Chapter 11
"One more time...," Rowen was grumbling as he typed in "run" on the computer. His tired eyes roamed the computer screen to see that it was going through the motions of running the program. His swiveled in his computer chair to the large light contraption behind him, and watched with hope as the computer began to feed programs to it through a wire.. Please.. Please.... The contraption resembled a large flashlight with a side pannel, a mini computer... that was what Rowen was desperately trying to program. Come on, come on... he was pleading with the pannel, work, work... The keys began to blink and the small screen flashed to life. "YES!" he cried out, "I DID IT!" He began to dance around using his swivel chair as a partner. Mia entered the room sipping on a cup of coffee and holding a second cup meant for Rowen, she smiled in amusement at him, "Let me guess... It works."
"OH YEAH!" Rowen shouted. He went back to the computer and watched the final transfer in process and began to whoop again, "It's done." Rowen crept back to the machine and pressed a button on the pannel, watching it flash and the command come up on the screen, "It's done... It's time for bed now Mia..." She watched him collapse back in his chair falling into an instant slumber. She had never seen anyone fall asleep so suddenly and so deeply. In a way she envied him. "Hey guys!" Mia called to Ryo and Cye who she knew were in the next room. The night was still young and she wanted to take a nap before she would start....
Ryo and Cye came into the room, "What's with all the shouting? Did it spark a circuit again?"
Mia laughed and shook her head, "No, it works.. And Rowen is knocked out, can you two get him to bed?"
"Yeah sure," Cye said walking to the chair where Rowen sat with his upper body sprawled over the back of his chair.
"So this is it?" Ryo asked walking around the light generator.
"Yeah, this is it," Mia said, "It took all night and most of today, but it's done."
"And the spell...?"
Mia smiled, "Well I give Rowen most of the credit for the light generator. I just found the instructions, I was up learning how to do the removal spell. I feel confident I can do this."
Ryo nodded, then looked at her, "Do you think we're doing the right thing?"
"With Sage you mean?"
"Yeah... he's not too happy about this."
"Really? He looked down right ecstatic when I saw him last," Mia said with a chuckle.
"He did?"
"I think Kento let him call a certain girl named..."
"Sylvia?!! Kento! Great, now he's going ot be in lala land while we need him!" Ryo was grumbling.
"Well I'd rather have him in lala land than fighting us every step of the way tonight," Cye was grunting under Rowen's dead weight, "A little help here Ryo?"
"Oh," Ryo went to join Cye. He took one of Rowen's arms and slung it over his shoulder, "Lets get him to bed."
"It works..." Rowen was muttering, "I'm a genius... It works.... Mommy wanna read a bedtime story..."
"I wish I had a tape recorder," Cye was chuckling, "I wonder if he'll answer questions..."
Ryo shot Cye a michievous look, "I bet he will... Hmmm... Rowen, is there a certain girl that you like?"
Rowen moaned, "Mmmmmn.. Yeah..."
"Who is she?"
"Well, it's not Mia cause she has the mad hots for Ryo.."
"Ugh!" Cye and Ryo shoved Rowen away as he stumbled from them laughing. He straightened up, "It's true, she talks in her sleep too... You should have heard some of the things she said!"
"Will you guys just shut up about that?" Ryo sounded volatile.
"I think he's blushing," Cye murmured to Rowen, who nodded and yawned loudly.
"You really should get to bed," Cye urged him.
Rowen was nodding rubbing his eyes with his fist, "That's where I'm headed... don't wake me up for 'uh' month!" He was about to start up the stairs when Sage came running down and nearly collided with him, "Hey, where are you going so fast?" Rowen had tiredly caught him by the arm.
"Um... I...."
"You were sneaking out!" Ryo eyed Sage's attire suspiciously. He was wearing dark jeans and a long sleeve pullover.
"I... was not," Sage said , "What makes you think that?"
"Who's that box for?" Ryo shot at him eyeing the object Sage had behind his back, "You were going to see her, weren't you?"
Sage looked down guiltily.
"Damn it Sage," Ryo spoke, "Are we going to have to chain you to your bed? Where's Kento? Wasn't he supposed to be...?" There was noise from the kitchen. The four Ronnin Warriors peeked in to see Kento with the large pot of chicken noodle soup in front of him and a box of crackers.
"Take your sneaky ass back up those stairs and to bed!" Ryo's eyes were large with disbelief, "We have something serious to do tonight, concerning you."
"Oh come on, Sylvia sounded so upset. I think she was crying," Sage was fidgeting, "She said she would come tomorrow.. But I gotta see her tonight. She's all alone, and I think her mom's not doing so good."
"Sage, you're not doing so good," Cye said resting his hand on Sage's forehead, "You are taking asprin right?"
Sage nodded.
"Guys I know we have... this thing...to do tonight, but I think it's time we call a doctor," Cye looked concerned.
Rowen frowned and touched Sage's forehead as well and made a face, "Damn... Look, maybe we shouldn't do this tonight. Come on, I'm gonna take your temperature. "
"Maybe we should call his mom, she's a doctor," Cye was following Rowen who was propelling Sage into the kitchen.
Ryo stared after them. They couldn't call Mrs. Date! She'd demand Sage go home. They had a mission. Ryo followed his friends into the kitchen. No matter how worried he was about Sage's physical well-being... that had to be set aside. They were the Ronnin Warriors, and one of the key attributes to being that, is self sacrificing. "Guys..." Ryo said softly.
Rowen handed Sage the thermometer and let him put it in his own mouth, "Guys..."
"You are so hot," Cye kept saying placing his hand on Sage's forehead and cheeks, "Just where did you think you were going tonight?" The question was rhetorical, of course, and the thunderous look in Cye's eyes dared Sage to be a wise guy and comment.
"Guys we can't call Mrs. Date..."
Both Rowen and Cye turned to Ryo, "And why not? She's his mother and a doctor. He'll get the best care..."
"She'll want him home, she won't let him stay, and we need him."
"Ryo you can't be serious!" Cye's mouth dropped open.
"Cye, it's our job... We can't..."
"Well gee Ryo, we always had Sage pegged as being the heartless one, when all along it was you!" Kento pushed away his soup, "We need to be strong, and we can't be strong one member down. He needs help. The sooner we get it for him, the sooner he'll get better, then the sooner we can fight these monsters.."
Ryo was shaking his head, "Kento, we don't have the time. If time wasn't of the essence then of course I would want to call Sage's mom...We can't Kento... This is our calling and we have to fight."
Kento glared at Ryo, "One hundred and three point six," Rowen was looking at the cylinder Sage had just removed from his lips, he laid his hand on Sage's forehead again, "How long ago did you take an asprin?"
Sage bit his lip as he tried to remember, "A few hours ago."
"I'm gonna give ya two more buddy," Rowen said turning to the medicine cabinet, he stopped briefly and glanced back at Ryo, "and if your temp doesn't go down, I'm taking you to the Emergency Room."
Sage grimaced at hearing that, but suddenly perked up, "Hey, if we go, can we go to the hospital Sylvia is.."
"If I hear one more word about Sylvia I'll scream!" Kento cried, "Quick find something else to put in his mouth before he says that name again!"
Cye smirked at Kento and watched as Rowen poured two capsules into Sage's hand, "I don't know what you have. I wanna say it's the flu... Cye, maybe we could...?"
Cye bit his lip in thought and nodded, "Hey Kento? Think your Mom knows any kind of home remedy for..."
Kento's face lit up, knowing that he could finally be helpful to his friends, "Of course! Mama knows all! I'll give her a call and write down what she says, ok?"
Rowen looked a little troubled, "I still think we should call Sage's Mom."
Ryo sighed, but said nothing. Rowen peeked at him from the corner of his eye and dropped that subject. Kento was leaning against the kitchen counter with the phone to his ear dialing his home number.
Sage had taken a seat at the kitchen table and laid his head down on his arms on the table. His blond hair mopped the polished wood of the table.
"I hate playing the jerk..." Ryo muttered to himself, but just loud enough for the others to hear him.
"Well you play the part well," Rowen said.
"He is only trying to be our leader," Cye said in Ryo's defense, softly.
"Some leader," Rowen snorted.
"Rowen..." Cye began, but Rowen made a face, "I understand what he's trying to do, and what he's saying, but it's still rotten and I'm going to be bitter about it."
"Rowen, I know it's rotten too. How do you think it makes me feel to have to say things like that? I know how sick he feels..."
Rowen shook his head, "No you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be in here antagonizing us. Ryo, you're not there in the middle of the night when he's doubled over a trashcan hurling his insides. You're not the one that rubs his back and makes runs to and from the bathroom for more water and giving him cough syrup when he can't stop coughing long enough to fall asleep. This is serious Ryo, as serious as these Darklings. I know we have duty, I know we have to stop them, but in my book a friend is a little more important, and if it means he's out of the fight, then so be it. I agree with Mia when it comes to the removal of that mark, because that makes him vulnerable to them... it's for his protection, but this fight will be better fought without him. Why do you think I stayed up all night without a fuss building that light contraption... So we can see the Darklings ourselves, so we wouldn't need Sage and Halo."
"Rowen, 4 of us can't take these things! Sage is the strongest against them, and we haven't even tried out Inferno on them. And we can't without Halo."
Rowen was growling and ready to go on another rampage, "He's right Rowen..." Sage said in a flat voice, "You need me."
Rowen threw the bottle of pills he held in his hands across the kitchen only feeling satisfied as it struck the wooden counter shattering the cap. Pills sprayed over the kitchen floor in a pink rainfall, "Damn it, damn it all! Screw destiny, screw duty, screw being a Warrior! We have to give up our lives, sell our souls to protect the people who don't appreciate us, the people who do nothing to help themselves! I am 16 years old and I freakin' don't have a life! I've got no other friends, no girlfriends... no family..." His chest was heaving and his shoulders trembled at his outburst. He leaned his head against the wall as hot tears of frustration poured down his face. He had to admit, though he was embarrassed the catharsis felt good, really good.. That had been on his mind for a long time.
"Rowen..." he felt a hand hesitantly touching his shoulder, "It's hard," Ryo began, "Do you think I like this either? Don't you think for once I'd like to just chill at home and not have to worry about darkness claiming souls and monsters wreaking havoc? I'd like to just watch TV, and not have to stay alert just in case some portal opens up and creatures start popping out to take over the world. I'd like a girlfriend," he shot a look at Sage, "But Rowen, we were chosen. We should be honored... something inside us makes us special, makes us different from other people, and we shouldn't throw it away. We shouldn't fight against it. It's our gift that we have been given to share with the world. We can't be stingy, Rowen. With power comes responsibility..."
"I never asked for it... You never asked for it..." Rowen was muttering, "It's not an honor or a gift, it's a curse...." He looked up at Sage, finally really and truly understanding Sage's complex over unleashing his binded power, "It's a curse for the bearer to carry, but for the lookers on to cherish, and take advantage of."
Rowen lowered his head again letting his long blue bangs fall over his eyes and cast a shadow over the rest of his face, "I feel like it's a punishment, and I don't know what I ever did that was so bad that I have to bear this cross... What cruel god found it amusing? We'll die for the lives and honors of others who can't even bring themselves to acknowledge we exist...and we can't even bring attention to ourselves to make them. What kind of glory is in that?"
"Rowen, glory is a personal thing," Sage said, "What you feel inside when you have done a good thing, for the sole reason of it being good. It's what separates us and puts us above certain others.. We fight for the greater good, we'll make the world a safer place, and we'll know that we did it. It's what gives us our pride, glory, and honor, and we can forever hold our heads up high. Rowen we were chosen to be on the ultimate team..just like you're picked to be on the varsity basketball team or football team, we're on Good's team. We were chosen and they were not. Why you could almost stick your tongue at them, they weren't good enough..." Sage smirked, "I know sometimes, well rather all the time, it's dangerous and it seems like we get nothing from it...but the promise of a new day Rowen. For every day we fight comes the birth of a new day where the sun will shine... And we know, you know, that without us it wouldn't be possible. Rowen, that's what this is about. As long as we're here, there's hope. Rowen, we've been blessed with the gift of hope. Don't cast it out or destroy it...because without hope, there's nothing."
Four pairs of eyes stared at Sage, "Perhaps I should write another poem?" he cracked to break the silence.
"That was awesome man," Kento simply commented shaking his head, "You get all that Ro, we're hope."
Rowen nodded solemnly, his face pale, but inspired, "Yeah, I got it."
"Now the question is, what are you gonna do with it?" Ryo asked evenly.
Rowen narrowed his eyes at Ryo, "I'm gonna take a nap..." Ryo's mouth was beginning to open again, "I'll need some rest before we go through with tonight." He gazed meaningfully at Sage, "Sage, you should get some rest as well."
Sage's face fell, for he realized not only had the speech he'd given inspire Rowen, but he had also sealed his own fate with it, "Damn."
"One more time...," Rowen was grumbling as he typed in "run" on the computer. His tired eyes roamed the computer screen to see that it was going through the motions of running the program. His swiveled in his computer chair to the large light contraption behind him, and watched with hope as the computer began to feed programs to it through a wire.. Please.. Please.... The contraption resembled a large flashlight with a side pannel, a mini computer... that was what Rowen was desperately trying to program. Come on, come on... he was pleading with the pannel, work, work... The keys began to blink and the small screen flashed to life. "YES!" he cried out, "I DID IT!" He began to dance around using his swivel chair as a partner. Mia entered the room sipping on a cup of coffee and holding a second cup meant for Rowen, she smiled in amusement at him, "Let me guess... It works."
"OH YEAH!" Rowen shouted. He went back to the computer and watched the final transfer in process and began to whoop again, "It's done." Rowen crept back to the machine and pressed a button on the pannel, watching it flash and the command come up on the screen, "It's done... It's time for bed now Mia..." She watched him collapse back in his chair falling into an instant slumber. She had never seen anyone fall asleep so suddenly and so deeply. In a way she envied him. "Hey guys!" Mia called to Ryo and Cye who she knew were in the next room. The night was still young and she wanted to take a nap before she would start....
Ryo and Cye came into the room, "What's with all the shouting? Did it spark a circuit again?"
Mia laughed and shook her head, "No, it works.. And Rowen is knocked out, can you two get him to bed?"
"Yeah sure," Cye said walking to the chair where Rowen sat with his upper body sprawled over the back of his chair.
"So this is it?" Ryo asked walking around the light generator.
"Yeah, this is it," Mia said, "It took all night and most of today, but it's done."
"And the spell...?"
Mia smiled, "Well I give Rowen most of the credit for the light generator. I just found the instructions, I was up learning how to do the removal spell. I feel confident I can do this."
Ryo nodded, then looked at her, "Do you think we're doing the right thing?"
"With Sage you mean?"
"Yeah... he's not too happy about this."
"Really? He looked down right ecstatic when I saw him last," Mia said with a chuckle.
"He did?"
"I think Kento let him call a certain girl named..."
"Sylvia?!! Kento! Great, now he's going ot be in lala land while we need him!" Ryo was grumbling.
"Well I'd rather have him in lala land than fighting us every step of the way tonight," Cye was grunting under Rowen's dead weight, "A little help here Ryo?"
"Oh," Ryo went to join Cye. He took one of Rowen's arms and slung it over his shoulder, "Lets get him to bed."
"It works..." Rowen was muttering, "I'm a genius... It works.... Mommy wanna read a bedtime story..."
"I wish I had a tape recorder," Cye was chuckling, "I wonder if he'll answer questions..."
Ryo shot Cye a michievous look, "I bet he will... Hmmm... Rowen, is there a certain girl that you like?"
Rowen moaned, "Mmmmmn.. Yeah..."
"Who is she?"
"Well, it's not Mia cause she has the mad hots for Ryo.."
"Ugh!" Cye and Ryo shoved Rowen away as he stumbled from them laughing. He straightened up, "It's true, she talks in her sleep too... You should have heard some of the things she said!"
"Will you guys just shut up about that?" Ryo sounded volatile.
"I think he's blushing," Cye murmured to Rowen, who nodded and yawned loudly.
"You really should get to bed," Cye urged him.
Rowen was nodding rubbing his eyes with his fist, "That's where I'm headed... don't wake me up for 'uh' month!" He was about to start up the stairs when Sage came running down and nearly collided with him, "Hey, where are you going so fast?" Rowen had tiredly caught him by the arm.
"Um... I...."
"You were sneaking out!" Ryo eyed Sage's attire suspiciously. He was wearing dark jeans and a long sleeve pullover.
"I... was not," Sage said , "What makes you think that?"
"Who's that box for?" Ryo shot at him eyeing the object Sage had behind his back, "You were going to see her, weren't you?"
Sage looked down guiltily.
"Damn it Sage," Ryo spoke, "Are we going to have to chain you to your bed? Where's Kento? Wasn't he supposed to be...?" There was noise from the kitchen. The four Ronnin Warriors peeked in to see Kento with the large pot of chicken noodle soup in front of him and a box of crackers.
"Take your sneaky ass back up those stairs and to bed!" Ryo's eyes were large with disbelief, "We have something serious to do tonight, concerning you."
"Oh come on, Sylvia sounded so upset. I think she was crying," Sage was fidgeting, "She said she would come tomorrow.. But I gotta see her tonight. She's all alone, and I think her mom's not doing so good."
"Sage, you're not doing so good," Cye said resting his hand on Sage's forehead, "You are taking asprin right?"
Sage nodded.
"Guys I know we have... this thing...to do tonight, but I think it's time we call a doctor," Cye looked concerned.
Rowen frowned and touched Sage's forehead as well and made a face, "Damn... Look, maybe we shouldn't do this tonight. Come on, I'm gonna take your temperature. "
"Maybe we should call his mom, she's a doctor," Cye was following Rowen who was propelling Sage into the kitchen.
Ryo stared after them. They couldn't call Mrs. Date! She'd demand Sage go home. They had a mission. Ryo followed his friends into the kitchen. No matter how worried he was about Sage's physical well-being... that had to be set aside. They were the Ronnin Warriors, and one of the key attributes to being that, is self sacrificing. "Guys..." Ryo said softly.
Rowen handed Sage the thermometer and let him put it in his own mouth, "Guys..."
"You are so hot," Cye kept saying placing his hand on Sage's forehead and cheeks, "Just where did you think you were going tonight?" The question was rhetorical, of course, and the thunderous look in Cye's eyes dared Sage to be a wise guy and comment.
"Guys we can't call Mrs. Date..."
Both Rowen and Cye turned to Ryo, "And why not? She's his mother and a doctor. He'll get the best care..."
"She'll want him home, she won't let him stay, and we need him."
"Ryo you can't be serious!" Cye's mouth dropped open.
"Cye, it's our job... We can't..."
"Well gee Ryo, we always had Sage pegged as being the heartless one, when all along it was you!" Kento pushed away his soup, "We need to be strong, and we can't be strong one member down. He needs help. The sooner we get it for him, the sooner he'll get better, then the sooner we can fight these monsters.."
Ryo was shaking his head, "Kento, we don't have the time. If time wasn't of the essence then of course I would want to call Sage's mom...We can't Kento... This is our calling and we have to fight."
Kento glared at Ryo, "One hundred and three point six," Rowen was looking at the cylinder Sage had just removed from his lips, he laid his hand on Sage's forehead again, "How long ago did you take an asprin?"
Sage bit his lip as he tried to remember, "A few hours ago."
"I'm gonna give ya two more buddy," Rowen said turning to the medicine cabinet, he stopped briefly and glanced back at Ryo, "and if your temp doesn't go down, I'm taking you to the Emergency Room."
Sage grimaced at hearing that, but suddenly perked up, "Hey, if we go, can we go to the hospital Sylvia is.."
"If I hear one more word about Sylvia I'll scream!" Kento cried, "Quick find something else to put in his mouth before he says that name again!"
Cye smirked at Kento and watched as Rowen poured two capsules into Sage's hand, "I don't know what you have. I wanna say it's the flu... Cye, maybe we could...?"
Cye bit his lip in thought and nodded, "Hey Kento? Think your Mom knows any kind of home remedy for..."
Kento's face lit up, knowing that he could finally be helpful to his friends, "Of course! Mama knows all! I'll give her a call and write down what she says, ok?"
Rowen looked a little troubled, "I still think we should call Sage's Mom."
Ryo sighed, but said nothing. Rowen peeked at him from the corner of his eye and dropped that subject. Kento was leaning against the kitchen counter with the phone to his ear dialing his home number.
Sage had taken a seat at the kitchen table and laid his head down on his arms on the table. His blond hair mopped the polished wood of the table.
"I hate playing the jerk..." Ryo muttered to himself, but just loud enough for the others to hear him.
"Well you play the part well," Rowen said.
"He is only trying to be our leader," Cye said in Ryo's defense, softly.
"Some leader," Rowen snorted.
"Rowen..." Cye began, but Rowen made a face, "I understand what he's trying to do, and what he's saying, but it's still rotten and I'm going to be bitter about it."
"Rowen, I know it's rotten too. How do you think it makes me feel to have to say things like that? I know how sick he feels..."
Rowen shook his head, "No you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be in here antagonizing us. Ryo, you're not there in the middle of the night when he's doubled over a trashcan hurling his insides. You're not the one that rubs his back and makes runs to and from the bathroom for more water and giving him cough syrup when he can't stop coughing long enough to fall asleep. This is serious Ryo, as serious as these Darklings. I know we have duty, I know we have to stop them, but in my book a friend is a little more important, and if it means he's out of the fight, then so be it. I agree with Mia when it comes to the removal of that mark, because that makes him vulnerable to them... it's for his protection, but this fight will be better fought without him. Why do you think I stayed up all night without a fuss building that light contraption... So we can see the Darklings ourselves, so we wouldn't need Sage and Halo."
"Rowen, 4 of us can't take these things! Sage is the strongest against them, and we haven't even tried out Inferno on them. And we can't without Halo."
Rowen was growling and ready to go on another rampage, "He's right Rowen..." Sage said in a flat voice, "You need me."
Rowen threw the bottle of pills he held in his hands across the kitchen only feeling satisfied as it struck the wooden counter shattering the cap. Pills sprayed over the kitchen floor in a pink rainfall, "Damn it, damn it all! Screw destiny, screw duty, screw being a Warrior! We have to give up our lives, sell our souls to protect the people who don't appreciate us, the people who do nothing to help themselves! I am 16 years old and I freakin' don't have a life! I've got no other friends, no girlfriends... no family..." His chest was heaving and his shoulders trembled at his outburst. He leaned his head against the wall as hot tears of frustration poured down his face. He had to admit, though he was embarrassed the catharsis felt good, really good.. That had been on his mind for a long time.
"Rowen..." he felt a hand hesitantly touching his shoulder, "It's hard," Ryo began, "Do you think I like this either? Don't you think for once I'd like to just chill at home and not have to worry about darkness claiming souls and monsters wreaking havoc? I'd like to just watch TV, and not have to stay alert just in case some portal opens up and creatures start popping out to take over the world. I'd like a girlfriend," he shot a look at Sage, "But Rowen, we were chosen. We should be honored... something inside us makes us special, makes us different from other people, and we shouldn't throw it away. We shouldn't fight against it. It's our gift that we have been given to share with the world. We can't be stingy, Rowen. With power comes responsibility..."
"I never asked for it... You never asked for it..." Rowen was muttering, "It's not an honor or a gift, it's a curse...." He looked up at Sage, finally really and truly understanding Sage's complex over unleashing his binded power, "It's a curse for the bearer to carry, but for the lookers on to cherish, and take advantage of."
Rowen lowered his head again letting his long blue bangs fall over his eyes and cast a shadow over the rest of his face, "I feel like it's a punishment, and I don't know what I ever did that was so bad that I have to bear this cross... What cruel god found it amusing? We'll die for the lives and honors of others who can't even bring themselves to acknowledge we exist...and we can't even bring attention to ourselves to make them. What kind of glory is in that?"
"Rowen, glory is a personal thing," Sage said, "What you feel inside when you have done a good thing, for the sole reason of it being good. It's what separates us and puts us above certain others.. We fight for the greater good, we'll make the world a safer place, and we'll know that we did it. It's what gives us our pride, glory, and honor, and we can forever hold our heads up high. Rowen we were chosen to be on the ultimate team..just like you're picked to be on the varsity basketball team or football team, we're on Good's team. We were chosen and they were not. Why you could almost stick your tongue at them, they weren't good enough..." Sage smirked, "I know sometimes, well rather all the time, it's dangerous and it seems like we get nothing from it...but the promise of a new day Rowen. For every day we fight comes the birth of a new day where the sun will shine... And we know, you know, that without us it wouldn't be possible. Rowen, that's what this is about. As long as we're here, there's hope. Rowen, we've been blessed with the gift of hope. Don't cast it out or destroy it...because without hope, there's nothing."
Four pairs of eyes stared at Sage, "Perhaps I should write another poem?" he cracked to break the silence.
"That was awesome man," Kento simply commented shaking his head, "You get all that Ro, we're hope."
Rowen nodded solemnly, his face pale, but inspired, "Yeah, I got it."
"Now the question is, what are you gonna do with it?" Ryo asked evenly.
Rowen narrowed his eyes at Ryo, "I'm gonna take a nap..." Ryo's mouth was beginning to open again, "I'll need some rest before we go through with tonight." He gazed meaningfully at Sage, "Sage, you should get some rest as well."
Sage's face fell, for he realized not only had the speech he'd given inspire Rowen, but he had also sealed his own fate with it, "Damn."
