Outcast Villiage

Ranger, while shouting had backed Citlali against a wall. The thud was him having shoved her in the shoulder and her hitting her head on a shelving unit. Ranger was hovered over now, panicked and worried since he'd knocked her out.

---

"Ariadne. Her middle name is Katie. Were you and Citlali ever...trying? I mean for kids?"

"No, we only just round to being engaged when she died....it's not like any of that matters now though, right?"

"Ranger, what did you do?"

Ephraim shrugged. "Might still have a chance. I know the bloke Ranger went to help for. His fixes aren't always perfect so something might start slipping through the cracks. Though, if you can't put in the effort to be with her again, she's probably better off with someone else."

---

"She tried to run - not at a normal pace - away from this conversation and I moved my hand to her shoulder to bring her back. She hit her head." Ranger moves his fingers to Citlalis temple and they came back with blood.

"Just fucking get out, and say goodbye to Moira because we have all had enough and we want you gone by this evening." She knelt beside Citlali and used one hand to touch a bit of her skin before the other touched her injuries and hey healed.

"Why does everyone assume that I don't want to be with her?" Alex asked, he was obviously angry about it.

"I brought her back didn't I? And you could be at least a little thankful because I'm the reason you have a family. How else do you think Ephraim got out all those years ago? With the force of sheer will while having enough drugs in him to kill a horse? I'm not leaving."

---

"Cause you aren't putting any effort in. And this Citlali is obviously less scared because she isn't afraid to give her opinion. So far you've only seen her because you had to - you walked into the kitchen to get breakfast after your run and because Evelyn asked you to help her stretch. Past that, Citlali doesn't know anything of you and has barely seen you."

"In case you haven't noticed Ephraim, i can't go near her without Ranger being here and you're all lucky that I haven't fucking killed him. To add to that, I have my daughter to look after as well."

"If I have to fucking drag you by your throat I will Ranger."

"It didn't bother you before if he was there." Ephraim shrugged. "Just warning you so you get there before anybody else gets the same idea. She ain't a half bad looking lass but she has too many issues for me. And I have Evelyn anyway."

---

"I'm not leaving because you've told me to."

With that, Evelyn grabbed him by his neck and dragged him from the room, past Ephraim and Alex towards the front door, her powers making it so he couldn't escape.

Alex watched nEvelyn walk past with Ranger before he looked back at Ephraim. "I don't even know if she wants to be near me."

Ranger just quietly let her, though he gave her a dirty look the entire time.

Ephraim watched as well before shrugging. "Try talking to her and then look for the signs. Get her to talk about her life. It might take a few weeks but she'll start finding gaps in her memory that can't be explained and start opening up again. And if not, a girl with Ranger as her father? Is going to adore attention from a guy."

"Alright, but you might want to stop Evelyn from arming Rangers head into the mountain." Alex left him to it.

Evelyn threw him to the ground when they were outside of the house. "Get out And stay out! And if you ever fucking come here again ranger, I will rip your fucking throat out."

Citlali had moved to sit on her bed, trembling quietly as she held a hand to her head.

---

Ephraim walked outside to watch the spectacle.

Ranger shook his head and didn't reply to her, deciding not to humour her.

Evelyn suddenly punched him. "And that's for Ruining Alex." She turned and walked inside.

Alex lent against the door. "Hey, can I come in."

Ranger spat blood to the side and watched her walk inside before disappearing.

"Well, do you think he got the message?" Ephraim sounded amused.

---

Citlali flinched and immediately babbled out apologies before realising it was Alex and noticeably relaxing. Slowly, she nodded, looking on the verge of tears.

"Nope, which means that I won't feel guilty about knocking seven bells out of him."
_______

Moira was sitting on her windowsill, fiddling with her locket as she watched what happened between Ranger and Evelyn, and she knew that Ranger didn't care much for her at that moment.
_______

Alex moved to sit next to her. "Come on, cry it out it's okay."

"Its Ranger. He's stubborn and stupid and thinks he's doing the best even when he's cocking it all up."

---

Ranger stayed sat in the snow, rubbing his cheek slowly. If anything, he looked pleased he'd been thrown out and then suddenly doubled over, spasming violently in pain.

---

Citlali shuddered and then dropped her face into her hands to start sobbing, her shoulders shaking too.

He pulled her into a friendly hug as she started to cry.

Moira sat at her dressing table as Anjuli walked in.

"Yeah he is."

"H-He's never hurt me before but..." Citlali gripped onto his shirt as she cried, shaking more violently now as she mumbled something about being scared.

---

Ranger trembled in aftershocks of pain for a moment, moving his hand to his neck and using his other hand to wipe blood away from his nose.

---

"Still, I wished you'd kicked him between the legs. That memory would've been a keeper."

"I'll do worse that."

Alex rubbed her back. "It's alright."

Moira sat on her bed with Anjuli.

Ephraim laughed. "I'm sure you will."

---

Citlali had started to relax before she suddenly tensed and then twisted over in pain similar to Ranger, hand moving to tightly grip her thigh where the chip was and gasping over the pain.

---

Ranger tried to slowly catch his breath, thumb rubbing over a scar on his neck similar to the one on Citlalis thigh.

She moved to hug him.

Moira eventually lay back on her bed holding Anjuli close.

"Easy Citlali, easy."

Ephraim lazily hugged her back.

---

Ranger pulled out his phone and dialled in a number, "As you can see I failed to integrate. There's nothing I can dom I can't get close to the numbers or anyone else. You'll have to shut the project down." He was trying hard not to sound smug. He'd been purposefully antagonising inside in order to get kicked out like he had been.

---

Citlali tried to catch her breath and then suddenly started seizing and fitting, too breathless to even scream in pain. She was clawing at her leg by this point.

"I love you."

Anjuli watched him as she had followed him, and she tried to be quiet as she went to tell Moira.

Alex watched.

"I love you too."

---

"There's no more I can do." Ranger did sound smug then. "You've lost your little pawn. You've lost Citlali. And you aren't getting your hands on any of the others."

---

Citlali finally fell limp, staring blankly at the ceiling and trembling violently. She'd scratched her leg enough to bleed.

Alex moved her hand away when she started to bleed.

Anjuli suddenly slipped and fell, cutting her hands and she ended up sliding to be within Rangers sight.

Evelyn smiled softly.

Citlali flinched at his touch before hunching her shoulder and staring at her lap, angry at herself and embarrassed as she apologised quietly.

---

Ranger watched her quietly but didn't hesitate at all in his phone call. When he finally ended it, he walked to her and offered his hands in helping her up.

---

"Anything else planned apart from banishing the local twat?"