Though Thea insisted on making her way back to the inn on her own, Niall, unsurprisingly, insisted on walking her back. He won.

The two of them barely got any sleep, seeing as they went to bed late and had to wake up incredibly early. However, when they were all at the car that morning, the men still in their regular, civilian clothes, Niall still managed to look like his regular, put together self though just a little tired. Whereas Thea, on the other hand, had red eyes that burned and could barely go five minutes without yawning. Her hair was not done today too, instead, she simply brushed it with her fingers and let it hang loose for once, pushing it behind her ears when it got in the way. It was certainly unusual for her, seeing as she always made sure her hair was done, but she was too exhausted to care today. Besides, when she woke up that morning and looked at herself in the mirror, she felt rather comfortable with the idea with both Julian and Niall seeing her like this. The two men had already seen her at nearly her worst last night, crying and snotty... not doing her hair for once would therefore not be a big deal.

Julian, of course, looked the most well rested, and to no one's surprise, he did spend most of the trip driving and despite Thea feeling guilty about it, she spent most of it asleep in the back seat.

Though the drive was long, it went by uninterrupted and as Niall had hoped, there were no hiccups... no angry Crows lying in wait for them. Once they arrived at the Southern Kiryu station, Thea knew they were safe. It was still a long way to the Capital but trains were always safer than open roads.

However, as she stood on the platform, holding her suitcase in front of her with both her hands, she realized something.

They were at the Southern Kiryu Station.

Niall's mother would have been from one of the slums near here. It was probably at this very station where she was selling nuts before her suffering truly began.

She looked to her right in the direction that the train would come and saw, off in the distance, the slums. They were too far for her to see any faces or hear any voices, probably because the employees of the State run station would never allow them to get too close since they weren't exactly a pretty sight.

But she could still see them... so many people. People stuck in the old ways, speaking a language that was near to forgotten by its own people, struggling to make ends meet. And somewhere off in those slums was a family that Niall belonged to. A family who probably knew nothing of Niall or his mother. A grandfather who gave up his daughter for a reason that would never, ever be justifiable.

She felt her heart ache.

She turned her head and glanced over at Niall, knowing quite well that there was no way he could be standing here not feeling anything. It must have hurt him to be here.

When she spotted him though, to her surprise, she saw that Julian was standing between them, blocking most of her view of him with his giant stature.

Almost instantly Thea knew that, whether Niall knew it or not, Julian was probably trying to block his view. He was trying to shield him from the sight of the people off in the distance. She didn't know how much that actually helped Niall, seeing as when she stepped closer to them, he was smoking, obviously to calm his nerves. But whether it helped or not, the thought was there and Thea couldn't help but remember Nialls words from the night before.

The people we trust will be there when we need them to be.

It was a small gesture, and Julian was clearly a good friend.

When she reached the two men, she found herself unconsciously touching Niall's arm. The touch clearly surprised him, but when he looked at her, she smiled.

He watched her for a moment before letting out a soft, smokey breath and smiling back before putting an arm around her. He pulled her close for just a moment, it was a quick side hug, affectionate but friendly, and before he let go, he said to her in a calm, low voice, "I'm fine," just like the night before. "You don't need to worry about me."

And though it only lasted for a moment and he immediately let go of her as soon as he finished speaking, she felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush.

The train ride was long and exhausting and when they finally returned to the Capital, Thea was certainly not surprised when the General insisted on going straight to Achlis to work. Though Thea technically had the day off, his enthusiasm to get to work suddenly made her feel the desire to get right to work too.

Both Julian and Niall tried to convince her that it was totally unnecessary and she could take the Monday off, but she refused. She had to hurry and see Rue again after all... they had that meeting with the higher ups coming soon.

She had to get right back to work.

She was so motivated at that moment, even if she was exhausted, so she was ready to work and excited because she knew things were going to change. Things were going to be different.

When Thea and the General got out of the lift after it opened up to their floor, she decided she would go straight to Milo's office. "Milo will know where Luana is," Thea said. "And I owe her an apollo–"

"Thea?!"

Thea jumped at the sound of Luana's voice, and when she looked at the General, he gave Thea an exhausted smile. They both then turned and saw the surprised but excited looking Luana, Milo by her side. "You guys are okay!" Luana gasped.

Thea rushed over to them and when she reached them, she embraced Luana tightly.

Luana hugged her back, her embrace warm and filled with love.

Niall had told her that these people were her family now, and the warmth and comfort she felt from this hug despite their last encounter was all the proof she needed to feel like that was certainly true. "I'm so sorry, Luana," Thea said, feeling herself choke up again but not wanting to cry. "You were right about everything and I should have trusted what you had to say."

"Oh, it's alright, Thea."

"And I'm sorry for what I said... you're one of the kindest people I know... I have no right to–"

"Hey, hey," Luana chuckled as she pulled away just a little. She pushed Thea's hair away from her face and behind her ears with a warm smile. "It's alright, Thea. Really... I know we're still getting to know each other, but adore you... I hope you know that. I'm always going to be on your side."

Thea smiled at her and nodded. "I know."

"And..." she started, blushing a little as her eyes flickered over to Niall before she glanced back at her. "I'm sorry I had to tell on you."

To that, Thea laughed. "Trust me, I'm glad you did."

"Well," Niall started. "I'll leave you all to yourselves then? I'm sure you don't need me here for this."

Luana used her hand to wave him away. "Sure, whatever, off with you."

Thea and Milo both chuckled as the General rolled his eyes and made his way off, but only after giving Thea a tired smile.

When Thea looked back at Luana, Milo reached out and put his hand on her shoulder before squeezing it. "Welcome back."

Thea smiled at him.

"So we're going to hear what happened right?" Luana asked.

Thea nodded. "Yes, I'll tell you two everything, but I was hoping we could go to the prison today... we still have half the day left and I'd like to talk to Rue today..." she started. And Vetori. I need to talk to Vetori.

"Of course," Luana responded. "I just have to let Kaya know."

"Maybe we can head to Mayra's after work?" Milo suggested. "We can talk there?"

Thea nodded, though she did think of the fact that Mayra's wasn't really just a bar to her anymore. She had had a few opportunities to meet the owner, noticing that she was extremely friendly with Luana and Milo, but now knowing what she knew about Niall's mother. She wondered if she'd see the woman differently now.

"Alright let's go," Luana said, taking Thea's arm.

After meeting with Kaya, Luana drove Thea down to the prison as they would do on any normal day and before Thea knew it, she was sitting on the floor across from Rue again.

The last thing the man had said to her was that she was stupid.

She remembered being angry and simply getting up and leaving.

But he was right.

She was stupid.

"I'll be honest," he started, eyes closed and hands placed lazily on his knees as he sat cross legged, leaning against the wall behind him. "I didn't think I was going to see you again."

"You thought I was going to be fired?"

"I did."

"That must have made you happy."

To that, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She noticed his eyes linger on her undone hair for a little longer than normal before he spoke. "No, it wouldn't have," he responded. "Your persistence may annoy the hell out of me, but you seem to have a lot of potential... seeing you fail would be unfortunate."

Thea was a little dumbstruck. That was the nicest thing he had ever said to her... even if it wasn't really that nice. "Do you... want to hear about what happened?"

"I'm interested."

She smiled. "Interested, huh? Today must be my lucky day."

So she did exactly that, she told him all that had happened. Of course, she left out certain things, like the discussions she and Niall had about Niall's plans for Rue... and obviously Niall's personal background. As Luana and Milo had once said to her... that was his story to tell.

But she did tell him everything else.

She told him about the Crows Nest, about the old woman, about Kinny, about how for a moment, she felt trapped and surrounded, and then the General saved her. She told him that ultimately, the General let Kinny go, and she told him about what happened in the little mountain village of Imanay in Kiryu... about how she was disciplined and how she cried like a fool for most of the night but how ultimately, she understood now more than ever what the Generals intentions were... and that the people she worked with could potentially be her new family.

Rue certainly seemed amused... frankly, this was certainly the most amused he's ever seemed around her.

"Do you plan on speaking to Vetori?"

She hesitated. "Actually... I already have, before I came to you."

"Really?" he asked. "And you were just going to leave that part out of your story? How could your story be complete without that part?"

Thea chuckled. "Well... there was really nothing to tell–"

"You didn't yell at him? Or maybe cry too?"

She figured that she was that predictable, but despite that, she pouted. "No," she said, firmly. "Actually I didn't."

He was smiling a surprisingly gentle smile. "Then what did you do?"

"I..." she paused before she sighed. When she stepped into his cell before coming to Rue, all she wanted to do was make sure she didn't get emotional. However, the second they met eyes, it seemed he knew that she had chosen the General and the State over the Crows.

And he looked furious.

"He called me a traitor and told me that I have failed my people," she said. "He didn't care that he tricked me and said that if I cared about Elorians I would have agreed to help, whatever the case."

"He's wrong," Rue surprised her by saying.

She looked at him. "He... is?"

"Everyone thinks that their own way of fighting for the cause is the right way, but the ones who think that their way is the only way are the ones who are wrong and the ones who will fail."

"How strange," Thea said, feeling immensely proud of herself. "I said almost the same thing to him."

Rue raised his brows at that, surprised.

"I told him that I'm going to fight the way I know how... and I'm going to trust and work with the people who give me a reason to trust them, not with the ones who lie to me."

Rue nodded. "Good."

Her pride grew. He was praising her... that was a first. Though she wondered if he would still offer her praise after the next part. "But, I did also let him have it a little by telling him that it's thanks to him that the General now knows the exact location of the division he was a part of... and that he just lost every opportunity to change his fate because I will now no longer be coming to speak to him ever again," she added quickly before pressing her lips into a thin line.

He smiled a very small smile. "I suppose he deserved to hear that too."

Pleased with that response, she chuckled.

They were silent for a moment before Rue spoke up again. "So you really trust that General of yours, don't you?"

"Yeah," she said before letting out a breath. "There's a lot more to him than anyone really knows. Just like I know for a fact that not all Crows are hateful, destructive rebels who want the Aiverian State to burn, I'm starting to learn that the General is the same. He's not a heartless traitor who only cares about himself... there's more to him. Much more to him."

"I'm assuming there's something you aren't telling me."

"There's a lot I'm not telling you," she admitted. "More than you can imagine... but not because I don't want to tell you... it's just because it's his story and I don't have his permission to tell it."

Rue lifted one leg up and rested his arm on the knee of that leg, looking a little more relaxed. "So, if I'm hearing you correctly, this man who isn't a traitor that cares only about himself wants to keep me alive not for some selfish reason, but for something else."

"Yes. It took me a while to understand, but yes," she agreed. "And I do wish you'd believe that."

"You don't think he's pulling one over on you?" he asked. "That he's using you?"

She shook her head. "Even if he was, there are too many people who trust and believe in him, and all of them are smart people. I can't imagine he'd be tricking all of us."

"And soon, whatever his reasons, you will have a meeting with the higher ups of Aiveria to determine whether I get to live or die."

Though it wasn't a question, she responded with a nod. "Yes."

He looked away for a moment, thinking, and after pondering whatever it was that was on his mind, he let out a soft breath. "You know, I don't actually care to live on."

"I know," Thea responded with a frown. "But why? Don't you... don't you have anyone? Anyone at all that you love who may be waiting for you?"

He turned to look at her again. "I do," he said. "There is someone I love dearly. But I also know that I'll never be leaving this room which means I'll never be seeing that person again. So what exactly would the point be?"

Though Thea wondered who this person could be, also noting that this was pretty much the most the man had ever told her about his life outside of the prison... this may have been her only chance to convince him otherwise.

To convince him to help her help him to live.

"But there are other ways you can reach that person," she said to him. "Like... let's just say, if everything worked out perfectly, you tell me your story and..." she shook her head, knowing that she was pushing her luck, but kept going anyway. "And... somehow it changes something for the better... it would mean a lot to that person, don't you think?"

"Whatever it is you think I have to say will not change much, I can guarantee you that."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've already tried."

She hesitated. He's tried? "Alright, but what's wrong with trying one more time? But this time, let me help you... let me try... me and my team."

He watched her for a moment, looking rather pensive and seeming to be faltering at least a little. She never imagined that this would happen today... not when she was sitting here, looking exhausted and like a total wreck, her hair out and messy, probably even smelling a little off too. All she really thought was that she would just be getting a chance to talk to the man as usual, maybe remind him that the date of his potential death was creeping closer and closer, and could only be stopped if he helped her out, at least a little bit.

After keeping a hold of her gaze for some time, he sighed and then revealed a small smile. "I will admit, in all the years I've been locked up here... I've never been interested in anything or anyone before."

"What do you mean?"

"I still don't exactly care to live... not for myself at least. I have nothing to live for while I'm locked up in this small cell, in the middle of the Capital, under the eyes of the State Military," he started. "But, I am interested in you. I am interested in seeing what you are going to do, and like I said before, seeing you fail would be unfortunate."

"Me?" She felt her cheeks warm. "I'm not that interesting."

"Well entertain me a little, will you? Tell me... what, or who, are you fighting for?"

Thea blinked, surprised that he was even asking her a question. Something had clearly changed in him and she couldn't really understand what it was. "Well..." She paused. She knew the answer, he had always known what she was fighting for. There were two people, really. So she wasn't pausing because she didn't know the answer, she was pausing because the question made her nervous.

Rue raised a brow. "You told Vetori that you will only work with the people who give you a reason to trust them, not with the ones who lie to you," he said. "I feel the same way. So do tell me the truth, please."

She found herself frowning, a little annoyed that he could read her so well, but not too surprised. She had spent all these months just talking at him, telling him about her experiences here in the Capital. She had thought that he wasn't listening, but clearly he was. Clearly he was listening and seemed to now know her better than she had expected.

So she sighed. It wasn't like he was going to go around and tell anyone what she said. "My brother is one of them," Thea said, looking right at Rue. "He's a Crow."

"Hmm." She remembered quite clearly that Rue was not a fan of the Revolutionary Crows, and wanted to avoid saying that, but it seemed like Rue was waiting for more details... specifically that detail.

"My brother... is good. He really is. He means the world to me because of that... because of how wonderful he is. But he was blinded by his anger and joined the Crows in Abureth."

"Under Orynan?"

Thea nodded, frowning. "My brother is a proud member of the New Elorian Revolutionary Armed Forces."

"NERAF," Rue said. "The ugly outgrowth of this struggle. Wonderful."

"I know," Thea's frown deepened. Frankly, she felt rather embarrassed. "He–"

"He's good," Rue finished. "I believe you."

When she met his eyes, she saw that he was being genuine and for some reason, that made her heart lighten. "He is," she said. "He's... incredibly smart, and though I love and admire that about him, I really believe it's his intelligence that ruined him."

"How so?"

"My brother was on track to becoming an Aeronautical Engineer... he was top of the class and it was his dream... he wanted to build airplanes and maybe one day... spaceships!" She felt her heart race at the memories from when they were children... all the stories her brother would tell of all the places they could go if he could build them an airplane... and when they would look up at the stars and think of all the planets they could visit if he could help get a spaceship to actually work. "He was so sure of himself... he was so sure that he'd be one of the engineers to one day work on the first ship that shot into space."

Rue didn't need any more explanation. She knew he knew what happened next, but she continued anyway.

"But even while at the top of his class and being literally the smartest kid in all of Abureth, if not the entirety of Elore, A.N.U., the only school in the nation that offers the program which provides the way into the field, rejected him. Three times."

Rue nodded. "But Aiverians with lower grades were accepted."

"Much lower," Thea said with a nod. "And... it broke him. He gave up... his dreams were shattered, and he became a different person."

"He had a lot to offer but no outlet."

Thea nodded. "Until NERAF," she continued. "The recruiters had been after my brother since he was in high school. They knew he was smart... he was in newspapers for it a lot... and on top of that, he was extremely athletic too. He was what they needed... there are plenty of strong Crows but not enough smart ones. Of course, my brother always said no... but when Orynan himself came and told him that he'd make him their head engineer... he couldn't resist."

"Orynan himself?"

Thea nodded, looking down at her hands.

She remembered the night her brother came and told her only a few weeks after she graduated from A.N.U. It was all whispers in her room, just like it always was when he told her of every other occasion that the Crows had tried to get their claws on him. But that last time was different. That last time, he made it clear that he was interested, that he was actually considering joining them. Orynan had convinced him.

It ended in a fight.

A screaming match between herself and her brother.

It was something that was so uncommon that it drew the attention of the entire family, and she lost the fight with him. He was headstrong and persistent. He refused to be useless any longer and he wanted to do everything possible to prevent other kids from going through what he went through.

He wanted to make sure that other kids didn't have their dreams shattered like his were.

That was the day she lost him.

"My brother isn't an evil Crow," Thea started. "He's not what the State makes them all out to be. He isn't... and that's why I want to share their stories... to tell the world that they aren't evil people. They're just people who lost their way, or had something stolen from them by the State."

Rue nodded and remained silent for a moment, processing what she had said before continuing. "You said that your brother was 'one of them.' Is there another individual?"

She nodded. "The second person was a friend of mine, a childhood friend named Aaryan who also joined the Crows after a few State Soldiers killed his sister," she felt her heart ache at the memory. "He's been gone for a long time... and for all I know he might be dead."

Rue continued to watch her, examining her every move.

"I'll be honest... he was the reason all of this started. All of these thoughts... of wanting to clear the names of these boys."

"Did you love him?"

The sudden question made Thea chuckle as she looked at him. "Are you interested in that too?" She asked. "I didn't take you as a romantic."

Rue didn't seem entirely phased by that, he just smiled. "I'm curious."

She smiled at him. "I did love him... but not like that," she said. "I mean, to be completely transparent, I was totally infatuated with him as a child and he was the first boy I ever kissed, but when we became teenagers, he was suddenly this gorgeous boy and I knew I'd never stand a chance against the other girls."

"So you just gave up?" he asked. "I took you as someone more persistent."

"I'm persistent when I know the odds are in my favor," she smiled, thinking back to Aaryan. They had known each other since they were babies, and as children they were as close as a little girl and little boy could be. But as soon as they entered highschool, they drifted apart. He was always nice to her and they were always friendly, but it wasn't the same.

They were never as close as when he kissed her lips in the park that evening when she was eleven and he was twelve.

But whatever it was that made them drift apart... the night they found out his sister was killed... it was her that he came to.

She was fifteen, it was the middle of the night, he had climbed into her window and cried on her shoulder before vanishing, never to be seen again.

"I try not to think about it... but sometimes I think it's my fault he left," she said, feeling her eyes begin to water. "I was the last person he saw. I was the one who tried to console him, but I failed to help him. If I could have just said the right thing, he may have stayed... he may still be alive."

"You cannot blame yourself for something like that," he said. "You had no way of knowing."

"Yes, but I still do," she said. "And... just like with my brother, I know Aaryan was good, and I know there are hundreds of good Crows like him out there. I think that if the public, Aiverians and Elorians alike could see these people as who they really were and stop using the worst of the worst as a reference... we could understand one another better... just like you're trying to understand me, and the two boys I just told you about," she said with a smile. "Just like how I'd want people to understand you."

He kept watching her.

"And if we all just understood each other... don't you think the world would be a better place?"

"If only it were that easy."

Thea smiled before sighing. "You better not call me naive."

He smiled back, looking rather pensive. "Do you believe in fate, Theavi?"

She hesitated, not failing to notice that this was the first time he had spoken her name. She felt a rush of excitement, but it faded as she pondered his question. She thought about it carefully, and answered honestly. "I don't know."

"Neither do I... but I feel the desire to test it right now."

She tilted her head, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"I am going to tell you one thing and one thing alone," he said. "And then I'm going to refuse to talk to you for the next week."

Thea scoffed, shaking her head quickly. "No," she said. "If you don't talk to me this week... then I won't have anything to say on Monday as to why we should keep you alive! We only have this one week!"

"And this is what I mean when I said that I am testing fate," he said. "You will use that one thing I tell you in whatever way you want. I want to see what you do, and if you succeed in keeping me alive, then maybe you will be the one to make me finally believe in fate."

"Rue," Thea argued. She was confused by what he was trying to say but decided that that didn't matter. What mattered was them talking. "Don't be silly–"

"It's that or nothing."

"But what if I fail–"

"Then that's what was meant to happen."

"You can't possibly put that pressure on me!"

"Whether you do this or not, the pressure was already on you," he said. "I say you take what you can get, because in a moment I am going to tell you more than I did when the State Military tortured me... when they pierced my flesh, pulled out my nails, broke my bones and cut my two fingers off... so I suggest you take this chance."

The shock she felt from his words was enough to make her freeze.

"It's either this or nothing," he repeated. "Let's see what you can do. Let me test your persistence one last time."

Her heart was racing in panic, but she nodded. If it was that or nothing, did she really have much of a choice? "Fine."

Now he smiled, it was a big smile... a nice smile. "When they captured me, they stripped me naked and took all my things... none of it mattered though, except a single notebook the size of my palm," he held up his hand to show her. "You told me your reason for why you fight... that notebook will tell you mine."