He is forced back, staggers, but only barely doesn't fall.

For a moment, it's still, just the dripping of the blood down his face onto the floor, the ragged breathing. Even the Poipole has stopped it's noises.

"G҉i҉v҉e҉ ҉i҉t҉ ҉B҉A҉C҉K҉!"

It's guttural and rough, from somewhere deep in his chest, raw and loud enough that it had to hurt. The knife is in his hand in an instant, flipped from some hidden crevice and gleaming.

It's raised above his head, the snarl still on his face and eyes still empty, when Chu-e charges.

Only, about three steps in, the knife clatters to the floor and he drops, a puppet with it's strings cut.

Any doubt in his mind that this aggression comes from it is halted the moment the guttural command rips from Chu-e's throat. Only it's not Chu-e, not anymore, and whatever reservations Gavin held vanish with a flood of defiance.

His hand curls around the DARK FRAGMENT in his pocket.

"Like hell I will."

Gavin feels the burning fury of his patron as it acknowledges their enemy. Red eyes burn through a porthole to the ocean outside, but the shadowed legend cannot intervene. It is a different capsule Gavin reaches for as Choi charges him.

Frost ripples from the Sandslash as it's released, and a sharp click of Gavin's tongue sees it immediately leap to PROTECT its master.

Chu-e drops before he reaches either of them.

This time, Gavin does not approach.

This time, he steps back, mistrust settling as thick as the miasma that bleeds from his pores. He breathes it in, feels the adrenaline spike with his racing heartbeat.

Chu-e doesn't move.

Not even his chest rises and falls.

Until a sharp gasp, like life returned. Movement is slow, agonizing, as he's pushing himself up.

Dazed, he wipes his hand over his face, notes his knife laying next to him, the Sandslash, Lugia, until finally his eyes drag back up to Cillian Quinn.

There is a very visible flash of hurt, too slow to contain it, before his face closes off into something neutral. Only the Poipole makes him avert his eyes, floating over and chattering softly as it pats his face.

He doesn't say anything as he pushes himself to his feet, turns to stagger out of the room.

Gavin's breath is rough, heavy, blood on his lips and chin and smeared against his neck.

He doesn't step toward Chu-e even when the other gets slowly to his feet.

The flash of hurt is recognized, met only by the cold glare of an underboss rather than the concern of a friend. How did he know if he could trust the other? Was Chu-e still in there at all, or was it an act put on by the thing inside of him?

How much of Choi's anger had been real?

How did he really feel about Gavin?

Amber eyes trail the other all the way out of the room, and Gavin is silent.