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Shooting around the room, it never occurred to her that Avian had uttered something in response to the item she had found. In all her excitement, everyone else didn't seem to be too thrilled with the find and as a result, she decided that if it wasn't the hidden switch, then there was no use in making a huge fuss about it.

[b]"Y'know bear, that could actually be bad news. For all we know, the witch has already roasted the poor rider. If they were here, you think we'd at least hear them? This place is pretty small."[/b]

Her eyes grew wide in horror. How could he say something so horrid. Having previously felt so happy about the discovery of the armour, she now looked at it as the last remnant the rider might've left before dying. Running her fingertips over the engravings on the arm piece, she felt mournful and she hated how quickly Hakuren could flip her mood upside down. Something about him was just so cold and unwelcoming. Sniffling a bit, she placed the metal part back onto its former spot on the shelf and sighed somberly in defeat, wishing that she'd never pointed it out to begin with. He could be right, the rider could very well be gone by now, the baby dragon too. Clenching her eyes tightly, she didn't want to cry again, she had lost too much water already and was getting severely dehydrated.

[b]"Martini, you're good friends with the Queen right? Do you know when or why you guys started getting human shipments? People even die on these missions don't they? Look what happened to Vince!"[/b]

At first she wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation behind her, but as she felt the tension rise in his aura, she turned around to see Lesley hunched over Martini who was sitting with a shocked expression on the chair.

[b]"Tell me. Tell me how many shipments of humans you guys have gotten and tell me how many have died!"[/b]

She flinched as he smacked his hand down on the table, his rage clearly fueling this outburst. He had lost a hand and she could only imagine what that felt like and how it could emotionally damage a person. To have the knowledge staring you right in the face for the rest of your life, that you would never be the same again. Everyone else in the room looked just as startled as Martini, but she knew that everyone was having the same mental battle in their heads. Who to side with? Lesley was human and all his points were valid. Jasper's breaths were beginning to quicken as the argument continued to heat up.

[b]"Lesley! She risked her life for you!"[/b]

[b]"Well," he looked uncertain, "they could have left us long ago, but they didn't."[/b]

Heart rate gradually beating faster, she saw Inadi step in to remove the panting Lesley away from Martini who was still dumbstruck with the sudden turn in atmosphere.

[b]"Yeah," Hakuren sneered, "well, this is a job to them."[/b]

Jasper watched as Harper approached Hakuren with steady footsteps, yet they were filled with alarming annoyance. The ice mage seemed to beckon him on as he let out a laugh and Harper snapped. A loud gasp escaped her mouth as Harper's fist made contact with Haku's jaw. The albino was mortified, tears were welling up in her eyes and her legs were weakening. They were supposed to be a family and she felt so thankful just moments ago, what was happening? She couldn't think straight and her head was buzzing with questions again. The guides had always been people she felt safe with, but now she was viewing them in a new light, a dark and ominous presence.

[b]"Hakuren has a point," his voice was frantic. "Just how many humans have died here?" He was repeating Lesley, "how many batches have come and gone?" The boy's eyes went steely. "You've seen this happen all before, but you don't care, do you? Because to all of you, we're just another batch, just another casualty! Vince is dead, but it doesn't really mean anything but a drop in your paycheck, isn't the right?"[/b]

All of Leon's panicked outcrys were flooding into her head to join all the other accusations made by both Lesley and Hakuren. Her own questions were now a big ugly mix with everyone else's said inquiries. The tension and chaos in the room was so high and her body heat shot up as she broke out into sweats.

[b]"Surely there has to be an answer to that question guides. An answer you have to know about. So how about it then," He said as he stopped spinning the spear, the tip pointed at the guides as the smile disappeared and light reflecting off his glasses, hiding his dark glare. "What exactly does Nowhere need with us humans in the end?"[/b]

This was it, she could feel the anxiety attack coming onto her as she was losing the ability to suppress it. Mind racing with millions of unanswered questions, all the horrors she had witnessed and all the zombies she had slaughtered, the euphoria she felt as she realized just how precious all these people were to her and how much they had reshaped her personality, her heart pumping and pulsing, her mind hazing... Taking slow steps towards Inadi, her legs could barely carry her as she fought the "black out" to her utmost ability. The only sound in the painfully silent room was the light thuds of her footsteps. Reaching out, she placed a hand on Inadi's hand and pushed down to lower the weapon back to his side. Then, with her body quivering and tears flowing down the sides of her face, she turned to look at the rest of the group. 

"Stop..." It was all so exhausting and she let go of her final grasp on staying upright. She slowly lowered herself down to her knees as she felt so weakened by the all the fighting and emotions bombarding her mind.