"Ow! Fuck, that hurts, Ari'i."

"And it didn't when half a dozen supplicants jumped you? Quit being a baby- if you'd dodged properly, this wouldn't have happened."

"I dodged well enough, thank you. They missed the jugular."

Ari'i clucked her tongue disapprovingly and continued to swab the gouges in Von's back with disinfectant. "If you'd used Umbra, they wouldn't have touched you."

"What, and let her dig her claws even deeper in my soul? I'll take my luck with the vampires, thanks."

His words were like bitter water on her tongue, and she sighed. "You do realize that you're the only one who can't stand her, don't you? And for completely unfounded reasons, I might add..." She taped several layers of gauze over the wounds once she was satisfied that they were clean. His back wasn't as bad as it could have been; the scratches were wide but fairly shallow, and wouldn't scar. The bite at the juncture of his neck and shoulder worried her more, but Von had insisted she tend to his back first. "There. Let me take care of that poison before you turn supplicant yourself."

"Maybe you should just leave it." His eyes were half lidded and dangerous over his shoulder.

"For Christ's sake, Von, there are better ways to kill yourself." She pushed his head down into the table and gently probed at the bite. His skin was dry and fevered, and lines of black and dirty yellow radiated out from the two puncture wounds like a malicious spider.

"But I haven't tried this one yet." His voice was slightly muffled against the tabletop.

Ari'i rested her fingertips against the punctures and stilled for a moment. This whole situation was like bile in her throat, and she wanted more than anything else to beat Von into submission. Instead, she concentrated on the dry and throbbing skin beneath her hand and thought of cool, clear water.

Imbrium's presence was calm and heavy in the back of her mind, drawing the poison out through her fingertips. "He's a fool. A fool with a mean streak- much like me. If this goes unresolved, one of them will die and I doubt it will be my sister."

"You can't keep doing this, Von."

"I know. They'll kill me eventually, don't worry."

She drew away the last of the poison, neutralized it, and absorbed it into herself. It was a new strain; whoever was creating the supplicants was finding new ways to arm them. Cata and Zyn would have to be told, but Cata and Zyn were out, finally spending some time with each other. They needed that.

She needed this. "I won't let you die, you idiot. I've been here for too long to just watch you kill yourself."

He didn't answer; she didn't expect one.