phinks.'
'What did you just say?'
'You hear me. You like shop clothes. Like girl,' he grinned.
'You say that to my face.' Phinks waved a huge fist at him.
'Just did.'
You looked rather wide-eyed between them, then at Shalnark, who obviously was struggling to keep a straight face. It didn't take long for him to join in, relentlessly making fun of both of them as well as their outfits.
It soon turned physical, with Phinks trying to snatch the controller from Feitan, who easily stayed just out of his reach, without missing a beat in his game. You stared at the guys in front of you. These three were some of the most feared individuals in the Phantom Troupe? In the entire world?
'These are designer clothes!' Phinks howled in response to Feitan calling his tracksuit ugly and made an unsuccessful grab for the controller again.
'Er, I'd prefer my own things if that's ok,' you tried to interrupt, but nobody paid any attention to you.
Looking at them you doubted you'd want to wear anything Phinks or Feitan might bring you. If the way they dressed was any indication, you'd end up either a Gothic queen or a sports clothes model if you let either of them go shoplifting for you. Neither was very appealing.
'Look, I can just give you the keys,' you almost shouted, making all three turn to look at you. 'My apartment can't be that far from here, can it? It'll be faster than shopping.'
'It's ok. You can just let her go on her own,' Shalnark suggested, holding up what looked like a needle and an odd-looking phone. 'I'll make sure she only does what you tell her to.'
You stared at him and involuntarily took a step back as you realized what he was saying. Just the thought of being controlled like that made your skin crawl. Those needles had to be avoided, no matter what.
'That won't be necessary,' you said, 'I already promised him that I wouldn't try to run away.' You nodded towards Feitan, then crossed your arms in front of you, staring coldly at Shalnark, 'I don't need your needles to keep my promises.'
He looked like he was going to argue about it, but unexpectedly Feitan solved the problem by getting up and throwing Shalnark the controller.
'You play. I take her.'
'Are you sure that's a good idea?' Phinks asked, giving him a suspicious look.
'Think I can not control small girl?' Feitan sneered, anger suddenly flashing in his eyes and Phinks backed off.
'That's not what I meant Fei. You know that,' Phinks sighed. 'Very well, do as you please. Just make sure to bring her back in one piece, all fingernails intact. And come to think of it, all of her fingers as well.'
You looked dubiously between them, not liking the implications here, but you didn't have any time to think about it as Feitan was already heading for the door.
'You want come or not?' he asked impatiently, and you hurried after him.