While Reza was inside of the cleaning facility, the clouds had opened up and begun to rain down on the city. Slow, fat drops tap lightly against rooftops on either side of the street, lazily soaking everything in its path.  The boy curses softly as he glances up at the night sky, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head. The fine hairs on his arms rise as he shoulders his bag of laundry and begins to make his way back to his apartment, extending his senses into the darkness. Reza's feet slap at the wet road as he walks noisily forward into the night, hitting every puddle and making plenty of noise as he goes, pretending not to notice the hooded figure that peels away from the building and trails cautiously behind him.

The Sparrow waits until the cleaning facility is out of view before turning sharply down an alleyway, the sound of his footsteps suddenly disappearing along with the feeling of his presence, though he has not stopped moving. Once half way down the way, Reza leaps up onto one of the buildings, laundry bag hoisted over his back. He doesn't wait for the reaction of the person trailing him, uninterested in seeing their face at all. He doesn't have to catch a glimpse of them to know who it is in the first place- he would know them anywhere by feel alone.

Thanks to his heightened senses, Reza is able to tell when his tail decides to follows him up onto the roof. As soon as the thought crosses their mind, Reza drops back down to the ground three streets over and continues on foot. When they realize that he is no longer on the roofs, they also hop back down. Simultaneously, Reza leaps back up. Once the stalker realizes the game, they use their ability to see through the buildings around them, able to see Reza on the other side.

With a slight, amused smile, Reza blocks them by cloaking himself in a sort of energy blanket, cutting off their sight of him. The man following him is startled by the sudden disconnection of his presence, and tries their ability again, thinking that they may have done something wrong. They have no way of getting around the young Leofwin's shield, though, as he has worked very hard for an occasion just like this one. He was wondering how effective this new technique would be against his brother's all-seeing eyes, and is not disappointed by the result.

Reza carries on his way home through the rain this way, pleased when he feels the irritation of his tail once they loose him for good. Reza remains as silent as ever as he listens, feeling his surroundings through the hissing of the drizzle, continuing on with his feet silent against the rooftops. Airic Leofwin angrily continues to scour the city for his disowned younger brother, no doubt fuming that he was out-skilled by the boy. Reza knows that Airic was only sent to follow him, but the older sibling didn't expect the fledgling of a Sparrow to so easily lose him, when he shouldn't even have been able to sense his presence at all. Adelard will not be pleased with him if he returns with that news.

Later that night, Reza falls out of his bed in the wake of another nightmare. Apparently he had been fighting off the invisible specter this time, because he opens his eyes to see himself and all of his blankets on the floor. He lays on the floorboards for a while, trying to catch his breath and cool himself down before he passes out. This dream had been slightly different from the rest- now Reza was fighting back. He hadn't been skewered by Tarsis' blade this time, and his brother didn't say anything to him. If he remembers correctly, though, the older sibling looked pleased that he was no longer sitting still like an open target. Tarsis had been waiting for Reza to fight back. His body hums as he remembers the dream, ignorant of the broom handle thumping the ceiling beneath him.

Reza eventually pulls himself to his feet and makes his way to the window, effortlessly evading any debris that lays around on the floor, even without the use of his eyesight in the darkness. He opens the window, pushing aside the pale curtains that try  to tangle around his arms. The cold breeze blows in, curling cold claws around the boy's hot body. But it isn't enough. Reza pulls his shirt over his head, discards it on the floor and leans out the window, allowing the wind to dry the dampened hair from his forehead. Even though Tarsis had been proud of him this time, Reza still feels like he's lost somehow, and his body doesn't feel any better afterwords. His stomach still lurches and if anything, he feels a bit worse than the other few nights.

It isn't until several minutes have passed and his body temperature has cooled enough for bumps to rise on his bare skin, that Reza notices the person standing below on the ground, in the same place that Caledon and Rowan had been just the other night. Surprised at himself for not noticing before, Reza stands from his spot leaning out the opening, assessing the situation.

The white haired boy freezes, starring up at the open window as if afraid that the other Sparrow would leap down and attack him for seeing him like this. He shouldn't even be here, but he couldn't sleep and was unable to help where his feet took him. He hadn't stopped thinking about what Cale had told him about Reza's background and felt drawn to the run down apartments.

Since it had been mentioned to him, Rowan is able to see the sort of condition Reza is actually in. Once Rowan had begun to pay more attention to him, he noticed that Reza has been getting paler and more sick looking than Rowan has ever seen him. It doesn't take a terrible amount of observation to see that Reza is a mess, and there has to be something going on to make him that way. It even took him several minutes to notice Rowan's presence, which is simply unheard of with his usual keen awareness. The way he was leaning on his windowsill for support with his eyes closed was enough to make the boy concerned for his squad mate, but he wasn't sure whether he should speak up or silently back away from the complex. But before he could make up his mind about what to do, Reza had righted himself and looked down at the whited-haired boy.

Reza just looks down at his squad mate with cold, unreadable eyes and thinks for a moment. What is he doing here? Reza can imagine how pale and sickly he must look in the moonlight, and there is no hiding how weak he currently is from Rowan's prying eyes- not when he feels like he may throw up over the side of the apartment building at any second. He presses his lips tightly together as the lurching of his stomach grows more violent. He closes his lids tightly to fight off the urge to vomit and clenches a hand around the sill until his fingers ache.

Rowan opens his mouth to shout an apology up at his squad mate, but Reza hods a finger to his mouth to quiet him without ever opening his eyes. If Rowan does that, he'll wake everyone up, the idiot.

Reza takes a breath, cracks his eyes open and frowns, looking down at the ground. He then glances over his shoulder, inside of his dark apartment. He doesn't know if he'll be able to jump down right now, but there is no way that he is going to invite Rowan in, either. Besides, a walk in this cold air might calm his nausea. He turns back to the white haired boy and holds a hand out, signalling for him to wait a moment. He then disappears into the dark beyond the window and pulls the glass back down, cutting out the breeze.

Reza emerges around the front of the building a minute later wearing shoes and a short sleeved shirt. He stops in front of Rowan with crossed arms and a cold expression. "What are you doing?" He asks in an unhappy whisper. It is no longer raining outside, though the earth remains wet in its memory and the air is heavy with lingering moisture.

Rowan frowns and puts his hands in the pockets of his jacket, feeling irritated with himself. He should have crept away earlier when he wasn't looking. Why did he even wait for Reza to come down? He should have gone home. "I don't know."

Reza scrunches up his nose at the response and begins to walk, sucking in the frigid air through his mouth. Rowan, not knowing what else to do, follows him with an estranged sigh.

"Did you need something? Or were you just stalking me?" Reza asks, obviously annoyed. He focuses on his clouding breath, trying to keep his mind from the turning of his gut.

Rowan sighs in frustration. "I don't know," He repeats. "I couldn't sleep and I haven't been able to think about anything but what Cale said the other night. I got up to take a walk and ended up here."

Reza's frown deepens. "My life is none of your concern, Rowan."

"It is if we're squad mates. I can't have you slowing Leigh and I down," Rowan pauses for a moment before adding, "She's worried about you, you know."

"I'm fine." Comes Reza's short reply. He feels his stomach turn again and his head pounds with a migraine, severely contradicting his words. Reza squeezes his eyes shut in attempts of warding off the headache. He's beginning to think about Tarsis again. His abdomen burns where he was stabbed the night before. Will the day ever come when he doesn't have that awful dream?

Rowan looks sideways at him. "I can see that," He says sarcastically. "By the way, do you know you're bleeding?"

Reza had stopped walking and places a hand over his mouth, willing the sickness away.
Rowan stands beside him and says nothing as he watches the other Sparrow struggle to keep the contents of his last meal down. He did not know that he was bleeding, but that is the farthest thing from his mind at the moment.

Reza wants to say that he really is fine, to be able to straighten up and walk back to his home and go back to bed without dreaming. But he is apparently weaker than he originally thought, and does the one thing he never intended to do in front of Rowan. He shows weakness by keeling forward and throwing up in the bushes beside him.

Rowan doesn't touch him as Reza straightens and wipes his mouth on the back of his wrist. "Yeah, I can see that you're just fine." Rowan comments, observing the way his squad mate has begun to shiver. What was he thinking coming out in just a t-shirt, anyway? He doesn't offer Reza his coat, mostly because he doesn't want his rival to think that he cares. 

Reza tosses him a dirty look, feeling very tired. Even if he was to lie back down, though, he doubt's that he'll be able to sleep again. "Don't you dare tell Leigh. Not about any of this."

"Fine," Rowan shrugs. "But only if you tell me what's gotten you so shaken up."

"I can't do that." Reza breathes, feeling a little better after his messing of the bushes. He turns his head away to look up at the stars that shine in the night sky, head still pounding.

"Not even if I tell you what Cale's been teaching me?" Rowan casually tries to bribe, wanting for his comrade to feel like he can talk to him. As much as Rowan would never admit out loud, he likes Reza and wants to befriend him. He wants him to feel better and to get back into being himself.

"I don't need you to tell me, I've known for a while," The two are quiet for a moment before Reza continues, hesitant about showing his concern for Rowan. He does so with an attitude that says otherwise to avoid confusion. "You'll be ruined before your twentieth birthday if you keep that training up."

"I can handle myself. After all, your brother did it, right?"

Reza slowly turns his head to face Rowan, eyes glinting like cold glass shards in the moon light. "Do not aspire to be like Tarsis. What he went through to achieve his current power is not admirable. Do not wish such a thing upon yourself," His voice is as hard as steel. "My brother is not the sort of person you should want to be."

Rowan swallows and fights the sudden urge to back away from the other boy. Instead, he shoves his hands into his jacket pockets, pretending that Reza's words didn't strike a chord of fear in him. But if the training is so dangerous, surely Cale would not allow him to continue it, right? It cannot be as bad as Reza makes it out to be. "Anyway, what are you doing out here dressed like that?" Rowan asks, openly changing the subject.

Reza folds his arms, eyes narrowing. "That is none of your-"

"Concern, right?" Rowan sighs, shrugging his shoulders. "Alright, fine then. But if you drop in the middle of training tomorrow, I won't be the one dragging your ass back home and tucking you in."

"I would expect not. You weren't followed here, were you?" Reza had been so caught up trying not to vomit that he hadn't paid attention to their surroundings, and only just realized someone else was near by. Airic could have easily saw Rowan leave his house and followed him, knowing that he is on Reza's squad.

Rowan frowns deeply, apparently insulted. "You think that I would let myself be followed?"

"By the Head Guard, I think it would be quite possible." Reza comments, turning his head to look behind him suddenly.

"Ah, so I finally found you. You've gotten good, you know, not just anyone can lose me." Comes a new voice from behind the Sparrows, sending them into fighting stances. A figure had been watching from a building several yards away, arriving shortly after Reza threw up. Airic had been ashamed to return to the Leofwin mansion without actually encountering Reza, so he continued to hunt throughout the city for him. It wasn't until a half an hour ago that his presence suddenly resurfaced, and Airic followed it here.

Reza realizes that when he woke from his dream that he must have been startled enough to let his guard down. Because he was so dazed for such a long time afterword, he hadn't remembered about his earlier tail until it was too late. He curses under his breath but allows a terrifying smirk to play his lips. "I am not surprised that you kept searching. It must be humiliating for a man in your position to lose track of a child. Adelard would not want to see your shameful face."

Airic clenches his hands into fists, jaw clenching. "Watch what you say, Reza. At least he still considers me a son."

Rowan glances at Reza, shocked at the way he addresses the higher ranked man. He has never seen a look like that on Reza's face before, and it makes his blood pound a little louder in his ears. Reza's eyes glint a sharp, cold shade of silver in the moonlight, and Rowan can't help but look at his squad mate's smile and be reminded of the way a wolf bares its teeth at another predator. Everything about both people in front of him displays aggression towards one another and Rowan knows that if he doesn't do something to stop this, there is likely to be bloodshed.

Reza knows this, too. He knows that he is asking for a fight and he knows that he is not in his right mind at the moment. He knows that if Airic wants to fight, that Reza will win. Airic knows it too, because his confident grin wavers, even despite his previous remark. But what Airic and Rowan don't know is that Reza is fighting to keep his knees from buckling. The migraine worsens until it feels like having a dozen tiny people with hammers beating relentlessly away at his brain. Seeing Airic has caused the dream to resurface in Reza's mind, reminding him of Tarsis. Even as he puts up the tough front, the invisible specter is tugging at the corners of his mind.

Reza's abdomen throbs suddenly and painfully alongside his head. His arm aches and he feels the overwhelming desire to be sick again. His body temperature is rapidly rising, even in the cold air of the outdoors. Reza swallows and opens his mouth. "If you would like a fight, please do make it quick. I would like to return to my bed sometime soon," Then seeing Airic's face, continues with, "Unless, of course, you are afraid of losing. In that case, you may feel free to return home and tell Adelard that you beat me. After all, he is not aware of my current skill level. Perhaps you are the stronger one."

Airic raises his chin. "Of course I am the stronger one! I did not gain my position from the family name." 

Reza raises an eyebrow, folding his arms. Neither Rowan or Airic can see how hard he is griping his forearms, knuckles turning white. Again the thought crosses his mind- Tarsis, why are you doing this to me?  "So, what will it be then, brother?"

Airic gives a troubled sigh. "I suppose that it would not be fair to fight with you, especially now that sweet big brother Tarsis is not here to protect you. I will let you go for now, but beware, baby brother. The next time we cross paths, I will not hesitate to kill you." With that, Airic vanishes into the shadows behind him and into the night, empty threat trailing behind him like whisps of mist in the morning sun.

After a few minutes pass and he can tell that they are alone, Rowan turns to the other boy with a frown. "Why did you let him leave? You could have easily taken him down- Hey... Reza?"

The Sparrow has his eyes squeezed shut, his head hung and a hand clasped tightly over his mouth. Now that Rowan looks closer, he can see how his legs shake and is amazed that he can even stand. Reza shakes his head at Rowan's question, not opening his eyes.

Rowan waits beside him cautiously, wanting to help but not knowing how. So, he stays quiet until Reza can speak again.

"You should go home now." Reza's voice sounds strained and his eyes remain shut, as if it would pain him to open them up.

Rowan looks at him. "Will you be able to make it back by yourself?"

"Of course I will." Reza snaps, though his voice is missing its usual sharpness.

Rowan folds his arms. "Are you sure? I don't believe you." 

"Rowan." He growls the best that he can.

The white haired boy is not intimidated. "My house is closer than yours at this point. You won't be able to walk back by yourself. And besides, what if Airic is waiting to ambush you?"

"He is a coward, he is not going to-" Reza is forced to stop speaking when a bout of dizziness hits him. It takes several beats for it to pass, the nausia subsiding with it. When he speaks again, he opens his eyes, turning a hard gaze onto Rowan. "Go home."

Rowan's frown deepens. "You're not going to tell me what's going on. You really don't trust me then, right? Do you trust anyone?" He does his best not to sound wounded, but it seeps into his words, anyway.

Reza's face is blank as he turns his back, facing towards his dwelling place. "I do, actually. Only one person." There is a silence for a long moment where neither boy speaks. Reza shakes his head slightly. "Go home, Rowan. I'll see you tomorrow."