AN AUGH OH MY GOSH I'M SLOW AND BROKE MY PROMISE BUT THIS CHAPTER WAS SO LONG AND PAINFUL AND UGH ENJOY IT.

This chapter was rushed out (I wrote it in a rough total of three and a half hours, more or less straight), and I only did a basic edit of it, so forgive me if I have any silly mistakes in it. I just wanted to get it out as soon as possible, because I kind of left you guys on a mega cliff hanger, and I don't want to torture you any more.

There's just a lot of action in this chapter, and it was so stressful for me to write, because I was just so incredibly wrapped up in the moment that I could see absolutely everything rolling out in front of me, and I knew just what everyone was feeling and thinking and ugh it was a lot. I hope that contributed to the quality of the chapter :)

Also a shout out to the fab theleague-ofshadows for being awesome and supporting me through this! The conversations I held with her and the ideas she sparked were marvelous, and helped the story be what it is today. Hang in there, kid, and don't let life get you down!

Bane didn't even take the moment to breathe, he simply snapped his arms out and grabbed the front of Nasrin's shirt. She let out a gasp as she slammed against the bars, and he felt Talia jump beside him, just as shocked by the sudden movement.

Nasrin stared at him through the bars, head lifted up to allow room for her chin now that her face was so close. There wasn't a shred of fear in those dark eyes. Now that she had said it, now that she had laid everything she had in front of them, there wasn't much to be afraid of. She knew that Bane would do whatever he wanted now, whether that was snap her neck or throw her off the side of the path, and she could do nothing about it.

"I thought so," she said softly, words meant only for him. There was the slightest trace of a quiver in her voice, though, belying the confidence in her eyes.

Perhaps not so brave, after all.

"How did you know," he gritted out, voice nearly as low as his. Their faces were close, terribly close, and he could feel Talia edging ever so slowly closer. "How did you know about her?"

"I guessed," Nasrin breathed, and Bane adjusted his grip so that he was holding onto her neck and not her shirt. Nasrin was now balancing on the tips of her toes, trying to keep any extra pressure off of her neck. "I didn't have the vaguest idea until, until yesterday. Everyone's noticed how you've been hoardin' the kid, keeping him—her—to yourself," she continued, voice sounding a little more strained now, like she was reconsidering her choice, "An' then those visits you paid to that old bat leaving her alone, there was no need. Unless she could teach...something you couldn't, and then just some of the expressions...didn't look like a boy. So I guessed."

Bane narrowed his eyes, thinking, thinking.

If Nasrin knew, Eyphah almost surely knew. But there was no way he would leave them alone if he did, there was no way he wouldn't assemble a mob to go and rip them apart, literally, in Bane's case. He may have been crafty, but Eyphah wouldn't have had the restraint to lay a game of cat and mouse, not when he discovered that Bane had been keeping such a secret from him.

What did Nasrin have to gain from telling Bane she knew, anyways? Blackmail was out of the question, as there was hardly anything he could do for her, and Bane could just as easily kill her, as he was very near doing now.

At the thought, his hands tightened ever so slightly, but it was enough to make her panic.

"Please," she rasped, hands clutching as his, attempting to find purchase, as if that would help her any, "please, Bane, don't–don't kill me."

"Why?" he asked, voice low and feral, and Nasrin didn't have an answer for a moment, the woman who had a retort for practically everything, who knew the best move and who had been blessed enough to have golden teeth. For a moment, she was simply scared, faced with an opponent she could never hope to beat or trick.

But maybe she could manage to convince.

"Because I want...want to help."

Bane glared at her for a moment, then loosened his grip a little.

"How?"

"Eyphah's getting close, he's not going to take much longer to figure it out," she began, voice soft and quick like she knew she had to get the many words out as possible. "I heard them, they're throwing around ideas and he's going to figure it out in a day, maybe two. I just wanted..."

"Wanted what?" he snarled, needing to get down the matter at hand, in its most basic form. He didn't have the time or patience to deal with a terrified, desperate woman.

"I wanted to warn you. I know...I know you care about the little girl, no matter what you say, and if you got a plan, you need to use it, fast."

She was right, and Bane absolutely hated it. There was no more time for dancing around the truth, trying to hide behind bold moves and hidden facts. Bane had the benefits of a powerful body and mind, but Eyphah had an entire mob of savage, angry men. It didn't matter how gifted Bane was, because there came a point when there were just too many bodies, too many fists to keep from hitting him.

Bane stared at her for a moment, forcing his breathing to stay calm, to not just kill her and have done with it. Nasrin seemed to want the best for Talia, whatever good that might do. She might have gathered a bit more information while cozying up to the men in the Pit.

He let her go, and Nasrin sank back to standing flat footed, staggering back a step as she tried to get a proper breath.

"I-I-thank you," she rasped, but Bane merely asked in response "What good will this do you?"

Nasrin just looked at him, shaking her head slightly and shrugging.

"It's like I said, tiger, people can still be people down here. I wouldn't a let a kid or anyone helping them get killed over nothing before, and I'm not gonna do it now. In fact, that's what got me stuck down here," she said, smiling her golden smile. She rubbed her throat, probably thinking that was exactly what almost got her killed.

"And what good will this do me?" he asked, still thinking. When was the best time for Bane and Talia to attempt climbing? Not today, but maybe while it was dark. Bane could use the rope to climb up to the ledge, but would there be enough light for him to accurately see the next ledge he would have to jump to? Would it matter, even if he did, as he had Talia to worry about? The chances of one of them making the jump were slim enough as it was, but two...it seemed like tempting fate to try such a feat.

"I can help you, throw them off of you scent just a little bit. If you need any extra time, I can try to help get that. They're not going to expect some dumb whore to be working with you," she said, offering a smile. Bane pursed his lips, acknowledging some of the truth to her words.

"You're not dumb," he said, "and Eyphah knows it. He's one of the few who would realize just how hard you work to say the right thing at the right time to the right person. He's going to sense alternate motives no matter what you say."

"Well, it's worth a shot," she said, and Bane felt the surreal quality of what they were doing in full force. Here he was, trying to plan an escape with a woman he barely knew, and trusted even less, an escape that their lives depended on, no less. But did he have any other choice?

Bane glanced down at Talia, who had so silently been listening to every word they had said. She might not have understood every little detail, but the truth was obvious on her face. She knew they had to leave, and fast.

"Bane?" she asked, sounding so defeated, so scared, and Bane knew his own answer.

Of course there was no other choice. If he killed Nasrin now, it was one less threat, but also one less ally. Plus she was one of very few people he was willing to trust even remotely in this hell hole.

"Alright," he said, looking back at Nasrin, "alright. You can help us."

She nodded, not asking him for the details, or for their next move. When Nasrin next spoke, she was facing Talia.

"So, tiger cub, what's your name?"

There was an absolute feeling of dread in Bane's stomach that night. Neither he nor Talia spoke if at all possible, quietly brooding on what was going to happen next.

They had to wait until the next day to escape, that was final. Just a few short hours and one horrible night, and they would be able to try climbing to the surface. But until then, they would have to fester in their own anxieties.

What if Nasrin had been lying, and had run down immediately to Eyphah? What if Eyphah knew more than either of them were giving him credit for, and he was just waiting for them to fall asleep to attack? In their cell, Bane and Talia were prime targets. Their door protected them from most attacks, but it also held them hostage. And a frenzied enough crowd could take the bars down.

They sat curled up on the bed, drifting in and out of sleep. Bane was far too paranoid to properly settle down, even though he knew that he really couldn't do anything as it was, and Talia was too sensitive to how he was feeling to relax. She sat curled up against his chest, absorbing his warmth and even a bit of his fear, because really, it didn't matter how things went tomorrow, whether they managed to start climbing without any problems or if Eyphah was on them from the first. Bane had to get them, had to get her out, at all costs.

Finally, the sun came up. The delicate sounds of animals up above their heads echoed down gently, the first few cicadas awakening, the occasional cry of a bird.

"Bane?" Talia asked, making him look down at her, "Is this it?"

He considered her words, then nodded even though she wasn't looking at him.

"Yes, Talia. This is it. Today's the day."

Bane wasn't a man that scared easily, but this was absolutely terrifying. Or rather, what he was going to have to face next wasn't terrifying, more the idea that he would fail, because there was nothing left for him if he did.

The two of them got ready quickly, eating some of their ration and both of them taking a drink from the water skin. They would have to be careful if (when, he corrected. Negative thinking wasn't going to help, not now) they got out, as they would have to find all food for themselves. At least while they were in the Pit, they could count on rations, no matter how sporadic.

"Do we go now?" Talia asked, eyes wide and worried. Bane glanced down, noting the large crowd that had already amassed below them on the Pit floor. He thought fast, settling on a plan.

"No, we can't as long as they are there. We need to coerce someone into creating a distraction. The old woman, maybe."

"Will she get hurt?" Bane glanced at her, noting that it was a dull resignation that colored Talia's features at the thought, not proper worry or distaste.

"It's a possibility."

"Are we going to bring out packs?" she asked as he got up to open the cell door. Bane shook his head, pulling out the key.

"No. It would cause suspicion. We'll simply have to double back."

The two of them walked down to the bottom, more aware of any danger than they had ever been before. What Bane really wanted to do was scoop Talia up and run, but he forced himself to walk, to look uninterestedly above the heads of everyone that passed. While they were walking, he noticed that Eyphah was nowhere to be seen amongst his usual followers. He told himself that that meant nothing, the man could be anywhere, but still, it sent a thrill of worry through his stomach.

They had just crossed the bottom of the Pit and were about to enter Anina's cluster of cell blocks, when a shout rang out several levels above their heads. Both Bane and Talia looked around, instantly picking up on the agitation that was spreading through the prisoners. Some of them began chattering, while others started to run towards the sound.

Instincts screaming at him, Bane pulled Talia back, pressing them both into the shadows. He picked her up, and she clutched onto his shirt desperately, looking tired and scared. No more of that, he thought to himself, he couldn't let her be scared any more.

People passed them, running now, and it was a few long beats before Bane set Talia back on the ground, and started walking back to the cell block. Whatever it was that had upset everyone, Bane was certain he didn't want to find out.

"Bane!" a voice hissed, raspy and on edge. He whirled, grabbing Talia's shoulder and scooting her behind him as he assessed the person speaking.

It was Anina, looking frantic. Strands of hair stuck out from her head, only adding to the panic in her face. Seeing her so far away from her cell could only mean one thing, which was immediately reaffirmed by her words.

"Bane, Bane, I'm sorry, I don't know how-"

"What happened," he asked, voice shockingly calm. She shook her head, helpless.

"He knows," she said simply. "Eyphah, he heard me, heard me talkin' to that fool doctor. I'm sorry, I didn't know he was there until it was too late, but he's on a man hunt now. He's gonna turn the entire Pit against you, if possible, just to get that young thing there." She nodded at Talia, who flinched at the thought.

"You're sure," he asked, assessing the damage, trying to picture the next action now.

"Yes, yes, curse it all, yes. I said it plain as day, I muddled it all up. I'm sorry, but you need to get outta here, now."

Bane nodded, grabbing Talia into his arms and starting to move back towards the clearing.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, but I'd say he's a few levels up. You can get up there now, you can probably reach the ledge without them reaching the bottom. You can get out!" He shook his head at her words, knowing that they wouldn't make it far without at least a little food and water. Even though the city just outside had plenty to steal and scrounge, it was always wise to have something fit for trade.

Anina growled out several curses as she grabbed at her hair, like she had expected this, but had prayed for it to not come true.

"Why, oh why can't you just leave now, stupid man?!"

"We have packs up in our cell. We'll need to get them if we're to make it very far."

"But your cell is at the very top! It's insane to go up there! Just save the girl while you can, don't make everything go to waste."

"Trust me, I'll get her out," Bane said, walking past Anina. He set a hand briefly on her shoulder, and she grunted "Just make sure you do."

Talia clung onto Bane's neck for dear life as he hurried across the Pit floor, slinking up the path and hiding whenever someone appeared ahead of them. There were a few close brushes, but he managed to keep them safe.

She glanced up at their mocking little sky, and wondered if it realized just how much pain it was putting them through.

Bane was silent for the entirety of the trip, brooding and serious. She had thought that he had been quiet that morning when they had been getting ready, but now he was an absolute fortress, letting nothing go, and letting nothing in. Whatever he was thinking and feeling was a complete mystery to her, and it made Talia worry. She didn't like being closed off from Bane, in any sense.

Just as they were approaching the halfway mark between their cell and the bottom, a voice again hissed out at them. Bane froze, and Talia turned her head to see Nasrin, hanging out of her cell door.

"Bane," she hissed again, waving closer. She looked almost as frantic as Anina had, but she was hiding it all under a thin guise of self control. "Bane, I don't know how it happened, but Eyphah knows. I didn't tell him-"

"I know," he said shortly. "He overheard Anina."

"You need to get out, now!" she said, glancing around. "This place is crawlin' with people who want your head for hiding the truth. I dunno why, but Eyphah takes this personally."

"We need our packs from the cell," he explained, and Nasrin stared at him as though she couldn't understand the importance of such trivial items. She glanced at Talia, as if that would help, then shook her head.

"You will be killed if you even try," she said simply. "They will mob you, stab or beat you to death, and then they will take that little girl and possibly rape her until she dies. You understand that, yeah?"

"I get it," he said shortly, and his grip on Talia tightened, which she hadn't before thought possible. "But we're not going to survive out there if we don't get them."

Nasrin let out a groan of frustration, thinking fast.

"Okay, okay, okay," she said, holding her hands out in front of her as if to hold him back, "fine, I'll get them. Hide in my cell, they won't think to look for you there, not at first at least, and then I'll go get them. Then I'll...I'll try to buy you some time. Just don't go up there."

Bane stared at her for what felt like an eternity to Talia, one where all of their hearts slowed as people lived and died and felt such pain and sadness she never wanted to know, but then everything snapped back to normal as he nodded, finally allowing this woman more of his trust.

"Fine. Go get them. They're under the bed," he told her as Nasrin herded them into her cell, and she nodded, biting her lip.

"Alright. Just stay here, and don't attract any attention," she said, flashing a strained smile. Talia wondered if she would ever see that smile after today. Probably not, she realized, and the idea made her incredibly sad.

Nasrin backed out of the cell, closing the door tightly behind her. She watched for a moment, just long enough for Bane to say "Remember where you're left when people are still people."

She gave another smile, saying "Sure thing, tiger," and then disappearing from view. Bane carried Talia over to the darkest corner of the room, tucked away behind Nasrin's cot. She took a few shaky breaths, straining to see his face.

"Do you think she'll trick us? Will she tell Eyphah?"

Bane considered Talia for a moment, then shook his head.

"No little one. She won't tell. She doesn't have an empty enough heart for that."

"What does that mean?" she whispered, suddenly wanting to know more about this strange, strange woman.

"It means she's one of very few good people. That will probably get her killed."

Talia nodded, pressing her head back into his chest. A knot had formed in her stomach, and Talia felt that she would be absolutely sick if they didn't get out of there, and soon. Being huddled away in Nasrin's cell, in a little cage was a nightmare. At least when they were in the open, they had some idea of what was going on elsewhere.

"What's outside?" she asked, for the dozenth time, just because she needed a recall of normalcy, needed something to remind her of things being okay and making it out alright.

"A large, large city, with a giant wall surrounding it," Bane murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. "And inside that city are far more people than you could ever imagine. Some of them are good, and some of them are terribly evil. And the only way you'll be able to tell what they are is by watching them very, very hard, and making your best guess. There will be plenty of children there, and they will have been taught how to steal and lie and run, just to survive. If all else fails, find them."

That quiet whisper froze Talia, because it hinted that Bane thought something might happen to him, that she might have to go on without him.

A tear tracked down her cheek at the thought, and she pressed her face into his shirt, determined not to listen to such terrifying thoughts.

Bane gave a continual stream of instructions to Talia, which she desperately tried to remember. Outside of the cell, shouts would occasionally break out, snarls and screams. It seemed that the rampant prisoners weren't interested in simply finding and attacking Bane and Talia.

Finally, when Talia thought there couldn't be a single thing left for him to say, Bane whispered "And, if nothing else...try to find your father."

"What?"

"Try to find your father, Ra's Al Ghul. He might be able to help you. If he's still alive and working with the League of Shadows, he will be able to help you."

"But what about you?" she asked, because it had to be said, it had to or she'd burst.

"I'll help you as best I can, little one. But don't worry about me. I don't have everything ahead of me like you do."

Talia was going to answer, but there was a quiet rattle at the door. Talia bit down on a gasp and whipped her head around, relaxing a little when she saw Nasrin clutching two packs. She hurried inside, slamming the door behind them.

"They're on rampage out there," she gasped, handing the packs over to Talia and Bane. Her hands were shaking.

"What's Eyphah doing?"

"I dunno, I haven't really seen him, but whatever it is, it's workin'. They're attacking anyone they can get their hands on. I'm lucky I got by."

Bane nodded, hands working at the packs. He undid one of them, taking handfuls of food and placing them in her pockets. Talia bit her lip, thinking that there it was again, him hinting at giving up, at never making it out. But then she corrected herself, remembering what he had told Anina.

He was just taking measures to make sure she survived, if nothing else worked, no matter how painful that possibility was.

"Alright, hold on," Nasrin said, glancing back out the cell, "I'll go distract Eyphah and you can go down."

Bane caught her wrist like he had done once before, but this time, it wasn't a threat, wasn't the possibility of him breaking her arm, but still to catch her attention.

"Thank you," he said, catching her off guard. Nasrin broke into an unsure smile, shrugging.

"Yeah, no problem. Just stay on your toes. Good luck, Talia," she said, turning to her and nodding. "Stay safe."

Talia broke into an equally uncertain smile in way of goodbye, watching the woman disappear yet again.

Bane picked Talia up, and carefully walked to the front of the cell. He waited a moment, then stole out of it, moving fast. It took a few moments, silent, eerie things in which Talia wondered if maybe they would get away clean, if no one would get hurt and by the time the rest of the prisoners caught up to them, it would be too late, they would already have begun to climb, but then enrage screams broke out above. Then Talia was suspended in a horrible moment of noise and motion.

Bane broke into a run as people noticed him, darting past anyone that tried to catch them. A couple of people reached their arms out, trying to grab hold of the two of them, but Bane pushed them aside, and even one tumbled over the side. His screams of pain had no definition to Talia, just one more voice in a cacophony of anger and frenetic energy.

But they had reached the pathway up to the wall, and Bane was taking it in quick, rough steps. They jolted Talia, but she just clung on, suddenly afraid of being shaken loose. He let her down, practically dropping her, and Talia faced the wall. From here, standing at its feet, it felt like a giant, ready to buck her off if she attempted climbing more than a couple of feet.

Trepidation froze her, making it hard to think and breath and move. Talia forced her feet forward, slowly, unsure if she really wanted this, really wanted to risk her life, but Bane's hands were urging her forward, to start climbing. A scream was building up in her, demanding that she stop, that everyone just stop so she could have a few seconds to absorb this, to understand just what was going on, what she was committing to.

But she couldn't, she didn't have the time and she couldn't wish for it to be so.

"Go on, Talia! Climb!" he practically shouted, and there was a vague moment where she thought he shouldn't have said her name, else everyone would figure it out. Then she remembered that it didn't matter now.

Talia walked towards the wall, not even caring that there wasn't time to bother with the rope, and Bane hoisted her up, a wonderful, comforting support that was gone all too soon.

"Climb up, little one. I'm right behind you," he said, voice softer now, and she wasn't sure how she managed to hear him over the monstrous noise behind them. "Get out of reach!"

Talia began climbing, climbing, each step and grip a promise. One more, one more, another leg up was another chance at being safe, at living some free life under the clouds with everyone else. With Bane.

Talia finally reached one of the ledges, and glanced down. While she had been climbing, the blood roaring in her ears and the sounds of her own breathing had muted everything else, but now the sound hit her with enough force to make her stagger back. She gazed down, expecting to see Bane just inches away, telling her to pull herself higher so he could stand on the ledge, too, but instead she saw nothing. Her stomach felt like it had been ripped out through her mouth, and a soft, strangled gasp broke through her throat.

Even as he'd said it, Bane knew that he probably would never be able to climb out behind her. The prisoners were far too close, and if he started climbing, they would simply climb up after him. They were deranged with anger now, ready to claw him down the moment he came in reach.

He had to stay down there and buy her time.

Bane turned away from the wall, pushing away the first man that gained the level. He tipped over the side, face contorted under his blue head scarf, but Bane had already moved on, flipping the next man, slamming a kick into the next, pushing him back down onto the others. He turned to the wall again, hoping to be able to scramble up before they reached him, but a cold, soulless laugh hit his ears.

"Bane!" Eyphah snarled, utter madness in his clashing eyes, and again Bane set his back to the wall, facing him. "Well, what a lie we've been caught in! How long did you think it would last?"

"Long enough," he spat, and Eyphah shrugged.

"That's too bad. See, now you're caught in this awful mess."

A man rushed back Eyphah, charging Bane with a knife. He deflected the blow, slamming him head first into the wall. The man did not get up.

"Because now we will kill you, and you can't hope to defeat us. And for every step that little girl takes, it's another step she'll have to fall when she misses the top ledge."

A pair of men this time attacking him from different sides. One of them managed to hit him in the stomach, but Bane knocked them both over the side into the crowd below.

"I don't think you'll live to see her prove you wrong," Bane snarled, and Eyphah shrugged.

"We'll see," was all he said, before he shifted aside and a flood of men came at Bane. It was hopeless to try to defeat them all, Bane had known that the moment he had decided to save Talia, but he wasn't there to defeat them all. He was just buying her time, buying her safety, buying her survival. Because she would make that jump, and she would climb out and reach the city and maybe even find her father. She was a fighter, with an assassin's savagery and a princess's wisdom in her veins.

Just as they managed to surround him, Bane turned to Eyphah. The man was wielding a rock, just about the simplest and deadliest weapon in the Pit. If Bane came too close, the man could break everything in his body.

With a ferocious lunge, Bane grabbed Eyphah, breaking the arm not holding the rock. The man screeched, slamming the rock down on Bane shoulder. He gasped in pain, but managed to shove him back. Eyphah staggered, attempting to regain his balance with his broken arm, but flinched when the pain stabbed at him again.

There was only the look of absolute shock and pain on the man's face as he teetered backwards, vanishing over the edge.

Hands grabbed Bane, surrounding him, pushing him down. The pain in his shoulder was absolute fire, which was only fanned every time someone grabbed him there. The only thing he could see was that terrible, cruel sky, and Talia, staring down at him.

Talia felt all of the words she wanted to scream get caught in her throat as she watched him fight for them, fight for her, because there was no real way he could get out of that mess. She watched Eyphah fall off the edge to his death, watched as hands ferociously grabbed Bane and yanked him down.

They grabbed off his head scarf, probably an accident more than anything, but he didn't seem to care, keeping his eyes on her. And then, as they stared at each other, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Good-bye."

The words couldn't have been more than a mutter, but Talia felt like she could hear it above the screams and shouts and insanity beneath her. It was like they were both back in the cell and it was in the dead of night, and Talia was curled up against his chest and could feel every vibration of his voice when he spoke.

The scream she felt inside suddenly froze, a harsh, loud sound breaking off abruptly.

Talia turned away, hearing the dull screams of pain that could never be anyone else's but Bane's. She climbed because she had to, because he would never forgive her if she squandered the only opportunity he had given her, if she stayed frozen there and listened to the horrors they were doing to him.

The stones and ledges beneath her hands and feet blurred together, never ending, the sky never getting nearer. Then finally, there were no other stones to climb. She glanced around on the ledge, faced with the last obstacle, the final jump. Talia swallowed, dully thinking that if she missed, if she fell, she would be dead if she hit the ground.

So she just had to not fall.

Talia summoned all of her strength and courage, feet set, legs tense, and then she sprang and she was flying and the world disappeared and her insides dropped away and her terror consumed her and she thought what if I don't make it, what if I die just like Bane-

Her hands slammed against the ledge, and Talia felt herself swing, swing, almost too far and almost breaking her grip, but then she was scrambling up, desperately struggling to find something to stand on.

She pressed herself against the wall, panting, gasping, heart screaming in her ears. She had done it, she had done it, she had managed to leap to the ledge, she had done what no one else could.

Euphoria thrilled Talia for a moment, and instinctively she turned to tell Bane, to see his incredulous look of pride, and saw no one. And heard the distant howls beneath her, where her only friend, where the only person in the world that she loved was slowly being murdered because of her.

Talia almost choked on her horror, wondering how on earth she was supposed to make it out now. Bane's words from so long ago came back to her, about how people who still had ties to the Pit could never get out. That made sudden sense to her, not in that she would be unable to make the jump, as she just had, but that she would never be able to just leave him there to suffer while she lived free.

She swallowed, throat not working, the idea of just walking off the edge flashing into her brain before her raw will tore it away. She had to go on, had to keep moving or else everything he had ever done for her would be pointless. To move on from the ledge, to not stay there until she died, Talia would have to leave her heart and not look back.

Talia hated herself for it, but she turned her back on him. She faced the stones that lead to freedom, and placed her foot in a crack. She climbed, climbed away from the shame and pain of the ledge beneath, climbing until the sunlight touched her hands and she smelled not dust and mold and the ugly, flat scent of too many people crammed in too small a place, but the smell of fresh sand and moving air and something spicy and delicious.

When she finally reached the absolute top, when she stood up and stared at the world she had been dreaming of, Talia instinctively glanced back to tell Bane. He wasn't there, and she knew that, but she peered into the stark darkness of the Pit, and wished he could see this with her.

A breeze brushed against her face, making her start a little bit, because she had never felt wind touch her skin before. The air in the Pit was unmoving and dead, like so much.

A sad smile stretched her face, and she pulled up her head scarf, taking a shaky step off of the edge and onto the sand. Talia headed towards the city, squinting in the sunlight, feeling no joy. She was cold and heartless now, a harsh shadow of whoever she had just been an hour ago.

Talia did as Bane had instructed, and searched for any group of children that looked like herself, desperate and brave. There were so many sounds and smells and scents to sort through that she was overwhelmed at first, crouching down behind a stall and trying to catch her breath. It was like a dream, but a dream that missed the most vital part and turning it into a nightmare. She wished Bane was here, she wanted him, just to press her face into his thigh and feel his hand on her head, reassuring her. The last time he had touched her, he had been pushing her up, the quickest of lifts and then he was gone, for forever.

Not forever, she snarled at herself, I will find him, I have to! I promised him I would.

She had to.

So Talia stood up and wandered the allies, edging around people and trying to find some sort of safety. Most people ignored her, which was a drastic change from the Pit, where everyone leered at her with foul intentions. Here, no actually cared. She was just another street rat, getting under foot.

By the time night fell, she had found nothing. Talia nibbled on the edge of a seed cake, curled up in the nook of an alley and wishing she could just sleep. People passed, murmuring in languages that she mostly understood, until one voice whispered right behind her.

"What're you doing here?"

She started, turning to look at the person. It was a boy around her age, thin not because he was starving like her, but because he was growing. She shrugged, not wanting to begin explaining.

"If the man across the street catches you, he'll beat you," the boy continued, and Talia glanced at the building he indicated. The boy sighed, as if he couldn't believe how dumb she was being, then held out a hand. Talia flinched, expecting a slap.

"Here, I'll take you somewhere safe. You don't have anywhere else, right?"

Talia shook her head, nervous at speaking to him. He seemed innocent enough, but she usually relied on Bane making the judgment calls about people. She would have to do that on her own, now.

"Okay, then, come on." He waved at her, and Talia stood up, ready to follow him.

"But," the boy continued, holding up a hand, "you have to give me a bite of your food."

Talia glared at him, holding her seed cake tight, even though it was dry and tasted like nothing good, because it was hers. Food was a precious commodity everywhere, it seemed.

"It's yer fault for having it out. Best to eat where no one can see you."

She sighed, glancing up at the sky (which still boggled her, because it was everywhere, stars and clouds and the moon, visible no matter where she was), and then back at him.

"Fine," she muttered, breaking off a corner and handing it to the boy. He grinned and nodded, mumbling "At least you got a voice. Girl I know can't even make squeaks. Come on," he said, briskly, like he hadn't just said something awful. Talia reluctantly followed, not wanting to think any more.

Talia had not cried since looking back and seeing Bane, crowned with hands and murmuring his final farewell to her. She hadn't cried before she jumped, or after, or when she reached the top. Not even when this mysterious boy showed her to a camp of small, young vagabonds like themselves, and then showed her a mat she could go to sleep on, displaying breath taking kindness to her, an utter stranger that he knew nothing about.

But when Talia laid down, and let her body settle into the ground, and her mind settle into the fact that she was alone, the tears poured down her face, caught by her sleeve, which she was using to muffle her sobs.

AN ME TOO, KID.

I love the development of Nasrin, which you guys haven't really seen as it all takes place in my head. Initially, for those who don't know, I planned her to be this cold, conniving woman that used Bane and sold him out, with no regrets on the matter. But then plot points changed, I scratched out a few scenes and got to talking with some people, and she became the wonderful, trustworthy person she is today. I think the reason I like her so much is that she is just a good person, and isn't afraid of helping people because of it. That's a rare thing, even today in far better climates.