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Cecile heard the Angel talking, her hand touching another door to transform it into a shield with spikes. She held it where the angel would most likely have to head to cut the person in front of her. If he was going to die, she'd protect him. After all.. She continued their descent towards the stairs in hopes that somehow it would work out without too much trouble. The elevator wouldn't be working, she was sure of that much.

----

Elsa listened to Zorlo talking to what seemed to be his power and weaponry. She couldn't figure out what she could do other that what seemed to be healing him somehow.

"Claire!" Allrainne yelled as she watched the Angel flash away from her to stab the woman through the back after her heavy weaponry assault, it's gleaming armor now scraped up and blackened in places with two large dents.. Allrainne hadn't felt it, the instinctual desire to shift and protect Claire. Whether it was too far, too fast, or just because Claire was a normal human, she didn't know. But as Morgan pounced on the indignant Angel and got pushed off, she did know one thing. She wasn't gonna let that go quietly. The Destroyer appeared in her free hand, taking the form of a large Greatsword as she readied herself to charge the Angel before her when she was stopped by the Beam of Light that shoot passed her and blew a can-sized hole through what would be its stomach on a Human, causing it to stagger and glare toward Arianna as Allrainne turned in surprise.

Arianna could only watch in shock as Claire was run through by the Angered Angel. It was just like before, in Zorlo's apartment, with the old man that had been killed by the Fallen that was after them. She could hear others inside screaming now too and it made her want to tear up. It seemed like these newfound powers did nothing but get people around them killed or hurt. But then...maybe that's why the others fight...? she couldn't help but think to herself as she closed her eye and put her hands over them. even closed, she could see the strange new symbols on her palms. But then, she'd already known that this wasn't gonna go like in the comics. Morgan's transformed roar brought her back to reality and she looked up to see Maes looked at the bleeding Claire while her Sister and the large, black Panther she now assumed was Morgan standing off with the Battered Angel. They still fought. Claire tried to fight though she probably couldn't even see them, so how could she sit back? But what could she do!?! The frustration made her palm tingle and she just let it take her as she leveled her hand at the Angel. "Particle Ray!" Light shown around her hand as a can-sized beam of Light lanced through the air to blast a hole straight through the Angel's armor. The frail girl blinked in mild surprise as her sharp mind took in what happened. "...That...just happened..." she murmured as the injured Angel started to move and Allrainne instantly moved to intercept it from going after her sister or the nearby Maes & injured Claire.

Zorlo held his sword as he heard the cry of pain nearby. "I think the others are nearby. I'm not sure how you do it, but you have healing powers. Go and see if any of them need help. I'll handle this guy for as long as I can. It seems like all we have to do is wait for these angels to defeat their target and we can go for the home stretch," the green-haired man stated as he spun Tapion quietly before taking a ready stance.

Winds danced around the angel and Zorlo for a moment. A slight shift from them both and a flurry of flashes erupted from where Zorlo's sword met the angel's spear. Zorlo's speed had increased beyond his limits with Exia... but he could feel it. His mana was draining away at a massively accelerated rate. His body couldn't hold this form for more than a few seconds... maybe a minute... fighting like this.

A powerful clash sent Zorlo skating back as the spear and his sword both shook. The angel's helm stared down at the man. "Your armor... its like that of our ancient foes... eerie..." the creature stated, its voice lost in the wind for the most part.

For Zorlo, the screams of pain his body was giving out from the rapid draining of his magical and life energy made the life-or-death struggle of this battle all the more real. Zorlo smiled, however, and readied again. "I've got one more charge in me... I'm gonna give you everything I've got!" the swordsman yelled as he took a readied stance and prepared to strike.

~~~

Even as Cecile and her boyfriend attempted to escape, two more angels cut off their escape route and smiled. "You can't get away, little mortals. Punishment is necessary. Death is necessary. Only through suffering can people attain the release of sin and pride. Cast yourselves to be the first logs onto the pyre of our new world," the angel stated as he spun his mace while the others readied their swords. There was no more easy exit points for Cecile nor the man.

"Ow." Claire murmured as she fell against the hummer, holding her chest wound with one hand. "Claire, you're-" "Fine. This is hardly the first time I've been stabbed in the back. Don't worry about me, go and get your girl. We can handle one little invisible swordsman." She gave him a smile and pat his hand, and pulled out a handgun. Claire's not supposed to get hurt. I have to go get Cecile. She has to stay safe so that she can keep me safe. But I can't go alone I can't do anything myself. So how can- The warring thoughts causes something in Maes to snap. In life there are fine lines between things. Thinks like bravery and stupidity, brilliance and insanity, and exhaustion and wired Maes Schrodinger suddenly found himself straddling several of those lines. He took Claire's grenade belt as a ball of air formed around him and shot him skyward. He surveyed the area and launched javelins of water down at each of the angels in his purview, the instant they struck he massively intensified the air pressure to solidify them into ice causing the holes they created to expand and stall the angels long enough for his allies to land critical blows.

Maes surrounded himself in a marble of hardened air molecules and then used his rings to fire himself into the building. Maes crashed into the hallway on the other side of the two angels. Maes feet had barely touched the ground and already he had pulled the pins on a pair of grenades and tossed them at the angels and Cecile, but the grenades looked strange they were glowing with a golden light. He fired them into the chests of the angels with blasts from his rings and golden shrapnel burned through their armor. None of the shrapnel managed to get past the angels to harm Cecile and her boyfriend, the shrapnel that went in the direction of Meas flew around the mad grenadier deflected by an azure wind barrier, and lit the hallway on fire, but the flames were quickly snuffed out as vacuums formed around them. The eyes Maes looked through Cecile and her boyfriend with had a mad gleam in them and beneath them was a twisted smile as he watched the angels dissolve. "Heheheh hello Cecile." He held up another golden grenade, the pin already pulled, and only kept from exploding by Maes's twitching fingers holding down the lever.

Madness was something that occurred to some at different times of her life. The time her boyfriend had taken her in, it had been in her eyes. It had turned her into an animal like creature, afraid of anything even remotely touching what was left of her body. Of course it had taken a lot of effort, but he had brought her into the room and gave her ample amount of time to do what she believed was best. Looking at Maes now, part of her wanted to tell him that this was not the time to speak or look as if one might destroy the next thing the grenade touched. Her eyes seemed to look into his with no fear. "Continue down the stairs." She spoke towards him. "We'll be alright if he's here." She wanted to tell him that she felt he shouldn't have to be that way to protect anyone, but right now was not the time to exchange such talk. She made a motion for Maes to follow as they continued to get to the ground floor.

----

Elsa saw the situation continued to get worse. Public situations like this would make no sense, especially if others couldn't see them. Still, she didn't know if it was good for them to cause more destruction when there was more being on their end from actual fighting. She closed her eyes and tried to focus. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to get her mind made up.

Zorlo narrowed his eyes at Elsa as he bit his lip. "Don't stand around! Go help them! They're dying, I'm not!" he yelled. Her indecision was getting the better of him, and his narrowly response to guard the attack that came at him reminded him that he was in the midst of a battle. "Dammit. Elsa, I know that you don't want any of this crap and just want life to go back to normal... But we don't have a choice anymore. We'll fight against our fate later... but for now, you can save people... so please do it!"

WIth a flash and clang of blades, the two spun around and Zorlo stepped back as he and the angel began to exchange blows again. The swordsman smiled as he shifted back. He had to make his move soon... otherwise he'd be doomed.

~~~

The Archangel held his hand out as the grenade floated into his hand and exploded. Unlike his compatriots who had been destroyed, the blast was contained in some kind of silver liquid and absorbed into the supreme angel. "Boy, you're not my target, stand aside," the angel said as he swatted Maes out of the way and continued his pursuit. These people with powers lacked necessary power to kill him. More than anything, they were just annoying now.

Elsa made her way towards, Claire, vaguely aware that her heels were starting to be a bit more of a burden than she wanted. Closing her eyes, she grasped the situation and wiped the sweat that had formed on her brow. It seemed that if she had something of her own, like tears, sweat, or maybe even spit, she'd be able to heal people. She didn't know how it worked exactly but she knew that she had to do something. "Relax and you'll be ready to fight in a few minutes." She spoke in a steady and calm tone. Her mind focused, watching the wounds that she touched start to heal.

----

"Get behind me," Cecile spoke, her voice still calm. She put her hand to the ground with two metallic objects from her purse. She formed a dome above them with a glare towards what she knew could enter it. Still, she would risk her life if she had to for someone important to her. Maes could protect himself at this moment, but her own boyfriend was defenseless.

Zorlo smiled as he flashed forwards. With a loud, metallic clang, he shifted past the angel and sheathed his sword. A gouge had been cut from the angel's armor, but it was little worse for the wear. "You're quite powerful... it will take some time to repair this damage. I do hope we meet again eventually," the angel said as it flew off.

"What an-" Zorlo paused as he held his chest and stumbled forwards. "Dammit body... not now... NOT NOW," he yelled as he started moving towards the building. He had to get to them... Maes and Cecile. SOmething told him they were both in danger.

~~~

Much as Cecile had guessed, the barricades did little more than stall his movement. The dome quickly cracked and shattered as a small ball engulfed the girl and set her quietly inside of it, quite capable of seeing from within it. Another ball flew behind the Archangel and quickly trapped Maes, pulling him into the room to watch as well. For the poor human that watched, the two seemed to merely stand in midair in a sitting position, but he couldn't explain why.

All at once, it happened. The Archangel's empty hand impaled the man through the chest and lifted him up. In a flash of golden flame, his body lit like a pyre and quickly began to be engulfed. In the next several seconds, whatever had once been human was little more than ashes... of some kind.

Unlike normal flames, these flames continued to burn even beyond the death of the creature they had engulfed.

Zorlo had arrived just in time to watch the cremation and stare in horror at the Angel's actions. The archangel turned and snapped his fingers. A pulse of energy ran through the orbs and quickly knocked Maes and Cecile unconscious. "Why? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Zorlo asked as he rushed forward and drew Tapion, only to be backhanded away through a part of a nearby wall.

"Why would I kill that man... or why would I let them witness it?"

The green-haired man rose and held his sword tightly, but his outfit, the sword, and the sheathes all vanished in the next second before he could attack again. "..."

"Its simple... that girl needed to be free... that child requires others like himself to learn... and you need drive. If you think we are cruel, your Magus family or the Devils will be even more cruel, and with less discrimination. You must learn to handle loss and suffering... or else your fate is truly already sealed," the archangel stated as the flames quickly began to spread. The divine being motioned towards Zorlo and the orbs flew over, dropping Maes on one shoulder and Cecile on the other. "Get them out of here... and regroup. Hopefully your friends are still quite alive."

Zorlo nodded and began to stumble away as the building continued to burn. "Almighty, hear my prayer and protect these lost souls. They know not what they do or what purpose they serve... but they are pure of heart and intention. Do not let them perish like filth, but rise above their challenges. Lest we forget the past, we are doomed to repeat it," the Archangel said before he began to shine brightly and vanishing.

Following the ARchangels retreat, the other angels vanished in similar flashes. THe building that Cecile had called home quickly burned to the ground. By the time the fire department and police arrived, there wasn't anything but ashes.

~~~

It had taken a lot of coordination and some assistance from Allraine, but Zorlo had guided everyone to his new residency. It was a rundown apartment building outside of town. Unlike his prior house of residence, this one was far more decrepit and rundown... still, the landlord was a family friend, and the two had established a method of payment by Zorlo simply fixing up the building... to the best of his ability.

As Zorlo and Allraine set down Maes and Cecile and everyone else slowly began to filter into a room filled with a pair of tables and some vending machines, Zorlo sighed. "Well... we've made it this far... so let's explain what's ACTUALLY going on to you, Claire, since you deserve to know... and talk about... whatever the heck the six... seven... eight of us are now," the man said as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. He was so worn out... how could they be talking at a time like this... it was frustrating, but he knew it was the only option. Everyone had to agree to... some kind of arrangement.

When the archangel took the grenade Maes didn't pay any attention to him as all of his focus was on his now empty and flexing hand. He stared at the creature's back and steadily followed after, seemingly no longer interested in trying to stop him. When the bubble encased him he poked it a couple of times and then placed his gloves in his pocket and placed both palms on the inner surface of the sphere. He watched the flames flicker across the surface, but he was unfazed by the spectacle and far more interested in the angel himself. Maes pulled his conductor's baton out and held it between his hands as the energy pulse began. He watched it for several seconds as the colors fluctuated until the pulse passed and he placed the conductor's baton back in his jacket, and then he blinked at the archangel a couple of times, seemed to remember something, and fell unconscious.Morgan wasn't sure how, but Maes had hijacked his ability to switch and had delayed the effects of the archangel's pulse by buffering himself with Morgan. His imperialness did not appreciate being used so, but being knocked unconscious almost immediately he had had little chance to voice that opinion, not that he could have gotten a word in edgewise to inform Maes of this with everything that was going through that boy's head. But he came to the instant Maes went under.

Claire was either in shock or she was taking the whole thing rather well because she immediately responded, "Magic is real, heaven and hell are real, as are the demons, angels, and probably a few other supernatural things. And as is the way of things that originate on other planes of existence, especially things that are strongly believed in, they all range from extremely resistant to downright immune to mundane weaponry. That about sum things up? Oh, and of course, Maes was kidnapped by one of these things." She looked at everyone there. "Oh, and Ms. Amsel, thank you for your assistance earlier." Claire placed a hand on the hole in her shirt and frowned. "Trying to breathe with one lung would have been rather difficult." She unloaded one of her handguns and tossed it aside. "So, should I be on the lookout for the All Father to leave a sword stuck in a tree for me?" Maes murmured something, apparently in answer to her question, "Arthur will be given items of great power by the wise." Maes then awoke with a start and looked around the room, panic in his eyes and then he laid eyes on Claire and the panic subsided replaced by confusion and concern. "No need to worry Maes, I'm fine, thanks to Ms. Amsel." He smiled and then noticed two strange glows from his pockets.

The first thing he withdrew was the last grenade from the belt, it glowed with a golden inner light. What's this? Claire extended her hand for the grenade and stated."Maes, that's dangerous, why don't you hand that to me?" Maes nodded and complied. I know I made that, but what kind of enchantment is it, and when did I do that? Last thing I remember, we were at Cecile's- "Cecile?" He looked around for the girl, an edge of panic in his voice. Morgan let out a little purr to draw the boy's attention and calm him. He was "standing" vigil over the girl by resting comfortably, curled up on her stomach. Rending an angel's head from it's body with practically no help from Allraine, Arianna, Claire, and Maes was tiresome. Morgan, being as amazing as me can be so exhausting.

It was reality that she knew was causing such dreams at the moment. Watching the changing shapes, she knew that something was already wrong in the dream. It had been a comfortable dream, though unpleasant in the fact she was looking at her past in an eerily realistic way. As she was waking up, she was feeling the comfort of a presence that started to leave. As she opened her eyes, it hit even harder to see that the entire thing had probably destroyed everything. She had spent her tainted life learning to be happy with what she could have, and now she couldn't have it once again. Part of her felt like she had those days she spent hiding, cold and often eating leftovers that tasted terrible while she got thinner and thinner. The first target of her reaction came to Morgan, who at the moment was something more than the stray cats she remembered hiding in the corner, refusing to come out. She pulled the cat into her arms and pet him, doing her best not to cry.

Elsa was a bit startled from her position. She had been healing Cecile's wounds. She nodded towards Claire and focused on who would need healing next. Of course, she would most likely be exhausted by the time she finished with what she could do.

"Yeah, breathing with one lung very much is..." Arianna said more to herself before her older sister gave her a gentle push toward Elsa. She looked back at her older sister to see Allrainne point out her injuries from the Fallen at Zorlo's apartment before indicating Elsa. With a slightly hesitant nod, the Frail-looking girl turned and walked up to Elsa to shyly ask to be healed, the bandages on her cheek and arm obvious enough without being indicated.

Allrainne merely smiled at the sight before turning her attention to everyone else here. Claire was okay now, Zorlo looked more tired then anything, Maes seemed unhurt, and Cecile.... Well, she'd need a moment. And someone with a gentler touch. Arianna told her often enough that she was about as subtle as a charging Bull and, by this point, was inclined to believe that. So, she turned her attention to Claire. "You have it about right, other then the Sword in the Tree part. Though I guess that Masked Freak might be able to..." she replied, chuckling momentarily. Yeah, that'd happen. "Long story short, The group of us were given powers by some 'all-powerful' prick in order to stop these forces so he doesn't have to. I think that covers the preliminaries," Allrainne finished.

Zorlo stepped back and started walking off. "Well, it was great to talk to you all and explain what's going on, but I'm gonna go rest up. Anyone else who wants to stay here, speak to the superintendent," the green-haired man said as a young woman entered and smiled at the group.

The young woman waved her hand and smiled at the group. "My name is Tamlin. I'm the superintendent of this building. I'm letting Zorlo stay here by doing odd jobs. Anyone else that feels like staying here feel free to ask, but you assume that assisting in rebuilding and maintaining this building is very, very important," the woman said as she smiled before she turned around. The thing she'd forgotten to share that she was a family friend to Z's family.

Claire sat down next to Cecile. "If you like you can stay at my place for a while. I've got an unused bedroom and I'm sure knowing I was keeping an eye on you would make Maes feel better."

The boy in question pulled a bunch of small pieces of paper out and handed them out. They were tickets for his private box at a local concert hall for a show later that day. "I know that a lot is going on, and now isn't really... but I- I'm, uh, and they're working so, if some of you could..." His voice trailed off so he just pointed at his name on the list of performers on the ticket. He thought about running over and hiding behind Claire, but she was smiling at him and for some reason he felt like he couldn't really move. This wasn't the first time he was supposed to be the pianist for an event like this, but all of the other times he had chickened out the day of so nobody really expected him to do it, thus his parents had not cleared their schedules and he would probably have to go bump his replacement before the show and he had thought about just blowing the whole thing off especially given the angels and fallen, but Allraine had made him agree not to run away anymore, so he wasn't going to... hopefully.

Cecile's eyes narrowed when Claire spoke. She was the last person she wanted to hear offers of such things from. She felt her mind closing off the woman's voice. This was the same woman that had made threats that she knew could come to pass. As she heard Maes, she continued petting Morgan, paying attention to him as he held out tickets. She moved a little closer, one hand letting go to grasp a ticket. She was by no means completely over the event, but Maes was the person that needed support and she did like his music.

Elsa waited for the girl to remove the bandages as she used some of her sweat to heal the injuries. "Anything else hurt?" She asked, even though she knew it would eventually tire her out.

Tamlin looked at Cecile and shrugged. "Hey, miss, you might want to back off from that girl. She's got spirit, but you're not the person she's interested in being around," the red-haired woman stated as she tossed Claire a red colored stone. "That's called a Blood Stone. Its used by Z's family members to enhance their vision. They can witness magical phenomena. Z used it before he gained those new powers since his magical power was low. He gave it to me before sealing his memories... if you're gonna help these dip-sticks, you'll probably need it," the woman said as she popped a cigarette out and lit it from a flame that extended from the fingertip of her index finger.

"Anyway," the super stated as she looked at Allraine and Arianna, "Z's already asked that I give you two keys, since you're as homeless as you made him," the woman said as she tossed two identical keys to them and waved them off. "Now then, when you're done getting healed, go find a room and get settled."

As the woman took another long drag from her cigarette, she looked at Elsa. "That just leaves you. From what I could get Z to tell me, you live a pretty normal life. I'm sure you'll wanna get home, so if you want, I can send you there. My assistant, Al-Sanders can help if you don't feel safe walking. Generally I'd send that schmuck Z, but he's being too proud to admit he's hurt right now, so I'll let him continue to be a proud swordsman. After all, that illusion won't mean crap in about a week," the woman said as she paused and snuffed out her cigarette.

"Anyway, Miss Claire, Maes and Cecile, you all be safe. Don't do anything reckless... or brave. Z was dead the moment that things changed. THe rest of you... you might all live."

Arianna shook her head to Elsa's inquiry. "No... That's it. Thank you, miss," she replied a bit shyly, a bit surprised by the speed and painlessness of the healing. It made her ruined eye tingle, like it wanted to be healed, but couldn't from Elsa's power. It did remind her that she needed to learn more and figure out how to restore the eye.

Even as Allrainne caught the keys that Tamlin tossed for her and her sister, she couldn't help but bristle up slightly at the Super's demeanor. It didn't take long to realize why. She had that same attitude as that Masked Freak, DM. All arrogant and high & mighty because that had more understanding of things then you did and clearly felt themselves superior because of it. Made the tall woman wanna punch something till a tug on her shirt reminded her on the situation. So, she took a deep breath to calm herself and focused on a different path, the tickets Maes was giving everyone. While she wasn't a big fan of Music, Arianna liked these performances. "Thanks, Maes. We'll be there, supernatural not withstanding," she replied to him with a kind smile as she put him on the shoulder.

Arianna, on the other side, sighed as she watched her bristling sister calm down. Though she'd come quite a ways from the brawler she used to be in her younger years, she was still as hot tempered as ever. The situation hadn't helped much either with people she could tell at a glance pissed off her older sister. But as Allrainne turned to Maes, Arianna continued listening intently to Tamlin. Zorlo's dead...in a week...? she thought to herself. At least, that's what she got from that in any case. Then again, he'd said something about his family coming for him soon. Was that it...? She'd... need to ask the Woman soon, but that'd wait for the moment.

Elsa looked a bit surprised at the revelation he was hurt. "If he's injured, then I'll make him take some healing that I can do." She spoke, more determined as she stood up. She didn't mean to ignore Maes, but it was one of the few things she could do for them. If someone needed to be healed, she had to be able to do it before she realized how crazy she as being. "Is it possible to see him and convince him?" She had a confident gaze as she looked.

Tamlin stared at her and sighed. "Well, if you REALLY want to force him to live longer, be my guest. I'm not gonna stop you. Here, take this key," she muttered as she tossed the girl a skeleton key to the building. "Just don't bother anyone else. He's on the fourth floor, room 9. Or, he's probably there by now. Stubborn bastard probably took the stairs to get up there, so he's likely writhing quite a bit by now," the woman said with a quiet laugh. "I mean... how tragic."

Zorlo pulled himself along the wall of the fourth floor. Room 49... that's where he was staying now. He struggled to move along and bit his lip slightly as the pain rushed through him. As he approached the door to his room, he started trying to find his key. Tears began to drip from his eyes as he bit hard enough to draw blood from his lip. "Dammit..." he muttered. "I think... I overestimated... my abilities here..."

((Sorry for not posting for a couple weeks, I've been kind of busy.))
Maes smiled happily that anyone had said they would come and he managed to avoid jumping when Allraine touched him, mostly. Maes noted the time and tugged on Claire's cuff, pointing at the time. Claire, who had been doubtfully examining the rock. Looked at the time confused for a second and then understanding struck. "Right, we should get going. I assume you'll get Morgan?" She asked and pocketed the rock before heading down to the car. Maes took Cecile's hand again to lead her down.

Assuming she goes along. Claire dropped Maes and Morgan off at the concert hall, she was about to get out and escort him into the building, but he said. "We'll be alright." And added on a second later in a british accent, that caused Claire to raise an eyebrow at, "Girls like to go shopping, don't they? Why don't you two do that?" Maes hurried after the cat saying something too softly for her to hear. She drove on a little ways before she said to Cecile in a soft voice, "He's gone. You can yell, cry, vomit, or even hit things now, if you like." She couldn't know exactly what was going through the girl's head, and knew she was hardly Cecile's favorite person, Not a girl's favorite person, that's hardly new territory for you isn't it Claire., but she had lost friends and had done all of those things herself.

"Morgan, why did you make me say that? That's kind of rude." "Simple. It's true. Besides, all of Cecile's stuff went up in the fire so she needs to buy new things anyways." "But still, did you have to say it like that?" "I suppose not, but it was faster and you do have to practice with everybody. We're going to have to blow them away if you intend to oust the stewart. I'm sure he's grown far too accustomed to the butt print he's left on our seat. Somebody's coming." "It was still rude." Maes grumbled before they turned a corner and ran into the aforementioned replacement pianist. And it was indeed going to be difficult to convince everyone to let him play, it was the day of the performance after all.

Cecile followed Maes without protesting. Being left alone with a Claire who was not trying to separate her at the moment was only slightly reassuring. She didn't look at Claire, but didn't seem to be trying to run away as fast as she could. "He came to me when I was living like an animal. I was hiding in alley ways and I was barely healthy. I had to actually compete with animals in the alleyways for food." She knew tears were welling in her eyes, but there wasn't anything she could do to hold them back anymore. "The day he came I hadn't had food in three days. I was staring at the other empty trash cans when someone started to pull me to stand up. I was practically forcing the guy to drag me up into where he lived because he was a complete stranger." She felt her voice starting to break a bit. "He pushed me into the bathroom and wouldn't open the door. By the time I was finished following what seemed to be this guy's whim, he had already fed me. I asked him why he was doing it. He told me that if I had the will to live, then why shouldn't he be there?" She felt her eyes closing as the tears flowed freely. "It didn't matter whether or not I was a drug dealer to earn money for a place to live. I was the type of person no one was waiting for at home or had anyone to care about me back then. He gave me a home, a job, a place to stay... and even the will to live on after all I'd been through. Would you really condemn someone like me just because I..." She knew she was shaking, but she remained as far away from Claire as she could.

-----

Elsa didn't seem to quite care that she had probably broken a heel to intercept Zorlo's progress. Once she found the door and noticed it was probably open a bit more recently, she used the skeleton key and pulled the door open without knocking. It was stupid, in her opinion, to allow yourself to hide an injury when there wasn't any danger at the moment. She kept her body moving as she looked around the apartment to find him.