Sometime after Bain's fight...

Cradling the young girl in one arm, Bain ambled into the cube, sitting down on a simple stone bench just against the wall. She'd fallen asleep on the way over, her slightly mangled tentacles flinching as they tried to curl and found the tips torn, but they seemed to be healing.

Leaning against the wall, Bain looked at his tired passenger and sighed. He hadn't thought this through at all. What had he been thinking, picking a fight against three heroes? It wasn't a grudge he could deal with very easily. It wasn't a grudge he wanted to have. Part of him wanted to go ask them for an apology...

...until he remembered what they'd been doing. The thought of it made his claws clench, and he had to force them to relax before he dug through the bench. He didn't want to break the sheddings' hard work. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath, calming down slowly.

"Uhhh... Bain? Isn't that..."

Bain looked up to see Stitches pointing at his battered cargo, doubtfully waving a finger from side to side. Bain nodded. "Yeah. There were three guys tor-" He paused as his claws flexed, and he made himself relax again. "There were three guys torturing her. I think they've done it before. Remember when we first met her?"

Stitches' hand went to his opposite wrist, where there was a faint bite mark. "Yup. Pretty clearly."

Bain continued. "She didn't run until I told her I was a hero, and these guys said they were heroes. I don't know if they were actually heroes, but if they were telling everyone that, then she probably heard them."

Shaking his head, Stitches muttered, "I swear, if I ever run into those guys. That's just cruel."

Agreeing silently, Bain asked, "So, what do we do with her? We can't exactly drop her off at an orphanage."

Stitches frowned. "Does she have parents?"

He looked up to see Bain staring at him strangely, and he asked defensively, "What?"

Bain spoke slowly. "Stitches, there isn't a monster I've heard of that has parents. I was one of the lucky ones, because Nahma adopted me. I don't think he knew what he was signing up for, but I'll always be grateful to him for it. I don't know what I'd be doing without him."

Stitches shifted uncomfortably. "Oh. Sorry. I, uh - I dunno, that's pretty sad."

Bain nodded slowly, careful not to disturb his passenger. There was a short silence where they simply stayed there, the sun's rays casting shadows from the closely stationed apartment buildings. It'd been some time, but they'd realized that if anyone lived in the territory, they were reclusive to the point of invisibility. Neither of them had seen anybody aside from the young monster girl and the three heroes, and the only thing breaking the silence was the odd skritching sound of a shedding slipping on a wall.

Tentatively, Stitches asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

Bain thought about it for a moment, looking down at the young girl peacefully sleeping in the crook of his arm. "Well," he said slowly, "I'll think about it on the way. Do you have any money I could borrow?"

Stitches blinked, surprised. Bain wasn't the type to ask for money. He simply didn't need it. "Yeah, plenty. Why?"

Standing cautiously, Bain said, "I might not need clothes, but she does, and a pillowcase isn't going to cut it. I'm going to go... shopping."

Stitches' eyes widened slightly. "Wow. Okay. Yeah, sure, here's, uh... yeah, just take my card." Fishing out his wallet, he held it out to Bain. "Just don't go nuts, all right?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Going anywhere in King Pigeon's territory had the potential to be unnerving. The well-built buildings lining the streets of his fifteen-square-mile territory had extended gutter guards and a line of small trees, optimally placed so as to provide maximum comfort for the literal army of pigeons living there. For any ordinary person walking around, most wouldn't even notice the beige-colored birds sitting on every roof, eyes flicking from target to target in a neverending assessment of whether or not they were a threat.

For Bain, though, it was a much different experience. There wasn't a single bird that wasn't watching him constantly, feathers ruffling slightly. He could feel their gazes on him, more so than if he looked up to check on them, but King Pigeon's territory held some excellent stores, specifically clothing ones. And more specifically...

He rapped a claw on the glass door of Straight and Narrow, an outlet of Fancy DeMancy's clothing store. He didn't know whether Fancy had been in on the whole get-Nahma-to-become-a-hero plot, but he knew Fancy didn't hold half the bias against monsters that most heroes had.

A policy that clearly didn't extend to his employees, apparently. A portly man with a curly mustache approached the door, looking Bain up and down with a curled lip. Cracking the door open, he said in a brisk tone, "Please leave. We don't serve monsters here."

Bain stuck a talon in the jamb of the door before it could close. "I can pay."

He firmly began pulling the door shut again. "Payment is not the issue. You are. Please leave, or I will be forced to call in a hero."

Pulling his foot out of the door, Bian swiveled and carefully sat down in front of the store. The fat man looked agonized for a moment, then cracked the door back open. "I'm sorry, what are you doing?"

"Waiting for the hero."

It was several minutes before a familiar figure showed up, reinforced fabric wrapping around his upper arms and thighs. Standing, Bain appraised him appreciatively. "You updated your costume."

Fancy shrugged. "I'm a fashion icon and a hero known for my outfits. I update my costume every month. More to the point, however, what are you doing here? As you mentioned previously, you don't wear clothes."

Bain simply raised his arm to show Fancy the girl sleeping there. Fancy's mouth opened in a neat O, and his face fell into an understanding expression. "I take it you'd like some clothes for her?" Bain nodded, and Fancy's eyes narrowed as he assessed the young girl. "Does she have any preferences regarding style?"

Bain shook his head. "This is the only clothing I've ever seen her wear. I trust your judgment."

Fancy folded his arms. "My heart isn't small, sir Bain. I do want to help, but I'll need some payment."

Bain simply held up Stitches' card. "I need some pajamas and casual clothes in her size, preferably as tough as you can make them. The tentacle hair kind of shreds everything it touches."

Fancy's eyes shone as he saw the card. "Well in that case, I may have just the thing."

He brushed past the stunned manager and headed straight in, aiming for the backroom. Gently shaking the girl, Bain whispered, "Wake up. I have a surprise for you."

Her golden eyes fluttered open, taking in her surroundings slowly. Looking around curiously, she stretched slightly, and he carefully set her down. She stumbled for a moment on unsteady legs, her tentacles speeding to the ground to support her. She released a muffled shriek as her damaged hair proved too injured to sustain her weight, and she almost fell down before Bain could hold onto her.

Bringing her back to her feet, he watched as she swayed unsteadily, one of her hands tightly gripping his. He couldn't help but smile. Her hair retracted until it hung until her waist, and she slowly took a step, wincing as she did.

Bain got down her eye level. "Do you want to try something else, or do you want to keep trying to walk?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide, and his heart melted.

When Fancy came back out several minutes later, he was surprised to see Bain standing, the young monster girl sitting atop his shoulders and holding onto his head. Her hair was draped around his upper back, curling and looping around him. Looking them up and down, Fancy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not one to ask questions, but is she related to you in any way?"

Bain shook his head, temporarily dislodging his rider. "No, but I'm trying to find a place for her to stay. Do you have any ideas?"

Handing him a large bag, Fancy shrugged. "I'm afraid not. I wish you good luck, though."

Saluting casually, Bain passed the bag down to his lower right arm and ambled off, ignoring the stunned stares of the people he was brushing past. He'd just had a good idea as to who could take care of her, and he was surprised he hadn't thought of it to start with.

Taking a left into a darkened alley, he felt the girl tense, her tentacles increasing in pressure, and he reached up to pat her on the head until she calmed down. Lifting a giant slab of concrete, he lightly jumped in, letting the concrete fall behind him with a crash.

He could feel her grip on his head increase noticeably, and he whispered in the sudden silence, "It's okay. There's someone down here I want you to meet. Someone who will make sure you never get hurt again." Atop his shoulders, she looked down at him inquisitively, and he smiled again.

The darkness shifted, and he leaned down. "Hey, can you go find Nahma for me?"

The shedding moved closer to him, its eyes glinting. "Bain?"

He nodded. "Yup. Is everything okay?"

Nudging its front two legs together nervously, it asked, "Can I... have a name?"

Bain blinked. "Uh, what?"

It retreated, scuttling back into the shadows. "That is fine. I will contact Nahma."

Bain stood, calling, "Wait, you want a name?" He saw it turn around, its eyes glowing hopefully. Thinking for a moment, he suggested, "How about Brahkus?"

Its smile lit up the tunnel.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bain and his passenger had been wandering through the tunnels for some time when a slight rumble slid into Bain's hearing. Based on the sudden tightening of her grip, he had a feeling she'd heard it too.

Putting her down and extricating himself from her tentacles, he knelt and looked her in the eye as the rumble continued to intensify. "Now he might be a little scary at first, okay? But he's super nice, I promise." Her wide eyes looked into his, the bioluminescent yellow mushrooms growing out of the sides of the tunnel sending light bouncing off her retinas.

Standing up, he offered her his hand, and she seized it gratefully. They both looked forward resolutely, waiting as the sound grew into thunder.

A moment later, Nahma's head turned the corner, his body forcing itself through the tight tunnels, and he looked down at them. "Bain? Who is this?"

Squeezing her hand comfortingly, Bain replied, "This is a monster I found in my territory. She was being attacked by some heroes, so I saved her. I was hoping..." He trailed off awkwardly. His idea had seemed a lot more breachable when they'd been in daylight, as opposed to actually pitching it to Nahma.

Nahma lowered his head to get a better look at the young girl. "Hm. You are quite adorable." Several dozen of his eyes looked up at Bain. "Do you have a place for her to stay?"

Bain visibly relaxed in relief. "No, not right now. I was hoping you'd take care of her for a bit. Is that okay?"

The gigantic centipede extended one of his antennae, lightly bopping her on the head. She blinked, startled, then looked up with a faint smile. Folding his legs, Nahma set his body down comfortably and said, "Certainly. I will keep her here for now until she gets better. Are you planning on staying long?"

Bain rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry, I've got to get back to the territory, but I promise I'll find a time to hang out soon."

Nahma nodded understandingly, forcing his antennae to not droop. "I understand. Who injured your hand?" He indicated Bain's hand, eyes narrowing.

Bain hedged around the question, instead saying, "I've really got to go, but I'll back soon to check on you guys. See you later!" He turned and began heading back up the tunnel.

Watching him leave, Nahma sighed. Speaking to the young girl, he said conversationally, "He used to tell me everything, did you know that? Then he became a hero, and now I feel he grows further away by the day. I don't begrudge him that. It's what he wants." Looking down at her, he asked, "Would you like any food?"

She looked up at him and nodded rapidly, and he chuckled deeply. While he passed some food along his sides, he asked seriously, "Bain told me you were attacked. Would you like me to teach you how to make your enemies fear you?"

Considering the question, she smiled slightly, her tentacles perking up. Nahma's antennae flicked happily. "Good. I have somewhat missed teaching fear."