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Air rushes back into his lungs. It’s quick and sharp, as though it was his first breath after suffocating. His eyes open and he starts to touch his face. Everything is familiar, yet foreign. Before he can even begin to ask questions, a voice chimes in. "I knew you in your past life. You died... saving me. Something special brought us together, you. I thought it would be… The Traveler, and in some ways it was. The Traveler kept us together, and will keep us together forever now. You gave your last breath for me, and in turn, I gave you your first. I am your ghost. You can call me Judgement. You’re the first of your kind. This is your destiny.""The first... of my kind?" Prerlas’s eyes try and focus, but they act as a newborns, at first. He can only see objects within a few inches of his face, then gradually, the range reaches out further and further. The floating orb in front of him comes into focus. It also seems familiar, a known quantity. It’s not alarming to him, at least."Well, not the first guardian. Not by a long shot. But you are the first Fallen Guardian." It sounds excited, and the orb wavers in the air while parts of it expand and rotate around it briefly. It said it was a Ghost?"How did I fall?" He understands the concept of falling somehow. Was that how he ended up on this ground here?"No, you... Right. You know, I had practiced this conversation in my head several times but, I completely skipped the basics. Well, I had a lot of time to think about it, at least.” The Ghost looks down at the ground and furrows it’s… flaps? Prerlas holds onto that thought. He wants to ask other things first."I was dead?" Prerlas’s tone is flat, which takes Judgement aback slightly. He realizes that the intonation, the way of speaking Prerlas had, is gone. He is moldable clay, in the shape of his only friend. Maybe Prerlas wouldn’t be the same."Yes, you were, and you might die again. But I am here now and as long as we're together, I will be your little light watching over you, picking you back up.""I don't understand." Everything was confusing to Prerlas. There was so much information that was tangible, yet inaccessible. It was driving him mad. Maybe this Ghost, Judgement, could be his guide. “But I want to. I am curious about everything.”Judgement hesitates for several seconds. His fears fade briefly. There is some of Prerlas in there, key traits that didn’t get lost. Thank the Traveler. He regains his composure and continues."That’s good! You were always so inquisitive. However, we need to get to safety somehow. We- Actually. I have… no idea where to go. I… need to think on this. But we do need to leave here, at least.” Judgement looks up above them, where the shard of the Traveler looms overhead. “This is a very popular place. You have no idea how many people kept trying to take me. It was annoying, really.” Prerlas laughs. He likes this little Judgement.
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"So this is Earth." The sudden proclimation scares Judgement, causing him to jump several inches in the air. "Yes. I see things are coming back to you. Hopefully you'll be right as rain in the next few days," Judgement chirps happily. "Rain." Prerlas stops walking and stares at Judgement. "Does it rain here?"He's not quite up to speed yet, and he doesn't know how long it will take, but Judgement is happy that he's inquisitive. Prerlas is still inquisitive."It does! It rained not that long ago actually, a few days I believe. Thankfully we were under the Traveler's Shard so, we stayed dry pretty much the whole time." Judgement turns and starts to press on again, hoping that Prerlas will follow."Rain is... water, right?""On this planet, yes. Though the exact makeup of that is variable depending on the region of the world. Sometimes there are different elements in the makeup of rain water. It's all very fascinating." Judgement loves answering his questions. Everything feels right. This is how it was always supposed to be."I look forward to reading about the elements. The few we have already discussed have intrigued me." Prerlas begins walking again when a shout cuts through the sounds of nature. Shortly afterwards, the sounds of gunfire.Judgement spins around and looks at Prerlas, who is just staring back at him, anticipating. The shouts turn into screams and Prerlas clenches his fists to his sides."I have to help them."Judgement nods, but he wants to tell him 'No'. He doesn't. "You are a Guardian, after all." Prerlas should stay with him, right here. There were so many unknown variables. 'What if they killed Prerlas? What if they feared him? He's incredibly impressionable right now, and I just-'He breaks his chain of thought, slightly aghast at his selfishness. Really, he couldn't bear the thought of seeing Prerlas die.
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Prerlas breaks off into a sprint after seeing Judgement's affirmation. Something deep inside him swells with purpose, outside of what he has learned of being a "Guardian." Many things were still foggy in his mind, but his sense of duty, his want to protect, it was as clear as his view of Judgement."Wait! Wait wait WAIT Prerlas!" The voice loses volume as Prerlas continues onwards. He jumps over a bush then immediately ducks under a tree branch, keeping his balance the entire time. Running, agility. Concepts that seemed out of reach now came rushing into reality. Judgement materializes in front of him, floating backwards at a losing pace."Hey wait, stop. STOP!"Prerlas grinds to a halt, digging up dirt and grass underneath his feet. It feels moist and soft. He would have to inquire about soil types later. "Yes Judgement? Am I doing something wrong?" "No. No you're, you're really fast. I don't think I was made to keep up with you. You're faster than any Titan I've seen in the Crucible. No, I stopped you because I can help you, I can give you information before you go running in there. Just, give me a second." The Ghost shell expands before Prerlas, who stares in wonder. He still needs to ask about that too. "There appear to be, several civilians nearby. I see hostiles chasing them. Signatures look like..." The shell snaps shut."Fallen?"Judgement hesitates for a second. He wants to lie, but it would do him no good. "Yes.""What should I do?" Prerlas's tone gives away nervousness. He hasn't seen another Fallen yet. His heart swells with excitement, and then immediately sinks with anxiety. They are hostile."I'm... not sure Prerlas. I'm new to this too, in many ways. You should be able to speak Eliksni still, if you wish to try a more diplomatic option.""Diplomatic?" Unlike other feelings and words, this one felt far out of his grasp currently, and he doesn't have enough context clues to make an assumption either."Try and talk to them, see what they want. Maybe there's a reason they're attacking those humans. Not-" Judgement stops. He has to say what he feels, but he must be careful and precise in his choice of words. Prerlas is incredibly impressionable still. "Not all humans, or Guardians for that matter, are good. Some people out there see the Fallen as a lesser species. This is a flawed perspective, but there is a long and nuanced history about the subject that causes people to feel and believe certain things."Prerlas doesn't know what nuance means, but he assumes it means difficult. He is also going to ask about that later. "I will approach the Fallen first, and try to talk to them. If that fails, I will protect the Humans and establish a safe escape for them. Does this sound... possible? Probable?""Prerlas." Judgement floats over to him, and gently nudges his shell against Prerlas's forehead. "You're the best Guardian a ghost could ever ask for. Let's do this."Prerlas grins a big, toothy grin as he nods excitedly. "Let's."
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Why?
Why why why, why why why why why why. WHY?
Why did it have to be Fallen?
Judgement hasn't been briefed on anxiety, or how he's supposed to react to it. All he knows is he hates it.There are so many options, so many things that can go wrong.Maybe he should have taken Prerlas to the Vanguard. If he saves these people, they're going to talk about who or what saved them. A Fallen Guardian? They're going to come looking.He doesn't want to hear a sermon from Zavala. It'd probably be two sermons at this rate. He can hear it now."Lucien, you know you are not supposed to indicate any knowledge of a Guardian's past to them. It is forbidden." It was a dumb rule is what it was. It didn't anticipate situations like this, where a Ghost chose someone that mattered to them.
Was what he did... selfish? Maybe that's why the rule exists. "And then, to top it all off, you didn't even report back on Vanguard channels. You kept this Guardian from us. You should have called in backup, he is too new for this type of field work. It requires an understanding of the- blah blah blah" Even the Zavala of his thoughts bores him. At least it was a memorable style of leadership.Judgement refocuses on the now.What if the Fallen try to kill him, and he comes to hate his own kind and ends up like those guardians at the river? It would be so antithetical to what- to what Prerlas... was. What if the humans fear him? Could they unintentionally drive him away from doing what's right?During all the time he sat, waiting for the war to end, Judgement never once thought of the potential toll to himself, and he never will.
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Prerlas clutches the strap angled across him tightly, giving away his nervousness. He could see the Fallen, yelling at each other, circling around a dilapitated building that was currently keeping the humans safe.
"I'm with you Prerlas. You can do this. I believe in you."Judgements words temporarily ease him. He digs through his bags, taking note of all the contents for what felt like the 10th time. Compulsion. The sun is angled overhead, casting a shadow across him from the tall Pine trees nearby. He needs to act. Prerlas takes a deep breath and steps out into the clearing.One of the Dregs near the treeline notices him and audibly signals to a Vandal, who in turn looks over and signals to the Captain. The Captain appears to speak to several of the Fallen near it, then slides its swords into their sheathes before adjusting its cloak. Prerlas stops walking, trying to decide if he should speak first or make a gesture of some sort to indicate his non-aggression, but the Captain begins speaking before he makes up his mind."Who aaaaarrrrreeeee you? You are not of my cluster. You are not of Keldrik or Tikkis are you? Where have you come from, lone Dreg?" It walks closer with each word, leading with it's left shoulder. It's head is tilted and it's neck craned, as though it is trying to sense some further dimension of Prerlas it can't perceive currently."I..." Prerlas hesitates momentarily. This is an incredible amount of information to discover so suddenly. Fallen come in... different sizes and shapes apparently, and this one was particularly imposing. "I am here to speak with whomever is in charge.""Oh?" The Captain shifts it's head the other direction, still craned, but maintains it's pace towards Prerlas. "Is someone moving in on my bounty? Trying to share what I found?" It's dominant arms make mangled, reaching gestures, while the others slide from behind its cape and rest on its sword hilts.Four arms. Prerlas was not prepared for four arms. Could he have four arms? Today was going to spawn several hours of questions for Judgement."No. I... there are humans, in there. I want to know why you attacked them." Prerlas begins walking towards the Captain, lowering his hands to his sides. He wants to appear as non-threatening as possible. He wants to avoid any conflict."Fascinating. You approach me? You ask my motivations. Something is... different about you Dreg. I cannot place it." The Captain stays focused on Prerlas, but pulls its head upright, straightening it's stance. It stands well above him, it's figure daunting and oppressive. "You have a boldness. None as low as you have approached me in such a manner. Do you not fear me, Dreg?"
The Captain comes within reach of Prerlas and paces around him, looking him up and down . "Are you not of Dusk? You wear their symbols. But, your actions, your demeanor, they mislead me."Prerlas watches the Captain as it circles him. "I do not fear you. I have no reason to. I am not of Dusk. I..." Prerlas tenses up slightly. While he does not fear the Captain, he's uneasy. He's afraid the Captain could strike at any moment. Then what? He has no way to defend himself.
The Captain laughs. As it comes back in front of Prerlas, one of it's secondary arms draws a sword from its sheath and raises it towards Prerlas's neck. "If you do not fear me, then do you fear death?" The sword moves, pressing against Prerlas's skin.Prerlas does not move, but instead stares at the Captain, his eyes full of a determination. He trusts in Judgement, he will not fall.The Captain begins dragging the blade across Prerlas, drawing blood. The blade stings as it digs into his flesh. "This is none of your business, docked whelp." It begins drawing its other sword, but stops halfway. "Wait. How long have you been watching us? How do you know of the humans?""I did not watch you. My Ghost told me there were humans and... hostiles. I want to solve this peacefully." Prerlas feels warmth trickle down his neck. The Captain doesn't move but its eyes narrow."Your Ghost? You stole one?" The Captian steps within Prerlas's space and finishes unsheathing the second blade. "Give it to me."Prerlas begins to open his mouth when Judgement suddenly appears between his face and the Captains."No. You need to back off." The Ghost moves within an inch of the Captains face, causing it to take several steps back. Judgement presses forwards again. "He's trying to be nice.""Kill the Dreg. Take the Ghost," the Captain orders flatly. Before it can ready its swords, Judgement accelerates into its face. The Captain's scream is horrifying and cacophonous, causing the nearby Fallen to stare in disbelief. White, vicsous fluid pours from the Captain's rightmost eye, and it drops its weapons as it clutches its face. Prerlas is as stunned as the rest of the Fallen, but he decides to use the opportunity. "Please! I just want to talk. I do not want anyone else to get hurt." The Vandals raise their rifles at Prerlas, but the Dregs raise their pistols to the Vandals. Cursing and screaming become intertwined as confusion and chaos spill out onto the scene. The Dregs are opportunistic, seeing a chance for freedom from the Captain, while the Vandals want to stay loyal. The Captain falls to its knees, and its howls turn into intensified breathing.Judgement floats down towards the Captain. "You leave these people alone. You leave my Guardian alone."The Captains breathing pauses for a moment, and it looks up at Judgement with the eyes it can. "Your... Guardian? Do you mean an... Eliksni has been touched by the Light? I-" It looks to the Vandals and Dregs. "We will leave, and take this news with us. Forgive me. Forgive, us."Prerlas quickly walks up to the kneeling Captain and extends his right hand downwards. "Let me help you up."The Captain stands up on his own, then grabs Prerlas's hand. "I am humbled." The Dregs and Vandals still stand tense, not understanding the situation or the shift in tone. The Captain surveys the scene. "Put your weapons down, fools. Would any of you want to be known as the one who killed the Eliksni's second chance? Do you want to be stained as the murderer of the first lightborn for our race?" The Captains intimidating presence returns as it stands fully upright, and eventually the Vandals and Dregs put their weapons down. The Captain leans down and collects its blades, resheathing them, and then straightens its cape. It turns towards Prerlas. "May they not fear you as they fear us."The Captain walks to the forest line, and the Vandals follow shortly after. Several of the Dregs linger for a moment before falling in rank, but a pair approach Prerlas. "You... a Dreg. Touched by the Great Machine?" They both inspect every inch of him, trying to discern what's different about him. Before Prerlas can answer, the other one states, "The Light can see us again. No more Fallen." Its grin permeates through Prerlas, instilling a radiance in his chest."Leave him Dregs. The Chosen one has a destiny. We should not intervene any longer." The Captains voice causes the Dregs to snap to attention, and they give Prerlas envious glances before they run back to the group.Judgement floats back over to Prerlas, expanding and healing his wound. "Hey, are you ok?"Prerlas sits in silence for a moment, then slowly touches his neck, fingers gently tracing the edges of his recently dried blood. "I do not understand. I feel both hurt and strong. I have many more questions now Judgement. Did I... Did I do poorly?" He looks up at his ghost with tears welling in his eyes.Judgement nudges Prerlas with his shell. "No. No no no, Prerlas you did fine. There's... a lot of history there. I promise to answer any questions you have. But, we need to check on the people in that building. You're doing great."Prerlas gingerly touches a pointed edge Judgement's shell, carefully wiping away the viscera. "Thank you Judgement. You are right, we should focus on helping people right now. Questions later." He walks over to the building and paces around the outside. Several boards are peppered with scorch marks, and the door is smeared with blood. He grabs the red-coated handle and takes a deep breath.He pulls the door open and walks in, disappearing into the darkness.
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The air inside the building is humid and stagnant. Prerlas can see dust floating about the room as it crosses the light that seeps in from outside. A blood trail leads deeper into the building from the doorway, and a body lays motionless near an upturned desk. Prerlas moves over to the body and begins tapping it, Judgement appears and shifts it's shell left and right. "Dead, I'm afraid." Prerlas stands up and ventures further into the darkness, feeling along the wall as his eyes adjust. The atmosphere is punctuated by a pained moan in the distance.Prerlas calls out, "Are you ok? Is everyone alright?", but there's no response."I am here to help. I- I am a Guardian. The Fallen have left, you can come out now." As he walks deeper into the structure, the light becomes more rare, an occassional beam piercing down through a missing shingle. His foot nearly slips in something wet and viscous, and he looks down to see a pool of blood, slowly soaking into the bandages wrapping his feet. It's warm."Someone is bleeding. Please, let me save them." The only sound he hears is another pained moan, followed by soft sobbing. Judgement shines a bright light from his eye onto the floor, revealing streaks of blood that disappear behind a nearby bale of hay. The sobbing stops suddenly.Judgement begins moving around the makeshift cover, motioning for Judgement to stay behind him. His shadow stretches across the floor, and Judgement's light illuminates the wall opposite of him. Several adults and a few children are huddled together amongst a handful of motionless bodies. Prerlas reaches out towards them, and is met with a bright flash. The impact sends him backwards, and loses his balance as he clips the bale of hay, slamming his back into the concrete floor. His left shoulder stings and he tries to move his arm, to no avail. Warmth spreads across his back, and faint ether clouds pass through Judgement's light."Stay back! Leave us alone!" Prerlas can't see the source, but the small voice breaks, crying. "I'll shoot again if I have to. I won't let you hurt anyone else!"Prerlas props himself up with his right arm. One of the children is in front of the rest, both hands extended and shaking as they clutch a pistol tightly. "Don't be scared little one, I'm here to help you. I mean you no harm. I have no weapons" His shoulder screams with pain, but he ignores it. The light blinks and moves as Judgement repositions himself in front for Prerlas."Prerlas! Hold on for a second. I'll fix you up, right as rain." Prerlas notices a nervousness in his voice, a fear underlying his words, as though he's uncertain he can fix him."You look like them. You- this could be a trick." The gun lowers momentarily and the child wipes away his tears with the back of his hand, then wipes his hand on his clothes. He clutches the pistol with both hands one more and aims at Prerlas, his hands unwavering this time. "I won't let you hurt anyone else." Prerlas looks past the boy and sees an older man propped up against the wall, lifeless. He sees several other children huddled together. He sees several other adults, holding themselves, barely breathing. He sees several dead.Judgement expands and casts a conical beam of light on Prerlas's shoulder. His flesh makes a sickening squelching sound as it reforms around the exposed bone and sinew. "You'll be ok, this will all be ok." His tone is still uneven, making it seem as though the words were for himself more than Prerlas. Judgement spins around and dims his light, looking at the child."He's... I know he looks scary, but he's not, I promise. He's a Guardian. You know what I am, don't you?"The child nods."Do you trust me?"The child nods again."Please, put the gun down. He won't hurt you. He really is here to help you all. He made the bad Fallen leave. He's a good one." The boys hands begin shaking again and tears roll down his cheeks. He looks from Judgement to Prerlas, then back to Judgement. "It's ok. Everything will be ok." The child lowers the gun and places it gently on the ground before scooting back to the wall, next to body of the older man. He leans against it and wraps his arms around himself, then watches Prerlas and Judgement intently.Judgement turns towards Prerlas. "Several of them are very weak and fading fast. We have to do something to help them. I'll..." He pauses, then looks down to the ground and floats closer to Prerlas, lowering his voice. "I need to call for assistance, from the Vanguard. We can't move these people with just you. This... it could change things. It could change them a lot. I promise-" His voice cracks slightly, giving away more than he cares to. "I promise I'll take care of you. I'll answer any questions you have, no matter what. I'm- I'm sorry."Prerlas is confused and hurt simultaneously. From the first screams he heard, he has only wanted to help these people, driven by some deep, unknown desire. The Captain threatened to kill him, these people fear him. He feels like he doesn't belong. He could think about himself later though, these people need him now.Prerlas leans forward and begins to slowly move towards the injured in an attempt to be non-threatening. He watches for a reaction from the children, still huddled together, and they watch him in turn. The first person he gets to is a younger woman with worn, bloodied hands. Her face is twisted in pain and she moans under her breaths, her hands clutched under her ribcage. Prerlas gently pries her hands away to reveal a small bullet wound under her left lung, near her solar plexus. He flips open one of his bags and shifts the contents around, producing a small silicone ball, inspecting it in Judgement's light. "I apologize, this will most likely sting, but it will slow the bleeding." The woman opens her eyes and looks at him for a few moments, then to the silicone ball, then nods gently. Prerlas places the ball on her wound and gently presses it in, causing her legs to contract and a gasp of pain to escape her lips. He gently grabs her hands and places them over the wound. "Help will be here shortly."Judgment begins speaking to someone, presumabled the 'Vanguard'. Prerlas disregards it and moves onto his next patient. An older man is propped up against the wall, arms slack at his sides. His breathing is shallow and blood is pooled beneath his right leg. The light from Judgement doesn't adequately illuminate his patient, so Prerlas begins running his hands along the man's leg, hoping to find his wounds. On the upper inner thigh he finds a hole, and he keeps his right hand there while he continues to search with the left. He feels torn flesh near the back of the knee, mostly likely the exit wound. The man stirs momentarily, his eyes coming to focus on Prerlas before rolling back up into his skull. Prerlas lets go of the leg to return to his bag and produces two sections of what appear to be rubber hosing. He rolls them up the leg and adjusts them so they're snug.His last patient is one of the children, a teenager, who looks to be the oldest. There's a large gash across her forehead, and blood trickles from it with a slow consistency. Prerlas begins to move towards her, but she tenses up and moves in front of the smaller children, shielding them with her arms."You are still bleeding, please, let me treat you. I only want to help." Her shoulders drop slightly, and she speaks. "I... I believe you. I'm just scared. We're all scared. Jared... he shot you because you, uhm. You look like them." She's honest, but Prerlas feels hurt by her words still. He can't change the way he looks. Will people always see him as a threat or as something to fear? He shakes the thoughts from his head and moves over to her, then begins inspecting the gash. It's shallow but violent, the skin around it torn. It will scar for certain. She will always have to carry today with her.His hands make their way to the insignia around his waist and he tears a long strip of fabric from it, then wraps it around her head gently. He ties a loose knot and holds it with one hand. "I will let you tighten this yourself. I do not wish to harm you anymore than you have been hurt this day." She reaches up and grabs both ends of the fabric as he lets go, and she pulls them taught, wincing slightly. He gets up and turns around to walk towards Judgement when she whispers softly, "Thank you."Prerlas stops. Her words make his pain fade momentarily. He smiles.He had finally helped someone, and suddenly everything was worth it.
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"It's going to be a while before the Hawks make it out here, maybe an hour Amanda said.""Who is Amanda?" Prerlas doesn't look at Judgement, keeping his focus on the survivors in front of him. The children appear less scared, but still tense."Oh, well, she's in charge of jumpship clearance in the Tower. And maintenence. And sales. I'll take you to meet her when we get back." Judgement's shell expands and rotates excitedly. "I uh, have to make a few more calls. I'll be back in a few moments Prerlas." It was a lie, but he wanted to see Prerlas connect with the survivors. Prerlas needed a win. Judgement looks at the children in front of him and nods, then floats through the doorway and heads outside.Prerlas digs through his pouches nervously, noting the contents yet again. After a few awkward moments, he speaks. "I am sorry. You are... the first humans I have met. I am Prerlas." He looks up at the children, unsure of how to proceed from here. Social skills are not something he's learned in his few days of life."Kirti. My name's Kirti." The eldest child extends her hand out towards him. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Prerlas." He reaches out and grabs her hand with care."Likewise Kirti." He's nothing but smiles.
Big, toothy smiles.
A couple of the children slink behind Kirti, only to peer around her moments later. "Who are the other little ones?""Well," she looks to the children and moves out of the way as she introduces each of them. "This one's Magdaline," she says, pointing to a young girl on her left. "and this one's Alistair, and Teresa, and... Jared." Her mood shifts as she points out the last one, she hesitates as she turns back to Prerlas. "He... I'm sorry. We were scared. Pita gave me the gun but, I-I don't want to shoot anything. I don't want violence. Jared took it and- and... I'm sorry.""Then, we are similar Kirti. Violence makes me..." Prerlas motions towards his stomach and rolls his hands over each other. "Tum-ul...tuous?""Queasy?" Kirti looks at Prerlas, puzzled.Somehow, he now understands that word, and it was definitely the one he meant. "Yes. That word. I apologize. I am new at this.""Being a Guardian?""Being alive. It is a strange process. I have things that I know and understand, but I cannot grasp them. I do not know the words, but I feel them. They are not spoken to me, yet I have heard them. I am acclimating still. Thank you for helping me." Prerlas smiles once more, this time hiding his teeth as much as he can."So, you're kinda like a kid then? Sorta?" Kirti is enthralled with the conversation, her excitement and eagerness to learn matching that of Prerlas."In many ways, you are correct. I had not considered that perspective. I suppose that would make Judgement like a parent to me." Prerlas was looking up, as he has a tendency to do when he is thinking, but when he looks back down he sees tears in Kirti's eyes. "Oh... Oh no. I..." His heart sinks as he realizes what he said."It's... ok. You talk like a kid too, didn't really think before speaking. I know you didn't mean anything by it. My pita..." she trails off. "He's in a better place. He isn't hurt there. He can't be hurt again."Prerlas scoots closer to Kirti and takes her hands in his. His face becomes focused, and he straightens his posture. "Kirti. I promise to make sure that you, and everyone else here, make it to safety. I am sorry I could not come sooner."She cries first, which causes him to cry in turn. They sit together for several moments before she wipes her cheeks on her shoulders. "I wish all Fallen were like you Mr. Prerlas. You're so nice, y'know? You have a good heart." Her faces widens and she starts stammering, "N-not to s-say that there aren't any Fallen like you but, I just, it's-" "We are both youthful. I wish the Fallen were like me too." Prerlas brings his hands back to his lap and wrings them end over end. One of the other children, Alistair, peeks out from behind Kirti and begins cautiously reaching for Prerlas, who watches the child, confused. Prerlas extends his hand towards Alistair, who recoils. "What is it Alistair? Do you wish to know something about me?"The child's voice is muffled from Kirti's arm. "You only got 3 fingers. Where's the rest? Ya lose em?"Prerlas turns one of his hands over and blinks a few times, before looking at Kirti's hands. He hadn't noticed that they had a different number of digits. "Well, I suppose it makes sense. I am not the same," a word floats down into his reach, "species as you. I believe my kind only has 3 fingers.""Well how do you wear gloves then?" Alistair is no longer sitting behind Kirti but is at her side, and the remaining children have shifted behind them, getting new views of Prerlas.Before Prerlas can respond, Kirti answers. "They probably make gloves that fit them Alistair. It wouldn't make sense for them to wear our gloves." She thumps his ear. "Doofus.""HEY! I was only askin' somethin'." He returns fire by punching her shoulder. "You- you butt."Another child, Teresa, raises her hand behind them. Kirti and Alistair don't notice as they trade teases, but Prerlas points at her. "Kirti, I think Teresa needs attention. I don't understand that signal. Do you need aid Teresa?" His tone is as sweet as sugar, but the little girl responds brusquely."I HAVE A QUESTION." Her voice is coarse and her eyes are puffy. It's been a hard day."I... have an answer, possibly." Prerlas is hesitant, but curious as to why the child didn't ask the question. What was that hand signal? Does that denote question asking? The list grows longer."YOU HAVE A LOTTA TEEF." She lowers her hand and puts it in her lap, then just stares at him, blinking occassionally. She is... very young, and appears to be missing several teeth, conversely."That... was not a question? Do you want to know something about my teeth?" Prerlas begins touching his teeth with his fingers, as though he is painfully aware of them now. "What happened to your teeth?""KIRTI SAYS THEY WERE BABY TEEF AND NOW I GET GROWN UP TEEF." She grins excitedly at Prerlas, who stares back agape, his mind reeling over the idea that Humans shed teeth."Teresa, by the Traveler, stop shouting. I am right next to you. And you still have some baby teeth so you're not a grown up yet." Kirti sticks her finger in her left ear and wiggles it while scrunching her face. "We should stop bothering Mr. Prerlas, he probably has important Guardian stuff to do." "You are my important Guardian stuff. I am here for you all." A silence falls over the room and the children stare at him."I don't want your help." The voice comes from behind them, from Jared. Prerlas is taken aback by the statement. "Jared-" "Don't use my name. You don't know me. I don't want you to. Just go away." The child lets go of the body he was clinging to and stands up. Kirti stands up in response."I wanted to help." Prerlas's words waver and he begins wringing his hands."You didn't help my dad." Jared wipes at his face with his sleeves. Prerlas can't think of any words to say, how would one respond to that? "I hate you."The words rake across Prerlas's chest like hot coals. His breathing becomes erratic. He blinks several times while he tries to think of anything, but he's overloaded. "We don't need you. Dad... dad told me to protect everyone." Jared looks at the gun on the floor. "I'll keep us safe, not you." He moves towards the gun, but Kirti's hand connects with his cheek before he reaches it, sending him into the wall. He collapses to the floor and bursts into tears.Kirti starts crying, which causes the rest of the children to start crying. Prerlas's panic increases. Where is Judgement? Why isn't he helping?"I think. We've had enough. For today." The voice is quiet, coming from the woman laying on the ground, now propped up. It sends a hush around the room, but it springs Prerlas into action. He is immediately at her side, taking the weight off her elbows and placing his hand on her stomach."You should not move. You could hurt yourself further. Please, lay down and rest.""Someone has to- be the adult." Her words are labored and slow. Prerlas lowers her back down to the ground and inspects her wound. The bleeding has started again, and he applies pressure to try and slow it. Kirti is now at Jareds side, trying to comfort him or apologize, but he's trying to push her away."He doesn't mean it." The woman looks at Prerlas, her eyes cutting through his anxiety. "It's been, a day." Prerlas just nods, it's all he can do. "Children. You should. Rest. You're. All tired."Judgement appears at Prerlas's side. "I heard crying and yelling, but everything seems to have calmed down. Maybe you should rest too, Prerlas. It's been a trying day.""Judgement? Where have you-""I'm sorry Prerlas. I'm so, so sorry. I've made a lot of mistakes today. But you should rest. Your heartrate has been elevated for some time now. Let's... take some deep breaths and wait outside for the Hawks, ok?"Prerlas doesn't answer. He ensures the woman is stable, then gets up and walks towards the door. Judgement follows behind him, a few paces back."Mr. Prerlas?"He turns back to see Kirti running towards him."You're... not going to leave us right? You're coming with us to the city.""We are Kirti. I made a promise to you. I will ensure that you arrive safely." He places a hand on her shoulder. "You should rest. I will return when we are ready to leave."She nods and looks down towards her feet. "Thank you."After a few moments of awkward silence, she turns around and heads back to the group."Prerlas?" Judgement hovers over, stopping in front of him. "You did good today. I know it might not feel like that now but, you did." Judgement's shell nudges Prerlas's forehead, but Prerlas stays motionless. Expressionless.Prerlas says nothing and walks outside.