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"I don't like this," Jerry pressed, his face flushing even with his hushed tone. "Are you... you sure we... NEED to-" He hesitated, eyeing who might over hear, "Need to do that?"

Deep breath. Compartmentalize. There would be time to mourn later--unless there wasn't, in which case it wouldn't matter anyway. Taima squared her narrow shoulders and headed towards the portal. Before she went through, she put G's hat on. It was far too big, and sat on her head at a rakish angle, but that was okay. G probably would have liked it anyway.

((Exit to BIG BATTEL))

Jerry looked green, but thankfully nodded. A mission. It was a mission. Mind on the mission.

Roar placed a hand on his shoulder, his own look grim as he leaned in to hiss in his partner's ear, "It aint your friend."

"But what happens after we... I mean can we even get to the junkyard?"

Cee came back in another outfit and looking particularly annoyed. It was most definitely and directly due to the fact that in the middle of relieving pre-battle jitters, Jerry had freaked out like a mental patient and run out of the room.

The woman looked ready to kick some a** at least.

She powered over to where Snap stood, glaring daggers, and waited. Harrison said where they were going and she was ready to fight. Perhaps if she wasn't as irritated, she may have extended the courtesy of paying attention to the sacrifices but she wasn't feeling very weepy at the moment so she hung back.

As people began to leave, both women followed, looking more pissed than determined.

[EXIT]

It was a little endearing, hearing Melvin talk about his lab, his speech becoming far more animated and descriptive as he painted an imagine for the shape-shifter. If the colors and memory association had been for Nuk's benefit, it had been worth it; without the vivid detail, the grunt likely would never have been able to picture anything remotely like that. He didn't have the imagination for that sort of thing... imagination wasn't wildly helpful in the sorts of situations he was usually in. Intelligence was, which would have helped considerably, but he didn't have much of that either, certainly not the traditional sense, the kind Melvin had. But while he'd never had a grandmother, and had certainly never seen antique silver, with the help of the words he slid his eyes shut, the room coming alive behind his closed eyes.

He waited until Melvin was finished before he slid them open again, cocking his head to one side a bit, his eyebrows furrowing a bit as he considered the answer to the other's question. Compared to that answer, he couldn't admit the truth: that his apartment was in the heart of the Skinwalker's territory, a decrepit old building with boards on the windows, where the lights were yellow and flickered, if they worked at all, the walls stained grey from cigarette smoke. That the showers were cold, and his grimy mattress was often home to some nameless woman, naked and abandoned in his bed equally as often while he sat on the fire escape, smoking an entire pack of Blue Ice cigarettes.

"A small place, nothing special," he replied with a little shrug, sliding his eyes shut again, "My sister, Nakoma, lives by the casino though, down on the north side. It's a nice place... there's a soft couch, and a wood table in the kitchen. Pretty view from there too."

Melvin perked up, listening. He hadn't had too many conversations outside Saliva and the few company that came over to the lab. Listening, he smiled. "I have a sister and brother too. I don't know where they are, but I love them. They're safer if I don't stay connected with them." He paused.

"Nakoma is a lovely name."

He looked around, before looking back. "Rep showed me the view here. I don't have a view in my lab." He breathed out. "I think I might like one now."

He looked back at Nuk. "Can you tell me how the view looks from Nakoma's window?"

"Thank you sir," Olivia nodded finally letting a tear roll down. Part of her was glad that Harrison hadn't pushed the subject and he let her be. She could at least be grateful for that, these people were nice in their own little ways even though she wasn't sure they could be her's.

The small blue haired girl bowed to him, not sure if that was really the right way to do it, then turned and left for the battlefield.

[[exit]]

This was quickly becoming too much for Nuk to handle so soon after Sammy's death sentence. But when Melvin smiled, such a gentle, kindly smile, he knew he couldn't deny him this.

"... she's on the seventh floor."

He swallowed thickly, keeping his eyes shut. Even now, he could picture it, even though it had been so long since he'd seen it. He'd picked it out for her... had slipped the lease under the door of the room she'd had before, in the shady part of town on the west side.

"It's not the tallest, but most of the buildings around it are shorter, so you can see over them. The casino lies a few blocks to the right -- If you stand right at the window, you can see a sliver of it."

He was struggling to find the right words. He didn't care about the view, he'd cared about how he'd seen her face light up whenever she stood there by the windowsill, staring out deep in thought.

"... at night, the whole city lights up. Pinpricks of blue light, everywhere, glittering like millions of stars. If you open the window, you can hear the rush of cars going by below. Sometimes a siren. And the casino becomes a spotlight. The windows are all glass, so the surface reflects all the lights around it."

The door clicked closed, at the end of the room, but Nuk didn't look up. He just swallowed again, eyes closed, fists curling a fraction tighter.