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"... Manga's in there. If he got by us, she's..." A scream followed by a yell of agony cut him off. Tkal shrugged and walked towards the house. "Ah... so unfun... I think I messed up my stitches."

Madilyn's scream was all the warning Manga needed. With one swift motion she pulled the loaded crossbow from her side, swung around to face the slaver, and shot. He let out a yell as she reloaded and didn't get to make a second: the second crossbow bolt went into his throat. Her dark brown eyes calmly fixed on Thalanir as he appeared in the doorway. "You're a little late," she remarked lightly as she lowered her weapon.

Manga nodded slowly as she put her crossbow away. She knelt down and peered under the table at the two girls. "It's alright," she reassured them softly. "You're safe now." She didn't attempt to coax them out; if they felt safest there, she would let them stay there. "Are you hungry?" Emmalyn nodded slowly before turning to her twin and trying to wipe her tears away.

"I see you've met my partner," Tkal commented lightly as Thalanir came outside with the fresh corpse. "Ah, she did kill him. She's going to be feeling that later... Speaking of feeling it later, I'm going to be hurtin'. Do you know where Aila is?"

"Ah, alright..." Tkal looked over in the mercenary's direction and nodded. "... It has. No offense, but I would've preferred it had been longer."

Manga smiled at the girls. "Don't eat too quickly," she advised. "You don't want to choke." She stood up and turned to Sebastian when he walked in. "Thanks." She inspected him for a moment before wiping the blood off her mask. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Emmie slowed her eating pace at the woman's suggestion, staring out with wonder. Anyone else would've dragged them out, good intentions or not. But this lady... she let them be. Who was she?

"... Madilyn and Emmalyn Leowes." Manga inspected him. "Do you know them? They do have a familial resemblance..." Besides the bunny ears, but there were many ways to explain that.

"... Good. That makes one of us." Tkal pushed his teal bangs out of his deadened eyes. "I doubt I'll ever be completely free of it." His fingers pulled a chunk of wood and a whittling knife from his pocket, automatically sending wood chips flying every which way as he carved the wood. "But I guess this is better than before... I can choose my battles."

Emmalyn's eyes went wide. She helped her sister unfold the picture, looking at it and then the man in front of them. "... That one...?" There wasn't anyone else that could've been that young at the time. She lifted her gaze to the man that had a very similar complexion to them. She raised her hand and waved timidly at him.

Manga smiled as she leaned over to peer under the table at them. "Do you want to come out now? It doesn't look very comfy down there. And it would be a lot easier to see what you're looking at."

Manga carefully inspected the photo, quickly finding the two girls--they were the only children with Skh'et complexions in the picture. Then she looked at Sebastian, slightly amused at his predicament. The other twin kept her gaze fixed on Sebastian, but opted to cling to Manga instead. She patted the girl's head with her free hand before turning to the picture again. As she inspected the adults, she frowned. "... I've seen this man before. Sweetie, can you let go? I need to get my sketchbook." Emmie released the woman, watching her hurry into another part of the house before returning with a large sketchbook. She set the picture gently on the table so she could flip through the pages, stopping at one of a mansion's den. The portrait above the fireplace matched the face of the eldest in the picture--Manga assumed it was Sebastian's grandfather. "Wow..." Emmie had gotten on a chair so she could see what Manga was looking at and the girl was now gaping at the picture. She reached over to turn the page, but then paused and looked up at its owner. Manga smiled down at her. "Let's get you two cleaned up. Then you can look at the drawings. Alright?" Emmalyn nodded slowly. That seemed fair. Even so, she automatically looked over at her twin. She wasn't going anywhere without Maddi. Manga put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's alright. He's not going anywhere." Glancing up at Sebastian, she added, "Right?"

"... I think she'd be insulted if you asked that around her," Tkal replied flatly. "She's my partner. I stick around because she's interesting, she sticks around because I'm safe." As for freedom. "... Depends on how you use the word 'free,' Thal. Free in the sense that I killed my captors, escaped, and am not currently in bondage, yes, I am. Mentally free... not remotely."

Manga paused in the doorway, inspecting Sebastian for a moment. "From the look of that picture, they're your cousins or nieces. And don't look so terrified. They're just kids." She turned and walked down the hall to where the girls were waiting so she could show them where to clean up.

Tkal sighed and with barely a wince, started back towards the house. "... I'm an ex-gladiator, Thal. The only help I ever need is from a healer."

Manga waited until she got the twins in a bath and they were splashing away at each other before walking back over to Sebastian and the picture. "... There aren't any others, are there?" she asked softly, but was quickly distracted by Tkal. "Tkal, go lay down--you're bleeding everywhere..." She was going to go over to him, but the halfling waved her off. "I'm fine. It's not that bad, I don't think. I can wait for Aila to come back. And does this count as saving you?" The informant sighed. "I suppose..." She sighed again at his obvious glee. "But I can't pay you until--" "Well, he technically saved you too, so it works, right?" A third sigh and no reply just made Tkal grin at Sebastian. "For every time I rescue her from serious danger, she tells me something about herself."