It's getting worse... "Gngh!"
Rebecca collapsed a few feet away from the conversing group, within sight of the kitchen. She could feel her consciousness slipping away, pain beginning to wrack her body. She could feel something trying to engulf her, body and soul, and what she was feeling right now was her body trying to shake that off. If she didn't get away from here soon, it was a battle she would lose.
Something flooded Rebecca's consciousness that she hardly ever felt- fear. She tried to get up to get away, but her legs wouldn't obey her. She tried to call out for help, but the words were caught in her throat.
This was something she had never wanted to feel, something that her pride had forbade her to feel- pure and utter helplessness. All she could do now was to wait for someone to notice her.
***
Hmph, aren't we full of ourselves. "I may have a talent for making tea, but I'm hardly inclined to serve it to an unwelcome guest." He frowned at the rest of her words, not so much because it worried him, so much as some of it perplexed him.
Oh no, he was hardly concerned about killing her and the consequences- in his mind, Satoshi's supposed madness was a very small price to pay indeed for ridding this place of what was apparently All the World's Evil, so that wasn't what bothered him. What concerned him there was sending Hakuno to fight her, though from what he could tell with Rin... preoccupied, the very girl he had sworn to protect was their best option. If he had to, he'd pull her out of there himself if it became too much of a danger.
But no, what perplexed him was the mention of the Counter Guardians. This was the second time he'd been referred to with that term, and while a part of him seemed familiar with the term, in truth, the term was mostly new to him. His contract had been made with the Moon Cell. He had spent his time fighting as a Servant within the confines of the Moon Cell. It made him suspect that this was something that applied to his darker counterpart, but not himself. Archer wasn't much of a fan of said darker self, much less talking with him, but the bowman made a mental note to ask him about the Counter Guardians at a later time.
But that could wait.
"I thought Forest told her to leave...", [Kiyoshi] said.
Archer, just now registering the boy's presence, turned to address him. "I wasn't there for that girl's welcoming party, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest." The bowman now had a bit of a dilemma. He saw the swords in the boy's hands, and knew that Kiyoshi would want to help. However, this was too dangerous for a boy his age, but at the same time, he knew the boy would try to fight regardless if he was simply told to leave. So Archer searched the area, looking for a distraction.
His frown deepened as he spotted the redhead on her knees just feet away from Forest and her companions. Even from here, he could tell she wasn't in good shape. More confusing than that was the feeling that this girl seemed... oddly familiar somehow... but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Archer could take care of two birds with one stone.
"Kiyoshi, listen. You see that girl over there?" He pointed towards the distressed newcomer. "She needs help, so I want you to go over and check on her. Let me handle our unwanted guest."
***
Oblivious to all that was occurring below, Finn rapped on the door to his sister's room. "Hey, sis? Sis, you alright in there?"
"Go awaaaay."
The freelancer frowned. Mille's voice sounded a bit hoarse. "You don't sound OK, sis. I'm gonna come in and check on ya."
"Just leave me alone."
Ignoring his sister entirely, Finn entered the room. He ascertained his sister's condition with a glance.
Yup, she's sick alright. He approached her, gently placing a hand on her forehead. This caused Mille to glare at him.
"I told you to leave."
"You can't blame your big brother for worryin' 'bout ya."
"I can handle myself. I've taken care of myself all by myself for seven years."
Finn gave her a small smile. "You ain't alone any more though. I'm here to help ya."
Mille's glare deepened. "I don't need your help. I don't need
anyone's help. Being helped is for the weak." She looked away from him. "Helpless people are useless, worthless. So just leave me alone."
"Everyone needs help sometimes sis."
"I won't let you weaken me. I'll get through this alone, just like I've been doing for a long time now."
Finn's expression became stern, a complete and utter rarity for him. "In this case, I ain't backin' down. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to help ya get better. You stay here and rest up, I'm gonna go back down and see if there's anything else I can do for ya."
With that, Finn left, making his way back down to the living room.
***
At this point, Rin's awareness was only of Archer, his lips and his tongue and the tightness of his arms holding her so close and his deepening thrusts, the water, and the complex multitude of pleasant feelings she had. She had lost herself completely to him, and quite frankly, it didn't bother her in the slightest. She just knew she didn't want it to end.