Sucking air through her teeth, Maya swooped in to catch the frazzled girl before her skull could abruptly meet the cold, hard ground. The tea cup that Rai had been washing clattered to the floor. “Easy there, kiddo,” Maya whispered to Rai as she effortlessly hoisted the unconscious girl into her arms as if she weighed no more than a feather. Poor thing.   

	[color=00aeef][i]Need somewhere to dump the body?[/i][/color] Andromeda joked dryly.

	[i]That went splendidly,[/i] Maya groaned as she gently lowered Rai onto a nearby cot, [i]Rather delicate for someone who is purportedly fighting some great war, eh? If only I knew where her weapon was…I would just go ahead and open a rift to the Leviathan and toss her through.[/i]

 [color=00aeef][i]You appear to be forgetting the concept of free will as well as the moral ambiguity of alien abduction,[/i][/color] noted the ever-present voice in her head. 

	[i]Minor details,[/i] Maya scoffed as she found a washcloth and ran it under the sink’s faucet,[i]One thing is for sure –she’s a ferociously loyal creature. Unfortunately, her undying fealty to the tangerine is proving rather problematic.[/i]

	Maya pressed the cool, damp cloth onto Rai’s onyx forehead. She wasn’t really sure what she hoped that it would do, but it seemed appropriate…and instinctively maternal. Despite her growing impatience, Maya couldn’t help but to feel sympathetic and responsible for the newly discovered Archon. She sighed while brushing away a stray lock of Rai’s jet black hair.

	“I suppose I need to go have a talk with Fuma. Also, where the hell is Paul? I thought Fuma’s cronies were rounding him up,” Maya grumbled to herself as she exited the kitchen.