In her panic and hustle, she hadn't noticed that she wasn't alone where she had ducked in to hide. If she were to observe her surroundings in detail, she would see that she had dove into what looked to be a security checkpoint before leading into an office building of sorts. There were a couple of potted plants, a pair of security cameras, some floor tape in the shape of a square in the corner of the room for some reason, a thick glass door that led further into the building, and an L-shaped desk in the centre of the room.

And that would be the main point of attention here, as there was someone behind it. Someone that couldn't be seen at the moment, due to them hiding behind a newspaper, reading it. She then heard what appeared to sound like a 'hiss' of a snake, but before she could really wonder what that was, exactly, the newspaper came down, revealing a man that had jaw-length swept back black hair, with green highlights in it, as well as deep green eyes, wearing a black and light blue security uniform.

His eyes scanned the area, before resting on where the newcomer was hiding. He could see her decently clearly, and wondered what was going on. He then looked out the glass doors that led outside, and could see a bit of a mob of people... about 10-11 large... starting to head right towards where they were.

Upon seeing this, he sighed and looked over towards the one that was hiding.

"A-HEM!" he cleared his throat loudly.

When she jumped a little and peered out from her hiding spot, she saw him gesturing to his desk... specifically, behind it, around where he legs were.

It seemed like he was silently telling her to hide there instead... which, she had to admit, WOULD conceal her perfectly.

He watched as she ducked behind the desk and nestled herself near his legs, making sure that no part of her could be seen. He then sighed and folded his newspaper down a little as they got closer.

After what seemed to be a few seconds of deliberation, 2 of the mob stepped through the doors, one male and one female.

"...yes?" the security guard asked them.

"Can I help you?" he asked further.

"Pretty sure there are no expected appointments this late in the evening..." he went on, looking at the small clipboard that was beside him, examining it briefly and setting it down.

"So what brings you here this late?" he asked them, checking the wall clock that stated it was close to 9:00 at night.

The guard raised his eyebrow.

"...blonde hair... green skin... and huge ears." he repeated back, sounding disbelieving.

"I know it sounds weird, but-" the male started to say, before the guard snapped his fingers.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Actually, yes! Yes, someone of that description DID duck into here!" he told them.

"They did!?" the male exclaimed.

"Yep." the guard replied.

"I heard the doors slam open, checked to see what was going on, and I guess I startled them, because they rushed back OUT the doors in a matter of seconds, and from what I saw, they headed directly right." he told them further.

The male then looked at the female.

"...there's a large sewer entrance close by!" he exclaimed, knowing that the one they were chasing could easily fit into it and get away if they weren't quick enough.

The male looked at the guard again.

"Thanks!" he echoed.

"Have a successful night." the guard replied.

He then watched as the two of them barked some things to the small mob, before they started to rush off in the direction that he had given to their 'leaders'.

He leaned back and brought the paper up again, shielding himself from their view, before speaking.

"Don't just yet." he whispered. "There's stragglers, I can tell." he told her quietly.

He was then silent for a few seconds, and she then heard a countdown.

"...6...5...4...3...2..." he mumbled, before sighing and putting the newspapers to the side, looking at the clock once more, but sparing a very quick glance outside.

"Yep, they're gone." he confirmed to her.

"Hold up." the guard said.

"Just hoooooold on a second, there." he told her.

"What is going on with you?" he asked. "I mean... it's clear why those people were after you, but... what's your deal?" he asked her further.

He then paused for a moment, before sighing. He felt a show of good faith was in order here.

"However, why did I help you?" he asked.

"Simple." he said. "While it might sound old-world, or xenophobic, or whatever, it's sadly still relevant to this day." he continued cryptically. "We non-humans gotta stick together." he told her.

Then, before she could respond, she saw a long, slightly broad forked tongue slowly emerge from his mouth. And this wasn't the kind of forked tongue that someone could have done to them by having their own tongue surgically altered.

This was a legitimate, natural, reptile-like tongue.

"We like it that way." he replied.

"Means that those that keep blaming us for conspiracies are either seen as super xenophobic to the point of blaming an extinct species, or just outright nutzo." he told her.

This confirmed to her that she was, in fact, correct with her original assumption as to what he was.

"Now." he went on.

"I can smell it on you." he told her.

"The heat, the... 'spice'... of fire mana." he revealed.

"You're pretty far from average, aren't you?" he asked, making note of her 'off' right arm, but deciding that bringing it up right now would be topic jumping a little too much.

The guard was silent again for a moment, and then sighed quietly.

"Look." he said. "Let's just stop beating around the bush, and get straight to some points, shall we?" he asked.

"It's clear that you need a place." he then said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"You were on the run from that mob, and you chose to duck in here, and furthermore, you trusted me when I motioned for you to hide behind the desk." he continued. "If that's not a clear indication that you need somewhere safe, then I don't know what is." he went on.

"Also, the fact that I can smell the fire mana on you probably means that your own warren won't even want you back." he continued, showing he knew what she was, under her coverings.

"...how about you see about staying HERE?" he offered.

Her tone did not go unmissed by the guard, and he sighed.

"Listen..." he said quietly.

"I know that, odds are, you've had a very rough life, to put it mildly." he commented. "I have, too, but let's not compare sob stories and compete in the Grief Olympics." he suggested.

"This is a place where those like you and me... those that are hated and feared by others... are safe." he told her.

"And I'm guessing that, because of that 'bounty' comment one of the people made earlier, there's a high chance that you won't really be safe ANYWHERE out there while you're on your own." he guessed further.

He then decided to take another big step, and introduced himself. He told her his name, using his own tongue, and then smirked a little, knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to come close to pronouncing that.

"But I go by Jacob. 'Jake', more commonly." he added.

"Izea. Good name." Jake replied.

"But yes, believe it or not, this is a place where you can be safe." he told her... and she could hear the sincerity in his tone.

"This place-" he started to say further, before pausing slightly.

"Hm." he mumbled. "Actually, let's see if we can't make this a little easier, without giving you info that you may have already." he commented.

"Tell me." he said.

"Ever hear of a place called 'The Unit'?" he asked her.

Jake just chuckled slightly when she said that.

"That's about the core of it." he said. "The Unit is a shadow branch of the government, dedicated to protecting the general populace from those that they stopped believing in years ago, never believed in the first place, or just never heard of." he told her. "Also, we deal in KEEPING these things secret from John Q. Public, because, quite frankly, the majority of the people aren't mentally equipped to know the truth of what lies beneath the proverbial bed at night." he continued.

"Or, as our boss puts it: 'Just because you've stopped believing in the bogeyman, doesn't mean he's stopped believing in YOU'." he then summarised.

"But yes. Seems you've stumbled upon The Unit." he told her.

"Not only are we such an agency, but we also serve as a safe haven for those rejected by the 'normal' world." he went on, making sure to use air quotes around the one word. "They can come to us to try and get their lives back on track, try to reintegrate themselves into society, or even potentially find their calling HERE." he then revealed to her.

"And we make it a point to NEVER turn someone down that is earnestly seeking help." he stressed.

"So tell me... are you tired of being on the run?" he asked.

"Will you honestly allow us to try and help you?" he asked her further. He'd already heard her... less-than-emphatic confirmation before... but he wanted to see if she had even a glimmer of care for herself and her future left in her.