Fionn was glad that she had agreed to come to his house. He didn’t know any other way to convince her to come over, and he couldn’t just leave her where she was. A small yet meek smile crawled over his lips as he held the umbrella over her. She would get sick if she didn’t go inside soon. Even though Fionn was concerned that Jak’s mother had thrown her out, he was more focused on the fact that he would actually have company at his place. His mother would let her stay of course, especially when she heard her story. His father and brother would probably prod at her, asking stupid questions, most of which would be along the lines of how they met and where. Fionn wasn’t looking toward that at all.

[b]”Let’s go then.”[/b] Fionn told her, making his way down the street with the grocery bag in his hand. Jak would be fine in the warmth of his home, albeit she might feel a little uncomfortable. He supposed it would be natural if she was; she would be sleeping somewhere other than her own room, anyway. 

It took only a few minutes to get to his home. By the time that they reached the front door, it had begun to rain heavily. Thunder rolled more loudly and lightning cracked across the sky more frequently. [i]This storm is something else…[/i] Fionn thought as he opened the door and closed his umbrella. He stepped inside and closed the door behind Jak. [b]”Mom?”[/b] he called, pulling off his rain coat and placing it where it belonged, along with the soaked umbrella. 

“Fionn?” his mother popped out from the kitchen, and, upon seeing Jak, smiled. “Oh, who’s your friend?”

[b]”Mom, this is Jak.”[/b] Fionn motioned over to the dark-haired teenaged girl beside him. [b]”She doesn’t have anywhere to stay for the night. I was wondering if she could stay here.”[/b]

Fionn’s mother remained quiet for a few seconds as she looked at Jak. “Of course. She can’t just stay in the rain.” she said. “Come into the living room. Fionn, go get a towel. The poor girl’s sopping wet.”

Fionn nodded and made his way upstairs. He walked to the bathroom and searched for the thickest towel he could find. After he had found one, he trotted downstairs and handed the towel to Jak. [b]”That’ll dry you up.”[/b] he told her. [b]”After you dry yourself, you can come to the living room and watch television. My older brother is there with his wife, but don’t mind him. He can get pretty annoying at times.”[/b]

---

Cyril was exhausted. Running around the whole of Trespiano several times left his body screaming in complaint. Even though Naoto’s mother had offered to cook for them, it was an effort to lift a forkful of food up to his lips. All he wanted to do was sleep, and yet, his roaring stomach didn’t allow him to. Keeping his head from falling on the table was a feat in itself, and chewing the food only brought more weariness. He supposed that he shouldn’t complain. Everyone in Naoto’s house had run with him, and they didn’t stop until they had successfully completed the laps. If they hadn’t… who knows what Sonya would have done?

At least he had gotten something in his stomach. The food was warm and delicious, but Cyril didn’t have the energy to eat. All he wanted to do was shower and sleep. Then again, he wondered if he [i]could[/i] sleep. He hadn’t been able to sleep much, and he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to sleep an hour that night, even if his hunger was sated. He continued to toy with his food, sitting at the kitchen table with his chin plopped in one hand. 

All of a sudden, Abby piped up from the other room, asking if someone would be able to put some food in her mouth. [i]Is she serious?[/i] Cyril thought, tossing her a glance over his shoulder. There was no way that he would get himself off the chair and put food in her mouth as if she was some sort of goddess. Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t sure if his legs would be able to carry him over to her. His tired eyes dropped back down to his plate of food without a word.

That was when worry started to well up in his chest, more than it had before. They were just a group of weak teenagers, most of which had no experience in fighting at all. How were they supposed to go and fight a trained mafia hitman? Could they possibly be charging toward their deaths?