"Ah damn, we walked right into them!" Red looked around quickly.

"I thought we were supposed to know when they were around!" Denum frowned. "...They put up a suppressor, we couldn't sense them coming!"

Red took Q's arm and moved the tall boy behind him while Denum covered LiSen. Silvers were sometimes odd in their behavior. Maybe if they didn't attack and saw that one was injured, they'd just move on.

The creatures tilted their heads and watched them for a moment, before whispering amongst themselves. One of them - wearing a long string of different colored jewels around his throat - moved forward.

"Give," He said, motioning to Q. "Give."

"Fuck yourself." Red replied bluntly.

Denum noticed that when they spoke amongst themselves, they didn't use their mouths. He couldn't help but reach forward with his mind a little to try and pick up some of their whispered conversations.

For a second he heard what sounded like gibberish, before he felt a sudden splitting pain in his head.

"Denum!" LiSen gasped as the other groaned and grabbed his head in his hands.

"Give," The Silver said again.

"What do you want with him?" Aireio pressed, her entire body tense.

"Prince," The silver replied.

"Prince?" Aireio asked in confusion, looking at Red and Q. "What, you want to give him to your Prince or something? The studies said that they're very loyal to their royalty."

"Prince," The silver told her again.

Red grabbed Q around the waist.

"One-two-three- BREAK!" Red shouted.

He burst off to the side- grabbing Aireio as he went.

Denum took the cue as well- scooping up LiSen.

They slammed into something hard and invisible suddenly and tumbled to the ground. The world spun for a moment and as Red looked up, he saw tails pointed at him... their tips extremely sharp.

"Shit," Aireio groaned.

"Shit?" The Silver repeated, as if confused.

"What does Shit mean?" Q asked from his place on the ground.

"Really?!" Aireio snapped at him.

"It means we're in trouble," LiSen breathed.

Then, to their surprise, Q turned toward the Silver with the beads on and said something in what sounded like gibberish. It replied to him and he got to his feet, dusting his front off. "He says that he doesn't want to harm you."

"They have an odd way of showing it." Denum mumbled as he sat up- holding his head.

Irma...it means little brother...

Red blinked- what was that? A voice or something? He looked between all the points aimed at him as he lay on the ground. Damn, even in that second's little burst, he'd just drained whatever he had left.

Q and the Silver talked for a moment before he explained, "He didn't want you to get away. There is something that he needs to show his mother."

"What about the Prince?" Aireio asked, looking at Q warily. She knew only a few words from the Silvers' language... why could he speak it fluently?

"Mistranslation, I suppose," Q informed. "He will show you that you can trust him."

He said something more to the Silver, who spoke to the group. They all lowered their tails and wings, relaxing.

Denum helped LiSen sit up and wrapped an arm around him protectively- watching the Silvers with distrusting eyes. Damn it, finally out of that place with LiSen and now they could be Sliver food...did Silvers eat people? What did it matter if they were dead? He'd promised to take LiSen out of the facility and to someplace the Asian boy could be happy, but now...

"He only wants me," Q informed. "The rest of you are welcome to-"

"We're not leaving you!" Aireio snapped.

"Yeah, fuck that." Red agreed- still lying where he was on the ground- despite the fact that he was no longer pinned down by the Silvers.

"You're one of us, we don't leave our people behind." Denum added firmly.

"I appreciate your kindness," Q informed. "But it is obvious that you do not wish to come with me."

"Come... with you?" Aireio asked.

"You're going with them," LiSen breathed in pain.

"I am," Q informed. "I do not expect you to come, though I am certain they can at least feed you and perhaps heal your wounds."

One of the Silvers turned to the beaded one and said something- indicating the others and Red heard him use that word again...irma.

"We can't just let you go with them and leave you here." Red protested.

"Then you can come," Q said, simply.

"How long was he in that tube? His people skills suck!" Aireio huffed.

"I don't feel so good," LiSen breathed, leaning heavily on Denum.

"LiSen and Red need medical attention!" Denum shot at Q.

"I'm fine!" Red started to sit up.

Q turned to the one who had spoken to the Silver in beads, saying something quickly.