The room became uncomfortably quiet once more as Lana locked eyes with the mayor. The intensity was enough to raise the room temperature. Nikolai attempted to catch her eye but she did not budge, though he didn't know what to decide at this point. He could leave here with two vials. One for Martha and one for... But that would mean losing to Oswald. What were the chances of him falling sick instead?

A way out of the nightmare had been paved for them. Selfish as he may be, his primary concern was to liberate Martha and Lana from this curse. He didn't quite care what would happen to him or the other villagers... However, he knew Lana would never agree to that proposal.

"Well," the mayor sighed, pursing his lips tightly. He shrugged again. "There is another method of compensation..."

Nikolai snapped his gaze back to Oswald quickly. A feeling of dread came over him when he saw the fleeting smirk play on the man's mouth. In an instant, he knew it was a bad idea. He didn't want to hear it. But he wasn't in any position to make demands...

"Five vaccines," the mayor said, holding up a hand with all his fingers stretched out. His gaze moved slowly towards Lana. "She works as my assistant."

"Like hell that's gonna happen," Nikolai seethed. Lana was so shocked her eyes seemed to roll around in their sockets. He on the other hand, had spoken too quickly without thinking. The rude counter was one way to send everything going downhill in an instant, but then the mayor wasn't even attempting to hide his lewd side.

Oswald clicked his tongue, shrugging. It was obvious neither party was going to yield to the other. "I am a busy man, folks," he said. "If there's nothing else, please show yourselves out. Best of luck..." he added with a small smirk. "May Brymia bless you as right as her light --"

"You're an embarrassment to her teachings!" Lana spat suddenly. The mayor raised his eyebrow at her in amusement as his guards made their move towards her. Nikolai grabbed her quickly by the wrist and led her towards the double doors. He was grateful that the two men didn't pursue them. "You deceiver. You twisted monster of a man -- how dare you speak her blessing with that sinful mouth of yours? You --"

Nikolai clapped a hand over her mouth quickly. He wrapped an arm around both of hers, clamping them down to her sides when she began fighting against his hold. Motivated by the strong desire to leave the office, Nikolai was stronger. As much as he encouraged her outburst at the hateful man, he didn't want more trouble than it was worth.

He kept his hand over her mouth as they strode past the row of counters, wishing everyone would stop looking at them. On their way out, he spotted the girl who had attended to them earlier. She too stared at them as they passed. She didn't seem all too surprised which meant she somewhat knew what had happened.

It wasn't until they had left the building did Nikolai release Lana. Embarrassed, angry, and flushed red around the cheeks, she threw a painful punch at his shoulder.

"How DARE he?!" she yelled in a hysterical way. Her ponytail was becoming undone. "HOW. DARE. THAT. PERVERT."

"Will you please STOP that?!" Nikolai said loudly over her, defending himself from the continuous assault. "It hurts, you know?"

Lana let out a frustrated scream into the streets. Some of the citizens stopped to look, shaking their heads with disapproval. The traffic changed, creating distance between them and Lana. Nikolai was about to say something to stop her when she bent down to pick up a conveniently big piece of rock.

"Lana, what... HEY." Nikolai lunged forwards when she drew back her arm. He pulled at her wrist, nearing tripping over the building steps at her surprising strength. "Stop. STOP. This isn't gonna fix anything!"

"IT'LL MAKE. ME. FEEL. BETTER," Lana yelled hysterically. "LET GO --"

In her effort to recoil, she bashed him on the side of his mouth with the rock. Nikolai released her, slapping a hand to his wound. Lana's mouth fell open in horror and her eyes widened in shock.

"Nikolai!" Lana dropped the rock, all fury dissipating. She touched him on the arms. "Sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Pulling his hand from his mouth, Nikolai saw a smear of blood on his palm. And almost immediately, he felt the sting begin. "Oh, that's fantastic..." he sighed.

"Lemme see --"

Nikolai raised a hand to stop Lana from coming any closer. He clenched his teeth and pressed his lips together tightly, attempting to suppress the pain.

"Happy now?" Nikolai asked, gritting his teeth. He couldn't even open his mouth partway without feeling his wound opening up. The wind blowing against it didn't help either.

"I'm so sorry..." Lana said, looking as though she might cry at any moment.

Nikolai waved his hand in the air. "Home," he muttered, his eyes now watering. "Mmm! Blasit all ter hell... Back to the village," he grumbled.

"Okay," Lana said, proceeding to hold onto his arm. It was a reluctant feeling he hadn't experienced before. He didn't want her close to him. He didn't need support for walking either but those were a few words too many.

He let her walk him towards the city gates, suddenly aware of all the stares they were receiving. He wouldn't be surprised if everyone suddenly knew who they were by the end of the week. He couldn't help but silently accuse Lana. This was definitely all her fault.

*

Not many people knew the Freydon Legacy. He was certain none of the villagers knew either. It wasn't until his late teen years when Nikolai's father finally revealed the significance of the family heirloom. Kane had obviously told Martha but she always pretended she had something to do around the house when Nikolai brought the subject up.

It came as a great shock that a man like Oswald knew about the watch; because it was not a happy story nor a common one people sat around to tell.

He had to admit that Oswald was indeed a formidable foe. It was his mistake to underestimate him. Like his father once told him that as a predator, if he looked down on his prey, he might just find himself the prey instead. The man's trade in the shadows seemed more frightening now that Nikolai knew he possessed this sort of information. His influence seemed impossibly vast; which somewhat explained how he managed to discover a cure for the plague, all while remaining in Brymlight. But then, knowing his shady character, even if he did go through the blockade and came back, no one would have known. If he didn't already hate the man, he would have probably respected him.