The hour was late, the room only lit by a small lamp. It didn't matter if he didn't sleep for three days straight, General Yasahiro worked tirelessly. He'd never neglect the importance of his job. As his pen glided across the page with impressive speed, he wasn't even fazed to hear a knock on the door. He continued to write as he called for the visitor to enter.

A very young girl, just barely fifteen, clutched a notebook in her hands. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir, but it's urgent. We've just received a message from Deysa Delphine of General Eckerström's unit. He said he couldn't get a hold of Eckerström or General T. Marécage, so he contacted us. General C. Marécage was attacked by Demon's Card. He was infected with some kind of darkness, but they haven't fully diagnosed it yet. He's in Hera's care right now."

"Hera?" General Yasahiro breathily questioned.

"Yes, Sir. I was confused too, but I guess they're our allies now? Deysa said they're talking good care of him and everyone else injured in the attack. Apparently Heart wants to try to bring all the generals together to protect them until everything with Demon's Card is settled."

"You say that as if it's so easy." He sighed, placing the paper he was working on in a folder. "Whether this is a trap or not, we should go investigate. Last I was aware of, Deysa was in prison, but you know how Eckerström's men are. We should leave right away, for Covey's sake."

She nodded, "Yes, Sir. I'll go prepare travel accommodations."

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Kuza took some deep breaths as he finally came to, opening his eyes to pitch darkness. He noted what his other senses could pick up. The bed under him was remarkably soft, probably the most comfortable he's laid on in years. He was comforted by the sensual smell of cologne in the room. With a sigh, he tiredly murmured, "I can't see a damn thing."

"I'm afraid that isn't because the lights are off." A voice responded, but it wasn't Chris'. His heartbeat suddenly sped up to hear a stranger beside him. Whomever it was took notice of the way he tensed up, calmly adding, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm not going to hurt you. I work for Hera. My name is Cromwell. I'm a... Medicine man, I suppose you could say."

He released a trapped breath. "Sorry. I kind of forgot about everything for a minute when I first woke up. You're wearing the same cologne my husband wears. So, when I woke up and smelled it, and felt I was in a bed, I guess I thought I was back home. Now I remember I actually hate the fucker right now."

Cromwell chuckled, "Well, regardless, you should know he's alright. Or, at least, he will be. He has yet to wake up but he's stable. Unfortunately, it seems Sorrow drained your soul to the point you lost your sight. It should come back in a few days."

"That's just great." He scoffed. "Where am I, exactly? And where are the others?"

"You're at Hera's headquarters in Ascella. For the time being, you're in a room for medical treatment. Once you're better, they'll move you to an actual bedroom. There's a few other beds in here, including your mate and the Wiccan. You're the first to wake up, though."

"It's just them?" Kuza asked.

He was hesitant to answer, "One of the order's generals is here as well. Turns out Ezra wasn't on that train for you. He wanted to go after him. You being there was just a bonus. The Eclipse was thankfully fine. The girl that was with you, she's fine, but Ezra took her mate."

Kuza was going to say something, but he shut his mouth when he heard the door open. Part of him was glad he had an excuse not to talk. He really didn't know what to say to that, other than cuss at the problem like anything else.

Having to rely on his ears, it brought back some unpleasant memories of days when he would camp out in pitch black warehouses. It's because of his past that he had the senses of an animal. He noted two sets of steps; one gentle, the other strong. The first voice that spoke seemed unfamiliar to him. He had to assume it was a member of Hera, and by the tone they used, one of the higher ups.

"Report." Autopsy sneered.

"Kuza's the only one who's woken up so far. His sight is gone, just like Heart had predicted. If he remains to be right, then Kuza should get his sight back slowly over the next few days. I believe he should remain on bed rest for the time being." Cromwell explained.

"I believe that's for the best as well." A softer voice replied. Now that voice Kuza knew very well. Deysa walked around to the side of his bed, firmly grasping his hand to let him know he was there. "You've done enough. You need rest."

"Should've known you'd bust out quick." He responded, "No one could ever keep you in one place."

"You should never keep a drifter from chasing the wind. We'll find a way outta pine box."

If two sentences could ever define who Deysa was, it was that. His soul was old, worn and torn, but he still had such a delicate nature to him. Kuza didn't think he was that tense before. When Deysa showed up, he let go of a lot of nerves he didn't know he was holding onto.

"Cromwell, Heart would like to speak to you." Autopsy said, changing his attention towards Deysa, "Please, come get us if anyone else wakes up."

"I will." He quietly replied.

There was some shuffling in the room as people made their way out. Deysa briefly released Kuza's hand. He grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and moved it over beside his bed. "You 'member, when we were younger, I got busted for stealing smokes and you took the rap for me?" His reminiscent smile was nearly painful, "I miss when things were that easy."

"We all have to grow up sometime, I guess." He responded while finally sitting up. Even if he couldn't see, it still felt strange to have a conversation that way.

"There's this guy, real fucking weird guy, in my unit. His name's Knox. He's not all right in the head, I swear, and really quiet, but when he does speak, it's always something that makes you think, you know? He told me once that growing up is code for giving up these days."

"He's not wrong, but some people don't have a choice. People like you and I, we never got an option to be happy and care free. Chris and I... We're pretty different people in a lot of ways, but the one thing that's kept us together is the fact that we've both been to Hell and back. The difference was he never chose to lose everything."

"You didn't either, Mike. Just because-"

"Deysa," Kuza cut him off, "Let's not talk about this."

Hesitantly, the pirate leaned back in his chair. He set his arm over the back, letting the silence sink it. Back when he first found Kuza, he was happy that he'd become more open to these kinds of conversations. He should've known it'd be short lived.

"So, how'd you get out anyways?" Kuza asked, trying to divert the tension.

"I've made quite a few of the wardens my lady friends. I happened to get sent to one of the prisons I've got good ties in." Deysa boasted proudly. "Eckerström agreed to let me peruse this path of my life for the time being. When I got here and found out General C. Marécage had been attacked, I tried to get a hold of him but I couldn't.

I also couldn't get a hold of his brother, who's also a general, and finding Dex? Forget about it. Heart wanted me to try to get as many as the generals to come here as I could, though. He wants them to be in a more secure location and I can agree with that. Thankfully I could get the other two to answer their phones. They're both on their way here."

"If they're anything like your boss, I think I'll need some aspirin before meeting them." He joked.

Deysa laughed, "Trust me, they're nothing like him. They're probably the most respected two, but that's because they're not like the rest of us... A lot of the Silent Crows, they're like me and Dex... Silver Water Spirits with no where to go. Eckerström is, but the others, they're different kinds of creatures. The Marécage brothers, all of 'em, they're Voodoo Mites. General Von Brandt and General Yasahiro, they belong to the Kide."

The Kide, something Lost Ones only ever heard of. In the time that Kuza and Deysa lived, they were supposedly extincted. Here, they had the ability to live again. Regardless, the news was shocking to him. "How old are they?" He questioned.

"I couldn't tell you. I've heard some rumors that sound insane, but anything's possible down here." He replied.

Kuza sighed, "That's an understatement."

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Here's a pic of Deysa, and if anyone is confused on species, characters, shit like that, don't worry. I'm going to post the series bible soon. That's essentially a log that details all the unique things that exist in the world and keep backstories straight and all that good stuff.

PS if you want to see a picture of Croc in his human form, go to my Twitter (NonaHysteria)