[METAPLOT] Awakening Spirits (Squires' Finale - Part 3)

[Daisicle]

While he did not actively struggle against Eligor's efforts to stand up, the young adult likewise offered little in the ways of helping with it, his disdain for the group all but verbalized. It took him some time before he was standing (mostly) properly, his eyes all but glaring daggers of ice at those about him. There was a clear, perhaps even intentional, sense of lethargy as he moved to follow behind Kurt, his eyes perhaps the only thing that seemed alert.

He did not miss Kurt's finger movements.

With this, a single one of Malek's eyebrows raised. What? Did he really think they were going to be given an opportunity to sit down and casually untie themselves before getting sent to the next stage of their torture? Forget it. He looked up, his eyes narrowing as he took note of the passage ahead.

It looked dark.

Perfect.

If they waited until the group entered the passage fully, as it seemed they were inclined to do, the shetani could use his powers to distract them with a false enemy and give the pair a chance to make a run for it. Give them time to recuperate and release themselves. It'd startled the group that'd originally captured him, and one occasion at the beginning had it done the same to those here. Perhaps these newbies were green enough they'd not yet heard to ignore it?

If Kurt agreed - or even if he didn't - it was worth a shot.  

[EvilSilverDragon]

They liked to use the words 'heal', didn't they? Probably one of the ones that felt the Guardian's light was an illness. In his soul he could hear her telling him that he'd be healed of the light. Right, he hadn't fallen for that one previously what made these newbies think he would fall for it this time?

Sealed into another room, another cage sent his nerves on fire. Every fiber of who he was sat on high alert. The teens moved about and he let them do what they thought they were doing. Every moment they wasted their energy on this game of make believe was another moment he had to rest.

Still placing himself as close to Cria as he could get away with, he continued to try and get the other male to follow along with the plan. It was more a sense of being around him for so long than really understanding, but he felt that the other didn't believe in the idea. While he respected the younger male, the idea was set and they were already enclosed. So long as the teens waited for the torture, the two of them could get out of here! They could.  

[Antidia]

Alethea ensured she was between Genesis and Eligor when they grouped. As Genesis had suggested, the two of four they'd come to rescue really did need some more taint cleansing. They were acting very strange despite the healing they'd received in the courtyard. To be perfectly honest, Alethea didn't want to waste all her stamina and strength on cleansing these guys. What if something bad crawled out of their body because they were just bait for a trap? She'd be dead. But, her love for the Guardians won that argument. They needed help, and it was up to her - and her allies - to do it. What was Dante doing when they so badly needed his help?

His proclamation that he'd help was nice and all but he needs to get his butt moving on healing these guys before they become dead weight.

"Eligor and I will help the Kurt one!" She announced and looked towards the love of her life. Only following Genesis' orders after all. She glared at the other one, who, for some reason made her uneasy. He didn't seem to respond well to her healing anyway.

"Kurt, do you remember how you got here? How did you get captured?" She asked while moving closer. In the dark, her glowing hands provided more light than usual, but she was only powering herself up for more taint cleansing. "I promise this won't hurt." She reached towards him, wanting to try the cleansing from his head first and maybe that'd help him come to some rationale.  

[Teigra]

After helping Kurt and Cria into the room and getting settled in, Eligor allowed himself to take a seat as well. Too tired to care about just where he was sitting, the floor was as luxurious a resting place as he could hope for at the moment. Genesis' suggestion was a good one, but Dante's offer was also appreciated. Given his particular gifts, it certainly wouldn't hurt if he took the burden off of their physical injuries while the rest focused on cleansing the corruption from the two individuals.

Eligor still hoped it wasn't too late for them, given the difficulty they seemed to be having. This was still the corruption at work...wasn't it?

Genesis had set to work with Cria again, and apparently Alethea had volunteered them both to work with Kurt. Her enthusiasm at least gave the weary mage a bit of a boost as he moved to join her by the male angel. Back to work.


The strategist portion of her mind was telling Lailah that this had been the best move. They had a safe position now to regroup, only one entrance to guard, no way anything could sneak up on them here.

Another part of her brain was screaming that they'd locked themselves in with no way out, ten of them crowded into this tiny storage room. Clearly not enough space, enough air, enough...

Breath quickening, Lailah hurriedly dropped her pack to her feet and began rifling through it as if searching for something in particular. She locked her vision on the contents of the pack, trying to ignore her surroundings, the others...it was a dangerous choice, but she'd already rationalized that they were less in danger of being attacked here. Now she had to deal with the danger of panicking in the enclosed space.

Her chest felt tight...there wasn't enough air. No, the air was fine, she tried to rationalize. Even for a storage room, even with the large pieces of furniture, this room was huge. Yes, only one entrance or exit, but the room was plenty big for all of them, plenty of air... That didn't stop her hands from sweating or release the tightness in her chest.

She needed to distract herself, focus on something else...a task, something useful, but not requiring too much mental focus. The others seemed to have the healing and cleansing covered, which was good, cause she kinda' sucked with all that anyway. Her aimless rifling through her pack did bring something useful into sight. Rations! Ah ha! She may not be much help with the magic part of things, but she could make sure the overworked mages kept up their strength, right?

A passing curse from the logical part of her brain lamented that they hadn't had the thought to retrieve their fallen comrades' packs before moving on. It was cold, but...they were in unknown territory now. And with two extra bodies and no idea how long it would take to get out of here, those lost supplies could have made the difference between success or failure. Cursing silently at herself for such a blunder, Lailah swore she wouldn't make such a mistake again. They had been so shocked at the loss of their comrades, there had been no thought of the supplies they carried or what they'd need down the line. There would be time for grief later, but allowing it to get in the way of the mission was failure in itself.

Take that anger. Use it, Lailah.

Doing just that, the angel fought to push down her panic, ignoring the surroundings to move towards her comrades at work. First, she went to Genesis, then to Eligor and Alethea, offering each a piece of flatbread and some dried fruits and nuts from a pouch. "It's not much, I know, but something to keep up your strength."


Eligor turned at the angel's arrival, looking her over at first. Something seemed...off. Before he could ask Lailah what was wrong, however, he had food pushed in his direction. He could tell she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and honestly, just the sight of it had reminded him of how weak and drained he felt. Instead, he took the offerings gratefully and nodded, "Thank you, Lailah. Much appreciated."

He set aside Alethea's share, then looked at his own. Immediately, he took a few of the nuts and dried fruits and popped them in his mouth. Good for quick energy, if he recalled what he'd read in the castle library in a book on nutrition. He also took a bit of the bread, that would hold him over for a longer period. However, he tore his piece in half before taking for himself. The other half he held out to Kurt. "Here, friend. Doesn't seem like you two have been eating all that well either lately."  

[Wolfs Heart]

Genesis nodded her head as everyone chose their roles. At first, Genesis felt that she could really use Dante cleansing instead of healing, but cleansing seemed to take so much out of them it was probably good that their best healer was conserving his energy.

"You have my thanks, Lailah." Genesis said as she accepted the rations from her. She knew that Lailah would be uneasy with their present situation. "I do not like this either," Genesis wasn't claustrophobic but she couldn't understand why they would go from being trapped in one place to trapping themselves in another. Sure they were safe at present, but for how long? For all they knew an army was building just on the other side of the door.

As she continued to work on the one called Cria, Genesis could feel that his taint went deep as well, she was going to need another set of hands to fully cleanse him. "Harveer, can I have your assistance?" She called out to the male.

She went to take a bite of the flat bread as she waited for Harveer to join her, but her eyes caught the slender looking male that she was cleansing. "I imagine they haven't been feeding you well, would you like some." She was hungry, but it had only been so long since she had last eaten, how long had it been since this one had any food?  

[Daisicle]

Perhaps it was due to his own carelessness, or perhaps these newbies had at least a minimal amount of training of how to watch a hostage.
Regardless, there had been little chance for the pair of them to make a break for it, and now they were closed in another dungeon.

Yet again. Always another... Never ending...

Tch.

He took a step back as Genesis approached him, distrust clear in his minute facial expressions. He didn't want to be healed again; the worst of it always came after such an action. Aletha's glare was met with an equally hostile one of his own, distracting him just long enough for Genesis to begin her cleansing process. Had this been their goal all along? Her touch was warm.

So absolutely, unbearably warm.

He couldn't pull his body away despite his desperate wanting to. Only his eyes could look away as he bit his lip, the cold expression seeming to melt under her touch, softening to one that was a mess of confusion, bitterness, and pain. He bit his lower lip as emotions and memories buried deep within his chest seemed to be gently caressed to the surface. It was so painful... It had been so painful.

Things probably seemed to be progressing well, but his mind was still a mess. Incoherent.

Until a single word brought him out of it: Harveer.

Hadn't he...? Didn't he know somepae by that name...?

It couldn't be...

For the first time since this second round of cleansing had begun, his eyes turned back to look at the squires, searching desperately until they came upon a figure. One that, though a bit worse for wear, looked no different than when he'd been approached what felt so long ago. He couldn't quite regard all the specifics of their brief conversation, but it'd left an exceedingly strong impact on him. It was the very reason he'd even left on that damned quest!

Quest...? What quest...?

Eyes widening in confusion, Malek recoiled at his approach and pulled away from Genesis altogether ignoring the offered bread and once again stepping away from her touch. Then again and again. What was this suffocating feeling? What had he forgotten...? Damn it all, what in the Guardians' names was he forgetting?

Oh... The Guardians...

Soft words faded in and out of his memory, bits an pieces of that conversation playing to his sense of hearing.

"[...] The Guardians? [...] they are the reason we are here [...] asked all their followers to find several items [...]"

"You should collect the items of protection"

His hands tugged against the bindings as he struggled to cope with the memory, his steps backward growing shaky and unstable. An overwhelming surge of emotion made breathing difficult as he struggled to put his own hazy memory in the context of his current situation. It was suffocating. Entirely insufferable. Nothing was making sense anymore!  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Okay, they were in another pen with a bunch of inexperienced teens. A deep breath through his mouth followed a harsh exhale. It was time to think, time to distract. With only one door as far as his eyes could see, he and Cria could rest a little bit and make a break for it. Healing was always a bad sign, make them better so they could hurt them worse.

Well, if that is what they wanted, the least he could do was pull the attention to himself. Another heavy swallow followed before he answered Alethea, “Alpaca grow between 2 feet 7 ish inches all the way to 3 feet two inches at the withers.” Most of them didn’t seem to appreciate his alpaca facts, really it was another sign of what was wrong with them. Still irritate them enough and Cria could get the rest he needed.

Shutting his eyes as Alethea put her hand near his head, he tried to shut out the warmth. The punishment was new and knocked the air out of his lungs the same as a fist would. Thoughts swirled in toxic muck with fragments peaking through. From the smell of his herd to a sharp memory of a torture ripping a strangled scream. Graveled and pained, the memory drew a harsh jerk away from the two trying to help him as if to rip off the wounds to dig around.

Funny things happened, opening his eyes he saw them with unfamiliarity until his eyes hit Genesis, “Genesis” naming her confused him further, why did he know her name? Something about a sword.

Healing lay on him as a heavy blanket slowly covering his mouth while lulling him to stay still. Ragged breathing evened out enough that he answered the question, “Guardians…shipwrecks, must find out what happened. Another is seasick.” Swallowing thickly he sluggishly shifted before continuing, “Lady and a girl, stranded. Trap. Trap. Was a trap, pulled under the water, drowning.” Moving his arms he tried to claw his face but couldn’t as he was bound tightly still.

Shifting back and forth he registered the food then looked at the offering male with an eyebrow raised. He moved his arm as if to reach just to make a point. Could they trick the kids into letting them free? Oh, that would help the escape plan.

Right now, he was lost in trying to figure out what was going on. Did they plan on torturing them by reminding them of everything that happened? Get more mileage out of the torture to make them relive it. Yet, yet something pulled to him. It’s been a long time since he felt the Guardians, was that what he was feeling?

His companion’s movements jarred the older male and he moved again to try and protect the boy, “Cria cannot talk why is that so hard to understand?!” From the subdued answer following his earlier outburst came a desperate attempt to protect the younger male. It never made sense why they seemed to enjoy making the boy suffer. So much pain and the boy could answer anything even if he wanted to.
 

[Doof]

A muffled thud from Katya's direction sounded through the storage room. The little demon had finally unstrapped her large pack and let it fall to the tabletop she was standing on. She tried- and failed- to suppress a quiet cough at the swirl of dust she managed to disturb in doing so. "Sorry." She mumbled, while flipping open the top of the pack and reaching deep into it, but made a face as though she couldn't reach what she was searching for.

Her backpack was long but relatively narrow so as to avoid interfering too much with her wings. It made sorting through her inventory of supplies difficult, but fortunately what she was looking for- bandages- happened to be located right at the point where a near miss had torn a hole in the pack previously. The girl simply reached into the hole and carefully drew out a long, white bandage that hadn't yet been yanked out and dropped to the ground. After inspecting it for a moment, she held it between her legs as she reached down and hefted her pack again, once more securing it to her back.

Bandage back in hand, Katya hopped down from the table, figuring that for the moment, there didn't seem to be any threats in the small room. She was initially making her way over to Dante but saw Lailah trying to help by handing out supplies of her own. The demon noted that her comrade looked even more uncomfortable to be in this room than Katya herself did. The young archer looked to the unguarded door and then back to her comrade, a serious frown on her face. They'd come here to hide and regroup, not be penned in.

"Lailah." Her bright red hand softly clasped the angel's shoulder. "This room is another trap waiting to happen if we can't get out the entrance. It seems to be the only way in or out. We should probably stand by it just to make sure it remains clear in case we need to leave in a hurry." She started toward the squires that were attempting to cleanse and heal the captives before glancing back at the angel. "I'll be along in a second." She laid the bandage on an odd, metal... coffee table(?) that was just behind Dante. It looked so paltry sitting there beside powerful pae who had magical healing at their command, but it might save a little effort and could help for more minor injuries. "If you need it." Katya said softly. She could certainly spare the bandage, given that she had at least six more rolls in the bag, not counting the one Lailah had yanked out and tossed to the ground earlier.

With a sigh, the little demon slowly turned and got back into a ready stance, sidling up to the heavy wooden door and peering out into the hallway beyond. Guardian's goodness, it was dark out there.  

[Teigra]

Lailah didn't respond to any sign that Genesis had detected the trouble she was having right now. She didn't want to call attention to her weakness, not if she could help it. It was bad enough that it existed. Acknowledging or talking about it gave it power over her. Instead, she only nodded briefly at the thanks and moved on, fighting to keep focus.

She did manage to jump a bit when Katya's hand clasped over her shoulder, but quickly stifled the reaction to no more than that. She aimed a narrowed glare at the little demon when she chose to voice the exact concern that was causing Lailah anxiety at the moment. Thanks, that was helping. They'd backed themselves into another trap, this one with no way out...

...well, other than the way they'd come. There was a subtle softening in the angel's hard glare, then Lailah took a deep steadying breath and turned her eyes back to the door. "Got it," she sent back quietly, moving towards the exit without another word. Keep the exit clear. They had a way out then. This was a task she could focus on and being closer to the door and away from the others crowded around trying to cast their magics made her feel like there was a bit more air available. It made no sense at all, but if that was the rationale that worked, she was clinging to it.

When Katya joined her at the door a few moments later, Lailah's intense stare was focused at the darkness beyond the door, but she did spare a short glance towards the little demon. Maybe Katya would think she imagined it, but there might have been just a hint of relief in the look.


The demon mage was trying to keep his concern hidden, but his question of the captives' remaining sanity was waning with each random fact Kurt tossed at them. This was not a good omen. Had they been here too long? What had happened to them? Had it caused permanent damage afterall? What if this wasn't just the dark corruption at work?

The frustration was building and Eligor had frowned, sitting back and letting Alethea continue to work while he pondered another strategy. There had to be something else-- The change was sudden and abrupt. Their earlier attempts to cleanse the corruption from the pair had seemed to do little, but perhaps it was doing more than they'd realized...just taking a while. Kurt had focused on Genesis for a moment, calling her name...then seemed to become lost in a memory. Shipwrecks? A lady and a girl? What was he going on about? "Trap? What trap?" Eligor prompted, urging Kurt to continue, but that seemed to be all there was. "Is that what happened to you? I don't understand." What was that about drowning?

At least it was something. Eligor allowed Kurt a moment to rest before pushing him further. He followed his gaze to the food he'd offered and then the subtle gesture made by Kurt with his bound arms before he sighed in response. Dancing around topics wasn't getting them anywhere. The frustrated mage was ready to give 'blunt' a try instead. Tearing a bite-sized piece of bread and holding it out to Kurt's lips, he cocked a brow. "We're not cutting you loose until we can be sure you're not going to try to hurt us. We don't have time for that sort of nonsense. There's something evil in this place, and I believe it's corrupted your minds. We are trying to help you, despite whatever you may think right now. We're the good guys. So, you're just going to have to settle for me feeding you right now, or you can do without."

Would any of that even get through? Depending on how muddled their brains were, it might not, but Eligor was losing patience with trying to dance around and be polite. They didn't have time for niceties right now. Time and energy were running low.

The shuffling movement from Genesis' direction only shortly preceded Kurt's new outburst. This protest seemed to spark sudden illumination, like the night lanterns of the city filling the streets with light at dusk, and Eligor finally put the pieces together. Cria couldn't talk. Kurt hadn't meant that the younger male couldn't provide useful answers when questioned...he literally could not speak.

Resisting the urge to childishly smack his palm to forehead in frustration, Eligor instead placed a calm, but firm hand on Kurt's shoulder to halt him. "Wait...he CAN'T speak...he's mute?" That did explain a few things. And some of the frustration on either side. The demon glanced towards one of his companions, eyes fixing on Dante pointedly, then looked back to Kurt. "One of my companions cannot speak either. Tell me, does he have another way to communicate?" He looked to Cria who still seemed agitated, his expression tortured and horrified. Could he even answer? Would he even hear or understand him or was he lost in the corruption that infected their minds?

"If you can hear me, if you can answer, just look me in the eyes. Nod or shake your head. Do you have another way you use to communicate with others? Can you read or write? Hand signals? Anything?"
 

[EvilSilverDragon]

What trap? Did this boy expect him to retell his ordeal? Their newest tactic was just bazaar. Being beaten into the sweet embrace of darkness seemed a kindness at the moment. At that slumped shoulders rolled back, and his head rose. Not only would that be a coward’s tactic it would leave Cria to handle this on his own. Silence seemed to anger them as much as noise.

“Hurt you?!” Bitterly he had to give a hacked off coughing laugh at that concept. “That’s the shoe we are waiting to drop.” Really, they had been the ones doing the hurting this whole time and they were afraid? Out numbered two to one just what did they expect two beaten and starved captives to do. “We want out of here, isall.” Pink eyes bored into the male with a weary determination.

Starved but worried, it took several moments to decide to accept the food. Several more before he agreed with himself not to bite them. Moment of defiance wouldn’t earn them anything, better to play along. An idea would come, and the it did! Relief flooded enough he could almost kiss both males!

“Hand signals!” Rushing words out, the light at the end of the tunnel was there! They finally believed him that Cria couldn’t talk! That alone was a miracle the rest of the captors couldn’t seem to understand that. ‘Enough pain he’ll talk,’ well they were wrong! Swallowing thickly, he practically pulled at his arms to get them to understand, “He has hand signals. I can mostly understand him.” Better than strangers would be able to anyway.

Chill of the place creeped into his bones again, he could feel the wrongness he’d known his whole life. Even as a child on the floating isle he knew this place as bad, “Dragnid, need to get out, out now. Bad place..” See, he was cooperating move, move, move! Almost feral level of fear and urgency rode up his spine to claw at his brain.
 

[Teigra]

He wasn't a fool. Eligor kept a close eye on Kurt as he offered him food. He knew it was a risk, but hopefully the angel would still be able to rationalize enough to realize that getting something to eat was a better idea than trying something stupid, like trying to bite him. After Kurt coughed, Eligor set aside the bread and reached for his water flask. "Here, take a sip...slowly now," he cautioned, holding the flask to Kurt's lips. Addressing what he'd said previously, Eligor kept his tone calm and even. There was no use wasting precious energy getting worked up at this point, he could only keep explaining clearly and logically and hope that eventually reason would make it through the captives' troubled minds. "Yes, attempt to hurt us. Or do something stupid like try to run off in this place by yourselves and get myself or another of my companions hurt trying to save you." Eligor's expression turned hard for just a moment.

"This place is dark and twisted, full of danger. The Guardians sent us here to rescue you and bring you back home, and that's just what we intend to do. However, I've already seen comrades fall in our rush to get into this place to save you, and I won't lose any more." Eligor's expression softened somewhat and sensing Kurt's growing anxiousness, rested what he hoped was a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Just want to get everyone out of here safely and back home. We need to rest and regroup, and make sure that you two are safe to travel, then we look for a way out of here."

He hesitated a moment, still not sure he was ready to untie either of them just yet, but how could the younger one communicate then without his hands? Ugh. Before doing that, Eligor brought up another point. "We were hoping to find another with you. An Avalon Fairy, about so tall," he made a gesture with his hands, "Like a Mellon. Knight Lord Andrei...he...was also taken while on a mission for the Guardians. I don't suppose either of you have seen him here?"
 

[Daisicle]

As another form - Eligor's - came into his peripherial vision, the boy stumbled over on his feet in a hasty attempt to step backwards and fell squarely on his rear. He'd been lucky his balance wasn't fully thrown off, otherwise breaking a wrist under the full impact of his own weight would not have been an impossibility. He seemed to be in a daze as his eyes stared unfocused for a moment, unblinking, before he blinked several times at the sound. The fall had his ears ringing, but they'd temporarily put a stop to the memories that'd come flooding back.

If for only a moment, as his eyes seemed to regain focus, his mind was clear. His breathing, if a bit shaky, had slowed.

Looking back at Eligor and accidentally making eye contact, he instinctively and immediately looked away and at his feet. Even when responding, he never looked back up again.

"Do you have another way you use to communicate with others?" A nod.

"Can you read or write?" He shook his head side to side, affirming he was illiterate.

"Hand signals?" This one earned a half shrug. Hand signals to the general populace had never been a strong point, and only the idiot over there who convinced himself his name was Cria seemed to think he understood him.

"Anything?" At this, another nod. There was, in fact, one means of communicating that he had, one unique to only him. It had been so long since he'd done so, however, the risk of doing so near the guards had been so high... It hadn't been since that fight at the woods... when he was captured...

All sound seemed to fade from the room as his memories resurfaced, his eyes growing cloudy as they overwhelmed him. His breathing became shallow and a cold sweat formed on his back, serving to send another chill up his back. The number of shadows in the room seemed to grow in number, if a bit of a lighter shade, their shapes crudely similar to the species of trees endemic of the Quiet Woods. One by one they appeared to sprout, flickering in shape and transparency as the boy tried to push the memories back.

Perhaps the young squires might have thought they'd imagined it: a simple trick of their eyes.

In another instant, the shadows vanished as though they had never existed at all. Malek looked over to Eligor with wide eyes at the mention of a name. Of a familiar name. Of a mellon he'd not seen in a very, very long time. He hadn't caught anything else the angel had said, but what he had heard was enough to plant a seed of confusion in his mind.

Why were they asking about that name?  

[EvilSilverDragon]

Duel focus shifted and swirled half in the past and half now between the talking teen and Cria. Interjected between all of that were screams as fresh in his ears as the moment they were ripped from his throat. Breath quickened as eyes flowed everywhere at once.

Gaining this teen's trust would have to be priority, anything to earn freedoms such as their hands back. With just his broken body there was little he could do to protect Cria. The hand singles had been an option if the younger male would play along. Even so there had to be something he could grasp to convince them to get out of here.

"Here, attempting to stay dry while drowning, that is here." Surely he could understand that the longer they were here the worse it would get? Even children knew to stay away from this forest. Back before they knew why or that it did anything at all. Best memories were those he could escape to, hide in the shelter of a childhood and first love.


Here and now he couldn't, he had to protect Cria. Even getting them to lead the two out of the forest, it didn't matter where they were going so long as it was away from the taint. Once out of the forest they could get help.


Forcing more argument out, he countered the teen, "You are tired with two sitting alpaca. Soon, now longer here harder to stay dry."

"Guardians knew we were here?" That was a mix of comfort and discouraging. They knew yet left them there to rot and suffer for so long? Maybe it was punishment for failing? "You didn't know our names." That fact seemed to bubble through the goo. How did they know that they were here yet didn't know their names?

No...they didn't know they were here. They knew someone maybe but not them. They had been forgotten.

Question about the fairy received a head shake. "Only Cria, twisted woman and the rest of the tainted bests." One had seen him off on his task but Guardians take him he couldn't remember the name of the creature for the life or death of him. So often the shadows would take on lives of their own. Sometimes they were comforting, sometimes an added torment. This latest subtle twists didn't receive a passing glance, attention on the two males.
 

[Wolfs Heart]

Genesis took a step back as the one called Cria struggled against his bindings. She was certain that he was bound well enough that she had no reason to worry, and he didn't appear to have much strength to him. Perhaps he had at one time, but this place had robbed it from him. She felt her own strength being robbed of her as she attempted to cleanse him.

Genesis glanced back over at Kurt as he said her name, perhaps she should have gone to heal him, it seemed that perhaps his memory of her might help them break through, but then again if the memories became tainted, her familiar face might only make things worse. She did briefly pause from her attempts to cleanse Cria in order to listen to the conversation taking place between Kurt and Eligor, and to reclaim some of her energy.

So Cria couldn't actually talk, pieces were beginning to come together, she glanced at Cria again, preparing to begin to heal him again, and see if they could get somewhere now that she knew he couldn't talk. Instead, hearing Eligor talk about their losses, Genesis paused in silence to think about those losses they had suffered in order to rescue these two. These two must have some significance to the guardians beyond what they could see. At least, that's what she had to hope.

"We will unbind his hands so that he may communicate... but not yet, the taint is still deep." Genesis had meant it more as an observation than an order, and looked around at the other squires to affirm. She didn't trust this one to have his hands free yet. She looked back at Kurt, confused by the words he spoke, she wondered if he would make more sense when he was cleansed more or if perhaps they were too far gone.  

[Antidia]

Alethea's heart pounded with pride and love for Eligor. He was so smart and intelligent and always knew what to do. He was so cute!

She waited in silence observing the exchanges. She wanted to rest herself. But something Kurt said stood out to her.

"Wait, wait. You, Kurt. What do you mean by 'stay dry while drowning'?" She pointed towards him and got up. "What twisted woman?" She glossed over his comment about not knowing their names because the Guardians only reveal what they need to know, not necessarily what they want to know. Although thinking about it, she did wonder why they weren't given the names of those they were told to find. Perhaps Knight Lord would be with them so that was all they needed to know.

The pink angel rolled her eyes at Genesis. It was dark, so at least no one would notice. Even if she was right, Alethea would just hate her for breathing. But for a brief moment, she paused and wondered where that thought came from. Squires were taught to not hate but to teach and reform. Hostilities were not a part of it. Eligor, that's why.

"Cria, do you even know hand signs or gestures? They could be different from Dante's. Dante? Did you bring your notebook?" She still hadn't learned of the boy's illiteracy.