The Chosen

"Okay, "Cyrus whispered to Vivien before she could leave, "I'll tell Vera."

He looked at Janko, "If you see Vera, could you tell her to come see me, please?

Vivien was reluctant to leave Cyrus. She stayed put against him for a few moments, then finally stepped away.

"...Be back soon," she muttered, but hesitated. She leaned in quick and kissed him, and hurried to where Janko waited, her face colored as she looked at the ground. She didn't know if he liked her back or not, so her stomach was knotted. Maybe leaving would give him time to think about what she did anyway.

The feeling shifted to that nervousness she always got around Janko, however. She stayed a few steps behind him. "What does he want now?" she asked him grudgingly. She hoped she could get back to Cyrus before any of the fights took place.

~

Miles waved his hand at her. "Ah, he'll do something," he assured her. But for some reason, he didn't feel the same excitment he had a week ago. That kid Cyrus had done a good job screwing with his resolve. He was actually a pretty funny guy, and even though he'd promised himself he wouldn't take emotions into consideration, he couldn't help but have second thoughts.

"And hey, shut up. It hurts like HELL to walk with a broken rib." He took a seat at the table and paused, twisting his thumbs. "....Those two," he said suddenly, eyes still on the wood. "...What do you think about them?" He was referring to Vivien and Cyrus, of course.

~

Alexander exited the core chamber. He entered the throne room and headed to the mantel where his blade, ebony with a silver guard, hung. It couldn't wait any longer, and he knew it--they needed to act. He took the blade, already dressed in armor a friend of his had crafted for him. He was going to leave with the group this time, but other than going along to make sure things went ok and no one was seriously injured, he had his own reasons.

He turned down a hall and encountered Hannibal. "See if you can find the others," he told him. "The Core won't last much longer--we need to act. Their powers should have strengthened by now, and that'll help heal it faster."

~

Hearing no objections from the group, Raize, Skyla at his side, turned away from them. "Hannibal provided us with a device that can create doorways." He withdrew a small, sapphire cube from his pocket. "Once that doorway has opened, you all MUST be prepared. He's told me a few of the members seemed to have lost their desire to kill you, but even so, be on guard. If any of them offer to help, be sure you are with someone else before trusting them. If Cyrus or Vivien themselves are present and confirm that that person is trust worry, all the better. Before we leave, all of you go back inside really quickly. There's proper armor and garb that you should wear to prepare for their weapons."

He pointedly looked at Emily's yellow dress. "THAT, my frirnd, is NOT what to wear in a battle. Once you all come back, the door will be up. I'll go through first, and Skyla will go through last. Be quick."

The first place to check would be the kitchen. Hannibal made his way there and found Vera and Miles there.

"Good," he said, "Do either of you know where Ash, Deron, or Janko is?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That kiss. Cyrus was confused by it. Did that mean she liked him? If so, he was glad, he liked her too. Actually, now that he thought about it, Cyrus wasn't actually confused about he. He liked it.

He sat on the floor, cross-legged, to wait for Vera to come.

"I hope she agrees."

Miles tipped his head over at him. "Uh...Deron might be in his room, but I'm not sure where he'd be if he's not there. Ash...I just saw him, actually. He was heading down the hallway." He looked down the same corridor he'd just come from.

"Just around the corner, to the left."

Hannibal quickly exited the kitchen and went after Ash in the direction Miles told him. He quickly caught up with Ash and stopped him.

"Alexander wants everyone together," he told Ash, "so go to the kitchen."

With that said, Hannibal walked past him and headed to Deron's.

He knocked on Deron's door, "Deron, are you in there? If so, Alexander wants everyone gathered together, so head to the kitchen."

He proceeded to look through the halls for Janko. He ran in to him and Vivien as they were headed to the kitchen.

"Oh good," he said, "Janko, Alexander wants everyone gathered together, so get to the kitchen. And, what are you doing with Miss Valentine?"

Vera was about to answer Miles' question when Hannibal walked in. She shut her mouth abruptly and looked very sheepish, hunching her shoulders down and avoiding eye contact. If she could tell anyone, it should be Miles. Right? She could never say anything to Hannibal though. He was as loyal as loyal got and Vera would be dead before she could say, 'Wait, I was just kidding!'

After Hannibal left, Vera looked at Miles thoughtfully. He seemed a bit regretful, if twirling his thumbs meant anything.

Vera struggled with words and bit at the inside of her mouth. She sighed and started to grab eggs out of the refrigerator. Who knew saying something meaningful would be so damn hard? She didn't do it often and it was time to say something and make it count. She could do this!

She cracked an egg open with one hand, going through and breaking a half a dozen before whipping them with a fork. Any second now, the words would come. She'd say something so profound it would make Miles stop dead in his tracks. Yeah, she could do it! Any second...

"I think they'd make such a cute couple!" She gushed, saying it a little too loudly, "I mean, really, just look at them. All cute and... cute," She whipped the eggs angrily, frustrated at her own inability to say what was on her mind. For once.

"I mean, the way they look at each other all cutely and get all embarrassed whenever I mention sex. It's just so... cute!" Goddamnit, Vera! Pull yourself together! "And I even got to paint their nails to match." She groaned internally. She poured half of the egg batter into a skillet and sent a big smile towards Miles. Her eye twitched. The words were there, right THERE and they wouldn't come out! Her mouth never failed her before!

Miles let out a light chuckle. His eyes returned to the table.

"Heh, think so? Kid's--erm, Cyrus...is pretty oblivious. But uh, that's...not what I meant." His eyes flicked around, like he was nervous one of the others might overhear. He saw no one and cleared his throat, gaze shifting back to Vera.

"I meant...Well, you've been around them. Don't seem ALL that bad. I mean hell, they haven't tried to escape once." He ran a hand through his hair, realizing that wasn't the point he wanted to get to. He pushed back his chair and stood, eyes changing from nervous to sudden determination. "What I mean--Vera, I don't...I don't agree with this. There has to be another way, right? If it's just their powers that heal the Core, there has to be another way to do things than just...just killing them! I agreed to try and help Alex improve Valenia's condition--not kill a group of kids!"

The way he said it, it was obvious the thoughts had weighed heavily in his mind. He sat back down, hands cupping the side of his face. After what Hannibal said...Was it too late to help? They were making a move, after all. And really, did anyone else share his feelings? Even if Vera did, the two of them couldn't go up against everyone.

Vera listened, mouth ajar, as her friend expressed exactly how she felt. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, sensing his own confusion and relishing in the fact she wasn't the only one.

"I know what you mean. I think I'd feel differently if they were evil or something," Vera said, not seeing the irony in that, "But they're just kids. Kind-of regular kids who have a whole life in front of them. There's gotta be another way. Maybe if we make them sing? Put on a musical? Do you smell that?" Vera suddenly asked, moving her head up like a prairie dog. She sniffed a couple more times and her eyes widened.

"My eggs!" She gasped, leaping from the chair and bounding over to the stove.