For some time, Emma just stared at Fenix. She didn't say anything--just . . . stared. It was almost a minute before she finally did speak--and even then, it wasn't much.

". . . wow," Emma actually sounded . . . shocked.

She looked away from Fenix, and opted to lay down, rather than sit up in bed anymore. Emma continued to stared up at the ceiling. It was sad. It wasn't hard to imagine that happening in a place like this. It wasn't even difficult to imagine worse happening. Mayako was probably lucky to be alive, as far as Emma was concerned.

"Just . . . wow."

Hours would pass, with nothing more than silence between the two of them. Fenix could try and start up conversation if he wanted, but Emma wasn't going to reply. She was done talking, now. She was done talking for awhile. She knew exactly how Mayako felt at the moment, and it didn't feel good at all.

Mayako didn't return to the room for several hours. No one did. When she finally came back, the sun had gone down, and she was wearing different clothes. It was simple: a pair of sweatpants and a button-down blouse to sleep in. She didn't want to wear the nurse's outfit right now, or even act as a nurse at all. Mayako was here to maybe try and act like a friend--at least a little. She smiled once she was in the room, though; it was a facade, but her facades had all since gotten much better. Eld might not have seen through them anymore.

"C-can I get you two a-anything to eat?" Mayako asked--not cheery, but neutral.

Silence normally didn't bother Fenix much, but he was struggling to stay awake, and he couldn't afford to sleep yet. For once, he wanted Emma to talk to him, even if she was just insulting him the entire time, but she didn't say a word, and he didn't have any idea how to start a casual conversation with even normal people, let alone bedridden potential suicidals.

So he tried to keep his mind occupied, which mostly resulted in him going over what happened and trying to figure out the motives of the man who attacked Mayako. It didn't accomplish anything, but if he didn't he might pass out.

"I'm fine," he replied; he was too exhausted to eat, though he was certain he'd be hungry in the morning. "But, I need to go out again. My pendant fell off outside somewhere."

He started to sit up, but it was clear he had very little energy left; even the act of getting in position to grab his crutches caused visible strain...

Mayako almost felt as if she stopped breathing. "O-outside?"

Was that really such a good idea? It rained already, and the ground was probably still too moist for crutches. She'd have to walk with him if they went outside, literally just to hold him up. And it was night, anyways! How were they going to find a pendant at night? It really seemed like something that could wait until morning--especially since Mayako was unwilling to go outside and risk someone putting a knife to her throat again.

"C-can't w-we look for it t-tomorrow?" Mayako insisted, hoping that Fenix wouldn't be too terribly insistent. She caved easily, knew it, and knew there was nothing she could do about it.

It wasn't like someone was going to steal the pendant or anything. If anything, a villager would find it and advertise it as a lost and found item as soon as they noticed it was worth something. People around here were honest like that.

Fenix shook his head. "It's...important." He wasn't sure she'd understand if he explained what function the pendant served, so he didn't mention it, though if she insisted he'd probably relent.

"It'll only take me." Mayako didn't need to go, he felt, if she didn't want to. He couldn't blame her for it after what happened earlier. He needed that pendant if he was to get any rest, so if he had to go alone, so be it.

It wouldn't take a full fledged doctor to realize that leaving him alone was a bad idea, though; with the damp ground, chances are he'd just keep slipping and never get anywhere. In fact, even with Mayako's help that was a distinct possibility.

Mayako had it in mind to beg and plead with Fenix not to do it--but she didn't go that far. In her mind, she sighed. Things didn't need to be this needlessly complicated. He could've waited until morning to get it! God, this was so frustrating . . .

"Okay . . ."

But she wasn't about to tell him that he couldn't go out and get something that was important to him. He couldn't go alone, though. He needed to have someone else with him--someone to help him stand, essentially. Crutches weren't an option in this weather, after all. Actually, it would've been irresponsible of her to let him go outside at all. He would've probably slipped and fallen on her. No matter how much she could try, there was no way she could hold Fenix up if all his weight was going down.

"I-I'll go outside a-and look-- and you wait here, okay?" Mayako decided to take it upon herself to look. She didn't think she'd find it at this late, but if it'd make him feel a little better if someone tried right this minute, then fine. "I-I want you to know, though . . . i-it's really dark, s-so . . . so if I can't find it tonight, I-I'll look for it tomorrow morning, wh-when I can see. S-so . . . so . . . so if I can't find it, d-don't worry, okay?"

For several moments Fenix was silent, considering this. On one hand, he needed the pendant, and would have preferred to search for it himself, to have it in his own hand as soon as possible. And if Mayako didn't find it tonight, they'd have to wait until morning, which meant a sleepless night for him.

On the other hand, in his current condition, he'd probably be no help in finding it; he'd never been on crutches before, so he couldn't be sure just how tough walking on damp ground would be, but as tired as he was he could barely hold himself up as it was.

"...Alright." There was a chance she might not come back with it, but her searching was still his best chance. With a sigh he put the crutches back. He looked at her solemnly, as though to say I'm trusting you.

"It was already missing when we went to the hill, so it's probably around the church," he noted.

"Th-the church?" Mayako thought loud, before nodding, "O-okay. I-I'll be back."

It was odd. Emma would've usually at least looked at her or something. Here she was, going out into the night to look for something, and Emma was completely awake, but she didn't say or do anything. She didn't even look up from the ceiling to pass Mayako a curious glance. It had Mayako a little worried--but so did just about everything right now, anyways. As soon as she slipped some sandals on and went outside, the wind blew at a weird angle, and Mayako was instantly worried. The events of earlier today still had her spooked, plain and simple, and being outside in the dark didn't help at all.

She could barely see a thing, too. The church was just a distant dark shadow, and she could barely see the hill. It was practically pitch black out, around this late at night. Mayako sighed.

"I-- I should just go back . . ." she sighed.

And she would've, too, if it weren't for the fact that she had told Fenix she'd go to the church and check around there. Mayako sighed again, this time because she had an overactive conscience. Sometimes, she really wished it'd just go away or something!

So, in the black of night, shivering all the while, Mayako started towards the church, or at least where she thought it was. It was almost too dark out to tell.

Though the rain had stopped a little bit ago, clouds still hung over the sky, obscuring the moon and ensuring only the dimmest of illumination was possible. Even so, it was unlikely Mayako would get lost on the way to the church, as familiar a place as it was to her.

As she started down the path to the ruins of the holy building, she'd see something near the entrance, a glint on the ground that was reflecting what little light there was...

As she came closer to the church, Mayako saw a glint upon the ground. There wasn't much moonlight to provide the light necessary to reflect off of surfaces like this--but enough to reveal the location of something small and metal right in front of the burnt and broken church.

"That--" Mayako couldn't believe it.

Seriously? Was that it? No embarrassing trial to look for it? It almost felt too good to be true.

"W-well, okay then . . ."

Mayako was ready to just turn back, too. With a shrug of her shoulders, the girl continued towards the church. Unless anything stopped her, she'd keep walking until she got to the shining object upon the ground, whereupon she would bend down and pick it up. Of course, it'd first be necessary to make sure it was even a pendant before she could even think about heading back to the clinic.

There would be no great trial to undertake in order to retrieve the trinket. The pendant (or at least, a pendant) lay in the dirt in front of the church, a broken clasp extending from it.

As Mayako reached down to pick it up, for a moment it would seem to...shine, almost, even though it was covered in dirt. And as she held it, it would feel warm...not hot, but pleasantly warm. As she examined it, she would feel some of her worry and fear beginning to fade...not completely, but enough that the night would no longer seem so terrible and foreboding.

The pendant was a circular one, and engraved on it was an image of a young woman in a flowing dress. Lines on the side of it seemed to indicate she was supposed to be giving off some kind of light or energy, and the style of the design was undoubtedly a religious one, though of a religion Mayako was unlikely to have heard of.

While the entryway to the church had collapsed, it was not so complete as to block off sound. And so it was that Mayako would hear a noise coming from the church, a faint one at first, be then followed by the same thing, but louder.

Inside the church, someone was sobbing.

Odd. It seemed way too easy to find the pendant, but for some reason, Mayako didn't feel too worried about it. She wiped the mud and dirt away and examined it for a few seconds, curious about the design. It looked religious, but she didn't know what faith it dealt with--which meant it must be fairly old. Mayako was well read on the majority of recent religious practices, at least ones that amounted any popularity, and for something like this to come out of it, funding would've been needed--and so, popularity was a requirement! She'd have to research it when she got the chance.

Why would someone be in the church? Why would anyone even go in there? Didn't they know it was dangerous? It had been burnt and vandalized--the ceiling could cave in at any second! All it needed as a few strong gusts in a row, and something inside was bound to collapse. It really was a wonder that it hadn't all fallen in yet!

Mayako was actually a little angry--at least, at first. She didn't like it when people went into that place, without her permission or anything. It was kind of sacred to her. It wasn't a house of God anymore--but it was still just like her old home, a place she had so many fond memories. When someone trampled all over those memories, she wasn't happy. But the temporary anger (or frustration, rather) that flared up subsided as soon as she came close to the window. Someone was . . . crying?

Mayako crept closer to the broken window. It would've been tough to get in like this, without cutting oneself or anything. The person in there probably did, in fact! Mayako looked at the glass to see if there were any traces of blood, but it was too dark out to tell.

"H-hello?" Mayako called into the main room from the window, "H-hello~? I-it's really dangerous in there!"

Mayako would be able to tell the window entrance was not bloodied at all; whoever went through it was able to get through uninjured, though whether or not they'd be able to get out without hurting themselves was another matter entirely...

Only a silhouette was visible in the dim light, a wiry figure sitting in the middle of broken pews. Just before Mayako called out, she'd see the head tip back and an oblong object go up into the air. It remained like that for several seconds before being let down again.

"Loike I care." The bottle was tossed casually aside, shattering into pieces and becoming just another piece of wreckage in the place. It had already stood out in Hillcrest, but now that he was drunk Garv Phibrizzo's accent was even more pronounced.

It took him a moment to realize that someone had actually spoken to him, and he hadn't just imagined it. "Ah, y-you...!" He stood up, but in his current state even that was an accomplishment. He had to lean on a pew heavily just to remain upright.

"P-Please, w-wait, I won't hurt you, I-" His voice was raw, weak, a far cry from the confidence he'd displayed earlier. He tried to move toward the window, but the second he stepped away from the pew supporting him he tumbled to the ground. In desperation, he began to crawl.

"J-Just one question, please...just one. I don't have much money, but it's yours...please." It wasn't a demand, or a threat, or even an offer...the man who just hours earlier had her at knife point was now pleading--no, begging--her for something...

A silhouette of someone drinking--in the church. It may have been burnt and broken down, but it was still a church. Even if the person didn't believe in God, that didn't mean he had the right to desecrate a spiritual place like this!

Mayako had it in mind to call to the person again, until she realized who it was. The accent tipped her off.

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!!

She turned on a dime and was about ready run the other way, until she heard him speak again. He was drunk, wasn't he? Horribly drunk, for that matter. Mayako slowly turned to face the window again. Garv was stumbling around and barely even managing to keep himself up. He probably didn't even have the dexterity anymore to hold a knife. She should've been reporting him! That would've been the best thing to do! But . . . somehow, it was endearing. Not in a good way, though. Pathetically endearing, rather. It was like being attacked by a bear; if one were to see the bear again, one would run. But if the bear was writhing on the ground after being shot by a distant hunter, and left to die, one would be endeared towards it--to maybe watched it. It was pathetic for both the bear and the victim.

Mayako sighed. Sometimes, she was just too nice. This was one of those times. Coincidentally, the pendant had absolutely nothing to do with it. The sight of Garv like this was just too pathetic--she couldn't be afraid of him, and as much as she didn't really want to help him, simply because he had put a knife to her throat earlier, she was just too nice. And Mayako acknowledged this flaw of hers and gave in.

But that didn't mean she was going to be in his vicinity. Mayako leaned into hole which was once a window, with her arms folded on the stone ledge where the bottom of a stained glass window once rested. She poked her head in and watched Garv, all the while speaking:

"J-just . . . just stay in there, o-okay? F-for now, I-I'll stay out h-here, a-and you stay in there, o-okay?" Mayako tried to declare reasonably--and failed, but fortunately, she was dealing with someone so drunk he could barely even walk, "A-and I'll answer whatever y-you want-- y-you just have to stay in there, okay? U-until I-- until I have someone come get you . . ."

"A-Anything you say," he whispered hoarsely. But he continued to crawl forward, not to get outside (it seemed unlikely that he could get over the window even if there hadn't been broken glass on it), but so he could see the face of the person talking to him.

It also allowed Mayako to get a good look at him. Indeed, even in the dim light his face would be bright red from his drinking, his cheeks wet from tears that he couldn't hold back, and his nose running. It was not a pretty sight, especially compared to the figure he'd cut when he first introduced himself.

"Just please, tell me...that boy...the one with...with...with the b-b-black w-w-wings." Those two words seemed especially difficult for him to get out. "What...what is his name?"

Black wings . . .

An image flashed into her mind. It was blurred and hard to make out-- like everything else at the time. It was all a blur-- but she could make something out of it. The dark figure of Fenix Black, standing unaided with a weapon in hand, with obsidian blurs extending from both sides, blurs like wings, like black wings. But of what? Of angelic wings? Or what? Mayako couldn't recall exact details. All she knew was that . . . she wasn't scared. Amazingly enough, she wasn't scared.

"That--" Mayako stopped herself short.

Answering him straight out might have been a bad idea. What if he was going to try and hunt down Fenix, and maybe try and off him? That was an unacceptable risk! Fortunately, though, Garv was belligerently drunk, and people had a habit of telling the truth in that kind of state. Mayako knew this all too well.

"Wh-- why?" Mayako then repeated the question, except a little more demanding--which, if Garv was sober, would've sounded completely ridiculous; Mayako couldn't be threatening at all, and when she tried, she just sounded silly. She sounded serious, but it was silly to expect someone to give in to those demands. "You-- you tell me why y-you want to know, first . . ."