Ren shook his head, the half-frown morphing into narrowed eyes and lips thinning into agitation. "I'm getting tired of you telling me what I supposedly felt, did..." He grimaced, another jagged bolt of pain crossing through his skull and down his spine. "But if you are...telling the truth..." He suppressed the urge to shout as yet another burst of agony cascaded down his spine and into the small of his back, nearly forcing his upper body forward. "And I did...help you, then you've...piqued my curiosity." The pain from the back to back incidents subsided and, for the moment, he felt normal. A part of him wanted to recant his expression of interest almost immediately now that he was somewhat lucid, but those spikes of pain had only come on when he had wracked his brain searching for the supposed experiences Ryoko had informed him of. If he really wanted to figure out why she had approached him, the validity of the claims and, selfishly, the cause of the sudden aches, he needed to work with her, albeit temporarily. He paused for a few moments, eyes cast on the neon signs across the river, breathing lightly. Silence passed between the duo before he spoke quietly: "I don't think it would be wise for you to go through any kind of examination process out here." "She can come back with us!" Morgana delightedly exclaimed, dark blue eyes shifting from Ren to Ryoko, whiskers twitching in excitement. For the supernaturally created cat-being, this represented the first time in a while that there was SOMETHING happening in their lives that involved the Thieves, even if it was at the expense of his friend. "That was awfully eager of you." He shot a half-teasing glare at Morgana, who ducked his head back into the bag as he proclaimed: "Onward, to home!" Ren couldn't help but laugh. "As the cat says, we do. Follow me." Ren's apartment was housed in one of the many white-washed, sterile high-rises that stood near Osaka station. Not only was he happy about how close he was to the station to visit...well, fewer people than years ago, but it was also a place where he and Morgana could blend in. Neighbors were barely seen, let alone interacted with, and the walls were soundproof enough to where one could easily find themselves doubting that anyone else lived in the building at all. The lack of personality was less apparent in Ren's apartment, wherein Ryoko would see a few trinkets on a bookshelf, books on a host of subjects and several photos mounted on the right hand wall of the Thieves she should have recognized. As Ren closed the door behind them, he asked: "So what exactly do you plan on doing to examine the pain?" After Morgana leapt out of Ren's bag, the cat followed up: "I'm curious myself! How can you diagnose Ren's pain so easily? DO you have experience with this kind of thing?" ________ [i]...When your brain goes numb, you can all that mental freeze...[/i] Left kick. Right uppercut. [i]What you know about rollin in the deep...[/i] Jab. Jab. Cross. Cross. [i]I feel like...[/i] "Ann? Ann?!" Taking an earbud out of her left ear and allowing the training mannequin a respite from her onslaught, Ann Takamaki turned to face the source of the voice, her lithe frame dripping with sweat. She took a couple of breaths, wiping a few droplets off of her brow before smiling widely, speaking in slightly accented English: "Hey, Roan! What's up?" Roan Atkins, a burly man of about 40-ish, chuckled as he motioned to the training dummy. "You were putting in some focused work. Good for you." "Just doin what you showed me! It's done WONDERS for the toning in my arms and legs." She winked and flexed her arms, slight protrusions of muscle jutting upward. Roan clapped, laughing as he responded: "Well don't get too worked up tonight. You've got shoots on the coast all next week, so we'll need you limber, not sore." "You got it, chief!" Ann titled her head slightly. "There's something else, isn't there..." Roan nodded. "There was a request that came in from Tokyo. I know how..." "No." "Ann, Japan is a burgeoning market and you need to go ba-" Ann turned around. "See you tomorrow morning, Roan." Left hook. Right hook. [i]Hands held, head on his shoulder, looking at the sunset... Will it ever get better than this? What about children? Maybe? Model! I'll be your manager slash lover. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth. Ends of the earth.[/i] Right kick. Left haymaker. Jaw clenched.