Firetail carried Star away from the house a good distance. She tried not to cry. "I'm sorry- I was just trying to help-" she said, the fear still fading off. "I know, and you did nothing wrong." Firetail said, slowing down a bit.
Star took a few deep breaths before asking to be let down. After she was on her feet, she turned to Fire. "You think they'll be okay?" She asked softly. "I'm sure they'll punch it out. Let's go get something to eat, to get your mind off that." Firetail suggested.
"A-are you sure-" Star cut herself off. "Do we even have enough money?" She asked, now worried for a different reason. "Yes, and why don't you leave the worrying to me, you've already got enough on your plate." Firetail said. "..." Star looked at him thankfully, not responding.
"Come on." Firetail said, tilting his head as he started to walk them toward a fast-food place. Star nodded, following. "How can you be so calm when so much is going on around you?" She asked him. Firetail thought about that. "I wasn't kidnapped until my late teens or early twenties, can't exactly remember. But what I do remember is that I grew up in a very abusive household, so I guess I'm used to everything constantly going to shit." He replied.
Star nodded. "I don't remember any life outside the lab. All I can remember are flashes or blurry faces, but they were warm, happy memories. I don't know if I even had a family, siblings, friends, or parents. They took that away from me." She explained.
"Hey, when this situation with Gluzze gets sorted out, I promise I'll help you find your family." Fire reassured her as they approached the restaurant. Star smiled at him. "Thank you." She said sincerely, looking at the restaurant. The smell of food was staring to make her hungry again.
Firetail let her in, telling her to go sit down at a table while he went up to order something. Star nodded and waited, people watching, her elbows on the table to support her head.
After a minut,
Firetail came back with a tray of food, laying it in-front of Star. "Here ya go." He said as he sat down. "Thank you." Star said quietly, hesitantly starting to pick through it. "It's cheap, but it's better than what the lab gave us." Fire said.
Star nodded in agreement, before actually getting an appetite and starting to eat. "I think they gave us stale applesauce every few days and thought we'd be fine." She joked. "More like stale tree bark." Firetail chuckled, glancing over as he saw Damien making his way towards them. "I'll be back." He said, standing and pulling Damien to the side. "What all happened?" He questioned him.
Star laughed at the comparison, but stared down at the table when Damien approached, growing silent again she she listened. "Oh you know, words were said, objects were thrown, tentacles came out of black holes abducting people. A typical day." Damien replied calmly.
Firetail looked down. "Please tell me that at least Gluzze is okay." He said. "You know how I said people were abducted by tentacles? Well..." Damien hinted. "Oh God, do you at least know where she is?" Firetail questioned. "Imma guess the Abyss." Damien said. "Of course." Firetail said.
"Now we have to get her out." He said. "How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Firetail asked. Damien shrugged. "I'd have to find a way in, I'm not letting you two go in." He said. "We don't need you getting dragged in as well." Firetail countered.
"Yeah, well y'all can spare me." Damien argued. "No we can't, one, we aren't gonna just throw you under the bus and two, we have practically a whole army after us, every single hand we got ready to fight is a better chance of us staying out of that lab." Fire said.
"You guys have powers and could survive without me, plus it won't take that long I think." Damien said. "Yeah we have powers, but they aren't made for taking on armies; She can only read minds and my fire is only so powerful. But if you really think this is the best choice, I think stuff will start dying down a little around here soon." Fire said.
Star flipped her ears back. "You don't know his endgame." She said calmly. "What are you talking about?" Damien questioned. "Yeah, who's endgame?" Fire asked. Star took a deep breath. "Jaguar. You would be surprised by how anxious he is. He paces the facility all the time." She started. "I can glance into his mind sometimes-" she shuddered, "He's working on something big, something that could affect the world itself. Super-powered soldiers, that is what he is doing. He wants the world. Us four- he doesn't really care about anything but his image. We're more of a temporary setback than anything." She said, her fur prickling with unease.
"No one in their right mind would work with him, least of all those who he experimented on." Damien said. "Of course. Can this day get any better?" Firetail sighed. "You would be surprised. People are horrible." Star said, shaking her head. "I think he has a plan to control the subjects somehow, I just don't know how." She said, frustrated. "Also, again, we're just experiments. Who says he can't give the power vials to literally anyone?"
"Yes, they are." Damien agreed with her statement. Firetail realized Star had finished off the food. "Let's just get back to the hideout." He suggested. Star nodded, standing to leave. "Actually, I think I'll camp out in the forest." She told them. "I think it's safer, at least for now.. they destroyed the building last time..." She trailed off, picturing the motel.
Damien tilted his head. "What is it?" He asked. "Yeah, you okay?" Fire added. "I'm fine." Star said, turning and heading out the door without them. Damien followed her, Firetail not far behind, putting his hands in his pockets and looking a bit on edge.
Star quickly explained that she had enrolled in the nearby school, and Fire told her that he had gotten the janitor job on the way back to the building. When they were back to the building, Star turned to them. "Alright, I'm just gonna grab a blanket then I'm out." She said.
"You sure you wanna go back to the woods?" Damien asked her. "Yeah, I mean this place is fine, and there are plenty of exits in case we get raided." Firetail said. "I'm sure. I think I just need some time to think." Star replied. Damien shrugged. "If you're going back there, I left a backpack full of supplies out in the forest when I was camping there." He said.
"Welp, as long as you feel safe it's fine with me, just make it to school." Firetail said. Star nodded in thanks. "I'll look out for it. I'll see you Monday." She said, giving a small smile. "See you." Damien said before turning to go inside. "See you Monday." Firetail called after her she she headed out with a blanket.
