Why does everyone think I cheat? I wanted a J-sword cos everybody is
swinging one around and Erith was using it to clear whole rooms before I
could get to anything. I don't play online, but if I did it would be
totally by the rules, I hate people who go online with duped J-swords and
BKBs, they are ruining the whole thing by destroying any challenge. My MAGs
are not hacked, they are painstakingly raised by myself and I'm very
attached to them, really I have never thrown one away, Ryzada has a store
room full of the things, and eventually I will raise them all to lvl 200.
Besides if I knew how to hack the game all the online dupers and cheaters
out there would be receiving a swift virtual punch in the face what do
you mean I'm vindictive?
Psilo stood in the centre of the plain white room, everything had been checked and rechecked, there were no hidden messages, no secret panels and apparently no way out other than the way they had just came in. This soon ceased to be an option as a set of photon emitters caused a barrier to appear. Psilo sat down huffily in the middle of the room.
"Well this is bloody fantastic, absolutely goddamn fabulous. We're stuck in room that has no way out, we can't even go back the way we came, and the psycho that is holding us here probably won't let us go until we die of old age."
"I think we would be a lot more likely to die of starvation first" Ryzada politely pointed out.
"Oh good, the thought of a slow horrible death has really cheered me up."
"Yes, you've cheered up." Ryzada muttered under her breath "and the temperature in hell today is four degrees below zero."
"You don't like my attitude? Well you can just piss right off and find someone else to spend time with. Oh. Wait. You can't. BECAUSE WE'RE TRAPPED IN THIS STUPID ROOM!"
"Guys, c'mon we have to stick together on this one" Kilili pleaded. "If you two are fighting we'll never get out of here and I'll never get to watch TV again."
"The young lady is quite right." Asrith's voice was projected from a speaker hidden somewhere in the ceiling. His hologram flicked into existence in a corner of the room.
"Asrith!" Psilo was back on her feet "What have you done with my friend!"
"Your friend? Oh you mean the newman girl, she is unharmed, indeed she is actually quite happy."
"Sure she is." Psilo snorted "She must be so thrilled to have been kidnapped and held here against her will.
"Well I admit that she has asked to leave a few times" Asrith admitted "But I assure you I treat all my guests quite well."
"I find that hard to believe, since you have captured us here." Ryzada said quietly
"You are not guests, you are thieves sneaking into places you don't belong." Asrith said dismissively "However you have not been "captured" as you so inelegantly put it, you are simply being detained until morning."
"But why?" Kilili asked "Why have you locked us in here?"
"It's quite late at night, and certainly past your bedtime." Asrith paused while Kilili yelled her denial of having a bedtime "You seem quite determined to see your friend, but you need to eat and rest."
"We will NOT eat nor shall we rest until we have rescued Skyla!" Psilo yelled
"Actually I am kinda tired" said Kilili "and we haven't eaten for a little while."
"Shut up" Psilo snapped
"You don't have to sleep if you don't want to" Asrith said diplomatically "I'm just giving you the opportunity to do so if you so wished, there will also be entertainment, and my assistant will bring you something to eat if you will but voice your preference of meal."
"Entertainment?" Kilili asked
"You may listen to your choice of music, or perhaps you would like to play some video games?" Neither option elicited a response "Perhaps you would like to watch TV or maybe a movie?"
Kilili's eyes seemed to light up "TV? You really mean it? We can watch TV? What channels do you have?"
"The full package, any channel you could possibly wish to view, you have but to ask. I also have an extensive collection of movies, spanning several genres."
"Any kung fu flicks?" Kilili was practically alight with hope
"Of course, I being a fan of them myself have a vast number of them, so what will your choice of movie and meal be?"
"Umm if you have a copy of the shaolin monks "wheel of life" can we watch that? And I'll just have salted popcorn and some hot chocolate please."
"I do have a copy of that movie, the quality isn't perfect as its quite old, you'll have to forgive me for that. Isn't cola a more traditional beverage to go with popcorn?"
"I'm not allowed to drink cola, I'm not old enough." Kilili said dejectedly
"Ah pardon my mistake, I thought you to be older given, your appearance, fighting skills and fine taste in film."
"Really? You thought I was older? Thank you."
"Kilili. Don't. Thank. The. Psychopath." Psilo said through gritted teeth
"Please, you judge me too harshly, have I not seen to your comforts? Am I not extending you my full hospitality, If circumstances were different you would be welcome guests in my home." Even Psilo was having difficulty hating Asrith, he seemed so...reasonable. "What would my other two guests like for their dinner?"
"I'll just have a few bread rolls with some butter if you please." Ryzada said, she bit her lip and finally gave in to temptation. "And some herbal tea please."
"Herbal tea?" Asrith remarked, quite surprised by the request.
"Don't you have any?"
"Oh, of course I do, I just seems a strange request coming from someone who is not a force."
Ryzada gave a small smile "A friend of mine introduced me to it, its good for relaxation."
Asrith smiled in return "It seems that my guests are a party of good taste, I regret that we don't meet in less hostile circumstances."
"I can't believe you two!" Psilo accused Kilili and Ryzada, her voice incredulous "Don't you get it? He's not our "host" we aren't "guests" this is a serious matter, and you two are siding with the enemy!"
"I am to take it then that you don't want anything to eat?"
"NO I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO EAT!" Psilo's temper was practically exploding "I want to rescue my friend and get the hell out of here, and I don't want to sit around halfway through having a damned slumber party!"
"She's way too serious don't you think?" Kilili whispered to Ryzada
"It's because she's old" Ryzada whispered back
"I HEARD THAT AND I AM NOT OLD!" Psilo screamed at them.
"It appears that I now intrude upon a conversation between the dearest of friends" Asrith's tone may or may not have held a hint of mockery "I shall leave you be until morning, my assistant will bring you the food and drinks that you requested and the movie shall begin shortly. Good night ladies, sleep well." The image flickered and disappeared. Another noise disappeared with it, Ryzada assumed that the listening devices in the room had been turned off.
"Wow Asrith seems a lot nicer than I thought he would be." Kilili sounded very surprised, and Ryzada had to agree with her. Maybe Asrith really had changed? It wasn't entirely unknown. The man was eccentric bordering upon schizophrenic, but he wasn't truly a bad person, no matter how hard he tried to be.
"He's trying to trick us." Psilo announced loudly "There is no other explanation for it, he's trying to sucker us into liking him so that later he can use it against us."
"Or maybe he is actually worried that we might not sleep or eat while we're trying to rescue Skyla?" Kilili suggested "I think he was telling the truth about her not being unhappy."
"What? You think she welcomes being a prisoner here?"
"I didn't say she wasn't unwilling, just that she's not unhappy."
"And what gives you that impression?"
"Well we're sneaking in here to rescue our friend, maybe break a few things and definitely kick Asrith's ass, and he's feeding us and giving us a movie to watch."
"He also set a pair of freak Gigoboomas on us, electrocuted all three of us, and on top of that he is toying with us like this is some sort of game to him."
"It probably is." Ryzada spoke up "You were right before, he is kind of mentally ill. People like him don't think like everyone else in the world, its how they manage to live with themselves, in his mind he isn't doing anything wrong."
"He's kidnapped someone!"
"Yes, but he probably hasn't hurt her, and she is comfortable and well fed. He's not some inhuman monster that takes pleasure in hurting other people, and his ideas aren't bad, its just the way he does things is a little... unconventional."
"He reanimates corpses and kidnaps people, that's not unconventional Ryzada, that's just wrong, he can't get away with stuff like that. He is insane and dangerous."
"When people think differently to the majority they are labelled insane and dangerous, yet years later they are hailed as revolutionaries and geniuses." An unfamiliar voice said from the doorway.
"Who the hell are you?" Psilo demanded rudely.
"I'm Kinami, the doctors assistant?" Kinami gestured with a plate of food "I've been sent to make sure your needs are seen to."
"And you really believe Asrith is a revolutionary genius?" Psilo was sceptical.
The photon barrier deactivated for long enough for Kinami to step inside. He set down the food and drinks. "I don't really know. Its as of yet undecided, he may be mad, he may be a genius, its entirely possible that he is both. After all, was not the first man who dreamed of flight considered a lunatic at the time?"
Ryzada accepted her plate of buttered rolls and her steaming mug of herbal tea. She took a sip and scalded her tongue.
"Sorry" Kinami smiled at her "I should have warned you, the tea is still very hot. As is the cocoa." Kilili set her mug down carefully.
Ryzada regarded Kinami with a critical eye, he was quite a handsome man, he didn't have the chiselled good looks of a movie star, but the way his light blue hair framed his face and deepened the intensity of his eyes was very flattering. He dressed with a certain flair, his clothes were costly, but not extravagant, obviously custom made judging by the way the blue trimming matched his hair almost perfectly. He also seemed to be a fair man, not given to prejudice. Ryzada thought that he would get along well with Crimson. Thinking of the tall ranger risking his life in the tournament, without her by his side, caused Ryzada a momentary pang of sadness, she wished this job would end so that she could be with him, but it was also important to her that she help rescue Skyla, Psilo obviously missed her friend and cared for her a great deal.
Kilili's mind was free of such detailed and elongated thoughts. Her study of Kinami had returned but a single fact. This guy was cute! She graciously accepted the bag of popcorn from him and began to flirt outrageously.
"So Kinami." She began, her eyes down. "I bet it gets really lonely working as a lab assistant.
Kinami sighed "Yes it does,I have to work such long shifts, between sleep and work I barely have any time to myself."
"You poor man, don't you get time off?"
"Yes, a little." Kinami admitted "I get every other weekend free."
"Oh really, what do you spend your weekends doing?" Kilili leaned in a little closer as if to hear better what Kinami had to say.
"Oh, most of those weekends I spend at home with my wife and child."
Kilili stepped back "You're married?"
"No, I just wanted to see how you'd react."
"If you're quite done trying to whore yourself out to the enemy, I would appreciate it if I could get some sleep and be done with this miserable day." Psilo said from the corner of the room she had selected to sleep in.
Kinami was shocked "Does she always act like this?"
"From what I've seen, yes she does, it can be quite irritating." Ryzada arranged herself more comfortably and munched on a bread roll.
"Aww, Psilo's not that bad once you get to know her." Kilili defended her friend.
"Yes I am, I'm a complete bitch."
"Well then? Shall we start the movie?" Kinami pretended to ignore Psilo for now and sat down, producing a remote from a pocket.
"Yay, start the movie." Kilili clapped and took up position next to Kinami mouthing to Ryzada 'back off, he's mine' Ryzada shrugged indifferently and sat down next to Kilili, sipping at her tea now it was cool enough to drink safely.
Kinami pressed a few buttons and a large TV screen appeared in the wall in front of them. Kilili clapped and cheered, but she quietened down once the movie started. Ryzada expected Kilili to be the type who talked through a film, but instead they all sat quietly, Kilili munching on her popcorn, occasionally sharing it with Kinami and Ryzada. After the movie finished they were out of both food and drink. Kinami disappeared and returned swiftly with more to eat and drink. They were enjoying a hearty discussion on which was better, kung fu or ninjitsu when Psilo came over and sat down. Everyone half expected her to yell at them for keeping her awake, but she didn't.
"Can I have something to eat please?" her voice was quiet and humble, a tone Ryzada hadn't ever heard her use. Kinami proffered a plate of rolls with various fillings and Psilo gratefully accepted. After a few thoughtful mouthfuls she spoke again.
"Sorry about yelling so much earlier, I didn't mean most of it."
"Its alright, we understand." Kilili said sympathetically
"No, no you don't" Psilo shook her head "You really couldn't understand what this is all about."
"You could try to explain." Ryzada suggested "Its a lot harder to dislike someone when you know why they do they things they do."
Psilo let out a heavy sigh "I suppose so." She took a breath "Skyla is my friend, but she is also more than that, most people would think its sort of weird, and I guess a lot of them would think it meant I'm a lesbian, I'm not by the way." She hastily assured "It's just that, having a famous scientist for a father, I never stayed in one place very often, we moved a lot to do all this "roaming research." What that basically meant was that whenever I got even a little settled into a place, he'd uproot me and we would go somewhere else. I never had a mother, she died in childbirth. It was just me and my dad, and he was never at home."
"That's really sad." Kilili sniffed
"It was, but my dad noticed it, he thought it wasn't healthy for me to be alone all the time, so he spliced some DNA together and Skyla was born, I don't know if she was just supposed to be my friend or my sister, but we got along famously, and of course whenever we moved Skyla would come with us. Me and her were together since I was 6, we were inseparable, until that bastard Asrith kidnapped her, I guess I've been a little on edge recently, especially since we are so close to getting her back."
"You're certain that she was kidnapped?" Kinami sounded troubled "Asrith said she was a volunteer subject and that she was here of her own free will."
Psilo shook her head "I don't think so, Skyla doesn't like labs, they remind her of how she was born. I don't care how well Asrith treats her, I know she doesn't like it here."
"I've been ordered to stay with you three, so I can't go back to ask questions." Kinami said regretfully "But if Skyla would rather leave than stay here, I promise I will help you to get her out of here."
"You really mean it?" Psilo's eyes were misting up with emotion "You'd help us even though Asrith is your boss?"
"Of course, whether he is tomorrows genius or not, the end does not justify the means, If Skyla is here against her will then she should not be here at all."
Psilo's tears shimmered in the light as she leaned forwards and hugged Kinami tightly, he looked decidedly uncomfortable at the contact.
"You're more than welcome." He replied
"If you don't like the idea of someone being kept here against their will, then why not go and question Asrith now?" Ryzada asked.
"Because it may not be true, I don't know if Skyla wants to be here or not, it's never a good idea to act impulsively, the damage caused by a mistake is often irreparable. So I shall follow orders and stay with you as you progress through the lab and will talk to Asrith when I meet him at the end of it."
Psilo released Kinami from her hug. "You're a good guy Kinami, even if you are being a bloody useless bastard right now." She wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm going to go to sleep, first one of you to wake me up before 11am tomorrow dies."
Psilo went back to her corner of the room.
"She is really strange" Kinami whispered, "What's up with her anyway?"
Kilili shrugged "Getting all emotional, discussing her past, crying then insulting people, I'd say it was PMS."
"I heard that Kilili, say it again and you'll regret it." Psilo called from across the room, from her tone it was obvious that she wasn't too serious.
After that the group of four decided that it was a good idea to get some sleep. Kinami set himself up at a respectful distance from any of the girls, much to Kilili's regret, they were all soon dozing peacefully, except for Psilo, after her brief nap earlier she couldn't force her mind to shut down, she stayed awake for several more hours while thoughts danced through her head, mostly she thought of her friend, held prisoner by this madman Asrith, she vowed to be reunited with her friend, no matter what else might happen.
-.-.-.-
I know, an entire chapter devoted to Psilo, I'm as surprised as you are, I honestly only meant to write a bit about her and then move on to other things, but then there was the conversation with Asrith, I introduced Kinami and Psilo talked about her past, result of all that? More than 3000 words, and I've always thought 3000 words was a goodly size for a chapter, that and I wanna go to sleep too, and I wanna watch the shaolin monks wheel of life, but I can't because I need to buy the DVD, umm donations would be most welcome, seriously, I need money.
Psilo stood in the centre of the plain white room, everything had been checked and rechecked, there were no hidden messages, no secret panels and apparently no way out other than the way they had just came in. This soon ceased to be an option as a set of photon emitters caused a barrier to appear. Psilo sat down huffily in the middle of the room.
"Well this is bloody fantastic, absolutely goddamn fabulous. We're stuck in room that has no way out, we can't even go back the way we came, and the psycho that is holding us here probably won't let us go until we die of old age."
"I think we would be a lot more likely to die of starvation first" Ryzada politely pointed out.
"Oh good, the thought of a slow horrible death has really cheered me up."
"Yes, you've cheered up." Ryzada muttered under her breath "and the temperature in hell today is four degrees below zero."
"You don't like my attitude? Well you can just piss right off and find someone else to spend time with. Oh. Wait. You can't. BECAUSE WE'RE TRAPPED IN THIS STUPID ROOM!"
"Guys, c'mon we have to stick together on this one" Kilili pleaded. "If you two are fighting we'll never get out of here and I'll never get to watch TV again."
"The young lady is quite right." Asrith's voice was projected from a speaker hidden somewhere in the ceiling. His hologram flicked into existence in a corner of the room.
"Asrith!" Psilo was back on her feet "What have you done with my friend!"
"Your friend? Oh you mean the newman girl, she is unharmed, indeed she is actually quite happy."
"Sure she is." Psilo snorted "She must be so thrilled to have been kidnapped and held here against her will.
"Well I admit that she has asked to leave a few times" Asrith admitted "But I assure you I treat all my guests quite well."
"I find that hard to believe, since you have captured us here." Ryzada said quietly
"You are not guests, you are thieves sneaking into places you don't belong." Asrith said dismissively "However you have not been "captured" as you so inelegantly put it, you are simply being detained until morning."
"But why?" Kilili asked "Why have you locked us in here?"
"It's quite late at night, and certainly past your bedtime." Asrith paused while Kilili yelled her denial of having a bedtime "You seem quite determined to see your friend, but you need to eat and rest."
"We will NOT eat nor shall we rest until we have rescued Skyla!" Psilo yelled
"Actually I am kinda tired" said Kilili "and we haven't eaten for a little while."
"Shut up" Psilo snapped
"You don't have to sleep if you don't want to" Asrith said diplomatically "I'm just giving you the opportunity to do so if you so wished, there will also be entertainment, and my assistant will bring you something to eat if you will but voice your preference of meal."
"Entertainment?" Kilili asked
"You may listen to your choice of music, or perhaps you would like to play some video games?" Neither option elicited a response "Perhaps you would like to watch TV or maybe a movie?"
Kilili's eyes seemed to light up "TV? You really mean it? We can watch TV? What channels do you have?"
"The full package, any channel you could possibly wish to view, you have but to ask. I also have an extensive collection of movies, spanning several genres."
"Any kung fu flicks?" Kilili was practically alight with hope
"Of course, I being a fan of them myself have a vast number of them, so what will your choice of movie and meal be?"
"Umm if you have a copy of the shaolin monks "wheel of life" can we watch that? And I'll just have salted popcorn and some hot chocolate please."
"I do have a copy of that movie, the quality isn't perfect as its quite old, you'll have to forgive me for that. Isn't cola a more traditional beverage to go with popcorn?"
"I'm not allowed to drink cola, I'm not old enough." Kilili said dejectedly
"Ah pardon my mistake, I thought you to be older given, your appearance, fighting skills and fine taste in film."
"Really? You thought I was older? Thank you."
"Kilili. Don't. Thank. The. Psychopath." Psilo said through gritted teeth
"Please, you judge me too harshly, have I not seen to your comforts? Am I not extending you my full hospitality, If circumstances were different you would be welcome guests in my home." Even Psilo was having difficulty hating Asrith, he seemed so...reasonable. "What would my other two guests like for their dinner?"
"I'll just have a few bread rolls with some butter if you please." Ryzada said, she bit her lip and finally gave in to temptation. "And some herbal tea please."
"Herbal tea?" Asrith remarked, quite surprised by the request.
"Don't you have any?"
"Oh, of course I do, I just seems a strange request coming from someone who is not a force."
Ryzada gave a small smile "A friend of mine introduced me to it, its good for relaxation."
Asrith smiled in return "It seems that my guests are a party of good taste, I regret that we don't meet in less hostile circumstances."
"I can't believe you two!" Psilo accused Kilili and Ryzada, her voice incredulous "Don't you get it? He's not our "host" we aren't "guests" this is a serious matter, and you two are siding with the enemy!"
"I am to take it then that you don't want anything to eat?"
"NO I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO EAT!" Psilo's temper was practically exploding "I want to rescue my friend and get the hell out of here, and I don't want to sit around halfway through having a damned slumber party!"
"She's way too serious don't you think?" Kilili whispered to Ryzada
"It's because she's old" Ryzada whispered back
"I HEARD THAT AND I AM NOT OLD!" Psilo screamed at them.
"It appears that I now intrude upon a conversation between the dearest of friends" Asrith's tone may or may not have held a hint of mockery "I shall leave you be until morning, my assistant will bring you the food and drinks that you requested and the movie shall begin shortly. Good night ladies, sleep well." The image flickered and disappeared. Another noise disappeared with it, Ryzada assumed that the listening devices in the room had been turned off.
"Wow Asrith seems a lot nicer than I thought he would be." Kilili sounded very surprised, and Ryzada had to agree with her. Maybe Asrith really had changed? It wasn't entirely unknown. The man was eccentric bordering upon schizophrenic, but he wasn't truly a bad person, no matter how hard he tried to be.
"He's trying to trick us." Psilo announced loudly "There is no other explanation for it, he's trying to sucker us into liking him so that later he can use it against us."
"Or maybe he is actually worried that we might not sleep or eat while we're trying to rescue Skyla?" Kilili suggested "I think he was telling the truth about her not being unhappy."
"What? You think she welcomes being a prisoner here?"
"I didn't say she wasn't unwilling, just that she's not unhappy."
"And what gives you that impression?"
"Well we're sneaking in here to rescue our friend, maybe break a few things and definitely kick Asrith's ass, and he's feeding us and giving us a movie to watch."
"He also set a pair of freak Gigoboomas on us, electrocuted all three of us, and on top of that he is toying with us like this is some sort of game to him."
"It probably is." Ryzada spoke up "You were right before, he is kind of mentally ill. People like him don't think like everyone else in the world, its how they manage to live with themselves, in his mind he isn't doing anything wrong."
"He's kidnapped someone!"
"Yes, but he probably hasn't hurt her, and she is comfortable and well fed. He's not some inhuman monster that takes pleasure in hurting other people, and his ideas aren't bad, its just the way he does things is a little... unconventional."
"He reanimates corpses and kidnaps people, that's not unconventional Ryzada, that's just wrong, he can't get away with stuff like that. He is insane and dangerous."
"When people think differently to the majority they are labelled insane and dangerous, yet years later they are hailed as revolutionaries and geniuses." An unfamiliar voice said from the doorway.
"Who the hell are you?" Psilo demanded rudely.
"I'm Kinami, the doctors assistant?" Kinami gestured with a plate of food "I've been sent to make sure your needs are seen to."
"And you really believe Asrith is a revolutionary genius?" Psilo was sceptical.
The photon barrier deactivated for long enough for Kinami to step inside. He set down the food and drinks. "I don't really know. Its as of yet undecided, he may be mad, he may be a genius, its entirely possible that he is both. After all, was not the first man who dreamed of flight considered a lunatic at the time?"
Ryzada accepted her plate of buttered rolls and her steaming mug of herbal tea. She took a sip and scalded her tongue.
"Sorry" Kinami smiled at her "I should have warned you, the tea is still very hot. As is the cocoa." Kilili set her mug down carefully.
Ryzada regarded Kinami with a critical eye, he was quite a handsome man, he didn't have the chiselled good looks of a movie star, but the way his light blue hair framed his face and deepened the intensity of his eyes was very flattering. He dressed with a certain flair, his clothes were costly, but not extravagant, obviously custom made judging by the way the blue trimming matched his hair almost perfectly. He also seemed to be a fair man, not given to prejudice. Ryzada thought that he would get along well with Crimson. Thinking of the tall ranger risking his life in the tournament, without her by his side, caused Ryzada a momentary pang of sadness, she wished this job would end so that she could be with him, but it was also important to her that she help rescue Skyla, Psilo obviously missed her friend and cared for her a great deal.
Kilili's mind was free of such detailed and elongated thoughts. Her study of Kinami had returned but a single fact. This guy was cute! She graciously accepted the bag of popcorn from him and began to flirt outrageously.
"So Kinami." She began, her eyes down. "I bet it gets really lonely working as a lab assistant.
Kinami sighed "Yes it does,I have to work such long shifts, between sleep and work I barely have any time to myself."
"You poor man, don't you get time off?"
"Yes, a little." Kinami admitted "I get every other weekend free."
"Oh really, what do you spend your weekends doing?" Kilili leaned in a little closer as if to hear better what Kinami had to say.
"Oh, most of those weekends I spend at home with my wife and child."
Kilili stepped back "You're married?"
"No, I just wanted to see how you'd react."
"If you're quite done trying to whore yourself out to the enemy, I would appreciate it if I could get some sleep and be done with this miserable day." Psilo said from the corner of the room she had selected to sleep in.
Kinami was shocked "Does she always act like this?"
"From what I've seen, yes she does, it can be quite irritating." Ryzada arranged herself more comfortably and munched on a bread roll.
"Aww, Psilo's not that bad once you get to know her." Kilili defended her friend.
"Yes I am, I'm a complete bitch."
"Well then? Shall we start the movie?" Kinami pretended to ignore Psilo for now and sat down, producing a remote from a pocket.
"Yay, start the movie." Kilili clapped and took up position next to Kinami mouthing to Ryzada 'back off, he's mine' Ryzada shrugged indifferently and sat down next to Kilili, sipping at her tea now it was cool enough to drink safely.
Kinami pressed a few buttons and a large TV screen appeared in the wall in front of them. Kilili clapped and cheered, but she quietened down once the movie started. Ryzada expected Kilili to be the type who talked through a film, but instead they all sat quietly, Kilili munching on her popcorn, occasionally sharing it with Kinami and Ryzada. After the movie finished they were out of both food and drink. Kinami disappeared and returned swiftly with more to eat and drink. They were enjoying a hearty discussion on which was better, kung fu or ninjitsu when Psilo came over and sat down. Everyone half expected her to yell at them for keeping her awake, but she didn't.
"Can I have something to eat please?" her voice was quiet and humble, a tone Ryzada hadn't ever heard her use. Kinami proffered a plate of rolls with various fillings and Psilo gratefully accepted. After a few thoughtful mouthfuls she spoke again.
"Sorry about yelling so much earlier, I didn't mean most of it."
"Its alright, we understand." Kilili said sympathetically
"No, no you don't" Psilo shook her head "You really couldn't understand what this is all about."
"You could try to explain." Ryzada suggested "Its a lot harder to dislike someone when you know why they do they things they do."
Psilo let out a heavy sigh "I suppose so." She took a breath "Skyla is my friend, but she is also more than that, most people would think its sort of weird, and I guess a lot of them would think it meant I'm a lesbian, I'm not by the way." She hastily assured "It's just that, having a famous scientist for a father, I never stayed in one place very often, we moved a lot to do all this "roaming research." What that basically meant was that whenever I got even a little settled into a place, he'd uproot me and we would go somewhere else. I never had a mother, she died in childbirth. It was just me and my dad, and he was never at home."
"That's really sad." Kilili sniffed
"It was, but my dad noticed it, he thought it wasn't healthy for me to be alone all the time, so he spliced some DNA together and Skyla was born, I don't know if she was just supposed to be my friend or my sister, but we got along famously, and of course whenever we moved Skyla would come with us. Me and her were together since I was 6, we were inseparable, until that bastard Asrith kidnapped her, I guess I've been a little on edge recently, especially since we are so close to getting her back."
"You're certain that she was kidnapped?" Kinami sounded troubled "Asrith said she was a volunteer subject and that she was here of her own free will."
Psilo shook her head "I don't think so, Skyla doesn't like labs, they remind her of how she was born. I don't care how well Asrith treats her, I know she doesn't like it here."
"I've been ordered to stay with you three, so I can't go back to ask questions." Kinami said regretfully "But if Skyla would rather leave than stay here, I promise I will help you to get her out of here."
"You really mean it?" Psilo's eyes were misting up with emotion "You'd help us even though Asrith is your boss?"
"Of course, whether he is tomorrows genius or not, the end does not justify the means, If Skyla is here against her will then she should not be here at all."
Psilo's tears shimmered in the light as she leaned forwards and hugged Kinami tightly, he looked decidedly uncomfortable at the contact.
"You're more than welcome." He replied
"If you don't like the idea of someone being kept here against their will, then why not go and question Asrith now?" Ryzada asked.
"Because it may not be true, I don't know if Skyla wants to be here or not, it's never a good idea to act impulsively, the damage caused by a mistake is often irreparable. So I shall follow orders and stay with you as you progress through the lab and will talk to Asrith when I meet him at the end of it."
Psilo released Kinami from her hug. "You're a good guy Kinami, even if you are being a bloody useless bastard right now." She wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm going to go to sleep, first one of you to wake me up before 11am tomorrow dies."
Psilo went back to her corner of the room.
"She is really strange" Kinami whispered, "What's up with her anyway?"
Kilili shrugged "Getting all emotional, discussing her past, crying then insulting people, I'd say it was PMS."
"I heard that Kilili, say it again and you'll regret it." Psilo called from across the room, from her tone it was obvious that she wasn't too serious.
After that the group of four decided that it was a good idea to get some sleep. Kinami set himself up at a respectful distance from any of the girls, much to Kilili's regret, they were all soon dozing peacefully, except for Psilo, after her brief nap earlier she couldn't force her mind to shut down, she stayed awake for several more hours while thoughts danced through her head, mostly she thought of her friend, held prisoner by this madman Asrith, she vowed to be reunited with her friend, no matter what else might happen.
-.-.-.-
I know, an entire chapter devoted to Psilo, I'm as surprised as you are, I honestly only meant to write a bit about her and then move on to other things, but then there was the conversation with Asrith, I introduced Kinami and Psilo talked about her past, result of all that? More than 3000 words, and I've always thought 3000 words was a goodly size for a chapter, that and I wanna go to sleep too, and I wanna watch the shaolin monks wheel of life, but I can't because I need to buy the DVD, umm donations would be most welcome, seriously, I need money.