Eska watched with a worried eye as the old man sat before her. His anxious glance made her uncomfortable. Her own eyes darted around the room before settling back on the poor worried janitor. Who did he expect to be lurking in the shadows? What could possibly make this docile man so scared to speak? She gave him a soft smile, and she was happy to see him visibly relax just a bit more than before.

[color=lightblue]"Remember last week, when I was telling you about the great Shun-Li's unfortunate incident with one of the gym equipment? That was a good story. But after you left, I remembered how my young son loved to hear about Shun-Li's adventures. I don't know but... a huge grief overcame me. I... I needed release from my own mind."[/color]

Eska felt her heart ache inside for Wu. She couldn't imagine what it was like to lose a son. Wu's son should have been around her age, after all. She watched him pull his pentlandite beads from his pocket. It was something she only saw him do when he urgently needed to distract his mind from what was troubling him.

She listened intently as Wu explained his journey to the temple, nodding every now and then to let him know that she had heard every word. She was glad to hear that he was seeking solace in a place as peaceful as the Raava temple. She'd only visited a few times in her life. A few of those times had just been a field trip for school, but she had also gone a few times on her own personal venture. As Wu shamefully mentioned that he'd slept during meditation Eska couldn't help but knowingly smile. She'd always found it easier to fall asleep at night if she mediated beforehand. Whenever she felt truly at peace, she could sleep soundly.

What Wu told her next made her brows furrow once more. She felt him grab her hand and hold it tightly and she almost flinched at the touch. Instead, she gripped his hand just as tightly as he held hers in an attempt to comfort her elder and also herself. Her eyes focused on the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. In all of her time with Wu, she'd never seen him this scared. Deep down she could feel her own fear forming within her. It grew slowly as Wu described the creature. Her blood began to run as cold as ice. She'd never heard of a creature like the one Wu described, and was completely shocked to hear that the Grand Abbot was speaking with him.

[color=lightblue]The abbot seemed to be pleading with him. But the bull-man was angry. He was talking about some prophecy. And about the City Center bomb blast that happened last week. The man... the way he was talking... I think he knows who did it. And he seemed bent on doing it again. 'Bigger than ever' he kept saying. 'We have to use the prophecy to our advantage,' he was saying. But suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air. He then said, 'Someone's here'. My heart was hammering in my chest. I stumbled backwards. I did not know what gave me strength. But I tumbled and ran like my pants were on fire! I didn't look back till I reached the bridge."[/color]

Eska pressed her lips together into a tight line, her eyes displaying her worries for the man as easily as her body displayed that she was confused. Wu seemed to display the same signs, except he also looked utterly terrified for his life. Her hand was going numb within his, but she held his tighter as she realized that the man needed far more comfort than she did. He was trembling in fear, and that made Eska suddenly feel very protective of the old janitor. 

[color=lightblue]"Since then, I have been living in fear, Eska. I am too afraid to go back to the temple. And I don't know if going to the police will be the right decision. I may be an old man waiting to die, but I certainly don't want to be dismembered or tortured by some maniac. You... you are a smart woman, Eska. What do you think I should do? Will the cops even believe me if I told them a bull-faced man was planning a terrorist attack with the Grand Abbot of the Temple? Even when I hear myself say it, it sounds ridiculous. Like an old man's overactive imagination or something."[/color] 

As Wu finished speaking, Eska took a few moments to breathe and think over what he'd just revealed to her. It was a crazy notion that the Grand Abbot could have something to do with the bombing of republic city, nonetheless plan a second more intense attack as well. Wu's worries were as sane as could be, and she ran each option and it's potential outcomes through her head before she came to a conclusion that didn't seem as delusional as the others.

Slowly, Eska took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She looked up at the old man before her. Their hands were still locked together. "Wu, I... I can't believe what you must be feeling right now. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that alone." She gave him a sad smile, wishing deep down that she'd been with him to uncover such a terrible secret. She also wished that she had been there to protect him. "I'm not sure what you should do, Wu... I've never been in a situation like that, and I'm not sure if the police are to be trusted."

With that said, Eska looked him in the eyes, her determination to protect him shining through the fear that was settling within her. "You are not going crazy, Wu. You are just as sharp as you were when I met you. Please, for your own safety, keep this between us. Just keep your head down, come to work, but let me know if you see anything or anyone odd or suspicious."

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Wu, but I promise you I won't let any harm come your way if I can help it. Any accusations towards the Grand Abbot will surely turn their attention towards you, but for now they don't know who you are. Keep it that way, okay? For the both of us."

Eska stared at him, hiding any notion that she wanted to confirm his suspicions on her own. She didn't want him to worry for her own life as well. In fact, she had an urge to visit the temple as soon as possible, or at least to do some digging on her own at a safe distance.