The closer they got to Toronto the more Lucian wanted to get out of this plane. As much as he loved flying he has never really done this much flying in such a short amount of time. It was making him irritable, but that could also be an effect of being so tired. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if he was trying to expel some of his tiredness. Shifting in his seat he glanced out the window and sighed softly. There was still nothing but ocean all around him. Thankfully that had not lasted much longer for he noticed the shoreline slowly coming into view. He smiled weakly knowing that he would be seeing Elias soon and that the man would most likely be right there waiting for them to arrive. The worrywart probably got there early, knowing him, eager to meet Shizu and make sure his one and only close friend was alright after such a long trip.<br/><br/>Honestly, this was probably the longest trip he has been on in awhile. It was definitely one of the roughest as well after having been held hostage and even interrogated a little. The smile that lunatic had on his face when he threatened to devour him was still etched into his mind. He shuddered, recalling those horrible memories, hoping that after today he could forget about all of that and just have everything return to normal like he liked it. He has never liked to get involved with the organization, he has even brought this up to Elias, but he knew how convenient it was to have a pilot around. The only thing he hated was when he somehow managed to get himself hurt. The fact that they had even found him was a little terrifying and he soon worried for the safety of he and Elias once Shizu was settled into her new home. Would all of this be more trouble than itâ€™s worth?<br/><br/>What if more people wanted to come after them and the organization actually had to step in and do something? It was bad enough that she was probably going to be monitored. Elias has monitored a few people before, whether they were rescued by Ivan or someone else so he knew what it was like trying to keep someone safe. It certainly was not easy. If one organization wanted Shizu, whoever she was, whatever the reason she was so important that she was being given a new life, perhaps there were more who would seek her out now that she was out of Japan. Or maybe whoever she had been taken away from would try to find her and they would have to deal with that. They might be official Witness Protection but he would make sure that he and Elias did their best like they always did whenever they were faced with this kind of situation. Shizu would be kept safe no matter what happened.<br/><br/>Lucian looked over to her when she called his name, trying to make it seem like he wasnâ€™t as grouchy as he felt. Even if his earlier display had pretty much said that he wasnâ€™t in the mood for conversation he didnâ€™t want to be rude. At first he thought she wasnâ€™t going to say anything, but when she mentioned Ivan he sighed a little, â€œAlright, alright. Iâ€™m sure we can arrange that.â€ Ivan had said he wanted to be contacted once they reached Toronto anyway to keep him up to date on the situation. He was glad that Shizu had said something otherwise he might have forgotten, considering he was so reluctant to speak with the man. Shizu or Elias would have to do the talking with Ivan. Perhaps it was a little childish that he was never able to get his shit together whenever he was speaking with Ivan but that is just how it has always been. He has tried to be civil with him but they always ended up getting into some sort of argument, their personalities simply clashed.<br/><br/>â€œWe should be there soon, the shoreline is getting closer.â€ Poor Shizu. She seemed so depressed that he almost couldnâ€™t stand the sight of her. It was beginning to affect his own mood, which was not really helping his tiredness. Maybe that was why he was becoming a little grouchy. Maybe this would help ease her mood a little, knowing that she would be out of the plane soon. Even he was beginning to feel a little cramped sitting in his seat, eager to stretch his legs, and his restlessness was really not mixing well with his exhaustion.<br/><br/>When they finally reached the city an overwhelming elation suddenly filled him.<br/><br/>Lucian felt like he was about to jump out of his seat, but thankfully was too tired to show it and got right to making preparations to land once he got closer to their location. His demeanor changed a little and to the best of his ability he guided the plane, descending slowly towards the landing area, completely focused at that point. He was so glad that he was finally back home. Once he had landed the plane he shut everything down, sank back against the seat, and groaned, closing his eyes for a moment. He felt like he could pass out right there and was actually tempted to do so. With a yawn Lucian rubbed his eyes and forced himself to sit up again, feeling the protest in his joints as he moved to get out of the plane. Making sure that he had everything with him and ensuring that Shizu was situated, he stretched as soon as his feet touched the ground. It felt good to have some ground under his feet indeed of being in the air for once.<br/><br/>â€œHow are you holding out? Do you have everything?â€ He asked her, making sure that she was still doing ok. As eager as he was to see Elias he was placing Shizu first. She was their top priority at the moment after all, they could have all the fun they wanted later, once she was at her new home. Even he was a little curious to see how everything turned out. As he had mentioned earlier if Elias had decorated it then it was probably pretty bland and she would have to redecorate with her taste. That was probably the plan, he wondered if they would be taking her out to go shopping for some house items and new clothes. Maybe she could be part of their happy little friendship somehow; she was one of the few people who seemed to like his company. He has always had a hard time getting along with people; he just had one of those auras around him. People didnâ€™t like him.<br/><br/>They walked a little and then he finally pulled out the phone, â€œYou still want to speak to Ivan? Here.â€ He dialed Ivanâ€™s number, Lucian had everyoneâ€™s number memorized for the most part, and handed her the phone. Has she even used a phone before? â€œUmâ€¦ just hold it up to your ear and talk like Ivan is standing right in front of you.â€ That was the best answer he could give in his current state. He was only getting that out of the way so he and Elias could have their little moment to speak with each other before they went home. Maybe they could even grab a few beers along the way. Lucian was really craving a beer now, more than he had before, though he was already feeling like he could fall flat on his face and sleep on the ground.<br/><br/>When they caught up with Elias he couldnâ€™t help but smile. â€œHell, you look just as worn out as I am.â€ He said with a smirk. â€œHow long have you been waiting for us?â€ The answer to that was pretty clear already but even in his tired state, Lucian couldnâ€™t help but tease is dear friend.<br/><br/>------------------<br/><br/>How many others in the organization thought Shizu was a monster? Just because she was an Oni certainly did not mean that she was, had they not seen those bio-weapons? They looked like humans and yet they had done some serious damage during the battle a few hours ago. If it had not been for Shizu then they most likely would have not held up against them as well as they had, though he barely remembered his own encounters. He remembers that he had been sniping and that he had been tackled off a building but everything after that, the things he had done while plowing through those weapons to reach Shizu, were somewhat blurry. Thatâ€™s usually what happens when he falls into that state of mind, mostly because he tries to block things out so he doesnâ€™t have to remember how violent he can be. Was he falling into that state of mind here? It almost seemed like it, it made the few people who were standing around uncomfortable.<br/><br/>When Ivanâ€™s hand touched his shoulder he came to his senses a little. Ivan was probably one of the only people able to get him to come to his senses despite how stubborn he was. At first he had ignored him, too focused on choking the one who had called Shizu a monster, but when his dear friend spoke to him he listened. It took a moment for everything to sink in but once it had he relaxed a little and took his hands off the man. The man hurried away as quickly as he could. Ivan was right. Just as he always wasâ€¦ usuallyâ€¦ At least in situations like this where he came this close to killing someone. He felt a little embarrassedâ€¦ ok, actually he was pretty embarrassed that he had lost it like that. He had a feeling Shizu probably would not want him to lose his cool and kill someone because of some words. This really was not like him, he really should have known better than to lose control like that.<br/><br/>Had that poison done something to him, or was this something else? He really was feeling off right now and he wasnâ€™t sure what the hell was going on. But even if it was probably wrong to use Shizu as bait he was right. What would Shizu think if she saw him lose his temper after being so calm with her during their time together? Would she think less of him, would she be terrified? He doubted the latter, she would probably just be disappointed if anything, but then again he couldnâ€™t really say for sure. Back in that alley in Japan she had seen his violent tendencies for the first time and said nothing. In Jerusalem rather than be wary of him or afraid, she approached him and got him to stop. Until that point, only Ivan and Cassandra were able to get him out of that state. In fact it was because of those two that he was able to keep himself under control for the most part. Zachariah had tried once but he had gotten himself hurtâ€¦<br/><br/>He looked at the ground for a moment trying to find something to say. How was he going to explain himself? He didnâ€™t know why he was feeling so off right nowâ€¦ Maybe he would be punished for this later or even worseâ€¦ would he be kicked out of the organization? The thought of losing the one thing in his life that mattered the most to him, his best friend and the organization, the only life he knew, because of this damned mission and everything it has put him through, because he had lashed out for some unknown reason, frightened him more than he was willing to openly admit. He really didnâ€™t want to lose anything he had. While the life he lived was extremely rough and evidently unforgiving as well he wouldnâ€™t want to change it. Somehow he managed to stay pretty content, and everyone makes mistakes on in awhile. But was this the one thing that would get him kicked out? The thought was weighing heavy on his mind.<br/><br/>In all honesty he didnâ€™t want to think about it but the possibility wouldnâ€™t be dismissed. There was something about this that made him uncomfortable. Why was he becoming so worked up over Shizu? Was it even because of Shizu?  He knew for a fact there were no deeper feelings for herâ€¦ so why had he been so protective, even now? There was a lot of pent up energy that he wished he could let go of, part of him knew it was not because of Shizu. It seemed to build and there seemed to be nothing he could do to get rid of it. He had thought coming outside would have helped. Maybe it would be best for him if he did talk to Ivan about his thoughts on the situation before anything else happened. The topic was kind of inevitable to begin with, now that something like this happened they might as well get it over with as soon as possible, right? Or maybe he should go back and see if there was any alcohol left and drown in it, just to get things out of his mind.<br/><br/>That sounded more appealing right now, but his luck wasnâ€™t that great, there was nothing lying around the immediate area. He would have to deal without alcohol for right now, much to his dismay. Sighing heavily he decided that standing out in the open like this probably wasnâ€™t a good idea and slipped back into the shade to cool off. A small shock of pain moved through him and he staggered a bit before catching himself on the wall of the same building he and Ivan had been near before. He ran a hand over through his hair as he tried to clear his thoughts. Maybe he should head back into his hospital room and get that dose of the antidote over with before anything else happened. No. He didnâ€™t want to go back into that room, he honestly would much rather stay outdoors. The whole point of coming out here was to help him relax and clear his mind a little so he wouldnâ€™t go nuts in that room.<br/><br/>â€œI apologize, I have not been feeling quite like myself since I woke up,â€ he murmured after a long while, still unable to meet Ivanâ€™s gaze. Was explaining himself the best thing to do? He had no idea why he had gotten so worked up and didnâ€™t really have a good explanation. â€œI had not meant to cause trouble. Something inside of me simplyâ€¦ snapped and I do not know why.â€ He really could use another drink right now, or rather like twenty drinks, maybe he would feel better. Clearing his mind was difficult, mostly because his thoughts were only becoming more tangled the more he tried to think about something else. He didnâ€™t like to talk about things even to Ivan but maybe talking about it was the best way to do it after all. If he didnâ€™t get to the bottom of this then he was probably going to end up beating himself up over it. Or worse, hurt someone else or himself.<br/><br/>He really didnâ€™t want that to happen. That little outburst was enough embarrassment for one day.<br/><br/>By this point, however, the conversation he was hoping could wait was about to be had with him. He was trying to figure out where he should begin. There was a lot that they needed to go over.Once they began the conversation would he be able to tell Ivan that he sympathized with Shizu? Would he be able to say that he knew what was it was like to have people be skeptical of him? He normally didnâ€™t care for the opinions of others but being shunned was pretty painful. He knew he could be dangerous and has been told he needed to be locked away. It was another thing he was grateful for Ivan for, the man was his voice of reason despite how odd their friendship might seem and he really did keep him out of trouble. If it were not for him he would probably be locked away somewhere if not dead. Part of him wanted to bring it up but he wasnâ€™t able to find the words.<br/><br/>He was sure that Ivan understood even if he didnâ€™t bring it up, though, after all heâ€™s been there for him for a long time and knew most if not all his darkest secrets. Out of everyone he has ever met, he has always found Ivan so easy to talk to. Maybe it was because they were similar in some senses, holding back what they really thought until it all became too bottled up to the point where it absolutely needed to come out. Whether they were talking after having a few drinks or using their fists, that was how things have always been. Perhaps they should have had this talk back in the room. Maybe, if they had, Azrai wouldnâ€™t be feeling like something was wrong.<br/><br/>------------------<br/><br/>Zachariahâ€™s extreme motivation with keeping this organization together was often both a blessing and a curse.<br/><br/>In the span of a few hours he had a few offices set up and even more space cleared out. Electronics were set up, so that way they were ready for Elias when he came out here to help. He was interested to meet the man face to face. Elias seemed like a very dedicate person especially with the way that he had been quick to jump on the opportunity to help with the battle against Sanctus Unum. His skills as a hacker would definitely be useful in the organization and he hoped to continue working with him and maybe try to talk to Lucian about sticking around more as well. He knew that the pilot and the hacker already helped Azrai fend off his enemies, perhaps they could help fend off the organizationâ€™s enemies as well. They might be able to find out if Sanctus Unum had any supporters and if so, how many. The people he had Maverick show around were good at finding information but sometimes extra help went a long way.<br/><br/>As much as he loved what he did sometimes Zachariah wondered if he tried a little too hard. There was a lot to get done and he was in no rush to do it but he couldnâ€™t help but feel like he needed to get more out of the way than he needed to. It was to the point where he drove himself a little too hard sometimes, hell bent on keeping everyone safe. More often than not he doesnâ€™t take his own advice and take a few moments to rest. A nap did help Zachariahâ€™s exhaustion but it had only been a little less than an hour. Now he was beginning to feel that he needed a full day of sleep in order to keep going. His followers were always counting on him to keep things stable and he never let them down. Perhaps he wanted to feel like he was actually some sort of miracle worker. It would make things easier for everyone if he was, would it not?<br/><br/>Walking around the place, seeing everything coming together slowly but surely, it made him feel pretty good about himself. Several of his followers smiled at him and he returned the smile. The organization has been all he has had in life, growing up he has never had much of anything at all, and he would not trade it for anything. God has always guided his path, even if he did not always agree with things; he was not going to just throw everything away any time soon. Even if they had to rebuild a third time after they got comfortable here he knew that the organization would go on. He was worried about what will happen once he passes from this world. Who was going to come claim his throne and continue his teachings, who was going to keep things together and see that the organization lasts for years, and many more questions plagued him. Perhaps he should be use to that part of being a leader by now.<br/><br/>Part of him was and part of him was not; the thoughts usually didnâ€™t bother Zachariah whenever he was reminded about how much he truly loves what he does.<br/><br/>When he heard Ivan speak to him through the earpiece he sighed and rubbed his eyes, then ran his hand over his face. â€œI will be there in a few minutes, take care of him until then.â€ He said, his heart rate beginning to pick up. This was the last thing he need. Out of everyone he trusted Ivan the most to keep Azrai under control so he wouldnâ€™t have to worry about him. It was bad enough he was trying to have the talk of Shizu expelled and get more work done around the base. Dealing with Azrai was not what he needed, not to mention he knew for a fact Azrai would not be in the mood to talk about Shizu at all.<br/><br/>Zachariah strode hastily through the halls, hoping to get there was quickly as he could. His mood seemed to cut through the relaxed atmosphere like a knife. His mind was racing and to match that the look on his face was somewhat grim leaving his followers wondering what was going on. â€œMaverick!â€ He called out when he happened to cross paths with the man. â€œI hate to bother you again but Ivan is having some trouble with Azrai.â€ It was only right to tell Maverick though he knew he was driving the man pretty hard.<br/><br/>Maverick frowned, â€œWhat happened?â€<br/><br/>â€œI wasnâ€™t given too many details. It seems Ivan wants us to have that talk with Azrai about Shizu now.â€<br/><br/>â€œThatâ€™s going to be fun.â€<br/><br/>He could tell Maverick was not looking forward to this and he didnâ€™t blame the man either. â€œI will call you when I need you again.â€ He looked to his friends, â€œI apologize for this.â€<br/><br/>â€œItâ€™s alright, Maverick here has been more than helpful.â€ The older male spoke, â€œWe might be able to move on to phase to easier than I thought.â€<br/><br/>â€œGood. Now, if youâ€™ll excuse me I must catch up with Ivan.â€ With that, Zachariah left the small group and went to look for Ivan. Knowing them they had probably gone outside for some fresh air. He made his way to the stairs and began the climb towards the outdoors. Azrai was not particularly fond of staying in one area for too long especially when it came to hospitals. The man needed to rest and recover but he was too stubborn to rest just like everyone else here in the base and sometimes he wished he was not so stubborn all the time. He didnâ€™t blame him for not liking being cooped up, though, even Zachariah was grew weary from being underground all the time. Once in awhile he liked to take walks on the surface, everyone needed sunlight every now and then. It was healthy to go outdoors; he might be able see the sunlight more frequently now that he was no longer battling against Sanctus Unum.<br/><br/>But one could only hope.<br/><br/>Once outside he took in a deep breath and immediately scanned the area for Ivan and Azrai, praying that nothing too serious had happened. Somehow he already knew the answer to that. He hoped that Azrai had not killed someone or had to be sedated in order to get him to calm down. They had to resort to that method only once and the amount of guilt he felt still plagued him to this day. He never wanted to have to do that ever again, nor did he ever want to kick Azrai out of the organization. If things were already getting bad he might not have a choice in the matter and that crushed him. Azrai was a valuable member to the organization that they could not afford to lose. His skills as a sniper and a hitman were needed in order to ensure the Holy Land does not fall into the wrong hands. He could not afford to have anyone unstable in his organization.<br/><br/>He knew Azrai was not unstable but with the Oni blood in him he knew it was going to take awhile for him to be himself again. If he would ever revert back to his old self. He hoped so, otherwise he knew he would have to do what needed to be done and ne did not want to resort to that. For now he did his best to push that all aside as he didnâ€™t want to get into it right away. Azrai was definitely going to need to be monitored, perhaps he should not be allowed to go home for awhile or have Ivan stay with him to make sure he doesnâ€™t hurt himself. He didnâ€™t want to keep the man cooped up underground because that would only make things worse, the man would go stir crazy. There was no way he could keep that man confined especially since they couldnâ€™t even seem to keep him in a room where he was safe to rest.<br/><br/>Unfortunately he didnâ€™t know the whole story of why Azrai hated hospitals so much. Ivan had told him about it a little but Azrai has never seemed to want to talk about it so he always left the subject alone.<br/><br/>When he finally found Azrai and Ivan, he eyed them with a stern look and took in a deep breath to prepare himself for the worse. There were some murmurs around the area which he paid no mind to for the time being. When he approached, the look in his eyes stayed, â€œI wonâ€™t force you to come back inside, but I feel we should speak about this in private.â€ The conference room was all ready for use for the most part. He was hoping they could speak there since they wouldnâ€™t be bothered but if Azrai, who did seem a little out of it, poor guy, wanted to stay outdoors he would allow it. He gave Ivan a look that said as much. What Azrai said surprised him a little, however.<br/><br/>â€œPerhaps we shouldâ€¦ head back underground.â€ His voice was quieter than usual. Maybe it was for the best that he didnâ€™t stay outdoors, as much as he would like to. There were still murmurs around even if Zachariah was doing his best to keep everything under control. He wanted to get away from that fearing he might lash out again. There was no telling what might happenâ€¦ Right now he felt calm again but he didnâ€™t want to risk it. Hopefully Zachariah could give him some sort of closure.