Jiao Jie encountered Madame Shu descending the stairs. "I heard ..." she began, then her eyes fixed on the most grievously injured of the short battle. She flew on down the stairs, crouching by the widening pool of blood. "This is bad, very bad." she murmured, and half closed her eyes, laying her hands on the wound. Her lips moved, though she did not speak aloud. When she stopped, and removed her hands the flow of blood had also ceased. "I think I was in time." she said, looking around. "Another few heartbeats might have made all the difference though. What happened here?"<br/><br/>- - - - -<br/><br/>The young man that Li addressed seemed rather nervous .. not particularly surprising, given the circumstances. He licked his lips several times, his mouth shaping words that he seemed to weigh and then discard.<br/><br/>"Go ahead." said Gan, roughly. "Tell them that they put their own lives at risk to defend a brigand. One who would have struck them down from hiding, had he found them on the road."<br/><br/>"I never ..." snapped the young man, before pausing, and speaking again more quietly. "I never wanted that."<br/><br/>"No, but you were perfectly happy to let us take you in and feed you, eh?" Gan continued.