Guess Then...I Kinda Got Arrested

[assassinrue]

Kendrick's eye brows pinched together. "And how would they do that. Astrid can't get drunk and I only know when someone is lying. It's not that useful."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Oh, on the contrary," Jonathan said. "Being able to tell if someone is lying, not to mention knowing the truth, is extremely helpful for an organization like ANEW. Unfortunately, they probably would just kill Astrid." He gave her an apologetic look, but she just glared back.

[assassinrue]

Kendrick sighed and scooted closer to Astrid. "Shoot me before they shoot you, ok." He whispered.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Astrid scoffed, but she didn't move away. In fact, she seemed to shift a bit closer to Kendrick. "That's not necessary," Jonathan said calmly. "I can protect you both. But you have to come with me now."

[assassinrue]

"I can't tell if I should trust him."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Astrid glanced up at Kendrick and sighed quietly. "Do we really have a choice?" she murmured. "Can't you tell when people are lying, after all? Is he telling the truth?"

[assassinrue]

"I don't know. He's nothing I've ever encountered before. I can't see anything. Not even a blur."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Astrid frowned and darted a glance at Jonathan, who just stood there impassively. "So... does that mean he's telling the truth, or your powers aren't working?"

[assassinrue]

"The don't work on him. You give me a headache but it works. I get nothing from him. What do we do?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Astrid didn't know if Jonathan could hear them from where he stood, what with their quiet voices, but when she looked at him again he met her eyes steadily. She didn't know why, but something told her to trust him. Maybe it was the calm, matter-of-fact way that he stated things, or maybe his story was just so crazy it had to be true. "I say we go with him," she whispered reluctantly.

[assassinrue]

Kendrick sighed and decided to go along with it. It was easier than putting up a fight. For now.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

With Kendrick's confirmation, Astrid turned back to Jonathan and nodded. "Fine. We'll come."

Jonathan smiled pleasantly and stepped forward. Astrid shrank back, but he moved too fast for her to even take a step. He grabbed both their wrists and then they shot into the sky. Astrid's head spun, both from the dizzying speed at which they moved, and at the feeling of weightlessness that had taken over her body, as if gravity had suddenly vanished.

[assassinrue]

Kendrick tried to breathe correctly but it seemed as if the altitude of their flight was taking away his lungs, destroying his ability too breathe, to think, the desire to move. He prayed they would land soon.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Astrid almost shrieked. The sounds wouldn't come out, though, more to do with sheer terror than actual restraint on her part. She had a death grip on Jonathan, who had a sort of bemused smile on his face. He always liked flying with people for the first time.

[assassinrue]

When they landed, Kendrick took no pause in falling to all fours and heaving in air.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Astrid stumbled against a nearby wall, not even having the presence of mind to take in her surroundings. She didn't collapse like Kendrick, but her head was spinning and she was having trouble staying on her feet. "Everyone okay?" came Jonathan's calm voice.

[assassinrue]

Kendrick coughed once like he had half a mind to dislodge a lung then glared at Jonathan. "You enjoy this too much."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Jonathan gave him a faint smile. "Perhaps," he said. "But it's not so bad after the first time." Really, though, no one could eve love it as much as him. Being close to the sky and, at night, the stars. Maybe that was because of Jessi. He could still feel her hand in his sometimes, her eyes wide as she stared at the source of her power, still so far away but so close. "Come inside. Some water will make you feel better."

"What, no chocolate?" Astrid said jokingly. She seemed to be reviving much better than Kendrick.

Jonathan let out a breathy laugh. "Sorry, but no."

[assassinrue]

Kendrick silently followed them, trailing behind, glancing over his shoulder. He couldn't help being suspicious. It was woven into his DNA, it came inherited with his ability to be a human lie detector. It came with growing up homeless and parentless and friendless. It came with having his heart ripped out. Not that anyone would know these things.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Jonathan led them both inside the somewhat run-down looking shack. Admittedly, Jonathan had fixed it up quite a bit since he'd chosen to live here, but it still needed some work. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed two water bottles out of the fridge. He'd managed to get the electricity working, but the plumbing was still... questionable. As a result, he rarely used the tap.