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[The six hour cart ride from shore left Hellboy with a crick in his neck and a bad taste in his mouth. Not much surprises him anymore, and after spending who the hell knows how long being hunted by the Baba Yaga, he was glad to be out of her reach, even if he knew he was nowhere near familiar ground.

The guys who fished him out of the ocean had no problem telling him where he was or how he got there, but after a few moments of conversation, Hellboy realized that he just didn't give a crap. Wherever this "In Between" was, he knew it couldn't be good. It was only a matter of time before the real reason he was here reared its ugly head.

Until then...]

Anyone know where a guy can get a drink around here?

[He looks like utter crap, every inch of him cut and bruised, his hair falling out of its knot at the base of his neck, and his jacket blood-soaked and tattered to pieces, but looking presentable is obviously the last thing on his mind.]

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Gangs? [He's already halfway out the door, lighting himself another cigarette.] I think I can handle gangs.

[He says it like someone would say they can handle a light rain shower, or an offered second helping of pasta salad. It has nothing to do with him thinking she's questioning his abilities. No, he's just reveling in the sheer simplicity of it.]

It's certainly a step down from what we normally have to deal with. [But hey, it's easier than fighting gods and frogs, so she's not complaining.]

[He puffs smoke from where he stands just outside the doorway, looking up at the stars of an unfamiliar sky. It's something he's gotten used to over the years, but it never ceases to drive home the point that he's not in Kansas anymore.

Now that his back's turned, Liz would be able to see the deepest patch of red that's soaked through the bandage from where the Kedan healers pulled out the knife wedged in his shoulder blade. But the blood is old and the wound stopped bleeding a while ago.

Being banged up is nothing new, and he probably could use a good rest, but staying in one spot with all his faculties about him is something he just can't do anymore. It hurts a hell of a lot more than the wounds.]

[Liz frowns once she sees the extent of the damages. It's worrisome, but she knows that Hellboy will be fine. Besides, with everything that's been happening, they probably won't be bothered.

Still, it might be better to head somewhere that's at least slightly safer.

She starts walking ahead and gestures for Hellboy to follow her.]

Come on. I know a place in the Water Sector that has good drinks - the food's not so bad, either.

Sounds good.

[So he follows, taking in the sights and smoking his cigarette, his hooves clicking on the cobbled road. As he walks, he begins to realize the glow lighting the way isn't just from the paper lanterns hung on strings across the walkways. The road itself is glowing. Strange.

The street isn't altogether empty. Groups of people pass by, some eying them critically, some ignoring them completely. Hellboy's okay with that. It's the kids gathering together, shouting at each other in the darker alleyways he keeps his eye on. He isn't in the mood for trouble.

The buildings themselves are simple, if not beautifully crafted from stone. Most of the shopkeeps seem to be busy closing for the night, and the lighted second story windows waft down the smell of cooking. Somewhere nearby, someone is playing a mandolin.

It's... nice. Peaceful, even, compared to where he's been. He takes another long draw off his cigarette.]

Reminds me of Malaysia.

Never actually been there.

But it's... peaceful, in some areas. Sometimes if I close my eyes and clear my head, it almost feels like I'm back in Agartha. [Not so much recently, with the gang wars and the violence, but... well. It's something.]

Hmm. [Then he's lost in his own head again, his thoughts slowly slipping back to their earlier conversation. The frogs, Sadu-Hem, and all those people dead. What his friends went through to destroy them.

And Roger. Poor damn Roger.

He doesn't blame himself for any of it. He out of all people would know these things happen, but his loss is hitting him harder than anything.]

[Considering their earlier conversation, and the fact that she just mentioned something that came up in it, it's not that difficult for Liz to guess what Hellboy might be thinking about.]

I wonder if we'll be able to remember all this whenever we get sent back. [She hopes so, mostly so she can at least let everyone know that Hellboy's still around.] Kate and Abe would be glad to know that you're doing okay.

[Or as 'okay' as he can be after being beaten up by Baba Yaga's cronies, at any rate.]

Yeah.

[He's alive, if that's what she means. Otherwise, he's about as far from okay as he's ever been in his life. Talking to Liz, having her here, this's the closest he's been to sanity in a very long time.]

[Generally, 'not dead' is about as okay as most people can get where they're from.]

I wasn't expecting to see you here, though. [Or anyone else from home, really.] But I'm glad I did.

Sure surprised the hell out of me. [And that's saying something.]

How long has it been? [She's apparently been here long enough to know her way around.]

Almost three weeks now, maybe give or take a couple of days.

Wonder how long it'll take to get out of this one.

[Not that he's in much of a rush. The place does seem pretty nice.]

Or how long it'll be 'til it all goes to crap.

Seems like things started going pretty early.

Apparently when people first started showing up here, they had some kind of welcoming festival - and at the end of it, some kedan grabbed a couple of people and tried to execute them in public. They were taken care of before that could happen, but it made things a lot more tense between everybody and the kedan, from what I've heard.

There have also been attempted kidnappings of foreigners, and the gang wars have been escalating - some people had to do crowd control along with the police the other day. We've basically been recruited to do missions to help take care of the problem. [She's already done a couple of solo ones - and that hostage situation - before Hellboy showed up.]

It's not much compared to what we're used to, but the kedan are stronger than the people we've got on Earth.

Huh. [He scratches at his goatee, not sure what to make of this new development.] Been a while since I've been on a mission.

[That being said, he's not entirely against the idea. If he's gonna be stuck here, he might as well stay busy.]

It's something to do, at least. [The results aren't always pretty, but that's something they're both used to. Things don't always go well, and there will always be a chance of casualties.

At any rate, it's familiar, and it's a way to keep busy.]

Everybody's really been cracking down, although I don't know how many more missions they're going to send people out on. [She grins.] Doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have some company on some of the ones I'd be tackling by myself, though.

Just like old times. [The thought of it makes him feel more content than he's been in a very long time.

Just like the good old times.] Only with less monsters.

I think I like it better with less monsters.

Me too. Think we could both use a damn vacation.

[It's gonna be so easy to lose himself here. So easy. And that's fine by him.]

No argument here. [... And to be honest, Liz isn't sure if it's funny or sad that being brought somewhere in the middle of a gang war is basically a vacation. But hey, it is what it is.]

[Hey, there's horrible crap everywhere you go. You've just got to enjoy when there's less horrible crap than usual.

Hellboy just smiles his odd smile, the slightest upward twitch of the mouth that anyone who doesn't know him could mistake as a grimace. And it feels good.

But there's some sadness in it too. Some part of him is still bracing to wake up from the dream any minute now and it'll all be gone.]

[Liz reaches out to gently touch his hand - she'd give his shoulder a pat, but she doesn't want to bother a sore area.]

Come on, we should be at the Water District soon. [So they'll be able to stop walking and sit down for a little while.]

Yeah. All right.

[He's at your mercy, Liz. He still doesn't know where the hell he is.]

[A few more minutes of walking happen before they finally get into the Water Sector - even if water has never been something she liked, Liz can bring herself to appreciate the beauty of the canals, along with everything else there. While the Water Sector is normally crime-free, it's been picking up as the gang wars have gotten worse, but it's still the most peaceful out of all the districts.

Eventually, she leads Hellboy to a small restaurant - very small. There are only a couple of kedan in there, not including the people working there.]

I don't know what kind of booze they've got here, but it's nice enough. [Liz isn't that much of a drinker, but the arrival of a friend is enough reason to at least let loose a little bit. Besides, Hellboy could easily drink enough for the two of them.]

[Hellboy likes small places. The more hole-in-the-wall the better. He ducks through the door, getting the usual bewildered stares at first, but the kedan are a strange people. All odd colors and not-quite-human appendages. Hellboy's pretty sure the bartender even has gills. He likes it. Makes him feel like less of a sore thumb.

He bellies up to the bar and throws down a chunk of change given to him when he first arrived. He has no idea how much it is or what things cost, but he's feeling reckless.]

You guys sell anything like whiskey around here?

[Then he motions to Liz.] Hers are on me.

[Seriously. He so does not give a crap about much of anything anymore. Wherever this place is, however he got here, he's away from the crap happening back home and he's with Liz. He'll throw away whatever he's got on tonight and he couldn't care less.]

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