Able gave an audible "ha" at Angel's jab at Jet. Able saw him press something on his suit and it zoomed off into the distance. He then followed the pair as Jet scanned himself into the security system and the doors opened wide to welcome them all in. All the security measures in place further cemented the face that it wouldn't be easy to just take over. Rather, he began to form an outline of a plan. It was just going to have to be a plan of opportunity though. As he doubted he could get through any of the security on his own. He toyed with the idea that if he just had Jet's eyeball and hand he might be able to get through, but it wasn't an idea he wanted to leave up to chance. There might be traps, secret codes, trap doors, who knows. For now, he would have to play it by ear and just seize the opportunity to loot and run when he could.

Any outline of a plan he was forming quickly left him as he stood in awe of the entry room. "Ho, le, shit." He said barley audible. His eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed several times as his mind tried to find words for what he was looking at. He walked to the middle of the room and just stared up in disbelief of the scope and ornateness of the house. He looked at Jet, pointed his finger and after many hems and haws Able simply said: "Nice house."

---

Savannah finished cleaning off her spear and looked around. She could hear footsteps and counted them quickly. She girted her teeth. The Wolves knew. She darted back into greenery and into the cave. "Pepper!" She called and ran over to him. God, he looked so adorable, laying there peacefully, with his ears back. She swallowed hard as tears filled her eyes. If they found him, they might kill him and she couldn't risk that. "Pepper," She tried again as he lazily opened his eyes. He stared at her in alarm as he sat up and stretched, alert. He barely held back his yawn. [b]"They know, Pep. You have to go." He stared at her and opened his mouth to growl a retort but she shook her head. Her voice was breaking and tears streamed down her face. "Go, Pep. I can't lose you. I love you so much. I'll find you again. I promise, okay?"

He reluctantly didn't move, then slowly ran out of the woods and into the night. She knew he wouldn't go too far and would watch but at least he would be safe. He would be able to hide well. With deep breaths, she turned to her supplies and pulled on her gloves. She sat up and then dug around in her second bag hurriedly. She pulled out a few plants she knew to be poisonous and darted back outside. She set them the plants in the traps and smudged them around it. If they came into contact with skin, a rash would start and soon, enter the bloodstream and begin killing the victim from the inside out. She then went back into her home and pulled her leather hooded jacket and stuffed her weaponry into her pockets and her knives into her boots safely. She tugged her top down and pulled another bulkier jacket over the rest. She then marched back outside.

Anna it her lip and looked at the boulder she used to cover the cave during raids or bad storms. She grunted with stress as she pushed it in front of the cave but left a sliver of it open for her. Only smaller bodies would fit inside. She then gritted her teeth and knew she wouldn't be able to run. Besides, what was the point? She couldn't run from here to the town safely in time. By the sound of the footsteps, they'd be too close to successfully run away. A sudden smirk crossed her lips as she looked at a nearby tree she frequently used as a vantage point. Memories of using it to watch the unset filled her mind but she swallowed it away. Anna set the spear in her mouth and quickly climbed it. She moved onto a branch slightly over the cave and leaned up against the branch behind it. She set the spear into the loophole of her combat pants securely, arms behind her head, and awaited her fate.

"Jet, I'm going to cash in on that food you owe me!" Angel called to him. "Sure thing the kitchen is in that room." Jet replied, pointing to one of the doors in the entryway. "Take whatever you please the cupboards should be full." Jet continued. "I will be leaving you guys for the night to get used to the place, I will be back in the morning." He said as he walked out the door. Jet had decided to stay close, camping in a small shipping container behind the houses, large backyard fence and watched the two from the camera feed in his helmet. "This will be my test. They have no idea I can see them. The cameras are impossible to notice." Jet thought to himself.

---

Savannah watched as the Wolves approached her and sat patiently. Despite their attempts not to step on leaves, she could hear each of them breathing as if they were next to her. She set her elbows on her knees, her hands on one another and then her chip on it. The spear in her pants' loop was angled between them as well. She knew she could grab it quick enough if she needed defend herself; though she doubted they would instantly attack her. She knew she could handle herself if anything should occur. Of course, Pepper wasn't too far away either, more than likely poised to attack as well. She hoped he wouldn't show himself.

A sudden whisper caused her to turn her head ever so slightly. There he was: the leader of the Wolves or Satan himself. The woman next to him must have been his right hand. His eye color was shocking, though she had already seen him to know it wasn't natural. Savannah could not help but smirk. Had she caused enough trouble to lure him out? She studied her angle and direction to him. He was farther away, though not out of her reach. A quick, unexpected throw with her spear to could possibly turn fatal. Despite the temptation it brought, she knew that wouldn't be the right move. She was outnumbered. She withheld a sigh as to not show aggravation and turned her gaze down to the Wolves surrounding her tree. Her angle was rigid now with them right underneath her. The upper hand she had though was the element of surprise.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. What's up?" Savannah turned to gaze at Roman and look him in the eye."I'll give you a hint, it's me." She winked at him and lounged back into the branch behind her while keeping the spear nearby her. There were still faint drops of blood on them she hadn't completely washed out. Savannah glanced at them briefly and wipe some of it off and brought it to her lips. "Mm, Type A. My favorite." She had been careful not to let it enter her mouth and only her lips. She brushed it off on her pants and adjusted her jackets. She wasn't thankful to have them now; they hid her body and if she were mutated or not. While she had been greeting them, Anna had been careful to conceal her fangs. She faintly smirked and stared Roman down.

Abel watched with mild interest as both Jet and Angel discussed food in the kitchen. He began to slowly walk the floor, scrutinizing everything as carefully as he could without seeming too conspicuous. Suddenly Jet announced he was leaving Abel and Angel alone in the house. Abel's brow furrowed. "Alright. Just gonna leave two strangers in your house? Solid plan boss." Abel scoffed as Jet left. Angel was still in the kitchen as Abel ran his hands over the wall and scanned the ceiling and corners of the room. "No way he doesn't have cameras." Abel mumbled as he attempted to find them.

After a few minutes of not seeing anything that could resemble a camera, Able walked towards to the kitchen where Angel was. "So," Abel said darkening the doorway of the kitchen. "This dude just lets us in here and then leaves. That's about normal right?" The irony of him questioning another persons sanity was not lost on Abel. He knew there was an angle, and he intended to find it before whatever Jet had planned could be put into action.

"You're a cocky little bitch aren't you? I'd love to see the look on you when I flay the skin off your body. Oh, the thought of you squirming and screaming just begging for the agony to stop." Alaia said, her voice gaining a bit of speed and excitement with every word as she looked up at the girl in the tree. She then turned to Roman, suppressing fits of insane giggles. "I don't think she will come down from there, maybe I can provide some motivation." Alaia grinned disturbingly at the girl, her body slowly melted into a thick black liquid. She then slowly crawled up the trunk of the tree. When Alaia reached the branch the girl was on, she formed the upper part of her body from the black liquid equipped with two large serrated blades as arms. "Hello, darling, now that we are together, we can play." She told her, finally letting out fits of laughter.

---

Savannah watched as the Purple Maniac spoke and forced herself not to show emotion. The thought of the torture was enough to scare her. She swallowed and then stared in awe as she dissolved into liquid and climbed the tree. What was that? Was it tissue or muscle manipulation? She frowned faintly, trying to figure it out as the woman joined her. The small amount of science she knew was not coming back to her well. The panic inside of her was beginning to rise slightly, but she took deep breaths to calm herself down. She had to be emotionless and strong. It was not helping when the crazy woman continued speaking to her and was up in her grill. "Hello, darling, now that we are together, we can play."

Savannah could only imagine if they had found out about her ability, what they would to her. She gritted her teeth, knowing this would not end well. She could not allow herself to be injured or draw blood; she was aware of Pepper's rapid breathing. He was watching nearby, ready to strike. Savannah would do anything to prevent him from being hurt, not after what he had done for her...

Roman's voice interrupted her reverie and she found him gazing into her eyes, emotionless. "If you are not interested in being chopped up like carrots for a stew, I suggest you start admitting to us that you have been stealing from our people. We'll torture it out of you either way and you're coming with us either way, so you can come down. You will also tell us if you are alone in this act. If you have any idea who I am, you know I am not very merciful."

God, she thought to herself, if only his eyes matched the color of his wretched soul. She was not one to talk about mutated eyes though; her topaz-orange eyes were different. As finished, she raised her eyebrows. He wanted a confession? Was he serious? She kept her breathing even and didn't crack her expression. Fine, we'll play it your way, she thought bitterly. "Don't flatter yourself, Roman," She finally replied, beginning to stand up so she could move away from the Purple Maniac.

"It's obvious who I am and what I've been doing. And also, I was waiting for you all to come over here before I could come down." She stood up on the branch with impeccable balance and tightened the backpack around her shoulders, being careful to avoid upsetting the woman's spot. She cracked her neck loudly as she spoke and loosened it up. "I wanted to see the amount of men and woman you brought over one little thief. Yes, I am alone." Savannah lied fluently and convincingly through her teeth. No way would she tell them about Pepper. She counted him as an accomplice.

She assessed the situation: ten to one - too many to defend herself against. If she showed off some ability, she knew it would help them not be quick to kill her. He at least was not interested in killing her yet; he wanted to bring her back. Why though? She decided not to dwell on it for now. She had to play her part and not anger them and needed to seem useful enough to keep. Besides, if she was too brave and cocky as they had pinned, that would only piss them off. She couldn't help but be proud of how long it had taken them to notice and then find her, and it was shining through her voice and expressions. Despite it, she had to be smart and earn their trust and her own keep. It was evident that she was skilled enough to steal and not be caught for a long period of time. That itself she knew would be useful for her life.

Savannah stood on the branch with impeccable balance still and looked up. The branch above her wasn't too high, nor out of her reach and was far enough ahead of her that she could swing over the Wolves. She smiled sadly for a brief moment. God only knew when she would find herself back in the forest. She loved it here so much. She took a deep breath to collect herself and unhooked her spear to clench between her teeth; then, unexpectedly jumped up.

The branch she had perched on began to sway up and down from her sheer amount of strength. She gripped the branch with ease and ignored the woman's possible balance upset. She hoisted herself up and swung from it momentarily, much like a trapeze artist. She gathered enough momentum after a few swings and tucked her knees and head as she flipped over the Wolves and released her position to land catlike on the ground. Her one arm was in front of her, the other beside her, and her legs firmly on the ground.

"Tah-dah." She stood up behind them, the spear still clutched between her teeth. Here voice came out slightly muffled. She quickly took it out of her mouth and stuffed it in her belt loop. Before they turned around, she had also wiped her lips from the blood with her sleeve.

"Happy now? No torture necessary." She paused, allowing her words to sink in with satisfaction. "After you, Roman." Savannah gestured to the camp after they had turned to face her. She was expressionless, despite a small smirk on her face. Savannah slowly gazed upwards to see if the woman ahd lost her balance or fallen; afterwards, she gazed ahead, careful not to allow her guard down. She had taken the spear out of her mouth and stuffed back in her belt loop and waited patiently.

Alaia watched the girl spew words she could not care to hear from her mouth. The girl then jumped up and swung from the tree to the ground. "Happy now? No torture necessary," the unknown thief said to the group of Wolves below. "After you, Roman," she gestured towards the camp before looking up to Alaia. "No torture what a boring thought." She huffed as she looked down towards the thief. Alaia smiled before turning into a cloud of black smoke that slowly descended to the ground, where she reformed into her physical form behind the thief."Yes, after you Roman." Alaia mocked the girl and laughed after doing so.



Jet sat in his shipping container waiting for something interesting. It felt like ages, sitting there patiently. He started to think about the two subjects. The girl he found quite attractive, and clever with her words. It was clear she had bad trust issues then again who could blame her growing up in this world. Jet thought the other man was possibly a mad man who just rambled nonsense. Even aside from the fact he couldn't read him, Jet thought he could catch the faint smell of burned flesh from him with no wound in sight. Jet didn't trust him in the slightest and this was his defining point to how he would be seen in the eyes of Jet. He then came back from his thoughts and continued watching the cameras for anything to happen.

Gorlath

It had only been a few days after Gorlath set up camp. He stared into the crackling flames of the camp-fire. Every time he heard it, he remembered what happened years ago. He shook the feeling off and stood up. As he turned around he saw a building nearby. At first, he was confused as to why a building that big was near the woods. He shrugged and started to pack up his things.

Alaia grabbed the girl by the arm and sat her in a chair. She then strapped her down to it. "Now we can do this the easy way where you talk or I can treat you like the others." she said, gesturing with her eyes at the body parts on the floor and preserved heads on shelves. "So tell me how long have you been stealing exactly and for what reason? And were you alone?" Alaia grabbed a pair of plyers, laying on a small table beside her, a gleam in her eye. "And your name, of course."

As Roman dragged her through the forest, Savannah couldn't help but struggle to keep up. His pace was faster than she anticipated, and his strides longer. She stumbled a few times and quickly righted herself. She scowled as he threw her in a random house and locked her in with the Purple Maniac. She was quickly pulled onto a chair and held hostage. While the woman interrogated her, Savannah forced herself not to glance down. She was aware of the stench of decay and human remains. The scent of it was awful and she gritted her teeth in order not to gag.

Savannah waited for her to finish and remained impassive, though she allowed fear and panic slip into her voice. That would satisfy them. Savannah was terrified but she wasn't showing most of it. She knew she could break through these bonds with her claws but she didn't want to reveal them. No, they were concealed with her gloves and thankfully weren't visible from the outside.

"I have been stealing for around three or so months, and I am doing it for survival. I am on my own because my family is dead."
She paused as not to allow emotion flow into her words and remain calm despite a slight tremble in her words. Her family wasn't physically dead, but they were to her and that was what counted. She wanted to shred her former name. There wasn't any way she would go back to her old self. No, she was trapped in this nightmare for who knew how long and she knew she would see more terrible things. Savannah was aware that escaping would be difficult, despite the fact that she had the place memorized.

[/color]"My name is Rue."She looked her in the eyes as she spoke and smiled."Pleasure to make your acquaintance. What is your name?"

Nikolaus pointed the gun at the two before him and growled: "I'm giving you three seconds to hand me back my necklace or I will shoot you both."

The woman and man standing in front of him let out roars of laughter that echoed. Much to his dismay, they reminded him of a hyena. He wrinkled his nose with disgust and glared at them. That necklace meant the world to him. If he lost it, he didn't know what he would do. It was the last thing he had of his family.

"Only three seconds. Oooh," The woman taunted and nudged her mate. "Sounds dangerous to me."
"Frightening. I'm shaking in my boots." The man laughed as he swung it around and grinned at Niko's displeasure."What is this piece of junk anyways, Chels?"

Nikolaus didn't reply and held the gun steady with a glower. He hated to kill them. Niko hoped they would buy his bluff. "One," He threatened but they ignored him. His jaw began to ache from clenching his teeth and he could feel his temples beginning to throb from the sheer anger coursing through him.

"Open it, Dean!" The woman, Chelsea, encouraged. The man (Dean) followed suit and began to open it. Niko's arm began to tremble as he watched them rip open his precious locket. "Ooh, who is this?" She gestured to the photo of Iris, which was half-burned. He gritted his teeth as they examined it.

"Is this your sister? They have the same ugly face. Is that why you cover it up?" Niko rolled his eyes with a scoff. His face was covered with a bandanna around the lower half of his face and then shrouded in a hood. Tips of his unruly brown hair were sticking out and his dark blue eyes were visible. He could care less about what she thought. He was shaking with anger and hatred at their bullshit. He never left the "house" he stayed in without his disguise. He couldn't be seen. He had to remain hidden and find his sister...

"Two," He finally threatened in a lower, more menacing tone. The two stopped laughing and carrying on to stare with horror as he clicked the gun. "Don't make me go to three. Put the necklace down.

"Whoa, he's serious, Chels," Dean stared with a frown at him as Niko reached to pull the trigger. Instead of aiming at Dean, he turned it on, Chelsea. Her face paled as the gun aligned with her chest.

"Down," Niko's voice rumbled with the fury and might of Zeus. "Or I'll blow her rotten heart out."

Dean set the locket down with wide eyes, grabbed Chelsea' arm, and began sprinting away. Nikolaus managed a snicker as he stepped on the locket to secure it and glared at them as they ran away. Lousy thieves, he thought with an eye roll and fired at a broken shard of glass. It clinked and echoed, the bullet ricocheting into an abandoned cart. It exploded loudly and sent the two scurrying like rabbits.

"Cowards,"He hissed under his breath and went back into his house.

The girl had supposedly been stealing for three or so months. Alaia did not know how true that statement was but she could tell the following statement about her family being dead must have been true due to her suppression of emotions. There had been a slight tremor in her words. Alaia laughed at it, taking joy in her slip. "Rue, huh?" She spat in her face after speaking and grabbed her hand, clenching her finger in one and holding the pliers in the other. "Well, Rue. You can call me Alaia. You won't think meeting me is such a pleasure very soon. I want to know all the details about how you pulled this off or else I'm giving you a little manicure."

(You can time-skip to after this interrogation if you want. Just write about how much info you gave her and how much Alaia ended up hurting her. She would hurt her for any hesitation or bad answer)

Savannah swallowed hard as the woman spoke. She had been watching Roman for a moment but Alaia's words cut into her mind. She began explaining how she had been on her own after her parent's death with a calm expression, and had nearly died of starvation. That much was true, except Pepper had been there to save her but she wouldn't mention him. No, that poor Fox was partially her reason to exist. She explained to them how she had been foraging on berries, wild game, and also insects. Savannah mentioned she tried to fish but it had been hard due to the rigorous streams. She had seen their encampment and hadn't known who they were. She had watched them for a day or so then figured out they were the Wolves. The bad answer she gave caused Alaia to tear off her index nail. Her claws thankfully, were intact. She had not let them out.

Savannah bit her lip hard and let out a a gasp of pain and resisted the urge to scream. Her mind was racing with panic, fury, and helplessness. How would she escape them now? Savannah was aware her mutation would kick and was trying to; however, she began to force her body to relax by thinking of Pepper. If they saw her healing, she was screwed. It had been partially true about the Wolves: her knowledge of them had been vague. Down in Maryland, they were cut off from the rest of the world. News was bleak.

Savannah had paused for a moment as the memories filled her mind; this caused Alaia to rip off her pinky. She had let out a shrill yelp of pain and fear. She bit her lip as tears of pain streamed down her face and took deep breaths. Her finger would regenerate; she knew it would, but she didn't want them to discover her mutation. With her heart rate elevated and panic seeping through her, Savannah took several deep breaths. She glanced at Roman to see his expressions as her eyes swam with tears. Visibly she looked shaken but the next second she was back to being emotionless. She had a ruthless gleam in her eye when she faced Alaia. Before she would consider murdering Roman, this bitch was high on her list. Savannah took a deep breath and knew she had to play along with their game in order to come out alive. Her parents had always told her that her mind was her greatest weapon.

Next, she didn't miss a beat: she explained how she had found a hole in their fence and had used it to her advantage to begin stealing. She told them she would go in the middle of the night or early dawn to begin stealing their supplies. She had started small and as her success became consistent, so did her stealing. When she finished, the maniac Alaia untied her form the chair then began dragging her out of the room. She turned to glance once more at Roman with brief confusion then smirked at him and turned away. As she was dragged through their complex, people were staring. Sh watched as a giant mansion loomed into her vision. Oh no, she thought with dread. She knew where she was going and considered her options of running away. No, she couldn't run; it would look cowardly. The pain surging through her made her all the more aware of the danger of the situation. The blood was dripping off both of her hands and leaving a trail behind her like breadcrumbs.

Next thing Savannah knew, she was thrown into a bedroom. As she glanced around, she was taken aback. It was luxurious. Moments later, a woman named Helena appeared and began to explain her situation. Savvy watched her and nodded along, expressionless. The woman began to doll her up with makeup which made her cough and tears fill her eyes. The woman impatiently brushed them away and continued to apply makeup. Afterwards, the woman gave her the most expensive dress Savannah had ever seen. The blue shades reminded her of the night sky that she would watch every night with Pepper snuggled up against her. The dress hit her knees and the back was open. Savannah admired the lace sleeves along her arms and the slit in her leg.

Savannah would have preferred not to wear this but she knew she didn't have a choice. Helena then curled her hair and she felt the ringlets hitting the middle of her back. Was her hair that long? She had lost track of self-care, being out in the woods. She watched Helena leave and explain to her a girl would come take her to the Wolves feast. She nodded and sat down on the bed. She clutched the quilt and wiped her eyes with her elbow carefully as to not upset the eye makeup. She looked down at her hands and found the blood had been stopped by Helena and gloves put over them to hide the forceful amputation. Her stomach rumbled; she was definitely hungry. She looked around once more at the bedroom and waited patiently for this new girl.




The most beautiful, yet spastic red haired angel revealed herself nearby his home. The noise had startled him and he ahd jumped out of his skin. For a moment, Nikolai had to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Someone that beautiful was only in books or movies. His heart fluttered and he found himself tongue tied. It was clear she had been eavesdropping on them. He wondered if she knew the thieves, but he found he didn't care. He stared at her, frozen like a deer.

What was the proper phrase to say to someone in this situation. He hadn't interacted with a human properly for ages; he only wanted directions to the Wolves encampment. Maybe she knew about the wolves or had seen them. He was shaking with apprehension and nerves. This frightened young woman had him shaking. Nikolai sighed and decided to remain guarded yet approach her; before he could however, she hid back behind the wall.

"Hey there," he greeted gently, his accent soaking through. Nikolai was as calm and comforting like the gentle sea nearby. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I saw you fall. Are you okay, Miss?" Nikolai moved a few steps forward but kept his distance so he didn't startle her again.

"If you want to come out, you can. If you feel safer behind the wall, then that's okay too. You can let me know what you would like, but if you are injured, I do have a first aid kit. This gravel isn't kind to those who fall on it." He couldn't help but recall landing on this gravel many times and spraining or breaking a bone. He managed a wry chuckle at remembering falling on it. God, he was glad he had become durable.

Nikolai waited patiently for her response and leaned against the wall. One hand was clutched around his locket to reassure himself he had not lost it. Every second that ticked by he knew was another second lost to finding and rescuing his sister. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and waited for the female to make her move.

"Hey there," The gentle voice reached Angel's ear but she didn't budge. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I saw you fall. Are you okay, Miss?" There were some footsteps and then it stopped. Sure, he seemed sweet as pie but she had learned the hard way to be wary of friendly men. She clutched the gun, ready to either shoot and launch a roundhouse kick.

The boy continued to speak, "If you want to come out, you can. If you feel safer behind the wall, then that's okay too. You can let me know what you would like, but if you are injured, I do have a first aid kit. This gravel isn't kind to those who fall on it." She glanced down at her scraped knees through the rips in her jeans. It wasn't bad enough for her to care yet. Angel took a moment to juggle her options. He was alone and she could possibly kick his ass if need be. Just in case, she'd keep a distance. She would not hide like a coward.

Angel moved out from behind the wall, walking forward a bit to look him up and down whilst keeping a grip on her gun. Tall, dark and handsome seemed to manifest in this guy. He had dark, curly hair and blue eyes that complemented his hair color quite nicely. He clearly had a good amount of muscle on his body so she knew she had to be careful. Her gaze traveled across his tattoos for a moment, trying to distract herself from her racing heart.

Why am I nervous? Am I really afraid?

She normally felt pretty certain of her ability to defend herself. Why would she be scared? She had felt a similar nervousness when she had seen Jet's face. The realization finally dawned on her after connecting the dots. It seemed all these years alone and lack of parenting had made her forget simple things like this. Angel decided to go with a simple introduction and see how things moved from there. She was sure he could probably see that she wasn't in dire straits.

"My name is Angel."

I have a weakness for pretty boys. They will be the death of me.



Torture was something Roman had witnessed often now. It did not bring the same shock anymore. Seeing someone's nail ripped off would have disgusted him a few years ago but now it felt like seeing someone do something as mundane as planting flowers. The Rue girl spoke of a pretty terrible past where her parents died and she nearly starved to death herself. He felt maybe a tinge of sympathy in his heart but he brushed it off. This was the normal backstory to anyone they spoke to. Nothing for him to care about.

She ended up pausing too long before answering and Alaia yanked her pinky off. This time, he flinched, imagining the pain would be excruciating. Her yell surely suggested so.

Roman found himself sighing in relief when she finally started detailing how she had found a hole in their barrier and began using it for stealing. He'd have to notify someone to close that up. She explained how she would go in the dawn or night to steal supplies. He figured it would have been at those times. How this young girl managed to pull this off for so long was definitely strange. She was definitely skilled. He was sure Alaia also saw that and was bringing her to get trained to be a spy or fighter. He watched Alaia take her out and rubbed his neck. For some reason, he was kind of glad she didn't have to be hurt too bad. He glanced down and brought his hands upward. They were shaking. Furrowing his brows, he stormed out, angry at his own reaction.

Nikolaus smiled as she introduced herself. Her name was angel; how perfectly fitting. He grinned down at his hands and covered it with his hand so she wouldn't see. She really was perfect: tough, capable of defending herself and brave. Those were qualities hardly seen in people. Nikolaus cleared his throat and realized he had been too quiet. He sighed, then looked up once he had stopped grinning. "Hi Angel, I'm Nick."" He replied kindly, not giving or trusting her with his full name. He glanced back at her knee. "Are you going to take care of that? It could get infected and well, there isn't really a hospital anywhere nearby, I'd hate to see you suffer with it."

He had no idea why he was being so nice. It was frankly pissing him off. Perhaps it was due to being alone for over a year and a half while looking for his sister. His heart strings tug every time he thought of how long she was stuck in that hellhole. Nikolai felt like a complete failure; he felt he abandoned her now. He sniffled and looked at the locket absentmindedly and took it in his hands and let out another sigh. "What brings you to New York? How old are you?"

He glanced around to see if they were being watched or followed; in case they were, he tightened the scarf over his face and looked at the house quickly. He wanted to go inside, but he was certain that Angel would not follow. He bit his lip as his mind raced in a thousand different places. Niko knew if he was caught, then it would be the end for him. Poor Iris would be stuck forever with the Wolves. That could not happen. He glanced back at Angel and decided to give it a shot. "Would you like to come inside? I understand if you don't, seeing as you just met me." Nikolai glanced around again and took a half step back under the awning of his dilapidated house. "Or we can stay here too, whichever you prefer, Angel."

He still had no idea how someone so beautiful was left alone; or perhaps she was not alone. He didn't know, nor did he feel like pushing her with too many questions. He hated to overwhelm one of the only people he found himself able to talk with normally. It was strange. He vaguely remembered being more human and having friends before everything had gone to hell. Nikolai waited patiently for her reply and leaned against the door to his house.