The walk to Eliasâ€™s place felt like it took an eternity. There was so much he wanted to get off his chest and since he wasnâ€™t good at sharing his feelings he was finding it difficult to collect his thoughts. He knew that he needed to now in order to get through this conversation, but that was all the more reason for his discomfort. Rushing to get things off his chest was not like him. Everyone knew he needed time before he was able to get everything he needed to say out properly. It made him feel a little sick while he thought about what he had to get out, but he did his best to just brush it off and ignore it. He didnâ€™t want to stress himself out like he often did whenever he had something he needed to get off. It was a lot easier to just let it all build. He didnâ€™t want to do that either, or else risk either blowing up or shutting down. The latter was more likely.<br/><br/>He was just hoping that everything would turn out alright in the end. Maybe I would, but who knew for sure. When he finally saw Elias he could tell the man was a mess. He had half a mind to just slam him against the wall and start giving him hell, still unable to shake the feeling of betrayal. But he didnâ€™t. The moment he saw the hacker pull Shizu into a hug his foul mood seemed to fade. The warmth of the reunion, even though he knew Elias would react that way, had even brought a faint grin to his expression. There was something satisfying about seeing the hacker so relieved that it made him wonder if maybe things would be alright. Besides, it wasnâ€™t really like him to just lash out at Elias. Perhaps, in a way, they were a lot alike when it came to the people they cared about, even if they went about things very differently.<br/><br/>Once inside he could already feel the tension. He took a seat across from Ivan and Elias while he listened to them silently. He was glad Ivan had done the talking otherwise he would have probably said something he would regret. Ivan did have a point, whatâ€™s done is done, though he had given a nod of agreement when it was mentioned that he should have been careful. Nobody could have expected this to happen especially with how safe she had seemed. Then again, look at what happened to Cassandra. When she was placed in a similar situation as Shizu, he had not found her until it was too late. He had tried to protect her and in the end he failed. But that was in the past, there was no use beating himself up over it now. Just like with this situation. Things happen, it was just part of life, and life was an unfair bastard sometimes.<br/><br/>He was about to speak up finally when Shizu had entered the room. Though he was not much of a beer drinker, he took the bottle happily. Alcohol was alcohol, beggars canâ€™t be choosers, and it helped him relax, so he was not going to complain. He drained nearly half the bottle in a few gulps before he gave his side of what he felt should happen from here on out.<br/><br/>â€œI do not know what Levi wantsâ€¦â€ He said softly, running a hand through his hair. It shouldnâ€™t come as a surprise that he was already starting his usual sign of either nervousness or discomfort, uncertainty, perhaps all of the above in this case. It might not have sounded believable given their history, but aside from what happened to Cassandra he couldnâ€™t think of a reason for him to go after Shizu, or him for that matter. â€œUntil we do know for sure, Shizu will need to be watched carefully.â€ He paused to collect his thoughts again, finishing off the rest of his beer. One beer was not enough to make everything just start pouring out but it kept him in a better state of mind for speaking about this certainly. â€œAs far as the cameras go, I think that it should be up to Shizu whether they should be set back up.â€ He looked over to her and gave a brief nod.<br/><br/>It was her house after all. She had seemed a little upset when it was mentioned so he figured she should have a say in that at least. Once again she was fighting for her freedom it seems; it was her life so who were they, three men, to control her or make decisions she did not agree with. She had made it clear when they were escaping that place that she was willing to fight; this was just another step towards her freedom. Right? Perhaps the meeting, though neither of them wanted to be in a repeat situation, was part of that as well, everything happens for a reason as they say. Something inside was telling him as much. Admittedly there was a small part of him that wanted to take her back to Israel with him, but he knew he couldnâ€™t just up and do that. Who was he to come in and take her away from what made her happy?<br/><br/>Not only that, but the same went for Elias. He was one of his good friends, and he couldnâ€™t just take her away from him either just because of one mistake, even if it was a big one. I wouldnâ€™t be right. It should be her decision, not his anyway. He knew from the hug he gave her just attached Elias and Shizu have; he knew he would only crush both of them. It was a selfish thought, and he scolded himself for even thinking about it. As hard as he tried to sever the attachment, he just couldnâ€™t, he still cared about her and wanted the best for her. That meaning that he would do whatever it took to make her happy. Even if he felt like he failedâ€¦ But there was no use thinking about this any longer, beating each other, or their selves, up or arguing would get them nowhere. Now was the time to stand up and prove once and for all that Shizu was going to have her freedom.<br/><br/>He looked at the now empty bottle in his hand, brow furrowing in thought. He was still up for interrogating Levi. Right now that seemed to be the only way to find out what the hell was going on. Something was telling him that this was not as simple as Levi was still upset about Cassandra. There was something a lot deeper, and it was worrying him. Levi has changed a lot over the years; he has always remembered him as the guy who would vomit at the sight of blood, always peaceful, never liking violence. Now he barely knew him. The look in his eyes when he had tried to choke him told him that there was not something deeper, but there just had to be. And once he made his mind up about something, there was usually not going back. He was going to capture Levi somehow and he was going to find out what the hell was going on.<br/><br/>Finally, he took in a deep breath and faced the other three in the room. â€œI do not know if you remember him, butâ€¦ Levi is Cassandraâ€™s younger brother. As I have said, I do not know what he wants with Shizu, but I do feel it might have something to do with me. He had blamed me for Cassandraâ€™s deathâ€¦â€ His words trailed off, he never did like to talk about Cassandra, speaking of things in the past. â€œThere is a possibility that he is trying to use Shizu to get to me, but I cannot say for sure.â€ That was another thing he hated admitting, but they have seen just how much he still cared about her so there was no reason for him to hide it any longer. He stood from his seat and stated to pace the room a little, finding it difficult to sit still without another bottle of beer, or any alcohol for that matter, in his system.<br/><br/>In an attempt to relax, he moved over towards the window and looked out to the city. It was warmer in here than it was outside thankfully. He knew that the others thought he was just being a pansy whenever he mentioned he hated the cold, but he really did hate the cold. Everyone has something that makes them seem a little strange. When he turned to face the group again, he ran a hand though his hair, again, and spoke up a little. â€œI am still interested in interrogating him. It would help us get some leads as to what is going on. We have nothing right now...â€ The tone of his voice might have seemed a little unlike him, but that was just because he was being serious. He knew it was hard for Ivan to always take him seriously, didnâ€™t take much effort with Elias, so he wanted to be as clear about this as he possibly could.<br/><br/>Perhaps it was because he truly felt malice towards someone who tried to hurt someone he cared about by taking away their freedom.<br/><br/>What he said next confirmed that. He looked mostly to Shizu, â€œThis will not happen again,â€ there was low growl in his voice when he spoke, despite keeping ever soft spoken, the grasp he had around the neck of the empty bottle still in his hand was pretty tight. Hell, if he had to he would move to Toronto and make sure it didnâ€™t. But that was a little dramatic, so he kept that thought to private. What he did mention, however, was something that he and Ivan were on the same page about. It was probably one of their spontaneous psychic connections or something, nobody really knew with them. â€œI believe we should also keep in touch with Zachariah to be on the safe side. Something is telling me that there is somethingâ€¦ more to this. I did not like the vibes I had gotten from Levi when I faced him.â€<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>Levi was aware that he should not have lashed out like that, but he wasnâ€™t the kind of person who would say he was sorry later on. Fortunately for David, his guilty conscious was telling him that he should apologize and probably would some time in the near future. Though that usually depended on whether or not the work he did for him was satisfactory; it normally was but he liked to make sure. Of course he valued David, the man was trustworthy, it was just he had thought he knew that the woman was an Oni. He liked to keep his contacts well informed whenever he called for their aid. There were almost never any flaws in communication, with the exception of today, as he has been so fucking pissed off, especially when he worked with David. He has known David a long time, so he just assumed that he would know what was going on. Then again Levi was not perfect.<br/><br/>Perhaps somewhere in his mildly crazed state of mind he had forgotten to tell David. It was just another thing gone wrong today. One thing after another, it was starting to get old.<br/><br/>When they arrived at the hideout, an old apartment building, he liked simplicity in that regard, there was already someone he had called waiting for him. While he did not work for a large organization, or was as powerful as Sanctus Unum, he knew people who were indeed very trustworthy. He was very picky about who he worked with because he didnâ€™t need some moron fucking up. That would simply not be acceptable. One way or another he would have the Oni woman in his hands; there would be hell to pay otherwise. He refused to fail again and could not stress that enough. The reason he knew this man, Hank was his name, was trustworthy was because he knew he would keep things between them and only them. The only way Levi knew of the Oni was because of the battle with Sanctus Unum, someone else might know, and he did not want competition.<br/><br/>Hopefully Hank and the others he hand-picked would keep an eye on the woman so he would not lose her. Though from the looks of things, Hank was the only one who showed up, he may need to remind people that he does not tolerate tardiness.<br/><br/>â€œWhere are the others?â€ Levi, always getting right down to business, snarled in a low voice. â€œI was expecting there to be at least two more.â€ His body language was oddly calm despite his earlier outburst. When he put his hands behind his back, it was evident that he was still trembling so he was not really calm at all. He was just trying to keep calm to avoid another outburst. Though he was sure, to some extent, they were all aware that Levi was not all there. Nobody with a sound mind would send the closest thing they had to a best friend to their death.<br/><br/>â€œHell if I know, Iâ€™m not their babysitter.â€ Hank replied with a snort, waving his hand in the air somewhat dismissively; he didnâ€™t give a fuck about the others, he did like to work by himself. Though relatively new to the group, Hank has more than proved his worth. He was not only intimidating, but knew his way around a gun and had a sense of humor while he killed someone. There was always use for someone like that in his book. The only downfall was that he had an attitude. Unlike David, this dog would sometimes bit back which did not sit well with anyone at all as he tends to rub people the wrong way. Eventually the man would be broken, and when that happened it was not going to be a pretty sight. Hank has yet to see Levi truly angry with someone or something. Perhaps today would be the firstâ€¦<br/><br/>â€œWell fuck them then, we need to get started. They should have been here.â€<br/><br/>â€œFine by me, Boss.â€<br/><br/>â€œGood.â€ So, Hank indeed gave no fucks. There was too much Levi needed to accomplish to wait around for people anyway. He was not in the mood, he just wanted to this over with as soon as possible. â€œNow, I know youâ€™re not going to like what I have to say, but keep your fucking mouth shut and listen up.â€ He crossed his arms over his chest and took deep breaths. It was obvious he was stressing a little, which was not good for his health physically or mentally. Being this emotional over something was a little unusual, but he wasnâ€™t about to let everyone know what was going on. His personal life was not something he shared very often. They wouldnâ€™t know that he wanted to see Azrai suffer. All his men needed to know, was that he needed the Oni girl and would have her no matter the cost. But before that goal was accomplished a plan of action was needed.<br/><br/>â€œWeâ€™re dealing with an Oni,â€ he continued, shooting the two of them a glance that said they had better keep their comments to themselves for the time being if they knew what was good for them. â€œI know we donâ€™t deal with this sort of thing, but itâ€™s important. I want the girl, and I donâ€™t mean next week. I mean nowâ€¦â€ There was a smirk on his face, a devious smirk that showed just how crooked Levi could be. He hated to do things over and was already pissed that was the case right now. â€œI need man power, and, more importantly, a way to suppress the Oni. The problem is I have no idea how weâ€™re going to go about this, and we only have so much time. I... I need this...â€ He relaxed a little; they could speak now if they wished.<br/><br/>Hank, still taking this in, chose to remain quiet. For once.