Benji had survived by constantly moving from place to place for the last several years, never staying anywhere long enough to put down roots or to have relationships with others. He didn’t really trust anyone anymore, even other supernaturals. He’d been betrayed by one he considered a friend before, a whole group of close friends sold out by one of their own to the scientists and he didn’t want end up captured and caged. For the last several years survival had meant being alone, never trusting anyone and never staying in the same place or around the same people for very long. Benji was instinctively a pack animal though, and surviving the way he had was difficult for him. Most of the time he was so focused on just surviving that he was able to ignore the loneliness that came with it but when Willa hugged him he felt bonded to another for the first time in years. She had taken him by surprise with the sudden acceptance and took him a couple seconds to allow himself to relax and let his guard down.
“I missed you too.” Benji said as hugged her back. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for, I’m sorry for being a stubborn hot headed jackass all the time and always trying to start fights just for the fun of it. It was my fault, but that’s the past and I’m just happy to have found my best friend again.” He said smiling. Willa was one of only a handful of people in the world he genuinely trusted and it didn’t really matter how long it had been or how often they fought he doubted there was anything that could destroy his friendship.
“So did you just imply that you rode here on a dragon? Like a giant fire breathing lizard or more like Falkor? Anyway I think we should find your companions, because I’m completely jealous you got to hang out with a dragon and I got kidnapped by a crazy old lady.” He said joking around, instantly feeling more comfortable around Willa than he was with anyone else. He pulled away from her hug and ruffled her hair. “I need some of that luck of the Irish, because my luck is terrible.” He joked. “I was at the old theater when some kind of crazy battle went down, got picked up by some of the Underground’s buses, then they scanned us and took blood samples and took us to forest. Next thing I know they’re shooting off a firework and planning to use some of us as decoys. There was a bizarre old woman, human not even supernatural, ordering everyone around so I got the hell out of there. Anyway you remember which way you last saw them?”
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Charlie watched Dr. McConnel wide eyed as he followed him, he was more than a bit awestruck. When the head scientist said he was impressed by Charlie’s work and wanted him to work with him he nearly tripped over his own feet. “You want me to work with you?” He said finding that piece of information just as shocking when he said it himself. “Thank you. Sir, that would be an honor, I mean I’ve read everything you’ve ever published, I think you’re completely brilliant.” He said agreeing before he really started to realize what was going on. More work at a higher level will mean basically torturing more supernaturals, using them from experiments and ingredients. He thought about it more. Maybe it could be like when he first had to use lab animals, he felt bad about experimenting on them but he’d mostly gotten over it, sort of. You sick motherfrakker you’re like those evil Nazi doctors torturing people and calling it science. His conscience practically shouted into his brain. You really think you can live with this, the lab animals here get better treatment. “The only thing is I just started working towards getting my PhD and the course work is pretty intense, as much as I love working here I don’t if I could handle much more.” He said and technically this was a truthful statement, not the whole truth but maybe he could buy some time to figure out the right move.