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If Warrick had been hiding, Ace didn't go looking for him. Somehow he felt like he had made a huge mistake. Over the past week, he found himself wondering if he would even see the lt. colonel again. The thought that he might not made Ace feel more sad than he had felt in a very long time. And of course, there was the fear that if he DID see Warrick again that things would not be the same. Could they go back to the way that they were? Could they even be friends when something so confusing had happened between them the way that it had?

Maybe Ace had been right for not becoming close to people. Things got complicated and then someone would end up getting hurt in the end. He had messed this up pretty good. Even if they did become friends again, how could Warrick feel comfortable around him again? How could he even trust him again the way that he had before? He felt as if he had ruined that special connection that the two of them had.

However, it wasn't Ace who spotted Warrick in the park. Irene saw him from a ways away at first. She didn't approach him right away. She just watched him from a distance as he sat on the bench beneath the tree. Eventually, however, she finally decided join the lt. colonel. Crossing the park, she soon came to stand in front of him. She wasn't in uniform currently. She had on a comfortable looking green colored dress that came down to her knees. Over this she wore a cream colored cardigan and some matching tall socks. Her shoes didn't exactly match her pretty outfit. A pair of black combat boots adorned her feet.

In the young woman's hands was a jar with a couple mysteriously floating lights in it. She smiled warmly at Warrick. "Good evening, lieutenant colonel." She greeted him, shifting the jar so that she was cradling it with one arm so that she could salute with the other one. "You look troubled, sir. If you don't mind me saying so."

Irene couldn't help but to frown a little bit in response to the man's answer. "It's a shame to hear that." She said. For a short while she stood where she was, just looking at Warrick, her expression a mildly concerned one. But eventually she moved again so that she could come closer. The young woman took a seat on the bench beside him, setting the strangely glowing jar on her knees.

"It's rare to find fireflies in the city." She commented, holding the jar up a little bit so that Warrick could see that the little glowing lights were actually insects. "They only come around at certain times of the year. My parents used to take me out to collect them when I was young. And even though I am grown now, I still collect them whenever it's the right time." She looked down at the jar and smiled in a fond manner as if she were remembering a time in her life that made her happy. Irene had a sweet look about her. There was something so pure and innocent and just... good about the young woman. She was probably very likable.

Irene placed one of her dainty hands upon the lid of the jar, gently unscrewing it. "Of course, we always let them go in the end." She pulled the top off of the jar and the little glowing insects made their escape, fluttering out of their glass cage. The young woman watched them climb higher in the air until they zoomed off into the night. She returned her eyes to Warrick. She looked very content. "Everyone seems to be down these days." She added.

Irene watched Warrick, her expression both slightly concerned and slightly interested. She just watched him as he spoke, and when he was finished speaking she continued to do so. However, after a moment or so, she smiled kindly at the older man. "If you feel like talking about something then you should talk about it." She said, screwing the lid back on the jar before setting it on the bench to the side where Warrick was not sitting. She placed her hands on her knees.

"I hear that love is a very unpredictable and confusing thing." The young woman said. "And with all due respect, sir... if you're in love then it can't be wrong. Love should never be considered wrong." Irene had a feeling that Warrick was seeking some sort of advice or guidance since he almost seemed to jump at the chance to speak about his troubles. In fact, she hadn't seen him around at all lately. Occasionally she would spot him on the street or they would cross paths in any of the military buildings. But for the past week she had not even caught a glimpse of him. Perhaps what he was speaking of now was the reason for this. Now that she was being forced to think about it, she supposed that it made sense.

"There's no way you can know if this person is right for you or not if you don't give it a chance. I don't quite understand what you are so terrified of. Maybe this person feels the same way about you. Do you know if this person feels the same way? Or are you afraid of rejection?" Irene looked thoughtful.

Of course, it was perfectly natural for Irene to think that Warrick was speaking of a woman. But then he let the fact that this person he was talking about was a 'he'. Irene couldn't say that she wasn't a little bit taken aback by the news. She definitely wouldn't have pegged the lt. colonel to be... that way. However, it didn't make a bit of difference to her. Of course, there were a lot of people who would not think highly about this, but Irene was not one of those people. She was a very accepting individual. She had been taught to always be open and loving, unless someone gave you a good reason not to.

However, hearing that Warrick thought he could not have any real relationship because of his position was troubling. Of course, she knew that it would be very difficult for the older man if he had feelings for someone in a much lower rank. It was just the way that the military worked. She couldn't help but to think that this was very unfortunate.

Irene smiled gently at the lt. colonel as he got up to take his leave. However, soon enough he turned back to her and was offering to walk her home. "That would be very nice of you." She said, getting to her feet and smoothing out her dress. Then she reached behind her so that she could scoop up her jar. Soon she came to walk beside the man, assuming that they were probably walking now.

"You know... I understand that you must be in a tough position with your feelings and your rank and all... but don't you think that you are making excuses, sir?" The young woman didn't talk to Warrick like he was a higher ranking officer, she talked to him like he was just another human being. "Just because something didn't work out in the past, doesn't mean that this wouldn't work out for you. Maybe the reason that whatever happened in the past didn't work, was because something else is supposed to work. Even if you think leaving all of this alone is the best thing to do, you are always going to wonder what could have been." Irene had to walk faster to keep up with Warrick since he was taller.

"You speak of your love for this person like it would ruin them." Irene commented. She had a feeling that she would not be able to get through to Warrick. It was sad to think that he would not get a happy ending if he didn't act, but it really was none of her business to begin with. She always felt like she needed to help people in distress, but she couldn't help everyone. She couldn't make a sad person happy. They had to do that for themselves. Warrick had always seemed like a very nice man. He had kind eyes. She felt as if he deserved good things. She was normally pretty good at reading people.

"I respect your decision, sir. And I am grateful that you appreciate my input. But I think Ace is stronger than you give him credit for. And I think he needs you as much as you need him." It wasn't hard to put two and two together. The fact that Warrick was speaking of a 'he' and not a 'she'. The fact that he was speaking of someone of a much lower rank. The way that Ace had interacted with the lt. colonel... and not to mention that Ace had probably said something. Of course, he hadn't said anything about Warrick, but perhaps he had mentioned something about the situation.

However, Warrick wouldn't get the chance to respond. Irene's attention immediately went to the shadowed men when Warrick suggested that she head home. She got a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she looked at them. They made her uneasy. And their conversation definitely wasn't making things any better. When the front man rushed at the lt. colonel so that he could strike him, Irene let out a startled cry, stepping back a little ways.

This was not a good situation, but Irene couldn't bring herself to flee. Not only because she was startled by the whole thing, but also because she felt as if she wouldn't feel right leaving Warrick. But before much more could happen, something... or someone dashed out of the shadows and more or less tackled the man who had struck Warrick. Irene cried out again.

Ace wasn't a very big man. In fact, he was rather small for a nineteen year old. But he had come at the strange man with quite a bit of force. He grabbed a fistful of the material of whatever sort of top the man was wearing with one hand and he used the other to throw a punch at his face if he had managed to catch him off guard.

oops! used your account on accident!

Warrick had been wondering if Irene was alright as well once he got around to being able to think about his environment. His mind had been clouded in multiple ways. First by what was probably a concussion, and then by the fact that Ace had been in danger, or the fact that he was near at all. But eventually his mind did come back to Irene, and he had glanced over at her as Ace grabbed his arms to hold him steady.

It was a relief to hear that she was alright. He had worried that he had walked her into a terrible trap. He knew that he was one of the reasons they had come. 'Crusades' they had said. So someone had tracked him down, some survivor. Someone who was set on avenging the fallen and punishing the non-believers. He wondered if they would have struck the military here anyway despite his presence, but he knew his presence hadn't helped anything. He opened his mouth and began to speak, but then realized after a few words that he was speaking another language. He stopped himself.

When Warrick spoke again he made sure it was clear, something the other two could understand, "I'm sorry I can't finish walking you home... I have to file a report now," he said. He seemed quite serious, too. He took a moment to scrunch his face up in a pained way and reached up to touch the bloodied area again, lightly pulling away from Ace as he did so. "Something's not right, we should have been secure here. I have to send out warning... And file a report," he said. At this point he was almost more talking to himself than either of the other two standing there.

He shifted his eyes to Ace again, straining to focus on his face. And his expression change once more, oddly into a smile briefly. But it faded as soon as he felt another throb of pain and a spell of a dizzy sort of sickness combined with stomach tightening of another nature altogether. "It's nice to see you," he said, despite his pained expression. He patted Ace on the shoulder briefly, then nodded to Irene, then turned to head back toward his office. After all, he had to file a report about all of this.