Several hours slipped by as Azela looked after the wounded girl. During this time the glitch didn't eat or sleep, but watched the girl intently, hoping for any sign of recovery. There was none. She also whispered to herself and to the girl, wondering if she should risk sneaking into Jastria to ask for MegaGlitch's help.

Eventually she drifted into a restless slumber. When she awoke, it was to the stirring of her patient beside her. The girl's eyes slowly opened to take in her surroundings.

"You're awake! Finally!" Azela exclaimed, greeting the girl with a weary smile.

The girl's gaze darted around the clearing. "What happened to the sword?" she asked, her voice tinged with growing panic. She looked upon her bandaged arm with confusion.

"You were in danger, so I saved you, like you did for me," Azela replied.

The girl's panic only seemed to escalate as she processed Azela's words. "The sword!" she exclaimed, her voice rising with alarm. "Damn it! You're not supposed to be here! How did you even find me?"

"You were practically at my doorstep, so to speak. I thought some part of you must have caused you to come looking for me, needing my help," Azela admitted.

"Did you touch the sword?" the girl asked with sudden concern.

"I'm sorry, I just left it there," Azela replied, a hint of guilt creeping into her voice. "It's just upstream, not too far."

The sapien's expression darkened. "I don't know if that's good or bad," she muttered. "Gods, he may have it already, unless he's smarter than I am."

Azela's confusion was evident. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You should have let me die," the sapien said.

Azela's heart clenched at the girl's words. "I wasn't going to just leave you there."

The girl's voice cracked with emotion as she said, "Can't you see how dangerous I am? Don't you remember what happened in that alley? What I did to them? What I almost did to you? Do you have any idea what I'm capable of? Because I certainly don't! For your own sake, just stay away from me!"

The force of her outburst made Azela recoil, the sheer intensity reverberating through the clearing like a thunderclap. Her voice was loud enough to make nearby birds flee from their trees.

But as the girl's words echoed in her ears, Azela felt a spark of defiance ignite within her. "Stay away?" she retorted, "So you can try to kill yourself again? I'm happy that you're dangerous, or else I might be dead instead of those sapiens that attacked me! Maybe there's a small chance they didn't deserve to die, but you certainly don't deserve to pay for helping someone in need!"

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The girl's gaze softened, a flicker of vulnerability shining through the mask. "I didn't try to kill myself," she clarified. "Not that I hadn't considered it. I destroyed your life, and you don't even know me."

Azela was quieter but her voice hadn't lost its edge. "I know that you're afraid and utterly alone at a time when you need someone more than ever. I'm someone. I don't know what you're going through or if I can help but I'm here if you'll let me try."

"Don't look at me like that," the girl said in a cold and threatening tone. Azela didn't look away but remained silent. The sapien stood up and in the process found that she couldn't move her left hand.

She began to walk away, following the stream, then stopped to say, "My name is Catherine. You've seen my camp. If..."

At that moment, Catherine's control over her emotions broke. She covered her face with her still-functional hand just as everything she had been holding behind her facade started to break through in the form of tears. After a moment, she took a deep breath, collecting herself again.

She said, "I didn't try to kill myself, I was attacked. And one of them might still be around. If he finds out that you helped me, he might use you to get to me. Just… give me one night. Then, if you really care, you know where you can find me."

Two separate emotions danced across Azela's face, a mixture of concern and understanding. "You could stay here, you know. The bed I made's not perfect, but it has to be better than a rock," she offered.

Catherine quickly turned away from Azela and said, "I need to prepare some things. There were two of them. One is dead, but the other, I feel, isn't finished with me yet." There was a moment of silence before she continued, "I have an idea."

Kneeling down, Catherine traced a symbol in the dirt. She put her hands together, then growled in frustration. "I… need your help," she said to Azela, her voice tinged with embarrassment. Azela walked to her side.

Catherine explained, "I can't move my hand properly, some connection or another was severed. I need you to help me put the fingers in place. Here, like my right hand." She did her best to display the hand-shape that she needed to Azela.

Azela felt her cheeks flush as she tentatively reached out to touch Catherine's hand. Wordlessly, she helped to get it into the correct position, unaware of what Catherine intended to do.

"Now hold my hands together so that the fingers stay in place," Catherine instructed. Azela complied, and was surprised when Catherine suddenly began to sing.

The sound of Catherine's voice resonated through the air.

The beauty of that voice. The warmth and softness of her hands. The closeness. Azela's heart was set aflutter.

When the song came to an end, Catherine spoke again.

"I can't sense him, but that's how I know where he is," Catherine explained, her voice carrying a note of smug satisfaction with herself. Azela released her hands.

Catherine continued, "I can sense most animals in this area of the forest. Except for one shadowy spot where I sense nothing at all. An unnatural void. That is where he is." She paused, exhaling a breath of relief. "And thankfully, he's nowhere near us. Though he may be watching through something else's eyes."

Azela wondered if she could be speaking of Shi-Yon, but remained silent. Catherine met her gaze and spoke again. "Yes, I can use magic. I'm sorry I didn't warn you."

Azela nervously shifted, her cheeks still flushed. "No, it's just that... I haven't been that close to someone in so long. And never someone as pretty as you," she admitted, her words stumbling out.

Catherine stood up quickly, turning away towards the stream. "I will see you tomorrow, then. Don't worry about me, I'm not going to let all your stitching go to waste so soon," she said, her words hurried as she disappeared into the thick forest, leaving Azela alone with her feelings.