Shadowed Stars

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Damn, androids were unnerving.

Keene glanced at Raxiel and then away again, ignoring the robot as his eyes took in the landscape around him. It had been a while since he'd done something as simple as walking through trees and he was reminded of the planet - Nijera, in the Quinis Galaxy - he'd partially grown up on. Well, no, the trees were different...and the smells...and there definitely wasn't this much bickering...

The hybrid raised a brow, watching the two females and he did just that for about three minutes. Just watched them. His eyes flickered between being clear and being fogged up and Keene finally sighed, feeling a twinge of pain run through his skull and his side was beginning to ache again. Come to think of it, his shoulders ached, too. Damn, he'd be glad to get to this ship if only for the opportunity to be thrown in a cell and be able to bring his arms in front of him at least.

"Snowy, Nerd's right. The cliffs are that way."

He pointed the direction out with his tail and then promptly ignored both women and the responses they might give, his attention turning in another direction entirely, eyes narrowed and clouded again. Well, that was interesting...
 
As Keene spoke, both Tessa and Dorene's bickering ceased immediately and Dorene turned to the white-haired girl with a triumphant smile. "I told you. ....Hey, wait a minute! Nerd?!" Her smiled faded and Dorene gave Keene a pointedly unhappy look.

At both her new nickname and the general agreement that she was wrong, Tessa felt an indignant irritation rise inside of her and she hmph'ed. "Whatever, let's go. We're wasting time." With that, she spun and began walking in the right direction without so much a glance at the dark-haired man.

As they walked, the trees gradually became sparser until the forest gave way to a vast meadow, stretching across the distance. In the middle of the field was a large ship - well, it looked large from the ground, but it was actually quite small in comparison to others - with a dozen or so guards already outside, awaiting their arrival.

As soon as they were within view, the guards surrounded Keene, forcing the three scouts aside. None of the guard's faces were visible behind the visor of their helmets but one, whose armor differed slightly from the others, spoke up, his voice slightly distorted from the filter of the radio transmission.

"Restrain his tail."

Two guards moved forward then with several metal rings and they began to secure Keene's tail to his leg, while the others held him at gunpoint.
 
Keene didn't make trouble and if any of these people had known him, they would have realized this was a bad sign, not a good one. He didn't watch the guards who restrained his tail, his piercing green eyes staying on the one who'd given the order for him to be further restrained in the first place. If the man thought he was concerned with this turn of developments, he'd be thoroughly disappointed to see no worry in Keene's eyes. And it wasn't even a faked calm.

He allowed the guards to take him into the ship and his eyes scanned over the technology without a great deal of interest before his attention turned back to the person in charge. Keyes. Right, that was the man's name. Not a horrible human as far as some went, but still there was some small, minuscule part of him that actually missed the company of the ragtag scouts as opposed to the soldiers. At least they weren't going to hurt him and Keene was well aware that these people were, no matter what they might say at the beginning, going to hurt him when they didn't get what they wanted from him, especially when they KNEW he held information. In fact, someone was about to recognize what he was right about...now.

"Sir." A crackling voice, male, came from an intercom and Keene knew immediately this was the Second to the Captain. "He's the Oncoming Shadow." There was a slight stir among the guards, hands tightening on weapons and Keene rolled his eyes beneath his black hair and raised a brow, a smirk playing about his lips. "Took you long enough. Now that you think you know who I am, you might want to consider getting off this planet. I mean, it IS the only way you're going to actually keep a hold of me. It's not like the people I work for are going to be too happy about this."

"You will be silent!" The command came from the first person to have recognized him and Keene's eyes darkened dangerously, but his smile was almost pleasant. It had to make one wonder if he'd been trying to get that kind of response the entire time. And perhaps WHY he was giving these people advice as to how to keep him a prisoner.

"If you insist."

Not another word crossed his lips then and Keene seemed to completely tune out. After all, he wasn't allowed to speak now, was he? The hybrid almost smiled at the thought and the bottom portion of his tail, trailing along the floor now, wrapped around his ankle, but the tip twirled in amusement even then.
 
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Tessa didn't know why, but it made her a little irritated when the guards had pushed her out of the way to surround Keene. She didn't feel fully protective towards the male necessarily, but the separation from the dark-haired man didn't sit well with her. She said nothing though, and she and her small team followed the guards aboard the ship.

At the Second's announcement, Keyes stopped and merely watched Keene for a few moments, trying to decide how best to deal with the situation. After a long while, he looked to Tessa. "Did he reveal any information while in your capture?"

Tessa shook her head in response. Well, Keene SORT of did... he talked about that enemy that was supposedly coming, but Tessa didn't have a lot of faith in the integrity of that information. "No, he didn't."

Keyes regarded Tessa for a moment longer, and Tessa scowled a little. "No, he didn't, sir." As usual, the white-haired female had a problem behaving correctly around authority. By now her captain was familiar with it and hardly bothered to correct her anymore, but the presence of an enemy soldier demanded more formality.

Keyes directed his attention back to Keene for a minute, before looking to his Second. "Put him in a cell and try to get whatever information you can from him." He decided he would let his Second deal with the prisoner for now. In the meantime, Keyes would be making a few calls to some very surprised higher-ups.
 
"Yes, sir."

The Second looked toward Keene from behind his visor, but when the hybrid's gaze came up to meet where his would have been, the man in the armor felt as if he didn't have any on at all. It unnerved him and he didn't appreciate it in the least. He beckoned for the guards to bring Keene down the corridor leading toward the cells and the black-haired male again didn't put up a fight. He seemed made of stone, cold and barely responsive. If Tessa and her group had thought he was aloof, these people were going to meet a brick wall and if by some unlucky chance they managed to break that wall, they were going to find a maze so puzzling they'd never find anything useful and might just end up lost themselves.

Keene was held at gunpoint - many of them actually - as he was led into what appeared to be a white cell with a glass door. Said door was impervious to the highest tech grenades money could buy, so it was hardly something to laugh at. The hybrid eyed the room briefly and he didn't move as the cuffs around his wrists were undone and something much simpler, but far more hindering was placed around his wrists instead. Simple metal rings, but when activated by an outside force, they would restrain him to a wall or even in midair, anywhere the wielder of the remote wanted. Their presence made Keene grit his teeth in growing anger, but he did nothing more than that as the guards left the cell, four staying to help keep an eye on him - and THAT did amuse Keene because the protocol for a prisoner was one guard - and the Second stayed.

It was he who had the remote and without a word, he sent Keene slamming back against the white wall, his arms pinned by his head. The hybrid's fingers curled into his fists, furious, but it wasn't like he hadn't been expecting something like that and he didn't give the man the satisfaction of hearing him curse the other male out. He would have loved to. Oh, yes, and perhaps rip the man's gut out, too, but now was not the time.

Keene knew who this man was, knew his name and rank, his very spirit and he found nothing but disgust shiver across his skin as he watched the other male take off his helmet with a hiss of escaping air. Salt-and-pepper hair and cold blue eyes in an older face greeted his dark green gaze.

"Now then. Let's start with the basics, shall we? I'm sure knowing your name is hardly going to reveal enemy secrets."

Keene didn't say one word.
 
Tessa watched uncomfortably as the guards led Keene away and she looked back at Keyes. "Sir, may I...?"

The captain looked at Tessa and sighed lightly, knowing the white-haired female would only ask so nicely if she really wanted to. He did need to speak with her, but there were more important matters to tend to first. Besides, if he refused her now, Keyes was certain Tessa would just bother him incessantly until she got her way.

"Fine. I'll need you back here soon though to debrief me on what exactly happened."

Tessa nodded and took off down the corridor to follow the guards. Dorene watched her leave, then glanced at Raxiel. "...Geesh, I guess we should follow her, huh?" And with that, the three made their way to the white cell Keene was kept in.

Tessa had beat the other two there and was now watching intently, a frown on her face. She never cared much for the Second, and seeing him handle Keene now frustrated her. More so, she was confused by the black-haired man's response - or rather, lack thereof. He had told her his name before, why wouldn't he tell them now? Was it a matter of principle? Tessa bit her lip uneasily, not liking how the events were unfolding so far.
 
"Come now, we already know who you are within your own army. Your name is hardly going to matter."

Keene watched in complete silence as the man touched a panel in the cell and a table came out, a white cloth covering ominous objects underneath. All he did for now was set his helmet down, though, and turn his attention back to Keene, approaching closer. The hybrid's body stiffened marginally as the man neared, now close enough to touch him and cold blue eyes bored into his dark green. "I am trying to be nice, but if you force my hand, I know other ways to get a prisoner to talk."

The hybrid's expression grew colder, far more unyielding, but he did speak. Just not in any language the man before him would understand. But unbeknownst to Keene, there WAS someone present who would be starting to understand his words. They would be taking shape and form in her mind, hard to decipher at first, but Tessa was not stupid. She'd get the hang of hearing something she didn't understand in the least with her ears and then having her mind process it into a language she did know.

"You are scum, Havos. You don't fool me and you never will. Your heart is black and you will die the death you deserve before this year is out."

The man had no idea what Keene had said, only catching one word. His name. He stared at the hybrid and then reached forward quickly, moving Keene's head forcefully and checking the collar about his neck. It was activated, working and Havos released the male again, glaring daggers at the prisoner. "How did you know my name? You will reveal the name of the spy on this ship immediately!"

Keene smiled, the expression completely condescending. "Go throw yourself into a black hole."

A crack rang through the room, the sound of heavy armor hitting flesh and Keene's head hung for a minute, his black hair obscuring his face before he looked up slowly, his green eyes now pale, burning with a coldness that would rival the harshest winter. He spat the blood in his mouth to the floor, his voice like the ominous rumble of approaching thunder. "I have suffered much worse from more skilled hands than yours will ever be. I won't break for the likes of you."

Havos straightened and seemed to gather himself, calming as he approached the table and carefully selected two different devices from the selection. He approached Keene then with a seething anger, but managed to fake being reluctant to proceed with more drastic measures as he took a knife and slit the male's uniform down the middle of his chest and then proceeded to slice the rest of the material away, revealing tanned skin that looked like it had never seen a battle, never an injury - if one discounted the still healing one on his side - speaking all the while.

"It will do you no good to continue like this. Simply tell us what we want to know and you will not be harmed any further than you push us to do so. What is your name? Your rank? How do you know information about the people on this vessel? Where will you people strike next? Such simple questions that we all know you have the answer to. All you need to do is speak." Havos placed the same kind of circlets on Keene's wrists on his ankles, too, pinning them to the wall as well and when he straightened, he held out a disk-like object with small, sharp needle-like hooks flaring out from the sides.

"Speak plainly and you won't feel any pain. We can go about this civilly."

His words were reasonable, but Keene saw what no one else would; the cruel glitter in Havos' blue eyes, the taunting because he knew what Keene's answer would be. And the hybrid didn't disappoint as his jaw locked and he actively looked away from the other male. Havos didn't waste time making good on his threat and Keene's body jerked reflexively as the disk was placed over the center of his chest and the needles pushed into his skin, holding the thing there. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then Keene's green eyes dilated quickly and they paled rapidly as his body spasmed and electricity sizzled over his skin.

He didn't make a sound, his jaw clenched so tightly the muscles jumped in his face and his head thrashed, his hands unfurling and fisting rapidly, but Keene was silent.
 
When Keene finally spoke, in his ancient and powerful language, Tessa tilted her head a little. She had learned enough languages by then to become adept at recognizing patterns and each time Keene spoke, she learned just a little more. The words now seemed less foreign to her, a little more familiar, and even though she could not quite understand what Keene said this last time, the words were already beginning to piece together in her mind.

Those thoughts were forgotten though, when Havos struck Keene and Tessa vicariously winced in response. Anger stirred in her, but Tessa forced it down; what did she think was going to happen here, after all? She also couldn't deny she understood Havos' confusion. Time and time again, Keene had demonstrated an access to knowledge that he, by all rights, shouldn't have. Tessa had assumed maybe the collar was a defect - what other explanation could there be?

Once again though, her thoughts evaporated when she saw Havos walking towards the table. Tessa tensed, watching the man closely to see what he would take, not that she would even entirely understand the tools anyway. Up until that point, Tessa had remained mostly calm, but when Havos latched the device onto Keene's chest and the black-haired man tensed in obvious pain, Tessa growled. She began to pace, unable to keep still while she watched.

"Is this really necessary??"

Dorene frowned slightly. She didn't like the display either, and she had since averted her eyes. "It can't be helped. How else are they going to get information from him?"

Tessa knew Dorene was right but that didn't make her feel any better as she walked restlessly, her eyes continuously flickering back to the hybrid.
 
Keene gasped, drawing air harshly through his clenched teeth as the bolts finally stopped traveling through his body and his nerves were left to scream their agony. He swallowed back the blood that had gathered in his mouth, having bit his tongue and the hybrid watched Havos with pale eyes as the man spoke again. "Where will your people strike us next?" he asked coldly and Keene looked away. The electricity started again and he bit back a cry, allowing nothing to break past his throat as he writhed in his restraints, allowing his body any and every outlet but sound.

He was shaking when the jolts stopped again, but this time Keene spat the blood in his mouth, purposely hitting Havos' booted foot, glaring venomously at the Second who scowled back and typed in a new command into the remote he held. Keene found himself being dragged by his wrists out to the center of the room and then his arms were pulled toward the ceiling, high enough that he was barely able to stand on his tiptoes, the circlets he wore on his ankles keeping his legs from moving. He DID struggle against this position, seeming much less tolerant of it than his situation pinned to the wall and Havos smirked, circling the black-haired male.

"This doesn't have to continue. How do you know information about us?"

"Same way I know you're never going to figure out the answer to your question." That, finally, was said in plain common speech and Havos blinked, surprised by it before he narrowed his eyes and spoke again. "It is said you're a telepath."

Keene raised a brow. "Is that a question or are you just trying to figure out whether your collar is working or not? I assure you it is, else you'd be bleeding out your ears by this point." He delivered the message with a cold calm that was at odds with the way his body still jerked with pain from the electricity and Havos glared, but spoke evenly, knowing he couldn't just beat the hybrid into the ground like he wanted to. He went over to the table, selecting another device.

"Let us get back on topic; where will your people strike us next?"

Keene didn't answer, his jaw growing rigid again and the Second sighed, but a smirk played across his face as he approached the black-haired male, going around where Keene couldn't see him, watching in some satisfaction as the hybrid's muscles twitched in an obvious fear response, though, Keene did a good job controlling it. All that control seemed to shatter like breaking glass when Havos moved the hair at the nape of his neck, though, and the hybrid felt something cold latch onto his skin and then a specialized needle was being inserted into his spinal cord, hundreds of tiny bio mechanic wires attaching to his system, some to the nerves to cause pain and others to those that led to the mind, to thoughts, information. The hybrid struggled then with a ferocity he had yet to show, thrashing and straining against his bonds until his wrists ran red with blood and both his leg and tail were a mangled mess, the rings having bit through the scales and flesh alike in his mad attempt to get away.

It was all for naught and he eventually stilled again, never having made a sound, and yet still, even though he was obviously scared, when Havos again questioned him, Keene refused to answer. The pain was unbearable then, electric fire through his entire being and Keene arched and bucked trying to escape it. But he didn't make a sound. At least no outwardly.

His mind was fighting even harder than his body was, though. Knowing the collar was working, Havos had assumed that Keene would be easy to crack into now seeing as his telepathic shields would be useless and in a normal circumstance the Second would have been right. But Keen wasn't normal and it wasn't normal what he did now, either. In fact, it wasn't even something he meant to do as his voice suddenly tore through Tessa's mind. She'd feel a brief, searing pain before the words would start to pour into her, felt not just in her head like a typical telepathic message, but reverberating through her entire body like a heartbeat, like a vibration felt from her head down to her toes.

{Make it stop! Please make it stop! I don't want to hurt! I don't want to hurt anymore, please! Stop! I can't tell you anything! I can't! They'll die! Everyone will die! Make it stop, please!}

The voice in Tessa's head, she'd recognize it as Keene, but not as the stubborn, cold, determined man she was viewing. No, this one was nearly broken, scared and desperate. And yet, she might get the sense that they were one and the same...and that would be the absolute truth because what Tessa was hearing was Keene's inner voice, the deepest part of himself that no one ever got to see. They were the words he'd never let pass his lips, but what his entire being was screaming inside.

Whether Tessa picked up on that or not, was up to her own mind.
 
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Tessa was becoming more and more restless as the torture continued and she kept pacing, alternating between watching the display and tearing her gaze away in disgust. When Havos stuck the needle into the back of Keene's neck though, Tessa stopped. She watched as Keene thrashed strongly against his restraints and Tessa's now darkened violet eyes went to Havos, finding an inexplicable loathing for the man.

Tessa's first reaction was to make him stop; to scream at Havos for indulging in such sick methods, but she stopped herself. She had known this would happen. Keene did, too. Why had she insisted on watching if she couldn't handle it? With that thought, Tessa reluctantly stood where she was, though her fists clenched at her side in obvious frustration.

That's when Keene's message began to breach her mind though, and Tessa winced, tensing all over as the pain swept over her. It was gone as quickly as it came though, and Keene's desperate words were left etched into her mind. That was all it took for Tessa to snap and she growled, reaching for the glass door.

Dorene gasped, her eyes widening as she watched the white-haired female. "Tessa, what are you doing!?"

Tessa didn't even seem to hear her companion as she burst into the room. "STOP!" Her eyes narrowed and shot to Havos. "Let him go!" The guards in the room were already moving towards her but Tessa didn't even seem to care. A deep-seated rage and an urge to protect the black-haired man surged through her and Tessa was determined not to let it continue, no matter what the consequences.
 
Havos whirled at Tessa's intrusion, a furious expression on his face. "Scout Avellar! You overstep your bounds!" he thundered, but his fingers had flipped the switch to turn the device off - well, he turned the pain off. The device was still trying to extract information from the hybrid and Keene's entire body remained rigid, his teeth clenched and eyes glazed as he fought to keep what he knew to himself.

He didn't understand what had made Tessa come in so suddenly. He had no idea he'd called out to her, that she'd heard something he would not have said out loud no matter how long they tortured him and he looked up at her past his damp black hair. His green eyes cleared for a fraction of a second, searing into her violet ones with confusion that was genuine before he looked away again, a ripple of pain spreading through his eyes before they clouded over once more.

"You will be reprimanded for this, Avellar. Captain Keyes will hear of your disrespect and interruption of an interrogation!" Havos was beyond angry, nearly purple in his indignation and he opened his mouth the berate Tessa further, but he didn't get that chance as Keene spoke first, blood coating his tongue and lips, trailing down his chin. It was running from his nose, too, though he'd not been hit there.

"Perhaps you could....also explain your....disregard of regulation....24-3, section A-12 of the...Prisoner of War proclamation that....clearly states that you...aren't to harm a...prisoner of a Class E3 level until...given explicit permission to...do so by the Galactic General of the Fleet."

If Havos could have killed the hybrid then, he would would have and it was clear in his eyes as he looked back at Keene and the black-haired male smirked, looking like he could barely see his tormentor, but not needing to.
 
Tessa was prepared to argue, scream, and even fight for Keene's protection, but when the black-haired man looked at her with a genuine confusion in his eyes, Tessa faltered. He didn't know... Had he really called her? Asked for her help? Or was it her imagination? Tessa felt her confidence start to shake and she swallowed hard, forcing herself to steel her resolve. No, the message was real and it HAD been Keene. She was certain of it.

Havos began to berate her then though, and even as Tessa glared daggers at the man, unwavering in her appearance of defiance, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She HAD done something blatantly wrong and she couldn't imagine there wouldn't be consequences for it.

Tessa's train of thought broke though, when Keene began to speak and she looked over at the black-haired man, her eyes wide. After he was done, Tessa smirked a little and turned back to Havos. Keene's information gave her the confidence she had lost and Tessa didn't miss a beat, her face betraying no confusion or revelation at Keene's information, as if she knew it all along.

"Well, how much longer are you going to stand there? Are you going to let him go or not?"
 
Havos seemed to flounder for a moment and then he straightened and with a voice that could have cut steel, he issued his orders to the guards who were looking between the scout and the Second, unsure what to do as of yet. "Get the prisoner and take him to the medical bay. Keep him restrained at all times and do not let him out of your sight." He clicked the switch to the device on Keene's neck off entirely and then moved to grab his helmet.

He glared daggers at Tessa as he passed her, his voice hissed. "You will regret this, Avellar." He glanced back at Keene, but made no move to take the devices off the male - let the heroine do that if she was so adamant about the whole affair - and he released the hybrid from his hanging position before placing the remote in a guard's hand and leaving entirely in a storm of rage, no doubt to see Keyes.

Keene had dropped to the floor heavily, his body trembling with pain and his mind on hyper alert for any more invaders. His pale green eyes were slowly clearing, though, and as Keene was dragged to his feet by the guards, his gaze met Tessa's again. The confusion was still there as he truly did not understand why she'd helped him, but there was gratitude, too and he gave her the smallest of nods, acknowledging what she'd done for him. The male refocused his attention then to the guards holding him and his voice was lethal.

There really was only so much he could take.

"Let. Go."

Despite their training, the men did as he said like they'd been burned and Keene nearly fell, swaying slightly, but he managed to keep his feet and it seemed he took a moment to center himself before he looked up again, flicking his hair out of his face with a simple move of his head, his eyes finding violet ones, once again drawn to them - damn, he really needed to stop thinking about it that way. He lifted a brow, as if asking Tessa what she had planned next.

One of the guard spoke it for him, watching Keene warily. The black-haired male had his hands at his sides, the manacles still on, but he almost appeared free and it was unnerving. "Scout Avellar, will you be accompanying us to the medical bay?"
 
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Tessa watched Havos as he angrily finished up and as the man passed her, delivering his warning, Tessa merely hummed with amusement. She didn't fear Havos; perhaps she should have, as she should any angry superior, but she didn't and she wanted the Second to know that.

After Havos stormed out, Tessa's focus shifted to Keene. When the black-haired man nodded slightly at her, Tessa found herself smiling a little in response. Not that the gesture eliminated any of her confusion - she was very, very confused - and if she and Keene ever got a moment alone, she was determined to ask him about it.

Tessa's eyes flickered to the guard at his question and when she answered, her eyes were already locked onto Keene again. "Yes, I will." First though... Tessa wasn't about to make Keene walk to the medical bay with those devices still latched into his skin. She approached Keene then and without hesitating, she grabbed onto the device on his chest and pulled it out. She didn't bother to wait for the male's response before she walked behind him, brushing his hair away from the back of his neck, and pulling the other device out as well. Tessa looked down at both devices in her hand and in disgust, she let them drop to the floor, uncaring if they were damaged by the fall.

"Let's go."

She walked out of the cell then, heading towards the medical bay. Raxiel followed, presumably to ensure the safety of everyone while an enemy was there, and Dorene ran to catch up with the white-haired female. Once beside her, Dorene whispered harshly to her.

"What the hell was that?"

Tessa gave Dorene only the briefest of glances before she looked away and back to the corridors. "I just... didn't like how he was being treated." It was an unsatisfactory answer and Tessa knew it, but she wasn't about to tell Dorene about Keene's telepathic message so she left it at that.
 
The pain of having the device on his chest taken off was a bee's sting compared to what he'd been through, but Keene couldn't help the way he tensed and hissed as the one on his neck was removed. The wires had retracted quickly, but it had still sent jolts of pain throughout his entire body, down to his fingertips and he resisted the urge to rub his hands on his legs or reach up to the back of his neck. Strangely, though, while the pain didn't linger, Tessa's touch did. He didn't know if it was because he was hyper-aware of contact right now or if it was because she'd been gentle about it, but he oddly - VERY oddly - had not thought to protest it.

Strange.

Keene watched the white-haired female as they walked, finding her fascinating in a way he could not pinpoint and it was honestly going to drive him nuts. There were very few things he could not figure out and even then, it only took him time. Still, it had been a long while since a PERSON had caused him this much confusion and that instantly made Tessa far more interesting to him. He continued to watch her as they entered the medical bay and a male doctor approached them.

"I was paged regarding a prisoner?"

"That would be me." Keene provided almost sarcastically and the doctor looked him over, faltering for a moment at the sight of his tail and then beckoned toward a bed. "Sit. Let's see what we can do."

The hybrid sat on the bed, his entire body radiating tension as the other male looked at his side first, frowning to himself. "Now, what species are you?" He asked for medical reasons as some things were harmful to certain races and Keene appeared perfectly fine with answering the question. "Roenen and human."

The doctor looked up, blinking in surprise. Well, that was a strange cross. The Roenen were said to distance themselves from humans and never did they allow a hybrid of the two races to survive. Still, it wasn't his place to ask and the man stayed professional as he got out a long, sticky patch, tearing the packaging as he spoke once more. "How long have you had this wound?" He spoke of the one on Keene's side and the black-haired male didn't even look at the thing, his eyes flickering everywhere, taking in everything, alternating between being glazed and clear. "Two days."

"You have accelerated healing then. Good." The doctor proceeded to place the patch over the laser burn then, making sure it stuck to the skin around the wound before leaving it alone, moving on to the other injuries he saw. The needle marks on Keene's chest he merely cleaned, letting them heal themselves and the same was done to the back of his neck. Keene was a model patient as he let the human treat his wrists with more strips and he accepted the cloth to clean up the blood on his face, but when the doctor went for his tail next, the hybrid stiffened.

"No."

The doctor looked up, startled by the vehemence in the one word. "If it's not treated it could get infected." he reasoned and then looked back at the thing, noting how the metal rings restrained it to his leg and how said rings had cut into both Keene's leg and the scales. "Though, how I am supposed to treat it when it's like that, I am not sure..."

"It doesn't matter. I said no."

"You seem to think you have a choice in this, prisoner." One of the guards, the one that held the remote spoke up and Keene suddenly found himself being pulled down on the bed, both his wrists and his legs restrained. He instantly started to struggle and the doctor looked on, uncertain how to address this situation.
 
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Tessa had remained quiet during the treatment, merely observing the procedure. Her violet eyes lingered on the black-haired man and she couldn't help letting her eyes curiously trail down the shirtless man's torso. Aside from his current wounds, Keene's skin was flawless and when Tessa found herself admiring the man's physique, she abruptly stopped looking at him and forced her focus onto the doctor as he spoke.

A Roenen/human hybrid?

Tessa vaguely knew about the Roenen and her brow furrowed a little, trying to remember what she knew. She had been taught this - of that, she was certain. A vast knowledge was the pride of the Illian people - but Tessa never was one for listening and now the white-haired female scowled a little, wishing she had paid more attention to her lessons years ago.

Dorene though, gasped lightly at the reveal and Tessa glanced over at her. Oh yeah. She had Dorene. Well, that certainly made things easier. Tessa gave up trying to remember any long-lost classroom lesson and turned her attention back to Keene, satisfied that Dorene would no doubt tell her everything she knew about the Roenen at a later time.

Tessa did frown a little when Keene refused the doctor's help for his tail though, and she looked at the hybrid in confusion. He had let the doctor help him everywhere else; what was different about his tail? Tessa was inclined to side with the doctor, that is, until the guard stepped in. As soon as Keene was being forced onto the bed, Tessa growled and spun around to face the guard.

"Stop it!" Her eyes went down to the remote in the guard's hand and she looked back up at him again. "Give it to me. I was the one that captured him, he's MY prisoner. You don't have the right to carry that."
 
The man was conditioned to follow orders and receiving them now, with Tessa's logic, the guard hesitated for a moment, but then handed the remote over slowly. Keene was released then and the black-haired male surged upward, his entire body shaking as he seemed to will himself not to scramble off the bed, not to lash out. His eyes stayed closed and his fingers fisted in the sheets below him for a long minute before he released his grip and his jade green eyes opened again, calm.

He wasn't happy, not in the least, but the guard's actions appeared to have reminded Keene of the fact that for all intents and purposes, he didn't have a choice in the matter and his tone was even, withdrawn when he next addressed the doctor. "You can clean, but don't try to treat the scales."

The male nodded and cautiously approached. A guard drew closer too and keeping a careful eye on the hybrid, he unlatched one metal ring and then another before stopping, only giving the doctor sections at a time to work on. Keene tried not to jerk as the doctor finally started examining and cleaning the black scales, but he couldn't stop the reaction to the pain that shot up his spine, making him see yellow bursts behind his eyes.

He didn't know why and was too distracted to give it any real thought at the moment like he usually would have, but Keene's pale green eyes opened after a time and found Tessa's violet ones once more. Her prisoner she'd said. He almost wanted to be amused at the thought, but right now, Keene knew she truly believed it and it was that belief that was going to keep him from experiencing far more pain than he already was. No, better to be her prisoner than anyone else's.

His gaze pierced her like it had the first time they'd seen each other, full of both gratitude once more, but deep pain as well - though, he didn't consciously try to show that - and to Keene's absolute horror, a faint keening sound could be heard in his throat, an instinctual cry, a plea for help among one race of his people; the Roenen.

It wasn't something the hybrid had even thought or meant to do and he immediately jerked his gaze away from the white-haired female, shaken....and still in agony he would not give any great indication too - any more than he already had - as the doctor continued working on his tail, a part of his body that held hundreds of nerves. When they were damaged, it was unbearable and to have then touched...it felt like fire held against already raw and blistered skin.
 
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Tessa watched the doctor as he cleaned the black-haired man's tail and despite herself, she couldn't help but flinch a little each time Keene jerked. Watching others in pain was never pleasant but it normally wasn't a particular weakness for Tessa either; what made the hybrid so special?

Stop being a baby. Come on, man up! He's just a prisoner, remember?

With that thought, Tessa steeled herself and continued to watch, refusing to give any indication that the procedure bothered her. That is, until the soft whine broke from Keene's throat. Tessa's eyes widened and she looked at the hybrid with a combination of confusion and surprise and a strong, uncompromising feeling to help the man pulled at her.

Tessa stepped closer then, her eyes falling on the doctor. "Can't you do this gentler? Or find a way to ease the pain?" Her voice was snappy, even if she didn't mean it to be; the doctor had been patient and kind up until this point and he truly didn't deserve the unnecessary hostility. Tessa knew this, but that didn't make her any more tolerant.

Part of Tessa even wanted to reach out and touch the black-haired man, to comfort him in some way, but everybody was already watching them and it was a constant reminder that she was under scrutiny. She had already stood up to Havos just to help the hybrid and now she was lashing out at the doctor. All for a prisoner, of all people. The thought bothered Tessa but she said nothing, her gaze unwavering on the doctor. Even if she was embarrassed about snapping at him, she wasn't going to back down now.
 
Two sets of eyes looked to Tessa - well, more than two, but still - one belonging to the doctor, his gaze slightly reprimanding and the other pair belonged to Keene himself, complete and absolute surprise in his face. It had to be one of the most expressive reactions he'd given since being captured. Why was she doing this? Hell, why was his body reacting this way to her presence? He didn't understand a damn thing right now and his mind was growing more chaotic by the passing minute, though, he was holding it together well.

No one had caught on yet. Though, why should they? It wasn't like they had ANY idea just what they could do with him. Hell, they could end the entire freaking war with him as a bargaining chip...or ignite one even bloodier than the current battle going on. There was a reason Keene wasn't spilling information.

"My dear, I am doing the best I can with a species I have never encountered. If you'd like to do my job for me, then please say something." The doctor was not one to be cowed and while he didn't like causing pain to his patient, he WAS doing the best he could with what he knew. Besides the hybrid had said not to treat the scales. Perhaps there were not many things that could be used on them without harming them? He looked up at the hybrid then.

"Though, the lady does make a good point. What can I give you for pain?"

Keene smiled, but it was a more a grimace and it didn't reach his eyes in the least. "Well, for the next twenty-four hours, nothing unless you'd like to send me into epileptic seizures. I'm already on something."

The doctor's interest piqued. "And that would be-?"

"Not something for pain, I can assure you." the hybrid answered without answering anything at all and the doctor sighed, but gave up his own version of interrogation much faster than Havos had and returned back to his task. Keene's eyes seemed to glaze over as the pain sprang through him again and he had no intention of talking anymore while here. It wasn't long before his tail and leg were taken care of, each bandaged before all the restrains were placed back on him. When it was time to leave, this time Keene nearly did fall when he tried to walk and while he clearly didn't like the guards touching him, he didn't protest this time as they took him back to his cell. Well, a cell.

This one at least had a crude metal bed and a blanket along with a simple lavatory system. The walls were brown, too, not the glaring white that would pain the eyes after a long period of time. The hybrid was deposited unceremoniously on the bed and he didn't try to sit up this time, bringing his hands to his head. The world was starting to waver, becoming less real to him, his mind being drawn inward to what it considered much more important things.

And Keene fought it. No, he didn't want to be lost again. He had no idea when he'd come back out!

Violet eyes laugh, white teeth flash in a smile and Tessa speaks, but the words are lost to him, lost in a sea of noise and images he doesn't fully understand. They are coming too fast now, too fast. Everything is spinning out of control. Ships fly through space, ominous and numerous. He can almost feel the heat from the exploding planet...

Keene gasped, his mind jerking back into the present, his green eyes snapping clear again, having been completely fogged over for a moment. And being drawn once more by a force he couldn't fight, the hybrid found Tessa's eyes and he didn't move, felt like he could hardly breathe for a moment before he forced himself to speak, his voice a bit more snapped than he intended. "What?"

Why was she still here? Didn't she have better, more important things to do than watch him?
 
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The doctor's words irked Tessa a little bit but she knew he was doing his best and when he did ask Keene about a possible pain medication, Tessa calmed some. The hybrid's answer made her frown a little though, and she bit back the same questions the doctor surely had as Keene dismissed the inquiry and stopped speaking.

When Keene was finally bandaged up and ready to leave, Tessa caught Dorene's arm as the red-head moved to follow Keene and the guards. "Hey, would you give Keyes the reports we gathered about those rock formations?"

Dorene frowned a little, clearly wanting to follow Keene, no doubt eager to ask him questions. "But..."

"Come on, Dorene. And hey, take Raxiel with you. I'm sure the guy needs a break." Before Dorene could protest, Tessa turned and began to walk down the corridor. "Thanks!" she called over her shoulder, before running to catch up with the guards.

Once Keene had been put into his cell and the guards left, Tessa merely watched him in silence for a few moments. The man always seemed distracted, as if looking elsewhere or thinking of something else entirely. Tessa was about to inquire about it before Keene snapped at her and she automatically crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh, was I disturbing you? Sorry, let me leave so you can thoroughly enjoy your dank little cell."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Tessa frowned. Oh. Wait. That wasn't supposed to happen.

"Uh...I mean, how do you feel?"
 
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