The other members of her coven, ready to distract the staff of the house at a moments notice.

The only one close enough to see her is Scott, invisible and lurking in the trees above. She had convinced everyone else to leave her alone, to let her reunite with the man she killed.

Surely he has changed by now.

There shouldn't have been a way for him to have survived what she did, but it had taken her years to bury him. To allow herself to mourn him. By the time she had decided to lay his body to rest, it was little more than bone. Had he survived, he could have replaced his own body with bone. She can't imagine why he would have joined this family, rather than come home, but it doesn't matter. She will bring him back.

She just has to be patient.

She knows him, has watched him well the past month. He hasn't noticed her, noticed them, yet. But that doesn't matter. She's forgiven him for what he did to her, to Avid. She's missed her brother. And maybe living amongst these humans has taught him the error of his ways. Maybe he is as good as he could have been.

Pyro enters the small clearing, sitting down on the fallen tree with a deep sigh. He looks bad - pale and sickly unlike anything she remembers him being. If she's being honest with herself, he looked healthier when he was a level 3 vampire. He looks dreadful. His arms shaking with exhaustion, bags under his eyes. Paler than she remembers, with an almost grey cast to his face, like he isn't drinking enough.

They'll have to fix it when they get back to Oakhurst.

There is something else, though. Something she can't quite put her finger on. Obviously he's level one again, but there's something wrong with him. His eyes. They're lighter than they were, even when he was human. One is blind, yes, but the other is also lighter than she had ever seen it.

Pyro starts coughing, slightly, and Shelby can smell the blood that splatters onto the handkerchief rather than see it. He's shaking again, but Shelby can feel Scott's eyes on her. She needs to move.

She needs to confront her brother.

---

Pyro can honestly say that he is not a fan of the Usherwoods.

His mother had regailed him with stories of the children who had gone missing playing in the woods when he was but a boy, and while his siblings had all said that they were likely exaggerations or stories to keep them from wandering off, Pyro doesn't believe they were. If only children were going missing in there, he could believe it.

But many an adult has gone missing, and no one seems to bat an eye on it.

However, Ivory had told him about this little clearing, and after some gentle prodding for things he could do to relax a little, had suggested that he go to it and rest in the outdoors.

She said it helped her relax, and Pyro would take any advice to help at the minute.

Everything is happening both too fast and too slow. Mysti's death, the funeral, that damned detective. These alone were enough to shatter him. But the stalkers?

They haven't gotten bored yet.

It's been a month since he first saw the white haired people. Since they first followed him home. Since they started to follow him around town, to and from work. He was initially worried they were Ivory's family, come to take her back or disapproving of her employment with him.

But she doesn't believe so - not that he has burdened her with his stress. She has enough on her plate as it is. She can't recall much of her family, but she doesn't believe they share that many features.

And only one of them seem to focus on her when she accompanies him to meetings. But her focus doesn't remain on Ivory long, and neither Ivory nor Clown nor Serapter have noticed anyone following her around when she's alone.

Pyro genuinely thought that they would get bored of this.

But they haven't, and now he can't feel relaxed anywhere.

His shoulders shake as he coughs, the scent of iron making him wince. At least he is alone here. Not watched, like in Emberton. Not waited on, like in the house. No one can see how weak he is. No one can see how ill he is. He can mourn a little, can let his illness take control for a moment. Then, he can go back home, and work.

Relaxing.

A woman steps out of the shadows, and Pyro's heart stops.

She's a fashionably dressed lady - He knows a Parisian dress when he sees one, and Muu has had her eyes on one of a similar style to the one this woman is wearing for a while now - with a red dress on, and her white hair artfully styled in an updo he generally only sees at balls and other such events. She has red eyes and a severe expression, as though she's been watching him for some time, and disapproves of him.

And he knows she's been watching him.

He's seen her before - almost daily for a month now. White hair, red eyes, always 10 meters behind him. Watching and waiting. She's never been alone before, and he doubts she's alone now. They don't seem to be the types to run alone.

But it would appear that he is the type to die alone, here in this clearing.

The woman is talking to him, but he can't hear her for the roar of blood in his ears. He's going to die here, and he doesn't even get to know why. She's talking to him, her tone familiar and her voice utterly unknown to him. He can't even remember if he's spoken to her, to anyone who looks like her companions.

He's going to die here, alone and unknown, and Ivory is going to loose one of the people protecting her from that detective. He can't be having that, but his legs won't stop shaking. He can't move.

He doesn't want to die.

---

Div needs time alone.

He gets it, really. Everyone is stressed from the pair of bats that were seen in the attic, and then Pyro went for a walk and only after he left did Maddy choose to say that she saw a wolf in the forest.

He offered to go and find Pyro to warn him.

If he's being honest, there's no way that a wolf is in the Usherwood. Wolves have been extinct for centuries now, and if they were in the woods they would have been seen before now. She likely just saw a large dog.

But he needed time alone, and a walk through the woods is good enough. He's been mulling over what Ivory said to him, about how she used to be a hostile person. She isn't now, so it is possible to change. He doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore.

But if he didn't 't get out of the swarm of panicking people, he would have ended up snapping.

So, he's finding Pyro.

He can't have gone too far - in fact, once he reaches his log in his clearing he will start to walk around the estate, from that point, looking for the young man - since he's sick and all, so he's got a pretty good chance of finding him before Lord Zombie can get back.

He's practically at the clearing when he hears it.

Two peoples voices, arguing loudly. He can't tell what they're saying, they're just shouting over each other with a frantic, angry tone. There's a weazing sound from the clearing as well, and that one he recognises.

Pyro took a turn for the worse two winters ago, and Mysti had pulled a favour to get him to watch Pyro through the nights so she could sleep and attend him through the day. He had been there when Pyro started to struggle to breath, had called for the doctor personally.

Div rushes into the clearing, barely taking note of the two white haired freaks who are arguing with each other. They have wicked sharp nails, and the man has something that looks like a wooden spike in his hands.

Were.

Were they going to kill Pyro?

Div doesn't stop to think, doesn't pause a moment. He's strong - Clown has been having him haul heavy items around the manor for years now, and even before that he used to carry his younger siblings and run around their small house. Before it got too complicated. Before they had to win.

He scoops up Pyro, and continues to run.

Pyro's face is white with fear, blood on his lips again. His eye doesn't seem to be focused on anything, just as blind to the world as the one he nearly lost. Div doesn't know what to do.

Ross might, though.

They're heading in the right direction at least. Pyro is a lot heavier than his siblings were, than anything that Clown makes him lug around. But he can't stop, he can't falter. He can hear the branches snap behind him, and feel the danger lurking around every tree.

He knows he's being hunted.

Ross must see him coming, must have noticed Pyro in his arms. Might have even seen whatever expression is currently across his face, because he flings the door open without a second of hesitation.

"Shut it!" Div snaps, nearly collapsing on the ground the second that he crosses the threshold. Ross glares at him, but does so anyways.

The assassins stand under the trees, only a scant few meters from the door. They stare for a while, their expressions unreadable before they turn, and dissapear into the woods.

"What was that?" Ross asks as Div sets Pyro down in a chair, collapsing onto the floor besides him.

"Don't know. Assassins, I think?"

"What?"

"'M sorry." Pyro's voice is broken, barely audible. "Had to carry me."

"It's fine. It's." Div shrugs. "It's whatever. Glad I got you out."

"This is a mess." Ross runs his hands through his hair. "I don't envy yu having to tell Clown about this."

"Thanks." Div breaths, trying to slow his heart rate down. "Lets just. Lets just stay here for now. Catch our breaths."

Pyro nods, looking out the window. Div stares up at the ceiling, listening to his heart rate slow. Ross, for his part, brings them both some water, looking them over with an uncomfortably scrutinising eye.

Ghost: Garrack!

Gaz: Yes sir?

Ghost: Soap wants pizza. *he hands him his phone*

Gaz: Uh.. What does that have to do with me, sir?

Ghost: I’ve hit my people limit, so you need to call the pizza place, Sergeant.

Gaz: And why can’t you?

Ghost: I’ve hit my people limit for today. 

Gaz: What the fuck does that even mean, Ghost?

Ghost: I’ve talked to six people today. I can't talk to any more.

Gaz: *Faceplams into Ghost’s phone* And Soap can’t call why..?

Ghost: He was shot the bloody head!

Gaz: He still can’t talk well?

Ghost: No.

Gaz: Okay, okay, fine.. But I’m getting pineapple. 

Ghost: No!

Gaz: Yes, Lt. If you can’t order it yourself.. Then i get to choose what kind of pizza you’re getting. *Starts dialing the number.*

Ghost: *Lunges* No! Sergeant, no!

Gaz: *Running away while on the phone* Hello, yes? Yeah! I’d like an extra large pizza with pineapple, extra cheese, peperoni.. And carrots!

Ghost: *Chasing him* NO! Gaz, No!

Gaz: Yes, that should be sent to the address you have on file! Thank you, and have a nice day, sir! *Gives Ghost a shiteating grin while getting tackled by him*

Ghost and Gaz: *Slap fight.*

Bonus:

Later (In Price's office, when Ghost and Gaz both have icepacks and bruised knuckles)

Price: And what do you have to say for yourselves, boys?

Ghost and gaz: *grumble something*

Price: Speak.

Gaz: I'm sorry.

Ghost: I'm.. not sorry.

Price: Ghost.

Ghost: He wanted to put *pineapple* and *carrots* on *pizza*!

Price: *slowly turns his head towards Gaz* Wot.