Eld followed Hugh's gaze to the house. So, if it was too dangerous to be out in the streets, he'd have to stay inside for now? On one hand Eld wanted to tell him that he wasn't going to die that easily. Then he realized it probably had more to do with Hugh not wanting him fight any friends who found him.

"I won't hurt her," Eld promised, his own expression clear of any guilt or deception. "You've both been nothing but reasonable with me." The things he should've felt guilty for he couldn't remember; he had no clue why Hugh or Kyla would have any reservations about him besides that he carried something at least one of their friends would kill for.

Though, it wasn't as though there weren't other options. Eld glanced around the street. "If you'd prefer, though, I can always take refuge in one of these other houses." With all the abandoned dwellings around there was no shortage of hiding places.

He had to admit, though, he could use something to eat, even something possibly a little burnt. Maybe now that he was in Memoria he could sate his hunger and thirst.

Hugh hesitated at the idea. On one hand, he didn't mind it. Eld could have gone out and hid in one of the other homes and waited for Hugh to come back. He wouldn't have to bother Kyla. Wouldn't have to risk her being unnerved by him. But then he'd be without necessary sustenance or anything else required to keep a person alive. He looked half dead as it was. It wasn't a situation he was going to force on Eld. Ultimately . . .

"That's . . . up to you," Hugh replied under his breath.

The other issue was Eld's likelihood of being discovered by someone else. Hugh didn't mention it, but if he was with Kyla, others would likely not notice Eld's presence, just by virtue of Eld alone offering the same level of spiritual weight that Kyla and Hugh did when they stood side-by-side. So long as Hugh or Kyla weren't around, Eld would essentially be perfectly camouflaged. However, it still came at the drawback of possibly causing a scene with Kyla, and not one Hugh thought he might be able to quell, nor one he believed he had the time to outright stop.

"Kyla's making stew," he said, this time a bit more cheerful; not outright happy, but casual enough, "She might invite you to some if you're there. If you go to our house, just tell her . . . I said it's all right. Otherwise, you can probably bust into one of the other houses easy enough."

Really, it was probably easier to simply break into another house and wait there. But...he was starving, and at the mention of being possibly invited to eat his decision was made for him. He could only hoped that now that he was in the Unreal City eating would have a noticeable impact on his hunger.

"A-Alright...I suppose I'll wait at your place." Had he any idea that it might cause a conflict--and especially why it might--he would have probably made a different decision; as it was, though, he could see no real reason not to accept the invitation. It would also probably be faster, as Hugh would know right where to find him instead of needing to look for him.

"Just...please hurry." He wasn't sure how long he could bring himself to wait; every second he was delayed was another second that Etsu got closer to death.

"All right. Just . . . like I said, tell Kyla I said it's all right," Hugh replied with a nod of his head.

Of course, had Eld opted to hide, Hugh would've had no trouble finding him. Hugh knew where Eld was before he even arrived in their city. The guy was like a walking beacon. Not everyone could feel it, but those that could were all likely aware of his presence already, or at least privy to the idea of something strange happening in this vicinity.

Hugh paused to look at the house one more time. He felt horrible, leaving Kyla alone like this. But haste was the better option, here, and Eld wasn't going to harm someone without it being in self defense. The fact of the matter was that it was guaranteed here, and Hugh was fully aware of how much damage he'd do. He needed to put a stop to this as quickly as possibly. Ensure no one else was hurt.

Hopefully Kyla would forgive him.

"I'll be back soon," Hugh said as he turned on his heels and started away, down the road at a brisk jog.

"...Alright." Hugh was going at a fairly decent pace, so Eld could only hope that he'd be back before too long with good news.

Deciding that greeting someone with a weapon was probably a bad idea even if he was using it as a walking stick at the moment, he put the scythe back in the case on his back. Then he approached the door to Hugh and Kyla's house and...knocked.

Here I am, in a city where nearly everyone either wants me dead or at least out of the way, and I'm going to be a house guest. It was a rather bizarre situation, and not at all what he'd expected his experience here would be like. But he supposed he should be grateful for that, as what he expected had been rather less pleasant.

"Coming!" a girl's voice arose in the distance, somewhere behind the door.

It wasn't long before the door swung open, revealing a girl about Eld's age. She had dark hair down below her shoulders, mostly unblemished skin, and a relatively pretty face. She wore a nice blouse and skirt, both of which were now stained and spotted with stray bits of food and broth. The apron she was wearing appeared to have done a very poor job at protecting her clothes.

"Um, hello," she said at first, blinking confusedly as she failed to recognize Eld, "Can I help y--"

Then it hit her. She recognized Eld belatedly, and her face lost all color. Wide eyed, she took a quick step backward, reaching back for something. Anything. Her hand was open and searching for something on the end table by the chair at the door end of the small living room. It was slow going and desperate, with her trembling and being utterly incapable of taking her eyes off of Eld, but she was trying to find a lamp to hit him with. Given enough time, she might just do that--both find it and hit him in the skull with it.

"Hel..." Eld trailed off as Kyla reacted with...fear? He supposed most of them considered him an enemy of some kind, but seeing as Hugh wasn't terribly afraid of him (if a little terse) he wasn't sure why she was.

Then again, if he looked anything like he felt then perhaps it was a justified reaction anyway.

He hesitated for a bit, unsure of what to say. I mean, just how did someone greet a person whose entire race more or less thought of him as an enemy? He took a half-step forward, trying to keep his body language relaxed so as not to alarm her. "U-Umm...Hugh said that it's-"

It was about that time that a lamp smashed into his face. He staggered back clutching his face, pulled his hand away to see it covered in blood, at which point his vision went dark and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Eld would come to some time later, though it was hard to tell how long he'd been out. Truth be told, that extended well beyond this event. Trying to discern time in the dead lands PERIOD was impossible. Now, there was absolutely no means of telling what time it was, what day, or how long Eld had been gone.

The other thing he'd notice, of course, would be the pain in his skull. Somewhere on the side of his head, roughly where he had a lamp broken on him. He lay on a couch, the not so hurt side of his head resting upon a pillow. The more hurt side was currently cold, if only because he had a dainty hand holding a rag full od ice upon his injury. Also, he was shirtless. That would probably seem incredibly strange, if not more awkward than every other detail.

Upon seeing that Eld was waking, Kyla winced a little. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, "I ... I'm so sorry. I ... I thought you were here to kill me."

She was knelt by the side of the couch, nursing the wound she'd given to Eld. It also seemed like she'd nursed other wounds, bandaged up his chest and applied numbing salve where necessary.

Eld started to come to, but slowly, perhaps due to the head injury. His eyes only opened half-way at first as he groaned and moved a hand to place over the one holding the ice to his head. Etsu always stayed by his side when he got hurt or sick; her presence was a comfort to him, even with their relationship as unclear as it currently was.

It wasn't until she spoke that he realized the person taking care of him wasn't Etsu; the recent past began to filter back into his memory as he opened his eyes fully and tried to stand up.

"H-How long was I-ughhhh..." He quickly rediscovered that sitting up suddenly after suffering a head injury was a bad idea and laid back down.

Sitting up and moving around was most definitely going to result in further pain for Eld. Not only was he practically half dead by the time he arrived, but he'd been hit in the head with a lamp. Parts of his face were a bit cut up, and he still had swelling on his skull where she hit him.

Kyla quickly set her hands upon Eld's shoulders and gently pushed him down. "N-no, it-- it's-- just lay down, all right? You're hurt, you shouldn't move around so much."

At least, that's how she thought this worked. That's what Hugh always said, at least. Neither of them were trained professionals, though. Kyla sighed and sat back onto the floor, propping herself up with her hands behind her back. This wasn't exactly how she foresaw today going, and it was a little bit disappointing. And frustrating. Ever since one of her best friends in the world turned up missing around the Reaper, she wasn't so keen on meeting him, regardless of what Hugh had told her about him likely having no other choice in the matter.

"You should be okay in a little while," she said with a facade of cheeriness, "You'll be fine to go home after that, I think. At least, you should be."

Even if he'd wanted to resist the sudden pain caused by trying to sit up would have rendered him unable to, so he allowed himself to be pushed back down to the couch. No, he wouldn't be moving for a little bit at least, no matter how concerned he was on time.

"...I can't leave yet. Not until I save Etsu."

Though she wasn't the only one he was worried about; it suddenly occurred to him that he was missing something, and a brief glance around did not put it in his sight. "Where's Kage-I mean, my scythe?" he asked with a sudden sense of urgency. The worst possible thing that could happen was her falling into the hands of the Memories while he was here.

"Oh, I . . ." Kyla was about the say something to Eld's first remark, but was interrupted when he realized he was missing his scythe. "O-oh, you mean the dusk remnant?"

Kyla scooted back a little. Eld wasn't in the condition to fight, but she'd heard about what he'd done to keep that scythe protected and in his possession. She didn't want him to get up and try and put her down to get it back. She'd really no plans on taking it from him, either. She was just looking at it, that was all . . .

"I-it's just in the other room," she replied, trying to be reassuring. Trying not to sound stressed or anxious or afraid. She only marginally succeeded. "It's okay. It's safe. I . . . I was just looking at it a little. Trying to understand it."

Fortunately, Eld trusted her; once the first bout of panic subsided he realized Kyla wasn't the type who would try and steal it from him while asleep. Which was kind of amazing; he wondered if there was anyone other than she and Hugh who would pass up the chance to simply take off with it.

"Alright, sorry, it's just..." He trailed off. She was trying to understand it? Perhaps that was the problem: not all the Memories knew really what it was. They certainly didn't seem to know about Kageko.

"What you call the 'Dusk Remnant' isn't just some weapon; there's living being trapped inside of it. She's...become important to me. I can't just give her up, or let her be taken." In Eld's mind, it would be akin to kidnapping, even aside the horrible things they would do with her. He wondered if Kyla knew what they wanted Kageko for, and what the cost of that would be...

"Oh!" she gasped. "That . . . that . . ."

Didn't make any sense at all! A living being trapped inside of a weapon? How was that even possible? Of course, it made sense of the issue she was having with it, but still . . .

"Well, I . . . I guess that makes sense of some things," Kyla admitted, "I was wondering how a weapon could feel. I mean . . . I can understand what it feels, and it was a bit frightening. And if there's someone in there . . . yes, that makes a little more sense. But I suppose that also makes it a little more sad. She can't come out, can she? Or affirm her feelings in person? That's why she's hurting, isn't it?"

Naturally, it didn't make much sense to Kyla when she felt all these deep emotions from an inanimate object. Now, at least, she wasn't terrified of it.

"...No. You're right, she's trapped; I'm not sure how to get her out." Eld wasn't all that sure what she meant about 'affirming her feelings in person.' After all, they could more or less meet, even it wasn't technically real. Unless it wasn't feelings for him; he was reminded of the man he saw in her dream...

"Normally I can talk to her, and meet her in a sense, but ever since I got here I haven't been able to." Technically ever since he was in Purgatory, but he wasn't sure how much she knew about that so saying it this way was simpler.

"So...what was that about feeling? You could somehow tell how she feels?" That was certainly confusing...though really he shouldn't be too surprised. Illorex had unusual powers, so other Memories could very well too.