Legion's shadows leaned against starless black skies and macabre god-legs with unsharpened teeth. Tiny ghosts of fire lingered on their lips, breathing with them beautiful auburn colors. The acrid stench of cigarette smoke lingered in the foyer, seeping in-between the cracks with whispered conversations and petty insults that Jed pretended not to hear.

Frank was a lion penned, pacing back and forth to the cadence of each uttered curse, finishing one cigarette before lighting another. The glow of the flame illuminated his face in the softest embers, their reflection in his eyes a betrayal to the darkness that seemed to consume them.

"Fucking prick," he muttered between clenched teeth.

"Let it go," Julie said, "He's just trying to show off."

"Hmph," said Joey, taking a drink between puffs.

Frank hoisted himself up onto the banister, the 90's chain at his hip slipping over the ledge with a quiet jingling. He hunched over his cigarette, elbows pressed into his knees and watched the game-table through the veil of the window screen.

Honey laughed.
Jed smiled.
Frank scowled.

"Come on," Julie said, "Let's get out of here, huh? We've got trials in a few hours anyway."

"No," said Frank. Smoke slithered over his lips, curling about the words before the night air swallowed its tendrils. "Something's not right."

"With Jed?"

"No," he ashed his cigarette, "with her," he pointed its ember to the window and the new girl laughing just beyond it.

"The girl?" Joey asked, "Seems harmless."

"She does, doesn't she," said Julie.

Frank breathed the heat of his cigarette deep into his lungs. Unanswered questions lingered in the shadows of his eyes, still focused on the veiled image of prey.

"Cute though," said Joey.

Susie twisted her sleeves about in her hands.

"Something on your mind?" Frank asked.

The sharpness of his voice made her jump, "Oh n-no," she stammered.

He narrowed his eyes and coaxed an answer from her without a word.

"She's nice," said Susie.

Frank's brow furrowed as he took another measured drag from his cigarette. The embers burned down to his fingers, the shadows poured into his face and stole away the humanity that lingered there, leaving behind the eyes of a hawk.

He drew a black mark over the railing with the butt of his cigarette, snubbing the last of its embers. Dark and demented moonlight flickered in his eyes, charmed by two other points of glowing red from the lips of Joey and Julie. "What did Evan tell you?"

There were so many parts of her sweater to keep her hands, and the nerves that shook them, occupied, crimping and curling, "Nothing really," said Susie as she did just that.

"Susie..." Julie's voice was much softer than all the edges that outlined Frank, gentle and coaxing. It was enough to make Susie fold.

It always ways.

Susie's eyes flicked from Julie to Frank, then back to her hands and the ball of sleeves within them. "Really," she said, "he didn't say much. He said she was new and that - that..."

The entire group seemed to fold inward upon her, a gentle leaning of interest that brought all eyes uncomfortably upon her.

"That maybe having a friend like me wouldn't be such a bad idea. Apparently she didn't do too good on her first trial..."

Frank listened intently, taking in the way she pointed her toes inward, averted her eyes beneath the veil of her hood, and wrang the extra fabric of her sleeves between her fingers. He knew she wasn't lying, she never had the balls for that, but it was the unspoken truth that interested him.

If Honey were like Susie - then Honey wasn't like any of them at all.

He looked back to the window and said, "So that's why he's been keeping her to himself."

"You think she's a survivor?" Julie asked, "is that even possible?"

"Why not?" Frank asked matter-of-factly.

"No," Susie waved, "that can't be right."

"Then why didn't we get Robitaille?" Frank asked.

"The Candyman?" Julie followed.

"Could be another Rin/Kazan situation," Joey suggested.

"Rin never pulled the shit Honey did," Frank said. "You said it yourself," he said to Susie, "she couldn't cut it in her first trial and now everyone's talking about Myers. He's pissed. And Jed - he's got that fucking look on his face again. Bet he was taking pictures the whole time."

"Jed always has that look," Julie said.

"No, Frank's right," said Joey, "he had the same look with Valentine."

There was a shared quiet in the reminiscence of the man who couldn't quite ever cut it as a killer in life or death. Wherever he was, was no longer here, and in that moment, they felt his absence like a ghost - a ghost neither of them cared to remember.

Joey stuffed his cigarette into the remnants of his Unbranded can and set it on the railing beside Frank.

"Valentine was a fraud though," he said, "The kid's at least killed one person."

"Yeah, King," said Julie with sarcasm, "wouldn't really count that."

"Sacrifice is sacrifice," said Joey, "don't even know why we're arguing this. If the Entity wanted her to survive, she wouldn't be playing board games with us bastards. She failed a trial and screwed over Myers, if you ask me, that was Her plan the whole time. Keep us on our toes. That's how it works right?"

Julie puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, and opened her mouth to protest, but it was Frank that cut her off.

"You're starting to sound like Amanda," said Frank.

"Yeah, I guess so," Joey said.

The sound of a half remembered cricket song filled in the empty spaces between their conversation. Frank grew quiet as he mulled over the options laid before him, spoken and unspoken, while Honey told a rather dull joke to a very unimpressed Ghostface. She laughed despite the rolling of his eyes and even managed to get the killer to crack just a bit.

"What're you thinking?" Julie asked.

"We get that camera. Find out for sure."

"Or just ask," said Joey.

Frank scoffed.

"The girl," he clarified, "she'd probably tell you anything - If you can play nice."

"Then what?" Julie asked, "Say she is a survivor, what then?"

Frank slid off the railing and tucked his hands into his pockets.

"I'll handle that part," he said.

Joey pulled open the front door for him, the remnants of their smoke swirling about its yawning.

There was no answer demanded on retort, just a quiet agreement, after all, this outfit would always fall beneath his order, bound on blood, Frank's Legion.

Unbreakable and unstoppable.

For just a moment, he stopped and looked at Susie, idly braiding her pink hair between her fingers, "Susie."

"Hm?" She didn't look up.

"If what Evan says is true - then he might be right, she'll need friends. You'll keep an eye on her?"

Susie bit her lip and nodded, "Sure."

Frank smiled in return, "Good."