"Gun seems useless compared to whatever girl is doing to Thube right now. Whatever power she has is compatible with his, which is much better than any of our weapons at the moment. For starters, she can actually see him." She caught sight of Leonard drifting from his balance. Despite their height difference, she kept him standing straight by his shoulders.

Sammy felt a strange sensation in her eyes, like… it was hard to describe like she was seeing with the eyes of another. But her focus on surviving far outweighed anything else right now. She called Ashwood back from the retracted state and brought it back, ready to sim and launch it again. “I could say the same for you” Sammy commented alto Roux. “Right now let’s focus on getting this guy.”
With that she would sim Ashwood again and shout, “Blade” allowing it to turn into its bladed form now, ready to strike

“Bullets can still make him bleed can’t they?” Leonard spoke as he leaned against Kyung, barely able to stand. “Besides, the fact he wanted to come after these kids instead of us. Instead of me. I don’t know if it’s some desire for justice or blind fucking rage but it’s keeping me from just completely passing out. Piece of shit”
Leo would wipe a string of blood that came from his busted nose as he felt it trickle down to his lip, giving a groan in pain as he looked to her. “Are the others safe? The Keepers and Sang?”

"The man doesn't even bleed blood." Kyung-ha spat distastefully. Her furrowed brows momentarily faltered when she saw the trail of blood trickle from his nose and him wipe it away. She wiped the stain that remained with her sleeve. "Sangeon should be in hideout bunk like I trained him... Keepers are under Galiah's watch in the furthest room down the hall––all isolated from Thube." She reported. "Russ is outnumbered, he is going to yield. He cannot win against all of us, as long as Raven is with us."

"I can't find him, but I can hear that fucked up song going on up in his noggin," Roux said before clutching her throat wound as it very, very slowly tried to heal. She found the piece of shirt she had torn off before and ties it around the wound tightly. "Found'em. Hope he doesn't know about that bunker, cuz he's moving downstairs, and fast—" As soon as Roux finished, she was already heading making a mad dash to the stairs.

No, he can’t” Leo replied as he finally felt the strength to carry himself, “but he can still do some damage to us. That’s what we gotta prevent”
But before Leonard could say anymore, he would see Roux rush out of the room at an almost unnatural speed. Sammy wouldn’t be too far, carrying the sword at her side as she rushed down the stairs with an almost similar speed, kicking herself off the wall as to not lose momentum and hurrying after Roux toward their destination. “Ashwood, Extend!” As the blade would start to extend, Sammy jumped into the rails of the stairs and slide down it
Leonard felt a sort of panic as he saw them rushing down the stairs, he would pull himself from Kyungs hold and hurry to the stairs. Despite his delirium and his sickness, he still managed to hurry in a faint jog, his one hand holding the gun and his other clutching at his sickened stomach

"She's tracking him." Kyung-ha was much faster than Leonard, even more so now that he was injured. Steps weren't the friendliest for shorter people, and so with an agile jump, she ended up sliding her way down the stairs using the spiraled rails of it which made her almost catch up to Raven and Samantha.

However, much to her upcoming dismay, Sangeon was still in the kitchen. He had initially gone to the hideout bunker, but craved another pancake in there while waiting. And so he had returned outside, confused and a little frightened now that he heard the noise grow louder coming down the stairs.

Samantha and Roux arrived to the living room first, looking around the place while Sangeon was in the kitchen. She looked around for Thube, her blade ready. Kyung arriving soon as well. But when Leonard would arrive down the stairs next, a revolver brandished in his hands, he would make it down to see Sangeon standing in the kitchen, scared and confused. As he looked to the boy, his tired eyes would slowly widen. “Sang” he spoke up, making his way down the stairs and looking to him. “Sang… kid… please stay where you are”
Leonard turned to Kyung but he didn’t dare slow down. He moved closer to Sang without hesitation. Perhaps Thube was waiting to drop on him. Perhaps he was waiting to throw a knife in his throat. But he didn’t care. As long as Sang was in any danger, he didn’t care. He walked closer and closer, stepping as closely as he could with eyes and ears open for any kind of noise. He would glance back to Kyung and the others. He knew that any decent mother would rush to help their child. But his eyes told her to wait there. Practically begging her to stay put. If anything were to happen, he would prefer it be him

Kyung-ha had forced herself to come to a complete stop when she realized her son wasn't where he was supposed to be. Her eyes were wider than ever and she almost felt her own breakfast rise to her throat. But she stopped herself for a reason, and encouraged Leonard to stop too, knowing her son would be too confused to understand. She was putting away her weapons to appear less scary for her son almost immediately.

Sangeon turned around, a half-bitten pancake hanging loosely from his mouth as he stared at the group that all looked at him weird. He was a little frightened by the swords and guns held by them, which encouraged him to take a step back despite hearing what Leonard said. He was used to them in training, but the one the man held currently looked much more realistic and scary. Only then did he also notice the man approaching him was bleeding, encouraging him to take another step back. The sight of blood made the small hairs on his neck stand. It looked nothing like the strawberry syrup his mom used around his mouth when he dressed up as a vampire last year.

Leonard looked to the boy, looking around for Thube. He knew that if he was defenseless, Thube would strike at any moment. But as he looked to Sang, he could see the boy was scared. He let out a sigh and holster his gun, his hands resting to his side. “Sorry Sang. I didn’t intend to scare you. I uh… fell down some stairs Are you… are you alright? Are you hurt? Did you see or hear anyone around here?”
His eyes continued to look around the room, as if Thube would appear at any moment. He would even take the time to look back at Kyung. He feared he may not get another chance to look at her if Thube was nearby. Soon his eyes returned to Sang. He gave a weak smile to the boy and spoke, “Sang, have you been taking care of those toy guns of yours? I hope so. A good cowboy makes sure his tools are well respected. Remember how I told you that on the boat?”

As Leonard was talking to Sangeon, Roux appeared at the kitchen doorway, a glare on her eyes.

But Thube appeared right behind the kid. If he had wanted to, he could have taken him and left. Or, he could have just killed the kid right then and there. But instead, he only grinned. "Aww, is it story time already? Is this one about a sinking boat? I hope it is."

"Touch the kid and your face is gonna be mine," Roux she hissed. But as Thube would hold Leonard's now stolen gun towards Sangeon's head, she bared small but sharp fangs.

"Yeah? Alright Queen Porcelain. One move, and down the hatch he goes," Thube said, his expression blank as he looked at Leonard, and then Kyung-ha. And he cocked the hammer. "Your choice. Weapons down or he gets a ticket up faster than Stairway to Heaven."

Leonard stopped almost immediately as he looked at the man holding the child in his hands. Leonard turned to the others. "Put.... Put your weapons down" he spoke softly. He did so without hesitation, removing all of his remaining handguns and dropping them top them to the floor.
Sammy would reluctantly do the same, placing her sword onto the floor, the blade pointed at him as she held her hands up. She looked at him and her blade, thinking about burying it directly into his throat
Leonard looked to the kid, his heart racing with an emotion he hadn't felt in a very, very long time. Fear. Fear of failing another innocent life.
"Thube" Leonard said, his voice no longer filled with anger or hatred, but of desperation. "Sang-...The child... has nothing to do with any of this. For christ's sake, he's a kid. You want whatever it is, I don't care what, but if you want your vengeance or whatever, you can take it out on me. I don't care what you want to do, but for gods sake, let the boy go. He's doesn't know anything about this magic stuff or the Constables or anything. He's only a... a bystander in this whole thing"

"...y-yeah---I-I 'member––" Sangeon spoke with a mouthful of pancakes now, hurrying to swallow the sugary bread. He unintentionally took another step backward, where he ended up bumping into the unfamiliar man, his shoulders flinching upward at the sound from the gun cocking. He was too fearful to even turn around, being forced to look at his mother's horrified look and Leonard's hesitant one. His watering eyes darted between everyone, unaware of why he was being punished in the first place. He instinctively apologized to his mother in Korean, assuming it was because he disobeyed and stole another pancake.

"Shhh..." Kyung-ha did her best for her son to quiet down his sobs. But unlike everyone else, her hand was still on her weapons. When her eyes left Sangeon's and went to Thube's, the motherly look on her face became one of murderous rage. "We put our weapons down, who is to say you won't murder him and try to murder the rest of us anyways? I no trust word from snake. Let me tell you one thing, Russ." Her voice darkened. "You will fail either way." She knew he sought her son because he was running out of options of who he could even kill. He was cornered. "Yield." She warned him.

"Oh cut shit Park. I will pack this toddler like a bag lunch and have you diced into a fruit cup and sent iff to some shitty school. And oh Leo, do you really think I give a York rat's ass about a bystander? People die every day. Men. Women. Children. It's no difference to me. Except when I've known them for more than two decades. Say Kyung-ha. How long have you known your kid?" The question was rhetorical. Honestly, he didn't need the child at all. But he knew how he was going to use him. "And if I really wanted to kill you. You'd be dead. Body. After body. After body. Accept you," his eyes landed on Roux briefly. "Whatever bullshit you pulled up there, consider yourself lucky."

"Put the gun down and leave the kid and we'll see which one of us is lucky," Roux retorted.

"Or, I can put one in your mouth since you don't have a dick to close it with, how's that sound?" Thube snorted. "Now. What I want is very simple. All this talk of snakes and traitors, while a good game to play in the sandbox, coming from your mouths is a bit hypocritical. Especially after I'm the reason this brat is even alive and here thanks to barely any help from Dumbass," he gesture to Leonard.

Leo looked back to Kyung, seeing the anger that was boiling over. He didn't want to let Thube have it his way. He wanted to take him out here and now. But he was far stronger then any of them could realize. If not for Roux, they weren't sure what they would be able to do. They only saw her as Raven for the time being. As Leo looked back to Thube, he took in a deep breathe, the sick feeling in his head still getting to him. He didn't know what Thube meant. He found the location and then that was it. He was lost after that. He didn't have time to even debate on that. He just groaned to keep himself steady from the nausea as he asked, "What do you want, Thube?"
Sammy looked at the man, her eyes observing every inch of him. The way he was proportioned to keep the kid over him, making sure no shots could be fired. No bullets. Nothing a gun could do. As Sammy's eyes moved across his body, they would slowly look back down to the Ashwood. And Thube continued his petty comments and insults, she would ever so slightly adjust it with her foot. She looked up, knowing that the best spot would be to aim for the hand with the gun. It was a close call, but she had to really focus on her shot. She remained still, barely nudging the blade whenever Thube was talking to the others

"What do I want? Simple —" Thube paused and put his knife to Sangeon'a throat before he shot Sammy in the leg that she attempted to nudge the wooden stick with. "Warning shot."

"Oh you're fucking dead." Roux snarled, only to catch a bullet to her chest, causing her to stumble backwards until she fell to the floor.

"God shut the fuck up." The gun was now on Leonard, his shits swift and accurate. "Now where was I. Ah, what I want. And what I'll get. Now after being ambushed, having my allies die because of your stupidity, and resources that were needed being raided and confiscated by the suits, also thanks to your fucking idiotic tendencies, I've been put in a bad spot. And if I'm in a bad spot take a guess at where you're standing right about now. So. What I want is simple. To put you in a worse spot. Not to necessarily to kill you, not. That would be a mercy, and despite how you've massively fucked me over, I still see some use. One if those uses is going to be getting it back. Now go on. Ask 'What if we don't' and see how much you'll be satisfied with the answer."

Sammy stumbled onto the floor in pain as she felt the bullet strike her in the leg, clutching her bleeding wound and trying her hardest not to scream in any pain. In her stumble, the sword was knocked completely off trajectory. And as she would see Roux get shot in the chest and fall backwards, she called out, "F-Fuck! Raven!"
Leonard was hesitant once again as he saw the two girls fall to the floor with the bullets in them. He didn't know what to do, and he knew that at any point, the others from upstairs would rush down to see what was happening. He knew that would only make things worse. And as he looked back at the two girls, and then back to Thube, he spoke once more, feeling the nausea start to hit even worse He would look back at Kyung, feeling a bit of worry in his tone before he turned back to Thube, "Let Sang go first. After that... You can do whatever you want with me. I'll jump, I'll sit, play dead, like a good dog. But first... let him go"
"F-Fucking pussy" Sammy shouted from the floor, still clutching her leg through gritted teeth. "All that and you still get your ass handed to you by two girls, and your only leverage is holding up a kid. You're just a limpdick shithead"

“...o-omma––” Sangeon choked, gasping for air now and he tried to break free, begging the man behind him in Korean to stop. "m-mister p-please–––" He begged, the formalness behind his words being engraved in his mind.

Kyung-ha witnessed the Keeper fall and Sammy be shot, her screaming mute to her ears. It would be hard to shoot Kyung-ha considering how quick she was on her feet.One injured Keeper, one injured agent. She glanced at Leonard. One almost dead agent. She stood in front of Leonard now. Shibal. She reluctantly lowered her gun. "What you want back? EHH?! What you want Russ?! What could you possibly want from us?! Speak. SPEAK IT NOW." She roared for her size, the hoarseness behind her words sending a shiver through everyone. Time was ticking, and she finally put down her weapons. Her physical ones, anyways.

“God… fucking shit” Sammy cursed to herself as she clutched her leg, trying to stop the bleeding. It was a miracle then bullet didn’t get to much further, lest she’d be completely unable to move by this point. In her state she would crawl over to Raven, seeing the bullet lodged in her chest. Even if there was a voice in her mind telling her that this wasn’t like the Raven she knew, it was still her. Her face, her hair, her voice. It was practically her, aside from those eyes of hers. She finally crawled over to her, lifting her up off the ground with her strength and holding her, “R-Raven. Raven!”

Thube looked Kyung-ha in the face. "Something that I've learned about human beings is that when you have something dear to them, they're more liable to comply. And if they're more liable to comply, then it's less likely that things would have to come down to death. And sometimes, it's a necessity. Like the blonde is going to be once I get tired of the sound of her bitching voice for instance. That's two that's just been shot because of a loud mouth. And she still doesn't get it. But you? Being able to live that good ol life in Florida made you soft. And if I were to be a Constable, you'd already be buried in just another hole Constantine's little pet cemetery."
He let out a humored sigh. And then his voice dropped into the deadly bland and flat tone. "Moving on. What I want back is the information that was taken from the Operator AIs database and the technology that was taken with it, and sooner rather than later. And if you were to understand what I've seen. Then you'd understand that I'm not going to wait very long. You've got 31 days to have one or both of your asses on a plane or boat to Alaska. No more. No less."

"Why hello there pretty eyes," Roux's voice whispered inside Sammy's head through telepathy. It had weakened. She had to stop herself from chuckling. "Hate to say it, but I ain't feeling too hot right now. So I'll make it quick." Her arm rested on the back of Sammy's neck and pulled her down weekly into a deep kiss. One would have thought it was one last one before she bit the dust much like her counterpart. She had lost a lot of blood as it was, but even more so after being shot, luckily missing the more major things.
But, she was not her counterpart. And where Raven would have died, she would not. Sammy would feel the prick of small fangs against her bottom lip, the taste of blood entering her mouth as Roux suckled softly. The bullet wound in her chest started pushing up through to the surface of her skin until it slid out and rolled into the bloody floor. Roux winced during this and kissed Sammy a little harder to deal with the pain that came with the bullet exiting. And when she pulled away, her eyes glowed a stale color. "Oooh yeeeah," a low growl came from her as a bloodlusted grin came to her face as she looked up at Sammy. It was like a twisted version of Raven who had gotten a strong taste of sugar, and she jittered. And then her eyes narrowed towards where she still heard Thube talking.

"And I'll let you know this," Thube started to pat Sangeon'a head with the bottom of the Leonard's pistol. "At any second of a day. Any hour. At any time. No matter how far you'll try to run, or where you will try to hide. The Phantom haunts, and it's touch won't be far behind. Fail me, and the next time you see my face, you won't. And for the kid's sake, I don't think I need to explain to you what that means. But I'll give you a good idea. I'll keep coming. And keep coming and keep coming. Until he's the only one left. And you know how the Order loves a fresh batch of minds to break in. I know they sure loved Abel. Isn't that right, Park," he said sinisterly as he referenced the Korea Incident that occurred long ago. And instead of using his true name, he purposely called Johnathan by the label he had as the Constables' experiment.
And then his eyes went to Leonard as he continued. "There's something big in the works. The line between society and what's lurking in its shadows are thinning. And I promise you that the Droven will be the last thing you're going to be worried about."

Sammys eyes shot wide open as she felt Roux grab her and kiss her deeply, more so when she felt her fangs lodge into her lips and start to drink some of her blood. It was then that she tried to pull away but something just kept her there. She knew it wasn’t Raven, and she knew they were in danger. But she just let her continue with little struggle. Was it because she knew this just had to be Raven ? Who else could it be? Was she compelled to at least grant her a last request? Sammy would continue with only little struggle, looking over to see the bullet wound healing as the bullet slowly left her body
Leonard gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched Thube tap the gun against Sangeons head as he looked back at Kyung ha. Just what did Thube mean by that and what had happened to Abel? He knew that Kyung was mixed up in many things but his attention turned back to Thube. He managed to hold himself up as he spoke finally, “I’ll head to Alaska tomorrow. I’ll get back your data, your tech, whatever. I can have it back in a week. But when I do, you leave me, Kyung and everyone here alone”
“Fuck that! I’ll fucking kill him now” Sammy tried to say as she was finally let go of Rouxs hold around her neck and her lips, still struggling to stand
“Kyung” Leo spoke, “Get the Keeper Mason, send him down here to heal Samantha while the wound isn’t any bigger. I’ll get Sang. We need her to be in good health for the mission”

"Everyone else I could care less about. But you?" A sly smirk came across his face. There was no telling if he was going to elaborate or not, but his gaze slowly went to Sammy. "This is why blonde's always die first in horror movies." The barrel of the gun moved quickly, and he was going to shoot Sammy in her throat. To him, she was merely a disposable telling him that she was ready to be disposed of.

Roux in the matter of a second was on her feet, her expression a hard scowl.

"Would you fucking die—" Thube was caught of guard as he found himself aiming not at a woman who lunged for him, but a sudden flurry of bats. He quickly let off a shot.

The bats howled wrathfully in pain as one of them was hit and sizzled as it dropped and fell to the floor as one of Roux's ears.

However Thube had no time to react further as the bats charged into him and hit like a heavy weight as he was thrown off his feet and our the kitchen window, back first. He took another shot through the bats with a bullet that ust barely missed Sammy's face.

Roux's scattered body recollected itself, the bats reforming her body from head to toe until she was leaning against the counter holding the bleeding side of her head with an expression that was more annoyed than anything. "Bitchass," she growled through heavy breaths. "Oh...oh gid...oh fuck.." What she had just done had taken way more out of her than she expected, which left her surprised. But as she looked at Sangeon, she gave him a fangy smile and gathered her breath. "Don't worry kid. We gotcha." And as she looked back to the others, she said, "Get the kid, and Sammy sit your ass down and put pressure on your leg." She was already going for the window, starting in a light jog and soon jumping out of it after Thube.

Sammy stood back up just in time to see the bullet fly passed her face. As she watched Roux hurry to the window looking at it, Sammy looked at her would. “Fuck that!” She shouted, taking her shirt off and testing a piece off to tie around her wound, leaving her now in her shorts and sports bra as she ran over to the child, keeping herself close to him as she picked up the sword. “Stay close, kid” Sammy spoke as she held the blade in her hands. “We ain’t going to let that fuc- that freak get a hold of you”
Leo let out a sigh of relief as Sangeon was released from Thubes hold, and he too hurried over to the window. Despite the pain in his face and the sickness in his gut, it didn’t slow him down. The frustration and the anger he held for Thube was much stronger than before. He didn’t climb through the window, he jumped through it, landing in a roll that would result in him rolling into a crouch on his feet. He pulled out his revolver again and spoke up, “where’d you go, Thube?”
His attention was only slightly changed when he looked to Roux. He was even more confused as to what her deal was than he was the previous day. It was as if her magic was constantly changing to something else every time, never landing on a specific spell. It was like she would just make up a new magic after each mood swing. But he didn’t question her. At this moment, it was saving all their lives

Roux had landed in a crouch after she had jumped out of the window, not having to go into a roll like Leonard had. And her gaze immediately scanned the area back and forth rapidly as she stood up straight, hearing Leonard drop out behind her. She eyed the place where it looked like Thube had landed, the broken glass and pieces of its frame catching her eye within the disheveled spot. She could sense him somewhere still, but she could feel her mind trying to forget who it was that was there. She glanced over at Leonard briefly before she started her search of the property, but didn't stray to far from the manor itself in case she needed to make it back inside.

Leonard didn't have to tell Roux to check around the manor. Normally, he would have told her to go back inside and stay with the others, but currently, she was proving to be a more formidable asset against Thube then anyone else at the moment. As she went around one side of the property, Leonard would walk around the other. He wasn't sure if anyone was outside at the moment in the afternoon air. He was almost certain that everyone else was already inside. He just had to hope not to fire too many shots, less someone from outside would start to get suspicious

As Roux was heading around the house, her gaze was sharp. Though she didn't have a firearm like Leonard or Kyung-ha, or an enchanted bokkan like Sammy, she felt that she could make use of her abilities enough to tear the pasty bastard that they called Thube to pieces. What the fuck is even a Thube? She couldn't help but to think it. She continued her search.

And as they would go about trying to find him, Thube was already making an escape, having already done what it was that he had came to do. And now, he knew exactly how the Constables had gotten the information that they had. And as he mounted his tricycle outside the gate, he rolled away down the hill with a straight faced expression.

And by the time Roux and Leonard met in the middle again, she was sure that who she was looking for was no longer there. "I think that fucker must've weaseled off. I don't got a feel for him anywhere, and after hearing what I think I just heard back there, I don't know if that's a good or bad thing honestly." She spoke casually as she picked some glass out of the bottom of one if her feet.

"God.... fucking dammit" Leonard shouted as he had found only Roux at the front of the manor. And with the idea of Thube being gone, he was even more angered then he was sick. Hew made sure to wipe away any more stray blood that was on his face as he pointed to Roux. "You, don't go too far. I have questions about this..... whatever this is you have. I gotta check on the kid"
Before Roux could even comment on anything, Leonard was already heading back inside, holstering his gun with the words of Thube ringing in his mind. The data and the tech in Alaska. If he was able to handle all four of them, he knew it was bad,. Even if he could kill Thube, he knew that it wasn't worth risking the lives of any of the others. He knew that he would have to head to Alaska soon.
As he would come back into the living room, Sammy was still standing beside Sangeon, looking at Leonard as he walked over to where she was. "You can rest now, Samantha" Leonard said with a sigh as he walked over to Sangeon. "Thube's long gone now. You go get your wound healed up by Mason. It doesn't seem like the bullet got lodged in so you should be good. No bone damage, but it is a flesh wound. I think he can manage that much."
"Later" Sammy said as she looked to the manors door. And as she was expecting Roux to walk through at any moment, she walked right toward the doors, a faint limp from the gunshot wound as she walked over. She had questions of her own and she wanted answers now

Roux had lifted a brow with a small scoff when Leonard had told her not to go anywhere to far. "Who? Ueah, right," she said sarcastically. But when he mentioned checking on the kid, her expression softened a little. "Yeah. You do that." And as Leonard was leaving to enter the manor, she gave a shrug to herself when she was left alone. But she took the time to finally take an actual look around. The place looked more colorful than she remembered it being. She looked down at her clothes, and at her ripped shirt she groaned, mumbling while pulling out what was now her phone. "Damn it, and this used to be my favorite shirt too—"
She was in the middle of typing something into Google when she felt someone approaching her direction. She turned and looked over her shoulder through the open door to see that Sammy was limping her way towards her. She could tell just by looking at her, that familiar look on her face when she was frustrated. She hadn't seen it in so long that it almost made her grin a little. She gave her a little wave, resting a foot on the bottom step. "So. Get this. Thigh pubes. That's what a Thube is according to good ol Google. So s-someone literally named this guy th-thigh pubes! BAHAHA— She burst out laughing, the shrill sound of it that Raven had always tried to hide coming out in full.

Sammy looked at Roux with a bout of confusion and frustration plastered all over her face. She looked so much like Raven, but something was just so… different. And considering the blood, the healing wound, the magic, the fangs, the pale complexing, her completely different mood, all of it. Sammy just couldn’t believe this was the same girl just an hour ago she was having an emotional moment with outside of the bathroom. As Roux would laugh, Sammy would cut her laughter off by grabbing her face. It wasn’t an aggressive hold, but it was one that held some firmness as she looked at her eyes. She stared deeply into Rouxs eyes, turning her head in her hands as she examined her. It was like she was examining her every feature, reading her like a book to find anything out of place. And as she did, she couldn’t help but to ask. “Are you… are you really Raven? You don’t look… no you look like her. Almost identical. But you don’t… seem like her”

Roux gave Sammy a puzzled look, her laughter coming to a stop when she felt Sammy's hands around her face. "..What? Somethin' on my face? It better not be any of that gooey grey shit from that—" She stopped talking when Sammy gazes into her eyes, which didn't blink as they stared back. And as Sammy asked her the question, she paused. She never really went by that name unless she was working her desk job before she ended up TOGS. But she would give the same toothy grin that Raven always gave, although now with small fangs and mildly sharper teeth. "Well of course I am. The one and only Roux la Raven, at your service."

Sammy was confused even more now, seeing the fangs on her teeth, the way she pronounced her name. And as she looked at her, she shook her head in confusion, her hands resting on her head as she paced around the room. Even with a wounded leg, it did little to distract her from the current string of madness going on around her. And as she would turn to Roux once again, she would take out her sword and aim it at her, “Alright, start talking. Corruption, Droven, Agent, another bunch of fucking bullshit, I don’t care but you’re going to start talking right now. Are you my Raven, the one who I met in Florida or are you just another mind fuck and answer quickly I am not in the mood for more pompous dickheads spewing shit out of the second asshole they call a mouth. Where is Raven? MY Raven?”

"Shhh... 괜찮을 거에요..." Kyung-ha murmured softly in the kitchen, patting Sangeon's back as he found himself throwing up into a bag now. All the anxiety that was built inside him rose to his throat and caused him to regurgitate the breakfast he so desperately wanted that morning. His world was spinning, and his sight was blurry as he gagged. He hated the feeling of throwing up, it made his entire body tremble and there was no way to speed up the process. It was a waiting game, a game he wasn't fond of. The worst thing is that he was oblivious to why this entire situation happened in the first place.

Leonard would eventually return to the mother and son in the bathroom, his eyes seeing the poor boy throwing up from the nausea, more than likely a combination of fear and Thube. He made sure to wipe away any of the excess blood on his nose and mouth from the attack and went to see the kid, sitting on his knee as he patted his back. “Sang, are you alright?”
He looked to Kyung as he tried to comfort the child. He was more worried than ever now, especially after all that had happened. And as he looked to Kyung, he would continue to speak to Sangeon. “You did a good job, Sang. I promise he’s not going to come back for you. He was just… a really bad, bad man. But he’s not coming back for you. Im going to go and see him tomorrow and make sure he doesn’t come back”
He eyes fell on the boy, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he would continue to vomit before he would look to Kyung-ha. “How are you holding up?” Leo asked. It was as if he was no longer feeling any pain or sickness. His full concern was now on the boy and his grieving mother. They were dealing with something far more then just a bloody nose and a headache

Kyung-ha's eyes were emotionless when Leonard asked about her well-being. Sangeon on the other hand was embarrassed and a little shy now that Leonard had returned, doing his best to no longer puke. It was worse when people were watching and bad enough that his mother was there.

"I'm going to Alaska." Was all that Kyung-ha said as her response. She was holding a bottle of water for Sangeon when he finished.

Leonard’s eyes immediately shifted up as he looked at her, and protested, “No you’re not. You have to stay here and watch Yoon and Sang. Besides if you go there and you get into any serious trouble, Thubes not gonna try to do anything to pull you out of it. That man seems to… have some sort of obsession with me. I know you think you can do it but these new agents, they’re different. They’re freaks, different from what we’ve seen. And only Thube has even the slightest idea of what we’re dealing with, and I doubt he’ll share it with you”
Leo groaned a bit as he stepped forward, clutching at his head as he felt like he had just woken up in a roaring River. Regardless he continued, “If it’s about making things right, you just focus on keeping everyone here safe. Besides the Keepers like you better”

"The Keepers equally dislike us." Kyung-ha corrected, not really caring if they did since her job wasn't to be liked, but to protect. "If you go to Alaska to retrieve information you will be killed before you even arrive at the borders." She looked at him now. "This isn't some sort of investigation for a detective. It is mission that requires someone to go in and go out, and between two of us, my skills in combat are much cleaner." She paused. "Besides, it is the least I can do to start making up for wrongdoings that caused murder of our friends. I failed at maintaining database from Operator A.I. It is my duty to return it."

“Oh for the- Kyung, stop with that” Leo spoke up, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her ever slightly. “What happened is not a reason to throw yourself into death. Im sorry what happened to your team I really am Kyung, but what you did and what you do now doesn’t change what happened. And it doesn’t change who you are. And if you or anyone dies then what good was their sacrifices. They fought, killed and died for your sake, for theirs. And whatever Thube wants to believe, they had their reasons for sticking through it to the end”
His eyes turned back to Sang, still throwing up into the bag. Even with his attention on his own sickness, Leonard still lowered his voice when continuing when it came to his fighting prowess, “you’d be surprised how much I had to deal with since you last saw me in combat. Magic criminals in America, a full mafia in Italy, more partners than I would like dying while I survived. Not including the attack in Florida that I survived along with Sangeon. I can handle myself against my own kind. Course never ran into a monster like Thube but I doubt I will. And plus…”
He would turn his low tone into a whisper as he added, “I believe we agreed that when it came to it, I’d be the one sacrificing myself to the agents to ensure yours and your family’s safety? Was that not the case? That if I had to die so you’d live I’d do it in a heartbeat?”

Roux's smile dropped off her face now, and she stared at the point of the bokken for a second before her eyes went to Sammy's. "I ain't no fucking Droven, Sam. And if I was corrupted, there'd be a lot less talking and a lot more me trying to tear your pretty face off. Right?" She looked Sammy in the eyes. "You want answers? Fine. But there's only one. So do you want to hear it standing up or sitting down—and Sammy I swear if you try to get pissy with me afterwards—" She looked her in the face, already letting her know that she wouldn't be taking her shit. She had had enough of that for god knew how long.

“Listen, I don’t know what the fuck is going on or who you are” Sammy said as she held the bokken up to her. Despite the tone in her voice and the look on her face, Sammy was unwavered. It was clear that along with Roux, she was also tired of what was going on. And as she looked to Roux, she put the bokken to her side and continued, her tone slightly calming down. Slightly. “But if you wanted to kill us, you’d have tried by now. You sure don’t seem to be Raven, but… I’ve had enough run ins with magic shit to know it’s not a good idea to piss them off”.
At her comment about answering her questions, Sammy was silent, but she nodded slightly in a sense of understanding. As she was asked what to do, she fell onto the couch, clutching her wounded leg slightly as she answered, “I’d prefer sitting right now. Now answer the question… please. How do you know my name and why do you look like Raven?”

“yes… yes we did…” Kyung-ha fell silent when they brought up their agreement. She avoided eye contact with Leonard for the time being, instead watching her son now try to drink as much water as he could to reduce his urges of vomiting. She closed her eyes and released a soft sigh, eyeing the detective next to her for what seemed like it would be the last time. Last time she had agreed to separating ways, it was with Makveli and now she wore him on her waistband. But she knew in this case, someone had to go. And knowing how defenseless the Keepers still were, someone had to stay, especially if Sammy was set to leave tomorrow too. “Oke. You will go and I will stay.”

Leonard looked to Kyung as he could feel the pain in her eyes. Seeing that so many of those she had fought with and seen survive so much worse die around her, and now she was practically sending another one to their death. As she was looking over him, Leonard would turn his eyes turned to look her in the eyes and spoke, “Kyung listen… I can’t speak for the others. I don’t know if they died believing in this cause, or if they died knowing they did something. No one knows. And we never will. But I can tell you this much. Im not going to Alaska with the intent of dying. If I survive and I make it back, good. But if it comes down to it where I… don’t make it back, I’ll at least die knowing I saved these kids, and Sangeon and… well you.”
And in an attempt to joke, he added, “plus if I sent you, you’d probably try to gut Thube and we’d get nowhere in Alaska”
Despite the pain in his face he still managed to give a dry chuckle, which only faded after a bit. He patted the shorter woman’s shoulder as he remarked, “Listen don’t go assuming the worst until the worst is over. We’ve been through tons of shit in our days. Plenty of people trying to kill us. Far as I’m concerned this is just another job. Just a reason worth fighting for at the end. And if I die, IF I die… then it’s worth dying for”

"Sammy I'll be honest, the second question I get, but the first one's kinda ass," Roux said, while standing with her arms crossed after they had gotten inside and Sammy had taken her seat. "Anyways," she sighs. "To answer both, it's because I am "Raven"," she said with air quotations around the name. "But better. I'm that gal you met at the club. I'm everything that you loved that night." And more was coming back to her now that she was...free. "Today is the day that I die, Sammy. Well...died. Originally it was a suicide. And it was going to be again after you left tomorrow. But apparently, something else happened here, and instead, here I am. Everything she wanted to be and then some."

“No, no, no” Sammy said as she shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. That this was a part of Raven. That the girl she knew was actually dead. And that this was the version that she loved. And though there was some truth, that Sammy fell for the Raven she met at the club, she knew that she grew to love more than that. She lifted her eyes from the floor, and despite her stern, cold, angered expression, she would wipe tears from her eyes, “Your wrong. I loved everything about Raven. Her wild club self. Her cool confident self. Her quiet awkward self. The Raven with the tanned skin and pink dress. The Raven that would hang with me and drink at the apartment. The one that danced with me in the basement to music until I nearly caught fire. I loved all of her. And if there’s more of her and all that, I love all of her cause… cause I just love her very existence. And…. And I want my Raven back. Please, uh… Raven. I just want the Raven I know. Not just the one I fell in love with, but the one I grew to love. The one that I came all this way for”

“Thube has all right to kill me, I no cower away from him. I killed our friends—the last support we had. But he no has right to kill my son or my Keepers. His anger should be on me and me only.” She emphasized with a possessive connotation toward the Keepers, being that she had spent the last few months caring for them in one way or another. Even if she was harsh with them sometimes, she was still devoted to protect them. After all, her own daughter was one. Her brows furrowed some at Leonard’s last comment. Kyung-ha was a pessimist and a realist when it came to things like these. “No if. You will die.” Her eyes lifted again. “But if you obtain information before death… then sacrifice will not be in vain.” She exhaled. “We need to check on others and pack. Samantha cannot fly with a broken leg. Neither can you with whatever that snake did to you.”

“Let’s not assume so before I make it out of there” Leo said, doing his best to reassure her of it. He would look over at Sammy, who was still speaking to Roux, before looking back at Kyung. He let out a sigh and continued, “It won’t be in vein. If I die. We’ll see what happens, Kyung. I have to just make it out alive. Otherwise he’ll come back and come for you instead, and I… can’t allow that. But just in case”
Leo would reach to his waist side and hand her his badge, placing it on her hands. “Don’t consider the worst until you hear it. This is just… just you holding onto it for me. If it helps I’ll call every twelve hours to let you know my situation.”
He would close Kyungs hand around his badge, making sure she would hold onto it as he added, “And don’t worry, this is t the first time Thube tried this shit on me. Just the worst hangover feeling in the world. I’ll go check on the Keepers. Sang needs his mom right now. Poor kids probably scared”
With another weary and tired smile, Leonard would pay Kyung shoulder before he would make his way toward the stairs

"Okay, first off, ouch. You can't when for losing huh?" Roux said, her eyes watering before her gaze went to the ground. "Not even...not even when we're the same fucking person, huh? You know, it's shit exactly like this tat we ended up going out sad." She sounded as if she were about to start crying. Until her snickering was heard, that is, and she burst out laughing. "H-how'd I do coach? That sappy enough for ya? Because secondly, itdon'tworkliketgat! Hah!" She laughed. And she laughed hard, as if it were all just one big joke. But then she leaned into Sammy's face, the motion sudden, and fast. Almost too fast. "But let's not skip number three," her growled. "If you think...that I'm going back to dieing over and over and over and over—andoverandoverandover just because you can't make up your goddamn mind, then nah. That ain't it fam. So you either fuck with me," she snarled, her thinning slits staring into Sammy's. "Or you just don't." She gave her a sudden peck on the lips like Sammy always did to Raven. "Good talk, babe. I'm gonna go back for our trip." She gave Sammy a pat on the cheek before turning away from her and stretching as she headed out the door. "I'M FREE BABY! Woo! Now play my shit!.....Aaaaaaw, dude this version's ass!" She could be heard exclaiming.

~

Meanwhile, Edgar was in one side of the room with the others, and he was scared out if his mind. All he could do was hear. Listen. Raven had left. And then Leonard, and then gunshots. Had Leonard killed Raven? He almost didn't doubt it, with just how fast it had happened. He heard hard thumps that sounded like they broke holes into the walls. Like they whatever through that door was like a pillow fight—but with furniture. His was face was pale as if he had seen a ghost.

He heard yelling, a lot of yelling. And then talking, and then...nothing. He jumped when two sudden gunshots rung, but this time from downstairs. The sound of shattered glass, he could almost picture he heard it. And then...nothing. and there was nothing that he could hear, not from the furthest room from the stairs.

Sammy was in complete and utter mental distress as she looked at Raven walking out the door feeling total confusion, sadness, anger, desperation. She didn’t help when she would hear her cry, then hear her joke, then get angry, and then kiss her on the lips. It was a lot to take in, a lot for her to even understand. And as she was walking away, it only elevated all of those emotions that Sammy had. As she walked out the door, Sammy ran after. She didn’t care if she was indecent with her shirt wrapped around her wounded leg. She needed answers. She threw Roux around to face her. “Hold the fucking phone” Sammy spoke up, turning Roux to face her. “You can’t just fucking leave after that. What do you mean dying over and over and over. How… how many times have you… or Raven… or both or all…. Died. And… and like how many Ravens are there and how many of them have I seen or how many times have I seen you or…. Or… how much do they know me?”
And as the questions would come out, Sammy paced back and forth in front of her she would turn with a baffled look on her face, “Do you see why I’m so fucking confused? Just… okay, Raven or Roux or whoever… serious face? Please? And just…. Answer me”

Mason was also silent, making sure to use his body as a shield for Yoon when he would hear more gunshots, and in turn Haliah would use her own body as a shield. But after a solid ten minutes with no other noise, Galiah would speak up. “I sense that the threat is gone. We can leave but please stay close everyone. It could return”

Kyung-ha hesitated in actually taking Leonard's badge. She didn't want to put it with the rest, knowing that when she did, that meant it was official. He was gone. She had yet to mourn for her other two comrades and didn't know if adding a third one would do any good. But it had to be done. For the better of everyone.

The mother didn't slap him like she usually would when she patted her shoulders. She disliked physical touch, but even his touch already felt like a ghost's. She said nothing when he left, and couldn't even bring herself to look at him for now. Her attention went to Sangeon, who shivered where he sat and twitched every two seconds or so.

Kyung-ha squatted down to reach his height, using her fingers to push back some on Sangeon's bangs and place a kiss on his forehead. The boy avoided eye contact with his mom, and instead stared at his toes. At this, she frowned. She lifted his chin with her thumb, wiping the corners of his mouth and the remaining tears. She didn't know what to say to him.

"...I-I w-wish I s-stayed with d-dad..."

"I know."

* * *

Yoon hid behind Mason, jolting every time there was an excessively loud noise while fearing for both her mom and brother. And despite having trained with guns before––or at least BB guns, she had covered her ears when the two gunshots were fired. They were louder than the one that shot Abel back in her apartment in Florida. She had to take deep breaths to avoid turning the room they were in into an igloo. She was scared. So scared.

It would be a moment before footsteps would echo from down the hall. If not for her senses, Galiah would have prepared for an attack, but she could already sense that it was Leo. He walked slowly up the stairs, giving a groan as he adjusted his stiff neck before calling out. “It’s safe, you can come down now, everyone. Mason, with me. Sammy was injured and needs help”
“What?” Mason said, looking back to Yoon with a bit of a panicked expression before he removed himself from her side, already hurrying out the door. Not in the same careless manner as Sammy, but he still moved quickly with a little caution in his step”

Yoon's eyes widened when she heard that Sammy was injured. She wondered about the well-being of Raven and her family. But when her shield suddenly hurried to the door, she felt the obligation to follow him. She wanted to check on the others. Her worried eyes glanced at Leonard, but she was too scared to ask whether the others were okay. Instead she asked a more general one. "W-What... what happened?" She assumed it had been a droven attack.

“Long story” Leo spoke, preparing to tell Yoon that it was classified again like before. But when he looked to the poor girl, he knew that it would be a lot more to handle. He looked to her and sighed, “yeah… you’re definitely Kyung-has kid. Listen, something happened with your mom. She lost a lot of people and it could happen again. Whatever happens, be there for your mom, and your brother. She may act tough, and she is. But even Goliath and the Hydra and Baulder, pure gods and titans, had their weaknesses. Just… be there for her, will you?”