"Well, actually--" Before he could finish his explanation, many things suddenly happened at once: something small-- smaller than him-- white, and wielding a long knife leapt seemingly out of nowhere and onto Hector's shoulder. The little figure lost its balance and slid down, grabbing a protruding bit of his armor and slashing at him with the knife. At the same time, 9 jumped and shouted at it-- "7! Wait!"