Endana

"Bring him in, please," I called to Misa and Reichin. I could hear the sounds of Hanif cursing at my fellow Virtuosos as they dragged him towards the room. After an eventful time introducing Hanif to the Anax and the rest of the court, the Anax had instructed me to get Hanif cleaned up. I hadn't realized until then, but Hanif did look a mess.

The Anax seemed to have more patience for the thief than I had expected. In fact, for all the cursing Hanif did towards the esteemed ruler, he only reacted once. I had itched to throw Hanif right back in that hole I'd dragged him from, but I knew we needed him.

He seemed to know it to, that or he just had no self control. At this point, I wasn't sure which was the case.

The door banged open, startling the alleviators behind me. Reichin's tall and bulky frame appeared first, the jagged tattoo ever present on his face, stark against the tanned skin. It wove right into his midnight hair, reminding me once again of his unique heritage.

Not that I didn't have a unique heritage myself.

Reichin dragged in a struggling Hanif, Misa following with Hanif's other arm. Misa's shorter, more lithe frame and silver hair were quite the difference compared to Reichin. But they were two of the best Virtuosos in the Anax's employment.

They managed to get through the narrow door into the infirmary room, and Hanif seemed to calm down upon seeing me. Blood dribbled down a fresh cut on his lip as my eyes drew over the rest of him. Clearly he had been fighting the Virtuosos as his chained wrists were bloody as well.

"Thank you." I nodded to Reichin and Misa, swallowing back the feeling that bringing Hanif here was a very bad idea. "I can take it from here."

Misa's eyes widened, his mouth opening in protest. But Reichin beat him to it. "Are you sure, Endana? The guy's not exactly cooperating." He tightened his grip on Hanfi's forearm, to which Hanif tightened his jaw and threw Reichin a glare.

"I'll be quite fine." Now wasn't the time to chicken out, especially not on a lowly thief. Hanif had to learn his place, especially if I was going to be the one to oversee his mission.

Hesitantly, Reichin and Misa let go of Hanif's arms. One at a time, they cast me a glance and left the room.

Once they were gone, I was quite aware of the two alleviators behind me. They still hadn't moved, and I could tell their gazes were locked on the wild man standing in front of us.

"So what is this?" Hanif asked at last, the curiosity apparently getting the best of him.

"You have been in prison for several years. We need to..." I hesitated, taking a moment to draw up some of the power dwelling inside me, "decontaminate you."

Hanif's eyes flicked to my fingers, then snapped back up to meet my gaze. "I'm not infected." He said the word with such disdain that I couldn't help but take a step forward, flames tingling at my fingertips.

"Nevertheless, you need to get cleaned up."

"Why? Because your master ordered you to do it?" The amount of spite in Hanif's voice was overflowing.

"No, because the Anax doesn't want you to die from some commonly passed infection before you can be of use to him," I replied coldly. The fire had died from my fingers, my fear and apprehension right along with it. Behind the strong mask Hanif Nnamani was just a scared man, unsure of who he was.

I stepped forward and brought out the key to his chains. He held still as I undid the lock on his hands and neck. Now that we were in such close proximity, I could see the many bruises littering his skin. He clearly was not in as good a condition as I had hoped. But what could I ask of an inmate from Brinestone?

"You will not fight them. You will lie still and let them clean you up," I instructed him, my tone slow and clear enough I knew he wouldn't miss the instructions.

"And what if I say no?" Hanif had the guts to snap back. The guy really didn't know when to quiet down.

"Then you'll be forced." I waited for him to respond with violence, ready to do what was necessary. If it came down to it, I wouldn't hesitate to cut him down.

Tense seconds passed. No one seemed to breathe.

Then Hanif gave a short, stiff nod of his head. An agreement to cooperate. I involuntarily released a breath, part of me relaxing. I stepped to the side and pointed at the table behind me. "Take off your shirt and lie down."

Hanif stared at me for two hard seconds, his gaze piercing. I raised my eyebrows, waiting to see if he would actually cooperate.

Without a word, he stalked past me, a slight limp in his step, and climbed onto the table. With slow, purposeful movements, he pulled off the clean shirt we had given him and tossed it at his feet. I forced myself to look away from his sculpted chest and the bruises littering it as he laid back.

Immediately, the alleviators set to work on him. They began to clean up his wounds, the bruises even more stark against his skin now that he had been scrubbed of all the filth. Misa and Reichin had seen to that part of his cleaning, which explained the split lip and extra cuts. Clearly he hadn't been so cooperative.

I considered warning Hanif of what would happen if he tried to fight against the alleviators, but decided against it. He had to know what would happen, so it wouldn't matter if I warned him.

Hanif hissed as one of the alleviators began working on his bruised ribs, carefully pressing her fingers along the bones to feel for the extent of the damage. But he held still, and even remained quiet.

When the other alleviator moved to Hanif's nose, I stepped closer to monitor him. The alleviator paused before touching Hanif's nose. "Assessing this is going to hurt," he told Hanif plainly. I tensed. Then he began to press against the swollen edges of Hanif's nose.

A groan slipped past Hanif's clenched teeth, but he did hold still. I had to admire his strength in that. I had expected him to thrash around and then I'd have to restrain him. But now that I thought about it, he'd surely had worse pain than that having been in one of the worst prisons in Udor.

When the alleviators finished at last, they sterilized their hands. The man, of whom I didn't know his name, approached me. I glanced at Hanif who was still on the table before turning my attention to the alleviator.

"His nose is broken, but it should heal fine. Someone set it in time, so the bones aren't out of place. His ribs are only bruised, as are many other parts of his body. But nothing too major. The most concerning thing is his malnutrition and dehydration. I'm not sure what they feed the prisoners in Brinestone, but I'm sure it isn't nutrient dense foods."

"What do you suggest?" I glanced over at Hanif. He had turned his gaze over to us, his hard eyes tracking my every movement.

The alleviator crossed his arms. "Feed him something. Give him good food." He pulled off his white jacket and discarded it in the bin beside the door. "Oh, and Rina is going to get the razor. We'll need to cleanse his head."

"What? What does that mean?" Hanif demanded, sitting up at the mention of a razor. The girl, Rina, jumped at his outburst and leaned back against the sink.

"You are infected with Pediculus humanus capitis. We have to shave off your hair to get rid of it."

Hanif reached a hand up to his ruddy hair, a hint of fear in his dark eyes. "What is that?"

"It means you have head lice." The alleviator turned to Rina, who seemed to have calmed herself. "Let's do it quickly, before he spreads it to anyone."

"Wait--wait, wait. Hold on." Hanif stuttered, scrambling off the table. "Can't you just wash it or... something?"

"Lay back down on the table," I said firmly, taking a step forward to accentuate my words.

The alleviators ignored Hanif, going about the room and grabbing the necessary tools to get rid of the head lice. I focused on Hanif who looked about ready to bolt. But I couldn't understand it. The guy had been just fine to hold still while the alleviators poked and prodded at him. But now he was scared by the idea of someone cutting off his hair?

"Hanif, get back on the table," I said when Hanif still didn't move. A hint of warning echoed my words, clear enough that he would know what would happen if he didn't cooperate. His eyes moved over to me, and for a split second there was clear panic in the hazy orbs. Then it faded, blinked away to the dull hardness that I had started to grow used to.

Hanif shook his head. "No. Leave my hair alone. You have no right to--"

"We have every right," I interrupted him, stalking forward until I was in his face, standing evenly with him. "We gained that right the moment you decided to break the laws of Udor. And from the moment you were arrested, you became a prisoner to the Anax. He controls your life, Hanif. Now. Lie. Down." I held his gaze, flame blazing to life on my fingertips.

I could see the anger mirrored in Hanif's eyes, but he didn't move. In fact, he only seemed to grow more resolved. Whatever reasons he held for wanting to keep his hair were clearly strong in his mind.

I withheld a sigh. Then I extinguished the flame on my fingertips and raised my hands. In a matter of moments, I drew up enough magic to my side and sent it into Hanif, forcing him back and against the table, the invisible force pressing his arms down at his sides and his body taut against the wood.

"Let. Me. Go." Hanif growled, struggling against the invisible bonds wrapping around his body and constricting his movements. I nodded to the alleviators, focusing on the magic as I slowly drew it up from where it stayed dormant inside me. I ignored Hanif's shouts as he swore at me and threatened to do everything unimaginable to the alleviators if they touched him.

The alleviators knew to ignore Hanif as well. They set to work on shaving off his unruly brown hair, careful to keep their hands from touching his scalp. I continued to hold him still as they shaved off strand after strand, the pieces floating to the floor and making a pile.

Minutes passed, and Hanif continued to fight against my magic. My chest burned from the energy I was exerting, but I knew Hanif couldn't break the bonds. He was growing tired too, although his obscenities had only grown more colorful.

When the alleviators shaved off the last strand of Hanif's hair, they immediately stepped back from him. Rina grabbed a broom and began to clean up the piles of hair at the base of the table while the man washed his hands again.

"Are... you going to calm down?" I said through heavy breaths, my muscles tingling.

Hanif stopped fighting for just a moment, and I could feel it in the release of pressure against the force I was exerting on him. "Let me go."

"You have to calm down first."

"Fine." Hanif huffed out a breath. "I'm calm."

He certainly didn't look calm, but I could feel my grip on him slipping, and I still had my sword after all. As gradually as I could manage, I released the pressure from his limbs and relaxed my arms.

Hanif slowly sat up, his movements methodical. He reached up and touched his head, feeling the absence of hair. For a moment I worried he would be violent again, but then the fight seemed to deflate from him. And again, I couldn't help but wonder what was running through his mind.

Why did his hair matter so much to him? What was it about the mess of strands that made him want to fight to keep them, despite being infected with a parasite?

Just one more reason to wonder about this man I had chosen for such an important task. There was so much beneath his surface, so much that didn't seem to line up with the criminal persona he displayed. It made me curious to know who he was underneath.

And it made me wonder if bringing him here was condemning him to a fate worse than what he had already been enduring in Brinestone prison.

A/N: Hey all! Back with an early update! Woohoo for spontaneous inspiration! But boy... this was quite the chapter! Some lovely nasties, conflict, and emotional aspects of Hanif! Lots of good stuff packed in! I hope you enjoyed reading it! Please let me know what you thought in the comments :)