AN: Just as a warning, a part of this chapter gets very dark towards the end – not that it hasn't really been already, but still. Hopefully this won't cause any problems, but you've been warned in advance.

Anyways, hopefully you enjoy this chapter :D

Jane's POV

"Any last words here, Alden?"

Frowning in concentration, the man scratches his chin as he contemplates what his next move is gonna be. They're down to the final stretch here – one wrong move, and it's game over for him. This is the moment he's likely been preparing for his entire life.

Win or lose, the guy had a good run.

"Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, Kazuki," he shakes his head; smirking as he taps his leg. "Let's see… how about… B4?"

"…hit…"

"YES! FINALLY, I'VE DONE IT!" he chants in victory, doing a little celebratory dance as the girl rolls her eyes in amusement. "Jesus… it's about damn time that I won for a change! I've finally ended my losing streak – say the words and it'll seal the deal!"

"Do I have to?" she complains, looking at me as I smirk and nod my head. "Ugh, fine… Alden, you sunk my battleship…"

As Alden smirks in victory once more and shakes the kid's hand to be a good sport, I rub my hand along the smooth, metallic surface of the fresh board that we've plastered overtop of the wooden barricade that we had before. This is a massive improvement, and I think we can all rest a little bit easier knowing that our security from walkers is almost completely ensured from the outside. And good luck trying to fire a bullet through all of this, unless of course somebody decides to bring along a tank and just blow the walls straight down.

But who would have the time or resources to pull that off? And why would they want to anyways?

"Jane? Do you want in?" Kazuki offers, holding up her piece of the board game as a bunch of the little red and white pegs go falling to the floor. "Alden's being a bum and won't play me for a rematch anymore."

Shaking my head, I decline the invitation as I stand up to leave. "Wouldn't want my ego to get bruised, too," I comment over my shoulder, referring to Alden and how he's lost this game at least five times in a row already. I really don't understand how they didn't get sick of playing after the first couple of games. "Maybe Ellie will play with you. I think I saw her up in her room earlier."

Watching as Kazuki sprints past me like lightning as she bolts for the stairs, I put my hands in my pockets as I start to wander down the hallway. This place is becoming incredibly dirty with all of us kicking up dust from the outside, but what can you do? Nobody actually sleeps on the main floor except for our three latest inhabitants, and even then they're all tucked away near the stairwell.

"Mind if I tag along?" Alden chirps behind me, having hastily packed up the Battleship set and put it back in the box. "I was actually going the same way anyways, so I just figured…"

"Come on, man. No need to be so formal around me," I tell him with a light chuckle as a faint blush spreads to his cheeks. "As far as I know, I don't bite. You're not on my shit list anymore," I add carefully, sucking as usual at trying to make people feel more comfortable.

Not saying anything for the moment, Alden suddenly finds an interest in looking at his shoes as the two of us head up the first flight of stairs. Even years after it happened, this place still reminds me of how many bodies we had to get rid of after Derek and the rest of us decided to pick a fight with James' crew and invade. If you get close enough to certain spots, especially in the corners, you can still even smell the stench of death that has permanently etched itself within the walls.

I don't think that Lilly, Tommy and I were ever fully forgiven for what happened that night, and I highly doubt that we ever will. That's not exactly something that you can just forget and push out of your mind.

Sighing, I hold the door open behind me as the guy walks along with a forlorn expression. "You didn't just wanna come with me for the hell of it," I point out, knowing that there's something bugging him. "What's up, Alden? Why so glum?"

"…it… umm, it's about Lilly, actually," he reveals as I face him with a serious expression. When he sees my reaction, he immediately tries to reassure me. "No, no! It's nothing bad this time, honestly!" he stammers, practically kicking himself as we move along. "I just wanted to ask you if there've been any… you know, symptoms or issues with her at all? I didn't really get a chance to ask or get to know you guys after that whole thing with Tracy, but I just wanted to make sure. It was a pretty heavy situation with her almost dying and all…"

Ever since that day back at Derek's camp out in Dallas, I've always felt rather protective of Lilly, even though I'm almost certain that protection is one of the very last things that she needs. The woman could take on an entire herd by herself as far as I'm concerned, but I've found myself getting defensive whenever people talk about her – especially when she's not actually around.

This group definitely likes to talk, and when the word got out about her and I, the two of us suddenly became the most interesting pair in the entire space centre. Nobody was talking about finding a cure or surviving or trying to find more supplies. Nope, instead it was all like, "Oh wow, you two are together?! No fucking way! Seriously?! Wow… so what's it like being in love with another woman?"

I think I've been asked that very question about a billion times over by now. That's why Lilly was getting so agitated before, and is also one of the many reasons that I always try to make sure that she's perfectly fine.

So to hear Alden talk about that horrible time back at that fucking mall just sent off some alarm bells inside of my head. "She's fine," I say pointedly, trying to be a woman of few words. "If she was feeling shitty before, well she certainly isn't anymore."

"No eating problems? Any trouble with sleeping or moving around?" Alden probes as I realize that he's really only trying to help. This guy's not a threat, and if I recall correctly, he was the only one out of that miserable bunch of assholes that actually tried to help her out somewhat. I won't soon forget that. "I'd feel like absolute dog shit if she was still suffering because of – "

"You didn't contribute to it, and there's nothing to worry about anymore," I interrupt, not wanting the guy to blame himself for any of this stuff. "Just take it easy, alright?" I remark; almost ready to head up to the roof and talk to Lilly myself. "If there's ever a problem, I'd be the first one that she'd tell."

Looking at least a little bit more satisfied, Alden nods as he itches behind his ear. "Good to know," he sighs. "Anyways, Tommy asked me to go out on a run with him later this afternoon, so that's where I'll be headed."

"Really? I didn't think he was into doing those kinds of things."

"Me neither," Alden agrees with a shrug. "Something seems off about him lately… did you get that feeling? Or was it just me? Because to me it seems like he's really been on edge over something recently."

I don't spend a whole lot of time interacting with the rest of the group besides a handful of people, and Tommy's not exactly on that list. If he's acting strangely, then I more than likely wouldn't know a single thing about it.

Come to think of it, I barely know anything about Tommy at all. I know where he hails from and a little bit about his family life, but outside of that I'm almost completely in the dark. You'd think after being around us for so long that we'd at least get a little perspective on him, but the man remains almost a complete enigma.

"Not a clue," I admit, pointing out the window when I spot the guy waiting by himself outside. "But you'd better hurry – I don't imagine he'd like you being late. Make sure to pick up a gun from Elliot before you head out."

That's the other new addition that we've created recently – an actual working armory. Most of our bigger guns (snipers, assault rifles, etc.) are now kept in a storage room that used to be blocked off so that the kids couldn't get hurt inside. After some convincing by a bunch of us, James finally relented and allowed us to renovate the place.

Now it looks more like a shop than anything else, which is kind of cool to see. Kind of reminds me of some of the small, local stores that I used to take Jaime to back in the day. There's at least one person working there in shifts, making sure that all of the guns are loaded and taken care of properly. We all ended up agreeing to have one pistol with us at all times for protection, but that could soon be subject to change as the group gets larger. Clementine mentioned something about making another trip out to this "Hunter's Retreat" place out in southern Missouri and then heading north to Jefferson City, but I think she might be stretching out a little bit far. The girl can afford to take a break once in a while!

But it's nice to see that she's taking her position seriously, not that I ever doubted her for a second. I knew that girl was incredibly capable ever since I first saw her back at Howe's. Even though I may have been a total bitch to her at the start, it was only to cover up my real thoughts – I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with Clementine, and I certainly wouldn't have predicted that we'd be here right now. I always assumed that if I were to ever get out of the hardware store, that I'd just end up all alone once again and trying to hold out as best I could until something different came along.

Three years later, I'm now married, have a job out in an enclosed community, and am still with the kid that I had met so long ago.

Yeah, go figure.

Tiptoeing forwards, I sneak up behind my target on the roof as I prepare for the assault. The wind's on my side today it seems, as it blocks the sound of my footsteps encroaching on my unsuspecting victim.

Easy does it…

"Gotcha," I startle her, wrapping my arms around the base of her neck as Lilly nearly drops the rifle in surprise. "Hey, Lils – hope I didn't scare ya too much!"

"I don't get scared," she tries her best to convince me without much success. "You just startled me, that's all. Didn't see you coming."

"Uh huh…" I tease, rolling my eyes as I pop a squat beside her; taking one of her hands in mine as I look out at the vast expanse of city that Lilly gets to stare at for long periods at a time. Sure, the view might be pretty nice, especially when the sun starts going down, but I bet that it'd get pretty boring just staring at nothing up here all day. Not to mention it'd probably be lonely as hell. "I think you missed one," I point out, narrowing my gaze as a lone walker wanders out on the sidewalk. "It's alright though, I doubt that anyone would be able to – "

BAM!

"…hit it…" I finish as Lilly lowers the rifle again with yet another kill to her roster. I think it's safe to say that she's become one of our best shots around the base, at least with a sniper rifle.

I should probably ask her to teach me that stuff sometime. It'd be a good skill to have of something were to happen while I'm outside the walls. I know that she's been helping people with their shooting mechanics recently, but it's mostly for the people that aren't quite used to some of the bigger guns – namely James, Kazuki, Kelly and some others. Elliot seems to have a pretty good handle on things, probably second only to Lilly I terms of deadliness.

But even though she's got a killer shot, even I have to admit that she's not always of a sound mind. Her mental and emotional state can sometimes get her into trouble – that's saying something coming from me. Her fiery temper can sometimes get the better of her in certain situations.

I just hope that she doesn't accidentally piss off the wrong person too much. She's lucky that James really isn't much of a fighter, otherwise she could've gotten seriously hurt back when she confessed to killing Debbie.

We can't let our emotions get the best of us. Not anymore.

"I've missed you a lot lately," Lilly comments, confusing me as I glance in her general direction.

"Umm… how? I haven't gone anywhere without you as far as I know."

Shaking her head, Lilly corrects herself as she plants a kiss on my cheek. "Just the two of us," she reaffirms as I clue in to what she means. "I can't even move around in this fucking place without bumping into someone else – I miss the privacy we had back when it was just you, Clem and I."

"I hate to bring this up," I apologize in advance, knowing that she'll try and brush the idea aside, "but some of them… they're starting to worry. About you, mostly. They keep asking me to see if you're okay."

Lilly suppresses the urge to groan as she frowns at nothing in particular. She's never liked to rely on others for support, and absolutely hates it when people start talking about her. It's almost like a slap in the face to her self-esteem.

Turning to me, she quirks an eyebrow in a questioning glance. "Are you worried?"

"It's pretty much my job to be worried about you, but… I don't know," I admit with a shrug. "There haven't been any big things that I can think of, but – "

"Then there's nothing more to discuss."

"There is something else, though," I add, knowing just how stubborn she can be when it comes to these kinds of things. However, this might be able to get her attention a little bit. "It's Clementine… I wanted to talk to you about her… condition."

When she scratches her head in confusion, I sigh before rubbing my face in exasperation. This has been on my mind for a while now, and it's about damn time that I just get it off my chest.

Boy, Lilly's not kidding! There's literally no privacy around to say anything here!

"Haven't you ever noticed that she sometimes… talks to herself? Or says things to people that aren't even there?" I inquisitively question. "I haven't been stalking the kid or anything, but every once in a while, I'll be standing off to the side and hear these little whispers coming out of her mouth. Usually it'll happen when things are getting really hectic, like on the night of Zayne's death or the time that I caught her wide awake at night after you got kidnapped. And then earlier… you know, when she…"

"Shot at us…" Lilly concludes as I nod in confirmation. Realization seems to dawn on her face as she starts to click the pieces together. "You think she's got schizophrenia or something? Isn't… isn't she a little bit young to develop that kind of thing?"

Despite me obviously not being a licensed psychiatrist or anything resembling that, I've been able to pick up a few things here and there just by watching other people go through similar issues in their lives. "Mental illness doesn't really have a starting age, as far as I know," I tell her, unsure of how else to put it. "That's just what it seemed like to me. But you knew her before I did, right? Did you happen to notice anything back then? Anything that might've been linked to something like this?"

Thinking it over, Lilly stares out into the distance for a good, long while; most likely having to dig way back in order to remember the details. From the way that Lilly told me, she and Clem had been separated for at least two years before they found each other again, so I wouldn't exactly be surprised if she had trouble remembering an eight year old Clementine. She's changed so much from before.

"The walkie-talkie," she snaps her fingers as if a lightbulb went off in her brain, "I remember she used to play around with this busted, old walkie-talkie when we were at the motor-inn. Lee told me once that she was just pretending to talk to her parents with it, but when I watched her it seemed… weird," she reveals to me, making sure that nobody's behind us and trying to listen in on our conversation. "Clem would say something to her parents, wait a few seconds, and then talk as if they actually said something back. It could've just been childish nonsense, but Clem never came across that way with me. In fact, I'd say compared to almost every other kid her age that I'd known, she was probably the least childish of all. Hell, I think she might've been more mature than Ben was at that age…"

"Who's Ben?"

"Doesn't matter…" she shakes it off, leaving the guy's identity a secret as she straightens out the creases at the bottom of her shirt. "The point is that that may have been where it started – losing both of my parents at her age probably would've done a number on me, too. But… we're gonna have to bring this up with Clem herself before jumping to any conclusions."

Ha! A lot of good that's gonna do! I already know what her reaction will be, given how long she's been surviving with Lilly and I now – total denial and introversion. Clem will flat-out tell us that absolutely nothing is wrong in her life and that there are more important things for us to be worried about.

But regardless of our preconceived notions of how this is gonna go down, we both know that it has to be done. We've been largely neglecting the mental trauma that Clementine has probably been going through for way too long because neither of us have wanted to have that conversation. We've just wanted to remain blissfully ignorant about it all and just think that everything's been just golden… but Clem will suffer because of it. With the extra weight of leadership duties, survival responsibilities and all of this other stuff, Lilly and I have to make sure that Clementine's fully capable of doing this kind of thing.

Otherwise… the Fireflies might soon be in need of a new leader.

Pushing these thoughts to the side – just for now, I swear that I'm not procrastinating again – I brush a loose strand of hair in behind Lilly's damaged ear as she fiddles with the straps on my boot. It's weird, isn't it? I've never been the touch-feely kind of person before, and yet with her it's completely different. It's almost like my brain's been shut down and replaced with something else entirely.

"You know, I found some more of those Batman comics that you seemed to like so much," she mentions, chuckling as I look a little bit more interested. She's found my one weakness. "I might be able to swing a few extra of those your way… if you'd like to join me in the room later tonight…"

I think I just fucking died.

Nearly crying with laughter as the giggles hysterically erupt within me, I slap my leg as I hold up a hand in disbelief. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on for a minute," I wheeze, finding the concept of Lilly trying to seduce me to be incredibly hilarious. "Did Lilly Caul, the hard-nosed, shoot first ask questions later woman… just try to trade sex for comic books?"

"Is that a "yes" then?"

"Of course it is, I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around it!"

Smiling fondly at me, Lilly leans back on her perch on the rooftop as she tosses the gun to the side without a care in the world; paying full attention to me as she folds her hands together.

"Well," she shrugs, "we haven't exactly had a whole lot of time for… for just us, you know? What with all of this recruiting and travelling that's been going on. So, I kind of just figured…"

"That we'd just try to sweep each other off our feet and live happily ever after?" I question as I kiss her lips feverishly. There's nothing in the world more satisfying than being in her embrace. "Yeah, that I can definitely deal with."

Her chocolate brown eyes scan every inch of my face as her mouth forms a thin, straight line; looking as if she's still in disbelief and shock after all of these years. I'm pretty sure our two year anniversary should be coming up soon, or whatever bullshit date that might be. I was never a fan of anniversaries or Valentine's day or any of that mushy shit they constantly shove down your throats… it all seemed kind of pointless to me.

I mean, do you really need a specific day to show somebody that you really care? Why can't you just do it all the time?

"I'd kill and die for you," she tells me suddenly, rubbing the side of my cheek with her thumb. "You know that, right? I'd go to the end of the fucking world to know you're safe."

"Ha ha, could you be anymore cheesy?" I purr like a cat, nuzzling my head into the crane of Lilly's neck. "But I'd do the same… and maybe I like cheesy… At least when it's coming from you."

Standing up, Lilly practically tosses me over her shoulder as I chuckle and protest by banging against her backside. I can't move an inch!

"Well then," she remarks with a smirk evident in her voice, "I think that I can come up with some cheesier lines than that. How about we go back to the room so that I can… show you some?"

God fucking damn it… yeah, I definitely can agree to that.

Lookout duty can wait – as Clementine once put it, I think she and I need some Jilly time alone.

That right there might be even cheesier than anything Lilly could possibly come up with.

Kazuki's POV

"Racheal? Emily?" I holler out, feeling a little bit discouraged that I couldn't end up playing Battleship anymore. Ellie was being a total buzzkill today. "I'm just heading out for a bit – I'm gonna go look for supplies around the street shops!"

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to head out alone, Kaz. Besides, aren't Alden and Tommy already out on a run?" Emily mentions, putting a slight dent in my plans as I nod in disappointment.

Miserably glancing over at Racheal, she shakes her head before I can even utter a sound.

"Shouldn't be taking the risk – you know that," she lightly scolds, though sounding a lot less demeaning than it used to be. "There's plenty of things to do around here, you know. You just need to know where to look."

"Like what?"

"…I didn't say that I had all the answers," she mumbles, being an code name for the fact that she's got no clue what I could do around here. Chores? Yeah right, fuck that! If I'd wanted to do work, then I would've been doing that hours ago! It's literally all we ever do around this joint!

…although, I suppose being here and doing things like fixing up windows and making sure that our food supply is in check certainly can beat the alternative. No way am I going back out there to live by myself! Being on the run from my old group was horrible enough, not to mention the people that I met afterwards…

I'm pretty fortunate to have found an actually stable group like this one for a change.

"Gah! Unbelievable…" I murmur, turning away as I walk past Katie and Kelly without even giving them a passing glance. I'll show them! I can contribute just as much as anybody else around here, and I'll prove it!

All I need is to grab a weapon from Elliot, and I'll be completely fine out on the street.

Heading on over to the freshly-stocked armory, I tap on the door (which ironically just says Janitor's Closet on the front of it) as I hear Elliot shuffle around inside. "Door's open!" he shouts through the frame as I carefully step inside, widening my eyes at the mess he's created. Clearly he's been tinkering around with the guns again even though Bo and Lilly both told him not to.

Boys! I'll never understand them!

"I think I left my pistol in here the other day," I recall, rubbing my arm as I try to navigate through the maze of weaponry. "Have you seen it around?"

"Why would you need it right now? Nobody's going out on a scouting mission today," Elliot remarks suspiciously as he screws a couple of bolts together on some kind of rifle that he and Jake had been putting together. Honestly, I'm not so sure that it'll work considering that it's mostly just made out of leftover parts, but it's cool to see that we're starting to use more of the junk that we have. Guns don't exactly last forever, you know.

Thinking quickly, I lightly explain how everyone else has got a small firearm on them and that I'd need it for personal protection, but then add at the end that I'll take over his shift earlier when I get the chance.

That right there sweetens the deal a little bit.

"Fine," he says quietly, not giving it much thought. "But come by in a couple of hours, you hear? I'd actually like to get first dibs on dinner for a change. Kelly's constantly there before everyone else…"

"Thanks a billion!" I smirk; taking the pistol out of his grasp as I carefully place it in my back pocket. Once that's completed, I bid the man farewell as I sneak my way over to the exit; making sure that nobody's watching as I slip outside unnoticed.

Once I'm aware that Lilly's not up on her post (which I definitely didn't expect to see happen today), I scoot across the street with a light backpack on my shoulder and a medium-sized puch in front.

Who says that fanny packs are out of style, huh?

Nobody's POV

"…can you see her from here? How can you be sure that that's really her?"

"Fiona, does your mouth ever stay closed?" Joshua retorts in annoyance, rolling his eyes as he nods his head. "Yes, okay? I know what I'm doing – you're the newbie here, remember? Just shut your trap and let me do my thing. Stay back here and let me work my magic."

Sighing in defeat, the forty-four year old woman raises her hands in defense as she backs off and watches as the guy maneuvers around a rusted-out car towards the one-eyed kid. One thing that she's noticed about Joshua is how incredibly disturbing the guy can be when he wants to – it really sets her on edge whenever she's stayed nearby for too long.

Frowning, Fiona watches with uncertainty as he prepares whatever it is he plans on doing. Tracy told the two of them specifically to obtain whatever they think would be most beneficial to the group before she took the rest of them and sacked Ranger's Grove. The group has increased their numbers indefinitely, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

Kazuki holds up an old tin can and grimaces when she sees that it's filled with nothing but expired potatoes. This venture isn't going quite as well as she had originally hoped.

Chucking the thing a ways off, the girl puts her hands in her pockets and turns back around; preparing to head back to the base before anybody notices that she's left. She really doesn't feel like getting a lecture on the dangers of heading out alone today.

Alarms go off in her head as she suddenly feels a firm hand grasp onto her shoulder and pull her to the side of the building; panicking in fear when she sees that Joshua is holding her against her will.

"Thought you could get away from us permanently, huh?! Is that what you were thinking?!" he rages, slamming the girl against the brick with force. "Did you honestly believe we wouldn't be able to find you out here again?! Don't you fucking lie to me, Kazuki! I'll know if you are!"

"I…I…"

"Enough with your fucking stammering, god!" he torments, feeling a sick satisfaction from doing so. "Too stupid to speak, as per usual! Like a god damn church mouse! You haven't changed one bit!"

Wanting to be at least a little bit brave in front of one of the worst people she's ever encountered, Kazuki glares at the man as ferociously as she can manage. "Shut up… just… just leave me alone!"

"You're fucking pathetic, you know that? Nobody there is your friend! Clementine doesn't like you and neither does anyone else there!" he berates, getting all up in her face as she tries to look away. "They might act all nice and shit in front of your face, but when you're not looking they talk behind your back about what a fucking loser you are! You and Alden couldn't even get yourselves out with your incompetence!"

"That's not true! You… you left us behind!"

Smacking her roughly across the cheek and leaving a huge red mark across her Kazuki's face, Joshua orders her not to talk back to him like that as he lightly slams a fist into the brick wall for added effect.

"You could've come back with us, Kazuki! We gave you so many opportunities, but you blew every last one of them!" he yells as Fiona watches the scene unfold from her hiding spot. This guy's flipped his lid! "You're a fucking disgrace – you're gonna die alone, and nobody will even know the difference. That's just how much of an impact you really have out here… you're nothing!"

Fearfully looking up at the psychopath, Kazuki holds up a hand to prevent him from trying to hit her again. "I'm…" she murmurs, knowing that trying to go for her gun right now would just be suicide. "St-stop it…"

"You're so worthless that you being alive is literally just taking up oxygen…" he bullies her with a sharp glare, trying to mold her like putty in his hands. As if he hadn't battered her enough already with all of the insults, he then decides to add more salt to the wound. "Do you really think that people don't notice your messed up eye, kid? Maybe we should take the other one and keep it as a trophy – tie the whole thing around my doorknob… wouldn't that just be peachy? It's not as if you need it, considering how pathetic you've really become…"

That crack right there nearly sends the girl into a frenzy. That experience back in her old group was one of the most traumatizing things she had ever experienced, and to hear something like that (from somebody who'd actually be fucked up enough to do it) scares her even more than the walkers do.

"NO!" she cries out, practically fearing for her life. "Pl-please no… I… I don't wanna…"

Doing a complete one-eighty, Joshua lifts the girl upright off the ground and forces her to lean her head against his shoulder. "Shh… shush now, Kazuki… It's alright – I forgive you," he whispers, knowing that the cycle will repeat itself and that she'll end up thinking that it's her fault for her own mistreatment. "I'm not going to hold your transgressions against you this time…"

Sniffling as she looks up into his eyes, Kazuki tries not to totally capitulate. "You… you're not mad?"

"No, of course not! We're friends, aren't we?" he suggests, giving both of her shoulders a squeeze as the girl's mind swims with rapid confusion. "What kind of friend would hold a grudge like that? No… we could get along famously, Kazuki… as long as I get your help with something really important…"

"Like what?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked!" he chirps merrily. "You see, here's the thing. Our group is kind of in a pickle back home, so we're looking for any sort of information we can get on possible supply locations. You wouldn't happen to know of any now, would you?"

Afraid of giving the dick and answer that he won't like Kazuki lowers her gaze for a moment while hoping that this will be over soon. She thought that she would've been past this sort of bullshit by now.

"No…" she replies carefully; quickly going to say something else before he gets angry. "But we… we do have a map up in the office…"

Nodding with fake delight, Joshua bends down more to her height as he smirks in a twisted fashion. This is going even more smoothly than he'd hoped. "Perfect – if you go and get that for me, then we'll be totally square. No hard feelings or anything like that. Your slate will totally be wiped clean," he proposes, putting a warning finger up in front of her. "But, and this is important, you cannot under any circumstances tell a single person there about what it is that you're doing, alright? I'm putting my faith in you here, Kazuki. Do not let me down."

"But why can't I tell anyone?"

"Well, we wouldn't want word getting around to people who might spoil the fun now, would we? And besides…" he trails off, moving in closer so that he has her full attention, "I'd have to kill you if something like that were to happen. And we wouldn't want a dirty, messy thing like that to ruin our delicate friendship. Go now, Kaz. Bring all of the plans and info that you can carry, you hear me/ I'm choosing to trust you this time around."

Watching as she darts back to the space centre like a bunny, Joshua smiles devilishly at his handiwork; thoroughly impressed at his acting chops. Without a lick of remorse, her wanders on back to Fiona in anticipation for Kazuki to return with the goods.

If that intimidated and terrified look in her eye was any indication, then Joshua has her right where he wants her.

"…Tracy puts way, way too much trust in you," Fiona comments; disgusted at his immoral behaviour right there. If she had known just how shitty some of these people could be, then she more than likely wouldn't have even bothered to ask about joining up. She needed the food, obviously… but starving to death might've put her mind at more ease than this.

The indifference within him is enough to startle even the most cold-hearted of souls.