At the older man's demand to remove his mask, Augustus felt panic welling inside him. [i]No,[/i] he thought. [i]No, I can't take it of. They won't make me take it off.[/i]

	"Good people, please," he said as the youth pointed a rifle at his chest. "This mask protects me from the plague, and if you insist I take it off, I must decline. I am not here to deceive you. This is how I have survived for so long." Augustus stepped away from the group, slowly dropping his bag from his shoulder. He reached in with one hand, the other still in the air, and removed a single rose. "See? I place these in the mask. They have antibodies against the plague. Roses, against the Rose Plague." The man stopped, laughing loudly. "Ironic, isn't it? The very thing we named it after is how to fight it." He let the rose drop into his bag, then returned his hands to the air. "I am a scientist, and a doctor. I can help you."

	At that, Augustus took a deep breath, looking at each of the other people in turn. [i]And if you don't agree to this,[/i] he thought, [i]I will simply leave. I have no obligation here.[/i]

	"I have no weapons spare my knives," Augustus continued. "I am hopelessly outgunned. I pose no threat. Let me take you to the girl's brother."

[@SweetOwlette][@hagroden]