<Snipped quote by Fionraella>

Dione limped into the medicine tent, clutching her side. She glanced around at the supplies Aya had gathered through the year, wondering absently if those would last them through the winter.

Liwei's shoulders rose, but he kept his hands on the wheel. "I'm driving, ladies," he barked, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Misha clawed at Mona, then scrambled over the back seat and into the back of the van. "You guys are crazy! Homicidal maniacs! Totally awful child killers!"

The Boss notices the sudden sad look on Ambrose's face. "My boy, what's there to be down about in a memory like that? She sounds lovely." He rummages through the draws and finds some bags of peppermint tea. He puts one in the mug just as the water boils and pours it in. "Is it that you perhaps miss her?"

<Snipped quote by Fionraella>

Dione limped into the medicine tent, clutching her side. She glanced around at the supplies Aya had gathered through the year, wondering absently if those would last them through the winter.

"Ambrose," the old man brings the mug over to him, "I understand you entirely. What those two scientists put you through is more horrible than I could have ever imagined. Believe me, I know suffering." He pulls up a chair next to Ambrose and sits down. "Still, I'd like you to try and trust me. You are a shifter and shifters are the most beautiful people this world has to offer. I'd never want any harm to come to them." He digs around in one of his pockets and pulls out a lemon sherbet lolly covered in a shiny wrapper. "My boy Harvey used to love these. I haven't been able to bear the sight of them since his death. As a sign of trust..." he pushes the lolly over to Ambrose. "I'd like you to have one."

<Snipped quote by xiaomiau>

Sacha heads towards her tent, starting to plan a way to figure out where Ambrose was an how to go about looking for him.

Mona gasps and sits back in her seat with a sigh. "Fine..." She huffs, crossing her arms.

The Boss had certainly not been expecting that reaction from a simple candy. Had the boy been more injured than he realised? He realised that this moment would be a perfect time for him to cement himself as a trustworthy figure in the boy's mind. "Ambrose! Ambrose!" His voice turned to one of horror, embracing his life as a father. "Whatever has upset you? Please, tell me. It hurts to see you like this." His voice breaks and he feigns being on the brink of tears. "It's like seeing Harvey cry."

The Boss relaxes back into his chair a bit. "Ah, I see, my boy." He nods slowly. "I understand of course. Family is more important than anything in the world. The bond we have with our flesh and blood can be replicated nowhere else." He picks up the candy and twirls it in his fingers. "As I said, these sweets hold my demons too. I apologise that they brought yours up. You know what?" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out another candy and slides it over to Ambrose again. "Harvey and your sister wouldn't want to see us like this. They'd want us to figure out our problems." He lifts up his own sweet and examines it in the light. "How about we both eat these and figure out how we can make these memories kinder to us?"

The Boss is confused for a moment by Ambrose's refusal and then remembers the wisdom teeth. "Ah, of course." He opens his own candy and pops it into his mouth. "Keep a hold of it then, Ambrose." He speaks as he eats it. "Let it remind you that family is more important than anything else in the world." He gave one of Ambrose's arms a quick squeeze. "There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't do for my own."

The Boss realised that he'd slipped for a moment in his passion, but he covered it up with warm chuckle of an old man. "Don't be silly, my boy! I don't mean that!" He sighed sadly. "I am sorry how this all seems. I mean, the people who picked you up were meant to explain what was going on. I think they just got a bit enthusiastic in their job." His laugh became a bit louder. "Ah, I've known both of them since they were children. Expert marksmen and drivers, but probably not too willing to explain themselves!" He was lying through his teeth.

"Well, I'd hardly call them my scientists." The old man pretended to be disgruntled at the thought of Hunter and Brianna. "Oh... Yes, the short girl with the freckles?" He'd only ever seen images of the subject. It had been incredibly troublesome of her to somehow make an escape. There was currently an examination of what had transpired. Obviously the girl had needed to had help in order to escape in a truck, but it was yet to be discovered who had disappeared that day. It wasn't like the facility was a totalitarian regime. "We sent her home after taking some blood!" He smiles at Ambrose. "Unfortunately for you, she got the good scientists who did things right."

The Boss sat there calmly. "Ah, I'm sorry you think that my boy." He carefully picked up the cup and checked to make sure it had not been cracked. "I suppose it's only understandable, given what you've been through that you're confused about who's good and bad. If you aren't willing to talk to me yet, that's alright." He stood up, but put a small phone on the table out from his other pocket. "See this? It's a phone with my number on it. Given that I still won't allow you to leave this facility in your state, I want you to ring it when you feel safe around me." He then goes to open the door.