“Aeneas…” she whispered, stirring. Her body twisted and contorted and relaxed again.

“Hey…Heartless …You awake yet?” Heartless rolled over on her side, pulling her hand to her head. The area was dark and cold with concrete ground. She moved her left arm, wincing. It flopped lamely before resting awkwardly behind her. She blinked.

“Hey. Wake up.” Heartless jerked up to her feet, gripping and shaking the bars of her cell with her right hand.

“Where is Seren?” she bellowed, “Give me the baby.” She stomped with her hooves, rattling the bars, and emitted a guttural scream.

“Whoa, settle down,” said Ryuu, “We have some questions for you.”

“Fuck your questions. Where’s Seren? I will kill you. I will kill you all!” She shook the bars and shouted more obscenities at the green dragon who just sat in his chair, leaning forward, hand rubbing his cheek. He glanced her up and down, and then he stood.

“Seren? Is that his name? He’s in the best of care right now. Let’s focus on you right now,” he said, “We need some information-“

“Fuck you, and fuck your words, smoke seether! Give me back the baby!” she cried, her black eyes wide and mouth set in a permanent snarl. The bars on the cell door clanged loudly, echoing in the small room.

Ryuu sighed.

“Well. I suppose we can wait for a while until you calm down. I’ll be back,” he said as he turned and walked away. He closed the door behind him, and she was left shouting in the dark, kicking out and snorting violently.

She collapsed to her knees, and silence ensued. A ticking noise in the air. Some footsteps above. Clamoring. A sharp clack.

The room was empty save for the cell she was inside. The cage was bolted to the floor with a strong lock on the door. The door Ryuu left through was a double, with two darkened windows on both doors. A single light was built into the ceiling above her, casting faint light and causing the bars to multiple in shadows on the floor.

She examined her left arm, pressing in places, squinting in the dim light. The wound in her side was oozing a bit of blood, but most of it was caked against her. She lay on her back, staring into the dark top of her cage

“Seren,” she whispered, “Seren.”

Ryuu tapped his chin thoughtfully after watching her through the windows of the doors.

“Hey, is Somda around?” Ryuu asked a tall, lean sphinx who was standing near him. She scratched at her ear with a furry claw and frowned.

“No, he’s out right now,” she spoke, purringly, as if a fly was caught buzzing in her throat, “The crash site on Mark was raided. But Porter is available.” Ryuu sighed.

“All right. Look, this is very important. Send Porter out with this message for Armel,” he said as he held out a piece of folded paper. She took it in her non-paw hand and strode away on light feet, a lion-like tail swishing behind her.

A few hours later, Ryuu sat in his chair in front of the cell, leaning over his knees, watching Heartless pace furiously back and forth, her arm limply swinging.

He cocked his head, “You could make this easier. I told you. We’d bring Seren here if you just answer some of the questions we have.” She kept pacing. He waited a few moments.

“What were you doing with Seren?” She kept pacing.

“Where is the rest of your clan?” She snorted and turned to him.

“You’re busy here asking me questions. It’s all fucking pointless. Give me the baby.” Heartless’ eyes went wide, and she grabbed one of the bars on the cell.

“Give me the baby!” she roared. The bar broke under the pressure.

Ryuu stumbled to his feet and knocked over the chair, blood pounding through his body. He spit up some black tar.

“Battle me!” she cried out, waving her metal weapon, “You talk and talk. Talk makes nothing. Fight me!” He relaxed at the realization she was still unable to fit through the space in the cage.

“You really want to fight?” Ryuu asked, picking the chair back up.

“You smoke suckers talk too much,” she shouted, dropping her metal bar with a clang. She gripped the bars and stuck her head through the hole she made. Her left arm jutted out at a strange angle, but her face remained wide, colored, and fierce.

“I will not talk to you, sneaky dragon,” she spat, “Cowardly lizard.” Ryuu twisted his mouth in a frown.

“Alright then.” He stood and left her in the dark again.

Ryuu sat across the table from the old, grizzled unicorn. His elongated fingers tapped the table, his other hand rubbing his chin gently.

The old unicorn had a cup of grog and took to glugging it every few moments and breathing loudly. He sat straight and rigid, arms clearly on the table. Big earrings clanged together from his long ears as he moved his head.

“There are…only two reasons for a unicorn to leave the clan,” the old one started. He took a drink.

“Either they are cowards, or they had a change of heart. One is near impossible. The other leads to death.”

“Did she have a change of heart?” Ryuu asked, stopping his drumming and leaning forward.

“I can’t tell that. Unicorns only know how to do two things: demand and fight. If they don’t get what they demand, they fight. Pretty simple. From what you tell me…it’s pretty unusual. A unicorn with a baby? They barely take care of their own much less someone else’s.”

“Which is why I asked you to come. I was hoping to maybe integrate her. We could always use more people like you.” The old unicorn guffawed.

“Yeah. Just what you need. More broken souls looking to relieve their guilt. Look, kid, I can try to talk to her, but I can’t guarantee her or me alive at the end of it.”

“We have medical supplies, and Dr. Havoc is on standby-“

“Ha. No. Unicorns kill. They don’t maim or injure. But I’ve always been prepared to die. She probably is, too.” Ryuu nodded.

“Alright. Here we go,” Armel said, rising from his seat.

“Good luck, Armel,” Ryuu said.