After a slight pause, Flake got an unexpected response from Raine. “Geeze Flake. Did you let them run all over you or something?” The bounty hunter looked over at her in confusion, opening his mouth to talk, but instead spat out more blood which was collecting in his throat. His nose-bleed was clotting, but there was still enough blood floating around to pose a minor annoyance. Flake wasn’t a doctor by any sense of the imagination, but he knew enough about blood to know that he’d be fine soon. His confused expression returned as she finally answered his question.

“They can keep us in here for as long as they want. We’re traitors, and they do not want to put the public in danger by letting us go,” she responded. Flake was satisfied with this answer, so he leaned forwards again to stop the blood from leaking back into his throat. Suddenly, Raine continued, “And sit back, you’ll make the bleeding worse,” as she gently pushed him back, further surprising him. [i]What is with her? She’s acting like…[/i] he thought, his train of thought interrupted as he started listening to Raine continue speaking.

“Now, of course we don’t have to stay in here for the rest of our lives,” she pointed out, “we can always find a way out of here, ya know?” Flake managed to suppress the urge to grin after hearing this: he needed to keep Delta Six a secret for awhile longer. “Also,” she continued, “you’ll just have to deal with any pain you’re feeling until night falls.” This point did make Flake grin. He had dealt with pain far worse than he was feeling now. Raine then explained, “Oruin won’t be back until then.”

After Raine had finished her speaking, Flake cleared his throat of blood once more, spitting to the side of the bed, then scornfully responded, “The only medicine I need right now is rest. I appreciate the concern, but choking won’t make my nose stop bleeding any faster.” He paused for a moment after saying this, pushing Raine back so he could lean forwards once more, then, with an intrigued look, asked, “who’s Oruin? Never heard of him.”