"His name is Arsenic." Ty said, pinning a grainy photo of the masked murderer to the wall with a kunai. "At least that's what his street handle is."

Eve sat at Automne's bedside, looming over the dirty-blonde with her emergency medical supplies laid out on the nightstand beside her. "What's his real name?" She softly inquired, her puffy eyes fixated on the needle she was carefully running through Automne's skin. Her voice still a few notes off from her usual tone as she tried to suppress the annoyance that was her cold.

"If the police knew we would have plastered it on every billboard, newspaper, and TV in the city a long ass time ago." Infuriation budding in Ty's voice as he crossed his arms. Ty glanced over at Eve, who was too busy diligently stitching the stab wound on Automne's back under dreadfully poor lamp-light to notice his frustration. With a small scowl he returned his eyes to the picture of Arsenic. "He's wanted for the murders of over twenty people, and he's the prime suspect in nearly thirty other homicide cases. He's also the suspected head of a local gang called 'The Phantoms'. However, aside from most of the murders being linked to the gang, VPD has turned up almost nothing proving he's even involved with them."

"Phantoms," Petunia slurred distantly, sitting at the head of Ty's bed. Her interest finally stirred enough for her to look at Ty with something other than exasperation. "Haven't they been in the news recently?"

"Almost on a weekly basis." Ty responded, ire and shame dripping from his voice as he leaned back against the wall. "Over the past couple years they've gone from a run-of-the-mill street gang to one of the most prominent, well-organized, and violent gangs in the city. They've practically been at war with every other gang in Vale for the past year."

"So, what, they're trying to take control of the city or something?" Petunia asked, her tone an excellent mixture of curiosity and boredom.

"Basically," Ty shrugged. "When Arsenic came in, he completely restructured the Phantoms and the way they operate. Military tactics, secure communication channels, top of the line weaponry; they're almost like a militia group. They've even started to refer to themselves as 'The Phantom Clan'."

"Haven't heard that in the news."

"That's intentional. When gangs give themselves names like that people get scared. They start believing they're too big to be brought down." Ty paused for a moment and glanced back at the picture of Arsenic. He took a breath, exhausted. "Last time I heard, the department speculated that the Phantoms would control more than half of Vale's criminal underworld by the end of this year."

"Well then," Petunia started cheerfully. "Let's just find this Arsenic guy and take him down. If he's the head, then the whole organization will just fall along with him. Boom, done!" She finished with a proud smile as she pulled her laptop out from under Ty's pillow.

"Yeah, look up his address and we'll head on over in the morning." Ty scoffed, earning him a glare from the blue haired girl. Ty returned the response with his own brand of snark, before elaborating. "After he killed Officer Woods two years ago the police conducted a manhunt that spanned the entire city. Every house was searched twice, and they couldn't find a single shred of evidence to prove he was even in the city. Four months later he murdered Deputies Fisher and Beach in broad daylight. We locked down the city for three days, and we turned up nothing."

The air hung heavy and dry between Petunia and Ty. Like acid the air nipped at Ty's steel colored eyes as he glared into Petunia. An icy calmness surrounding him as he refused to falter.

Petunia leered on, her eyes filled to their brim with regret.

And on the wayside Eve's periwinkle eyes bounced between the two. She gave a small sniffle. "So… Ty, if we can't locate Arsenic, what should we-"

"Ahh!" Automne yelped in pain. Laid out on his stomach, Automne pressed his face into his pillow, his balled fists clutching his sheets. "Eve," Automne groaned, slightly muffled by his pillow. "can you please hurry an-"

"Quiet." Eve snapped, glaring at the back of his head. "I told you you'd need me out there, and look what happened." Her eyes crossly shifting between his stab wound and his sewn up calf.

"Eve, you're sick, you couldn't have done anything." Automne groaned through grit teeth.

"I could have stopped you from getting stabbed." Eve chided bitterly as she went back to work on sewing up Automne.

Automne gave a pained sigh, sweat virtually pouring from his face. "Eve, I was in good condition before that fight-"

"That's debatable." Ty added dryly. A small smile resting upon his lips as he gleefully watched the two bicker.

"Shut up!" Automne grunted at his traitor of a partner.

Eve, not phased by the short fracas, aimed a low soft growl at Automne as she cut the last thread to his stitches, and covered it with a large bandage. "There, now please put your shirt on." Eve ordered with a frown as she began to return her supplies to her med kit.

Automne gave a heavy sigh. "Eve, what I'm trying to say is if you came with us you could've gotten hurt. Probably a lot worse than me, and I…" Automne rolled his head to the side to face away from Eve. "I can't take care of you like you take care of me."

Eve's packing abruptly stopped. There was a small pause between the two as the exchange sank in. Eve gave the back of Automne's head a hard, solemn look.

Calmly, she set down her med kit, pushed aside her chair, and kneeled down beside Automne's bed. She tried to take a deep breath as she clasped her fingers together, but her congested nose only allowed for a loud suppressed sucking sound.

Curious as to what was going on behind his head, Automne craned his neck back around to look at her. Confusion, mixed with a hint of shock blindsided him as he looked across at her. "Eve, what are you doing?"

"You're in pain, I'm going to heal you." She said simply as she attempted to channel her aura.

"Eve, no," His softened expression immediately turning back to a serious frown. "You're still sick. You're going to strain yourself."

"It's just a cold, I'll be better in a day."

"If you'll be better in a day, then you can try this tomorrow."

"I'm not going to let you be in pain all day."

"I'll be fine for one day. You need bedrest."

"I can't help you if I'm sleeping."

"Then Petunia can help me."

Petunia's silent amusement wavered at the sign of responsibility. "Hey, I want no part in this."

"Then it's settled," Eve said confidently, her eyes shut tightly as she struggled to focus her aura. "I'm going to tend to you while you heal."

"No," Automne chimed impatiently. "You're going to take some medicine, and get some rest."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Automne!"

"Eve!"

"Shut up!" Ty shouted, his fingers pressed against his temples, his patience depleted by their squabbling. The two looked to him in surprise - Automne a tad slower on account of the fact that he had to make a three point turn to look the other direction. "Automne, properly thank her for fixing your sorry ass."

Automne quietly, and without any other input, turned back to Eve. To whom he delivered a purely heartfelt, "Thank you."

"And Eve," Ty started again as soon as the sentiment had finished settling in. "You need bedrest-"

"But Ty,"

"-EPEPEPEPEP! No back talk! You're going to take some more of that medicine and you're going to bed." Ty demanded with a pointed finger to establish his dominance. "I'll be taking care of Automne until you get better. So, unless Automne goes into shock, I don't want to see you near him."

"Dude, she gets it." Automne said, rising —metaphorically that is— to Eve's defense. "You don't have to be so-"

"Shut. Up." Ty ordered heatedly, his finger of authority pointed directly at Automne's face. "As of tonight we know who those files belong to. A crazed, murderer who's vying for control of Vale's criminal underworld. This is no longer just about showing up Baula or becoming heroes. We're going to topple Arsenic and everything he's built. From that lady at the strip club to every gun toting gangbanger under him. We're going to take them down, all of them."

There was a brief pause as they all soaked in Ty's speech.

"Wait," Eve said, interrupting the reverence. "You two went to a strip club?"

"Oh my Dust, Eve, it was amazing." Automne chuckled with a huge smile. "And you'll never believe this; I fell in love."

"F-fell in love?" Eve sputtered, horrified. "Who is she? What's her name? How old is she?"

"That's kind of sad, dude" Petunia added with the head shake of disapproval.

"Automne, I forbid you from dating this woman." Eve said with the furrowing of her brow. "Strippers are promiscuous, and I can't let my friend date some-some… creature of the night." Eve's cheeks burning red as she whipped herself into a soft toned outrage.

"Hey," Offense heavy in Automne's voice. "You haven't even met her, so don't talk bad about her. And who do you think you are telling me who I can, and can't date?"

"I am your best friend, and friends don't let friends date loose- loose… strip club women."

"Well, you know what-"

"Both of you, shut up, and go to bed!" Ty ordered at the top of his lungs, clearly under the impression that volume was the answer to whipping his teammates into conformity.

Which they clearly didn't adhere to, for the next line out of anyone's mouth was. "The phrase of the day is 'shut up'." Petunia joked in a comically deep voice, meticulously typing at her laptop as she ridiculed her leader.

Ty simply turned and glared at her, to which she responded by blowing a raspberry and proudly presenting her middle finger.

"Petunia, that still counts as a swear." Eve lectured, brushing off her nightgown as she rose to her feet.

"Carful Petunia," sarcasm slopping from Automne's mouth. "She might forbid you from blowing raspberries."

"Hey!" Eve barked, delivering Automne a betrayed scowl. "I'm trying to-"

"Eve!" Ty roared, crossing his arms. "Go. To. BED."

Eve gave Ty a soft, undoubtedly disingenuous, look of contempt before marching off to her side of the room. She threw the covers open and climbed into her bed, curling up like a pouty echidna. She sat silently fuming for a moment before softly calling out, "We are not done talking about this strange woman, Automne."

"Alright," Automne groaned unenthusiastically, glaring at her back. He paused for a moment and glanced up at the dividing curtain. "Eve, you forgot to close the curtain. Do you want me to-"

"No," Eve snapped. "If you get up you'll tear your stitches and hurt yourself. And if you hurt yourself I'm not going to be able to heal you, because you won't let-"

"I swear to Dust," Ty started, lava oozing from every syllable. "If I hear one more word come from either of you, I am taking the bloody duct tape we pulled off Automne and stuffing down your throats." And just like that the room fell silent, apart from the virtually, but not entirely, silent murmurings of Automne and Eve of course. Ty gave a heavy sigh as his burdensome sick and injured teammates pretended to drift into sleep. "Alright, Petunia?"

"Yep," Petunia listlessly slurred, closing the erotic fanfiction she was writing about her teammates. "What's up boner-killer?"

"Earlier tonight the owner of that strip club attacked us."

"Yeah, you said something about that."

"I think she might be connected to the Phantoms somehow." He explained as he sat down at the foot of his bed. "I was looking around the club and noticed that some of the Phantoms that were hanging out there seemed pretty familiar with some of the girls. I know it's a longshot, but we need to start somewhere. Can you try and find a name for the owner of the place."

"Sure, that stuff's usually public information, so it shouldn't take me more than a few minutes." Petunia smirked as she typed lackadaisically.

The calming, repetitive sound of her fingers pressing upon the keyboard slowly began to break the thick air the team had managed to create. As Petunia drew near to the desired website her eyes flickered up from the screen to watch Ty, who was lost in thought. Her typing slowed to a snail's pace as she watched his expression turn from casual to a full-on brood. "'Ey, what's up?"

Ty didn't take a break from his staring contest with the wall. He gave another sigh and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "He quashed us like we were nothing."

"Arsenic?" Petunia's eyes flowing over to the mangled Automne.

Ty gave a small nod, venomously leering at the wall.

Petunia lifted her fingers away from the keys. She gave Ty an empathetic smile. "Well, you made it out, and all it cost was some of Automne's blood. Don't worry about it, dude, he probably would've lost it somewhere else anyways."

"He could've killed both of us." Ty practically untouched by her words. "Even if you and Eve were there… Once Automne is healed and Eve is better we're going to train every day. Next time we see him, we're not going to have the same problem."

Petunia let loose a small sigh. She returned to typing, her eyes devoted to her screen. "Well, whatever it takes to bring this guy in." Her words devoid of enthusiasm. A glint of selfish hope raced through her mind as she typed the strip club's information into the city directory. "Even if we don't try, we'll still probably become local legends for bringing in one of Vale's most notorious criminals."

"We're not going to bring him in alive." Ty said distantly, his eyes cutting apart the wallpaper. He knew his words were sinking into the blue haired girl as her typing slowed to a stop. "Arsenic has been a blight on this city for too long. Once we find him, you, Automne, and Eve are going to let me kill him."

Ty's words stirred within Petunia's mind for a moment. Blankly she stared at her laptop.

She gave a small chuckle. "Does he have a bounty on his head?"

"… Yeeeup."

Petunia smiled broadly and returned to typing. "If it's not 'Dead or Alive', you owe me."

Hey, thanks for reading. I haven't been able to post this frequently in quite awhile and once my winter break ends I'm not sure when I'll be able to do this again.

Thank you to everyone who's given this story a chance and thanks for reading. If you haven't already and you feel like doing so favorite, follow and review. I love to hear from y'all and I enjoy sharing my story with you.

Until next time, peace out.

-CS