Kiara woke up in a daze as the antidote started working, neutralizing the poison that had weakened her. She found herself being cradled in a man’s arms with her head against his chest.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Daddy?”</span>she whimpered softly. Perhaps she had died and was now with her long lost father, which meant her mother should be here too. She heard female voices in the background as her mind began to clear, but none of the voices came from her mother. She soon realized that the man holding her so gently and so lovingly was not her father, but the human trainer she had attacked. She smelled the extracts from the berries that were used in the antidote on her skin. She was coherent enough to hear Dendrra announce that she was staying with the trainer and to see her lackeys leave her behind. She quickly noticed the Aron looking upset. She guessed that the Aron would’ve had the sense to either leave her to die or turn her over to the cops. Of course, she had to assume that would be her fate, and it was the best she could hope for considering the crime she committed against them.<br/><br/>With her mind clear and her strength returning to her, she pushed back the memory of her father into the recesses of her mind to return to the situation before her, which was indeed grim. Speaking softly, she said,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“I’m okay now, I can stand on my own…”</span>It was a lie. Her feet were sore and ankles in pain, having taken the brunt of the earthquake.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“But you can still hold me if you want to. I’m not complaining,”</span>she added, although she wasn’t sure why she said that. She briefly looked to the Aron with admiration but didn’t say anything.<br/><br/>She looked to the Croagunk and said in a soft voice bordering on compassionate,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“Your teammates are in danger. I’ve never reported the location of your hideout or any of your homes, but if they keep pestering the Nightfires…”</span>She paused to gather her thoughts and continued.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)"> “You saw the stunky girl with the broken arm? She’s not very bright, and she’s a little too sweet, but she’s tough as nails, tougher than I could ever hope to be. See, the boss don’t like to share his main girl, and T got caught makin’ out with her. The boss punished her by raping her and beating her half to death. He broke her arm. He even demanded that she still go into battle with her injury. That’s why she was here. After all that, she’s still kickin’. But that’s the kind of people they are. Nightfire’s more than just a band of misfits, it’s an organized crime circle, and the people they send here after me will most likely be heartless, ruthless, and cruel. I only stay with ‘em ‘cause they’re the only family I got. I hope those kids have the sense to steer clear of them.”</span>She didn’t know why she cared. Maybe this strange man was having some effect on her mind.<br/><br/>She looked back to the trainer and said,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(251, 160, 38)">“I really don’t know why you showed me such kindness after what I did to you, but I’ll do my best to repay it. Sorry to say I can’t offer much, but honor demands I do what I can. You should try to get to the inn by sundown, before Nightfire comes looking for revenge. I assume you’ll turn me over to the cops.”</span>