{|ACIV:BF|} Over and Out {1-on-1 rp}

She'd finally gathered his attention when she spoke. Mia stood over him as she waited for an answer. Charlie took his time. A lot of the time he did, much to her annoyance.

Like many times before, his answer wasn't all that favorable anyways. She resisted sigh at that, running a hand through her hair. Her fingers still felt cool against her skin.

When he pointed out that her toes were getting prune-y, she merely worked them into the sand. It was to be expected. Her fingertips and hands were much of the same.

"Well yea," she answered, "What do you expect? It's too hot on the beach..."

The water had done wonders for her though she didn't swim. Staying in the shallows and looking for little shells was enough for her. Still she sat down next to him again, tugging at his hat. She placed it on her own head and whether Charlie was annoyed by that or not, she didn't see.

"It's too hot," she brought up, "It'll storm. I don't like storms."

She hated the loud bombing and the lightning. Whenever it got humid back home, she knew when one would hit and hid herself. She had no idea if the storms got bad here. Mia certainly hoped they wouldn't be too bad. Until she experienced it, she wouldn't know.

----[x]----

Minutes ticked by like hours for Daniel. He couldn't risk her down there much longer, especially so if she found the relic. If it was there, in her hand, he didn't know what would happen. His heart pounded at the thought.

Cursing, he hassled the crew to work faster. Each knew the risks here and he needed them to work swiftly. Even then, they couldn't do much. Daniel was aware of that fact but he was still unnerved.

He felt relief when the diving bell was lurched into movement, being pulled up slowly to the surface. A long sigh left him when the bell broke water.

"Quickly, quickly," he urged as the massive bell was lowered onto the ship, "Let's get her out of there."

The door was opened to get her out. Daniel's eyebrows furrowed at the sight inside however. Karissa was there, something clutched in her hand. There was something about her smile, something unnerving.

"Karissa," he called out carefully, "Are you alright? Were you able to find the relic?"

Daniel waited, motioning for some of the crew members to step back and give her some air. Something wasn't right. There was a different air about her now. He wasn't sure what was happening but he feared the legends of the Misfortune's Children being true.

Charlie rolled his eyes at Mia’s answer. She’d spent so long in the water that she was getting all wrinkly and she thought this was normal? He shook his head and pointed out, “Normal, huh? I recall an hour ago you wouldn’t even wade into the water.”

A shake of the head followed this and Charlie decided to drop the topic for now. At the very least she was over that weird fear of hers. He wondered if it’d return later on and hoped against that happening. It was hard enough just convincing her that nothing was in the shallows waiting to nip at her toes.

Mia was commenting on the heat again, glancing up at the sky. There were no stormy clouds in sight, not yet anyways. Charlie knew what she was talking about however; the humidity always rose like this when some big storm was on its way. He wondered if it’d be one that just passed by or if it’d wreak a little havoc in Havana first.

“Ah, the big bad storm isn’t gonna get ya,” Charlie teased. He pushed himself up into a sitting position before he said anything more, elbows resting on his knees. “There’s a cellar to hide in.”

She hadn’t been down in it and the door to it was kind of blocked off but his house did have a cellar, however small it might be. Charlie never saw much of a need to go down there or to put stuff in that dank place. It was too small for much use, at least to him. Mia might think differently though.

----[x]----

When the bell broke the surface Karissa pouted down at the water below her, a whine escaping her. She’d enjoyed playing in the water while she toyed with the relic! ’Oh well!’ With that thought the pout was gone and the smile returned as the deck of the ship entered her line of sight. She could hear all sorts of people talking, all of them familiar to her ears.

She rocked side to side as she waited, just listening and humming. They all sounded so frantic! In a way it was kinda funny, all this worry for nothing. She said nothing, merely waited further.

Finally it all came to a halt, the voices all muffled. It only lasted a second like that, feeling like she was in her own little bubble from the world, left in the dark with only the pretty, pretty relic to light it all up. Soon the light spilled in and though it was briefly blinding Karissa practically skipped on out, smiling serenely even when she caught sight of Daniel’s expression.

Her lips puckered into another pout as she tipped her head and appeared in thought. “Oooh, am I? Did I?” The way she said these things came out in a sing-song manner, more childlike than mocking. She suddenly beamed again, bringing her hands together and declaring, “Hey, I wanna play a game; how about I Spy? I spy with my little eye… something red.”

With that she’d bounded to the nearest person, a lovely lady by the name of Belle, and snatched a small sword from her side. The person she turned to slash at barely had time to lurch away before Karissa caught him across the arm deeply with the blade, spilling droplets of blood over the deck.

The startled shouts and screams that followed were like music to her ears and already Karissa had bounded back, away from the hands that grabbed for her. The relic she’d found and claimed as her was clutched tightly in her hand, hidden from view. A giggle escaped her as she darted towards someone else, jabbing out effortlessly to stain the blade and deck with more blood.

“Red, red, red! I wanna see more red!” she cried out joyously.

Mia ignored the roll of his eyes. There was a lot that she ignored with Charlie now. She managed that much quite easily after being with him for so many weeks. She'd hardened to his attitude.

She worked her cold toes into the warm sand. The shallows weren't so bad, not as terrible as she believed. A little experience under her belt would do her some good. She'd just take it one step at a time.

Mia glanced at him when he mentioned a cellar. Her eyebrow rose at that. She wasn't even aware he had a cellar in that mess of a home.

"Why don't you just take all of the junk you have and put it in the cellar then?" she asked, "Or an attic, if you have one of those. That's partly what they're there for."

Part of her knew the answer. Charlie was lazy and just threw what he had about. If it had been anything else, he'd be a little more organized.

"You're such a pack rat." she teased.

Mia brought her legs into a Indian style position, a little more comfortable. The day was nice. She wished she liked the heat a little bit more though. That would have made the day great.

"And I know the storm isn't 'going to get me'," she defended, her tone still light, "My mother used to stick us in the basement, under a table, with a mattress on top of me and my brother whenever a storm hit. Hey, sounds like were I got my paranoia from!"

----[x]----

She didn't answer, not right away, only concerning Daniel more. The way she swayed from side to side was disturbing. It was almost as if someone else had replaced the young woman despite having the same features.

Her words were in a sing song manner leaving his heart skipping a beat. She sounded crazed! Daniel's heart hammered against his chest as he let her speak her mind.

What he hadn't expected was her swift movements, the drawing of a sword and her attacking another crew member. His eyes widened. For a long moment he stood shell shocked despite the shouts around him. He had to shake himself before he could shout any orders.

"Disarm her!" he shouted, quickly drawing his own weapon, "Grab her, knock her out! I don't care what you have to do! Just get that weapon out of her hand and get the relic as well!"

The thing was effecting her. They knew now why the Misfortune's Children were so feared. Whatever the relic did, it turned Karissa into a crazed, murderous woman. It was hard to believe that she had been so quiet weeks before.

Daniel rushed forward, meeting his blade with her own. He worried about how far he'd have to go. As long as someone could knock her out, perhaps this could act as a distraction.

"Karissa, I don't want to hurt you," he tried to reason, "I need you to stop this. Think clearly! This isn't you!"

Daniel wasn't sure his words were even getting through. With that relic in her hand, who knew. The effect might be deep until it was pulled from her grasp.

Charlie offered a shrug at the idea of storing things in the cellar. “It’s too small,” he said just as simply. The look he got in return for that answer was one of mild annoyance though he merely ignored it. “Ah, you love it.”

She probably didn’t, Charlie was aware of that but he liked teasing her with that line anyways. As Mia argued about the storm not getting her and explaining her family a bit further to him Charlie rose to his feet. His knees had long since gotten stiff and they needed a bit of a stretch. Maybe he’d be able to convince her to come back home with him for something to eat. It was way past lunch as it was.

“That right? Well, I can’t promise bein’ that thorough,” he pointed out. There was a moment where he merely rolled his shoulders, working out the stiffness there too. “C’mon, aren’t you hungry?”

His stomach was already starting to growl quietly at him. He’d rather see to that then let it get any louder; Mia would only tease him about it if that happened. If he was perfectly honest, Charlie liked being the one doing all the teasing.

Once Mia was on her feet Charlie would start them off like he always did. Mia seemed to like following him more than leading, he’d become increasingly aware of that the more he tried to prod her into leading them around. It made it a little difficult to really figure out what spots she liked most.

----[x]----

Karissa spared little attention to what was actually being shouted around her only that the sounds were somehow pleasing to the ear. It wasn’t a thing she could explain and she had no need or want to, merely wanting to hear more of it and to see that brilliant red all over. The people around her were already drawing their own weapons, some drawing further away while others seemed to want to engage her directly.

No one swung at her with those pretty, shiny blades or reached for their flintlocks however.

“C’mon, c’mon! Let’s play!” she urged, hurrying for the closest person to her.

The clanging of metal on metal filled the air amidst all the other sounds. Karissa started, blinking as another blade halted hers. A pout adorned her features as she turned to the culprit, to the one ruining her fun and the endeavor of seeing all that pretty, sticky red.

“Why are you in my way?” Karissa wondered, brow furrowing. The tone in her voice was that of childlike curiosity and hurt and the way she cocked her head to one side only helped that impression further. “Don’t you wanna play with me?”

Without warning she swung her hand around, the one that clutched the relic in a death grip, and forcing Daniel back. Once she had the space Karissa twirled around, targeting someone new. This man was quick to react, dodging around the blade though Karissa wouldn’t let this deter her. Instead she went for someone new, never aiming for the same person for more than a swing or two and dodging and ducking around those that tried to grab or hit her.

“It won’t hurt for long~! Promise!” she chirped at one point, catching a man across his side.

Mia snorted in response, easily waving his words off. He was a pack rat but she was trying to live with it. She'd known worse people in her life.

She pushed herself to her feet with ease, grabbing her socks and boots. Slipping them on quickly, she nodded in response. She was a little hungry as well.

"I suppose so," she replied, "Might be best to get out of this sun before I'm burnt to a crisp."

As they walked, Mia spared a glance around. She was learning of Havana a little at a time now. She still felt out of place however, as if she didn't belong. In some regard, she knew that feeling would never disappear.

The thought was there and gone when pain shot through her right eye. This one always gave her trouble now that it had changed but it had been some time. She rubbed the back of her hand against it as if it would help. It never did however.

"My eye really hurts again..." she muttered, "It hasn't done that in a week now...I wonder why."

Mia was still trying to get used to the idea of this 'Misfortune Child' business and all of the strangeness it brought. This, along with many other things, she'd probably just have to get used to. This ache was searing however, worse then before. She hoped it would pass quickly.

----[x]----

All of this was terrifying. Daniel found himself feeling a fear he hadn't in a long time. Finding the legends to be true and much worse than he could ever imagine shook him. What was more, how could he snap her out of it?

His heart hammered hard against his chest, deafening him as she spoke. Like before, they had no sense to them. It was just insane words about her fun being ruined. The Karissa he knew wasn't there at the given moment.

He was pushed back with such ease it actually surprised him. Training or not, she was overpowering the people around her. She caught a man by his side with such ease.

"Dammit!" Daniel cursed, trying to think of something to do.

He fumbled through his supplies finding a firecracker. 'I hope this works...'

Without warning, he threw the firecracker. It went off at Karissa's feet. He hoped to blind her using that method. With that, he rushed forward. He tackled Karissa, pinning her down with ease. He grabbed hold of one of her wrists, holding it down against the floor.

"Grab the relic!" he ordered, his voice holding desperation and fear in it, "Hurry up, we don't have time!"

Karissa was struggling, trying to worm her way out from underneath him. She was managing more than her skill had showed previously in this crazed state. She didn't care who she hurt now and he had to stop her knowing that risk.

Charlie was glad that Mia agreed to head back home. She was looking a little red now that he looked at her closer. He’d poke and prod her about it later, if the burn stuck around long enough. For now he was just eager to get back home and maybe take a nap. It was the sort of day where he felt lazier than normal.

“That’s the best agreement I’ve heard all day!” he joked, starting them off once Mia had her boots on.

They were hardly off the sand when Mia began to fuss at her eye for the first time in several days. Curious, Charlie glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. He waited silently for her to explain and when she had it didn’t give him much insight.

He offered a shrug and said, “Well, that’s odd. Maybe it’s somethin’ important.”

At best it was something for her to mull about on the walk home. Charlie would have to go digging around for information and pass this on to the others again. Perhaps they’d know more or maybe they’d turn up nothing. In the end of things the most they could do was to try. With that thought tucked away he picked up their pace.

Mia followed just as quickly, keeping at his side. She’d learned that Havana could be a busy, crowded place depending on the place one went through and Charlie was glad about that. She did her best not to stray far away nowadays.

“Well, let’s get you out of the sun quicker then, eh? Bet it’s not doing you any favors, love,” Charlie pointed out.

----[x]----

She giggled as she bounded about, between and around people to swing at someone new. Some she managed to stab and slice, spilling more blood, but others she missed entirely. They were all trying to force her back someplace else on the deck though Karissa didn’t care why.

All the shouts and demands from all of these people were just a nonsensical backdrop of noise to her ears. It wasn’t until a blinding flash of light did this rhythm halt. Karissa squealed, throwing her arms over her face to block out the light. Before she could gather her bearings again something heavy tackled into her, forcing her to the deck.

“Let me go! Let me go!” she screeched, struggling beneath whoever had pinned her down. The voice was familiar but it didn’t matter, spots still doted her vision, making it hard to see. She squeezed her eyes shut, squirming and tugging and pushing, anything to get away and grab for the blade that had fallen from her hand.

Nothing but smooth wood met her hand as she reached out and she screeched angrily as she felt fingers prying at her other hand, enclosed around her relic. She struggled all the harder, feeling her wrist burn and throb under the large hand that kept it in place. The pain did little to stop her from trying to get away, she even took to striking at the one holding her down again and again.

“It’s mine, you can’t have it!”

Karissa’s shriek went ignored, instead something hit against her head in the bustle of so many hands prying at hers. A startled sound escaped her, dazed as she blinked up at the familiar face, the tickle in her eye dulling somewhat as her fingers were loosened around the relic and it was snatched away.

Her eye wouldn't stop aching no matter how often she rubbed it. The irritation was too much for her to take in this heat. Patience was ruining thin quickly.

"Something important?" she echoed the words, "Well it's going to have to give me a clearer message then just making my eye ache in the entire socket."

If it was important, the most she could do was wait on something to happen. Mia couldn't say she was familiar with this kind of thing. Laying in wait could be tiring but it was the best option.

"It's really not," she replied after he mentioned the heat. Her hand finally fell back to her side, "I might just eat and lay down when we get back."

The pain was so bad it was making her head hurt. While she knew that might have been the heat as well, it had come on so quickly that she was convinced otherwise. Mia prayed it passed by fast this time around. She'd rather not deal with this pain all day and into the next one.

----[x]----

Panic surged through him as she struggled and clawed at him. A few times, she'd nearly hit him rather hard in the face. He could only do so much, pulling back a little in hopes that she wouldn't make contact.

The struggle was a great one. She seemed to show more strength in this state, fighting off his grip and another man, trying to hold her other arm down.

Daniel hated to do this to her. Members of the crew were in danger and he couldn't allow this to go further. What made him feel worse was she seemed unconscious of it all.

At some point, Daniel had lifted her slight and slammed her against the deck. Her head bounced off the wood, leaving him cringing. Someone managed to pull the relic from her hand after.

"Karissa..." he called out, hoping his voice would reach this time, "Come on Karissa. Can you hear me this time? Are you awake?"

He couldn't say right now. She seemed to be coming back into focus on most things around her. Time would only tell. He remained tense, ready to fight back if need be.

Mia had sounded incredulous about Charlie’s answer. He was just throwing things out there to keep the conversation going. It was that or to dwell on the sticky heat. Charlie let out a long, loud laugh at her rebuttal. She sounded so sure of that and the indignant tone of voice she’d used was just too much!

“Ah, too subtle for you, poppet?” he wondered between laughs. He flashed her a cheeky grin afterwards.

She was quick to shoot him a look though Charlie could see some humor in her eyes. It looked like she was also trying not to smile too though Charlie couldn’t be sure about that. He shook his head at that, chuckling again. He hadn’t laughed like that in a long time.

When he’d quieted Mia told him her plan when they got back. It was a simple one though when Charlie peered at her he had to admit that she did look tired. Perhaps when her eye bothered her it tuckered her out. This was an observation he kept to himself; sometimes Mia got a little proud even if those times were few and far between.

“Well, I won’t stop you,” he told her.

He kept his pace even though he wanted to get inside and away from the sun. It might be stuffier inside but at least it was shady. Charlie didn’t mind the stuffiness even if Mia seemed to.

----[x]----

Pain had burst from the back of her head, accompanied by a hollow ’thunk’. She blinked upwards, seeing but unseeing in this new dazed state. Karissa was barely aware of the fact that her hand had loosened over the relic and that it’d been snatched away, not when she was so other preoccupied.

Her brow furrowed as voices mingled with each other, none of them clear just yet. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the weird tickling behind her eye to go away. It felt like it’d somehow fallen asleep and combined with the headache she now had it made it hard to concentrate as her thoughts grew less fuzzy and she became more focused.

She tried to recall why she was on the deck when she’d been underwater before; what’d happened? Her hair was still dripping wet, stuck to her forehead and neck, it couldn’t have been long that she’d been up her but…

“What?” she wondered, sounding groggy and confused. It felt more like she’d woken up from a deep sleep rather than whatever might have happened.

Karissa pulled her hand away from her eye only to halt. There was blood smeared over her hand, not much but enough for her to catch it. It didn’t look like it’d smeared because it came from her. She barely heard Daniel calling out to her even when he was still pinning her down, the caution and fear in his voice lost on Karissa in her confused state.

“Whose blood…?”

Karissa didn’t know what was going on now or what she was expecting. It wasn’t the gruff voice of a man she couldn’t recall the name of answering her however. “It isn’t yours, lass. Though I’m sure a few of us would’ve preferred it that way.”

That answer stung a little, dulled by confusion and physical pain for the time being. She glanced around, catching sight of a few familiar faces being patched up by others.

The pain in her eye refused to leave. It intensified at times, the burning nearly searing. Why was it this bad when the other times had been a minor ache? It was just another question on a heap of unanswered ones.

Despite that worry, she glanced at Charlie when he tipped his head back and laughed. It was a loud, long laugh. She'd never seen him laugh that loudly before. Honestly, she didn't think what she was all that funny.

He took to prodding her once more after that. Mia shot him a look though she struggled not to smile. She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand as if that would somehow keep it from tugging onto her lips.

"Far too subtle," she jested in response, "It should be clearer if it insists to plague my eye with pain."

While it had been said in a joking manner, she meant those words. The pain was draining and she was tired. It was a shame. The day didn't even seem to be out yet but all she wanted to do was sleep.

"I suppose it hit on a better day though," she replied, "If you're insisting on lazing about, I won't feel as guilty for doing the same."

Charlie didn't slow his pace and in some manner, she was alright with that. Getting back inside was for the best. The heat made things worse. She just wanted to lay down even if the house was stuffy.

----[x]----

Daniel was able to heave a heavy sigh of relief when she started coming to. He got up, allowing her time to move. With her senses back, he saw no reason not to do so. He would give her room to breath.

"Get the medic," he ordered one of the men nearby, "Have him tend to the wounded. Heaven help us if anyone is dead."

They had been caught off guard. In some sense, he didn't entirely believe those old tales of the Misfortune's Children. They were stories, nothing more. At least, that was what he had believed.

Guilt ran through him. He couldn't blame Karissa for what happened. He tried not to. it wasn't like she had much control over her senses. Whatever the relic did to her state of mind, he could only assume.

"Give her some room to breath," he said. Many had stepped far off from her. He received the relic and tucked it away carefully. They couldn't repeat what happened.

"Karissa, are you alright? Can you manage to stand?" he inquired, "If you can...I'll explain everything. But not here."

It was better that she knew. She needed to realize that the relic had done this, not her. She didn't have control of herself. Daniel would just have to break it to her gently if he could manage it.

”I don’t see a reason not to today,” Charlie said with a shrug. He had no prior engagements to see to or any new orders about Mia. The grand master seemed content with things as they were. Perhaps in time they’d be called to see him again when he was less busy with more pressing matters.

It looked like Mia needed some rest anyways, that eye must have been bothering her something fierce if she wanted a nap this early in the afternoon. Charlie didn’t see any harm in that. It wasn’t like he was particularly active at the moment anyways.

“Let’s get home and laze about then, eh, poppet?” Charlie offered, gesturing for her to pick up her pace a little.

It wouldn’t be a long walk nor a particularly exciting one. Havana had grown quiet in recent days in term of any noticeable brawls or troublemakers. While this sometimes left Charlie in a sour mood Mia seemed to take it upon herself to try to cheer him up those days. It was kind of funny that considering the way she’d been so wary about him at first.

The house was in view before he knew it and Charlie acted the part of gentleman by opening the door and, with an over-the-top sweeping gestured, allowed Mia inside first. She looked like she could use the rest now, still swiping at her eye and causing it to turn a little red around the whites of it. If it helped her forget about it then it would be better for her.

Only a few minutes passed before Charlie was in the kitchen, getting himself a small meal before he would flop down on the old worn couch he called his own. He’d spend a great deal of time there, dozing on and off over that day.

----[x]----

Karissa sat up carefully, rubbing at her bruised wrist. ’What happened?’ Though she glanced around and saw many nursing injuries—some looking worse off than others—no one seemed to be willing to give her that answer. Some of the people here, mostly those Karissa was unfamiliar with glared at her warily. This alone was enough to make her stomach sink.

Daniel was busy calling for the few medics of sorts that had come along. The term was used loosely of course; they were merely the ones that knew the most about patching others up after a fight. Whether or not that medical knowledge held up to this time’s standards of medical breakthroughs was questionable at times.

He’d taken something from someone nearby and tucked it into one of his pockets, out of her sight. Though Karissa’s curiosity about what it was was high and there was a strange sensation in her chest that seemed to try to pull her to that thing he’d hidden away Karissa remained quiet about it. Instead she waited, feeling more lost than when she’d first arrived in this time and place.

Only when Daniel turned his attention back to her did Karissa nod mutely, rising to her feet carefully. Only then did she mutter, “Lead the way.”

Whatever it was that had happened it was severe enough that people’s attitudes towards her had shifted almost completely from what they’d been before she’d gone underwater. That alone left a feeling of dread in her, doubled by the fact that she could not remember what had happened at all.

It was quiet between her and Daniel as he led her to a private place on the ship to talk. When they did reach the room Daniel took her to he was quieter still. Karissa could only wait with bated breath, clutching at her bruised wrist as if it held some sort of answer for her. She hated the way that she felt like some child, waiting for bad news she had yet to understand.

The walk back wasn't too much longer after that. Charlie seemed determined to get them both out of the sun. She was a little grateful for that, feeling as drained as she did.

When they reached his door, he'd opened it for her. Most days, he didn't quite extend the gesture. Even if the flourish of his hand was a bit of a teasing manner, she spared him a smile. He could be polite when the situation called for it.

Once inside, Mia had only grabbed a bit of bread before she headed off to her room. The pain was deep and throbbing, making her lose her appetite. She forced down the bread before she would lay on the bed. Closing her eyes, she tried to manage some amount of sleep.

It was the uncomfortable sort. She never really drifted into a deep slumber. When she managed it, she had strange dreams of blood covered decks and panicked screams. At those times, it was hard to get herself to wake up.

A loud bombing in the distance finally jostled her awake. Her heart leapt as she pushed herself up, looking out the nearby window. Clouds were rolling in the distance, swallowing up the once blue skies.

Mia's head hit the pillow again as she sighed. This was just what she needed. A storm on top of a troubled mind. Briefly she wondered where Charlie's cellar was. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to subject herself to a dank cellar in the first place.

----[x]----

Daniel had allowed her the time to get back onto her own two feet if she could manage it. She looked far from alright though he wouldn't put anymore pressure on her now. There was enough of that from some of the crew members already. Daniel hadn't missed their glares.

He spared her a quick nod before they would start walking toward another area of the ship. He wanted somewhere quiet. She needed somewhere to calm down, especially so when he was going to break the news.

He heaved a heavy sigh, leaning against the nearby railing. Crossing his arms over his chest, Daniel stared at nothing in particular. He hadn't even noticed the cloud cover over head, so distracted by everything else.

He couldn't think of what the right thing to say was. He had to settle on something.

"I take it you don't remember anything," he finally said. He studied her face, noting the skepticism there. She didn't understand what he meant by that, "When we brought you up...you were mad, Karissa. You nearly killed three or more on the ship..."

Daniel let his hands fall to his side. He toyed with the relic tucked into his pocket. The expression of alarm on her face was enough for him to know what was on her mind. She was blaming herself for what happened. Even if she had no control over her body and mind.

"This is why the Misfortune's Children were considered dangerous," he finally continued. He shook his head, running his free hand through his hair, "Because they're so deeply effected by the objects Those Who Came Before left behind..."

He felt a little guilty for having to tell her such heavy news. In all his days, he had never seen her look so broken. It must have been crushing.

"I'm sorry, Karissa. I shouldn't have let you retrieve the relic knowing it was a possibility that this might happen..."

Time passed slowly, at least during the times when Charlie was awake. Mia had gone up to her bedroom quickly, looking worse for wear. Despite the red tint of a light burn on her nose and cheeks she’d looked pale beneath that. Perhaps that eye of hers was bothering her worse than she’d let on. Charlie would need to double check later and see how she felt. Worry wormed its way into his gut when he thought about how much worse it could possibly be though these times were short before he’d dozed off yet again.

He wasn’t sure how long this doze of his lasted as on and off as it was but eventually he could hear the faint rumbling of thunder. It seemed to grow louder each time he heard it or maybe it was his imagination. ’At least it’ll rain though,’ he reasoned sleepily. The humidity would go down a bit and Charlie would be happier for it.

A loud boom startled him into awareness and he blinked around blearily for several seconds. His heart hammered loudly in his chest before Charlie realized it’d just been a particularly close bout of thunder that had roused him. He shook his head at that, heaving a sigh and rubbing at his eyes. If that had startled him he could only imagine how frightened it had made Mia. With that thought in mind he pushed himself to his feet, yawning.

’Don’t want her hidin’ in closets or somethin’ because of that,’ Charlie thought. He could just imagine Mia doing that and he’d rather not see her be degraded in that manner because of a bit of fear. Maybe some company would help her out. ’She’s still got my hat anyways,’ he reasoned further.

Once he reached her room he rapped his knuckles on the door and waited. Maybe Mia hadn’t heard it, so deep in a sleep. The idea was unlikely but Charlie wouldn’t put it past her, she had looked exhausted.

----[x]----

Karissa waited and watched Daniel, as he seemed to be working up the nerve to tell her what had happened. Her mind whirled with the possibilities; the blood on her hands gave her something of a starting point to her guesses. None of them ended well. It might’ve been obvious that she was thinking about this, trying to piece it all together before he could tell her more.

When he finally did speak up she shook her head, brow furrowing. Of course she didn’t, if she had she wouldn’t be standing here like a fretting child in front of an angry parent. The way Daniel still seemed to stall after that only made the weight on her shoulders worse.

What he had to say only made things worse.

Her gaze drifted to the deck as Daniel continued, adding more to the weight on her shoulders with each word. She couldn’t begin to understand why this thing would have had that kind of effect on her or how nor did she know if there was any kind of way to fix what had happened. From the looks she’d received when she’d ‘woken’ on the deck Karissa wasn’t even sure she could repair what had happened.

She was quiet for a long time after that. Daniel’s gaze on her felt like it was burning a hole through her and it only made her grow antsy, her thoughts more frantic. Finally she shook her head and tried to smile—it ended up as more of a grimace, at least she thought so. Maybe she just looked as broken as she felt.

“If it’s all right, I think I’d like to be alone for a while…” Her words had been quiet, a murmur at the loudest.

Despite waiting for an answer her gaze had dropped again, brow furrowing. Only when Daniel answered did Karissa head off to find a place within the ship to dwell on this new information on her own. It was a lot to take in and even if Daniel didn’t seem to be placing any blame on her Karissa felt it would have been deserved nonetheless.

Mia wasn't sure how long she laid on her bed. She listened to the wind hit Charlie's home. It seemed to make every board creak. The thunder left her heart racing however. It always did.

She flinched when she heard the knock on her door. Mia scoffed at her foolishness. The soft sound shouldn't have startled her as bad.

Pushing herself from the bed, she made her way to the door. She pulled it open with her free hand, the other tending to her eye. It still hurt but not like the throbbing pain earlier.

"The thunder woke you too?" she inquired, sparing him a smile. It hadn't much surprised her. That last bombing sound could have woken anyone up.

She pulled back from the door, allowing him entrance. His had had fallen from her head and onto the floor at some point. Mia noticed he'd scooped that up right away.

She was quiet for a while longer, moving to sit back down on the bed. If she was truthful, she was troubled. That dream had been far too real. From the crazed laughter down to the blood. Something wasn't right about it.

Mia eventually sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I had a strange dream..." she finally said, "More over...a disturbing one..."

She wasn't sure how far to go into details. Her gaze remained on her hands. She traced odd patterns into her hand as if that would distract her.

"It just seemed too real to be a dream..." she finished, trailing off tiredly.

----[x]----

Reks was taking the news hard. Why shouldn't she? Being told what she did, discovering that she had no control over it? She was bound to feel like this. He closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. What could he say?

She looked so broken. Daniel felt an ache in him, fully aware of that. There was nothing he could do. Unlike his master, he didn't quite have a healing touch. He had nothing in his words that could aid her.

Already, she was expressing that she wanted to be on her own. Daniel warred with himself, worry overtaking him. She wouldn't do anything rash, would she?

"Karissa, I'm sorry," he apologized again as if it would help, "I don't blame you for what happened. You didn't have control of the situation!"

His words wouldn't reach her no matter what he said. Eventually, he gave up and let her go. There was nothing he could do about it. He decided to tend to those who had been wounded in the fight. It would do good as a distraction.

The hours passed slowly. Some of the crew expressed their concerns. A few arguments on the matter came up. He always had to quell them, reminding them of the brotherhood's beliefs and that it wasn't Karissa's fault.

Even still, he was sure that they believed otherwise.

The skies had darkened, the ship rocking violently as waves hit it's side. The next few hours would be rough waters. Daniel ducked inside for the time. A heavy weight settled on his shoulders.

Even when he found Karissa again, she didn't look at him and didn't speak. So he simply sat near as if being around might help.

"I've sent a carrier pigeon to the master," he brought up, "Havana isn't far. You'll be seeing your friend again soon."

Charlie waited patiently for Mia to come open the door. When she did she was still rubbing at her eye and Charlie refrained from reaching out to bat her hand away from it. Rubbing it like that couldn’t be helping it any but who was he to say? It wasn’t like it was his eye that was bothering him.

“’Course, shook the house,” he answered, yawning soon after. He waited only a handful of seconds before striding inside and scooping up his hat. Instead of placing it on his head however he merely placed it on the table for the time being.

Turning, he flopped down on Mia’s bed, legs dangling off one end and his head from the other. For the moment he was comfortable and would not move. Mia didn’t seem to mind, instead joining him and talking about some dream she had. Eyebrow raised, Charlie glanced at her in the darkened room. It had gotten late, the storm clouds blocking out any stray light from the rising moon.

“Disturbing? Eh, put it outta yer mind,” Charlie told her, waving a dismissive hand. A second later he patted the place beside him. He was too drowsy to get up now. “Just go to sleep. Maybe a bit ‘a company will do you some good.”

If he hadn’t been so tired he might have been more playful about it but as it stood another yawn broke through, cutting off anything else he might have said. The bed sank under Mia’s added weight as she joined him. She was rather warm and he wished it hadn’t been so humid today again, it would have been more comfortable like this if it wasn’t so sticky.

He dozed off like that, not bothering to get on the bed more comfortably. Mia wasn’t prodding at him too and if she wasn’t gonna fuss about it Charlie wasn’t worried.

----[x]----

Daniel seemed to pick up on her feelings easily, that didn’t surprise her much. It was probably really easy to tell that she was disturbed by this and blamed herself. If it was obvious that she felt something for Ah Tabai than this would be far easier to see. It wasn’t like she was making much of an effort to hide this one.

Karissa merely listened and waited. Eventually Daniel let her be and she found a quiet place on the ship, far from everyone else. She didn’t want to see any passing looks or glares nor did she want to hear anyone talking. She’d caught snippets of conversation when she’d passed a few on the way to the spot she’d taken up; none of the talk had been much in her favor despite what Daniel tried to assure her about.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, leaning up against the wall. The ship began to rock more violently after a while, the telltale sign of rough seas, perhaps from an oncoming storm. This did little to tear Karissa from her thoughts, trying hard to recall what had happened during the time she had no recollection of. Nothing seemed to penetrate that blackness.

Finding no solace in her thoughts or any answers she tugged out the shell from her pouch, the shell that Ah Tabai had given her. She twisted it between her fingers idly; it gave her something to take her mind off of these things at least, however brief a time that was.

’Mentor, did you think this would happen…?’ The thought was a dark one, she didn’t want to think that of Ah Tabai. Before she could dwell on that further Daniel had joined her, sitting himself next to her. The news he had to give wasn’t very uplighting.

She nodded, the act itself feeling tiring. “Okay,” she mumbled before growing quiet again. She’d remain like that for some time, lost in thoughts on the remainder of the voyage to Havana. Daniel’s attempts to draw her from her thoughts during that time usually ended in failure though try he did.

Mia had found herself comfortable laying with Charlie in her bed. The days that came after, he often teased her about it. At some point however, she finally gave up admittance that she didn't mind him sleeping in her bed or visa versa.

He had a bit of a field day with that. Mia had warmed up to him more so than she could have ever expected. The days were lighter. She enjoyed them even if this place was so foreign.

Like many of the previous days, they were out walking again. The day was hot but not nearly as humid as before. She followed after Charlie, looking at a few things they passed.

"Any plans today, then?" she asked after a moment, "Or just the same wander until we find something to occupy our time?"

Things seemed quiet even if the day was busy. Charlie didn't get much of a chance to respond when a gunshot rang out. Instinctively, Mia covered her ears. A loud yelp left her, startled by the sound.

Charlie had shouted for her to stay back, find somewhere safe. She didn't get a chance to protest before he ran after the attackers, leaving her behind to find a secure place to lay low.

----[x]----

Daniel's thoughts were trouble. Through the days, Reks had improved very little. He was lucky to get a few words out of her most days. A few times, he had to make sure she ate something.

Some of the crew expressed contempt against her. Daniel had informed her to ignore them. Master would take care of them at some point when they returned. He would put them in their place if he had to.

The days passed quickly after that. Arriving in Havana, Karissa's thoughts seemed to clear a little more. Daniel kept an eye on her as they arrived at the tavern. It was there did Daniel have a few assassin's monitor Mia's movements with the Templar who was tasked to keep an eye on her. Only when they were sure of a pattern did they strike the next day.

"We'll draw him away," Daniel whispered to Karissa. He could already see the two moving down the streets. "That will give you time to talk to Mia. We won't be able to buy you much, so make sure she's ready to come with us."

With that plan set, the only thing they could do was wait. Seconds ticked by slowly. When Daniel gave the signal, he and two others ambushed the blond. He could hear a distinct yelp, possibly Karissa's friend caught off guard. The blond was shouting something before running off after Daniel and the other assassins.

Daniel prayed this plan would work. He didn't want this entire mission to end in vain.

The plan was a simple one and it at least helped to keep Karissa busy. Everyone had a job to do and it left them occupied enough not to shoot her wary or hostile looks. All the same Karissa stuck near Daniel’s side, listening as he rehashed the plan once again. They had to wait for an opening anyways.

“All I can do is try,” she murmured, unsure of how Mia would respond to all of this. It seemed like the Templar watching her was having a grand old time chatting it up from where Karissa stood.

The minutes might have passed slowly, painstakingly slowly, but they passed all the same and soon enough some of the assassins were going out to engage with this Templar. The sound of the gunshot rang out in the air, causing many to start running for safety and to call for help. In time there would be guards coming to fight as well, Karissa had to be quick. Before Daniel could usher her to Karissa took off, feet slapping hard against the path as she chased after Mia.

Mia ran for some time, down several streets and around corners. Karissa had an easier time keeping up after that training with the others in Tulum though her breath still came in ragged gasps. This humidity made it hard to breath in, her nose feeling plugged up and that not enough air was getting to her lungs through her mouth. All the same she didn’t slow until Mia did, ducking down an alleyway.

Walking around the corner Karissa saw Mia there, looking out of breath and her hair disheveled. Karissa held up her hands at the frightened look on Mia’s face, a pang stabbing through her at that.

“Easy, it’s me,” Karissa said, reaching up to tug her hood off. Her own hair would be more of a mess than Mia’s, Karissa always preferring longer hair though that wasn’t on her mind now. “Are you all right? You’re not hurt are you?”

It was an effort to start and keep talking, wanting nothing more than to be left to mull things over and try to work them out on her own. That wasn’t an option now, not when they were here to bring Mia to Tulum—to safety. The Templars might be getting important information from her as it was already.

Mia had taken off like Charlie had ordered her to. She would find some place safe. She was too far from the house to head back there. She had to find somewhere else.

When she had run off, another pair of footsteps followed. This had spurred her on to continue running even when the humid air did a number on her. Her legs ached as she turned down an alleyway, finally stopping.

Eyes wide, she turned to the hooded figure approaching her. The voice that rang out was familiar though her heart still pounded hard against her rib cage. How could someone she'd known for so long look so different?

"Karissa?" she said, disbelief in her voice, "How...when did you get here?"

That didn't seem to be important to Karissa now. She was asking if Charlie had hurt her at all or if any of the Templars had. Mia's eyebrows furrowed a little at that.

"Y-yes," she answered, "I'm fine. Charlie wouldn't hurt me."

Mia shook her head, placing her fingertips to her forehead as if there was pain there. It was all so overwhelming. It had been months since she'd seen Karissa.

"What happened?" she asked after a long moment, "Where were you all those months?"

She was torn already. What was going on? What happened? Had Karissa been training in secret? That uniform seemed to say so. She cleared her throat trying to shake those thoughts.

"Where did you go?" she pressed again, half afraid of raising her voice much higher.

Mia certainly hadn’t changed much in the months that had passed. As she gaped at Karissa, Karissa took that time to observe her to make that assessment. Her hair migt have grown longer than she’d usually kept it before this whole mess started but she was still the same as ever otherwise, maybe a shade or two darker with a tan.

Karissa wondered how she looked in comparison; she’d gotten more muscle on her frame and picked up a few pounds because of it though she was still scrawny for her height. What else was noticeably changed though? She shook the thought away, now wasn’t the time and Mia had finally gotten enough bearing back to start talking.

The first questions Mia asked went unanswered as Karissa had a few of her own that she shot out. It was only then that Karissa felt marginally better when Mia claimed she had not been hurt. The mention that Charlie would never hurt her had Karissa concerned however. Had she fallen for this guy already? The thought was hard to shake.

“One of the assassins found me that day we arrived here. I’ve been in Tulum, Mia,” Karissa explained carefully. “I’d been waiting to hear where you were. This guy had you hidden pretty well considering how long it took…”

From the sounds and looks of it Mia was confused. Maybe that might be helpful, Mia was more of a follower but if she’d cottoned onto Charlie then Karissa feared what the outcome of this might all be. They only had a few minutes guaranteed before someone might be running after Mia to check on her. Maybe they had even prepared for this and had someone coming to collect her already even if Charlie was occupied.

Karissa shook her head. This couldn’t go badly, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it if it did. Things were already bad enough as they were, Karissa didn’t want to see anything else happen on top of it.

“I didn’t know where you were, what had happened to you,” Karissa tried to explain. What if Mia thought she’d been abandoned? The thought had hit Karissa only then despite all this time that had passed. “I had to wait.”

Mia shuffled her weight nervously. She wasn't sure how she felt. On one hand, she was relieved that Karissa was alright. The other held onto some irrational thought that she'd been abandoned.

When she finally answered her first question, she finally nodded a little. If that was really the case, then Karissa must have been hidden away long ago with the assassin's. She'd crossed the sea.

"I've been in his house," she explained, "For months, from the very beginning. It wasn't as if I was exactly hidden for the passed two months..."

She glanced around and toward the opening of the alleyway. It didn't look like anyone was coming just yet. Had Karissa come for her? To take her to Tulum? She shook her head at the thought.

"Charlie isn't a bad man," she tried to explain, "He's been kind to me, more so then I would have expected in the beginning."

Karissa didn't think much of the Templars and probably less of Charlie. Mia was aware of that though she had fond feelings for him. They were growing stronger by the day being so close to him.

"Are you here to take me to Tulum?" she finally braved the question, glancing back up at Karissa.

Could she go there and not feel heartache again? Mia wasn't sure. She'd just started to feel better with Charlie. She couldn't be sure if she could go through that lonesome feeling again.

Karissa furrowed her brow at the answer. “In his house?” she echoed under her breath. Louder still she continued. “Two months? That’s about right. It’s not like there’s phones or emails. I didn’t hear about you and set out for Havana until last month.”

The reminder about that lost technology to them seemed to cause Mia to grow thoughtful. ’Did she really think I just left her here?’ The thought sent another stab of guilt through Karissa’s chest.

There was no way this had been accidental in keeping Mia in this guy’s home though. It wasn’t like the assassins could have gone searching each house individually and if they’d been careful about where to take Mia and when… Karissa shook her head. ’Clever bastards,’ she scoffed silently. Did Mia even see how that had kept her hidden? From the looks of it she didn’t.

Mia carried on after that, defending Charlie. Karissa’s frown deepend at this, worry roiling through her like tidal waves. What was she going to do if Mia didn’t come with? Karissa had come all this way to make sure she was safe but it seemed like she didn’t even want to be taken from the guys who wanted to essentially enslave everyone for order among the world.

“Mia, you and I are people straight out of time; who can say he’s not just being nice to get information from you for the Templar cause?” Karissa reasoned. Even if Charlie wasn’t pushing for it Karissa knew someone on this side was otherwise Mia would not be so valuable to keep under watch like this.

It was quiet when Mia asked about Karissa’s intention here. She had thought it was obvious, why else would she have come here and confronted Mia? Perhaps she was feeling doubt or maybe she was already thinking of staying with the Templars…

“I had promised Ah Tabai that I’d bring you back safely,” Karissa admitted softly. She couldn’t lie to her friend, not to the only one from her own time in any case. Hide things, maybe, but Mia was the only person she had left from before this mess.

Mia felt her heart drop quite a bit when Karissa spoke against Charlie. Of course she'd thought of that. She hadn't told him much. In fact, these passed months, she hadn't given anything up.

Still, she felt herself tremble with emotion. It hurt being so torn between the two. She swiped at her eyes, feeling them grow wet. It took quite a bit to steady herself again.

"I know that!" she replied, far aware that her voice shook, "I know and I haven't said anything to him. I haven't told him anything about our era."

She'd withheld most information for months, only going as far as telling him that she was from another time. A few things slipped here and there. Regardless of those slip ups, she never went into detail, hand waving the comments off.

Mia glanced up when she spoke of Ah Tabai. That name rung clearly to her. It was very familiar to her.

"Ah Tabai?" she echoed, "You've been training with Ah Tabai?"

That was the first thing that came to mind. The crush she had on the man didn't really bother her. By all means, she'd fallen hard for Charlie after spending two months with the man.

"He's...expecting me then..." she finally said, "I don't...I don't know what to do anymore..."

Mia was torn between her friend and a chance for someone she found herself falling for. She couldn't have it both ways; not in this war. She didn't know what the right thing was to do anymore.

Karissa hated to admit that she doubted all of what Mia said. She had a habit of letting things slip sometimes and even if she was keeping information from Charlie that didn’t mean she hadn’t given something away. Karissa worried what it might have been but tried to shake the thought off. She could worry about it later, when things had settled down. They were running out of time and it looked like Mia wasn’t going to budge any time soon.

She didn’t say anything in regards to Mia’s insistence. It might only make her worse off and harder to talk to when time was vital. It was only when Karissa mentioned Ah Tabai did she grow calmer, more thoughtful.

“I have and he is,” she answered simply. Saying more might just push Mia over the edge and Karissa had never been adept at dealing with that sort of thing.

It was quiet between them then for a few seconds. Karissa was growing increasingly aware that time was running out, that someone had to be coming to find Mia. Karissa had to meet up with Daniel soon or he’d coming rooting her out to see if something had gone wrong. He had promised Ah Tabai to keep her safe. However teasingly it had been at the time Daniel seemed to be taking that promise seriously.

All the same Karissa couldn’t bring herself to force anything on Mia. Despite her temper Karissa was far too passive when it came to people she cared for.

“Mia…? What’d you think happened to me?” A pause followed as Karissa let that question sink in, only then did she question further. “What did you really start to want here?”

Perhaps she’d marked Karissa as dead or someone who’d abandoned her. Anger and guilt filled her with that last possibility, she never just forgot about her loved ones who needed help, Mia knew that! ’Or maybe she didn’t really,’ she thought briefly. It did little good for the situation. All the same it was something that could have happened in the many months that had passed. Mia was used to instant communication, just as Karissa was, perhaps the lack of word had done it for her.

Mia shuffled her weight again. She felt corned, more so than she ever had been before. What was she supposed to do here? What was the right choice to make now?

She glanced at Karissa again. Her friend looked anxious. If that was the case, was Charlie split from Mia for this reason? So Karissa could talk with her? That seemed like the plan.

"I see..." she muttered in response.

Mia warred with herself again. She couldn't make a decision just because of that. One thing on top of the other just kept piling up. She didn't have enough time.

When Karissa spoke up again, Mia lifted her head. She sucked in a deep breath, feeling her throat tighten again. If she was honest, she felt as if she'd been forgotten. So many weeks on her own, isolating herself in the hopes that Karissa might come back with help.

"I waited for weeks," she finally replied, "Locking myself in my room, isolated myself from the only person I could interact with...I was so lonely, Karissa...I didn't know what to do, what to think. I figured you were long since dead or if you did make it somewhere safe, that you couldn't come back..."

She dipped her head again, feeling light headed. It was too much and she was fighting emotions. Mia didn't want to break down and cry. Not at the moment.

"I don't know what I want Karissa," she finally answered, "My friend or someone I love? I can't have both. So what would you do? What if you had to decide?"

Karissa wasn’t sure if Mia was going to say much at first. She seemed to shy away from Karissa, acting like some cornered animal. It hurt to see her acting like that from just a question; what was Karissa supposed to do? She couldn’t just grab Mia and make her come.

She listened quietly when Mia took to answer, the words tumbling out of her mouth. It sounded more like a dam had broken and less like she was picking her answers. Karissa shook her head at that realization. Mia was starting to lose it and Karissa didn’t know what to do about that either.

“You’ve known this guy just a few months and you’re already calling it love?” Karissa didn’t point out that it was even less than that if her statement was true. How often did she spend with this guy? It was true that Mia fell for guys quickly after all, it could be even less than that.

Shaking her head she tried to think of how to make things better even when there wasn’t any obvious answer. Truth be told, there didn’t even seem to be a way to do that. Either way it looked like Mia might resent Karissa for whatever happened here now. It left the weight on Karissa’s shoulders growing all the heavier.

“I’d make a new choice for myself,” Karissa stated finally, confident on the matter. She’d never been fond of ultimatums and usually chose an unspoken option anyways. It was a good thing ultimatums weren’t often given to her because of that.

Before anything more could be said a gunshot rang out, deafening Karissa for a second. It took several more moments before a bursting pain erupted from her shoulder, shocking her further. One hand clutched at the wounded shoulder while the other fumbled for a smoke bomb even as she spun around. Despite the fact that she was running on instinct now that training was kicking in.

”Come now, no stealing away my little poppet!” taunted a familiar voice. That was before Karissa managed to set off the smoke bomb and dart off, past Mia and out of the alley. Karissa couldn’t afford to get caught, with or without Mia she had to go.

Mia felt a deep pang run through her. It was the searing sort. She had been hurt by those words, opting to quiet herself. What could she say? It wasn't like she'd ever really known what love was anyways.

She dipped her head even as Karissa spoke. The woman hadn't changed at all. If there was not good option, she just opted for another. Mia couldn't bring herself to do that. She was far too ruled by her emotions.

Before she could argue, a gun shot rang out. Mia flinched, her eyes widening at the sight. Karissa had been hit in the shoulder. A familiar voice rang out after.

She was rooted to the spot, shell shocked by what just happened. Charlie had shot Karissa so out of the blue, it had surprised the both of them. Karissa didn't face him in combat and instead threw a smoke bomb at her feet. She rushed passed Mia shortly after.

"Charlie!" Mia shouted, "Why did you do that?!"

For all she knew, he didn't recognize Karissa the way she looked now. Karissa might have looked like any ordinary assassin, a target for him. Still, the hurt was there knowing that he'd readily harm her so easily.

She felt sick, too many emotions swirling in her head at once. Weighed down with both guilt and uncertainty, she leaned against the wall, placing a hand on her forehead.

----[x]----

Daniel had been able to buy Karissa some amount of time. The blond had chased them almost willingly. It wasn't long after did they discover why.

He liked a good fight and it showed. On occasion, Daniel had heard him shout something about being restless most days. This was the perfect opportunity for him, it seemed. He wouldn't know that it was the same for them as well.

The chase and battle lasted for several long minutes. Daniel held out hope that it would be enough time for Karissa to consult Mia. They would be off afterward.

When he could spare her no more time, he ordered the others to retreat. Daniel went off to search for the pair next. He was surprised that it took so long.

Minutes passed before he did find Karissa, alone, clutching her shoulder. He rushed forward, placing a hand on her uninjured one.

"What happened?" he urged, trying to guide her, "Things didn't go quite as planned..."

It was an easy guess. Daniel couldn't dwell on it at the moment. He needed to get her back to the tavern and treated. That was the best option for the time being.

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