FSE

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Chapter Seventeen

Fitz hands Shiya a box of dye. "Here. Black, enjoy."

Fitz has once again returned to the apartment the group of fugitives were right now hiding out it, he presenting Shiya with a new box of cosmetic dye.

Shiya looks down to the box with a sigh. "I really don't like the idea of changing the colour of my coat... are you sure this is really necessary-"

"Yes!"

Shiya still seems uncertain. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Go! Now! Or I'm bathing you myself, and if I have to do that it will be with the box of green dye!!"

Shiya nods his head. "Ok I get it, I'm going... I suppose it can't be any worse than what Achak has put me through..."

Fitz sighs to himself as he looks from Shiya over to Dolly, who's fur was already dyed with her dressed in men's clothes. "Was he this difficult when he was living with you?"

Dolly shrugs her shoulders. "I never really tried to dye him green to know..."

Eighteen looks back at them in the middle of buttoning up his shirt, the colour of his fur now a dark brown instead of the off-white it had been before. "What's the route going to be?"

Shiya closes the door behind him, the voices of his companion becoming muffled by the door bathroom, he reading the instructions on the side of the box while walking over to the bath to fill it with water. "You would think the city being filled with rain and fog would be enough to keep from being spotted."

He begins to take his bracelets and necklaces of, he pauses for a moment up on realising something, he now digging through the articles of jewellery as he begins searching for one in particular, a worried look on filling his face when he is unable to find it, Shiya now searching the floor of the room, he quickly opening the door and running out when he is still unable to find anything, Shiya now franticly starting to search through the apartment they are in.

Fitz frowns when he sees Shiya out of the bathroom. "Get in that bath before I put you in there myself!"

Shiya stops his search for a moment as he looks back to the others. "Have any of you seen a blue crystal?"

Eighteen seems confused. "Blue crystal?"

Lumia shakes her head unable to recall anything of the sort. "I'm sorry, I don't remember anything like that... about how big?"

Shiya looks over to her as he begins to explain. "Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, it would be attached to a string, I always wear it around my neck."

No one is able to help Shiya having not anything like that recently, Dolly the only one able to recall the object. "The last time I saw it was when we were still in my apartment, I'm sorry I never really paid attention to it aside from the moment you showed me it."

Shiya is horrified to learn this. "Back at your apartment? Are you sure that's the last place you saw it? You didn't happen to see it here at all?"

Eighteen doesn't seem to understand what the big deal over losing a little article of jewellery was. "We don't have time for this, can't you replace it later?"

Shiya looks back to him it not that simple. "You don't understand, that crystal can't be replaced! And I need it, I'll forget who I am without it! I'll forget everything!"

Eighteen seems confused. "I think you're over reacting."

"No! I'm not!"

Fitz thinks back, trying to recall the item in question. "Now that you mention it... you did have something like that tied around your neck when I first found you, but I never saw you with it outside of the apartment, so I don't think we're going to find it here." He looks back to Eighteen. "It must of have come off when you tackled him."

Eighteen sighs as he crosses his arms. "Well there's not much we can do about it now, Dolly's apartment is a military hotspot, if we go anywhere near there we're going to be spotted and attacked."

Dolly looks back to Shiya. "Sorry Snow... I don't think we're going to be able to get that back any time soon..."

*******

Yula watches Iuana, she right now dealing with the elders of the village, standing her ground in her decision not to attack the domestics for what had happened during the trials, Yula sighs to himself as he turns away from her, it looking as if his sister was doing just fine, despite him telling her the truth about her father and Teddy and the fact that they may not return home.

Yula spots Achak as he bounds across the ground in his usual strange manner, Yula calling out to him. "You know you were right."

Achak stops in his tracks as he turns back to Yula. "Right? About what?"

Yula motions towards his sister. "You were right about Iuana, she's just fine even when knowing the truth... about Shiya and Teddy... she's stronger than I gave her credit for."

Achak nods his head, having already known that. "She may have not looked it at time, and may have been faltering due to the situation, but she would not have fallen. Iuana is a strong girl who will lead us wisely."

Yula nods his head, Iuana not the only one that needed to be strong and take charge in this situation. "Achak, do you still have ways of contacting Shiya and Tahki?"

Achak nods his head yes. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"I need you to send the message about Teddy, tell them that he's become one of the Six Sources."

Achak seems unsure. "Are you sure about this? That this has happened?"

Yula nods his head yes. "Visions do not lie... and I know what it is I saw. This information was given to me because we needed to know about it, because we need to prevent the chaos that I saw from happening." Yula gets to his feet. "I'm not trapped in a room anymore, so I can do more than just see these visions, I can do something about them. So I'm going to." He looks back to Achak. "I'm not going to let any of them die, Shiya, Teddy, and even Dolly. I'm going to make sure the world doesn't end, and that they all live to see it."

Yula closes his eyes, it not going to be as easy thing to do. "I may be weak... and I may be scared... but that's not going to keep me from stopping the events I saw from happening."

Achak smiles at him, he nodding his head before turning away. "I will send your message." He looks back to Yula once more before continuing on his way. "You have grown strong Yula, Iuana must be proud."

He leaves Yula's side returning to the business he had been on before Yula had stopped him, he making his way through the village until he finds Eleven and Maigan, who stood watch over Kane, this their task since his arrival here.

Achak lets out a tired sigh as he approaches the tiger he not expecting much from this conversation, the scruffy grey wolf sitting down in front of the large tiger and speaking up. "Are you enlightened yet?"

Kane shrugs his shoulders while shaking his head no. "What is there for me to tell you, I've tried making things up to try and trick you, and those attempts never worked. I've even tried telling you what you think you might want to hear, and still you see me for who I am, someone who has not taken your little spiritual journey."

Achak shakes his head. "Perhaps if you were not so stubborn this may be easier for you."

Kane crosses his arms. "You give me hardly any instructions to go off of, you don't even tell me what it is I should be looking for. If you want to make it easier for me then perhaps a little insight on your end would help things along."

Achak shakes his head no. "I have already told you everything you need to know. You need know how to live and experience life for what it's worth. You must learn about the world and the people around you if you want to protect them."

Kane nods his head having heard it all before, he repeating what it was that came next. "The will to protect and live is what makes the warriors of Raven Wolf strong, so how can I fight to protect anything when I do not know what it is I am protecting."

Achak's tail begins to thump upon the ground. "See? You have the information you need, now work with it."

Kane holds his hand out to either side of him. "I have seen the village and everyone in it. I can see what it is that I need to protect."

Achak nods his head, that only the start of it. "Yes you can see everything, but seeing is not enough. Do you know the village? Do you know its people? You must know both before you can even begin to fight for it!"

Achak turns from Kane as he looks toward Maigan, thinking of a way that may help Kane come to reach this understanding. "Take him to stay with you in your home Maigan, perhaps he will reach better enlightenment there."

Maigan seems unhappy with this idea, he jumping up and responding with a hostile tone in his voice. "I don't want him near my family."

Achak looks over to Eleven not seeing what the problem was. "Why because he is a Super Solider? You allow Eleven near the members of your family, he shouldn't be much different."

Maigan holds his hand out to Eleven. "Eleven IS different!"

Achak shakes his head not seeing the problem. "Oh please, the members of your family are all warriors, it's not as if he can easily bring harm to them."

Maigan lets out a growl as he watches Achak leave. "I can't believe he's doing this!"

Eleven looks over to Maigan as she tries to calm him down. "Relax Maigan, Achak would not have asked for such a thing unless he knew that everything would be fine."

Maigan looks back to Eleven as he explains to her why this concerned him so much. "Kitchi is a warrior but he is still young! And let's not forget about my sister, clearly Achak forgot all about little Alawa! She is not even a year old, it's her I'm worried about."

"I'm sure he didn't forget, he may not exactly act like it but Achak is wise."

Maigan shakes his head no. "Wise? Did you see what he was doing the other day? Eating poison ivy! What about that is wise!?"

Eleven is unable to come up with an explanation to that one, Maigan now returning to the topic of Kane. "As he is right now this super solider is dangerous! He has no business being near my family at this point in time."

Kane speaks up. "You do know that I haven't left. I'm still right here."

Maigan looks back to him with a frown, Kane grinning as him as he holds his head high. "I have no intention of bringing harm to you or your family, my intent to join forces with you is indeed the truth. I would not do anything to compromise that fact."

Maigan shakes his head he not believing it for a moment. "It was foolish of Iuana to consider your offer, and it was just a foolish for Achak to accept Iuana's decision and allow you stay here."

Kane laughs at the comment that Maigan had made. "You should trust the decisions of your leader, Iuana was wise not to make an enemy of me."

Eleven speaks up as she raises her voice to Kane. "Stop being so cocky, you are not as grand nor powerful as you seem to think you are. Super Soldiers are not invincible, this even more true for defective Super Soldiers like us. Iuana was merciful toward you when she gave you this chance, don't you ever forget that."

Kane looks back to Eleven with a frown. "You have forgotten what it is you are Eleven. You are a powerful warrior, one of the top six in your batch. You know exactly how powerful a Super Solider is and that any pride we have is well deserved. You also know just as well as I do that throwing us to the trash because of the 'defects' that were found was a mistake."

Eleven grabs onto the front of Kane's shirt. "I will put you in your place!"

"Go on and do it then."

Achak's voice calls out to them, he having spotted the quarrel from where he was and intending to stop it before it escalated. "Hey! Eleven! What are you doing? I said that he is not to be fighting! You are supposed to be helping him on his path of enlightenment, not hindering it."

Eleven frowns as she lets go of Kane shoving him back from her, she speaking to him in a harsh tone. "Fine, then how's this for enlightenment. I am a newer, more up to date model than you, my batch lasted longer than all but two others, and I am one of the top six in my group. What makes you think that you have anything to give Raven Wolf that I have not already given it?"

Kane frowns at the comment. "Who's the one being cocky now?"

Eleven stares at him. "Number Eleven of Super Soldier batch number 1342. Labelled as defective and marked for termination. I have not forgotten what it is I am, nor will I ever, it is you who has forgotten what you are and have glorified yourself into the illusion that you are something magnificent when you are nothing but unwanted garbage. Sure you are strong, but there is nothing special about you, if there was the True Bloods wouldn't have thrown you away, nor would the Domestics have."

Kane turns away from her. "Your motivational speeches need work."

*******

It is late at night, darkness filling the city skies as Fitz leads the group through the wet rain and fog that was plaguing the city. Their journey having been long, tiresome and full of close calls from the military patrols that right now swarmed the night streets, keeping an eye out now as it was well past curfew.

Finally the group arrive at their destination, the raccoon that lead them making his way to the museum that they had been trying to reach and looking it over, all the visitors long gone with the doors locked up for the night.

He looks at the parade, it looking as if no one aside from the Cadrey family was there, the military watch guard that had been stationed there the last few days also gone. Fitz makes his way toward the entrance, looking inside to find everything already cleaned, Eve and her father having already turned in for the night.

Fitz turns back to the others motioning that it was alright for them to make their way toward the entrance, he unlocking the door with his keys and making his way inside, quickly running over to the museum's alarm and inputting his code to reset it.

Fitz makes his way back to the others once he is done. "Alright then everyone accounted for?"

Dolly looks the group over it looking as if everyone was there, Chase standing by her side while Lumia looks over the museum in awe, having not expected it to look so large in real life, while Shiya slouches at the back of the group still covered by the hood of the jacket that he was wearing. "Yes, we're all here."

Fitz flips the hood of his jacket back, there no need for him to keep it up now that they were out of the rain, he beginning to lead them through the building while explaining the situation and layout. "Okay, most of the main floor and second floor is open to the public, so scary super soldier, scary little human child with weird pet robot will want to keeps off those floors as much as possible."

The small robot that Lumia is carrying with her seems insulted by the comment. "-I'm not a pet!-"

Lumia shushes the contraption. "Quiet, we don't want to wake anyone up, it's practically the middle of the night."

Fitz looks over to Lumia, this information concerning her. "The security rooms are on the main floor, so you're gonna wanna do your thing and re-wire or do whatever you need to do to get the feed sent to a more secure location, specifically whatever room I throw you into upstairs."

Lumia nods her head that not difficult at all. "No problem!"

Fitz now makes his way to the elevators, this being the easiest way to get to each floor of the building. "The museum is family owned, so the whole third floor of the museum is living space, mostly unused living space." He begins to explain what that is. "See in the past the Cadrey's were always a really big family that lived here, but not so much with recent generations. Mr. Cadrey, Eve's dad is the only living member of his generation, with no one before him being around anymore. As for the current generation it doesn't look like either of his daughters will be making the family grow any time soon."

Dolly seems confused. "He doesn't rent the space out to others?"

Fitz shakes his head no. "Mr. Cadrey isn't keen on renting the rooms out because it would mean giving all kinds of people access to the museum after hours, he's pretty protective of this place so he doesn't want anyone he can't trust with that kind of access. Anyway that's a good thing, cause it means that we've got more than enough room up there for you guys."

He looks to the side, there still certain steps that needed to be taken before that could happen. "For now though I'm going to have to crowed all of you guys in the basement until I get the details sorted out with Mr. Cadrey."

Chase questions Fitz about this. "Mr. Cadrey is going to be alright with us staying here?"

Fitz shakes his head no, he most defiantly not going to be pleased with it. "Yeah, no, not in the least. He's going to hate the idea... a lot, so you just leave him to me, I'll see what I can do to try and smooth things over with him."

He motions back to the elevators. "Now, you can't get to the basement or the third floor without a key, I'll give you those once I'm able to talk Mr. Cadrey into giving them up."

The group jumps when the elevator begins to move, Fitz looking worried as he watches the numbers showing where the elevator was begin to move down toward the main floor. "We must have woken someone up."

He quickly turns back to the others motioning for them to get out of sight, knowing that it would be bad if it was Mr. Cadrey that had woken, it clear he would freak out over seeing a group of people he didn't know sneaking about in his museum, Fitz still not sure of how to even begin to explain such a situation so it would be taken favourably by him.

The others move quickly to get out of sight, Fitz standing at the elevator to meet who it was coming down it, he very much hoping that it was Mr. Cadrey's daughter instead of him, she after all not didn't seem to have a problem with using the museum to house fugitives, it being her idea to keep Tahki here. "Please be Eve, please be Eve."

The elevator door opens, a light shining on Fitz as the female fox in the in elevator shines a flashlight in his face. She recognizing him without a doubt as she calls out his name in surprise. "Fitz!"

Fitz gives a relived sigh. "Oh good it's Eve..."

Eve bares her teeth as she storms towards him. "I am going to kill you!"

Fitz lets out a groan, "Oh crud it's Eve..."

Eve beings yelling at him, she clearly very upset with him at the moment. "Who do you think you are just disappearing that like that for days! And on the day we got that new exhibit in! I had to set that whole thing up by myself! I didn't have it ready in time for opening day! Do you know how embarrassing it was not having it finished in time!?"

Fitz takes several steps back from her. "Oh yeah, right! That! Geeze I totally forgot about that!" He gives Eve a weak laugh. "I didn't disappear on purpose I swear!"

Eve crosses her arms, she not so easily believing him. "Oh, yeah, sure, well then let's hear your excuse then."

Fitz begins trying to explain. "Well everything was going just fine until the assassin showed up, after that everything just turned into a huge mess."

Eve narrows her eyes. "Assassin... you're really going with that...?"

"Yeah... assassin, you know that annoying fox I kept telling you about that I kept running into, turns out he was an assassin."

"Fitz."

"I know you don't believe me, and I don't blame you."

Eve lets out a frustrated growl. "I have half the mind to make you spend the night in the basement!!"

Fitz shakes his head no. "No, no, no, no, no not the basement, the scary Super Solider is down there I hate it down there!"

Eve begins to lecture Fitz. "Father was worried sick about you! You never contacted anyone while you were gone to tell us if you were alright! And all the stuff he was seeing on the news wasn't helping him relax!"

Fitz tries to explain. "I couldn't! I kind of wasn't in the position to, very dangerous, I was practically running and hiding for my life the entire time I was out." He quickly speaks up before Eve has a chance to start yelling at him again. "I found Shiya!"

The angry look leaves Eve's face. "You found him?"

Fitz nods his head yes. "Yes, I found him, then he kind of got shot."

"WHAT!?"

"Don't interrupt me you didn't let me finish! He's okay now I swear, I brought him with me..." He clenches his teeth not sure how he was supposed to explain the rest of them. "As well as a True Blood computer hacker and two ex-domestic military soldiers... one of which is a Super Soldier..."

"Fitz what in the heck!?"

Fitz smiles back at her. "You need to help me explain their presence here to your father."

Eve looks horrified over that idea, her voice slightly more high pitched than normal. "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO THAT!??"

Fitz shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know... he's half senile, we're sure to be able to convince him of something."

"Fitz!!"

"Hey I love the guy as much as you do Eve, but he's kind of lost it over the years."

Tahki approaches the two of them, she beginning to question what was going on. "Is there a problem?"

Fitz lets out a frightful scream as he jumps back from her running away. Eve frowning as she looks back to Tahki. "Sorry for waking you..."

Fitz pulls himself back into sight from behind the exhibit he had hidden behind. "What have I told you about appearing out of nowhere and startling me like that!? It's not allowed! I don't like it!"

Eve sighs as she watches Fitz come out of hiding. "Do you really have to do that?"

"I told you! I can't help it! It's like a natural reaction! And you have NO IDEA how hard the last few days have been for me trying not to do that with Miss. Conner's Super Soldier friend. Oh trust me I was running and hiding behind every time he managed to surprise me!! It was embarrassing!"

Eve seems surprised to hear the name. "Conner?"

Dolly takes a deep breath, taking this as her queue to come out of hiding. She stepping out into the open and approaching them, holding her hand out in greeting. "Dolly Conner, I'm sure you remember me Professor."

Eve nods her head as she approaches Dolly. "Yes... it's hard to forget you."

Tahki also nods her head, remembering her. "You're a different colour than I remember... but you were one of the soldier's that attacked the trials, the last person I saw Shiya with before we were separated."

Eve takes her hand to shake. "Fitz said you were an ex-member of the Domestic Military. What happened?"

Dolly looks to Tahki as she explains. "The night you were separated from Shiya, Shiya intended to turn himself in as to allow you to escape, but instead of bringing him in I harboured and hid him from the military..."

Tahki is surprised to hear this. "You were the reason that no one could find Shiya?"

Dolly nods her head. "I needed answers... to know what this was all for before I continued. I lost my brother... I lost my partner... I couldn't keep moving forward without knowing why."

Dolly turns back to where she knew the others were hiding. "Chase, one of the Super Soldiers on my team, found out that I was hiding Shiya, and chose to help me instead of turn me in."

Eighteen steps out into the open, he waving to Tahki. "It's been a while Forty Nine." Tahki stares at him for a moment, not recognizing him at first, Eighteen holding his hand to his chest as he introduces himself. "Number Eighteen of batch 1033."

Tahki frowns at the number. "Batch 1033? You look different than what I remember."

"I am in disguise."

Dolly continues with her introductions. "It was Lumia's idea to reunite here at the museum. She says this is our best option on concerns to what it is we need to stay hidden and keep safe. She's also responsible for saving Shiya's life by helping him heal from a terrible wound he had received. She may look a little strange but she's everything a guardian angel should be."

Lumia shyly steps forward, holding the small robot tightly against her chest as she waves to Eve and Tahki meekly. "Hi..."

Dolly continues, there only one more to introduce. "And last of course is Shiya. I'm sure you've both missed him and have been worried sick about him."

Tahki and Eve both search for Shiya anxiously, neither of them spotting him, Eve looking back to Dolly and questioning her. "Um... where is he?"

Dolly looks back toward the room large open room they are in, knowing that he was hiding somewhere in it. "Oh don't worry he's here, he probably just very reluctant to come out of hiding. He ran into a bit a trouble when it came to colouring his fur to keep from being easily recognized when we were traveling through the city."

Shiya responds in a weak tone of voice. "I'm here. Just leave me alone."

Tahki steps forward toward the direction the voice had come from, she soon finding him crouches down behind one of the shelves displaying a collection of artefacts and staring down at him. "Chieftain?"

Shiya hides his face from sight. "Don't look at me..."

Eve walks over to them, shinning the flashlight she was holding down on him, she letting out a surprised yelp when she sees him. "Oh my word you're purple."

Fitz runs over to Eve shushing her. "No, no, no, Dark grey! We're trying to convince him it's dark grey!"

Shiya growls as he looks back over to Fitz. "I know what the difference between dark grey and purple is and I'm PURPLE!!" He shakes his head. "If anyone back home where to see me like this..."

Tahki shrugs her shoulders as she tries to make this situation seem better than it was. "It could be worse... you could be pink... Achak was pink once remember... a mishap with the red dye you usually use to mark warriors..."

Shiya looks to Fitz with a frown. "Or I suppose I could be green."

Fitz shakes his head. "You're acting like it was bright neon green or something!!"

Tahki smiles as she kneels down next to Shiya wrapping the arm that wasn't in a cast around him and hugging him. "It's good to know you are safe, I've been so worried about you."

Shiya smiles back at her. "Yes, it's good to see you safe as well Tahki."

Eve grabs onto Shiya's arm as she pulls him to his feet. "Come on chieftain, I'll take care of this cosmetic mess, don't you worry, I have what I need to wash this right out and make you a more... natural colour." She looks to the others. "The rest of you, just... umm... hide in the basement for now until Fitz clears this up with my father."

Fitz frowns. "What? You're not going to help me come up with some sort of an explanation?"

Eve rolls her eyes. "Oh I would have been happy to, if you wouldn't have disappeared and left me to set up that huge exhibit all by myself!"

"I already told you!! It was out of my hands."

Tahki looks back toward Dolly, Chase and Lumia. "The basement is not comfortable at all... so hopefully you will not be stuck down there for long."

*******

Dmitri enters his office, a surprised look on his face when he finds Alistair sitting on his desk in wait for him. "What are you doing here?"

Alistair grins at the question. "Just waiting around for you. I hope you don't mind sparkles, I got a whole bunch in my fur this morning. It wasn't my intent but they got EVERYWHERE. I mean it, like I didn't have to even touch anything and sparkles would get on it, it's like your whole office was attacked by the glitter fairy."

Dmitri stares at Alistair as he approaches his desk. "In fifteen minutes it will be midnight and your deadline will have approached, I would have thought that you would be out searching for your target right now."

Alistair gives him a grin. "Now that would be a waste of my time, seeing as I would not be able to both find and capture him in only fifteen minutes."

"So you've given up?"

Alistair shrugs his shoulders. "I suppose you could say that."

"You want to die then?"

Alistair shakes his head no. "Of course not, in fact, that little matter is why I'm here." He grins at Dmitri. "I want you to see to it that I am not terminated."

Dmitri laughs at the request, Alistair shaking his head as he continues talking "Oh I know, I know, you don't see me or the other Super Soldiers as people, we're only weapons that if cannot be proven useful should be disposed of." He holds his hands to himself. "It's just, I don't know, I guess I don't really want to die at this moment in time, odd of me to think that I know, me being a weapon and not a person and all that."

Dmitri frowns as he crosses his arms. "I have no intention of allowing you to walk around as you please if you can't even follow a simple order. I will kill you myself if I have to."

Alistair nods his head. "Oh and I don't doubt that you could, I mean you came pretty close to killing Chase now didn't you?"

Dmitri shakes his head no. "I was not there last night."

Alistair looks to the side. "Oh there's a common little saying for that I've heard before, how did it go again, oh yes that's right. 'Lair, lair tail on fire, something-something rhymes with fire." He looks back to Dmitri. "You were there last night, and don't try to convince me otherwise. It was you who tried to kill harmless little Chase and turned him back into the monster he is now. Making my job a heck of a lot more difficult than it originally was."

Alistair jumps off of the desk approaching Dmitri lecturing him in a mocking tone of voice. "Father's should not lie so much, it sets a bad example for their children." He takes a paper from his pocket, unfolding it and holding it in front of Dmitri for him to read. "Perhaps I should pay your son a visit and tell him all about how bad you are being."

Dmitri quickly snatches the paper from Alistair, his eyes darting back and forth as he quickly reads over it. "Where did you get this?"

Alistair places his hands in his pockets. "Honestly I have to say I was shocked to learn about this, it was hard to believe as first but the more I thought about it the more it made sense."

Dmitri lets out an angered snarl as he turns back to Alistair. "Where did you get this!?"

Alistair smiles back at him. "I know, it must be frustrating having this information found out by someone after you've worked so hard to keep it a secret. Clearly you didn't want anyone knowing about this, not your enemies, not your friends, not even your own son. Trust me though, if you don't get rid of my execution date, I'm going to give this information out to everyone of them, starting with the people that you least want to know about it."

Dmitri lets out a threatening growl, Alistair still not faltering, it clear to him that he had the upper hand in this situation. "So, what do you say? Want to keep me around longer?"