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"See you later Elros," Lin waved not so worried since they generally stayed until the day after anyhow.

Donovan nodded to Elros before leadning Lin back down the way he came murmuring softly to Lin in Chinese. He wanted this to remain as private until the other fighters were ready to share.

"We lost a child today."
"Eh?!"
Donovan gave Lin a look, "Don't look so suprrised, it's just as dangerous for them as it is for us. Things happen whether we like it or not, point of the matter is we lost a child."
"But I don't understand..." Lin began, what was her part in this?
"Well.. Timaeus blames himself for that, I won't tell you the details, because if anyone should tell you, its Timaeus."

Lin paused in the hallway as she made it down the last steps and turned around with her hands on her hips in a very Kara like fashion.

"And why should he tell me?"
"Because you are going to talk to him," Donovan replied testily, "Because despite it all, he should not blame himself, no one blames him and him staying like this is not healthy," he paused, 'And I just suck at talking with people."
"I was about to say..." Lin rolled her eyes and continued down the hallway, "I have no experience in this, I've never been on a hunt."
"But you understand where I'm coming from, you've had talks like this before wtih Vincent."

Lin sighed and nodded at this, she had the talks, often enough, but no mission, no assignment and certainly no hunt.

"Alright, I'll talk to him," Lin replied, "But no promises."

She was after all an outsider in all of this (she had no idea she was also being set up to actually work with people more in a way). Donovan stopped at the entrance and watched Lin continue on.

Lin hadn't visited the place since she was little, and found herself standing outside the door nervously as she brushed off her pants and knocked lightly.

"No," Kara replied with a shake of her head, "Well I can't say what happened, but what most likely happened was that he's angry because he feels responsible for the child dying... not that he did anything, but maybe something happened he felt he did that prevented them from saving that child."

Kara squated down carefully it was a bit hard since her body was a bit off kilter to begin with.

"This is why I say you cannot save everyone, because you might take it as personally as he does. It might or might not be warrrented, but even with best intentions things happen...."

Rhea nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on Kara's. She could understand that ... she didn't want to be like Timaeus ... he was hurting very much, she could still feel his anger and his hurt, as if it was her own.

"But I can still try to help people, can't I?" she asked Kara quietly. "It's not good to just let them die just so I don't have to feel bad ..."



Timaeus set his jaw and folded his arms stubbornly. Lin. She wouldn't give up no matter what he did, and he knew it. He didn't reply, but simply unbuckled his sword belt and threw it across the room. It hit the opposite wall with a loud thunk and fell to the floor, his sword sliding partway out of the sheath.

Lin rolled her eyes a bit, she felt sorry for Timaeus but seriously he was older than her! He should at least not be throwing a rage (though she supposed that was more healthy than him being utterly depressed).

"Timaeus, I'm coming in," she told him, as if she was scolding the door.

It went against everything Lin was taught to enter without permission, but if he wasn't going to open the door for her, she was going to do it herself. Fortunately locks weren't needed when you lived out in the middle of nowwhere (much less in a barrack full of fighters). She sliently closed the door behind her after she entered.

"Yes," Kara nodded, "We should go help the other children, no doubt they are just as upset by this as the adults are, if not more so."

Especially if the child was one they knew well, Kara shook her head and motioned for the ranch house where the children would be checked over, washed and properly fed.

Rhea smiled up at Kara, suddenly eager once more. "And can I show them my magic? My flying horse?" she asked eagerly. "Maybe that would make them feel better! Because it's pretty neat, right?"

At least, it made her feel better whenever she was feeling down.

She watched as Haradhel headed out of the house and towards the cart to gather the children together (all of them little blond children this time, probably from the Westland somewhere), but she kept going with Kara towards the house. "What part do you do?" she asked curiously as they headed inside.


Timaeus glared at Lin, though the tears that he was trying not to let fall showed that it was not her that he was angry with. A grown man he might be, but he looked more like a lost child than anything else sat the moment. The pain and the guilt that had been racking him for weeks was building towards the surface, and now that he was home, where he should have been the most comfortable, he was losing control of himself and his emotions.

"You expected me to be somewhere else?" he growled, though it was more a result of his trying to keep his voice from cracking than actually snapping on Lin.

Rhea looked thoughtful. "Are some of them scared of you?" she asked softly, opening the door for Kara and holding it so that she could go through. "Like Adonijah's scared of everyone?"

That would be sad, she thought, to be scared of such a nice lady.


Timaeus looked away from Lin and swallowed hard. He didn't trust himself to speak ... there was a lump in his throat that he knew would make him choke if he spoke, and then he knew he would cry, and that was one thing he would not allow himself to do ... especially in front of someone else ... and especially in front of a girl.

Rhea followed Kara inside, peering over her shoulder at her own back thoughtfully.

"Should I try keep my wings inside while the children are here?" she asked her quietly. "Will they be scared of me maybe if I have my wings out like you?"

That wouldn't be good ... she wanted the children to be comfortable there ... if not enjoy themselves.


Timaeus jerked his arm away from Lin's touch and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist.

"Trust me," he muttered in a strangled voice. "Letting it out isn't going to help either."

How could it? Done was done, no matter what he did he could not change the past.