R.D. looked at Matt with a suspicious look, noting the sudden change in disposition. Looking up at the pribnow box, he saw both Alasea and Hugo. Neither of them looked very happy. Well, Hugo never looked pleased in the first place, but that particular look on Alasea's face wasn't something he saw often.

He shrugged up at them and departed with Matt.

Matt walked out of the chamber with hands clasped behind his back, and right away, he saw Hugo had moved to intercept him.

"Hey," Matt said.

"What the hell's your problem?" Hugo snapped. "Are you just going to pretend nothing happened?"

"Look, I was going to go apologize to Helena, all right?" Matt said. "And R.D. just beat the shit out of me, so I think karma's come full circle by now."

"Apologize to Helena for what?" R.D. asked, splashing some water on his face from a sink.

"Matt didn't tell you?" Alasea said, looking over at him briefly before quickly turning her gaze away. He had his shirts off, and that scar was too disconcerting to look at.

Matt cut in before Hugo could interrupt. "Helena almost tore my throat out so I accidentally hit her back."

"Accidentally?" the Mettaur said. "That was on purpose!"

Matt shook his wet hands out in the sink while the cold water ran. "Okay, Hugo. Next time someone grabs me like that, I'll just sit there and take it. That's smart."

Slowly, R.D.'s washing diminished, and he cut the water off while looking over at Matt. "She tried to do what?"

"Helena got on Matt's case about your temper tantrum about Dr. Anstine," Alasea replied, causing him to roll his eyes slightly at 'temper tantrum'. "Matt got up in her face first, but she did throw the first swing. Matt's hit put her on the floor."

"... no wonder you wanted to get aggression out of your system," R.D. said, crossing his arms over his chest, which accidentally emphasized the scar Dragon Drive FINAL had given him.

Matt sighed in frustration. "Look, it was a reflex, all right? You know I wouldn't do that if I wasn't in danger." He grasped his throat. "But she had a fucking deathgrip on me, man. I wasn't going to just sit there."

"Why didn't you talk her down?" Hugo said.

"Like I said, it was a reflex. I got my ass kicked by R.D., I'm going to go apologize, everything's settled."

Alasea didn't look too convinced.

"I'll go with him to make sure he does," R.D. said to assure the girl. "Where's Ileyna, by the way?"

"I had her stay with Helena in the mess hall while we went looking for Matt," Alasea said. "She should still be with her now."

"I don't need to be fucking escorted," Matt said, blowing R.D. off with a wave. "Geez. I'm not five."

"Maybe not, but it'd probably be best in case she decides to take a chunk out of you again," R.D. retorted, ignoring Matt's temper. He turned to Alasea and Hugo. "We'll meet up with you guys later."

He left the room with Matt. Once the door closed behind them, he said. "Besides, this way Alasea doesn't get on your case and go with you instead," he said. "You know how she gets."

"She needs to back off," Matt muttered, sliding his hands in his pockets and looking straight ahead. "I said I was sorry."

"She's probably just not used to the change," R.D. said, walking beside him as he pulled his second shirt on over his first. "Seeing Helena again was quite a shock. She might not be the same Helena she knew, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's still protective of her."

He shook his injured leg slightly, trying to get some of the pain out of it. "This whole adventure's been completely weird. And that's saying something, considering the last one."

"You got a point." A big one. He beckoned with his hand. "Let's go."

R.D. nodded, standing to the side as a couple more stretchers with injured soldiers were rushed down the hell. "Alright. Let's hope those girls are still in the mess hall."

They weren't. Matt hung back out in the hallway while R.D. asked around-apparently Helena and Ileyna had retreated towards their quarters.

When they got there, Matt laid against the wall, opposite of the door. "You go first."

R.D. rolled his eyes but said nothing. Instead, he swiped his hand once over the door panel, pressing the open button. With a noise, the door slid up, admitting him entrance.

Both girls were inside. He couldn't read Helena's expression as she seemed engrossed in her book, but Ileyna was trying her hand at Matt's portable game. She didn't look like she was having difficulty with it. When the noise of the door alerted them, Ileyna looked up sharply, and smiled upon seeing him. "Hi R.D.!"

Helena looked up at R.D.. She marked her place and set the book down on her pillow. If she had any injuries, R.D. couldn't tell. "Hey."

"Not surprised you two came here," R.D. said conversationally. "Its a nightmare out there with the rest of the personnel. Easier to stay out of their way in here."

"Mhmm," Ileyna responded, pausing her game for the moment.

"Where's Alasea and Hugo?" Helena asked, sitting up a bit.

"I last saw them at the training center in Sector D-7," R.D. said smoothly, while immediately beating himself up for not having thought up a better excuse. "I was over there helping them repair their Matter Wave system."

"Did they find Matt?" Helena pressed.

"He was with me at the time," R.D. admitted slowly. "I heard you two had an altercation earlier."

"Yeah." She drew her bangs back. "We got into an argument and then I lost control. I grabbed him by the throat and then he hit me."

"That's what I was told," R.D. said with a nod. He swung a hand casually behind him and knocked on the metal door twice, signaling for Matt to come in.

Matt swung into the room with a casual wave. "Hey."

"Hey," Helena said.

Matt leaned foward with that rough hiss of a groan he used whenever he wanted to speak bluntly. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? I acted out of reflex."

"I'm sorry too," Helena said. She drew one of her knees up and leaned on it, her bare foot digging into the covers. "The dragons were telling me earlier that I needed to accept what I was becoming if I wanted to be happy, so I guess they had a point."

"All the same, I know you didn't mean to." Matt straightened back. "R.D. just beat the crap out of me in training, so I got all that negative karma back."

"Okay."

"I'm serious, Helena." He walked up with an easy gesture, and was thankful she didn't flinch. "You know I wouldn't attack any of you guys unless I thought you were going to do harm to me, right?"

Helena pulled away her book, leaving the pillow next to her bare. "I know. It's fine, Matt. I forgive you."

"Thank you."

"Speaking of dragons, are they still in the hanger?" R.D. asked. "I needed to ask them about Relayia."

Helena sat up and began pulling on her shoes. "They were when I left them. Actually, I need to go back, because they wanted to start training me after I got something to eat."

"Alright. I'll come with you then," R.D. said.

"Hey," Hugo said. Matt turned his head towards the door-the Mettaur had just walked in. Hugo pointed his pickaxe at Matt. "Did you apologize?"

"Yes he did, Hugo," Helena cut in. "Everything's okay now. I've forgiven him."

"Good. Alasea ran off with Jared, so she told me to tell you that she'll be back later."

R.D. frowned at the news. She ran off with Jared again? What the heck did that girl see in the cyborg, anyway?

"Well, whatever," R.D. muttered so no one would really hear. "Let's get going, Helena."

They walked out into the hall.

"I thought Alasea was over Jared," Helena said, after a while of silence.