Recruiting

"And here I was hoping you'd be able to fight as good as you screw. You're strength has definitely improved, but you're still thinking like the pansy Shadowhunter you were before. To make it with the pros, you have to fight dirty," Alexia ground out, her heels emphasizing each critique as she circled Oliver's exhausted body. Crouching down, she gently drew a soft hand across his sweaty face, her eyes darkening with desire. "I'll give you a private lesson tonight." Straitening back up, Lexi made her way across the scarred, wooden floor, to where her brother and Egan were sparring.
After they'd been assured of the mundane's death, the siblings had navigated the complicated twists and turns that would lead them to Slade. It had been a while since Lexi had seen their glorious leader, and she'd been unable to hide her excitement. Without Slade, she would never have come into the power that she now wielded with every blow. She was sure he'd praise them for completing the mission, and for the extra fighting power the recruits would bring. But, Slade had glanced their way for a matter of seconds before deeming Oliver and Egan too inexperienced to be of use. Kaleb had quickly volunteered himself and Lexi for the task of breaking them in. Lexi had let out a sigh of relief when Slade had nodded his head in agreement, gracing them with an approving smile. They'd then gone back out into the city, sticking to the more run down parts. A dilapidated and abandoned warehouse was soon spotted and the siblings had gotten to work on turning Egan and Oliver into soldiers Slade would be proud of. Easier said then done. Lexi had singled Oliver out to train, of course, thinking he'd be the easier of the too. But, the darkness she'd glimpsed in him from the beginning seemed harder and harder to pry out. There was something holding him back. Still, he was improving, thanks to her unwavering devotion to the cause. It had also been a while since she'd spilt life blood, a fact that added a helpful harshness to their fighting bouts.
A message had come last night, stating that Slade needed them to broker a trust between the Pack of Manhattan and their cause. The wolves would provide an excellent fighting source, once the mysterious plan was revealed and put into action. Lexi had always had a disgust for the wolves, seeing them as the dirty, archaic creatures they were, but the outing would definitely relieve her of the boredom she'd felt settling in.
"It's time to go pay a visit to the dogs, deary," Lexi said, raising her voice so it could be heard above the sound of Egan being slammed to the wooden floor.
"I hope they took my advice from our last encounter and added flea collars to their everyday outfits...if you could even call them that."

Every part of Oliver’s body hurt, he sat panting on the dirty wooden floor of the warehouse, practically drowning in his own sweat as Lexi circled him. They had been training all day without rest and despite his elevated stamina and fighting ability, he wanted nothing more than to find a dark corner somewhere and sleep for a week. Being with the siblings reminded him of being trained by his father, no mercy, true blows that were meant to kill if not blocked correctly. There was no doubt in his mind that Lexi, not Nina he found out, wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if he let his guard down even for a second, just like he had always know his father would. His time at the Institute had made him weak, let him drop his guard and become lazy and he was paying for that time off now. Slade had hardly spared he and Egan a glance when they were presented and despite himself, he was almost disappointed. He was here for one reason, to take revenge for the death of his Parabatai but something about being dismissed like a useless child had struck a nerve. His pride was going to get him killed one of these days.
The training was hard, but what was worse was sharing a bed with Lexi at night. The idea disgusted him but he knew he needed to do what he could to keep up appearances, to bide his time until he felt confident that he could kill Kaleb at least, Lexi as a bonus but training had taught him he had a long way to go. The siblings had seemed to split their interest, Kaleb taking Egan, the traitor, under his wing while Lexi sunk her claws into Oliver. If nothing else, he could appreciate the training. If he made it out of this alive, he’d be one hell of a warrior.

Lexi’s hand on his face brought him back from his thought, forcing a smirk and trying not to shiver at her touch.
“We can’t all be as talented in both areas as you are.” He was still panting as he wiped at the sweat on his brow with the back of his hand. Mercifully, the snake’s attention seemed to be drawn to the other side of the room where Egan was getting his ass handed to him almost as bad as he had. Kaleb may be a monster but damn could he fight. The idea that he envied the bastard even for a second made his stomach churn. With Lexi’s attention on her brother, he let his shoulders sag for a moment before pulling himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest. He listened to what she was saying to her brother, keeping his face an emotionless mask as a wave of nerves crashed over him. Being here with these people was in itself a betrayal to the Claive and he was sure before long he would be expected to kill those he had sworn to protect.
‘It’s worth it. For Jasper…’ He had to keep repeating that over and over in his mind, and hoping that in the end, it would be.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X
Kaleb was having fun. It got so boring only having his sister to push around, now he had two new toys to play with. Slade had not given him the hero’s welcome that he had wanted upon their return but that was to be expected, they still had a lot of work to do before he could be properly praised. And despite the enjoyment he was getting out of pulverizing their new recruits, breaking them was proving rather difficult. They were good enough fighters but making them unlearn all their years of honor and righteousness was going to take some time. There was also always the possibility that they were here for reasons other than what they claimed, but he would take care of that treachery when the time came, if that were the case. For now however, they seemed to be holding up just fine.
"It's time to go pay a visit to the dogs, deary," He watched as his sister sauntered away from where she had left Oliver on the ground, blocking a blow from Egan without even looking at him. Knocking the boys feet out from under him, he smiled at the satisfying crunch he made when he hit the wooden floorboards, sending up a cloud of dust.
“Ah, yes. Time to go to the pound. You know, I’ve always wanted a pet.” Wiping Egans blood from his hands onto the leather of his gear, he stretched as if he had just woken from a long nap instead of a day of training.
“You two stay here, continue training. If you don’t have new injuries by the time we get back… well, you can probably figure out what will happen. ” A twisted smile danced across his lips, saying without words what would happen if they didn’t obey. Without another word, he left the boys, only stopping at the door retrieve his broadsword, strapping the sheath securely to his back and waving for his sister to follow.

Before exiting the warehouse, Lexi had grabbed her trusty bow and quiver full of poison-dipped arrows. Slade had gifted it to her on her sixteenth birthday. Most girls got flashy cars, or shiny jewelry. With her favorite weapon, she could get any of that by just nocking an arrow. It had been so long since she'd last felt it's cool wood brush up against her arm, having had to do without it at the Institute. Sweet, little, dim-witted Nina probably hadn't possessed anything more dangerous than a nail file. It felt so good to be openly Alexia Ravenscar again.
The trek to the pound, as her brother had accurately described it, only took about ten minutes. Lexi swore up and down that she'd smelled the transformed furniture store before they'd actually seen it. As they closed in on the den, she was made even more grateful for her wisdom in wearing her least expensive leathers. The recent rain had created an abundance of mud, which the wolves had seemed to love judging by the muddy foot prints dotted all over the concrete.
They were almost immediately stopped by a patrol of wolves, having seen the siblings approaching with their weapons openly displayed. Both siblings proffered their weapons over, in a sign of good faith and were into the den. Once inside, they were led to the very back of the store. Lexi had then stated their intent. They needed to speak to the pack leader about a matter concerning her and her brother's leader, Slade Blackwell. Fear flashed across every wolves face within hearing distance. So, they'd heard of him. Good. With a little bit more respect than he'd shown before, the patrol leader asked them to take seat, while he made the pack leader aware of their presence. Lexi and her brother weren't used to being ordered around, but Slade had made it very clear that the wolves would be an irreplaceable asset. So, they sat obediently. Lexi had never wanted to stab something more in her life.
"What are you gawking at, runt," Lexi snarled at a wide eyed youth. He scuttled away, but not before flashing a very rude hand gesture her away.
"Oh, believe me, pup. You'd be way over your head and would probably end up losing it in the process!"

Kaleb offered his best imitation of a friendly smile as he handed over his sword to one of the patrol wolves, the muts obviously were too stupid to pat them down to find the many other weapons both he and his sister had hidden on their person. Sadly though, this was not a mission meant to end in bloodshed, these wolves had a bigger purpose than being slaughtered for their amusement… as long as they gave them the answer they wanted. They followed the dogs to the back of the store obediently, putting on their best ‘we’re you’re friends’ act that they could, something that they had become far too familiar with at their time at the Institute. Kaleb shot his sister a warning glare as she snapped at one of the pups, digging his elbow into her ribs as he forced a smile.
“No, now sister. That’s no way to treat our gracious hosts.”He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye that said, ‘Screw this up and you will regret it.’ He was spared having to hear a response from her when the pack leader approached them, flanked by his number one and two, all of them looking suspicious. Kaleb stood and gave a small bow to the old wolf, lowering his eyes in a fake sense of submission.
“Sir, we have come to you as messengers of Slade Blackwell-“
“I know who you are, but what does he want from me…” The old wolfs voice sounded strained, as if the idea of Slade’s interest in him made him uneasy. Kaleb had to restrain a chuckle.
“He wants your friendship. And to offer you protection. A war is brewing and he wants to offer you the chance to be on the winning side.” He watched as the wolf considered his words, glancing at his pack to gauge their reactions before responding.
“And what exactly does he want in return for this protection?” He nearly snarled the last word as if it were an insult.
“To join our cause, to help us in our fight and to lend us the gift of the one particular wolf amongst you that has… special gifts.” There was a quiet murmur around the store he caught the name Nia amongst the whispers. The leader was silent again, his eyes narrowed but Kaleb could see the wheels of thought turning in his head. Either way, this was a win-win situation for he and his sister. Either they gained reinforcements or they got to slaughter a pack of dogs and bring the seer back to Slade by force. The leader opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the approach of a young female wolf that had just arrived.
“There you are.” The man mumbled as the girl joined them. Kaleb regarded her with little interest before turning back to the leader.
“My sister and I will give you a few moments to talk through your decision.” Taking Lexi by the elbow, he moved her back but still in earshot of the small circle of wolves.
“We’ve got them.” He chuckled under his breath, pleased that they had succeeded but disappointed that the day wouldn’t end in bloodshed.

Aubrey had almost been relieved that she had been summoned away from the gathering of an unusual assortment of people at the apartment, if not for the strangeness of being summoned at all. She knew Blake was still at the furniture store, and she couldn't think of a single thing that he couldn't handle, especially if their father was there with him, which he most likely was. The idea of what would be waiting for her back home terrified her a little, but Aubrey told herself she was just being paranoid and hurried back.
Her fears seemed to be realized, however, when she walked into the room filled with odd pieces of furniture to find practically the entire pack standing or sitting around, tense and staring at her father, Blake, and two others. Her mouth curled when she realized they were Shadowhunters, still annoyed from her previous experience with the Angel's children. Aubrey quickly plastered on a reassuring smile that she flashed to the eyes that found her as she walked to the back of the store to join her family and leaders.
Catching the name, one she hadn't heard but others obviously had, because a murmur of terror went throughout the room, Aubrey stayed back as she listened to what the Shadowhunters wanted, not making herself known until they were finished, after which she rapidly took her place on the other side of her father, making eye contact with Blake as she did so.
The siblings took a few steps away as if they were giving the wolves privacy, and immediately Aubrey turned to her father.
"I heard everything. They want Nia. No. Don't even think about it." Aubrey's voice was filled with passion an determination. The very thought of letting these people who had brought so much fear to this place using one of her best friends for their own good repulsed Aubrey.
Blake looked surprised at Aubrey's instant contribution. He'd opened his mouth to speak as well, but his sister had beat him to it, and so he shut his mouth after a moment and waited for their father to speak.
"Aubrey, I ask that for once you put you emotions aside and listen." Their father was angry at her outburst, but underneath Aubrey could see the stress that lied with this decision.
"We can't pass up their offer of protection. You don't know Slade like I do. He's ruthless and cruel and I will not let my pack be a target for his torture. Because if we refuse what they want that is what we will become."
In an instant, Aubrey's heart broke. All at once her father, who she constantly sought approval from and looked up to as an example of leadership, hoping to one day lead as well as he did, was no longer the man she'd imagined him to be. 
He'd implied Aubrey didn't care about the pack as he did, and as much as a lie that was, how could she argue his point after she had said what she needed to say now?
"I can't stand by you if you do that," Aubrey swallowed, looking up at her father and trying not to break eye contact. "Nia is my friend and a pack member just like everyone else. I will not offer her up as sacrifice. I'm sorry."
"If you leave now-" her father began to say, a warning of the leadership and family she was giving up, but Aubrey cut him off. "I know." 
Aubrey, third in command of this pack that she loved so very dearly, turned to leave, relinquishing her power as she did so. She felt it.
But then something hit her hard in the stomach, something that made her turn around when she swore to herself that she wouldn't. Her brother, her best friend, wasn't leaving with her. Blake was standing by their father, looking at her in shock, pain very clear in his expression.
"Blake?" Aubrey's voice broke, but he just shook his head. Whatever reason he could have given, that he didn't care for Nia like Aubrey did, or that their father needed them, or that he couldn't leave the pack in this danger, didn't matter. They both knew it. He didn't try to explain. 
Aubrey wanted to hug her brother goodbye, argue that he should come with her anyway, or cry into his shoulder, but she knew none of it would help. So, she left, giving the siblings a look of defiance as she passed them by. Blinking tears out of her eyes, Aubrey set herself on the way to the apartment she had left not so long ago, needing to get to Nia as soon as she could.

Egan had memorized all the little side checks and dark alleys they took to the place they called 'home'. The place that held their leader inside. Just in case he needed it in the future, maybe he could send an anonymous letter with the directions on it. If he was sure he wouldn't get caught. But when he came face to face with the man called Slade he was a bit disappointed. Thought he'd be scarier some how, though his fists did ball up immediately when he was just simply passed over and looked at as useless. His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened, he was anything but useless. They would see, in time.

But now here he was in this dirty old warehouse that smelled of musty old furniture and mold. Most of the windows were broken out, shattered on the cracked wooden floor beneath his feet, getting his ass kicked. Each blow to his broken body chipped away at his pride and ego. Egan thought he was good, hell he was super fast and the times he was fast enough to block Kaleb's blows and deck one of his own a little piece of his pride was glued back on, but it didn't last very long. What the hell were they even teaching them at the Institute? He made him angry and the angrier he got the more mistakes he made which just fueled the fire more. Here he was wanting to prove himself and all he was doing was proving he sucked. At least he wasn't the only one, he could hear the grunts and and blows from Oliver, the real traitor and killer, getting beat to a pulp across the room. At least Lexi seemed to have the hots for Oliver and not him, ew.

Egan quickly blocked a blow coming from Kaleb, his entire body crying out against every movement, even breathing but he pushed it aside. Pain was just weakness leaving the body. He needed to do this, to prove he could handle it. That he didn't hurt even in his little pinky. He tumbled backwards as Kaleb advanced, rolled across the dirty floor just when Lexi was walking over and stealing Kaleb's attention. Egan thought this would get him a win and he went in for the attack, but his blow was blocked and countered. A blow to his chest that sent him backwards and connecting with the cracked and hard floor. Dust and mold clouds poofed up around him and Egan began coughing as he laid there staring up at the holes in the ceiling. While he laid there catching his breath he listened to the siblings speak of meeting with a pack of wolves. When Kaleb spoke to him, Egan sat up, elbow resting on his knee as he nodded. He brushed away the blood seeping from his swollen lip as he got up and brushed himself off, coughing again to clear his throat of the dust that he was sure going to cake on his lungs the longer he stayed here.

His dark blue eyes looked over to Oliver as he tried to regain his breath. He wondered if the guy was up for even moving. "You want some water?" He asked him as he pulled out two water bottles from the cooler, rolling the cold bottle around on his head and neck.

Lexi felt her brother's jab most acutely, using all her control to keep herself from smacking him clear across the face. She and Kaleb had always had their differences, but, more recently, it seemed that her brother's will was becoming more of a rule than an opinion. There was only one man Lexi had ever bent to, and Kaleb was kidding himself if he thought to put himself on the same level as Slade.
Stowing her rage for a later date, Lexi automatically stood at the presence of the pack leader, revealing her neck in a disgustingly wolf-like gesture of respect. Hopefully, if they succeeded in bagging the pack, Slade would finally acknowledge her skill and let her branch out on her own, away from her sibling and the filth that surrounded her at present.
Kaleb dealt with the pleasantries, announcing their reason for the visit. Lexi, meanwhile, was subtly gauging the reaction from the pack, and more importantly the leader. From the beginning, she had noticed the intensity that kept the old dog's every limb as rigid as if he were frozen. He knew who they were, why they were there, and what would happen if their request was denied even before Kaleb had opened his sly mouth. Lexi barely stifled a smile at that. It sure was nice to have a reputation as deliciously lethal as they had acquired.
Lexi saw the finish line, victory glowing like a priceless jewel, the second the wolf opened his mouth, submission clear in his slightly slumped posture. And, just like that, the easy win was snatched away, with the appearance of a red-headed pup. Lexi and her brother had politely turned away, pretending to give them the luxury of talking it over. However, the excellent hearing of a trained Shadowhunter allowed them to hear every word.
"I heard everything. They want Nia. No. Don't even think about it," the bitch whined, her loyalty to the soothsayer obviously stronger than any of her other pack members. Didn't the girl know that they'd get this 'Nia' either way. The only difference lay in the number of casualties, on the pack's side, of course.
"I wouldn't count this a win just yet, brother. We've bagged Old Yeller, but his little bitch isn't going to let this one go," Lexi replied in the same barley-audible whisper, now turning her head openly to the ever increasing family drama unfolding before them.
"If you leave now-" the pack leader growled, obviously trying to pull rank on his mutt. The girl was having none of that. She'd obviously already made her decision, only hesitating long enough to show how hurt she was by her brother remaining. Surprisingly, Lexi felt a tie to the girl in that moment. She'd also grown up thinking her brother would always have her back. But, the world was a cruel as it was cold, and not even your blood could be truly counted on to be on your side all the time.
Swatting away the momentary and unwelcome feeling of pity, Lexi watched Aubrey storm off, knowing exactly where she'd be going. Sure, she was only one, little she-wolf, but who knew the damage she could do in alerting the soothsayer. This piece could not and would not be lost.
"Couldn't help but overhear. Is your daughter going to be a problem? Slade is very forgiving, but only to a point. He would hate to lose Nia, and all because your daughter assumed wrong. Nia will be very well cared for, I swear on my life."

Oliver watched the siblings depart, remaining standing until the menacing click of Lexi’s heels faded into silence. Once he and Egan were alone, he let out a heavy sigh and let his shoulders sag. He figured it wasn’t smart to show weakness in front of the traitor but at this point, he was far too exhausted to care. Closing his eyes, he pushed the damp hair back from his forehead, only looking up when the other boy’s voice finally broke the silence. With a nod, he crossed the room to take the offered bottle before leaning back against the cracked wall and sliding down to the floor. Oliver regarded Egan for a long moment; taking in the signs of abuse that he figured mirrored his own.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not moving. Kaleb can kick my ass when he gets back but at least I can have until then to breath.” Finishing off the water, he tossed the bottle to the floor as he finally managed to catch his breath, his racing heart beginning to slow.
“Make you wonder what the Hell we’ve been doing with our lives doesn’t it? I’ve seen you fight, at the time I thought you were good until we get paired up with these two…” He trailed off, leaning his head back against the wall. He had almost admitted that this was the first time he had ever felt weak, but that was far more than he needed to share with this guy.

X~X~X~X~X

Kaleb could hardly hide the wicked smile that danced across his lips as he watched the sad little scene unfolding in front of them. His sister may think they hadn’t won yet, but he was already soaking in the victory. They had the packs allegiance and the day was going to end with the bloodshed of the uppity wolf bitch that thought she could refuse them and just walk away, she was going to serve one very important purpose before she died though and that was to lead them directly to the wolf they needed most.
"Couldn't help but overhear. Is your daughter going to be a problem? Slade is very forgiving, but only to a point. He would hate to lose Nia, and all because your daughter assumed wrong. Nia will be very well cared for, I swear on my life." The pack leader looked frustrated and tired, his eyes still locked on the door his daughter had walked out of. After a long moment of silence, he shook his head before directing his attention back to them.
“No, I will send scouts out for Nia if she is not back by morning. My daughter may think it acceptable to disobey her pack master but Nia will not, tell Slade he has nothing to worry about. “ Kaleb nodded, giving the pack leader a pretend bow and an apologetic smile.
“We will leave you then to get your affairs in order and tell Slade of our good news. We will call upon you by tomorrow night for Nia.” After a grunt of a response from the old wolf, Kaleb led he and his sister out of the old store, only stopping to collect their weapon.
“Ready for a wolf hunt?” He grinned at his sister once they were out of earshot of the patrol wolves. It didn’t take long to find the red-headed wolfs trail or to follow it back to a swanky looking apartment building. Following the trial up a couple floors, they found the wolves hide-out almost instantly, just following the overwhelming smell of wet dog. Kalbe checked that the long corridor was empty before waving his sister up to the door to listen to the voices inside. There was more than the two female wolves but it didn’t sound like more than they could manage. With one last grin, he drew his broad sword from the sheath on his back and smashed his boot against the wood of the door, delivering such a blow that the door snapped from its hinges and went crashing into the apartment. Sweeping the room with his gaze, he saw the red headed wolf sitting next to another female wolf that he could only assume was their target, a male wolf standing in the background and strangely enough, two shadowhunters.
“Well isn’t this a cute little gathering, why weren’t we invited?”

For a moment Egan wondered if the guy was even going to acknowledge him. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth, remembering how this... Oliver, so easily killed that mundane. They weren't suppose to do that, kill humans. He had an awful night riddled with nightmares. While he knew it would be different, beating a human, he didn't really know the full effects it would have on him until he closed his eyes. It was probably why he was so sluggish today. Sometimes he felt sick to his stomach for what he did, other times he hated himself, but Egan kept reminding himself that it is all an act, just to get to the bottom of this, stop it from the inside out.

When Oliver made his way over Egan noticed the change in his posture immediately. The guy was just as beaten as he was, which made him feel a little better. Shoulders sagging and chest heaving Oliver took the bottle from his hand and Egan offered a short smile as he drank the rest of his own water. He scoffed and nodded, leaning against the condemned wall that Oliver had slid down to. "There ain't no way I'm moving. I'm sure we can cause harm to ourselves and splash water on our faces to make it look like we've had the battle of the century in here." Egan joked halfheartedly, which part of him was serious. His face grew serious though and he looked up at the ceiling. "They fight with no morals, no codes... That is why they seem better. We've been taught to fight with dignity and resolve. We think too much." Egan said simply and shook his head. It was true though, they were too much in their own heads, thinking about the next move while the siblings just flowed like liquid with whatever felt right. Total abandon. It was like learning to ride the bike all over again. But at least now he'd be a better fighter and perhaps equal or surpass the siblings when the time came.

Lexi silently scoffed at the grizzled, pack leader's pitiful attempt to regain control. This visit had definitely revealed in more ways than one that the wolf was losing his touch. Slade would be interested to hear of this development. Lexi mused that a case could be made on the son's behalf as a replacement. He didn't seem to possess any of that obnoxious spirit his sister had demonstrated. Plus, his appearance wasn't as distasteful as she normally would have expected. Stowing that thought for later experimentation, Lexi retrieved her bow and followed her brother out onto the street.
“Ready for a wolf hunt?” Kaleb suggested, with his signature maniacal grin.
"Thought you'd never ask," Lexi replied, stroking her bow with the attitude one might pet a dearly loved child. "I nice, red, wolf pelt would really bring some color into the warehouse."

Oliver lifted his gaze to study Egan as he spoke, intrigued by the earnest honesty that shone through the boys words. There was something about the kid that Oliver couldn't figure out and that left him feeling uneasy. It wasn't like the sick disgusted feeling he got when he was around the siblings, more like the wary frustration he felt when reading a book he didnt quite understand or trying to learn a move with a new weapon that he couldn't master. Since the moment Egan had arrived at the Institute he had done nothing but be respectful and hold his head high with an obvious sense of honor that seemed to radiate from him. On a lesser person it would come off as arrogance or vanity but in the southerners honest eyes it was pure and commanded a certain level of respect. Oliver had assumed that there wasn't much more to the guy then a useless set of morals and a polite smile until he had found him in the alley with the siblings. That's what bothered him most, the surprise of never having seen this betrayal coming. Of course, he didn't know the guy and had hardly said a word to him until now but even as they spoke his confusion seemed only to grow. Was it that he was seeking some sort of approval, something he hasn't found at the Institute? Or maybe there really was just evil hidden behind those seemingly honest eyes. Or maybe it wasn't either of those... The thought made Oliver faulted, his brows furrowing in thought without his notice. What if this kid was just the smartest out of the rest of the morons at the Institute, what if he had the same thought Oliver had in that last crucial moment outside of the alley with Mikki at his side. Could he have an ally standing next to him and not even know it? If that was the case, how could he possibly find out without betraying his own alterier motives for being there. In the case he was wrong, giving away his position to this guy could mean game over for him. He would have to be careful, keep his eyes on the kid and wait until he gave some sort of sign that he was no friend of the Ravenscars. Pulling his gaze away from Egan at last, he let his eyelids fall shut as the possibilities of not facing these two alone raced through his mind. He figured it wouldn't hurt to start picking at the boy a bit to feel him out, see if he could get a sense of what team he was on.
"The beatings aside though, it's nice to get out of that stuffy old place. If I had to spend another moment around those goodie-goodies I probably would have started pulling my own hair out. I would imagine it's difficult for any of them to fight well with sticks shoved so far up their asses." Cracking open an eye, he peered at Egan to gauge his respoce, praying to the angel to catch some sign on the boys face that he wasn't completely alone.

Egan seemed to be more interested in his water bottle's cap at the moment to notice Oliver's trained eyes studying him. Though his hairs did alert him that he was being stared at. Maybe not judged like he was, but he was aware nonetheless. His own mind was reeling. Should he tell this guy he hardly knew why he was really here? That his motives weren't completely one-sided. That he was acting just to get close to the head of the snake and chop it off. He wasn't sure if he could trust this Oliver. Since day one he got the sense that he didn't want friends. He always seemed stand-offish, but Egan had come to see that it was the way of most Shadowhunters. Still he was being cautious and wary. Until he saw something in the boy's expressions or eyes that told him he could trust him. Right now all he saw was a boy who murdered a mundane, probably someone he had spent years with, like it was nothing. It wasn't nothing to Egan and he peered at his bruised and cut up knuckles. Then Oliver spoke and for a moment, his fists clenched in sudden anger that he spoke of the Institute and it's patrons in that manner. These same people who took him in, gave him shelter, trained him. It was astounding that no one ever saw this betrayal coming. But Egan calmed himself and looked up with a lazy grin. "I dunno... I think I'd take the stuffy, antique place to this dank, moldy building. At least there we wouldn't have the fear of dying from black mold." He joked, keeping his grin. He needed to test this guy, see if he'd give away his true reasons for being here. See if he had a friend of sorts. "Say... How long had you lived with those yankees anyway?" He asked, forcing himself to sound disgusted with the people of the Institute. In the back of his mind though he was thinking of Vanessa and how much she must hate him now.

Had Oliver not been watching so closely, he would have missed that moment of anger that flashed across Egan's normally reserved features. The moment of clenched fists was enough though, he was almost sure of it. Making the decision to trust this guy could be the difference between life or death for Oliver but having a friend could also mean the end to the siblings. He decided it was worth it to put himself out there, if the worst should happen he could just kill the guy and say that he had revealed himself as a traitor
"Not too long before you got there..." He spoke slowly, analyzing the boys easy smile. Egan was very skilled at keeping his composure but there was the slightest bit of unase behind those bright eyes.
"She's fine you know, the mundane. I didn't kill her." Oliver kept his eyes locked on the boys face, watching for a sign that he had made the right decision or the hint that he would soon have to fight.

((So sorry!! Time just flew by!))

Egan unscrewed his cap and took another long swallow of his drink. Even that simple motion caused him to grimace and he was in shape. The way the siblings fought was almost like controlled chaos. To others it would seem sporadic and crazed, but it wasn't. They knew exactly what they were doing. He cracked his neck and set his bottle down on the dusty floor boards beside him. Oliver's voice seemed careful when he spoke next and Egan closed his eyes for a moment, just listening to that tone. See if he could hear a quiver or a rise in pitch. The smallest hint of anything. He could tell the guy was choosing his words carefully, but who wouldn't right now? Without really knowing one another and their true intentions. The next words though almost stilled his beating heart. A heart that he had finally gotten under control. Now it was pounding against his chest. Was this a trick? Was he trying to catch him off guard and catch him in his treachery? Egan slowly pried his eyes open like what Oliver had said was no big deal. "Now that's a good one." He said softly, coolly as his eyes looked the boy's face over. He heard the slightest hint of a quiver and with they way his eyes were staring at him Egan wondered if he was telling the truth. "And how do I know this ain't just some ploy of yours?" He asked with a raised brow. If what he said was true, then he didn't help kill an innocent human, but the bruises on his knuckles were real. He did beat her, he did stab her, even if it was in a place that wouldn't be fatal. He blinked a few times and inhaled, his eyes not leaving Oliver's. "I didn't give her a fatal wound neither." He decided to tell him the truth and see how he reacted. If he was wrong in his readings of him and Oliver attacked him, there was a rather large piece of glass by his thigh that he could use as a weapon. Egan only hoped he wasn't wrong.

Oliver felt his shoulders involuntarily sag with relief at the other boy's words, as if a weight had been lifted from him. It came both from not being immediately attacked and at the thought that Mikki may be okay.
"That means she's probably okay... Mikki is okay." He whispered to himself as a smile found it's way to his lips without his consent. It only lingered for a moment before being replaced with a frown at the realization that her safety had meant so much, that annoying mundane that he had loathed... But his inconvenient stirring of compassion wasn't something he had time to get nauseated over at the moment. Turning his face away from Egan with a silent prayer that the other hadn't seen his smile, he busied himself by retying his already tyed boots.
"It had been Bridget and Vanessa who we heard coming. She's in good hands." Not willing to let himself linger on the thought of Bridget, he quickly added.
"What made you do it? Why'd you risk everything to come here. You hardly even know anyone there that they hurt." He supposed it was what any proper shadowhunter would do, it was there job but even still. This kid beat up a mundane, something that clearly haunted him and put his life in danger to come with the two psychopaths alone. He was either really brave or really stupid. Oliver figured it was probably a good combination of both

Egan watched the boy's movements, expectant and calculating. Expecting Oliver to jump at him and yell out 'ah-ha! I've got you spy!' but he didn't and he relaxed a little. Usually Egan was the picturesque of cool and calm, but being here, in the abandoned place with the thought of the siblings retuning at any moment, set him on edge. "Hopefully." He muttered, his eyes leaving Oliver's relieved face to take a gander at his bruised and cut knuckles. Every night since then he has seen her face, felt the blows over and over, the warmth of her blood. It was more than a nightmare to him, a haunting that wouldn't leave. Egan wasn't sure if it ever would. Hearing Vanessa's name made him look over at the boy, who was... Retying an already tied shoe? A little strange but Egan glossed over it. Vanessa... She probably hated him and Egan couldn't figure out why that bothered him so much. He shrugged at the boy's next question, "I could ask you the same." He muttered as he looked to the guy's face. "I... Couldn't just stand by while they got away. I had a feeling... The entire time they were at the Institute that something was off and... I did nothing to stop it or question it." He told him, thinking that would be enough to justify his actions. He felt that it was his fault this all happened he needed to rectify it. Maybe it was courageous or completely insane, but he did it, here he was in the lion's den.

Oliver fixed a glare on a stray beam of sunlight  that had made its way through the boarded up windows. The yellow glow illuminated the swirling dust motes, highlighting their dance as they slowly sank back to the floor where the thick layer of filth had been before their previous ass - whooping had disturbed it.

"I'm here because that bastard put a knife in my parabatais back. I won't stop until I return the favor." He finally said after a long silence. Turning his gaze back to the boy, he opened his mouth to say something else when the door to the warehouse crashed open with the protesting squeal of rusty hinges, cutting off any words he was about to say. Jumping to his feet at the noise, Oliver didn't have time to pretend as if he and Egan were still practicing before Kelebs hulking form appeared in the doorway. The glaringlight from behind him made it difficult to make out his features but his body seemed strangely shaped, one shoulder humped. It wasn't until he slammed the heavy door shut behind him, swallowing everything in darkness once more that Oliver could make out that he had Lexi thrown over one shoulder.

His heart skipped a beat as his eyes adjusted once more and his gaze found the fresh blood that covered her. He didn't have time to decide if his reaction was because he was pleased that the female shadowhunter was injured or if it was something else that made him hold his breath as her  brother pulled her off of his shoulder and slammed her down onto the rotting floor, sending up a whole new cloud of dust to swirl around her. Kelebs boot shot out so fast she didn't have time to react as it met her ribs, again and again.  
" Look at you! No better than the rest of those pathetic cowards at the institute! You had one job and you couldn't even do that right. I should have left you there for those disgusting wolves to tear apart!" Kaleb was screaming as he kicked her, delivering one final blow before pulling her up by the front of the shirt.Just before Kelebs fist could collide with her face, Oliver made the seemingly unconscious decision to move. Clearing the room in a few steps, he tackled the massive shadowhunter to the floor, knocking Lexi out of her brothers hand in the process. Oliver received the teeth rattling blow the had been meant for her plus a few more meant just for him. Rolling away from the attack, they both got to their feet, Kaleb breathing hard, more out of his crazed frenziethan because of the exertions of trying to bash Olivers head in.

"What the hell do you think you're doing." He growled, his dark eyes narrowed and colored with rage.

"If she messed up the mission, don't you think Slade would want to deal with her himself? I may be wrong here but I don't think he'd appreciate you beating her to death without his approval." Oliver knew it was a long shot but he didn't have a better answer off the top of his bead, for all he knew Slade gave a pay raise to employees that beat their sisters to death. Mercifully,  Kaleb seemed to consider his words, his crazed eyes flicking back and forth from Lexi to Oliver. With a snarl, the brute turned on his heel and stalked out of the room to go torture some small animal in a dark corner somewhere Oliver figured. Slowly approaching Lexis bloodied form, he knelt beside her, trying to get a look at her wounds.
"You okay?" He asked hesitantly,  unsure if his help would be appreciated or was going to get him stabbed.

Yeah so Egan didn't know what it meant to have a parabatai. He hadn't had that chance to feel that connection but he was sure he could understand how it must've felt to see his friend stabbed and killed. He would've done the same thing, actually. Hell he was here and he didn't know any of the people back at the Institute. Perhaps now, if he succeeded, or died trying, he'd get the family name back on the map. Some kind of recognition. That was all he wanted. "I would've done the same. I'll help you get your revenge." Egan told him seriously, that care-free persona gone from his face as he looked up at him. He gave him his help even if Oliver didn't want it. Two were better than one, especially here, in hell. He grabbed his bottle and rolled it around on his neck, the coolness invigorating.

The sensation didn't last long because a large beam of sunlight came bursting through the dank building, making Egan cover his eyes until they adjusted to the bright light. It was then, seeing the shadowed shape that his adrenaline was spiked again and quickly he was to his feet, bottle on its side on the floor. When the door closed he was able to see why the shape was so hunched. Kaleb was carrying his sister's body and a small smirk played at his lips. That is until he dropped her like a sack of potatoes and began kicking the shit out of her. Egan stepped forward, but stopped himself. That would be stupid, trying to stop him and raise flags. Plus if he killed his own sister, there would be just one. He was thinking while Oliver was not because he sprang into action. Hurling himself on Kaleb and tackling him to the floor.

Egan walked a few steps up, if he needed to jump in for Oliver's sake, he would. But he didn't need to. He made sure to look amused at the small altercation and the facade dropped once Kaleb ran out. He withdrew his breath and walked over to where Oliver was next to Lexi's body. "What the hell was that?" He asked in a hushed yell as he looked from Oliver to Lexi and back to Oliver. They could've been down a sibling and Oliver ruined it. Egan needed to make sure he could trust this guy, that he wasn't getting attached to Lexi with all the time they spent together. "Do you feel something for her? I need to know man... If I can trust you to do what's necessary when it comes to her." He said in a quieted voice before Lexi woke.

Alexia wasn't unconscious for long, a fact that she would soon come to rue. Light started highlighting the edges of her visions, taking away the dark. She could suddenly feel the rough hands that held her to an even rougher body. She couldn't help the cringe of foreboding that jolted down her wind-numbed body. She knew her brother had every intention of returning the pain the merciful wind had relieved her of. Over and over and over again. His hurt pride would be a formidable thing.
The rough hands holding her released at the exact moment Lexi regained full consciousness. Her back hit the dusty, cement floor with a sickening thud, that made every muscle in her body scream for mercy. The only good thing about this beating was her brother's raging anger. When in a calm contemplative mood, Kaleb could drag out a torture for days. But, his temper would crave a flood of pain, all at once. The pain would be unlike anything she had ever endured, but it wouldn't last long. Sure enough, her back hadn't made contact with the ground for more than a millisecond, when Kaleb's booted foot collided with Lexi's already bruised stomach. The pain also proved as blinding as she'd predicted. Maybe she should could replace the crazy bitch wolf as the seer. But, only if she came out of this without any brain damage. Which seemed unlikely.
Lexi supposed that most people would start to wonder, at this point, if some Almighty being was seconds away from soaring down and smiting the hell out of their dastardly attacker. She took a moment to visualize that situation and almost immediately broke out into crazed laugher, that soon turned into a moan by another kick. Sure, she was a Nephilim, descended from Angels. But, she had long ago turned her back on the white-winged way of things. For all she knew, Jesus Christ himself could be standing on the side lines, eating popcorn and cheering her brother on. Maybe each blow was a mark, checking off all the sins she had committed. They seemed unending enough. Here came another kick, followed by another, and, surprise, another came soon after. Come on, brother dear. You haven't even scraped the surface of my black, little heart.
Hands suddenly gripped her blood-soaked top, wrenching her up from the cold concrete. She had come to appreciate the coolness it had offered. But, Kaleb was having none of that. She felt the almost unnoticeable whoosh of the air, displaced by Kaleb's retracting arm. She'd long ago shut her eyes against her attacker, so she could only guess that a punch was coming her way. Might be a nice change of pace.
However, the punch never came. Instead, she was released to slap against the floor. She definitely appreciated the return, but wondered at her brother's repetition. If she had felt it worth the risk, she might have scoffed at his lack of creativity. Through the loud screams crying out from her injuries, Lexi was able to discern the sound of scuffling and then voices. She listened to Oliver's words, shocked at his involvement, as well as what his words implied. A new fear came forward. She hadn't even thought of what Slade would do when he found her failure out. Nothing good could come from that meeting. Lexi's body curled in, trying to protect herself from just the thought.
Kaleb quickly stormed out after that. She heard his heated steps recede, heard the hushed words uttered by first Oliver and then Egan. Oliver's words were enough to send her into the instantaneous rages she was known for, giving her the strength to open her eyes and form somewhat of a sitting up position. Beaten or not, Alexia Ravenscar could always count on her rage. It ran even deeper than pain.
"Am I okay? You should be worried about your own filthy skin, sweetie," Lexi spat out, inching ever closer to his disgustingly concerned face. "Because, when I get all healed up, and you know I will, I'll come looking for you. By playing the valiant knight, you've only served to give me more of a beating. He wasn't finished, and he'll be back. Do you realize that?!"
Her voice became strained at the end. She had let her fear of that future beating peek through her words. She had to get out of this room, away from the two pairs of eyes that only wanted to see her make more and more mistakes. Because she was obliging them.
With a bit-back cry, Lexi heaved herself up with a strength even she was surprised of, and turned towards her 'room'. The walk seemed to take forever, and, with her injuries, it was no surprise that her going was slow. Her rage was leaving her with every step, so that, by the time she made it into one of the abandoned offices, she felt once again close to blacking out. She needed her stele, needed to draw a healing rune. A very strong healing rune. After fumbling around on the dusty table for a while, Lexi seized the cool metal, collapsed in a rickety chair, and set to work.
"This is my mother's stele. Slade gifted it to me after I had finished my training. She was killed when I was four, by Slade himself. She didn't deserve that honor. She was weak and so was my father. I kept it to remind me of that weakness. But, I guess I'm not that much different from them, after all," Lexi recounted, speaking to an empty room. But, she knew it wasn't empty. She'd heard Oliver's almost silent footsteps cross over the threshold of the room.
"I honestly don't know why I'm telling you this. Maybe it's because you're weak too," Lexi finished the last rune, setting the stele pack on the table. She turned towards Oliver, trying to conjure another menacing look. But, the last of her rage had left her, leaving her face pale and drawn with a bone weariness.
"You need to leave. Now."

Oliver glanced from Lexi to Egan, letting out a frustrated sigh as the other boys words sunk in. He had acted without thinking the situation through, he knew Egan was right and how it must have looked to his newly found ally but he also knew there was no way he could have just stood there and watched someone get beaten to death when they couldn’t defend themselves, even if she was a psychopath.
“Of course I don’t.” He hissed at the other boy, keeping an eye on Lexi to make sure she wasn’t listening.
“I can. And I will. Just… Not like that.” He shot Egan a look as the girl began to stir, her harsh words making him scoot out of her reach as she tried to pull herself up. Injured or no, he wouldn’t underestimate her ability to do some damage.
"Because, when I get all healed up, and you know I will, I'll come looking for you. By playing the valiant knight, you've only served to give me more of a beating. He wasn't finished, and he'll be back. Do you realize that?!" Oliver resisted the urge to reach out and help her up as he ignored her threats, not able to take her venom seriously when she couldn’t hold herself up. He was sure she was right about her brother, but at least when he came for her the next time she may at least be conscious and if he decided to come for Oliver for stepping in then it would just be the excuse he needed to put a blade in the bastards black heart.

Remaining silent until Lexi slowly managed to limp her way from the room, he turned to Egan.
“I know how this looks. But this could be my opportunity to gain something close to trust with her. Kaleb is never going to trust me but I may be able to get her to start letting her guard down. You’re the one Kaleb is most impressed by, if you can try getting close to him. If we bide our time and at least get them to stop watching us so closely then maybe we can have a chance here.” Oliver tried to offer the other boy a smile as he moved to follow Lexi’s bloody footprints, hesitating after a step and glancing back at Egan almost shyly. He hadn’t realized how relived he was to know that he wasn’t alone in this nightmare and of all the people that could have decided to run off to play hero, he was lucky it was someone like Egan. He just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by trusting the guy.
“Hey… I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice knowing I’m not in this alone…” He said quietly before turning ad crossing the rest of the distance out of the room.

Without knocking, Oliver slipped quietly into the room Lexi had managed to nearly crawl into, shutting the door behind him. The room was plunged once more into almost complete darkness, the only light coming from two small cracks in the boarded up window on the far side of the office. As his eyes adjusted, he could see the girls outline, slumped in a chair as she attempted to draw a healing rune on herself. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to find when following her, but the almost soft words she spoke about her mother wasn’t it .
“Yeah, I’m weak.” He admitted as she finished, crossing the room to crouch down in front of where she sat, drawing out his own stele.
“But at least I can draw a better iratze than that.” Without her consent, he gently took hold of her wrist, turning it to expose the soft, pale skin of her inner arm, pressing the tip of his stele to her skin to draw the delicate pattern with a practiced hand.
“Then maybe when I’m done you’ll have enough strength to make me leave. ‘Cause I’m not going willingly.”

Egan stared at Oliver with muddled confusion and a hint of anger. Why had he risked his life for someone who gladly took the life of a friend of his? Egan wouldn't understand it. He'd simply stand back. Yes, admittedly, it was hard to watch. Kaleb kicking the shit out of his sister who was defenseless, but it was a great move on this chessboard game they were playing. They were getting one of the pieces out of the way. Or so Egan had thought, he was able to hold himself back and look at the big picture but he wasn't sure if he could work with a guy who was more impulsive than he was. When he spoke, Egan sank back on his heels. Yeah so he was relieved to hear his words. Oliver had no feelings towards her. "Good. Keep it that way." He remarked in a whisper as the girl began to stir and Egan stood up and backed away a little. If they were going to win, Oliver would have to do things he wouldn't like. And he wondered if he would. If he wasn't willing to sacrifice Lexi to Kaleb because it wasn't right, what else wouldn't he do? Egan chewed at the inside of his lip as the girl reamed Oliver for stepping in. Should've known that. When she slinked away towards her room, his eyes fell back on Oliver.

He was right in that sense. Egan nodded, "good luck. Try not to get caught. I'd hate to be the only one left in this." He joked, his southern charm coming through once again. That easy demeanor on full display now that he wasn't so tense. When Oliver headed towards the door Egan paused and looked around. He wasn't sure where Kaleb was now. If he should go after him or stay here and practice and eventually the guy would show back up. Then Oliver spoke and his attention went back to his only.... Friend? Egan supposed so, at least in this place. Egan gave him a lazy drawl of a smile and nodded. He felt the same way, of course, right now, he was alone and he took in a deep breath. He wasn't sure if he was happy that Kaleb took more of an interest in him or not. Really Kaleb scared him more. If what had just happened was any indication of his moods and what not, Egan didn't want to be his pupil. He'd rather have the girl, put on the southern charm for her and she'd be melting. Maybe. Probably not since she was the sister of Kaleb. Either way Egan wasn't looking forward to getting Kaleb's trust.

With a sigh and a hand roughing up his hair he walked outside. Kaleb had to be somewhere around here right?

“Yeah, I’m weak.”
Lexi let out a frustrated breath of air. Her objective had been to offend him enough that he'd leave, not to invite him into a conversation of their shared trait. Apparently ordering him around, like she usually did, wasn't going to work either. That really wasn't that much of a surprise, though. Lexi should have known that such a pitifully given order wouldn't stand a chance of being followed.
Oliver continued to make his way past the debris of the room, completely ignoring the fearsome look that she was still trying and failing to conjure. All she wanted to do was lick her shameful wounds in a dark corner, and then quickly forget about it. Lexi had a ruthless killer reputation to uphold! Didn't he understand any of that?
“But at least I can draw a better iratze than that," Oliver stated, kneeling down in front of her. It took Lexi a moment to figure out what exactly he was about, figuring that he just wanted a closer look at her shame. Then he drew out his own stele, and, without pausing to look up at her reaction, brought the warm tip of the metal to her skin. A gasp escaped her lips upon contact. This time, though, it wasn't from pain. Under her own hand, the process of Marking had never been a pleasant one. But, Lexi had never willingly given someone else that power over her. Oliver had taken that, and it made her more frustrated than she had ever been. On one side, she was infuriated at his blatant lack of fear in her. On the other, the warm tingling that was currently pulsing out from her arm couldn't be described as anything but good. She immediately felt more energized, which would probably prove to be a bad thing for Oliver in the end. 
“Then maybe when I’m done you’ll have enough strength to make me leave. ‘Cause I’m not going willingly.”
Lexi inwardly sighed with relief at his last words. His actions had been leaning towards something that was sure to put him right back in her line of angry fire. But, his words implied something else entirely, something that she was more than happy to deal with. It was actually just what she needed.
"Darling, if that's what you wanted this whole time, you should have just told me. Or, showed me. I like it when you play the insolent, rebellious boy hero. You play it so well. Which makes it even more fun breaking you," Lexi purred, feeling a little bit more like herself. Yanking the stele from his hands, she tossed it to the side, freeing her hands to drape around the neck of the Shadowhunter at her feet. Kneeling. That was new and oh so delicious. Clever boy.
"You were this close to being in real trouble, and not the kind of trouble that I know you enjoy oh so much. For a second there, I actually thought I saw..." Lexi's mouth suddenly snapped shut. Her piercing, green eyes focused before igniting with a light that few lived to remember. All playful softness left, as she recoiled away from Oliver.
"Now, you really need to leave," Lexi ordered, pure rage lacing her every word. There was no tiredness this time, no sign of weakness. She should have expected this.
The room wasn't big, but Lexi needed to put as much distance between herself and Oliver as possible. Turning her back, she stalked the few feet allowed to the small mattress that had been brought in. Lexi had baulked at the depravity and had immediately demanded silk sheets. Currently, she couldn't have cared if the mattress was covered with burlap sacks. She sat down hard, rumpling the soft fabric. Her hand shot out and seized the dagger and stone she'd placed on the ground earlier that day. Channeling all her anger into the task, Lexi set about sharpening the blade, pretending all the while that the stone was Oliver's face.
It had only taken a moment's clear, de-lustified look into his eyes, and she had spotted it. Most of her lovers stared at her with varying degrees of reverence and lust. They claimed to love her, but it was her body they loved. Oliver's eyes usually held a mixture of lust and hatred. The fact that he hated her had no effect on her whatsoever. Hate was a detachment, easily dealt with and molded into something useful. A look of caring, however, was deadly. Caring involved seeing inside a person, baring your entire self to their gaze. Oliver couldn't possibly care for her. He didn't know her! That one story hadn't come close to what lay beneath her skin. A full glimpse would leave him reeling. And, then the pity would come. The pity, disgust, and ultimately betrayal. Oliver would use what he saw against her, somehow. Anyone would.  
He should have stayed hating her.

"Darling, if that's what you wanted this whole time, you should have just told me. Or, showed me. I like it when you play the insolent, rebellious boy hero. You play it so well. Which makes it even more fun breaking you," Oliver had to hold back an exasperated sigh as he watched Lexis features fall from her feeble attempt at intimidation and slip into the seductive mask she wore so well. It hadn’t taken long for Oliver to identify her two commonly used defense mechanisms, seduction and intimidation. He could only imagine how it was being raised next to her brute of a brother who only ever needed to rely on his terrifying size and cold eyes to get the job done. Lexi had probably learned early on that she, being the smaller and obviously female one of the pair needed to rely on other talents when her small size and delicate features failed to horrify her enemies with just a look like Kaleb could. Not that she wasn’t terrifying in her own way, there was something far more menacing about an opponent that you knew would kill you without a second thought but you couldn’t stop yourself from wanting to be close to despite the danger. If anything, it made her more threatening than her brother. Although this time, despite the low purr of her voice and the sultry way she slowly slipped her arms around his neck after tossing his stele aside, Oliver just couldn’t buy the act. For the first time her advances just made him sad.

“That’s not why I came in here.” He spoke softly, his hands finding the curving shape of her hips as they both got to their feet, though instead of pulling her closer, he kept a firm hold on her to keep their bodies from pressing together. Their gaze met and for a moment, she stared back at him, her vibrant green eyes not holding any trace of seduction or anger for the first time since he had met her but it was gone as fast as it came, instantly replaced by a new wave of cold fury. There was no longer any weariness in her gaze or her movements as she pulled away from him, stalking to the other side of the small room in a flash and seizing up her blade. For a moment he thought she was truly going to attack him, until she plopped down onto her small mattress, the violent motion the most ungraceful thing he had seen her do.

Oliver’s gaze slid from her to the door, both only a few feet away from him in opposite directions, it would be just as easy to just silently slip out of the room once more, and probably a hell of a lot safer but something that he couldn’t explain, and would probably come to regret held him still. He knew what she had seen in that moment their gaze had met, knew that she had seen through him to the unjustified pity he had been feeling for her. He couldn’t blame her for her reaction, if there was one thing he hated more than anything else, it was pity. If he had time to stop and think about what he was doing, he would have taken the time to remind himself that this monster didn’t deserve pity or kindness, she deserved to die in the same brutal way that she had helped kill Jasper with, but in this moment all he could see was the broken shell of a girl that could have had a chance to be someone different. He knew how exhausting it was to keep yourself so hidden behind walls so high that after a while you stop even being able to see yourself anymore.

Crossing to the other end of the room, away from where she was sitting, Oliver went to the small, dirt caked sink the sat nuzzled into a small counter near the door. After jiggling the knob for a moment, the distinct protest of creaky pipes could be heard in the walls before a thin stream of water trickled from the faucet. The liquid was freezing but it seemed clean enough. For lack of a better option, Oliver pulled his t-shirt off over his head before running it under the icy water, getting the black fabric damp before shutting off the faucet with another rusty creak of metal. Tossing the wet shirt across his shoulder, Oliver began to take slow deliberate steps towards the furious girl, making sure she knew that he was coming. It was probably just going to give her time to attack him before he got across the room, but at least he didn’t run the risk of startling her while she had a weapon in her hand. When he made it to the bed in one piece, he crouched down in from of her once more, his hands reaching out to catch her wrists, stilling the frenzied motions Lexi had been making with the blade. She had proved repeatedly that he didn’t stand a chance against her in a fight on a good day, but in her still weakened state he had every intention of using the fact that he was currently stronger than her to his advantage. Holding her delicate wrists with one hand, he pulled the items from her grasp with the other, sliding them far enough away on the dirty floor so that they were beyond her immediate reach before pulling the wet shirt off of his shoulder.

“Do you remember when we first met?” He started, moving the fabric up to her to begin slowly wiping away the blood that stained her ivory skin.

“You happened to walk into my life at one of the worst times but you gave me something no one else could at that moment. A distraction. Whether it was part of your big game or not, it doesn’t matter because it helped.” His voice was steady as he continued to wipe the blood from her, starting with her hands and working his way up.

“Let me repay the favor. Not in the way you did for me… but maybe for now we can just forget who we are and what we’re doing here and just drop the bullshit for one night.” When he reached up to wipe the smear of blood from her cheek, he caught her gaze again. This time he knew there was no pity in his eyes, not even a real caring. This time all he could convey was understanding. Understanding that they both had a specific job to do, whether the other was aware of what it was the other needed to do or not was irrelevant. Oliver had no delusions that there was anything good left in Alexia Ravenscar and he knew that when the time came, he would have to kill her, but he figured that harsh reality could wait for one more night.

Lexi tried to keep her focus on the blade in her hand, but her mind kept straying to the other person in the room. Oliver wasn't leaving, and she was a second away from flinging the dagger she held in his general direction. She'd throw to miss, of course. The boy just didn't get it. It wasn't safe to be around her right now, not when she was so full of rage and disappointment. Disappointment most of all.
Finally, Lexi heard the creak of floor boards underneath his feet. Music to her ears, until she realized they weren't headed out. Whipping her head up, she cautiously watched as Oliver made his way over to the only, grimy sink her room had to offer. She saw his muscles strain slightly, heard the crack of rust, as the metal knob bent to his will. A groan came from inside the walls, most likely from long dormant pipes being forced to carry water again. Lexi had no idea what purpose dirty water was going to serve and was even more confused when Oliver shrugged off his shirt. A sudden sharp pain drew her gaze down to her hands. A small line of crimson red blood was sliding down the pad of her thumb. Apparently, she'd unknowingly squeezed the dagger in her hand, resulting in the offending cut. Lexi quickly wiped away the blood and picked up her sharpening stone, setting into her work with renewed focus and frustration. She was acting like a goddamn catholic school girl! Lexi had seen every inch of skin that boy had to offer, so why the hell was she acting so mental?
Said boy was soon upon her, once again present when all she wanted was for him to leave. Her forced concentration on her tools was soon removed, along with the tools. Oliver's hands were rough as they circled around her wrists. Lexi struggled, looking up at his face with death in her eyes. But, she was still too injured to even compare to his healthy strength.
"You know, for someone who doesn't want to ruffle my sheets, you do seem to be trying to dress for the part," Lexi hissed, kicking out with everything she had. He didn't even seem phased.
“Do you remember when we first met?”
Oliver's question stunned her into an immediate stillness. Of all the questions he could ask, he chose to voice that one? She would have put money on "Why the hell did you conspire to help kill my best friend?" or "Why exactly are you such a stone cold bitch?". But, this one she hadn't seen coming. That, and the fact that he seemed to be trying to clean her healing wounds. The touch of the cloth sent chills down her spine, for more reasons than the coldness of the soaked up water.
“You happened to walk into my life at one of the worst times but you gave me something no one else could at that moment. A distraction. Whether it was part of your big game or not, it doesn’t matter because it helped," Oliver continued, his voice calm and clear as he continued to move the cloth.
"No thanks needed, sweetheart. You weren't the only one to get something out of our little tumbles," Lexi replied, trying to tug back some of the control she had lost. She might not have her strength, but her tongue never lost it's supply of lusty retorts.
“Let me repay the favor. Not in the way you did for me… but maybe for now we can just forget who we are and what we’re doing here and just drop the bullshit for one night," Oliver carried on, his emphasis on 'bullshit' the only sign that he had even heard her words.
Lexi fixed her eyes on him again, maybe to try out another verbal slap. But, the look in his eyes stopped her before she could even form the words. The pity was gone. In it's place was something she'd never seen in someone else's eyes before, not even her brother's. Understanding. She knew deep down that the boy was a good actor, she'd seen enough to know that. But, this was real, and she believed it immediately. Lexi had no idea what her end game was, she honestly never had. But, for some reason, this boy understood what she couldn't. And, vice versa.
The exhaustion from earlier suddenly returned, ten-fold. Her face was a window into that utter lack of energy. Lexi noticed the moment when Oliver saw it, giving one last tug on her hands. They came free and, in the same motion, she fell back on the mattress, turning away from him for the final time that night.
"Believe me, there are a lot of things I wish I could forget. And, that's all you're going to get," Lexi practically whispered into her pillow.
The seconds ticked by in silence. Lexi knew it would only take a few more, and she'd finally be rid of the boy. After all the commotion of a plan gone wrong, of a day that should never have happened, she'd finally be alone.
Still facing away from him, Lexi took up his hand with her own.
"You can stay."