The Vaseterm rise an eyebrow at the Nightmare " you dark creatures really don't like this stuff? Good to know" he then looked back at the cup, he did wonder what it tastes like but he wasn't going to try anything he didn't understand fully, Fairfin and Dreamer alike were odd creatures " well water in it, so what the big deal? Hot chocolate just hot water with chocolate added to it, and this one got this honest water in it now? " He pointed at Glory " how do you make it? "

" Wheatley your starting to sound like Hagatha " the female rise her eyebrow at him.

--

Anna Splash Catch " hay! I'm not the one who needed a bath!"

She giggled and did it again.

Morning Glory briefly glances at Wheatley, but only briefly, as her partner's reaction is much more concerning to her. "Um, I'll explain it to you sometime later, ok Mister Wheatley?" she tells him, then swallows and looks up at Eater.

Dreameater's eyes darken when Wheatley mentions what hot chocolate is made of, almost fully turning black this time, and he gets eerily quiet... "... Did you just say... Hot chocolate... is made with water?" he asks in a rather threatening tone.

//At this point, I don't know what can be done to calm him down...// Morning Glory thinks, biting her lip and turning various shades of green. "E-excuse me, Wheatley, why don't you just go and take that cup somewhere else for now, ok...?" she asks the Vaseterm guard with big, pleading eyes.

As she listened, Crystals eyebrows knitted together slightly, but her expression was soft as she picked up on the Elementals discomfort at first. Undoubtedly the issue with her magic was a difficult subject to talk about..

Fiona’s story, and hearing her say it was her biggest dream to be a Shadow Hunter, made the girl smile a bit more, “That’s really great. I think it’s amazing you saw so many positives and felt so passionate about it. With the little knowledge I have of the Shadow Hunters, I’m not sure I could have ever been.. courageous enough to take that kind of path.”

Crystal then nodded at what Fiona mentioned lastly, “Oh, that’s right,” she said, then added with a small laugh, “Don’t worry about the secret, I won’t mention it to just anybody,”

"Thanks a bunch! I was already pretty sure we could trust you..." Fiona said, a faint proud look on her after hearing Crystal's compliments.
"I still wanna run on that path! Even if things haven't gone exactly the way I thought they would...
Y'know... You're pretty much already on the path a real Shadow Hunter takes, too. You're still fighting for the good side with us. I think you've been /really/ courageous!"

Something about that stuck with the Elemental. Things didn't quite fit together. "...But... With the kind of life you've lived, and if Shadow Hunters are new to you... How /did/ you end up with our group...?" She had no ill intentions with her thought process, but said it in a rather bold manner. This realization only hit her a moment later, so she quickly added, "...If you don't mind me asking!"

Crystal smiled a bit when Fiona said she thought the girl had been courageous, “Thank you,” she replied genuinely, then turned her gaze forward as they went on and added, “I haven’t had many moments where I feel like I’ve been anything like that, but if you or the others think so, then I guess that’s where it counts the most.”

The girl then soon nodded at the next question, “Yeah it’s alright, and in all honesty, I’m not even entirely sure myself. I have bits and pieces but.. not the full story really.” She had to think for a moment about how to go about telling the story, but figured it out enough to start, “A long and confusing story short, the Ruler of my homeland didn’t like those of us with magic, he was doing everything he could to basically wipe us out.. And somewhere along the line he and Malice somehow made a deal for me. We don’t have much magic at all back home, one of the only things other than those like me is what we call The Pond. What goes in has never come back out, and I ended up getting sent through it..”

Crystal chewed at her lip a bit and finished with, “According to Victoria, I wouldn’t have ended up anywhere good. She managed to somehow intervene and got me to land in a place where I would eventually come across the others one by one, and although no one even knew me, I was offered to tag along with the forming group.. And I guess since I’m here now you can tell that I accepted.”

Fiona stared at Crystal with wide eyes, "The guy in charge over there must be a real jerk to do something like that! You've never done anything but help people with your magic!" The Elemental's brow furrowed and she folded her arms as her thoughts settled in her mind.
"...That had to have been really hard, though. I'm thankful Victoria helped you get somewhere safe."

This answered a lot of her questions, but created even more.
"I wonder why Malice was involved... Or what we could do about your home, too."

The girl gave a confirming nod when the Elemental called her homes Ruler a jerk. She tilted her head a bit afterwards and said, “I know.. There was never any issues that arose from our magic, so it’s always been a confusing situation and no one really knows the true cause of it..”

Crystal then let out a small sigh, “I’m really thankful to her too.. With some of the knowledge I have now, I’m sure I would have never survived any of the bad places..”

She thought on the last couple statements for a moment, “I’m not sure what or if anything can be done for my home, but as far as Malice goes.. I guess it just probably had something to do with me being chosen to be a part of all this in the first place, or maybe my magic due to its effect on Nightmares and other evil things. Since learning about his involvement, I haven’t been able to think of any solid answer, or anything that seemed at least most likely.”

Wheatley was not expecting the Nightmare to have /that/ kind of reaction to something like hot chocolate... // this monster is nuts...// just stared at Eater, he did move his hand to be really to defend himself if the Nightmare would become even more hostile, he would have draw his weapon if it wasn't for the Fairfin.

He flexed his fingers and anticipation and cut his eyes briefly before locking them on the darken Nightmares " sure, but if he kills or hurts anyone over some..." he was about to call the hot chocolate stupid but thought that might be what end up setting the crazy Nightmare off so he left that part out " hot chocolate, I'll make sure he doesn't leave his cell " and with that Wheatley grab the mug and goes to get rid of it, he gives a frustrated look to his coworker, a lot of why do they have to put up with this? Kind of look before leaving.

Now Fiona's eyes narrowed. She tried going over what she knew to see if anything more would stick about Malice. "Your magic has a special effect on Nightmares and evil stuff?" The Elemental hadn't heard about that yet, but it did make sense to her. "...You do have a really cool kind of magic! I think that could be part of it... And definitely you being a part of our group!"

Kyle glanced back at the two women, "The teleporters are right around this corner." he let them know ahead of time.

Crystal nodded again, “Yeah. I’m not sure what it does to them exactly, but I do know it hurts them.. A lot.. When Eater had me link with Glory I used some of my magic on her to help things along, and even though it wasn’t directly directed at him, he still ended up in a lot of pain.. And I wasn’t even using much either. ..I’m honestly a little worried about what would happen if I did actually try and fully use it on a Nightmare..”

The girl went quiet after that, but looked up at Kyle when he spoke and let them know about the teleporters, “Ah, okay.”

Fiona let out a 'hmmm' at first...
But when Kyle informed them that they were close, she made sure to spot said corner right away so she knew where to go. "Alright!"

After the turn, they headed down a hallway that was far more empty than the others. The only thing standing out were the security cameras monitoring every possible area, along with the guards stationed near the doorway to the sealed room containing the teleporter itself.
The hall was made specifically for catching anyone, or anything coming from or going to the island research facility. Its walls were lined with unseen defenses against magic and non-magic threats.

The group passed through an examination before entering the very safe room to be teleported. After their trip, they arrived at yet another very safe room.
And they would've had to go through a second examination--during both times Fiona would've felt the strange, disappointing sensation of not having a particular big weapon for them to look at.
After that, there would just be a short walk through the facility to get to Crimson's room.

Morning Glory breathes out a sigh as Dreameater slowly slides back down into his seat, his eyes still darkened with anger.

Glory lets him sit there quietly until he slowly leans forward, covering his face with his hands. "... I'm sure they get the message. I don't think you'll have to worry too much about hot chocolate anymore," she says, trying her best to encourage him.

Dreameater doesn't say anything yet.

The little splashes turned into a full-on water fight between Dreamcatcher and Rihanna.

Anna had the advantage with the power of the sink at her disposal, she had it turned on and her paws flattened under the spout so she could direct the water to were she wanted it in Force stream.

Catch had shielded himself of the stall door, he was thinking on what to do next// ok, maybe encouraging her was a bad idea // he made a goofy face thinking about the water mess they have to clean up after, but he had an idea already for that.

After another quiet pause, Glory sits down next to Dreameater's arm, and says, "... Catch and Anna have shared quite a lot of information about the Dreamer Princes."

Dreameater breathes out a long sigh. ".... Yeah... They have," he slowly says, "I need to get back on track... So... Yeah, Faolan survived being hunted by Malice apparently, so I guess... I don't know... There's a lot to take in."

Morning Glory smiles sadly up at him, glad that, at the very least, Eater isn't jumping straight to trying to do something. "Yes there is, and there's still more to learn," she agrees with him, "But we can take things one step at a time."
After a pause, she does say, "You know, though... Catch seemed awfully scared of the testing and stuff the Vaseterm would like to do with him."

".... Yeah... Yeah he did," Eater says, slowly pulling his hands away from his face and looking down at Glory. "It tasted pretty good," he says, though he's not using the normal smug tone he'd normally use.

Catch was thinking on how to get out of this predicament, he glace over to the toilet, sure it had water but he wasn't going to stoop that low, even if it wasn't a play fight.
There wasn't much to work with, unless he broke something or took it apart but he wasn't going to do that ether, he was a guest there and it wouldn't be right if he broke something for a game...
The Dreamer prince peak around his Shield when he knew his sister stop squirting the water, but like he figured it would be a trap!
A spray water went towards his face!

Morning Glory frowns a bit and lightly shakes her head. "That wasn't what I was getting at. Eater, I know you like seeing Catch scared and troubled, but... What's your main plan? Your main, big plan that drives everything else? You still want to stop Soledormir, right?"

"Yeah," Dreameater says, narrowing his eyes at her in thought, "I want to kill Soledormir, then I want to make sure I don't become the Nightmare King until it's safe, then I want to kill and eat all of you guys."

Morning Glory stops herself from scrunching up her nose at Eater, and instead sighs and asks, "Alright... And what do you need to stop Soledormir?"

"I need the Keys," Eater answers, but then he keeps going, "But I need you guys for that, that's why I'm saving you all for after Soledormir's dead and gone. I have to keep you alive and stuff until then. That's why I've been so determined to protect you all."

"And that includes Catch..." Glory says, "Which the poor guy's having it really hard with Cataclysm and Nightmare Syndrome, you know..."

Crystal stayed quiet as they walked through the rather empty hallway and went through the first check, and then the teleportation process, then the next checks and.. well, pretty much the whole thing.

She knew it was necessary, but being watched and examined so closely felt a little.. odd. She wasn’t sure what to think or feel exactly, because she’d never experienced anything like it, but she knew it felt.. different.

As they made their way through the facility and towards their destination, Crystal couldn’t help but fidget with her hands as some nervousness continued to build up.

Kyle continued to lead the group for now, but kept closer to Crystal and Fiona this time. He seemed to almost become a little more guard-like himself.

Fiona kept a good pace with everyone. Her gaze always ended up drifting to the surveillance cams, and how they would follow any movement. She thought it was really cool, and showed how dedicated these Vaseterm were to safety.
However, she looked back to Crystal, "Almost there, now!
...Y'know, even if Crimson doesn't wake up this time... It's always good to be there."

Dreamcatcher recoiled and hiss when the water hit his face, safe behind the door the Dreamer prince wiped his face off.

" haha! Got you again!" His sister cheered with victory.

Catch thinking fast or as fast as he could in his current state, his condition was slowing him down and he knew it // think, think, I can't rush her so I have to get her other way //he didn't have a lot to work with within a bathroom stall, and he could use he wasn't going to but maybe he was focusing to much on what was there instead of what could be used.
What could he do? This mind clicked on his Summoning // that it! Maybe something that could hold the water?// he thinks to himself, the Dreamer prince held his hands out and focused, he picture a buck in him mind, he could feel the magic flowing from him to were he was calling it, the magic took shape with his imagination and soon a shiny bucket was formed! Now with his bucket in hand the Dreamer prince had something he could use!

"Yeah... Yeah, we really need to get Cataclysm out of him," Eater agrees, frowning at his Fairfin, "That just all depends on the Vaseterm though, I don't really know how I'd help with that, other than I guess if they needed something to test it on, I could volunteer. I don't imagine they'd have other Nightmares on hand that they could experiment with." He does pause and think a little. "... Is that why you were bringing up how scared he is of stuff? I guess that's not helping Catch either..."

Morning Glory nods her head. "No, I'm sure it's not. It's likely only feeding Cataclysm more," she says. "While you were being interrogated by Angus, there was some talk about that between us as well and the scientists that you saw earlier, about Catch testing his abilities. While I do think it would be good for everyone to get an idea of what he's capable of... What do you think?"

Again, Dreameater goes quiet. "... Do you mean like his abilities like in his dark form?" he asks.

"I think they want to do both. See all of what he can do. Plus, he can only have his visions in his dark form," Glory answers.

"And they wanna do it before getting Cataclysm out?" Dreameater asks.

"Yeah, they want to try for tomorrow," Glory says.

Dreameater narrows his eyes. "I won't let them."

"Oh--hum?" Glory blinks.

"I won't let them," Eater repeats, pointing one hand out towards the bathroom where Catch is, "They'll push him over the edge! We need to get Cataclysm out first, and /then/ we can test out what all he can do, we don't need to know what he can do in his dark form! He shouldn't even have it!" Dreameater stands up again, firmly placing both of his fists on the table. "So I won't let them! I'll fight the Vaseterm if I have to, if that's what it'll take to protect Catch!"

Morning Glory smiles nervously and holds up her paws. "Oh--oh, I don't think you'd have to fight them..." she nervously laughs.

Wheatley returned just as the Nightmare was in the middle of his rant, he wanted to get defensive but was told not to jump to quickly with Dreameater, he should be ready at all times but there was a lot going on with this special Nightmare.

Wheatley looked to his coworker and asked blankly " what going on this time?"

She had been at the ready and didn't even relax when her partner came back " the two started speaking about the Prince sir, on how he scheduled for testing tomorrow... Glory voice her concerns on how that could push the prince to far and the Nightmare reacted as you seen "

The male guard slowly nodded his head as he got gist of what went down, he study the Nightmare and thought his actions were strange but he was informed of both Eater and Weaver, he just never had existed a Nightmare fused with a Dreamer would act like this, then again he never put much thought into that, if they found a cure the Nightmare would be gone in the first place.

The way the Nightmare was acting now remained him of the /eclipse/ something he knew a Nightmare wasn't capable of because Nightmares don't know love, in fact a Nightmares kill and hunt their former self loved ones. // I guess there really is a Dreamer in him...but I don't recall Dreamer having the eclipse? // ether way, he knew to treat this situation cautiously.

" I highly doubt you need to fight anyone over your buddy, he won't be put thought anything drastic, he is the queens greater grandson after all, he been getting special treatment because of that more then him being a key hunter " Wheatley stated

"Well I'm still not going to let them," Eater firmly said back to Glory, and while he of course could sense Wheately coming back, he didn't bother to turn and look at him until he spoke up. "I don't know, how can I trust people who make hot chocolate with /water/?" he says, narrowing his eyes at Wheately.

Morning Glory sighs. "... Eater," she simply says.

Dreameater glares at Wheately a little longer before slowly turning back to Glory. "What?"

"Don't forget all the good things the Vaseterm have done, too... They're not your enemies," Glory tells him, "Remember the nice new room they've given you? The fact you even have the freedom to walk around and see people? And not just for you, it was the Vaseterm that got that nasty thing of Malice's out of Catch's hand finally, and they're the ones working on something to get Cataclysm out of him... They're taking good care of Purity while she's asleep, and they're taking care of everyone else, too." She hesitates, not entirely sure if she should say what she will next, but she goes ahead with it and says, "... I was bringing this up because Catch has a lot of worries on his mind, a lot of fears. That's not good with what he's going through, and you trying to push him down isn't helping either... And, well... If you think about it... Seeing a Nightmare trying to make his brother as miserable as possible... That's not very good for Catch emotionally either, is it...?"

Dreameater's eyes darken again, but not as much as before, after Glory makes that last comment. "I am my own person, I'm not going to let Weaver have control again. I'm glad if he's miserable, I hope he dies again," he growls in a low voice.

"But is that going to help you right now?" Glory says, standing her ground on the table, "Is choosing violence against Weaver going to do you the most good in the long run, when everyone around you wants to help him? What do you think you'll make everyone else want to do to you?"

Dreameater keeps that dark look in his eyes, but he slowly sinks back down into his chair, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and his hands folded together under his chin in an intensely thoughtful way. He doesn't say anything else.

Morning Glory slowly lets herself relax a little now that Eater's thinking, and she can only hope that whatever he's thinking about will maybe lead to better things... There's no telling with Eater though, and she'll be keeping an eye on him for sure.

Crystal mainly watched the floor as they all moved along, but Fiona’s voice pulled the girl from her thoughts and she turned her head to look over at her. “Hm? Oh-“ When what was said finally fully registered, Crystal then did her best to put up a smile, “Yeah.”

It wasn’t necessarily that she was nervous about whether or not Crimson would wake up, although a part of her was worried about it, she was doing her best to believe it would happen when it was meant to.. Her unease was more from just knowing she was again going to be right there, in front of someone she couldn’t do anything to help.. Crystal knew everyone was practically in some of the best possible hands to receive care, and they had already done so much to help out, but there was still that large part of herself that couldn’t help but want and feel the need to take care of the people around her..

Fiona could tell something was still on Crystal's mind. The Elemental had felt similar things before--especially strongest at the beginning of the week when everyone was just starting to recover. Even now, she had occasional wishes that she could do more... Despite this, she was so focused on thinking what they were doing /was/ helpful, that it made her slower to catch on and sympathize with the human.
Still, she lifted her left hand, and after a brief hesitation, reached over and gave Crystal a little encouraging pat on the back. Hoping that could help where her words hadn't.

The group made it to the large doors that led to Crimson's room, though first were the even greater security measurements. From visits prior, Fiona and Crystal would have already seen the heavily armed guards--even the hallway security cams at this point had bigger guns.
Kyle handled their check-in with them formally and quickly, as he typically did.
Before they knew it, the doors would open, and they would be allowed into the room

The two guards just look at each other, and thought along the lines of this was going to be long shift.

" I'm coming to get you! "Dreamcatcher swung open the stall door and with his bucket in hand the Dreamer prince made his advance!

" brings it on Cat!" Rihanna immediately started with her attack, she tuned the water on and covered the spout enough to direct the water at her foe! Holding his bucket to Shield his face Dreamcatcher step forward, one step at a time " give it up Anna!" He hollered.
" never!" She snapped back and tuned the water to full blast!

Overly dramatic fighting against the harsh blast from his sister on going assault Dreamcatcher made it to the bathroom sink as he reaches for the handle he shouts " this is the end!" And tuned the knob...

Standing there all wet, Catch looks down at the now unarmed Fairfin " I have the high ground! Now do you give up?"

" never! You can never defe-" Rihanna squeaked as Dreamcatcher took his bucket and dump the water on top of her!

Despite trying to seem okay, Crystal knew her face and demeanor weren’t quite playing along.. As Fiona gave her a pat on the back however, her slowly growing worried expression softened a bit. Truthfully the little gesture did help overall, although maybe not in a way anyone would notice outwardly. To make sure Fiona knew at least, the girl did glance in her direction for a moment, and this time the slight upturn at the corners of her lips was much more genuine, even if small.

When the group approached the guards, Crystal gave a little dip of her head to be polite, and soon enough watched the doors to the room open. It took a moment, but the girl eventually started to make her way inside..

After getting all wet herself Rihanna looks up at her little brother with a disapproved grumpy pouty face, but it was fake and they both knew it, it wasn't long before they both broke their composure and started laughing.

That was something they both needed, especially Dreamcatcher.
When things settle down, Catch and Anna talk a bit as they work together to clean up the mess they had made, mostly about the situation of Weaver and Eater, and then a bit about tomorrow test.

Catch try to dry himself off the best he could after first getting Anna dry first, but he still was on the wet side when they went out.

The guards looked to the prince and had a ' Oh great now what happened? ' look on their faces.
" it's all fine! We just had a little water fight in that bathroom, you know to get clean up!" Anna said confidently.

Catch rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turn a little red with embarrassment " we did clean up the mess..."

Morning Glory looks over and smiles at Catch and Anna as they come back over, and happily says, "I'm glad you at least cleaned up the mess. You look like you're doing better, Catch."

Dreameater didn't move at first, but he soon stands up again and faces Catch, now with a big friendly smile on his face and a happy tone of voice that matches. "Hey! Y'know Catch, I've done a bit of thinking while you were gone, and there's something I'd like to tell you," he says, holding his hand out almost as if in an offer.

Morning Glory turns and looks up at her partner, curious about what he's going to say...

" We we're going to make something and not clean it up..." Catch mumbles, still embarrassed.

The guards were annoyed but didn't say much more.

The attention was brought to Eater's display " uh!?" Catch was surprised by the Nightmare enthusiasm // this was sudden? // the Dreamer prince was cautiously curious when he replied " yeah? What you been thinking?" He watched the Nightmares eyes carefully...

"Well, I'm thinking that you shouldn't actually go and do whatever testing the Vaseterm people want you to do tomorrow," he says, casually approaching Catch with his arm still outstretched and his bright slit eyes fixated on him, "I can tell how freaked out you are about it, after all, you'd have to shift to your dark form! And I don't blame you. With how Cataclysm is getting, who's to say if you'll survive turning one more time? And is it really necessary for anyone to know what your dark form is capable of if the goal is to get rid of that form completely?" He pats Catch on the shoulder once he's close enough, and then leaves his hand there. "I don't think you need to be pushed more than you already have been. I say we can test out your abilities /only/ after Cataclysm is good and dead, that way, you'll be perfectly safe. And if the Vaseterm try to pressure you into doing something you're not sure about, I--we, I mean, together, can calmly talk to them, civilly, and we can talk them out of it. And, you know... We're /brothers/, you and I, but I really gotta step up my game, we don't need you worrying about your dear /brother/ now, do we? You know I've got your back..." By the end of his rambling, he's closed his eyes as he grins, his lips twitching occasionally, and he's lightly squeezing Catch's shoulder as well.

The guards had been expecting Crystal and Fiona, they opened the armor doors like the times before, and walking the girls thought yet other security measure before the second door opened, all the while giving the girls brief small talk on Crimson condition, how he still stable, and his physical health is going better.

When the doors leading into the medical room open, it was like the times before, two Royal armor guards stood like Statues by the door and There were two more guards further in the room.

And there was the red prince, sleeping like he had been since being taken to this facility, he had an assortment of tubes connected to him, for breathing and food, a long with IVs and other monitoring devices, though there was more then what could be seen, ones that were attached to his Gemstones that were under his clothes. For the most part Crimson was looking much better then when he first came, his coloring was returning and his wounds were doing much better.

There were always at least two nurses and a scientist on hand looking after Crimson, with a rotating doctor or head scientist, this time it was doctor in one of the viewing stations ( which would be a window that looked into the room much like the interrogation room )

This was just a normal day, nothing special was planned other than a few people visiting.

When the door opened one of the nurses was ready to greet the guests " welcome back lady Fiona and lady Crystal " the Vaseterm woman gave a small bow " it's a pleasure to see you both again~ "

Fiona returned a little smile to Crystal, then looked back towards where they were headed.
She was glad to hear from the guards that Crimson's condition had improved even further.

When they finally got to see into Crimson's room, the Elemental immediately looked to his bed. She'd seen the state he was in before... Even under these circumstances, noticing the differences always gave her a sense of hope. She hoped she wasn't the only one to feel that, either.

"Hi! Thanks for letting us visit." Fiona replied to the nurse who greeted them.

For a moment, Kyle swapped out with one of the guards, allowing himself a short break while the girls visited Crimson.

// this isn't Weaver... // Catch knew because of his eyes but he wasn't sure what the Nightmare was up to, he knew Eater wouldn't try to kill him, not here, the Nightmare wouldn't even make to the door before being stopped if not killed...// what are you up to Eater?...// and his suspension that this was Dreameater was confirm by the amount of anger and hate coming from the Nightmare, Which only encouraged him to Flinch when being touched.

Though the Nightmares eyes were not dark and he was coming off as friendly but everything felt wrong, coldly wrong...

Dreamcatcher grimaced with the tension in his shoulder " y-eah... I'm scared... but... we agree we should learn as much about what going on with me here instead of something happening out in the field.... we have to go out eventually... what if something happens out there?... " he glance to Glory and then to Rihanna for some kind of help.

Morning Glory frowns at Catch when he looks over at her, and she explains telepathically, //I tried talking to Eater to calm him down and to get him to think, I tried to bring up how him being so mean and nasty to both you and Weaver isn't doing him any favors, and it's not helping you either, and I guess this is him trying to pretend to be better... Are you ok, Catch?//

"When are we planning on going out in the field? I thought I was being told earlier that we need to slow down, hmmmmmm? And during that time the Vaseterm will find a cure for you," Dreameater answers Catch, not being part of the telepathic conversation, and now opens his eyes, puts his spare left hand over his non-existent heart, and still holds onto Catch's shoulder. "And I'll be doing what I can to help you too! Why, I'll even volunteer for whatever the scientists need, whether they need more of my blood, my corruption, or whatever--I'll even be willing to try out any early versions of it if I need too! After all, there certainly isn't another Nightmare out there as willing and cooperative as I am, is there? So there! There's nothing to worry yourself over!"

// ah, that why he suddenly trying to act all buddy buddy and trying to claim to be my brother...// Catch forced to smile at the Nightmare // I... I can feel all the hate and anger Eater has, if he could get away with it I think he kill me... but he knows he be dead to if he did, so yeahhh, I'm just fine... I'm fine! //

// he creepy that what he is // Anna huffed, she eye the Nightmare suspiciously // and I don't like him pretending to be Catch brother, he /not/ Weaver!//

the Dreamer prince worrisome replied// I know he not Weaver Ann, but what would you have me do? If I call him out he could go back to snapping and making things even worse for Weaver// Catch felt like he needed to say something " t-hank you--? I'm sure that would help the researchers a lot..."

//You're not fine, Catch, that's about as clear to see through as Eater's charade he's playing,// Morning Glory sadly says, hopping up off the table and carefully flying a bit closer to Catch and Eater. //I just don't know what we should do... Eater's just very unstable, and...//

Despite being left out of the conversation, Eater can easily tell his tactic isn't helping, as he's tasting that sweet, sweet fear from Catch again. He tips his head up as the happy grin disappears from his face, being replaced by a cold look of disapproval and almost disgust. He pulls away from Catch and stands with his arms at his sides, simply looking Catch over. "... Take a seat, why don't you," he says, more as a command than an offer, his bright eyes never looking away from Catch, "We can talk some more. Figure things out."

Moving along with the others, Crystal was also glad to hear that Crimson was still stable and getting better physically.

When they entered the room and were greeted, Crystal returned a slight but still polite bow back to the nurse, saying a quiet “Hello.” And after Fiona gave a thanks, the girl agreed and added, “Yes, thank you.”

It was soon after that she turned her head to look over at Crimson too. It was hard to see him connected to so much scary looking equipment.. But noticing the small improvements each visit was reassuring, him slowly getting better over the course of their stay here was so good to see, and hopefully meant there was more improvement to come.

// I... I know, I know...I just thought... never mind...//Dreamcatcher grimaced as he thought he was being sarcastic about being fine, but this wasn't the greatest time to joke or maybe he was that stressed it didn't come off that way.

Catch was about to say something, hoping he didn't just mess things up more by not playing cool when Eater changed tactics yet again.
However this only made the Dreamer prince more nervous " sure..." Catch took a cautious seat.

Rihanna didn't like Eater bossing her little brother around, but last time her feistiness only cause more trouble // ooooo! He lucky I don't boop him a good one //
// its fine Ann. // Catch gave a nervous smile as he stared at the Nightmare right back // he won't hurt me... I just need to control my emotions... I need to calm down, I'm only feeding him even if he if not intending to feed off me //

Dreameater watches Catch take his seat again, and likewise he sits back down in his own seat. He leans forward again with his elbows on the table, his hands folded in front of his mouth--not unlike how Angus held himself earlier in the interrogation--but the wide brim of his hat covers his eyes. Instead of talking or saying more like he had suggested, Dreameater only sits there silently, thinking and plotting...

Morning Glory follows Catch and Anna back, turning a bit more blue as she sits next to Anna on Catch's shoulder. She nuzzles Catch's neck gently to try and comfort him. //Think good thoughts, I know it'll be hard because you're looking right at him and he's being very creepy... If he is trying to help you, even though it's not working, maybe seeing you calm down and feel better will actually help him too? I'm sure that'd make Weaver feel better inside.//

// just take it easy// Rihanna also help to encourage her little brother, she patted his cheek.
// I know! I know! I'm trying to get a hold on myself, it didn't help when he touched me...// Dreamcatcher took deep breath, he decided to close his eyes and covered his face.

He just focuses on breathing for a moment, instead of psyching himself out, Glory was right he needed to calm down for Weaver sake "... I... I'm sorry " he finally said something.

Morning Glory doesn't say anything else to Catch after that, instead she quietly purrs in her usual Fairfin way. She does glance over at Eater though when Catch speaks up, curious about how he will take it.

Dreameater is still quiet, but after the time when both of them had been quiet, he'd gradually cooled off and eventually ended up covering his face with his hands too. "... Huh? What for?" he asks, again having a completely different tone compared to earlier, now sounding more genuinely confused and tired.

Catch didn't move or say anything at first, but then he let his hands slide down and rest on the table and he leaned back, he didn't look at the Nightmare as he said" for how I acted... you were trying to be helpful despite not really waiting to...I just ended up making you more frustrated..." he rubbed his forehead and added "After that attempt of a vision I'm all work up again... you know how those are, I just need a bit of time... maybe I should just be alone for a while until I get myself back under control? "

"Oh, no, you're fine," Eater replies, "I think we both need a bit of time." He then leans more on his left arm and moves his right hand out in front of him on the table. "Hey man, I just wish I could be more helpful. I don't blame you for just getting more freaked out." There's another slight change in his tone as he taps his fingers one at a time on the table, and adds, "Hmmm... I was trying too hard. I'll have to work on that..."

" your both are very welcome " the nurses replied with a warm smile.

She followed the the concern gaze over to the Dragon shapeshifter... Crimson was sleeping soundly, his eyelids flutter with his dreaming, a long with an occasional finger twitch.

" sir Crimson has been dreaming more frequently, it's likely been do to his improving conditions" she try to be encouraging, and it was known that just like Weaver was blessed so was Crimson so he wouldn't be plague with nightmares in his sleep.
The nurse lifted her hand " you may go visit him, he always seems more at ease when people he knows visit "she gave her permission for them to go over and talk and if wish touch the sleeping prince.

Fiona's gaze shifted between the human and the Vaseterm nurse. //...Wait, should I be bowing too?// She abruptly straightened up and tipped down in a strange, rushed bow.

However, after that, she just looked to Crimson along with Crystal. //...Sure, we're trying to be hopeful about this, but that doesn't mean it's not still tough.// The Elemental turned to the nurse once more and nodded and after a moment, Fiona spoke up, "...Crystal, do you want to try talking to him first...? You and him know each other the best."

The girl was thinking on the nurses words, briefly wondering what kind of things Crimson could be dreaming about.. She was glad that whatever it may be, they were at least good things. Her train of thought didn’t last too long though. When the nurse said they could go over and visit, she gave a little nod as well, but then looked up at Fiona when she spoke too.

Crystals eyebrows raised a bit at what was said, “..Talk to him..?” she quietly questioned, looking back over at the bed. Though they had visited a couple times before, she hadn’t really “spoke” to Crimson.. “If it might do some good I suppose I can..” She was a little hesitant at first, but Crystal eventually began to move towards Crimsons bed. Once there, she pulled a chair closer and sat down next to him. Her eyes darted around the floor a bit as she searched for what she could possibly say, and the courage to say anything in the first place. When Crystal finally looked up, her gaze passed a few of the others in the room nervously before ultimately landing and focusing on Crimsons sleeping face..

A soft little “..Hi,” was all she could manage to say at first. It felt odd, talking to a sleeping person.. But maybe it was more that she was trying to talk to Crimson, in front of others, while they were watching and observing.. The girl chewed at her lip for a small moment, then added “Even though you’re still sleeping, we wanted to visit again and make sure you were still doing okay..”

Things did seem a bit more normal? If you could call it that with the Nightmare // at least Eater seems to be giving up the creepy act on pretending to be... a brother// Anna commented to her brother and then looked to the Nightmare and said honestly " yeahhhhh, you were freaky "

Dreamcatcher case a sideways glace to his Fairfin, the air did seem different and more natural to how the Nightmare was before " it was a bit much... you don't need to pretend to be my brother Eater.... your not Weaver and you acting like him wasn't helping..." Catch looked away as he added " .... I do have a question... I know why you try so hard just now, you need me and the others to stop Soledormir...but what after that? " he turned his emerald eyes back to Dreameater with study glem in them.

Dreameater stays quiet, but he does lift his head slightly. "... Why do you want to know?" he simply asks, sounding a bit more hesitant now.

//He told me exactly what he plans to do afterwards while you both were away, no problem at all,// Morning Glory mentions telepathically to Catch and Anna, //Weird how now he seems reluctant to tell you...//

The staff gave room for Crystal and Fiona, they did observe.

Crimson fingers moved at the sound of the human girl voice, the tips of his long ears twitchde a little.

Fiona hadn't really thought about how strange it might be to talk to someone who was unconscious. She'd just jumped to the assumption they should let him know they were there somehow. Her eyes took a long blink as Crystal questioned that suggestion, then she sheepishly responded, "...I... Think it'd be worth a shot?"

She followed the human over to Crimson's bedside, still giving plenty of breathing room. She didn't pull a chair over for herself right away. When Crystal nervously glanced to a few people in the room, the Elemental gave her a double-thumbs up of encouragement.

And then she spoke.... And Crimson actually responded a little.
Fiona was glad for that, especially since they hadn't actually tried it yet.
She wondered if she should add something too... Crystal had said 'we' after all. She just wasn't sure how that would go. Maybe having someone else join would help Crystal, at least?
"Uh... Yeah! I'm here too--it's Fiona, if you don't know my voice."

// it probably wasn't anything good?// Rihanna replied suspiciously.

Dreamcatcher rubbed his forehead
// he a Nightmare... he wouldn't even be helping if he had a choice... // he looked to the Nightmare again " I'm curious, though I'm sure I know the answer " the Dreamer prince leaned back and folded his arms and gave a warm smile as he said " were supposed to work as a team right? I won't get mad at you for your answer "

//Oh of course it wasn't. It's pretty obvious,// Morning Glory replies.

Dreameater slowly sits up and stares at Catch, though his eyes are still hidden by the brim of his hat. "... You said it yourself. It should be obvious. I want to kill you when this is all over. You, Purity, Glory, Anna, you know the instincts of a Nightmare. I want to kill everyone Weaver cared about. After that, I guess I'll live out my life like any other Nightmare, maybe I'll even try to kill Malice then and become King if there's no risk of Soledormir making me his slave anymore. But as long as I'm alive and can do as I please, that's my goal." He tips his head up now, allowing Catch to see him narrowing his bright eyes at him. "I don't think there's going to be much of a 'team effort' at that point," he then adds rather harshly.

Watching the shifters sleeping mannerisms, there was a small laugh-like puff of air that came from Crystals nose when she saw his ear twitch, and the corner of her mouth turned upward ever so slightly. She herself didn’t think too much of what seemed like a response to her words, he was moving a bit beforehand, so it only seemed logical that this was just a continuation of those movements.

Crystal glanced over at Fiona after she piped in too, realizing Crimson probably didn’t know anyone else other than a few people very well. “Hopefully if- uhm.. when he wakes up, he’ll eventually have more opportunities to get to know you and the members of our group better.”

" I figured as much, you haven't really thought things through have you?" Catch replied with a slight sarcastic tone to his voice " I have other question for you.... do you really think it be that easy to achieve all this? What about the Shadows Hunters? What about the Vaseterm? Do you really think you be able to get away with all of that? "

Dreameater scrunches up his nose at those words. "No, of course it's not going to be easy. In time I'll figure these things out... I figure you'd prefer it if I didn't try to get any ideas until later, wouldn't you?"

Morning Glory frowns slightly, trying to move just enough to get a better look at Catch's face. Maybe it's been because she hasn't been herself for a long time, but something doesn't seem right with him... She turns and looks at Anna beside her for confirmation.

Crimson eyelids fluttered a bit but his peaceful expression shifted at tone of the Elemental voice, his face scrunched up with an most unpleasant expression and he muttered something but it was in a different language.

But at the sound of Crystal voice the red prince ears would twitch again and his face shifted back to a peaceful look, and a small smile tug at the corner of his lips

Fiona just stared at Crimson with a bit of a bewildered look. She thought for sure there was a difference between when Crystal spoke and when she did...
...If the Elemental didn't know any better, she'd think Crimson was grumpy about her being there.

"...Yeah, getting to know him better would be nice, too." A smile came to her face as she glanced to Crystal. "...It'd probably just take some time to get used to each other." She mumbled under her breath, reasoning that if it took Crystal this long to become good friends... He must just be a tough cookie.

They were gonna be a team and get to know each other. Sleepy mumbles don't mean /that/ much...

Rihanna had been thinking the same thing as Glory, unfortunately she herself hadn't really been able to keep track of her bond partner like she was supposed to for the past year... her partner had unfortunately change a lot... he wasn't exactly the same person who set off on the Adventure, he had been broken and beaten.... but after coming to this world Catch did seem to start standing up again but this didn't make sense//... Cat? What the point to your questions?... you already know his answers... we all do //

// I just wanted to test something... we already know we can't trust Eater, if he could, he stab us in the back whenever he get the chance... //Dreamcatcher cut his eyes towards the Fairfins //that not going to change, unless if it can? What if... // Catch went to open his mouth but stopped himself, he began to second guess himself and the words he use //what if we could get him to want to... work with us more then just to save himself?... the story he told, it full of holes, he could never kill everyone and be king, he be killed long before that, he full of himself, but what if he actually wanted to change? //

Crystal paused for a moment, watching a bit more closely when she noticed Crimsons expression changing and then his mumbling. She couldn’t help but wonder what he said..

But then she nodded at what Fiona commented next, purposely keeping her eyes on Crimson as the conversation continued. “It’s not easy to do so,” Crystal said honestly with a small laugh, soon going quiet and tilting her head a little before adding, “But it’s worth it.. He’s not so bad once you earn his trust.”

Morning Glory tips her head up slightly, she wasn't expecting Catch to say something along those lines, and now she has to think. //Hmmm... That... I don't know, would that even be possible?// she thinks out loud but through telepathy, then sits back and watches, although there's still a lot of things on her mind.

Dreameater keeps watching Catch with his eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what his plan is.

Crimson keep making faces with the Elemental voice, he sleepy took a hand and batted the air ' in a go away ' motion, even in sleep he didn't like strangers.

Rihanna made a face, it wasn't unheard of her partner to go about things in an odd way and not fill anyone in when he went about it... he did it with Danny, the lady at KFC, and he tried with Hiiro but her brother usually ended up being viewed as a fool... // you know, if you let people know what you're up to we could probably help you out better, just because we have telepathy doesn't mean we can read minds Cat, you don't have to do thses things alone anymore...//

Dreamcatcher rock his jaw, now he was just getting frustrated but his partner was right, he did want to snap at her, thoughts of what happened in the past came back, the times he was made a fool for trying and no one helped him not even his bond partner...but that was different then wasn't it? Ann was here but his brother? Not like he could help much, he was trapped and now Dreameater was starting at him, he probably knew they were talking to each other and this was all a game of wits...// I want to see if we can't get Eater to change his mind or whatever it is that a Nightmare really has, because like he is isn't helping, he just keep making Weaver life as miserable as possible and we can never turn our back on him... so what would you want me to say? The only thing he understands is fear of his own death... do you see what i was getting at now?//

Catch let out a frustrated breath
// he thinks he have his fantasy ending but just think about it, if Soledormir loses then that put a stop to all his evil right?... // he stopped and thought about that, if they stopped Soledormir and that was the case then this conversation didn't matter, Eater should be gone to? Is that how it works? So was did he get hung up on Eater living past that? Was it because that what the Nightmare thought? Would the Nightmares even be gone when they stop Soledormir? What will really happen?

Dreamcatcher place his hands on his forehead and started, there were so many thoughts and most were telling him how stupid he was for starting this conversation but he already was in it this far.

//Mmmm, I do see what you're getting at,// Morning Glory replies, giving him a light pat on the shoulder. //His mind is very basic, so maybe you should also try to keep it basic. You just brought up what he plans to do after Soledormir is gone, but what about Weaver? We all want to help Weaver and get him back to being a Dreamer. What does Eater have planned for that?//

Dreamcatcher took a few deep breath, he needed to collect themselves, he really didn't want to do this talk anymore.. it could back fire so horribly, because what if Eater changed his mind and followed Soledormir? If there would be no future for him after Soledormir then way help them beat him? //... this was stupid... //
Rihanna gave her partner a concerned look, there was still a lot they needed to work on...// Cat... your not stupid, you just been forced to do to much on your own... you still got to break this habit of doing everything on yourself...//

She went patted her partner gently // I think Glory right... try taking it a bit slower//

He tuned his eyes to the fluffy cat Fairfin, he hadn't thought of that... he should have, this was all for Weaver after all... he looked to the Nightmare and wondered what was Eater planned on that? Probably to kill Weaver again or something alone those lines, like Glory said Eater was basic but he already asked foolish questions so why not one more? // all right I'll ask him...//

Dreamcatcher lower his arms, he wanted to look him in the eyes but was hesitating, he started off so strong and bold to now he wanted to back off and give up... what was the point? He already messed things up but no... he was tired of not trying but he was tired of failing when he did try //... I really hate all this... I wish I could just talk with Weaver // Catch finally looked to the Nightmare and asked " Eater... I have other question, you know it's our plan to save Weaver right? I'm curious, what are your plans with that? When we save Weaver, have you thought about that? "

Fiona looked back to Crimson now, wondering what it would be like when he woke up. She'd always believed he wasn't a bad guy. In fact, she'd wondered about him, more than anything. The way Crystal spoke about him just added even more to Fiona wanting to know him better.

"Well... I'm always up for a challenge! Especially in a case like this..."

...However, Crimson's hand-gesture got her to blink hard again, "Ah--!
C'mon, my voice isn't /that bad/ is it??

...I mean... I can be more quiet.
He definitely likes hearing you talk, Crystal."

Dreameater looks rather surprised by Catch's next question, but he leans back and glares at Catch. "Of course I've thought about that! About how you all want to kill me to save Weaver! I'm not as stupid as you think I am!" he snaps back.

"Slow down Eater. It's just like the last question, Do you have any plans?" Morning Glory tries to step in, looking over at her partner.

Dreameater cuts a glare at his Fairfin, and hesitates. "... Just why should I tell you my plans for that? So you can stop me?" he questions, frowning and crossing his arms.

" just chill Eater, no duh we want Weaver back but just hear Catch out " Rihanna back up her best friend.

Catch glace to Anna and then to Glory, a door was opened now how should he word this?
" there no tricks... I'm just curious" he waves a hand and adds " and I think I have an idea of something you haven't thought about but I want to hear your thoughts first "

Dreameater holds his head up high to look down at Catch, but he's almost rather pouty with the way he's holding himself. "... My plans are too complicated for you, I don't think you'd ever understand what I'm planning to do about it," he says rather confidently, then says, "So you go first and tell me what /you're/ thinking."

//From his track record, I doubt he's come up with something on that level of "complicated"...// Morning Glory remarks telepathically.

// yeahhhhh, he doesn't have a plan// Rihanna replied, she then thought if this wasn't so serious that they could have some fun , like come up with something completely ridiculous but this wasn't the time.

Dreamcatcher slowly nodded " uh-huh, sure Eater " he then moved on and taped his finger on the table " it's a bit crazy, I highly doubt you even consider it " he tips his head down but looks up at the Nightmare " but what if, and I know this is a /big if/ but what if there was some way for you to be more then a Nightmare? "

Dreameater relaxes his posture slightly, only because he's confused. "... Huh? What'd you just say?" he asks.

The Dreamer prince smirked " I said, what if it was possible for you to be something more then a Nightmare? As a Nightmare you can't make decisions on something right? But what if you could? What if there was some way for you and Weaver to live? What if you could make your own decisions? "

Eater stares blankly at Catch. "... More than a Nightmare? What would that be? I am a Nightmare, how can I be more than a Nightmare?" he repeatedly asks, "How can I make decisions that I can't make decisions about? I don't understand." Then he pauses, and blurts out, "Oh, yeah I can't make some decisions right now because the stupid horsemen won't let me, I can't decide to kill people anymore like I want to, because they won't let me. Can I make those decisions again?"

"No, no, Eater, I don't think he was meaning decisions like that..." Morning Glory sighs, putting up her paws in a slow down/stop gesture.

"...... Oh," Eater mumbles.

Rihanna scratched her head// it's like trying to explain color to someone who can't see or never has been able to...//
// yeah...// Dreamcatcher rubbed his forehead // maybe there isn't anything that can be done but I thought I try...we just don't know really can be done about the Nightmares... Malice seems to be changing but he has Faithful heart and who knows what else...I don't know... what would happen if Eater could have a heart? //

" yeah, no Eater... " he back up Glory, then Catch added "
I was more on the line of what if you could experience things more like a person"

//That's a good question,// Morning Glory agrees, //The only question at this point would be if Eater would even be willing to try something like this... He's pretty set in his ways.//

Dreameater cautiously lowers his arms and rests them on his lap. "What... What do you mean by that? You want me to be like a person? Experience... What? What would I experience?" he asks.

// unfortunately // Catch mumbles in his mind, he didn't really have the energy to keep at this but this was something he started.
Catch looked up and scratch the side of his nose how does he put into words that so natural for ...people. " huh, well..." then it hit him and he lowered his hand " you know early how you were pretending to be my friend and brother? And you came off creepy instead, What if it wasn't fake? ... I know right now this probably doesn't make sense but I been thinking that because you don't experience everything right? You don't actually know friendship or enjoying simple things in life "

Dreameater blinks when it finally seems to click. "Oh, you mean you want to me feel emotions and stuff like you do? Why would I ever want to feel any of those gross things like 'love' and 'friendship'?! Then I wouldn't be a Nightmare!" he says, glaring at Catch again.

"Exactly," Morning Glory says, "That's the point, you /wouldn't/ be a Nightmare anymore, Eater, so you wouldn't have to be a monster anymore. You could make your own choices whether you want to be good or evil."

"... Wouldn't I just be Weaver, then?" Eater asks, "Wouldn't that kill me? If I'm not a Nightmare, wouldn't I be dead?"

The girls eyes widened when Crimson swatted his hand at the air. She simply stared at first, not quite sure what to make of the action. Listening to Fiona’s reaction to it though, got her thinking..

“Could it be possible he can somehow hear us..? Or is it just a coincidence?” Crystal questioned, glancing around the room to see if anyone would have an answer.

Dreamcatcher scratches his chin and thought " not necessarily, you might have my brother memories but you do things differently then him, if Weaver got back what belongs to him, like his body and heart he be whole again, but who to say you can't get your own body, heart and well a soul... if you had those you be your own person with your own choices between right and wrong..."

" yeahhhhh, as it is, being a Nightmare will only get you so far, your not going to get very far in life and it not going to have much meaning to it " Rihanna comments

Crimson continue to make faces in his sleep and occasional batting of the hand and mumbling, his demeanor would shift between when Fiona spoke and Crystal, to irritated to calm.

He repeated the same gruff mumbling with the Elemental which in the Crystalgem language was somewhere on the line of ' go away 'or ' leave me alone ' however when Crystal spoke Crimson calm down and didn't seem to do much at first glance, but his hands would rest with his palm up as if to hold something, his eyelids flutter slower as if trying to find something and his ears twitched as if they were trying hard to listen for something...
The nurse from before took note of the human girl seeking look and draw closer " sir Crimson has been more active these past few days but this is the most responsive he ever been " her eyes were light up with curiosity " I'm sure he not much different then other species in being able to hear at a certain state of sleeping " she then leans a little forward to study The Sleeping Prince and let's out a small giggle " the way his ears wiggle is a bit adorable, he definitely listing even if it subconscious "

...That was another good question Crystal just put forward, too. Fiona did remember that most other times they'd visited, Crimson had done some similar mumbles and movements... She couldn't stop thinking he was responding to them this time. At least, it really seemed that way?
...Maybe she was focusing on that a little /too/ hard...

Fiona remained quiet this time, just like she said she would, but she did very clearly find the nurse's report interesting... Her eyes had a similar light of curiosity in them. Just like how she watched Crimson's continued sleep movements.
The Elemental moved her left hand in a similar fashion on an imaginary flat surface in front of her, like she was trying to figure out what he was doing...
Then she glanced to Crystal, to see what she would think.

Dreameater scrunches up his face again. "I don't want a heart or a soul! I don't want to be a whole-chest like you! You're stupid!" Eater snaps.

"Eater!" Morning Glory snaps back, frowning at him.

"You're all stupid!" Eater continues, "You and your freaky emotions, and your love, and your freaking face-sucking...!" He sticks his tongue out and makes a hissing gag. "I'm perfectly great as a Nightmare, and I /will/ live forever, I just have to figure things out first! I don't even need a 'meaning,' as long as I can eat and kill people, I'll be happy!" He then huffs and crosses his arms again, sticking his nose up in the air.

Morning Glory breathes out a sigh.

Crystal watched the nurse come closer and listened to her explain. If his movements and admittedly endearing ear wiggles were truly him trying to listen, even if subconsciously, there was a lot of reassurance that came with that for the girl.

She then looked back at Fiona as she sensed her moving and watched her while she moved her hand. A thoughtful look crossed her face and she turned her gaze back to Crimson, observing him for a moment too.

Crystals eyes drifted to his hand in particular. She was doing everything she could to not get her hopes up.. This didn’t necessarily mean anything, just that it was possible he was picking up on them being there.. But despite her efforts, her mind was really stuck on it and she couldn’t help her next line of thought..

‘If he might be able to hear things.. Maybe he can feel too..’ She thought to herself, hesitating a moment before slowly reaching out a carefully lacing her fingers with his.

At the first touch Crimson's hand tensed up, he didn't like to be touched but he didn't recoil away, as the girl laced her fingers with his he knew this feeling...he squeezed her hand as a soft smile came to the sleeping shapeshifter face and he whispered "...you found me..." a shimmering tear made its way down his cheek, he wasn't lost and alone anymore, Crystal came...

Fiona watched as Crystal held Crimson's hand, and the kind of reaction that came from him afterwards. At first she was even more surprised, but then it made a faint smile appear on her face. She'd known about the two being very close already, but actually seeing how much this meant to Crimson was heartwarming.

...And she knew especially now she needed to be quiet, so she did just that.