Rain Falls, But Can't Wash Away the Blood

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Loba..." Paul's concern was more than evident, but far be it from him to tell Loba what to do. She was going to have the hardest time dealing with the loss of Lobo, after all. No one should've ever been denied their grieving process. He just had so many promises to juggle now, and he wasn't sure how to uphold his two biggest ones in this moment.

Before Paul could speak up on the matter, Jordan stepped in and offered to take Mic off Loba's hands. The young man's gaze and condescension were met with a soft, sad, alienated frown from the angel, followed by a slow turn away and a head hung in shame. In that moment, Paul's focus landed on Mic. He still knew very little about the diminutive angel, having only minimal personal interactions and a secondhand account to go on, but from what he had seen, he could tell that this was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve. The devastation in Mic's face struck him as completely genuine. It was hard to tell what exactly what Mic wanted... but maybe... maybe it was just a chance...

"You can come with us," Paul stated to Mic directly, garnering his attention. "If you leave Kelsey to me. Okay?"

Mic didn't respond right away. He simply stared at Paul, openly touched by the gesture. He'd felt this before... this warming sense of appreciation... the feeling of being trusted by someone special. But this was different somehow, in a way that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Eventually, Mic managed a slow nod. "Okay. Th... Thank you."

Paul nodded back to him, then shot a brief glance at Loba, then turned and faced Lark again. He eyed the mage's wounded shoulder. "Lark? I don't know how I can help you here... or if you even want my help... but if you could do one more thing for me, I swear I will repay you however I can later. I just need to know... do you know where Scott is?"

[DanteMGalileo]

"'ve... felt worse. Both physically and mentally," Lark admitted, glancing briefly at his bloody shoulder. Yep, definitely gonna need stitches. "As for Scott... ran into him earlier, before everyone else went off t' do whatever." His breathing sounded strained. "He had me teleport 'im to the hellhole... Literally. Look, I'll explain why later. I'll... see ya when I've finished my stuff here."

While Lark only briefly looked at Mic, his gaze seemed to pierce directly into the soul of this little angel. How strange. For one with a fire affinity, his soul was awfully bright.

Lark turned to Loba, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "If she'll consent, I'll give Loba a shoulder to cry on." Loba said nothing and continued to stare at the white-haired mage, but simply nodded once. Assuming that was an okay, Lark turned back to the departing group. "So... if that's all... Just walk in..."

Jordan made sure Mic was directly behind him as they approached the cape. "If this is what ya want, Loba... I can't stop ya. I'll just... let you handle this on your own." Loba continued to say nothing, but she briefly looked at Jordan and nodded. He turned to look at Paul. "Look, when Kelsey's asleep, just fill me in. I've been out for a while now..."

The blonde teen was the first to enter, seemingly disappearing into the cloak.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"If you say so..." Paul mumbled, still visibly worried about Lark but willing not to make a fuss. He was certainly concerned when he heard the name of the location Scott –and possibly Will if they were still together– had been sent to, and anxious as he was to figure out the reasoning behind this venture, he opted to begrudgingly let that go for now too. One issue at a time. He trusted those two to look after themselves, and to that extent, he was willing to trust Lark with Loba.

"Okay. Well... take good care of her, alright? And if you see Scott again..." Paul briefly glanced at Loba, then turned back to Lark and lowered his voice slightly. "...tell him to swing by the club too. I want a magic bullet between the angel commander's eyes if he even gets near her."

Mic had barely any reaction to Lark eyeing him or even to Paul's threats against Liderc. He simply stared at the sidewalk and let out a low huff through his nose. Then, with wary eyes and a firm nod, the little angel turned to Loba with an air of genuine sympathy. "I'm not very good with words. At least... substantial words from an emotional standpoint. But... I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much, but... I'm... really and truly sorry." And with that, Mic turned away and followed Jordan into the spacial cloak.

Paul turned and faced Loba again. He wished he could offer something along the lines of a hug or a pat on the shoulder, but with his arms full, all he had were words, and as stated before, those could only go so far. Still, it was the best he could do, and he was going to make the most of it. "I'm gonna fix this. I don't know how, but... I'll fix it." A quick glimpse at Kelsey, then back to Loba. "Hopefully I won't be gone long. When I get back... anything at all that I can do... just ask. Okay?"

All that was left to do now was give Loba time. What more could be offered in that moment? Bearing that in mind, Paul nodded to Lark and prepared himself mentally for the jump. "Thank you."

He held Kelsey tightly as he stepped into the cloak. Right now, with everything else either gone or behind him, his time was hers. "Don't worry... It's okay... We're gonna get you to the sietch... We're gonna take care of you..."