Just got thrashed in a battle? Killed, even? You'll wake up in here, while your body automatically heals or revives itself, and then you'll be ready for your next battle.

::Tate materialises midair and lands on one of the beds, blood covering his body. He appears dead.::

::Nalia rushes to her husband's side and begins to weep angry tears over his unmoving body.::

"Oh Tate, what a mess..."

::She rolls him over onto his back, her fingers touching his eyelids lightly to close them. She looks down as his body, the various wounds covering it, and thinks about how much it must have hurt him.::

::Serena walks over to her table at the wall stocked with various healing herbs and potions. She gathers a few items and approaches Tate and Nalia. Kneeling down beside him, she begins to pack his wounds with the herbs, thus beginning the slow healing process.::

::Andrea arrives with Justin and lets go of his hand as soon as she sees Tate's lifeless body on the bed, spinning around and burying her face in his chest.::

"Oh god..."

::Justin inhales sharply and stares in shock at the site in front of him. Hardly believing what he's seeing, he puts his arms around Andrea, trying to comfort her as best he can.::

(Oh my God... this isn't happening. This just can't be happening.)

::He looks over at Nalia, his eyes filled with pain and fear.::

"What happened to him? Who did this?"

"I did."

::Stefany enters the room, her face emotionless. She walks over to the bed and stares at Tate as Serena works deftly on his wounds. She turns and catches eyes with Andrea, giving her a 'you're next' sort of glare. She then leaves the room, heading back to the holding bay.::

::Andrea watches Stefany leave fearfully.::

(Oh my god, she looked like she wanted to kill me!)

"Nalia..."

::She lets go of Justin and slips from his grasp.::

"What is this place?"

"It's called ARENA."

::Serena doesn't pause with tending to Tate's wounds.::

"It's a demonic battling ground. They hold fights, tournaments, battles, anything and everything you'd consider violent. Sometimes it's demon against demon. Sometimes, it's demon against witch. That's where we come in."

"Sometimes it's witch against witch, as, you have just seen the end result of."

::Wiping the tear from her eye, she turns and faces Andrea and Justin.::

"This is your life now. You go up there, you fight, you win or you die. If you win, it's all well and good. If you die, you end up here. The talismans around your neck not only block your powers, they also protect you from death."

"But not from pain..."

::Tate opens his eyes and chokes. Blood dribbles from his mouth and he takes in the faces around him.::

"Nalia-"

"Tate!"

::She crouches at his side and kisses his hand tenderly.::

"You're alive."

::Her head moves down to rest miserably on his hand.::

"So we're prisoners here? Forever? No."

::She begins to pace, fretting.::

"That can't be. We uh, there's got to be a way out. There's got to!"

(Chloe-)

::Walks in and holds up his amulet. He looks at the faces in the room, and spots Justin.::

"You! Come with me. Now."

::Nalia whispers from the corner of her mouth to Justin.::

"Do as he says. You'll regret it if you don't."

::Justin shoots Andrea a paniced glance before walking over to the minion, his head down.::

(Oh my God. Oh my God. I don't like pain. I don't like fighting. I suck at fighting. Oh God, oh God.)

::Too frightened to do anything, and having overheard Nalia's words, Andrea looks mournfully at Justin as he gets ordered to leave.::

(Oh god, what's going to happen?)

::Grabbing Justin by the arm, he leads the witch through the holding bay, outside, and upstairs to the Arena.::

"No, wait!"

::Andrea rushes after the little demon, into the holding bay.::

[Justin's limp body forms on one of the beds.]

::Andrea arrives with Chloe and immediately spots Justin lying unconcious on one of the beds. He looks a complete state, a huge wound in his chest seeps blood all over his clothes. She gasps in horror and darts to his side.::

"Oh god... Justin..."

::Looking desperately over at Nalia, she motions at the limp body of her friend.::

"You have to do something!"

::Chloe covers her mouth in horror.::

(Why would they bring the body back here? So the prisoners can look upon their fate? What kind of sick game is this?)

::She lowers her hands and approaches Andrea, gently places her hands on her shoulders.::

"Andrea... He's... There's nothing you can do."

"No, he's not... they, they can heal him!"

::She points a shaky hand at Serena.::

"She, she can heal people. She healed Tate and she can do the same to Justin."

(Please don't let it be too late.)

::Chloe glances solemnly at Justin's pale face, then turns, scanning the room.::

"Well, we could start by getting some of that blood off of him..."

::She finds a dented and dirty bucket, and rinses it in a small sink in the corner, filling it with lukewarm water after the grime is off. She sets the bucket next to the bed where Justin lay, kneeling opposite Andrea. She surveys the bloody mess that is Justin, her brow furrowed. After a few seconds, she rips off a large strip of fabric from Justin's shirt and soaks it in the bucket.::

(Fuck... Cole's probably going to be back soon... I really should have someone else do this while I try and figure out a way to get them the hell out of here.)

::Serena takes the bucket and cloth from Chloe and looks at her solemly.::

"You wear no talisman yet you concern yourself with our matters. Who are you?"

::She strips Justin to his underwear and washes him, packing his wounds with the magical herbs.::

"I've seen worse. He'll come around soon. I think his back is broken but it of course will heal."

::Chloe looks to Andrea, speaking softly.::

"I am... in love."

::She smiles slightly, before facing Serena. Her voice is still soft, barely a whisper.::

"I just don't know how to save my friends... and maybe more."

::The light in Chloe's eyes quickly fades to a solemn stare.::

"That man will be back soon... I'll have to leave and figure out a way to come back here. I could always just come on my own, since I know the way... but I don't want to arouse suspicion."

(What if I can't find a way to get them out of here? I have no real magic... there's virtually nothing I can do. I need to find Paz somehow.)

::Justin stirs and tries to sit up. Shocked into a wide-eyed silence by the pain in his back, takes a breath and tries to stay still. Hearing Andrea's voice, he rolls his eyes over to the women surrounding him.. and sees Chloe.::

"Andrea... Chloe? What happened? Was I... am I... dead?"

(Please please please don't let this be the afterlife.)

::Chloe smiles softly at Justin.::

"You're fine, Justin. At least you will be."

(I'm not going to be the one to tell him that he was practically killed by a demon... thing a little while ago.)

::Justin looks up at Chloe, his brow knitted in confusion.::

"How am I going to be okay. I don't feel okay. How did you get here?"

"Oh Justin!"

::Andrea falls to his side and wraps her arms around him.::

"Thank god you're alive!"

::Justin cries out a little as Andrea inflames his yet-to-be-healed wounds.::

"Yeah, I'm alive... I think. What happened exactly?"

(Well, at least things can't get much worse.)

"I... I don't know."

(How much does he remember...?)

"Do you know where you are?"

::Chloe stands quietly, not really wanting to get incolved in case Cole comes back.::

(Gah. All of a sudden I really want to just grab her and kiss her... Not right now, Chloe. That would be very inappropriate.)

::Justin thinks for a moment as he lays on the table, his wounds slowly healing.::

(Okay, try to remember. Paz was in trouble. I tried to save him. He turned out to be a demon and knocked me out. I was taken hostage... and sold. This is Arena... ah shit.)

"Unfortunately, I do know where I am."

::Sitting up, his fractured spine healed Justin groans a little from the lingering pain and looks over at Chloe, with disbelief in his eyes.::

"Don't tell me you're a demon too..."

::Chloe snaps out of her... yearning, and smiles st Justin.::

"I think I would have killed you already, but I can't be sure, since I don't have the urges to randomly kill so... yeah."

::She laughs slightly, grinning.::

(Smile, Justin!)

::Justin looks at Chloe, his eyebrow raised.::

(It's like she's trying to speak to me. I just know it!)

"Okay, let's try this again. This time I want you to answer in E-n-g-l-i-s-h. Okee? Now, are you, or are you not, a demon?"

"Yes! Yes, she is."

(He's a total dumbfuck if he doesn't get this...)

"So anyways... what happened to you up there? What was it like? I was so..."

(Scared, worried.)

"I don't know what to do, Justin."

"Ah, I see you've come to congratulate Justin on that superb loss!"

::Cole steps in and walks over to Chloe. Noticing the comfortable way Andrea stands with her, he frowns but then looks calm.::

"Seen anything you like?"

::Chloe throws on her best evil grin and casts her gaze on Andrea.::

"Yes... quite a few."

(Mmm...)

::She looks away befor Andrea can react.::

(Ehem.)

::Her mind starts working again...::

"Does the Arena work for any alternative profit, like selling witches?"

(Please, please, please... I'll give you anything for my Andrea... Oh, and Justin, too.)

(My brain is definately not working right at the moment. Of course she can't just come right out and say "No, I'm not a demon." Shit, it's him!)

::Justin watches as Cole walks into the room and, affraid of what he may be capable of, stares at the floor, hate on his face.::