"Out of the way, kid!" Risa tried to move past Noah.
"I- can't let you do that!" He failed his arms, blocking her.
"Come on, newbie!"
"I'm sorry!"
"You're not really going to hit a girl, are you?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
"My friend says that it's okay to hit a girl if they're as strong as you. And- and she's a feminist too."
"That's a weak argument."
"Please don't make me do this!"
Risa growled in frustration, pulling out a large syringe. "Don't make me stab you, freckles!"
"Risa!" Vic's voice reached them, sounding defeated.
Risa dropped the act, sprinting.
On instinct, Noah flicked the whip at her across the arm, making her skid to a stop.
"I'm done playing, kid. He needs me." She growled.
Noah couldn't respond but when she tried again, he aimed for the hand holding the syringe.
She let out a cry, dropping it but kept moving. Noah couldn't do anything except physically subdue her. He got her in a full body hold, the kind Alexis would use on him when she got competitive in a tickle fight.
"Let me go!" She screamed, getting a hand loose to punch him wherever she could.
He mumbled something she couldn't hear, his hands pinning her arms behind her back, knees locked and his weight on her torso.
She grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling it back to reveal tear stained cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He whispered, breathing shallow.
She stopped fighting, confused for a moment. Then she saw Vic's body.
Her ear-shattering scream rang out. In a desperate bid, she kicked Noah between the legs, using the attack to push him off.
She didn't get very far.
The tip of Markus's blade was inches from her throat, forcing her back.
Cain knelt down next to her, gripping her by the shoulder.
"Go ahead." She hissed. "Kill me."
Cain clenched his jaw. 'I am not a traitor.' He enunciated again. He loosened his grip, sitting back.
He motioned towards Vic. 'Heal him.' he mouthed.
Risa looked sceptical, then decided to take her chances. She rushed towards her fallen companion, muttering spells as she ran a salve over his wounds. They closed up, draining her bit by bit.
"This doesn't make us even." She muttered as he came up behind her.
He waited until she was done and turned to face him.
'Elin.'
"Seriously, dude?" She raised an eyebrow.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Same old lover boy, aren't you?"
Cain smirked a little, playfully bringing his fist up to bump her on the head. She brought a hand down on her head just as fast.
The realisation set in. They had history but things had changed now. She looked away, clearing her throat.
"Fine. You remember Damien?"
Cain shivered.
"Yeah. Last time we saw, Elin was with Damien. Sorry, you gotta ask him." She shrugged, getting to her feet.
Now that she was calmer, she saw Noah standing a little further away.
"Ah, I'm sorry I attacked you."
'Rabies.' Cain mouthed, looking grave.
"Better than whatever STD you're carrying," she snapped back.
Before Cain could physically assault a fifteen year old, Alexis cut in, ignoring the sounds of Markus wheezing in the background. "Thank you, Risa. I know it's hard to trust us."
"Yeah, just don't make me regret this, okay?" She waved them off, going back to take care of Vic.
"There's someone else we have to meet?"
Cain nodded, as exhausted as they were.
*******************************
"Noah.." Markus started, unsure of how to phrase it. "So I noticed something during the fight today."
Noah looked up, a million things running through his mind.
"You seemed to have trouble fighting that little girl."
"Not everyone's as heartless as you, Markus." Alexis commented, lounging near the fire as they waited for midnight.
"Look, in a serious fight, you need to know where you stand, strength-wise."
"She's stronger than she looks." He pouted slightly.
"I'm certain." He exhaled before continuing. "You're not completely hopeless, so just...come at me."
This made even Cain, who was nodding off nearby, stare at him.
"Y-You mean fight you?"
"Not a real fight," Markus tried to smile, knowing that Alexis was probably reaching for a dagger. "Just sparring, like we do back home."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Alexis asked in a singsong voice.
"Yeah. So..." He spread his arms. "Whenever you're ready."
The warlock stood to get a better view, making Noah very self conscious.
"It's okay. I can take it."
Noah raised his fists, unsure. On one hand, he knew Markus had to gauge his strength but on the other, he'd be fighting Markus.
He decided to go for it.
He had seen how Alexis would throw punches at creeps in the market. He knew how his older sister would throw one at bullies.
That didn't matter though. Markus grabbed his wrist, shoving him aside.
"Again."
So he did. This time, Markus pushed it downward, backhanding him straight in the nose. It hit harder than he expected.
Noah stumbled, covering his face with his hands.
"What's wrong with you? He's a baby!" Alexis yelled.
"He's seventeen!" Markus called back. Then he sighed when he saw how much pain he was in.
"I'm sorry," his voice was soft as he tried to remove his hands. "Let me see."
In that moment, Noah took a step forward, headbutting him in the jaw.
Not that it hurt but Markus was surprised as hell.
"You just got hit by Noah!" Alexis laughed, holding her stomach. "Oh wow, that's so embarrassing!"
"I'm so sorry, Markus, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just..didn't know you had it on you."
"Uh.. Cain told me to play up the injury and hit you when you got close. Ah, I'm sorry...."
Markus sighed, brushing Noah's hair away from his forehead. A bruise was already forming on his pale skin.
"Don't headbutt. It'll just hurt you." He patted him on the shoulder. "Excuse me."
He leaped over a log, sprinting at the warlock who hissed involuntarily as he turned to run.
As the sounds of their struggle wafted from the distance, Noah sat next to Alexis, who ran a hand through his hair.
"This is weird."
"You're gonna have to be more specific."
"Markus and Cain," he smiled. "I used to be scared of them."
Alexis chuckled, laying his head in her shoulder.
"Yeah, they're just high functioning idiots boys." What she didn't tell him was that she had been scared of them too.