[CT]Blood Rushing

[Devyn Solway]

Devyn had been out of it. Out of it in the sense that she didn't even know what was what anymore. If something was a dream, a nightmare, or if it was real; she didn’t know. Sleep had been hard to come by recently for so many reasons. Reasons that she did not want to think about at all and just wanted to go somewhere. That was why she had signed up for the camping trip, that and because it reminded her of her father. They went camping and hunting together all the time back when he was alive. In a way this trip she felt would do her some good, a way to connect back to her father, maybe fine a place alone somewhere to just sort of talk to him. Knowing he was not really there, but it was just nice to look at her ring, rub at it, and talk as if her dad was there. How she wished he was still alive and how she could ask him so many things to just understand and just...change maybe?

She could not even recall the trip here, nothing about the ride and it didn't even click in her mind right away the people she was rooming with. It would later, but right now she was just so tired, tired and just felt ill. She was kind of shocked that she had not just outright passed out yet or lost control over her power. Claiming her spot in the cabin and then asking if she could wonder for a little bit, Devyn headed out into the woods. She had been here before, a few times since the school had taken them here and she had also gone here with her father. That time when he had a sort leave and just picked her up from Ba and took her out. She wondered a little bit, but actually didn't go too far before spotting a tree figuring it is better to be up in a tree to talk to herself so no one would think she was crazy if they happened upon her. She could play off like she was talking to a bird or something, but that probably was just as crazy.

She was not thinking about that too much and just went ahead and started to climb the tree, climbing up pretty high until she found a good spot and sat down, looking at her ring that she had on a necklace at the moment since she didn't want to lose it while climbing. "Why did you have to go on and die dad? You don't understand how much I need you right now." Devyn said under her breath as she gave the ring as squeeze and tugged at her hair with her free hand. A twig snapping caused her to jerk and turn to look at the sound. The turning was not so smart because of how she was sitting and the branch her one foot was on, decided it didn't want to support her weight anymore. Snapping and causing Devyn to fall, hitting several branches on the way down, but ended up getting caught by her foot between branches before she hit the ground. She let out a pain groaned that had a mix of frustration.

"Well that hurt..." Devyn said wondering what was broken as she rubbed her head and looked up to see how she was stuck. Blood was already starting to rush to her brain, so it was time to put those now exposed abs to work and try and free herself. Devyn reaching to do so but heard something else snap and looked to see who was coming closer. "Show yourself. Hiding is just creepy." Devyn pointed out, even if she was the type to pretty much hide as well before revealing herself to someone.

[Slade Konrad]

As with many of the Academy staff, or at least those known for being among the more disciplinarian member's of the faculty, Slade was asked to chaperone the summer camping trip. He resisted at first, but quickly recanted and accepted on one condition. The former US Army Special Forces soldier wasn't going to stay in the cabin. Oh, no. Slade was on perimeter watch, meaning he'd be putting his intense training to use and prowl the woods surrounding the cabins looking for intruders or any kids looking to sneak out and cause trouble. What was even better is he'd been left off the roster. He wasn't even sure if the other staff members knew he'd come along. All the better to perform his secretive mission.

The big man had already been prowling the woods two days before the students and rest of the staff arrived. He'd scoured nearly every inch that he could and became intimately familiar with his surroundings. He loved the outdoors, always had. Slade paused in his walk through the woods to look skyward a a flock of geese flew overhead. That reminded him to check on the lakefront areas soon, just in case. But for now, he'd continue his little walk.

Despite his considerable bulk, Slade's footsteps were remarkably quiet even when he was attempting to sneak. He moved with alarming grace for such a big man, and traversed the woods with a practiced stride. Still, he wasn't paying much attention to keeping quiet and as he stepped over a fallen tree trunk, a booted foot came down on a pile of dried twigs and cracked loudly. Then the voice came drifting through the trees. He moved closer and spotted the girl hanging comically from the tree branch.

With a chuckle, Slade approached. "If I was hiding, you wouldn't have heard me." He replied idly, peering up to try and get a look at what had caught Devyn's foot. "You look like you could use some help." He said, although he really wasn't waiting for an answer as he had already begun shrugging off his pack and the hunting rifle slung over one shoulder in order to lend a hand.

[Devyn Solway]

A man came into view, a very big hulky man that Devyn quickly recognized for more than one reason. The big give away was well she had seen him in gym class before and she also knew that this was the guy that was with Zoe on that day she was attacked. She took in his scent as he revealed himself and moved a little closer. Yes, that for sure was Slade and Devyn could not help but to growl low deep in her throat for a moment. This guy had been around her Zoe when Zoe had been hurt. Zoe had been hurt because he didn't do a good enough job at protecting her. He was supposed to watch after her and be her stupid monitor because the school was stupid and thought she needed one. Yes, Devyn was angry with him, but at herself as well and he just seemed like the right kind of person to take it out all.

His chuckle broke her thoughts and she remembered that she was in fact stuck upside down in a tree with her shirt bunched up under her chin and her underwear showing a little bit since her pants didn't seem like they wanted to hang onto her long. She didn't care that he saw all of these things. She had a sports bra on for once and they were male underwear so it should not have been anything that he had not seen before. "You are a pretty big guy. You have some kind of special training that lets you be light on your feet?" Devyn asked, since she didn't think there was anyway a guy that big could move around without making a sound unless he had special training. She did hear about how he did kill some of the guys that had come after Zoe, but she didn't know if that was true or just rumors. He for sure looked like he could crush someone’s skull with his bare hands.

She looked like she could use some help. Well yes, but a bit of her alpha pride didn't want it. "I can sit up and get my foot free, but soon as I do I'm going to hit the ground hard. Probably already have some bruises from the fall already." She pointed out, not even wanting to check to see what hurt but at least didn't feel like she had any internal bleeding. He was already moving to help her, so she figured that she would not put up a fight for it and just sat up a little bit to stop the blood from rushing to her head for a moment. "You are Slade right? You know Zoe correct?" Devyn asked, even if she was pretty sure, she wanted to hear him say it.

[Slade Konrad]

"Ten years, US Army Special Forces." Slade responded coolly as he carefully placed the barrel of his hunting rifle on top of his pack and stood straight to get a better assessment of the scene. He'd been trained intensively to traverse every type of terrain the military conducted operations, which was to say, damn near every terrain on the planet. Sure it'd been two years since he was in the service, but the training that had been hammered into his mind and body every day for a decade didn't fade easily. It didn't hurt that he kept himself sharp with regular trips into the wilderness on the weekends. He loved it out here. Felt right at home.

Slade frowned a little as he looked over Devyn. He was obviously more concerned about the branch that had caught her foot than the skin of hers that had been exposed by hanging upside down. He wasn't interested in lasciviously checking out the students he'd been ordered to protect. And it wasn't as if he hadn't seen his share of nudity, both male and female, over the years.

He stepped toward Devyn, a bit hesitantly, though, as he didn't want to violate her personal bubble without permission. "Here. I can keep you from cracking your head." He offered. It wasn't as if Devyn's lithe build came anywhere near the limits of Slade's capacity to catch with ease. Still, though, he waited to get a confirmation before getting into position to do so.

The question about Zoe caught the big man a bit by surprise. His head tilted as he looked up to Devyn curiously. It wasn't as if his assignment to keep an eye on Zoe had been advertised and the incident at the cabin had been kept under wraps as well as the Academy could. Devyn must be a friend of Zoe's because Slade certainly hadn't discussed the brutal and bloody affair. "Yes." He said in response, but he wouldn't divulge many details about his relationship with the timid girl. "I helped Zoe with some... issues she had been having." He said vaguely. Perhaps once he knew Devyn's relationship with Zoe he'd be more open as to what had happened that fateful day at his cabin. But for now he would play it safe.

[Devyn Solway]

"My dad was in the Army Special Forces...well at least that is what he told me to think of it as. It was one of those hush-hush types of jobs." Devyn pointed out, smiling just a little bit to meet well another person that was in the Army like her father had been. Normally she would of felt odd about sharing things about herself like that, but it was about her dad and she could talk about her dad for hours if she really wanted or needed to. She loved her dad a lot and missed him even more then that; if that had not been evident by the fact she always wore the graduation ring he had given her and why she was out alone in the woods in the first place. To keep a hold of the connection with someone she loved more than life itself and had lost. She tended to lose the things she loved, so was not really surprised by it at this point but it still sucked.

Slade was frowning and Devyn wondered for a moment if she had said or done something wrong. Looking at herself and then Slade, tempted to make a flirty comment but blood kept rushing back to her brain and well Slade for sure as not her type. She didn't think he was in her age limit and he seemed to...well he seemed like he could be an alpha and Devyn didn't like that. He was a threat, a challenge to her being the top dog in any and all situations. He moved closer and Devyn could see that he was hesitating which only made her raise a brow. If she had a problem or concern with him touching her she would have spoken up by now. She was actually thankful that he offered to help her out, but it did make her let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I'm going to get myself free and you catch me." Devyn said as she rolled her head and at least tried to loosen up a little bit so she could actually get herself free. Only to pause because she saw that Slade had been surprised by his question.

Devyn knew those things about him because well Zoe. She asked Zoe things and also just put pieces together based upon what she had heard from Zoe. He gave a simple yes, which was an answer but she was kind of wanting a bit more than that. Slade talking about how he helped Zoe with some issues that she had. Devyn looked away for a moment, knowing she had things she had and should be saying to Slade right now. "Thanks for protecting her and keeping her alive. I was...was not there for her when it happened and I owe you big time for keeping her alive." Devyn said, still looking away, not really wanting him to see the emotions in her eyes. She then quickly did a sit up and got her foot free, hoping Slade was ready to catch her because she was going to be falling. Falling and realizing that she did in fact bruise a few ribs on her left side and that her ankle for sure was sprained a little bit from having being caught and holding her body weight.

[Slade Konrad]

"Yeah, that sounds like us." Slade confirmed with a nod. Over the years he'd heard many slang terms for his profession and the classified operations they conducted. His personal favorite was 'secret squirrel'. He didn't know why, he just always found it amusing. It was probably an ironic thing given his build was far closer to that of a bear than a squirrel, but still, it'd always gave him a chuckle. Still, though, there was a task at hand.

The big man didn't allow himself to be too taken aback by the question regarding Zoe. After all, he figured the timid girl had friends, but as he realized who it was he was speaking to, everything fell into place. It wasn't as if he'd be assigned to a personal security detail without knowing the common people the subject associated it with. That, and Devyn's very public 'run-in' with Zoe had been a hot button conversation with the staff as well.

"Miss Solway, I presume." He said, looking up to Devyn while positioning himself to best catch the girl when she freed herself. He didn't have to see the look on Devyn's face to catch the emotion in her voice. It was readily apparent she cared deeply for Zoe, even Slade was able to catch on to that. "You don't need to thank me." He had told Zoe the very same thing on numerous occasions. He was merely performing his duty. "She fought back when she had to." He felt compelled to say. "She's a lot stronger than she knows."

The ease in which he stopped the girl's fall was almost frightening. His considerable bulk was well suited to catching her securely before carefully setting her onto her feet. "Are you hurt?" He asked, not fully releasing his hold on her just in case she needed him to support some of her weight. "How's your foot." He asked, referring to the one that had been caught. He figured that would be the most likely spot to start looking for injury.

[Devyn Solway]

"Did you know a man by the name of Darius Solway?" Devyn asked, wondering for a moment if maybe Slade knew her father. He said that sounded like them so maybe Slade was in the same group as her father. Group or whatever it was called, she didn't pay much attention to the terms anymore when her father died. She only wanted to join because of him and now that he was gone, what did it matter? Still her father was a mutant and Slade was a mutant so maybe it was possible. Maybe they even went to school together since Darius had gone to Bellefonte Academy as well when he first came into his mutation. Devyn was not even sure why she had asked, it kind of just slipped out, but she could not help it. Part of her hoped that Slade did, but only a small part since she knew better then fully getting her hopes up. She was just looking for more connections to her father was all? So if Slade knew her dad, then he would be another connection to him, if not already for the fact that he was in the military.

Devyn half chuckled at Slade saying her name, well by her last name which was weird to be called by it with the Miss in front of it. She preferred to just be called by her first or her last name. None of those titles added to it. Hell, she would take her middle name over being called Miss Solway, but she knew she was going to have to get used to it at some point. "Devyn is just fine." Devyn said with a small smile, at the fact that Slade knew of her. She did have a bit of a reputation, even before things with Zoe happened. Slade said that she didn't need to thank him. She bet he was thinking that it was no big deal and that he was just doing his job. It was a big deal because he was doing his job, and doing it well instead of halfhearted. "I do need to thank you. If you had not done what you did then...I owe you Sir." Devyn said with a nod, and there was nothing he could say that would change her mind. Man her list of owing people was starting to get long. Devyn nodded at hearing that Zoe fought back when she had to, that made Devyn proud.

She fully agreed with Slade about how Zoe was a lot stronger then Zoe thought. "She really is. So strong...just wish I could get her to believe it." Devyn said and was sure that if Slade knew Zoe well enough then he knew what Devyn meant. Zoe was hard to convince about just how special, wonderful, or well anything positive that she was. Devyn would not give up, but it was hard and she wished Zoe could just see how extraordinary she really was. She fell and Slade caught her, and yes she was thankful that he did because it was a lot softer of a landing then she would have gotten if she did it on her own. "Pretty sure a few of my ribs on my left side are bruised. Some small cuts and tears in my skin and clothing. As for my ankle, pretty sure it’s sprained." Devyn said giving him the full report of her condition but she still moved to get out of his husky arms.

"Nothing too big of a deal, I'll be fine. I owe you for the helping me out of that tree." Devyn pointed out as she tried to get to the ground, testing out the weight on her hurt ankle and winching and going to keep all weight off of it.

[Slade Konrad]

Slade's brow furrowed at the name. He knew Solway. Not closely or personally, really, but Special Operations was a tiny sub-culture within what was already a notoriously small community. There weren't many operators that served while he was in that he didn't know or at work with at least once. "Yeah. I did." Slade said with a hint of surprise touching his voice. Jesus it was a small world. "I worked with him a few times." He frowned a bit though. "We lost more than a great soldier when he died." That was all the big man was going to offer freely, though. The talk of fallen comrades was one he didn't like to engage in. Unless pressed, of course.

Slade never really got used to calling people by their first names. Especially not students. It wasn't a superiority thing, but a habit born from military service as well as a respectful way of acknowledging someone. He nodded at Devyn's insistence at using her first name, although he probably would just refrain from calling her anything for the moment.

That didn't stop him from cracking a half smile at Devyn's assessment of Zoe's mindset. "She's stubborn when it comes to getting down on herself." He agreed. But, in a way, he was optimistic she'd come around eventually. "But with the right people around, she'll get there." He regarded Devyn with an approving nod. He knew precious little of the girl in front of him but could already tell the sort of person she was. Strong, independent, but there was something in the way she spoke of Zoe. Something that put the big man at ease about her relationship with the timid girl.

"At least lets clean those cuts and wrap your ankle." Slade said as he already started for the bag he'd set on the ground. "No sense in inviting infection or letting a sprain get worse." He reasoned but he moved with a purposely slow stride. Devyn's injuries didn't seem so severe that she'd need immediate medical assistance, and he was fairly certain she'd take care of anything the best she knew how once she got back to the cabins but that certainly wasn't going to stop him from offering aid if she desired it.

[Devyn Solway]

Devyn felt something stir in her to hear that Slade knew her father, catching the hint of surprise. Was it because Devyn looked a lot like her father? Well she did when her hair was much shorted and she was not wearing eyeliner. Or was it just the fact that he was meeting the kid of a guy he knew only in terms of having worked with one another and seen each other a few times? Devyn didn't know and she was not going to ask, a small smile appearing on her face at Slade's words of how they lost more than a great solider when he died. She was happy that he didn't say anymore on it, she didn't want to learn of how he died. Devyn had to be the one to identify the body at the time since he mother was in too much distraught to handle looking at her husband’s body. Devyn would never forget the image of her dead father's face, but at least they cleaned him up a bit before letting her look at him.

"Good to know he was a great guy at work like he was at home." Devyn said simple and with that she was done with the subject. She was not going to push Slade for more information because she also figured Slade would not want to go dragging up those sorts of memories. Devyn would deal if Slade kept calling her by her last name, but it really did make her think of her mother and she didn't really like that. It would help her get used to being called it at some point. She nodded and gave a half chuckle at Slade's words about how Zoe was. She was happy that Zoe had someone else out there that knew her well, but it did make her possessive side come out a little bit more. Zoe was hers, even if things were still possibly a little iffy with them. "Wish I could just like hug her confidence up or something." Devyn said with a small shrug and looked at Slade when he said Zoe just needed the right people around her, and Slade actually gave her a nod.

Devyn didn't feel worth of getting any approving nod, she wanted to be the best for Zoe, she really did. The problem was, was she? Did Zoe think Devyn was the best she could get? Zoe could probably do a lot better than a possessive, dog of a person like Devyn. Devyn would protect Zoe with her life and try to make her happy with everything she had, but was that enough for a girl like Zoe to be happy with her? Devyn didn't know and she could not help but to look away and look at the ground for a moment, thinking about all of this. "I still wonder if I can even make her happy sometimes." The words just sort of fell out of Devyn mouth and she quickly picked up a rock and tossed it. As if she was tossing the words with it but really was just letting out her anger for letting that slip. Arg! Now he is going to think I'm some wimpy emotional chick. Devyn thought to herself with an inner grumble. She took a deep breath as Slade pointed out that she should at least clean her cuts and wrap her ankle, she figured that was fine.

She was sort of already licking at a cut she had on her arm, kind of like a cat, but wolves totally licked at their wounds too. "True...just if something is going to burn, let me know. I don't like someone say 'this won't hurt a bit' and then it ends up hurting like a bitc--a lot." Devyn said, catching herself before she swore, knowing some adult were not okay with young kids saying such words, so was playing it safe.

[Slade Konrad]

Slade only nodded in confirmation. He was well aware the elder Solway had lost his life in combat. The details were murky, even to a fellow operator, and would probably never be fully divulged. Hell, they may never even know where he was actually at when killed. Classified information and all that. Still, though, Slade wasn't going to bemoan the life of a soldier, nor was he going to continue to linger on a topic as potentially heart wrenching as a fallen father. He'd already been around the families of soldiers lost at war for one lifetime. He wasn't about to turn this into a similar case.

Thankfully, Devyn seemed very willing to speak of Zoe. This suited the big man just fine. Once he identified Devyn it put a face to the name he'd already known. Devyn was close to Zoe, this wasn't a secret. Then again, few things about the timid girl were secret anymore. Especially to the staff that had been charged with keeping her safe in an uncertain world. "Are you too having problems, or is this from your end?" Slade asked. One of the lesser known roles of being a leader in the military was ensuring your soldiers were in the best mental state they could be. Slade had gone to numerous courses and classes that dealt with the handling of subordinates and their personal issues. He took pride in his capacity and willingness to to look after both the man and the soldier.

Slade would continue to his bag where the first aid kit was kept. He took a knee and withdrew a few alcohol swabs, bandages, and some medical tape. "Fair enough." Slade agreed with a chuckle as he gestured to the ground beside him. "Take a seat. Let me take a look at your ankle." He said as he began to prep the few medical supplies he'd need. "And the alcohol is probably gonna hurt like a bitch." He said with a chuckle.

[Devyn Solway]

Devyn was more than happy to talk about Zoe over her father, which seemed a little odd to her. Normally she wanted to talk about her dad for hours but with it being close to the time that he died again she rather have talk to him then about him. Talking about him just made all of the pain she had been feeling hurt more. Even if talking about Zoe hurt a little as well, she also figured it had to be a good kind of hurt. The kind you got when you cared about someone a lot and didn't want to mess things up with them, but knowing you were a screw up and just felt like Zoe deserved better. Deserved better but you didn’t want her to have anyone but you and that was selfish. Devyn had to think on the question for a moment. Where the two of them having problems or was it mostly on Devyn’s end. "I guess you could say it’s more on my end. I'm a bit of a...dog you could say. Sleeping around and not wanting to fully commit where Zoe is like that perfect girl who wants someone to love her back like she loves them and want them and only them..." Devyn started to explain before dropping off, feeling weird that yet again she was just opening up and saying things.

Things that she preferred to keep to herself and buried from the rest of the world and people who knew her. She didn’t want them to know that she was hurting and for sure didn't want them to be worried about her. She could deal with her own issues; she wanted them to open up to her and let her help them out but would handle her own shit herself. "I want to be everything she wants from me, but I just feel like I'm not moving into it fast enough for her and...every time I start to...you know...the l word for someone, they tend to end up leaving in some way." Devyn confessed after a moment, figuring she could trust Slade. He worked with her dad, but she still felt like some wimpy child for just admitting to all of that. "Sorry, I'm sure you have to deal with tons of these hormonal teen sob stories and issues." Devyn said with a half chuckle as she limped somewhere to grab a seat. Man, her ankle was killing her, maybe that fall did more damage than she thought, but she was not going to let on to it too much. Just let Slade help her out and just handle the rest on her own.

"You are not going to tell me that it's out of place and then like shove it back into place, are you?" Devyn asked with a forced smile as she got a little comfy with where she was sitting as she started to remove her sneakers and sock, her ankle clearly starting to swelling a little and there was that bruised color starting to appear. Her green eyes scanned over his medical supplies, ready to outright bolt if he picked up or even touched anything that looked like a needle. "Oh joy. Love that pain that hurts like a bitch." Devyn said, chuckling for real this time as she prepared herself to deal with the burning that would come from Slade wiping at her cuts, but it was killing the germs and preventing infection.

[Slade Konrad]

Slade nodded soberly as he listened to Devyn recount the thoughts and feelings she had in regards to her relationship with Zoe. It all had to have been on the forefront of Devyn's mind or she wouldn't have so readily unloaded all of it upon a virtual stranger, even one who was a teacher and had just freed her from being stuck in a tree. "Look, I can't sit here and give you advice because at the end of the day you're going to have to make your own decisions. And nobody knows was best for you, except you." Slade said, glancing to Devyn as she hobbled her way over to his makeshift aid station. "But you can't go through life worried everyone's going to leave you. That'll just end up with you pushing them away."

Slade shrugged off Devyn's comment about him dealing with hormonal teenagers. Most people seemed to forget the majority of new soldiers that enlisted into the Army where teenagers themselves. As their leader he was tasked not just with their training and professional development, but also their mental and emotional well-being. He'd had similar talks many times before. It was really one part of being a teacher he liked.

"No, nothing like that." Slade's brow furrowed some, though, as his large hands delicately lifted Devyn's ankle and rested it upon his leg. It was beginning to discolor, in a day or so it was going to be all sorts of black and blue, but there didn't seem to be any structural damage. "I think you'll be fine." He said with an approving nod. "Doesn't look like it's dislocated. I'll clean the cuts and tape your ankle. You'll be on your way in no time."

And with that, the practiced hands of Slade went to work. He had a surprisingly deft touch in spite of his massive size. He methodically went about doing as he'd said, warning Devyn each time he was about to move to a different cut with the alcohol swabs so she wouldn't be caught off guard by the stinging of the chemical in the open wound. He remained silent throughout most of the process, only finally speaking once he'd started wrapping the binding cloth tightly around Devyn's ankle. "Zoe's a sweet girl." He said suddenly, his eyes still focused on the task at hand. Devyn's comments about her sleeping around hadn't gone unnoticed. "I'm not going to feed you some line about not hurting her, because life hurts." He continued. "But love is only part of the equation when it comes to a relationship. It takes more than that to make it work, even at your age." But love could be blinding, Slade knew that. "You've got to take in everything around you before you can find out if it's right for you."

[Devyn Solway]

Devyn had not actually expected that kind of response from Slade. She figured he give her some actually advice on the matter since he was older then her and she figured he had experience on the matter. Instead he gave her a small little speech on how he could sit there and gives her advice but at the end of the day she was going to make her own decisions. She knew that, it was just that...she wanted at least an idea of which was the right direction to go with her decisions. No one knew best for her but her; well yeah none of that advice was useful. Devyn's green eyes looked down at the ground, reminding herself that yet again depending on other people on such matters was stupid. They could not help her; she had to do things alone like she did pretty much everything. His last words; the words he said as she sat down, they did sound like something of advice. Causing Devyn to look up at Slade a little and think on his words for a moment. That made sense, if you were worried they leave you then you probably would act in ways that would cause them to leave you.

Wish I would have clicked onto that sooner. Devyn thought to herself as she let out a small sigh. Yet, trying to think on the positive side of it. If she had not messed up all those other relationships then she would not have ended up with someone that she cared about a lot more then she herself even understood which just added to the fear. She still felt bad about unloading a little bit like that, not wanting to do it for the whole 'I don't like to feel weak' sort of deal. Even with her dad she was always trying to be tough and not cry, even if her dad had tried to get her to open up. Devyn's mother was why she didn't like to cry, but of course no one would know that and they never would so long as Devyn could help it. Slade still seemed sort of fine with her little verbal spill and then was focused on her ankle. Slade showed great skill of handling it careful despite his large hands and overall large size.

"Thanks." Devyn responded to Slade's words about how she should be fine and what he was going to do for her. Wrap up her ankle and clean up her cuts. Devyn was tempted to preferred to lick at her cuts later, but kept her mouth shut and just handled the stinging paining when he started to clean her cuts. Muttering a curse word under her breath at the ones that really stung. This is why which a chic scratches up my back I don't even touch it for a day. Devyn thought to herself, knowing she was a little baby deep down with the whole cleaning of small cuts because they stung so much. Pain itself she was fine with but it was not something that she found real enjoyment in. Devyn looked at Slade when he spoke up about Zoe being a sweet girl but still kept wrapping up her ankle. Slade then started to talk about not feeing her lines about not hurting Zoe, because life hurt and then talk about love.

It took more than just love to make a relationship work, Devyn figured she understood that. She understood all of it but the love part really, that was all that she thought she was missing. She knew when she messed up, or at least she did when she thought about it or was called out on it. She was just scared of love and she just did stupid things because in the moment she was not always thinking, she was just doing. "...okay." Devyn muttered, still thinking on it, but she did have a very big question that she figured he might be able to answer. Just taking a deep breath and going to just say it before she missed her chance. "How do you know when you want someone life for them? Not just for sex." Devyn asked, having an idea of the answer already, but she wanted to hear what someone older had to say about it.

[Slade Konrad]

Slade's crystal blue eyes shifted up to Devyn for a moment. She didn't seem to have liked his answers to her questions but that was just how it was going to be. Advice, Slade had found through the years, was often misguided or misinterpreted. Part of growing up was being able to understand no amount of sage words or mis-quoted lines from some long dead person could ever truly give the right answer. This went doubly so for matters of the heart. No one could tell you how you felt, they could only tell you what they thought. How did that ever help? No, the big decisions in life were the ones you had to make on your own, regardless of anyone else's opinion.

Slade would let the previous topics fall by the wayside. Devyn's leg and ankle had captured the majority of his attention but he was nearly finished. Carefully he fastened a pair of metal clips to the heavy wrap he'd used on her ankle and nodded satisfactorily. She would have trouble wearing shoes while her ankle was wrapped, but that'd be a problem with just the swelling alone. She'd sprained it good, as far as Slade could tell, and it'd be sore for a while.

Crystal blue eyes shot over to Devyn as she suddenly asked her final question. This one he couldn't just shrug off and leave her to figure out for herself. But, she must not have realized she was talking to a 32 year old bachelor who'd spent the majority of his 20's not chasing skirts, but chasing war criminals and terrorists across the globe. His brow furrowed, though, as he thought on this one a moment. After a short moment, Slade offered his answer. "When you don't have to ask yourself if you only like them for sex."

[Devyn Solway]

Devyn's mind was wondering, trying to figure everything out and just make sense of what she was feeling and thinking. Why was all of this so complicated? Why could Zoe just be fine with how things were between them and never said that she loved Devyn? It was because of those words that were said that she could not help but to start to think of it as well. Realizing that she probably did love Zoe long before now but as usual she didn't want to think about such things and feared them. Love had always been complicated, touchy but she could not outright deny it. She could ignore it, pay it no mind but deep down she knew the truth of it all. Zoe made her feel loved, wanted, and just so many other things to the point that it just made it hard to believe any of that was possible. Not for a person like Devyn but even if Slade said it was okay, she didn't want to talk to him about this whole relationship thing.

When she didn't have to ask herself if it was only for the sex, then she would no. That was one hell of a confusing way to put it. Did he mean that when the answer was no to that question then she knew or was she not supposed to ask herself that question at all? Well it was too late for that because she already asked and answered that question, so was she wrong? Devyn had long since realized that she would not be able to have sex with Zoe like she could with anyone else because of Zoe's power, she realized that when she almost died and woke up with Zoe clinging to her in the infirmary. Honestly...she had long since accepted that and now she pretty much didn't even care. Telling herself that she would be fine dealing with what she could get, since it was not all about sex after all, right? "Got it. Sorry again for talking about that kind of stuff." Devyn said then as she brushed the topic away in her mind and just in general as she looked over her ankle.

"Thanks, Your patch up work it pretty good and makes me feel better about you being the one who looks after Zoe from time to time." Devyn said as she reached for her sneaker and worked on to getting to her feet. Putting a little weight on her foot even if it hurt but she didn't want to baby it and didn't want to be babied. "Why are you out here by the way? I'm pretty sure I did not see you on the staff roster." Devyn asked as she looked around for a moment and then looked up at Slade. He really was tall and it was odd to be around someone who was taller than her after this long.