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Raising a skeptical eyebrow at Valthier's words to her, noting his confusion as she moved the gun away from an active shooting position, Z snorted. "Know too much...? I know NOTHING you moron," she muttered angrily under her breath. However, Sakura spoke, and while injured the long-eared woman was still at her back...and seemed to have recovered sufficiently enough from her fear to be more of a threat.

Stepping back, Z lowered her arm and clicked the safety on...but left her thumb on it, ready to act if needed...as the tension almost visibly lowered. Taking a cautious sniff, the hybrid slowly nodded once very small to herself, the emotions calmed somewhat and pheromones fainter. Giving a quiet sneeze, Z kept backing up. "Fine, you two are buddies, I'm not part of this and just need to figure out just what the f*ck everybody keeps talking about and trying to kill me for," she growled at them, tone highly annoyed, the faint signs of crosses against her skin very faint but less obvious even as the moon's light picked out the imperfections. Normally burns would have been healed, especially after her...binge...on the dark elves. But with Z's actions, lack of sleep and needing to stay in the sun, the energy and strength from that boost had quickly faded, the crosses healing at a slower rate than normal anyways.

Starting to back off, eyes flicking between the two warily, Z had to stop before she fell off the cliff. Taking just a single step forward again she she wouldn't overbalance, Z took her thumb off the safety and ran it over the raised cross at the outer side of the gun's grip. Lord, please grant me the strength and stamina I need to get through this ordeal... Z prayed for a second, closing her eyes only to open them right after, pretty much a slow blink. "I don't know you, but now that it seems you two are at least in accord," she started to say, the adult-sounding dry sarcasm strange from the hybrid's almost childish face and form. "...then I've got to be on my merry way away from you. I wash my hands of this whole mess and whatever responsibility I had," Z finished with an unamused snort. Moving along the edge, Z kept an eye on the two, and an ear out behind her, boots placed carefully but quickly on the rugged ground. If they made ANY move towards her....well, Z wouldn't be there long, needless to say.

Z gave a nonchalant, rather uncaring shrug. "You can't assume anything about me especially as this isn't something I need to worry about," she retorted with a voice as cold as ice and sharp as steel. Making a slicing gesture with one delicate hand, Z eyes as she looked at Twi were almost haunted...but too dead of emotion born of a hard experience-filled life, the result of so much bloodshed seen and caused at her hand...were hard. "No difference to hunting vampires every night...only change now, is they've got MORE powers than ever before," Z snapped, her frustration coming through as anger and hatred. "I'll survive, always do...you needn't bother worry about me," she snarked back with a bitter smirk. Deciding the conversation was over, Z took that last step...and free-fell over the side of the cliff.

Letting the air rush past her, Z closed her eyes as she fell, perhaps seeming unusually trusting or presumptuously sure of herself as she hurtled towards the ground. Ground that shook just the tiniest bit at her landing, the hybrid grimacing in distaste as she stood up out of the small crater her weight at that velocity had caused. Looking at her arms, Z noticed very faint marks like she'd been cut, a slight darkening here and there...bruises. "I need to eat....and soon," Z muttered, rushing off with her gun up and ready to shoot as the hybrid worked on finding her way back to Durem to regain her gear...

Sakura sighed in relief as Val spoke. So he too had been a supposed "race-traitor". She felt empathy towards him now and a gladness that he was no longer an enemy. She relaxed her muscles slightly although she still felt very uneasy around Z. She was well aware of Z's thoughts, and despite the icy retorts about not caring and getting along on her own, Sakura knew differently. Inside that supposedly cold hunter was someone who had been deeply hurt. Before she could form the words to say, Sakura gasped as she watched as Z free-fell from the cliff. She couldn't even move from the spot she was in to help, so she was grateful when Valthier ran over and peered over the edge. After watching for a moment, he slumped to the ground and Sakura couldn't bring herself to ask what had happened. After a moment she realized he had walked over to her and offered help to stand.

Gratefully accepting his offer, she stood despite the searing pain in her leg. "Thank you." Her voice was very soft, a trace of regret laced the words. "I'm sorry if I caused any damage and will gladly pay for the repairs. I guess I still don't react well under pressure." A sheepish grin crossed her face despite the extreme pain she was in.
As they headed towards the mansion, a horrific thought hit her. Stopping short, she let out a string of curses in Gaelic. "You might want to put up some more protections around your base. When I tried to link with Cordell, Nyx was the one who greeted me. He might have learned my location." She shuddered slightly at this turn of events.

Twi cursed under his breath, but knew that there wasn't much he could do about it. he led Sakura back to the house as best he could in the rain, and assured her that she needn't pay a penny. the repairs would be covered by his insurance, and taken care of by his staff.

the next day was spent preparing and performing the magical wards on the building, while the technicians he hired to install a security system worked on the building. the fee was pretty hefty, but he knew it was worthe it.

while all this happened, Sakura got to enjoy the service of the cooks, maids and butler as they helped her to rest and recover. she was fed, had a bath drawn and fresh clothes brought to her.

A constant unease, not helped by a dim sensation of being watched as Sakura checked on the hybrid almost all the way in Barton. She had followed the coast as a line, a path, her need for water sustained by the lake she'd found. Crawled into a tree by, as far away from the obvious paths and roads to the lake. Observing people fishing, Z now had a source for food...if she could stand the possible pain of splashing water hitting her, as any water during the day hurt, much like it cooked people quicker...cept they didn't go up in flames and steam...

Z would, though, if she tried that. Something about drinking lemonade and spilling it to go help someone during the day...

When night time came again, Z was even more tired, but...food... Sighing, making sure no one was around, the hybrid took a deep, technically unecessary breath...the dead, and undead, didn't always breathe...and dived in. What she didn't want wet on the shore, Z was unwilling to leave her small protection out of sight for long. Desperate as her short forays, the moving water over her limbs draining her, in a still lake so not burning her...yet...didn't come up with any fish, Z sat on the edge with her head underwater humming and singing nonsense. Only to get slapped in the face, biting instinctively. Choking on the water, Z pulled the fish off her fangs, easily breaking its neck with a raised brow. Unaware of just what kind of catch he had made, just knowing it was edible, Z looked around for materials to cook the fish...but her hunger was too much, the flesh passing quickly between Z's fangs as she ate her solitary meal under the moon.

Satisfied, at least in part, Z nodded and left the skeleton where it was at, a written apology and thanks in the sand of the humungous catch, over ten pounds of meat having gone down Z's maw. Nothing had been wasted, although the scales were off to the side, the innards she didn't eat back in the shallow waters for other animals to eat.

Continuing on her travels, Z found a shadowy spot outside of Barton town to rest the next day, not gaining a true sleep as her nerves and need to survive kept her alert enough to hear, even though with the large meal and heavy fatigue Z's body remained unresponsive, keeping her still and silent as she tried to rest. That second night, one more closer to the full moon, Z made her way over the rooftops of Barton, scouting it out. It was larger than Durem, had more people...but also more hiding places. Mindful of her experiences so far and Valtheir's words, Z was hesitant to use the sewers in case the Kuro gang was in the garbage and wastes here too, but if it came to it... Thankfully, the twisty turny alleys behind the Arena were dark even during the day, Z finding a spot covered by bushes to rest, still uneasy, still pretty much alert...but also so tired, so Thirsty for blood her body sent itself into the much needed near-coma version of the death vampires from her world experienced when the sun was up.

when Val approached Sakura again, he was dressed in silks from a combination of cultures both eastern-european and middle eastern. turkish, russian and indian garb collided in a dizzying amalgamation.

"am I interupting?" he asked softly. his gaze was soft, and he had a neutral calm expression on his face.

Val helped her up and answered solemnly.

"I'm afraid that we can only make things worse; she is very defensive. but, in her self-loathing she has found significant restrictions on her feeding and gained what seems to be a form of self-control superior to ours. I commend her for that, though I pity her. still, vegan vampires being what they are, Barton should be safe."

he knew he was avoiding the real question, and so was Sakura.

"what about the Kuro Gang, though? do they suspect your treachery? Cordell was not happy."