Laughter echoed from a side hallway, into the stunned sparring room.

Footsteps.

Into the fierce tension of Lilith's practice room chamber, Chimin and Jin waltz casually and unaware. They were grinning boyishly over some joke. Jin's nose bleed seemed to have stopped. When Chimin and Jin came and stood in the doorway of the sparring room and beheld the scene inside it, they froze in their tracks. An awkward silence followed.

"Well this certainly isn't what I expected." Jin said.

Chim eyes popped wide as he took in the sight of Shae's glowing arm, and then registered who the two additional bystanders were in the room.

So, then, did Jin.

"No." Jin lifted one hand as if physically motioning for the room to stop existing. Then he began to hold his forehead in one hand, blinking slowly down at the floor in disbelief. "Just... no." He looked back up at the room. "We leave you ladies alone for a few hours. A few hours! And WE COME BACK TO THIS?" He sighed.

Chim glanced with wide eyes from Jin to the scene in the room, waiting to see what the doctor would do.

Hoseok was on his feet again, brushing himself off. He had a bitter frown frozen on his face.

Lilith was helping Ava up from the mat, checking to make sure she wasn't hurt.

Shae was wide eyed and mute, the mark on her arm still glistening but now fading.

Jin's eyes flickered from the glowing symbol... to his favorite person to hate. He walked briskly over to where Yoongi lay on the mat and kicked him hard in the shins.

Min Yoongi rumbled back through an angry growl, "Fairy bitch."

"Oooo I'm so scared." Jin made a mock-jazz hands. His eyes bore down pure loathing onto Yoongi. Then he nudged the tech specialist's face with his foot, patting his pale cheek with the toe of his sneakers—though not stepping down on him hard. "Looks like this punk's been stun blasted. Sucks to suck."

"I'mma enjoy killing you when I thaw out," Yoongi answered.

"In your dreams."

"Naw, in my dreams I make your bitch—"

"BOYS!"

Jin reared back his foot, aimed and ready for Yoongi's gut now, but Lilith stepped forward with her hands raised alongside of her voice. Her eyes were sharp and stern at Jin.

Jin's posture returned to normal. Instead, he leaned forward and spat on Suga's head.

Lilith glared into Jin.

"He disrespected you," Jin said defensively, his eyes averted.

Lilith shook her head.

Meanwhile, Chim walked over to stand like a guard dog between Hoseok and where Ava and Shae stood. His body was relaxed looking, but his eyes were sharp and intense. "Hoseok."

"Chimin."

They both nodded at each other, eyes locked and hard, each unmoving in the face of the other.

Lilith's voice rose up over the string of unbearable tension. "Okay everyone, let's just chill the heck out! You know my rules, and you're gonna live by them or you're gonna die, got it? Jin. You take your crew and you get out. Out!"

"Us? No no. THEY should be the ones to leave!"

"Jin."

"What?!"

"Please."

The softening of her voice struck him heavier than a blow. How could he say no to that look in her eyes? Even if he everything in him wanted to kick Yoongi's ass....

Jin sighed.

Before Jin answered his consent, Hoseok spoke up.

"No. We'll go."

The combat specialist walked over to where Yoongi lay stiff in the mat. Hoseok sent Jin a threatening look that made the sassy doctor take a few steps backwards. Then Hoseok bent down and pulled Yoongi up and shrugged one of his arms over his own shoulder. Then he started to drag that frozen, swearing frame out of the shuttle.

Shae wondered how Hoseok had the strength...then remembered he was, after all, a force to be reckoned with.

Lilith's voice piped over the heavy tension that still remained once Hoseok and Yoongi were gone, "Ladies, lets get you changed, shall we? I think I've gotten all I need to make your suits as needed."

Ava and Shae exchanged an uncomfortable look, then stared towards the door to the changing room.

"I'll escort you both," Chimin offered, just in case.

Once everyone else had left the sparring room, Lilith turned to Jin. "Did you see it?"

"See what?"

"Don't play dumb, I know you know what a Departed symbol looks like."

Jin shrugged. "I already knew it was there."

Lilith punched him in the shoulder, hard.

"What was that for!"

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"There's nothing to tell."

She had to use all of her self-control to keep from screaming.

"She's a CLONE DRONE! They were all tracked down by their serial numbers and exterminated after the last Great War. Her very existence is...it's illegal! How could you not say something about this to me?"

"But...she's not."

Lilith's arms were folded, her look scathing. "She's not what?"

"She's not a clone. I know. I ran vitals on her when she first got to Noon Mool. Our receiving platform reacted with the mark, so I did a mod on it so that should wouldn't die every time she stepped on a transport portal—but it was branded into her so I couldn't get rid of it. HOWEVER, she's 100% a natural born authentic human being and not a clone drone. I stake my life on that."

"If she's not a clone drone, then how the hell does she have a real-deal mark of the Departed? Especially if she's not FROM Era?"

"There's no magi-physical law of reality that says a human can't have the mark. I've just never seen one have it before. And, you know, it may have something to do with the laws around that particular rune and the wearer being killed on sight... until now, I guess."

"She could still get put on the chopping block for it. You may know she's a human, but if someone else sees that on the fly, then, BAM. They'll make the same assumption that I did. Which could mean her head."

"I know." Jin looked legitimately distraught now.

"So what are you planning on doing about all of this?!"

He sighed, frustration betrayed in his voice. "I don't know. But I've been biding my time until I figure it all out. Who she really is, and how she has the mark in the first place. So please...don't say anything to anyone."

"Didn't Chim track them down in the first place?" Lilith was looking thoughtful now.

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe he knows."

Jin shrugged. "I already asked him about it. He said he didn't know anything about that."

"Well then, maybe he can help you find out?"

Jin laughed a hollow laugh. "No, I don't think so. I think he's lying through his teeth and knows more than he's letting on."

"But why would Chimin lie?"

"Why, indeed."

Lilith stared into space, her eyes blank.

Jin's voice shifted, anger filling his lungs now. "Who's bright idea was it to have those assholes here for the afternoon?"

Lilith gave him a sheepish grin.

"Not only do I want to kill you," he said, his hands reached towards her and latching onto her shoulders firmly, "but imagine if Joon were here right now instead of me."

Jin sidled himself closer into Lilith's orbit. His voice was low, his fingers tightening around Lilith's skin.

"Let's not," Lilith said quietly.

Jin smirked. Then he leaned into Lilith, their lips meeting, soft. Soft lips, yet his hands were firm and unyielding. A hard look had filled Jin's eyes as he pulled himself away from Lilith.

"What is it?" she asked.

He grumbled, "Don't go behind my back again. I know you call them friends, but...I can't."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You promise me?"

Lilith gave a small sigh and a nod. "I promise."

But as Jin turned and started walking away, a forlorn look fell across her face. Lilith desperately hated lying to the man she loved.