Oop, I haven’t finished the 9DC yet but I’ve already written an omake for them. The great great great… grandparents of the Eternal Luo Minh meet again. [hider=Ancestors of the Dragon] This was dangerous. If any recognised Luo, as small a chance as that could be, he would be torn asunder long before his comrades, old and new, would be able to respond. Here, deep in the darkness of Ward Nine, his corpse would never be found again. But he had to do this. He [i]had[/i] to. He started all this. The Troubles. The march of the clones. The Hierarchy. All of it could be pointed at him. Luo tightened the cloak around him, bumping shoulders with people meandering back and forth. The sights and smells were over-stimulating, aliens and humans mingling and trading, conversing and working. He was so distracted that he tripped over a slimy Kuo Yu carrying egg fried rice sloppily dropped in a plastic bag. ”Watch it kid!” The alien clutched the rice bag closer, casting a look- a glare?- his way. In embarrassment, Luo wrapped his arms around himself and bowed several times before the alien slithered away. He glanced down at the slime which covered his legs before scurrying away, deciding he would need to have a proper talk to Simon on how to get rid of Kuo Yu secretions from clothing. Luo zipped into tiny corridors, had to navigate his way through a veritable maze of stairs until he came to the destination. Ward Nine, Hab 444, Level 4, Room 4. Shaking away the nerves at how [i]unlucky[/i] those set of numbers were, he raised his fist to knock on the door. He hesitated. His fist was shaking- no, his entire body was shaking. He had prepared his speech countless times, apologising in the mirror, getting down on his knees and offering his paltry wages in recompense. He had this all planned out. But for some reason, for some terrible reason, he could not bring himself to bring his fist to the door. He could not risk her recognising him and calling the neighbours on him. To do so was to risk death. He dropped a few credit chits on the ground before the door, covering them with a cloth from his pocket. But before Luo could turn away, the decision to meet was made for him. The door swung open, sending him to the ground with a small oomph. ”Grandpa! I’m going out for rice-oh!” A girl, a couple years his senior, stood in the doorway with simple Hierarchy-designated beige shorts and shirt, slippers on. Her dark hair was tied in a messy bun and she was wearing no makeup, face just as recognisable as the day he met her. She peered at him but before she could take a look at his face, he scrambled to his knees and touched his nose to the ground. ”I-I’m sorry! I know I-I shouldn’t be here but I did-“ He was cut off by a veritable rock bouldering into his side, sending him skidding a few meters to the side. For the second time of the day, he was sent flying. ”Oh! This one apologises to tiny human!” Luo raised his head only for a trunk to wrap itself around him, raising him from the ground to sit upright. Though his obscuring hood remained, the bruised rib and trunk was enough to make him realise what just sent him scrambling on the ground. A Gaja Man stood before him, peering at him with too-curious eyes. He shuddered under the alien’s gaze before glancing back and forth between it and its trunk. The thing released him, apologetic gaze somehow translating between species boundaries. ”Sura! I told you to be more careful, there’s kids around here.” The girl had caught up now, dusting off his cloak and bringing him to his feet. Luo kept his gaze strict to the ground as the girl berated an alien standing heads taller than both of them. When she was satisfied with its repeated apologies, she sent it on the way and raised him to his feet. How strong. ”You gotta understand Sura. He works for the local Buddhists and delivers rice to the neighbourhoods. He loves kids but he can’t see them with those eyes of his. He trips over them all the time!” She patted him on the back, letting out a giggle. Luo flinched away from the contact, tightening the hood around his face. ”A-ah that’s fine. It’s fine. Everything’s okay. Um-uh-it’s ok, yeah.” She tried to face him but he turned away, wincing a little with the sudden movement. He felt weathered hands grab his shoulders. No matter how much he tried to twist away, he could not shake them off. ”Tsk, none of that now. You’re hurt! My grandpa’s got ointments in the room, you should come inside.” Despite the illusion of choice, Luo was forcibly dragged away from the streets into the awaiting door, trying desperately to hide his face. He protested and shook around but to no avail. He could not shake her off of him and that meant one thing. He would soon be revealed. If she recognised him, he knew. Luo knew, deep in his soul. She would kill him. He killed her grandmother after all. [/hider]