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Gale's eyes flickered back to Ariane; he hadn't seen her arrive, hadn't noticed that she'd even been around until she stepped in front of him, ducking her head to look at his neck. Obligingly, he tilted his chin just the smallest bit.

"I'm fine," he said, a little brusquely, though his cheeks were a faint red. "It doesn't hurt."

That was only partially true. It was more like an irritation; like a bee sting, or a paper cut in a really inconvenient place. The blood was sticky and unpleasant feeling on his skin, but he still made no move to wipe it off.

<< You just had to go and question the headmaster. Way to go. >>

Shut up.

<< Touchy, touchy. >>

You're irritating.

<< I know. >>

Thank you.

<< You're welcome. >>

His internal sparring with Jinhai had distracted him from the goings on. When Gale finally turned his eyes back to the scene at hand he found...Ariane and Before squabbling. About...something. Squinting a bit, Gale's eyes found the assistant's hand and the object dangling from it.

He recognized that pendant.

So busy staring at it, and at this completely new and unfamiliar Before, Gale did not even notice the creature behind Clarice until it spoke.

What kind of name is 'Barth,' anyway?

<< Don't ask me. What kind of name is 'Gale?' >>

Gale shrugged, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. Then he leaned sideways, peering at the creature and poised this question aloud to it.

Clarice was giving them all extremely dubious expressions. Gale made his way towards her.

"I'm with Boss," he said. "We'll take the assignment."

His eyes moved to the rest of the group, lifting a brow as if to say Well? Any objections?

"...Bartholomew?"

Gale eyed the creature somewhat suspiciously. He could have almost looked human, were it not for the large horns curling out of his head and the fact that his arms ended, not in hands, but in sharp, lethal looking claws.

"That's, er...an interesting name."

They had all been told. Gale had been at the receiving end of the scythe.

All Tika could do was hang back and listen and watch. She was feeling much better since she'd been tended to but she felt a bit of nervousness now in the pit of her stomach. They'd ******** up. Tikaanis knew she had ******** up. The moment she'd stepped out of the tent she'd been knocked out.

But now that was over. Things were moving on.

Pendants.

Tika took a stance next to Gale, very much interested in the pendants and the demon Barth. She eyed the demon with quite a bit of interest. It was like looking at a tamed wild lion up close. The teen stared in awe and respect at those razor sharp clawed hands.

"I'm in." Tika nodded finally.

When Jeremy stormed into the backyard, he stayed a bit of a distance away to try and cool his head. He had them! It was so close; if that ******** it was hadn't shown up, he would have had not one, but two to bring back! Two freaks brought to justice, and it would have been all because of him; it wasn't much, but it would have been a damn good start! And they just vanished! Augh!

It took him a while to calm down, to remind himself that it wasn't over yet; he might have failed, but so did everyone else. Even Caelius couldn't stop that b***h, that soul harvester whatever, either! When it was time for him to regroup again, there was little he heard; one, something about pendants and two, Bartholomew.

...

....

Admittedly, Jeremy's heart skipped a beat. Sadly not because of some unrequited or blossoming love, either. It was because, at long last, he had a chance to get back at the Sloth thing and his Quasimodo.

"Bartholomew Mudd?" Jeremy piped up, stepping closer and standing beside Leon, studying the captured sloth and waiting for any indication that he was right - sloths all looked the same to him.

Jude quietly rubbed a thumb over his (still very sore and slightly bloodied) nose as he quietly moved closer toward Cass upon noticing her and it seemed he god close enough to hear her words and he gave a small nod, "Hey the sooner we get in there the better," he replied simply. When an additional 'job' was offered he didn't really speak up and it seemed another team had gotten a handle on it already.

He looked over at Cass, "So you feelin' alright from earlier?"

The young man still wasn't sure what caused her outburst but it didn't hurt to ask if she was okay. He let everyone else poke at the demon-thing. It wasn't his deal kick while something was down.

"I don't know," Barth said quietly. "Safe, I hope"

The human had said nice to see you again. And he knew his name. Where? Where did he know him. He also was not sure why both humans that had referred to Christof had expressed the need to disassemble him. Maybe there was some deep, hidden human drive to temporarily inconvenience patchworks.

"...Have err, have we met?"

"Oh, that's good." Jeremy leaned back, folding his arms across his stomach. "Means I could still tear him apart with my own hands." It was more of a musing comment than an attempt to verbally poke and prod the captive Mr. Mudd. "I do owe him one after all." The Sun Hunter stroked his chin for a moment, and then turned a rather forced hurt expression towards the Sloth.

"You don't remember? Thats a shame, you and I go way back." Jeremy waggled his fingers ominously. "Though I have changed my appearance since then."

Jeremy reached out to pat the Demon on the head; he was that sure nothing would happen. "It'll come to you, I'm sure. Though I guess that means exploding fish guts are traumatic no matter what world you belong to." Jeremy laughed, but it wasn't a happy one.