A couple of days have past and there hasn't been a beast attack since the dragon. Iris was greatful because she didn't want to face her son at the moment. Also that allowed Gabriel to rest. She hoped he was resting. Knowing him he probably went back to work.

One night Iris was sitting in the living room brushing her hair. She just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was still damp. Pain was relaxing on the table eating some bread while watching her favorite game show, Family Feud.

"I'm going out now," said Fu. 

Iris turned and saw Fu standing by the door. Tonight was poker night. "Okay. Good luck."

Fu chuckled. "Thanks. Let's go Wayzz." The turtle went into his shirt's pocket and Fu then opened the door and left.

Iris went back to brushing her hair and watching the game show with Pain.

Gabriel looked at the clock on his office wall. He was working late tonight to make up for the work he missed. He was still sick but well enough (in his opinion) to go from one building to another and sit in a chair to design rather than lay in a bed to rest. Plus, he was so far behind at this point that he was considering featuring more younger designers in the next fashion show while he cut down his line to a number that was more manageable with everything that was going on. He hated this idea, but it was better than nothing.

Tonight, though, he had another thing on his mind. It was time to go visit Fu. He didn't want to put it off any longer than he had to. So he gathered his sketchbook and any other tools he would need to continue working at home after speaking to Fu and left the office.

It took him a little bit of time and driving around to remember where Fu's house was. He could count the times he'd been there on one hand, and most of the alleys in the area looked very similar. Being sick didn't help his memory. He finally found it after making a circle of the area and luckily needing to stop so a couple could cross the street. There it was.

He parked and waited for the area to be deserted before exiting the car and heading down the alley. Taking one more glance over his shoulder, he placed his hand on the wall and the door appeared. He paused a moment and knocked before cracking the door.  "Fu? It's Gabriel. Can I come in?" He asked.

Iris and Pain was now watching a show similar to Jeopardy. Both of them were really into it. Pain was having a difficult time recalling trivia since she has been sealed so long. Iris was doing okay. She got some of the answers right.

A commercial came on and Iris turned to Pain. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes! Oh can we have some cookies?"

Iris smiled and rose to her feet. "Of course!" She turned toward the hallway.

Pain then let out a loud gasp. "I sense Lycca!"

She looked back at her kwami in panic. She then heard a knock at the door and heard his voice. Gabriel was here!? She needed to hide!! She glanced toward the door it was now opening!! Pain got in her face and pointed to the closet. Iris quickly opened the door and dove in and then slammed the door shut.

Gabriel paused when there was no answer. Should he go in? What if they were out?  It would be a big shock to them if he was in the house when they returned. A door inside slammed as he was finishing this thought. So someone was there. Probably Iris.. She might be upset if he came in while she was there. And yet, he wasn't quite sure he would feel too bad. He wanted answers.

He entered the house and closed the door behind him. "Hello? Is anyone here?" He asked, feigning ignorance of her presence. It didn't matter to him if she were there to hear his discussion with Fu. Maybe it would push her to come home. Then again, Fu might not even be here, and he'd be out of luck.

Iris was crammed up in the closet. Fu had a ton of junk for a person who moved around a lot. How was that possible? She tried to move to a comfortable position, but she was afraid she something would fall and make noise. She let out a frustrated sigh. Iris looked toward Pain for help, but didn't see her kwami anywhere. Where was she!?

Meanwhile out in the living room Pain was hiding under a pillow, but didn't realize her feathers was sticking out.

Gabriel walked over to the couch. Fu would have answered if he was here, meaning he should leave and come back later. But he had already driven all the way out here and didn't want to leave if he could just wait for Fu to return. 

He was about to sit on the couch when he small feathers sticking out from under one of the pillows. He tried not to smirk as he realized Pain was hiding under the pillow.  She was trying so hard to hide, it was almost sad that he had to say something. He cleared his throat. "Is there something interesting under there?"

Iris could hear Gabriel and covered her mouth to stop herself from making a noise. Why didn't her kwami hide in the closet with her!? She wanted to bang her head on something.

Pain came out from under the pillow. She had no choice seeing how she was spotted. She thought her hiding spot was full proof. "Oh, Gabriel hi! It's nice to see you!" She rubbed her eye and let out a fake yawn. "I was taking a nap."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. Not too bad of a lie if he hadn't heard the scrambling for a hiding place earlier. "I see. I guess that's a good place to take a nap."  He sat down on the couch and continued to watch the kwami. "Where's Peacock? She should be here with you."

Pain was trying her best to stay calm. "She went to the store!"

Iris shifted her body slowly. All she wanted to do was to sit up. Why was this happening? Gabriel still sounded sick! He should be in bed damn it!

Gabriel allowed himself to look worried even though he knew for a fact Pain was lying. "Really? Shouldn't you be with her?  The brothers know what she looks like. They could attack her if they see her alone." 

He considered taking his shoes off and lying down as he spoke to Pain. Work today had taken more out of him than he realized, and the idea of sleep was very appealing. But he fought the urge. It would be rude to fall asleep on Fu's couch, especially with the old man gone and Iris hiding.

"She's in her disguise! She'll be fine." Pain floated up into the air and hovered above. "So since I'm here do you need help with something? Clearly you are are here for a reason." Pain could feel her little heart racing. She wasn't sure if he was believing her lie or not.

Gabriel paused briefly as he watched her hover in front of him. She looked nervous, and he should really feel bad about what he was doing. But he shrugged it off and kept moving forward with his goal. 

"I was actually hoping to speak with Fu. Where is he?"

"He's out as well!" Pain replied. "He's playing poker with some buddies. I'm not sure when he will be back. Sometimes they play into the night and sometimes they don't."

Iris prayed that Gabriel would leave since Fu was gone. She shifted her body some more. Iris was almost in an upright position.

"I see.. Sorry for coming at a bad time. Is there any way I can wait here until he gets back? I've been very busy at work with everything that's been going on, and this was the only time for the next few weeks I could come over here."  He sank back into the couch as he said this. Sitting up straight was just too exhausting right now, and he wanted Pain to feel bad enough for him that she wouldn't try to kick him out.

'God damn it, Gabe!' Iris shouted in her mind.

Pain bit her lip. She was really hoping he would leave. She then noticed how tired he looked, when he leaned back into the couch. Was he still under the weather? "Why of course! You know what! I'll go make you tea!" She flew out of the room and went into the kitchen.

Iris moved her body again and was now sitting up. She leaned against the wall which was a bad idea. The junk was surrounding her moved and something ended up hitting a wall. She bit her lip and prayed Gabriel didn't hear it.