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Tkal blinked, quickly looking up at the mare. "How did you...?" He trailed off, just staring up at the mare. Now that they--and Manga--weren't in danger, he could question it now. How did Karia know that? How did she know that he'd never gone a fight without hurting allies--with the exclusion of jobs he did only with Manga. Those didn't count.

Tkal nodded slowly. That was good enough for him. Tired, he curled up at Karia's side, watching the others work until he drifted off to sleep.

(( Time skip? ))

"Good morning, Sir Sebastian." Alfred's calm voice echoed through their link, polite and gentle as always. "Please do not move too much. Some of your wounds are quite severe."

Manga had barely left her own room since returning. She occasionally dragged herself out to play with the twins for a bit, but other than that and meals, she remained shut up in her room. Wrath's voice haunted her, bringing her a new set of nightmares to wake up from. And unlike the others, these ones often made her wake up screaming--like she'd just done. Luckily she wasn't that close to the other occupied rooms... She put a hand over her face, her hair dripping with sweat. She was going to go insane. Completely insane...

Danny's arms were snugly wrapped around Aila's waist, the Skh'et refusing to stray from her side since the farmer's near-death incident. It sent the poor musician into a state of panic. If Aila wasn't there, she'd... well, she'd fall apart... Even though she'd never said anything about it, Aila had patched up Danny's heart just as much as Danny had patched up Aila's. Without the farmer, her life was empty. And it scared her to death. As a result, Danny stayed within hearing range of Aila's voice at all times. She let Guy and Alfred take care of pretty much everything--and of course, Gergori helped where he could, though he was just too big to do most things. And then Manga... something had happened to Manga. The Skh'et didn't know what it was, but she couldn't bring herself to confront the older woman. The informant was just too secretive...

"She's in her room. I shall go fetch her," Alfred replied gently. "So please stay put so she doesn't sulk any more than she already is."

Manga pinched the bridge of her nose, regaining some sense of calm before Thalanir walked in. She inspected him for a moment before speaking. "A rare visit. What is the occasion?" Thalanir always avoided her before this...

Manga was quiet as she looked at her hands on her lap. "Derrik... is acting as the host body to a demon," she explained softly. "When he is there, the host body subject to the demon's whims. While it isn't there... the host is free to do as he or she pleases, but they are often corrupted by the demon's constant presence in their body. The demon possessing Derrik's body... was the same demon that once tried to possess me." Idly spinning a mask between her fingers, she continued, her voice dropping even further. "So casually calling me by a name I haven't been known by in eleven years..." The artist sighed again. "And to Wrath, it's just a game." Seeing Alfred waiting in the doorway, she hauled herself out of bed and headed towards the Azrien so he could escort her to Sebastian. "I'm an interesting opponent in chess... and he thinks the people around me are the pieces."

Manga instinctively twisted, her arm lifting as if to shield herself from a blow. But when none came, she quietly continued down the hallway after Alfred. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and walked into Sebastian's room. "Good morning." She grabbed a chair and took it with her to the bedside, taking a seat as she inspected his wounds. If she could've organized things a day sooner, she could've saved him so much pain... And maybe if she'd caught that little snitch earlier, there would've been less injuries during the rescue mission. But for now, the ifs and could've beens could wait. Right now her attention was on Sebastian.

Guy was dishing out food for the twins since Alfred had needed to help Sebastian, looking up when Thalanir came in. "Good morning," he greeted casually. He wasn't really sure where the elf was in standing with Manga, but he wasn't an enemy so Guy was alright with him.

Manga's fingers instinctively curled around his, her grip firm but not too tight. She nodded to his words. "I know." It wasn't her fault, but... She put her other hand over their joined ones, smiling at him. With Seb, it came naturally to her face. Despite how hard it was to smile around the others, she doubted that smile would ever be completely removed from Sebastian. "Just get better... alright?" She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him. He'd made himself an integral part of her life, a part she doubted she'd survive long without.