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  "description": "Originally submitted to DeviantArt on November 23, 2017.  DeviantArt description below:\n\n[q]EDIT:  My decision to set the font as Times New Roman was a poor one; it looks ugly and small when text is directly inputted into DeviantArt instead of submitting via stashwriter.  Unfortunately, it looks like I cannot directly edit my submission to change the font.  However, there is a little \"Aa\" icon in the upper right-hand corner of the text box that makes the font larger and more pleasant to read; I recommend using it.\n\n>>>This is a sequel to a submission I made to the 2017 Dreamkeepers Halloween Fanart Contest, titled \"Scars, Part I.\"  Here is a direct link to that submission: zephyrlyall.deviantart.com/art…\n\nWARNING:  This story contains foul language, blood, gore, and dealing with post-traumatic stress.  Please note that the first part of this story, submitted separately, is even worse and was given a \"strict\" mature content rating.\n\n>>NOTE THAT THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE DREAMKEEPERS GRAPHIC NOVEL, ESPECIALLY FOR VOLUME 4.  While Part I was vague enough to minimize possible spoilers, Part II directly references and quotes multiple scenes throughout the series, including scenes that have yet to be publicly released.  Before reading this story, it is suggested that you read all publicly available pages at a bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that you purchase and read the rest of Volume 4 or wait for its remaining pages to be released; otherwise, expect major plot points to be spoiled for you.\n\nPremise:  After a horrifying encounter with Ravat the day prior, the kids try to pick of the pieces left behind...\n\nJust like Part I, this story takes place sometime after Volume 4.\n\nThis story represents how I originally intended to end my \"Scars\" submission for the Halloween Contest, but the word limit made it unfeasible, so I divided the story in two, hoping to finish the latter half later.\n\nNow that I was free of that horrible 2,000 word limit, I was free to flesh out the story to my heart's content.  Halfway through writing it, I began to miss the word limit.\n\nThis thing is nearly 10,000 words and I'm afraid that it may be too bloated.  In addition, I learned quickly that I can't write Bast worth shit--I ended up rewriting his scenes over completely from scratch and I still don't like them.  Hopefully this is all just in my head, as I've come to learn that when it comes to judging my own work, my opinion is worthless.  Therefore I would appreciate any and all constructive criticism!\n\nI have one more Dreamkeepers fanfiction idea that didn't make it into the contest--I plan to write that one and then perhaps try my hand at something original.\n\nMeanwhile, enjoy.\n\n(I tried using DeviantArt's direct text prompt as opposed to StashWriter or uploading a .txt file; considering the size of this story compared to the others, combined with StashWriters infuriating tendency to add additional paragraph spacing when I paste from a Word doc, StashWriter was a no-go, while .txt does not support italics, bold, etc.  Hopefully I formatted everything correctly and the text turns out okay.)\n\nDISCLAIMER:  All characters, setting, concepts, etc. are copyright Dave & Liz Lillie.  This story includes direct quotations from Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Dreamkeepers Graphic Novel Saga, which are naturally also copyright Dave & Liz Lillie.  The only thing original is the story itself; I do not own anything else.[/q]\n\nEditing Note:  Noticed several spelling/wording mistakes as I was fixing up the \"Story Text\" part of the submission and corrected them.  The built-in reader for Inkbunny will have these corrections, but the downloadable .doc file does not.\n\nDreamkeepers is owned by @Dreamkeepers.",
  "description_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Originally submitted to DeviantArt on November 23, 2017.&nbsp;&nbsp;DeviantArt description below:<br /><br />\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='bbcode_quote'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<table cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<tr>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td class='bbcode_quote_symbol' rowspan='2'>&quot;</td>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td class='bbcode_quote_quote'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEDIT:&nbsp;&nbsp;My decision to set the font as Times New Roman was a poor one; it looks ugly and small when text is directly inputted into DeviantArt instead of submitting via stashwriter.&nbsp;&nbsp;Unfortunately, it looks like I cannot directly edit my submission to change the font.&nbsp;&nbsp;However, there is a little &quot;Aa&quot; icon in the upper right-hand corner of the text box that makes the font larger and more pleasant to read; I recommend using it.<br /><br />&gt;&gt;&gt;This is a sequel to a submission I made to the 2017 Dreamkeepers Halloween Fanart Contest, titled &quot;Scars, Part I.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;Here is a direct link to that submission: zephyrlyall.deviantart.com/art&hellip;<br /><br />WARNING:&nbsp;&nbsp;This story contains foul language, blood, gore, and dealing with post-traumatic stress.&nbsp;&nbsp;Please note that the first part of this story, submitted separately, is even worse and was given a &quot;strict&quot; mature content rating.<br /><br />&gt;&gt;NOTE THAT THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE DREAMKEEPERS GRAPHIC NOVEL, ESPECIALLY FOR VOLUME 4.&nbsp;&nbsp;While Part I was vague enough to minimize possible spoilers, Part II directly references and quotes multiple scenes throughout the series, including scenes that have yet to be publicly released.&nbsp;&nbsp;Before reading this story, it is suggested that you read all publicly available pages at a bare minimum and it is strongly recommended that you purchase and read the rest of Volume 4 or wait for its remaining pages to be released; otherwise, expect major plot points to be spoiled for you.<br /><br />Premise:&nbsp;&nbsp;After a horrifying encounter with Ravat the day prior, the kids try to pick of the pieces left behind...<br /><br />Just like Part I, this story takes place sometime after Volume 4.<br /><br />This story represents how I originally intended to end my &quot;Scars&quot; submission for the Halloween Contest, but the word limit made it unfeasible, so I divided the story in two, hoping to finish the latter half later.<br /><br />Now that I was free of that horrible 2,000 word limit, I was free to flesh out the story to my heart&#039;s content.&nbsp;&nbsp;Halfway through writing it, I began to miss the word limit.<br /><br />This thing is nearly 10,000 words and I&#039;m afraid that it may be too bloated.&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition, I learned quickly that I can&#039;t write Bast worth shit--I ended up rewriting his scenes over completely from scratch and I still don&#039;t like them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hopefully this is all just in my head, as I&#039;ve come to learn that when it comes to judging my own work, my opinion is worthless.&nbsp;&nbsp;Therefore I would appreciate any and all constructive criticism!<br /><br />I have one more Dreamkeepers fanfiction idea that didn&#039;t make it into the contest--I plan to write that one and then perhaps try my hand at something original.<br /><br />Meanwhile, enjoy.<br /><br />(I tried using DeviantArt&#039;s direct text prompt as opposed to StashWriter or uploading a .txt file; considering the size of this story compared to the others, combined with StashWriters infuriating tendency to add additional paragraph spacing when I paste from a Word doc, StashWriter was a no-go, while .txt does not support italics, bold, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hopefully I formatted everything correctly and the text turns out okay.)<br /><br />DISCLAIMER:&nbsp;&nbsp;All characters, setting, concepts, etc. are copyright Dave &amp; Liz Lillie.&nbsp;&nbsp;This story includes direct quotations from Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Dreamkeepers Graphic Novel Saga, which are naturally also copyright Dave &amp; Liz Lillie.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only thing original is the story itself; I do not own anything else.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</tr>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</table>\n\t\t\t\t\t</div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<br /><br />Editing Note:&nbsp;&nbsp;Noticed several spelling/wording mistakes as I was fixing up the &quot;Story Text&quot; part of the submission and corrected them.&nbsp;&nbsp;The built-in reader for Inkbunny will have these corrections, but the downloadable .doc file does not.<br /><br />Dreamkeepers is owned by \r\n\t\t\t\t\t<table style='display: inline-block; vertical-align:bottom;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: middle; border: none;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style='width: 50px; height: 50px; position: relative; margin: 0px auto;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style='position: relative; border: 0px;' href='https://inkbunny.net/Dreamkeepers'><img class='shadowedimage' style='border: 0px;' src='https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/7/7654_Dreamkeepers_profilepic1_copy.gif' width='50' height='50' alt='Dreamkeepers' title='Dreamkeepers' /></a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: bottom; font-size: 10pt;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style='position: relative; top: 2px;'><a href='https://inkbunny.net/Dreamkeepers' class='widget_userNameSmall'>Dreamkeepers</a></span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</table>.</span>",
  "writing": "She was no stranger to vertigo.\n\nMany an ill-conceived climbing expedition has concluded with an untimely fall.  Ascending too high, slick surfaces, improper grip - there were many culprits.\n\nNo matter how many times she fell, it was never enough to dissuade her from further expeditions. Her impish nature simply adored the freedom offered by her uncanny ability to stick to nearly any surface, to scale the most daunting of vertical faces.\n\nDuring a particularly memorable rampage that resulted from a fiery encounter with her father, she had proceeded to wreck the antechamber to the Viscount's office.  After tearing up the carpet, swinging from the chandelier, and even punching a statue, she attempted to scurry up the vast chamber's walls in order to escape the grasp of the Tower guards.\n\nBut, just a moment before, she had made the mistake of splashing around in the decorative fountain nestled in the center of the room, redirecting its sparkling sprays to bombard the bumbling guards.\n\nWhen she was halfway up the wall, her slick fingers began to lose their hold - and she fell.\n\nDuring the brief period of freefall, she was convinced that she was going to die.\n\nShe didn't, obviously.\n\nBill caught her.\n\nShe remembered landing in his arms, the sickening wet squelch as her horns speared his left arm.  She had immediately crawled up and curled around his head, sobbing as Bill sputtered, pressing his trembling hand against the wounds in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding.\n\nHis arm was in a sling for over a week.\n\nShe had never apologized.\n\nShe was eight years old at the time.\n\nThe memory stuck with her as the one instance that she was truly terrified of falling.\n\nYears later she came to truly appreciate her good fortune - that someone was there to catch her.\n\nThere was no one to catch her now.\n\nAnd this was the worst fall she had ever experienced.\n\nIt was as if she had plunged right through the world, all shape and color flying up and over, fleeing to leave her in an impenetrable black - a solid darkness that curled around her, pressing in, forcing itself down her throat to suffocate her.\n\nLike being buried alive.\n\nReality snapped back, vivid and harsh.\n\nShe had not fallen.\n\nShe was still there, on her knees, pants soaked in his blood.\n\nThe overwhelming sensation of drowning did not leave, though.\n\nThe worst part was that this was only an infinitesimal fraction of what she saw behind his words.\n\nBehind Mace's eyes as he begged her to kill him.\n\n[center]*******[/center]\n\nNamah shook herself from the memory and looked to the infirmary threshold, a curtain stretched across to provide its occupants some modicum of privacy.\n\nOnly two of the beds were filled right now.\n\nIn the furthest bed lay Lilith, thoroughly exhausted from yesterday's ordeal.\n\nDespite the offers of aid from herself, Whip, and Bast, Lilith steadfastly refused to use a single drop of life energy from them unless it was absolutely necessary.  She drove herself to the brink of unconsciousness before the thin, green tendrils dove into their abdomens with a sudden savage ferocity born of the instinctual need to survive.\n\nIt was only a miniscule portion of energy, but the cold, piercing feeling that radiated from the point of contact stabbed down to her very soul.\n\nShe imagined that it was a taste of what dying felt like.\n\nSo soon after the dark sensation wrought by Mace's request, it had nearly broke her.\n\nAs a consequence of Lilith's restraint, she had collapsed atop Mace's supine form, barely breathing.  She maintained consciousness just long enough to witness the results of her work - the gaping wound spewing torn bowels replaced by a thin, pink scar parting the white fur while the holes in his hands and the cuts on his ankles were completely erased.\n\nAfter Vi brought them back to the Troika base, Indi (or was it Digo?) examined Lilith and assured them all that she was simply fatigued and would recover.\n\nShe had yet to awaken, but all indications pointed to a peaceful sleep in the meantime.\n\nSeveral beds over, the other occupant was not so lucky.\n\nBut, even if he did grab some sleep, Namah was sure that it would be filled with nightmares.\n\nMace had mercifully passed out during the healing, but after he had awoken...\n\nNamah looked away from the curtains, gazing off toward the mess area, where most of the others were gathered, likely discussing yesterday's events.\n\nThe most troubling development was when he sent Whip away.\n\n[i]Whip.[/i]\n\nHe had tried to talk with Mace alone and everyone else was respectful enough to keep out of earshot, so no one knows what words were passed.\n\nBut, soon after, the little guy flew through the curtains, little crystal drops spattering the ground behind him.\n\nHe quickly found Vi and Bobby, either to enlist their aid or to find comfort in familiar arms.\n\nRegardless, the two took it upon themselves to resolve the situation.  It made sense - Namah heard that they lived with Mace at the orphanage, being the closest he ever had to a big brother and sister.\n\nThey would know what to say.\n\nRight?\n\n[i]Right,[/i] Namah thought bitterly.\n\nThe result was explosive.\n\nShe couldn't make out much - she caught only a few words, shouted at the top of his lungs.\n\n[i]``You abandoned us - YOU KILLED HER!''[/i]\n\nDespite how little she actually knew of Mace and his past, she could guess what he was talking about.\n\nBobby left the infirmary with his arms around Vi in a futile attempt to comfort her, eyes downcast.\n\nWord around the base was that Vi was the kind of person to eschew such personal contact, but she made no effort to escape his hold.\n\nHer eyes told why - they bore the shell-shocked gaze of one who just witnessed the death of a beloved friend.\n\nGuess it was more than a metaphor.\n\nMace's words had pierced her down to her very core.  Namah imagined that Vi was just then reliving that little girl's death before her eyes.  Though she wasn't there to witness the horrific scene, it was doubtless that Vi had viewed the scrollcast or perhaps even the actual investigation report - Namah wouldn't put it past Nainso to have been able to get his hands on the CCA's files on the murder.\n\nBill disguised his pain far better, but not enough to truly hide it.\n\nThey hadn't seen Mace for years and - from his point of view - effectively abandoned him and Paige to that horrible place, and in turn were not there to save her from the Sandman.\n\nAny bond they shared had long since dissolved.\n\nAfter the two left the infirmary, no one else made any further attempts to talk to Mace.\n\nNo one was willing to risk getting bitten.\n\nKalei had tentatively stepped inside earlier with Vincent, but only to spend a few hours by Lilith's side before leaving to pass the rest of the day with the only other familiar faces around, the (ex-) Tower guards (Vincent remained inside, presumably curled up next to Lilith).  She barely knew a thing about Mace and Namah bet that she was likely secretly glad that her intrusion didn't set him off.\n\nThen there was Bast, who had stayed with them just long enough to ensure Lilith's well-being before setting off to prowl the outskirts of the complex, brooding.  A few Troika attempted to talk to him, but were quickly dissuaded by his trademark scowl.  Despite being trained guerilla operatives, they were not keen to tangle with an unstable kid bearing a Level 6 Power.\n\nNamah didn't quite know what to make of Bast.  After his uncharacteristic freak out in the cavern, it was anyone's guess as to what was going through his mind.\n\nWell, maybe it wasn't that uncharacteristic.\n\nShe knew him even less than Mace, after all.\n\nHe had hardly spoken a word to her and in the few times he was actually travelling with them he only opened his mouth to talk with Lilith or fight with Mace.  Otherwise, he only communicated in short, pragmatic statements.  Lilith was the only one who had any chance of getting Bast to actually talk about himself, but it's not like any of them had the time to sit down and have a nice personal chat.\n\nPerhaps his veneer of badassery is just a facade.\n\nOn the other hand, it wasn't a stretch to consider that even the most badass of badasses would freak out, given what they saw...\n\nDidn't matter.  Even if he was all-there right now, his relationship with Mace was prickly at the best of times - he would be no help at all.\n\nShe sighed and resumed her pacing, head down.\n\nSo who was left?\n\nKaro?\n\nApparently he knew Mace at the orphanage, too, but he was recruited into the Troika years before Vi and Bobby left; if they couldn't help, Namah doubted that a cocky raptor who only knew him as a tyke was capable of doing squat.\n\nWere there any other candidates on this damn base?\n\nIgrath cared, maybe - it would be in his nature.  But he's far too busy to comfort a troubled teenager that he hardly knew, even if he was the most capable of surviving whatever Mace would throw at him.\n\nThe rest?  They didn't care.\n\nWhy would they?  \n\nMace was just some random kid who should have stayed on base like he was told.  Such things matter little in the face of the monumental task of overthrowing the CCA and saving the Dreamworld from a Nightmare invasion.\n\nWho else was left?\n\n[i]Grunn!?[/i]\n\nShe let out a small, bitter laugh.\n\nThere was no one!\n\nHe drove away his best friend - no, his damn brother - and rejected the few people that actually knew and [i]cared[/i] about him.\n\nHe threw away everything he had.\n\nHell, he doesn't even have any [i]friends - \n\n``Well, I like you, too - I'll watch out for both of you!''\n\n``What?''\n\nMace grinned.\n\n``Yeah, we're friends, right?  Of course I will.''\n[/i]\nDammmit all.\n\nShe had been standing there, pacing for hours, arguments and lists running circles in her head, some part of her knowing full well who was the best person for the job - and some part of her keeping those circles running around that answer, making up excuses to keep her from walking into that room.\n\nShe stopped pacing, her shoulders slumped, and turned her gaze back to the curtain.\n\nFor years, her only companion, her only friend, had been Lilith (Gregori didn't count).\n\nThen there was Kalei and Jeneviv.  But, in the end, they were more Lilith's friends then hers.\n\nVincent?  Sure, he was always there for her, but he wasn't one for conversation.\n\nThere was only her sister.\n\nUntil she met him.\n\nThat first day at school was also her first day she actually got to meet others the same age as her.\n\nWhile Lilith focused on fulfilling her obligations as a volunteer tutor, she had quickly skipped class to break into the school's database.  There she perused the student roster with the intent of finding the most interesting and mischievous kids in the joint.\n\nShe then had set off into the vents, on the way to the classroom where they were being held for `counseling.'\n\nAppropriately, they had already escaped into the vents and she met them halfway there.\n\n[i]She spotted them, the larger one (though still quite short) speaking over his shoulder to his small companion - they hadn't noticed her, despite her glowing eyes.\n\n``Is it just me, or do you think they installed those guns because of what we did last year?''\n\n``What[/i] [b]did[/b] [i]you do last year?''\n\nThe boy snapped his head forward to meet her eyes, their faces mere inches apart.\n\nInstantly the two recoiled, letting out twin exclamations of surprise.\n\n         ``WHOA!''\n\n                          ``NEEK!''\n\n``Was it that thing on the local news?  And why were you two down there?  Was it because you hit that other guy?  And by the way, what[/i] [b]is[/b] [i]that fabulous aroma?''\n\nThey stared back, dumbfounded by her sudden storm of questions.\n\n``What...?'' said the larger, white-furred one.\n\nShe smirked.\n\n``My [/i][b]name[/b] [i]is Namah.  And I am a she.  Not a[/i] [b]what[/b][i]. And you are Mace.  And that delicious little friend of yours is Whip.''\n\n``Anghh?'' asked the little blue one.\n\n`Special needs' indeed.\n\n``What did he say?''\n\n``He's wondering how you know our names.''\n\nShe twisted herself around and began to crawl back the way she came.\n\n``Follow me and I'll show you.''[/i]\n\nSoon after they assaulted their supervising teacher with the same guns they were talking about ([i]``Not to worry - it's non-lethal!''[/i]).  She had observed with approving fascination, scribbling it all down in Sir Noteworthy.\n\nThey had certainly lived up to their student profiles.\n\n[i]``You guys are a nexus of trouble.''\n\n``I'll take that as a compliment.  Thanks for the fun - maybe we'll see you later.''\n\n``Maybe you will.''\n[/i]\nThey did.\n\nBut not in a way that anyone would have predicted.\n\nThere he was, sitting in her fugitive uncle's home, the same day that she saw a scrollcast declaring him wanted for murder, the same day her father's fiance tried to murder her and Lilith.\n\nShe had dreamed of escaping that damn Tower for so long, of experiencing the outside world, perhaps having an adventure or two, but no way in hell did she ever dream of this.\n\nAnd now here she was, trying to come up with excuses to not help a friend.\n\nShe growled in frustration.\n\n[i]But [b]how?[/b][/i]\n\nDespite being the only true friend she had made outside the Tower (hell, he volunteered for it!), they had known each other for only a few days, with precious few opportunities to talk safely, and then often about the crises that had a habit of finding them every five minutes.  Most of what she knew about his past came second-hand, overheard from Vi, Bobby, and a few others, and what she got amounted to very little.\n\nOtherwise, all she had to go one were the brief times they had been together.\n\nHe was devious, for sure.  Yet, he was also innocent in a way, and definitely naive in some areas, especially compared to herself.  \n\nOptimistic was another word to describe him, though it most certainly didn't apply now.\n\nHowever, as she reflected on her memories, it did seem like some of that cheer had started to fade before yesterday, just after (or during) the archives, or perhaps even further back, when they reunited at the Tower foundation.\n\nAnother was brave.\n\nShe saw him throw himself before Slither and she heard it from Lilith that he stupidly jumped before that boulder and desperately tried to hold it, keep it from rolling down to crush Lilith and Bast below.\n\nYes, definitely brave.  Stupid, but brave.\n\nYes, all very interesting.\n\nAnd all very [i]fucking useless.[/i]\n\nIn truth, she had nothing to go on.\n\nAll she had were her experiences with Lilith, being there for each other, cheering the other up when days were dark.\n\nYeah, stuffed animals and hand-made comic books, that'll cheer him right up.\n\nShe resisted the urge to tear her hair out, instead settling for throwing her arms in the air, nearly shouting in frustration.\n\nHer arms dropped to her sides, her shoulders hunched.\n\nOne hand slipped into her pocket to trace the edge of the blade she tore from Mace's hands, kept as some kind of macabre souvenir.\n\nNamah didn't know why she kept it.\n\nShe could sense the sheer malevolence of the weapon, like a foul aura left behind by its evil owner.  She had examined it earlier and found it to be in excellent condition; obviously the man took very good care of it.  It must have meant something to him.\n\nDoubtless it was also used to kill that little girl.\n\nHopefully it hurt him, losing his blade.\n\nFor some people, the loss of a simple possession could hurt like an actual knife stabbing into their heart.  For a man such as him, one who put so little value in the life of another Dreamkeeper, she hoped that it felt like a thousand knives.\n\nMaybe one day she'll get to return it to him, and show him what it truly feels like, to have a knife driven through his heart.\n\nNamah stared numbly into space, momentarily shocked by the sheer violence of the thought.\n\nShe snarled.\n\nOh, what was she thinking about all [i]that[/i] for!?\n\nShe grimaced, glaring at the ground.\n\nSuch a great help you are, Namah!\n\nShe was the only one left who could help him and here she was, failing [i]miserably![/i]\n\nShe should at least be trying, not standing here just fucking thinking about it!\n\nShe cast her eyes about the vast complex in desperation, searching for anyone, anything that could help, or at least give her some idea...\n\nHer eyes fell upon a large data-scroll fitted on a wheeled stand before several rows of benches, the kind Nainso and the others used for briefings and what-not.\n\nNamah had an idea.\n\nA very brave, very [i]stupid[/i] idea.\n\n[center]*******[/center]\n\nMace stared down at the palm of his hand, Paige's face smiling up at him, blissfully ignorant of her own death.\n\nThe other hand wormed beneath his bandages to trace the thin scar slashing across the entire width of his stomach.\n\nNow he knew what she had gone through, experienced something similar to what that... monster did to her.\n\nAll except the dying.\n\nHis jaw clenched, his fingers curling over her face, gripping tightly, stone edges digging into his skin.\n\nMaybe she was the lucky one - at least she didn't feel pain anymore.\n\nHe let his hand go limp, the pendant slipping from his grasp to thump gently against his bare chest.  It nestled in his fur, dead eyes staring vacantly at the row of beds and stretchers across the room.\n\nIn contrast, he stared at nothing, his mind blank.\n\nOccasionally a thought or two would flit across this vacant space, usually memories.\n\nThe Sandman, shriveled claws curled around his throat.\n\nPaige's body scattered in pieces across the floor, like a jigsaw puzzle abandoned out of boredom.\n\nLilith disappearing into the dripping maw of a Nightmare on the slopes of Starfall.\n\nThe first time he saw Ravat's sickening grin, stuffed full of razor sharp canines, while a blade hovered a hairs breadth from his eye.\n\nLilith falling into the darkness beneath the Tower, Bast leaping in after her.\n\nA glowing green eye, dancing gleefully before him as dark green tendrils squeezed his skull.\n\nNamah fleeing through the hole in the ceiling, the Nightmare pursuing in earnest as he tried to climb the walls after her, but there was nothing he could do...\n\nA vast tower of stone, bearing down upon him as he held up his hands in desperation, begging for his Power to awaken, trying so hard to save his friends and failing once again...\n\nThe glowing Spirit telling him that only he had the power to save them all...\n\n...what a joke...\n\nHe did not directly acknowledge it.\n\nInstead, across a vast expanse of gray numbness, his mind bent and curled around the obvious answer, tantalizing him with the truth as, at every turn, he frantically dodged and glanced away.\n\nBut eventually his mind had so extensively wormed around it to the point that the void's outer edges were perfectly mapped and its substance made clear.  And every time its shape became clear enough for his mind to put it to words, he flinched as if Ravat had once again ripped into his small body.\n\nThe natural conclusion, the unmistakable truth.\n\nHe was useless.\n\n[i]``I... I tried.  I gave it everything, but - ``\n\n``The power of the ages is granted only to one - but it must be unlocked.  Seek the ancient key, the Relic of Eresh-Kigal.''\n\n``But - what? Are my friends okay?  And what are you?''\n\n``The Spirits have many names.  You must make a pilgrimage to the Isle of Logos - they will guide you to Eresh-Kigal.''\n\n``Wait, don't leave - you have to explain!  What if you're wrong about me?  How does - ``\n\n``Seek the Relic, Mace.\n\nIt is the key to your power, and the salvation of your world.\n\nIf you fail - all those you love will perish.''[/i]\n\nHe had barely set foot out the front door - and he failed.\n\nAfter what happened, there was no way they would let him go again.  No way that they would trust him.\n\nHe was going to sit out everything, watching from the sidelines as just some useless kid, watching as everyone he ever knew and loved die.\n\nSpirits, he just killed them all.\n\nSuddenly the sound of metal grating upon metal tore through the silence of the infirmary.\n\nMace jerked his head upwards, his head slamming into the wall.\n\nWincing and rubbing the back of his head, he turned to see...\n\nNamah?\n\nShe pushed her way through the curtains, the metal rings scraping across the supporting pole, carelessly throwing them closed behind her.  Balanced awkwardly under her left arm she carried an extremely long datascroll.\n\nWithout sparing him a single glance, she turned her back to him and began to examine the wall opposite.\n\nThoroughly blindsided by the sudden intrusion, Mace's anguish was momentarily banished, replaced by confusion and curiosity.  He stared at her dumbly, mouth slightly agape, hand still absently massaging his head.\n\nNamah scrutinized the bare surface with the intensity of a professional thief examining the blueprints of a well-defended bank.\n\nThe wall stoically bore her gaze.\n\nNamah nodded in satisfaction, seemingly pleased with her selection.\n\nShe then roughly shoved the intervening beds and stretchers aside, grabbing a single gurney to stand upon.  She climbed up and affixed the top strut of the datascroll to the wall and unfurled it, stretching the screen to its full length before securing the bottom strut as well.\n\nWith a final flourish, she produced a memory chip from her pocket and swiftly inserted it into the port within the lower strut.\n\nShe jumped down and inspected her handiwork, chin resting upon her right hand, her fingers delicately curled in that casual manner he had become familiar with.\n\nMace started to lean forward, still bearing a befuddled countenance.\n\nAbruptly she spun about, hands on hips, regarding him with a neutral, unreadable expression.\n\nMace snapped his head back, leaning into his pillow, wary of her intentions.\n\nThey held each other's gazes for several seconds before Mace worked up the nerve to ask what she was doing.\n\n``Wha - ``\n\nHis lips barely parted before she strode forward to the right side of his bed and - and with the air of mild impatience, she started to... [i]nudge[/i] him aside.\n\n``Scooch, Mace - I know you're fully healed, so don't be rude and hog the best seat in the house!''\n\nFaced with such unexpectedly bold rudeness, he complied.\n\nAfter he made some space, she hopped up beside him, quickly making herself comfortable.\n\nHer hand disappeared into one of her trench coat's pockets to retrieve a remote; she flicked it toward the large datascroll, turning it on before deftly navigating a series of menus, far too fast for Mace to follow.\n\nA few seconds later, she tossed the device aside and upbeat theme music began to emanate from the datascroll's high definition speakers.\n\nFinally recovering from his shock, Mace disregarded the opening titles on the screen and frowned at Namah.\n\n``Namah - ``\n\nA single, slim, pink digit darted forward, laying across his lips - [i]shushing[/i] him.\n\nWithout taking her eyes off the screen, she began to speak at a rapid pace in a casual tone.\n\n``Have you ever seen [i]Nick and Snow[/i]?''\n\n``I - ``\n\nShe immediately interrupted him, withdrawing her finger.\n\n``Of course you haven't; why should you?  Doubt that walking barrel of fermentae ever let you have a scroll, especially not a wide-screen like this baby!''\n\nShe gestured toward the scroll grandiosely.\n\n``So you missed the scrollcasts - no big deal.  Turns out Igrath had the whole series on chip, would you believe that?  Knew he was a fan!''\n\nHe once again tried to grab her attention.\n\n``What - ``\n\nShe was impervious to such simple interjections; she continued to speak, steamrolling over his words and thus stymying any further efforts to interrupt her.\n\n``Sure, it's a cartoon, but it's really good, plenty for mature audiences to enjoy - I mean, there are so many things that I get now that I couldn't understand when I was eight.  Especially all those `adult' jokes sprinkled in for the parents to enjoy.''\n\nShe kept on going.\n\n``Anyways, the first season starts of excellently, but the studio was really going for a one-off thing - they weren't betting on getting a contract renewal.  This is kinda interesting, considering the whole thing is based on a book series of the same name.  Sorry, tangent.  So, then, because of that, they were totally unprepared when the network asked for a second season.  The individual episodes worked pretty well and the animation got a nice boost due to the extra budget, but - as exhibited by the character development - they were really fumbling for an overall plot to string the whole thing together.''\n\nShe just wouldn't stop.\n\n``Oh, but the third season - that's where they started to shine!  They definitely got their act together, wrote out a whole, multiple-season overarching plot ahead of time, and started building toward it in the first half.  Then the three-parter in the middle - wow!  It blew my frickin' mind.  Can't tell you details, of course - spoilers - but when you get to those episodes, I guarantee that it will blow your hair - er, fur - back.''\n\n[i]Please, just stop.[/i]\n\n``Anyways, it carried on through season four and five and ended with an epic full-length movie - hopefully Igrath has it somewhere, `cuz it's not on the chips I found...''\n\n[i]Just - just SHUT THE FUCK UP.[/i]\n\n``Dammit, I'm just rambling on and making you miss the first episode!  I'm such a dolt.  Well, let's just enjoy the show.  Maybe in a break between episodes, I'll go grab us some snacks or something.''\n\nHe... he just wanted to be left alone...\n\n...alone in his shame...\n\nMace tried building up the rage, jaw clenching, working up the fury to scream at her or, better yet, growl at her to get lost with a quiet menace that would surely pierce her casual veneer.\n\nBut, somewhere along the way, the effort just became pointless.\n\nThe tension went out of his muscles, shoulders slumping, head falling backwards.  His hands tumbled to his sides, resting against the sheets, palms up.  His eyes fell, gazing at his lap, seeing nothing.\n\nHe felt like crying.\n\nWhat was she hoping to accomplish?\n\nWas she trying to shock him out of his mood?\n\nOr did she truly believe that the disgusting sweetness of a childhood cartoon would banish his depression through the sheer force of candy-coated goodness?\n\nIt only made him feel sick.\n\nAnd even more alone.\n\nHis vision blurred while a familiar choking sensation built up in the back of his throat.\n\nHe hadn't truly cried in years.\n\nHe had shed tears for sure, especially over the last few, horrible days, but despite everything he was always too busy, too scared, or too shocked to let it all out.\n\nAfter all that happened, it had finally built up to the breaking point.\n\nPerhaps it was time for a good cry.\n\nHis chest heaved, breathing uneven and broken, little hiccups escaping as he made a futile attempt to stifle it.\n\n[i]Congrats, Namah, you did it - you broke me.\n\nAre you happy now?\n\nARE YOU FUCKING SATIS - [/i]\n\nHis heart stopped.\n\nSomething long and thin had coiled around his right arm, digging deeply into his flesh.\n\nHe had felt something just like it before.\n\n     [i] ``Within life's end mercy lies,\n\n                     Reveal your friend or lose your eyes''[/i]\n\nA glowing green eye, dancing gleefully before him as dark green tendrils squeezed his skull.\n\nNo - not [i]here.[/i]\n\nImpossible - it can't - [i]how?[/i]\n\nBut - couldn't [i]be[/i] anything else...\n\nHis eyes had widened, still staring at the white sheets, desperately trying to remain still.\n\nFor some reason, Slither had yet to make any further moves, not even to whisper a threatening rhyme in his ear.\n\nWhat was it waiting for?\n\nAnd Namah - did it somehow sneak by her or did it - \n\nAnd what should he [i]do?[/i]  What [i]could[/i] he do?\n\nShout for help?\n\nTry to break free and run?\n\nSit there in terror?\n\nMace drew his eyes ever so slowly to the right, attempting to catch a glimpse without turning his head.  He felt a single tear make its way through his fur.\n\nHis vision slid over the bed with excruciating slowness, but he dared not move any faster.\n\nThe periphery dragged over his lap, his leg, then - \n\nThe sensation that came over him washed away everything else in a sudden jolt - ``struck by lightning'' came close to describing it, yet it did it little justice.\n\nHe had felt this only once before - like running head first into a pretty girl while walking down the street.\n\nBecause - \n\nWell, because - \n\nIt was - [i]pink.[/i]\n\n[center]*******[/center]\n\nYes, it was most certainly brave.\n\nIt was also, beyond a shadow of a doubt, [i]the stupidest thing she had ever done.[/i]\n\nConsidering how many stupid things she had done throughout her life, it was quite the accomplishment.\n\nWhat ridiculous, twisted logic could have ever led her to believe that this was a good idea?\n\nSure, it worked for her and Lilith, especially when they were younger.\n\nIt was always difficult to talk about the pain in one's heart, especially for little kids.  Instead, they would try to cheer the other up via distraction, doing something that felt good to blot out the bad.  Then, when the pain faded and became more bearable, they would talk about it.  Or just ignore it and move forward.\n\nIt seemed like a sound theory to her.\n\nShe initially felt optimistic as she packed up the datascroll and stole into Igrath's quarters to snatch the Nick and Snow chip from his collection.\n\nDoubt began to creep into the back of her mind as she approached the threshold, but she pushed boldly forward, strutting right on in and getting everything set up before he could utter a single word.\n\nSmooth sailing.\n\n[i]Ha.\n[/i]\nThe doubt surged back as she sat down next to him - she could already tell that it wouldn't work.\n\nBut she tried to ignore it, tried to simply force her way through, talking over both his words and her misgivings.\n\nAfter she had finished, though...\n\nIt was difficult not to miss how stiff he became, shaking in unmistakable rage.\n\nShe mentally prepared herself for a storm, but what came next was worse.\n\nHe... he gave up.\n\nShe sensed him slump in his bed, all the fight fleeing from him.\n\nShe didn't dare turn toward him to confirm her gut feeling.\n\nShe was afraid that if she saw him cry, that she wouldn't be able to handle it.\n\nNamah's right hand clenched over the clean white sheets as she stared at the scroll, not paying attention to the vivid colors of the cartoon.\n\nShe had failed him.\n\nWorse, she had broken him.\n\n[i]Guess who's ``Commander Tact'' now...[/i]\n\n``Namah...''\n\nMace's voice was shaky.  She couldn't tell if he was shaking in anger or holding back tears.\n\nAt least he said something.\n\nNow they could end this unbearable charade, and she would leave him to his misery.\n\nHe continued...\n\n``What...?''\n\nHis voice trailed off, clearly unable to articulate the full question.\n\nNamah's brow furrowed as she frowned at the screen.\n\nThat wasn't anger, or sadness.\n\nIt was incredulous surprise.\n\nShe turned to her left to see that his expression matched his tone.\n\nMace stared back at her, dumbstruck.\n\nShe returned his look with one of complete confusion.\n\nWhat...?\n\nHis big, blue eyes shifted downward slightly, settling between them.\n\nShe followed his gaze...\n\n[i]Huh?[/i]\n\nSomehow, without any conscious effort on her part, her tail had snuck its way up Mace's right arm, coiling tightly into the fur.\n\nAnd her left hand was - \n\nOh.\n\nOh, boy.\n\nHer tail unwound itself so quickly that she swore she heard a [i]crack[/i] as it whipped through the air.  Likewise, she withdrew her hand as if she had laid it on a hot stove.\n\n``Damn, wait a - it's not - don't - !''\n\nWhatever she was trying to sputter was left unsaid as her overenthusiastic movements led her to the very edge of the bed.\n\nShe threw out one arm to break her fall and another to blindly grab for a handhold.\n\nHer grasp closed over the bed sheets, but she succeeded in only tearing them off of Mace.\n\nShe gave a startled yelp as she fell onto the hard tile floor with an almighty [i]smack.[/i]\n\nThe sheet followed, gently alighting itself upon her face.\n\nNamah groaned, pulling away the fabric as she lay on her back, staring upwards at the featureless white ceiling.\n\nSuddenly her view was filled with blue surrounded by a canvas of white and brown as Mace stuck his head over the edge, one eyebrow cocked upwards.\n\nAfter a brief moment of mutual disbelieving stares, a hand snapped upward to cover his mouth as his cheeks bulged, like he was about to puke.\n\nA noisy puff of air escaped around his fingers.\n\n[i]``Pfft.''[/i]\n\nThen another.\n\nAnd another.\n\nHis eyes bulged as he tried to hold it in but to no avail.\n\nIt released in an overwhelming torrent, a sudden booming laugh that threw him upwards and out of view.\n\nThe laughter continued as Namah tentatively got to her knees and peered over the edge of the bed.\n\nMace lay on his back, hands over his bandaged stomach while tears snuck out from the corners of his eyes.\n\nShe didn't know what to make of it.\n\nEventually his laughter transformed into pained wheezes which in turn devolved into heavy panting.\n\nHe threw his arms outward, chest heaving.\n\nHis eyes glanced toward her, a smile on his face.\n\nAll she could do was gawk at him like an idiot.\n\nBefore she could articulate any kind of response, a groan drifted over from across the room, causing both of them to start.\n\nThey turned to see Lilith sitting up in her bed, eyes bleary, while Vincent stretched in her lap and gave a lazy yawn.\n\nOops.\n\nShe blinked several times before taking in the scene, from the ongoing cartoon on the scroll to Mace lying in bed, Namah's green eyes peering over the edge from the other side.\n\nLilith's expression turned from one of weariness to that of befuddlement.\n\n``What... what's going on?''\n\nNamah and Mace looked at each other for a second before returning their attention to Lilith.\n\n``Er,'' Mace began, ``w-we, that is, um - ``\n\nHe quickly glanced to Namah and passed it off to her.\n\nShe gave him a brief glare in reply.\n\n[i]Commander Tact.[/i]\n\nShe swallowed as she turned to Lillith.\n\n``Well, uh, what happened was...um...''\n\nShe fumbled, \n\nLilith continued to regard them in confusion.\n\nHer face abruptly adopted an expression of disbelief.\n\n``Wait, were you two - ``\n[i]\n``NICK AND SNOW??''[/i]\n\nThey all jumped - Vincent, quite literally, a few feet straight up.\n\nSticking his head between the curtains, Karo beamed at the colorful animation on the screen with a big stupid grin.\n\n``I loved that show!''\n\nNamah rubbed her chest, trying to calm her beating heart.\n\nThis day was too damn stressful - how many more surprises could she take before she snapped?\n\nOh, wait - [i]none.[/i]\n\nIn one smooth motion she threw her arm over to snatch up the pillow beneath Mace and flung it at Karo's head.\n\n[i]``Oof!''[/i]\n\nWith a muffled thwump the raptor flew backwards out of sight, Vincent hissing at the swaying curtains.\n\nStanding up, Namah yelled after him.\n\n``Some people are trying to sleep here!  [i]Get lost!''[/i]\n\n[i]``Namah!''[/i] cried Lilith in admonishment.\n\nNamah turned back to her, arms crossed and unapologetic.\n\nLilith sighed in exasperation, leaning back against her pillows.  Meanwhile, satisfied that the threat to Lilith was gone, Vincent resumed his coiled position in her lap.\n\nSeveral seconds of silence passed between the three, broken only by the muted cursing of Karo beyond the curtains and Vincent's soft purring.\n\nA few times Lilith opened her mouth as if to say something, but it looked like she couldn't find the words.\n\nFinally, Lilith gave the datascroll a sideways glance, the screen now bearing the credit sequence for episode one.\n\nA small smile crept onto her face.\n\n``So... [i]Nick and Snow[/i]?''\n\n[center]*******[/center]\n\n[i]``Please, kill me.''[/i]\n\nThose words threatened to suffocate her beneath a crushing black void of despair.\n\nFor one brief moment of insanity, she considered granting his wish.\n\nInstead, Namah tore the belt from her trench coat and unceremoniously thrust it into his open mouth.\n\nMace gagged, eyes bulging in hurt disbelief.\n\nThe others gave her equally appalled looks.\n\nShe ignored them.\n\nBarely a second had passed before her hands darted forward to grasp the handle of Ravat's blade and cruelly ripped it out of Mace's palms.\n\nThough muffled, his screams tore right through her soul.\n\nHe reflexively curled inwards, trying to bring his bleeding arms and legs inward.\n\nShe didn't let him.\n\nNamah pounced upon his left arm and pinned it to the ground.\n\n``Whip, the other arm!'' she growled.\n\nThe little guy merely floated there in horror as Mace's right arm reached around weakly in an attempt to free the other.\n\n[i]``DO IT, NOW!'' [/i]she shouted at him.\n\nGalvanized by her intensity and bared teeth, Whip sped downwards and wrapped himself around Mace's wrist.  Weak from blood loss and shock, Mace posed little resistance as Whip stretched out the limb and held it down.\n\nNamah glared at Bast.\n\n``Gather his guts and bring them here,'' she ordered.\n\nHe opened his mouth.\n\n``Don't argue - just DO IT,'' she shouted before he could object.\n\nBast jerked back as if stung, but then quickly moved to leave.\n\nHe slipped in a puddle blood and fell to his knees, bringing one hand to his muzzle as his eyes bulged.  He swallowed it down and sprung forward, flying out of her field of view.\n\nNamah turned to see little rivulets of tears flowing freely down her sister's shocked face.\n\n``Get ready.  Once Bast is done - ``\n\nMace gave a strangled yell through the gag as the bloody pink ropes trailing from his gutted abdomen jerked taut.\n\nLilith whimpered while Namah winced.\n\n``When he's done,'' she continued, ``use your Power and do not hesitate to take whatever you need from us.''\n\nLilith shook her head.\n\n``I - but I don't know if - e-even if I fix the damage, there w-would still be sepsis and - ``\n\n[i]``We've run out of time, Lilith!  Just shut the fuck up and for once in your life do what I say!''[/i]\n\nIt was harsh, but necessary.\n\nThere just wasn't enough time.\n\nHurt briefly flashed across Lilith's face, but she nodded shakily.\n\nAll through this, the pink and green lights continued to dance across the walls from down the corridor of rock.\n\nNamah desperately hoped that Vi could hold off Ravat long enough for them to save Mace.\n\nMace continued to cry out through the cloth, each tug at his organs causing him to spasm against their hold, the fur on his face flooded by tears.\n\nSpirits, why can't he pass out and be free from this?\n\nIs it the same reason for why he wasn't already dead?\n\nShe was no expert in medicine or anatomy, but anyone could see that he should have died a long time ago.\n\nThe sickening odor of blood and excrement abruptly rose to unbearable levels.\n\nBast shouldered past bearing a tangled slimy pink yarn oozing red and brown - \n\nSpirits, she was going to be sick.\n\nWide, wild eyes implored her for further instructions.\n\n``Put - put them inside,'' she managed to gasp out.\n\n[i]``Are you fucking serious?''[/i]\n\nBast turned to Lilith for answers.\n\n``Lilith, does she know what she's doing?'' he asked, begging for alternatives.\n\nLilith gave a tiny nod.\n\nHis brow furrowed, but he said no more.\n\nGazing down at the bloody mess before him with revulsion, he began to thread the organs through the yawning hole as gently as he could.\n\nMace's screams rose in pitch.\n\nNamah gripped Bast's arm with one hand while maintaining her hold on Mace with the other.\n\n``This is no time to be gentle!''\n\nHe gave her an angry, scandalized look, but didn't argue.\n\nHe gave a frustrated, feral growl as he started shoving into the small body, blood coating his arms up to his elbows.\n\nNamah and Whip redoubled their efforts as Mace thrashed in their grasp.\n\nBast gritted his teeth as he continued his grisly, barbaric surgery.\n\nMeanwhile, Lilith stared at the scene in grim determination as she attempted to work up her courage for the task at hand.\n\nA minute passed, the sounds of wet flesh accentuated by distant gun shots.\n\nFinished, Bast withdrew his blood-drenched arms, gasping from the effort.\n\n``Done!''\n\nNamah spun to Lilith.\n\n[i]``Lilith, now!''[/i]\n\nA subtle electric sizzle heralded the formation of her halo, suffusing the grim space with green light.\n\nUnlike Ravat's dark malevolent glow, this green was warm and gentle.\n\nLilith, with tearful yet resolute eyes, extended her arms toward Mace.\n\nVibrant tendrils sprung forth from her fingers.  Most gathered above the gory mess that was Mace's stomach while a few snaked around to settle near the holes in his palms and the slashes on his ankles.\n\nSeveral, small, isolated shoots curled around them, one for each.  Namah's hovered in front of her, near her heart.\n\nThey paused, poised over their targets.\n\nLilith closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.\n\nA small sob escaped around Mace's gag.\n\nHer eyes snapped open and the tendrils struck without mercy.\n\nThe smallest vines struck into their hearts with an unholy cold that belied their warm light, piercing deep into the very core of their beings.\n\nIt was even worse than the void behind those big blue eyes.\n\nNamah suspected that this is what dying felt like.\n\nThe primary tendrils dove into Mace's gaping abdomen with ruthless force.\n\nHe started screaming and didn't stop.\n\n[center]*******[/center]\n\nThere was only one logical conclusion.\n\nHe was useless.\n\nBast resisted the urge to stroke his scar again, instead choosing to kick a discarded soda can; the thin metal shell bounced against the stone wall with a series of tinny clinks.\n\nHis breakdown yesterday was only the latest in a long string of failures.\n\nIt was only now that he finally realized it.\n\nHe quickened his pace, prowling the dark edges of the compound in order to avoid the inquisitive words and concerned stares of the others.\n\nOn and on in his head he would count every little fuck-up, every time he tried to help and failed, or when his efforts only made things worse, even if the consequences were often unforeseeable.\n\nIt came off as almost comedic.\n\nAccording to everyone else, he was a hero.\n\nFinding Lilith and the others on the slopes of Starfall and sneaking them into Anduruna, right past the tight security of the wall guard; walking right into Neon Knife territory, conning them for information, and escaping by the skin of his teeth amongst a hail of bullets, sparkers, and Power discharges; jumping after Lilith into a bottomless chasm after a Nightmare skewered her, saving her life with his bravery.\n\nThen, the big one, the feat that had them all talking for days - awakening a Level 6 Power and using it to demolish a monolithic boulder in a spectacular display, once again saving the beautiful young girl.\n\nA real Prince Charming.\n\nYet all it took was a little bit of rudimentary examination to find the truth.\n\nIf he had never found them on those slopes, or if he led them to the front gates rather than through the sewers beneath the wall... the Troika or Scinter's Marks would have found them right then and there.\n\nThen Lilith proposed returning to the Towers and asked that, rather than accompany her, he remain behind and babysit Mace.  The Towers were a fortress, housing an enemy intent on killing her and her sister; it was a ridiculous plan.  He should have refused or, at the very least, insisted that he go with her.\n\nYet, he surrendered to her wishes and wasted hours playing detective with Mace and Whip.\n\nAnd what happened?\n\nNot believing the words of his own daughters, the Viscount imprisoned them, unknowingly leaving them to the mercy of his murderous fiance.\n\nYes, she managed to escape, but she also just narrowly avoided being fried by a Nightmare lackey along the way.\n\nThen instead of fleeing the Tower, she had the genius idea of ascending to its peak in search of legends and was almost disemboweled by a Nightmare for her trouble.\n\nMeanwhile, he - the brilliant hero - was being humiliated by a brat and his pet.\n\nSo what did he do after he was finally rid of them?\n\n[i]``So, you're actually visiting me!  ...I wonder what you need.''\n\n``Nothing from you.  I've got news for O'Naicul.''\n\n``Ooh, big shot today.  Well, glad I could be used.  Feel free to ditch me and move along now.''[/i]\n\n(Bast winced as he recalled her voice; he pushed that regret back down and buried it deep, not willing to face that one just yet.)\n\nH-he... (dammit, not deep enough) he w-walked right into the heart of a notorious street gang and made a pitiful attempt at conning information out of one of the most dangerous Dreamkeepers in Anduruna.  He left with little more than the gist of the contract - capture the boys, kill the girls.\n\nHe shouldn't have bothered - turned out that the Troika had a mole within their ranks and said agent had already passed along the info.\n\nAnd his escape?  Pure luck.\n\nIf it weren't for the timely arrival of the shock troopers, he would likely be dead right now.\n\nSo he limped back to Mace, both his body and his ego bruised and battered, and contacted Lilith.  \n\nSurprise, she had another brilliant idea.\n\nSneak into the Tower foundations, search for the entrance to a cave network that [i]might[/i] exist that could [i]possibly[/i] lead to the legendary Lost Archives - with nothing but a myth to go on.  Sure, there was plenty of documentation of the many attempts made to find it, but those were also accompanied by records of every Dreamkeeper that was lost or got killed in the process.\n\nHe should have said no.  He should have pointed out all the obvious flaws, the unreasonable risks, and assert that they instead get her and her sister out of that hellhole.\n\nBut of course he didn't.\n\nHe would do anything for her.\n\nWhat followed?\n\nWell, for all his experience and keen senses, that Nightmare sauntered right up to them and gored Lilith right before his eyes.\n\nHe summoned his Power and burned the creature, but it was too late.\n\nShe fell.\n\nAnd like a fool, he jumped in after her.\n\nWhat did he think would happen?\n\nHe was no doctor and, plus, it was a [i]bottomless fucking chasm.[/i]\n\nHe was lucky he only broke a leg.\n\nOf course, given the situation, a broken leg was more than enough to leave Lilith to die alongside his cold body.\n\nYet, by some capricious twist of fate, instead of dooming them both to certain death, his suicidal stupidity saved her life.\n\nNot only could she absorb life energy - even when unconscious - but she could give it back as well.  Her Power automatically awakened and drained him of his life to save hers, pushing him near to death.  Then, when she awoke, she gave back some of that life and saved him in turn.\n\nShe could have just as easily been unable to return that energy and his story would have ended in that dark place.  Hell, what if her Power was unable to work without conscious direction or what if it had nothing to do with healing at all?  Then both of their corpses would be rotting beneath the Towers.\n\nDespite their good fortune, he was left even more injured than before, rendering him lame and useless.\n\nA burden.\n\n[i]``I wanted to say I'm sorry for yesterday.''\n\n``Great.  Do yourself a favor and get lost.''\n\n``I really mean it, though!''\n\n``You'll get caught.''\n\n``You see, everyone who found us on that mountain tried to kill us - I relay though you have been leading us into a trap, or...  Listen, I was kind of a jerk.  But I know you're on our side now, so - ''\n\n``Not on your side.''\n\n``Huh?''\n\n``You're a burden.  The only reason I haven't beaten you down and stuffed you in a garbage bin is because Lilith asked me not to.''\n\n``Um - ''\n\n``Shut up.''\n[/i]\nIt was painfully obvious.\n\nHe would only drag them down.\n\n[i]``You need to leave me.''\n\n``[/i][b]No.[/b][i]''[/i]\n\nBut they were just as stupid as he was.\n\nAnd, as fate would have it, Lilith would probably be dead if they had heeded his advice.\n\nBut, when he fully awakened his Power, unleashing hell itself to save her - he didn't do it alone.\n\n[i]``It's okay, just... hold tight, and don't let go.\n\n              Don't let go Bast.''[/i]\n\nShe deserved as much credit as him.\n\nPerhaps it was only a mere coincidence, or fate throwing him another bone, but if it weren't for her words, his Power would have remained weak and useless, woefully inadequate against the incoming monolith of crude rock.\n\nIn truth, they are alive now because of her.\n\nAnd Mace.\n\nBast stopped and blinked, scowl dropping off his face.\n\n[i]``[/i]Climb ahead, you can get to the side in time - [i]''\n\n``But you can't.''\n\nSuddenly, a small figure jumped in front of the falling pillar of rock.\n\n``Come on Power,[/i] please - [b]please[/b][i] - ''\n\nIt was... Mace.[/i]\n\nWhat if Mace was never there to throw himself in front of that boulder?\n\nWould he have had enough time to use his Power?\n\nOr would the rock have crushed them long before he managed to get on his feet?\n\nWas this what he was truly worried about, what his mind had been spending hours avoiding?\n\nThat, perhaps, Mace was more of a hero than he was?\n\nMaybe they all were.\n\nNamah was there long before him, defending Lilith against an experienced Power user, her own Power only just awakened - and managed to beat her opponent without an ounce of experience.\n\nMace and Whip both saved Lilith on the slopes of Starfall before he had even figured out where they were or that Lilith needed help in the first place.\n\nThen, on her own, Lilith defeated a Nightmare without using her Power - instead she tricked it and [i]tore out its eyes with her bare hands.[/i]\n\nMeanwhile, Mace [i]killed[/i] a Nightmare of his own with little more than [i]a pillow and a blanket.[/i]  And after that he managed to outsmart a psychotic killer, escaping with only a few bruises.\n\nBast remembered paying particularly close attention when Mace reluctantly told them that story.\n\nRavat.\n\nHe gritted his teeth, scowl returning.\n\nAt mere mention of the name, his trail of thought abruptly twisted down a side alley and brought forth a storm of images, memories both old and new.\n\nHis mother's dead eyes staring at him from her bloody, slashed corpse...\n\n[i]``Don't let go...''[/i]\n\n...the orange blurred and transformed into a brilliant blue, staring out from a body even more torn and broken, drenched in blood, a body that should have been dead long before they got there.\n\n[i]``Please, kill me.''[/i]\n\nThe blood, the neatly carved flesh...\n\n...and the blade stuck fast in the palms of his hands.\n\nBast saw Namah slip it into the pocket of her trench coat after the healing; once he examines it up close, it will confirm what he already knew.\n\nHis father was there.\n\n[i]Ravat.[/i]\n\nOne hand reached up and gripped his scarf tightly.\n\nFinally he could put a name to the monstrous grin that haunted his nightmares, something to call him other than `dad.'\n\nCold comfort.\n\nBecause, at the moment he had made this realization, he was too busy puking his guts out to care, panicking like a coward while a friend lay dying.\n\nWait, friend?\n\nHe halted his pacing, hand dropping to his side.\n\nHe sighed.\n\nThat's what it was.\n\nIt was not that he was weak, or useless.\n\nIt was that he had been letting them down and not even sparing them a second thought.\n\nWhat did he call Mace and Whip?\n\n``Murder boy'' and ``the floating mistake?''\n\nNamah?\n\nHe didn't speak a single word to her until the Archives.\n\nAnd even Lilith, he just thought of her as...\n\nAs what?\n\nHis light?  The light he had been looking for ever since his mother was murdered?\n\nSomething to be protected, certainly, but that was it - he never bothered to think of her as anything more.\n\nHe definitely didn't expect her to be so strong.  \n\nMaybe stronger than he was.\n\nPerhaps they all were.\n\nAnd, despite everything, they never gave up on him.\n\n[i]``[/i][b]No.[/b][i]''[/i]\n\nNow Mace lay in the infirmary, having just experienced what his mother went through, and what was he doing?\n\nBrooding in the darkness, feeling sorry for himself.\n\nWorse, Mace had already gone through the horror just days ago.  \n\nHe knew what it felt like, to see someone you loved, torn to pieces...\n\nMace was perhaps the one person in the Dreamworld actually capable of understanding his pain.\n\nAnd at every opportunity he had pushed him away.\n\nJust like Vanth.\n\nIt felt like a blow to his stomach, the guilt and weight of everything laid bare, brought on by a simple regret - the callous discarding of a childhood friend.\n\nHe abruptly turned around and began walking, his mind bouncing around possible ideas as to what he would say once he arrived.\n\nIt would be difficult, and likely comically awkward, but he had to start somewhere and he had to start now.\n\nFate had given him a second chance, in every possible way.\n\nHe'd be a fool to waste it.\n\nHe would start with helping Mace.  Then, he would work on giving them all the respect - and friendship - they deserved.\n\nBut how would he begin...?\n\nBast's visage settled into one of grim determination.\n\nCommon ground was always a good place to start.\n\nIt would be a terrible, agonizing bond, the shared desire for vengeance, but it also meant that he was the most qualified Dreamkeeper to help Mace start healing from this fresh wound... and maybe help each other recover from their old scars.\n[center]\n*******[/center]\n\nBast felt the spikes of fur along his spine bristle.\n\nSomething was wrong.\n\nThe cavern was uncharacteristically silent, devoid of the footsteps of Troika operatives, the echoes of conversation, or the rapport of gunfire from the range.\n\nWhere was everybody?\n\nAdrenaline spiked as he crouched low to the ground, moving forward slowly and quietly.\n\nHis eyes constantly scanned his surroundings, looking for clues as to what may have happened.\n\nHis ear twitched as it caught something, an echo of what was most definitely a voice, but he was not sure who's - or whether it was casual conversation or a cry of alarm.\n\nHe silently stole across the space, keeping to its edges.\n\nIt didn't take him long to confirm its general direction - it was coming from the infirmary.\n\nAs he neared, he could make out multiple voices and positively determined their tone to be casual and surprisingly... happy.\n\nHe rose from his crouch as he came within sight of the infirmary entrance, curtains still drawn, bright flashes of light occasionally spilling forth between them.\n\nThere was also several smells... something hot... butter?  And maybe something spicy...\n\nThoroughly confused, Bast remained cautious as he slowly approached the curtains.\n\nAs he gently reached out to draw them inside, a voice suddenly broke through.\n\n``I can't believe they let kids watch this!''\n\nThat was Woods voice.\n\nBast swept the curtains aside.\n\nHis mouth dropped open as he gaped at the gathering before him.\n\nEvery single bed, every bit of floor, any and all space was filled by what appeared to be every single Dreamkeeper on the base.\n\nBobby and Vi shared a bed with Whip perched upon her head; Karo was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Bill while Rumour, Woods, and Damon dangled their legs off a bed behind them, each bearing a bowl or bag of chips and other snacks; Igrath, liable to take up two or three beds, had instead decided to take the floor between two gurneys (an Indigo on each), while Kalei used one of his giant, folded legs as a head rest; Nainso had dragged in one of his comfortable leather chairs, sipping from a mug with Diligence curled up in his lap.\n\nEven Scinter was there, reclined in a crappy folding chair, a bottle of fermentae hanging loosely from one hand.\n\nTo top it all off, he spotted Mace's nursemaid - Grunn - sprawled on a dirty and torn sofa chair in the back.\n\nThey were all watching a large datascroll set up on one of the walls, which featured the brightly colored animation of some kind of cartoon.\n\nWith so many people in the room, he couldn't make out Mace anywhere.\n\nIgrath's voice rang out as he answered Woods.\n\n``The CSC was a bit more lax during those years - lots of shows got quite a bit of crap past the radar.''\n\nBast didn't understand.\n\n``What the fu - ``\n\nBefore he could finish his curse, over a dozen individuals shooshed him loudly.\n\n``Keep it down, kid!'' said Karo.  ``I've already missed an episode.''\n\nBast's mouth opened and closed several times as he continued to scrutinize the room, trying to discern an answer to the sudden madness.\n\nAt the far end of the room, he spotted Lilith lying on her own bed, Cuddles relaxing in her lap.\n\nCatching his eye, she smiled and waved him over.\n\nFrowning, he picked his way across the room, taking care to avoid stepping on toes or blocking someone's view, wary of inviting a nasty retort.\n\nUpon reaching her bed, he opened his mouth to question her but she held a finger to her lips and patted the sheets next to her.\n\nStifling his curiosity, he obeyed and hopped up onto the bed, hanging his legs and tail over the edge.\n\nLilith gave him an amused look of exasperation and gently tugged at his arm.  After a moment of resistance, he relented and climbed up to lay next to her.\n\nShe took his arm, gently laid her head against his shoulder and whispered quietly.\n\n``I'll explain everything later, but for now, just relax and watch the show.''\n\nHe sighed and nodded.\n\nShe grinned and turned her gaze to the datascroll.\n\n``It's called [i]Nick and Snow [/i]- it's a kids cartoon, but really good - me and Namah used to watch it years ago.  We're already a few episodes in, but I'm sure you'll figure it out.''\n\nBast, still confused, but reassured, made himself comfortable next to her.\n\nBefore turning his attention to the show, he swept his gaze across the audience, searching again.\n\nFrom this angle, he was able to spot Mace on the other side of the room; somehow he managed to miss him along the way to Lilith's bed.\n\nBast raised his eyebrows.\n\nNext to him was Namah, leaning back into the pillows, clearly enjoying the current episode.\n\nBeside her, Mace was equally engrossed in the cartoon and wore a small smile.\n\nForm where he was, Bast's view of the space between them was obscured by Mace's legs, but the way their arms were arranged made it fairly obvious as to what their hands were doing.\n\nAnd even if he didn't notice that, it was hard not to see Namah's tail trying to subtly wrap itself around Mace's right arm, making a half-hearted attempt at remaining inconspicuous.\n\nHe took one last, long look at the room, musing at what had happened.\n\nWho would dare predict that things would ever end up this way, after all that they had been through?\n\nEspecially after yesterday.\n\nWas it fate, again?\n\nOr maybe Namah had managed to beat him to the punch.\n\nHe was just fine with either answer.\n\nBast settled back into the fluffy pillows and slowly snuck his right hand over to encompass Lillith's.\n\nShe didn't turn to him, but he could just barely see the blush beneath her green fur as he felt her hand squeeze his.\n\nBast turned his attention to [i]Nick and Snow[/i], a small, innocent smile on his face.\n\n",
  "writing_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>She was no stranger to vertigo.<br /><br />Many an ill-conceived climbing expedition has concluded with an untimely fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ascending too high, slick surfaces, improper grip - there were many culprits.<br /><br />No matter how many times she fell, it was never enough to dissuade her from further expeditions. Her impish nature simply adored the freedom offered by her uncanny ability to stick to nearly any surface, to scale the most daunting of vertical faces.<br /><br />During a particularly memorable rampage that resulted from a fiery encounter with her father, she had proceeded to wreck the antechamber to the Viscount&#039;s office.&nbsp;&nbsp;After tearing up the carpet, swinging from the chandelier, and even punching a statue, she attempted to scurry up the vast chamber&#039;s walls in order to escape the grasp of the Tower guards.<br /><br />But, just a moment before, she had made the mistake of splashing around in the decorative fountain nestled in the center of the room, redirecting its sparkling sprays to bombard the bumbling guards.<br /><br />When she was halfway up the wall, her slick fingers began to lose their hold - and she fell.<br /><br />During the brief period of freefall, she was convinced that she was going to die.<br /><br />She didn&#039;t, obviously.<br /><br />Bill caught her.<br /><br />She remembered landing in his arms, the sickening wet squelch as her horns speared his left arm.&nbsp;&nbsp;She had immediately crawled up and curled around his head, sobbing as Bill sputtered, pressing his trembling hand against the wounds in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding.<br /><br />His arm was in a sling for over a week.<br /><br />She had never apologized.<br /><br />She was eight years old at the time.<br /><br />The memory stuck with her as the one instance that she was truly terrified of falling.<br /><br />Years later she came to truly appreciate her good fortune - that someone was there to catch her.<br /><br />There was no one to catch her now.<br /><br />And this was the worst fall she had ever experienced.<br /><br />It was as if she had plunged right through the world, all shape and color flying up and over, fleeing to leave her in an impenetrable black - a solid darkness that curled around her, pressing in, forcing itself down her throat to suffocate her.<br /><br />Like being buried alive.<br /><br />Reality snapped back, vivid and harsh.<br /><br />She had not fallen.<br /><br />She was still there, on her knees, pants soaked in his blood.<br /><br />The overwhelming sensation of drowning did not leave, though.<br /><br />The worst part was that this was only an infinitesimal fraction of what she saw behind his words.<br /><br />Behind Mace&#039;s eyes as he begged her to kill him.<br /><br /><div class='align_center'>*******</div><br /><br />Namah shook herself from the memory and looked to the infirmary threshold, a curtain stretched across to provide its occupants some modicum of privacy.<br /><br />Only two of the beds were filled right now.<br /><br />In the furthest bed lay Lilith, thoroughly exhausted from yesterday&#039;s ordeal.<br /><br />Despite the offers of aid from herself, Whip, and Bast, Lilith steadfastly refused to use a single drop of life energy from them unless it was absolutely necessary.&nbsp;&nbsp;She drove herself to the brink of unconsciousness before the thin, green tendrils dove into their abdomens with a sudden savage ferocity born of the instinctual need to survive.<br /><br />It was only a miniscule portion of energy, but the cold, piercing feeling that radiated from the point of contact stabbed down to her very soul.<br /><br />She imagined that it was a taste of what dying felt like.<br /><br />So soon after the dark sensation wrought by Mace&#039;s request, it had nearly broke her.<br /><br />As a consequence of Lilith&#039;s restraint, she had collapsed atop Mace&#039;s supine form, barely breathing.&nbsp;&nbsp;She maintained consciousness just long enough to witness the results of her work - the gaping wound spewing torn bowels replaced by a thin, pink scar parting the white fur while the holes in his hands and the cuts on his ankles were completely erased.<br /><br />After Vi brought them back to the Troika base, Indi (or was it Digo?) examined Lilith and assured them all that she was simply fatigued and would recover.<br /><br />She had yet to awaken, but all indications pointed to a peaceful sleep in the meantime.<br /><br />Several beds over, the other occupant was not so lucky.<br /><br />But, even if he did grab some sleep, Namah was sure that it would be filled with nightmares.<br /><br />Mace had mercifully passed out during the healing, but after he had awoken...<br /><br />Namah looked away from the curtains, gazing off toward the mess area, where most of the others were gathered, likely discussing yesterday&#039;s events.<br /><br />The most troubling development was when he sent Whip away.<br /><br /><em>Whip.</em><br /><br />He had tried to talk with Mace alone and everyone else was respectful enough to keep out of earshot, so no one knows what words were passed.<br /><br />But, soon after, the little guy flew through the curtains, little crystal drops spattering the ground behind him.<br /><br />He quickly found Vi and Bobby, either to enlist their aid or to find comfort in familiar arms.<br /><br />Regardless, the two took it upon themselves to resolve the situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;It made sense - Namah heard that they lived with Mace at the orphanage, being the closest he ever had to a big brother and sister.<br /><br />They would know what to say.<br /><br />Right?<br /><br /><em>Right,</em> Namah thought bitterly.<br /><br />The result was explosive.<br /><br />She couldn&#039;t make out much - she caught only a few words, shouted at the top of his lungs.<br /><br /><em>``You abandoned us - YOU KILLED HER!&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Despite how little she actually knew of Mace and his past, she could guess what he was talking about.<br /><br />Bobby left the infirmary with his arms around Vi in a futile attempt to comfort her, eyes downcast.<br /><br />Word around the base was that Vi was the kind of person to eschew such personal contact, but she made no effort to escape his hold.<br /><br />Her eyes told why - they bore the shell-shocked gaze of one who just witnessed the death of a beloved friend.<br /><br />Guess it was more than a metaphor.<br /><br />Mace&#039;s words had pierced her down to her very core.&nbsp;&nbsp;Namah imagined that Vi was just then reliving that little girl&#039;s death before her eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Though she wasn&#039;t there to witness the horrific scene, it was doubtless that Vi had viewed the scrollcast or perhaps even the actual investigation report - Namah wouldn&#039;t put it past Nainso to have been able to get his hands on the CCA&#039;s files on the murder.<br /><br />Bill disguised his pain far better, but not enough to truly hide it.<br /><br />They hadn&#039;t seen Mace for years and - from his point of view - effectively abandoned him and Paige to that horrible place, and in turn were not there to save her from the Sandman.<br /><br />Any bond they shared had long since dissolved.<br /><br />After the two left the infirmary, no one else made any further attempts to talk to Mace.<br /><br />No one was willing to risk getting bitten.<br /><br />Kalei had tentatively stepped inside earlier with Vincent, but only to spend a few hours by Lilith&#039;s side before leaving to pass the rest of the day with the only other familiar faces around, the (ex-) Tower guards (Vincent remained inside, presumably curled up next to Lilith).&nbsp;&nbsp;She barely knew a thing about Mace and Namah bet that she was likely secretly glad that her intrusion didn&#039;t set him off.<br /><br />Then there was Bast, who had stayed with them just long enough to ensure Lilith&#039;s well-being before setting off to prowl the outskirts of the complex, brooding.&nbsp;&nbsp;A few Troika attempted to talk to him, but were quickly dissuaded by his trademark scowl.&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite being trained guerilla operatives, they were not keen to tangle with an unstable kid bearing a Level 6 Power.<br /><br />Namah didn&#039;t quite know what to make of Bast.&nbsp;&nbsp;After his uncharacteristic freak out in the cavern, it was anyone&#039;s guess as to what was going through his mind.<br /><br />Well, maybe it wasn&#039;t that uncharacteristic.<br /><br />She knew him even less than Mace, after all.<br /><br />He had hardly spoken a word to her and in the few times he was actually travelling with them he only opened his mouth to talk with Lilith or fight with Mace.&nbsp;&nbsp;Otherwise, he only communicated in short, pragmatic statements.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lilith was the only one who had any chance of getting Bast to actually talk about himself, but it&#039;s not like any of them had the time to sit down and have a nice personal chat.<br /><br />Perhaps his veneer of badassery is just a facade.<br /><br />On the other hand, it wasn&#039;t a stretch to consider that even the most badass of badasses would freak out, given what they saw...<br /><br />Didn&#039;t matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even if he was all-there right now, his relationship with Mace was prickly at the best of times - he would be no help at all.<br /><br />She sighed and resumed her pacing, head down.<br /><br />So who was left?<br /><br />Karo?<br /><br />Apparently he knew Mace at the orphanage, too, but he was recruited into the Troika years before Vi and Bobby left; if they couldn&#039;t help, Namah doubted that a cocky raptor who only knew him as a tyke was capable of doing squat.<br /><br />Were there any other candidates on this damn base?<br /><br />Igrath cared, maybe - it would be in his nature.&nbsp;&nbsp;But he&#039;s far too busy to comfort a troubled teenager that he hardly knew, even if he was the most capable of surviving whatever Mace would throw at him.<br /><br />The rest?&nbsp;&nbsp;They didn&#039;t care.<br /><br />Why would they?&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mace was just some random kid who should have stayed on base like he was told.&nbsp;&nbsp;Such things matter little in the face of the monumental task of overthrowing the CCA and saving the Dreamworld from a Nightmare invasion.<br /><br />Who else was left?<br /><br /><em>Grunn!?</em><br /><br />She let out a small, bitter laugh.<br /><br />There was no one!<br /><br />He drove away his best friend - no, his damn brother - and rejected the few people that actually knew and <em>cared</em> about him.<br /><br />He threw away everything he had.<br /><br />Hell, he doesn&#039;t even have any <em>friends - <br /><br />``Well, I like you, too - I&#039;ll watch out for both of you!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``What?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Mace grinned.<br /><br />``Yeah, we&#039;re friends, right?&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course I will.&#039;&#039;<br /></em><br />Dammmit all.<br /><br />She had been standing there, pacing for hours, arguments and lists running circles in her head, some part of her knowing full well who was the best person for the job - and some part of her keeping those circles running around that answer, making up excuses to keep her from walking into that room.<br /><br />She stopped pacing, her shoulders slumped, and turned her gaze back to the curtain.<br /><br />For years, her only companion, her only friend, had been Lilith (Gregori didn&#039;t count).<br /><br />Then there was Kalei and Jeneviv.&nbsp;&nbsp;But, in the end, they were more Lilith&#039;s friends then hers.<br /><br />Vincent?&nbsp;&nbsp;Sure, he was always there for her, but he wasn&#039;t one for conversation.<br /><br />There was only her sister.<br /><br />Until she met him.<br /><br />That first day at school was also her first day she actually got to meet others the same age as her.<br /><br />While Lilith focused on fulfilling her obligations as a volunteer tutor, she had quickly skipped class to break into the school&#039;s database.&nbsp;&nbsp;There she perused the student roster with the intent of finding the most interesting and mischievous kids in the joint.<br /><br />She then had set off into the vents, on the way to the classroom where they were being held for `counseling.&#039;<br /><br />Appropriately, they had already escaped into the vents and she met them halfway there.<br /><br /><em>She spotted them, the larger one (though still quite short) speaking over his shoulder to his small companion - they hadn&#039;t noticed her, despite her glowing eyes.<br /><br />``Is it just me, or do you think they installed those guns because of what we did last year?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``What</em> <strong>did</strong> <em>you do last year?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The boy snapped his head forward to meet her eyes, their faces mere inches apart.<br /><br />Instantly the two recoiled, letting out twin exclamations of surprise.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ``WHOA!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;``NEEK!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Was it that thing on the local news?&nbsp;&nbsp;And why were you two down there?&nbsp;&nbsp;Was it because you hit that other guy?&nbsp;&nbsp;And by the way, what</em> <strong>is</strong> <em>that fabulous aroma?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />They stared back, dumbfounded by her sudden storm of questions.<br /><br />``What...?&#039;&#039; said the larger, white-furred one.<br /><br />She smirked.<br /><br />``My </em><strong>name</strong> <em>is Namah.&nbsp;&nbsp;And I am a she.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not a</em> <strong>what</strong><em>. And you are Mace.&nbsp;&nbsp;And that delicious little friend of yours is Whip.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Anghh?&#039;&#039; asked the little blue one.<br /><br />`Special needs&#039; indeed.<br /><br />``What did he say?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``He&#039;s wondering how you know our names.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She twisted herself around and began to crawl back the way she came.<br /><br />``Follow me and I&#039;ll show you.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Soon after they assaulted their supervising teacher with the same guns they were talking about (<em>``Not to worry - it&#039;s non-lethal!&#039;&#039;</em>).&nbsp;&nbsp;She had observed with approving fascination, scribbling it all down in Sir Noteworthy.<br /><br />They had certainly lived up to their student profiles.<br /><br /><em>``You guys are a nexus of trouble.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I&#039;ll take that as a compliment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks for the fun - maybe we&#039;ll see you later.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Maybe you will.&#039;&#039;<br /></em><br />They did.<br /><br />But not in a way that anyone would have predicted.<br /><br />There he was, sitting in her fugitive uncle&#039;s home, the same day that she saw a scrollcast declaring him wanted for murder, the same day her father&#039;s fiance tried to murder her and Lilith.<br /><br />She had dreamed of escaping that damn Tower for so long, of experiencing the outside world, perhaps having an adventure or two, but no way in hell did she ever dream of this.<br /><br />And now here she was, trying to come up with excuses to not help a friend.<br /><br />She growled in frustration.<br /><br /><em>But <strong>how?</strong></em><br /><br />Despite being the only true friend she had made outside the Tower (hell, he volunteered for it!), they had known each other for only a few days, with precious few opportunities to talk safely, and then often about the crises that had a habit of finding them every five minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of what she knew about his past came second-hand, overheard from Vi, Bobby, and a few others, and what she got amounted to very little.<br /><br />Otherwise, all she had to go one were the brief times they had been together.<br /><br />He was devious, for sure.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet, he was also innocent in a way, and definitely naive in some areas, especially compared to herself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Optimistic was another word to describe him, though it most certainly didn&#039;t apply now.<br /><br />However, as she reflected on her memories, it did seem like some of that cheer had started to fade before yesterday, just after (or during) the archives, or perhaps even further back, when they reunited at the Tower foundation.<br /><br />Another was brave.<br /><br />She saw him throw himself before Slither and she heard it from Lilith that he stupidly jumped before that boulder and desperately tried to hold it, keep it from rolling down to crush Lilith and Bast below.<br /><br />Yes, definitely brave.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stupid, but brave.<br /><br />Yes, all very interesting.<br /><br />And all very <em>fucking useless.</em><br /><br />In truth, she had nothing to go on.<br /><br />All she had were her experiences with Lilith, being there for each other, cheering the other up when days were dark.<br /><br />Yeah, stuffed animals and hand-made comic books, that&#039;ll cheer him right up.<br /><br />She resisted the urge to tear her hair out, instead settling for throwing her arms in the air, nearly shouting in frustration.<br /><br />Her arms dropped to her sides, her shoulders hunched.<br /><br />One hand slipped into her pocket to trace the edge of the blade she tore from Mace&#039;s hands, kept as some kind of macabre souvenir.<br /><br />Namah didn&#039;t know why she kept it.<br /><br />She could sense the sheer malevolence of the weapon, like a foul aura left behind by its evil owner.&nbsp;&nbsp;She had examined it earlier and found it to be in excellent condition; obviously the man took very good care of it.&nbsp;&nbsp;It must have meant something to him.<br /><br />Doubtless it was also used to kill that little girl.<br /><br />Hopefully it hurt him, losing his blade.<br /><br />For some people, the loss of a simple possession could hurt like an actual knife stabbing into their heart.&nbsp;&nbsp;For a man such as him, one who put so little value in the life of another Dreamkeeper, she hoped that it felt like a thousand knives.<br /><br />Maybe one day she&#039;ll get to return it to him, and show him what it truly feels like, to have a knife driven through his heart.<br /><br />Namah stared numbly into space, momentarily shocked by the sheer violence of the thought.<br /><br />She snarled.<br /><br />Oh, what was she thinking about all <em>that</em> for!?<br /><br />She grimaced, glaring at the ground.<br /><br />Such a great help you are, Namah!<br /><br />She was the only one left who could help him and here she was, failing <em>miserably!</em><br /><br />She should at least be trying, not standing here just fucking thinking about it!<br /><br />She cast her eyes about the vast complex in desperation, searching for anyone, anything that could help, or at least give her some idea...<br /><br />Her eyes fell upon a large data-scroll fitted on a wheeled stand before several rows of benches, the kind Nainso and the others used for briefings and what-not.<br /><br />Namah had an idea.<br /><br />A very brave, very <em>stupid</em> idea.<br /><br /><div class='align_center'>*******</div><br /><br />Mace stared down at the palm of his hand, Paige&#039;s face smiling up at him, blissfully ignorant of her own death.<br /><br />The other hand wormed beneath his bandages to trace the thin scar slashing across the entire width of his stomach.<br /><br />Now he knew what she had gone through, experienced something similar to what that... monster did to her.<br /><br />All except the dying.<br /><br />His jaw clenched, his fingers curling over her face, gripping tightly, stone edges digging into his skin.<br /><br />Maybe she was the lucky one - at least she didn&#039;t feel pain anymore.<br /><br />He let his hand go limp, the pendant slipping from his grasp to thump gently against his bare chest.&nbsp;&nbsp;It nestled in his fur, dead eyes staring vacantly at the row of beds and stretchers across the room.<br /><br />In contrast, he stared at nothing, his mind blank.<br /><br />Occasionally a thought or two would flit across this vacant space, usually memories.<br /><br />The Sandman, shriveled claws curled around his throat.<br /><br />Paige&#039;s body scattered in pieces across the floor, like a jigsaw puzzle abandoned out of boredom.<br /><br />Lilith disappearing into the dripping maw of a Nightmare on the slopes of Starfall.<br /><br />The first time he saw Ravat&#039;s sickening grin, stuffed full of razor sharp canines, while a blade hovered a hairs breadth from his eye.<br /><br />Lilith falling into the darkness beneath the Tower, Bast leaping in after her.<br /><br />A glowing green eye, dancing gleefully before him as dark green tendrils squeezed his skull.<br /><br />Namah fleeing through the hole in the ceiling, the Nightmare pursuing in earnest as he tried to climb the walls after her, but there was nothing he could do...<br /><br />A vast tower of stone, bearing down upon him as he held up his hands in desperation, begging for his Power to awaken, trying so hard to save his friends and failing once again...<br /><br />The glowing Spirit telling him that only he had the power to save them all...<br /><br />...what a joke...<br /><br />He did not directly acknowledge it.<br /><br />Instead, across a vast expanse of gray numbness, his mind bent and curled around the obvious answer, tantalizing him with the truth as, at every turn, he frantically dodged and glanced away.<br /><br />But eventually his mind had so extensively wormed around it to the point that the void&#039;s outer edges were perfectly mapped and its substance made clear.&nbsp;&nbsp;And every time its shape became clear enough for his mind to put it to words, he flinched as if Ravat had once again ripped into his small body.<br /><br />The natural conclusion, the unmistakable truth.<br /><br />He was useless.<br /><br /><em>``I... I tried.&nbsp;&nbsp;I gave it everything, but - ``<br /><br />``The power of the ages is granted only to one - but it must be unlocked.&nbsp;&nbsp;Seek the ancient key, the Relic of Eresh-Kigal.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``But - what? Are my friends okay?&nbsp;&nbsp;And what are you?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``The Spirits have many names.&nbsp;&nbsp;You must make a pilgrimage to the Isle of Logos - they will guide you to Eresh-Kigal.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Wait, don&#039;t leave - you have to explain!&nbsp;&nbsp;What if you&#039;re wrong about me?&nbsp;&nbsp;How does - ``<br /><br />``Seek the Relic, Mace.<br /><br />It is the key to your power, and the salvation of your world.<br /><br />If you fail - all those you love will perish.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />He had barely set foot out the front door - and he failed.<br /><br />After what happened, there was no way they would let him go again.&nbsp;&nbsp;No way that they would trust him.<br /><br />He was going to sit out everything, watching from the sidelines as just some useless kid, watching as everyone he ever knew and loved die.<br /><br />Spirits, he just killed them all.<br /><br />Suddenly the sound of metal grating upon metal tore through the silence of the infirmary.<br /><br />Mace jerked his head upwards, his head slamming into the wall.<br /><br />Wincing and rubbing the back of his head, he turned to see...<br /><br />Namah?<br /><br />She pushed her way through the curtains, the metal rings scraping across the supporting pole, carelessly throwing them closed behind her.&nbsp;&nbsp;Balanced awkwardly under her left arm she carried an extremely long datascroll.<br /><br />Without sparing him a single glance, she turned her back to him and began to examine the wall opposite.<br /><br />Thoroughly blindsided by the sudden intrusion, Mace&#039;s anguish was momentarily banished, replaced by confusion and curiosity.&nbsp;&nbsp;He stared at her dumbly, mouth slightly agape, hand still absently massaging his head.<br /><br />Namah scrutinized the bare surface with the intensity of a professional thief examining the blueprints of a well-defended bank.<br /><br />The wall stoically bore her gaze.<br /><br />Namah nodded in satisfaction, seemingly pleased with her selection.<br /><br />She then roughly shoved the intervening beds and stretchers aside, grabbing a single gurney to stand upon.&nbsp;&nbsp;She climbed up and affixed the top strut of the datascroll to the wall and unfurled it, stretching the screen to its full length before securing the bottom strut as well.<br /><br />With a final flourish, she produced a memory chip from her pocket and swiftly inserted it into the port within the lower strut.<br /><br />She jumped down and inspected her handiwork, chin resting upon her right hand, her fingers delicately curled in that casual manner he had become familiar with.<br /><br />Mace started to lean forward, still bearing a befuddled countenance.<br /><br />Abruptly she spun about, hands on hips, regarding him with a neutral, unreadable expression.<br /><br />Mace snapped his head back, leaning into his pillow, wary of her intentions.<br /><br />They held each other&#039;s gazes for several seconds before Mace worked up the nerve to ask what she was doing.<br /><br />``Wha - ``<br /><br />His lips barely parted before she strode forward to the right side of his bed and - and with the air of mild impatience, she started to... <em>nudge</em> him aside.<br /><br />``Scooch, Mace - I know you&#039;re fully healed, so don&#039;t be rude and hog the best seat in the house!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Faced with such unexpectedly bold rudeness, he complied.<br /><br />After he made some space, she hopped up beside him, quickly making herself comfortable.<br /><br />Her hand disappeared into one of her trench coat&#039;s pockets to retrieve a remote; she flicked it toward the large datascroll, turning it on before deftly navigating a series of menus, far too fast for Mace to follow.<br /><br />A few seconds later, she tossed the device aside and upbeat theme music began to emanate from the datascroll&#039;s high definition speakers.<br /><br />Finally recovering from his shock, Mace disregarded the opening titles on the screen and frowned at Namah.<br /><br />``Namah - ``<br /><br />A single, slim, pink digit darted forward, laying across his lips - <em>shushing</em> him.<br /><br />Without taking her eyes off the screen, she began to speak at a rapid pace in a casual tone.<br /><br />``Have you ever seen <em>Nick and Snow</em>?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I - ``<br /><br />She immediately interrupted him, withdrawing her finger.<br /><br />``Of course you haven&#039;t; why should you?&nbsp;&nbsp;Doubt that walking barrel of fermentae ever let you have a scroll, especially not a wide-screen like this baby!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She gestured toward the scroll grandiosely.<br /><br />``So you missed the scrollcasts - no big deal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Turns out Igrath had the whole series on chip, would you believe that?&nbsp;&nbsp;Knew he was a fan!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He once again tried to grab her attention.<br /><br />``What - ``<br /><br />She was impervious to such simple interjections; she continued to speak, steamrolling over his words and thus stymying any further efforts to interrupt her.<br /><br />``Sure, it&#039;s a cartoon, but it&#039;s really good, plenty for mature audiences to enjoy - I mean, there are so many things that I get now that I couldn&#039;t understand when I was eight.&nbsp;&nbsp;Especially all those `adult&#039; jokes sprinkled in for the parents to enjoy.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She kept on going.<br /><br />``Anyways, the first season starts of excellently, but the studio was really going for a one-off thing - they weren&#039;t betting on getting a contract renewal.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is kinda interesting, considering the whole thing is based on a book series of the same name.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sorry, tangent.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, then, because of that, they were totally unprepared when the network asked for a second season.&nbsp;&nbsp;The individual episodes worked pretty well and the animation got a nice boost due to the extra budget, but - as exhibited by the character development - they were really fumbling for an overall plot to string the whole thing together.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She just wouldn&#039;t stop.<br /><br />``Oh, but the third season - that&#039;s where they started to shine!&nbsp;&nbsp;They definitely got their act together, wrote out a whole, multiple-season overarching plot ahead of time, and started building toward it in the first half.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then the three-parter in the middle - wow!&nbsp;&nbsp;It blew my frickin&#039; mind.&nbsp;&nbsp;Can&#039;t tell you details, of course - spoilers - but when you get to those episodes, I guarantee that it will blow your hair - er, fur - back.&#039;&#039;<br /><br /><em>Please, just stop.</em><br /><br />``Anyways, it carried on through season four and five and ended with an epic full-length movie - hopefully Igrath has it somewhere, `cuz it&#039;s not on the chips I found...&#039;&#039;<br /><br /><em>Just - just SHUT THE FUCK UP.</em><br /><br />``Dammit, I&#039;m just rambling on and making you miss the first episode!&nbsp;&nbsp;I&#039;m such a dolt.&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, let&#039;s just enjoy the show.&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe in a break between episodes, I&#039;ll go grab us some snacks or something.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He... he just wanted to be left alone...<br /><br />...alone in his shame...<br /><br />Mace tried building up the rage, jaw clenching, working up the fury to scream at her or, better yet, growl at her to get lost with a quiet menace that would surely pierce her casual veneer.<br /><br />But, somewhere along the way, the effort just became pointless.<br /><br />The tension went out of his muscles, shoulders slumping, head falling backwards.&nbsp;&nbsp;His hands tumbled to his sides, resting against the sheets, palms up.&nbsp;&nbsp;His eyes fell, gazing at his lap, seeing nothing.<br /><br />He felt like crying.<br /><br />What was she hoping to accomplish?<br /><br />Was she trying to shock him out of his mood?<br /><br />Or did she truly believe that the disgusting sweetness of a childhood cartoon would banish his depression through the sheer force of candy-coated goodness?<br /><br />It only made him feel sick.<br /><br />And even more alone.<br /><br />His vision blurred while a familiar choking sensation built up in the back of his throat.<br /><br />He hadn&#039;t truly cried in years.<br /><br />He had shed tears for sure, especially over the last few, horrible days, but despite everything he was always too busy, too scared, or too shocked to let it all out.<br /><br />After all that happened, it had finally built up to the breaking point.<br /><br />Perhaps it was time for a good cry.<br /><br />His chest heaved, breathing uneven and broken, little hiccups escaping as he made a futile attempt to stifle it.<br /><br /><em>Congrats, Namah, you did it - you broke me.<br /><br />Are you happy now?<br /><br />ARE YOU FUCKING SATIS - </em><br /><br />His heart stopped.<br /><br />Something long and thin had coiled around his right arm, digging deeply into his flesh.<br /><br />He had felt something just like it before.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em> ``Within life&#039;s end mercy lies,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reveal your friend or lose your eyes&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />A glowing green eye, dancing gleefully before him as dark green tendrils squeezed his skull.<br /><br />No - not <em>here.</em><br /><br />Impossible - it can&#039;t - <em>how?</em><br /><br />But - couldn&#039;t <em>be</em> anything else...<br /><br />His eyes had widened, still staring at the white sheets, desperately trying to remain still.<br /><br />For some reason, Slither had yet to make any further moves, not even to whisper a threatening rhyme in his ear.<br /><br />What was it waiting for?<br /><br />And Namah - did it somehow sneak by her or did it - <br /><br />And what should he <em>do?</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;What <em>could</em> he do?<br /><br />Shout for help?<br /><br />Try to break free and run?<br /><br />Sit there in terror?<br /><br />Mace drew his eyes ever so slowly to the right, attempting to catch a glimpse without turning his head.&nbsp;&nbsp;He felt a single tear make its way through his fur.<br /><br />His vision slid over the bed with excruciating slowness, but he dared not move any faster.<br /><br />The periphery dragged over his lap, his leg, then - <br /><br />The sensation that came over him washed away everything else in a sudden jolt - ``struck by lightning&#039;&#039; came close to describing it, yet it did it little justice.<br /><br />He had felt this only once before - like running head first into a pretty girl while walking down the street.<br /><br />Because - <br /><br />Well, because - <br /><br />It was - <em>pink.</em><br /><br /><div class='align_center'>*******</div><br /><br />Yes, it was most certainly brave.<br /><br />It was also, beyond a shadow of a doubt, <em>the stupidest thing she had ever done.</em><br /><br />Considering how many stupid things she had done throughout her life, it was quite the accomplishment.<br /><br />What ridiculous, twisted logic could have ever led her to believe that this was a good idea?<br /><br />Sure, it worked for her and Lilith, especially when they were younger.<br /><br />It was always difficult to talk about the pain in one&#039;s heart, especially for little kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, they would try to cheer the other up via distraction, doing something that felt good to blot out the bad.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, when the pain faded and became more bearable, they would talk about it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Or just ignore it and move forward.<br /><br />It seemed like a sound theory to her.<br /><br />She initially felt optimistic as she packed up the datascroll and stole into Igrath&#039;s quarters to snatch the Nick and Snow chip from his collection.<br /><br />Doubt began to creep into the back of her mind as she approached the threshold, but she pushed boldly forward, strutting right on in and getting everything set up before he could utter a single word.<br /><br />Smooth sailing.<br /><br /><em>Ha.<br /></em><br />The doubt surged back as she sat down next to him - she could already tell that it wouldn&#039;t work.<br /><br />But she tried to ignore it, tried to simply force her way through, talking over both his words and her misgivings.<br /><br />After she had finished, though...<br /><br />It was difficult not to miss how stiff he became, shaking in unmistakable rage.<br /><br />She mentally prepared herself for a storm, but what came next was worse.<br /><br />He... he gave up.<br /><br />She sensed him slump in his bed, all the fight fleeing from him.<br /><br />She didn&#039;t dare turn toward him to confirm her gut feeling.<br /><br />She was afraid that if she saw him cry, that she wouldn&#039;t be able to handle it.<br /><br />Namah&#039;s right hand clenched over the clean white sheets as she stared at the scroll, not paying attention to the vivid colors of the cartoon.<br /><br />She had failed him.<br /><br />Worse, she had broken him.<br /><br /><em>Guess who&#039;s ``Commander Tact&#039;&#039; now...</em><br /><br />``Namah...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Mace&#039;s voice was shaky.&nbsp;&nbsp;She couldn&#039;t tell if he was shaking in anger or holding back tears.<br /><br />At least he said something.<br /><br />Now they could end this unbearable charade, and she would leave him to his misery.<br /><br />He continued...<br /><br />``What...?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />His voice trailed off, clearly unable to articulate the full question.<br /><br />Namah&#039;s brow furrowed as she frowned at the screen.<br /><br />That wasn&#039;t anger, or sadness.<br /><br />It was incredulous surprise.<br /><br />She turned to her left to see that his expression matched his tone.<br /><br />Mace stared back at her, dumbstruck.<br /><br />She returned his look with one of complete confusion.<br /><br />What...?<br /><br />His big, blue eyes shifted downward slightly, settling between them.<br /><br />She followed his gaze...<br /><br /><em>Huh?</em><br /><br />Somehow, without any conscious effort on her part, her tail had snuck its way up Mace&#039;s right arm, coiling tightly into the fur.<br /><br />And her left hand was - <br /><br />Oh.<br /><br />Oh, boy.<br /><br />Her tail unwound itself so quickly that she swore she heard a <em>crack</em> as it whipped through the air.&nbsp;&nbsp;Likewise, she withdrew her hand as if she had laid it on a hot stove.<br /><br />``Damn, wait a - it&#039;s not - don&#039;t - !&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Whatever she was trying to sputter was left unsaid as her overenthusiastic movements led her to the very edge of the bed.<br /><br />She threw out one arm to break her fall and another to blindly grab for a handhold.<br /><br />Her grasp closed over the bed sheets, but she succeeded in only tearing them off of Mace.<br /><br />She gave a startled yelp as she fell onto the hard tile floor with an almighty <em>smack.</em><br /><br />The sheet followed, gently alighting itself upon her face.<br /><br />Namah groaned, pulling away the fabric as she lay on her back, staring upwards at the featureless white ceiling.<br /><br />Suddenly her view was filled with blue surrounded by a canvas of white and brown as Mace stuck his head over the edge, one eyebrow cocked upwards.<br /><br />After a brief moment of mutual disbelieving stares, a hand snapped upward to cover his mouth as his cheeks bulged, like he was about to puke.<br /><br />A noisy puff of air escaped around his fingers.<br /><br /><em>``Pfft.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Then another.<br /><br />And another.<br /><br />His eyes bulged as he tried to hold it in but to no avail.<br /><br />It released in an overwhelming torrent, a sudden booming laugh that threw him upwards and out of view.<br /><br />The laughter continued as Namah tentatively got to her knees and peered over the edge of the bed.<br /><br />Mace lay on his back, hands over his bandaged stomach while tears snuck out from the corners of his eyes.<br /><br />She didn&#039;t know what to make of it.<br /><br />Eventually his laughter transformed into pained wheezes which in turn devolved into heavy panting.<br /><br />He threw his arms outward, chest heaving.<br /><br />His eyes glanced toward her, a smile on his face.<br /><br />All she could do was gawk at him like an idiot.<br /><br />Before she could articulate any kind of response, a groan drifted over from across the room, causing both of them to start.<br /><br />They turned to see Lilith sitting up in her bed, eyes bleary, while Vincent stretched in her lap and gave a lazy yawn.<br /><br />Oops.<br /><br />She blinked several times before taking in the scene, from the ongoing cartoon on the scroll to Mace lying in bed, Namah&#039;s green eyes peering over the edge from the other side.<br /><br />Lilith&#039;s expression turned from one of weariness to that of befuddlement.<br /><br />``What... what&#039;s going on?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Namah and Mace looked at each other for a second before returning their attention to Lilith.<br /><br />``Er,&#039;&#039; Mace began, ``w-we, that is, um - ``<br /><br />He quickly glanced to Namah and passed it off to her.<br /><br />She gave him a brief glare in reply.<br /><br /><em>Commander Tact.</em><br /><br />She swallowed as she turned to Lillith.<br /><br />``Well, uh, what happened was...um...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She fumbled, <br /><br />Lilith continued to regard them in confusion.<br /><br />Her face abruptly adopted an expression of disbelief.<br /><br />``Wait, were you two - ``<br /><em><br />``NICK AND SNOW??&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />They all jumped - Vincent, quite literally, a few feet straight up.<br /><br />Sticking his head between the curtains, Karo beamed at the colorful animation on the screen with a big stupid grin.<br /><br />``I loved that show!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Namah rubbed her chest, trying to calm her beating heart.<br /><br />This day was too damn stressful - how many more surprises could she take before she snapped?<br /><br />Oh, wait - <em>none.</em><br /><br />In one smooth motion she threw her arm over to snatch up the pillow beneath Mace and flung it at Karo&#039;s head.<br /><br /><em>``Oof!&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />With a muffled thwump the raptor flew backwards out of sight, Vincent hissing at the swaying curtains.<br /><br />Standing up, Namah yelled after him.<br /><br />``Some people are trying to sleep here!&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Get lost!&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br /><em>``Namah!&#039;&#039;</em> cried Lilith in admonishment.<br /><br />Namah turned back to her, arms crossed and unapologetic.<br /><br />Lilith sighed in exasperation, leaning back against her pillows.&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, satisfied that the threat to Lilith was gone, Vincent resumed his coiled position in her lap.<br /><br />Several seconds of silence passed between the three, broken only by the muted cursing of Karo beyond the curtains and Vincent&#039;s soft purring.<br /><br />A few times Lilith opened her mouth as if to say something, but it looked like she couldn&#039;t find the words.<br /><br />Finally, Lilith gave the datascroll a sideways glance, the screen now bearing the credit sequence for episode one.<br /><br />A small smile crept onto her face.<br /><br />``So... <em>Nick and Snow</em>?&#039;&#039;<br /><br /><div class='align_center'>*******</div><br /><br /><em>``Please, kill me.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Those words threatened to suffocate her beneath a crushing black void of despair.<br /><br />For one brief moment of insanity, she considered granting his wish.<br /><br />Instead, Namah tore the belt from her trench coat and unceremoniously thrust it into his open mouth.<br /><br />Mace gagged, eyes bulging in hurt disbelief.<br /><br />The others gave her equally appalled looks.<br /><br />She ignored them.<br /><br />Barely a second had passed before her hands darted forward to grasp the handle of Ravat&#039;s blade and cruelly ripped it out of Mace&#039;s palms.<br /><br />Though muffled, his screams tore right through her soul.<br /><br />He reflexively curled inwards, trying to bring his bleeding arms and legs inward.<br /><br />She didn&#039;t let him.<br /><br />Namah pounced upon his left arm and pinned it to the ground.<br /><br />``Whip, the other arm!&#039;&#039; she growled.<br /><br />The little guy merely floated there in horror as Mace&#039;s right arm reached around weakly in an attempt to free the other.<br /><br /><em>``DO IT, NOW!&#039;&#039; </em>she shouted at him.<br /><br />Galvanized by her intensity and bared teeth, Whip sped downwards and wrapped himself around Mace&#039;s wrist.&nbsp;&nbsp;Weak from blood loss and shock, Mace posed little resistance as Whip stretched out the limb and held it down.<br /><br />Namah glared at Bast.<br /><br />``Gather his guts and bring them here,&#039;&#039; she ordered.<br /><br />He opened his mouth.<br /><br />``Don&#039;t argue - just DO IT,&#039;&#039; she shouted before he could object.<br /><br />Bast jerked back as if stung, but then quickly moved to leave.<br /><br />He slipped in a puddle blood and fell to his knees, bringing one hand to his muzzle as his eyes bulged.&nbsp;&nbsp;He swallowed it down and sprung forward, flying out of her field of view.<br /><br />Namah turned to see little rivulets of tears flowing freely down her sister&#039;s shocked face.<br /><br />``Get ready.&nbsp;&nbsp;Once Bast is done - ``<br /><br />Mace gave a strangled yell through the gag as the bloody pink ropes trailing from his gutted abdomen jerked taut.<br /><br />Lilith whimpered while Namah winced.<br /><br />``When he&#039;s done,&#039;&#039; she continued, ``use your Power and do not hesitate to take whatever you need from us.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Lilith shook her head.<br /><br />``I - but I don&#039;t know if - e-even if I fix the damage, there w-would still be sepsis and - ``<br /><br /><em>``We&#039;ve run out of time, Lilith!&nbsp;&nbsp;Just shut the fuck up and for once in your life do what I say!&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />It was harsh, but necessary.<br /><br />There just wasn&#039;t enough time.<br /><br />Hurt briefly flashed across Lilith&#039;s face, but she nodded shakily.<br /><br />All through this, the pink and green lights continued to dance across the walls from down the corridor of rock.<br /><br />Namah desperately hoped that Vi could hold off Ravat long enough for them to save Mace.<br /><br />Mace continued to cry out through the cloth, each tug at his organs causing him to spasm against their hold, the fur on his face flooded by tears.<br /><br />Spirits, why can&#039;t he pass out and be free from this?<br /><br />Is it the same reason for why he wasn&#039;t already dead?<br /><br />She was no expert in medicine or anatomy, but anyone could see that he should have died a long time ago.<br /><br />The sickening odor of blood and excrement abruptly rose to unbearable levels.<br /><br />Bast shouldered past bearing a tangled slimy pink yarn oozing red and brown - <br /><br />Spirits, she was going to be sick.<br /><br />Wide, wild eyes implored her for further instructions.<br /><br />``Put - put them inside,&#039;&#039; she managed to gasp out.<br /><br /><em>``Are you fucking serious?&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Bast turned to Lilith for answers.<br /><br />``Lilith, does she know what she&#039;s doing?&#039;&#039; he asked, begging for alternatives.<br /><br />Lilith gave a tiny nod.<br /><br />His brow furrowed, but he said no more.<br /><br />Gazing down at the bloody mess before him with revulsion, he began to thread the organs through the yawning hole as gently as he could.<br /><br />Mace&#039;s screams rose in pitch.<br /><br />Namah gripped Bast&#039;s arm with one hand while maintaining her hold on Mace with the other.<br /><br />``This is no time to be gentle!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He gave her an angry, scandalized look, but didn&#039;t argue.<br /><br />He gave a frustrated, feral growl as he started shoving into the small body, blood coating his arms up to his elbows.<br /><br />Namah and Whip redoubled their efforts as Mace thrashed in their grasp.<br /><br />Bast gritted his teeth as he continued his grisly, barbaric surgery.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Lilith stared at the scene in grim determination as she attempted to work up her courage for the task at hand.<br /><br />A minute passed, the sounds of wet flesh accentuated by distant gun shots.<br /><br />Finished, Bast withdrew his blood-drenched arms, gasping from the effort.<br /><br />``Done!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Namah spun to Lilith.<br /><br /><em>``Lilith, now!&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />A subtle electric sizzle heralded the formation of her halo, suffusing the grim space with green light.<br /><br />Unlike Ravat&#039;s dark malevolent glow, this green was warm and gentle.<br /><br />Lilith, with tearful yet resolute eyes, extended her arms toward Mace.<br /><br />Vibrant tendrils sprung forth from her fingers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most gathered above the gory mess that was Mace&#039;s stomach while a few snaked around to settle near the holes in his palms and the slashes on his ankles.<br /><br />Several, small, isolated shoots curled around them, one for each.&nbsp;&nbsp;Namah&#039;s hovered in front of her, near her heart.<br /><br />They paused, poised over their targets.<br /><br />Lilith closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.<br /><br />A small sob escaped around Mace&#039;s gag.<br /><br />Her eyes snapped open and the tendrils struck without mercy.<br /><br />The smallest vines struck into their hearts with an unholy cold that belied their warm light, piercing deep into the very core of their beings.<br /><br />It was even worse than the void behind those big blue eyes.<br /><br />Namah suspected that this is what dying felt like.<br /><br />The primary tendrils dove into Mace&#039;s gaping abdomen with ruthless force.<br /><br />He started screaming and didn&#039;t stop.<br /><br /><div class='align_center'>*******</div><br /><br />There was only one logical conclusion.<br /><br />He was useless.<br /><br />Bast resisted the urge to stroke his scar again, instead choosing to kick a discarded soda can; the thin metal shell bounced against the stone wall with a series of tinny clinks.<br /><br />His breakdown yesterday was only the latest in a long string of failures.<br /><br />It was only now that he finally realized it.<br /><br />He quickened his pace, prowling the dark edges of the compound in order to avoid the inquisitive words and concerned stares of the others.<br /><br />On and on in his head he would count every little fuck-up, every time he tried to help and failed, or when his efforts only made things worse, even if the consequences were often unforeseeable.<br /><br />It came off as almost comedic.<br /><br />According to everyone else, he was a hero.<br /><br />Finding Lilith and the others on the slopes of Starfall and sneaking them into Anduruna, right past the tight security of the wall guard; walking right into Neon Knife territory, conning them for information, and escaping by the skin of his teeth amongst a hail of bullets, sparkers, and Power discharges; jumping after Lilith into a bottomless chasm after a Nightmare skewered her, saving her life with his bravery.<br /><br />Then, the big one, the feat that had them all talking for days - awakening a Level 6 Power and using it to demolish a monolithic boulder in a spectacular display, once again saving the beautiful young girl.<br /><br />A real Prince Charming.<br /><br />Yet all it took was a little bit of rudimentary examination to find the truth.<br /><br />If he had never found them on those slopes, or if he led them to the front gates rather than through the sewers beneath the wall... the Troika or Scinter&#039;s Marks would have found them right then and there.<br /><br />Then Lilith proposed returning to the Towers and asked that, rather than accompany her, he remain behind and babysit Mace.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Towers were a fortress, housing an enemy intent on killing her and her sister; it was a ridiculous plan.&nbsp;&nbsp;He should have refused or, at the very least, insisted that he go with her.<br /><br />Yet, he surrendered to her wishes and wasted hours playing detective with Mace and Whip.<br /><br />And what happened?<br /><br />Not believing the words of his own daughters, the Viscount imprisoned them, unknowingly leaving them to the mercy of his murderous fiance.<br /><br />Yes, she managed to escape, but she also just narrowly avoided being fried by a Nightmare lackey along the way.<br /><br />Then instead of fleeing the Tower, she had the genius idea of ascending to its peak in search of legends and was almost disemboweled by a Nightmare for her trouble.<br /><br />Meanwhile, he - the brilliant hero - was being humiliated by a brat and his pet.<br /><br />So what did he do after he was finally rid of them?<br /><br /><em>``So, you&#039;re actually visiting me!&nbsp;&nbsp;...I wonder what you need.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Nothing from you.&nbsp;&nbsp;I&#039;ve got news for O&#039;Naicul.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Ooh, big shot today.&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, glad I could be used.&nbsp;&nbsp;Feel free to ditch me and move along now.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />(Bast winced as he recalled her voice; he pushed that regret back down and buried it deep, not willing to face that one just yet.)<br /><br />H-he... (dammit, not deep enough) he w-walked right into the heart of a notorious street gang and made a pitiful attempt at conning information out of one of the most dangerous Dreamkeepers in Anduruna.&nbsp;&nbsp;He left with little more than the gist of the contract - capture the boys, kill the girls.<br /><br />He shouldn&#039;t have bothered - turned out that the Troika had a mole within their ranks and said agent had already passed along the info.<br /><br />And his escape?&nbsp;&nbsp;Pure luck.<br /><br />If it weren&#039;t for the timely arrival of the shock troopers, he would likely be dead right now.<br /><br />So he limped back to Mace, both his body and his ego bruised and battered, and contacted Lilith.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Surprise, she had another brilliant idea.<br /><br />Sneak into the Tower foundations, search for the entrance to a cave network that <em>might</em> exist that could <em>possibly</em> lead to the legendary Lost Archives - with nothing but a myth to go on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sure, there was plenty of documentation of the many attempts made to find it, but those were also accompanied by records of every Dreamkeeper that was lost or got killed in the process.<br /><br />He should have said no.&nbsp;&nbsp;He should have pointed out all the obvious flaws, the unreasonable risks, and assert that they instead get her and her sister out of that hellhole.<br /><br />But of course he didn&#039;t.<br /><br />He would do anything for her.<br /><br />What followed?<br /><br />Well, for all his experience and keen senses, that Nightmare sauntered right up to them and gored Lilith right before his eyes.<br /><br />He summoned his Power and burned the creature, but it was too late.<br /><br />She fell.<br /><br />And like a fool, he jumped in after her.<br /><br />What did he think would happen?<br /><br />He was no doctor and, plus, it was a <em>bottomless fucking chasm.</em><br /><br />He was lucky he only broke a leg.<br /><br />Of course, given the situation, a broken leg was more than enough to leave Lilith to die alongside his cold body.<br /><br />Yet, by some capricious twist of fate, instead of dooming them both to certain death, his suicidal stupidity saved her life.<br /><br />Not only could she absorb life energy - even when unconscious - but she could give it back as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her Power automatically awakened and drained him of his life to save hers, pushing him near to death.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, when she awoke, she gave back some of that life and saved him in turn.<br /><br />She could have just as easily been unable to return that energy and his story would have ended in that dark place.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hell, what if her Power was unable to work without conscious direction or what if it had nothing to do with healing at all?&nbsp;&nbsp;Then both of their corpses would be rotting beneath the Towers.<br /><br />Despite their good fortune, he was left even more injured than before, rendering him lame and useless.<br /><br />A burden.<br /><br /><em>``I wanted to say I&#039;m sorry for yesterday.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Great.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do yourself a favor and get lost.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I really mean it, though!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You&#039;ll get caught.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You see, everyone who found us on that mountain tried to kill us - I relay though you have been leading us into a trap, or...&nbsp;&nbsp;Listen, I was kind of a jerk.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I know you&#039;re on our side now, so - &#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Not on your side.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Huh?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You&#039;re a burden.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only reason I haven&#039;t beaten you down and stuffed you in a garbage bin is because Lilith asked me not to.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Um - &#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Shut up.&#039;&#039;<br /></em><br />It was painfully obvious.<br /><br />He would only drag them down.<br /><br /><em>``You need to leave me.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``</em><strong>No.</strong><em>&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />But they were just as stupid as he was.<br /><br />And, as fate would have it, Lilith would probably be dead if they had heeded his advice.<br /><br />But, when he fully awakened his Power, unleashing hell itself to save her - he didn&#039;t do it alone.<br /><br /><em>``It&#039;s okay, just... hold tight, and don&#039;t let go.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Don&#039;t let go Bast.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />She deserved as much credit as him.<br /><br />Perhaps it was only a mere coincidence, or fate throwing him another bone, but if it weren&#039;t for her words, his Power would have remained weak and useless, woefully inadequate against the incoming monolith of crude rock.<br /><br />In truth, they are alive now because of her.<br /><br />And Mace.<br /><br />Bast stopped and blinked, scowl dropping off his face.<br /><br /><em>``</em>Climb ahead, you can get to the side in time - <em>&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``But you can&#039;t.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Suddenly, a small figure jumped in front of the falling pillar of rock.<br /><br />``Come on Power,</em> please - <strong>please</strong><em> - &#039;&#039;<br /><br />It was... Mace.</em><br /><br />What if Mace was never there to throw himself in front of that boulder?<br /><br />Would he have had enough time to use his Power?<br /><br />Or would the rock have crushed them long before he managed to get on his feet?<br /><br />Was this what he was truly worried about, what his mind had been spending hours avoiding?<br /><br />That, perhaps, Mace was more of a hero than he was?<br /><br />Maybe they all were.<br /><br />Namah was there long before him, defending Lilith against an experienced Power user, her own Power only just awakened - and managed to beat her opponent without an ounce of experience.<br /><br />Mace and Whip both saved Lilith on the slopes of Starfall before he had even figured out where they were or that Lilith needed help in the first place.<br /><br />Then, on her own, Lilith defeated a Nightmare without using her Power - instead she tricked it and <em>tore out its eyes with her bare hands.</em><br /><br />Meanwhile, Mace <em>killed</em> a Nightmare of his own with little more than <em>a pillow and a blanket.</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;And after that he managed to outsmart a psychotic killer, escaping with only a few bruises.<br /><br />Bast remembered paying particularly close attention when Mace reluctantly told them that story.<br /><br />Ravat.<br /><br />He gritted his teeth, scowl returning.<br /><br />At mere mention of the name, his trail of thought abruptly twisted down a side alley and brought forth a storm of images, memories both old and new.<br /><br />His mother&#039;s dead eyes staring at him from her bloody, slashed corpse...<br /><br /><em>``Don&#039;t let go...&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />...the orange blurred and transformed into a brilliant blue, staring out from a body even more torn and broken, drenched in blood, a body that should have been dead long before they got there.<br /><br /><em>``Please, kill me.&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />The blood, the neatly carved flesh...<br /><br />...and the blade stuck fast in the palms of his hands.<br /><br />Bast saw Namah slip it into the pocket of her trench coat after the healing; once he examines it up close, it will confirm what he already knew.<br /><br />His father was there.<br /><br /><em>Ravat.</em><br /><br />One hand reached up and gripped his scarf tightly.<br /><br />Finally he could put a name to the monstrous grin that haunted his nightmares, something to call him other than `dad.&#039;<br /><br />Cold comfort.<br /><br />Because, at the moment he had made this realization, he was too busy puking his guts out to care, panicking like a coward while a friend lay dying.<br /><br />Wait, friend?<br /><br />He halted his pacing, hand dropping to his side.<br /><br />He sighed.<br /><br />That&#039;s what it was.<br /><br />It was not that he was weak, or useless.<br /><br />It was that he had been letting them down and not even sparing them a second thought.<br /><br />What did he call Mace and Whip?<br /><br />``Murder boy&#039;&#039; and ``the floating mistake?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Namah?<br /><br />He didn&#039;t speak a single word to her until the Archives.<br /><br />And even Lilith, he just thought of her as...<br /><br />As what?<br /><br />His light?&nbsp;&nbsp;The light he had been looking for ever since his mother was murdered?<br /><br />Something to be protected, certainly, but that was it - he never bothered to think of her as anything more.<br /><br />He definitely didn&#039;t expect her to be so strong.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Maybe stronger than he was.<br /><br />Perhaps they all were.<br /><br />And, despite everything, they never gave up on him.<br /><br /><em>``</em><strong>No.</strong><em>&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Now Mace lay in the infirmary, having just experienced what his mother went through, and what was he doing?<br /><br />Brooding in the darkness, feeling sorry for himself.<br /><br />Worse, Mace had already gone through the horror just days ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />He knew what it felt like, to see someone you loved, torn to pieces...<br /><br />Mace was perhaps the one person in the Dreamworld actually capable of understanding his pain.<br /><br />And at every opportunity he had pushed him away.<br /><br />Just like Vanth.<br /><br />It felt like a blow to his stomach, the guilt and weight of everything laid bare, brought on by a simple regret - the callous discarding of a childhood friend.<br /><br />He abruptly turned around and began walking, his mind bouncing around possible ideas as to what he would say once he arrived.<br /><br />It would be difficult, and likely comically awkward, but he had to start somewhere and he had to start now.<br /><br />Fate had given him a second chance, in every possible way.<br /><br />He&#039;d be a fool to waste it.<br /><br />He would start with helping Mace.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, he would work on giving them all the respect - and friendship - they deserved.<br /><br />But how would he begin...?<br /><br />Bast&#039;s visage settled into one of grim determination.<br /><br />Common ground was always a good place to start.<br /><br />It would be a terrible, agonizing bond, the shared desire for vengeance, but it also meant that he was the most qualified Dreamkeeper to help Mace start healing from this fresh wound... and maybe help each other recover from their old scars.<br /><div class='align_center'><br />*******</div><br /><br />Bast felt the spikes of fur along his spine bristle.<br /><br />Something was wrong.<br /><br />The cavern was uncharacteristically silent, devoid of the footsteps of Troika operatives, the echoes of conversation, or the rapport of gunfire from the range.<br /><br />Where was everybody?<br /><br />Adrenaline spiked as he crouched low to the ground, moving forward slowly and quietly.<br /><br />His eyes constantly scanned his surroundings, looking for clues as to what may have happened.<br /><br />His ear twitched as it caught something, an echo of what was most definitely a voice, but he was not sure who&#039;s - or whether it was casual conversation or a cry of alarm.<br /><br />He silently stole across the space, keeping to its edges.<br /><br />It didn&#039;t take him long to confirm its general direction - it was coming from the infirmary.<br /><br />As he neared, he could make out multiple voices and positively determined their tone to be casual and surprisingly... happy.<br /><br />He rose from his crouch as he came within sight of the infirmary entrance, curtains still drawn, bright flashes of light occasionally spilling forth between them.<br /><br />There was also several smells... something hot... butter?&nbsp;&nbsp;And maybe something spicy...<br /><br />Thoroughly confused, Bast remained cautious as he slowly approached the curtains.<br /><br />As he gently reached out to draw them inside, a voice suddenly broke through.<br /><br />``I can&#039;t believe they let kids watch this!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />That was Woods voice.<br /><br />Bast swept the curtains aside.<br /><br />His mouth dropped open as he gaped at the gathering before him.<br /><br />Every single bed, every bit of floor, any and all space was filled by what appeared to be every single Dreamkeeper on the base.<br /><br />Bobby and Vi shared a bed with Whip perched upon her head; Karo was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Bill while Rumour, Woods, and Damon dangled their legs off a bed behind them, each bearing a bowl or bag of chips and other snacks; Igrath, liable to take up two or three beds, had instead decided to take the floor between two gurneys (an Indigo on each), while Kalei used one of his giant, folded legs as a head rest; Nainso had dragged in one of his comfortable leather chairs, sipping from a mug with Diligence curled up in his lap.<br /><br />Even Scinter was there, reclined in a crappy folding chair, a bottle of fermentae hanging loosely from one hand.<br /><br />To top it all off, he spotted Mace&#039;s nursemaid - Grunn - sprawled on a dirty and torn sofa chair in the back.<br /><br />They were all watching a large datascroll set up on one of the walls, which featured the brightly colored animation of some kind of cartoon.<br /><br />With so many people in the room, he couldn&#039;t make out Mace anywhere.<br /><br />Igrath&#039;s voice rang out as he answered Woods.<br /><br />``The CSC was a bit more lax during those years - lots of shows got quite a bit of crap past the radar.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Bast didn&#039;t understand.<br /><br />``What the fu - ``<br /><br />Before he could finish his curse, over a dozen individuals shooshed him loudly.<br /><br />``Keep it down, kid!&#039;&#039; said Karo.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I&#039;ve already missed an episode.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Bast&#039;s mouth opened and closed several times as he continued to scrutinize the room, trying to discern an answer to the sudden madness.<br /><br />At the far end of the room, he spotted Lilith lying on her own bed, Cuddles relaxing in her lap.<br /><br />Catching his eye, she smiled and waved him over.<br /><br />Frowning, he picked his way across the room, taking care to avoid stepping on toes or blocking someone&#039;s view, wary of inviting a nasty retort.<br /><br />Upon reaching her bed, he opened his mouth to question her but she held a finger to her lips and patted the sheets next to her.<br /><br />Stifling his curiosity, he obeyed and hopped up onto the bed, hanging his legs and tail over the edge.<br /><br />Lilith gave him an amused look of exasperation and gently tugged at his arm.&nbsp;&nbsp;After a moment of resistance, he relented and climbed up to lay next to her.<br /><br />She took his arm, gently laid her head against his shoulder and whispered quietly.<br /><br />``I&#039;ll explain everything later, but for now, just relax and watch the show.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He sighed and nodded.<br /><br />She grinned and turned her gaze to the datascroll.<br /><br />``It&#039;s called <em>Nick and Snow </em>- it&#039;s a kids cartoon, but really good - me and Namah used to watch it years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;We&#039;re already a few episodes in, but I&#039;m sure you&#039;ll figure it out.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Bast, still confused, but reassured, made himself comfortable next to her.<br /><br />Before turning his attention to the show, he swept his gaze across the audience, searching again.<br /><br />From this angle, he was able to spot Mace on the other side of the room; somehow he managed to miss him along the way to Lilith&#039;s bed.<br /><br />Bast raised his eyebrows.<br /><br />Next to him was Namah, leaning back into the pillows, clearly enjoying the current episode.<br /><br />Beside her, Mace was equally engrossed in the cartoon and wore a small smile.<br /><br />Form where he was, Bast&#039;s view of the space between them was obscured by Mace&#039;s legs, but the way their arms were arranged made it fairly obvious as to what their hands were doing.<br /><br />And even if he didn&#039;t notice that, it was hard not to see Namah&#039;s tail trying to subtly wrap itself around Mace&#039;s right arm, making a half-hearted attempt at remaining inconspicuous.<br /><br />He took one last, long look at the room, musing at what had happened.<br /><br />Who would dare predict that things would ever end up this way, after all that they had been through?<br /><br />Especially after yesterday.<br /><br />Was it fate, again?<br /><br />Or maybe Namah had managed to beat him to the punch.<br /><br />He was just fine with either answer.<br /><br />Bast settled back into the fluffy pillows and slowly snuck his right hand over to encompass Lillith&#039;s.<br /><br />She didn&#039;t turn to him, but he could just barely see the blush beneath her green fur as he felt her hand squeeze his.<br /><br />Bast turned his attention to <em>Nick and Snow</em>, a small, innocent smile on his face.<br /><br /></span>",
  "pools_count": 2,
  "title": "Scars, Part II",
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