Rym- Episode 2 (Season 1): Unsafe Haven

Location: Lucasan Canal/Castor Rd; Lucas City

It wasn't until about a half hour later that the two arrived at the destination Cherub spoke of. The road and sidewalk they were walking along lay right beside of a freshwater canal; the only one that ran through the city. As they moved, Alex looked over the aluminium railing, down at the reflective surface.

"We're almost there," Cherub said, looking up at the buildings to their left. She glanced at Alex, noticed that she was looking down at the canal. "Alex?" "Wha- huh?" The rym looked up quickly, processing what Cherub had said. "Oh, uh, alright."

Cherub turned back towards the buildings, and began looking at the numbers by the doors. She quietly read them aloud, "Nine twenty-nine... Nine thirty-one..." She stopped, looking at the apartment she'd once occupied, "Nine thirty-three." Alex stopped, reading the small sign near the door of the building. "Is this it, then?" she asked. "Yeah," Cherub replied, "this is it." There was another few seconds of silence.

"Then, are we going to go inside then?" "No- wait, no," Cherub answered quickly. "Why not," the rym asked, "I thought you said you knew the person who lives here?" "Yes- I do," she responded, "We just... Need to plan this out for a minute." "What do you mean plan this out?"

Cherub and Alex argued amongst each other for a moment, yet they didn't notice a faint silhouette in the left window, watching them for a moment. The curtain that the figure was holding back yanked forward, and the silhouette disappeared.

"Look, just-" Cherub said, finally, "follow my lead." She began to walk towards the stairs that lay before the door. Alex followed a couple of steps behind her, muttering "Okay," under her breath. The cherub quickly ran to the top of the stairs (the rym walking at a much slower pace) and stopped before the white door.

Cherub held up her hand, balled into a fist, and knocked four times. Alex finally reached the top of the stairs, and could hear some loud footsteps coming from inside. Suddenly, the door flung inward, revealing a middle-aged woman standing on the threshold.

"What do you want?" the woman said, facing Cherub. "Nice to see you too, Georgia," she answered. Georgia turned to Alex. "Who's this? Your handler?" Alex lowered her eyebrows.

"As I recall," Cherub began, ignoring her former land-lady, "I told you that one day, you would regret making me leave, correct?" "It was yesterda-" "And how did you respond?" "What," Georgia said. "How did you respond?" Cherub asked more sternly. "Um... People would begin to breathe fire...?" Cherub and Alex met each other's eyes, and Cherub gave the rym a nod. "A- uh, yes," the rym said, the back of her throat beginning to glow, "I am, the breather of fire." "What-" Georgia said once again, as Alex inhaled.

When the rym exhaled, flame bellowed upwards from her mouth (not damaging her face), and Georgia jerked her head back. "What the-!" Alex closed her mouth, and the flames ceased. "Wh- I'm calling the police-" The rym punched her in the face, causing her to collapse on the floor, unconcious. "Whoa!" Cherub said, placing her hands on her temple, "What was that?!" "Sorry," Alex said, looking down at Georgia, "I panicked."

* * *

Georgia slowly opened her eyes. She winced at the pain in her left eye when she opened it, and decided to keep it closed. She looked down and saw that she'd been situated in a chair. When she tried to move her hands, she found that they were taped together around the back of the seat. Georgia fidgeted for a moment, to see if she was able to get loose on her own, but the tape that had been wrapped around her wrists remained tight.

Georgia heard talking in the other room, and paused. She listened to and Cherub's distant conversation with the stranger, coming from the bathroom.

"See? Isn't this better than the cloth?" This was Cherub's voice. "I don't see how this is much better," said the stranger. Georgia wondered for a brief moment where Cherub had managed to find this person, and how on Archenon they managed to become friends. "Well, it's cleaner, first off," Cherub said, "And its... designed for this type of deal." Georgia tried her best to peer around the corner, where the bathroom was located, but the chair she was tied to was mostly metal, making it heavy. "If you say so," the stranger said.