Callisto was so intently listening to Xevon so closely that he almost jumped out of his skin when Alma had spoken from beside them. He didn’t even hear her open the door to the cottage, he really needed to switch his brain on. The poor man jumped forwards, away from the wall and shot a look over his shoulder. His pale eyes as wide as saucers as they landed on Alma, soon after the pounding of his heart subsided and he let out a chuff of air. He had wanted to talk more to Xevon, but this had sort of thrown a spanner in the works.

As Alma slipped back inside the cottage, Callisto returned to his spot against the wall and beside Xevon.

“She is worried about you.” He offered a mild explanation for her sudden appearance. “I think they all are.” As much as it irked him that he couldn’t try to exist in peace with the three of them around, they were sometimes better at these intricate conversations than he was.

“If you are staying out here, I shall stay with you.” He settled against the wall, ignoring the jutting rocks and moved his hands to tuck them into his dirtied black slacks. His white shirt had been ruffled, tugged out of place and baggy beneath the tight black vest that was still secured to his chest.

–

Lily gave a playful eye roll to his gentle giant comment. She had seen him in a state where he had looked anything but gentle. For the most part, he was right.

“It’s hard to sleep when all I can hear is those two mumbling outside.” She joked lightly, letting her hand be taken by him, but the other soon replaced where her fingers had been in his hair before. Grazing her nails over the skin beneath.

“Are beds even comfortable for you with..well your wings?” Lily peeked up at the arched portion of his wings that were steadily moving with his breathing behind him, watching the candlelight flicker over them.

Callisto didn’t hide the frown that dashed across his face as he listened, it didn’t matter if these things were heavy or too much. A burden shared is a burden halved, at least that was what he hoped he was doing in this situation.

He turned his head to look down as he heard Xevon move, seeing that he had sunk to the floor he watched with interest. Expecting him to say something more, but instead he found himself being pulled down with him. His hand pulled free from his pocket and was used to force him down to the floor. Callisto didn’t put up much of a fight to stay standing, sitting down beside Xevon swiftly with his feet still flat on the floor, knees tucked in close.

He did not say a word as the blanket was transferred to his shoulders, still carrying some of the warmth from where it had sat on Xevon’s shoulders. God, he certainly did not make a point of looking at their hands. Fearful that if he acknowledged it then Xevon would pull away.

“Keeping things bottled up inside is not how you process them. I cannot blame you though, I need to do a lot of my own processing.” He tried to offer a small smile, though it was weak and didn’t reach its full potential.

–

She let out a smooth sigh, humming her agreement. At least they were talking, the pair of stubborn mules were just as bad as each other. Her attention moved to the bed, studying it where it was tucked up into the corner.

“You should sleep on the outer part then, or else you’re going to be crumpled up in the corner.” Lily finished just before he spoke again and her eyes flicked back to meet his as she felt his hand meet her cheek.

“I’m okay, as okay as you could be.” She offered half-heartedly. Thinking about her home situation, her family’s lies and fake love towards her, her eye, Finn’s death and resurgence was not something she wanted to let her mind linger on. “It’s been a long two days.”

Lily pulled her hand free from his hair, leaning back to get a better angle at the candle where she huffed out a breath to extinguish the flame. She had begun to lean back after she blew it out only to falter as the flame stubbornly remained lit. She frowned and went back to it, blowing again. It took her a good few attempts more to finally extinguish the light.

The moonlight still crept in from the small four square window that sat over the bed, so they could see but she would have been able to see in the darkness either way. “I just wish I had something other than jeans, sleeping in jeans is never comfortable.” She kept her laugh short and quiet, as to not draw attention to the room. The door was cracked and fire light flickered in from the gap.

With shoulders kept incredibly still, Callisto let the wing move to curl around him, but he certainly wasn’t going to lean back and crush the feathers against the rock. He wasn’t quite sure he could agree with sorting it all out when they got out of this place, he had been out there and arguably it was more confusing than the world they were currently trapped in.

The feeling of closeness was enough of a distraction that Callisto had found himself staring at a particular thread on his slacks at the knee, concentrating on not moving too much and ruining it. He twitched his arm as Xevon spoke, pulling himself from his stupor. He twisted his neck to look over towards Xevon, he would not say he had grown used to the red glow from his eyes. It was always a feature he found himself viewing in dim light, but he no longer thought it was disconcerting. There was a strange sort of comfort in the reflected light from Xevon’s eyes, a familiarity.

“What she is?” Callisto repeated, tilting his head. “I do not know, she is certainly an interesting person. She does not smell any different to a regular person, so I am not sure.” It was true, she didn’t have that strange scent that Florence carried.

“We have been gone from the world a long time, what if she is considered normal?”

–

Lily’s eyes almost immediately snapped to Finn’s upper arm and shoulder as she caught him wince, narrowing her gaze slightly as he leaned down.

“It’s not like I have many clothing options, it’s my bloodied sweater, Alma’s pink top and my jeans. That’s my current wardrobe, extensive isn’t it?” She mused, but her joke was sidelined by the concentration she held on his arm. When he moved to help her, she stepped back and fixed him with a pointed look.

“Your shoulders are still sore, aren’t they? Don’t go bending down like that.” She scolded lightly before crouching herself down and pulling the muddy runners from her feet and neatly tucking them beside the bed. “Also, you could sleep anywhere, Finn.” Lily looked up, lips pulling into a smile.

There was little choice in the clothing options, but there was a bed with a heavy blanket. Just as she went to shuffle her way across into the corner and lift the quilt, she paused and looked over her shoulder at Finn from where she was balancing on the soft material. He wouldn’t really fit under these covers, not with his wings. For a second she frowned before setting the blanket back down flat and continuing on her way to lay down on top of it instead.

With shoulders kept incredibly still, Callisto let the wing move to curl around him, but he certainly wasn’t going to lean back and crush the feathers against the rock. He wasn’t quite sure he could agree with sorting it all out when they got out of this place, he had been out there and arguably it was more confusing than the world they were currently trapped in.

The feeling of closeness was enough of a distraction that Callisto had found himself staring at a particular thread on his slacks at the knee, concentrating on not moving too much and ruining it. He twitched his arm as Xevon spoke, pulling himself from his stupor. He twisted his neck to look over towards Xevon, he would not say he had grown used to the red glow from his eyes. It was always a feature he found himself viewing in dim light, but he no longer thought it was disconcerting. There was a strange sort of comfort in the reflected light from Xevon’s eyes, a familiarity.

“What she is?” Callisto repeated, tilting his head. “I do not know, she is certainly an interesting person. She does not smell any different to a regular person, so I am not sure.” It was true, she didn’t have that strange scent that Florence carried.

“We have been gone from the world a long time, what if she is considered normal?”

–

Lily’s eyes almost immediately snapped to Finn’s upper arm and shoulder as she caught him wince, narrowing her gaze slightly as he leaned down.

“It’s not like I have many clothing options, it’s my bloodied sweater, Alma’s pink top and my jeans. That’s my current wardrobe, extensive isn’t it?” She mused, but her joke was sidelined by the concentration she held on his arm. When he moved to help her, she stepped back and fixed him with a pointed look.

“Your shoulders are still sore, aren’t they? Don’t go bending down like that.” She scolded lightly before crouching herself down and pulling the muddy runners from her feet and neatly tucking them beside the bed. “Also, you could sleep anywhere, Finn.” Lily looked up, lips pulling into a smile.

There was little choice in the clothing options, but there was a bed with a heavy blanket. Just as she went to shuffle her way across into the corner and lift the quilt, she paused and looked over her shoulder at Finn from where she was balancing on the soft material. He wouldn’t really fit under these covers, not with his wings. For a second she frowned before setting the blanket back down flat and continuing on her way to lay down on top of it instead.

Xevon frowned at Callisto's response. He was almost certain that she had to be something else! She had taken a solid hit from Veles and only had broken ribs and something else. That was no regular hit. That was something he had seen kill others.

"But Lily and Finn are also from that time. They are not like her," he protested weakly, adding a small touch of faded laughter. "There's no way she isn't something else. Maybe a ... a mimic? No. That wouldn't make sense. Or a super woman, like--oh... you... you wouldn't know about Superman... or comics..."

Xevon's nose crinkled slightly as he shook his head. "They were heroes with super powers. Y'know, I always wanted to be like them..." and then he had gone and done stupid stuff instead. Real smart.

"I wonder if they still have them," Xevon murmured.

----

Finn gave her a small look, trying to reach again for the shoes. "I'm fine--" he protested but sat up nonetheless. "It's just... a little sore."

Probably. That was the hope at least, not that Finn would really know more until later.

"Just because I can sleep anywhere doesn't mean I want to leave you alone," he repeated quietly, gathering the quilt from his side to wrap it over Lily. "But I think we can make it work, one way or another," his voice dropped to a softer whisper, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple as he settled down on his side.

Callisto couldn’t help the confused look that cast over his features as Xevon continued to talk, he wasn’t making much sense at all. Then he had obviously clocked that Callisto was bewildered and began explaining himself, it still didn’t help that much.

“Super powers? What, like we have? I suppose you could call them super powers.” The term super power felt foreign on his tongue, two words he hadn’t really strung together before. “Because if that is what those super powers are like, you are like them already.” He concluded, quite satisfied with his answer, the look of confusion wiped from his face.

Instead Callisto turned his head to look back out into the now night sky. They weren’t doing a very good job of being look outs, but he certainly wasn’t going to point that out. He had himself under enough control to not be a flustered mess at their closeness, in the past days it was all he could focus on. To get Xevon out of that place and the wriggling anxiety and adrenaline was still worming through his body, slowly fading but ever present.

–

The cover being flipped over on top of her made Lily twist her torso to look over her shoulder at Finn, narrowing her eyes for a moment as the light from the crack in the door blinded her briefly. She had locked and loaded another playful comment when he leaned over and dipped his head down, immediately shutting her up.

It made her think back to her misjudged aim earlier, that her depth perception had betrayed her and left her a little annoyed at herself. Whilst she could still see, everything was a little off centre in a way she wasn’t used to. At least she wasn’t completely blind.

“I didn’t mean I wanted you to sleep elsewhere, how else am I going to hide from the rising sun tomorrow morning? Your wings are great sleeping masks.” Lily’s voice was muffled from where the clutched the quilt up to her jaw.

Xevon shook his head. Those heroes were heroes. Well, most of them. Some of them were a little weird. But that was beside the point. He shook his head again and sighed softly.

But it was time to ask another question that had been on his mind for a while. Now that Callisto was more or less relaxed. Ish. Not reall. He really wasn't that relaxed but he wasn't strung tight like a string about to snap.

"... how did you find my call-sign?"

The call from the woman had been so overtly jarring and absolutely mind twisting that it had snapped him from the mountainside, into the hotel and beyond for a moment. But how? How did they know that information? The only one who survived long enough to know was Sarge. Maybe Vincent but he hadn't remembered telling Vincent.

It had confused him to no end and now he could ask it in a lighter tone.

--

Finn gave her a warmer smile, one arm wrapping around her to hold the young woman closer to him. "They do make fantastic masks," he confirmed before reaching up to pull the quilt down a bit from her jaw. "But no matter what, I'm still going to be here in the morning."

He could make sure she would be there in the morning. Which was his main fear. That somehow, Veles would come back and try and take her from him. He couldn't bear that thought.

Whatever a super hero was, Xevon obviously didn’t think he was one, from the way he was shaking his head and the defeated slump of his shoulders. Perhaps Callisto should have just kept quiet. Maybe that was what he would do now, with his legs still tucked in close to his body he kept quiet.

Only when he heard the softly spoken question did he turn his head to look up at Xevon, he parted his lips to answer and then realised he wasn’t quite sure how to explain it. That weird light with letters, Finn was using it..

“Finn, he found it.” Was a simple enough start. “He found it using this..this thing. A-A little rectangle thing, he was reading something on it and then he all of a sudden had a paper version.” Callisto felt like a child trying to explain how to do something, fumbling over his words and not really making any sense.

“That was a terrible explanation.” He chuffed out, the space between his eyebrows creasing together as he looked down at their hands. An attempt to hide his embarrassment over his horrific answer. Moving his thumb ever so slightly to graze the skin where it was resting on Xevon.

–

Lily’s eyes creased with a half-hidden smile at his affirmation to her statement, only revealing her smile once he had tugged the covers down slightly.

“I know you will be.” She offered in return, keeping her arms tucked up in the quilt instead of wriggling them out to take a hold of Finn’s forearm. He had practically pinned her arms to her torso anyway, there would be little point in trying to squirm her way out.

With that, Lily shuffled her head into the pillow to make a comfortable little divot in the feathers within the case. Letting out a short, but content sigh. She had slept in a bed at Alma’s but had been wrought with visions and loneliness that it had made it impossible to get any decent rest. This however, this was incredibly comfortable.