[crow]

Bastien froze. Beside him, Luke had also gone still, his expression a mirror of Bastien's own, wide-eyed and startled. A moment passed, and the voice called out again. "Who's there?" it said. Human. Female. Surprisingly firm, despite their uncomfortable surroundings.

Bastien's frown deepened. He held out a hand to stay Luke from moving in any further, and adjusted his grip on his weapon. Luke shot him a look, but Bastien shook his head and mouthed the word 'trap'. Slowly, he walked forward, though he made no move to quiet the sound of his footsteps on the stone.

[crow]

Sneaking wasn't viable in these shoes anyway, and if it was another human, at least they would know that he wasn't trying to get the jump on them. And if it was a Mal, well... He was an experienced combatant, and worst comes to worst, he could take a few hits.

He stopped when his flashlight revealed the edge of a filthy brown-leather shoe. It was attached to a girl, sitting with her back leaned against the sewer wall, staring up at the ceiling.

[crow]

"If you're here to kill me, I hope you make it quick," she said. Her expression was impassive, weary, but he could hear just the slightest hint of a tremor in her voice.

Now that he was taking the time to examine her, he could make out a cut on her face, skinned and bloodied knees, stains on her clothes where she might have taken a fall. A battered wooden pole, one end splintered and jagged, lay on the ground close enough to hand that she could grab it and swing at him if she wanted... though the way she looked, he doubted she had the energy to put up that kind of a fight.

[crow]

He sighed, relaxing his stance. It could still be a trap, but... even he didn't have the heart to terrorize a battered young woman, if that was the form the Mal had chosen to take. Maybe he'd regret it later, but if the Mal was that smart, they were going to be in trouble no matter what they did.

"Is this it?" he said, not to the girl, but to the Oracle, who had to have been listening in. "This is the Contact you were telling us about?"

[crow]

"Y-Yes," said the Oracle. Her voice was a bit unsteady, as if she wasn't sure, or maybe she was shaken too. At this point, he didn't blame her. They hadn't fought anything, but this excursion was turning out to be highly atypical for all of them. And maybe she was looking at the girl too, and matching what she saw against whatever terrible Mal-related circumstances she had imagined. Bastien knew he was fighting to keep himself from doing the same.

The girl looked up at him as he spoke, impassiveness giving way to confusion. He arched a brow at her. "What... Who is that?" she said, brows furrowing. "That voice. I heard it earlier, but I couldn't make out the words..."

[crow]

Bastien frowned. If she was a Contact, it wasn't out of the question that she could hear the Oracle, though usually no one heard it unless she was broadcasting specifically to them. "What---" he began, but he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

"Bastien!" said Luke, then froze as he registered the girl. "This is her?"

"Oracle says so," Bastien replied.

Luke took one good look at her and swore under his breath. "Jesus. What happened? Did someone drag you in here?" he said.

[crow]

The girl didn't answer, though she looked as though maybe she was thinking about it. Bastien sighed. "Come on, let's just get her out of here," he said. He wanted information too, but if she didn't feel like telling them anything right this minute, he didn't blame her. The Oracle said it checked out, and as on-edge and paranoid as he felt, it wasn't worth pursuing further at this point. Better to just secure the victim and see if they could get any answers out of her.

He approached, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he was dealing with a wounded animal. When she flinched, he stopped where he was. "Think you can stand?" he asked her quietly.

[crow]

"I'm fine," she said. Moving slowly, she pushed herself back onto her feet.

"Alright, let's get you out of here first," said Luke. "It's a bit of a walk. Think you can handle it?" The girl nodded, and Luke flashed her a smile, the kind that used to get the girls lining up by the dozens at his locker on Valentines back when they were in high school. "Just follow us, then. We've got you."

She didn't smile back, but she followed when he led the way. Bastien brought up the rear, still keeping an eye out for anything lurking in the shadows as they made their way out of the sewer.