AN: Important. Please read.

I'm back! \o/ I am so, desperately sorry for that huge absence, but it was very much unavoidable. In December the UK had absolutely terrible weather, snow several feet deep, which we're really not used to, and I managed to catch a nasty chest infection. On top of that I slipped on ice during a visit to the doctors (oh the irony) and managed to crack a couple of ribs. Severe coughing plus fractured ribs does not a healthy person make. The infection persisted through three courses of antibiotics and during that time I managed to do quite a bit of damage to the soft tissue around the broken ribs. So, I've been doped up to the eyeballs on pain medication (tramadol, 600 mg x_X) for the whole of January. (Takes a deep breath) Because of THAT, I missed quite a bit of college and several very important visits, at the worst possible time. I've been spending all my time since January working my fingers off trying to catch up on the missed work plus keeping tabs on the current classes. This is the first bit of free time I've had, so I could finally polish and post this woefully overdue chapter.

Previously

If the boy was still in the city and he could be found, then the guards should be able to find where he was staying, and corner him without the risk of him escaping. Normally Pagus wouldn't use such harsh methods to get answers, but Pagus had a gut feeling that this boy had something to do with Emmy's wounds.

Whether that meant he had a hand in inflicting them and had felt guilty, or was just a witness, Pagus didn't know. Either way, he knew more than he had told, and Pagus, as a trusted friend of her mother and Emmy's unofficial uncle, had a duty to find the answers.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Waking to the softness of a real bed was much nicer than the cold hard ground he'd become used to. Stretching luxuriously, back arching like a languid cat, Rush sat up and stared around the room, wondering for a moment why he was lying on a bed, rather than the ground outside.

Memory of yesterdays events quickly returning, Rush leapt out of bed and bounded over to the window to look outside. Sure enough, it seemed his nap had turned into a whole nights rest, as it was now mid morning at least. He must have been more tired than he'd realised.

Cleaning up at the washstand in one corner, Rush pulled on the same clothes from yesterday, seeing no need change them after only a few hours of exploring. Shrugging on his coat he thought for a moment, but decided to leave his bag in the room.

Tucking his money pouch under his shirt, the young man grabbed his room key and made his way down to the bar to grab something to eat.

Reaching the last step, Rush glanced around, surprised and a little relieved that the bar wasn't nearly as busy as it had been yesterday. There were only a few mitra and a small party of qsiti occupying the tables, leaving much more breathing space.

Moving over to the bar, Rush noted the absence of the bartender from last night, and asked the young man, no, the teenager polishing the gleaming wood counter what they had to eat. The boy in question was rather short, with dirty blonde hair and a pinched, mousey face, acne pitting the skin.

Looking up, the teen quickly smothered the annoyed look on his face, dropping the cloth under the bar. Blinking at the small, polite, but obviously false smile he was given, Rush listened as the mitra rattled off a list of different dishes that the Remnant struggled to decipher.

The mitra's accent was very different from what he was used to, the sounds oddly discordant, each word a harsh bark that ran into the next with barely a pause in between. It was still the same language, for he could make out some words, but with that accent it might as well have been another altogether.

Feeling more than a little silly, Rush realised he was staring at the boy with a nonplussed expression. Heaving a longsuffering sigh that spoke of many such reactions in the past, the boy pointed to a chalkboard hanging on the wall near the door, before turning away in obvious dismissal.

Irritated at the blatant snub, Rush swallowed a growl as he stalked over to the board he hadn't noticed the night before. It wasn't placed very well, hanging right in the entryway, so that when the door was opened, the board would be hidden behind it.

Standing in front of the door, Rush looked over the menu, frowning when he only recognised some of the dishes. Unknown to Rush, he was lucky they even had a written menu, as many common folk were largely illiterate. Most small villages were lucky if they had even one person who knew how to read, and learning to write was only something the higher class citizens could afford to do.

Choosing something he knew, Rush gave the surly teen his order, a spicy basilisk meat broth and thick crusty bread, and took his meal over to a table in the corner, near the window.

Only a moment after he sat down, he heard the door thrown open with such a loud bang he nearly fell out of his seat. Looking for the source of the commotion he got another surprise, as the two oddest looking yama he'd ever seen came walking into the bar. The smaller of the two followed closely behind the other, one hand gripping the yama in front while the other held a stout walking staff.

The larger of the two had smooth grey-brown scales covering most of his body, giving way to lighter, creamy pale skin on his chest and neck. His dorsal fin and tail were unusually short, with streaks of dark russet red going through the delicate skin of the fins, but the strangest thing had to be the presence of two short, curved horns, or tusks, growing on either side of his mouth.

At first Rush thought they were just part of his helmet, a leather and metal skullcap which dipped right down between his eyes. He was proved wrong however, when the yama undid the strap under his chin and tossed the helmet onto a nearby table, tusks still standing out proudly from his face.

Most of his armour was made of thick reinforced leather dyed in Athlumian colours, but the bright silver glint of scale mail covered his shoulders and arms. He was probably an off duty soldier, though his armour was slightly different than the guards Rush had seen yesterday.

The smaller yama holding his hand was even more unusual, and seconds later he found out why, picking up their scents as the draft from the door carried them through the air. As hinted at by her looks, the smaller of the two was a female. If she had been a mitra or qsiti this wouldn't have been odd, but yama females were notoriously secretive, and it was unheard of to see one in the open like this.

Yama females were considerably different from their male counterparts, size being just one difference. Going by her scent, and the lack of any spicy-sweet adult pheromones, Rush would have to say that the female was still just a child. At first glance she certainly didn't look like a child, being an inch or so taller than Rush, and about twice as wide.

In comparison to the male with her however, she looked much smaller, despite standing straighter. Her back was much less hunched than the males, and she had quite a narrow waist for a yama. Her scales were a pale, silvery-pink, with darker dusky pink markings on her neck and sides.

Her chest and neck had the same creamy-pale skin as the other yama, but her tail and dorsal fins were much longer, the skin on both fins a deep rouge. To his surprise, none of the people in the bar batted an eyelash at the pair's sudden entrance, a couple of the mitra even calling out greetings to the pair.

Busying himself with the rest of his food, Rush watched out of the corner of his eye as the big male led the smaller female to a table near the window, right next to the one occupied by the curious Remnant, and guided her carefully into a seat.

The reason he was being so careful was obvious, the little female was crippled. Her legs were bent and oddly angular, encased tightly in metal support frames to help her walk. The wooden staff was also another support, far thicker than a normal staff to prevent it bending or breaking under a yama's considerable weight.

The sound of the spoon dinging against his now empty bowl pulled him out of his contemplation, but also attracted the attention of the female, who turned towards the sound, not having noticed that someone was so close. Feeling eyes perusing his body was more than a little unnerving for the young man, so he stood up to return his dirty bowls, not knowing he could just leave them to be tidied up by the staff currently on duty.

"Don't go yet, please."

Pausing, Rush turned to look at the yama in surprise, not expecting her to speak to a complete stranger like him.

"I've never seen you around here before, and I know most of the regulars that visit the Warrior's Honour. If you're not a regular… then you must be a traveller!"

Her face lighting up as she said this, the yama leaned towards him, her eagerness vibrating against his skin at this distance.

"Do you know any tales about General Blocter?"

Completely thrown for a loop by the yama's overly friendly behaviour, Rush didn't notice the other yama coming up behind him, and started violently when a huge hand clapped him on the shoulder, barely biting back a sharp hiss of surprise.

"Hey kid, you're kinda jumpy, aren't ya? Don't mind my little sis here, she loves pestering people for stories, 'specially travellers."

Looking up at the yama left Rush feeling exceptionally small and weak in comparison, for though yama were always big, this male was larger than any he'd seen so far. He nearly topped eight feet in height, and those tusks added an edge of fierceness that other yama just didn't have.

Realising he was staring, Rush immediately averted his eyes, still off balance from the yama's unexpected friendliness. Feeling the big male's hand disappear from his shoulder, Rush glanced briefly back up, only to be met with an understanding expression from both siblings.

"You don't need to be embarrassed, big brother makes everyone feel small. He might look scary, but he's a big softy at heart."

Finishing with a big smile, the small female patted the seat next to her invitingly.

"Let's start over again, my name's Rheanna, though everyone calls me Rhea, and this is my big brother Baulson. He's a soldier in the Athlumian army, but he's doing guard duty for now, so that's why he isn't chasing after beastmen with the generals and the other soldiers. So, now you know our names, what's yours?"

Still not quite sure where this was going, Rush none the less found himself sinking onto the proffered seat while the other male, Baulson, sat opposite.

"…My name is Rush. You're right, I suppose I am a traveller of sorts, I only got into Athlum yesterday. I don't really know what's been happening here, so what did you mean, chasing beastmen?"

Rheanna looked surprised at this, giving him a scrutinising stare.

"I guess that kinda explains why you don't know, but really... The army, Lord Nassau and three of the four generals are all away on a campaign against the beastmen. Those monsters have been attacking villages for months now, the army has been gone for at least a month, and this is the first you've heard of it? You must have been living in the middle of nowhere to have missed that kind of news!"

Sighing in gentle exasperation, Baulson shifted back to let a waitress deposit the food he'd ordered onto the table.

"C'mon Rhea, give the kid a break. It isn't as though Athlum is the centre of the world or anything, there'll be plenty of people who don't know that. Anyway grub's up, so more eating and less talking."

Rhea made a face at this, but before tucking in, she looked at Rush again.

"Hey Rush, will you be staying here long? If you are, then maybe we can talk again. I'd like that, and so would big brother. I could tell you about Athlum, and you could tell me about your travels!"

Smiling slightly at her enthusiasm, Rush nodded.

"I… I think I'd like that too. I'm not sure when I'll be leaving, but I should be here for another few days at least. Anyway, I'd better leave you to it… see you later."

Making that his cue to leave, Rush got up and nodded politely to the siblings, gathering his bowls and taking them to the counter, not noticing the speculative look that crossed Baulson's face, and unaware of the basic sketch of his own face that resided in the yama's pocket, given out less than an hour ago by the Captain of the guard.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Strolling through the streets some time later, Rush made his way towards the square, deciding to do a little people watching. It was a habit of his that he'd picked up before going to Darken forest. It served to pass the time, and it let him learn more about basic social interactions, which he still wasn't the best at.

Casting a slightly wary glance at the Valeria Heart when he entered the plaza, Rush settled on the side of the wide marble steps in the northernmost part of the square.

Gazing out at the bustling people, he found himself thinking how different it was to Veyriel, where only about a hundred and fifty Remnants had lived at any one time. It had been much quieter than this city, the pace of living much slower than the frenetic speed that seemed to possess everyone in this place.

Just thinking about those differences filled him with a deep sense of homesickness, wishing for nothing more than to be able to go home, missing the sound of the ocean surf sweeping over the beaches, the sweet smells of the alpine meadows he used to play in.

Lost in his contemplations, he didn't notice the nearest guards watching him covertly, though as per their instructions, they merely observed the oblivious boy.

The sound of approaching laughter broke him out of his musings, and he looked up just in time to see a gaggle of children come barrelling over the lip of the stairs behind him. They were an even mix of mitra and qsiti, probably around eight years old with an older teen trudging along behind them, looking very put out.

Not willing to be trampled by the screaming hoard, Rush stood off to one side, the children scrambling past him without so much as a backward glance. Watching them start up a game of sorts in the middle of the square, Rush went to retake his seat but was surprised to see a tiny figure standing by his leg, staring up at him with undisguised curiosity.

The little qsiti certainly can't have been older than five, and barely reached his knee, small even for a qsiti. The child looked positively comical, his ears so long he could nearly stand on them, eyes huge as he stared at Rush.

Wearing a knitted green jumper that was just a bit too big, he clutched a very worn looking toy raptor, stuffing peeping between the seams in some places, a scarf, mittens and bobble hat completing the picture. His mother must have been worried about him catching a cold, even though the weather was still quite mild.

After five solid minutes of staring, the tiny child seemed to make up his mind about something, and piped up in a small, high pitched voice.

"Hello mister mitra."

Confused by the little being's interest in him, Rush just stared at the expectant upturned face before stammering a reply.

"Ah… hello, little… kid."

Looking pleased, the child positively beamed up at him, bouncing on his toes.

"My mummy calls me Mikki, what're you called?"

Thinking it was rather cute the way the kid was concentrating on saying the words properly, Rush found his lips twitching upwards at the corners.

"People call me Rush. What are you doing over here on your own, don't you want to play with your friends?"

Smile drooping after he said this, the tiny qsiti hugged his toy tighter, looking over at the older children.

"They don't like me, they say I'm too little to play. They just ig, ign… pretend I'm not there."

Sniffing in a way that had alarm bells ringing in the young Remnant's head, the small boy stared down at his feet, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"I'm not too little, I'm not! They're just too big, and mean…"

Voice sounding suspiciously thick, the qsiti sniffled quietly, thin shoulders drooping under the jumper. Crouching so that he was nearer to the little boy's eye level (though he was still looking down on the kid even then), Rush tried to give some form of comfort, feeling quite awkward.

"Hey, c'mon now, don't get upset, even if they think you're too small now, you'll grow. You've still got a lot of growing to do, and you never know, you might end up taller than some of them."

Looking up, the tiny qsiti stared at him, eyes shiny and wet with building tears.

"I know I'll get big, but I want to play now. I won't be big for ages and ages. I just want them to be nice…"

Grimacing at the thought of dealing with an outburst of tears, Rush glanced around hurriedly, hoping to see something to distract the upset child. Eyes' alighting on one of the shop stands surrounding the square, he felt inspiration strike.

"Hey um… Mikki. How about we go over there and look at that stall, it's got lots of nice things to look at, and maybe if you see something nice we could get it?"

Wiping his nose on his sleeve, the tiny child looked up to where he was pointing, and he visibly perked up upon seeing the toy and sweet laden stall. Slipping his own hand into the young Remnants, the little qsiti trotted over to the stall, poor Rush nearly bent double in order to maintain contact with the tiny being.

When they reached the stall Mikki let go and started to jump up and down, trying to see over the edge of the table. Considering how small he was, this was a wasted effort. So he turned to look at Rush, eyes round and pleading, not even needing to ask to communicate the desire to be lifted up to see.

Genuinely surprised at the level of trust this child, little more than a baby in his eyes, was showing, he glanced around surreptitiously, half expecting the teenage minder to be storming over to retake his charge. But no, it looked like the teen hadn't even noticed he was missing one, looking half asleep on top of the short wall surrounding the base of Valeria Heart.

Anything could be happening and that boy wouldn't even notice. Rush could've easily been someone else, with far darker intentions, as he'd overheard many unsavoury things from his travels that could happen to unattended children.

Frowning at this lack of care over something as precious as a child, Rush turned and in one smooth movement scooped the little qsiti into his arms, smiling at the answering giggle.

"Well then, let's see what goodies we can find!"

Some twenty minutes later Mikki was swerving between a bulging bag of barley sugar sweets and a plush spiritlord so big he'd have to carry it in both arms. Looking longingly at both of them, it seemed that he just couldn't choose between the two. Seeing the torn expression, Rush pondered how much money he had in his pouch, because he'd grown surprisingly fond of the little kid even in such a short time.

"Eh, I'll be a devil and take both of them."

Flipping a gold coin at the vendor (probably worth more than the two items actually cost), he grabbed the toy and passed the sweets to Mikki, who was practically bouncing in excitement, eyes huge at the prospect of getting both things instead of just one.

Carrying him over to the wall where the oblivious minder lay, Rush plopped him down, but not before two tiny arms wrapped around his neck in an overenthusiastic hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

The ecstatic little qsiti was practically beaming as Rush handed him his new toy, barely able to keep still. Smiling at the display, the young Remnant patted him on the head.

"Now that that's done, I'm afraid I've got to go. I have something very important to do now, so stay here and play with your new feathered friend until it's time to go home, okay?"

Big smile fading at those words, Mikki looked ready to protest, unhappy that his other new friend was going away so soon.

"Don't be sad, I've got to go and see another friend at the hospital who's been hurt. I want to make sure they get better."

Face screwing up slightly, the little qsiti nevertheless nodded resolutely.

"Okay mister Rush."

Pausing for a moment, Mikki turned to look at his new toy, then leaned in as if he was listening to it.

"Oh! Birdy says bye-bye too, and that your friend gets better."

Raising a brow at the new toys very… practical name, Rush smiled, gave a little wave, then set off across the square to one of the exits.

After the third dead end street, Rush was about ready to take to the rooftops to find the stupid hospital. He thought he could remembered the route he'd taken yesterday, but obviously he must have gotten turned around somewhere, for he was now hopelessly lost.

Looking for someone to ask for directions was also turning into an exercise in frustration, for the few people he'd already asked either ignored him or said they didn't know. Just about ready to forget the whole endeavour and climb the nearest building, Rush spotted someone down a short side alley.

Figuring he'd give it one more go, he called out to them as he approached.

"Hey, excuse me! Can you tell me the way to the hospital from here, I seem to be a bit lost."

Getting no reply, he frowned. The figure seemed to be leaning over slightly as though they were busy with something. He could see the figure was female, wearing some sort of spiky edged corset top and low slung reinforced trousers. Not thinking too much into it, Rush stopped behind her and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Excuse me… whoa!"

Leaping backwards, he barely missed the large shape that blurred past his head and slammed into the wall of the adjacent building, splintering the wood upon impact. The moment he'd touched her shoulder, the woman had spun round and swung at him with what appeared to be a giant war hammer.

"The Hell?"

Scrambling away, he barely missed another swing from that beast of a weapon.

"What was that for!"

Pausing between swings, the woman looked him up and down, frowning, then planted her hammer on the ground.

"You don't look like you're from the Academy, you're just a kid. Go away and leave me alone, what did you want anyway?"

Busy trying not to hyperventilate from a safe distance away, Rush just eyed her as though he half expected her to take another swing at him.

"Well? I don't have all day kid! Either say your bit or get going!"

Not sure what to think of the crazy lady and her hammer he answered nonetheless.

"I was going to ask for directions to the hospital before you tried to smash my head in."

Blinking at that rather mundane answer, she huffed then rattled off a string of directions. When he didn't move from his spot, she hefted the hammer threateningly.

"I told you what you wanted, so get going! Scat!" Giving her another funny look, he turned and loped off down the street, not wanting to be anywhere near that hammer wielding madwoman.

Standing concealed in a small side street just across from the hospital a short while later, Rush could at least say that her directions were reliable, ever if her mental state was still in question. Putting her out of his mind, Rush pondered how he was going to do this.

He couldn't just walk in and ask to see Emmy, no doubt they wouldn't let random people off the street in to see the Honeywell heir. She'd probably be guarded, or at least in a private room, and if by chance the healer from before spotted him, they would want to question him about what exactly happened.

No, his best chance was to wait until tonight, then sneak in and sense her location. He should be familiar enough with the feel of her soul to pick her out, and once he'd checked on her he could then decide if he wanted to leave town or not. Unwilling to risk losing the hospital again in the warren of streets if he went back to the Warrior's Honour, he decided to settle in and wait.

Finding a convenient drainpipe and checking he would be unobserved, Rush shimmied up the side of a building and out of sight of any passersby. Curling up in a convenient dip in the roof made by two connecting buildings, he pillowed his head on his arms and tried to dose to pass the time until he could move.

Stretching cramped muscles several hours later, Rush looked up at the swiftly darkening sky. It was about time for him to get this over with. Peering over the edge of the roof, he scanned the nearly empty side street to check he wouldn't be seen coming down. There looked to be one guard making his way along the road, thankfully facing the opposite direction from Rush, so he shouldn't see anything as long as the teen was quiet.

Sliding carefully down the same drainpipe he took to get up there, he had to make a quick drop into the shadows as one of the iron brackets protested loudly at his weight. Holding his breath, Rush peered out of the shadows at the patrolling guard, hoping against hope that he hadn't heard anything. Thankfully, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the guard at the far end of the street, apparently oblivious to the young Remnants presence.

Eyes and ears open to any sound or movement, Rush crept through the shadows towards the hospital, looking for a way to get inside without anyone knowing. Crossing the street in a quick dash, he stopped at the base of one of the large trees growing beside the hospital.

Unable to detect anyone watching, Rush launched himself into the lower branches of the tree, easily making the seven foot jump straight up. If he'd guessed correctly, he should be able to get in on the third floor, where it was more likely that the private rooms were located.

Climbing into the uppermost branches, Rush found he could easily access the third floor windows, which was perfect. Peering into the nearest darkened window, he stretched his senses into the room beyond, lucky to find it unoccupied. Easing the window open, he slid inside, listening intently for any sound that might betray a nurse making her rounds.

Hearing nothing but the usual minor sounds, he crossed the room and opened the inner door that led to the corridor. Glancing up and down the dim hallway, he cautiously made his way along the corridor, feeling for Emmy's presence. About halfway along, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was the sound of footsteps from a room near the end of the hall.

Opening the nearest door he slipped inside, not making a sound to betray his presence. With his enhanced vision he could easily see the shape of a female mitra leave one of the rooms, and disappear down one of the adjoining corridors. Happy with his assumption that the female must have been a nurse, he continued feeling out the nearby rooms occupants.

By luck, the same room the nurse had vacated was the one where he found Emmy fast asleep, probably due to painkillers or some other drug. Entering cautiously he crept over to the head of the bed, ignoring the clipboard with all its medical jargon (which he wouldn't understand anyway). Using a much simpler method to ascertain her health, he leant over her upper body and focused all his senses on her, in a sense 'reading' her spirit, listening to her heart and the rhythm of her body.

She seemed to be on the mend, all traces of the poison and his power gone from her system. Her head wound had also been healed, a faint residue of magic still lingering around the area. She was still slightly fevered, though that was also much less than what it had been the day before. Looking at her shoulder wound showed that it had begun healing at the deepest point, the rest of the deep puncture stuffed with some kind of herbal poultice to stave off infection.

Such focus however meant he was too distracted to hear the muffled footfalls nearing Emmy's room. When the door opened he was caught completely by surprise, his head jerking up to meet the startled gaze of the female he'd thought was a nurse, carrying a glass of water. Caught red-handed, he stayed frozen for several precious seconds, long enough for the female to have shouted for help if she'd wanted.

The puzzling thing was she didn't, seemingly frozen in place with shock, staring at Rush as though she had never seen anything like him before. Backing slowly away from Emmy, he stared at the intruder, instinctively noting what few features were visible in the pale moonlight.

He could see she was short and pale skinned, maybe mid teens at the oldest, with dark shoulder length hair and large eyes. Beyond that he had to guess, colour and other proportions warped by the pale silver light and deep shadows.

Breaking the silence with words that made his throat constrict with fear, the girl finally spoke in a hushed, very confused tone.

"What… who are you? What are you doing in this room?"

After another brief pause where he fumbled for words, the girl continued, sounding slightly less confused, but also curious.

"You… you feel just like a Remnant, but you look like a mitra. How is that possible?"

Thoughts screeching to a half at that deeply alarming sentence, Rush didn't even realise that he'd started to back up until he bumped into the wall behind him. Still looking disbelievingly at him, the girl moved further into the room, her stare oddly penetrating.

Feeling rooted to the spot by her intense gaze, he found himself unable to move away even when she stopped a scant two feet away. Panic making his breath catch and heart beat faster, Rush remained frozen while she reached out to touch him.

The moment her finger touched his face, the strange spell was broken and he knew exactly what she was. Before, she had felt normal, but as soon as she made physical contact it was like she lit up from within, seemingly delicate blue-white power blazing out across all his senses.

Shocked to his senses, Rush finally bolted for the door, knocking the young Marshal off her feet as he ran to the room where he'd entered, the forgotten glass of water smashing when it hit the floor.

Ignoring the soft cry of pain and the startled "Wait!" that followed him he leapt straight out the window, shooting down the tree and hitting the ground running. Unfortunately he did so right in front of a trio of guards, who quickly gave chase once they realised where he had just exited.

Thoughts in a whirl, he didn't think to use his power to speed up his escape, just wanting to get away from the hospital and that girl. He just ran, fear biting at his heels at the thought of a Marshal having found out what he was, and what she could do if he were caught.

Ah yes, the cry of pain from Irina wasn't because of her falling, she tried to follow Rush and stood on some broken glass, in case anyone was wondering.

Any reviews go towards the feeding of my half starved muse.