***NEED WORK

Ava didn't answer, her eyes gazing at the ground.
"Oh? What brings you to this conclusion?" she asked.

I looked at Zavius, who still haven't budged from where he was pinning Ava to the wall. He had calmed down now; the angry vibes dying down and his eyes were now cool, deep blue. He dropped his arms down from the wall, releasing her. He sighed loudly, and ran a hand through his messy midnight-black hair.
"I was suspecting something was wrong with you, ever since Mivian was up." he said. "Come to think of it, you have been tired, a bit agitated, and you haven't moved that right arm all day."

Yeah, that was true. I did notice the fatigue and her silent moods, but I wasn't expecting it to be an injury to her arm. When could she have done it?
Zavius sighed yet again, half out of fatigue and half exasperation.
Ava let out a short, humorless laugh.
"Oh. From that early, huh?" she said, lifted herself off the wall. "So..."

She took a little step around Zavius.
Immediately, she found herself back against the wall, trapped yet again in Zavius's arm snare. Her eyes twitched and flashed in annoyance.
"Oi, what did I tell you?" she growled.

Zavius stared down at her sternly and raised an eyebrow.
"Ava, your arm?" he reminded her.
Ava’s expression rapidly hardened into a dark mask that scared me a little. She lifted a stabbing glare right at Zavius, her jaw taut as if she was going to spit back a snappy remark.
But then she stopped abruptly, a surprised look crossing across her face.
"Ah, damn. Mood swings." she murmured, shaking her head.

She fell back against the wall once again and slid down to the ground.

Mood swings, one of the symptoms of rapid Energy decrease. Whatever it was with Ava's arm, it must be really bad to be losing that much Energy.

Zavius coughed and cleared his throat awkwardly, cutting off the silence. Ava lifted her gaze from the ground and stared at him with a defeated expression. She sighed, and reached for her uniform's clasp.
"You know, you're not going to like this one bit. If you don't be still and behave, I will do more than break some ribs, got it?" she warned Zavius.
Zavius cocked his head to the side.
"What can you do with a bad arm?"
Ava's mouth twitched angrily.
"You forget; I'm having severe mood swings."

Zavius didn't answer. Instead, he stepped back, waiting for her to proceed. Ava looked down to the ground, almost shamefully as she unclipped the last clasp and pulled her left arm smoothly out of the long sleeve. She grasped the collar of the trench coat covering her right shoulder, and then hesitated.
“You were actually very close.” she said, defeated. “But it isn’t my arm.”
Then, without another hesitation, she pushed the rest of the coat off her shoulder with some struggle.

Zavius hissed, and his eyes took on a sharper edge. Sarvwen, too, inhaled sharply, and Zeik muttered "Ow!!" under his breath.
But I couldn't do or say anything. I felt blood drain from my face at the sight of Ava's shoulder. But at the same time, I couldn't look away.

Ava was still wearing the same mission gear from last night; black halter top and the glovelettes. She had removed the one on her right, revealing the skin on her arm.
But it was not in the condition of her usual light-toned skin. The skin on her shoulder was tight and swollen painfully. It was in different shades of color; red to dark purple and blue, green blotches rimmed with a sick yellow tint. The dark shades branched down her arm, almost reaching her forearm like creeping veins. It was the nastiest bruise I have ever seen.
But that wasn't the thing that made my stomach flip.

As Ava slipped the sleeve completely off her arm, I saw that her arm was limp and set at an awkward angle. It looked dead. What I had thought as relaxed and controlled was actually limp and lifeless. I gulped, trying to pull myself back together.

Zavius spoke, his tone tight and strained.
"When did you do this?" he asked in a low voice, demanding.
Ava looked up at him with a plain expression, and chewed on the side of her cheek stubbornly and annoyed.
"Sometime before midnight," she murmured.

I went cold, chilled as I suddenly remembered the exact words she had spoken to Valton.
"Don't kid yourself. You will be beaten before midnight."
I remembered those taunting words Ava had said, while in Valton's grasp.

Wait a minute...Valton... Oh no...
I couldn't move as I felt myself plunge from the present and into my mind's flashback.

...Suddenly Ava snapped out of her thoughts and broke her stare off of Valton.

"Vardavit!" she swore through clenched teeth, leaping towards Mivian.
She light-stepped forward, flashing right behind the writhing form of Valton.

"Mivian! Don't---"

She was cut off as a pale claw-like hand grabbed hold of her wrist. She was yanked back with great force and speed.

"...Crack."

The sound of bone cracking echoed in my head. I saw clearly, remembering how her arm hung by her side in an awkward angle then, too. Then, a picture of Valton's claw stabbing into her shoulder and the splattering blood floated to the surface of my mind. I felt dizzy, a million thoughts swimming in my head.
...I thought she healed...
...It's my fault...

"Mivian!"
"What the---"
"Mivian? What---"
"Sarvwen, catch her!!"
"I did!! Chill!!"
Shouting voices surrounded me as I returned to reality. My eyes refocused to the light and surroundings, my head finally stepping out of the thick cloud. Then I realized that I was facing up to a group of worried faces, no longer standing on my own feet. The closest face I saw was Sarvwen, a worried smile on his face.
"Mivi, are you okay?" he asked gently.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. I sat up slowly, to make sure I wasn't going to be taken down by dizziness.

Wait? Deja vu? Oh, right.

Sarvwen was there at Elder's Hall. He was the one that caught me then too.
Sheesh, I'm going to have to take him out for a snack one of these days. Maybe I'll invite Thya too; that should be entertaining.

Zavius came up to me and kneeled down to the ground.
"Mivian, what just happened?" he asked.
I shrugged weakly, trying to brush it off.
"Weak stomach?" I said unsurely.
Well, it was unlikely, seeing that I wasn’t exactly feeling sick enough to pass out…

Zavius looked skeptical and leaned forward closer, studying me. Then he took hold of my shoulders. Immediately, I felt nervous.
"Zavius, ask permission first." I heard Ava demanded angrily from where she was sitting.
Zavius rolled his eyes.
"I was going to do that," he said.
He then turned to look at me.
"Well? Are you okay with it?"

He was talking about reading my mind. Well, did I have anything to hide?
I nodded once more and relaxed. Sarvwen was still supporting me on the ground, and gave me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder.

Then, I saw Zavius's dark messy hair that hung loose over his eyes float up slightly, revealing the hypnotic swirling colors of his irises. His pupils dilated and retracted against cool colors of his irises as his eyes lost its pointed focus in a faded glaze. It was silent for a while as Zavius looked through my dark flashback of the night before. Then he blinked, the fog lifting from his eyes. He shook his head as if to brush off a bad thought.
"Oh." he said.
He turned to Sarvwen.
"Hey, can you confirm this?" he asked.

His eyes flashed and churned its color. Telepathy; he was 'sending' what I saw to him. Sarvwen closed his eyes and went silent, focusing.
He cringed slightly, and frowned, finally opening his eyes. He let my shoulders loose from his hold and got up, walking over to Ava.
Ava looked up at him tiredly, her eyes reflecting exhaustion as Sarvwen kneeled in front of her.
"Just let me see it, okay?" he said soothingly.

Ava didn't fight back or answer, giving an annoyed grunt and a tired swat with her good arm. She tried to lift her back away from the wall.
"Easy," Sarvwen warned, helping her.
He looked at the condition of her bruised shoulder, lifting her hand gently and slowly. Ava cringed slightly but didn't withdraw her hand. Sarvwen lightly fingered the ring of bruises around her slender wrist.
"Minor subcutaneous skin discoloration, no major vessel or nerve damage. No evident swelling of the muscles or fractures to the carpals and metacarpals." he muttered, mostly to himself as he gently bent Ava's wrist.
He worked up her arm, turning to her forearm. He felt around the bone, searching for any knots of the muscle and tendons.
"Some stiffness of the muscles, possibly a strain or tear. No fractures inflicted to the ulna or the radius." he stated, and moved up to the upper arm.

This time, he took Ava's elbow in one hand, but didn't finger or touch the upper arm. He gently placed a hand behind Ava's shoulder. Sarvwen closed his eyes, his brows furrowing. After a moment or so, he opened his eyes.
"Deus, Ava. You're a mess." he said in a hushed tone.
"Dislocation of the humerus from its socket, a greenstick fracture to the clavicle. Another, a comminuted fracture, to the shoulder blade."
He moved his hand lower to the back of her arm.
"Multiple contusions and discoloring, mostly intramuscular and periosteal. The muscle fibers are torn in different places, and a strain to the deltoid. All of which are responsible for the inflammation of the muscle. No wonder why you couldn't heal; your bones were out of place."

He looked up to Ava's face.
"How the hell are you still conscious? It must kill!" he said incredulously.
Ava scowled in annoyance.
"Of course it hurts! That ass was trying to rip my arm off!!"
Sarvwen sighed, shaking his head.
"And the only thing that would heal was the open wound from being stabbed. I saw the scar tissue. That would explain the characteristics of the rapid Energy decrease." he said sternly. "Ava, you're gonna kill yourself!!"
He paused, studying her face.
"I know you well, and usually, if things got this bad, you would have forced yourself to go to the infirmary. Even if the reason was to get Zavius off your case."

Zavius grunted in disapproval. Sarvwen ignored him.
"Why didn't you go this time?" he asked.
Ava looked at him straight in the eye.
"Because it would be recorded." she said simply.
Sarvwen frowned, not satisfied.
"The records? Ava, your medical record is not clean, you know. You have been hurt before. Besides, what’s there to be ashamed of?" he pressed.
"The injury wasn't sustained during a mission." she said quietly. “If I went, they’ll ask questions; questions I rather avoid.”
Sarvwen cocked his head, confused.
"It wasn't a mission?" he said in disbelief.
"No, it wasn't. She came to save me. It's my fault." I said, standing up.

Ava turned to me with a shocked expression.
Zavius spoke up first.
"Mivian, it's not your fault. We both know that you weren't the one that started it."
Ava nodded.
"Besides, it was my fault I couldn't heal myself. I got a bit careless. You didn't do this to me." she agreed.

I looked away, not exactly put to ease. It was because of me she had to deal with Valton, after all. She didn't go to the Infirmary, so I don't get in trouble. Sarvwen let out a tired breath before standing up. He looked down to Ava, and then back at Zavius.
"I know we're still in the middle of the mission, and I was next, but---"
"Please, take care of her first. I don't want something like that to be put aside," Darvien said, coming into the conversation.
Zavius nodded.
"I could heal her, you know." he said.
Sarvwen shook his head.
"Nah, that's okay. I think I should take care of this one. Besides, you were still in the middle of your match. Finish up, and I'll fix Ava up and come back." he assured us.

I sighed in relief. Finally, this was over; and fairly without much problem.

"Hold it, wait a minute!!"

We all turned to Ava, who was trying to stand up.
She got back on her feet a bit unsteadily and stood up.
"I'm still not going to go to the Infirmary, no matter what you people say." she said.

Zavius growled a bit and Sarvwen scowled.
"Ava, if this is about your record, that's no problem. I'll be healing you, so I'll just tweak the information around. I'll tell the assistants there a different story---"

"No, that's not it," Ava said, cutting off Sarvwen.
"I told you; I don't like doctors, or hospitals."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sarvwen literally carried Ava to her dwelling quarters instead of the Infirmary, after a long argument. Ava won, of course, in the end when she threatened to dislodge both of his arms from their sockets if he tried to drag her there as he had suggested. So here we are, in Ava's dwelling quarters, waiting outside her bedroom door. We were all quiet, all of us not knowing what to say.

Zeik suddenly looked up from the ground and spoke up.
"Hey." he said. Darvien turned his head toward his friend.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"You know something about that girl I was telling you about..."
Darvien gave him a strange look.
"What girl? You haven't told me about any girl." he said.
Zeik cocked his to the side, puzzled.
"I didn't?" he asked.
Darvien didn't answer and gave him the most exasperated look.
"Are you sure you didn't hit your head on the way down from where you fell?" Darvien asked tauntingly.
Zeik scowled, getting defensive.
"Yeah I'm fine!! But that girl, Ava, she came flying down from somewhere up..."
Darvien's mouth twitched.
"Zavius, can Sarvwen check him next?" he asked.
Zeik bristled.
"I got it, I'm fine!!" Zeik said hastily, rushing out of the subject.

I chuckled to myself.
"He probably breathed in too much dust." I said, a bit amused.
Zeik looked at me, his mouth wide open.
"And who are you?" he demanded.
Zavius sighed.
"Is that all you say? Are you sure you don't need Sarvwen to examine you? He was a medical Healer a while ago, you know." he asked, half teasing. "And I don't think she's someone you can forget after you met her. The two that just went in, that was Ava and Sarvwen. I'm Zavius. And this midget here is Mivian."

I twitched at the introduction Zavius presented.
Midget, eh?
Zeik was gaping.
"Wait, Ava...as in the Ava?" he asked.

At that point, we all turned away, exasperated. Darvien looked kind of embarrassed, and I was starting to really worry for this kid. We were quiet again for I don't know how long. I couldn't sit still, my skin itching with worry.

Suddenly, Darvien spoke up.
"Hey, uh, could I ask a question?" he asked hesitantly.
Zavius smiled a bit, amused.
"You just did." he joked. "What is it?"
Darvien shifted in his seat, considering.
"Well, I was wondering---"
"If the whole thing between Ava and I necessary. 'Wasn't it a bit, dramatic?' you mean?" Zavius offered, finishing his unspoken question.
Darvien looked bewildered, blinking.
"Wow, you really can read minds..." he muttered in awe.

Zavius laughed quietly under his breath and leaned back in his seat.
"Ava's not the type of person that likes to burden people with her own problems." he explained. "Like today; that wasn't the first time I had to force her to reveal something like that."
He paused, his expression thoughtful.
"But sheesh, a dislocated arm? Really," he muttered, shaking his head. "She always keeps to herself, even with us. Something that hasn't changed about her in the last couple of centuries."
"So are you always the one pressuring her into telling?" Zeik asked.
Zavius gave a small smile, looking thoughtful again as if he was thinking back on a memory.
"Kinda like a personal mission as her friend." he said.

Finally, the door to Ava's room opened, and Sarvwen stepped out, followed by Ava, who had her right arm in a sling. He saw the group and smiled.
"She's all fixed up, for now anyways." he said.
Zavius nodded and gave Ava a curious look.
"Shouldn't she be resting?" he asked.

Sarvwen ran a hand through his silver and black hair.
"She should, but she said she has some stuff to take care of." he said, looking over to Ava.
Ava was tugging at the sling uncomfortably.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked wearily, pulling her arm out and lifting it above her head experimentally.

She winced slightly and started to flex her arm around. Sarvwen sighed, probably tired of hearing this.
"Yeah, it is. Since the injury wasn't healed by Energy within five hours, it will take some manual healing until your Energy level gets back to where it was. Well, it will be faster if you had agreed to have rested." he said.
Ava scowled back.
"Well, I have some new problems to take care of. Then, I'll go rest. How's that?" she asked.
Sarvwen just nodded in approval.
"That's fine. So what's the problem?"

Ava strode over to the group and pulled out three silver mission cards. She placed them onto the table in front of the couch, lining them up in an orderly line.
“Sorry guys, that whole thing earlier was a bit embarrassing,” she said. "I have three new missions I was suppose to take care of. But under some current complications, I don't think I can do all three." she said, looking down slightly wistfully down to her arm.
"So, I've decided that I'll take care of one, and I need some of you to take care of the remaining two." she said.

She picked up one of the cards and lifted it in front of her.
"This one is a triple-combo mission; tracking, high-risk patrol, and a hunt. The target is a Soul Predator who calls himself Viper. I'll take this one." she said.

I felt slightly disappointed, but I looked for the next mission. I was excited; most of Ava's missions were high rank.

Ava went on to the next card.
"This one is a mission to Sylersland, the city you went to yesterday, Mivian." she said.
I was surprised; what were they looking for in a ghost town?
"I think it would be better off someone other than Mivian goes, only because I need to see and confirm if the recently obtained information are accurate. We'll see if someone else sees the same thing Mivian saw." she said.
"I'll do it, and I'll take Darvien too." Sarvwen volunteered.
"I'll go to Thya's place and help her with the monitoring then." Zavius said.

Ava tossed the card Sarvwen's way and he caught it. She then turned to the last card. She glanced at me, a little worriedly.
"Mivian, I don't know if you would like to take this one," she said, looking down at the card.
I frowned. I loved missions; why I wouldn't want to take a certain assignment was beyond me.
"I'll take it." I said.

Ava looked at me curiously.
"You don't even want to wait until you hear where it is to?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Just let me see the card," I said.

Ava looked down at the last mission card with an indecisive look. She swiped it up from the table and walked over to me. She twirled the card in her hand thoughtfully, but then handed it to me.
"Just take it easy this time," she said.
I was confused, but I took the card and glanced down at it. I skimmed through the given information, status and the set level of the mission.

"A double-combo, hunt and erase. Target: assume as one Night Mare."
Then I caught the location of the mission. My heart jumped a little at the familiar name.
"Mission location: Grisavaille. Population: 75,262 civilians."

Oh…