"Well yeah, but you look more human and these look...normal for you." Red said. "Get it?"

For a moment, Quarrel just stared at him. Then he slowly reached out and touched Red's hair. "I've never seen anyone with this color hair, but it looks 'natural' on you."

"Really, with my skin it shouldn't be, but it is." Red commented.

"I liked it," Quarrel admitted. "It... suits you. Is that the right word? My English is poor, my apologies."

He released Red's hair somewhat reluctantly.

Red slowly stopped petting Q's wings and just relented to leave his hand there on the boy's back.

"You're English is fine." Red replied.

"Your Silvish is horrible," Quarrel replied jokingly.

"I don't speak it at all." Red frowned.

"...I am not very good at telling jokes," Quarrel hummed, turning back onto his side. "I could teach you some if you want..."

"I figured they'd be mostly telepathic or something." Red shrugged.

"...There are still words used when communicating telepathically," Quarrel chuckled.

"Unless you just send sensations...like you did." Red commented.

"As I said, it isn't a normal thing for us to be able to do that," Quarrel repeated.

"I wouldn't know." Red shrugged.

"I think that we should get some sleep," The other mumbled, closing his eyes once more.

Red nodded and laid back down- his hand finally slipping off the other boy's wings.

--

"I know, Mister Gale - but I didn't let him free!"

As he came to he could feel the pricks of needles up and down his arms and body. The world around him was wet, a heavy mask wrapped around his face, forcing oxygen into his lungs.

He felt numb all over... his body felt heavy and he could feel the chains on his wrists, making them immobile.

Glace... where was glace...?

"Find out who did!" A second voice yelled. "And kill them on sight!"

"Yes sir!"

A group of men stepped away and a form moved up to the tube. An older man with a square jaw and cold, blue eyes... as well as flaming red hair was was slicked back.

He wore a business suit and looked important, but Luda couldn't place the name.

Luda let out an over oxygenated breath- bubbles pushing out of the mask and rising to the vents keeping the current of liquids Luda was floating in. What had happened, it was a bit of the blur. He remembered advancing on that Sliver abomination that everyone tried to pass off for his younger brother. His brother was dead and that thing was never replacing him. But then...he'd killed the guards, that was easy...he'd moved to kill the doctor and get to the Silver, but...then...

"You cost me two of my most important assets," The man hissed coldly. "And now I have to find a half breed for replacement, since your DNA is contaminated with insanity."

He lifted up a hand - holding in it the stuffed doll that Glace always had with him.

"I found this in your room," The man snorted. "A boy your age playing with a doll? And an ugly one to boot."

He tossed the toy into a nearby trash bin.

"I'll have that thing burned," He informed. "Destroyed... just like I had your father destroyed."

Luda's hand suddenly struck the glassy surface of the tube- cracks appearing around his open palm and several of the needles in his arms tearing his skin and making a few red lines of blood float up around him. Several of the other white-coats stepped back from the chamber worriedly looking at the lead scientist nervously.

"You cost me two things very important to me," The man hissed. "And now I'm going to cost you two of yours."

--

In retrospect, stumbling into the dark forest at night with your 'blind' lover was probably not the smartest thing to do. Add on top of that the fact that neither of them had any clue which direction to head lead to some very idiotic and risky situation...

But it couldn't get any worse then this, really. Somehow he had lost sight of Adamanti and being who he was, Shotaro couldn't exactly call out for the other. He doubted Adamanti even knew he was gone and so finding him was pretty much out of the question.

So here he was, stumbling around in the dark with nothing but a flash light and his voice to protect him.

He jumped and froze at every rustle of leaves or distant snapping of twigs. The whole place was alive- alive and hungry. Even the plants out here would kill and eat you if you weren't careful, not to mention the carnivorous wildlife and the locals were always sneaking around- watching from every angle.

Completely tense, Shotaro turned and looked over his shoulder at another sound, his light flashing that direction. He let out a slow breath and turned back, only to jump as he realized there was a sharp, spade-like tail pointed directly at his neck.

The form before him was tall with silver skin and long black hair. The flashlight dropped from his hands and fell to the forest floor, lighting up some nearby trees.

There was more rustling and he realized quickly that though the one right in front of him was visible, there must have been others around that he couldn't see. The tall Silver stared down at him blankly- taking Shotaro in silent contemplation before moving forward- right up to the other. Shotaro felt that tingle ripple across his mind and knew that the native was probing around.

The man bit back a whimper. Although it wouldn't kill the children of the Facility, it was entirely possible that it may kill the Silvers around him - there was no way to be sure if it was just hybrids that were immune - and even if it didn't, he hadn't test it on plants or any other life in the forest.

Something was bound to die of he spoke. He couldn't live with that.

"...Irma..." The Silver finally uttered in a broken accent. "Seeking?"

Shotaro stared at him for a few moments, before he slowly reached up - trying to do so in a way that didn't make it look like he was attacking - and made circles with his fingers in front of his eyes, trying to imitate Adam's sunglasses.

The Silver watched him silently- his expression unchanged by Shotaro's frantic signing.

"...The black one." He said flatly.

The dark-haired man looked confused - and nervous, since that tail was still pointed at him - since Adamanti's hair was blonde.

The Silver stared back and lifted his hands to loop his fingers around his silver eyes like glasses.

Quickly, Shotaro nodded. He motioned around himself, trying to say he was lost.

Then he remembered that the other was probing his mind and tried to remember the little Silvish he knew.

'Lost him,' He thought. 'Cannot find.'

"Seeking...the black one." The Silver said. "And the Irma."

He nodded before his tail wrapped around his waist passively.

"No weapons?" He asked suspiciously.

'Penvel,' Shotaro replied, knowing the other would know what he meant.

The Voice. It was a rare thing amongst Silvers, often thought of as a curse. A single sound from his lips could kill anything in an instant... Silvers were immune to their own kind's Penvel, but he didn't want to risk his human DNA causing complications and killing them all.

'I will not speak,' He assured.

The Silver stared at Shotaro before reaching over and gently touching the man's throat with his long- slender fingers- looking sympathetic.

"...The Irma...with us." The Silver informed.

Shotaro looked relieved. 'Safe?' He asked, worry rinsing over him once more. What if Kayen was hurt!?

"All...intact?" The Silver offered.

Shotaro looked somewhat horrified for a moment, before he nodded. 'Black one?' he asked, changing the subject.

"He would not come." The Silver frowned. "Went to...city instead."

'Thank you. Which way?' Shotaro asked with a frown.

If the Silvers had Kayen, why was Adam going to the city?

"I take you?" The Silver offered. "As far as wall."

'Thank you, Thank you,' Shotaro thought excitedly, bowing low in gratitude.