It was all very well to say 'Drink me,' but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry.

'No, I'll look first,' she said, 'and see whether it's marked "poison" or not.'

-Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland

By the time they arrived at the camp the sun had gone down but the sky still maintained a dim glow. Terra had never been to this one before, it was especially larger than others she'd been to. Vaas explained that this was where the money makers were sorted out from the garbage, so almost everyone was filtered through here. Natives and foreigners alike were scattered everywhere while the pirates brutalized them. One pirate approached, cigarette between his teeth, or what was left of them.

"Hoyt is over by the stage." He said and eyeballed Terra curiously. Many of these pirates had only heard rumors of Vaas' right-hand woman, but had never seen her in the flesh. "Is that her?" He asked Vaas. Terra thought it was a dumb question, who else would it be? It's not like Vaas had three other blonde women he towed around.

"Who said you could ask me a question, huh? Back up hermano, get the fuck out of our way." Vaas said after giving the pirate a solid push in the shoulder. The man backed off and shuffled away into some shack with his buddies playing a poker game. "Honestly, I might make every single fucker here chop their dicks off if one of them looks at you like that again."

"That's sweet, Vaas." She smirked. She noticed him becoming more protective of her; first the shack, then defending her from Hoyt's accusations, now this. He said he wasn't one for sentiment, but she couldn't help but start wondering a world where he might find a way to love another human being. It was in him, but it was broken, and perhaps beyond repair. But still, the idea lingered in her head ... Right now they were close friends, in the most twisted definition of it, but was it possible to take it a step further, or would that be falling into madness?

They approached the center of the camp. Leaning against the stage was Hoyt, cigar between his teeth and wearing a black suit with a red shirt underneath. On the stage were men bound and blindfolded, shivering in fear as death approached. All they could do was wait for that bullet of mercy.

"Look who I found Hoyt," Vaas said and pushed her towards him from behind. She fumbled forward and stared at the dirt, emanating a deep uneasiness, but she still maintained a good posture as a result of her training. Even when Vaas was about to punch her in the face, she learned to never cower, and she certainly wasn't about to now.

"Wonderful. I was hoping to have a little chat." He said and puffed smoke into her face as he stepped forward, his South African accent gave him a strange sense of friendliness, but she knew from what Vaas had told her about him that he had no concept of friendship. He might have employees, partners, allies... but not friends.

"I'll leave you to it. I'm gonna go check on the boys."

Terra sent a betrayed glare at Vaas as he walked off. She didn't think he would abandon her. But then again, Vaas had always proved her wrong. She shifted uncomfortably as Hoyt's eyes scanned her body. She didn't know what he was looking for. Perhaps imperfections, or maybe some sign of strength.

"Looks like Vaas has done a number on you. Are all those cuts and bruises from him?"

"Yes." She whispered. A cool breeze suddenly sent a chill down her spine and a distant, blood-curdling scream of a hostage made it worse. He continued,

"Good. Sometimes pain is the only persuasion. But I think fear is more efficient, myself. You see, torture someone all day long, beat them senseless and they won't budge, but threaten to cut them open, the fear eats them alive and suddenly - voila! They're ready to work. As long as they know what you're capable of..." Pausing he stepped out and gazed blankly at a pirate kicking in the stomach of a native,"Vaas speaks highly of you, Terra. He says you will make us a lot of money, but I have no reason to think the same."

Terra tried her best to manage her temper. "Shall I persuade you?" She said, feeling a little too bold, but there was no taking it back now. His head tilted back in a laugh,

"Ha! Very good, there's spirit in you. But Terra, sweet girl, we have a system around here. That system is sacred, it is the web that holds my enterprise together. People like you and Vaas, you are puppets, and people like me, we pull the strings. I cannot have you killing my men right and left just because it suits you."

Puppeteers had no power without their puppets, she thought, people like her and Vaas were the podium people like Hoyt placed themselves on top of. A king with no subjects was just a mad-man sitting in a chair... Her voice articulated with a flavor of wittiness,"I apologize about this morning. The man's failed attempt to seduce me resulted in a mandatory display of power. I needed the others to fear me. What was it you said? 'Fear is more efficient'. I made an example of the idiot, one death to end all future advancements..."

"Oh, sure, sure - of course. Tell me, Terra - how can you persuade me to value your life over the man's you shot this morning?" Hoyt had pulled out a pistol from his belt and pointed it up against her forehead, "what do you bring to the table?" The strange part was that his voice was still cheerful, but all the while his finger lingered on the trigger, and the cold metal against her forehead brought back memories of her first day here, on a reject stage. It pissed her off. Anger, not fear, that's what Vaas taught her. It'll focus you, and give you strength. Was this threat really justified? Why wasn't Vaas' word good enough for him. Clearly she was more useful than most of the henchmen Vaas had hired over the years, she just hadn't been put into practice yet.

She practically leaned into the gun, almost challenging him to shoot her, "Vaas has trained me to kill. I am a weapon. I'll kill a man with my thumb if I have to. I also have the illusion of innocence. I could easily trick tourists into trusting me. People will always underestimate a woman. And didn't you say you didn't like wasting resources? There would be little point in throwing me away now, after all the time and effort Vaas has put into building me up..." her voice had become soft, but all the more intense, "Is that good enough for you, Hoyt? Do these strings look nice to you?"

A small smile curved at the end of his mouth that signified approval, "Very well," He tucked the pistol back into its holster. "How would you like to be compensated, then? Drugs, money, Twizzlers - name your price."

"I don't want any of that. I just want to work."

"Interesting ... you must have some conditions?"

She stood there in her head, wondering what she could get away asking for, material things had become so trivial to her, but she did miss running conditioner through her hair, "a regular shipment of basic hygienic necessities, I want full access to the armory, and ..." she thought a moment more, "-you don't separate me from Vaas." In a strange way, Vaas felt like a safety net. The world was a diagonal...

"Deal." He held out his hand, suddenly turning into a man you would see inside a corporate office, fully professional, no hint that he ran the largest slave, drug, and weapons trafficking enterprise in the South Pacific. Evil was his brand. They shook on it, eyes locked on each other, as if one of them might leap upon the other at any moment. It was clear they didn't like each other, but they allowed a certain amount of tolerance for the sake of the business. There was respect there too. He was certainly a powerful man and used fear well among his subjects, but she had forgotten fear. She did not feel below him.

"Can I ask you a few questions? I want to get a better read on you."

"Of course." She wondered if he would next ask her to clank symbols together and dance!

"So, from what I understand, you were once one of my rejects. But Vaas saw something in you. What do you think he saw?"

It was a good question, and she didn't need to think it over, "A plaything... something to control. Clay."

He did little to acknowledge her answer and went on to the next question,"What were you before you came here?"

"I was a florist." There was no pride in her words.

"Ah -" he smiled, "flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts."

"Freud?"

"Very good! You're intelligent, unlike most of the savages here. One should learn to love books just as much as bombs and bullets." He paused, glancing at her, "I'm starting to like you more and more. Do you think you could tell me whether I should get hibiscus or lily for my office?"

"Hibiscus, definitely."

"You know what, Terra? I might just keep you around. Vaas needs someone to lighten up the place a little, anyway."
It was a compliment, but there was still a subtle threat behind it. He would keep her around as long as she stayed in line.

"Well, it was a pleasure finally putting a face to the name. I'm going to retrieve Vaas, grab a glass of whiskey, and fly back South. I expect great things from you, Terra. Do not disappoint me."

She stepped sideways and allowed him to pass, her hands clasped together behind her back, and he brisked off sticking the cigar back between his teeth. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder,

"And do not mistake your intelligence for wisdom."

He left and she felt worse than she did before she met him. It was like he was plotting what to do with her in his head the whole time they were talking, 'How can I destroy this person'. It went better than she expected, she wasn't bleeding in the dirt after all, but perhaps she still needed to be on guard. Hoyt was certainly a master manipulator and she needed to be careful.

She hopped up onto the stage and took a closer look at the rejects. They sat on their knees, some muttered phrases under their breath in a different language, praying to their gods perhaps. Pacing back and forth, a sudden flash of blood lust fell over her, a hunger to end their miserable lives. She hated these people and she couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because she was sure they never really lived. Their lives consisted of eat, sleep, work, repeat. What was the point of it? How pitiful, how pathetic, she thought, these were no men, they were all food for worms. She knelt down in front of a man at the end of the line. He was a native, his head sweating, body shaking, and he had a locket dangling from his neck. With a quick tug she yanked it off and he let out a little panicked cry, unsure of what was happening.

"Shhh." She hushed as she opened it up at the clasp. Inside of course was a picture of a girl, most likely his daughter. "What's her name?"

The man wasn't quite sure what she was talking about. She struck him across the face, "What's this girl's name?!"

"K-Kaija-" he stuttered.

"Hmm, that's pretty. I bet she's a happy spirit. Is she alive?"

"Y-yes."

"That's unfortunate." She took the man's hand and placed the locket in his palm. Being alive on Rook Islands meant meeting a certain, brutal, and ugly death. The girl would probably be captured, raped, then thrown in with the rest of the pile, or sold into slavery, where she certainly wouldn't last long either. It was more humane to put them all out of there misery. He started weeping quietly, and Vaas finally showed up, twirling a pistol around his finger.

"Hello, sunshine... things go well with Hoyt?"

"I convinced him not to shoot me in the head, so yeah, it worked out I guess." She grinned, but he wasn't as amused.

"Shit - he was gonna shoot you?"

"Yeah, I mean, he wanted me to prove myself under pressure. And I did. No harm done."

"Fuck - I need to stop leaving you alone - put a bell on you or something." There it was again, the desire to protect her.

"It's things like that that really let me know you care."

"Yes, now get the fuck off my stage and let me work."

"Seriously. You're the worst." She grinned and he ruffled the top of her head, then pushed her forehead back so she was forced to jump off the stage before she fell.

"Right now, I want to know why the FUCK you are crying like a little bitch, ey?" He tore the blindfold off the same man and burning wet eyes stared up at him. Vaas noticed the locket in his hand behind his back.

"The fuck is that? A necklace? Fucking hell, who the fuck didn't catch that? I thought we were trying to make money! How much you think this necklace is worth, huh? I want, I want you to guess, okay? Guess, go ahead, I don't have all night." Vaas dangled the locket in front of the man, the picture of his daughter rocking back and forth. No words could escape as fear collapsed his throat. A loud bang echoed out, and the man slumped over, shot in the skull. Vaas went to the next guy,

"Come on, you can guess, right? See, I know how much it'll sell for. But I want to know if any you pieces of fucks can guess." He tore off the next blindfold, and this man was ready, anything to save his life...

"Ffff - five hundred! Five hundred!"

Vaas giggled a bit but shot the man anyway. The blood was beginning to seep through the boards onto the grass below the stage.

"Five hundred, five thousand, five MILLION - " He sighed and took the next blindfold off. This man looked down, eyes shut tight, expecting the bullet in his head any second, but Vaas crouched down. " -you don't get it, none of you get it ... you see, nobody called, nobody wants to fucking pay for you... you are worthless." His voice got quieter as he stared at the picture of the girl, "I hear people say all the time, all the time, they say family is priceless, family is priceless - nonono please, bullshit! Family is an anchor, and you are the Titanic."

Boom. One more to go. Vaas leaned over, took the man's blindfold off, "Hey, look me in the eye. That man just got you killed."

A final gun shot blasted and the last man fell over. The entire camp was silent for a moment.

He stood up and paced back and forth on the stage looking at his work, "oh my god, did you see that? Do you realize I just shot them all in sequence? One after the other, I did not do that on purpose."

Terra stared at him, her smile gone. She was stuck in thought now. The one thing Vaas had refrained from sharing with her was his relationship with Citra, his Rakyat sister. The bitch broke him. Whatever she did turned him into the man shooting rejects one by one on a stage, laughing about it. He tossed her the locket and she caught it just in time. He hopped off the stage and walked up to her, as if expecting some praise. But something suddenly caught Terra's eye. Movement beneath the bridge, a head maybe?

"What the fuck are you looking at?"

She smacked his arm and pointed over his shoulder. "Under the bridge, see?"

"What?" He couldn't see anything. She took his arm and they jogged over stealthily. He took a peek and sure enough, two hostages were making their escape.

"Fucking California boys! Come on. We'll meet 'em on the other side."

Together they ran over to a building that had a balcony right where they were making their exit, and sure enough, they had spread a map out on the ground and were trying to figure out where they were. One appeared older, stronger too. The other one just looked scared shitless, like a lost puppy looking up at his brother. Vaas pulled out his pistol and gave it to her, guiding her aim, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Shoot him," he whispered, his breath soft against her neck. She felt strange, warm with his arms around her. She could only think of it as an overwhelming calmness that came over her - like his arms had created Eden around her.

She pulled the trigger and a bullet went through the older one's neck, the blood spewing out like a hole in a hose. She didn't feel anything this time. Power, perhaps, but no remorse. Vaas took back his gun and began yelling at the one in the blue shirt.

"What, you want to run? Huh? You want to run, you want to disrespect me?"

He desperately tried to stop the life from spilling, but it was useless, and his brother finally went still, eyes wide open, like he was staring into the next world. Vaas let go ,

"You want to fuck with me? I mean, you come here, with your... with your pretty-boy face, right, and your pretty-boy phone, your dimwit brother, and you want to fuck with me? You want to fuck with me?! I like that - no, I respect that. I'm gonna give you thirty seconds, and if the jungle doesn't eat you up alive, I will."

The guy hesitated, his world probably spinning around him, he didn't seem to know where to go.

"Are you FUCKING DEAF? I SAID, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, YOU CHICKEN FUCK! RUN, FORREST! RUN!"

Vaas whistled and suddenly the hunt had begun, dogs snarling after him, pirates cheering, their guns shooting into the jungle. The poor guy ran, but the hunt was for the pirates' entertainment, not a real shot at escape.

"I want to have his FUCKING head served to me on a fucking gold plate!" He yelled and marched over to a table to refill the ammo into his pistol.

She came up behind him and rubbed his shoulders, "Why so tense?"

"I don't like these assholes fucking with me, is all." he said, turning around to face her, awfully close.

"I know you well, Vaas. No one is gonna get the best of you... except me." She said and wiped a spot of blood off his cheek. He grabbed her wrist,

"I almost forgot, I have a surprise for you. Come on," he dragged her behind him and they made their way to a shack filled with luggage of all the tourists that had been killed and captured. He sifted through the table piled up with phones and iPods searching for one device in particular.

"This is full of a lot of shit, but here you go." He handed her an iPod. It was hers! Her name inscribed on the back. She had almost forgotten about the luxury of music. Happily she scrolled through the albums, everything was still there.

"This isn't a trick is it?" She asked, suddenly aware of the strange kindness he was showing.

"No!" He said, insulted, "I dunno... I can be nice sometimes, can't I? "

"Sure, Vaas - when pigs start flying."

"You're a fucking bitch you know that -" his words held no real venom, he poked her in the sides causing her to jump away, laughing.

"I'm the only bitch you have so keep me close."

"You're the only person I trust, Terra. You're the only one I can keep close." He said, he scratched the back of his neck nervously, "and I'm not crazy, but, you know... sometimes I think what if. What if you and I-"

"Vaas," she interrupted, knowing exactly what he was going to say. And it scared her. "I want you to think about it before you make any kind of decision."

He gave her a studied glance, and then giggled - "First you kiss me, then you push me away. What's it gonna be?"

"I know you, Vaas. I'm worried I might not be good for you."

"Terra..." He started walking toward her, getting closer and closer, and to her shock his eyes started to water. He stopped in front of her, his head bowed, like he was ashamed, "I need you."

This was not like any of the playful flirtations he always tossed around, this was his bare soul in front of her, aching. She suddenly wanted his arms around her again, like they were on the balcony. She wanted to get wrapped up in Eden, to get lost in it.

Like a reflex her arm reached out to his chest, feeling the stone muscle behind his red shirt. Magnetically she gravitated towards him, getting closer than she ever did on purpose. In a moment, he looked down at her as she leaned against his chest, their arms entwined. She could hear his heart beat she was so close.

"This is a bad idea," she said.

"Terra-"

He couldn't complete his sentence. She had kissed him. And he kissed back. Their lips collided together, ecstatic, thrilling, disorienting, intoxicating. She had fallen into madness, and it felt wonderful.

Hello again :) I want to thank all of you who have left reviews, favorited, and/or followed my story. It always makes my day and encourages me to write more and more for you. Let me know what you think of these new chapters, are they better - worse? Is there anything you don't quite understand or you think needs clarification? I had a long break between chapter 2 and 3 so I'm trying to get back into the flow. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!:)