Dawn College

Abel was back at her room after about twenty minutes, looking clean and bright again.

"I see you scrubbed up then," Maria said as she came out.

"Yeah. It smelled too much like dead things for my liking so I cleaned it off. I would have been sooner but I saw Noah on the walk here."

Maria just nodded at that.

"So, to Jeri's room then?" Abel took a step back, waiting.

"If that's where Ray is," Maria nodded.

"Well, they're hardly ever separated are they?"

"Well I wouldn't know, haven't really been around them much as a couple."

"He pines when she isn't around," Abel snickered softly.

Maria made a small gagging noise. "Couples like that need locking up away from people, it's disgusting."

"I think it's funny. Goliath finds it sweet, Sampson hates everyone and Noah is apathetic to pretty much everything. It's always fun to have new people around."

"My attitude is probably due to the fact my parents were never affectionate. I swear the only time they ever slept together was so they could procreate, before and after they married they had separate rooms, and depending on the size of the house, wings, to be away from eachother. They were so bloody apathetic towards romance in general I'm surprised either of them manage to have affairs."

"A lot of relationships today seem to not work out very well." Abel frowned as he led her down the hallway. "I've never understood that."

"Because divorce is legal and people marry for money."

"My dad had to give a dowry for my mother but that's all I knew about it. I..." Abel gestured to himself. "Before I could marry y sweetheart." He stopped outside Jace's room. "Did you need me to walk you back down as well?"

"Never saw the point in marriage, just a piece of paper and two rings, changes nothing about how you feel towards someone." Maria wrinkled her nose, shaking her head, "I should be fine, thanks." She said before knocking on the door quietly.

"You haven't for a map for the upper levels, but so long as you get to the stairs - " Abel pointed down the corridor " - you should be fine. If you need any help, come find one of us. Not Sampson." Abel rocked on his heels as if to leave but stayed where he was.

---

Jace was still sleeping, deep enough this time that he didn't stir at the knock.

"Thanks," Maria smiled.

Raine got up gently off of the bed, smiling when Jace didn't wake up, as she'd cringed a little at the knock hoping it wouldn't wake him. Quietly she went to the door and opened it, handing back her nephew. "He was practically silent the whole time, enough for Jace to sleep anyway."

"I need to wake him up." Abel rubbed his shoulder. "Isn't enough for Goliath to know. He can sleep again afterwards." Abel moved to wring his hands together.

"Wake him up for what? He's exhausted." Raine frowned.

"I got stabbed," Abel said, looking almost embarrassed or ashamed. "But it festered very quickly. Too quickly even with the bracelet." He refused to make eye contact with Raine.

"Can't you leave it a while longer before waking him up?"

"I'd really, really like to, but he'd want to know straight away. Goliath will tell Sampson, but I have to tell Jeri because I was firsthand witness." Abel shuffled awkwardly. "He can go back to sleep straight after, promise! He just needs to know when something like this comes up."

Raine just sighed, "I'll leave you to it then, let him know I've gone with my sister if he wants to know." she said quietly, before gesturing for Maria to lead her down the hall, following when she did.

"Oh, no, you don't have to go anywhere. It'll take two seconds and then he can go back down," Abel quickly protested, reaching as if to grab her elbow and then hesitating.