Knights of Cyrenia

[Moontoon]

That was great. I really love reading your stories because I like how you write.

And like SRMS, it made me feel sad, in a good way XD

Can't wait for the next one ^__^
_________________

-:[My forums]:ll:Lloyd FC:ll:[DeviantArt]:ll:[Youtube]:ll:Tumblr:-

[Conn]

Gah, I can't believe I forgot to comment on this. Sorry Matthias :(

Anyway, another great chapter (or exerpt, whichever). Nicely written, though I feel there was too much dialogue... though I realise you really couldn't have done much about it.

Xander is a really fun character. Every scene he appears in is just great... he has really nice interactions with Jason and Tarah. I can't wait for more scenes with him, especially with the upcoming cast.

Jason and Xander also having family issues is interesting. Not so much that the issues themselves (though this 'Daniel' is intriguing...), but more the bond that Tarah, Jason and Xander share because of that. It's Joss Whedon-esque, and I'm hoping this family bond between the three will eventually expand to the as-yet-not-introduced cast members.

Anyways, keep up the good work :)
_________________

[Matthias]

A life on the run has it’s up and downs, that’s for sure. Okay, mostly downs. But hey, got to look at the good in it. In any case, I can definitely handle it. I’m just too awesome to let this junk keep me down. With me and the big guy working together, there ain’t nothing that can stop us. Not even our so-called “brothers.”

Same old routine: keep one step ahead of them, beat up some hired goons, and try and track down where little Quatrice is.

(Author’s note: Quatrice is pronounced “Ka-treece”)

But something feels a little different about today, you know? Like something big is going to happen today, or we’re going to meet somebody important. Whatever, probably just me being weird again, right?

Sortie 2: The Guardian, The Assassin, and the Flamboyant

“They went this way, I’m sure of it!” the red-haired man called to his two accomplices as he darted around a corner of a building. About five minutes ago, this street had been relatively quiet, no more than a few people out on the sidewalk.

Now, any bystanders there might have been had wisely hidden away in their homes when the first shots rang out. The man wouldn’t have noticed anyway. Not when his quarry was within grasp. His two accomplices, a heavyset dark-haired man, and a thinner man were not but half a step behind him as he turned the corner.

Their syndicate was being paid good money for this job…REAL good money. Hell, he might be able to take that short vacation he wanted. Find himself some shallow dame to go along with him…yes, it would be very nice indeed. And all that stood in the way of that week of no cares was the capture of these two targets…wanted alive by the client. Odd. Normally Mr. Rochester didn’t take jobs where the client was to be left alive. Then again, if the money was right.

“Jesus, one of them was decked out in frickin’ purple, orange, and pink! It shouldn’t take this long to find them!” one of his allies grumbled. He had to agree, this man shouldn’t be hard to find. To top it off, the other one was not a short man by any means of the imagination, he would stand fairly well above a crowd. But blast it all, these two had RAN when they saw their pursuers. Maybe they were used to this by now and knew what to do?

He doubted it. One of the two couldn’t have been older than 17. A teenager at best. No way some snot nosed kid could outsmart them. Wouldn’t be long now, he figured.

They crossed underneath the arch of some footbridge that serviced the upper level of the town, and begin heading down this street, when a voice called out to them. “Yoo hoo! Oh nice pursuers!”

They spun around to see a young man sitting on the edge of the footbridge, letting his feet dangle off the side, as he spun a lock of his long, unruly blonde hair around a gloved finger. “Would you happen to be looking for me?” he called. The red-haired man couldn’t quite place it, but this young man’s tone was almost…mocking. “What ever could such low-lifes want we with, only the greatest thing before, during, and after sliced bread?” Okay, the boy’s tune was definitely mocking.

“Come on down, boy, and we won’t pump you full of lead!” the heavyset man called. It was an empty promise, but he was hoping the boy did not realize that. To his chagrin, though, the boy just stood on the footbridge, spread his arms wide, and crowed “Take your best shot, blimpy! I know for a fact I’m worth more to you alive.” He did a rather precarious, yet well executed pirouette, grinning at his pursuers the whole time.

The thinner man growled with contempt at this oddly dressed young man, decked in purple, ribbons of orange and pink, and pink gloves and shoes. Thinking of nothing else to say, he merely uttered “Damn fairy.”

Ignoring it as an insult entirely, the young man merely grinned. “You’re just jealous because I’m a strong, vicarious youth whose parts probably still work, Captain Impotence! But I suppose if you were to call me a fairy, I’ll play along with it! Yes, I am a mere sprite, sent in this world to spread cheer and mischief, with the power of love and the wind being mine to command.”

“Quit kidding around and get down here!”

“Oh, but sir, I’m not kidding. The wind really is mine to command.” At he said this, he pointed towards the three, who suddenly felt the wind pick up…and continue to pick up. The red-haired man gritted his teeth, and then cried out in pain. This wind had picked up so much, it was literally cutting him. Was this the young man’s doing? He could do nothing but stare in shock and scream in pain. The young man lowered his hand, and the three pursuers looked in shock at the various lacerations that had been gouged into their arms, torsos, and faces. The young man laughed merrily and bowed. The red haired man looked up just in time to see the young man’s eye with a purple glow in it, before it receded to its natural color. “Wasn’t that delightful? Oh, and one more thing my jolly compatriots, now that I’m sure I have your undivided attention.” He pointed behind the three. “I should inform you that you forgot your ‘fairy’ has a friend.”

The three of them turned around to see the tall man who they had also chased standing behind them, brandishing a long wooden pole—a bo staff. At least, that’s what the red-haired man guessed it was, in the brief moment he had before it collided with his temple, knocking him clean out. His compatriots soon met a similar fate.

The tall man held his staff at his side, and looked up at his smiling ally. “Nice performance, Quincy.”

Quincy laughed and waved to the man standing in the street. “You know me, my dear Matthias, I aim to please! Oh, do tell me, are our friends going to be all right?”

“Yes. I only aimed to put them out cold.”

“Hmmm, isn’t that splendid?” Quincy mused. Matthias frowned. That tone indicated that Quincy wouldn’t really have cared either way. “Oh, Matthias, what do you think about my being a fairy?”

Matthias sighed. “They didn’t mean that in the literal sense, Quincy.”

“Oh, of course they did. Such a fine compliment for such a grand, graceful messenger of the skies!”

Matthias laughed. “You’re a loon, Quincy. A very HUMAN loon.”

Quincy pretended to pout. “Awwww, now you’re just spoiling my fun.” He laughed. “I’ll be down in a second, and then we get lunch, I’m starving! The master of graceful poise and acting needs his strength, you know.”

Matthias rolled his eyes. “Come on then, oh Gracious Lord.”
_________________

[Moontoon]

Great chapter. Finally Matthias and Quincy got introduced.

I laughed at the Captain Impotence thingy and Quincy is awsome Fairy *lol* XD

Can't wait for the next one X3
_________________

-:[My forums]:ll:Lloyd FC:ll:[DeviantArt]:ll:[Youtube]:ll:Tumblr:-

[Azer Kriemhild]

More great stuff - you have a gift for character design, my friend
_________________

[SRMS]

<3

[Matthias]

Quincy indicated the three knocked out goons. “Ah, but Matt, how about our friends pay for lunch, hmm?”

Matthias turned his head away. “You won’t I do it myself.”

Quincy nodded “Right, right, morals and what not. Tis why I like you, Matty boy.”

Matthias audibly grunted in annoyance. “Don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, sorry. Now, keep they gaze averted, I’m about to do some pick pocketing.”

Quincy rifled through the pockets of each of the three men. “Bingo!” he cried as he took a wallet from each of their pockets. He began to extract all the cash from the wallets. Still looking away, Matthias quietly stated, “Leave them some, Quincy.”

Quincy scratched his head. “Aren’t you being a little nice to guys who just tried to capture us?”

Matthias turned his head and looked right at Quincy. “They probably did it because they needed the money. They might have families to support.”

“With types like this, that’s a big might, Matt.” Quincy sighed half-heartedly. He knew Matthias wouldn’t budge on this stance…not that he was really trying to convince Matthias to change his mind anyway. He was just playing with him. He left each of the three with some cash, and look at what he was keeping for them.

“Ehhhh….maybe you got a point…I’ve only got like 20 bucks here.”

“So, that’s enough for lunch, and then…I guess we just find some abandoned loft or something to rest the night.”

“Meh, you know me, find me any random piece of floor, I’m out like a light.” Quincy laughed, “And now, my good man, I espied a noodle shop when we were walking about town earlier. What say you we make that our eatery of choice?”

Matthias shrugged. Food was food, and he certainly had never been a picky eater.

********************

Matthias carefully chewed on a mouthful of noodles, just thinking as he listened to bizarre symphony of chewing noises, smacking of lips, and giggles of glee coming from Quincy’s direction. Matthias glanced over, and couldn’t help but roll his eyes. To watch his comrade eat was like watching a steam shovel barreling through a pile of coal—it didn’t last long, but you had best be careful for flying particles of food. Matthias had tried to politely correct Quincy’s eating habits a few times before, but Quincy had just shrugged it off every time, and Matthias never pushed the issue. Quincy respected his wishes when it really mattered, so Matthias backed off when it came to the little things. Despite being seven years his elder, at 24, Matthias considered Quincy an equal.

“Yo, dude, you gonna eat the rest of that?” Quincy pointed to the paper take out carton their noodles had been in.

“Oh, no. Go ahead.” Matthias politely handed Quincy the rest he hadn’t eaten, which Quincy voraciously tore into. Another irony—despite Matthias being quite taller and much bigger than Quincy, his appetite was certainly dwarfed by that of his flamboyant ally.

BGM: Before, During, and After Sliced Bread – Theme of Quincy (“Cat Blues”, Cowboy Bebop)

Quincy polished off the last few bites, and then belched loudly. Instead of apologizing, he smiled, and proudly crowed “Boy, that tasted almost as good coming up as it did going down!”

“Charming,” Matthias said with a wry smile. Quincy, with a mischievous grin, pointed to the empty take out box. His eyes glowed a light purple, and the box was lifted from the ground. Matthias frowned. “Quince, how many times have I told you not to use your powers lightly?”

“Hey, I’m exercising my mind.”

“You’re doing parlor tricks. Save it for when we need to get out of danger.”

“Geez, listen to Mr. Conservation here. You don’t use your powers even when we ARE in danger. The number of times you’ve gotten pounded on when you could’ve prevented it…”

“Yes, but because I don’t use my powers as a crutch like they do, I’ve certainly got a physical advantage.”

“Well, excuse me, but some of us have the physical endurance of a toothpick. It’s not like I have a choice in the matter.” Quincy’s expression showed he truly was flustered by the crutch comment. Matthias immediately cast his eyes to the floor.

“I’m sorry, Quincy, I didn’t mean to…”

“Hey, no offense taken, buddy.” Quincy shrugged and grinned.

“You don’t have to keep up the act with me, Quincy. If I’ve done something to bother you, you can tell me freely.”

“Hey, I’m cool, I just think you need to develop your powers more if we’re to get Quatrice away from them. At least, that’s what he’d say.”

Matthias scoffed. “Right, because he’s the end-all be-all expert on everything.” Quincy saw a brief flash of anger in Matthias’s usually calm green eyes, and he decided it wise not to upset Matthias further. A moment passed, and Matthias looked off into the distance. He sighed, as if he bore a heavy weight. Life on the run wasn’t easy, Quincy thought.

“Yo, Matt, let’s get the heck outta dodge. The lead on their whereabouts turned up a dud again.”

“Yeah, Quince, I know. Another trapped laid for us. Seems those two know what leads we might be following then. And I don’t even know where to go next from here.”

“Eh, we’ll figure it out. Let’s just get away from this noodle shop before I start chewing through the walls to try and get more of that sweet, noodly flavor.”
_________________

[Moontoon]

Great chapter XD Well-written conversations. Quincy is just....awsome Keep it up^^
_________________

-:[My forums]:ll:Lloyd FC:ll:[DeviantArt]:ll:[Youtube]:ll:Tumblr:-

[Gamestop]

Nice! Lovin' it so far!
_________________

by Sir Shrek

sexy avy by Pictomaster Murasaki.

[Matthias]

It had started as a bit of nagging question, but now was burning into her mind a little bit more with each passing minute. She tried to downplay it, despite all the circumstance surrounding this feeling, she tried to focus on the job at hand, but there was still that worry:

“Why am I here? I’ve never been brought on missions like this before.” Her boss turned and looked at her with his visible eye. She was sure that gaze would be even more unsettling if an eye patch wasn’t covering the other eye. Then again, maybe it was more unsettling because of it. Still, she pressed on. Some part of her mind had to know this…even as another part of her was warning her not to. “If I heard, weren’t you told to keep the clients alive? Then why would you need me?”

“Hmmm…well, Ellen, I supposed while my men are off scouting for the targets…we could talk.” A huge chill ran up her spine as he said the word “talk.” His tone indicated his purpose was a bit more sinister. She wanted to at least place her hand on the handle of her weapon, but then it would be obvious that she suspected him. “Ellen, I’ve been noticing a growing hesitation on your part in for awhile, now, but it was most apparent on the last job.” Ellen blanched. She knew that her letting a target escape would be brought up. Still, this could have been down back at the headquarters, right? Unless…

“You intend to make me pay for that mistake.”

“Very good. I must admit…I’m more than disappointed. I trained you, made you to be one of my best, one of my very top…my elites. And to think you have become soft like this…heart-wrenching.”

She brushed a strand of her brown hair back. Well, since we’re being so honest here… “I’ve always had my doubts, Rochester. It’s not like you ever gave me a chance to speak them. It’s not like you gave me a choice for this life.”

He smiled. Even as he smiled, all Ellen could sense was his mirthless, ruthless demeanor. “A bit late to be sharing your shortcomings over this, no? I have no room for weakness in my operation…and you have come to represent weakness.”

No more words were exchanged between the two as they stood and watched each other’s movements. Finally, she saw his hand slide to the handle of the blade he carried at his side…she would only have a second to react now. Her hands flew to the handle of the axes. Even then, she was preparing to have to move out of the way. No matter how fast or fluid her attacks, it always took a brief second for her to draw the axes at her sides. She wondered if she was taught to fight with these weapons for that very reason…to give him this advantage if they should come to blows, like now.

It certainly gave him that second’s advantage, and Ellen couldn’t move out of the way fast enough. She saw the blade slide into her hand, and saw the axe drop out of it as her grip went limp as an effect of the stab. No time to think about it, react! Her mind screamed at her, and she obeyed. Two hands meant two weapons, and she capitalized on the one advantage she was sure to have in this. The two swung their weapons at the same time.

Ellen clutched her stomach, as Rochester gripped his throat in surprise. The cut wasn’t horrible, but he needed to attend to it soon, or it would be…bothersome woman…he wouldn’t have trained her to be this skill level had he known she was so inherently soft. Still, he had to respect her, as well. She had just enough time for one attack, and she made the most of it. I’ll just leave her a small goodbye gift before I go, he thought.

He batted aside her parry as he lunged forward with one stab. He didn’t bother to look to see if he had hit and vital organs as Ellen dropped. He simply turned and walked off, bound for some place to receive medical attention.

Ellen picked her head up and looked at her former boss as he walked away. Well, she could assume now that he was a “former” boss. Could she really be considered lucky for him not having hit anything vital? No. Here she was, an injury to her hand, shoulder, and a very worrisome deep cut to her abdomen, lying in some street of some city she didn’t know, losing blood fast.

She muttered only one word as her consciousness started slipping. “Careless…”
_________________

[Moontoon]

Great, as always ^_^ Now I'm very curious to know how this continues O_o Can't wait for the next update
_________________

-:[My forums]:ll:Lloyd FC:ll:[DeviantArt]:ll:[Youtube]:ll:Tumblr:-

[Matthias]

Rochester sat there, smiling, as a member of his organization, a medic he had convinced to work for him, attended to his injury. “For someone who just received quite the cut to the neck…you seem awfully happy.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? The game is afoot.”

“Pardon me, sir, but I’m afraid I don’t quite catch your drift.”

Rochester nodded. Of course the man couldn’t understand what he hadn’t explained yet. “Have you ever gotten bored of your lifestyle?”

“Wouldn’t know sir. You do all keep me awfully busy.”

Rochester allowed himself to smile at the medic’s offhanded comment before continuing. “Well, I have. Endless fights, and with it…endless cheap victories. There’s no thrill, no fun in it for me. But Ellen…she has the skill. And I didn’t hit any vital area. If she’s strong—which she is—she’ll survive. And I can only hope she comes looking for revenge.”

“If you’ll pardon me saying it, seemed an awful waste of your time to train someone you were just going to kill.” Rochester grimaced at the comment, but he didn’t do anything else. It was unwise to piss off the man who was suturing your neck.

“Well, you’ll have to pardon me, it wasn’t like I initially planned for this. But if she truly comes after me, oh I will relish fighting her. I will relish the challenge.”

“Finished, sir.”

Rochester nodded his thanks to his medic. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to attend to.”

****************

Ellen opened her eyes, and looked around for a brief moment.

“Am…I alive?” As she sat up, she gazed around her surroundings. And her eyes widened as she recognized where it was.

BGM: Nightmarescape (“Abandoned Pit”, Castlevania Symphony of the Night)

Twisted, gnarled tree branches ran overhead, creating a disturbed canopy through which a blood red sky was visible. The sounds of several kinds of…well, she wasn’t even sure they could be called animals…but their wails and screams purveyed throughout the landscape. A river ran by, but the rushing, gurgling sound now seemed…ominous. And a thick, disorienting fog purveyed through the whole area. You’d think you’d get used to a place that invaded your nights whenever you closed your eyes. Then again, that’s probably what made it a potent nightmare.

Ellen instinctively put her hand at her side, where her axe would be, as a small dark figure cut through the fog. But of course, no weapon was to be found. Same as every time. She’d gotten use to this, but there was still this growing anxiety.

The figure that approached her was a small girl. A small brown haired girl clutching a stuffed rabbit. “Hello, Big Sister.”

Ellen was forced to stare, wide eyed. “You’re me.”

“Very good, Big Sister. I came all this way, to tell you about the friends that came to see you.”

There was no malice in her voice, but Ellen still felt additional terror crawl into every inch of her. “F-friends…?”

The small girl, the young Ellen, simply smiled and receded back into the mist. In her place, what appeared to be a middle aged man walked forward. And then a younger man. And then another, and then another. Their injuries…most likely their fatal injuries had clearly been caused by an axe blade. “Repay the blood…” she heard the middle aged man utter. And that was when she noticed…every person who came out of the mist had an axe…so very much like her own. No questions need be asked about what their intention was.

She glanced to the river as another figure emerged from it. The river was now blood red. Better yet…it was blood. Ellen felt a wet drop fall on her forehead. She reached up, and wiped it away, to find her fingers now encased in red liquid too. A cursory look revealed the trees were now oozing blood too.

“Repay what you’ve spilt.” The middle-aged man darted forward, and plunged the axe into her neck. The would bled, and quite extremely too, but otherwise her head was attached to her shoulders. But the pain was immense, like her whole neck had just been lit on fire while being stabbed repeatedly. She tried not to but Ellen involuntarily screamed. Then the next axe came, and then the next. With each, a shearing shot of pain, without loss of limb or life. Now she knew why. They weren’t going for lethal cuts…they wanted her to experience as much pain as possible. And it was working. Strike after strike, scream after scream, continued until…Ellen could feel herself being shaken.

**************

“Miss! Miss! Wake up now.”

Ellen slowly opened her eyes. Sitting over her was a long haired, blonde young man. He pushed back glasses onto his face. “You know, the greatest thing before, during, and after sliced bread, was attempting to get his required beauty sleep.”
_________________

[Moontoon]

Awww poor Ellen

Anyways, good chapter. Well described even if it was creepy XD
_________________

-:[My forums]:ll:Lloyd FC:ll:[DeviantArt]:ll:[Youtube]:ll:Tumblr:-

[Conn]

Ellen's subconscious is weird.
_________________

[Matthias]

Ellen did not respond to the odd statement immediately. She allowed her eyes to take in her surrounding. It was some loft…somewhere. From the state of it, it seemed to have been abandoned some time ago. She was lying on some old mattress, which she now sat up on. She could only assume in the same city, but it was best to confirm her location. She could probably ask this young man. She assumed that if the young man had wanted to harm her, he would have done it already…wait, harm. She had been injured, so why did she feel perfectly fine? She looked down to see the cut on her abdomen. Except it was not there. The wound to her shoulder—gone. Even her hand felt perfectly fine.

“What—what happened?”

“We found you passed out in the street, so we dragged you to this loft.”

“We?”

“My associate and I. Oh yes, by the way, I’m Quincy Flamberge, but you may address me as the Elegant Awesome at any time.”

Ellen still was a little too shocked for humor, but still offered her name. “E-Ellen…”

“Ah, well, Ellen, you seem to be having a little trouble sleeping.” Quincy chuckled at his own understatement. Ellen’s eyes felled to the floor. Despite the inevitability of their happening, Ellen felt ashamed because of her nightmares.

“I’m sorry.”

Quincy shook his head. “No trouble at all, really. My face is so fresh and dainty that it’ll take more than one sleepless night to ruin it.”

Again, Ellen was a little too bewildered to find Quincy’s humor very humorous at all. Her hand touched her shoulder where the injury had been. “I was injured…what happened?”

For a brief moment, Quincy’s eyes darted over to a nearby door, but he immediately looked back, as if looking at that door was a taboo. “Injured? Don’t know what you’re talking about. You were perfectly fine when we found you. You probably were just tired.”

Ellen looked at him directly. And Quincy blanched. There was something about her eyes…the pupils were like pinpricks, smaller than they should be. But this effect…it was almost as if she was looking right through, boring into his soul. “Where is this…associate of yours?”

Quincy couldn’t lie, not with her gaze upon him. “He’s in the other room there. I ask that you not disturb him, though, it’s been a long day for him, and he’s awfully tired.”

Ellen wasn’t stupid, this Quincy was hiding something. “Well, I would like to thank him for his help when he wakes up. And thank you as well. You both probably saved my life.”

“I don’t doubt that…” The young man’s eyes darted about for a second, and then he laid back down on the floor, where he had set a mat for himself. “Anyway, I’m going to get my beauty rest, if you don’t mind.”

Ellen laid back down on the mattress, pretending to go to sleep. Not like she’d be able to, not if that nightmare would happen again. Many a sleepless night had occurred because of that. But this time, it was curiosity that kept her awake. Who were these guys, and especially who was this associate of this Quincy? She had to know, and that door held some of the answers for her.

She lied there for awhile, until she heard the sound she wanted to. The young man named Quincy had started snoring, and quite heavily. She stood up and started sneaking towards the door, her footsteps hardly making any sound as she focused on making her movements as quiet as possible. She reached the doorknob, and slowly, gingerly turned it as she carefully pushed the door open. The hinges creak, and she shot a concerned look back at Quincy, afraid she would wake him. Still, he slept on, his snores loud enough to mask any sound she might make. She pushed the door open, which lead to a small room.

BGM – Caught Between Past and Present – Theme of Ellen ("Kishi Ou no Hokori", Fate Stay Night)

“Is this his associate?” There, lying on a mattress in the middle of the room, was a rather tall, brown haired man, asleep. At least, she hoped it was asleep and nothing anything else, the bandages on him indicating he had seen some rather rough action today. But there was something about those bandages. Where they were placed…abdomen, shoulder, hand. “It couldn’t be…” Ellen murmured to herself, “Unless…”

Unless these two were the two Rochester’s organization had been hired to find and apprehend. It would make sense why Quincy was so secretive about things, and why he didn’t want her to see this man. It confirmed that there was something…special about these two, at least, something that had been mentioned by the client.

A brief thought crossed her mind…here I am, one is injured, the other asleep…I could easily apprehend them. And if Rochester sees me as successful, he’ll accept me back, won’t he? She instantly refuted that thought. Rochester had made it clear she was no longer wanted as part of his organization. He had made it clear what his true colors were.

She thought about the end of an era. The era she had known since a small girl, that of servitude and loyalty to a man she found she could not stand more and more with each passing day. An era of having to shove her morals down her throat as she split blood both innocent and guilty. An era that left her mind and soul feeling tarnished, plagued by nightmares and her own misgivings about the whole. But that was done.

And then there was this young man. She wasn’t quite sure how, but he had taken on her injuries as his own. Such a selfless act for someone he didn’t even know, didn’t even speak a word to. It was an alien thing to her. No one in Rochester’s band, even if they had the capability of doing something like that, would have lifted a finger to do so. This…self-sacrifice was a foreign thing to them.

Ellen looked at his face. And could see that the young man was probably feeling worn down even before this had happened. It had a trace of melancholy to it as well. Both things she could see well, having experience with both those feelings herself. Still, even with the injuries and all…there’s still something noble about him, she thought, something almost handsome.

“Your friend is right. You do need your rest. But I would like to thank you when you awaken, stranger.”

She turned around to go back, to find Quincy had gotten up, and now faced her, his gloved hand held up. “Tell me what you were doing over there. I swear, if you did anything to harm Matthias further, I’ll flay the flesh from your bones where you stand.” His lighthearted tone was gone completely.
_________________