Runnin'

Elias took a slightly deeper breath in as she told him the tale about how this friend of hers had found her and how he had gotten this image in her head. Sick bears. Now, Elias wasn't fond of sugarcoating, and even if it was a getaway to figure out what this world was about. Elias didn't really think sick bears could compare to shadow creatures. Elias had no idea if the image would have worked on him if he hadn't known, he had known the supernatural world for so long, it was impossible to see it with other glasses - unless you had to play pretend somewhere in the mundane world, which always were something he hated, playing pretend. He nodded a bit to her comment about the hunter had said not all supernatural were evil. Funny how they still carried the thought that something could be pure evil and deserved to be put down, but when it came to themselves they would just lock people up - playing God above anything else. Not that Elias would hesitate to rip apart someone if seen as a threat directly towards him or his family. But usually he didn't let it come to that, however, he did enjoy a good fight - sometimes a little too much, Leon knew about that far too well at this point. Because wasn't it Elias who had volunteered as a gladiator back then because he needed some excitement, and Leon who had dragged him out of it in the end? "We all are very aware of the supernatural aspects of the world, and I would say we are quite educated in the area," he looked shortly towards Leon and Lexie before looking back at Jade. Elias still debating whether or not he should mentioned just what Leon and himself were. "So, if you have any questions about anything, I reckon we can do our best to answer it."

Lexie chuckled a little bit, she knew the feeling of rather be taking notes of everything and read the information other than it always just being told - even if the witch was more than capable of enjoying both ways of learning. Elias looked towards Leon as he replied Jade's request for reading, with it being time maybe she should sleep. "Well," he took a deeper breath in trying to figure out when it would be safest to say she could return home, and then she mentioned she couldn't sleep without her favorite pillow making him exhale a little bit. Elias wasn't fond of the thought of letting her get back home if these shadow creatures still were around, and to be honest if she was cursed - they would come back for her some time. "How about this, Leon and I go check it out, find your pillow and bring it back here, while Lexie can help you find something to sleep in and set things up?" Elias suggested and looked towards Lexie who nodded before moving his eyes to Leon. Not that Elias couldn't and minded facing the shadow creatures alone, but if there was something there - both their eyes hand on the case was better than Elias.

Leon looked at Elias with annoyed and surprised eyes as he volunteered them to go pick up a fucking pillow. Had he gone insane? “Okay no offence, but I’m not going anywhere near that house before the sun is up” he looked towards Jade “Now I’m sorry that you have trouble without sleeping with your pillow, but it isn’t worth getting back, just to get ambushed by shadow creatures” he explained and Jade nodded, feeling a little guilty that she had complained about a pillow, clearly not understanding just how dangerous the situation was.

“Yes, of course” she nodded giving them a smile. “If it’s okay I’ll stay here tonight then, then I guess I’ll have to wait till tomorrow before going home” she breathed looking towards Lexie and folded her hands together and placed on the table she was sitting by. “Of course it is, maybe tomorrow we can either talk with Cassian or see if he knows someone that can help with cleansing the grounds you live on, so you don’t have to fear them showing up again” he gave her a smile and Jade nodded a little more relax as she then unfolded her fingers and took the last sip of her coffee.

Elias clearly not amused by Leon not up for the task, and lashed his arms a bit out to the side. Shaking his head just a bit, the oldest of the brother's clearly more curious about what was happening out there than to just let it go for the night. The pillow more of an excuse to figure out up close what was going on. Then again, when had Elias never tried to take a leap of faith and done something completely questionable? But for once he didn't argue with Leon, not right now at least, because well they had a guest - not that ever had stopped them to point out their opinions on the other's behavior. "What he said," Elias breathed out scratching the back of his head a little. "Sounds like a plan," Lexie confirmed taking another sip of her coffee. It was funny to Lexie how she had only known Leon and Elias for a handful of days, but despite of that she felt like she had known them her entire life. "But I reckon that was enough excitement for today, huh, ready to crash?" Lexie asked Jade with a small yet warm smile.

Jade sipped the rest of her coffee, and then gave Lexie a tired smile as she asked her if she was ready to crash. A slow nod left her, as she stood up ready to follow Lexie probably to the same room that she had been in, when she had woken up. But to be fair, she wasn’t entirely sure where that was right now. It was a big house and she had just followed the voices out here, not really noticing where she had actually been going.

Leon watched how Lexie and Jade walked back to the room that she had been placed in before. Then he turned towards Elias with an annoyed expression, that he had tried to keep for himself while Jade had been around. “When are you going to stop running around risking limps for a pretty girl that has a beautiful smile?” he hissed, getting up walking over and taking another cup of coffee. Turning towards his brother again “I swear, if I’m ending up picking up the pieces of another girl you broke the heart of, I’m hitting you, okay? Because her” she nodded towards the direction that the girls had gone “She is pure, so don’t do your typical Elias stunt, you hear me?” he hissed, before walking towards the library to figure out this problem with shadow creatures being in Athena.

Elias looked towards the two girls before breaking out then looking towards Leon, and raised his brow a little bit. Then clicking his tongue a little bit placing his hands on the desk as he stood up. Elias eyes stayed locked on Leon as he made himself another cup of coffee. He then pressed his brows a little bit together by the next sentence, yet didn't move his eyes from his brother - because he knew he meant it. For over two-hundred years, Elias had done nothing but leaving a trail of broken hearts, he knew it, Leon knew it. When he first had met Florence had been after so many of his former wives had died of horrible sicknesses - it was cruel, and he had given up completely, then he had met Florence, and she had given him happiness and returned hope for him, only to rip it from him again, as had she ripped his heart out of his chest - it felt like that as he had watched her leave. It had broken something in him, maybe she had completely broken his heart? Maybe it was still on some empty street out there, just waiting to be picked up. "I hear you," he replied and sighed out a little bit heavier. Moving his eyes up towards where Jade and Lexie had went. Before he followed his little brother to the library - he had after all brought the problem to their door, it was only fair that he did his part of the work as well.

At one point Leon had excused himself to go out and get some air, and maybe just go to sleep. Placing his hand on Elias’s shoulder he had given it a small squeeze. Mumbling that maybe he should go to sleep soon as well.

Jade had no idea what time it was when she had woken up again with a startle. Dreams of clammy hands with horrible nails dragging over her skin. Whispering to her that she should join them in the darkness. Heavily breathing she had searched for her phone, only to remember that it was still on the ground somewhere by her house. Slowly getting out of her bed, she knew that it would be a problem falling asleep again. She found a blanket that she folded around her body that was wearing one of Lexie’s bigger t-shirts that she had been so kind to borrow her. Her feet tapping over the hardwood floor as she walked down the empty and dimmed lit corridors before she walked past a door half opened and saw the back of Elias sitting. “Hello” she said with a soft voice and a slight smile on her lips as she walked over and placed herself on the other side of the table. Sitting down and leaned over the table almost as if she was going to sleep on it. “I never got to thank you probably for saving me” she mumbled, trying to forget the dreams that had even brought her out here to him. “So, thank you very much for saving me” she exhaled slowly, noticing just how overwhelmed she still were.

Sleep, who needed sleep? Well, perhaps he did. But he wasn't going to get some before he had at least found something useful. Besides, he hated something was out there and he didn't have the means to solve it by the second. Elias had barely counted the hours that had past since Leon had went to bed, he had kept reading, searching. Elias had been stuck so deeply with his nose in one book that he had barely paid attention to Jade's scent coming in closer, it wasn't till she spoke that he turned his head a little to the side, placing his left thumb on the page he had reached before closing the book a little, letting it lean against his hand. "Hey," he replied with a warmer smile, letting his eyes follow her movements as she walked in and sat down. Elias breathed slowly out as she said she never had gotten to thank him. She didn't need to, even if it had been quite the head over heels event, Elias had longed for a little bit of thrill and this was just that. "You are welcome, but its the least I could do - can't have you running around in the forest by yourself all night," he pointed out with a little half smile. "You know, it's going to be okay. We will figure out what these shadow creatures want, and get rid of them," he breathed slowly out looking towards her still. "Still much to take in I assume?" He asked, but he already knew the answer from her heart beat, something had woken her up.

She couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle and placed her elbow on the table and leaned her head against her fingers. Watching him as he sat there with his book. He wasn’t reading anymore, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was burning the midnight oil on this one. Almost making her feel guilty that it was her fault that he didn’t feel like he could go to sleep yet. Jade made a small nod, and sat up straight again, pulling the blanket a little tighter around her. It wasn’t even because she felt cold, given that she wasn’t wearing much clothes. But the entire house was warmed up to perfection. She always struggled with getting the temperature just right at her own home.

Feeling how tears started to threaten to spill from her eyes. “yeah, just a little bit” she breathed out lifting her hand and pressing her index and thumb finger almost so close together that there was little to no space between them anymore. “It’s just been a wild couple of years, and I, just... want a break” she mumbled, placing her arms down on the table again and buried her head in them. “Sorry, I’m complaining, I really shouldn’t be” she laughed muffled, as her head was still hiding in her arms.

Elias put down the book as tears seemed to start screaming to escape her eyes, making him give her his full attention. He nodded a little bit. Not that he by now could imagine how hard it was or what ever she had been through other than this. The mundane life had always been rather fun to watch, because it was a world there never would be his. He lived through these supernatural glasses on, where you always had to be aware the second you weren't in the supernatural communities anymore - and so, he often stayed at the homeland, he kept to the larger events and parties where his face was needed, and he didn't mind it. He still liked the supernatural ones the best, because at least there - he didn't need to play pretend, he didn't need to hide much of his nature. Even if it wasn't as hard for a werewolf to hide as other creatures, once you were aware of you needing to play pretend, everything just seemed less fun. At least he got most of it. "Hey, no it's okay. We all need a break time to time, it's rather mundane to complain," he chuckled a little and got up from his seat and walked over to sit next to her. "I'm even sure Leon will sign a note saying that I'm the king of complaining - so you will have to beat me to get that title," he pointed out placing a hand on her shoulder looking at her. "No one expects you to learn everything about this world in one night, or over a couple of days. There is a lot to cover, and it will wait here for you when you are ready for it. I just want to make sure you have the right means to navigate in it," he breathed out before letting his hand remove from her shoulder - almost like the feeling of Leon's eyes were darting at him even though he knew Leon was sleeping at this point.

She heard how his chair scraped over the floor, making her look up for a moment. Watching how he walked over and sat down beside her. She quickly dried of the few tears that had escaped her eyes. Letting her hand glide over her nose and nodded with a small smile as he explained that she didn’t need to be upset. Or, not in that sense. But that it was okay that she was complaining because it was a lot to take in. And it was, but with everything else that had happened besides her having to know about this world. It felt like everything had crumbled around her after Oliver had broken off things with her, and never really given her a reason why he did it. A thing that probably had messed her up more than she even realized. She couldn’t help but chuckle and look at him with a grateful look. Feeling the warmth from his hand placed on her shoulder. “Thank you” she breathed out once more, feeling like he was saving her all over again. Looking from him, towards the book and back. She let her tongue glide over her plum lips. “Maybe an odd request” she mumbled, feeling air escape her. “But would you mind hugging me?” she chuckled a little shyly, as she could feel just how much she needed a hug at this point.

Elias pressed his brows a little bit together by the mumble, and odd request, it could mean a lot of things - or well, at least Elias had gotten quite a lot odd requests out his life, so he never really knew what to expect. However, the curiosity of what wasn't left in the air for very long, before she asked if he would mind hugging her. He chuckled a little letting his smile grow just a little bit, "sure, we are the bear fighting squad after all, seems like you've earn the right to a hug," he breathed a little bit out before twisting his front a little towards her and opened his arms and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I know it seems to much to think about right now, everything - but just know you don't need to have all the answers and know everything right this second. You have time," he breathed out closing his eyes for a moment, just letting her be in his embrace for the time she needed. But he also took in her scent, there was something comforting about her, something warm and it made him blink a little bit, before he finally pulled slowly back after sometime giving her a still tender smile.

A laugh, a short genuine laugh left her. As he told her that they were a bear fighting squad after all. And because of that she had earned the right to a hug. She wasn’t about to tell him that they hadn’t actually fought anything. He had, and then they had to run away because of her foolishness. But she very much would like that hug. So, as he moved around and pulled her in, she moved just so, so it was the most comfortable for both of them. Her arms folding around his neck, her cheek pressing against his, as she breathed in his scent. Just like he did her. It brought her, funnily enough, peace and quiet. She hummed a little but didn’t say anything to his speech. She just really wanted to stay in the hug, as long as he would let her. Almost a little too soon for her opinion, he started pulling away from her. Opening her eyes, she met his tender smile with one of her own. She didn’t really know what came over her. Maybe it was the warmth in his eyes. The fact that she had gone through so much the last couple of days. Maybe it was seeing her ex. That Sterling had just kissed her, and then not meant anything by it. She wanted kisses to mean something, and as she stayed there, so close to him looking into his eyes. She knew she wanted to, because she wanted to know how his lips to feel. Because he had been so nice to her, and maybe he could wash away all the other bad experience, maybe he was the fresh start. Mostly, god she just wanted to know how his lips felt against hers. So, she did. Softly pressing her lips against his.

He hated that there was something pulling him closer towards her, like a blanket of comfort, it was rather bittersweet - because despite the longing to just a little sense of peace and soothing, something in him screamed to not get to close. It was odd, or maybe it was Leon's voice screaming in his head to just go back to the chair and read his book. But that little voice of reason was soon pushed so far out he could barely hear it anymore. It was the way she looked into his eyes, almost like a siren luring him into the dark sea. Then she leaned in, placing her soft lips upon his so tenderly, how could he not lean into it? He closed his eyes as he kissed her back deepening the kiss, just as his hand found its way behind her head, letting his thumb caress the soft skin of her cheek. It was dangerous waters he traded and he knew it, and there it was again. The annoying bell of Leon's voice trying to make him wake up from this spell he seemed to have been put under. It made him break the kiss after a moment, well using the excuse of having to breath, he didn't move his head far from hers, keeping his eyes closed. "We shouldn't," he whispered feeling her breath dance over his lips, mixing with the hot air he breathed out.  They shouldn't. Why did he care? He didn't know. But he did. He just cared enough to having to stop before he got entangled with the forbidden fruit once again, but it was so tempting. "A cup of tea maybe?" he asked slowly pulling himself further away looking into her eyes.

She knew her heart had picked up speed as she waited to see if he pushed her away, or he kissed her back. So, when she felt how he leaned in. She had to close her eyes and enjoy the moment. Feel how time stood still around them. Everything quieted down in her mind, as he intensified the kiss. By gods, he knew exactly what he was doing. And he ignited small sparks all over her body. Begging to be touched and kissed some more. A soft sigh left her nose, as her fingers danced over his neck, and fingers glided into his hair. But almost as quick as it had started, he pulled away again. Whispering that they shouldn’t. A light feeling of getting struck by electricity glided through her fingers. Of course, they shouldn’t, a small exhale left her as she nodded and let her eyes fall between them. Foolish girl. Who knew, maybe he was just saving her again a world of heartache. A small side looped smile formed on her lips. “Yeah, sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you” she whispered, nodding as she fell back into her chair pulling the blanket that had fallen down over her shoulders again. She looked into his eyes for a brief moment before nodding. “Tea sounds great” she said with a soft voice, closing the blanket in front of her with both her hands.

He took a sharper breath in, what was this, a shimmering spark of regret for making her feel like she shouldn't have kissed him? He didn't want her to feel like she had made a wrong choice, and he wouldn't have filled guilty if it hadn't been for the conversation he had had with his brother not long ago. Then again he never really brought people with him back home, and the main reason he had brought Jade here was because she had needed his help. She wasn't one of his conquests that he had met at an evening out, it was different, which was perhaps what caught him off guard when she had kissed him. "Don't apologize for kissing me -" he turned towards her again looking in her eyes, lifting his hand up and traced it under her chin, still with his eyes on hers. "It was a good kiss," he confessed with a lower voice, looking at her closing the blanket in front of her. Elias took a slightly deeper breath in, taking her in for just a moment before getting up from his seating and moved back out to the kitchen, to make two cups of the finest tea - it didn't really take long, till he returned to back to her placing the cups on the table, and sat down in his chair again. "What else is on your heart?" Elias then asked tilting his head a little bit, "you can lay it on me, I don't mind."

Her eyes quickly found his, as his fingers glided over her chin. A soft appreciative smile formed over her lips “It was” she mumbled, agreeing with him that it had been a good kiss. A dangerous kiss, but a good one. She let her tongue glide over her lips and saw how he got out and walked into the kitchen. She closed her eyes and leaned back into the chair. Beating herself up about being so stupid. At least he was sweet about it, and not just sending her off for being rude or anything like that. She couldn’t believe that she had just done that, kissed him? Who the hell did she think she were? “Urgh!” a small groan left her, as her fingers danced over her skin, only to sit back up as he came back in and placed a cup of tea in front of him. “Thank you” she mumbled, looking down at the tea before he asked if there was anything else on her heart. A dry laugh left her. “You’ll regret saying that no one really wants to her about mundane romance troubles” she mumble, giving him a slight crocket smile. Almost giving him a way out, with not saying anything as she blew gently on her tea and took a sip.

Elias escaped a soft laugh, when she mentioned that he would regret asking. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. Well, he had listened to a lot of stories, tales of heartbreak and so on for years. "Humor me," he replied back with a little half smirk. Now if she didn't want to tell him, it was how things were, he didn't need her to share anything with him. However, he didn't mind getting a little tale on mundane romance troubles, if it made her relax a little bit to talk about it. "Besides, sometimes it's good to talk about things. I would have lost my mind ages ago if it wasn't for Leon trying to get me to open my mind time to time," not that it had been an easy task. But Leon also just had an eye and an almost need to fix everything within his reach. He lifted his cup up towards his lips, blowing it a little so he could feel the steam trace over his face. The sweet delicate scent of chamomile. He kept a soft gaze towards her, giving her the chance to talk, figuring how what she wanted to share - and what she wanted to keep to herself.

Humor me
She opened her mouth, but closed it again looking at him, as if she didn’t truly believe him. A soft chuckle left her, and she looked down at her cup when he told her about the fact that his brother was good at opened his mind. Maybe he was right, maybe it would be nice to talk about something else. Something that wasn’t related to the supernatural. And everyone could relate to a heartbreak, couldn’t they? “Well, it started with me meeting this, really great guy” she said taking a small sip of her tea taking in a deep breath. “First love and all that” redirected her eyes towards Elias giving him a small smile, trying to see if he was already regretting that he had let her talk about all of this. “So, gave him five years of my life and, one day he just” she shrugged “He just told me that it wasn’t working out and he was leaving me, and when I asked why he couldn’t explain why, just that he had met someone else, but I mean, the girl he had met was like, he had just met her and he threw our five years away like it was nothing for a girl he had known for, what felt like five minutes” licking her lips she shrugged and let her fingers glide over her cheek “it messed me up” then there was the guy after, that she had tried to get together with to mend the wounds that Oliver had left behind. That had cheated on her. And then Sterling kissing her, just because. No reason, which had been weird. “And then there was the guy after” she made a small explosion with her hand from her head. “That was just, a bloody mess, ended up cheating on me because I couldn’t get over Oliver, made me thing it was my fault that he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants, I mean, some people” she shook her head “Why I have trust issues” she laughed scrunching her nose and took another sip.

It was an odd thing, the first love. Even after so many years, he still remembered his first love. Didn't everyone always remember that one first love? So, he gave her a gentle nod. Human love, it was something. Most people weren't immortal, he had always wondered what it was like, to know you have a time limit, but also to age, to grow old with someone and let the next generation take over. Five years seemed so long for humans for mortals. But no matter the time, nothing hurt as much as giving someone all of you, all your heart and soul, just to one day throw you out like you were nothing - as if you meant nothing. It had been hundreds of years since he had let anyone in after how things had turned out with Florence. Yet, as he still ached for the touch and presence of others, he sought it out whenever he could, but it never stock. No one came underneath his skin. He knew the feeling she was describing too well, even if it was so long ago, some wounds just didn't turn to scars, they remained opened waiting for someone to rip in it.

Then there was another guy, he raised his brow a little bit sipping the tea. Ending up cheating on her. He had never understood how someone could cheat, and he was over eight thousand years old. Maybe it was because of how loyal to the bone Elias was himself, there wasn't one thing he wouldn't do for his family and the people he loved - and he would rather kiss around than settling for a partner he knew he couldn't love, because he had come to the thought of him being incapable of love now. Now he was just hollow. But he would rather be hollow than having a relationship where none of the parts were happy. Oliver. The name made him press his brows together. Now, there was millions of people in the world with that name. Still, he could only think of one person whom he shared such hatred towards. "Well, I can tell you I know a Oliver too who could learn a thing or two about that as well," he snorted a bit, clearly not amused by the thought. "So, cheers to pricks named Oliver, may they rot in the endless sea at some point in their life," he took a sip of his tea and shook his head a little bit.

She was a little surprised about the fact that he had an Oliver too, that had done something to him. Maybe she shouldn’t be because there were a lot of people whose name was exactly that. But it was a hell of a coincidence. A short giggle left her, and she nodded raising her cup of tea “Cheers, to asses called Oliver” she said sipping a little from the tea, sitting it down again. “So, what did your Oliver do to you? Seems like there is a story there and sounds like it might be worse than mine” something she was good at, always thinking that her trauma or stories weren’t as painful as those of others. As if there was a quantum of whose pain were worse than others. Because no one could really put pain and traumas up against each other. She had learned that working with some of the worst treated kids. That some kids were just better at coping than others. And people that had what seemed like small traumas, couldn’t handle them at all. But it didn’t mean that they were wrong in how they were feeling.

The one question he had not hoped to get, what had his Oliver do to them. The way that Elias thought about it made it seem like it was a few years ago, which for him it seemed like - a few hundred years was nothing compared to how long he had been alive by now. "Worse and worse, I don't believe in that term," he clicked his tongue a little before taking a sharper breath in. "But since you have shared one of your sad stories, I guess it's only fair that I share one of mine," he shook his head a little bit, not really liking sharing sad stories - but did anyone? "I was married once," more than once but for now it seemed to be the best way to describe anything really. "Which was great and all, till she fell in love with someone else, or he took her. So, she ran off, married him instead," he sighed a bit, hadn't kept tabs on what had happened, but he knew it hadn't last. Which had brought him a brief moment of joy. "I messed me up to. More than I care to admit," he breathed out in a smaller sigh taking a sip of his tea. Maybe it was the many hours he had been awake - he had been awake over a day by now, it made him more easy going, it was easier to get him to talk after these hours. "It hurts, when you lose someone you love like that, knowing they are out there with someone else - and you believe its your own fault, that you should have done more  - trust me, sometimes I still find myself in a hole of pity still -" Elias took a sharper breath  and licked his lips a little bit.

She nodded, somehow not surprised that he had once been married. He seemed the type, whatever that meant. So, she listened, didn’t interrupt as he told what had gone down. Well, it seemed more the woman’s fault if she was honest. She had decided to go with this Oliver guy, of course he might have courted her. But in the end, she had decided that she would rather be with the other guy, than Elias. And for that, she would have to live the rest of her life with the knowledge. Of course, she had no idea and didn’t know what had gone down. But it didn’t take a genius to look at Elias and now that when he loved, he loved with his entire being. And every time he gave a little piece of himself. So maybe, this woman had gotten the last piece he had to give. And now he didn’t know what to do anymore. “So, that’s what you do now? To cover up the part of it messing you up so much, I mean” she asked, taking a small sip from her cup. “Kiss strangers, and find people that can fill the empty space for a fleeting moment, with no attachments and then you can walk away with a good conscience? And guard that heart of yours?” she asked, maybe she shouldn’t use her degrees in psychology. But he made it almost too easy for her. And she was tired, worked up, she didn’t even think about her analyzing him. It only left her one question. “Then why you stop kissing me?” she asked, looking at him, leaning towards him, placing her elbow on the table, resting her head in her hand.

So, that’s what you do now? Elias pressed his brows a little bit together, but the smile didn't leave his face. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to analyze his behavior over the past two-hundred years. "You begin to sound a little bit too much my brother, should I have put some vodka in that tea?" He chuckled, perhaps just a way of him to deflect from answering the question directly. "But who is to say if there is much of a heart left in the end?" He exhaled before taking a sip of his tea not looking at her. One thing was the amount of times his wives had died, Florence had just been the last piece of the iceberg. Elias knew he still had a heart, he just wasn't sure if it could work anymore. But the last question was good, then why, why on earth had he stopped kissing her? Elias licked his lips a little bit before exhaling. "Because I like you. I don't know, maybe I just didn't want to mess up our bear hunting," he once again shook his head a little while shaking his head. And he had lived by this rule for so many years now, kissing meant not seeing again, not for more than a few days - and then there was Leon's words. And right now, while they were here, the last thing he actually wanted was to be a torn in the side of Leon - even if Elias did do a remarkable job at that without even trying.