& I'm not proud that nothing will seem easy about me

When they arrived at the Mandible house, Mike noted that all the Avians seemed somewhat agitated. Did something happen? He unfolded his wings to show he was one of them and timidly knocked at the door.

Nick swooped through the door to see who was there.

William stood right behind Mike. They were receiving odd glares and wakward glances. He kept the guitarist's hand in his and waited anxiously.

Matt noticed a movement. He narrowed his eyes.

Mike took a careful step back. "Nick? Is Butcher busy?" He had put all the emphasis he could on the word 'busy', and grinned.

Nick narrowed his eyes. "If busy means recovering from being attacked by Blackinton, then yes, he is." He turned to William. "You know what to do." He disappeared back into the house.

William's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Ryland. He nodded his head, stepping in front of Mike. He carefully placed his hand on the doorknob and waited patiently.

Matt watched as the man opened the door, a little girl clinging to his waist. They confused him. They had no scent.

"Ryland?" Mike asked in a small voice. "Is Mikey alright?" He surprised even himself by asking how the man was.

Nick stopped and looked at his killer, stroking Angel's hair. A strange look crossed his face. "Andrew and Mikey are fine." He said in a soft voice. "I think Nils might be a bit bruised. Th... Thanks for asking." Angel ran and wrapped her arms around William's waist.

William smiled down at Angel and ran a hand through her hair softly. She's too cute for words. William continued smiling down at the girl and petting her head.

Matt noticed the nervous looks avians were giving him. I don't belong here. The thought gave him a strange sadness.

"Good, good." Mike looked away nervously, only to catch the look William gave to Angel. Once again, he felt terrible for having her killed. William seemed to like her - William seemed to like every child. "Upstairs, right?" he asked, and gestured for Matt to step forward.

Nick bit his lip, smiling. "In response to your question from earlier... maybe I better go get them."

William let Mike and Matt walk into the building. He followed, Angel still clinging to him. He walked in slowly and stood still, still smiling down at the little girl.

Matt could smell the agitation in the air. He looked around. What happened? The last time he'd been here - with Ryland, coincidentally - the air had been calm, this place truly had been "sanctuary".

Mike grinned again. "Alright, you do that."

"Be. Right. Back." Nick darted up the stairs. "Oh, and look after Angel."

William nodded and looked back down at Angel. "So how are you?" he asked quietly, a smile still on his lips.

Matt kept looking around; for the small avian that despised him perhaps.

Mike smiled softly at Angel. It was grieving him that he had only really known the child after her death.

"Angel good, thank you," the little girl said with a smile. William grinned slightly. "That's good. So what have you been doing?" he asked her, his voice still somewhat quiet.

Matt watched the interaction curiously.

Mike stood closer to Matt. "Her name's Angel," he explained with a sad smile. "She was Mikey and Nick's daughter."

"Baby Nils Daddy like!" Angel said, still smiling. William grinned. "That's really good," he said, carefully picking her up so that he was now holding her. He hoped she wouldn't mind.

» Some days just ain't so easy