Chapter 57: Trifling Trades

A/N: Wanna see how fast I can cycle through POVs?

Cass took the lead, flanked by the Mexicans. Jimmy followed, keeping his eyes darting behind him at the stragglers. Amy huddled close to him, whereas Melody followed next to Rosa. Larain and Dalton took up the rear along with Kim, which was odd to Dalton considering he had spent the most time in the caves, and therefore knew how to navigate it the best. Rosa looked back at the two before speaking to Melody, keeping her voice to a whisper.

"…Not looking forward to this," Dalton muttered to Larain.

"Just remember to behave yourself. And if that's too much to ask, zip it," Larain offered.

"Sure thing, father," Dalton welched as Kim stifled a giggle. "How's your arm holding up, big girl?" Dalton turned to their unofficial escort.

"Well, Melody said no more bench pressing for the immediate future, so maybe I'll just have to settle for beating up Rosa whenever she gets uppity," Kim offered. Rosa replied by giving Kim an offhand middle finger as she kept going forward.

"When's the wedding?" Larain whispered to Kim, joking.

"She's only with me for my body, and I'm only with her to get to her dad," Kim replied. Rosa then went double-barrel as she quickened her pace to get away from the gossips. Considering what everyone in the caves had managed to escape from, it was a testament to their resilience and familiarity with death itself that allowed them all to settle into a comfortable rapport with one another after coming so close to disaster. Proper soldiering, Dalton had considered it, though there couldn't be too many "healthy" folk in the world who would agree with him.

"…Any history with these folks you ought to tell me, Kid?" Dalton asked.

"You know the basic gist of it, I guess," Larain replied. "Well, at least now that Rosa doesn't want me dead and Jimmy is holding off on my execution, I'd say that things right now are looking pretty good!"

"So, you've decided to sign on with us officially, then?" Kim butted in, bemused.

"Honestly, after all the bullshit I've put up with, between Cade and Rosa and that deathclaw and that idiot Dinero, all I really want out of life is to just keep living. Is that so much to ask?"

Dalton made a face as he mulled over how to respond. Kim shielded her eyes as the sunlight began to shine over the heads of the guys up front. Larain, salivating over the notion of fresh air, decided to declare his intent. "That's it, no matter what, all I want to do is keep living, no matter what!"

"TOBEY! CARLA!" Rosa exclaimed in joy as she rushed forward out of the caves. Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, Larain thought to himself as he turned and ran, running headfirst into Kim's chest. "Not you too," Kim sighed as she grabbed Larain by the back of the neck and dragged his body to the mouth of the cave.

The three had embraced, letting the tears fall and laughter out as they huddled together. "I've missed you assholes so much!" Rosa sobbed.

"I was so worried about you, you stupid bitch," Carla choked out, smiling despite herself even as the hug set off her bruising. Tobey was just happy his friend and sister were both safe, throwing his arms around their necks as they ignored the screams of anger from the Mexicans as they were confronted by the legionaries. Jimmy darted around them as he tried to keep the peace while Cass and Falco stood across from one another.

"Small world," Falco stated.

"Jinx," Cass nodded. "Where's tall, dark, and surly?"

"Attending a personal matter," was all Falco relayed as Jimmy got in Gael's face. "You see that guy right there?" the mobster screamed as he pointed to Joseph as he paced between the groups like the world's meekest guard dog. "That's the guy that saved you all from getting your shit pushed in! The least you can do is not throw away the peace he bought us!" Joseph, unaccustomed to having Jimmy defend him, blushed, which only deepened in hue when Melody ran up to him and kissed him. "Mel, not in front of the guests," he playfully chided. Mel, in turn, shot a glare at the legionaries as she ushered Joseph away from them. The legionaries, in turn, were grateful someone had taken away the creepy psyker.

"KIM!" Frost exclaimed as he b-lined from the legionaries to approach his bodyguard. "You're OK!"

"Relatively," Kim chuckled. "I ran into an old friend of ours. Remember the Poisoned Roach?"

The recognition dawned on Frost. "You found the girl who stole my other camera?"

"No, well, I mean yes, sure," Kim admitted. "I'm talking about the unfriendly-looking fella that just put a bullet through my arm," she explained. Frost saw Amy out of the corner of his eye. A brief glimpse, but enough to see that the admittedly attractive girl had been marred by whatever she had come across since their meeting. A confrontation for another time, right now he was more thrilled to see his fri- his bodyguard alive and mostly unharmed at the end of the day.

Amy held up at the lip of the cave while looking out over the happy reunions. Cade had been in the caves, looking for Rosa, no doubt. She was still alive, so he either didn't find her or something else took his attention. And he didn't bother to find her. He left her behind, again.

"Tough luck about your partner," Dalton spoke up as he approached her. Amy snarled at him as she backed away. "Figured I wouldn't be the guy you wanted to talk to, but you're a bit short on friends. So am I, but these folk aren't that much the bloodthirsty types, so what do you say we just let bygones be bygones?"

"You know what your men did to me," Amy hissed.

"I've an idea," Dalton admitted as he took his sleeve and rolled it up, exposing the streaks of burns that ran up and down his arm. "My advice, med-x makes it worse. Try damp and cold cloths. Oh, and aerate, lots and lots of it," he explained as he looked at Larain as he nervously approached the three huggers. "…Carla," he began.

Carla pulled off from the embrace to look at Larain with her very own eye. "…Larain," she responded.

Tobey looked Larain over, seeing the haggard and battered gunslinger who in turn gave a similar appraisement to the twins. "…What the hell happened to you?"

"…Deathclaw. You?" Larain replied.

"…First we ran into your old buddy…"

"He's not my friend," Larain interrupted.

"And got baited into fighting a Yao Guai pretending to be a legionary," Tobey continued, unconcerned.

"That sounds awful," Larain stated.

"It was," Carla concurred. The four stood and stared at one another. "…I have decided not to kill Larain for today, in case anyone wanted to ask," Rosa finally spoke up. "That's just me though, anyone else is more than welcome. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I need to talk to Joe," she announced as she left the awkward gathering. Larain gave out a nervous smile as Carla turned away to join Rosa. Swallowing, Larain decided the best option available was to join them. That was when a hand suddenly placed itself upon his shoulder. "…Are you OK?" Tobey asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," Larain answered.

"Great," Tobey replied as he immediately belted Larain in the gut. As Larain keeled over, Tobey knelt down with him and stated, "that was for making my sister cry," before turning to join them. Before leaving, he paused and looked at the old man by the cave. "…And you are?"

"Name's Dalton. Just Dalton," Dalton said.

"You friendly?" Tobey asked.

"Not particularly," Dalton answered.

"Got a story?" Tobey asked.

"I'm an Enclave-born ex-Legionary turned freelance terrorist, if you want the general gist," Dalton responded.

"…Cool," Tobey nodded in deadpan good humor as he went to rejoin his social circle.

Larain turned to look at his uncle as he fought back his wheezing. "I'll help fight your battles, kid, but not your bullshit," Dalton explained. Larain groaned as he collected himself from the ground. Looking into the town, he saw a single shack that looked like it had occupants. No doubt other legionaries, planning who knew what kind of plot that he did not even want to entertain.

Barabbas gently lay his sister on the mattress, putting his fingers by her neck as he listened to her breathing. Pouring liquid down her mouth was dangerous in this state, so he'd have to improvise. Grabbing a bag of healing powder, he began to gently rub the residue against her throbbing head. Psyker headaches were like weaponized migraines, so anything soothing that could be applied to the skin could go a long way. In his experience, in the absence of bitter drink, healing powder was the best alternative for the pain. Of course, that would treat the symptoms, but not the cause. The real problem wasn't the pain, but her overextension. And in that, she had no one who could help her but herself.

As Barabbas nervously paced, Kyra entered the shack, folding her arms as Barabbas paused to stop and look over the frail little thing in the bed. She looked at the hole he had made in the wall, at the sand that had seeped in during his fight with the marshals, and at the bullet holes dotting the wood throughout the cabin. All these were far, far from Barabbas's mind as he fretted over his little sister. Kyra cleared her throat. Barabbas ignored her.

Slowly and surely, Pariah's breathing started to settle, taking deeper breaths as her pulse began to stabilize. Barabbas began to relax, taking off his helmet as he wiped the sweat from his face. A slow smile crept onto his face as he finally allowed a laugh to escape. Kyra approached him after having waited long enough. "Barabbas, we need to ta-"

Barabbas had grabbed her and practically forced his tongue down her throat. Kyra found her body forced back against the wall while Barabbas grabbed his tunic that she was wearing. He felt her push against him, which only encouraged him to get even more aggressive seeing as that was how Kyra said she enjoyed her foreplay. The slap that followed, however, took him off guard.

As the kiss was broken, Barabbas looked on as Kyra glared at him, fuming with tears in her eyes. "…Kyra, I don't…"

"How long?" Kyra asked. "How long was it since you last saw her?"

"…Kyra, perhaps it be best if we waited until later to discuss…" Barabbas tried to begin.

"HOW LONG?!" Kyra screamed.

"NOT in front of Pariah," Barabbas seethed, glancing back at his sister. "…I thought I lost her the last time."

"When?" Kyra asked.

"….At that awful city, the Res-by-the-who cares, don't you realize what this means?" Barabbas asked. "Pariah's back, she's safe!"

"That's great. I'm done," Kyra replied as she took off Barabbas's tunic, handing it back to him as she reached for her own clothes.

"Done?" Barabbas mouthed as she found her panties and sandals. "I don't…"

"When we find the girl, I'm free to go, remember?" Kyra replied over her shoulder as she grabbed her blouse.

Barabbas then did remember. Suddenly the elation he had felt began to dampen. Kyra was officially a free woman, as officiated by the word of Legatus Barabbas himself. But the sudden change in attitude, after having been so warm last night, disturbed Barabbas.

"…I understand," Barabbas nodded. Kyra shot him an ugly look over her shoulder as she collected her denim skirt. "But I thought we agreed that even after we found Pariah, we'd still… you know…"

"You mean like just now or the week ago when you first "found her again?" Kyra asked. "When were you going to tell me, anyway? After I fucked you? Or whenever you got around to feeling like it?"

"The Res mission was a disaster," Barabbas shot back. "She was so close but she was stolen from me, by that damnable preacher and that sniveling geezer, I almost had her!"

"But you did find her, right?" Kyra fastened her skirt. "That was the deal, right? We find her, you free me. Your words, right?"

Barabbas felt his heart sink. After everything they had been through, now suddenly it all looked like it was going to fall apart, all because of semantics. "…You cannot be serious," Barabbas hissed. "You know what I meant."

"If I did, then why didn't you tell me after the fact?" Kyra shot back. "Why not say "Hey, Kyra, we found my sister, but I got my ass kicked" and then we go from there? You didn't tell me at all!"

"It wasn't your business to know," Barabbas growled, though he realized that his position was untenable, his justifications hollow.

"You sent me down there with Hypatia and her horrible sisters to look for the girl! You made it my business when you tied my freedom to finding her!" Kyra shot back. "And you specifically told me you didn't find her!"

"I'm sorry," Barabbas confessed. "I didn't want to lose you. I was selfish and it wasn't fair to you. I didn't want to leave you in that awful place. Can you forgive me?"

"…So, what's the deal, now?" Kyra asked. "I ride back with you and find some apartment at your discretion and mercy? I just want to know how much was pillow talk and how much was a binding contract, not that you treat either any differently. Not that there is much stopping you from just changing your mind and keeping me chained to you forever, apparently. That'll be something I have to worry about."

"It's not like that," Barabbas tried to argue.

"And why is that? Your word?" Kyra glared at him, accusingly. "…I was your property, Barabbas. I cooked for you, I served you, I was beaten for your honor and bartered to find your sister. And I accepted all these things gladly, Barabbas, because I knew, just knew, that I could trust you to be honest with me. The bare minimum I could expect from you, Barabbas. Not kindness, not humanity, not even safety, I trusted you to tell me the truth, no matter what. And you couldn't do it."

"Trust," Barabbas exclaimed in disbelief. "After everything we've been through, you don't think you can trust me?"

"…If I couldn't trust you as my master, I know I can't depend on you as a free woman," Kyra replied as she grabbed her jacket and rainslicker. "I'm happy you found your sister, Barabbas. Truly. This is goodbye."

The sobbing overwhelmed the poor man as he was embraced. "There, there, it'll be fine, Drago," Frost exclaimed as Drago wailed, holding onto Frost as Quintas and Sulla looked on, distraught. Frost knew that he had built some successful rapport with the legionaries, but tears? That he wasn't ready for. Most of the riders had grown so accustomed to the documentarian that they weren't ready for him to leave. Again, out of all people, the fucking Legion was the most hospitable group he had yet encountered.

Kim stood by as she glared at Hypatia, who responded in kind as her sisters ingratiated themselves within the riders. Ferra had collected some alcohol from the local saloon while Sophia was flirting it up with Uriah and Damocles. As Frost began to console Drago about his imminent departure, a silver-haired cowgirl rounded Kim and looked at her face. "…You look familiar," Cass stated. "You're NCR too, right?"

"…Ms. Cassidy," Kim nodded. "1st Lieutenant Kimberly Baxter, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Well, you sound like that ballbuster," Cass smiled. "General Moore wasn't doing so hot the last I heard."

"No," Kim replied, neutrally.

"Well, if you ever see your auntie again, give her my warmest regards," Cass grinned as she turned to look at Hypatia, who at this point had mounted her dog and stormed away. "Coward," Cass muttered under her breath.

"JOE!" Rosa screamed as she grabbed the preacher by the waist and hoisted him off the ground, spinning around with him. Joseph was flustered as Melody and the twins laughed, even Jimmy watched on in amusement. "I knew I could count on you showing up!" Rosa grinned.

"Rosa, good to see you're doing so well," Joseph smiled as Rosa dropped him to his feet. "I had faith that my gambit would work."

"Gambit?" Jimmy suddenly asked.

Rosa turned to Jimmy. "You know that magic trick gun Joseph keeps on him? I finally got to feel what it's like."

"You shot her?!" Jimmy screamed at Joseph in outrage.

"In as much as I can with an unloaded gun," Joseph admitted. "It seemed a more palatable alternative than entrusting the loaded ones surrounding her."

"Please tell me you put one of your mental bullets in Asshat, too?" Rosa begged.

"He had other priorities to worry about, as did I," Joseph replied. "As did-"

"I don't care," Rosa interrupted suddenly. "I'm out and with my friends, that's all that matters. All that ever did."

"…Of course," Joseph bowed his head.

Elsewhere, Falco stood and listened as the old man tried desperately tried to explain his circumstances. "…So, this is supposed to be Legion territory," Falco stated as he looked around, skeptically.

"We were the primary supplier of copper in the area for the last ten years!" Dinero protested. "I know we weren't all that regular with our quota, but I had everything under control until those idiots with the plasma weapons ruined everything!"

"And while you were operating out of the area, that was when Pariah entered your territory, and you…" Falco continued to press, keeping the interrogation casual.

"I fed that girl! Put the clothes on her back! Gave her somewhere to sleep until I couldn't," Dinero explained. "I stayed with her through everything since. I just wanted to keep her safe, and I wanted to make sure I got her somewhere that I could keep her safe while I figured out how to fix this mess."

"So why is she still with you?" Falco asked.

"I couldn't leave her and she didn't leave me," Dinero admitted. "Ask the Amazons, they'll vouch for me!"

Most of the titles Falco had heard the girls bestow upon the man largely consisted of variations of "old bastard" and "moron." Asking for them to vouch for him either betrayed desperation or flat-out stupidity. "Can I get a name?" Falco asked.

"Markus Tiberius Dinero," Dinero answered.

The gears in Dinero's mind began to turn. He remembered compiling some of the paperwork at Circle Junction in regards to previous Praetors. One such administrator who went by the title of Interfector had a list of associates he had utilized for personal matters. Such actions would have had him severely punished had he not been sent to the Divide before it came to light. Dinero was very much one of those associates. He was Legion, more or less, warts and all.

"…Your story checks out," Falco concurred. "I'll have to relay it to Barabbas later. You just might have your execution stayed, and if Pariah corroborates with your account, you might have a nice little position waiting for you back in Dallas."

"…What kind of position?" Dinero asked.

"I'm thinking maybe quaestor," Falco supposed. "A rather petty official, but a well-compensated one. You may have a home close to the palace and a wife or four when it's all said and done," Falco shrugged as he walked away, leaving Dinero agape.

Larain, Dalton, and Amy stood together, wordlessly keeping to themselves as they watched the dramatics unfold before them. The three of them all felt like strangers, with no one to trust but the others. Considering that most of the party consisted of lawmen or people with personal beef with them, they were not in a hurry to properly socialize. Out of the corner of his eye, Dalton spied someone coming from the Legion side of the town.

"Hey, kid," Dalton whispered out of the side of his mouth.

"Yeah?" Larain replied.

"Try to keep it in your pants this time," Dalton stated.

"What are you babbling abo-" Larain's voice stopped in his throat as a stunningly beautiful woman passed by two of the legionaries. Amy noticed the trail-off and rolled her eyes, shooting a glance at Dalton who returned the sentiment in his own way.

"Kyra, what the-" one of them started.

"My time with the Legate is over, Quintas. I wish to thank you and the others for the hospitality, I am grateful for your company and kinship, but I'm leaving," the woman stated. A bunch of worried murmurs came up amongst the riders as they crowded around Kyra, some wishing her a good journey, others trying to dissuade her from something rash.

"Kyra?" the silver-haired cowgirl spoke up as she caught a glimpse of the woman. Kyra turned, her face morphing from stoic to elated to find a familiar and friendly face. "Silverhair!" Kyra exclaimed as she rushed to hug the older wastelander. Dejected, the legionaries somberly waved the former concubine goodbye as they returned to their duties.

"Looks like your boss decided to switch teams," Kim coyly stated as Frost watched the legionaries pack up. Frost thought of all the rapport he had developed with them over the last few days. How he had come to know and understand them unlike any other Californian prior to his knowledge, at least without invoking treason. Now that this mission was over, they'd head to Dallas, a place no Californian had likely ever set foot in, and certainly never put to film. He struggled with himself for a few agonizing moments before turning to Kim.

"…Kim, your services…"

"NO!" Kim screamed. "DON'T YOU DARE!"

"…have been appreciated, but they are no longer required," Frost stated as he walked away from his gasping former bodyguard. He strode up to the legionaries, who were currently too distracted by their work to notice the documentarian. "…I'm not leaving…"

Drago was the first to turn. "…I'm not leaving," Frost repeated, more confidently. This time, all the riders turned to look upon the first and only Californian they probably ever liked. "…I'M NOT LEAVING!" Frost screamed. The raucous cheers swarmed over Frost as Kim looked on feeling like some small part of her died. As much as she feared for Frost, at least she knew that he would be safe with the riders. She also appreciated that Frost didn't even entertain asking her to continue being his bodyguard. Feeling inexplicably defeated, Kim turned to rejoin Team California.

Pariah awoke upon a familiar dog. She found herself strapped to the flank of what smelled like Belua. Lightly bound, mostly to secure her from falling off, Pariah looked back at the town as it very slowly grew farther and farther away. Barabbas hadn't noticed his sister had awoken. He had reapplied his helmet following Ky- after leaving the shack. He hadn't felt the need to rally his men together, as they'd be with him soon enough. He hadn't felt like forcing Belua to sprint away from the town, as the girl had spent so long running so hard that he felt he owed her a little respite. And he hadn't felt like removing his helmet, because he didn't want to show the world his tears.

Barabbas.

A strong hand grabbed the girl and pulled her to the front of the dog. Barabbas looked down at his little sister. Now, after months apart, weeks of travel and drive sustained only by fragile hopes, Barabbas could finally talk to his little sister.

…Do you have any idea how FUCKING WORRIED you made me?!

Pariah curled her lip at her brother, hissing.

I told you not to look for me if I left!

You're twelve! You don't know anything about survival, you stupid child!

I can learn!

And you can get killed out here! This isn't a game, Pariah! Do you know what I had to do to come out here? What I… what I had to give up?

…What's her name?

None of your business, girl. We're going home and I'm locking you in our room until the next doomsday, that's all there is to it.

…You know why I ran.

…We can discuss this later.

It's me or her, Barabbas.

It won't have to come to that.

And you think you can stop her?

Barabbas kept riding forward, ignoring the pit in his stomach. Mother was the one piece of the puzzle he didn't know how to solve. As significant as his gifts were, Pariah's were on a whole other level, one only equaled by that damnable parson and possibly Mother herself. And as such, Mother took it upon herself to train Pariah in her gifts as she saw fit. Yes, he knew why she ran.

…I'll think of something.

I know what you're thinking about and can see what you're trying to hide. Kyra's her name, huh?

Stop talking.

I had no idea girls could use their chests like that. And what were you doing down there, anyway?

Stop!

Am I going to keep seeing this stuff on the ride back? I mean, it'll probably be fun to think about when I'm older, but right now it just kind of looks gross and…

Barabbas grabbed Pariah's wrist, took two of his fingers, and spanked her arm. As Pariah snarled and squirmed in his grasp, Belua paused to sniff the air. Several miles out, it smelled like a deathclaw running from a giant serpent-beast, and the deathclaw was making it quite apparent via some extra odors that it was quite frightened. Belua panted in contentment as Barabbas finished his disciplining. Pariah glowered at him as she rubbed her arm.

…Glad to see you too, big brother.

I swear you'll thank me one day.

…Did you kill Dinero?

Who?

Guess that's a no. He protected me as best he could, so maybe don't beat him to a pulp and just give him a cash reward or a job.

Does he have any valuable skills?

When does that matter, I thought Dallas ran on nepotism?

Barabbas finally let out a laugh. Pariah was glad to see her brother's mood lighten. By now the riders had to have realized that Barabbas had left without them, and would scramble to catch up as soon as possible. Dinero would be with them, as well as two of the three bitches she found with Dinero. The scruffy gunslinger, she didn't expect to see again, and the parson would keep the rest safe. Everyone looked like they were going to be fine. Now she just had herself to worry about. Herself and her brother.

Falco had lined up his riders before the motley group that stood before them. Ignoring the glares of the Mexicans, the silent judgment of Silverhair, or Cassidy as her identity had been confirmed, and the unwavering dread he felt around the pastor, Falco singled out the young girl with a machete as the representative to speak with.

Rosa's finger dug itself in her nostril as she forcefully cleared it. Wiping the debris on her pant leg, she looked up at the old guy riding a giant dog that she now found she always wanted. Hands on her hips, one close to the pommel of her blade, she looked to the centurion as she thought of what to say.

"…We good?"

Falco looked to his ranks. The documentarian was riding with Drago, the Amazon Sophia was riding with Damocles, and the old man Dinero was riding with Falco himself.

"Our business is concluded. May we enjoy safe passage as we turn and leave?" he asked Rosa.

"…I had enough fighting in the tunnels. You stay away from us, we'll keep clear of you. I think that's fair."

"…Agreed. I find that more than fair. On behalf of Legatus Barabbas, we thank you for your cordiality."

"…And on behalf of, uh, my old man, we thank you for not being total assholes," Rosa added.

"Old man?" Falco asked, confused.

"Kid here is the one and only of the Governor," Cassidy explained. "You guys hear about the Allied Expeditionary Group?"

Falco looked around at the rest of his men, who all shook their heads. "…Barabbas didn't inform any of us about anything about this "AEG." If I had to gather, I would suspect that you were in direct communication with Caesar Lanius?"

"He wrote a letter," Rosa admitted. "Said I had to "stand before him and demonstrate myself worthy" or some other such shit, whatever that meant. Probably wanted me to fuck his son or something."

"…Probably," Falco admitted, nodding slightly as he kept his expression neutral.

"…This Legate Barabbas guy, he's Lanius' kid, right?" Rosa asked. "He already bailed?"

Falco nodded. With his mind so preoccupied, he thought as he looked over at Kyra, who stood in seeming ignorance to the ogling she was receiving from two of the Mexicans and one of the marshals, it was unlikely that Barabbas would have the inclination to merge bloodlines as his father intended, even if he had remained. Still, this was a mission from Caesar himself, and the thought of taking the girl as she was surrounded by fierce and armed allies promised to be an ugly thing.

"…Well shit," Rosa replied, unperturbed. "So close to getting laid," she joked. "…Well, spread the word when you get back. The AEG is not here to fight with Dallas. Oh, and while we're at it, the Midwestern Confeddies are assholes and don't listen to them."

"…Understood," Falco nodded. "Still haven't changed your mind about rejoining, Dalton?" The ex-legionary responded by drooling out a loogie onto the ground in front of him. "I thought as much," Falco dryly stated. He snapped his reins and the dogs filed after one another, charging away down the empty, deserted streets. All but one. The lone female rider and her passenger, the mute. Slowly, the last rider strolled leisurely down the row of potential adversaries, ignoring the glares from Silverhair and the Tin Woman until she found who she was looking for.

"…Kyra," Hypatia said.

Kyra stepped forward, staring at Hypatia as Ferra's eyes darted among the motley group for threats.

"…You've decided to just… up and leave us?" Hypatia drawled, sounding skeptical.

"…The deal was honored, Hypatia. I'm a free woman," Kyra answered.

Hypatia glanced at Silverhair, who was scratching the side of her face with her middle finger, the side of the face she scarred on Hypatia back at the Res. "…You're still wearing the clothes I loaned you."

Wordlessly, Kyra did not break eye contact as she slowly began unbuttoning her blouse. Kim wanted to damn the ceasefire and shred the rider then and there, had Hypatia not held out her hand and motioned for Kyra to stop. "It'll take forever to rinse out your stink, you may keep the garments," Hypatia said. "But venturing out with only my clothes on your back won't promise you a long life out in the wastes. You'll have to depend on the charity of strangers, and there is nothing more loathsome than that."

"I appreciate your concern, Hypatia," Kyra replied, politely.

"I don't care about what you appreciate," Hypatia spat. She put a hand in her saddle bag. Ferra watched in confusion as Hypatia pulled out a wineskin and a holstered revolver, leaning out to pass it to Kyra. Cautiously, Kyra slowly approached, and once she grasped the items quickly snatched them away before Hypatia changed her mind about whatever she was doing.

"…There's enough bitter drink in that pouch to last you the better part of a week, and my advice for the revolver is that if you can't protect yourself with the first five shots, save the last for yourself," Hypatia said as she looked away. Kyra attached the holster around her hip along with the pouch. "…Why?" Kyra asked.

"…Because I want to give you the opportunity to be less pathetic with your new group than you were with us," Hypatia decided to answer.

Ferra then threw up the sign of the horns and crossed it over her chest on top of her other arm which flapped her fingers at the end. "No one asked you, Ferra!" Hypatia snapped as she turned her dog to follow the others. Taking one last look at Kyra, and some of the eyes leering at her, Hypatia decided that she could offer one last gift.

"In the interest of goodwill between us, I feel that it is my duty to inform the lot of you that this girl you have with you may, in fact, be carrying something venereal and necrotic due to past activities she performed during her stay with us."

Kyra felt flushed with embarrassment as some of the group looked at each other in bewilderment. "…What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tobey asked.

"KYRA BLEW A GHOUL!" Hypatia screamed out as she snapped her reins and charged down the streets. Kyra looked to the rest of the group, who stared at the newcomer with largely unreadable expressions. "…It's complicated," Kyra replied, and the all-encompassing groan that followed guaranteed to Hypatia that no one was going to take advantage of that idiot while she was in their care. And so, in their own way and for their own goals, the two groups left the dead town to continue their journeys.