Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[MzHyde]

Fia didn't think it was silly that her big brother was having a fanboy moment, it was one reason why she made the teasing comment, because it was nice to see him act the way he was over Dexter, especially after everything that he had just gone through and still was going through. She also knew that if the roles were reversed and she met someone she admired greatly in front of them all, Elliott for one, would no doubt tease her the same way. She wouldn't expect any less from him in fact, as it was already made very clear that if she ever got a partner, they would tease the living hell out of her and embarrass her massively if they met whoever she dated. Hells, she wouldn't put it passed him to follow her at first just to find out who the person was that she was going on a date with. So the idea of him teasing her if she was meeting one of her idols, just like she was doing so right now with him, really wasn't far from believable. Hearing his retort back at her just made her smirk and stick her tongue out at him briefly then walking inside the room with everyone else. Once inside she finally properly saw Bec and saw that although there were differences between her and Zan, it was clear as day that they were siblings.

She kept quiet as Cliff's boss spoke up to them all and finally properly to Bec, to which she replied with such conviction, Fia and Kay both knew if they were on the wrong side of Bec, they'd be seriously worried about their well-being. The woman may have looked tired to a certain extent, but there was no denying that anger, determination and conviction in her eyes as she spoke. Both noticed how she looked just like Zan did when he got offended by John's accusation that one time in Zan's apartment. It was a fire Fia recognised as one only a family member could have when one's family was put into danger, blood or otherwise. She and Kay both looked round the room before settling their eyes on the laptop on the end of the bed Zan resided in with file after file popping up as it found and unlocked what was on Zan's phone. "Guessing this is why you called us in?" Kay spoke up to Elliott, gesturing at the laptop on the bed.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John's first-glance impression of Bec was that physically she was an unassuming character, at least by Earth standards- a short woman with shaggy hair which fell into her eyes in a way that suggested she'd grown out a fringe or side-bangs some time in the past, dressed in clothes that were slightly on the old and shabby side, most noticeably the battered travelling boots (one of the soles was splitting away from the upper part of the shoe and the hoodie with strings that had been knotted to stop them fraying further. This was a direct contrast with her brother who always managed to look put together in pubic. But it was the way she looked straight at them all, arms crossed over her chest, pulled up straight that made it clear she wasn't to be underestimated. John couldn't not recognise that look. It was the look of somebody who wasn't just out for blood, they wanted to rip out the whole heart in the process. He recognised it instantly as the one Zan had adopted when John had pushed too far and in the wrong direction. The conviction and steel in her voice when she swore to the boss that she'd make the right people pay only emphasised this. Evidently this was a family thing and if Bec was still able to summon up this kind of fire despite being incredibly jet-lagged, then somebody really had done a serious job on Zan to beat that kind of fire out of him.

Elliott nodded in response to Kay's theorising, but didn't speak until Jay closed the door. The assassin leaned against it, arms crossed, one foot braced against the door. All she needed was a to add a pair of sunglasses to and she'd be the complete image of a bouncer, private security guard and bodyguard. "Yeah, that's the reason we're here, but it was her" he tipped his head in the direction of Bec "who said this was something everybody needed to see and hear, and it's easier to explain it to all of us at once. She doesn't speak English though, so I'll translate from Attili." One of the things Cal and Elliott had found out about their aunt and Zan was that they (and their siblings) had been raised in a bilingual household, with equal emphasis being place on speaking Attili and Darriluxi.

Elliott then gave a nod at Bec, to start talking which she did, pausing every couple of sentences so that Elliott could bring the non-Attili speakers up to speed. Unlike her brother, Bec had retained the accent of the planet they grew up on. To a non-native speaker the differences weren't noticeable, but Elliott, Cal and Dan could spot the differences easily. "This laptop has on it everything my brother and his colleagues put together, including photos, internal memos, letters, emails, everything he needed to prove what was really going on. Knowing him it's all organised and linked together, with reference notes and cross-archiving links in the footnotes. It's all being downloaded from a massive cloud bank currently. Say what you want to against my brother, but he was far from stupid. He planned for something like this" she gestured at Zan's prone figure on the bed. "If anything was to happen that would leave him dead or incapacitated, he planned for full control of the information to go to me, Dex and Mara-" at the looks on Cal and Elliott's faces Bec rolled her eyes, though not unkindly.

"Yes she knew about all this, definitely encouraged it and helped him out with stealing some of the necessary information" she shook her head sadly and fondly, and just like Dexter earlier, she had to quickly swipe away a tear. "They were partners in crime before they were partners in life, as he'd put it. We were both given access codes and instructions to follow should anything happen to him. He knew that as soon as anything leaked the government would try to shut it down, so it would be out job to make sure it continued to be spread. As soon as I landed I knew things had kicked off, so I picked up the laptop from the arranged location, then headed here, expecting to have to identify a body. The plan was a sound one, but with Mara now out of the equation we have a serious problem. Nobody would have suspected she'd be spreading information from somewhere so far off-world, the world and her superiors had no idea that the two were in contact. If anything happens to me or to Dex, there will be nobody living who can ensure it keeps being released until it sticks, and it sticks hard. Which is where you all come in. You mightn't care whether my brother lives or dies" with the single word 'my' Bec conveyed just how firmly protective she was of her brother. She'd lost him once before, she was not going to lose him again, and if they were going to stand in her way, well they'd just put themselves right at the top of her enemy list. "But you do care whether he does" she gestured at Elliott "and you know that this data will blow the credibility of the defence side so far out of the water that it will be a guaranteed victory. At this moment there is no way of knowing if the people who ordered my brother's killing know about me and Dex. For safety's sake we're assuming they do and are gonna act accordingly. Whether you want it or not, you're getting the access codes for the cloudbank, the necessary passwords and the instructions for what to do next. Anything happens to us and it falls on all of you to make sure this keeps coming and the right people get their lives destroyed."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded at what Elliott said in reply to her theory, knowing it could really only be that and not much else, so if it proved wrong then she would have been highly surprised. The fact that Bec didn't speak any English was utterly fair enough to Kay and Fia, she wasn't the first person they'd encountered who didn't speak English and they certainly wouldn't expect everyone they encountered to speak their language, just as they presumed that that'd be the case the other way round also. Yet the fact that Elliott was more than willing to translate everything that Bec wanted to say about the laptop and what it was now containing/obtaining from Zan's phone said a thousand things to both of them. They let Elliott take charge on receiving the information and then translating it, letting Bec speak and then looking at Elliott as he translated every few sentences. Neither noticed the differences in accents between when they hesrd Elliott speak Attili and when Bec was speaking, instead just focusing on the information bring related back to them all.



Fia was glad that Elliott was translating because as Bec spoke she realised very quickly she only able to pick up on very few words that as being spoken. It was far more complex and far too many words for her to manage translating in her head and understanding what was being said. When Bec said about Zan bring fat from stupid, that was one thing that neither Fia or Kay could ever accuse rhe man of being. They may not like him or fully trust him, but it was clear from the get go that he was far from stupid. The more that was spoken and translated, the more it was drilling home to them just how big this whole shit storm was, and how deep all that Zan knew went. It also wasn't surprising that when Bec landed, she was expecting to be identifying a dead body, rather than seeing her brother in an induced coma as they tried to save him and fully him back to the land of the living. Both knew if they were in Bec's situation they would have expected the worst as well. As she went on with the help of Elliott's translations, the more complex it was coming across, but it was still understandable to a degree.



The moment however she said she needed them all to have the access codes and to keep spreading everything so it remains stuck in the open if something should happen to either her or Dexter, both Fia a d Kay were highly surprised. Neither thought their group would be trusted with such information but it did make sense as to why they'd be given it all even if they didn't want it, because like she said, they all truly cared if Elliott died, and would do anything to make sure it wouldn't happen. It was also clear to them that Bec felt just as passionate to get the truth out as Zan did from the way she emphasised on the word 'destroyed', let alone just using the word. When it was all tra slated and said, both of them nodded at Bec to show they got what she was saying thanks to Elliott and accepted what she wanted from them all.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John, Chas and Dan merely nodded when Elliott explained that Bec didn't speak English, it was hardly surprising, English was a minority language around these parts, Cal and Cliff had both chosen to learn it because it had a reputation of being much easier to learn than the other options. Dan was relieved this talk wouldn't be done through English, it was grating on his nerves by now that despite living on Attil for longer than any of them, he was still the one who required translation in conversations. Fia and Kay weren't the only ones feeling grateful for the translation, having spent so long awake John wasn't in the mood having to translate each and every word and fret about whether he was getting the wrong end of the stick. Chas, like Fia just lacked the vocabulary to understand, particularly as Bec picked up the pace and got more technical.

Elliott couldn't help but cast a glance over at Dexter when Bec said that it wasn't just her who was Zan's fail safe for spreading the information. Zan had only mentioned one person who'd spread it, but given the way they'd tracked him down to demand answers, Elliott suspected it was so they didn't give the same treatment to his best friend. Elliott just knew that John would have treated Dexter with the same contempt, rudeness and blunt questioning he'd subjected Zan to, purely on the basis that this man was friends, not an acquaintance, a friend of Zan's. He wasn't sure where exactly Bec was going with this, or why she was telling it to them, but the fact that she was speaking openly meant that either she was being reckless or she knew that there were no recording devices in the room. He was inclined to believe it was the latter. Bec may have been jet-lagged out of her mind, but some instinct told him she hadn't forgotten the level of secrecy this kind of stuff was meant to be treated with.

Elliott would have been offended that Bec was using him as a sort of pawn to get what he wanted, had her point not made complete and utter sense. It had been all of their first thoughts when they'd seen the information and it had been Fia who demanded to know whether he'd be using it to help Elliott or not. Their stances on Zan may vary wildly and man's past actions and their lasting implications was something for discussing another day, but on this one thing they were most definitely united, the information needed to be spread and if they were the only ones who could do it, then Elliott was damn well gonna step up. "Well I'm in, it's more than just my life at stake, the worlds need to see this." Dan and Chas both voiced their agreement before John chimed in with his own thoughts. "Well I don't need much convincing either, if this shit will take those arsehole out of government then count me ready, willin' and bloody well able. No need for the not-so veiled threats" the last part was delivered with a pointed look at Bec, which the woman simply shrugged at. "Well somebody has to even the score in issuing threats. Might as well be me." After speaking she leaned over to the laptop. "I'm gonna transfer the codes, along with a location code for the other untraceable laptops to be used to spread all this to a set of flash drives, it's not the most secure way, I know so it's up to you lot to find a better one to keep them safe."

 

[MzHyde]

Back when Fia demanded if Zan would be using the information he collected to help Elliott's case or not, she hadn't given it a second thought on whether she would regret being so abrasive or not, but as it turned out she didn't regret asking it, even if she did regret ever so slightly with how she asked the question. She wasn't aware at the time how close she sounded to the other Fia in RInaa's timeline, and how that could have been a close tie to her becoming that version of herself, but now she thought back on it every once in a while, she began to realise it. Not to mention, having witnessed Zan quite literally risk his life to save Elliot made her question her ways of asking such things. If it was any other scenario, and she was dealiong the crooks or other downworlder back on Earth, she wouldn't have regretted it once, but this was a much bigger situation than their group or Elliott's birth father. She had to do a lot more growing up, and this situation was indeed making her see that, not that she would admit that to anyone though. Yet like it was clear on everyone's faces and body languages, they all agreed that the information did indeed need to be spread far and wide and it needed to stick, so hard that the government couldn't just wash it away with a wave of a hand metaphorically speaking. She also knew deep down, (even if she didn't think it currently) if they had known Dexter was the other person with access to the files before getting to know him briefly, they wouldn't have been nearly as polite to him as they were.

Kay nodded her agreement once more after everyone voiced their opinions, knowing her firm nod was agreement enough to say 'I'm of the same opinion as the others here'. With the remaining chit chat done, she watched on as Bec leaned over the laptop and started doing what she needed to, whilst listening to Elliott translate what she was saying to them. She couldn't help but think they were finding more and more tasks to do whilst on Attil, but if it was to help Elliott and help break the stigma and rules against magic users in general, she would do all she could to help out. She was after all quite literally going to be bringing a magic user into the universe herself, and one that was a very capable user. Fia may not be an Attili resident or Devra, but it made things close to home because she knew how close to Elliott Fia was, and she knew it meant a lot to Fia that they did all they could to help Elliott, not to mention she did grow to care about him a lot herself in the short amount of time she had known him. Fia had no qualms in having knowledge of where things were located, or having access to said codes to help keep all of this information alive and circulating. In her mind, an attack on Elliott in any shape or form was na attack on their whole family, whether Elliott was biologically her brother or not. So she'd gladly use any of her skills she learned in her timeline and from Earth to help her brother in this timeline.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay had to hold back a smirk at Bec's quip about evening the score with regards to threatening each other. She could appreciate both the pettiness of the statement when taken as a joke and the serious point that lurked beneath. Not only that they threatened Zan, he'd been threatened by the shooter, by his own boss and while the man hadn't said anything about getting hate mail, Jay strongly suspected he was, knowing what a sensitive subject Elliott's exile was for those on the 'magic users should not be discriminated against' side of the debate. Bec wanted the score evened, and right now if making threats was the way to do it, who could really blame her for taking it. Jay knew for a fact that if it had been her brother in a coma and she'd been talking to the people who were partially responsible for it, she would be doing far more than making threats. "I got a better idea, a much more secure one." She replied, to which Bec looked up from the laptop. "Do tell" was all she said, ore than willing to hear out any idea more secure than transferring it onto a flashdrive that could get lost or stolen or used accessed by any random stranger.

"I've got neural implants" Jay tapped the side of her head where the implants were. "Transfer the codes it to there and I can get it to the others devices much more securely." Bec gave a curt nod "that is better. I see no point in wasting time then, who knows how much of it we have." She then turned towards Dexter. "Dex, you got a bio-data transfer cable in your bag of tricks?" "Obviously" the photographer replied, not quite rolling his eyes, his 'what kind of idiot do you take me for?' tone conveying how much of a stupid question he thought it to be. He weaved his way around the others to to the baggage corner. Unzipping one of the equipment bags revealed a hard case full of cables, one presumably for every device and piece of kit he owned. They were all neatly wound up and tagged with identifying labels, so it took him only a few second to locate the necessary one, which he threw over to Bec, followed by the adaptors. The transfer took only a few minutes, during which Jay's face remained completely unreadable. "You got all that then?" "Yeah, I got it and encrypted it. We'll unleash hell if it comes down to us, don't worry." "It's not that I'm worried about, between the two of us and my brother's ridiculous levels of forwards thinking and preparation, this shit storm is only just beginning. Probably one of the only good things to come from his suicidal intentions." She gave a dark chuckle.

 

[MzHyde]

Until Jay mentioned about her neural impants, after saying she had a better idea than using a flashdrive, Fia had to realise she had almost forgotten that Jay even had them, what with everything else that had gone on in recent days. So when it was mentioned, and Jay did the gesture of tapping the side of her head, it reminded not just her, but also Kay (as she put two and two together of what Jay was suggesting). They both kept quiet as Jay spoke with Bec, before Bec spoke with Dexter, to which they moved as much as possible to stay out of the way and let him passed, to get to his bags. With the cable handed over after it was located, they just continued to mind their own business and not interrupt Jay as she did what she needed to, as well as Bec. WIth Jay finishing what she needed to do a few minutes later, and discussing with Bec that she was done having everything, only Fia out the two of them half understood what Bec said about Zan.

Kay couldn't help but wonder what was to happen now that the data transfer had been done to a certain extent and Cal and Elliott have officially met another member of their birth family. The room felt small and cramped, particularly for Kay, and knew there was no way she would be able to stay in there for much longer. Yet she also felt she didn't want to say anything and rush everyone into decisions if no one was quite ready to move forward onto the next thing just yet. Fia on the other hand did want to know but she partly felt like she had no right to ask, especially as she was now the only teenager in the room, so she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, wondering if anyone was going to speak up or not, or if she even should. "So uhh...what's the gameplan now?" Kay eventually then spoke up, looking around the room, knowing that someone must have an idea on what they needed to do or wanted to do. She was so out of her usual comfort zone and expertise that she had no idea what to do or say in this moment, for the first time in all these months that she had been with the Earth group, she felt out of the loop and the odd one out. She didn't have any of the required intelligence for all this and was just about understanding what they had learned so far, she certainly didn't have anything like what Jay had when it came to implants, or spy related training, she was just...her. A phoenix that was so far out of her element, she was just mentally slumping into the background.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John gave a large shrug at Kay's question, he really had no idea what was supposed to happen next, nor what he was supposed to do. This wasn't exactly his comfort zone, even if he had experience with friends in comas. He still didn't like Zan enough to spent the next couple of hours at the man's bedside just looking at him. They'd not exactly come here with a plan beyond verifying that Zan was still alive, and they certainly hadn't considered the possibility of anybody else being there. "Not a bloody clue, ll." John cut that part of the sentence short before he could let the full word slip out. "And besides, it's not on us is it? It's on those two innit?" he gestured at Bec and Dexter "They got the information and whatever instructions he left about spreading it. And it's on these two, as blood family, to an extent." He gestured at Elliott and Cal, who looked at each other. Elliott's look clearly saying 'you're the older one, you should have a plan', Cal's saying 'he's our birth father, you don't just get to dump it all on me'. Elliott then shrugged and turned to Bec to translate.

"Well I'm not moving from here. I told my bosses to go fuck themselves." It both in her facial expression and her tone that she had enjoyed doing that immensely. Dexter smirked, extending a hand for a fist-bump high-five combo. "It's about time you did that. Maybe now both of you can quite your jobs and get ones you actually like....... There's always vacancies being my real equipment assistants." He finished with a smirk, to which Bec rolled her eyes before continuing. "I told them that I'm cashing in all the holiday days and sick days and personal days I have, and after that will take as many more days as I need. I wasn't here last time, I'm damn well gonna be here this time." Bec's eyes flicked over to her brother, seeing him in this state now was still as shocking as it had been when she first entered the room and it hurt her just as deeply to see her big brother reduced to this. "As for a coherent plan? I don't exactly have one. Spread the information, maybe eat, then pass out asleep is as far as I've gotten. I would say you're all welcome to stay and stare, but this room really isn't big enough and it would lead to an incredibly awkward couple of hours after which you'd all make excuses and get away from here as fast as possible."

"Well I'm my own boss, there's no editors for me to tell to go fuck themselves." Dexter shrugged. "And I'm staying as well, though I'm guessing at some point one of us will have to go round to his place and clear out the fridge and remove anything incriminating." He gave a sigh. "That if his place hasn't been done over already" Bec sighed deeply. "I know he's hidden most of the incriminating stuff well, but all it takes is one observant person on the search team and this whole mess gets a hell of a lot more complicated. I've been answering some of his work emails in the hopes of throwing them off the scent of the fact that he's actually here, and it seems to be working, his identity is classified, somebody put a serious press blackout in place to stop it getting on it getting out but that illusion cannot last, I'm far from an expert on his chosen profession." The way she rolled her eyes and emphasised the words made it quite clear that she knew it was anything but her brother's choice. Elliott and Cal glanced at each other again, this time with 'are you thinking what I'm thinking?' expressions. "We could deal with the flat if you want?" Elliott offered tentatively.

 

[MzHyde]

When Kay asked her question it was a case of throwing it out there to help them all think of what to do now, as she knew they couldn't stay in this room for too long. It was too claustrophobic in some ways for a start. She didn't aim it at anyone in particular either, just hoping that someone had some idea and could suggest something, but looked at John when he was the first one to reply to her, wondering what he was about to say before stopping himself at the end of his first sentence. She continued to listen, nodding her agreement at his words to try and show that she knew it wasn't up to them per say but rather it was up to Bec and Dexter. She also understood the extent that it was up to Cal and Elliott and what they would agree to do next.

She remained quiet so Elliott could translate what was discussed to her, not wanting to risk talking over him and Bec not getting everything said because of other voices in the background. She also remained silent as Bec replied to him along with Dexter, before hearing Elliott translate for those of them who weren't fluent Attili speakers. When it was all translated and Elliott then seemed to be asking a question to Bec, judging by the tone in his voice, she and Fia both just knew he was offering them up to check the apartment for anything left behind just incase. It was one question they really didn't need translating as it seemed like such an Elliott and Cal thing to do because they truly were good people and would always offer to relieve some work off someone's shoulders if it was clear that said person could do with the extra set of hands.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John couldn't help but smirk when Bec mentioned how she'd told her bosses to fuck right off. He may not know the woman, but a large part of him wished he could have seen it, as seeing authority figures get blown off by their subservient in such a way always amused him no end. He'd pissed of countless authority figures in his time and it came with quite the rush. Elliott's immediate offer to help out didn't surprise him. He knew Elliott was the kind who would happily do such a thing, maybe not for a complete stranger, but certainly for somebody he liked. Whatever Bec had said or done behind closed doors it had been enough for Elliott and Cal to trust her (Jay too he supposed if the woman was willing to let Bec download right into her brain). Elliott was nowhere near as slow to trust and prickly as John was, but as Kay well knew he was suspicious of new people in his life, particularly those close to his family.

Bec didn't even hesitate in accepting the offer. "Would you do that?" the two nodded firmly, it was, they felt, the least they could do. "In that case then, yeah, I'd like that a lot." She replied, now knowing that others were willing to help she let herself succumb to the tiredness and slump against a wall. "There's a surprising amount that needs doing. Hold on, lemme make a list." From the pocket of her hoodie she pulled out a small leather covered notebook and began scribbling, conferring every so often with Dexter about what needed to be done, their height difference allowing the photographer to easily lean over her shoulder and peer at what she was writing. About five minutes later she tore the page off and passed it over to Cal (who happened to be nearest). As Cal and Elliott read the list, Bec began trawling through her pocket for her pair of keys to Zan's flat. When she did eventually locate them, they were tangled up around a leather cord. There were two rings attached to it along with some kind of talisman stone. Both Elliott and Cal's eyes widened at the sight of the rings. "Are those....?" Cal asked, her words trailing off as she choked up. "Your parents wedding rings? Yes, they are." Bec replied softly.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay could indeed testify at how Elliott didn't just trust easily, she was certain that she would never forget her first few weeks with him around, especially the training and that very first day of training and lunch in particular. It was the most awkward day she had experienced in a while, but also the day she was not going to give up on showing him how determined she was to prove she was friend not foe to him, John or Chas. So for him to offer to help Bec after such a short amount of time definitely said something to those who knew him, even if it wasn't surprising that he would offer his services. He had an incredibly good heart deep down and if he was already being helpful to Bec, then it clearly also said something about Bec and how well the first meeting went between him, her and Cal. She also noteed from Bec's tone that she was grateful for the offer and was most certainly taking him up on it, which was only properly confirmed when Bec pulled out a mini notebook and started scribbling down what appeared to be a list. When Cal took the list from Bec once it was written out, she couldn't help but look at bec as she fumbled around looking for something else, it only coming to realisation when she saw keys on the leather cord. She couldn't help but take notice of the other bits on the cord, especially the wedding rings, figuring it could only be two people's rings if bec had them and got the reaction from Cal and Elliott the way they did.

Yet it was also the talisman stone that really caught her attention for some reason, wondering if it was some kind of family talisman or something, similar to how she had the necklace with the charm on it from her mother, that held some kind of key to her helping her own kind thrive once more. Even now, she didn't fully understand what her mother meant by 'this is the key', even after everything they started to do with it after finding. Kay wasn't the only one who noticed it, as Fia did also and she couldn't help but look at Bec then gesture at the talisman, before trying to say in her still learning, basic Attili, "What's the talisman? If you don't mind me asking". She couldn't help but ask as things like talismans, stones and all things remotely linked to ancient things fascinated her. She was half expecting to be told to mind her own business, so she was well and truly preparing herself for the lack of information, but that didn't mean her teenage heart wasn't hoping for some kind of interesting story that it possibly held.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Seeing Cal and Elliott's reactions to the contents of Bec's pockets, both John, Jay and Cliff knew instantly it could only have been the rings that caused it. There was nothing else in there that was out of the ordinary- keys receipts, some spare change, a set of tangled earphones. Nothing else could possibly evoke such reactions both of shock and a raw emotional vulnerability that nothing else up until now had managed to evoke. Cal choking up on her words got the attention of everybody, Cliff stepping forwards to lay a comforting hand on her wife's shoulder. When Bec confirmed that these were indeed the wedding rings of Zan and Mara, all leaned forwards to get a better look.

Bec didn't relinquish the rings, just looped the leather cord over her fingers and let the rings hang in mid-air so all could see them. The rings were made of a dark silver grey metal (not the same metal as the sword), no visible engravings inside or out or adornment with any kind of precious stones. Compared to the handcrafted, custom made 'fire and ice' rings that Cal had made for herself and Cliff they seemed incredibly plain and understated. Cal couldn't resist reaching out and taking hold of them, running her fingers over the metal, which was still cool, despite it being in Bec's pocket for so long. "I was supposed to inherit these." She said softly. "I doubt that's the way things are now, but it's just....." Cal searched for the right word and unable to find it settled for "strange I guess, to see them after all this time. I thought they'd have gotten rid of them." Bec shook her head. "Neither did, both were extremely sentimental about things like this. The divorce was real, but my brother and Mara crossed paths again after he was deprogrammed. I would't say they picked up where they left off as such..... but they always had a strong relationship. They were a good pair, in work and in life."

Whatever moment the Cal and her aunt were having was shattered when Fias asked her question. She and her mother weren't the only ones drawn to the talisman, both Elliott and John were too, as on closer inspection it appeared to be carved with runes- runes that they didn't have an alphabetical significance, but a magical one. Bec's reaction to the question was to curl her fingers tightly, protectively, around the talisman. When she did speak, his tone was filled with sorrow, her words slow and simple, to make sure Fia really understood it. "I do mind you asking. It's a story I cannot and will not tell without my brother's permission" the emphasis on the 'will not' made it quite clear, regardless of the language barrier that this was a complete refusal, she would not budge. "I will not dredge up that ghost without permission."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay could understand why the rings caused such a reaction out of Cal and Elliott, as she herself felt a very similar emotion when she returned her old family house and saw things that belonged to her parents. If she could have taken anything for herself, she would have done but she didn't think about it as her birth father was there and interrupted her and John, whilst attempting to kill her with iron before they found the box with the necklace inside. Now that pendant on the chain was her only tether to her mother she had, and felt very protective of it, just like her mother wanted her to. So it wasn't surprising that Cal and Elliott were having very similar emotions towards their parents' wedding rings. She watched on as she saw Cal being delicate with her touch and hold on the rings before talking with Bec about them, knowing they clearly needed this time to digest seeing such objects yet again, just like she needed that moment when she saw the piano in her old home she was taught on. When the moment got cut off by Fia's question, she just knew from the way FIa asked that she didn't intend to break such a moment up and that it was a case of Fia asking the question before she could really stop herself from doing so.

Fia felt bad about breaking up the moment between Cal and Bec and wished she just kept her mouth shut. Especially when Bec reacted the way she did to the question, gripping her fingers right round the talisman tightly, hiding every detail from view as she did so. She also didn't want to upset Bec on some of the first impressions, mentally now cursing herself for even opening her mouth. She gave her the nod of understanding and held her hands up to say 'I'm so sorry'. "It's okay, I understand. Sorry for asking" she replied, trying to show she really did her words and didn't mean any offence. She really did understand how someone wouldn't want to dredge up a emotionally painful link to something if it wasn't her story to fully tell, knowing if the roles were reversed she would have probably reacted the same way. She knew all too well that their family had enough dark past memories that she could accept when others also did and wouldn't want to share them, which also meant because she had family who had those memories, it meant she grew up knowing when to accept a flat out refusal of being told things if it was truly none of her business. That didn't mean however that the runes were still considered a great curiosity to her inside her mind, even if she would make herself forget that she even saw them.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The fact that Cal was the one who would have inherited their parents wedding rings was something that Elliott had simply forgotten over the years. He'd never had much interest in them as a kid, where as Cal had always been fascinated by their colour. This dark grey metal was far from a typical colour for wedding rings and she'd never quite managed to get a satisfactory answer out of her parents as to why they'd chosen it. But looking back she suspected it was some kind of private joke or reference between them, whenever she asked the two would exchange looks, the kind of looks she and Cliff would now give each other when one alluded to an in-joke they had. Seeing these rings again was really stirring things up for her, and the knowledge that her mother was dead was really beginning to sink in. She couldn't help but wonder what Mara would have thought of Cliff, whether she would have embraced the doctor with open arms or been completely against her from day one. (She knew that Zan approved, he'd never outright said it, but she knew enough, even after over a decade of being estranged, to read between the lines). Looking at Bec, she could see in the woman's eyes that she understood. When Fia shattered the moment she wanted to glare at the teenager, but stopped herself, knowing the girl hadn't meant to put her foot in whatever it was she'd put her foot in.

John was half expecting Bec to answer Fia's question, giving how willingly both she and Dex has provided their group with details about Zan's life and the plans he'd made for what was to do done after his death. So to see her so sharply clench her fingers over the small runestone and obscure it from their view was equal parts shocking and intriguing (and he was far from the only one feeling that way). Any further questions died at the steel in her tone, and even though the words were aimed at Fia, all gave some form of nod to indicate that they wouldn't press the matter further (though John fully intended to scribble down what runes he could remember as soon as he was out of eyeshot). Dexter didn't say anything in response to Fia's question, but his sharp inhale of breath conveyed his disapproval of that particular line of questioning. Bec's look lessened in intensity as she understood that Fia had genuinely meant no offence. "It's okay, I'm not really angry. Just don't ask about it again, yeah?"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay couldn't have said either way if Bec would answer the question that Fia asked, she didn't know the woman at all but she did know that from experience, just because someone had answered other difficult questions, doesn't mean they would neccessarily answer every single question ever thrown toward them. So for her she had learned not to take anything for granted, no matter the situation, and that was proven perfectly true in this instance when Bec replied with what she did and Dexter had taken in a large breath of disappointment at the question that Fia asked. She could also notice from the body language that Cal was less than happy about FIa asking her question when she did, but also had trust that Cal knew Fia well enough by now that she wouldn't have done something like that deliberately as Fia did adore Cal greatly. She was just thankful that no one used the reaction of Bec to start up any drama or let it escalate into someone going at Fia. This was far from the place or time for it, and knew if anyone went for the only teenager in the room and their group, FIa would either want to defend herself or others would stand up for her defence. So it was a relief that with Fia's obvious apology, it was accepted and the tension had considerably lessened. It seemed that people were remembering and acknowledging Fia was still only seventeen years old and mistakes were bound to crop up with her.

John wasn't the only one who wanted to doodle what runes he saw very briefly as Fia was beginning to think that that might be the only way she would be able to seek out any answers to what they meant without upsetting anyone or stepping on anyone's toes so to speak. She just didn't know that John was thinking the same thing and would no doubt talk with him about it when they were out of the hospital and able to do it without being around anyone who could get upset by their actions. She was however thankful that Bec accepted her apology, giving her a firm yet still apologetic nod. "Promise" she replied, knowing if she promised something she wouldn't ever break it if she could help it. She knew Bec wouldn't know that if she promised something, she would do her hardest to not break it, but she hoped she would hear the firm conviction in her tone of her promise that Bec would trust she was telling the truth. She wanted to ask if they should head to Zan's apartment now, to give Bec some more time with her brother and to possibly nap herself, but she didn't want to risk coming across as making a mistake yet again, so she remained silent and shoved her hands in her jeans pockets this time, with only her thumbs on the outside of the pockets.

 

[_gallifrog_]

With this particular conversation having reached it's natural conclusion, Cal and Elliott saw no reason to hang around and make things awkward. "We'll be off then. let you guys have some peace." Cal said, to which Dexter and Bec nodded. They tried to keep the relief out of their faces, but didn't entirely succeed. "Dex and I will be here, my number is at the bottom of the list, if there's any curve-balls or if the place has been noticeably turned over let me know yeah?" "Well do that." Elliott promised, folding the page in half and carefully tucking it in his pocket. Bec nodded and waited until everybody had exited the room and the door had been pulled firmly close to collapse down into the chair with a loud sigh. Dexter plopped himself down in the other chair with less dramatics, but identical tired sigh. "So what do you make of them?"

Once back out on the corridor John made good on her earlier promise to himself and pulled an old receipt from his pocket along with a pencil (which ahd various bit marks on his end from when somebody had chewed on it) and scribbled what runes he could remember on the back of it. "I thought you were gonna leave whatever that was alone?" Elliott asked, a disapproving look on his face. "Yeah well...." John shrugged. "It's gonna bug the hell outta me whether I do or I don't. There was something familiar about those runes, I've seen 'em somewhere before." Elliott gave another sigh, knowing that on this point it would be pointless to argue with John. "More importantly- Bec. What's she like?" Elliott let out a long slow breath, glancing at Cal before speaking. "Not what I was expecting. She's the kind of person most underestimate based on physical appearance, I did to extent." He shrugged guiltily. "She's strong willed, determined and principled and really, really does care about him. She has this way of telling a story that reminds me of the Zan I knew when I was a little kid- pre-brainwashed Zan." He added in clarification. Cal nodded in agreement, "yeah, I got that too. She's a level sort of person, despite the shit that's been thrown at her these past few hours she was calm and surprisingly collected." "I like her." Cliff shrugged. "She's a nice person that I got right off the bat. She doesn't have the sharp edges and prickles of her brother, but she has her sore spots, as we all saw. She feels guilty, I'm guessing for believing what her parents said about Zan for so long."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and Fia were both glad that it was decided it was time for their group to leave Bec and Dexter alone to be with Zan and let themselves just sit and attempt to relax in a way that they were on guard so much. They also could see the relief on Bec's face as well as the attempt to not let it show but failing. They both figured it was due to the sheer fatigue that the woman was feeling that was making things a lot easier to read on her face. They wasted no time in exiting the room with everyone else, letting the door firmly close behind them all, and glad that they were once again not around people they didn't know. Neither knew they were being spoken about but neither would have been surprised that the two people in the room with Zan would discuss their first impressions of the rest of them. Especially as a majority of them were from Earth and probably had extra suspicions put on them, just because Elliott was raised on Earth by John and the rest of them were even more unknown strangers.

The moment John pulled out a bitten pencil and receipt to doodle the runes he saw, Fia couldn't help but be nosey, but she tried to do it discreetly as she walked, to make sure she knew where she was going first and foremost. It wasn't surprising that Elliott called John out on what he was doing, as she herself thought he would have at least waited until he wasn't seen by Elliott or Cal doing it. The fact that John wasn't even trying to evade what Elliott was telling him, and instead just giving his own excuse for why he was drawing them said so much to Fia about how little John truly changed over the years of her growing up. She also had to give John credit for managing to change the subject by asking what they thought about Bec, during their moment with her away from the rest of them. She listened to Elliott, Cal and Cliff all said about Bec during their first impressions, finding it all very interesting and easy to imagine how Bec would be someone easily underestimated. The fact that Cliff particularly said she liked her as she didn't seem to prickly like Zan was said a thousand things in Fia's mind. "It's not surprising really that guilt would come into her emotions about how long she was on the side of their parents, pretty sure if anyone was proven wrong so badly and on such a large scale, anyone would feel guilty for that" Kay replied. "and yeah, we all saw how protective of Zan she is, and how much she cares about him. She's got a strong willed heart that's for sure. Don't think any of us could deny that one after we saw how she reacted to the talisman question. Which was totally understandable" she then added.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott wasn't the only one who disapproved of John's choice of recording down what runes he could remember, but he was the only one who had the balls to call John out on it at this moment in time. Chas far from approved of his friend's actions, but knew from years of experience that there was no stopping John when he wanted to find out something. You could slow him down and deflect him on another, course, but ultimately he'd find it out. Chas knew the snappish way in which Bec had reacted would only be like catnip for John's curiosity. Given how much of her brother's past traumas they'd already carelessly torn through, Chas felt the least she deserved was for them to stay out of whatever grim memories were associated with the talisman. It may be Zan's story, but it clearly had left some kind of emotional impact on Bec, one that hadn't fully healed.

John nodded slowly at Elliott's words, rolling them around in his brain. He could certainly agree with the first part, the same went for her genuinely caring about her older brother and being determined (if the fires in her eyes was anything to go by she wouldn't stop until everybody responsible had had their life destroyed). Elliott's final point he couldn't comment on, though he couldn't help but feel both a stab of jealously and loathing towards Zan at the note of almost nostalgic fondness in his adoptive son's voice. Heads, particularly Cal's, turned to Cliff when she declared outright that she liked the woman, over the weeks they'd spent with her it was now clear to all that the doctor was an excellent judge of both a person's character and morality, she'd picked up on a number of things about Zan that made her believe he was far more victim than he wanted them to believe. The guilt wasn't something Cal or Elliott had picked up on, but if the doctor said it was, then they were inclined to believe her. Kay's points only added to that belief.

"Well she's not her brother that's for sure." Jay shrugged, Cliff may have made a judgement, but it was far too early for the assassin to make one. It was safer to assume there was some kind of threat lurking in the woman until it was proved otherwise. "She came across as being genuine to me, but yeah, definitely don't get on her wrong side." "She kinda reminded me a bit of Cheryl John." Elliott added, to which John raised an eyebrow. "Cos they're both shorter than their brothers?" Elliott rolled his eyes at that, it was something that came up every time John's sister visited. She may be older by four years, but John had those extra inches. "Not in that way, but in a 'I can talk shit about my brother all day long and will accept some of his failings, but try and make him your scapegoat for everything and I will throw you out of a fucking window then dance on your corpse' sort of way." John smirked, as did Chas. "That does sound like Cher alright." The cabbie agreed, a fond smile edging onto his face. "I think John would have fallen out the window, if he'd heard how much emphasis Bec used when she said 'my brother is an idiot'." Cal remarked, to which Jay, Elliott and Cliff all nodded and smirked.

"Did she really, or are ya lot just jokin'?" John asked, semi-suspiciously. "She really, genuinely did say that. We all stood there, jaws hanging open for what felt like a good ten minutes afterwards." "I didn't." Jay objected, to which Elliott shot back with "you were gaping on the inside." "Damn I wish I coulda seen that." John sighed, suitably satisfied that this had really happened. "Anyway... more importantly" Elliott pushed open the door out of the hospital, then turned to the group. "Dexter. Tell me everything."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay couldn't say she got much more from her first impression of Bec as she and the others who werent Cal, Elliott, Cliff and Jay had only met her that brief moment when it came to talking about the files on the laptop and needing to step up in making sure they stay shared if something should happen to Bec or Dexter. Yet that brief impression, she did get what the others said about her in the aspect of she could be a nice person and willing to talk as long as you didn't say something wrong or piss her off. It strangely reminded her of Rinaa in some ways, as they too felt like they had to tip toe around what they said around the other teenager or could easily say the wrong thing without realising it, just like when Fia asked about the talisman. To hear that she reminded Elliott of Cheryl was curious to Kay as she was yet to meet the woman and was convinced it would be a long time before she ever did, but did recall something vaguely said from Fia, to give her the impression that Fia had met Cheryl and knew her well. The smart ass quip reply from John did make Kay and Fia smirk, knowing only someone like John could come back with a smartass remark about such a comparison told to him. Elliott's description of how Cheryl and Bec were similar did intrigue Kay as she seemed to only breifly recall the odd remark John had made about his sister and how strong willed she was, which always made her think Cheryl was someone she could highly respect in that manner, and how if she was left in a room with SAm, they'd be a real force to reckon with and would no doubt embarrass her and John epically.

The moment Cal made her own remark about being sure John would fall out of a window if he heard what Bec said about Zan, she too had to think they were pulling John's leg but then she remembered that they burst into laughter to the extent they all heard it from outside the room, so it got her wondering if that was what made them all laugh or if it was something else entirely, something she didn't get to ask about as Elliott insisted they told him everything about Dexter. The banter between Elliott and Jay never felt old to see to either Kay or Fia, as it really showed how much they were growing as people and as a couple, which was always nice to witness. Dare Kay think it, she was probably a little jealous at how much open the two of them were to wanting to grow as people and around each other. "Well Dexter is a huge opera fan for one. I don't think I've ever seen anyone gush over something so much like he did when he was explaining about it." Fia spoke up about Dexter as they all exited the hospital doors that Elliott opened.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Like Kay, Chas also thought that riotous laughter they'd heard earlier could have been the reaction to Bec calling her brother an idiot. Cal was right though, Chas fully suspected John would have fallen over in shock at such a declaration. The woman clearly cared a hell of a lot about her brother. He didn't blame John for being suspicious, it was the kind of thing Elliott would say to wind John up. Cliff and Cal couldn't help but roll their eyes at Jay's flat out denial that she'd been gaping in shock like the rest of them. Cal was pretty sure her jaw had fallen into somewhere in the sub-basement. The two then gave knowing smiles at the banter between Jay and Elliott, something that was becoming more common as the time progressed and the two became more comfortable with each other. Jay's outer facade of being serious and stony (there had been a good few months where the member of AJ's crew had been convinced the woman didn't possess a sense of humour) and all too willing to turn to violence had kept Elliott from saying the smart alec/teasing remarks for a couple of years, so it was an enjoyable change that he could tease her like this and not run the risk of being stabbed.

John couldn't help but smirk slightly at Elliott's change of topic, letting of a 'of course this is what ya want to know about' under his breath. Now that they were out of sight and earshot of the photographer, the fanboy edge was starting to creep back. "Gushing was the only word for what he was saying, his passion for it was so strong it managed to stop him yawnin'. He'd been up all hours photographing some...." John couldn't recall the real name so he just went with the closest English word he knew, "psycopath opera thing apparently." That got Cal, Elliott and Cliff's attention. "Psychoria opera?" "That's the one." John nodded. "That's the most well known and undisputedly the best operas ever created round this part of the universe." "We know" John replied "that's what he said, just with a helluva lot more words."

"And on a more interesting note and one that's not going to send John on one of his rants about how opera is just for posh toffs with too much time and money on their hands." "Well it damn well is on Earth, don't try and deny it!" John could maybe just about accept there was a different cultural meaning with opera out in space, many other things were different, so maybe this was too? Though he doubted it. "Dexter says he met Zan in the military, so nineteen, twentyish? They've clearly stayed in touch all those years, and shared a flat at one point as well. He also knew your mother, the three were a very close gang in university, they used to sneak into places under the guise of being photographer's assistants. And he was apparently the best man at the wedding."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia smirked at John agreeing with her choice of words about how Dexter was talking about the psychoria opera. His choice of word for calling the opera due to not remembering the actual name made Fia smirk as it would have probably been the same sort of choice of word she would have picked if she couldn't remember the name of it. She nodded her agreement at John saying that Dexter said exactly that but with a lot more words and a lot more passion, before Chas explained what else Dexter said to them all about how he knew Zan. "It was rather interesting actually, said how they used to sneak into places illegally as kids, including punk gigs and stuff as well. Spoke really fondly of those times and looked rather smug that we all reacted with great surprise over it" Fia added. Even now she was repeating what they found out, it still baffled her mind greatly that Zan was the punk music lover type. The psychoria opera she could easily believe from what they knew of Zan and how he held himself nowadays, but punk was so far from what she imagined out of him, it still was difficult to believe, but she was going to relay what they knew/found out from Dexter as that's what Elliott wanted.

"He certainly spoke of Zan and Mara with great fondness overall, and it was clear he was still struggling with Mara not being around anymore" Kay added, figuring it must be nice for Cal and Elliott to know that there was someone out there who did truly care about Zan and Mara who weren't family already. She knew if it was her birth parents she was finding out information about, that she didn't already know, she would have been thankful to hear it. Especially her mother as she knew even less about her mother than she did her father, and that was saying something as she didn't really know much about her father either, only that he was grew cold hearted from being the best dad ever in the eyes of her nine year old self, to only then see him years later well and truly a demon. Anything that happened in between that she didn't know. Yet it was solely her mother she truly wanted more answers of, but for now her focus was on giving Cal and Elliott more information about their birth parents and who cared about them.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott rolled his eyes at John's chosen word for the opera, it was so typically John. When Chas started speaking both Cal and Elliott angled themselves towards him, knowing that the cabbie would give facts about the man as opposed to John who was a few sentences away from going into a rant about opera. To hear that Dexter and Zan had met so young was intriguing for both siblings, the photographer really would have seen everything, all the changes the man went through, all the highs and lows of Zan's mental state. No doubt he would have seen the change after the brainwashing too. What baffled the siblings was that they'd never met the man before this. If he really was such a major part of their father and their mother's lives, then why had he never been introduced to them as some kind of uncle/friend of the family figure? Had there been some kind of falling out? Or a more mundane reason like Dexter living off-world for a number of years?

The best man bit piqued both their interests. "Huh, now that I very much didn't know. Can't say I ever paid attention to their wedding photos" Elliott admitted, he had seen them as a child, but at that age he'd had little to no interest in the lives of his parents before he'd been born. "It wasn't a big affair from what I remember being told, the two of them, some uni friends and some work colleagues." "I never quite got why they had such a small group at the wedding, they knew a lot of people, both could be social charmers when they wanted to be, they were quite the double act and i do remember people saying that he had the charisma, but she had this spark of something that drew people to her. But I suppose a) there's a difference between knowing somebody and inviting them to your wedding and b) both are firmly estranged from their families." Cal added. "Don't suppose you know where the photos are now?" Cal gave a shrug and let out a low breath and she thought. "I'm not sure what happened to them to be honest, I didn't take them with me, so presumably Zan still has them somewhere, clearly he's got a sentimental side, despite what his apartment looks like."

Just like John, Chas, Dan, Fia and Kay had been shocked by Zan's music taste, Cal, Elliott and Cliff were too. Jay's face adopted a more thoughtful expression as she considered the idea of Zan being a punk fan in her mind. "What really?" Elliott asked, skepticism written all over his face. "Apparently so, I sure as hell didn't believe it when I heard it." "Bec has proof, this was before Dexter's time." "And ya think that's crazy? If Dexter is tellin' the truth the man still is a punk fan." John shook his head in utter disbelief, as did Elliott. "Now that.... of all the things I've heard these past few days, it's probably the hardest to believe." John couldn't help but feel slightly smug that Elliott was agreeing with him on this. Cal on the other hand had her head tipped to the side in thought. "I wouldn't be so quick to doubt it Qui, our mother did used to tease him on occasion about having a very bad taste in music." "Yeah... she did" Elliott nodded slowly as the memories came back to him. He actively suppressed a lot of his childhood memories, regardless of whether they were good or not, as a way of coping with everything. It was only now he was beginning to see that by doing so he'd completely missed out on the nuances of his childhood years on Attil, nuances that maybe could have clued him in earlier to the fact that not everything was a clear cut as Zan being the big, bad villain. "They were a good pair, Zan and Mara I mean, I can see that now" he gave Cal a look, which conveyed all the things that simple statement just didn't cover, like how he wished he could have had the opportunity to see his mother again. "So can I."

 

[MzHyde]

The fact that Elliott only recognised Dexter as a well known photographer showed both Kay and Fia that he didn't know he was linked to their family way before then. No one could be surprised that Elliott wouldn't have remembered seeing Dexter in his parents wedding photos considering how much he repressed his early upbringing on Attil, so it was of no surprise that Elliott said so himself that he never paid attention to such items. In Kay's opinion wedding photos of parents were something that kids were either super into looking at or just not bothered about, just content in knowing they're married and still happy. As it seemed, Elliott was very much the latter of those options. Both her and Fia listened as Cal went into a bit more detail about their parents wedding, saying how small it was considering the social circles they were known to hang around with. Like Cal said, Kay had to agree that just because their social circles were of a decent size, didn't instantly mean that they were close friends with everyone and would want them at their special day.

When it came to Fia's comment about Zan's music taste and it equally surprising Elliott, Fia thought it didn't make the rest of them seem to stupid for not taking Zan to be that type of person. Both Fia and Kay smirked as John elaborated even more on the music thing before Chas said about Bec having proof of said moments in time, making Elliott even more baffled. That smirk only remained when Cal said about not being quick to judge it as hard to believe because of Mara's comment years ago of him having bad music taste. Fia watched Elliott's face as the memories started to come back to him, getting clearer in his head about what he witnessed as a child before being exiled. Hearing him say that his birth parents were a good match made Fia smile ever so slightly but she removed said smile as soon as it crept onto her face. What she didn't say however was 'seems like there are just people in the universe who are meant to be together', deciding to keep that thought to herself as she just didn't know how certain members of their group/family would take it in this time.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Seeing the way Elliott's eyebrows furrowed together as he thought, both Cal and John could tell that he was starting to open up, examine and come to terms with the full extent of his childhood memories for the first time. Cal knew their childhood wasn't nearly as bad as Elliott made it out to be, she'd lived through it as well. Zan's personality change had been gradual and it had only been the last two years Elliott spent on Attil where things had been really bad. The rest of their childhood had been happy, and by Attilian standards, normal. She couldn't blame Elliott as a traumatised child for focusing on the bad and blotting out the good, it was a coping mechanism. It was clear he'd flourished under John's parentage, but he was now an adult and needed to get rid of the childish view and see things as they were. Both knew they couldn't make Elliott change his view, that motivation had to come from within. And as awful as it was to think it, Zan getting shot was just the kind of catalyst to make Elliott reconsider all.

Elliott didn't notice the length of the journey back to Zan's flat. Once again they took the train there, it was the fastest and most cost-effective to travel (Cal, Cliff and Dan all had travel cards, and Jay had one in a fake name) around Attil and if they were to walk it would take well over an hour. Elliott was as good as his word and asked a number of other questions about Dexter, as well as giving some sparse details on what he, Cal and Bec had talked about initially. She'd known who they were at first glance, easily able to pick out the features of Mara and Zan in the siblings. She'd said a little about herself, she was a few years older than John, currently single having come out of a horrible relationship about a year ago, currently worked as a research biologist, but hated her job with a passion and would much rather be a test pilot (her parents had refused to let her apply so she ended up in a field of science she was good at but didn't enjoy) and her relationship with her family was very rocky, she had some very choice words for her brothers and parents.

 

[MzHyde]

During the trip to Zan's apartment, Fia joined in with the others to talk about what Elliott wanted to know about Dexter as she could have understood him a lot more than Kay could at the time, meaning she could contribute a lot better than Kay could, but she did join in where she could. It felt like the trip to Zan's they barely stopped talking, whilst Elliott started to truly see his childhood pre-exiling and attack for what it seemed to truly be- a happy one. Both Kay and Fia felt glad that Elliott could start to see through the bad and see the good times as they knew it'd do him a lot of good to be able to see that it wasn't all negative, yet like Cal and John, they knew only he could do that and no one could force it onto him. Kay was also thankful that they were travelling there by train and not walking it, not that she ever say it out loud.

Hearing about what they found out on Bec was interesting to say the least. They also thought that what the siblings as well as Cliff and Jay found out was pretty some pretty personal things that neither would have thought Bec would have disclosed on a first meeting. However it did make them wonder of it was because the siblings were family that she felt she could say such things. It didn't seem surprising that Bec would already know who Cal and Elliott were by first glance, as the likeness even to Zan was easily comparable. To hear that she also had some choice words to her brothers and parents made them smirk ever so slightly even if it was surprising that the plural word was used when saying brothers. They could barely remember if Zan ever mentioned about another brother or not but that seemed pretty irrelevant to ask about. "well I'm glad you got to know her somewhat in that short time at least" Kay remarked when they were done explaining everything. "so what got you both howling with laughter by the way?" Fia couldn't help but ask.