Ruby stirred. The fall, or whatever that was, had knocked her out cold, and she didn't much feel like getting up. But the nearby murmur of voices drew her curiosity. She opened her eyes a little to take in her surroundings. She beheld a fire, burning bright as if in apology for the crippling darkness earlier, and there were shadowy figures around it. As her eyes adjusted, one of the figures turned out to be Mr. Hero.

Just seeing him again made her feel a bit more secure. His strong back made a sharp silhouette against the fire, and the calm rumble of his voice reassured her that he perceived no imminent danger. If Mr. Hero didn't think Dingus Flamingus was coming back, then she was more than happy to rest under his protective shadow. Besides, a few more minutes couldn't hurt.

Thoughts of Kite, Hero's injuries, Violet's condition, and pending research forced her up. With a grumble, Ruby lifted herself to her feet and peered around for the birdface. When she spotted it, she stumbled over to its side and looked it over. Though she had zero knowledge of this magical kite's (magikite?) physiology, she observed that the creature was breathing, for what that was worth. Was it supposed to be breathing? There were stranger creatures on Aion designed with unconventional respiratory systems. But she didn't much feel like investigating that. Such things were better left to Grey. The mad doc would pester her for research subjects by the end of this mission anyway.

Ruby turned back toward the fire and nearly shrieked at the sight of the demon-harpy sitting just across from Mr. Hero. [i]Nearly[/i] shrieked. She wasn't dumb enough to wake up the entire dungeon. She maintained laser-focus on the creature as she stepped her way over to Mr. Hero's side and sat next to him.

She risked a glance at his shoulder, and earning herself another shock at the [i]highly unsanitary[/i] cloth stuffed in the wound. He shouldn't have even removed the arrow. Left untreated, the wound was likely to go septic. Ruby returned her gaze to the demon-harpy and slowly reached into her bag for her medical kit.

She opted to remain silent and let Mr. Hero - or Walker, as he'd introduced himself - do all the talking for the moment. She could ask who the H-E-double-hockey-sticks he was talking to later.