Lykopis and Merrick made their way to the train station in Munich. They were about to go up the giant steps when Lykopis stopped in midstride. "Do you have cash?" she asked.
"About seven euros in my wallet. Why?"
Lykopis frowned as she checked her pockets. Nothing. "I was just thinking that cash would be a good idea. If we use your credit card, the police are sure to track us."
"You're right. What should we do?"
Lykopis bit her lip. "You know this town better than I do. But didn't we pass a few pawn shops about a quarter mile back?"
Marrick nodded. "Yeah, but don't we need something to sell?"
Lykopis just smiled and grabbed his wrist. "Don't worry, that's my job." Merrick followed. It was funny. His fiance used to drag him around shopping the same way.
"So...uh...I'm kind of curious about everyone else on the team..."
"Oh, I guess I should have mentioned more about them, eh?" Lykopis wasn't paying attention and was nearly hit by a car. Drivers in Germany had a reputation for not caring about pedestrians. "It's just that Mxy has gone and messed everything up. And I really thought I knew this group! I mean, just look at Icarus."
"He seemed kind of immature."
"Well, you should have seen him before all this. It's like he was still in puberty or something. The mental maturity of a tweleve year-old.
"I think he's grown up a little. I suppose he's always been the baby of the group." She gave a little laugh. "Sort of reminds me of someone I use to know, a long time ago.
"You're right, he is still a little immmature. But he's trying to make sense out of his own body. Can you imagine waking up...to that?" Lykopis shrugged. "Plato said there were two types of people. I've always seen life as a tragedy. But Icarus? Heh, he always saw it as a comedy. Perhaps it's time to stop snapping at him for being that way."
They were still pretty far from the pawn shop. Merrick didn't realize he was feeling for the piece of metal underneath his shirt. "Yeah, I guess people have different response to pain. So did everyone else change as much?"
"A few days ago Ozzy was flesh and blood, same as you and me. Well, not quite the same, actually. He's always been tough to beat in battle -- damn near impossible because he's so invulnerable. I don't know what happened to him here."
Merrick quickened his pace to keep up with Lykopis. He wanted to learn more about the people he was with. "You think it might have something to do with that woman?"
"At least he hasn't changed on the inside." Yet. Lykopis could still remember the day when her cousin, Jocasta, reveiled her metallic hands and told Lykopis of her own hidden agenda. Lykopis never understood what was more revoulting -- her own cousin plotting to kill her, or the twisted pieces of metal shining and clicking where there ought to be flesh and blood. And now, both Icarus and Ozzy are like her. Please let him stay the same! He might get on my nerves and he might boil my blood, but please, Goddesses, let him stay the same!
"I think he'll miss Adem. We'll all miss him, of course, but those two were thick as thieves sometimes." Lykopis realized she was missing Adem as well. She still was unaware of the note he had given Ozzy before they went to Germany. Ozzy was the only one who knew he wasn't coming back.
"What's the name of the creepy guy again?"
"Victor? Oh, he's always been like that. Well, except for the blindness. That's new." Lykopis winced. "He wasn't as creepy as he is now. But he has always been that detatched."
"But he can't have feelings, right? So he's not scared or worried that he's blind?"
"He's...readjusting, I suppose. To compenstate for his loss."
They continued their walk. "What about the others?"
"The last time I saw Grimm, he was walking around dead. Granted, he still acts the same, but who knows what Mxy's done to him."
"Both he and Phil were on a different team, so I only met them a few times, and those were usually in the heat of battle."
"Not exactly the best time to get to know someone?"
Lykopis gave a loud laugh. "Ha! I couldn't disagree more! People reveil their true selves in battle. It's the most honest form of communication on the planet. The vagabond fights differently than the king. The thief and the warrior have different paces. You can tell so much from the way they hold their sword."
Merrick was impressed. He still didn't believe that Lykopis was really who she claimed to be -- but her knowledge was still respectable. And her eyes lit up in some eery way when she talked about battle. "So, really, you won't know how everyone's changed until you see them in a fight."
Lykopis nodded. "Which hopefully won't be anytime soon." Did I just say I wanted to avoid a brawl? Mxy must have done more damage than I thought!
