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Lee swallowed the knot in her throat when Trystan's focus moved elsewhere. Being a hostage wasn't much fun.

Lauss ate up Trystan's definition. A personal fan of summaries, Crux's was much appreciated. He planned to use it when the time came. "By that definition, that would make Miss Lee a villain." Lee folded her arms and glared at the proto, taking it as a personal insult. Little jerk... "And almost everyone else, as well. Everyone is a person guilty or capable of a crime or wickedness." Lauss didn't know what "wickedness" might include, but he did know what constituted as "crime" and seemed confident in his conclusion.

The threat level in the room fell flat as Trystan explained. Lee didn't understand the significance of his words, or even that there was significance to them, but the feeling of impending death was no longer pulling her down. "But, you'd kill me if someone did hire you, wouldn't you?" A sour expression crossed her face. Really now, was there any point in asking? The thought made Lee double check her "enemies", but she came up with nothing. No siblings to compete with, no classmate rivalries, no real talents for anyone to envy. Being incredibly ordinary had its perks.

Now, the smart thing to do given this opportunity would be to call the authorities and get the assassin out of your house. But that just wasn't Lee's style, apparently. "But what happens when they show up? How are you going to explain all this?" She pointed to Crux and the unconscious body on the floor. Lee held onto the counter behind her and pulled her self up, her knees staggering a bit from having been crouched for so long. "An ambulence'll get people's attention. There are people out there looking for you, right?" She turned to Crux, who apparently knew better than anyone just how many people there were outside the fit that description. Her pessimism was aiding the enemy.

Lauss, meanwhile, had already fetched the phone and was dialing the nearest hospital.

Damn her parents. They had to leave her alone for hours at a time. Lee wasn't sure where they were right now, but she imagined Trystan would have shot them by now had they been present. They had a way of making a bad situation worse.

"Trystan is one of the worst criminals. Is that 'ever' or just 'currently living'?" Crux was very helpful; if Lauss could be jealous, he would undoubtedly envy Crux's expansive knowledge.

Lee wasn't sure what Trystan meant about how he couldn't kill one of Banning's clients, but she was thankful to hear it. "What if someone bribed you not to kill them?" She fidgeted, for once hoping she didn't sound too silly for asking such a thing.

He's not that bad? She was about to protest, but stopped herself; she supposed in some strange way he was right. He didn't kill Mr. Coltair over there, when he very easily could have. And now, instead of killing her and slipping away undetected, he's risking getting caught just to help this poor man he doesn't even know. He's either much kinder than he lets on or he's very confident. Because Lee hated him, she went with the second.

Lie? Lee wasn't quick enough to be convincing. She'll be incredibly suspicious, but did she really have a choice? Tattling on the man with a gun at his side would definitely be up there on Lee's list of poor choices. "Y-yeah, alright." The reciever on the other end of the emergency hotline spoke up the instant Lauss was finished dialing. "What is your emergency?" Lauss turned to Lee. "Miss Lee, what is our emergency?" Lee snatched the phone from the proto's hands, looking over at Trystan a bit torn, and slumped with defeat. "There is a man that... hit his head on something... and we think he's unconscious now. Please send an ambulance right away." Lee shook her head, disgusted with herself for lying to someone with such authority. She continued to tell the woman on the other end her address, almost a bit too calmly for the situation at hand. "Help will arrive very soon. Please stay calm." Was that last sentence really necessary? Lee gave a quick "thank you" out of habit and hung up the phone, handing it over to Lauss.

The bumping sounds in the next room made Lee wince with every thump. She imaged how "careful" Crux was being with the man he had almost murdered. Poor, poor Henry.

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Mister Crux." While the combat proto wasn't either gender in reality, Lauss couldn't imagine him as anything but a male. "Then, if I may, what does that make you?" His question was directed toward Crux, hoping to squeeze as much information from knowledgeable proto as he could. He would rarely, if ever, get this chance again.

Lee let out a sigh of relief. Well then, she had nothing to worry about. At least not while she was still living with her parents. She would try bribing him now, but as he was just about to leave it seemed like a terrible waste of money. Trystan's earlier words on saving had actually left an impression on the young girl.

That's Lee alright; overly compliant. Apparently even with those she strongly disliked. She was beginning to get used to being teased, and while it still stung, she tolerated it and ignored him. In all honesty, Lauss could be more brutal to her pride-- unintentionally, of course. Her face soured at the memories.

Lee folded her arms with suspicion. "Why?" She took everything too seriously; the thought that he was just trying to make conversation never crossed her mind. "Miss Lee is 17." Lauss was happy to be a part of their conversation again. "College preparations are underway, you know." Lauss nodded, happy to fill Trystan in. Lee looked away with disinterest; she didn't need to hear any more college talk than she did already. It was more than a little disheartening to know she'd never actually get to attend one, even if she didn't actually want to go.

"It does, indeed." The proto bowed as thanks. Oh, Crux, what would Lauss do without you? Lauss was undoubtedly still very naive in the ways of criminals and violence, but at least these two had given him a start. Guns, murders, villains; and with so many more possibilities still out there! Research on such things was now at the top of his list of priorities.

Lee's mouth dropped open. Fourteen?! Okay, she could take everything else, the money, the teasing, the being threatened with her life, but... that was going too far. One cannot simply insult a teenage girl by telling her she looks young and get away with it. Surely, he must have known that every girl her age wanted desperately to look older. Trystan was lucky, though; Lee wasn't strong, intelligent, or any other trait that could aid in effectively carrying out revenge. She didn't think of "telling" on him, but she did want to hurt him.

And so she tried. It didn't matter at this point if he decided to kill her for acting out, or at least she didn't give it any thought. Stepping forward, and with the most determined face she'd ever been able to make, Lee kicked his shin as hard as her weak little leg could kick. Ow... She held back the urge to rub her damaged toe, but the pain was shown clear on her face.

"They are necessary in every way." Lauss' voice rose, his concern growing increasingly evident. "How else would Miss Lee know which college to choose? Which programs they offer, how close they are to home, what they're minimum requirements are..." he could have gone on, but the thought of it not being necessary was too much for him. Lee getting into college was his purpose. If that wasn't important, then why would he even exist?

Lee's pain eased slightly when her efforts to hurt Trystan had actually worked. This was a first. She smiled and almost giggled -- that is, until she was knocked to the ground and strung back up again. Her head was too dizzy from the quick movements and possibly a small blow to the head from the fall to really register what had just happened, she just recognized that she'd chosen the wrong course of action.

Lauss watched the scene with curious interest. "What are they doing?" Lauss asked Crux, not wanting to turn his head from Lee and Trystan's peculiar actions.

Had Lee been in the right mind, she would have agreed with the man, every word of it; maybe not verbally, but she may have gained some respect for him. The fog in her brain was growing thin, but she was still dizzy and her legs were weak; had Trystan not been (unintentionally) supporting her, she'd surely have fallen over by now.

Lauss simply listened, a strange sort of mood overcoming him. He didn't know any of what he'd just said. Lauss knew nothing of love, or of dying. He didn't pick up on social cues, nor did he understand what caused people to become upset. "... And those are what matters?" Well, surviving was important, sure, but... love, dying, feelings? He could tell you the dictionary definition, but Lee wasn't about to learn any of what that meant from him. On the same token, he wasn't even sure there was anything to know beyond the dictionary definition. But if that's what Lee wanted, then that's all that mattered, right?

It was probably best Lee hadn't spoken up.

Lee was just getting a grip on herself and what Trystan and Lauss were talking about, and decided to throw in her two cents. "Then... what if it's for something you want to know how to do? What if you just wanted to get better at something? Like... maybe an art school..." Lee's voice dropped to nearly a whisper at the last sentence. Yes, her head must still need fixing; it wasn't exactly like her to mention art when there were witnesses around. If her parents knew she was planning to go to college for something as useless as that, she was done for.

Lauss had never seen Lee "play", so he had no way of knowing otherwise. After all, he wasn't the type to assume someone was lying; if they were, he'd probably think they just didn't know what they were talking about. "That doesn't look like much fun. Is this how Trystan normally plays?" Lauss didn't have a fighting spirit like the others. Thank goodness he hadn't managed to upset Crux yet.

"So I will learn those things in the future?" The proto sounded hopeful. He was only about a month old, so there really wasn't much he could have learned yet. Another, more personal question came from Lauss, said in his ever-inquisitive tone, though it probably sounded more like prying than simply trying to gather information. "Have you experienced these things, Mr. Trystan? Having not gone to college... does that ensure that one will learn these important matters?" Lauss wasn't purposefully being defiant, but Lee, coming back from her daze, figured he meant that there was still no harm in getting an education.

Was Trystan giving Lee life lessons? And right after he'd insulted her, taken out one of her servants, and nearly given her a concussion? As long as he was saying something she could agree with, though, she'd take his advice. And somehow, he'd managed to touch the biggest subject in Lee's life; being controlled. But Lee wasn't strong willed like Trystan, so the old saying "easier said than done" summed up her thoughts nicely. "I don't think my parents would let me choose what I want to do. They'd kick me out of the house or disown me or something," Lee said with a shrug, leaning up against the counter to keep her balance. She may have been exaggerating a little, but it held some truth. Lee wasn't great at reading into people, but it seemed like her mother was living through her daughter, trying to be young again in any way she could. Letting Lee choose for herself wouldn't come easily, at least not yet. But maybe this was just her excuse for not taking control; at any rate, Trystan's words would probably stay with her for a while. "For an assassin, you seem to talk about 'life' an awful lot..." She picked at her nails nervously; maybe it was best to keep her mouth shut after the earlier episode.

The ambulance sirens were nearly right outside the house now, and any second they'd be seeing a group of men rush though the door.

Lauss watched Trystan drag Lee around, his belief that the two really should find a better game to play growing. But Lee wasn't objecting. She didn't seem upset, which was good. As long as she was having fun.

Lauss didn't understand at all. Walls? So... if he stepped outside, he could learn? He'd learned quite a bit within these "walls", and thought to himself that perhaps Trystan didn't know what he was talking about. Lee, on the other hand, understood quite well. She was starting to pick up on the vibes he was sending out; self-loathing was perceivable to those that shared it. She eyed him quickly, almost feeling bad for the guy. Meh, no need I guess, he'd probably hate to be pitied anyway.

If only her parents were here for this little speech. Not that they'd listen. And not that Trystan wouldn't shoot them. But still, it'd be nice for Lee's side of the college debate to be heard. "Always a way out..." She assumed he meant some criminal act would free her. "I don't think I want to work for a pimp or drug dealer or anything like that if that's what it takes... No killing people either." Not really an option. She shrugged as if this were a normal thing to say. She didn't want to be homeless, afterall. Then again, only half a year until she could officially move out.

Wait... move out. Away from parents. Not living with them. She'd never actually entertained the thought before this. It didn't actually seem possible. Being able to escape her parents... all the time. It wasn't like they were around often as it was now, but still. A place of her own. A life of her own. How... nice. Trystan was really making it hard to continue hating him. Didn't he know that supporting people made them appreciate them, not fear?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small group of people, two men and a woman, rushing through the front door and into the entrance. Lee stumbled away from the counter, gaining strength in her legs at the sudden rush of excitement in the air. "Where is he?" The woman looked at her expectantly. Geez, no need to rush me... Lee pointed to the couch in the next room and the group hurried off in the relative direction, getting to work on the poor man. Oh crap... She rushed back in, grabbing Lauss and shoving him into the pantry. She beckoned Crux in as well. Illegal tools weren't something she wanted to show off.