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At three simple words, Sabe shut down. Instead of a command brought out of completely understandable anger he had interpreted it as a wholesale rejection, as if those standing right in front of hated him to the core. It could be explained by anything from abandonment fears to the high tensions to his oversensitivity, but he was being delusional on some level.

His eyes were a little hazy as he looked at the ground past Luciano and ignored the rest of his surroundings.

Catching bits and bobs of what was said, Sabe mumbled something and trudged up the stairs. He wasn't even sure if he should bring much; he usually just brought a knife of some kind. As he entered his room he really didn't like that his room was right next to Nariana's and shared a wall; she could so easily bash down a wall or pick the door lock just outside her room and come in to kill him in his sleep for what happened today, however improbable it was.

While she was probably off getting tons of stuff to clobber people with, Sabe opted to use the bathroom, calm down a little, then go back downstairs in search of something to eat before the three of them left.

This was bad, really bad. Nari wanted to go find Koji as much as the next person, but she was supposed to have her first round in the arena tonight. As Luc dismissed them, all Nari could think about was how to be in two places at once-- which was impossible. Still, she would have to find a way. If she refused the mission, she looked almost as bad as Twi for basically refusing to aid a teammate. And if she failed to show for the underground fight, Emilio would automatically refuse to help the Black Ops. That was too much "refusal" to deal with.

She contemplated this as she changed in her room into combat gear she had saved when she really wanted to get serious: a tight, black, sleeveless underarmor top with matching black leggings; a large white piece of material around her waist like a belt and smaller bandage-like ones around her shins as cushioning; extremely light black shoes similar to slippers; and plate guards wrapped around the outers of her wrists. Though it may not have seemed like much, it was suited for Nari's fighting style. She could move freely and quietly without being completely unprotected from close-up counterattacks. But worrying this outfit was too revealing of her intentions to engage in a fight, she covered it with a simple, slightly baggy black zip-up jacket and black jeans. It was a good thing her combat clothes were so light and fitted to her body; otherwise, this would be uncomfortable. Maybe she was acting a little paranoid, but she didn't want to be careless about this.

As for weapons, she went with her current favorite-- the "vamp stamp" mainly because was easy to stash in its compact form. She slipped it into her left jacket pocket before walking to exit her room. A second thought stopped her, and she went to the bathroom to tie her hair in a high ponytail. Satisfied, she went in search of Sabe.

She heard Sabe's door close a few minutes ago, so she went downstairs and walked to the kitchen when she didn't see him in the lobby. Thankfully, she didn't see Luc, either. Upon seeing Sabe in the kitchen, she said, "Oh, good. You're here." Her anger at Sabe had dissipated; she didn't have time to focus on it. Stepping into the kitchen, she continued in a lower voice for fear of being overheard, "I don't know if you've figured it out, but we might have a... time conflict. I only have one idea. If I suggest that we start looking for clues in Durem for the evening instead of traveling, do you think we will be allowed to split up?" Though she wasn't very specific, she hoped Sabe knew she was speaking about going to the Shadow Arena during that period without Luc knowing.

Biting her lip, Nari tried to suppress a groan of frustration. Sabe had said the truth of the matter, but it was a very unpleasant thing to hear right now. Arms crossed over her chest, she sighed and sagged in defeat. "Uh, if you're not eating it, sure. Thanks..." she mumbled, a little surprised that he offered. She stayed put, though, waiting until he was finished dressing his slice.

She found herself staring at Sabe's face as she wrestled with her thoughts. Speaking up quietly again, she said, "I've seen it. I just don't want to believe it at the moment." Shaking her head and twitching her mouth into a half-grin, she added, "Even I think my next plan-- if you can call it that-- is terrible... I'll just have to hope I can find a way to "get lost" for an hour or two and come back with a somewhat believable story. You're probably relieved; that means you most likely can't come with me." Uncrossing her arms and shrugging her shoulders dramatically, she smiled as she tried to make it seem like she was poking fun. In all honesty, she always thought that Sabe would gladly avoid the underground if he had the choice; it was a risky business. 'Besides, he'd be safer with Luc than a bunch of rogue fighters,' she admitted to herself wistfully.

As she waited for Sabe, wild ideas of her escape floated through her mind-- a vampire invasion out of the blue, a goose chase where she'd pretend she found someone and not look back, falling into a manhole that happened to lead her to Durem after the entrance collapsed... It was evident to Nari that she was screwed at the moment.

several hours later, Twi found himself unable to stay rested. was it lack of blood? no, he had fed enough lately. but Vampire's weren't supposed to be insomniacs; they didn't actual 'sleep' per say, so much as cease to be awake!

so what was wrong? it is true that he felt tense, worried and stressed. but something else had to be wrong with him.

he decided to think about that later. for now, he had other thoughts troubling his mind. he needed to take a walk.

he knew he would probably be watched, but he didn't care. he just had to keep walking. it was going to be dark again soon, anyway. he put on his wide-brimmed hat and long coat and shades. grabbing his cane and wapons, he left the building.

Durem was busy at this time of day. people going home, or leaving their houses for bars and shops, and even those people who's shifts ended had places to be. he had no chance of avoiding crowds, so instead he used them for cover. but he really hoped to go somewhere quiet, to think. he was getting irritated by the hustle and bustle and the noise it generated.

"In a second," he said back. Instead of following Nariana right away, Sabe went back upstairs to his room to nab the coverup, apply it without getting it in his eyes, and throw on a clean shirt that looked similar. He didn't need people asking more questions about it.

Afterward he bolted down the stairs and down the hall toward the garage with a fourth of a bagel still in hand, hopefully getting there before Luciano got impatient with him.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Nari turned toward the window to hide her face of aggravation. This was the worst possible timing in history. And in her opinion, Luc wasn't even making sense. It was obvious that he didn't have a plan of any sort, unlike what Nari had initially hoped. She bit her lip to suppress a groan. 'If we go too far, I'll never get back to Durem tonight in time. Or maybe, I just have to find a way to get lost and have Max somehow grab me... Ugh, this is really getting ridiculous!' Nari thought, becoming extremely anxious. If she had known she was overbooking herself, she would have convinced Emilio to start her rotation another day. She was concerned for Koji, as well.

"In case Koji is close to Durem, maybe we shouldn't venture too far. We could search in the caves north of here in case he sought shelter..." Nari suggested cautiously, not wanting to upset Luc more. They really did need some sense of a starting point, though. Otherwise, searching would be useless without some order.