Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…

The rhythmic sound of tapping filled the dark and desolate room, as long, powerful legs strode forwards confidently. Despite being engulfed in near pitch black, the walker held no fear or uncertainty about his movement, even with the ground beneath as treacherous as it was, lined with shattered glass and fallen debris. His footsteps kept going on, and on, and on, until finally… the figure stopped.

Lying in front of him, illuminated by the calamitous lightning thundering above through the deep, deep crevice that had been cleaved straight through the Manor’s courtyard, was a bludgeoned and mangled body, his chest torn and ripped open and his ribcage exposed to all. The old, dilapidated corpse whose long grey hair messily covered his face, made no movement whatsoever.

“Oren, Oren, Oren. What a state to find yourself in, old boy. My condolences.”



Jack tipped his hat down and bowed as if in respect, before straightening his body out and smiling his usual, jovial self. Around him, the darkness moved, throbbing and pulsating as bulbous globs of ink moved with a life of their own. Transformed into shapes of hands and other various instruments, the viscous substance carried many books, documents and other sorts of items. All things that once belonged to the now deceased alchemist.

“I do believe I’ll also be needing this.” A flick of his wrist, and another jet of darkness appeared from Jack’s feet, snaking out to Oren’s body and rummaging around his effects. Seconds later it reappeared, carrying with it a key, and returning it to its master. “Jolly good, jolly good. Now then, I think I have everything I came here for- ah!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack spotted something that automatically drew his attention. He walked forwards, and this time, upon reaching his destination, bent down his entire body to pick it up himself, in stark contrast to the use of his darkness manipulating abilities. He clutched the object delicately, raising it up at eye level, and a little bit further up.

The severed head of what used to be the Hawthorne Family’s diligent maid and cook: Circe.

“Alas, poor Circe! I knew thee well!” Jack lamented. “Such a fate as this was not what you deserved, my dear. Even in such ruin you remain as beautiful as ever, a delicate flower blooming within the darkness.”

“Ja-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ack-k-k-k-k-” Circe’s porcelain features had become ruined and broken, and her jaw stuttered and collapsed as she tried to speak. One eye rolled weakily up to see him, as the other laid ruined and dripping some dark, foul smelling liquid. “Keep your fing-ing-ing-ing-ing-errrrs out the po-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-tttttttttttt---”

“No, I don’t believe you deserve a fate such as this,” Jack shook his head from side to side. “To be left alone, discarded like some broken toy. No, no, you are a woman. Come, Circe, I shall make you whole again. That is…”

Jack’s head looked up, peering through the towering abyss at the rain lashed sky above.

“That is if our dear friends don’t thwart Lucifer’s plans. But… I believe they will, for if they don’t, then all I have done will be for naught, no?”

Jack and Circe vanished from the basement, leaving Oren’s mangled corpse behind.

---

Vandrell: Hawthorne Manor
2 Hours after the defeat of the Family

“Mr. Tiberius, sir! Look! Civilians!!”

“What the devil…?”



Two hours following the defeat of Lucifer and the prevention of Abraxis’ summoning, reinforcements arrived in Vandrell. Running as fast as they possibly could, Tiberius [The Wolf] Rex- the Tagress Guild leader and Rank A Fire Swordsman- had along with a contingent of ten other Guilders, finally arrived and wasted no time in hastily scaling the climb to the Manor. There, in front of the smouldering ruin of the Manor’s front entrance, was a mass of ten people, all deeply exhausted and in a state of confusion. Men, women and children, they looked around and immediately turned to the Guilders for aid in their despair.

“What happened?” Tiberius asked, looking to one of the two Guilder scouts who had gone on ahead and were the first to find the people.

“Petrification, sir! We’re finding signs of a petrification spell receding on their bodies! They’re all still in a state of shock, sir!”

“Petrification…?” Tiberius scratched his chin, deep in thought, before turning to his party’s two clerics and nodding at them. The two healers automatically returned the nod, and set about giving what aid and assistance they could to the confused people, whilst Tiberius turned his attention to the rest of his men. The mission details had already been outlined, multiple times, on the train to Vandrell, but even now he repeated what his trained Guilders needed to know.

“You all know why we’re here. Search the grounds, and secure everything that you find. We’re here to find our people – Guilders. You should all know what they look like. Find anything or anyone else, take it into custody.” Tiberius ordered. The Guilders nodded in unison. “And be careful.”

***

“What… what on Ddaear happened here?!”

The Guilders all began to express the same reactions- stunned silence at the ruin and wreckage that remained of the once stately Manor. It was all but almost destroyed, with several walls destroyed through, a part of one tower broken away, a bridge that crossed over the courtyard destroyed and in ruin alongside a giant, gaping crevice that looked to have no end. There were few sites that any of these Guilders had seen before that could compare. Whatever had transpired it, it was certainly a mighty battle. And-

“Sir! Look!”

“Their injuries… my gods…”

The Guilder pointed straight towards the two bodies lying together in the centre of the courtyard. Tiberius automatically pounced, racing as quickly as he could, and within seconds was upon them. Estelle and Marcus.

“Stretchers! Get stretchers and the healers immediately!!” Tiberius bellowed. Their wounds were unimaginable… and what was even more impossible was that they were both still alive. They were Guilders, truly.

“Search the grounds as quickly as you can! The others could be in just the same condition! GO! NOW!”

Tiberius’ feet stomped the ground, as he ascended the cobblestone steps as quickly as he could. Whilst the rest of his team split towards the south, east and west, he had automatically made way for the north, and the highest point of the Manor. His gut instinct, not to mention the ambient magical energy lingering from that direction, made it the best choice. He just hoped and prayed he could find them… find them and be alive…

Everywhere he went, the results of the battle’s destruction was obvious. Cracked and dislodged walls, broken furniture, ruined debris… when he sent the Pride here, he never imagined that this was what would follow…

He reached the fourth floor, running forwards, straight towards the open door and into the room beyond…!

Where he then suddenly halted in mid stride, at the realisation of cold steel inches away from his neck.

A smile of relief stretched across his face.

“Moira. You’re okay.”

“…speak for your bloody self…”

Upon realisation that the approaching footsteps did not belong to an enemy, Moira let her greatsword fall to the ground, and she collapsed onto an ornate chair. Her breathing was haggard and hoarse, as she struggled on to stay awake, sitting amidst the fallen bodies of her friends.

“Are they…?” Tiberius began to ask, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck.

“Sleeping…” Moira replied, her hand lying on her shoulder. “…you all sure took… your fucking time…”

“You did good, Moira.” A grin spread as Tiberius surveyed the room and the weak and injured, but alive, Pride. “You can rest now. Grab some sleep and…”

“ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ~”

“…we’ll deal with the rest of this.”

A small glint in the corner of his eye.

A glass cube, resting on the floor, just outside of Nikki’s reach. Tiberius’ head turned, looking at it in thought, before picking it up and then… crushing it into his hands. The thousands of souls whose screams he could hear quietly reverberating out from it shot through the sky- wailing howls of despair transforming into cheers of elation as those souls passed back into their rightful owners bodies – the villagers of Vandrell and other nearby villagers. Those souls whose bodies had long since perished found new peace awaiting them in the life beyond.

---

“By the gods, Largo! What are you doing getting yourself hurt like this?!”

“What? It’s just a little scratch. Isn’t that right, Ti?”

“Don’t ask him, he’s just as bad!!”

Aervas: Hospital: Recovery Wing
28 Years Ago

Located in the hospital’s recovery wing, two particular men laid resting atop clean, pristine white bed sheets within the calm quietude of the city’s famous hospital. Each of the men’s left legs was entirely covered in cast, held aloft for the best means of recovery, both Largo and Tiberius laughing jovially despite their injuries and Rachael’s lecturing.

“This isn’t funny, you two! You need to take more care, for gods sake! You’re not always going to be so lucky that you survive anything! You just broke your legs!!” The red haired swordswoman Rachael screamed.

“Ahahaha, but it’s okay. Legs heal, don’t they? And that’ll help make us even stronger and more impervious for the next time it happens.” Largo roared.

“…stronger and more impervious?” Rachael’s eyes narrowed upon hearing the dubiously stupid sounding response. Her fist then swung out, colliding with Largo’s head. “You idiot, getting hit more and more doesn’t make it stronger! Are you trying to hurt yourself on purpose?!”

“Hahaha! Hey Largo, your head didn’t bleed as much then. It must be working.” Tiberius grinned.

“Hahahaha!” Largo joined his friend’s laughter.

“Shut up, the pair of you!!” The sound of Rachael’s fists cracking against skull echoed throughout the hospital wing, followed by her furious storming out. Outside the room, the hooded mage Matthew and their leader, the bolsterous, muscular laden warrior watched as Rachael passed straight by.

“Master… why do you keep letting those two get into those kinds of situations…?” Matthew sighed.

The Warrior raised a slight smirk and grinned. “All a part of learning…”

“Rachael is so silly. She could never understand…” Tiberius muttered, his face now resembling a panda after his newly received black eye. “You know what I’m talking about, right, Largo? The real reason men get hurt.”

“I know, Ti. I know.”

“NURSES!!!”

Matthew buried his face into his palm.

---

Tagress: Hospital: Main Entrance
Now

The automatic door slid open to the side as soon as Tiberius’ heavy footsteps entered the hospital, his eyes scanning the lobby and the nearby reception. The large man carried yet another preposterously sized bouquet of flowers in both arms, and as soon as he strode forward all eyes were on him. Hospitals… it had been a while since he had been in one before bringing the Pride here.

He hated them, but he had no choice but to be here now.

“Ah, Mr. Tiberius Rex, sir!” A voice to his side stopped him, and Tiberius turned on the spot to see an exasperated nurse rushing towards him, stopping right in front of him. “We need your help, sir!”

“My help?” His eyes widened. “Help with what?”

“The patients you brought to us three days ago…” The nurse continued to huff and puff. “Some of them have already left their beds and begun running about!”

Tiberius just stared back at the woman blankly, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.

“…what.”

“AHHHHH! IT’S A MUMMY! SO SPOOPY!!! AHHHHHHH!!!”

“Trixie, I’m going to eat youuuuu!”

Tiberius and the nurse turned to see the little prankster Trixie racing down the far corridor, with Estelle, bandaged almost head to toe, chasing behind.

There were no words.

---

Tagress: Hospital: Roof

Having snuck out of their room and stealthy scaling the stairs to the roof, Don laid stretched out on the roof, watching the clouds pass overhead, a lit cigarette casually resting in his lips, his thoughts busy and troubled…

---

Tagress: Hospital: Recovery Ward

Marcus was one of the few members of the Pride to still be lying and resting in bed. He had seen Estelle carefully crawl out of bed and pounce on Trixie once she returned from the toilets, her mind set on getting her own back on her after Trixie’s surprise in the Hawthorne Manor, and did little other then shake his head as he watched her go. He was concerned about Estelle and her injuries, but with his own body in the state it was, he could hardly do anything. And with Estelle, there’d be no stopping her either. He was sure the orderlies were stop her soon enough. Even if he could still hear Trixie’s screams all the way here.

He tried to focus on quietly reading his book instead.

At the foot of his bed, Nikki laid sleeping, curled up in her cat form.

A peaceful, ordinary day that was made anything but peaceful and ordinary wherever the Pride was to be found…

---

Tagress: Hospital: Main Entrance

“Mr. Tiberius, sir, we need your help getting them back into their beds now, sir! Please!”

“What the hell…?”

He had important news and information, special news that he was sure would help bring a smile to the Pride’s faces, but chasing after little girls was not what he envisioned himself doing as an A Rank Guild Leader...

Tagress: Hospital: Outdoors

The nurses were polite enough when he asked them if he could sit outside for a while, though they had seemed at bit unsure. It was nothing his winning smile couldn't overcome, though, and with a promise that he wouldn't move about too much, Dylan found himself escorted out into the morning light. The nurse had set him up with a glass of water and a pillow for his back and promised she'd be back to check on him later.

That was nearly an hour ago, and Dylan found himself not minding the quiet. Really out of all the Pride he was one of the least injured, having only taken serious damage to his ankle. The rest of his injuries came from simply using too much magic and that was something that would heal in time.

No, what crippled him were his memories of that night. Of the demonic children he and Lucy had fought, of the terrifying beast Oren had become, and Abraxis and the vampiric lord Lucifer who had nearly destroyed the Pride on his own. Though he did his best to hide with it a cheery smile and an endless stream of flattery for the hospital staff, Dylan hadn't slept through the night since they arrived.

In his hands he held the notebook he requested when he first regained consciousness. It was his best way of working through trauma, and in three days he had managed to nearly fill the book with the dark and disturbing images of that fateful night.

Putting the final touches on the latest in the series - Lisette's and Syed's amazing combination of lightning and magical arrows - he finally allowed himself to truly smile.

The Pride really was amazing.

Tagress Hospital: Recovery Ward
Unfortunately for Marcus, the ward was not to stay peaceful for all that long.

"Ow, what you tryin' to do, stab me? Ow! Piss off!"

The nurse, an elderly yet fearless looking woman, pretty much ignored her. Her fingers moved deftly as she drained the fluid from Moira's wounds in her shoulder. It had gotten a little infected, but it was nothing a little TLC couldn't fix. It would leave one hell of a scar when it healed though. That was nothing new to the Berserker, however. She had so many she struggled to recall where they all came from. Clockwork Town's hospital may as well had gotten her a loyalty card for how often she was there.

"Okay, I'm done," the nurse said finally, taking out a strip of bandage from the tray beside her and wrapping it firmly around Moira's shoulder. While not as bandaged up as Estelle was, Moira still had quite a lot, mostly around her arms and chest. Made gripping things awkward but it was nothing she hadn't delt with before. After a quick check of her movement and circulation, the nurse left.

"Fuckin' old bat," Moira growled under her breath. "I swear she don't like me or somethin'."

"Probably because you keep calling her stuff like that."

Moira turned to the bed close to her. Syed was curled in a sort of slight foetal position with his back to her. All he really wanted to do was just hug his knees and keep quiet. Shame his rib prevented him from doing the former and his partner the latter, so he just fiddled with his fingers instead. He in contrast only supported a few bandages, most of his injuries being just cuts, bruises and much like Dylan, magical exhaustion.

Moira rolled her eyes, leaning back. "Oh, stop sounding so fucking miserable."

"...Heh." Well. He tried, she supposed.

Moira sighed. He finally woke up yesterday, and ever since then he had been a lot more quiet and withdrawn than usual. Then again, he didn't like hospitals. She wasn't entirely suprised, she supposed, what with what he had told her before. Made him a pain in the arse to be stuck with though.

She clicked her tongue, then sighed again. Then clicked her tongue again. The cycle continued a couple more times. Syed began to tense with irritation. Oh fucking hell she was bored senseless here!

"FUCK IT!" Moira suddenly roared. She wasn't going to just sit here and... and rot! Screw that to hell! "Get up!"

Syed jumped in suprise, his body suddenly going rigid with pain as he jarred himself before he turned and stared at her. The dark rings under his eyes only really emphisised the mortified expression on his features. His voice however picked up just a fraction. "Wh... what? What are we doing?"

Moira licked her lips, swinging her legs off the bed and charging towards Syed's. He flinched and pushed himself up his bed a little, the large scar which spanned the length of one leg quite clearly visible below where his hospital gown cut off. It was an old, but ugly scar, and the primary reason he tended to avoid shorts like the plague.

"Grand theft wheelchair, love. Have a race or some shit." She didn't even bother to keep her voice down. To be honest she didn't even care if she got caught. Then at least something would happen.

"You've got to be joking!"

"Nope!" and with that, she seized his wrist and forcibly pulled him from the bed. He tensed again in pain then tried to resist, but he couldn't match her strength. Even with her hands bandaged up he couldn't get free!

"We're Guilders!" he protested, thankfully sounding more and more like himself by the minute. At least as long as he was distracted from the thought of where exactly he was.

Unfortunately his pleas fell on deaf ears as she dragged him out the door. Both pairs of slippers remained forgotten by their bedsides.

Tagress: Hospital

One corner, two corners, patter patter patter, gasps here, gasps there. A third corner, patter patter, a metal cart crashing to the floor. A fourth corner.

Trixie whipped her head over her bare shoulder. Her entire body heaved with each breath, threatening to collapse to the floor. Hands clutching her bent knees, the prankster listened on the conversations filling the corridor she had just narrowly escaped. Lots of old ladies rabbling, some papers being rustled - but no horrible groaning noises. Trixie released the biggest sigh of relief in her entire life.

"Ah, I should - I should probably hide..."

Tiptoing about, Trixie pittered and pattered between doors, both open and closed. She rejected them left and right; too many people to give away her spot, too 'vacant', too smelly. There was one door, however, where she—

"Amy, what are you doing!? You gotta get up, it's like sun-is-shining o'clock! A mummy's coming and- and she's gonna eat your socks off! ... You are wearing socks, right."



Amy sat atop her bed, with her back against a wall and her pillow propped as a cushion. Her gem rested in her palms - resting and resting, just as she had been. No fancy lights or auras, not for the last few days. Her soft fingers brushed along the gem's surface. Like Dylan and others who were exhausted of their magic, she needed all the time she could get to recuperate.

The cleric had taken to a solitary room, just as she had demanded once she was awake and competent enough to make demands. All was tranquil - until Trixie burst into her room and clung onto the edges of her mattress.

But Amy winced not. Her drooping eyes remained on her gem. Stroking, softly stroking it, cherishing its delicacy like one would a newborn. Trixie winced in her place. Amy's desired silence was not well-received. "Amy, what's wrong? Amy?" the prankster scuttled from the foot of her mattress towards where Amy rested. "Amy?" After another empty pause, Trixie slid her hand atop the blanket, reaching for the woman's arm. "Amy?"

"It's hurt, Trixie."

Her voice was soft. Too soft. Trixie's fingers wrapped around the woman's thin wrist. "What is?"

"My gem. It's hurt."

"Hurt? Huh?" the younger tugged on the older's wrist as she loomed over the mattress. "Wait lemme—Ames! What, what happened!?" Trixie stared at the woman with furrowed brows. "How come you didn't... tell me earlier?" She shook her head, then letting go of Amy entirely. The woman resumed her gentle petting. "Well I mean - that's okay." Trixie took a deep breath. "We can get it fixed."

The stroking stopped again. "What?" Amy lifted her eyes to meet those of Trixie, who bobbed her head in honest enthusiasm. "Trixie, this isn't..." She chuckled, turning away from the younger. "This isn't something you could just... I could've... I wasn't careful and I..."

"Gurl!" Trixie snapped. No way was she hearing any of this negative nonsense, nope. "Gurl, you were still able to heal us and protect us and stuff, right? So it's okay! Even if we can't get it fixed." She pounced back to the cleric's side and began to shake her shoulder. With her free hand she pointed all over various areas on her own face. "I mean look! The nice ladies here put bandages over the cut on my face - this one right here? They tried to put it over my nose but I told them not to. Cuz then I wouldn't be able to breathe right. And see, look, the cut's getting better!" She beamed, a smile wide as a clown's. Something Amy did not appreciate. "So, so maybe your gem's like that too. Since, yaknow, you said it can't get fixed. Maybe it'll just fix itself on its own. I could - I could give it one of my bandages, if you want! I have lots, I don't need this much."

"...what is this, like a moral or some shit?"

"Yay, you're back to normal!"

Oh was Trixie so lucky Amy did not feel like moving. So damned lucky. "Are you done yet? Will you get out?"

"Ummm, sure I can." On cue, Trixie trotted back to the exit, but froze in the doorway. She spun on a single bare foot to face Amy again. "Wait, no, I can't. I just remembered, cuz if I go back out there, the mummy's gonna eat me and I'll—OH MY MOCHI AMY DON'T THROW SHARP THINGS AT ME! I DON'T LIKE SHARP THINGS!"

The door slammed.

In out in out in out. A final inhalation, a deep exhalation. "Hoo. Okay. So. I think I got it."

Trixie plucked herself off the door, but hunched over as she pattered about once more, carefully avoiding whatever funny silver stuff Amy had thrown at her. Now all she needed was some bait. And maybe someone to help her out with a raid. Once more she began peering into rooms left and right, not for a hiding spot, but looking for any particular individuals willing to join her. She had to set something up before that creep spawned on her again...!

Tagress Hospital: Recovery Ward

"Fuaah..." Lisette breathed, curled up on her side in her blanket and sleeping peacefully. Her blonde hair was untied and neatly splayed out across the pillow behind her.

Since being brought in three days ago, Lisette had spent much of her recovery time fast asleep. Aside from muliple nicks, cuts, and bruises, the girl had been lucky enough to come out of the incident without any lasting injuries. Yet, it appeared as though she had gone beyond her limitations in regards to channeling magical energy; simply put, she had overexerted herself. As naturally talented as she may be, she needed much more practice in carefully controlling her magic.

Kapi sat at the foot of her bed, feeling a wee bit bored and trapped, unable to hop down to the ground. He nudged Lisette on occasion, but she slept like a rock, turning onto her other side whenever he tried to get her to play with him.

Finally, she began to stir, and blinked her eyes tiredly. "G'morning Kapi..." she yawned. "Um, what time is it?" she asked him, sitting up and hugging her knees. Kapi squeaked happily in response, pawing at her foot.

Lisette turned her head toward the window, squinting at the sunlight filtering in through the curtains. She had woken up a few times to eat and drink water, but now was the first time it fully occurred to her that the storm had stopped, and they were all safe.

She smiled.

---

Selan's heels clicked on the hallway floor, stopping once she came across a familiar pair.

"Where are you two going?" Selan said, raising an eyebrow at Moira's bandages. She had just come out of Don's room, completely unsurprised to find an empty bed with the sheets scattered about.

Selan was allowed to be released from hospital care early, although she had stuck around to check on everyone else's conditions. There was nary a scratch on her, save for her shoulder and the bandages wrapped around her neck, covering very large and very ugly-looking indigo bruises -- a thankfully-temporary reminder of her encounter with Drusilla. For once, she preferred not to think of it as being Don's fault.

Not that she had gotten a chance to tell him that.

Seeing Moira and Syed up and about was a good sign, at least. Truth be told, she was worried at first about some of the others' more severe injuries, but it seemed like they were all going to be okay.

Tagress: Hospital: Roof

Angel…

Demon…

Angel…

Demon…

Selan… help me…

KILL

I’m sorry…

KILL

Crack!

Don’s eyes lazily reopened, smoke drifting from his cigarette and interspersing with the air. He looked up at the passing clouds, not saying anything but staring listlessly. His thoughts returned to the horrifying events of three days past, when he was caught as the hapless slave of Drusilla and used to attack Selan. Or at least, that was how events played out, but for Don… he considered himself responsible for what happened. It was difficult to really remembers what happened – instead his memories flashed back and forth, a whirlwind of confusion. But he remembered certain scenes all too well. Choking her, and hitting her with his bat.

He scrunched his face up tight.

“What is this, you stupid whore?! Is this supposed to be dinner?! Is it?!?”

SMACK

“Ahh…”

Cries of pain as his mother collapsed to the floor.

“Do you think this is a joke? Do you think this is funny? Well it isn’t! Stupid, stupid bitch! Do it again!”

Heavy, angry breathing, followed by the voice’s owner shifting his head. Facing him.

“What are you looking at, idiot? What? You got something to say? …that’s what I thought. Go make yourself useful and find that stupid sister of yours too. Wastes of space…”

Don’s eyes opened again, and they continued to stare aimlessly at the clouds above. He had made a mistake. A tragic, tragic mistake.

His mistake was that he thought, wished he could be different, and yet there was nothing further from the truth. He was exactly like his father, and he hurt the ones he loved. There was no denying it, it was simply in his nature, no matter how badly he tried to resist.

The clouds in the sky all looked like her.

---

Tagress: Hospital: Cafeteria

“Omnomnomnomnomnomnom…”

“…”

“Omnomnomnomnomnomnom…”

“…”

“Omnomnomnom… mwath?”

“…I have never seen a person eat as much as you.”

“Softh?” Celeste’s bulging cheeks began to move again, rapidly chewing the food she had overstuffed into her mouth before her throat bulged with its swallowing. “I’ve been asleep for days. I need to catch up on all the meals I’ve missed!”

“Meals you missed? You’ve already eaten far too much food for the meals you’ve missed.” Julius blinked, his moderate sized portion of food so far untouched.

“Nu uh, I’ve only eaten 12 meals so far.”

“Only? Celeste, how many meals a day do you think there are?”

“Er… I normally have six…?”

“Six?! How are you not-”

“Hey hey, I exercise and burn a lot of it off, you know that. This is the best way to recover magic quick, you know. And I really used way too much… like, way, way too much saving your behind!” Celeste wagged her finger back and forth at the bewildered Julius. “So it’s all your fault! And that’s why this is coming out of your tab, y’know.”

This was one of the rare times Julius emitted emotion. “My tab?!”

“It's not half bad here,” Lucien felt comfy beneath the toasty covers, the pillows were wonderfully soft and the nurses that tended to him were quite pretty. It was something he wouldn’t mind getting used to. A cheeky grin made its way onto the summoner's face and he stretched leisurely like a lazy tabby cat, wincing when a light sting shot up his side. He had been lucky, aside from the scrapes and bruises, the only injury of his that needed actual tending to was the scratch Damian had inflicted in wolf form. The wound wasn’t very deep, but it had needed stitches.

Carefully, he rolled onto his side so he could face the window. The outside world looked so pretty but in a way he liked the hospital. The smell of soap and detergent were comforting and it was nice to just laze around and get away from it all. Plus, he enjoyed pestering the less busy nurses. It had only been a few days but he had already managed to listen to quite a handful of juicy horror stories.

“Lucien Maddox,” a familiar voice called.

He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Not long after a nurse walked into the room, starring at her watch. “Mr. Maddox,” she whispered, giving him a light tap on the shoulder as she did so. “It’s time for a change of bandages; this might hurt a little…”

He opened his eyes, stifled a yawn and gave her a bright smile. “I’ve been through the worse, I’m as tough as nails.” The summoner winked playfully. It didn’t hurt…though when she dabbed at it with disinfectant he let out a hiss, only to plaster another smile onto his face just so he could appear tough. “T-Thanks,” Lucien gulped in a breath of air and steadied himself. “Y’know,” a Cheshire cat grin appeared on his face. “I’d recover much faster if I got a kiss.” The nurse rolled her eyes and tossed the damp towel onto his head. Lucien pouted childishly in response, huffing as he rolled out of bed and got onto his feet.

He wasn’t in the mood to sleep anymore. Maybe, he’d go find the others. Knowing them, they were sure to be doing something fun, right? Lucien exited the room and made his way down the hallway. Everything was so quiet…

“—OH MY MOCHI AMY DON'T THROW SHARP THINGS AT ME! I DON'T LIKE SHARP THINGS!"

At the sound of the commotion he perked up and quickened his pace. Lucien semi jogged and skidded to a stop before taking a sharp turn. There he saw Trixie, peering curiously into rooms. He arched an eyebrow in question, walked up the girl then in the creepiest voice he could muster went, “boo!” Noticing that he had gotten her attention he grinned like a sly fox. “Hey kid,” he gave her head a playful knock the same way he did back in Weir. Lucien looked right and left as if they were part of a conspiracy then chuckled lightly. “Being all sneaky, huh? Just what are exactly are you up to?”

Tagress Hospital - corridor
"Where are you two going?"

Syed froze and slowly turned his head to face the speaker, His wide, startled eyes and slight grimace making him appear increadibly guilty. Had they been rumbled already?! No it was just Selan, carrying herself as dignified as ever despite her injuries. "Selan!" he exclaimed, shifting a little on his feet. He seemed to calm himself down a little though, a still slightly forced smile spreading across his face as he looked at her with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Moira's eyebrows lowered a little. Damnit, she missed wearing her boots. It was one thing to have Syed towering over her, he towered over most people. But while Selan had always been taller than her, Moira without her almost trademark heels only made the difference greater. She felt like... a dwarf or something. A dwarf among giants. Well not quite, but still among people taller than her. She hated it.

Whatever.

"Well, we're off cheer this fucker up," Moira thumbed towards her partner once she got bored of the plesantries. The bandaging around her hands almost resembled mittens, making her thumbs look comically large. "You seen any wheelchairs hanging about? Preferrably without anybody in em?" She asked her questions with the same sort of tone that someone would use asking for directions to a post office.

"Stealing a wheelchair is not how you cheer someone up! What if somebody needs it?!" Syed countered, putting his hands on his face and leaning back. Then almost immediately doubling over again as yet another wave of agony spread across his body. He could have sworn it hurt more now than it did then, which was saying something.

"You kiddin'?" Moira huffed. "It's the best thing ever, you miserable bastard."

"You're bonkers," he gasped, catching his breath again. "Selan, help me out here?"

"I'm fine, it looks worse than it is," Selan smiled.

In contrast, the duo standing in front of her looked as though they should still be in bed. Not that she would bother stopping them. Very few of them seemed to be where they were supposed to be; she even passed Dylan outside when she arrived.

And now it sounded as though she was being asked to become an accomplice in something.

"A wheelchair? There's a few lined up around the corner..." she said, knowing if she refused to answer, Moira would find them soon enough. She admired that about the woman, but nonetheless, she began walking past them, not wanting to stick around to see the result.

Syed's face paled as Moira grinned wickedly. He looked as though Selan had doomed him to some cruel fate. "Are you mad!"

Moira saluted Selan and continued along her intended path, leaving Syed helplessly following after her.

"Just be careful, alright?" Selan called after them, grinning.

Tagress: Hospital - Some Other Corridor

Trixie pressed her palms against the doorway edges, peering into the final room of the corridor. A janitor's room. She let out another sigh. While it was a perfect hiding spot, it wasn't... a person.

Then she turned around and bumped into something a tad taller than she. Her eyes lifted to this whatever it was and saw a sharptoothed smile glaring her down. Whoever the smile belonged to growled at her, having some dark and nasty guttural voice as if possessed in the throat. Before she even had a chance to figure this guy out—"Boo!"

Trixie dropped her hold on the walls beside her and collapsed back into the room, landing right on her butt. The figure - the young man started saying some more stuff in a regular person's voice, though Trixie heard none of it, still dazed from the sudden scare. She lolled her head for a moment, allowing her vision to restore itself. Oh, it was that... that one guy. What was his name again, Lu...cy...? Well, that didn't matter now. She paid very close attention to the way he laughed.

There was quite a long pause between Lucien's last words and when Trixie spoke again.

"You... you...!"

A tear jumped from her eye.

"You're perfect!!" Like a yo-yo, Trixie bounced up from the ground and yanked on Lucien's wrist, pulling him into the storage room with her. She jutted her head out the doorway, glanced about the same way the summoner had moments ago, and withdrew back into the cramped room with a slam of the door. "Okay!" she slapped her wrists together, returning Lucien's devilish smile back at him. "You're Lu- Lucy, right? I don't know whatcha do in the, uh, like when we fight and stuff, but you do this- you have this... thing and ahhhh!"

She grabbed his wrists and began bouncing enthusiastically. "There's a mummy comin' to eat me. I lost it earlier, but I know it's still out there looking for me. So, so I was gonna sneak up on it instead and scare it! Like a- like a pincer-scare with someone else! Then it'd run away from me instead and holycheeseonastick you are perfect.

"So - so I'm gonna go hide in the room across from us. When we hear some funky moaning noise like "uuurrghghh," I'm gonna say "three" and we're gonna pop out and scare it! Sounds good yeah? Yeah? Hehe! Oh, and after the mummy crawls away..." Trixie backed up from Lucien for a moment, eying him up and down and up. "You gotta show me what you do when we fight and stuff. I never see you do anything!"

After creaking open the door, Trixie once again peeked around before emerging fully. Slowly she closed it shut before her, tiptoed to the room directly across it, and closed its door as well upon entering it. She immediately shushed the bedridden patient behind her - "It's okay; there's a mummy on the loose and we're gonna stop it."

Trixie fell back into the Janitor's closet and Lucien doubled over with laughter. The look on her face had been priceless!

"Kid, you should have seen the look your face," he snickered teasingly, wiping away at tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes. The laughter hurt his sides, but it felt good and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't wipe the dopey grin off his face. He allowed himself a few more chuckled before focusing on the stunned girl...she wasn't saying anything. Had he overdone it? A twinge of guilt shot through him and he noticed a tear. Crap, crap, crap! Had he scared her that badly?

"H-Hey," The summoner sputtered, the cogs and gears in his head working overtime to come up with some kind of believable excuse—anything as long as it cheered her up.

"You... you...!"

This was it, she was going to yell, point a finger at him and call for a nurse or something...he had definitely screwed up. Lucien begain flailing around in a momentary panic, eyes the size of saucers and skin deathly pale. Angry shop keepers or irritated superiors, he could deal with, but crying kids...he had never been any good at that. Maybe he could make a funny face or tell a joke. Yeah, a joke! Maybe the one about the guy who lost his entire left side in an accident.

"You're perfect!!"

"I'm sorry—what?" The summoner snapped out of his panicked thoughts, stared blankly at the bouncing prankster then composed himself. Soon enough another sly smile was stuck to his face. "Oh, of course, of course." He gave the kid a confident nod, but before he could say anything else he was yanked by the wrist into the cramped janitor's closet. Trixie gave him a devilish grin and and he chuckled. "Mhm, Lucien Maddox at your service." He gave her a slight bow, "what can I do to help?" He didn't quite understand what she was rambling about, but decided to go along with it.

"There's a mummy comin' to eat me. I lost it earlier, but I know it's still out there looking for me. So, so I was gonna sneak up on it instead and scare it! Like a- like a pincer-scare with someone else! Then it'd run away from me instead and holycheeseonastick you are perfect."

A mummy? Things were starting to sound very interesting. Lucien puffed out his chest pridefully. "You found the right person for the job kid. Let's scare that mummy good, yeah? We'll have it running in the opposite direction in no time." Trixie began telling him about her plan and he nodded excitedly, just what kind of mummy was she talking about. Could it be a patient infected with some rare and festering disease? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to miss it.

"Oh, and after the mummy crawls away...you gotta show me what you do when we fight and stuff. I never see you do anything!"

Wait, what? The summoner felt the heat rise to his face. "I-I don't do nothing," He found himself sputtering. So it turned out he hadn't made a cool impression after all. He deflated and made a mental note to show Trixie one of his summons later on. He watched as she tiptoed to the other room then gave a wink as a signal. He was ready! Lucien stayed absolutely still and prepared to pull of the most comical of expressions for when the mummy arrived.

Thump thump thump thump



Tagress: Hospital: Outdoors

A beautiful day… perfect blue sky. The sun, shining lazily above, birds singing. The garden filled with the wonderful aroma and bedazzling sight of hundreds of gorgeous flowers. It was a perfect, quiet, tranquil morning, one which Dylan could enjoy to the fullest as he reconstructed his memories of the Pride’s battles within the Family at Hawthorne Manor. A wonderful chance to rest, recover and relax…

Until all of that came to a crashing halt.

BAM

Dylan’s eyes widened in bewilderment, before he slowly craned his neck to try and look behind him, at the mangled shrubbery and falling petals raining to the ground from where something had just fallen straight into it.

“What in the…?”

“AHHH!”

A head popped out, taking a deep, deep breath before the young man then started darting his head about in every direction, followed by trying to jump out of the bush. His foot snagged on some branch however, and he instead ended up collapsing on the ground and rolling in a painful tumble before Dylan’s feet, who continued to just watch him with amazement.



Through muffled gasps and wincing, Trent gingerly opened one eye, and then the others, his head twisting in every direction, before only then finally noticing Dylan.

“Oh, hey, it’s you.” Trent pointed up at the Matter Artist. “You’re… er… you’re… er… you're whatshisface, right?”

STOMP STOMP STOMP

“Shit!!” Trent screamed before waiting for a reply. Fear gripped the young boarder, whose face continued to turn and twist in every direction, before settling on Dylan again and gripping his hands. “You need to help me!! There’s a gorilla after me!!””

Dylan blinked. “…a gorilla?”

“Yeah, you know, that head nurse!!” Trent screeched, in reference to the Hospital’s no nonsense head nurse, built with a very proud, tall and exceptionally muscular body. “She said she wants to give me a shot!”

Dylan automatically winced. “Well, shots are bad, but-”

“You don’t understand! She said it was going to go in my butt! I’m not having anything going in my butt! You need to help me!!!”

---

Tagress: Hospital: Corridor

Meanwhile, another set of feet continued to loudly and quickly stomp through the hospital, their owner searching for their particular prey, and finding no clear sign of them. Left and right their head turned, searching, but to no success. They found one of the Pride however, resting on her bed with not much interest given to what was happening. But when they were asked where Trixie was, Amy very quickly pointed in the direction she fled – if only so her guest could leave and she’d be alone again.

On and on they raced through the hospital, searching for their quarry. Where oh where were they?

They stopped in the centre of the hallway, gripping the back of their neck and rubbing it in irritation.

“Urggggggrrrr…” The voice growled in a low, agitated tone. Where in the devil…?

1

“…huh?”

2

“…what?”

3!!

Like a flash of lightning and thunder, the doors to the two closets bashed open against their adjoining walls, and Trixie and Lucien both popped out, each of them, in their loudest voices possible, screaming and shouting and pulling obscene faces in the hopes of scaring Trixie’s mummy. Their shrieks bellowed throughout the entire section of hospital, each and every doctor, nurse and patient suddenly hearing some strange, frightening sound from somewhere in the hospital.

It was only after their howling began to die down that Trixie and Lucien realised they hadn’t jumped out on Trixie’s ‘mummy’.

“What are you two playing at?”

Tagress Guild Leader: Tiberius, glared down at both of the two Guilders, his expression and tone of voice far more frightening then either of the two Guilders’ best efforts.

---

Tagress: Hospital: Recovery Ward

Lisette continued to rest peacefully, her eyes looking at the open window and the sunlight pouring in. It was such a beautiful, sunny day… and although she still felt tired, after sleeping for what felt like an eternity, she started to feel some effort to move again.

And then that was when she and Kapi heard something peculiar.

A rhythmic knocking… coming from beneath her bed.

“Umm…?” Lisette pulled the blankets up. The first knock she disregarded as just a strange noise. But the way in which it constantly went about… it… it couldn’t have been a ghost, could it?! It couldn’t have been one of those cackling creatures she fought at the Manor?! Was she still asleep?! Was this a nightmare?!

Slowly, slowly she leaned over the side of her bed, gulping in trepidation as she moved to peer underneath. It couldn’t have been a ghost… it couldn’t…!

“Lisetttteeeeee~”

And then suddenly, without warning, a head popped out from beneath the bed, its face, bar its blinking eyes, nose and mouth, and odds tufts of red hair peeking out, pulled a horrifying expression back at her. “Boooooooooo~!”

The return of the scary mummy!!!

Tagress: Hospital: Recovery Ward

"Booooooooo~!"

"Eeeeeeeeeek!!"

Lisette let out a shriek loud enough that surely, a nurse or someone else would have heard it and come running any minute. And if not that, it would be the commotion that followed after Lisette attempted to jump out of bed, only to get her legs caught up in her sheets, leaving her hanging upside down over the edge of the bed.

"Pfft, pfft!" Lisette blew air at the sheet of hair covering her face and squirmed her way onto the floor to face the "mummy". Kapi hitched a ride on the blanket as it slid off the bed, finally able to get down safely.

"Aww, Estelle, you know I don't like getting surprised like that!" she whined, but she was laughing anyway. She hadn't seen Estelle in days, and she was happy to be part of the fun. Although now was the first time she really had a good look at Estelle's very different hairstyle.

Tagress Hospital: Corridor 2
Betrayed. He was betrayed! Syed just stared at Selan as she walked away with an expression very much reminicent of a kicked puppy, before he was dragged off by Moira. She was his last hope! However, once he looked away again his eyes unfocused as he subconciously brought a hand up to his neck.

"Bingo!" Moira declared as they rounded the corner, finding that Selan was right. Around half a dozen wheelchairs in a line, folded up so they used less space. She quickly set upon trying to unfold one. She was having some difficulty though, partly because of her lack of dexterity and partly because she just couldn't figure it out.

Syed pulled himself from his thoughts, looking back to Moira with a bit of a frown. "I'm sorry, Moira. I know you're dead set on this. But I'm not doing it."

She snorted. "Why?" she asked, although it was said in a more accusational tone than a questioning one. "Are you determined to be miserable or somethin'?"

Syed hugged himself a little and shifted his weight, frowning as he watched her struggle. "Look, I've broken enough for my liking you know? Maybe I just don't fancy..." he brought a hand up, rotating it a little with his palm facing upwards as he thought something up. It wasn't hard considering his nature. "Us falling down the stairs and breaking our necks, or us toppling over and breaking our necks, or hitting a kid when we go around a corner..." His eyes unfocused again for a couple of seconds. "...A combination of all three... we then collide into some spare gas canisters which explode..."

"Fuckin' hell you're a ray of sunshine today," Moira huffed, breaking him from his paranoid train of thought. Syed had no idea why she hadn't thought of pushing the bright red release lever yet, considering the thing was clearly designed to make it as obvious as possible. "Although if you ask me that sounds awesome. Needs more punching though."

Syed couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that despite himself. "Sorry. I appreciate you trying. But I'm happy on foot, and I'd rather not risk us getting kicked out or something."

Moira rolled her eyes. "You'll change your tune when you get on it." She finally found the lever, the wheelchair springing open. "YES, GET IN THERE! Come on, get on."

Syed's smile vanished entirely, and he started to look pretty irritated instead. "No." And when Moira stepped towards him he made a step backwards, his expression hardening a little. "And don't even try anything, alright? Can't we just... go back to our beds?"

Moira gave out a great sigh. Syed didn't know anyone who could sigh quite as loudly as Moira could. All she wanted was a little fun! Something to ease the boredom. But again, he was here to piss on it all. "Fiiiiiine. You can push."

Syed's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Back to the ward?"

"Yeah, I just fancy a ride," Moira said with a shrug as she sat down. The wheelchair creaked a little, but it was fine. With a sigh of his own he stepped behind her. Could he actually push this? He never had much strength when in full health, let alone now. Almost as if his body was proving a point, he found himself stopped by a great big yawn. Moira noticed.

"SUCKER!"

She grabbed the opportunity with both hands, seizing hold of the wheels and launched herself down the hallway - her upper body strength giving her an alarming amount of speed even with her injuries. Like hell was she going to give in! Fuck him! She had woken up long before he did - on the same day they were brought in - so she was the one who had to bloody sit around and wait for him! She was having her moment of fun and he could get bent!

"M-Moira!" Syed exclaimed, scrambling after her with a wince. Oh hell no he was in no state to run, he really wasn't. At this rate she'll be dragging him about! Why couldn't she just act her age?!

Tagress: Hospital: Outdoors

"What in the…?" Dylan dropped his notepad in his lap, turning to see see the damaged shrubbery behind him. Oh no, the nurses would not be happy about that! He suspected it was Trixie - who else would really do something like this? - but then Trent threw him for a loop by popping out of the bushes.

Tumbling in front of Dylan, Trent started a long spiel about how he was being chased by a gorilla nurse who wanted to give him a shot in the butt.

"Right," he said trying to process it all. Did nurses really give shots there? "While that does sound like a pain in the ass - " he paused to let the joke sink in, but the boarder just groaned - "are you sure she wasn't kidding?"

"THERE YOU ARE!" shouted the head nurse, having come out the main door in a breathless huff. "Now come on. It's time for your shot and you're going to have to take it like a man."

"Excuse me," Dylan interrupted, only to earn a glare from the nurse that made him sink into his chair. "Umm, he says you need to give him a shot in the butt?"

The nurse rolled her eyes. "Yes, some shots need to be administered there."

Dylan looked to Trent, his eyes sparkling. Grabbing his notepad, he dove into an empty corner and quickly sketched up a handful of marbles. Willing them into existence, he turned and tossed them right at the Nurse's feet just as she took a step forward. Slipping on the small obstacles, she landed hard on her ass.

"Now, man. RUN."

Tagress: Hospital: Corridor

His voice was like a gunshot - boom, it said.

All the hype Trixie had built up to put to use against the mummy her nemesis had been lost in a cinch. A man as tall as the moon - which was really tall - towered over the two guilders like they were ants. Trixie couldn't even properly see his eyes from her height, instead met with a concealing shadow that masked all but his daunting frown.

She shuddered, curling her fingers around Lucien's shoulders as she ducked behind him. Perhaps hiding her face away from the man would mean he has to yell at Lucy instead - but she poked an eye out to see him. Only after she took note of his chin's distinctive shape did she hide away her face completely. Oh, it was him. It was definitely him. Aside from his commanding voice, the man's lower half of his face was the most prominent thing she could see looking up from her angle, and Trixie knew well not to forget the man who purchased her new gears and gadgets. Most of which were gone now.

"S, sorry, Mister, I—we thought you were... there's um... there's a mummy out there and... please don't yell at us... ireallylikethegunsyouboughtme...!"

“What are you two playing at?”

He had expected the mummy's voice to sound more hoarse...less authoritative too. In fact, the mummy sounded very young, definitely unlike someone whose vocal chords were centuries old. Lucien cracked open an eye only to see Tagress' guild leader. He felt himself grow cold and instantly he straightened himself up, wiped the silly expression off his face and cleared his throat...of all the people he could have screwed up in front of. "O-Oh, Leader, funny to see you around here...ahaha." He wrapped an arm around Trixie's shoulder and nodded his head. "You see, we were just trying to cheer up a friend." Lucien tried to play it off nonchalantly. "Sorry, sorry, we'll make sure we don't scare a random patient or something." Just as he had finished his sentence he found himself struggling to contain a smile. Scaring a random patient would have been interesting and funny...it wouldn't be so bad.

The prankster decided to hide behind me and he felt just a little bit more nervous.

"S, sorry, Mister, I—we thought you were... there's um... there's a mummy out there and... please don't yell at us... ireallylikethegunsyouboughtme...!"

He sucked in a breath of air, great, how was he supposed to explain a mummy to Tiberius Rex. "About the mummy, yeah...I don't really know what to say." Lucien scratched his cheek and did what he did best. He put on a dopey smile, hopefully, they wouldn't have to endure a lecture.

Tagress: Hospital: Outdoors

The head nurse’s world was sent spiralling through the air, her massive frame colliding with the ground harshly after Dylan’s newly conjured marbles helped upset her balance. Trent’s eyes and mouth widened with delight, and his fist pumped the air upon seeing the nurse felled low. It was nice to see her getting the abuse, and not him.

But it wasn’t enough to deter the head nurse, who slowly started to rise again, an unholy growl erupting from the pit of her stomach. Her eyes sparkled and her head twisted towards Dylan.

“Mr. Sanders… you weren’t scheduled for a shot, but… it seems naughty boys need to be administered TOUGH medicine…” The head nurse stalked towards the Matter Artist. Dylan turned, seeking the aid of Trent…

…only to find the Boarder already having made a run for it and dashing back into the hospital.

“Thanks for the sacrifice, man! I’ll never forget it!!” Trent waved behind his shoulder and disappeared.

The shining sun, chirping birds, peaceful morning… all of that only happened five minutes ago, but for Dylan it was quickly becoming a distant memory.

---

Tagress: Hospital: Corridor

"S, sorry, Mister, I—we thought you were... there's um... there's a mummy out there and... please don't yell at us... ireallylikethegunsyouboughtme...!"

"About the mummy, yeah... I don't really know what to say."

The Wolf’s glare continued to penetrate through the two Guilders, as his eyes shifted between Trixie and Lucien each time they spoke. Once one started to speak, they quickly grew to regret it, upon making eye contact with Tiberius they found all strength and courage crumbling and their speech descending into an incoherent mess. Still, they had managed to explain themselves, so hopefully everything would be okay, and they wouldn’t be punished too severely. I mean, they were already banged up pretty hard, right? Injured patients and all, and they all Guilders and friends! He wouldn’t hurt them!

…right?

“Yeek!” Trixie shrieked as she suddenly found herself lifted up by the back of her hospital gown, her arms and legs kicking and writhing about in a blind panic. Lucien was caught too, but his body didn’t seem to resist, sensing the futility of it. He was dragged along the floor, his body submitting to the Tagress Guild leader’s Herculean strength and whatever consequences might entail. It was lucky, he guessed, that they were in a hospital…

“You two are supposed to be resting, not playing games.” Tiberius began to lecture as he carried them around a corner and soon up a flight of stairs. “The injuries you guys took… if you’re not careful and let them heal properly, then you’ll forever have problems. And if not for your own sake, then for the other patients here at least. Some of you… you should be stuck in the hospital for a few months, easily.”

“Whaaaa?” Trixie didn’t like the sound of that. She wasn’t exactly sure how long a month was, but it sounded really long. Lucien continued to maintain a dopey, nonchalant expression.

“Now, we need to get you all back to your room. I have some news for you all, an-”

“GANGWAY, CRIPPLES! MOVE IT OR LOSE IT! YEAH YOU WANNA KEEP WALKING YOU WANNA GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE WAY MAMA IS COMING THROUGH!”

“What in the…?”

The violent screams were getting louder and louder, quicker and quicker. And then, suddenly a terrific scream. Suddenly appearing at the top of the stairs, a large woman in a wheelchair, spinning in circles suddenly appeared… and flew off the stairs.

Needless to say, what happened next was horrifically painful for all involved.

“Moira… I… told… you…” Syed gasped, his body limp atop of hers.

“Shut… up…” Moira replied, her own body limp on top of another.

“Moira Dennis. Now I remember why you were always stuck as H rank.”

Moira blinked her eyes open, to find herself lying on top of Tiberius, her face a scant few inches away. The Wolf’s expression bore no joy or sense of humour, or of sadness, rage or anything else. It was completely neutral. Which, in Moira’s experience, was a really bad sign.

Trixie and Lucien tried to scramble free but even with Tiberius bowled over, his grip on the pair of mischief makers was still absolute.

“All of you. In your room. Now.”

---

Tagress: Hospital: Recovery Ward

Marcus' head lifted from his book, his eyes blinking. His head turned towards Lisette's bed, which she hung off on with Estelle lying underneath and Kapi waddling towards her.

"Did either of you hear that...?" Marcus asked.

Tagress: Hospital: Outdoors

“Mr. Sanders… you weren’t scheduled for a shot, but… it seems naughty boys need to be administered TOUGH medicine…”

He let out a weak laugh. Surely she was kidding, right? Nobody actually said things like that…but then he saw the look in her eyes as she stalked towards him and paled. Turning, he found Trent leaving him high and dry.

“Thanks for the sacrifice, man! I’ll never forget it!!” Trent waved behind his shoulder and disappeared.

"Come on!" he shouted after the boarder. "This is completely unbro-like behavior!" The words seemed to have no effect on him, though.

The Head Nurse clamped her hand down on Dylan's shoulder. "Now then, Mr. Sanders, are you ready for your shot?"

"This was all a misunderstanding!" he cried as she pulled him to his feet, pushing him back towards the hospital. "Surely a woman of your grace and compassion can -"

"Not going to work on me," she cut him off. "Only a naughty boy tries to weasel his way out of punishment with honeyed words."

'But you can't! I don't need a shot!" He squirmed in her grip, but she was surprisingly strong. "This is cruel." She snorted at that, now dragging him past Moria…who was laying on top of Tiberius.

"Help me!"

Tagress Hospital: Corridor
Oh shit. Oooooh shit. While Moira did not at least outwardly express any fear at all, her expression becoming mildly indignant if anything, her pupils restricted to pinpricks. His stare, especially this close, made her feel really uncomfortable. She could feel her heart pumping adrenaline through her body already, ready for a fight or flight response.

Syed pushed himself up and off the dogpile as quickly as he could, which wasn't really all that fast at all. And acompanied by lots of groaning. Forget Moira killing them with her stupid wheelchair thing, although she nearly managed that already. No, at this rate Tiberius was going to kill them!

He didn't try and defend himself, to say that he was never a willing party in Moira's idea of fun. Instead, he backed himself as much as he could towards the stairs again, very eager to get back to his bed. He wanted to go back there anyway, and the added threatening tone of Tiberius' voice just sweetened the deal really.

"Sorry..." he breathed softly, not daring to make many sudden noises or movements. "Sorry... yeah... let's go back..." Hugging his chest, he bowed his head quickly towards Tiberius. That was about as much as he could manage all things considered. He then shifted his concentration towards someone shouting about shots further down the corridor. Wait, was that...?

Moira pushed herself up next. Ooh, now she was really sore. Clutching onto her shoulder once more, she caught sight of the wheelchair laid on it's side a small distance away, it's wheel still spinning.

She narrowed her eyes and averted them from the others, before mumbling something indistinct. Surely nothing about how she was an adult and therefore far too old to be sent to bed. Nope. Definately not. Although it might have helped her if she acted like one before she got into this mess. Still, she decided she'd best do as he says anyway. She didn't fancy kissing her own arse today.

Just before she finally pushed herself completely clear, cause geez she was sure taking her time, Dylan was... dragged past. What the hell?!

"Help me!" he called desperately, squirming in the grip of a particularly formidable looking nurse.

Syed found himself relating to this a lot. Still, he put on his best calming smile. "Needles aren't too bad, Dylan," he said gently. After all, a nurse wouldn't try and give an unnessessary shot, right? "It helps if you look away."

Moira wooped. "Yeah, don't be a wuss!"

Poor Dylan.