Wren's scream died in her throat. The ground dropped out from under her, and she fell into the darkness of the building. Large chunks of concrete fell around her.

Well Fleck hadn't just been sitting on his ass. He flew across the crashing space and grabbed Wren's shirt with his teeth. He slowed her down, and avoided falling debris, but he wasn't large enough to stop her completely. Then her shirt tore, and she fell through open air for another second.

Aqua shot out from underneath, Wren landing on her back. Her size and snake-like shape made it easy to wind through the area, and she lighted down outside of the building, with Wren, unharmed.

"Cooper. . .?" Wren croaked.

"He's fine," Fleck promised her, landing next to Aqua with a thud. "He's got those rocket boots."

'But Rial. He's dead, isn't he?'

'I'm afraid he is.'

Glow had torn his killer apart to a degree that was mildly disturbing. Probably best Wren hadn't been able to pay much attention. Then she'd turned her eyes on him and Moon. She'd genuinely tried to fight them, though she'd been more willing to hurt Moon than Fleck. They'd had to calm her down before anyone else stumbled upon her, and probably got themselves mauled.

Not that he blamed her. She'd lost her rider. When he'd left, she was standing protectively over his body. Would he act any differently?

Udo lowered Wren to the ground. She walked forward, her dazed wide eyes struggling to take anything in.

She swayed a bit as she moved. Fleck came beside her and tried to steady her, but he was tired himself. Exhausted. It didn't make him the most stable support.

The battle had been loud, and smelly. Now it was almost the opposite problem. There was no noise on this section of the street. It was just a hollow shell.

She could hear noises further down, but she couldn't make sense of them.

Fleck could also hear as they got closer. Some of those noises were words, but there were also people rushing around, or groaning.

He was also aware of Moon and Cooper. They'd joined the group, near the back, at some point.

The healing station was still set up near the broken dome. One of the clerics had put some sort of shield around it, while two others worked to heal people who'd fought in the battle, or civilians who'd been intentionally targeted by the cult. There'd been a lot of that, or at least a lot of attempts. The cultists wanted people who were easy to slaughter.

Certainly good they'd warned people, then.

Occasionally, the clerics failed to heal someone. They said their prayer, and looked like they'd preformed magic, but there was no result. At that point, the magic healer Rasha had teamed up with would come forward and heal them, at least well enough that they wouldn't be in danger of bleeding out. She noticed that had happened with one of the other clerics that had been here. He had clear scars visible on his body, and was unconscious, but he was no longer bleeding, his wounds far too faded for something that had happened maybe an hour ago.

There had been three clerics at the dome at the start of the fight. There had been two more, from what she'd been able to tell, who had been further down the street, and helped when the cultists started pouring in. So that was four clerics accounted for. The fifth one was nowhere in sight.

And Rasha herself. . .was kneeling on the ground, retching. No food stuff came out. She might not have any left. Just bile.

That was not good. But at least she was alive. She was safe.

She turned her head. (Her neck moved in stiff increments.) She was looking for something specific now. Wesles was sitting at the edge of the injured people. He had smears of blood on his clothes and neck, but it didn't seem to be his own. Or very little of it was. The cover on his arm was completely dark. He'd have to put more magic into it, but she doubted he'd be doing that right away.

On the other side of the street, Evin was talking to one of the people who'd fought today. She still couldn't focus on the words, but he handed off a gun. He looked a bit scuffed up, but even less injured than Wesles.

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Good. That was. . .that was all good.

The elf from earlier walked up to Wren, and started speaking to her specifically, but she still couldn't focus on the words.

Well maybe she couldn't, but Fleck could understand him, standing beside Wren. He was thanking her for the warning, and the information.

His words finally started to come through to her, though it sounded a bit like she was at the bottom of a well.

"I suppose we owe a lot to you." He sounded reluctant about it.

"Don't forget Elice," one of the clerics said, standing up from the person he'd just finished healing. "She died. And we owe a lot to her help fighting the cultists, and giving this one amnesia." He waved a hand at Wren.

"Elice. . .was a fool," Wren said, looking at everyone's shoes.

"What?" the cleric asked.

Wren looked up, glaring at him with her red-eyed malice. "She was a fool! She picked the wrong member! Edith was better than me! She would've been more help to you!" Eddie had had her doubts without amnesia, unlike Wren. She got worse while Wren was gone, thanks in no small part to Elice. "She-!"

Wren wasn't sure what more she was going to say, and she became keenly aware more people were staring at them, and that she'd startled Cooper.

Wren turned and bolted. Fleck was hot on her heels, but thankfully, he was the only one who followed her.

~~~

Wren didn't go far. She sat near the top of the dome. It leveled out as it got closer to the top, and there was a ladder going up, not immediately by the destroyed section, or any other entrances.

She sat, arms wrapped around her legs, breathing in the solid air, staring at the now setting sun. She probably would've hurt her eyes if the air wasn't so muggy, dimming the rays. She sat alone except for Fleck, beside her.

'I wasn't trying to be in denial, you know?'

'I know Fleck,' she mentally sighed.

He was aware the things she'd done before her memory wipe were bad, possibly even unforgivable if he wasn't soul bonded to her. But she'd been freaking out, and he wanted her to feel better. He had full confidence she'd forgive him, if their roles were reversed.

If she hadn't changed, if she'd gone back to business as usual with the return of her memories, it would've been different. He didn't know what he would've done if that happened. But she hadn't. She had no intention of being in the cult or killing anyone ever again. That counted for something, didn't it?

And as for him being biased. . .well, he was usually pretty aggressive. He knew that. Was he being overly forgiving, or giving someone a chance he should give to more people?

Wren thought it was closer to the former, but she was biased as well. When she first got her memories back she'd wanted to sink into her guilt. She wanted to be miserably and angry with herself.

Fleck knew that. It was why she was so OK yelling at him. It was why he'd forgive her for the outburst so easily now.

Wren sighed. She wasn't sure she wanted to keep being miserable and angry per say, but-it was just-what did you do with so much guilt?

"I don't know," Fleck sang out loud, in a much more cheerful voice than he felt.

He was understanding why life experience was so important to soul bonding now. Before, they were on the same page about a lot of their experiences. Now? Well, the only person Fleck had killed was Murv, and he wouldn't feel bad about that. He knew how Wren felt, could feel some of it himself, because her emotions splashed into his. But he didn't have his own experiences with that kind of guilt, and he didn't know how to help her feel less of it.

'I think you're getting better on your own though.'

'How do you figure?'

'Well, when that figure came for you, you didn't used it as an excuse to die.'

Wren frowned. A little morbid, but that was something she might've done shortly after getting her memories back, wasn't it?

Before she could think about that too much, there was the huffing of someone breathing, and the faint ringing thunk of the ladder's metal rungs.

Fleck tensed for a second, but ultimately relaxed. He knew that scent. Even if it was less rank than in the past.

Evin came into view a moment later. "There you are," he said.

"Evin."

She didn't want to lash out at him, even though all she seemed to be doing was lashing out lately. On the one hand, he might have some idea what she was going through, given his own past. And out of her friends, she'd liked his attitude towards her the best these past few days. On the other hand, she wasn't exactly accommodating company right now, and to say they were in the same boat was laughable. There were. . .several differences going on here.

Evin joined her on the dome, looking out at the view, though he stayed standing.

"You know," he said after a pause. "It's OK and all, but if you wanted a view of the sunset, I think Xentron and Iva would give you a better one."

"What do you want Evin?" she sighed.

"I came to say goodbye." Wren looked up in surprise, and Evin shrugged. "Way too many people know me on Xentron. Much easier to start a new life here on Morivon. And since you won't be sticking around. . ."

"I won't?"

Evin raised an eyebrow. "If you stayed, you'd be arrested."

Wren shrugged. "I'd deserve that."

"So, what? You'd just, let it happen?"

"And what would you know?!" Wren snapped. (So much for not lashing out.) "You're always selfish. I thought you'd moved past that, but I guess I was wrong!"

"Oh, and getting yourself arrested is the pure, selfless thing that's best for everyone?" Evin asked, sounding angry, but not as angry as her. "I'm sure your friends who traveled to another planet and risked their lives for you would be cool with that fate. Or what about your dragon?" He gestured at Fleck. "Yeah, I'm sure the guy who's connected to you and your emotions forever would be cool with you spending the rest of your life in prison, if they don't kill you. Neither would impede his happiness at all. This is definitely about the selfless thing to do, and not just a cheap way to punish yourself, to make you feel better." He put a gloved hand to his chest, gripping his shirt. "I may be selfish, but it's helping me out right now!"