~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Just because you are strong doesn't mean you can't be weak sometimes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Avalon City, a vast city with tall stone buildings and various alleyways and walkways. Marketplaces and horse-drawn carriages and wagons going through the streets with citizens flooding the walkways and stores. Docks with ships at a harbor connected to the city. Jordan has his hood pulled up and down a bit to hide his face as he went into the city. Ian and Sky looking out from the back of the wagon. Vendors were everywhere, shouting prices and products, kids playing and mothers yelling at them to get out of the street. Sky rested his head against the wagon cover, looking out. Ian looked at him.

"This is a lot different from home," Ian said. Sky nodded, agreeing. They both looked around, not bothering Jordan at all, but did when someone jumped up on the driver's seat beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"So, you think just because your face is shadowed I can't tell who you are?" They asked. Ian and Sky looked at them. Jordan shrugged their arm off his shoulders.

"Hey Tom," Jordan said.

"Where have you been man? I haven't seen you in like years." Tom said. Jordan smiled a bit.

"Not my fault you are always off in some adventure when I visit and besides, I was fighting in a war about two months ago," Jordan said. Tom scoffed.

"Excuses, excuses. You are avoiding us." Tom said. Jordan smiles a bit but loses it. He looked at Tom.

"Is Quentin here?" Jordan asked. Tom shook his head a bit.

"I mean, he was. But once Estron fell, things went to nether here. There are Skaldian soldiers here, they are looking for Quentin and for you as well." He said. Jordan looked forward, biting his bottom lip back. He shook his head.

"I should have never gotten Quentin involved—"

"Hey, you know he would have gotten himself involved whether or not you asked him to. He's a damn great battlefield medic, a stubborn one as well. So don't blame yourself for this, he knew what he was getting himself into." Tom said. Jordan nods, agreeing.

"Yeah, you're right," Jordan mumbled. Jordan looked at him. "Now get off my wagon before someone recognizes me." Tom smiled a bit, he climbed into the back, sitting down making Jordan roll his eyes. "That works too I guess." Tom looked at Sky and Ian. "So, who are you two?" Ian glanced at Sky, Sky was looking at the floorboards again, so Ian answered.

"I'm Ian, and that's Sky. Who are you?" Ian asked.

"I'm Thomas, but you can call me Tom," Tom said. Ian nodded a bit.

"Can I ask why your skin is green?" He asked.

"How does experiment gone wrong sound?" Tom asked. Ian stared at him for a second and looked away.

"Whatever," Ian said. Tom looked at Sky.

"So, does your friend talk at all?" Tom asked. Ian nods but also shakes his head.

"Yeah, he does. But not around new people." Ian said. Sky went to look at him but Tom was already beside him, his arm went around his neck.

"Shy are ya?" Tom asked pulling Sky towards him a bit. Sky put his hands on the floorboards to balance himself as he looked at Ian for help. Tom smiled. "Don't worry, that will change quickly! So! You two new to the city?" Ian nods. Sky didn't answer, he wanted Tom to take his arm off him. He isn't the best around new people. Ian put his hand towards them.

"Um, Tom, Sky doesn't—"

"Jordan! Let's take them on a tour of the city! Maybe get these two lady-friends before the night is over." Tom said looking over at Jordan. Tom looked at Sky. "Am I making you uncomfortable, Sky?" Sky nodded. "Well, ya gotta speak first if you want me to get off ya." Sky froze, not talking. Ian could tell Sky froze up and decided to intervene finally.

"He isn't going to, get off him, can't you see he doesn't want so close to him," Ian said getting up and moving Tom's arm from around Sky's neck.

"I apologize for him, he likes invading personal space," Jordan said. Sky looked away from Tom, Tom looked at Ian.

"Well geez man, sorry...ish," Tom said. Ian sits back down, Sky didn't look at Tom or speak the rest of the ride, he barely even listened to what they were saying. But once the wagon stopped, Sky jumped off, Tom landing beside him.

"Hey, man, look. Serious mode, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I'm not used to being around shy guys. So let us just start over, and the only reason I want to start over is that Jordan told me the entire dealo. So, Sky or Adam?" Tom asked him. Sky hesitated at first, staring at him, not sure of what to say, he knew what to say, it was more getting the word out that was his problem. Ian landed beside him.

"So Tom, don't expect Sky to talk to you so much at first. This is normal for him." Ian said. Ian grabbed Sky's arm and turning towards a building. "So let's go inside now." Ian pushed Sky into the building. Sky felt his muscles relax once they went inside, he looked at Ian.

"Sorry," Sky mumbled. Ian smiles a bit at him.

"It's fine, I'm used to doing that by now," Ian said. Tom went through the both of them, Jordan stopping beside them.

"Stay here, both of you, you can trust these three, they are friends of mine. So don't leave." Jordan said.

"Jordan!" A feminine voice said. Sky looked at the stars seeing a girl in an orange fox hoodie come down and hug Jordan. Jordan hugs her back. They break it up and she looked at Sky and Ian. "So, who are these two?"

"This is Ian and Sky, guys this is Sonja. Now Sky is recovering from injuries on his leg and his hands, so I'm gonna look for Quentin, do you mind doing a check over on them?" Jordan said. Sonja gives Jordan a smile, touching Sky's arm.

"Not a problem, come on," Sonja said pulling Sky's arm. Sky looked at Jordan about to speak but doesn't, Jordan puts his arm in front of Ian's chest as Sonja takes Sky to a different room.

"He needs to learn to get over his shyness if he wants to be a king. So don't help him." Jordan said to Ian before he walks back out the door and closes it. Ian stood there for a second before he went into the living room, seeing Sky stood by the couch and Sonja putting a first aid kit on the coffee table.

"You can sit, Sky," Sonja said. Sky didn't move, Ian's eyes soften.

"Um, Sonja. Sky isn't very good around new people, especially if they are girls." Ian said. Sonja looked at Ian and back at Sky.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cross the line or anything," Sonja said expecting for Sky to answer but Ian has to speak.

"Sky," Ian said. Sky looked at Ian. Ian motioned to the couch. "Sonja is gonna check your burns, sit down. She won't bite." Sky looked at Sonja. Sonja stood up.

"You want me to be away from the couch? I don't know what to do here so give me like a sign or something." Sonja said. Sky looked away from her, not moving. Ian sighed, he looked at Sonja.

"I'm sorry, he—" Sonja puts her hand up a little.

"No, don't apologize. It's fine. Really. It's okay." Sonja said before Tom walked past Ian, going beside Sky, Sky looked at him.

"So, has he spoken yet?" Tom asked. Sky stared at him. Sky took a step back, going back and beside Ian.

"You know that just makes it worse, right?" Ian asked Tom. Tom nods.

"Oh, I bet," Tom said.

"Tom! Stop it! Leave Sky alone." Sonja said. Sky tuned them out, looking at his feet mostly. 'Just calm down, calm. Try to relax.' He thought to himself. He was panicking inside and trying to calm himself but couldn't, he let out a shaky breath. Ian looked at him.

"I will get him to talk one of these times, I will," Tom said looking at Sky. Sky looked away from him, not speaking. Sonja rolled her eyes.

"Tom, out," Sonja said before Tom walked out of the room. Sky sat on the couch, he looked at Sonja as she sat beside him. Ian was close by, sitting in an armchair. Sonja looked at Sky. "So, what am I looking at today?" Sky glanced at Ian and then at Sonja.

"RIght leg." Sky mumbled surprising them both. Sonja smiled.

"Okay, ankle? Foot?" Sonja asked. Sky took off his boot and winced a bit. "Here, let me." She put Sky's right foot in her lap, lifting up his pant leg carefully and looking at the white-reddish bandages around his ankle and shin. She bites her bottom lip, thinking. She looked at Sky. "It is on your foot?" Sky nods.

"Y-Yeah." He mumbled as she grabbed his foot making the pain go up his leg.

"How long ago did this happen?" She asked Sky. Sky stared at her, he shrugged his shoulders. He was still a bit fuzzy on what happened exactly, all he knows was that it was bad.

"At least three weeks ago. So it should be healed by now." Ian said. Sonja shook her head as she looked at him.

"If this happened only three weeks ago then it wouldn't be completely healed by now. I'm guessing his burns were bad and bad burns take about 4 weeks to heal completely from. So you got a few more days, and it doesn't help he is on his feet since his foot was burned." Sonja said. Ian looked at Sky and then at her.

"Really? Then Sky, you are subjected to that couch--" She smiled.

"Now wait a second there, yes, he shouldn't be on his feet, but wait till I actually look at the burns." She said before she looked back at his foot, gently peeling the bandages off. Sky winced, gritting his teeth together. She inspected the burns, he saw her smile a bit. "Well Sky, someone has been taking good care of this, it looks great. It is healing nicely, just needs another day or two. Let me look at your hands." Sky was gonna take his foot off her lap but she wouldn't let him, she just took his hands, removing the gloves and putting them on the coffee table. She frowned when she saw the bloodied bandages. "Can you move your fingers?" She let go of his hands, Sky bent his fingers, feeling a bit of pain, his skin on his hands was bleeding and peeling and pussing. Sonja opened the first aid kit. Ian looked at his hands.

"Is that--"

"No, that's not supposed to happen. It looks like whoever was treating you was doing it correctly, but treating injuries on hands is tricky." Sonja said. She touches Sky's forehead. "You feel a little warm, some of his burns are infected." Ian stood up, now worried. Sonja glanced at him, she gives him a reassuring smile. "Calm down, it looks like it only just got infected, so we caught it at early stages. This is an easy fix, he's gonna be fine." Ian sighed with relief as Sonja started putting new bandages on Sky's burns.

"Thank notch, I don't think we can handle any more infected injuries," Ian said sitting back down making Sonja look at him confused.

"What do you mean by that? Who else got hurt and sick?" Sonja asked. Sky looked at Ian, Ian looked away from the both of them, thinking about what he is gonna say before Tom comes back in.

"He's talking about Prince Tyler, he was severely injured, his wounds got infected, and--" Sonja's eyes widen a bit.

"What?!" She snapped looking at Tom and making Sky flinch back from her. "How much trouble did Jordan get himself into this time?"

"Well, Estron fell...so a lot," Tom said. Sonja looked at Sky, her eyes soften.

"I wasn't snapping at you, sorry--"

"Sonja, you scared him." Tom teased. She looked at Tom as Sky took his foot off her lap, Sonja stood up facing Tom.

"I did not, I wasn't snapping at him. I was...Sky--" She flinched when the door slammed shut.

"Sonj." A voice spoke. Sonja looked towards the doorway, Tom going to the hall.

"Any luck, Jordan?" He asked. Jordan shook his head, Sky looked at Jordan, noticing his limp as he sat in a chair. Sky stared at Jordan as they spoke. Sonja treated Sky's hands and dressed Sky's ankle and foot with fresh bandages. Sonja looked at Ian and Sky.

"Well, I'm gonna start dinner," Sonja said before she walked away. Ian and Tom going with her leaving Sky and Jordan alone. Sky looked at his hands, neither of them spoke. Sky hesitated to speak, but he felt he needed to say it.

"You're limping again," Sky mumbled to him. Jordan looked at Sky, dropping his hand from his mouth onto the armrest. Jordan nods.

"Y-Yeah. Medical help isn't something that I get even when I ask for it." Jordan said. Sky nods a bit.

"Are you okay, General?" Sky asked looking at him. Jordan nods.

"Yeah--"

"You sure?" Sky interjected making Jordan hesitate. He looked at Sky and nodded.

"I'm fine, Sky." He lied. Sky stared at him for a few seconds and then looked away.

"Liar," Sky mumbled. Jordan looked at him, thinking of what to say but couldn't think of anything. He looked away, staying quiet so Sky spoke. "I may...I might not understand what you're going through...but pushing people away isn't gonna help you, General. All Linda wanted to do was help—"

"You think I don't feel guilty for screaming at her?"

"Do you?"

"Yeah, I do. She does mean a lot to me, she's basically like my sister. But...it felt great finally getting that off my chest. I know I hurt her feelings, I just...I just snapped. I don't know. My mouth was speaking before my brain could think of what to say. It just...slipped out." Jordan said. Sky looked at him.

"You gonna talk to Linda?" He asked. Jordan shrugged his shoulders.

"I highly doubt she would want to see me ever again, so what's the point. It would be better if I just stay away from her." He said.

"I thought you said you liked her." A voice said. Sky looked at the doorway, seeing Tom. Tom walks up beside Jordan, looking at him. Tom looked at Sky. "What did he do?" Sky opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, he looked away from Tom. Tom scoffed. "You were just talking fine a second ago! Not gonna talk to me?!" Sky didn't answer. Tom stared at them and then gave up, he looked at Jordan. "Something going between you and Linda?" Jordan's eyes looked at him.

"No." Jordan lied. Tom narrowed his eyes at Jordan.

"You sure?" He asked. Jordan nods.

"Yes."