Can you really separate people destined to be together?

Raven moved in after him, looking around as everything seemed so dusty. Hopefully that meant that no-one had been here in a while, but knowing Jane you always had to look out for traps. Looking down the hallway she noticed a lack of dirt, making her frown, but for now she wanted to fixated on clearing one room at a time. Brock cleared the living room and she cleared the kitchen and bathroom, checking the tabs. Still running water, that was rare, but no electricity.
Getting in to the living room she saw Brock, seeing how his shoulders were trembling and his hands were rubbing his eyes. Raven felt her eyes tear up as well, walking to him she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. She wasn't really a hugger, but both of them needed some sort of comfort right now. "I know, kiddo, I know," she whispered, trying to be brave, but her shoulders were trembling now as well. Raven wasn't good at losing people which was probably why their little nest hadn't had more members than she could handle protecting herself. "I'm so sorry ... I promised to protect you all ... I'm such a failure," she whispered, clearly opening up more because who else could she really talk to now? Winston had trained her better than this. And yet she had failed on every level. "If I could exchange their lives for mine I wouldn't even hesitate," survivors guilt getting to her to some degree.

Brock was right, so for now the two of them just had to stick together. At least that was how things had to be. Raven refused to leave him behind, no matter how things would end up.

As they had calmed down, Raven had somewhat cleaned the couch. Perhaps they could scavenge this house, maybe find something to bring with them. His question made her hum, peeling back the can tab, digging in to the beans with a spoon, not even bothering looking at the date. "That's the plan - I think I'm going to try get a job at one of those dance clubs; they always like girls with nowhere to turn," she said, chewing the beans. Maybe she could make some money, and so what if it was in her underwear or naked, as long as it got them something to start on. "You might get lucky, I hear they are looking for people down by the Solstice festivities, it could get us a head start if we both start making money right away," she pondered. Sighing she placed the can down, folding her hands as she looked at him. "I don't want you to start dealing, alright, we don't contribute to the problem," she knew it was the easiest way for a guy like Brock to make money, but she wasn't that desperate yet. Besides that shit was toxic and she didn't want him in that environment.

Raven sighed and shrugged, the obvious thing was sellers in the small stalls around the city. Anything that could grant them just some money would be nice and as he suggested him being a bodyguard she hummed, handing him the rest of her beans. He needed it more than she did right now. "I have to get the job first, but you can always apply," she said, not shooting the idea down. He was strong, even able to take some hits from her from time to time, so any adult male would be no big deal for him. Already she could see him struggling to keep his eyes open, and she agreed to take the first shift. Not that she minded, she didn't even think she could sleep if she tried to.

While Brock was asleep she just looked around at the old dusty house. It was so silent here in the Blocks. Back in the day there had been so much noise everywhere, and now it was so still. The leak had seen to that, and as she sat there she thought maybe her memory had been stirred, hearing noise. Blinking a couple of times she got up, investigating the sound, poking her head out from the living room and in to the hallway where she saw the two tiny machines in the dark. Reaching over she grabbed a poker next to the fireplace, standing still as the stranger entered and looked around. Raven held her breath, waiting until the stranger was close to her opening, reaching out she wrapped her arm around the stranger's neck, pressing her back to her own, "one warning; leave this place, it's occupied," Raven told the hooded stranger as she held her in place.

"Your house?" Raven replied, the audacity of these Block settlers lately. No manners at all. She watched the crab run off, frowning as she let go of the stranger carefully, "We will be out by morning, you can have this place to yourself by then," she said like it was a promise. This brat couldn't kick them out, but Raven also wasn't sure why she wanted to let this hooded stranger stay too. Maybe because Raven couldn't sleep. Or perhaps because ... "Beep?" she muttered, seeing the small robot at their feet. Raven's eyes flashed red for a second, grabbing the robot, "where did you get this?" she demanded to know. Who was this stranger? And could they lead them to Eugene?

Fragile? Just like Eugene would be when Raven got his hands on the killer. She noticed how the robots went to work, Beep beeping and nudging to the crab like one to show it how it was done. It looked really weird, but then the stranger spoke and asked a question that made the human frown. "Well, I didn't, my brother did," she said, better to refer to Brock as someone close to her now that they were only the two of them. "He was close with someone who used to be at this house a lot - although I can't say I've been here before," she said. No this wasn't anyplace that Jane had ever shown her. "We've recently lost two family members and we needed a place to stay for the night," she said. Why was she telling this stranger that? Maybe it was those grey eyes. That feeling of familiarity.

"We called her Jay Bird," she said, sighing as she could have sworn even saying her name could bring tears to her eyes, so instead she just wrapped her arms around herself. Everyone died, sure, but that didn't mean they didn't matter, "I'm not looking for pity, but some decent respect would be nice," muttering softly as she looked at the robots. The crab one fell over and Beep went crazy, trying to press some buttons, moving parts to it as if it would help. Did that little robot have feelings? It seemed almost sentient.
"You're not better yourself," she said, raising an eyebrow at the stranger. They hadn't even taken their mask off yet. "I'm Raven ... The guy snoring is Brock," she sighed, nodding towards the guy slumped over in the chair. He was exhausted, so she just let him sleep. "Him and Jay used to date, or I guess sorta date but not really - I don't know they are both complicated people," she sighed, putting a bit of words to where they stood.

Somethings weren't adding up. Or rather they were adding up too well. The machines, the grey eyes, how this person knew this place. And then the melody. It wasn't one she would soon forget. "Birds flutter by in the evening wind ... When will they take us away~," she muttered along, knowing the melody, "sorry ... My sister used to play that melody a lot and we made up lyrics." Raven felt a little surprised at every thing before she looked at the grey eyes, Beep happy to join the crab like version of itself. "Take off your mask," she said a little suddenly. But she felt like she was going crazy. Maybe in losing Dove, she was finally starting to lose her mind?

Keeping it on? Raven scoffed moving away from the stranger, "alright, then a name I can call you by?" It seemed only fair now that Raven had disclosed herself to this masked person. It wasn't easy to trust people, and she felt reminded of that as she stared at the stranger. The sooner they could get out of the Blocks the better. Her and Brock needed to start over. "There's food in the kitchen, by the way, and the water is still running in the tabs," she dished out information. She thought perhaps it would gain her some trust, but then again you couldn't really count on it this side of town.

Raven kept her distance. It would be morning soon enough, but without sleep it would be weird heading out. She decided to wake up Brock, telling him of the stranger and just to lay low while she got her rest too. She couldn't really get a job dancing if she fell asleep on the stage.
Laying down on the couch she folded her arms in front of her chest, closing her eyes, but she also listened to what was going on. Sleep, Raven, just sleep. And soon enough she did.

Raven actually slept relatively well, or at least until the sun came up and she heard the commotion between the two other people in the house. She sprung up, a bit disoriented as she smelled the blood, looking at the stranger and then at Brock. "No, you fucking monster, get off of him!" she screamed, pushing the stranger back, hopefully stunning them for a while. "Brock, Brock, it's alright," she pleaded, trying not to cry, but he had a stab wound in the gut! Panic in her system she moved, grabbing a blanket that was on the couch, ripping it in to pieces that she placed against his wound. "We have to get you out of here," she muttered, feeling stressed and she wasn't thinking clearly, but how could she when Brock was her last piece of her nest. Gritting her teeth she picked up the strong male, urging him to hold the cloth close to his wound as she carried him. If the stranger got up, ready to fight, Raven would hiss at her, "don't come closer, I'll break your neck," she said. It was an empty threat, but she was willing to do whatever it took to keep him safe. She got out of the door, leaving behind what little things they had had with them from Victor's place.
She had to make a decision. And she had a couple of options; Going back to Victor, which was not going to happen; Seeing if she could make it to Western and steal some medical supplies, which seemed unlikely. And then there was her last option. Looking at Brock she knew she didn't really have a choice, and as she got to the border of the Blocks and South, she managed to get a taxi. She had nothing to pay with, nothing to even trade with, but telling the driver to head up North made him less likely to ask for money.

Raven was rightfully shaking as they got in the taxi, telling the driver to hurry. This was not something planned. But she didn't know what else to do. Fuck it, the bloody daemon could have her soul for all she cared, she just couldn't lose Brock. "To someone who might help, but you need to trust me on this, alright," she whispered, kissing his forehead, helping him press down on the wound.
They arrived at the gate, and at first they weren't lead through. The cab driver getting upset, telling them he had a bleeding kid in the back that he had driven all the way from the Blocks. That seemed to make the gates open faster than anything. The driver surprised, but drove through and up to the door. Servants arrived, and Raven got out of the cab much to their surprise. Her eyes looked to one of the servants, the female who had made her the basket before she had went away. "Please ... I can't lose him too," she pleaded. Raven had never pleaded for anything in her life, and here she was, hoping that these strangers would take her in, "I don't care what I have to do, I just want him to heal." A couple of servants looked at each other before stepping forward to pick up Brock, bringing him inside. Raven followed, but was stopped and instead taken to see Samuel. "They will stop the bleeding ... But you'll need his permission to have him stay here and heal," he told her and she nodded, waiting as the servant knocked on the study door, heading in to explain Raven's arrival.

They were left and Raven looked at the towering daemon in front of her. He would've seemed intimidating if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't care if she got hurt now. Brock needed help and she would never forgive herself if she hadn't at least tried. "You did," she agreed in a shaky voice, but it was mostly from the emotions running rampant, "and trust me if I had other options then I wouldn't be here." She had other options, but none of them were much better. Here she knew Brock could get help because she had been helped. "If you heal him, then I'll do whatever you say," she just said. It was a big promise, and Samuel could perhaps take advantage of her whatever way he pleased, "you want me to get on my knees and beg?"[/