"L... Leo?" she called and he smiled.
The sun was setting and darkness was forming, so she couldn't really see his expression. But she knew his expression changed.
"How did you find me?" LiLi ran upto him and hugged him like a girl that haven't seen her father after a long journey.
His arms held her tightly when she finally fell into his warm embrace. "How did you find me?" she repeated.
Before Leo said anything, other figures appeared. She could tell that it was the rest that followed closely behind Leo.
However, the man that led Leo and the others stared at his daughter in anger and frustration.
"What did I tell you about ravaging?" he asked and Felicity had no answer.
"What did the girl do to you that you dragged her in injuries and pain?" The man snapped at her again and Felicity did not dare to raise her head up.
"No sir, I-"
"Mind your business, child"
Even when LiLi tried to explain, his anger got the better of him.
"I will deal with you later, young lady" he said and turned to face Leo and his team.
"My name is Will... And I am deeply sorry for all unpleasantries" he said and LiLi nodded slowly.
"No one caused anything. Felicity has been good help to me" LiLi said but like Will ignored it, he glared terribly at Felicity.
"Yeah. She causes people pain and she enjoys watching people that I don't even know curse me till their last breath" Will said in disgust.
Ouch! That hurts.
LiLi stared at the now hard clenched fists of Felicity. It seems she actually hates being the one and reason that other people are cursed.
LiLi then returned her gaze to Leo and the rest. Finally Chloe is back on track.
"Oh God! I missed you over the last few hours!" Chloe said as she stepped forward and soon, all of them hugged LiLi tightly except Joe and Leo.
Leo sent a signal to Joe to go embrace her but Joe did nothing and behaved numb. He acted like he didn't know what signs were.
What is wrong with this guy? Leo asked himself. He seems to hate LiLi that much, that even if she got captured and he found her, he wouldn't even embrace her to show a sign that his efforts weren't wasted after all.
"I was about to ask of Perilous. Probably you guys will just forget about me and... "
"What makes you think we would do that to you?" Liam asked.
LiLi narrowed her gaze to Joe and raised her eyebrows at Liam.
Oh... Totally understandable.
The guy acted too weird for any of their likings so...
"What do you want to do with Perilous?" Will asked and this time, Leo replied.
"We have to see the King before Eartheneous is over "
"Why do you want to see the King?"
"What's with the "whats" and "Whys", old man, have any idea where Perilous is? Yes, no, period!" Joe complained.
It seriously pissed him off. And for the first time everyone saw him get a bit angry and pissed off. Even LiLi stared at him with bulged eyes.
Will stared at Joe and squinted his eyes. To him, Joe got a disrespectful behavior, which isn't so far from the truth.
At least, everyone knows that.
Joe had the still and the pissed off face and Liam nudged his hand gently.
"You might wanna rethink your steps, brother" Liam said sarcastically.
Joe glared at him and Liam backed off.
Don't even try to interfere with my anger, right now!, Joe thought.
Will sighed and faced Felicity, but spoke to Leo and his small group.
"Perilous is behind the cave. What else do you wanna know?"
Behind the cave? Meaning they weren't far from where they're headed to.
"Can you lead us there?"
"Pff. No way! I am not going to Perilous!" one man from Will's men said and the rest of the men agreed.
The whole place grew noisy and LiLi couldn't bear it.
"Is it better if we just left this place?" she asked Leo in a whispery voice.
Leo didn't want to give up just yet.
"What do you want from us if you lead us to Perilous?!" Leo asked, almost yelling.
Everywhere is silent now. Not even an ant's walk can be heard.
"We want nothing and we won't help you" Will said.
"We will give you anything. Anything at all" LiLi persists.
"There is nothing that you can give me that hasn't already been taken away!" Will said, he diverted his gaze to the company of LiLi.
"And I know that reflects on all of you!"
"Yeah well, old man, your knowing is wrong! We have come this far, you can't expect us to go back! And also to give up!. We have things, friends, family that hasn't been taking away from us!" Joe seems to be a bit furious with Will's comment.
Felicity stared at the man now talking to her Father in a disrespectful way.
She would have joined him if the person he is confronting isn't her father. All the people there, both from Felicity and Will's side expected Felicity to stand up for her Father, but she never did.
In fact, she wanted it to continue...
But what held the thoughts of it not to continue was what had happen in the past.
Will and Joe are now facing each other. Like they say, Man to Man.
"Umm... Joe, I think that enough" Chloe said and took her brother's arm into her soft palms, dragging it backwards to aid the movement of Joe.
Joe succumbed to it and walked backwards, backing off the old man but still staring into his eyes.
"Please sir... We really need to get there before the third day on this journey" LiLi said.
It isn't necessarily before the third day, she just said that to make him get them to Perilous quick.
Will stared at their little desperate eyes, he felt the urge to help them.
But again something stopped him. A memory, stronger than their begs.