â€œFuck you,â€ were the first words out of Lucianâ€™s mouth while he followed Elias to his car, rubbing his side gently. It hadnâ€™t been that hard of a punch but it still had been enough for the hacker to get his point across. Being rough with one another was part of their teasing; they would rough house with each other bit when they were kids. There were occasions were their rough housing resulted in Eliasâ€™s glasses being broken, which did not please parents at all and Lucian had been forbidden to speak to Elias. Which did not last long needless to say, nothing could ever separate these two, he was sure that they would carry their friendship to their graves with them. Now that they were older they have mostly grown out of rough housing and were simply just a bit rowdy with each other. Not that it was implied their rowdiness had been toned down any.<br/><br/>He was still feeling that punch when they got to the car.<br/><br/>In fact he was sure that if they were not both completely exhausted Elias would have punched him a little harder. He thought about it a little during the car ride trying not to fall asleep. There were a few times during the short he felt himself nodding off, and eventually he the exhaustion became too much for him and he passed out before he knew what hit him. One moment he was as wide awake as he would be in his current state and the next he knew he heard Elias briefly speaking with Shizu before they stepped out of the car. He stepped out of the car with them hoping they didnâ€™t notice that he had fallen asleep. Unfortunately it was not enough for him to feel revitalized, he would need a good few hours for that. On the plus side at least he was a little more alert now.<br/><br/>Once they reached Shizuâ€™s new home he smiled as she opened the door and followed her and Elias inside. Lucian immediately took in the decorations, smiling. The smile made him seem quite lively compared to moments ago though he wondered if that was just the few minutes of shut eye he had gotten. He, too, was finding something relaxing about the place. Elias really did do a nice job with everything just as he had expected though he still thought it was a little bland. He also noted how Elias really so worried about whether or not she would like the place that he was extremely restless. That wasnâ€™t really surprising, since he was always aiming to please; he was always so worried about whether or not people would like anything he puts together. He would have said something to ease his friendâ€™s worry if Shizu had not beaten him to the punch.<br/><br/>She liked the place, which was good. While he watched Shizu and Elias interact with one he couldnâ€™t help but smile. This was a huge weight of his shoulders to say the least. He knew that if she said that she was not satisfied with even the smallest thing Elias would most likely spend the rest of the night trying to remedy that. Ever the people pleaser, the hacker was, but then again he liked to have everything perfect otherwise he goes nuts; Lucian busted Eliasâ€™s chops for that a lot, too. Elias always made sure, whenever he did, to let him know just how much he appreciated being teased much like earlier. It was needless to say that he was relieved he didnâ€™t have to deal with his friendâ€™s worry. After all Shizu had been through he was sure that Eliasâ€™s mild obsessive tendencies would be a bit overwhelming for her at the moment.<br/><br/>â€œYou take care now, Iâ€™ll see you around. Feel free to call either of us if you need anything.â€ Lucian felt that he should at least say some sort of good-bye before they left. After spending the last few hours with her it just seemed right. Besides, would it not be rude to ignore someone who Elias wanted to befriend? Maybe she would join them whenever they would spend time with each other sometime in the future. He really would like to have some more friends himself, no matter how much he didnâ€™t want to admit it, and was sure that Elias would want some more company as well. The only negative in that was neither of them were smooth with the ladies, but Shizu probably wouldnâ€™t mind that. Hell if she had enjoyed Azraiâ€™s company then he was more than positive that she would fit in with him and Elias just fine if she so desired.<br/><br/>As he walked with Elias back to the car Lucian thought about the question he was presented with. After awhile he decided the best answer he could come up with was, â€œI hope soâ€ followed by a shrug. â€œShe said she liked the place, right? Maybe sheâ€™ll settle in quickly and we wonâ€™t have to worry.â€ It was not very reassuring but he really didnâ€™t know what else to say at this point. Lucian never really knew how exactly to react to these sorts of situations, even with the few people he had helped rescue in the past. Ivan and Maverick were better at this sort of thing as he was just the person who provided transportation most of the time. He hoped that Shizu would be alright and had confident that she would be safe in her new place. Nobody knew where she was, right, and as Elias had mentioned this neighborhood was relatively safe.<br/><br/>Since he didnâ€™t really drive much, and was too tired to walk home, which was actually only a few blocks away from where they were, Elias had drove him to his apartment.<br/><br/>The two walked up to the doorstep of Lucianâ€™s apartment complex as they always did after any other time they spent the day together. There was some normality in that, right? After this everything would be as if nothing had ever happened and they would go back to their normal lives. The rest of the week would be carried out as they usually went about things, with the inclusion of Shizu if she wanted. For a second he wondered if she would want to join them in their drinking, as a way to celebrate her new home, her freedom. It would be a nice way for the three of them to bond and perhaps help her adjust to her new surroundings. Canada could be a very interesting place at times, which was why he chose to stay here instead of permanently moving to Alaska when his job had offered it to him.<br/><br/>â€œWell,â€ he said softly, â€œI suppose Iâ€™ll see you tomorrow morning.â€ He paused for a moment. Taking a step towards the hacker, Lucian pulled him into a gentle hug. â€œGood night, Elias.â€ The hug didnâ€™t last long since he didnâ€™t give his friend any warning ahead of time, and he didnâ€™t want to fall asleep on him.  Elias wasnâ€™t always one for hugs anyway. After a few seconds had passed he flashed one last smile and turned to head towards indoors.<br/><br/>It was nice to finally be home and leave the day behind him. His apartment was nothing fancy, you really wouldnâ€™t find much in this city anyway no matter who was decorating it, but it has been his home for the past twenty years and he refused to live anywhere else. No sooner had he got in the door he kicked off his shoes, took off his jacket, and threw on some pajamas before heading into his bedroom. He immediately flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes after pulling a pillow under his head. Barely a few seconds later, he was out like a light.<br/><br/>------------------<br/><br/>In the end everything seemed to work out, which pleased Zachariah greatly. Perhaps it was because he was just as tired as everyone else in the room that this conversation seemed to take a huge weight off his shoulders He let out a slow exhale and relaxed a little. As he did, the atmosphere that seemed to linger in the room while Ivan spoke seemed to calm down a little as well. Even if Ivan was a bit gruff he still appreciated the fact that he didnâ€™t have to step in and explain anything further. Azrai seemed alright with everything at least on the surface. It had been nice to see him open up a little, though he knew that would be all they would get out of him. He seemed uncomfortable overall but he didnâ€™t really blame him since he had pretty much put himself on the spot somewhat unintentionally.<br/><br/>What didnâ€™t surprise him was the fact that, despite seeming alright with how things turned out, Azrai was bitter that he wouldnâ€™t be out in the field as much but it was for his own safety. He didnâ€™t voice it but he could see it on his face. Whatever changes were going on with him needed to be worked out and his injuries had been pretty severe. Another dose of the antidote was needed as well, which he was sure the man would protest accepting. He didnâ€™t want to force him to take it either, knowing how much he wanted to go home, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially now that he had he had Oni blood in his veins, he would need that antidote to counter the poison. They had come close to losing him once already and he didnâ€™t want it to happen a second time.<br/><br/>â€œAlright, thereâ€™s still a lot that needs to be covered. However, since everyone can barely keep their eyes open letâ€™s continue this tomorrow.â€ Yawning seemed to be contagious, because after Ivan had yawned Zachariah had yawned as well. Despite the nap he had taken he was starting to feel the fatigue beginning to wear him down again, he needed some sleep. Sleep sounded wonderful.<br/><br/>â€œI have to leave to go back home tomorrow.â€ Maverick cut in, slight hesitation in his voice. He wished he had spoken up sooner, but with running around trying to help the organization he almost forgot. â€œIn fact I think the flight leaves sometime in the morning."<br/><br/>Silence seemed to fall over the room for a moment but it was not because of Zachariah.<br/><br/>Azrai had not expected to hear those words so soon and honestly it caught him a little off guard. He was so use to all four of them working together that sometimes he completely forgot Maverick was not always in the loop so to speak. This was probably part of the reason only Ivan and Zachariah would be watching over him, though he didnâ€™t say anything. Maverick usually stayed longer that a day whenever he came to visit, but that was usually when they would plan for him to come out to Israel; he very rarely did last minute flights. Thinking back he did recall Maverick having some trouble back at home dealing with some things in his life. That had been why he was not able to come visit when they had tried to plan out a trip to get him out here before. He wondered if he was still going through that.<br/><br/>â€œThat isâ€¦ unfortunate,â€ he said with a bit of a frown.<br/><br/>â€œI knowâ€¦ Iâ€™m sorry.â€<br/><br/>â€œI will make some arrangements so you can come back sometime soon.â€ Zachariah assured, frowning a little but keeping in good spirits to the best of his current ability.<br/><br/>â€œThat would be great.â€ Maverick hated not being able to come out as much as he wanted to but that was just how things have been for the past few months. Out of everyone he was the one who sort of lived in his own little corner and didnâ€™t really bother with much when it came to Azrai. He was one of his best friends, but again he really was not as close to him as Ivan was. Nobody really knew what was going on, he was always keeping to himself, He was in a custody battle with his wife for his son, and he was losing at the moment, on top of that he was trying to settle the divorce as well. Things have not been going his way in his life and it was really stressing him out. Once he did get everything settled he might just move to Israel like he should have years ago and help out the organization.<br/><br/>He knew he would not be the best choice to look after Azrai. It wasnâ€™t that he couldnâ€™t look after him; he has looked after him a few times before. It was just that Ivan was tougher than he was and has been around him more than he has so he knew how to deal with him. Whenever he was left to deal with Azrai he found himself unable to keep his composure mostly because he hated lying to him and was not good at being stern. He could be straightforward, he was pretty levelheaded most of the time, but he simply could not be stern like Ivan was. Sometimes he considered himself a bit of an outcast because he was unable to help Azrai like he wanted to. Even though he was a valuable member, who completed their friendship triangle, he still couldnâ€™t help but feel he never did enough and wished that he was strong enough to change that.<br/><br/>Well, perhaps it was not exactly accurate to say he was not strong enough. He was strong enough. It was more like he wished he could be someone to help monitor Azrai as well, though he did understand that distance was the major issue in that. In some ways it was a double-edged sword. Ivan lived in Israel; he was much easier for Zachariah to contact. One of these days he was going to move to Israel. Part of the reason he was a little overprotective of Azrai was because he didnâ€™t get to see him often and got worried whenever he hears he is in trouble. On the other hand sometimes he felt he was better off not knowing what trouble Azrai manages to find. One of these days he was probably going to have a heart attack if some anxiety attack didnâ€™t get to him before that happened.<br/><br/>â€œThen itâ€™s settled,â€ Zachariah spoke up again, smiling a bit. â€œI want to just say again that, despite everything, Iâ€™m glad that we all made it out of that battle alive. We still have a lot of work to do, but weâ€™ll be back on our feet in no time, we always manage to bounce back.â€ Perhaps this was his way of saying that he was glad they had not lost Azrai. He was good at hiding things like that. Sometimes it was necessary for him to beat around the bush and be subtle in that regard fearing that he would seem like he was only concerned about one thing and not the organization as a whole. Pushing those thoughts aside he looked at Azrai, â€œI will allow you to go home after youâ€™re given a second dose of the antidote, and request at least a few days rest before returning to help the organization."<br/><br/>As to be expected, Azrai groaned lowly when he heard he had to go back into the hospital ward but he said nothing and just folded his arms over his chest ready to get out of here. His impatience was showing. He really did want to just go home and sleep. Thanks to Shizu the poison had not killed him so he saw no reason for him to stick around. Everyone was just worrying too much in his opinion, but, that being said, even he felt that he needed to be on the safe side and take that antidote. There was a chance he might have to spend another day here, perhaps stay overnight, just to ensure he would be fine and the poison was out of his system. As much as he didnâ€™t want to admit it, there was a small part of him that didnâ€™t want to go back to his apartment yet anyway since Shizu was still on his mind.<br/><br/>The night they spent together there had been a very nice change of pace from when Ivan stays over. He was probably going to remember his time with Shizu for awhile. Deep down he wondered if she would just decide to forget about him once she was settled into her new life. If she did, then that would give him another reason to not visit her would it not? He was not told where she was and was sure that Ivan knew and was not telling him for his own good. Knowing Ivan he probably thought he would go try to find her or something, which would certainly not be the case. She was a free woman now and he had no right trying to hunt her down or pester her in any way. Still, shouldnâ€™t it also be her decision whether or not she wanted to keep in contact?<br/><br/>In a way, he didnâ€™t mind either way.<br/><br/>As everyone was leaving the conference room another thought struck him, â€œWaitâ€¦â€ he called out softly. He waited until everyone was giving him their attention, which he realized was not the best idea because he was feeling uncomfortable again. Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled softly and once more ran his hand through his hair, which was now beginning to look more disheveled because of it, â€œIâ€¦â€ he paused and took in another deep breath while trying to figure out the best way to go about what he wanted to get off his chest. Sometimes he hated how it took him awhile to speak his mind, not always being quick on the draw so to speak. â€œTell meâ€¦ will Shizu be receiving a proper education? I do take issue with her being taken away from here before being educated about the basics of society.â€<br/><br/>â€œIvan has already taken care of that,â€ Zachariah said with a reassuring smile. â€œShe will be given everything that she needs to fit in. I know youâ€™re worried about her, but trust me, we have it all covered.â€<br/><br/>â€œI see.â€ As long as it was being taken care of everything was fine for him. He might not be the one helping her but at least she would be given what she needed, and that satisfied him. He would not hold any resentment towards her for what she did in fact he was grateful that she had saved his life. They might not have known each other long but she seemed to care about him, thinking back to when he had gotten roughed up in Japan, maybe she would not forget about him and they could see each other again. Then he would be able to tell her in person how he was feeling towards everything. For now, however, he would just take it easy and see what happened. â€œSo, does this mean that I amâ€¦ free to go home? Once I take another dose of the antidote of course.â€ He practically mumbled the last bit, showing how reluctant he was despite everyone wanting to be on the safe side, himself included.<br/><br/>Zachariah gave another nod and then everyone, anxious to get some rest, walked out of the conference room. While he moved about the hallways he examined them noting that everything seemed calm compared to earlier. He wondered if Azrai really was alright with this and had a feeling that he would ask to see Shizu again eventually. Despite seeming like he was fine with severing ties, he knew the man pretty well. That man was so stubborn. Part of him wondered if he should scold him for becoming attached like he had since it was indeed rare for him to get close to someone that fast. Perhaps the reason he had mentioned he would be able to see Shizu again was because it was nice to see him make some more friends, especially after what happened with Cassandra. He was sure that Azrai still had some questions he wouldnâ€™t voice as wellâ€¦<br/><br/>But he was going to put those thoughts aside for the time being. He needed some sleep after such a long and difficult day. Looking back to the battle he was sure he was going to be struggling with some emotions of his own for awhile but he could not let them drag him down. Everyone was in this together, and that being said he was confident that everything was alright. Azrai would probably have some trouble meditating in order to control his aggression; he had severe insomnia and tended to be almost unnaturally restless unless he was drunk. However, once he mastered that he was sure things would be fine. He would probably not be his same old self once he learned to control his aggression, but from what he gathered there did not seem to be any major changes to his personality. At least not all of him would be changed, right? As they say only time will tell in the end.<br/><br/>He wanted him to stay with the organization. To be honest if it did come down to kicking Azrai out he wasnâ€™t sure if he would have the strength. He didnâ€™t like to kick people out, unless he was given a really good reason to do so, and was sure that God would give Azrai the strength he needed to get through this. He prayed that He gave everyone strength. While he looked around he noticed how everyone seemed exhausted. He even took the liberty of telling a few people they were free to call it a day they looked that worn out. Talk of Shizu seemed to die down a bit and he also made sure to silence those who continued to speak ill of her. This was becoming annoying and if he had to he would need to address it in front of the entire organization. Maybe some people would be kicked out as wellâ€¦<br/><br/>Damn, with everything that needed to be done he felt like he needed another drink or two now. Chuckling at those thoughts Zachariah got Ivanâ€™s attention by placing a hand on his shoulder, making sure to speak softly so Azrai wouldnâ€™t hear them. Luckily the man seemed to be lost in his own thoughts but he still did not want to take risks, â€œYou know him better than anyone so I want full reports on anything that might seem uncharacteristic of Azrai, whenever something should occur.â€ He released Ivanâ€™s shoulder, gave him a pat, and left him, Azrai, and Maverick alone to do what they wished for the remainder of the day.<br/><br/>He was done.