"D-DAMMIT! ELI, WITH ME!"
"YES MASTER!" Voices could be heard echoing in the depths of the southern dungeon in the kingdom, with many of the prisoners beginning to feel afraid of what was going on inside. At the end of the prison halls was an brown oak door that stood out among the dark halls.
"It's too strong! M-Master it's too powerful! GAAAH-!"
"E-Eli! By the gods... The portal is-" Marked by thousands of insignias on the front glowing all at once, intimidating to many who gazed upon it from their cells. Prisoners could hear screams of pain and agony as some cells, empty as they were, gave the other prisoners good reason to stay silent.
Behind the door, some stairs went down, seemingly hundreds of meters down as screams went from deep below the dungeon itself. All of it leading to one more door, pure white in appearance, as going inside would lead to somewhere more enlightened.
But on this day, it was anything but enlightening.
...........
"WHY DIDN'T IT WORK?!" A hand slammed onto one of the candles surrounding the center, as many others in the room started to feel uneasy.
The old man's grey hood covering his head once more, as another young boy began to approach him from behind. Feeling his shoulder be touched by his hand, the old man shoved him off before walking away.
Stunned at his lack of attention, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated at his master's attitude. Before the boy could follow, another of the hooded figures grasped his shoulder pulling him back.
"Don't Eli. It would be best if you did not disturb him." The taller woman spoke as she removed her hood, revealing her features.
Her hair looked rough, messy around the edges like she'd just woken up, but somehow maintaining its light-brown tone. With bright skin to compliment, and a very thin figure she could come off as one of the oldest members of the Holy Order.
At least, the oldest member that was in the room, as others began to take their hoods off, revealing them to be younger than expected.
These young adults were a part of the Holy Order, one of many groups a part of the Kingdom of Aloysius. Establishing itself as a core part of the king's army since the great purging only 20 years ago, they had become almost essential to his kingdom.
The founder of this order, Pras Donovan had recruited numerous individuals in hopes of spreading their beliefs of the gods to outer lands. He wished for nothing more than peace among many, even actively going out despite his old age, believing that kindness in-person is the best of all.
He was a selfless man, and he had paid dearly because of it with his life. Killed by mysterious assailants on the way back from one of the neighboring kingdoms, the Holy Order was struck hard with his death. In their grief the order itself has torn apart, some split between revenge and many more deciding to address the king on the situation.
With tensions rising, members from the Southern area of Aloysius had decided to derive a plan, one that would no doubt be an advantage should the world be thrown into chaos once again. But right now their plan had seemingly failed.
"B-But why?! We've been doing it just like he said, and yet nothing is happening!"
The blonde-boy said, his emerald eyes piercing into the older woman's irises. He was angry, they had been doing this for hours and hours-on-end.
"I know things may be bad Eli, but we need to stay calm. Nothing will come of this if we just-"
Before she could finish, the young Eli was already stomping away to the door. Opening the door and slamming it behind him, others stood beside her as they looked to their master.
"For the eldest of us, he seems to lack the most belief in our master..."
"Yes, he has been with him the longest..."
"Perhaps he has been around long enough to understand Father."
"Silence!" His gruff voice cut through the air, causing the three members who had spoken against Eli to cease their squabble turning towards their master. He was at the very end of the wide room, sitting by many tables hugging the walls, as he was reading of many scriptures containing information regarding what he was looking for.
"I have used four prisoner's lives as the exchange in bringing four chosen over, yet all it does is bring me burnt papers?!" He said, sifting through many sheets containing info on how to 'open doors to different worlds'.
It was almost laughable at how the summoning had gone wrong, as they followed the process step by step in practice before initiating the real thing.
They had taken prisoners from their cells, chosen four of the oldest, namely those near-death and used them, with consent, as sacrifices to power the vortex that should've supposedly brought their saviour.
The Don, one who'd change their world for the better.
"Why..."
Knowing this step was enough for them to create the summoning circle, that had several star-shaped engravings and different symbols written all over it in blood.
Outside of the circle were texts in an ancient language none could understand, but knew it was to summon someone important.
They all began pouring their magic energy into the blood, as it soon started to glow a deep purple hue, spreading across the entirety of the summoning circle. To everyone's joy, the vortex had appeared out of thin air, beginning to grow bigger as they looked in awe as the view inside changed to form a visual of the other side.
But something went wrong.
It had not been a minute until the portal began to act up, the vortex surrounding it wildly contorted its shape, causing members to feel scared and begin backing off. Soon the twelve who held the portal open came to ten, their numbers dwindling to five before finally ending in two.
Their master, Neto was holding onto the portal with his apprentice Eli, hoping for a miracle to happen. He hoped for the portal to summon the one he had been looking for, the hero had needed for his plans.
But it was not meant to be.
What was left were candles that surrounded the summoning circle, and pieces of burnt paper. Its ashes breaking apart as they hit the floor, as Neto had felt this was exactly what had happened to his plans. It had all but broken, gone up in flames, as he could not fully understand what had happened.
"Goddamn failiure... It's been nothing but failiures..."
Before he could burst a vein, he took a deep breath, exhaling quietly. He wanted to get angry, he wanted to use all of his mana to just blow up the entire prison, to vent his frustrations out on scum of the kingdom.
But he couldn't, he needed to uphold his reputation as a 'Minister'. Especially in front of these neophytes.
Slowly getting up from his seat, the other's watched as Neto walked to the center of the circle where the tall-lady had placed herself in. She was investigating the remains, as Neto sat beside her looking at the burnt papers.
"You might want to see this Father Neto..."
"Did you find anything?"
"Yes, I believe you will find this very interesting..."
She passed the remaining papers to Neto, as he began to read through what was on each one. With each passing page, his expression changed, slowly shifting to one of astonishment as they were very familiar to him.
"These pages... By the gods..."
Neto quickly rushed back to grab his scriptures before sitting back down with the lady beside him and started comparing the two.
He knew it, they were the same as his own, only more detailed and had smoke coming from the tip of it.
Shaking the paper so it wouldn't burst into flames again, many other members surrounded the two as they observed their master enchanted by their discovery.
"Master Neto, if you noticed there are some parts of the paper that has handprints on them. This could mean someone had recently used this..."
"Someone had used this? Possibly from the other side?"
The members began going into a question frenzy with each other, curious as to why there were papers almost identical to the scriptures the late-Donovan had left behind to the Holy Order.
Neto, however, was overwhelmed by a sudden epiphany, looking at what seemed to be scriptures from another world. He noticed key differences such as the ink that was used in writing it, being red instead of the more familiar blue or black, and even the different style of writing.
"Not only that but because of the handprints and ripped pages we can assume the portal did not disappear entirely..."
Neto looked to the lady for a moment in disbelief before turning back to the papers in his hands. Many of the members were as shocked as him, as another idea came into his mind.
"By the gods... He's somewhere else...."
A feeling of dread set in for Neto as he stroked his goatee, realising about what might've happened to the heroes he and the others had tried to summon. Not wasting any more time, r Neto got back up and signaled the others for another task.
"Everyone! We are all heading back to the church now, pack your things!"
Neto shouted, before moving to the tables and retrieving all of his papers, organizing them in three different sections. As others began to leave, he stopped the lady who had made the discovery first.
"Terja, thank you for showing me those papers. If it had not been for you we might have hit a dead end to my plans."
"I did what was right Father Neto... May we do well in finding them..."
The lady named Terja said, before leaving with the rest of the members back to the ground floor. Neto stood there, watching her and the others leave before glancing back to where the summoning circle used to be.
"I'll find you...Wherever you may be... May the gods watch over you four..."
Neto left the chamber, its lights flickering before finally turning off. His steps echoed as he slowly rose the stairs, as he had decided what he needed to do next.
Within the chambers of where they had attempted to summon the 'heroes', a black shadow emerged from the wall, shifting into a figure as light chuckling could be heard.
"So the Holy Order wants to summon a hero, and they've gone missing? oh I must tell the lord..."
A feminine voice uttered, coming from the shadow itself robbed in black. Looking at the space surrounded by candles, she glanced at the door before disappearing once more.
The Holy Order and another would be after this 'chosen one' for the time being, as the southern region of Aloysius was under watch from the Holy Order.
"So what I'm saying is- A...ACHUu!"
Klein had managed to cover his sneeze with his shirt but at the expense of Neil's foot. The couch they were holding came crashing down on his brother's foot, which wasn't covered by his shoes since he had left them by the door.
"Fu- Frick! Could you please hold the couch and not let go this time!?"
"Nice save."
A sour glare was the only response Klein got, as he hastily grabbed the bottom of the couch and helped him move it to a different spot in the room.
As they did so, Amari couldn't help but stare at the brothers rearranging items across the room. Did they not like the setup before?
Amari would have to ask, rethinking it cause he to decide otherwise. To her, it would be best not to question the two, especially after they graciously took her in.
Soon after they bought out the apartment, the brothers had ended up taking Amari in. Their kindness was surprising, but not unwarranted. After she was fully recovered, they took her out to see the town. They mentioned that they were new as well, so it could've been a great time to get to know her better.
Amari remained hushed, continuously wiping her tears away as they made their way around. The beige and brown that was spread across buildings of the town was familiar to her, as she watched passerby stare at her. The eldest of the two, Klein, made sure to have the brothers stand beside her on both sides.
A bit fearful at first, her panic was quelled when Neil brought her close to his side. Looking up, she saw the face of a benevolent man staring back down at her. His smile radiated clarity, calming her nerves as they started to make out the area.
The two were so similar, yet so different. Klein, despite being older, had a very lax aura surrounding him. She knew he was initially against the idea of bringing her into the fold of their family, but Amari was glad that he reconsidered.
The youngest, Neil, had been nothing but kind-hearted to her. The first who decided to take her in the first place, much to the dismay of his brother.
When the three wandered to a clothing shop, Klein didn't miss a beat in bringing them inside. Buying different sets of outfits so they wouldn't stand out, they also bought a few for Amari. Along with the two brothers wearing plain shirts and shorts, similar to the townspeople, they fashioned brown cloaks to hide their clothing.
However, they bought her something else entirely for the demi-human. The two had personally picked it out for her, handing the pieces and asking her to try it on. Unlike the two brothers, she was given a black and blue short-sleeved hoodie. Stripped patterns lined across the bottom, as she was given a new black skirt and small brown boots.
A small hole was cut at the back of the skirt, a place where she could fit her tail through, letting it move freely.
Though she was taken aback by the choice in colours, she grew to like it in a matter of minutes. The material was so soft on the inside, making it very comfortable. Looking to the brothers only made her feel better, Neil gave her a thumbs up while Klein nodded approovingly with a grin on his face.
This feeling of content was tear-jerking, the time she had spend with them immediately drowning out bad memories of her past. They were treating her as if she was their own daughter, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.
It reminded Amari of her parents.
...........
Mama... Amari sat alone on the dining table, sometimes glancing to kitchen area, trying to see what the two brothers were up to. Picking at the table with the utensils, just sitting on a table with two seats beside hers was a reminder of who she used to be.
Of what she used to be.
That was a time she'd rather leave behind.
She was snapped out of her trance-like state when a scent caught her nose. It smelt unfamiliar to her, but it caused chills to run down her spine. This scent was delicious, and that meant by extension the brothers were making something good. Amari wouldn't dare walk in to have a look, already having a history of being punished for such a little thing.
But...This smell... It was like melted butter on toast...
Hnnn.....!! Her tail was slowly moving, her ears twitched as she heard plates lift and dropping onto the bench in the other room. Amari eagerly awaited for dinner to come, a bit glad that they didn't see her looking so expectantly. After a few more minutes of Amari temptation, Neil came back onto the table with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Here we go, my very own Croque Madame."
Though their attitude towards the young demi-human was bordering on the lines of 'You don't need to do that, I've got it, Amari'.
"Why..." Amari was a child, but she wasn't someone who needed to be taken care of every minute of the day. She was past that, especially after what had happened to her own family. But she knew, deep down, that the brothers were just doing this out of pity for her situation.
"Finally! Thought you'd never find a good spot for this thing!" Klein said, moving to the front before lounging on the couch. He was clearly tired, but Neil wasn't convinced in the slightest.
"When we're in a place like this, you gotta switch it up or else the setup gets stale." It had been only a few days since they arrived, and the room was already starting to feel boring to him. This world was a few leaps behind, in terms of technology, and he hated it.
"Implying this apartment is stale?"
"No! I'm saying were going to have to move sooner or later." Neil was still focused on getting back to their own world, as both brothers had gathered information about this world as the days went by.
One of the shirts they bought from a nearby marketplace blew out of their make-shift washing-line, falling out of the house and onto the path outside the inn. Silently cussing to himself, Neil before going to check where it landed.
"You wanna get that?" Klein pointed to the window, raising a brow at his groaning brother.
"I-I'll go...!" Their head's turned to the voice of Amari, who sat by the bed, awkwardly staring at the two. Though Amari knew the two were only looking at her, she couldn't meet their eyes out of embarassment.
Neil was the first to speak up, walking towards the window to check on the clothing that fell out.
"Amari it's ok, you don't have to go~" Neil voiced, gesturing to Klein who had just started to lean back onto the couch "Klein's going instead, right Klein?" He quickly adjusted himself on the chair, and with a whine slowly got up to go.
"Y-Yeah kid, I've got it covered..." Klein was walkin to the door when she stopped him.
"N-No! Let me do this!" Amari squeaked out, causing Neil to sweat-drop. He was feeling a tad bit shocked at her sudden loud tone, even if it was adorable.
Light footsteps from Amari could be heard as she dashed Klein before he could protest, swiftly exiting the room. Stepping aside and letting her pass, he watched on as she scurried down the steps at the end of the hall.
"You think we're doing something wrong?" Neil questioned, making his way to the couch before sitting down.
"Maybe? I honestly think were doing okay." Opening the door more to let some air in, he turned back to Neil who looked bothered.
Klein's posture slouched as he joined Neil, falling by the arm of the chair as he couldn't help but just lie back. On the other hand, Neil was looking to the window for any indication of her reaching the front. It was confirmed when he heard pitter-patters and a slight 'Aha!' noise as Neil heard someone pick up his shirt.
"I just think, maybe we've been too... You know, protective?" Klein looked doubtful,
"Us? Protective? Please, I've never been like that."
"What do you mean, dad's always told me you'd keep a close eye on the relatives." The room suddenly grew silent, tension roseas Neil noticed a change in Klein. He was already frowning at the floor, refusing to speak as Neil waited for a response.
The air grew thin as Neil started to choke up, was it something he said?
"I can't believe he told you about that!" Klein's annoyed tone returned again, raising his hands in the air as he shouted tiredly.
The hell was that...? Neil coughed as his attitude shifted back to normal. Always keeping to himself, that was one thing Neil didn't like about his brother.
"He tells me a lot of things Klein..."
"I'm sure he does..." The problem was that they were becoming parents who were always watching over their children no matter what. Klein didn't want that for Amari, he wanted her to learn how to fight, do chores, find a balance between the two.
Honestly, Klein was surprised Amari hadn't begun to show more sides of herself because of all the work they've done. But thinking about it more, maybe it was the opposite.
Every time they'd do something for her, Neil and Klein could see the subtle look in her eyes. A smile that showed gratitude towards them, but felt extremely forced. At first Klein seemed irked that she wasn't grateful, but Neil quickly brushed it off as something more saddening.
It was as if she kept getting reminded about something she could never get back.
"Alright let's just get our head out of the gutter and admit what we're being right now!" Klein clasped his hands together, glancing to Neil who seemed visibly upset just thinking about it.
"Ok? What are we then?"
"Helicopter parents." Neil visibly cringed when he heard what he said. Klein didn't seem too satisfied with his brother's reaction, especially when was doubtful about it.
"Are you sure? I mean we haven't been that protective-"
"No, we really have. Remember when she needed to go to the bathroom, but we had no clue where they were? You were running around town shouting for the location of a toilet." Klein couldn't help but chuckle inside at how embarrassed his brother was getting, the tense wall between them from before had all but vanished.
"In my defense Amari was on her toes and things were getting desperate, I had to take desperate measures!"
"That's your opinion man, but just so you know... We can't rely on Florence forever..." Deciding to let him finish, Klein cleared his throat before grabbing something from his pocket. Putting it onto the table in front of their couch, Neil looked at the pouch and back to Klein.
"What's inside?"
"What's left of our funds." Tipping out their gold coins, with there being more than what they had before. Neil noticed that there were silver coins too, ones that didn't match the symbols from their old world.
"I got the silvers from Florence, call it payment for helping her out these past few weeks. But helping her just won't be enough..."
"We're fine where we are Klein."
"We both know that's not true." Klein walked back to the front door, peeking out and hearing footsteps tapping in the distance. Not doubt it was Amari coming back with the shirt. Giving one last look to Neil, he pulled out a piece of paper beside the door.
"We've held off long enough. We need another source of income, and I've got just the thing for it."
Is that...? Looking closer, Neil could recognize the paper was the very same he saw outside the inn. Recruitment papers for the adventurers guild, one that he must've took out the last time they went into the apartment.
"The adventurers guild...?"
"There's one nearby Neil, and we've got no other choice. And besides..." Klein said with a smirk, wrapping the paper and throwing it to Neil. "I'm REALLY starting to get bored of helping Florence with the shop." Amari eventually walked back into the apartment, as she went and handed the shirt back to Neil.
"Thank you, Amari. By the way, are you feeling ok?"
"N-no..."
At least she's honest... She started shifting in-place, very noticeable by the brother's as she went to sit on the couch. Klein went and sat by the arm while Neil looked from the other side.
"You two, and Miss Florence... Have been so nice to me... Have helped me so much..."
"Okay? What does that have-"
"Would you shut up? Go on Amari, finish what you wanted to say."
"Well...I want to help you both more, repay the kindness you've shown to me. So please, let me help!" Her uncharacteristic yell at the end took the brothers off-guard, staring at her as she was now heavily breathing.
"You want to do something for us in return...?"
Amari's subtle nod was enough for them to consider what she could really do. They had already discussed before how they were helicoptering her these past few days, and since Amari wants to help in any way she can return, it won't be too bad if she helps out a little. Still, Neil was feeling anxious about this.
Checking back to the paper in his hands, Neil had a good idea of what she could do to help.
"Just take care of the house for us while we're out, shouldn't be too hard right?"
"I-I don't understand...Where will you both be going?"
Why would they leave? Did she do anything wrong? Her tone sounded almost desperate, choking a bit at the end of her question. Neil gave Amari the paper to look at, easing all doubts of abandonment.
"We'll be out for hours at a time, maybe even the whole day, so we're hoping you can hold the fort while we're out. Think you can do that?"
She looked back to Neil who gave a warm smile and turning to Klein who flashed a thumbs up before walking to the bedroom.
Amari knew this was her chance to repay them, and so she nodded accordingly with a smile unfamiliar to them.
This smile was one of great joy, one they haven't seen from her ever since that day they arrived. It had been a few weeks too long, that Amari had expressed genuine happiness.
"Yes!"
"Good. Now the first few missions are gonna be just us two, but when we're comfortable with it... You'll be joining us as well!"
Amari froze at that last sentence, her smile quickly changing to one of surprised as she tilted her head back up. Amari pondered on that idea for a moment, thinking of all the time she'd potentially spend with her two new guardians. It made her overjoyed, thinking of getting stronger too, as she lit up once more before smiling back at the brothers.
"O-Ok! I'll do my best when the time comes!"
Holy shit she's so cute! Neil and Amari saw Klein leave the room for a few minutes, starting to feel worried when they heard snickers from the bathroom. When he came back out of the room, he was dressed in different clothes.
Instead of just his signature singlet, he also fashioned a brown on top of it. Covering all the way to his legs, and his jandals were replaced by an even browner-coloured boots.
"You know I still can't over this look. Makes you look like a cultist."
"Courtesy of the clothing store nearby. Also, black cloaks do not equal cultists Neil."
"But the feeling is there, right?"
Klein ignored Neil's question, instead, throwing Neil his own poop-coloured cloak which fell on his disappointed face. Heading to the door, Klein motioned Amari to follow, with her jumping off the couch and moving beside him.
"Lets go." With Neil in tow, the three were ready to head out to the marketplace, feeling better than they were before.
"I think I'm starting to like this place."
"AAAAH!" Shrieks could be heard from the living room, as Klein ran out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his towel to see the commotion.
"WHAT'S WRONG?! ARE YOU BOTH OK?"
"K-Klein! Could you please kill that thing?!"
Neil asked, his tone bordering on the lines of worry and terror as he and Amari could be seen on the other side of the room with their shoes. They both seemed to be scared of something, pointing them towards the door just out of Klein's view.
Turning the corner, Klein was shocked and even more disgusted to find a bug crawling on their front door. It wasn't just any bug, as it was almost as big as his own hand, as Klein looked back to the two cowering before facing the bug again.
"C-careful! It jumps..."
"Holy shit that things hu-" Before Klein could finish the bug leapt from off the wall and right at Klein's general direction. Instinctively ducking, he felt his whole body slip over as his wet feet caused him to fall to the floor.
"K-Klein!"
Amari saw that the fall he took wasn't a nice one, as Klein had struck the back of his head. Noticeably hurt and with a tinge of blood leaking, Amari knew things weren't going to go so well if she didn't act now.
The bug was beginning to draw closer to Klein, its pincers opening wide as if it was a predator, getting ready to eat its next victim.
Looking back and forth between the bug and Klein, she was beginning to form a plan.
Maybe I could use this shoe? No no no the monster will only jump away if I try to hit it again, how am I supposed to stop it?! Amari thought, watching as the bug slowly made its way to Klein.
Neil rushed to his brother's aid before the bug squirted something out of its backside, causing Neil to cover his eyes before a red liquid made contact with his arms. It stung like hell had just gone and just lit its fires onto his arms, as Neil hissed in pain
.
He grabbed a bottle nearby to wash it off of his arms with water, feeling the acid-like substance dissipate from his arms.
MISTER NEIL! His arms are covered in that liquid and it was burning! He needs to get that wiped off-
Amari paused for a moment before putting two and two together.
Dazed for a few seconds after falling and hitting the back of his head, Klein regained composure before looking back from the floor to see where the bug had gone.
Right in front of his face.
Klein felt his body tense up, face to face with the bug both were scared of. It's four pincers on its head like some sort of claw, its 5 little feet on each side of its body, and finally, its pitch-black eyes staring right at his own brown. Pushing himself up with all his might he felt something grab his towel, pulling it off in an instant.
Klein gasped, turning to find Amari gripping the towel tightly as she kept it fully open. The bug hissed back at the demi-human before leaping at both of them.
Her animal instincts kicked in, blocking the bugs assault with the towel and shocking Klein as they both saw its shadow climbing to the stop. Amari acted fast, using to cover her foe entirely before throwing it to the floor.
Amari passed the shoe to Klein, while also trying not to look at him since he was currently covering his entire groin area with his hands.
"M-Mister Klein now!"
Klein, catching on to what she was trying to do, followed through with what she was planning. Putting on the shoe he took a step towards the bug, currently flailing under the towel. Neil had joined the fray, pushing the other side of the towel on the floor to stop it from escaping.
N-Neil?!
"I've got it, finish it off Klein!"
Oh god oh shit, this is so disgusting...! Neil was grossed out, watching as the bug had slowly started to gain more ground on the small gap that was open form the towel.
"YOUR DONE!"
Without pause, and with a shout, Klein took a dive at the bug with pure determination on his face. His elbow was stretched out ready to make contact and squish the bug, while Neil was on his last legs as the bugs head was beginning to stick out.
Letting it all go free, Klein could feel the wind brush past his [ ] as he utterly crushed the bug's body, as he had hit his target spot-on. Neil saw its head struggle for a few seconds before finally falling to the cold floor.
They had done it.
The bug was dead.
A crisis had been averted.
Neil sighed as both Klein and himself took a breath before sighing, the deed had been done.
"Amari, that was great thinking with the towel! I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't jumped in."
Klein said before turning to Amari, which Neil had grabbed the towel and put it in front of Klein's private part. She was feeling really happy with herself, since she thought fast and managed to stop the bug from doing any harm to Klein.
"T-Thank you, Mister Klein!" Amari said with a smile, as she was satisfied with stopping the bug and saving the brothers. Looking down at Klein's towel and noticing something strange, she asked what could've been the worst question to cross his mind.
"Uh- Mister Klein, where's the bug?" Klein stopped smiling, giving some thought to her question before looking down at his privates. Something was brushing on his [ ] and it wasn't nice, Klein's face had turned from a light brown to a mix of red and purple as his expression changed accordingly.
Klein looked sick, putting his hand on his mouth as he ran back into the bathroom before either could say a word.
"I some of the bug's gunk and acid brushing on his... You know."
"Know what?"
"Well you see, us guys... Wait no- forget it Amari, you'll learn when your older." Neil patted her back before moving back to the bed, lying back on it and beginning to sleep as if nothing had happened.
Mister Neil and Mister Klein are strange... Amari was dumbstruck at their easy-going attitudes at their success, despite the injuries even Neil faced himself.