. B O N E S . S H A T T E R . ;; Cryssie

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Despite the events of last night, for some reason Leo felt awkward entering her apartment. He followed her with a small grimace on his face.

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

"Don't make that face!" Phoenix rolled her eyes, unlocking her door and holding it open for Leo.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"What?" he asked. "I feel like... I'm invading your privacy." He knew that sounded stupid, but he couldn't help it.

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

"Really?" Phoenix laughed and closed the door, "You're not invading anything!"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Leo shrugged and didn't reply to that. How could he explain an emotion that even he knew was irrational?

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Phoenix skipped to her bedroom, opening up her small closet.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Leo hovered in the living room, even more adverse to entering her bedroom. God, what was wrong with him? He'd shared his bed with her last night, and he didn't want to enter her bedroom?

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

She pulled out a soft purple long sleeve shirt, laying it out on her bed. Next came a pair of tight jeans. Phoenix stripped off the clothes Leo let her borrow and wiggled into the pants, "You can sit down and make yourself comfortable!" She called to him.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Leo eyed the couch but opted to stand. In his mind, he ran over what they'd learned about their perp. Not much, really. Probably male, didn't use their power in the attack. They hadn't been able to discover why someone would want to kill the victim, so Leo wondered if this was an attack from the outside world. The Upperground.

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Phoenix slipped the shirt over her head and smoothed it down. She grabbed a brush and started to untangle her blonde hair, walking out to the living room, "So, who else is working with us in this case?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"A few guards, including Clare. I think you've met her," Leo said. "Black hair, blue eyes. Annoyingly persistent."

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Phoenix smiled, running her fingers through her hair to make it fall nicely to her shoulders, "Yes, I remember her."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Leo glanced around him, taking in the changes to the place. Each apartment in the Refuge was basically the same, but everyone added their little touches. "She's smart," he said. "And determined. She'll be a good asset."

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

"If you don't mind me asking, what's her ability?" Phoenix asked, setting the brush down on the coffee table

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Emotion Manipulation," Leo replied. "She can change the intensity of what you're feeling."

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Phoenix blinked and raised her eyebrows, "Really? That's...handy."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Leo nodded, but he looked sad. "She can be... a little prickly. I wouldn't let her touch you. She might mess with your emotions to see what happens."

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Phoenix chuckled lightly, "No touching. Alright."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Leo wandered toward the window and looked outside at the city. "I think we all have our issues here, in one form or another. And some of us deal with them better."

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Phoenix moved to his side and gently rested her hand on his arm.