Eliath couldn't tell if this was a dream or a memory, but he did remember it, the sun shining high in the sky, heating the ground and making it a little difficult to work. He'd left his brother at the inn room they'd rented with Na'axri, and went out into the little Etrian town to see if he couldn't get hired for the day. He remembered that one of the only work he could get was relocating heavy boxes from an inventory warehouse to the trading point in the middle of town.
It was hard work, and the hair that fell from its binding at the back of his head was glued against his forehead with sweat. The box he was carrying was the sixth, and there was still a lot left, but luckily it was effortless to concentrate on what he was doing. He'd been working since dawn, but he was pretty certain if he continued on the way he was, then he'd be able to finish everything by the time the sun set.
That had been his plan in the beginning of course, until he passed by the fountain in the center of the village. The trading point was just a few yards away, but he stopped in his tracks, turning his attention over to the fountain and frowning heavily at the group he saw loitering there. He'd seen those explorers before since coming to this village, and they'd definitely acted rather shady, enough that Eliath didn't want Sage anywhere near them, but... well, he never actually expected them to corner someone.
The five men were in a half circle around a much smaller looking man, Eliath assumed he was male at least, but it was hard to tell. A hexer by appearance, with black robes that pooled onto the ground at his feet and sleeves that were so long they hid the young man's hands entirely from view. The hood of the robes was pulled up and low over his face, holding pale red hair in place over his eyes. All Eliath could see was the slight frown on his lips, and the red hair in front of his eyes.
He wasn't fighting against the men who'd cornered him, but he definitely looked like he needed help of some kind. Still... Eliath had work. He could always drop this box off and come back, and he was going to do just that, until he actually heard what the men were saying, blatantly harassing the hexer.
"I don't understand your kind. What's with the cloak? It's hot as hell!"
"Yea, and why're you hiding your eyes, huh? Got something you don't want us to see?"
One man reached out to grab the hexer's arm, "If we pick on you enough will you curse us, huh? I heard hexers were born of the depths of hell."
"I heard they died to gain their powers," another explorer piped in, "Did you die for your powers, huh? How'd it happen?"
"Maybe someone killed him," the explorer holding his arm teased, pushing the hexer away with a laugh, "Were you killed, huh?"
"What does your face look like?" the hexer tensed up when someone grabbed the hood of his cloak, trying to pull it off his head, and reached up to push the man away, his lips pressing tighter together as his shoulders hunched, "Come on, kid, I wanna see if you're cute!"
The hexer managed to shove the explorer away, stumbling back and tripping over the corner of the fountain, falling into the water with a loud splash that had the five men roaring in laughter. Laughter that ended when the explorers noticed the hexer's hood had fallen off his head, his we hair curling just enough to show intense silver eyes that looked almost white.
He had a youthful face, if a little pale, but he was definitely incredibly pretty, and Eliath knew from Sage that young men with pretty faces could be harassed badly if they didn't have someone looking after them.
"Ey, he's actually hella cute!" one explorer exclaimed in surprise, and his companions agreed with hums and nods as the hexer shifted onto his knees, his eyes cast down in blatant anxiety as he tried to hide behind the long sleeves that fell over his hands, ducking his head.
"Awe, hey kid, we're sorry, it was just a joke," one explorer held his hand out towards the hexer, grinning with a very obvious glint in his eyes, "Come on, we'll dry your clothes off and get you warm, yea?"
"Yea! Or you could join him in the water!" Eliath yelled, not moving from his spot as he chucked the large box overhand, hitting the explorer in the back and pushing him over the edge of the fountain and face first into the water, where he flailed like a fish as the hexer crawled away from him, eyes a little wide in shock.
Eliath stormed closer and sighed when he saw the crate had broken, and all the expensive silks were soaked, "Awe fuck, I'm so fired."
"What's your problem, kid?!" the four explorers left demanded, turning to him and watching as he dragged the crate from the water, wringing the silk out and wincing.
"I don't like people like you," he said, glaring at them, "Fuck off before I get another crate."
The four of them seemed like they wanted to protest and fight, but the man in the fountain water happily scrambled onto dry ground and started limping away, looking pretty freaked out, so his companions ended up following reluctantly after him.
Eliath watched them leave before he pulled more silk from the water, sighing in frustration, "That was stupid of me. Now I'm going to have to pay for all this damage. This sucks."
He turned away from the fountain to go tell his boss he'd fucked up, but stopped when he felt something snag the back of his shirt and turned to see the hexer was still kneeling in the water, leaning against the edge of it and holding onto Eliath with this... strange look on his face.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot about you," Eliath admitted, turning to the hexer and reaching out, helping him out of the water and smiling at him, "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"
The strange man didn't answer, just stared at Eliath, who didn't mind the silence and just pulled his coat off his shoulders, pulling it over the hexer's shoulders instead, "Here. It's pretty hot out so your clothes should dry pretty fast, but use this until they do, okay?" he reached up and pushed the sopping bangs away, frowning when he noticed the strange gem imbedded in the hexer's skin, "What's this?" he asked, and the hexer tensed up before turning away, lifting his hands to fix his bangs to hide the gem, "Sorry, that's none of my business," Eliath apologized with a laugh, frowning a little.
This guy... he wasn't from the village. Eliath would have recognized him if he was. Was he travelling with someone, or... was he alone? If he was, then it would be wrong of Eliath to just leave him, especially with those five guys wandering around. They might come back.
"Hey... what's your name?"
The hexer paused, turning to give Eliath a quizzical look, "Lesai," he said softly, and Eliath smiled.
"I like that. I'm Eliath. Are you hungry? I can buy. Er, I'm probably gonna get fired for ruining that silk, but I can still pay for some lunch," he held his hand out for Lesai, "What do you say?"
The hexer stared at his hand in confusion before lifting his eyes to Eliath instead, slowly reaching out to set his hand in the survivalist's, not answering vocally, though his answer was clear.
That was the first day Eliath met Lesai, and it had turned into a companionship of five years, a hexer to join the growing guild Historia. Eliath never realized it before, because he was always so busy taking care of Sage, and Flandr, and Naylin, and Na'axri, but Lesai was... special. It wasn't until recently that he realized it, and now that he understood what that meant, ironically it was Sage who had unintentionally helped him with that, he wanted Lesai to know that he was special.
Unfortunately, when he was going to confess his feelings, the hexer had stopped him with the news that he knew where Flandr was in the Labyrinth, so Eliath, as usual, put his own needs on hold so he could protect his guild. But Sage was right. He needed to focus on himself for once, focus on his own happiness. The good thing was that he didn't really need much to be happy. He just needed Lesai.
Eliath was used to waking up with sore legs now, a heavy part of him figured he should probably just get used to it, but he took a little comfort out of the fact the pain in his chest was gone, and that his body didn't hurt as badly as it had when Aerlorn hit him with that curse. Gods he couldn't even find the words to describe that pain. His legs were a little achy now, but the pain was mostly gone, and he was very grateful for that.
Slowly opening his eyes, he recognized the ceiling of the living room back at the inn, and relaxed even more with a soft sigh. They were home. He was still a bit worried about everyone's fate, and wanted to get out of bed to check on everyone, but decided to stay in bed for now, partly because when he tried to move his legs they hurt, and mostly because someone was sleeping beside him under the covers, arms wrapped around his waist and using his shoulder as a pillow.
An inevitable smile pulled at Eliath's lips as he rolled his head towards Lesai, brushing his red hair aside to see the Lapis stone in the hexer's forehead, pressing a kiss to the gem's surface. Lesai must have felt it, or maybe be was already awake, because he stirred, dragging his arm closer to his face and rubbing his eyes before peeling them open, pushing himself to his knees when he noticed Eliath was awake.
"I'm okay," Eliath assured before Lesai could ask, and the hexer seemed to relax, "How is everyone?"
"Okay," Lesai answered, "Seara isn't hurt at all, what wounds people got were minor, Flandr is okay, Naylin is resting. He used his Cursecut successfully."
"No kidding?" Eliath grinned proudly, "Right on. He's growing stronger then."
Lesai nodded, sitting back on his heels and staring down at his lap, "Lynus checked on you when we got you home," he explained softly, "The curse Aerlorn hit you with died with him, but... your legs were damaged and..."
Eliath's smile faded quickly, and he rolled his head to stare up at the ceiling, swallowing the lump in his throat before forcing another smile, "It's okay," he decided, closing his eyes, "Will I walk again?"
"Yes," Lesai answered, reaching out to take the survivalist's hand in his own, "but you can't go into the Labyrinth anymore."
"I see...," Eliath whispered, opening his eyes and staring up at the ceiling again, "You know... I've actually been thinking of retiring, to be honest with you. I'm not too old, but... after what happened with Flandr, I was thinking about it," he smiled, wincing as he pushed himself to sit up, reaching out with one hand to take Lesai's chin with his fingers, grinning, "Let's live here then," he decided, and Lesai blinked in confusion, "Let's get a little house together, I can help train the kids who want to become explorers, you can live comfortably, safely, away from people who might want to use the Lapis stone. What do you think?"
Lesai's eyes had widened in shock, and his gaze shifted away as his lips twisted up and his cheeks turned red, "Live with you?" he asked, playing with his long sleeves, "Just you? Just us?"
"Yea," Eliath smiled, tugging on Lesai's chin to force him to meet his eye, leading the hexer closer, "Seara said I needed to start living for myself, do things that make me happy, but to do that, I need you with me."
"Really?" Lesai asked in a stunned voice, and Eliath hummed, pushing his forehead against his hexer's.
"Will you move in with me?"
Lesai nodded slowly, his eyes drooping and closing completely when Eliath tilted his head and kissed him softly on the lips. He'd been in love with this survivalist for years now, but Eliath had always been so focused on the whole of the guild that he never even noticed. Who knew he would be harboring the same feelings? Asking Lesai to move in with him, that was basically the next best thing to a marriage proposal, wasn't it?
He was happy. He was really, really happy, and when Eliath laid back down, Lesai hid his face against the man's chest, smiling shyly and pulling the covers higher, closing his eyes. It was okay if Eliath couldn't walk, or if being with him would make it so Lesai couldn't enter the Labyrinth either. He didn't mind.
He could take care of Eliath, and really it would be in everyone's best interest if Lesai stayed out of the Labyrinth and out of the limelight. He had to live simply, safely, so no one would ever find out about the Lapis stone. Yea, this would work out great. He wanted this. More than anything else.
~
The moon in the night sky was bright enough to see the path that lead away from the inn and into town, and if you looked up you could see the silhouette of the Yggdrasil tree against that moonlight, an almost terrifying, and definitely intimidating sight, but for Flandr, that image was home. He was pretty sure he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep, be he was probably the only one who was dumb enough to leave the inn to stand like an idiot staring over Lagaard like it was going to tell him something important.
Hours before, Emery had re-taped his dislocated shoulder before ordering him to carry it in a sling for at least four days, then wrapped up his hand, which was still a little sore from the fact he'd stabbed an actual blade through it, and left the landsknecht to rest. Because obviously he could do that, after everything that had happened.
As if. He was still unsure of so much, still feeling guilty, hating himself just a bit, and couldn't seem to shut his brain off to allow him the ability to relax so he could get some much-needed sleep. The air was cold, but he didn't really care, and just continued to stand there thinking through the last three months, and most notably the fight he'd been in just the previous day.
He attacked his guild, putting his leader in a coma, nearly killing Naylin, wounding Sage so severely he had amnesia for three months, abandoning Na'axri in the Labyrinth alone for so long he nearly went savage, and scaring Lesai so badly the hexer wouldn't even come near him. What else? He was willing to put a monster's life before the lives of his family, there was that lovely check on his record. What the hell was wrong with him?
After the fact, when he could think clearly, he realized how stupid he was being, but that didn't make a difference when his friends could have been killed on the spot because he didn't want to kill anything, or anyone.
Even though Aerlorn was gone, and the curse was lifted, Flandr couldn't contain his guilt. He was afraid of himself, afraid he may snap again for some reason, or be cursed again and unable to stop himself from hurting the people he cared about. He was dangerous.
And dangerous beasts belonged in the Labyrinth.
He breathed out heavily through his nose and lifted the bag he'd been holding onto his shoulder, making sure his axe was at his back before starting forward, not even glancing back at the inn as he made for the Labyrinth. If he looked back, he could lose his nerve and go back inside, he could wuss out because he enjoyed interacting with Historia, and with Halo. Being with them made him feel more human, but it could also put them in danger, and he didn't want that.
But someone grabbing onto him had him stopping and turning, shocked when he met Shiva's pained eyes. The troubadour had been asleep when Flandr left the room, what the heck was he doing awake and outside?
"You should be resting," Flandr scolded, "The cold air isn't good for you right now."
Shiva's lips twisted into a frustrated pout, and he wrapped his arms around Flandr's right arm, glaring at him and squeezing so tightly that Flandr didn't need to hear an explanation to know the musician knew what he was trying to do, and didn't like it.
"I could hurt them," Flandr argued, "and I'm not risking that. You need to stay with them, though. They can protect you."
Shiva's face got red from the anger and frustration that he couldn't yell, yanking on Flandr's arm and physically dragging him back towards the inn. Flandr sighed out heavily and followed, and Shiva let him go when they were in the entry, running over to the front desk and grabbing a pen with a pad of paper, scribbling on it as he stomped back up to Flandr, holding out his message when he'd finished writing.
You said you would protect me.
Flandr scratched his neck, feeling a little awkward, "I did say that, but I don't know if I can. I was cursed, I nearly killed my entire guild because I couldn't control myself. What if, even though Aerlorn's gone, I lose control again?"
Shiva scribbled down his response and held the paper out: How do you think I feel? I was cursed too. He took my voice from me.
Flandr winced a little and looked down at his feet as Shiva quickly added on to his paper: You're the only other person left from that ordeal. I don't know these people, I'm scared of being alone.
Then again, he added more, holding the pad of paper for Flandr: Don't leave me.
Flandr ran a hand over his face, raking his fingers back through his hair and tilting his head back to stare up at the ceiling, "What if I hurt someone?"
Shiva tucked the pad and pen under his arm before reaching out to take the landsknecht by his hand, and he didn't need anything else to understand what he was saying. It's okay, you won't hurt anyone. Even if you do, I'm right here. I won't leave.
Flandr squeezed Shiva's hand a little staring down before a broken smile pulled at his lips, and he met the musician's eyes, "Alright. I'll... see how I do. How's that? But if it comes out that I might still be dangerous, then I'm leaving. I'm going back into the Labyrinth. Understood?"
Shiva just snorted a little and spun around on his heel, pulling Flandr along as they made their way out of the entry room. Flandr had to smile a little in amusement at this ridiculous troubadour. Were they all this fiery and stubborn? What on earth had he gotten himself into?
~
Naylin's wrists were burning from the rope tied around them, his arms pulled back at an unnatural angle and bound behind the back of whatever chair he'd been sat in, his ankles tied to the front legs of the chair and his eyes covered, a gag shoved deep into his throat. For the longest time he was confused, wondering where he was, until the blindfold was removed and his gaze found Aerlorn leaning down to him, grinning.
"Hello, my war magus friend. I'm sure you're wondering where you are, aren't you?"
Ah, that's right, Naylin remembered this. It... must be a bad dream.
"I'll make this very simple for you to understand. My name is Aerlorn, and I'm looking for something that I believe your guild has in their possession," he held his hand out, palm up, and a cloud of black mist formed in his palm, "Thanks to my powers as a hexer, I was able to take control of your landsknecht, using his body to weaken you so my soldiers could kidnap you and bring you here. Unfortunately, your guild leader is missing in the Labyrinth, and I'm not sure where your survivalist went, but you and your hexer are now my honored guests."
He pulled the gag from Naylin's throat, and he coughed, snarling at the man in front of him, "Fuck off."
"Well that's not very nice at all," Aerlorn clicked his tongue, reaching out and grabbing Naylin's cheeks, squeezing them and narrowing his eyes, "No need to beat around the bush I see. I want information, and if you don't give it to me, you'll regret it," his head tilted in a way that made it seem like he didn't have a vertebra in his neck, grinning, "Just a taste of what you'll get if you don't cooperate."
The black mist from the hexer's hand brushed against Naylin's skin, and an unbelievable, agonizing burn lashed across his cheek where that mist touched him, making him turn his head and gasp, cringing, "Wh-what is that?"
"One of my many talents," Aerlorn replied, standing up, "Does it hurt?" Naylin nodded, and the hexer smiled, "Good," he held his hand out, and that black mist began to rise up from the ground, surrounding Naylin as swirls of energy, occasional brushing against him and making him jump with a hiss, "Now, I'll question you first, then your hexer. I'll have to use a different technique to get him to talk, as this won't work on him, but-."
"No!" Naylin snapped, leaning forward into the mist before jerking back with a yelp, gritting his teeth, "No, he... don't hurt him. Question him if you want, but don't hurt him. Do what you want to me, leave him alone. Leave my guild alone, please."
"Hm," Aerlorn curled his fingers towards his palm, and the tendrils of black wrapped tightly around Naylin, making him jerk around in his seat and scream like he was being electrocuted, his throat burning from the force of his cries.
Aerlorn was smiling though, releasing Naylin and letting him slump into the chair, his head dropping forward and painful gasps tearing from his lungs.
"Yes, I think I'll leave your hexer alone," Aerlorn agreed, "Your screams should keep me entertained for quite a while. Make it fun for me and I'll leave both your hexer, and your landsknecht, alone."
"Flandr?" Naylin's voice cracked as he lifted his head, and the hexer's grin made his skin crawl, fingers tangling into the front of his hair and yanking his head back so the hexer could glare down at him.
"Tell me where the Lapis stone is."
Naylin gasped loudly and grunted as his back hit something hard, his eyes snapping open before closing against the way the room was spinning, one hand grabbing his forehead until he'd settled down from the dizzy spell, peeling his eyes open and lying still until he'd realized what had happened.
He must've been moving around a lot on the couch, because he'd been having a nightmare, and fell off the couch. He was grateful for the wakeup call though, because he didn't want to remember any of what had taken place while under Aerlorn's thumb for those three months.
Somehow, he'd managed to keep the psycho "entertained" enough that he never physically came after Lesai, evidently Naylin's screams while being tortured were like troubadour music, and he was thankful Lesai didn't have to go through the same pain, but even now that the man was dead, Naylin could feel his skin tingling from the power of the hexer's torture.
When he sat up, he was relieved to see his nightmare hadn't woken up Lesai or Eliath, but when he looked over at the other couch he was a little uneasy to see Flandr wasn't there like he had been hours before. Where did that idiot run off to?
Well, he was happy for the distraction, as it was unlikely he'd be able to get to sleep after that, so Naylin stood up, straightening his sleepwear before shuffling from the room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and making his way down the hall. He was pretty certain that everyone would still be asleep, as it was pitch black outside, but when he turned the corner he ended up bumping into someone, stumbling back a little and rubbing his eyes a bit more.
"Sorry about that, still kind of half asleep," he apologized, pulling his hand away to look up and bristling in panic when he recognized the older war magus, "Hamza!"
The man blinked in surprise before recognition lit his face, and Naylin spun around on his heel with the intension of running back to the room and hiding under Eliath's cot, or maybe in the fireplace, but Hamza grabbed his arm before he could make a single step away.
"I thought I recognized you," he noted, releasing Naylin when he was sure the younger man wouldn't run away, "You're the explorer who gave me that charm as a keepsake, right? Told me to return it when you were stronger."
"Uh," Naylin turned to face Hamza, wincing a little, "Did I?" he held his chin, his other hand on his hip, "No, that... that doesn't sound right. Doesn't sound like me at all," he held his hands out and shrugged, "Well, just a mistake, no big deal, but I've never seen you before in my life mister."
Hamza stared blankly at Naylin, with an expression that showed he was far too used to people acting like Naylin, "Then how do you know my name?" he asked, and Naylin winced again, "And why did you try to run?"
Naylin pointed, "That's a good question."
The older war magus arched an brow, "I haven't seen you around in a few months actually. Were you in the Labyrinth that whole time?"
"No," Naylin rubbed his neck, looking off to the side, "I, uh... got stuck in a... thing. Was pretty busy, you know."
"Hm," Hamza stared intently at Naylin, suspicion in his eyes, "How are you doing with your training then?" he asked, "Are you stronger than me yet?"
Naylin snorted, "What are you kidding? My guild nearly died because of me," he spoke without thinking, dropping his eyes to glare at the ground, "I wasn't strong enough to help... I really messed up."
"Are they alright?"
"They're alive," Naylin answered, "but my guild leader won't be able to enter the Labyrinth again. His legs got really messed up, and he won't be able to walk for a while."
"I see," Hamza nodded slowly, a heavy frown on his lips, and he reached out to squeeze Naylin's shoulder, making the younger war magus tense a little, "Whatever guilt you're feeling is uncalled for," he said, and Naylin stared up at him in surprise, "Just from talking to you, I can tell you're a strong-willed and goodhearted person. As painful as it is to fail, especially in the Labyrinth, it's important to understand that the lessons you've learned from all of this are important. Every experience makes you wiser and stronger, and will help you in the future. You should be happy no one died, and happy you're still alive yourself."
"Y-yea," Naylin agreed, though deep down he wondered if he really was happy about that.
He took an awkward step back so Hamza had to pull his hand back, then reached up to rub at his shoulder. There was a rather large scar there from when Flandr had attacked him, easily felt through the thin cloth of his shirt, but the older explorer didn't show any surprise on his face, so maybe he hadn't noticed the scar when he'd grabbed Naylin's shoulder.
"Um... thanks," Naylin finally said with a weak, forced smile, "Hope you're keeping an eye on that charm by the way."
"This you mean," Hamza reached over to his belt and pulled the charm from where it was hanging, "I am. Do you want it back?"
"No, I'm not strong enough yet," Naylin shook his head, "The deal was you return it when I'm you're equal, remember? Can't back out now."
"I suppose that's as the deal," Hamza hummed, tying the charm back to his belt and lifting his head when someone called to him.
"Hey Hamza, you're up late," Naylin tensed again and spun around, surprised to see the highlander from the Labyrinth was walking down the hall.
"Kei, I could say the same thing."
Naylin turned to Hamza, "You know him?" he then looked at Kei, "How do you know Hamza?"
"Hn? If it isn't that war magus from the Labyrinth," Kei brightened, "How you feelin', doll?"
"I'm great, don't call me that. How do you know him?" he pointed over his shoulder at Hamza, and Kei set a hand on his hip.
"The Guardians are rather infamous and well known here, so we've crossed paths before, in and out of the Labyrinth. Plus, on occasion, he and the ronin from his guild help out training the noob explorers, so we meet there sometimes."
"Ah," Naylin nodded slowly, looking over his shoulder when he heard Hamza shifting around.
"Good to see you back unharmed," he said to Kei, "It is pretty late, I was just taking a quick look around the inn. You probably didn't know about it, but until recently there was a rogue hexer causing problems."
"Aye?" Kei frowned heavily at that, "Everything settled? Can I help somehow?"
"From what I've been told, everything was settled, but I'm not sure if he had followers, or-."
"He killed his followers," Naylin interrupted without thinking, staring down, "The hexer did. They're all dead. So's he. There's nothing to worry about," when silence answered him he looked up, tensing when he noticed both sets of eyes on him, "Uh, I've heard."
"Well," Hamza turned, "I suppose I don't need to obsessively pace then. You should get some sleep... sorry, I just remembered I never asked your name."
"Me?" Naylin pointed at himself, "Naylin."
"I see. Naylin, then. You look tired," Hamza nodded down the hall where Naylin had come from, "You should get some rest."
"Yea. Oh, yea, I was just looking for someone from my guild is all."
"When you've found him then," Hamza stated, turning.
"Night Hamza," Kei waved towards the man, then looked curiously at Naylin, who tensed under his eyes.
"What?"
"Ya sure you're feeling alright? You're pale."
"What's it to you?"
Kei smiled at that, "Doesn't suit your pretty face."
Naylin squinted, "You're a weird guy," and Kei laughed, stepping closer to the war magus.
"Am I?"
"Excuse me," Naylin turned again to see Flandr was standing in the same place Hamza had been moment earlier, dressed with his axe on his back and a bag on his shoulder, like he'd been planning on travelling somewhere; his suspicious eyes were locked on Kei, and Shiva was standing at his side, waving at Naylin.
"Where in fuck have you been?" Naylin asked, and Flandr dropped his eyes to meet his friend's.
"Taking a walk."
"In full gear with a bag of supplies? Oh right, I believe that," Naylin snapped, and Flandr winced a little like he'd just gotten scolded by his parent.
"Why are you up then?"
"I was looking for your flighty ass, get back to the room and go to sleep," Naylin ordered, and Flandr rolled his eyes a bit, narrowing them at Kei, who was grinning.
"You're an amusing bunch alright," he noted, walkig past and looking over his shoulder towards Naylin, "Hope to see you around more, doll."
"Stop calling me that!"
"You're staying here?" Flandr asked, and Kei's smile turned into a slight smirk.
"Aye, and good for that too. Means I may run into your war magus more often," he waved a hand, "Night."
"Weird freaking guy," Naylin mumbled, and Flandr turned to him.
"Stay away from him, okay?"
"What for?"
"Just don't hang around him. I don't like him."
"Whatever, mom."
The door to the right suddenly swung open to show a medic with wrinkled clothes and ratted hair, glasses lopsided on his face and eyes filled with murder, "It is fuck all o'clock and both of you are injured, why in fuck's fucking name are you fucks awake?"