[b][Captain][/b]
It was with a mild air of vexation that MacReary watched Sector V reform, like a particularly clumsy phoenix scrambling hurriedly from the ashes. 
Half of them looked as though they’d just been unearthed from beneath a medical tarp, having been declared deceased hours prior: And those who didn’t seemed simply too juvenile for the task at hand. 
Still, he had precious little alternative: Sector X was in the midst of a rigorous training session, the likes of which would make softer men cringe, and Sector Y was currently hospitalised for reasons they refused to speak of.
Avery- the most lucid of them- had offered only that it was Chamberlain’s fault, which, MacReary had to admit, seemed rather likely. 

Exhaling, the Elder took a moment to reassure himself- baselessly- that Sector V would do just fine on this assignment.
After all, had they not a reputation for being the best Sundown had to offer? Surely that wasn’t a legend based [i]purely[/i] on misconception… 
Right?
He took a moment to scrutinise each Runner before him slowly, his faded-green irises scouring them, harvesting every detail they could: Their weaknesses, their strengths… anything that should give him hope.
He found none.

Shoulders sagging slightly, MacReary gestured for Acacia to join Sector V’s group.
“Well,” he began, with little else to say, “I suppose that’s the introductions made. I needn’t overstay my welcome-”
“Already done it.”
“- So I wish you all the best of luck. Perhaps this will be a sobering experience for some of you: Perhaps running with wounds will teach you the value of self-preservation [i]out[/i] of the field, as well as in it.”
His eyes landed upon Eva and Churchill, judgingly and fearful. 
“What? We’ll bounce back, we’re still young.” 
“For now.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do than try and frighten my Sector?”

MacReary contemplated arguing with him again for a moment, before simply shaking his head, and breezing briskly past him with a quiet, but nonetheless noticeably condescending tut. 
It was true: Sector V was young, and perhaps that would be their saving grace. 
Although it may have seemed farfetched to some, he hadn’t always been an aged spectator: In days of yore- as some might have put it- he’d been an adolescent himself… 
And, perhaps, even more unruly than they. 
But the runner’s high was a powerful thing: And in it, the potential for greatness. 

Churchill watched him walk away without offering any further ripostes, save for bitterly muttering some cruel sobriquet beneath his breath.

[b][Vivid][/b]
Eva let out a quiet little sigh, not only able to hear every word Church muttered under his breath, but able to feel the tension in his back and shoulders as well. MacReary rarely left them [i]without[/i] a bitter taste in their mouths, but he wasn’t exactly wrong. The entire team had seen better days, and Eva was certain they could have left a better first impression on their newest recruit. 
“Well,” Her tone was clipped. “He does have a point.” She punctuated the final word with another small jab to Church’s ribcage, just to make it clear that she hadn’t forgotten or forgiven his stupidity. “Just a day ago, I thought I was going to be the only one trying to hide my cruises, and yet here we are! Honestly, we probably [i]need[/i] a personal medic on this team.” Taking her own cue, Eva lifted her chin towards their new member in casual greeting. “It’s Acacia, right? I think Nadine’s mentioned you before, said you were pretty skilled at your trade – good to have you on board!” 
To her left, Eva noticed Melanie was stiffer than a statue, not having moved since she abruptly cut herself off just moments ago. Reaching over, she gave the girl a friendly nudge. “Hey, you alright?” Her eyes widened as she noticed the mottled bruises across the young woman’s face. “Damn, [i]we[/i] look beaten to a pulp? What did you do, get trampled? I never pegged you for the type to get involved in a riot, Mel.” 
Shaking her head, Eva gave Church’s shoulder a light tug, trying to point him back in the direction they came. “Ugh, I feel like crap. Thanks to you, I don’t even have a right to complain anymore,” She muttered under her breath, carefully testing all of her own injuries. Her mobility had more or less returned, but that didn’t mean she was free of pain. In fact, every movement she made came with a sharp jab of pain that made her hiss through her teeth. “Anyways, I need to get out of these rags,” She groaned, glancing down at the clothes Nadine had put her in after her last shower. After spending the previous evening drenched in sweat, another one sounded pretty good right about now. “And I’m desperately in need of a shower. We have time for a bit of R&R before we need to fight off cultists?”

[b][Prince][/b]
Marina's shoulders sagged as she heaved a sigh, "Haah… MacReary's grumpy like usual. I thought our prima performance would brighten his mood for sure!" With a shrug, she beamed excitedly, "Still though, a new member! I'm Marina, pleasure to meet you! I don't seem to remember if you were ever mentioned, though…" Klaus folded his arms, tilting his head slightly.
"I definitely recall both Doctor Chiaki and Frau Nadine mentioning an Acacia, schwester…" Marina looked at him blankly for a moment, before snapping her fingers as a look of realisation washed over her face.
"Oh ja! I always thought Chiaki was just talking about her flowers or something," Marina murmured. Klaus shook his head with a weary chuckle.
"Ja, I figured as much… Well, Frau Acacia, mein nahme its Klaus Hoffen, it's a pleasure to have you on the team," Klaus bowed, before turning his attention to Church, "What was that about cultists, Church?" Marina suddenly put her fist into her palm.
"Oh!"
"Hmm? Do you know something schwester?" Marina grinned sheepishly.
"Nein, I just realised I totally need a shower as well." Klaus rolled his eyes with another chuckle.
"Right, ja. What did MacReary talk to you two about, if you don't mind my asking?"

[b][Captain][/b]
“Come on Klaus, you know by now that MacReary has only two settings: Being a git, and being an [i]insufferable[/i] git. He didn’t say anything useful, the entire briefing is on the data pad.”
Slowly, he rested his free hand against the bruise on his cheek, as if to investigate whether or not it was still swollen.
Of course it was- He could even still feel the burn of Eva’s fast-flying palm- but, at the very least, it’d receded ever so slightly under the mild morning conditions. 
“As for the cultists… I don’t think anybody [i]really[/i] knows anything. All I can tell you is that this isn’t going to be like fighting Omegas. Wherever they’ve taken Sector H? It’s at ground level. We’re going down, and I need you all to be prepared for that, because I have no idea what to expect.”

Church’s countenance was solemn for a moment, but softened substantially when he realized that Acacia was still there.
“Haha, but hey, why worry? We’ve got our own medic with us. Hell, I almost feel bad for the enemy.” 
He took his hand from his face, and flashed Acacia a good-natured thumbs up, “Congratulations, you’ve just been assigned the most accident prone Sector in Sundown. You are going to be getting a [i]lot[/i] of practice!”

Then, he returned to his senior Sector members, and smiled sheepishly. 
“R’n’R, huh? Well, time or no, I don’t think we really have much of a choice…” he chuckled, almost embarrassedly, “We’re, uh… we’re sort of banged up. I think a shower is the least we deserve.”
He moved his hand downwards, and pressed it protectively against his ribs. 
Following this, he scowled at Eva, although it was fairly obvious the gesture wasn’t intended to be too malicious, “Although, keep [i]that[/i] up and it’ll be [i]you[/i] carrying [i]me[/i] to the medical bay, you follow?”
He maintained eye contact for a few seconds, before eventually rescinding that attitude, and turning both himself and Eva around.
“But first thing’s first. C’mon, Raggedy Anne, let’s go find you some clothes.”
And with that, he began pacing towards Sundown’s interior. However, before getting more than half-way across the plaza, he paused, and threw a glance over his shoulder.
“Hey, Marina? Show Acacia the ropes, will you? You’re the best, after all.”
And with that, he said no more, and continued onwards.

[b][Vivid][/b]
The sensation of warm water rushing over Eva’s skin was euphoric, and she had to suppress the urge to sit there for hours, forcing herself to turn off the water and grab a towel. Even without the water, the room was thankfully filled with warm steam left over from others’ showers – there was no worse feeling than stepping from a hot shower into cold air. Except for, maybe, fracturing several of your bones. Small groans and hisses of pain escaped Eva’s lips over and over again as dried herself off and struggled into her clothes. 
As she tied off the laces of her shoes, she let out a small breath of satisfaction. It felt good to wear her shoes again, feeling how they fit snugly around her ankles and feet – she felt like a runner again, regardless of how much pain she was in. She belonged on the rooftops, in the sky. Nothing felt more right. It was as though putting her shoes on had injected her with newfound energy, and she thrust her shoulders back as confidently as she could before hobbling out of the showers. 
As she emerged, her hair a mess from being dried (a personal technique, which involved running the towel over it like one might try to scrub a stain from a carpet), she caught sight of Church. From what she could see, he had already finished his shower and was currently cleaning his stilts. Letting her lips curl into a teasing grin, she sidled up and dropped to a crouch beside him.
“You taking good care of your babies? I think you missed a spot.”

[b][Captain][/b]
Church was a peculiar sight, whenever it was he cleaned his stilts. 
They’d been detached from his knees at the joint, leaving only a smooth, metallic cap over each of his stumps- into which his metallic legs would lock- protruding slightly from his shorts. 
He’d laid his stilts across his knees, their carbon-steel surfaces staring up at him, as he ran half a slice of lemon across their faces. 
It was a technique Roark had taught him, as indeed he’d used the same for his bow: The acid would drip deep into any tarnished metals, and clean the dirt from their surfaces as if it were dust. 

When he was in the process of such maintenance, he was rarely- if ever- fully aware of the world around him. 
Honestly, he found it therapeutic: In the same way the polishing of a rifle might be considered relaxing. 
So when Eva returned, it took him a few minutes to look towards her: Only after he’d dusted his left limb down with a roughly fibered cloth. 
“Huh? Missed a spot?”

He caught sight of her grin, and reciprocated as he often did: “Huh, guess I did,” he admitted, resting his citrusy fruit against his right stilt, and rubbing against its surface roughly, until it shone lustrously. 
He put the lemon aside, and glanced back at Eva.
“Oh, don’t look now, but so did you!”
He nodded, and gestured to her face, “Yeah, you missed…” he moved his hand to encircle her entire countenance, “Allll of this.”

[b][Vivid][/b]
Eva let out a small snort of laughter in spite of herself, slapping his hand aside. 
“You’re one to talk,” She retorted, gingerly poking the bruise on his face. Getting to her feet, she braced a hand against the wall for balance and pulled one of her feet behind her, stretching out the muscles. “You know, your sass aside, I’m feeling pretty good...” As her eyes swept over the halls, her grin widened. “I need to get back in the groove before I hit the roofs again, if you know what I mean.” She shot him a wink. “Been a while since we ran the old training route together, eh? What do you say – up for a quick jog through the halls? Maybe even…a [i]race[/i]?”

[b][Captain][/b]
An impish smile swept Church’s face, and he chuckled perkily, “Haha, that almost sounds like a challenge! You want a race, huh? You think you can keep up?”
He glanced down at the limbs in his lap for a moment, and then back up to her, smiling still, “How about I leave the stilts off, then? That way you actually stand a chance!”

[b][Vivid][/b]
Eva rolled her eyes as her expression turned sour, “Church, I swear, if you try to race me on your hands and knees [i]again[/i]…” She shook her head, letting her mouth twist into a wry grin as she put her hands up in mock surrender. “But I mean, hey, they’re your legs; if you want to cripple your hand under someone’s foot again, that’s fine, but all you’ll get from me is an ‘I told you so’! You’ll end up as a walking gallery of every possible self-inflicted injury by the end of the day,” She muttered.

[b][Captain][/b]
"Your faith in me, it makes my heart swell," he assured her in a frisky tone, with the playful rolling of his eyes, "If I become a gallery of injuries, I'll name the west wing after you. 'Our lady of glass bones'."

[b][Vivid][/b]
“My God, does that attitude of yours ever go away?” Eva cackled, shoving him playfully but hard enough to make him lose his balance. “Are you going to put your legs on and go for a jog with me, or am I going to have to go by myself and wait for you guys to find your lady after her glass bones have rendered her useless? I give no guarantee that I won’t just start breaking apart as I run!” 
She began jogging in place, pretending to crumple to the ground as she ran. “Whoops, there goes my arm! Ah, and a leg! Nooo, my ankle, whatever shall I do?” A hand quivered dramatically as she reached up towards Church, trying and failing to keep a grin off her face. “Will you really leave me to such a fate? To die alone in some desolate corner, my corpse never to be found? Oh, the tragedy!”

[b][Captain][/b]
"Well..." he muttered in light thought, "It [i]would[/i] save me the melodramatics, and the bruised ribs..." he pondered aloud, tapping his chin.
For a few moments, he sat in faux meditation: Then, he feigned a defeated sigh and took her hand, "Finnne," he submitted, ludically, "But you owe me one."

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus strolled onto the scene, coat swung over his back and a bemused look on his face. Tilting his head, he made a quizzical gesture with his hand, "Uh… Frau Eva, are you alright? Are those tears of joy? Perhaps Church made a declaration of undying love," He wondered aloud, a wry grin on his face as he shrugged, "Oh well, I shouldn't get in the way of you liebe-vogel, should I?" He chuckled, pointing at the entrance behind them, "Are the showers free?"

[b][Captain][/b]
Bruise or no, it became painfully obvious that Church's somewhat pallid complexion was quickly darkening, flushing to a shade of mild cerise. 
He relinquished Eva's hand hurriedly, and pointed warningly at Klaus, mouth opened to spit some dry retort.
... none came.
"... h-hult dein mund," he eventually replied, quietly and with some vague bitterness, as his arm sank, and with it his pointing finger.
"Go get your shower."

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus snickered with a nod, patting his shoulder with a reassuring smile, "Relax, I was messing around. What're you two doing now, then? It's certainly an interesting situation," He looked them over with another soft chuckle, "Frau Eva on the ground crying, und Church helping her up… The conclusion I came to could definitely be seen as far more optimistic!"

[b][Vivid][/b]
Eva was giggling so hard she was red in the face, lying on the ground where she had fallen when Church suddenly yanked his hand away. 
"Ow, God, you're a cruel man, Church..." She groaned as she rolled over and got to her feet, though her giggles continued to persist. "I was just trying to cnvince him to go on a quick run with me, because I can't be trusted with these bones of glass ond whatnot. Maybe Klaus will be more willing to escort an ailing lady, eh?" She gave the German a few pokes to the ribcage. "What do you say, in the mood for a mid-morning jog?"

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus coughed with a surprisingly bashful smile, "Oh nein, I'm sure Church would be a much better companion… I'd just slow you down," He chuckled shyly, "Und I'd certainly hate to make you feel uncomfortable… I uh, I probably wouldn't be very good conversation, und I haven't actually had my shower yet…" He rubbed his neck, "Nein nein, Church really would be better than I. If you really do insist though, I would not mind jogging with the zwei of you," Klaus suggested meekly.

[b][Vivid][/b]
"You heard the man, Church!" Eva's bright grin and playful attitude were a clear indicator that she was in a better mood than she had been in all week. "It'll be a trio!" She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, giddy with excitement. "You can't say no to that face, can you?"

[b][Captain][/b]
Church- without any further contribution- simply returned to maintaining his legs. 
Lifting his left stump gingerly, he carefully slid the ball-joint that substituted- and constituted- his knee into its socket with a gentle metallic "snap!", jerking it left and right in order to assure it was stable. 
When he was confident in the rejoining, he then took a series of leather straps from somewhere a little higher up on the stump- out of view from prying eyes- and slid them through a series of buckles at the stilt's top, securing them to ensure the leg would remain rigid when stood on. 
He tilted his left leg left, and right- in order to spot any errors he might've made- before lowering it again, and repeating the process on his right. 

Then, he stood, bouncing lightly on the spot in order to further assure himself that he'd done a good job in reconstructing his lower half. 
"Wouldn't know," he said simply, bending his right knee and grasping his stilt at the ankle behind him, in some sort of faux quadricep stretch.
He smiled, very simply, "I'm gonna be leaving it in the dust."

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "Oh hallo there Marina, when did you arrive?" Putting his hands in his pockets he shrugged, "But hey, if you want to make this into a race… Well, what German would say no to a direct declaration of war?" A coy grin crossed his lips, "But why not make it interesting, Church? Got anything to wager when you lose?"

[b][Captain][/b]
"Big talk," Churchill warned, playfully, before clapping Klaus sportingly on the shoulder, "But don't go making bets without putting your marks where your mouth is, friend."
He made the 'V' gesture with the fingers of his right hand, "Because I shall never surrender."
He relinquished Klaus' shoulder from his grip, "But hey, don't worry," he grinned, "I won't go telling the French about how badly I beat you here today."

[b][Vivid][/b]
"Oh-ho, things are getting heated here!" Eva grinned, her eyebrows lifting and the corners of her eyes crinkling to give her an impish expression. "Have I started something I'll regret?" She let out a small snort. "I doubt it. What do I gotta do to get in on some of this action, boys? I don't have a cent to my name, but I've got a bit of pull in the kitchen -- I doubt the taste of that hot chocolate is something you'll forget anytime soon, Church. Think that's worth something?"

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus's grin simply widened, "You have seriously been around main schwester too long, the both of you," With a chuckle he shrugged, "Don't talk like you've won yet though, Church. Or the only taste you'll be having is that of humble pie," He folded his arms and shook his head in bewilderment, "Marina will be [i]livid[/i] when she hears about this!"

[b][Vivid][/b]
"The poor girl, this is right up her alley, isn't it?" Pursing her lips, Eva brought a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we'll just have to make it up to her later, won't we? We're making a tradition here!" Clapping her hands, she leapt up onto the bench Church had been sitting on, stretching her arms out as if to direct traffic. "In any case, less talking, more running! I don't want to wear you out too much right before a mission, so we'll go with the short route -- this is the starting line, the entrance of the gym is the finish line. A straight shot through the East wing...sound manageable?" She wiggled her eyebrows a few times challengingly. "As much as I'd like to run my mouth and make you believe I'm capable of leaving both of you in the dust, which I am," She coughed out the last three words. "I am the resident cripple at the moment, so I'll be taking the short route back through the courtyard. I'll be waiting at the finish line to declare a winner. Any qualms or questions?"

[b][Captain][/b]
"I'd like to motion that Klaus can't ask me what my handicap is."

[b][Prince][/b]
"Now, why would I ask that?" Klaus grinned widely, "Those are obviously your legs."

[b][Vivid][/b]
"That's just what he wants you to think," Eva whispered loudly with a wink. "Come on, you've seen him run with those things, do they look like a handicap? In any case, motion passes! Anything else?"

[b][Captain][/b]
"What's our alibi if Marina spots us?"

[b][Vivid][/b]
"We're hiding from Sector Y?" She suggested with a shrug. "That or bears. I vote bears."

[b][Captain][/b]
"Ahh," Church stroked his chin with a sagely nod, "Sky bears are an epidemic, alright."

[b][Vivid][/b]
"Quite tragic the last time they tried to nest here," Eva gave a sad shake of her head. "So many lives lost, so many homes filled with twigs and bear fur."

[b][Prince][/b]
"'Twas a dangerous year indeed," Klaus sighed deeply, "Lost an eye to one of those kleine scheissen."

[b][Captain][/b]
Church nodded solemnly, placing a hand over his heart. 
Then, he gestured to the entrance, ludically overtaken by a renewed vigor, "Well, what're we waiting for?"

[b][Vivid][/b]
 "Excellent," A wide grin reclaimed Eva's face, a devilish glint taking root in her eye. "Well then, boys, on your mark!" Lifting an arm above her head, she posed as if to bring an imaginary flag down. "Get set!"

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus stood beside Church, throwing his coat up into the air and slipping his arms into the sleeves as it fell, finishing with a flourish, "Werden wir tanzen, herr Church?"

[b][Captain][/b]
Churchill slid down into his pre-run stance, bouncing lightly on the spot as he psyched himself up.
"Wie dämonen, Klaus," he rolled his shoulders, and then turned his gaze ahead, "Wie dämonen."

[b][Vivid][/b]
"Save it for the race, boys," Eva laughed, crouching so that she was at eye level with them. "See you on the other side, boys -- may the best man win, and whatnot." Standing back up, her hand sliced through the air as her voice rang out through the hall, "Go!"

[i]The following results were decided by a series of hectic dice rolls, during which Prince managed to ping his die across the room, and I somehow managed to drop mine behind the radiator.[/i]

[b][Captain][/b]
Those first few sprinted steps had been agony: Uncaring steel had pushed against tender flesh, and in doing so darkened bruises and re-tore lacerations that Church had thought long healed.
Bones groaned, breaths were short and sharp: He’d never before felt this temptation to simply surrender, to concede that perhaps the fire and vinegar Roark had kneaded into him had done him a disservice, and let Klaus win.
The German had even passed him…
Until he hit [i]the wall.[/i]

The Runners High was an exquisite thing: The perfect mixture of pain, and of power…
The chemical composition of beauty. 
Those first few bounds had been the hardest, because no great thing came without its price.
It’d overtaken him suddenly, as it always seemed to do: A warmth at his waist, which soon spread to his system as a whole.
And then suddenly, the pain melted away.

The adrenal medulla had begun to pump the likes of adrenaline and noradrenaline through his bloodstream: His heart rate began to sore- the organ thundering in his chest like an oncoming storm- and with it, his speed. 
Arteries began to dilate, his pupils soon following: Teeth were bared, eyes were narrowed, and those tiny, insignificant hairs that flanked his neck were now on-edge, as thin as the silk of spiders, but barbed and prepared to pierce. 

Agony became vigour, as muscles tensed and oxygen rushed through him as though passing through a grate. 
Beneath him, metal clashed against brick, and to his side, sky passed by as though it were a sheet, being tugged hurriedly away. 
The East Wing was not his obstacle: He was [i]its[/i] problem.
There was no need to dodge, to weave. Runners heard him coming, and like gazelle in the wake two snarling predators, stampeded to the sides in order to allow him, and Klaus, safe passage. 

The two were drawing close, now: Churchill was no longer lagging behind, but instead in hot pursuit, his lungs heaving, his heart hammering. 
Just a bit closer, just a bit closer…

The two pulled a sharp corner: Klaus slowed to make his turn, but Churchill didn’t.
He rebounded off of the adjacent wall, and in doing so refracted himself, bouncing keenly into the next corridor and leaving Klaus at his feet: Two junkies, riding The Runner’s High. 

And then…
There she was. 

When finally he slowed, he almost did so reluctantly: His body wanted to keep running. To pounce, to jump and sore…
But when the heart asked, the mind said no, and so too did Churchill Gunner. 
He came to a stop at Eva’s side only a few brief moments before Klaus did: But those moments, in states such as theirs, might well have been infinity. 

Then, he heaved a short series of heavy breaths, before all he’d known for those past few minutes faded away, and he was left again with only murmurs in lieu of a heartbeat, and short sips in the absence of gaping, running breaths. 
He wiped the sweat of his forehead away idly, and in doing so signified his return from beast to man: From primal to civil. 
“Haah… what a rush.”

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus soon slowed to a stop, leaning against a wall with a pained, weary chuckle, "Hahah… Gottverdammt, almost had you!" He grinned, wiping his forehead with his coat sleeve, "You don't let a thin by Church, one second was all you needed. Didn't expect any less from our leader," Panting, he held out a shaky hand to Church, along with a sporting, if exhausted, smile, "Gut race, Church. The best man won."

[b][Vivid][/b]
Eva clapped loudly from where she was sitting liesurely on the edge of the boxing ring, arms carelessly slung over the ropes. 
"Well done, boys! I think that was your best time yet, and quite nearly a tie!" Pulling herself to her feet, she pushed the ropes aside, offering an opening. "But a race is a race! Hop on up, Church, let's make this thing official. Wish I had a bouquet or something, but I might have a lovely imaginary medal with your name on it!"

[b][Captain][/b]
Church reached out and took Klaus' hand with a weary, but nonetheless pleased expression, "Ha... never tell Marina that, she'd have our heads," he chuckled, albeit raggedly. 
He shook it firmly, before releasing it, and turning to Eva.
He clambered up onto the ring, and- realising just how painful it would be to climb between the ropes- hoped over them instead. 
"Hah, it's a shame Klaus didn't win, then: You'd have six bouquets and a wedding ring."

[b][Vivid][/b]
"Or twelve," Eva snickered, loosely wrapping her fingers around Church's wrist and lifting it above their heads. "And we have a winner! Can I get a round of applause for that absolutely [i]brilliant[/i] show of sportmanship?" Stepping around in front of him, she held up her hands, pretending to place a medal around his neck. "Oh, but let's not let this fine gentlemen go unnoticed, the one brave enough to go toe-to-toe with our fearless leader and nearly [i]win[/i]! You're going to have to look out, Church! The boy was hot on your heels!" Leaning over the ropes, Eva stretched out her arms and wiggled her fingers, trying to simulate the look of confetti raining down over Klaus.

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus chuckled, clapping heartily (or at least as heartily as he could, given how exhausted he was), grinning, "Ja, definitely… But I wouldn't count on me surpassing him anytime soon. You know what you're doing for sure," He nodded, flashing him a thumbs up, "I'm surprised I even came close!"

[b][Captain][/b]
Church rubbed his right shoulder with a silent nod, and then looked away, towards the windows.
"Yeah..." he muttered quietly, particularly to himself. 
"You would've had a crowd to cheer, too."
He stayed that way for a few moments, pondering in silence: Until Klaus started speaking, at which point he was drawn suddenly back to reality.
"Huh?", he murmured, dazedly, "Oh, hah. Nah, I just got lucky this time. A good turn at the right second, is all."

[b][Prince][/b]
"C'mon, no need to be so humble," Klaus grinned, "You beat me, fair and square. I expect to be hearing from Frau Nadine about this by tomorrow, France never did let Germany forget about its defeats."

[b][Captain][/b]
He smiled tiredly, "Hah, true enough... but France never got as close as runner up, either."

[b][Prince][/b]
"Ja, das its certainly true!" Klaus snickered with a widening grin. Pulling his coat off, he let out a heavy breath, "Whew… If I needed that shower before, I'll need at least two now. I'd best go und take one, or those cultists will sense me from a mile away."

[b][Vivid][/b]
As they clambered down from the ring, Eva grabbed both boys firmly by the back of the neck, pulling them down to her level. "Oh hush, you're both pretty." Grinning, she ruffled their hair playfully. "Really though, that was spectacular," She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "I've never been so proud of my boys. Now let's get out of here," Wrapping her arms around their shoulders, she ushered the towards the exit. "If Marina's training Acacia, I bet she's going to try to teach her some combat -- honestly, I'm surprised she isn't here already. Go go go!"

[b][Captain][/b]
Chuckling faintly, Church slipped out of Eva's grasp, and weaved beneath her arm before establishing himself behind her. 
"You two go ahead," he insisted, "I've, uh..." 
He glanced back at the boxing ring for a few short seconds, "I've got some things to think about. I'll see you at Sundown's entrance, twelve-hundred hours."

[b][Vivid][/b]
Dropping her arms, as well as her grin, she gave him a strange look but knew better than to say anything. "Alright -- take care of yourself, you just got one hell of a workout! I'm gonna go finish up the rest of my route, at a more manageable pace. See you boys in a bit!" Turning around, she flashed them an bright smile and a double thumbs up as she ran out of the room backwards.

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus nodded, waving goodbye to Eva as he gave Church a glance. For a moment he said nothing, but soon called out gently, "Hey… Church?"

[b][Captain][/b]
Church had begun his climb back into the ring, and when Klaus addressed him, he'd paused. 
He was stood on its edge, with one stilt pressed against the ropes, as if he'd intended to jump them.
"... yeah?"

[b][Prince][/b]
"I can't smile like schwester, or punch an epiphany into you like Frau Eva, so I don't know how well this will come across, but… I'm here for you, OK? We all are. Und… If there's something eating at you we'll listen," He gave him an awkward but well-meaning smile, "You don't have to wrestle with these things on your own. We're a team, always have, always will be. We're not like Sector Y - Not a bunch of dummkopfs with their own business in mind… We're Sector V, un we stick together, no matter what."

[b][Captain][/b]
Churchill fell silent for a few moments, and then exhaled, shakily.
"I appreciate it," he assured Klaus, climbing over the ropes and stepping onto the mat.
"But I'm fine. I'm always fine," he smiled, broadly.
"I'm Churchill [i]Goddamn[/i] Gunner, nothing gets me down. Alright?"
He leaned against the ropes, "Besides, what's there to be upset about? I won, didn't I?"
Then, he gestured out to the massive, empty expanse which made up the gym.
"Can't you hear the crowd cheering?", he gestured to his chest, "Can't you see my medal?"

[b][Prince][/b]
"You know what? I think I can," Klaus nodded gently, sliding his free hand into his pocket, "Runners have to make their own crowds, their own cheering and medals, because we may not get the proper recognition until the end of our journey. But I think we have it best. We may have to make our own cheers, but all the Specters have is the screaming inside their minds. All the Omegas have is the primal beating of drums right in the back of their brains, threatening to take over at any second. But we have more than that. We have friends, we have smiles, we have scrapes that we can just pick ourselves up from and laugh off. We have all of that, und du?" Klaus tossed Church a single, oddly-pristine coin, "You have this. Believe it or not, that's all I have left from Deutschland - One little mark. But it means the world to me… Und though it may not be a medal, I want you to have it for kicking mein ass. Und if you feel bad about taking it, well…" Klaus grinned, "I'll just have to try my hardest to win it back off of you, won't I?"

[b][Captain][/b]
Church caught it between his index and middle finger, and rolled it precariously over his knuckles before bringing it to a rest in his palm. 
Then, he stared down at it quietly or a few long instants, before clasping his fingers around it. 
"You'll have a hell of a time," he eventually replied, weakly, throat strained, dry, "Because I'm not going to stop winning any time soon," he laughed, quietly.
He opened his hand again, and pressed the mark against his skin with his thumb. 
"But... I really am fine. I got over not having my own little fanfair years ago," he rolled the coin over onto its other side, "Comes with the territory. Comes with the name. Really, don't worry about me."

[b][Prince][/b]
"I'll have a hell of a time," Klaus smiled wryly, "Because I'm not going to stop worrying any time soon. Comes with being one young madchen's sole protector for so many years," Klaus breathed out gently, "But I know how detrimental constant worrying is to progress. I know for sure that Marina wouldn't be the person she is today if I didn't just stop and tell myself 'No. You have to let her be Marina. Not Klaus's kleine schwester'. So I'll try and stop worrying so much. For both of our sakes," Klaus bowed his head, "Danke schon Church. For everything you've done for me."

[b][Captain][/b]
"And you, Klaus," Church bowed his head in return, "Now... get out of here and get that shower," he smiled jovially, "You stink."

[b][Prince][/b]
Klaus chuckled with a wide grin, "Really now? I couldn't tell. Germans are used to foul smells - Ever had sauerkraut?" With a snicker, he turned to the door and gave Church a wave, "Auf wiedersehen Church, see you later!"

[b][Captain][/b]
"Tschüs, Klaus. Twelve hundred hours, on the dot!"

[b][Prince][/b]
"I'll be there! Marina may have got the cheerfulness, but I definitely got the punctuality," Klaus chuckled as he left for the showers.

[b][Captain][/b]
Churchill slid Klaus' coin into his pocket, before lowering his head and sighing softly.
"What'm I going to do with them?"