Ain't A Hero

Season 6

Bryan Schuder

Ain't A Hero: Season 6 by Bryan W. Schuder is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 InternationalCCBYNCSA

Official Enough Release

Updated 03/24/2025

Ain't A Hero

Season 6

Dedications

Timeline

Episode 66

Episode 67

Episode 68

Episode 69

Episode 70

Episode 71

Episode 72

Episode 73

Episode 74

Episode 75

Episode 76

Episode 77

Episode 78

Dedications

First and foremost... A special thank you to all the crazy humanity loving folks over at /r/HFY ! Out of all the places on Reddit for writing, you all are the most accepting and welcoming bunch of them all. As long as humanity is involved some how and you want to write, /r/HFY will give you a place to call home. I was not only surprised to find people interested in this crazy tale, but people who repeatedly read episode after episode... And still wanted more. I will try to deliver more! Second season down, hopefully a third and more to go!

So, in an inconsistent arbitrary order of me looking through the series posts, thank you to these fine folks that provided commentary (both praises and criticisms) and those who subscribed. (Please let me know if I missed anyone!)

roflmaono
Attamark
Lithuse
KillerKolonelz
RougemageNick
Twister_Robotics
joe_wood
Fly18
Lurking_Reader
Waspkeeper
bontrose
carpkiller
KahnSig
Shactus
michael15286
Krynja
ProfessorVonSagan
Layxe
zarikimbo
Ryushimojii
atomic_cheese
Rand__Rahl
NinjaTurple
fatboy93
PhalanxLord
Slayalot
K2MnO4
zymurgist69
ChainsawNagitana
Eater_of_yellow_snu
Jonfirst
Nuke_the_Earth
Isitalwaysthisgood
Red-Shirt
WandererOfTheMind
ImperialForgeMaster
barely_harmless
Maxkenny09
Alphamole0
Random-Hats
Applepielord1244
Fieryfight
ccassidyx9
Ghrrum
Thatfurrykid
tipsy_topsy
DudeGuyBor
InitiativeTwentyOne
Sakul_Aubaris
antonthekiller
pie4155
ragnoraknow
nerdy_n_dirty86
RedTheReckless
Shiamu
ZeDestructor
Omega048
MavenDeviant
HardAtomicSmile
testicouille741
Deathcoolbro
SirSchmoopy111
Halefor
cochi522
Olindoga
smeik111
explosiveelephants
LIKE1OOONINJAS
Cyber_Reader
ruruwkzu
spaceminions
CSlade1
JoshXH
sic99
Leginp
Firenter
lazyviking3742
ryan_morland
SirIronTwig
ChainsawHalberd
elemental821
MaartenS16
RollSavingThrow
randommlg
GrayMatter01
Daevis43
Glaris
vittupaahan
Admiral_Sylvor
TRN42
Golddrake
Repeated_613
Voobwig
Dr_Acen
Honoris_Causa
nuacc2
sluglie
mortalnine
mheiszler
pennythoughtful
IntelligentDemise
Makyura
minkshaman
Fkn_Ra
WakelessTitan
BlessedPatrick
ikbenlike
maaghen
Shaeos
garrdor
wiggamail
allorigional64
DarkLordZargon
bracabrad
Stordabjornen
ubercaesium
kaloshade
LurchTheBastard
kumo549
splash_43
Meh12345hey
F0rg0tMy70gin
Dolduck
jaredzz
KorbenD2263
PresumedSapient
minicooper237
mudkip201
Netmantis
Kasaeru
UnholyReaver
Just_a_stae_of_mind
Khelbun
Ice_Man_Cometh
Havok707
Omenofstorms
zombieking26
Kiryln
JJdaJet
AMEFOD
TheBarbequeSteve
TW6173
_Skylos
A_Drunk_Ninja
Maravedis
Moonlitsif
vitalmoss
Brimicidal
o11c
Danr630
readcard
Deadlytower
Einhanderz
HarbringerOfMayhem
Zoutpeper
Tinkerbill93
p75369

-66-

The glow of the near noon sun radiates out into the living area of the ranch style house. Bach steps through the archway from the hallway, stretching out his shoulders with a roll. Rocking his head side to side, he stops and scans the room for any activity. Sounds of kitchen metal snatches his attention, and he steps forward towards the kitchen area. With a quick peek, he studies the food in the middle of preparation upon the counter top. Leaning closer, Bach furrows his brow, noting the different ingredients of the forming meal. He pauses with the tall presence next to him. Glancing up with an awkward, innocent smirk at Dretphi, Bach scratches the back of his head of longer brown hair. "Hey... Uh... Just curious what's for lunch."

Gradually easing the stern, stoic gaze into a humored, warm smile, Dretphi rests a covered pot upon the counter top and brushes back her platinum blonde braids. "Remnant soup. Nothing special."

Bach stands back up straight and cocks his head curiously to the side inquiringly. "Remnant soup?"

With a nonchalant shrug of her defined shoulders, Dretphi sighs amused. "My mother calls it that. Soup made from the remaining ingredients you have... After you have cooked all other meals. Before you go to the grocery store."

Nodding understandingly, Bach steps back, granting Dretphi space to cook, and studies the assorted collection of vegetables, seasonings, and other edible bits. "Well, I mean, it looks like it'll be good when you are done with it."

Dretphi smiles appreciatively and gently directs Bach out of the kitchen. "I hope so. We shall see."

Wandering back into the living area, Bach walks along the side of the dining table and glances around for the source of a new noise. With a stream of faint clicks filling the soundscape near the couch, Cideeda types upon a laptop. She adjusts her head upon a couch pillow, flexes her fingers briefly, and studies a screen of numeric figures and charts. Her toes claws idly press onto the fabric of the couch cushion, and her long tail wags out from underneath her drawn up knees. Seconds of her emerald green eyes analyzing the screen later, she sighs with a trailing grumble and clacks her finger claws upon the sides of the weathered, worn, and heavily retrofitted laptop. Approaching slowly, Bach pries with an intrigued tone. "Huh. I've never seen that laptop before."

Cideeda tilts her head up briefly, glancing at Bach, and drops her attention back upon the computer resting on her stomach. "Oh. Yeah. It's my old one. I like to keep it well protected and out of the way, since it's got my personal stuff on it..."

Rolling her eyes, she smirks, curling the corner of her mouth with a hint of stale frustration. "AND, it's gotten REALLY cranky with age and repairs. So, it spends most of its time in a protective case."

Gazing over towards the dining table and the boxes near it, Bach points a thumb over his shoulder. "Make sense. So, um, any projects you need help with today? Still feeling a bit sore, so I don't really want to do anything too physical today."

Searching her mind between flicks of her furry ears, Cideeda nods her head and deliberates. "Yeah... There are a few things I've been meaning to get your help with. Also, I need to show you a few things about locking mechanisms. Maybe see how you can apply that magical angle of yours."

She taps a gentle claw tip on the laptop's screen. "Let me take care of a few things here, first, and then I'll see what we can do."

Bach gradually slides his curiosity over and directs the topic towards what's on the screen. "If you don't mind me asking... What are you doing right now?"

With a sly grin curling on her light brown face, Cideeda clacks upon a few keys and guides a cursor on the screen through a few menus. "Oh. Just managing my future fortunes and seeing where I need to invest my money next."

Bach snorts lightly with an amused smirk and settles his intrigue upon the gamut of graphs and number tickers on the display. "I mean, I can't say I'm surprised you are playing the markets."

Lifting a humored eyebrow, he quips with a short grin. "Working those hot tips and making the split seconds trades for the big payouts?"

Cideeda laughs, rolls her eyes with a smirk, and slowly shakes her head upon the couch pillow. "Oh. Gods. No. THAT type of day trading has always seemed like needlessly abstracted gambling to me."

Perking her brow, she gazes up to Bach with a sinister, toothy grin. "I prefer to SEE the faces of the people who I'm taking money from, if I'm going to gamble."

She pushes herself up, resting her back against the couch arm and stretches her legs out, resettling the portable computer upon her lap. "I stay away from all that short term trading business. Not saying you can't make some money that way..."

Furrowing her brow, she twists her mouth, a faint grumble in her undertone. "You're more likely to be fighting to break even than anything else, unless you make it your full time job. And even THAT isn't a guarantee."

She rests her fingers upon her chest and straightens her posture. "I am playing the long game. So, I go after companies that have proven dividend payouts and stable share value. That's about as risky as I'm going to get with my retirement portfolio."

Lifting a humored eyebrow, she chuckles softly. "Anyway, I'm not looking to strike it rich with this money. Gods. I'd just end up worried all the time if I was going to lose it in the next minute."

With his interest piquing, Bach leans over for a better view of Cideeda's laptop screen. A few moments of watching the information stream upon the screen later, he grits his teeth briefly and sheepishly admits. "You know... I wouldn't mind getting some advice on investing money... Since... Well..."

He blinks in thought a moment and tilts his head to the side. "I actually have free money to do so. For once."

A spark of excitement lights up Cideeda's eyes. She pivots upon the couch, slides over to the middle seat, and pats the spot next to her. "Well! Let me give you the introductory lesson! Have a seat."

Bach pauses at the sudden shift in attitude, slides behind the coffee table, and lowers himself in the seat next to Cideeda, awaiting further instruction. Cideeda quickly taps her claw tips on the laptop keys and brings up a few simple informational graphics and charts. "Now, you can search all over the aethernet, and you'll get every get rich plan in the world. But, I've found the bucket system to work nicely for me."

Studying the pictures on the screen, Bach glances over and patiently waits. Cideeda draws in a long breath, and her genuine interest slips through into her explanation. "Simply, your different accounts are buckets. Your first bucket is going to be your guild account. They don't pay much interest, if any, in those accounts. But..."

She flicks up her fingers with her points. "No fees, easy access, and no restrictions."

Motioning towards the screen, she continues. "So, you'll want to fill that bucket to a point where you should be able to handle three months worth of expenses. Then, you can start to fill other buckets. These could be savings and low risk investment accounts. Once, you get the amounts distributed sufficiently across the board, then you get into the riskier..."

A toothy grin widens on Cideeda, and an eager glint flashes in her emerald eyes. "AND exciting markets."

Bach gradually nods, information sinking in, and glances over to Cideeda. "Okay... I mean, that all makes sense. Limit liability and all that. So... Once I get to the point of getting into the riskier markets, what do you recommend then?"

Tapping the fingertips on her hands together with an intrigued twist of her mouth, Cideeda furrows her brow. "Well... I prefer the long term game. So, first, invest in what you know and understand. I've been burned on investing into companies whose markets I didn't quite know as well as I should."

She points out a list of company names with industry categories to Bach and leads his attention around. "Second, I would always keep a diverse portfolio. Nothing will drive you crazier than watching one large investment in a single company tank. That will unnerve you to do something silly in a frantic state of mind. Diversified portfolio will buffer those bad days, so you aren't as tempted to panic."

Shrugging her shoulders, she sighs. "And... Don't get discouraged by the daily fluctuations..."

With a slightly annoyed lift of her eyebrow at a downwards trend on a chart, she grumbles. "Despite how frustrating they may be."

Bach frowns slightly at the offending graph, noticing the annoyance drooping down Cideeda's furry ears, and broaches a new topic. "Um... Yeah. So, any favorite companies you've put your money into?"

Perking her furry ears back up, Cideeda's claw tips clack out commands and a short list of companies appears on the laptop screen. "Of course! There's Arc and Spark Munitions, Faraday Aetherwave, MercMart, and..."

Narrowing his stare at a company name on the screen, Bach slowly slides his questioning gaze over to Cideeda and lifts an inquisitive, slightly incredulous eyebrow. "Pancake Shed?"

Cideeda meets Bach's eyes and dismissively smiles, pointing out a set of statistics on the screen. "Hey. Don't let the storefront appearances fool you. They have been consistent performers when it comes to dividends. Plus..."

Donning a wide, toothy grin, she chuckles smugly. "I'm just trying to get back some of the money I've given them over the years. Just investing on the other side of the business arrangement, so to speak."

With the cut off of running water, Dretphi leaves the kitchen area, drying her hands on a towel. She wanders over to the other side of the couch, glances over to the laptop screen, and politely inquires. "Could you bring up Diamond Defense? I am curious about its performance."

Cideeda sorts through a few screens on the computer, finds the trading symbol, and opens up a very promising monthly graph. "WOW. Should have gotten in when you did. Might have to buy a few shares if it keeps this up."

A tinge of excitement emerges upon Dretphi's tan face, and she reads the statistics and trends. "It was a risk. Loss of a core workshop was hard to come back from. They did not lose that defense contract. THAT saved them."

Tightly smiling, Cideeda eyes over to Dretphi, slightly narrowing her gaze. "Well... Next time your house hears about tips like THAT, let me know as soon as you can."

Pausing in thought a moment, Cideeda grins eagerly towards the screen and switches to another program on her computer. "That reminds me..."

With glints in her emerald eyes, she stares expectantly up to Dretphi. "Someone is going to need a NEW set of armor!"

Twisting her mouth, Dretphi averts her gaze humbly, sighing calmly. "Replacement plates. New boots. New helmet. A new suit is not needed."

Bach notices the slight nudge of Cideeda's elbow into his arm, catching her winking to him. Cideeda opens up a browser to an aethernet site, and the display loads up with the Diamond Defense logo header. Images of different armor sets appear on the screen, and Cideeda angles the laptop screen towards Dretphi with a scheming smile. "Are you sure? Looks like they just released the latest lines."

Dretphi's steely gray eyes sneak down, lock onto the screen, and focus upon the product imagery appearing. She blinks away and crosses her arms resolutely, attempting to quell her desires with frugal logic. "It would be prudent to replace the missing parts. Cost effective option."

Smiling and scratching her chin with a claw tip, Cideeda playfully sighs. She visibly exaggerates the act of searching her mind and thinks out loud with an unconvinced tone. "That's... Technically... True. But, I'm quite certain with a little negotiation and effort on our part... And, factoring the growing amount of maintenance the old suit is starting to need..."

A sly grin curls at her corner of Cideeda's mouth, and she explains. "I don't think the difference in the long run would be that much."

The line of thought piques Dretphi's attention, and she twists a grimace, contemplating the logistics. "It has become DIFFICULT to mend the under armor. The fasteners are fraying. Cleaning has NEVER been easy."

Her tan face sours with the long term annoyance materializing, and she grumbles to herself. "After each wash, it faintly smells of slime... STILL..."

Cideeda briefly snarls her upper lip, gritting her teeth, and sighs loudly. "YEAH. It LINGERS much longer than you know."

Scrutinizing Cideeda closely, Bach narrows an investigative stare at her. "I really can't shake this feeling there's something you're trying to work here."

With emboldened guilt, Cideeda grins and nods, holding her hands upwards. "A little. I have been wanting another body suit, and it's easier to work discounts on larger group purchases rather than an individual purchase."

She gazes right at Bach with a sly smile and pokes a finger claw gently into Dretphi's arm. "Speaking of which, I think someone needs a new duster?"

Dretphi briefly glances away from browsing on the laptop towards Bach and nods in complete agreement. "YES. Sleeves are beyond repair. Fabric is thin. Charred. I would NOT trust it on a mission. You need a new duster."

The trio settle upon the couch, taking turns pointing to the latest sales and deals. Studying the picture of new armor plating, Dretphi asks eagerly. "Do the armor covers come in red?"

----

With a long, uncomfortable sigh, Trakenthin lowers his aetherphone from his ear, staring at the end of call screen, and briefly grits his teeth. Drawing a slow, calming breath, he tries rolling some of the tension out his shoulders and straightens his posture. He scans around his bedroom and idly coasts his stare across the armor on the stand, the boxes of equipment stacked up, the great sword hung in its sheath, and the laptop on his desk. He levels his attention upon his bedroom door, steps forth, and opens the exit to the second floor hallway. Surveying the empty hall, he glances around to the other bedroom doors for Deedri, Modoran, Tassilda, Veevi, and Chad. Pausing for a moment, Trakenthin angles his ear towards Chad's room, catching the sounds of activity slipping out from the cracked open door. He twists his face in concentration and drifts into frustration, failing to decipher anything from the muffled tones. Distantly down the stairwell, Veevi's faint whines of curses grate against the peaceful ambiance upstairs. At the peak of her fit, Trakenthin cringes with a snarl of his upper lip. A bit of relief emerges upon his dark bronze face with the fading squabble, and he walks slowly towards Chad's bedroom door. Stepping forward, he furrows his brow to the task, his face growing more stoic and neutral. He knocks on Chad's door. From inside the room, activity halts momentarily, and Chad's voice rises up. "Oh, uh... Come in?"

Calmly pushing the door open, Trakenthin turns and faces Chad. "Sorry to interrupt?"

Chad gazes up from examining himself in a reflective spot of the shield in his hands and nods towards Trakenthin with a smirk. "Hey. What's new?"

Lifting his eyebrow curiously at the shield, Trakenthin blinks back to focus back on Chad. With hesitation straining his voice, he winces slightly. "Oh. Want to inform you my... Father will visit tonight. Again. After lunch... Stay for dinner. I hope it is not a problem."

Pondering to himself momentarily, Chad flashes his trademark white smile towards Trakenthin and shakes his head. "Of course not! I'm quite happy you're spending some time with your father after so many years. And, his stories from serving in the defense against the Red Gear Uprising are amazing!"

Weakly smiling, Trakenthin thinks quietly, his eyes searching his mind, and slightly grits his teeth. Moments later, he nods in halfhearted agreement. "Stories they are."

Glancing down at his Flames of the Phoenix branded shield, Chad happily points out a very reflective section of metal. "I took his advice with cleaning up the spots on my shield. And... It's turning out GREAT."

He motions over to his desk and points out the bottle of cola, a cut lime, and salt shaker next to the rag covered bowl. "I was getting some oxidation around the edges where the lacquer has worn off a bit, and this stuff takes it right off."

A small genuine smile appears in the corner of Trakenthin's mouth, and he sighs, hints of pride showing. "He is knowledgeable in that field."

Sliding his gaze over to Trakenthin, Chad studies rigid body language and hesitant expression, cocking his head to the side. "Hey, Trakenthin. Are you okay? I mean, you don't seem to be all that excited to see your father. I'm not sure if that's grath stoicism happening or not."

He furrows his curios tan brow. "I don't mean to pry, but is there anything I should know?"

Trakenthin's hazel eyes widen briefly, and he grumbles uncomfortably to himself, briefly angling away from the attention. With an awkward grin, Chad holds up his hand. "Hey. If it's a touchy subject, I'm cool with staying away from it."

Shaking his head side to side, Trakenthin frowns slightly and groans softly. "No... The subject is fine. It is just hard to relate, correctly."

He quietly hunts for the words in his mind, stitching together a concise explanation. "He is my birth father. He is... NOT... my house father. Has not been for a DECADE."

Chad drifts off in a flurry of thought, visibly processing the meaning. Arriving at some kind of understanding, he nods. "OH. Okay. Huh. Sorry to hear that. That must have been tough."

Trakenthin crosses his arms and shrugs his shoulders, contemplating the sentiment. "Parts were. Better overall."

He grumbles thoughtfully and slowly shakes his head of short, dirty blonde hair. "It is strange now. Difficult to know how to act."

Donning an awkward grin, Chad sways his head side to side, pondering out loud. "Yeah... I guess it would be. I mean, I don't know. My dad and I don't always see eye to eye on things. But, we get along for the most part..."

He curls a corner of his mouth toward frown and sneers his upper lip, a few memories popping to front of his mind. "On the other hand... My dad and grandfather. NOW, those two barely tolerate each other. My grandfather was and is an adventurer today. But, my dad started and runs a used equipment dealership chain."

He blinks a few times and straightens his posture uncertainly. "I guess THAT was his way of rebelling against his dad? I don't know."

Fumbling for a justification, Chad contorts his tan, clean shaven face, and narrows his brown eyes. "There are moments they seem to enjoy being around each other. But... The rest of the time? Gods. They barely can stay in the same room for a few minutes before the other tries to find ANY reason to leave."

He breaks off from the subject and returns his attention towards Trakenthin. With a goofy grin, he scratches the back of his short, brown, coiffed hair covered head. "Sorry, man. Wandered off on my own problems there. Don't know if that's anything like your troubles... But, I'll try to be understanding?"

Trakenthin internally deliberates over the sentiment, settling into a slow nodding acceptance. "It is similar. Thank you for relating."

A genuine smile appears on Chad's face, and he commiserates with a sympathetic eye roll. "Yeah. I guess parent issues are pretty universal."

Perking up a curious eyebrow at Trakenthin, he carefully approaches a question. "So, how long has it been since you've seen your father?"

Drawing in a long breath, Trakenthin exhales calmly, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Years since in person. He occasionally writes. Visits were not often due to circumstances."

Chad tilts his head to the side, inquiring further. "Circumstances?"

A humored smirk appears on Trakenthin's face, and he explains. "Father travels. Not in the area often. Other circumstances..."

He furrows his brow with a grimace. "My birth mother wants nothing of him. Fully justified. My three other house mothers have promised him shallow burials."

Chad snorts in amusement briefly and halts, mentally reviewing the last statement. "Wait. Burials? PLURAL?"

Trakenthin's hazel gaze widens, and he slowly, dramatically nods with a stern frown. "YES. Never been told what would happen before that point. Do not want to know. Plausible deniability is what my house mother calls it."

Gradually shaking the imagined possibilities out of his head, Chad props the shield up on the floor against the side of the desk and stands up, brushing his pants off. With a charismatic bright smile, he steps next to Trakenthin and pats Trakenthin on the side of the shoulder, donning a sure, bold tone. "Well, if he gives you too much trouble, let me know and I'll show him the door."

Trakenthin focuses a judging, slightly incredulous stare at Chad, slowly letting it fade into an appreciative, humored smirk. "Will keep that in mind. I will try to suffer him for now. Seems to be behaving. See how long THAT lasts."

Pulling his phone out briefly, Chad checks the clock on the display, pats Trakenthin on shoulder again, and leads out into the hallway. "Well. It's showtime. Time to see what everyone has been up to today for the cameras."

The two move down the second floor hallway. Veevi's berating competes with Tassilda's condemnations, the conflict echoing up the stairwell. Both Chad and Trakenthin roll their eyes at the cacophony, and they gather their willpower for the descent down the stairs.

----

Off to the side and away from the aisles upon aisles of merchandise in the massive MercMart store, Sotalia stands outside in an open area next to a dressing room. She waits expectantly, her gaze wandering across the many mannequins covered in various armor attire with displays filled full of advertising literature. Wagging her long, fluffy tail, Cideeda bounces her inspecting stare between two large under armor suits and narrows her comparison upon the small details of the garments. Bach glances around apprehensively at a clothing rack of various dusters, jackets, and trench coats, contemplating one choice before sliding over the next. Sitting in a chair, Aristespha sorts through numbers on a spreadsheet upon the display of her phone, idly tapping the sword at her side. Seconds later, Dretphi emerges from a dressing room door, walks out between everyone, and stretches out in a gray, thick full body outfit. "I am not sure about this one."

Cideeda turns around and scrutinizes the rough fit of the suit, orbiting around Dretphi. "Yeah... That one really seems like it's designed for much heavier plating. Admittedly, the extra armor around the joints is nice with the thicker outer shell, since you are using moderate coverage plating."

Sotalia quirks an eyebrow, twisting her mouth blatantly unsatisfied, and slowly shakes her head. "Gods, girl. It's really bulky looking. And, certainly not really flattering at all. How well can you move in it?"

Dretphi rehearses through a number of stances, executes a few maneuvers, and slowly explores the resistance with common motions. Watching, Bach frowns slightly and slowly shakes his head. "Yeah... I mean, it's like you're fighting the suit a little to just move normally."

Grimacing with growing dissatisfaction, Dretphi stands back up from a squat, rolls her shoulders, and fidgets uncomfortably in the heavy suit of under armor. "It is stiff. Not flexible for what I need."

She slowly shakes her head of platinum blonde braids. "Not this one."

Nodding in agreement, Cideeda lifts up one of the under armor suits towards Dretphi with a confident smile. "Okay. Given the last few you tried and how your old suit was, I think THIS one should be really close to the mark."

Dretphi grabs hold of the garment, studies it briefly, and walks back towards the dressing room. "It looks similar to my old under armor."

Cideeda grins toothily, perking up her furry ears, and lifts a sly eyebrow. "Well... It is the latest Diamond Defense medium-grade under armor. So, it should have the same characteristics as your old suit."

With Dretphi slipping through the dressing room door, Sotalia crosses her arms and flashes a curious glance to Dretphi with a slight sway. "Oh. Before you try that one, could you give the one I found for you a try?"

Dretphi pauses a moment, nods to Sotalia, and closes the door. "I will try that one now."

Wandering over a bit aimlessly, Bach surveys the selection of under armor garments, next to Cideeda. "Wow. There are a lot of options with this type of armor. And, it doesn't seem as expensive as what I've always heard them to be, though."

Cideeda pops up on the balls of her feet and hangs a prior rejected suit back up on the rack. Dropping back down, she lays out the turned down, thick gray under armor and gazes up to Bach. With a smirk, she counts out on her clawed fingers, punctuating. "WELL... That's just for the armor pieces themselves. A LOT of the true cost comes from fitting the suit to your dimensions. Then, there's adjusting the plating fasteners to work with the coverage and style you are using. Also, you can't forget all the many, small customizations you will want to meet those specific needs."

With a frugal spark in her emerald eyes. she grins slyly and taps the clawtips on her hands together. "But... We are fortunate enough to have a good range skills in our group. Between Dretphi, you, and myself, we've got everything covered."

Blinking a few times, Bach ponders, visible confusion manifesting, and furrows his brow, seeking clarification. Cideeda smiles confidently, resting a hand on her hip, and points a thumb over her shoulder towards the dressing room. "Dretphi can sew anything on the suit to her liking."

She combs her fingers through her short, multi-colored hair, and grins. "I can adjust and tweak the plating and accessories."

Pointing at Bach, she shrugs her shoulders. "And, you can handle the finishing touches."

Tilting his head to the side, Bach puzzles quietly for a few moments and aims an expectant stare at Cideeda. Seconds later, Cideeda rolls emerald green her eyes playfully. Flexing her fingers in front of her, she mimics a series of magical gestures and gazes up at Bach with an amused smirk. "Enchanting. Those last ones saved her a few times. SO, I think she's going to definitely want a fresh set upon her new plating."

Bach's pride cringes, remembering the blatantly obvious, and he smiles with a sigh. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I keep forgetting..."

Cideeda narrows an incredulous stare at Bach, twisting her mouth, and rests both hands on her hips. "You keep forgetting you can do ridiculous magical stuff?"

Frowning briefly, Bach wrestles between the words and emotion. "Well, I, uh, no. I just- I mean... I guess I'm just still getting used to being included in on projects because of my magical skills? I mean, after not having anything worth mentioning magically... It kinda stops being the first thing you assume people are talking about?"

With an awkward smile, he scratches the back of his head of longer brown hair and fidgets uncertainly. "Did that make any sense?"

Cideeda smiles genuinely and nods slowly to Bach, sighing. "It did. I think I understand."

She reveals a toothy grin, perks up her furry ears, and wags her tail. "Also... You could definitely assist in a bit of reworking of the old plating for an idea I had."

Sotalia's golden eyes spring wide open, her pointed ear catching a gasp and mumbles of grath in an obviously embarrassed tone from the dressing room. Stepping close to the door, Sotalia knocks and curiously inquires, a smile creeping out. "Everything okay in there?"

Dretphi's voice radiates uneasily from the other side of the room with an awkward cadence. "Yes... This suit has an... Unexpected fit..."

Sotalia puzzles blankly, searching her mind, narrows an inquisitive stare, and tries to push open the door. "Oh, girl. What are you talking about?"

Tapping around the slide lock on the other side, she rolls her golden eyes impatiently and tosses back her fiery orange, wavy hair. "Come on. Let me see. I did pick it out for you."

Seconds later, the lock slides open, and Sotalia peeks her head around the cracked open door, angling a swept back horn around the door frame. "OKAY. What are you talking about..."

A mischievous grin grows upon Sotalia's light tan face, and she chuckles evilly. "Oh. What are you so worried about? There's absolutely nothing wrong with something that accentuates your figure that well. Come on out!"

Another grumble of grath from Dretphi slips out from behind the door. Sotalia sighs, slowly shaking her head. "It's not bad at all. And, you did say that the light blue color looked okay. I think it works for you."

Cideeda's furry ear flicks back from the conversation at the dressing room door. Pivoting around, she walks over next to Sotalia and slips her head in for a peek. "Okay, what's going on here?"

Pausing a moment, she cocks her head and flicks her ears around contemplatively. "OH. Yeah, that is DEFINITELY much more form fitting than your old suit."

Aristespha blinks to attention away from her phone, stands up, and steps over to the gathering. "Gods, now I am curious. Whatever are we dealing with?"

Peering around the door, she halts and studies in silence, covering her mouth. She steps away and walks back to her seat, searching her mind and idly tapping at the sword. "Oh. THAT design was obviously inspired by one of those animated action movies. Or, some video game."

Sebastian's voice softly emanates from the sword, inquiringly. "You mean the ones with revealing outfits and impossible body physics, dear?"

Sotalia crosses her arms defiantly, stares unamused at the nearby detractors, and pouts shaking her head. Her gaze falls upon Bach, distracting himself with an informational literature next to a display. A devilish grin cracks from the corner of Sotalia's mouth, and she quips. "Well. Let's get another opinion from a different perspective... Oh, Ba-"

Her voice cuts out abruptly, ceasing short of carrying her words too far, and she cringes with a reflexive lean. Cideeda glares right at Sotalia, releases her cautionary grip upon Sotalia's side, and closes the dressing room door. "Try the other one out, Dretphi."

Sotalia sighs with a grumble in fvalian. With an apologetic phrase in fvalian, Cideeda slowly shakes her head. Walking away, she snaps an accusatory squint right at Sotalia and mouths out a few fvalian words. Sotalia rolls her eyes dismissively with a playful smile. Minutes later, Dretphi emerges in a suit similar to her old suit. Exercising a few maneuvers and common movements, she smiles happily, growing more satisfied with each test of the garment. With a few final series of mock attack and defense motions, she stands content in front of the team. "This one. It feels right. I can move in it freely. Similar to my old suit."

Cideeda gives a thumbs up to Dretphi and points towards nearby tall racks of plating in a plentiful gamut of sizes, shapes, materials, and colors. "Good. NOW, let's try out some plates. They got all the latest designs."

Dretphi eagerly walks over to the expansive selection, surveying the products before her, and plucks up an example piece. Crossing her light brown arms in thought, Cideeda taps her foot, quietly deliberating. She steps next to Sotalia and directs a quiet question. "So... Where did you find THAT particular suit?"

Sotalia smirks slyly, brushes back her fiery orange, wavy hair, and points over to a display rack a distance away. "Over there. There are a few other styles, too."

Arriving at the overwhelming line up of armor plates upon many levels of rack space, Bach stands in awe, analysis paralysis seizing his mind. Situational awareness returns to him, and he notices Dretphi standing next to him patiently with an example plate in hand. "Oh... Uh, Yes?"

Dretphi smiles warmly and presents the plate, biting her lower lip slightly. "Could you put a barrier enchantment on this?"

Bach picks up the plate in his hands, examines the construction, and slowly nods. "Yeah. I don't think it'd be that much different than before."

Lifting a curious brow to Bach, she inquires further. "Could the color be red instead of gold?"

----

High above, a gust of wind blows through the thinning forests along the sides of the highway. The afternoon sun slowly settles into an orange horizon, the edge of the world gradually reddening towards an evening hue. The breeze stirs Meredosia's long, gray hair against her ivory skinned face. Walking alongside the roadway, she adjusts her old backpack and brushes off her worn hoodie. She grimaces briefly and works an uncomfortable spot out of her frayed blue jeans. Seconds of checking the course ahead later, her crimson eyes wander around the rural landscape on either side of the roadway, gazing distantly into the peaceful scenery. Sighing heavily with a slight droop of her long, pointed ears, she occasionally smiles at the brief appearances of wildlife peeking out nearby from under the cover of trees and over tall grasses.

Minutes passing on by, the ambient glow from the horizon shifts to a warm red and tinges of evening purple crest the opposite side of the world. The lone evuukian woman arrives at the top of a taller hill and pauses a moment, gazing ahead. With widening eyes, Meredosia scans the land before her and watches the distant lights of the suburban sprawl. She studies the scene ahead of her, an uncertain mix of fear and apprehension contorting her ivory face, and draws long calming breaths. After the sounds of traffic stir her back to awareness, she musters her courage and steps forward.

Continuing her journey into the sparse outskirts, she sinks into her own thoughts, occasionally staring out, surveying the changing landscape. In brief moments, she smirks at familiar sights, often staring uneasily at the unfamiliar aspects. The sky overhead darkens from purple to dark blue with the waxing moon brightly contrasting, defiant of the ambient city lights. Her thoughts visibly wander inward, and her dark red eyes sort through her mind. Walking along the side of the highway with nearby moderate traffic, she loses awareness of the world surrounding her for minutes per spell. The toe of her boot taps up against a concrete curb. Her consciousness snaps back to the path ahead. She stares ahead towards the distant inner city upon the horizon and the highlighting glow of urban activity. Surveying the forming sprawl around her, she notices a huge, tall sign off the roadway, over to the side of the sidewalk in front of her.

"Welcome to Amaranth Valley."

Reading the sign, Meredosia's crimson eyes widen, and she slowly assumes a stern gaze ahead towards the city. Tightening her grip on her backpack straps, she briefly grits her teeth and slowly exhales her nerves. She dons a cool, calm exterior, reaches into her jeans pocket, and pulls out an old wallet. Opening the billfold, she sorts through old government IDs, worn business cards, and a very modest amount of money. A surge of uncertainty floods her, and she stares distantly ahead. Seconds later, the wave of emotion subsides, and determination boils up to the surface. She returns her wallet to her pants pocket. Hesitating briefly, she puts one foot ahead upon the sidewalk and resumes her journey into Amaranth Valley.

----

With a pair of chopsticks, Isaac clamps hold of a slice of beef out of a take out box and pops the piece of food into his mouth, pointing the wooden sticks towards a document on the table. "And, those are my notes from exploring that one hidden base near Hattan."

Pausing a moment to enjoy a few more morsels of dinner, he glances at the logo on the takeout carton, nostalgically remarking. "Gods... I have forgotten how good this place is. They have NOT changed a bit."

Dr. Dawkins chuckles to himself and scans over the documents, pictures, and information upon the large, antique dining table. "That they haven't. Even the very same owner still, too."

Picking up papers and printouts, he skims through stack after stack, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. "So FASCINATING... I can't quite make out what you have found. BUT... It is significant."

Isaac slowly nods, sighing with hints of frustration in his voice. "And, this latest discovery wasn't even a remote thought in my mind. The scope of my investigations were aimed in a completely different direction."

Reaching over the table top, he taps upon a folder of documents, tilting his head to the side. "I got my original list of locations to explore from the remote radio outpost. Quite a few possibilities on there. Admittedly, it took some serious effort to decipher the coordinates."

His attention slides over to a small stack of written notes interleaved with paper and graphite rubbings of rough symbols, and he narrows his gray eyes upon the pile. "Surprisingly, quite a few of those locations had ancient elder energy structures that were still quite functional. One, unfortunately, had fallen into wrong and dangerous hands. But... I remedied that."

Dr. Dawkins perks up his eyebrow and levels an inquisitive stare at Isaac. "What exactly was going on, and..."

Furrowing his brow, he tilts his head to the side. "How did you remedy it?"

Isaac meets Dr. Dawkins' gaze, frowning slightly, and sighs out a mix of disappointment and frustration. "No one was hurt... Physically. I did manage to severely wound the ego of a very self-righteous leader of one of those damned Terra Priest cult groups. It is actually quite the shame. That young evuukian woman had figured out how to control elder energy, presumably by herself. And... Was able to pull it into and from an energy storage amulet."

Twisting his mouth, mild sadness emerges upon his aged face, and he slowly shakes his head of wild gray white hair. "If she just wasn't so caught up in her delusions, she had the potential to become a great pupil and possibly help with future breakthroughs."

With a long sigh and slump of the shoulders, Isaac tugs at the corner of his frown, grimacing. "I really despised having to ruin that elder energy dais and the amulet. BUT, after seeing those who were trying to use it, I could NOT leave it functional. Too much risk."

Slowly nodding in total agreement, Dr. Dawkins grumbles loudly with a curling sneer of his upper lip. "You did the right thing there. Truth to be told, I've had the misfortune of running into a number of the more inane groups in my career... Multiple times. Depending on where you were setting up, you always had to check the area for any signs of Terra Priests, Red Gears, or government privateers."

Rolling his green eyes, Dr. Dawkins groans with stale aggravation. "Gods, we practically had to pay monthly rent to a number of local gangs and mobs just to keep them not only out of business, but to keep them quiet about it, too!"

Isaac exhales in commiseration with Dr. Dawkins. Picking a few choice pieces of beef out of the takeout box, he settles back into his chair at the table and gazes upon a battered laptop's display filled with electronic document text. "After taking the pictures, I had to pull all the data I could from Dr. Malkav's research."

Slowly shaking his head, Isaac frowns. "But... Unfortunately, it's not exactly what I need. There seems to be hints and overviews of his initial vague theories, but none of the specifics I need to see."

Dr. Dawkins picks up the photograph of Bach in flight carrying Sotalia within a cavernous pit, bringing it close, and studies it, tracing his finger along the bright white aura surrounding Bach. "I can't fault you there. But, you might want to be careful accessing the Grand Library in the future. While I haven't heard that much lately... they've been uncharacteristically quiet recently. Which usually means SOMETHING happened to spook the higher ups."

Lifting a curious eyebrow, Isaac ponders the advisement, gradually nodding into agreement. "Thank you for the warning. I had thought my access to the system after so long might seem quite strange. So, I made sure to pull everything I could..."

With a sly smile, he softly laughs. "From a random location in the woods near an outskirts aethernet tower that I don't plan to ever visit again."

A proud grin graces Dr. Dawkins, and he chuckles in sheer amusement. "Good thinking. I am quite happy that you still remember all those early lessons of mine."

Resting the picture down, he hums in thought to himself and slowly eases back into his chair contemplatively. "Gods. This Bach Warwick... What ever has he managed to accomplish? Before we even venture to ascertain HOW he pulled this feat off, we first have to establish WHAT he did..."

Isaac dramatically nods, sitting up, and rakes his fingers through his head of wild, graying white hair, grumbling out his frustrations. "I KNOW. This is absolutely baffling to me. Did he find some strange power source of elder energy that causes this difference in auras?"

Quirking a wary and intrigued brow towards Isaac, Dr. Dawkins strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Gods help us... Has he bypassed the abstract prism?"

Isaac springs his eyes wide open briefly, entertaining the possibility, and slowly shakes his head frowning. "We could theorize all we want, but that will not get us the answers. Are you certain you don't know where Dr. Malkav is?"

With a long sigh, Dr. Dawkins grimaces and lowers his head slightly. "I know where he's been. At least, from when he stops to write during his slow periods. But, he gets caught up in his work and disappears for months at a time. The last package I got from him was from a hotel in Perimeter."

Gritting his teeth, Isaac groans, sinking into his seat a little. "Good gods. The Perimeter Weird Zone? He could be ANYWHERE in that area. And, who knows if he'll ever resurface. What was he out to study there?"

Dr. Dawkins crosses his arms, contorts his face with his memory, and shakes his head, hinting irritation. "OH, he's always purposefully vague about the details when he thinks he's on to something big. It's aligned with the common theme of his research. Clues to an old point of power that seemed extremely relevant to him. I could NEVER get him to elaborate more before he headed out on sabbatical years ago."

Isaac's mood drops, and he slumps in his chair, releasing a sad, disheartened sigh. "Well... Shit... It will take forever to figure out exactly WHERE he was going without some kind of context to WHAT he was researching. If we could just have something to work off of, I'm certain we could derive what caught his attention."

Nodding sympathetically, Dr. Dawkins halts. Distant memory tickling his attention, he concentrates upon a thought in his mind, furrowing his brow. A minute later, he blinks in revelation, slides back his chair, and holds a finger towards Isaac, getting up. "Wait here... I THINK I might have SOMETHING..."

He walks swiftly out of the dining room. Distantly from the archway into the hallway, the faint sounds of documents shuffling, paper moving, and a desk drawer opening resonate. A bit of excitement fills Dr. Dawkins' voice. "There it is!"

Isaac sits up in his chair and gazes curiously towards the entry into the dining room, cocking his head in anticipation. Seconds later, Dr. Dawkins reappears, shuffles over eagerly into his chair, and presents an old envelope to Isaac. "THIS might be what we need."

Narrowing his attention upon the aged paper exterior, Isaac glances towards Dr. Dawkins and points curiously at the item. "What's inside?"

With a glint of anticipation in his green eyes, Dr. Dawkins smirks and laughs, turning the front of the envelope at Isaac. "I don't exactly know."

Isaac's eyes widen, and he reads the text upon the paper container above Dr. Malkav's barely legible signature. "Open upon my DEATH?!"

A sly smile creeps upon Dr. Dawkins, and he chuckles dryly at Isaac. "If he's dead, no better time to open it. If he's still alive... He'll understand."

Isaac waits barely patiently. Dr. Dawkins plucks up a nearby plastic knife and awkwardly saws through the top of the letter. He empties out a few folded letter pages and a key upon the table. Both Isaac and Dr. Dawkins exchange curious glances, and Isaac motions Dr. Dawkins towards the letter. Seconds of Dr. Dawkins speed reading through the paragraphs upon the first page later, he chuckles loudly with a wide grin and slowly shakes his head. "You tricky old bastard."

Isaac leans over, peeking at the papers Dr. Dawkins' hands, and eagerly searches for the meaning. "What does it say?! What's the key for?!"

Picking up the key, Dr. Dawkins smiles brilliantly at Isaac and reveals a hand drawn map upon the next page of the letter. "He hid backup copies of his notes underneath the computing equipment anchors in one of the Library's server rooms!"

Isaac's gray eyes open wide and excitement drives his curiosity. He grabs hold of the map and studies it further. "By the gods! YES!"

Halting a moment, his mind stirs up old detail between quirks of his brow, and he ponders out loud. "Wait... The server rooms? Gods. I thought Dr. Malkav absolutely LOATHED the chair of the computer science department?"

With a humored grin, Dr. Dawkins nods, chuckling, and sits back in his seat. "OH. YES. He DESPISED the previous chair. But..."

Lifting an intrigued brow, he searches the top of his head. "It oddly makes sense, though. Certainly, no one would have EVER thought to look THERE for anything of Dr. Malkav's, knowing his hatred."

Snorting, Isaac examines the map further, remarking. "Probably wanted to put a final one over on that chair. Hiding his treasure right in the house of the one he hated."

The two sit quietly and study the pages from the envelope. Dr. Dawkins smirks slyly at Isaac, posing a question in a foreboding tone. "So... How should we go about acquiring this treasure?"

Isaac grins and hums contemplatively. The two men examine the map closer.

-67-

Dretphi lifts her arms out to her sides, spreads her legs out, and watches Cideeda circle slowly around. In the open area between the living and dining parts of the large room of the ranch style house, Cideeda inspects the new under armor suit and plating on Dretphi. She pauses in the orbit and demonstrates a body motion, directing Dretphi to mimic. Dretphi performs a similar move, and Cideeda steps in close, investigating the spaces between the plates. Her furry ears flick forward, searching for the sounds of any problems. With Dretphi performing different flexes, stances, and actions, Cideeda twists her mouth contemplatively, nodding with her thoughts. Flicking out a piece of fabric chalk, she lightly sketches plating outlines upon the under armor around shoulders. "Good... Okay... I think we got the plate clearances just right."

She finishes up the drawing on the tough fabric armor and furrows her light brown brow. "Now, you'll just need to get the fasteners the way you want them."

Nodding a confirmation, Dretphi examines herself in the suit and studies the other chalk drawings upon her suit, reviewing the kinematics of a few maneuvers. "Did not feel any snags this time. Think I will use magnetic patch keying. Hook loop fasteners in the middle of the plating. Same configuration as before."

Nearby, Bach lifts an inquisitive eyebrow, holding a variety of suit accessories in his arms. "Huh, neat. I always kind of wondered how you could stick those plates in the right place all the time."

He smiles with a chuckle. "I mean, I just figured you knew it all that well by memory."

Hiding a bit of embarrassment with a smirk, Dretphi plays it off with a slight shaking of her head of platinum blonde braids. "Not entirely. Pairs of keyed magnetic patches help align the plate. Then, you push firmly to fasten fully. I found that configuration to be fast. Reliable. Helpful when you are in a rush."

Cideeda finishes touching up the outlines around the plating upon Dretphi's shin. Standing up, she stretches her arms back and sighs with a roll of her emerald green eyes. "Gods... Does this setup ever beat trying to use strap-on plates in a hurry."

She grimaces mildly, relevant memories jumping to the front of her thoughts. "For example, I remember working with one group..."

Curling her upper lip, she sternly states. "VERY BRIEFLY..."

She shakes her head, lowering her furry, annoyed ears out to the sides over her shoulders. "Who had one idiot with some ridiculously complicated, ancient set of armor that he got from some relative. And, he INSISTED on using it."

Raking her clawed fingers lightly through her shorter, mix of brown, orange, white, tan, and black hair, she hisses out her stale frustration into a long sigh. "OH. GODS. It would take him SO LONG to get suited up. By the time he got ready, threats and targets would be LONG GONE before we'd be able to go after them."

She grits her teeth, snarls her upper lip, and slowly shakes her head with a groan. "I quit that group DURING the last contract I had with them. Shit. We were incredibly lucky to escape some old ruins without getting chased down by the dire bear that had moved in."

Lifting an unamused eyebrow, she gazes up to Bach and grumbles loudly. "AND, the MORON wanted us to go back in there to find the armor he had to leave behind. Gods almighty."

With a dismissive wave of her hand, she rolls her eyes. "He kept swearing it had some unique enchantment or something on it."

Bach furrows an incredulous brow towards Cideeda with an unconvinced twist to his face. Furrowing her brow at Bach, Cideeda smirks slyly and rests her hands on her hips with a sway. "Called out his BULLSHIT, right there. Since, unbeknownst to him, I had taken time to sneak over to his tent when no one was looking. And..."

She flashes a toothy grin. "I inspected that armor, MYSELF."

Meeting her gaze, Bach tilts his head to the side in anticipation. "And?"

Crossing her arms, Cideeda snorts derisively and laughs. "OH, it didn't take a mage to see anything with that much covered up rust and dry rot on the leather straps had NOTHING magical about it."

Searching his mind a moment, Bach grimaces at the imagery in his mind and nods in total agreement. "Yeah. I mean, even if it did have something, it was probably too weak and far gone to be worth the trouble. Especially, if the material had started to decay that badly. Usually, even halfway decent enchantments tend to prevent that."

Dretphi lowers her arms and gazes to Cideeda, smiling with a chuckle. "You were hesitant to work with our group after you saw me."

Blinking in surprise, Bach glances over to Cideeda quizzically and narrows his confusion. Cideeda shrugs, holding up her hands to the side, and sarcastically groans at herself. "Listen, I just didn't want to be in yet another group with yet another fighter that needed a pit crew to just gear up."

She quirks her brow up towards Dretphi and taps on one of the armor plates, grinning at Bach. "After seeing her put the suit and all the plates on herself in under two minutes...

She winks with a smirk. "I felt like I could actually work with this team."

Swelling with a bit pride, Dretphi points out a few spots around the edges of the dark red armor plate covers. "Still need to attach helper straps that make it easy to don. A trick my mother taught me."

Cideeda's furry ears perk up, her recent memory visibly bringing something to her attention, and she sorts through the small collection of equipment in Bach's arms. "Speaking of..."

She sorts through the different items and ponders out loud, idly tapping a claw tip on an item. "Let's see... What should we try to fit onto the suit first?"

Stepping over to the coffee table, Dretphi picks up her new transparent face shield helmet and taps on a connection port around the bottom edge. "The radio?"

Bach studies the assortment of devices in his possession and juggles over a suitable component towards Cideeda. "Uh, I think this one?"

Nodding, Cideeda plucks it out of Bach's hand. "Yeah. That would be a good one to start with."

She motions Dretphi towards the floor, inspecting the device. "Just below the nape of the neck, like you had it before?"

Dretphi lowers herself down into a seat on the floor and brings her platinum blonde braids forward, out of the way. "Yes. That worked for me."

Studying the clearances and anticipating the kinematics, Cideeda positions the radio unit upon the suit, below the nape of the neck, and holds it in place. "Give it a try here."

Dretphi reaches her arm back behind her, feeling out the location of the small piece of equipment, and practices a few routine actions. She rolls her shoulders around, brushes back her hair, and readies her helmet. Cideeda signals Bach close, and guides his attention towards the radio. "Get the radio cable, and put the rest of that stuff on the couch. And, hold this in place, please. I want to check the clearances from a different angle."

Bach glances down at the accessories, shifts a cable into his hand, and empties out his arms of the other fodder onto the couch cushion. Leaning down, he holds the device in place with his free hand. With Cideeda's silent instruction, he passes the radio cable to Dretphi's waiting grasp. Dretphi connects the coiled cable to the radio unit on her back and snaps the other end into the port on her helmet. Narrowing her emerald eyes at Dretphi, Cideeda analyzes the entire process and studies Dretphi putting on the helm. Slowly turning side to side, up and down, and rolling her head, Dretphi works through a memorized routine, occasionally waiting for Cideeda's checks at certain points. A few more demonstrations later, Cideeda pulls the triangle piece of chalk back out from her shorts pocket. She marks out the outline, removes the radio unit back into Bach's hand, and writes a shorthand label in the middle. "Yeah. I think that'll work."

Pulling off her new crimson helmet, Dretphi disconnects the radio cable and nods with a happy smile on her tan face. "I do not think we will have to change much. The suit is a similar design to the old."

With a smirk, Cideeda shrugs and gently scratches her chin contemplatively. "Probably. But, can't hurt to make sure."

Furrowing her brow curiously, Cideeda meanders over to another topic with a casually prying tone. "By the way... What do you plan on doing with your remaining, old armor plates?"

Bach smirks, chuckling lightly, and applies a mild, sarcastic hint. "Yeah. I mean, because, I doubt we're going to try to go back for the missing pieces."

Dretphi lightly snorts with a dismissive eye roll and slowly shakes her head. "Oh. No. I do not miss them enough to think of retrieval. I will happily leave them for the history of that place."

Blinking in thought, her focus wanders inwards, and she ponders out loud. "I... Do not know... I have a new suit. New plates. I can not think of what to do with them now."

She faintly sniffs the air and grimaces vaguely. "Do not want to wear that old suit anymore. Notice the slime smell more with the new contrast."

An eager, toothy grin appears on Cideeda, and she leans her body to the side into Dretphi's view with her hands behind her back innocently. "Would you sell the plates to me?"

Dretphi rocks her head to the side, wondering about the options. With a twist of her mouth, she nods partially. "Yes. I would."

Meeting Cideeda's inquiring gaze, Dretphi explains. "I can give them to you? I do not need to sell them to you, if you want them."

Cideeda crosses her arms, shakes her head, and smiles thoughtfully. "While I appreciate the offer, I must insist on at least paying for the materials for my projects."

Both Bach and Dretphi exchange glances and settle their collective attention upon Cideeda. Lifting an intrigued brow, Bach studies Cideeda demeanor. "Projects? What kind?"

Dretphi homes in on a key point and scrutinizes Cideeda's words, searching for further explanation. "At least pay for the materials?"

Displaying a faux guilty grin, Cideeda reveals her grand scheme, tapping her finger tips together. "Well, I've got a nice new suit for my usual kind of work. BUT, I'd like to recycle my old suit and the plates to explore crafting a super light armor gear. And, probably also fashion some nice inserts for Bach's new duster."

Bach rolls his hand with growing interest. "Okay. Go on."

A spark of excitement slowly ignites Dretphi's steely gray eyes, and she squints at the imagery in her mind. Cideeda stands up straight, stretching her back, and points a claw tip towards Bach, grinning. "While I can roughly cut down and trim the old plates, I'm going to need your help to do a bit of refined, magical rework. If I'm right, there will be plenty leftover to help you out."

With appreciative plead, she turns her attention to Dretphi, presenting a convincing smile and posture. "And... I'm hoping if I give you a good price on your old plates, I can put your sewing skills to use. I figured we could use the old suit as a base for the new gear and fashion it to work with my new bodysuit."

Thinking for a moment, Bach shrugs his shoulders and nods simply. "Sure. I mean, you'll have to show me what you want, but I think we'll figure it out somehow. I got my tricks."

Dretphi smiles brightly, stands up with a bit of excitement in her step, and eagerly gazes at Cideeda. "Yes! Of course. This is a neat project. My house father had a modular outfit that sounds similar to what you want. Base suit. Slip on padding. I helped my mother repair it often."

Her focus drifts inwards, and her eyes sift through ideas, glancing down at Cideeda briefly. "Never crafted an outfit this small before..."

Cideeda smiles slyly and postures with an aura of accomplishment between Bach and Dretphi. "Good to hear."

Her pride subsides gradually in her body language, and a reserved smirk graces her light brown face. "And... Thank you. I've really been wanting something a bit more protective when I'm not having to squeeze through tight, uncomfortable places."

During the lull in conversation, she glances over to Dretphi, studying her figure, and redirects everyone's attention with a smile. "Okay. Let's finish your gear first before you start on me."

Dretphi snaps back to awareness, remembering the more immediate task at hand. "Oh... Yes... Sorry."

----

The older grath man maintains his balance, stepping back from Chad's practice sword swing, and expertly redirects the attack away. Recovering from the sudden change of momentum, Chad steadies himself and pivots to face the grath man. "Good gods. Does anything even get close to hitting you?"

With a swift shift of his weight upon the back yard grass, the grath man smiles and readies the wooden sparring blade in his hands, grinning smugly. "No. You do not survive Red Gear ambushes if you let them hit you."

Smirking humored, Chad rolls the tension out of his shoulders and checks his grip on his practice sword. "Huh. Fair enough."

He pauses in thought, glances at the older grath man, and quizzically tilts his head of brown, coiffed hair. "By the way, you sure you're okay with me calling you by your first name, Trenannin?"

Trenannin furrows his brow, pondering to himself for a seconds, and scratches his head of graying dirty blonde hair. "It is fine. I am not in the military anymore. Sergeant Hekkinen is not appropriate. It would take a long time to explain grath honorifics. Keep it informal."

Chad nods understandingly, positions himself defensively, and signals Trenannin with a hand motion. "Okay. When you're ready."

An eager smile creeps across Trenannin's dark bronze face. His body briefly tenses, and he launches his large, tall frame toward Chad. Closing the distance with his long gait, he fancifully swings his sword around in dramatic, showy maneuvers. Nearing Chad, Trenannin power swings right at Chad's side into a run by attack. Chad twists himself around, absorbing the attack with his practice sword, and steps back from the force of the blow. Trenannin slides briefly in the grass behind the two story house, digs his boots into the dirt, and propels his mass abruptly in a different direction.

Leading the point of his sparring sword forward, he levels the tip right at Chad's center mass. Spotting the incoming attack, Chad braces himself with his blade ready for an interception, spreading his stance out for stability. A sly smirk flashes upon Trenannin's smug gaze. His muscles tighten in mere moments, closing quickly in on Chad. With swords nearly touching, Trenannin pulls his blade back and ducks low to the ground into a powerful spin, swinging the sparring sword tightly away from Chad. Sliding upon the ground, he leads his blade into a full, sweeping revolution around into the back of Chad's knees. With the momentum, he pushes through and brute forces into an upwards pull, yanking the confused Chad's legs right out from underneath. Finishing with a prideful gaze back, Trenannin watches Chad land on his back in sheer astonishment, satisfaction blatant. Chad regains his senses and notices a hand extended to him from Trenannin. Taking hold of it, he smiles brightly between fascination and excitement. "WOW! OKAY. You HAVE to teach me THAT move!"

Trenannin chuckles and nods slightly, pulling Chad back up to his feet. "MAYBE. Have to keep some secrets. I can show you pointers."

Off to the side and next to the back sliding glass door of the two story house, Veevi snickers and rests her hands on her hips, grinning sharply. "Well! That would be a lot more than what I've been getting from Trakenthin's lessons..."

Furrowing her tan brow, she tosses back her pink hair. "If you can even call them that."

Tassilda crosses her arms, narrowing an accusatory stare upon Veevi, and groans out her annoyance. "Have you ever thought there just might be a GOOD REASON you aren't taught certain things?"

Veevi flashes an indignant glare towards Tassilda, turning her nose up, and rolls her eyes petulantly away from Tassilda's glower. "As if YOU, of all people, have any ground to stand on there."

With Tassilda and Veevi exchanging mean stares of silent condemnation, Modoran twists his dusky, bluish gray skinned face. He tilts his head with his thoughts and mulls over his opinion. "A bit more fanciful and risky than anything I would want to do. But... I can't argue with the results."

Shrugging nonchalantly, he settles into a lean against brickwork of the two story house. "I do appreciate the application of misdirection."

Deedri observes Chad's movement and releases a long sigh of relief, slowly shaking her head. "Good... I know they're practice weapons, but I really don't want to fix anything too major today."

The sliding glass door opens. Trakenthin steps out wearing a stoic, neutral exterior. Turning around to the sound of the door opening, Trenannin gazes over to his son and smirks. "Come here. Spar with me."

Trakenthin snarls his upper lip slightly, grimaces faintly, and slowly shakes his head. "No. Close to lunch. We should figure out what we are going to eat."

Furrowing a mildly annoyed brow, Trenannin motions his son over and twists his tone with some encouragement. "One bout. First to make contact. I want to check your skill before your next mission. See if you remember all I taught you."

Crossing his arms, Trakenthin maintains an unamused stare at his father and sighs into a muted, irritated growl. Chad brushes stray grass blades off his pants, gives his trademark bright, white smile to Trakenthin, and motions encouragingly at him. "It's just one match. Plus, I'd really like to see what you two are capable of."

With a sharp, derisive tinge, Veevi grins, tosses her head of pink hair back, and crosses her arms into an antagonistic pose. "Yeah! And I want to see what you are supposed to teach me!"

Trenannin narrows his gaze at Trakenthin, concentrating his stare, and chuckles. "You should not deny your father a match."

Glancing around at the growing attention from the group, his father, and the camera crews off to the side, Trakenthin sighs deeply with a growling undertone, shaking his head, and steps over with his hand out. "FINE. One bout. We eat."

Chad passes Trakenthin his practice sword and quickly steps away to join the audience next to Veevi, promptly leaning against him. Stretching, Trakenthin tilts his head side to side, rolls his shoulders, and tightens his grip on the sparring blade. Without a word, he readies into a combat stance, both hands on the sword, and levels a silent glare at Trenannin. Responding to his son's posture, Trenannin grips his practice sword tightly with both hands and slowly shifts into a readied stance. An eerie silence looms over the back yard, pressing out the surrounding nature. Chad, Veevi, Tassilda, Modoran, and Deedri watch in anticipation, and the camera crews concentrate their full attention upon the match between father and son.

Seconds tick by. The two quietly study each other. Cautiously and carefully, Trakenthin slowly steps to the side and gradually circles around Trenannin. His motions telegraph nothing, purposefully vague and routine. A confident smirk cracks out of the corner of Trenannin's mouth, and he watches Trakenthin move around him, pivoting to face his son. Seconds later, he narrows his stare, tenses his muscles, and swiftly swings towards his son. Trakenthin intercepts the attack, diverts it away, and positions himself clear of counterattack, resuming his guard.

Trakenthin quickly lunges forward, driving his blade towards Trenannin's side. With the same concise, swift motions, Trenannin parries the attack, side steps away, and readies his blade. The two trade attack after attack, each expertly blocking and protecting themselves against counterattacks. The battle continues. Trenannin's maneuvers tighten, less fanciful and showy. His counters, parries, and attacks morph into an efficient, serious style along with his cold stare. Impacts grow louder and more powerful against the practice blades. The clashes flood the area with solid wooden crashes, drowning out the prior hints of cloth padding between the contacts.

Excitement from the gathered audience decays into a gamut of conflicting emotions. Trenannin sneers darkly, focusing upon Trakenthin, and unleashes a feverish flurry of blows. Enduring the unfolding barrage, Trakenthin deftly and solidly blocks each part of the onslaught. With each counter, the blades crash into a challenge of raw strength near an old scar upon Trakenthin's body.

With a leap backwards, Trenannin finishes the volley. The two fighters pause, slowly panting out the boiling aggression. Chad stares on in wide-eyed bewilderment. Veevi blinks blankly and unconsciously slides slightly behind Chad. Tassilda watches the match uncomfortably, hints of terror creeping out upon her gray toned face. Cocking his head to the side, Modoran narrows his eyes at the scene and grits his teeth warily. Deedri leans out during the lull in combat and shoots a demanding glare towards Chad.

Moments later, Chad notices the attention from Deedri and meets her stare. Fear and anger apparent, Deedri mouths out. "STOP. THIS."

Fumbling upon his response, utterly dumbfounded, Chad glances over to the cacophony of pitched battle between Trakenthin and Trenannin, and gawks back to Deedri, mouthing. "HOW?!"

Blade impacts crack out, the sound ricocheting off the hard surfaces surrounding the backyard battlefield. Both Veevi and Deedri cringe at the sharp noises. Through the din, their ears focus on faint, contrasting, crisp hints in the most powerful clashes. With each blow, audio technicians in the crews flinch and suffer through the acoustic chaos funneling into their heads from their headphones. Camera operators position themselves and capture each wave of the battle from the most dramatic angles. Around the perimeter, Samantha watches with her jaw hanging open, her pen slipping out of her hand above her clipboard. Moving his head briefly away from his camera's viewfinder, Gerald witnesses the spectacle uneasily.

During a pause between their exchanges, Trakenthin and Trenannin slowly pant and glare intensely at each other. A wry, derisive smirk appears on Trenannin's face, and he drills irritated, goading phrases of grath right at Trakenthin. Grimacing at the words, Trakenthin snorts, gritting his teeth, and grumbles back to his father dismissively. Focusing upon signs of hesitation in Trakenthin's body language, Trenannin spits out another assault of demeaning words. Trakenthin cringes, shakes off the emotions, and brings forth a stoic exterior against his father. Narrowing his stare briefly, Trenannin chuckles darkly, levels a glare at Trakenthin and mutters one more grath phrase with a sly, sinister grin.

Trakenthin freezes for a second. The stoic exterior shatters away, and Trakenthin bares his teeth. A hazel light briefly flickers in his eyes, his feet dig into the soft dirt, and Trakenthin's body contorts to vehemently enraged definition. Trakenthin charges forth and rains a berserker flurry of chaotic, hammering fury upon his father. Blocking each furious blow, Trenannin anticipates the next attack, glancing at Trakenthin's body language, and readies the intercept. With each thunderous, echoing slam, the faint, crisp hint crackles louder into the air. In a powerful overhead drop of the blade, Trakenthin hammers down upon his father's blade. A loud crumbling snap blasts out. The practice sword in Trakenthin's hand bends sharply against the defending blade. Quickly reacting to the sudden confusion upon Trakenthin, Trenannin side steps clear and waits expectantly. With merciless precision, he powerfully swings his sparring sword solidly right onto his son's chest. Trakenthin winces against the impact and reflexively drops to his knees.

The battle ends. Silence overwhelms the awestruck gawks from everyone. Standing tall, Trenannin extends his hand down to his son and waits. Trakenthin glances up, draws a hesitant breath, and begrudgingly takes hold of his father's hand. Helping his son up, Trenannin nods to Trakenthin with satisfaction and pride bright on his face and pats him on the shoulder. "Good to know you remember all I taught you. THAT was a proper fight. Never anything less from you. My son."

Trakenthin grants his father a silent, rigid nod, and gazes upon the mix of astonished, terrified, and shocked expressions from the rest of the group and crew. Holding a hand up to the gathering, he clearly calls out with a little reservation. "I am fine. Do not worry."

Chad nods towards Trakenthin, surveys the dramatic tension in the area with an uneasy smirk, and claps his hands together loudly. "Now THAT was a hell of a fight. You know, I always wondered where Trakenthin got his sword fighting skill from. Now, I know..."

He hides a hard swallow. "That was... Absolutely INTENSE."

Trenannin walks with Trakenthin towards the sliding glass door, grinning smug and prideful. "Intense. Yes. It has kept him alive."

Putting up a calm exterior, Chad redirects everyone's attention inside, focusing upon Trenannin. "So... Um. Lunch? How about you choose the place, Trenannin? Since you've won the matches today?"

Thinking for a moment, Trenannin nods in agreement and opens the sliding glass door. "Sounds good. What is good around here?"

With Veevi following behind him in an awkward stupor, Chad quickly leads Trenannin inside. "Well, we've got menus for a few different places..."

Chad, Veevi, and Trenannin slip inside. Modoran smoothly slides the sliding glass door closed, steps up to Trakenthin, and aims his gaze up at him. "Hey. You okay?"

Tassilda releases a stressed breath behind her cupped hands around her mouth and gazes concerned at Trakenthin. Seeking an answer, she approaches. "My. Gods. Are you okay? That was a terrible hit you took. And, that whole battle..."

With her light blue on black eyes wide, she stares. "What. The. Fuck?!"

Trakenthin holds his hands up, moves them in a calming, assuring motions, and presents a light smile over growing hints of strain. "I am fine. That is just how we have always fought. Do not worry."

Tassilda narrows an unconvinced gaze up at Trakenthin. Her frown softens, and she nods with worry. "Okay. If you say so... For now."

She lightly rubs Trakenthin's shoulder, opens the sliding glass door, and slips through. With an acknowledging nod to Trakenthin, Modoran follows Tassilda inside. Trakenthin breathes carefully, blinks blankly, and notices the hard analyzing stare from Deedri's glowing auburn eyes. Glancing inside and through the sliding glass door towards his father checking menus, he meets Deedri's stern, demanding gaze with a bit of shame. "Can it wait? After my father leaves?"

Crossing her arms defiantly, Deedri narrows out the glow in her eyes and grits her sharp teeth. "If it must. Thankfully, nothing is broken from what I can see. But... It will be painful until I can properly treat it."

Trakenthin sighs understandingly, grimaces briefly, and carefully flexes his upper body. "Yes. I know."

With a light pat on his arm, Deedri gazes up with a comforting smile and motions upstairs towards her room, whispering. "After he leaves, come to my room. You can talk freely if you want while I'm treating you."

Bowing his head graciously, Trakenthin reveals a genuine smile and softly speaks. "Thank you."

Deedri opens the sliding glass door wider for her and Trakenthin, steps through, and waits for Trakenthin to enter. Trakenthin steps on through and rejoins the team. Deedri hides a frown and closes the door.

----

Leaning over the dining table, Cideeda eagerly lifts up a small metal and crystal infused frame of a golem arm from the middle of the tabletop. She eases it over upon a heavy cloth work pad and scoots it in front of Aristespha and Bach. With her long, fluffy tail wagging in anticipation, she grins toothily, gazing expectantly at the two mages. "Okay... So... Let's start with THIS one."

Bach tugs the mat over closer and briefly surveys the part, furrowing his brow. "Well... Um. It's definitely an arm... Or, part of one."

Narrowing a brief, incredulous glare at Bach, Cideeda rolls her emerald green eyes with a sigh and twirls her hand around, seeking more information. "Well... YES. But, does it still work? What did it go to? How does it work? I can make all kinds of guesses at how it might work, but I figured you two would actually know the most."

She points the various arcane components visible and hovers a claw tip over different parts, circling out areas of interest. "For example. Here. There's either a power or signal line going to some kind of actuator. Then, that moves the cabling going to the hand's fingers."

Tapping upon the parts within the frame, she lifts a curious eyebrow. "The mechanical side of things look about the same to what I've seen elsewhere in non-magical equipment."

Aristespha studies the device near her, tilting her head to the side, and blinks her violet eyes to a glow. "Yes. For the most part. Most golem inner workings borrow heavily from robotics."

She pauses for a moment and glances over to the side. "With some magical liberties taken."

Examining it closer, Bach's eyes light up blue, and he scrutinizes the golem arm overall. "Well, I mean, I don't see anything too dangerous. I guess, let's see if it can work after all this time."

He holds his hand out, close to the base of the forearm. Thin magical threads materialize and reach out towards the exposed arcane conduits. Bach grimaces in thought, concentrating upon the task. With his hand reflexively flexing, he mentally explores. "Alright. Okay... So, I'm feeling some signs that the lines are connected still. Just don't know to what really."

Shrugging his shoulders, he smirks. "Well. Let's see what THIS moves."

Faint illumination flickers from inside the arm, and weak flashes of magical light pulse along different components inside. Moments later, the wrist shudders briefly, and the middle digit of the five fingered hand curls slightly. Cideeda's emerald green eyes widen in sheer, absolute fascination, and she leans over the table further, watching every motion. Her tail obviously twitching with her thoughts, she grins excitedly. "Try the other fingers!"

Grumbling, Bach searches his mind, and pulses of magical energy trace down the magical threads into the golem forearm. He grits his teeth briefly, twisting his face into mild frustration, and sighs. "I'm trying... But, I think there's something down the pathways that's getting in the way of the flow. Or, I'm just poking around the wrong spots."

Aristespha taps upon the middle section of the forearm, squinting her violet eyes, and lowers her gaze closer to the device, humming in thought. "I do see some degradation to your flows here. I would imagine that there is likely a magical conduit that has decayed significantly over the many years."

Briefly disheartened, Cideeda's furry ears flick with her thoughts, and her attention shifts away from the golem part towards Aristespha and Bach. "Okay. Could it be repaired or replaced?"

Bach exchanges a glance with Aristespha, gazes back over to Cideeda, and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, uh, I mean, I can't think of a reason it couldn't. First, we'll have to see what we got going on here. Let's see if I can manage to..."

Holding both hands near the arcane arm, Bach flows streams of magical energy out upon the golem part. Closes his eyes, he contorts his expression and turns his head with a grimace, concentrating. "Okay. I think I got it figured out."

He furrows his brow and ponders out loud. "Now... Will it come apart, easily?"

Bach carefully and slowly pulls his hands away from the device, the arm stirring and hovering up into the air. Gradually, the framework disassembles in logical, sequential steps. The pieces release out into subsections, the binding bits releasing themselves free. Seconds later, the individual components of the magical device float above the table in a functionally exploded arrangement. Aristespha narrows her violet illuminated gaze at the smaller parts within the cloud of pieces. Following along a path of bundled magical cabling, she stops her search at an intersection between wiring and sub-components. She points out a darkened, cloudy section of a crystal and nods her head of long, silvery blue hair towards the oddity. "There. I would guess that is the most likely culprit. If nothing else, that is probably the best place to start checking."

Tilting his head to the side, Bach squints at the piece Aristespha identifies. He gradually brings his hands back together. The individual components of the golem arm reassemble themselves into larger devices and reattach in a meticulous process, reforming the golem limb. The rebuilt arm floats back down upon the cloth work mat. Blinking his eyes back to normal, Bach curiously studies the array of other magical parts upon the dining room table. "Yeah, that probably shouldn't be too hard to replace..."

He scans over the tabletop and frowns faintly. "If we can find the right size and type of crystal."

Cideeda perks up, searches around the collection of arcane devices piled off to the side, and hoists up a wooden box. "WELL, there's this box of different crystals I found. One of them might work."

The box lands in front of Aristespha and Bach, and both scan over the contents, plucking out choice pieces for further examination. Aristespha smirks slightly, slowly shakes her head, and hands over the piece to Cideeda. "Unfortunately, these are not the correct types of crystal to use as a replacement for that, but..."

Smiling to Cideeda, she retrieves another one for herself. "They are flow reactive movement crystals. If I remember correctly, they are very easy to move around with simple energy flows."

Bach nods in agreement and holds out his hand upwards, his blue eye illuminating. The crystal in his palm hovers up a few centimeters and freely spins and pivots. Bach demonstrates the possibilities, his outstretched fingers twitching slightly to the movements of the small, faintly glowing object. Cideeda eyes widen with absolute fascination, she gazes excitedly at the magical mineral in her hand. "That's amazing! How do I move it!?"

Blinking back to attention, Bach glances over to Cideeda and uneasily stumbles around his words in an awkward tone. "Well, uh... I move it in a particular way that I've learned... that's similar to my current means of using magic... And uh, it's not easy to reproduce..."

Signs of disappointment slip out onto Cideeda's light brown face. Bach dons an encouraging grin and glances over to Aristespha hopefully. "BUT! I know there are more typical spells that you should be able to do. That, um, I think Aristespha might be far more familiar with, than I am right now..."

Presenting a confident smile, Aristespha nods to Bach and signals for Cideeda's attention. "That I am. And, I can certainly teach you a basic helper spell to assist you in moving this type of material."

Cideeda locks on her full, undivided attention upon Aristespha, eagerly awaiting further instruction. "What do I need to do?"

With a calm, teacher's tone, Aristespha guides Cideeda through a series of hand gestures along with the vocalizations for the incantations. During the explanation, Bach pays attention and occasionally twitches his face, faded lessons resurfacing back into mind from college semesters long forgotten. Following along a few demonstrations from Aristespha, Cideeda readies herself. She carefully recites the incantations and slowly articulates her hands into the gestures. Drawing a long breath in, she wills her magical flows towards her hands and holds them to either side of a small crystal on the tabletop. Tense, still moments pass. The crystal rattles and shifts suddenly a few centimeters in one direction. A bright smile flashes wide upon Cideeda's face, and she flushes with absolute joy. Her focus elsewhere, she remains utterly fascinated by the motions of the magical mineral, completely unaware of the unconscious flicks of her furry ears and long fluffy tail.

With satisfaction and amusement, Aristespha and Bach watch Cideeda's magical exercises. A few minutes later, Aristespha and Bach exchange thoughtful glances and silently ponder at the development.

----

Deedri guides the tail end of a long strip of gauze around Trakenthin's chest, tightening up the slack, and presses the very end upon the bundle of medical wrapping. She turns a nearby adjustable lamp back to lighting the top of her desk. Stopping in front of Trakenthin, she gazes right into his eyes. "That treated pad will reduce any swelling, and it'll also make the bruising heal quicker. The ointment I put on there will dull any pain, so you'll be able to sleep without it bothering you too much."

Sitting upon a stool in the middle of Deedri's room, Trakenthin meekly replies with a gracious tone. "Thank you. I appreciate you waiting until later to treat me."

Deedri crosses her arms, stares sternly at Trakenthin, and draws in a faintly frustrated breath. "You are the one that suffered the most. Still..."

Leaning slightly closer, she wrestles a frown. "I don't like withholding treatment when it is needed. But... I know you had your reasons..."

In the awkward silence, she twists her mouth and sighs. Concern overtakes her attitude, and she relaxes her arms to her side. "Okay. I know I'm prying into personal things, but..."

She furrows her brow and narrows her auburn stare. "What the hell was THAT all about?"

Uncomfortably grumbling, Trakenthin reluctantly approaches the subject and grimaces, relenting with a long exhale. "Long story. Short version. My birth father has... Issues. It makes him difficult at times."

Tilting her head to the side, Deedri contorts her face incredulously, flicks her tufted ears, and gradually nods at the obvious. "YES. We all saw THAT."

Trakenthin grits his teeth, gently hisses out an uneasy breath through, and slowly shakes his head. "It would take days to explain. I have had long conversations with my birth mother about him."

Glancing distantly to the side, he grimaces tensely. "I can go on for days. She could go on for WEEKS."

He sits up straight, sadly draws in air into his lungs, and frowns longingly. "He CAN be great. Has helped when I needed it greatly. Taught me useful skills. Unfortunately..."

Narrowing his focus into his mind, Trakenthin's face contorts between emotions, and he searches for the words, discomfort growing more obvious. Deedri presents a reassuring smile and rests a hand on Trakenthin's shoulder, shaking her head. "It's okay. I'm already overstepping personally and professionally anyway. Fathers can be... Difficult."

Trakenthin slowly lifts his head back up, gazes at Deedri, and smirks appreciatively with a light chuckle. "YES. Indeed."

Reaching over to the desk, Deedri picks up Trakenthin's shirt and hands it to him. "Here. I've done everything I need to at the moment. The rest of the healing will take time."

Trakenthin pulls on the t-shirt and squirms back to some comfort. His previous thoughts hop back to the front of his mind. Ponders quietly for seconds, he concentrates on the phrase in his mind, furrowing his dark bronze brow uneasily. "He... He... He has had expectations. The same ones for years. He still has those exact expectations of how things should be."

With a sad tone, Trakenthin releases a long sigh and shrugs his shoulders, shaking his head. "The world does not... WILL NOT meet them. He refuses to see it otherwise."

Lowering his head slightly, he frowns sadly. "I wish I knew how to make him accept it."

Deedri silently nods, sympathy coloring her gaze. Trakenthin chuckles lightly, rolls his hazel eyes at the same old situation, and smiles at Deedri. "I will not solve it today. He was good the rest of the day. That was nice. We leave for the mission tomorrow. I doubt he will remain in town for long."

Crossing her arms, Deedri hums in thought, flexing her clawed fingers, and wags her long tail in deliberation. "I don't know. The fact that the Next Adventurers of Nexus people got him here makes me think they're hoping MORE happens."

Snarling her upper lip, she narrows her auburn eyes off to the side and growls irritably. "Gods damn that Howard. Oh, I'm sure he's behind THIS... Along with that scheming bitch, Samantha. Only two people I can think of that would arrange something like this."

Stretching out his arms, Trakenthin stands up to his full imposing height. Carefully stretches his upper body, he snorts with a humored smirk. "I hope they are paying him. That way he has steady income, for once."

Deedri follows Trakenthin to her bedroom door and grins lightheartedly, gazing up to Trakenthin. "Well, that's certainly one way to look at it."

The two exiting out into the upstairs hallway, Trakenthin shrugs, laughing. "Find humor where you can."

----

Dr. Dawkins slowly walks into the well decorated sitting room, ambles over to his aged leather recliner, and settles down into the seat with a satisfied tone. "As much as I do enjoy a good session of academic exploration, I think I need a break from the books."

Following shortly behind Dr. Dawkins, Isaac rubs his gray eyes into a pinch of his nose bridge, and nods slowly. Wandering over to the other recliner, he plops into the couch chair. "I must say, I would have to agree. If only to give my eyes a well deserved break from reviewing all my notes. Gods..."

Twisting a hint of embarrassment on his face, he sighs with a smirk. "I have forgotten how much I've written."

With an amused snort, Dr. Dawkins reaches over to a bottle of dark liquor on a small end table, uncorks the top, and starts to pour a healthy portion into a glass on the tabletop. Blinking a few times, Isaac glances over to Dr. Dawkins filling the glass and narrows his gaze towards a wall clock. "Good gods, sir. It's barely the afternoon."

Dr. Dawkins slowly raises his humored stare to Isaac, smirking dryly, and snorts. "Oh hell, it's Saturday. You, of all people, aren't going to deprive an old man his vices in his own home?"

Isaac cracks a sly grin, chuckling to himself, and taps on another empty glass next to the filled one. "So long as you don't leave me out, Dr. Dawkins."

Nodding with a smile, Dr. Dawkins shifts the bottle over and pours another ample amount into the other container. The two men pick up their drinks, sip them in silence over the minutes. Dr. Dawkins angles his gaze over to Isaac, lifting an intrigued brow, and points to him. "So... I've been thinking about how we are going to get to Malkav's stash."

Isaac meets Dr. Dawkins' gaze and cocks his head to the side curiously with an interested cadence. "Well... I'd love to hear it. Because, truthfully, all I've come up with is to just walk in there like I own the place, grab it, and hope no one cares."

Pulling a devilish grin across his face, Dr. Dawkins laughs, and slowly nods. "Actually, my plan is pretty close to just that..."

Blinking out his surprise, Isaac narrows a scrutinizing gaze towards Dr. Dawkins. Dr. Dawkins perks his brow, draws a long breath in, and carefully explains. "It's actually quite the ideal time for a simple, calm approach to this problem. While we may have been gone from the Grand Library's normal operations for some time, I highly doubt too much has changed. It's the tail end of June, in the middle of the summer sessions..."

He grins mischievously and lifts a plotting eyebrow. "Which means not a damn much of anything is happening right now."

Isaac's eyes widen, his mind processing these details, and he ponders his thoughts out loud. "That's... Right... There will be hardly anyone around. But, just enough with summer classes and students working on research that it wouldn't be unusual to see a few new people in the building other than staff and faculty."

With a scheming smile present and glass in hand, Dr. Dawkins nods and focuses his attention on the presentation. "Exactly. The only real problem is those that know who should and shouldn't be in certain places. Which is usually the administrative faculty and their subordinates. The only people there consistently enough to know what is inconsistent."

Slowly processing the dilemma, Isaac narrows his inquisitive gaze at Dr. Dawkins and cocks his head to the side. "So... How do we handle them?"

Finishing a long swig of his drink, Dr. Dawkins grins brightly and laughs with a dark tinge. "Take them out to lunch."

Isaac's expression blanks out for seconds. Shaking his head back to awareness, he leans closer to Dr. Dawkins curiously. "Okay... Go on?"

Settling back into his plush recliner, Dr. Dawkins rests his drink on the table and taps the fingertips of his hands together with a plotting tone. "Exactly what I said. I've recently spoken with both the heads of the computer science and archaeology departments. They're good young men, and I wouldn't mind seeing if they would update me on the latest internal affairs. I figured I would visit and treat them to lunch. And, I'd also offer to treat any of the graduate students that happen to be around for the day, too."

Putting his glass down, Isaac scratches his chin, playing out the scenario in the mind between thoughtful darts of his eyes. He slowly rocks his head, sorting through the internal play by play. "Yeah... That could work. It'd give me a good hour window to slip in without any of the regular guard around to notice anything at all. Truthfully, I could likely avoid using any kind of significant magic. Barely leave a trace behind."

Dr. Dawkins lifts an incredulous eyebrow towards Isaac, snorts in ill-humor, and rolls his green eyes. "An hour? I'm taking them to an all you can eat buffet. You have two hours, at least. Academics and free, plentiful food are hard to separate."

Isaac reflexively snickers out into laughter, agreeing heartily with Dr. Dawkins. Pondering a moment, his eyes light up, the pieces of the puzzle fitting together. "You can drop me off near the campus before you go in to meet with them. I'll head on into the campus once you head off with everyone to lunch. Go in quickly, get Malkav's notes, and casually leave the area. Once you finish up, you can pick me up at a point some distance away from campus, which would grant you plausible deniability."

A delighted smile appears on Dr. Dawkins' face, and he picks up his glass. "I think we have something quite resembling a viable plan."

He holds his glass up, waiting for Isaac to do the same. The two men clink their drinks together and enjoy healthy portions of the dark liquor.

-68-

Laying out upon the cheap, motel single bed, Meredosia stares blankly up at the aged ceiling paint and the yellowed light glowing out from the dusty dome fixture. She adverts her crimson eyes away briefly back down and watches an advertisement on the old, outdated television. Furrowing her brow with recognition at the repetitious advertisement, she squirms her long, gray haired head uneasily upon the single stiff pillow on the mattress, wincing with a slow breath through her gritting teeth. She gradually tosses and turns, curling more and more with each move. Fighting against a reflexive wince, she presses her hands tightly upon her growling stomach. She hisses out her aggravation and frustration. With a harsh frown, she reaches out and snatches her wallet off the lone, worn nightstand in the small, simple motel room. Flipping open the billfold, she sorts out the meager amount of money upon the bed top. With the final bill, she stares unhappily and frowns, her mind running the dismal calculations. She eases out a saddened sigh and grimaces, plucking her funds back up into her wallet. Wrapping her arm tightly around her gurgling, empty stomach, she cringes sharply and clenches a few bills in her hands. In a surge of frustration, she curses out in a dialect of evuukian, stows away the billfold in her frayed blue jeans, and turns off the bed, standing up on the floor. Quickly slipping on her hoodie, she swiftly steps into her boots and sweeps up the room key into her pockets. She pauses in front of the small room door and wrestles an uncomfortable grimace. Mustering her determination, she exits out into the parking lot of the remote, rundown motel.

Meredosia slowly widens her narrowed eyes against the high noon sun. The dark circles under her eyes contrast her ivory skin and the bright ambient light. Wandering down the long, cracked sidewalk towards the nearby intersection, she focuses ahead through the corridor of the small commercial buildings surrounding the street. She concentrates on the mission, keeping her gaze lowered upon the concrete walkway in front of her and hands in her hoodie pockets. Minutes later, she reaches a roadway inlet into a small strip mall parking lot and surveys the area. Searching the collection of store signs upon the different sections of the large, long building, her crimson eyes sift through the business front of no interest to her. A few passes later, she settles her intrigued gaze upon the simple lettering of "Fval Spice". Sliding her stare down, she notices the blue and red "Open" sign light through the windowed front. The wind shifts overhead across the rooftops, and a breeze blows down around Meredosia. Closing her eyes against the gust, Meredosia sniffs the air, fluttering her eyes in surprise, and instinctively follows the alluring scent straight towards the small restaurant.

Opening the door, Meredosia steps cautiously in and surveys the layout of the establishment. A few different, simple arrangements of tables and chairs comprise the majority of the seating in the front with a number of wall mounted benches around the edges of the space. Gazing towards the back, a tastefully decorated counter sits between the short hallway to bathrooms and an entry into the back kitchen. Meredosia hears activity in the back. Sizzles of food fill the air, and flashes of cooking flame light warmly glow out from the path to the kitchen. The aroma guides Meredosia's hand, and she tightly grasps onto a menu, unconsciously lifting it open to her eager eyes. Scanning the menu, she sorts through the possibilities across the pages. Moments later, her gaze pulls away from the elaborate dishes and narrows down upon the cheaper choices. Standing in the middle of the front area, she deliberates, a hint of hunger licking her lips.

An older Fvalian man, steps out from the back kitchen, hoists up two large paper sacks upon the counter, and narrows an unamused glance to the wall clock. Slowly shaking his head of short, graying hair, he mumbles out his confusion in fvalian, his short, black tail twitching with his thoughts. Pausing a moment, he notices Meredosia, perking up his furry ears, and dons a pleasant smile. "Oh! Pardon me. Sorry to keep you waiting. Dine in or carry out?"

Meredosia blinks back to awareness, meets the older Fvalian man's gaze, and searches her mind for a second. Eyeing at the door, she frowns briefly at the alternative and glances around the front area. "Um... Dine in."

With a delighted smile, the older fvalian waves his clawed hands out to all the seating and slightly bows. "Of course. Sit wherever you like. Please."

Meredosia fights through a bit of indecisiveness and settles in a seat at a small table. The fvalian man quickly picks up an order pad and pen and rushes over to Meredosia's table. "Yes. What would you like to drink?"

With a meek, reserved tone, Meredosia simply replies. "Oh. Uh, just water right now."

Nodding, the fvalian man writes it on the pad and tilts his head to the side curiously, inquiring. "Do you know what you want? Or, do you need a minute?"

Meredosia glances down briefly, turns the menu towards the fvalian, and points out to the cheaper option, gazing up. "I think I will have this. Just as it comes on the menu."

The fvalian nods happily, jots down the order in fvalian script, and presents an appreciative grin. "Yes. I will get your drink, and start cooking it."

A slight smile appears on Meredosia's ivory face, and the fvalian man hurries off to the back kitchen area. Folding up the menu, she places it off to the side on her table and settles into her chair. With a long sigh, her thoughts wander, and she sinks back into her own mind, staring idly ahead at the table. Seconds of quiet pass. Hearing the soft thud of a full glass of ice water upon the table, Meredosia stirs from her stupor. Quickly glancing up, she nods in confirmation to the fvalian man and picks up the paper wrapped straw on her table. Peeling the wrapper off the straw, she notices the older fvalian man on an aetherphone, and her long, pointed ear twitches faintly, her attention locking onto this side of the call.

Lifting a mildly annoyed brow, the fvalian speaks to the other party calmly. "Yes. This is Noyando. Where are you? Orders are coming in."

Noyando listens to the response, emotions on his face shifting between a gamut of frustration, understanding, and disappointment. With a long groaning sigh, he shakes his head during the long explanation from the other party. He collects his thoughts, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Try to come in for dinner deliveries, if you can. I will figure out lunch."

Firmly pressing the end call button on his aetherphone, he watches the status screen flicker away, groaning out his irritation quietly, and mumbles a few choice phrases in fvalian to himself. He lifts his head up, notices Meredosia gazing over, and bows apologetically. "Sorry. I did not mean to disturb you."

Meredosia shakes her head slightly, and smiles politely. "Oh. No. It's fine. I was not bothered."

Pausing a moment, she fights off some hesitation and carefully pries further. "Um. If I may ask, what is wrong?"

Noyando tugs at the corner of his mouth and shrugs his shoulders, putting his aetherphone away. "The usual delivery man for today... has a hangover. I don't have others that can work Sundays."

Thinking quietly for a moment, he glances over at Meredosia with an examining stare. Moments later, he poses a question to her with a humored smirk. "You want to earn some money?"

Meredosia blinks to attention, searching her mind a moment. Fighting off the uncertainty blatant on her face, she mulls over the idea out loud. "Well, I could use the money. But..."

She smiles awkwardly and motions to the outside past the glass front. "I just moved here myself. So, I am not that familiar with the area."

With an encouragingly dismissive wave of his hand, Noyando widens a smile on his light brown face and explains with calm tone. "It's okay. These orders are nearby. You can walk to them easy. I will show you on a map, and write out directions."

Furrowing her brow, Meredosia cocks her head curiously and blinks, searching. Noyando sighs and motions over the storefront in general. "I cannot leave the store right now. I take orders and cook by myself today, until later."

He smiles with a shrug of his shoulders. "You deliver the orders, you keep the delivery fee. If you want more work, we'll talk. I always need good help."

Pondering the offer quietly to herself, Meredosia's stomach growls loudly. She glances around embarrassed, pressing her hands firmly on her midsection. Noyando lifts an intrigued brow and smirks enterprisingly towards Meredosia. "When you work for me, I will cook your meals for free."

Meredosia perks up, and her long , pointed ears twitch reflexively at the notion. Lifting an intrigued brow, she smiles. "I might actually be interested."

Noyando smiles, nodding appreciatively, and turns towards the kitchen. "Good. Let me cook, so you can eat something first."

Pausing midway through the entryway into the kitchen, he turns to Meredosia. "Oh! I am Noyando. What is your name?"

The faint trace of a hopeful smirk cracks in the corner of Meredosia's face. "Um... Mera."

----

Across the beautifully landscaped courtyard between a number of immaculately maintained resort buildings, Chad leads Tassilda, Modoran, Trakenthin, and Deedri with an excitable Veevi at this side. The team wanders loosely behind Chad, each taking in the elaborate layout of the resort grounds, winding pathways, and fanciful decorations. Tassilda sneaks out a sly smile, glancing behind her towards Deedri, and points towards a building with a large "Spa Center" sign. Noting the location, Deedri nods back at Tassilda with a hopeful smirk. She flicks over a furry, tufted ear over towards Modoran, searching the space, and curiously turns her head. The group travels across the open space on the stone paver pathway. Modoran remains silent, his dark blue eyes actively polling around between the different visible entrances into the area. With a rigid posture, he stiffly angles his head side to side, uneasiness visibly slipping out onto his dusky bluish gray face. Seconds of observation later, Deedri thoughtfully crosses her arms, furrows her fair brow, and steps over closer, whispering to Modoran. "What are you looking for?"

Shuddering out from his focused state of mind, Modoran gazes down at Deedri, attempting to nonchalantly shrug off suspicion. "Oh... Uh... Just making notes of the layout of this place. It is one thing to see a map of the layout, but another to see it for yourself."

Deedri narrows her unconvinced auburn eyes at Modoran, flicks her furry ears, and gradually wags her tail. "Okay. I guess that makes sense. You just seemed uncomfortable for some reason."

Summoning a wave of cool confidence, Modoran presents a calm smile to Deedri and dons an easy going tone. "Well, it's a big job. And, there are going to be A LOT of Evuukian house members all in one place. Also, some of the really big names will be wandering around."

Blinking with a realization, Deedri bites her lower lip, contending with the surge of nervous energy. "That's right... I'd forgotten about that, with getting everything else prepared. Oh. I really need to review the guest list again, and try to get some familiarity with the politics."

Modoran thinks for a moment, directs a comforting smile towards Deedri, and relaxes his body language, his attention shifting. "Yeah. To be completely honest, I would NOT go too deep into all that. House politics change EVERYDAY. And, there's a tremendous amount of history behind every little thing."

He smirks confidently and chuckles. "If you want, I could give you a quick overview of the current important bits."

Perking up, Deedri gazes at Modoran with a delighted grin. "Oh! I'll take all the help I can get. Gods. I thought medical literature was convoluted, then I just read up about one recent scandal."

A humored smile appears on Modoran's face, and he chuckles lightly, lifting an intrigued eyebrow at Deedri. "Ah. Which one? There were at least three major ones last week and a few other minor ones."

Widening her eyes in genuine surprise, Deedri grits her sharp teeth briefly and brings out her aetherphone from her skirt pocket. "Okay... So, where are you getting your information from? Because the news sites I visit didn't mention anything else, right now."

Peeking over Deedri's shoulder, Modoran guides her, instructing her on the more appropriate aethersites to visit. Tassilda stretches out her neck, rolls her shoulders, and sighs with her thoughts, pondering out loud. "It is ever a lovely resort here. Though, I doubt we'll be able to enjoy it fully."

Chad glances back over his shoulder, continuing to lead the team down a long pathway branching off the main route. "I wouldn't say that, yet. I mean, we are still going to be busy."

Trakenthin cocks his head to the side, shifting his eyes down towards Chad, and twists his mouth. "Busy doing what exactly? I understand our general purpose. Clarification would be appreciated for our daily activities."

Sorting through the agenda within his mind, Chad lays down an explanation, the group traveling further along the lone, stone walkway. "We'll be serving as both entertainment and security purposes here. Most of the time we'll just be making appearances and hosting events for the guests. It turns out a lot of Evuukian house members are big fans of the show. So, it seems like it will be like a small convention."

He slyly smirks and shrugs his shoulders, laughing. "As for security... Nothing too crazy. We will be escorting some big players around, stand around at big gatherings, and just serve as deterrents against the nobles acting out too much."

With a swift snort, he rolls his brown eyes. "Most probably don't want to be caught being stupid in front of us AND the cameras."

A spark of foreboding mischief flickers in Veevi's pink pupil eyes, and she grins devilishly towards Chad. Trakenthin grumbles with a dismissive eye roll and slowly shakes his head. "I hope we have time to ourselves."

Tossing her raven black hair back, Tassilda brushes stray strands over her swirling horns and nods in agreement. She puts her hands on her hips, contorts her gray skinned face, and stares her light blue on black eyes sternly ahead at Chad. "Again, I DO hope we get a chance to enjoy a little of this for ourselves. It'll be quite torturous to be at such a place and forced to constantly babysit bratty nobility."

Chad dons his trademark, bright white grin, stepping past the end of the long path into a small courtyard, and presents a resort villa to the team. "We'll be here til Saturday evening. And... The guests leave Friday. Until then, I think we'll be able to enjoy ourselves a little in the off time."

The rest of the group gawks in surprise and delight at the facilities before them, the camera crews off to the side recording their reactions from different angles.

----

Late morning sun beams around the moderate cloud cover above, projecting large drifting shadows across the grass in the backyard behind the ranch style house. Bach reservedly judges the eager grin upon Sotalia's face and sits across from her at the large picnic table. Perking up, Sotalia taps her long, thick black fingernails upon the wooden plank table top and smiles expectantly. "So... What's the first step in this lesson?"

Bach twists on a grimace, searching the edges of his mind, and cautiously approaches the conversation. "Well, first... Let's see how well you can do the regular disintegration beam spell before we get too far ahead of ourselves."

Narrowing a brief, incredulous stare at Bach, Sotalia draws a confident smirk, turning around on the bench seat, and stands up searching the vast open field. "Fair enough. Let's see..."

Her gaze settles upon the battered, burnt, and blasted boulder, and she points out to the stone target. "I guess I'll use our favorite target."

Resting his arms upon the table, Bach weaves his fingers together and waits patiently, nodding a confirmation. Sotalia stretches out her arms, rolls around her shoulders, and settles her footing upon the grass, swaying her hips with shifting weight. Closing her golden eyes, she releases a long, calming breath, and readies her hands in front of her. With careful motions of her gestures, she methodically speaks the incantations in sync, ending with her hands in front of her. Her palms ahead and wrists touching, flows of magical energy stream out from her body and swirl forth, condensing in the middle of her outstretched fingers.

An orb of prismatic white noise grows briefly. A stream of sparkling, dull gray launches out. The beam quickly bridges the distance and splatters upon the surface of the boulder. Plumes out powdered rock belch out from the impact point, and glowing sparks puff out chaotically. Over the seconds, Sotalia grimaces under the stain, the magical flows jetting around her body into the beam. Moments later, the beam fades out. With the gentle breeze moving through, the cloud of dust around the boulder drifts away, raining a fine dust over the grass in the path. Sotalia grins triumphantly, the fading stone haze revealing a sizable, few centimeters deep bore hole into the giant rock's surface. Pivoting in place, she faces Bach with a drama flair and projects her confidence with a pose, awaiting the recognition of her efforts. "I do believe that should demonstrate my expertise with the disintegration beam."

Bach lifts his hands up from the table top, lightly taps both extended index fingers to his mouth contemplatively, and sneaks an amused smirk out of the corner of his mouth. "Yes. That it does. Now..."

Pointing at Sotalia, he hoists up an amused eyebrow and hides a hint of grin. "Can you curve the beam?"

Sotalia blinks blankly, mentally halting upon the concept. Resting her hands upon her hips, she cocks her head to the side, puzzling out loud. "Curve it... As in... Changing the direction it leaves the starting point?"

Raising a hand away from the other, Bach draws a circle in the air and smiles smugly at Sotalia. "Well... I'm thinking more like a... Circle."

Sotalia furrows her intrigued, light tan brow and steps back to the bench next to the wooden plank picnic table. Settling back onto her seat across from Bach, she wrestles a confused grimace. "Okay. Explain."

Bach shrugs his shoulders. He searches his mind briefly and pantomimes out the key concepts, gauging Sotalia's understanding from the faint twists of her expression. "Well... The D-Ball spell is basically bundles of high energy magical particle streams circling upon themselves into rings, that also spin around."

Tossing her fiery orange hair back, Sotalia narrows her stare curiously and leans over the table slightly, watching Bach expectantly with her golden eyes. "Okay... I THINK I know what you are saying. But, some kind of an example could help."

Bach nods in agreement, lifts his hands up in between Sotalia and himself, and blinks his eyes to a glowing blue. A single tiny, prismatic point hovers in between Bach's palms. The particle moves around in a fast circle. Soon other spots form, flying in the same ring path. Seconds later, a blurry ring of fast moving magical energy pivots around a center axis. The rotation speeds up, and the ring turns into the illusion of a flickering, transparent orb. Observing in utter fascination, Sotalia studies the display of magic attentively. A minute later, Bach releases the flows of magical energy, and the particles harmlessly dissipate into the air. Watching the miasma float away in the wind, Sotalia directs her attention upon Bach and cracks a sly smile. "I think I get it now. I was a little curious about what the secret trick to it was."

Bach cracks a humored grin, tilting his head to the side, and nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders briefly gazing away. "Oh, yeah. The fundamentals are simple."

He perks up an eyebrow, sarcasm seeping out. "The execution... Now THAT is the hard part. I mean, all you have to do is create nearly solid rings of thread thin, highly destructive magical particles. Then, you need to spin up the rings in counter rotations of each other along the same center point, as you build layer upon layer to form an orb that wants to spin apart..."

Starting right into Sotalia's golden eyes, Bach's tone lowers slightly. "And, shred you to pieces."

The confidence fades away in Sotalia, an awkward unease sneaking out during the idle gaze at Bach. "Yeah... Um... I think I might practice with harmless magical particles, first. Just to be on the safe side."

Nodding at the idea, Bach chuckles lightly to himself, crossing his arms. "Yeah. That's probably a really good idea. I mean, I don't think Aristespha wants to have to stitch up hands OR reattach fingers today."

Sotalia rolls her eyes with a humored snort and readies her hands in front of her. Over the minutes, Sotalia grits her teeth, grimaces, cringes, and strains with each attempt, finely wrestling the control of the small speck of magical energy in the space between her hands. Patiently watching with his blue illuminated eyes, Bach waits for lulls in Sotalia's frustrated pride and calmly suggests alternative methods for approaching the problem. A few more stubborn failing attempts later, Sotalia adopts recommendations, gradually altering her technique to a more viable form. Her sheer determination and unyielding pride powering, Sotalia struggles through dozens of gradually less unsuccessful attempts and forms a crude, slow ring of magical energy particles. A spark of joy lights up her golden eyes, and she hoists the successful manifestation of her labors towards Bach, beaming with pride. "Yes! OH, I'll have THIS figured out soon enough. Take a look!"

Bach blinks back to awareness, gazes over from his own magical creation, and examines Sotalia's efforts with an encouraging smile. "Yeah. That's pretty good progress."

Sotalia's attention slides over to the complicated, complex molded streams of different shapes and figures hovering in the air between Bach's hands. In the moment, her prideful front wanes into an unamused pout, her eyes comparing the obvious differences between her magical craft and Bach's. She focuses her defensive stare at Bach. Watching him study her creation, her gaze softens and lightens to a smile, his hands moving close to hers. Bach glances over, puzzling for a moment. "Hey, you okay?"

Sotalia blinks back to her usual confident grin. "Of course. So, what are you going to do?"

Tilting his head towards Sotalia's energy ring, Bach squints at the details with his blue illuminated eyes. "Well, if you don't mind, I can show you some tweaks you can do. I think you should be able to feel them if you pay attention."

With a simple nod, Sotalia perks up, smiles excitedly, and waits eagerly. "Go right ahead."

----

Stepping out from a large, tall brick building, Dr. Dawkins pushes through a set of double doors into the parking lot surrounding the old brick structure. Harvos and Nash walk up to either side of Dr. Dawkins, leading a small gathering of graduate students a few steps behind. Leaning over towards Dr. Dawkins with a smirk, Nash jokes with a curious tinge in his tone. "Hey, not that I don't appreciate you offering to pay for our lunches... But, you sure you want to pay for all the graduate students?"

He snorts and shakes his head. "I mean, I know Grand Library retirement is good, but I don't want to take advantage of an old man. I could help out with the bill."

Laughing, Dr. Dawkins slowly walks towards his older luxury sedan in a nearby parking spot and dismisses the concern with a casual wave of his hand. "Oh, nonsense. Gods know, I can't take it with me. So, I figured I might as well enjoy it with others."

He smirks and bounces a side glances between Harvos and Nash. "And, I once, all so long ago, was a graduate student here, too."

Harvos slightly nods his head of short, bright brown hair and large upright horns and presents an appreciative smile. "Well, thank you, very much, Dr. Dawkins. We all appreciate your generosity. Especially my graduate students."

A satisfied smirk graces Dr. Dawkins face, and he flashes a grin with a wink towards Harvos. "They were looking a little hungry. I always found filling stomachs was a great way to keep the morale up during the long stretches of research."

Noticing Nash turning towards his car, Dr. Dawkins motions him over. "Let's take my car. It's quite the enjoyable ride, and I rarely get to drive anyone else around in it these days."

Nash pauses a moment, glances down at the car keys in his hand, and shrugs, putting them away in his shorts pocket. "Yeah. Probably a good plan. My car isn't..."

Wandering his gaze swiftly through the windows, he surveys the chaos contained within the vehicle. "Um... Set up for passengers anyway."

Harvos rolls his bright brown on black eyes and slowly shakes his head with a snort. "You mean it's completely filled with junk mail and empty drink cups. AGAIN?"

Nash holds his hands out to the side in a display of mock offense and twists his mouth with a sarcastic color. "Oh, passing judgment are we? I'm sorry, not all of us have to keep up appearances just in case Malva calls up."

A flash of embarrassed red highlights Harvos's cheeks, and he flings a mildly annoyed glare at Nash. "Gods dammit. NOT in front of the graduate students."

Stopping, Nash pivots slowly around and gazes back to Harvos with a wide, dramatic wave of hand, showcasing the parking lot devoid of others. "DUDE. They are gone. At this rate, they'll be through the first plate before we even get to the door."

Dr. Dawkins chuckles happily, unlocking his car, and shakes his head with a smile. "Gods. It is ever good to know that some things don't change. Reminds me of my youth scavenging for free food scraps after faculty events."

Opening the door, he hits a switch on a side console, unlocking the other doors. He pauses a moment, retrieves a cheap looking aetherphone, and sorts through a few menus. He taps out a very quick message and slips the device back in his pants pocket. Harvos gets in the front passenger's side, and Nash gets in the back. Settling into his driver's seat fully, Dr. Dawkins addresses the two. "I figure we'll get into more detail after lunch... BUT, I must ask..."

He turns his head slightly and lifts an inquisitive eyebrow. "What exactly has been going on with the higher ups as of late?"

Averting his gaze, Nash momentarily grits his teeth and shakes his head, closing his door. "Yeah... We'll definitely have to save a bunch of THAT, after lunch. But, to say the least, the powers-that-be are well..."

He blinks a few times and grimaces. "Scared shitless? I think that's the best way to put it?"

With an inquiring glance, Dr. Dawkins eyes over to Harvos and starts up the car. "Really?"

Harvos exhales slowly with an uncertain grumble and rocks his head carefully side to side, mulling over the sentiment. "Truthfully, scared shitless is the NICE way to put it."

The old sedan slowly backs out of the parking spot, turns out into the main street, and rolls off towards a campus exit.

With a casual stride, Issac rounds the walkway around the corner of another nearby brickwork building, maintaining a cautious survey of the area. Slowly changing his direction via sidewalks and crosswalks, he maneuvers over to the large, tall campus building and stands in front of the double doors. Glancing around briefly, he nonchalantly pulls open one side of the entrance and walks on inside.

Presenting a facade of purpose, Isaac searches for landmarks, signs, and other bits of unique features along the walls. He delves deeper into the old, wide halls and spots a number of departmental directories and color-coded wall stripes. Narrowing his focus upon one, he follows a dark green band, directing him towards a doorway and down a dark stairwell. He climbs cautiously down the stairs and reaches the dimly lit, disused basement floor. Quickly scanning the area, he retrieves a cheap aetherphone from his pocket and wraps up his blue scarf over his lower face. He studies a picture of a map on the screen, comparing the structure of the basement hallway, and slowly nods, recognizing a particular door down near the end of the hallway. He quietly steps forward. Isaac peeks through small windows in the other doors into darkly lit rooms of technological towers of flickering lights, listening to the droning mix of muffled fans and air conditioning duct work.

Reaching the target door, Isaac inspects the doorway carefully, searching for the unusual, out of place. He checks the high corners of the hallway for monitoring devices, squinting into the darkened, distant corners. Isaac levels his focus upon the door and begins to gesture out an incantation. Flows of prismatic energy flow out from his gloved hands upon the door knob and jam. The magical miasma seeps into the mechanisms. Isaac halts, narrowing a puzzled stare at the door knob. He unceremoniously grabs hold of it, twists it simply, and opens the door without any issue. Blinking in annoyed astonishment, Isaac rolls his gray eyes, grumbling to himself, and slowly shakes his head. He notices the stark contrast of ambient dust against the recently disturbed marks on the door knob, inspecting the coating of funk upon his glove. Twisting his mouth under the scarf, he wipes the excess off his hand onto his pants and enters the room, closing the door behind.

Checking the map on the aetherphone, Isaac navigates aisles of server racks, webs of cabling, and blockades of old junk piles. Through the dimly lit labyrinth of turbulent air currents, Isaac ends up against the opposite wall, near a corner area of the oldest computing equipment cabinets. Surveying the area, he compares the layout against the map. Ascertaining his location, he guides his pointing hand towards the target destination. He gazes up from the cheap aetherphone and grimaces at the sight of boxes upon boxes of old equipment, paperwork, and literature piled up over the space. Putting away the phone, he sighs deeply, shakes his head, and stretches his arms out with a resolute grumble. "It's never easy..."

----

In the busy buffet restaurant, Dr. Dawkins, Nash, and Harvos sit around a booth table, pausing a moment from feasting, and watch the graduate students leave in a wave towards the food lines. Tilting his head to the side, Nash glances down at his second plate stacked upon a prior dish and slowly turns his face towards Harvos and Dr. Dawkins. "Damn... I guess we're really not paying them enough these days. I think a few of them are on their third plate already."

Harvos shakes his head with a smirk towards Nash, chuckling. "You need to be careful. If you fall too far behind them, they might feel ready to challenge you for leadership."

With a reflexive laugh, Nash rolls his pale blue eyes and twists his mouth with a long groan. "WELL, I don't have to worry about THAT. They only know half the bullshit I have to deal with, and NONE of them want to deal with even that much. Man, I couldn't give this damned job away."

He snarls his upper lip, easing out a long sigh. "Especially with the recent drama..."

Dr. Dawkins gradually nods, idly stirring the remnants of food on his plate with a fork, and narrows an inquisitive stare at Nash. "Indeed... So. They really are that deadlocked as to what to do?"

Nodding with a frustrated frown, Nash grumbles, summoning up a summation. "They're afraid to get too involved. They don't want to draw attention and disturb what Aristespha's group has been doing. They don't want to report it to the many authorities for fear of multiple governments digging into Grand Library affairs, with legitimate reasons to do so. Something they've all wanted for YEARS."

Harvos slowly shakes his head and settles back in his spot in the booth, crossing his muscular arms with hints of irritation. "In other words, until their hand is forced, they are NOT doing anything until they absolutely have to. Until then, they are trying to keep it all hidden. As per the usual unspoken policy."

A saddened frown grows upon Dr. Dawkins, and he regretfully nods, fighting against an unnerving familiarity. "Yes. I believe I'm partly responsible for THAT policy. It does seem like they've taken an exception to the rules and made it the rule for all exceptions."

Presenting a sympathetic smirk, Harvos shrugs his shoulders and eyes over at the heaping bounties of food upon graduate students' plates. "Maybe. But, I tend to think it's more of the fault of the current board not having any experience at handling something like this. They seem more prone to inaction than action. To be fully honest, it's not the first serious issue they've stalled out on."

An electronic chirp rings out from Nash's shorts pocket, and he fumbles around, bringing his aetherphone into view. "The hell?"

Dr. Dawkins perks his brow, shifting his attention towards Nash. "Something wrong?"

Puzzling at the messages on the phone screen, Nash hums in thought and scrolls through the list alerts, contorting his confused face. "Yeah... But, it doesn't seem like anything too high priority. Looks like the network links to a few old servers in the basement farms went down."

Briefly springing his green eyes wide, Dr. Dawkins sneaks the cheap phone from his pants pocket out under the table, briefly diverting his gaze towards the screen, and navigates to an audio messenger app. Drawing in a breath, he taps his finger on the record button and inquiries curiously. "So, whatever would cause these servers to lose their network connections?"

Nash's eyes sift through the information streaming upon the small display, and he shrugs nonchalantly with a calm attitude. "Well... More than likely the network cables have backed out over the years from all the vibrations working on them. I've run into that a few times. Maybe someone tripped over a cable, and it unseated just enough? Don't know who'd be down there. OR... It could be the old software on the thing just stalled out. That happens on those old configs."

Putting his aetherphone on the table, he plucks up his fork and readies to finish up the rest of the platter before him. "Meh. It's just a bunch of old archive data that's got redundant duplicates elsewhere in that cluster group. If they don't come back online after a few minutes, I'll need to get back to check on them."

He rolls his eyes and drags out a groan. "Especially before I get emails from some faculty members that, for some gods awful reason, have hardlinks to those specific nodes. Keep finding those STILL after all these years."

Maintaining a cool, collected exterior, Dr. Dawkins secretly taps out a series of onscreen buttons and glances down, noticing the "Message Sent" prompt. "Well, let us hope it's just a temporary glitch. It would be a damn shame to hurry our nice lunch."

Cracking a smirk, Nash chuckles and wiggles his way across the booth seat edge. "Yeah, but let me get that third plate started just in case..."

----

Sliding a heavy box over with a shove of his boot, Isaac stands in front of the cleared floor, slowly panting. In contrast to the ambient drone of ventilation fans from stacks of computing equipment around him, a high pitched chirp sounds out from Isaac's pocket. Quickly retrieving the cheap aetherphone, he notices a new message indicator and navigates through the menus. He lifts an eyebrow, momentarily puzzling at the contents of the message. "The hell?"

Tapping a play button, he puts the phone close to his ear. "An audio recording?"

Isaac focuses upon the playback and grimaces, trying to divine the purpose. His gray eyes spring wide open. He spins around in panic, putting away his aetherphone, and searches the area around him. Locking his attention onto a few nearby tall racks of blinking equipment, Isaac hunts frantically for the cable connections. Tracking the winding routes of wiring on the floor, he compares the different colors of indicator lights between similar machines. He narrows down his hunt to a few rack mounted servers. Fumbling around, he pushes his hands inside the mass of plastic coated wiring, parts the chaotic waterfall of electronic cabling, and finds a few indicator lights completely dark above network jacks. Quickly, he grabs hold of each plug, presses it firmly in, and listens to a reassuring click each time. Seconds later, indicators blink back to life. Isaac stands back, carefully examining the nearby racks. This section of the symphony of optics soon flickers with the surrounding, blending back into the whole. Settling down, Isaac releases a long sigh of tentative relief. "Good gods... Hope that'll fix it..."

He returns his attention back to the cleared section of the tiled floor, stepping over, and kneels down for further investigation. "But... If not... Have to find-"

The distant, muffled sound of a door opening peaks above the dull drone of the server room. Isaac's gray eyes spring wide open in surprise. Quickly scanning the area, he hops over behind a low wall of stacked boxes and slinks low into the shadowy cubby. Listening attentively, Isaac aims his ears at the reflective walls and ceiling. Above the sound of footsteps, a masculine voice confidently speaks out with a hint of a swagger. "SEE. I told you this was the perfect place to go. No one has been here in AGES. No one is going to bother us."

The noises of movement grow closer to Isaac, and a feminine voice giggles excitedly. "Yeah... You were right. OH, over there."

The masculine voice adopts a curious tone. "The stack of boxes?"

Isaac winces and slowly shakes his head, silently mouthing. "NO. Somewhere else..."

With a sly tinge, the feminine tone laughs. "NO. That table over THERE."

Quickly peeking out from behind the stealthy cover, Isaac surveys the area. A wave of relief flows over him, and he notices the table meters away from his position. Slipping back into hiding, he listens in on the conversation. The masculine tone chuckles and lowers his voice. "Well... We got the place to ourselves... Whatever shall we DO, now?"

Sounds of shuffling upon the table rise into the soundscape. The feminine voice eagerly giggles with a seductive tone. "Oh... I don't know. Maybe-"

Isaac pauses a moment, searching for the conversation with a hand to his ear. Seconds later, the developing carnal chorus of excited movement, aroused breathing, and passionate noises mix with the muted squeaks of an old table. Isaac rolls his eyes in disgusted annoyance and drops his frustrated stare to the ground. Rubbing his eyes to a pinch of the bridge of nose, he slowly shakes his head and mutters near silently. "Of fucking course... Couldn't wait for any other time..."

In a lull of intimate rhythm, the masculine voice hopefully approaches a request. "Hey... Could you do that thing with your tail?"

Isaac blinks blankly, curiosity knocking the irritation out of his expression. The feminine voice lets loose an aggressively eager giggle and growls happily. "OH. YES. But... ONLY if you let me guide you down by the horns."

Underneath his scarf, Isaac's jaw hangs open, and he puzzles in a bewildered stupor, the sounds of carnal gymnastics overtaking the ambient drone.

----

At the booth in the buffet, Nash settles back into the bench seat, patting his stomach, and gazes down at another empty plate on the table. "Well... I don't think I could fit another thing, even if I really tried."

The aetherphone on the table in front of Nash chirps out a few notification tones. Slowly leaning forward against his full stomach, Nash picks up the phone, squinting at the text prompts scrolling on the screen. He releases a long sigh of relief and puts the phone back in his shorts pocket with an amused smirk. "Welp! Disaster averted, from the looks of it. Those systems are back online, and reporting no further issues."

Glancing up to Nash from checking the cheap aetherphone on his lap, Dr. Dawkins quickly works the worried grimace off his face and calmly nods. "Well. That's good to hear. Just a glitch, then?"

Nash takes a long sip of his glass of iced tea, pausing in thought a moment, and casually grins with a humored eye roll. "Well... It's OLD equipment. Eventually, I really need to get around to migrating the contents to our new data arrays."

Wrestling a grimace on his face, he grumbles. "But... I'll task my graduate students to check them later. Just to make sure. Really don't want any more surprises at this point."

He turns his head towards the nearby table, overfed graduate students lounging lazily in their chairs. "Speaking of which... I think they're all more than done at this point."

Harvos snorts at the lethargic gathering of students, shakes his head, and grins humored at Nash and Dr. Dawkins. "Well. We do need to head back. If only to make sure they don't fall asleep here."

With a bit of worry creeping out onto Dr. Dawkins face, he reads the latest message on his aetherphone, overhearing the comments between Nash and Harvos. Summoning a calm, interested facade, he hums contemplatively and addresses Nash and Harvos, secretly tapping the record button on his phone. "That is understandable. I doubt they will be doing much for a while. By the way, I was thinking..."

He cracks a sly smirk and chuckles. "Could an old man pester you, Harvos, for a tour of the old department?"

Harvos's bright brown eyes search his mind, and he scratches his short brown hair. "Certainly. We actually have a few new exhibits that I believe you would want to take a look at."

Dr. Dawkins grins with an eager tint, nodding appreciatively, and furrows his aged brow. "Excellent. I've been curious how the old department has been, and just wanted to see the direction it has gone."

He glances over towards Nash, politely posing a request. "I do hope it wouldn't be too inconvenient for you if I drove over there first, Nash?"

Shrugging his shoulder with a neutral attitude, he swings his head over towards the graduates in the early stages of calorie comas. "Not a problem. It's not like I'm going to get any work done for the next few hours with these kids."

Lifting an intrigued eyebrow, he smirks towards Dr. Dawkins and Harvos. "Plus... It might be a good thing to do while we dig more into the latest drama."

A delighted smile appears on Dr. Dawkins, and he sneakily presses the send button of the aetherphone, putting it up. "Sounds like a plan. Allow me to settle the tab, and we shall be off."

----

Listening quietly with the phone pressed to his ear, Isaac nods understandingly at the audio playback and sneaks out a soft sigh of relief. His attention shifts over to the sounds of giggles and chuckling. A young masculine voice snorts. "Wow... Uh... That was, um, a bit intense."

The young feminine voice snickers, stifling a few laughs. "Gods almighty, it went EVERYWHERE. I'll have to remember THAT magic trick."

With an awkward cadence, the masculine voice wanders over towards another topic. "Yeah... Oh... Crap... We probably need to get back before the boss gets back from his lunch."

A bit of concern colors the feminine tone. "Um... Should we, like, try to clean THIS up?"

Sounds of shuffling, movement, and table squeaks punctuate the masculine voice's commentary. "Ah. Huh. We'll come back later. Don't think anyone is going to notice this any time soon."

The activity moves away from Isaac. The young feminine voice barely holds back a giggle. "I don't know. We might get really distracted, again."

Distantly, the two snicker. The door opens and promptly closes. The faint sounds of fast footsteps up a flight of stairs echo from the other side. Isaac cautiously stands up, slowly inspecting the vicinity, and softly steps out from his hiding spot. Keeping alert, he walks towards an intersection of the different equipment aisles, studies the pathway leading to the exit door, and observes over the moments. A minute later, he relaxes his shoulders and growls out his annoyance, shaking his head. "By the gods! Let me get this ONE THING done..."

Pivoting around, he halts mid step. Catching sight of the old, squeaky table, his eyes open wide. The expression on his sun touched tan face blends up fascination, puzzlement, and disgust, and he studies the scene before him. Dropping his analytical stare downwards to the floor, he traces the carnal leftovers up the table and squints absolutely bewildered at the wall. Glancing once upwards, he drops his attention back ahead and pauses. He snaps his stare up dumbfounded, blinking blankly. He hangs his jaw open under his scarf, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. Recollecting his sanity, he quickly walks away from the scene and kneels back down in front of the cleared section of floor, examining the tiling. He feels along the ground along suspicious grooves and taps upon the different sections, listening for the contrasts of sounds. Quickly, he finds an odd spot, swiftly gestures out a spell, and flows magical energy into the crevices. With a lift of his hand, a section of floor rises up, revealing a large, unused conduit junction box with a tight, sealed package filling the space inside.

Grinning happily, Isaac removes the hefty parcel from the space. With care, he replaces the section of floor, scoops up the package under an arm, and stands up with renewed vigor. Thinking a moment, he slides over a few stacks of old equipment and books over the section of floor, camouflaging the hidden spot. With a content sigh, he begins to step away towards the door, reaches the aisle intersection, and stops. The outline of a sly smirk appears under his blue scarf, and he wills flows of magical energy towards two choice targets near the table. A used condom hovers through the air, glides down the aisle, and rests upon network cables going to previously loose plugs. Following close behind, an incriminating pair of panties hangs itself upon the top corner of a nearby server rack. Barely containing his cackle, Isaac takes off quickly out of the server area through the door.

----

With a wave out his open driver's window, Dr. Dawkins bids both Harvos and Nash goodbye, calling out to them. "Do not forget to keep me updated!"

Harvos grants a confirming nod, and Nash gives Dr. Dawkins a thumbs up. The two walk through the double doors back into the tall, large brick building. Dr. Dawkins drives his sedan away, calmly cruising through the campus proper. Exiting onto the surrounding city streets, he keeps an ongoing watch of the area and eyes his rear view mirror, hints of paranoia slipping out onto his face. He slows to stop at a red light, checks the latest message on the cheap aetherphone, and nods to himself. The sedan navigates down the greenery lined the roads. Minutes of traffic and turns later, he rolls to a stop in a back alley behind an old strip mall and waits patiently.

Moments later, from behind a row of dumpsters, Isaac appears without his face covered and swiftly moves around Dr. Dawkins's car. With a swift pull of the handle, he slips around the passenger's door, hopping into the front seat. He closes the door, pats the tightly sealed package on his lap, and pulls his seat belt on. "WELL. Despite the lewd comedy fate tried to make of it, the mission was a success."

Dr. Dawkins puts the sedan in gear, turns the steering wheel, and shakes his head with a relieved smirk. "I must say, I can not shake the feeling that greater powers were conspiring against us in the most awkward fashion."

Fighting down an ill-humored smirk, Isaac snorts and rolls his eyes with a disgusted tone. "You do NOT know the half of it."

Twisting his mouth, Dr. Dawkins glances over with a lift of an eye brow. "I get the distinct impression that your messages did not quite impart the situation fully."

Grumbling out the amusement at his expense, Isaac sighs and settles into the leather car seat. "Yes. I think you could say THAT. I must say, I'm not exactly familiar with the proper terms to describe what happened."

He pauses a moment and stumbles out. "And... Honestly... I am a bit wary to search for them."

-69-

Peeking over Aristespha's shoulder, Sebastian's ghostly form hovers nearby. He samples the sections the text Aristespha reads from a pile on the dining table. Eyeing over at Aristespha's worn gaze, he inspects the document currently in her hands. Aristespha tosses her long silvery blue hair back, groaning out a long sigh, and slowly shakes her head. A defeated frown slips out upon her face, and she drops the stack of papers upon the table top between other piles of research materials and a tablet. Bach idly rocks side to side in his seat, wrestling a mix of boredom and stale frustration, and strains to keep his eyes upon the heavily notated printout. Losing the battle with his diminishing attention span, he releases the paperwork upon the dining table and rakes both hands through his brown, longer hair. Sinking back into the dining chair, he stretches a grimace on his light tan face. "Damn. I've run through all this stuff a few times... And, I can't figure out anything new."

Nodding slowly, Aristespha brushes her hair back, guiding a few stray strands over her very long, pointed ears. "Same. Here."

She blinks her violet eyes, stretching her arms out in front of her, and rests her hands on the table top. "Okay. Reviewing all this... Noxian-"

Pausing a moment, she twists the corner of her mouth. "Well, Isaac, seems to be interested in these sites and ruins near coordinates detected by that research outpost. I believe we can now safely assume that these sites have had some kind of involvement with elder energy, since we keep finding energy collectors of some variety."

She lifts her hands up and rubs her ivory skin along the blue gray hints at the temples of her head, grimacing with a long, worn sigh. "He has definitely been collecting power where he can. But, I cannot help to think there is something else he is looking for."

Sebastian hums ethereally in thought, floats down into an empty seat at the table, and crosses his arms, delving into the discussion. "Alright. Gathering power makes sense. Going to places that have elder energy makes sense, still. We're still not certain what his end goal is..."

Lifting a quizzical brow towards Bach, Sebastian cocks his head to the side, posing a question. "But... The fact he seems to be changing things up because of what he learned about your elder energy connection... That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Bach blinks blankly, searching his mind, and squirms slightly in his seat. "I don't know. I mean, if he could figure out how I'm getting elder energy..."

Snarling his upper lip, he uncomfortably groans out. "And gods forbid, reproduce it..."

He frowns with his conclusion. "It'd certainly solve his problem with acquiring power."

Sebastian nods in agreement, twisting his mouth, and sorts through his thoughts, grumbling. "Yeah... THEN, he'd just build up his power far from anyone else, and then do whatever he wants when he feels the time is right."

Mulling over the possibilities, he focuses his gaze at Bach and inquires hopefully. "Hey, bro, you sure he didn't mention anything else to you when you ran into each other? Insinuated anything? Even an odd reference?"

An uncomfortable wave travels through Bach's body, and a frown slowly weighs down his face. Furrowing his brow, he plays back recent memories in his mind with a squint. "I- I've gone through that whole thing in my head. Multiple times. Nothing blatant stands out. Though..."

Grimacing, he narrows his blue eyes inward and uncertainly comments. "Isaac seemed really happy I was using elder energy in the ways I have. And, I mean, he seemed really honest with offering to help me. It's strange. It really felt different talking to him then, than Noxian before."

Aristespha twists her mouth and sighs. "I really do hate to say it, but it might have been truly genuine. Isaac was an academic, a knowledge seeker, and a very supportive member of the Grand Library during his tenure. Unfortunately... Him and that particular group were not much for respecting limitations."

Sebastian's ghostly form phases slightly through the chair and table, drifting into a deep line of thought. A minute later, he blinks his translucent blue eyes, floats back in sync with the physical objects around him, and cocks his head to side, staring uncomfortably. "Actually training others to use elder energy? Possibly recruiting people to whatever his cause is?"

Cringing, Bach sighs and rests his forehead on his palm, searching in mind. "Man. I don't know. That could make sense..."

He glances over to Sebastian, pondering out loud. "Instead of trying to do whatever he plans by himself, train others to assist him? Gods, that's fucking terrifying... The LAST thing this world needs is more elder energy users. The worst magical disasters I've ever heard of happened because of elder energy."

Squirming briefly into an uneasy roll of his shoulders, Sebastian glances over to Aristespha and awkwardly approaches the topic. "If I remember right, dear, some weird zones were the result of such disasters?"

Aristespha sighs deeply and nods solemnly. "Yes, Sebastian... That is what the current consensus of evidence points to. Well. The evidence that existed afterwards. Numerous things that plague us today stem from elder energy misuse."

Pushing her mood towards levity, she slides back her chair away from the dining table and stands up into a long, slow stretch. "Historians at the Grand Library joke that the fact the planet was NOT annihilated before the Abstract Prism proves the gods exist, and they are strangely merciful. Anyway..."

She surveys the kitchen prep area, through the bar opening. "Does anyone want anything? I'm brewing some coffee."

Bach glances to Aristespha and briefly lifts his hand up. "Some tea, please. Nothing special."

Pivoting around towards the living section of the large room, Aristespha tilts her head to the side, watching Dretphi pull out a cloth measuring tape along Cideeda's outstretched arm. "You two want anything?"

Cideeda blinks to attention, searches her mind with her emerald eyes, and perks up her furry ears. "I'll join in on the coffee."

Dretphi glances over her shoulder and nods towards Aristespha. "Coffee will be fine."

Snorting ethereally, Sebastian shakes his head amused. "Gods. Almost noon on a Wednesday, and we're already hitting the coffee again."

Aristespha rolls her violet eyes with a dismissively humored toss of her hair and presents a defiant smirk. "Oh, please. This isn't my worst abuse of caffeine."

She groans on her way into the kitchen area, sneering her upper lip. She prepares the larger coffee machine, mumbling. "And, fuck me, if I'm going to dig through all this material again for some off the wall reasoning we haven't found yet..."

Pulling in a calming breath, she exhales. "I am going to need SOMETHING to keep my mind from wandering to ANYTHING else."

Cideeda's furry ear flicks back from listening to Aristespha, and she nods to herself with a commiserating smirk. Dretphi kneels down next to Cideeda and wraps the fabric measuring tape snugly around Cideeda's hips, squinting at the end overlapping the marks on the strip. Briefly opening her eyes wide, a relevant concern enters Cideeda's mind, and she taps Dretphi on the shoulder. "OH. You should probably get a measurement with my tail wrapped up. I always buy body suits with a little extra room because of that."

Dretphi releases the tape measure from around Cideeda and writes down another number on a pad of paper. "That would be wise. I have options to contend with that."

Cideeda's long, fluffy tail curls between her legs, flicks upward in the front of her shorts, and loosely coils around her waist. With well practiced methodology, Cideeda combs down the medium length fur with her clawed fingers, gently tightens the slack in the partial wrap, and guides her tail the rest of the way around and back between her legs. Using a bit of effort, she works the tufting at the end down and secures the wrap between her thighs. She lifts her hands up away from the area and nods towards Dretphi. "Okay. NOW take a measurement. The tail always adds a few centimeters around the waist and hips."

The sliding glass door opens up, and Sotalia walks in with a towel around her shoulders. Closing the door behind her, she takes a few steps and dries the damp ends of her fiery orange, wavy hair. She stops midway, blinking curiously at Cideeda and Dretphi, and lets the towel drape over to either side of her bikini top. Observing Cideeda standing around with her tail coiled around in a rough imitation of her bikini bottom, Sotalia smiles intrigued, resting her hands on her hips, and chuckles lightly. "Gods. Sometimes, I just can't help but get a little bit jealous of those with tails."

Cideeda gazes over to Sotalia, crossing her arms, and shrugs with a nonchalant tone. "It has its benefits."

She presses down an embarrassed smile. "Honestly, I'm still surprised I made it out of childhood with it intact."

Rolling her emerald eyes at herself, she smirks with a lighthearted snort and slowly shakes her head at the memories. "I mean, by all odds, between my dad's junkyard and my mom's metal shop, it should have been shortened from all the trouble I got into."

Sebastian glances over to his brother, smirking. "Yeah. I doubt we'd have anything left by now, if we had tails."

Bach smiles tightly and blinks with a rocking nod, briefly gritting his teeth. "Yeah..."

He ponders a moment and gazes back over to Sebastian with a curious tone. "So... Between us... Who would have lost part of their tail first?"

Lowering his head in reflection, Sebastian's eyes sort through a long series of memories, returning to the conversation with a twist of his mouth. "Probably me. OH. Actually... Definitely ME."

He furrows his brow towards Bach. "But, I don't think you'd be too far behind, bro."

Mulling over the answer, Bach quickly nods back in agreement. "Oh yeah. That wouldn't surprise me at all."

Dretphi finishes taking the measurements. Cideeda's tail unravels free from around her shorts, flips out behind her, and wags in purposeful stretches. Stepping into position for the next set of measurements from Dretphi, she flashes a prideful grin towards Sotalia. "One of the benefits to being the only child was getting all the attention and care from mom and dad..."

She averts her emerald eyes briefly. "If only to save me from myself."

A bit of embarrassment sneaks out onto Cideeda's face, and she smiles awkwardly. "Thinking about it NOW, Fate was kind to have me be the special, unexpected little surprise to my mom and dad when they were younger."

She grits her sharp teeth momentarily and grimaces in equal parts humor and seriousness. "Because, I seriously doubt they'd have the energy these days to keep up with me back then. I think they started teaching me how to properly use all the equipment and told me all the safety rules, just so they could get a few moments free from watching me."

Snickering, Sotalia steps towards the kitchen area, playfully motioning to snatch hold of Cideeda's tail, and smiles slyly. "You'd think it wouldn't be too hard with a handle this long on you."

With a proud grin, Cideeda laughs, resting her hands on her hips, and wags her tail defiantly. "OH. Believe me. It was used for that purpose A LOT. First thing a fvalian parent learns about their child is how tough their tails are to you grabbing them."

The watery gurgle of the coffee machine rises up from the background, and the familiar steamy hiss piques everyone's attention. Aristespha waits patiently, the last few drops of brew drizzling down into the carafe, and sets out containers and condiments on the counter top. Carefully removing the glass pot from the built-in hotplate, she slowly pours the dark drink into a mug,and stirs the teabag around in a cup off to the side. Sotalia sniffs the air with interest. Stopping, she notices the academic chaos upon the dining table top. "So... Any progress on the Noxian front?"

Sebastian's ghostly form hovers up from his seat, drifts over ahead, and surveys the collection of research materials. "Well. We've definitely been going for the same places that Noxian is interested in. But, maybe that's the problem."

Sotalia lifts her eyebrow incredulously, sways her pose, and contorts her light tan, dark gray bordered face. "Okay... I thought beating him to the punch was the current plan? Clear out the elder energy before he gets it? Maybe catch him off guard?"

Walking on by Sotalia from the kitchen area with mugs in hands, Aristespha drops off the cup of tea in front of Bach. She leaves a mug of coffee in front of her seat and glances over to Sotalia. "Yes. But, we might need to try a different strategy. There are a few mundane and well-explored sites indicated by the coordinates on the printout."

Settling in her chair, Aristespha wraps her hands around the mug, pondering the situation for a moment. "I have done the initial searches in the Grand Library database and found exploration reports for some of the sites. I haven't delved too deeply, but some have unexplored, sealed areas."

Dretphi and Cideeda slip on by towards the fresh coffee, and Sotalia perks up at Aristespha's explanation. She steps up behind a chair next to Bach's and leans over slowly for a better view at the material all over the table top, cracking an unconvinced smirk. "Okay. Interesting... Sounds like we'd be pushing the limit for acceptable exploration."

With an eager smirk, Sebastian shrugs. "Well, I don't think we should go around cracking open every sealed door. BUT, since I don't have to worry about typical barriers, I could easily find out if there's anything worth the risks."

Cideeda and Dretphi return around the table with coffee mugs in hand. Bach shifts his attention away from a nearby distraction, the gathering around the table focusing on the topic. Cideeda's interest piques, and she slowly sips from her cup with intrigue. "That would help cut through the list..."

Furrowing her light brown brow, she narrows her inquisitive gaze at Sebastian. "First thing. How are we getting official reasons to be at these places? There's only so much protocol you can dodge before you get the wrong type of attention."

With an understanding sigh, Sebastian nods his head and ethereally grumbles. "Yeah... The whole pursuing and tracking down Noxian excuse probably won't get as far as it did, since he's been mostly out of the news lately."

A sly smirk graces Aristespha, and she sits up straighter in her seat. "WELL, I am still a Master Sage of the Grand Library. So, I doubt academic passes with legitimate enough sounding reasons would be too out of the ordinary."

Flicking her furry ears with her thoughts, Cideeda grins toothily and scratches her chin with a claw tip. "OH. THAT would probably work. Make it sound boring enough so the local authorities don't get nosy. Throw in some long winded justification report so long they won't bother to read it. No one will check it out at that point."

Standing up back straight, Sotalia narrows her golden eyes, sways her stance with her internal deliberation, and grumbles slightly in an unenthusiastic tone. "I don't know. This feels like going down the wrong fucking path. Gods damn it. We NEED to get ahead of him."

Bach manages his gaze upwards from his seat toward Sotalia, presenting a reassuring smile, and motions towards the coordinate list. "Well, maybe THIS is the way to get one over on him. I mean, he can easily go to the same ruins out in the middle of fucking nowhere that we can. BUT..."

Lifting an eyebrow, he cracks a sly grin. "Just how easy is it for him to go to regularly patrolled places? It's not like he can easily camp out around these places anymore, since the police have been informed what to look out for. And, he wants to keep a low profile. While I don't think it'll stop him from investigating these places, they're NOT his first picks."

Dretphi finishes a long sip of her coffee and idly combs her fingers through her platinum blonde braids, following an idea in her mind. Moments later, she furrows her brow and calmly states. "If we have to clean a location of elder energy, we should monitor that location."

The suggestion floats above the gathering, slowly sinking into the minds of the team. Cideeda chuckles to herself, flicking her furry ears and wagging her tail. "Yeah! I bet he'll investigate at least one of these places. And, I don't think he'll have the time to be too cautious. So, if we could manage to hide some intrusion detectors near something he'd be interested in, we might be able to detect him when he's making his move."

A spark of excitement slips out into Sotalia expression, and she shifts her weight, brushing back her fiery orange hair over a swept-back, black horn. "OKAY..."

Pointing at Cideeda, she smiles eagerly. "Now, THAT I can get behind."

Her mood sours slightly, sarcasm tinging her voice, and she rolls her golden eyes with a grimace. "And... I actually wouldn't mind going to places that don't have completely unknown horrors awaiting us... For once."

Recovering her confidence into a bold grin, she glances over to Cideeda and snickers to a suggestion. "Are spy cameras an option? I'd LOVE to capture the look on his fucking face when we surprise him."

Grinning toothily, Cideeda laughs with a mischievous tint and poses with her hands at her hips. "As if I was going with anything else."

----

Upon a brightly lit, small stage, Veevi prances to the bass beat, tossing her long, bright pink hair back, and flashes an attention soaking grin to the crowd in the large karaoke bar. Rhythmically wagging her long, short-haired tail, she plucks the microphone out of the stand, winking to the eager crowd, and sings out to the audience one of her songs. Dozens of younger evuukians cheer out from the many surrounding tables, and a few dance upon the small dance floor in front of the stage. Wandering around the venue, Chad patrols the greater floor and stops at each table, meeting and greeting groups of evuukian house members. With his trademark bright white smile, he poses in pictures for excited fans and signs his elaborate signature upon promotional materials, items, and the bodies of a few inebriated, wilder evuukians.

Tassilda tosses her raven hair back, presenting a sly smirk with an evocative lift of an eye brow towards a fan calling out her name. Granting a parting wave to the drunken evuukian, she struts through the maze of tables. Through the slalom, her alluring facade fades the further along she gets. She approaches a corner section of the establishment and stops next to Trakenthin, curiously glancing over at the cover of the book he's reading. "Gods. I'm very surprised you're able to read during all of this chaos."

Straightening his standing posture, Trakenthin turns his head slightly and gazes down at Tassilda, shrugging his shoulders stoically. "You learn when you have no choice."

Tassilda rests her hands on her hips and leans over, peering around Trakenthin down the narrow passage towards the booths next to the bar. "So... Is Deedri STILL back there?"

Twisting his head the other way, Trakenthin searches down the aisle next to the booths along the wall and notices a familiar tail lazily wagging out from the further corner booth. "Yes. The server has gone there multiple times. With large drinks to the table. Empty ones coming back."

Quirking an eyebrow in surprise, Tassilda nods with a twist at the corner of her mouth and pats Trakenthin on the shoulder. "Well, thank you for keeping an eye on these spoiled brats."

Glancing briefly over her shoulder, she smirks with a begrudging hint. "At least Veevi is good at keeping them all distracted."

Trakenthin contorts his face into a mix of agreement and vague contempt. Releasing a long sigh, he nods and briefly scans over the flurry of chaos within the karaoke bar. His hazel eyes glide over the wild scene of bright, colorful stage lights casting out into dimly lit masses, and he grumbles in Grath to himself and angles his head back down upon the book in his hands. Tassilda walks down the corridor towards the corner end booth and slides into the leather bench seat opposite of Deedri. "Still hiding out here?"

Springing back to awareness from a distant thought, Deedri notices Tassilda at the table with a few flutters of her auburn eyes and awkwardly smiles at her. "Um... Yes? I just..."

She releases a long sigh, props up the side of her face upon the palm of her hand, and slowly shakes her head. "I'm sorry... I KNOW I should be going around to all the tables... Talking to fans... Signing random shit... But..."

Her stare wanders off into the immaterial distance, and she winces her weary eyes closed. "I just need a BREAK."

Smiling comfortingly at Deedri, Tassilda waves off the troubled atmosphere. "Oh. It's fine. The nobility are thoroughly distracted right now. I doubt they'd really pay that much attention to anything else right now."

She rolls her light blue on black eyes, twists a grimace upon her gray, patterned face, and sneers her upper lip. "Truthfully, I hate to admit it... But, Veevi can actually sing pretty well. And, she is certainly putting on the best karaoke show I've ever seen."

Nodding her head of multi-colored tied back hair, Deedri releases a long sigh and relaxes back against the booth seat, slouching down into leather cushioning. "Yeah... I'll give her THAT."

Tassilda surveys the table tap and studies the pile of leftover beverage decorations. Pondering quietly to herself, her eyes tally up evidence, and she furrows her suspicious brow. "So... How many have you had, so far?"

Averting her guilty gaze to either side, Deedri presents an innocent facade, shrugging her shoulders with a nonchalant smile. "Uh, um, not that many."

A sharp, high pitched hiccup reveals the truth, and Tassilda focuses her examining gaze upon Deedri's wavering front. With an amused smirk, Tassilda chuckles to herself and dismissively rolls her light blue on black eyes. "Oh. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

Wrestling down a grimace, she sighs. "And, I'm certainly not one to judge these days."

Deedri rakes her clawed fingers through her multi-colored hair and exhales out her relief. "Thank you. After having to babysit these noble jackasses these last few days, I need a few moments to unwind. Gods. Some of them are THE WORST."

Tassilda grumbles sympathetically, gritting her teeth, and resettles herself on the booth seat. "Tell me about it. They certainly are used to thinking they are better than everyone else. I can smell that attitude from experience."

Glances around the vicinity, Tassilda leans slightly over the table and directs a whisper towards Deedri's awaiting, furry, tufted ear. "And, you can definitely tell some are hunting for an opportunity to defy that interracial relations taboo they all act like they have."

Deedri groans visibly irritated, narrowing her auburn eyes, and contorts the frustration out on her fair face, clenching her fist. "OH. MY. GODS... I swear! The next one that tries to work the conversation into asking what I can do with my tail or if I use my claws..."

Bearing her sharp, pronounced canines, Deedri curls her clawed fingers with a flicker of auburn light from her eyes. "Will get a full strength magical bowel evacuation."

In a short wave of shock, Tassilda blinks blankly, staring at Deedri. Moments later, Deedri recollects herself with a punctuating short, high-pitched hiccup. Failing to contain her smile, Tassilda covers her mouth with a hand and giggles, keeping it as politely as possible. "Oh, I know the feeling. Such hypocrites, too. Especially since they're the ones that keep that whole taboo alive publicly."

Leaning out into the aisle, she scouts towards the show and watches Veevi command a few of the evuukians upon stage, contestants participating in the impromptu singing contest. Gauging the future entertainment, Tassilda settles back into her seat, glancing over to Deedri, and motions towards the bar exit. "Hey. You want to head on out and walk around a bit? I think Veevi and Chad have got this slice of chaos contained, for now."

Deedri springs her eyes wide open for a moment, bites her lower lip in embarrassment, and sheepishly mumbles. "Uh... I want to... But, I don't think I should."

Noticing the confusion up Tassilda, Deedri weaves her fingers together upon the tabletop, averting her gaze briefly, and sighs. "I don't think I'm sober enough yet to risk a long walk."

Tassilda squelches a laugh and smiles amused at Deedri, searching around for a server. "OH. That's okay."

Lifting a humored eyebrow, she smirks with a giggle. "I'm impressed, actually. In the meantime, let's see about getting some water for you."

Relaxing her guard, Deedri sighs appreciatively and furrows her brow. "Um, have you seen Modoran lately? I thought he'd eventually show up here like the rest of us. But, I haven't seen any sign of him."

Tassilda pauses in thought and shakes her head, gazing over towards Deedri curiously. "I actually haven't seen much of him today, since that lunch and trivia event."

Deedri narrows her stare off to the side, twisting her mouth, and colors her tone with an angry tint. "What the hell has made him so scarce these last few days? Gods dammit. I know he usually sticks to the shadows. But, THIS? This is fucking ridiculous."

With a growling hint in her voice, she curls her upper lip and reveals a sharp canine. Digging a claw tip into the finish of the wooden table, she snorts out her irritation. "He's hiding SOMETHING... from me. And, he won't say what!"

Tassilda perks her eyebrow at the display, puzzling at the odd change of attitude. Quickly analyzing the behavior, she gradually adopts a sly grin, her intrigue growing upon the perceived evidence. "Well. I'm sure he has his reasons. I don't think it's worth getting too upset over... Yet."

Drifting off into her own thoughts, Deedri's frustration fades. She droops her furry ears down closer to her shoulders and slows the wags of her tail. "Hmm... You're right."

She props her arm on the table by the elbow and rests her head lazily on her hand. Growing a goofy smile, she mumbles near incoherently. "...can't stay mad... ...especially... ...that good... ...shirtless..."

Tilting her head to the side in honest confusion, Tassilda aims her pointed ear towards Deedri. "Huh? What did you say?"

A flush of red colors Deedri fair tone cheeks. Protective measures in her conscious mind force a surge of corrective sobriety into her thought processes. "UM. Nothing! I think I NEED some water."

Nodding in agreement, Tassilda spots a server and waves them over. "Yes... THAT would be for the best."

She turns back toward Deedri and nudges the conversation. "Speaking of water, we really need to find time to try out that private pool we have."

Deedri grits her teeth briefly and sighs out a reluctant tone, squirming uncomfortably. "Yeah... Unfortunately, I don't really have a swim suit."

Holding a finger up, she smirks. "But! I'll hang out around the pool."

A delighted grin appears on Tassilda, and she winks. "Well! Lucky for you, they have a wonderful little shop on site that we can visit. I'm certain we can find something for you."

Blanking her expression, Deedri wrestles her self-conscious discomfort and stumbles around the subject. "Uh- um- You sure? I mean... I doubt they'd have anything that... flattering of my figure..."

Tassilda narrows her intrigued gaze upon Deedri, shining a sly smile, and giggles eagerly. "OH. You would be surprised. Let me be your guide."

----

Between brighter, neutral tone, textured walls, a calm quiet flows through the warmly lit hall of the hotel building. Leaning out cautiously, Modoran peeks around the corner into the main run from a branch corridor, searching around with his dark blue eyes, and pauses a moment, listening with his long, pointed ears. With nothing rising above the dull ambient background noise, he softly steps out into the hallway and carefully surveys the long stretch of hall. Assessing the situation, Modoran gradually relaxes his posture, breathes a muted sigh, and casually walks down the passage. He reaches the midway point of the corridor between intersections and halts abruptly. Darting his eyes around the exit points, he mutters a short evuukian curse under his breath, gritting his teeth briefly.

Six evuukians similar in age to Modoran boldly step out, a trio each covering the two ends of this section of hallway. With a mean, sneering smirk, the best dressed one calls out in a dramatic, patronizing tone. "Modoran..."

Fighting the mix of emotions vying for space on his dusky bluish gray face, Modoran manages a nonchalant smile, quelling the nervous hints sneaking out into his body language. He directs his recognition upon the lead evuukian with a respectful bow and addresses the man with a proper evuukian greeting. The leader of the group narrows a disgusted glare right at Modoran, crossing his arms defiantly, and growls out his distaste. "Stop trying to speak to me using OUR tongue. You damn well know YOU aren't worthy enough to use it to address me, after what you've done to our house."

A bit unease bends the friendly grin upon Modoran, and he lifts his open hands up in an apologetic manner. "Okay. My apologies, Hektoran. It has been awhile since I've even gotten near proper nobility. So, I have obviously forgotten my manners."

Hektoran concentrates his yellow eyes at Modoran and steps forward, leading the other male and female evuukians at his sides. The other three on the opposite end of the hall section close in. Hektoran curls up a damning sneer and tips his head up. "Yes. Yes you have. BUT, I have not forgotten the embarrassment you brought upon my house for your actions."

Uncomfortably chuckling, Modoran glances around at the diminishing space between the two groups of three, trying to adopt a calming, peaceful attitude. "Hey... Listen. That was a few years back. And, I mean..."

With a mix of stale frustration and ill-humor, he sighs. "I got caught. I was very officially removed from my house, and I have kept away from it all. Also, your house got popular from it. THAT is always good."

Hektoran grits his teeth with a curl of his upper lip and slowly stretches out his neck towards both shoulders, cracking his knuckles. "Yes... BUT. WE were still denied proper payback. Which I think we shall exact, NOW."

Glancing nervously between the two closing parties, Modoran holds his hands up in the air and dons a nervous, pleading grin, calmly addressing the incoming hostility with an easy-going, relaxed voice. "Hey... This is supposed to be a vacation for you all. Take it easy. Relax next to the pool. Veevi Valiant is doing a show at the karaoke club, right now."

Lowing his hands to his sides, he deftly sneaks in magical gestures and whispers out incantations under his breath. Pausing in the midst of the process, he gazes over to Hektoran and shrugs his shoulders. "I may have been out of the loop. But, I have heard that your sister is a big fan of hers. You two can still catch the show if you head out now."

With an evil laugh, Hektoran beams a confident grin on his pale, dark blue hinted face and motions his head towards the female evuukian leading the opposite group. "OH. We plan on doing so. AFTER... We settle some debts with YOU. Do NOT try your disappearing act, Mishavalla has been practicing her magic. Especially to counter your tricks."

Pausing in thought, Modoran blinks in surprise and gazes over to the young evuukian woman in the other group. He squints his dark blue eyes at her lithe frame, pale dark blue hinted skin, and piercing yellow eyes. Mishavalla precisely weaves together a preparation of magical flow through gestured incantations. A moment later, recognition dawns upon Modoran, and he nods in Mishavalla's direction. "Huh. You've certainly grown up since I last saw you. Taking after your mother with magic I see."

With a sinister and appreciative smirk, Mishavalla steps forward in sync with her brother Hektoran. The two groups of three systematically shrink the space around Modoran, searching for an escape route. He shrugs his shoulders with hands out to his sides and puts on his best charming grin, levity lifting his tone. "Oh, come on! I am NOT worth THIS much effort. I mean... I appreciate the sentiment. Hey, let me buy you all a few rounds. We'll take some pictures you all can post on your favorite aethernet site..."

Modoran's voice trails off. He studies the blatant lack of any reaction, swiftly concluding the six surrounding evuukians no longer seem receptive to persuasion. His body tenses, his posture shifts defensively, and he nervously grits his teeth.

Down the hallway from an intersection, a booming, commanding voice echoes powerfully out from a tall, imposing evuukian man. "HEKTORAN! MISHAVALLA!"

With solid footsteps, the older evuukian in proper attire walks down the corridor towards the gathering, leveling soul piercing stares upon the six younger evuukians. Focusing a drilling, brilliant orange eyed glare right through Hektoran, he exudes an intimidating, stoic presence. The older evuukian man parts through the pair of lackeys behind Hektoran and stops mere centimeters away. Waiting expectantly, he gradually lowers his glower. With Mishavalla and the accompanying evuukians watching in terror, Hektoran stiffly pivots against his reflexive trembling and fumbles a greeting toward the imposing, older evuukian. "Uh... Hello, great uncle Kallentesson..."

Kallentesson widens his cutting glower and leans closer in demanding silence. Hektoran's horror spikes through his brief stupor, and he awkwardly presents a colorful, elaborate proper greeting to Kallentesson. Straightening his posture with the satisfactory address, Kallentesson launches into a condemning verbal fury and systematically berates Hektoran, Mishavalla, and their associates in litany of furious evuukian. Heads bowing and long ears slightly drooping, the group weathers the savage scolding without any contest. Modoran gradually creeps back from the center of the hallway and slinks over against the wall, hunting for an exit. With a final angered, snorting exhale, Kallentesson snaps his fingers towards a point down to the nearest exit and commands the group. Taking the first opportunity, the six evuukians flee quickly, evacuating out of the area.

A wave of relief slightly relaxes Modoran, waning against Kallentesson's attention upon him. Kallentesson walks over to Modoran, bows slightly, and calmly speaks. "I would like to apologize for their behavior, Modoran."

Modoran appreciatively smiles, relaxing his tensed posture further. "It is okay. To be fair, House Head Kallentesson, I did expect some kind of run in. Just thought I was being a bit more careful."

Kallentesson smirks and sighs out his frustrations, his commanding presence fading. "Well. It has been a number of years since you last dealt with them. And, they have gotten significantly more crafty and bold."

Agreeing with a simple nod, Modoran sheepishly addresses the old evuukian. "Either way, sir. I want to apologize for disturbing your evening."

Kallentesson furrows his brow, slowly shaking his head, and frowns slightly. "No need on your part. You did nothing to provoke THIS. In fact..."

Lifting an eyebrow, a smirk grows on his fair, tan hinted face. "I have been meaning to apologize to you."

Modoran halts his thoughts and blankly gazes at Kallentesson, tilting his head of grayish white hair curiously to the side. Kallentesson draws in a long breath, sighs deeply, and nods respectfully to Modoran. "Truth be told, I've been doing some much overdue reflecting after recent revelations. And... I want to apologize for how you were treated. If I had the wisdom I do now, I would have talked down my brother into pursuing a more reasonable punishment for you."

In stunned astonishment, Modoran stumbles to a response and awkwardly scratches the back of his head, settles into a thankful tone. "I- Uh- Wow... Thank you. It does mean a lot. But, I don't blame you for anything. By house laws, you were correct to allow your brother to seek justice for the slight upon him."

Kallentesson rolls his bright orange eyes, shaking his head of gray speckled golden brown hair, and twists his mouth dismissively. "True. But, my brother is a vindictive prick at times, and no one should suffer it. The judgment was unfair. I should have at least appealed for something more fitting."

Smirking amused, Modoran shrugs his shoulders and snorts with a chuckle. "Gods. I think THAT would have caused far more drama and trouble for everyone."

With a hearty laugh, Kallentesson nods in agreement and releases another long sigh into a smile. Seconds of silence later, Modoran glances over to the exit and thumbs over to it. "Well... I don't want to keep you all night, House Head Kallentesson. So, I will leave you be."

Raising his hand for Modoran's attention, Kallentesson quickly addresses Modoran in evuukian and pauses in thought. He cracks a short grin and chuckles to himself. "Could I ask a favor of you?"

Modoran searches his mind for a moment and nods tentatively, lifts a curious eyebrow. "Um. Sure? Depends on what it is. If I can even grant it."

With a bit of embarrassment, Kallentesson smiles, relaying his request. "Could I get a picture with you? I am going to see my grandson this week, and I would like to impress him. He is always excited to see you on the show..."

Furrowing his brow, he tightens his lip and grumbles playfully. "Well... The little he sees when sneaks out of bed and before his parents catch him."

Modoran thinks a moment, standing up straighter with his thoughts, and nods happily. "Sure. AND, I will get you a group signed promo photo, too. I'm sure your daughter and her husband will like that."

----

Carefully reading the last few lines of a page of handwritten notes, Dr. Dawkins pauses, furrowing his aged brow. He gradually lifts his gaze up, settles back into his leather recliner, and locates his glass of whiskey upon the small table nearby. Resting the packet of papers upon his lap, he glances over to Issac and shakes his head, blinking out of a state of mind. "Has the weight of what you are reading been as heavy as mine?"

Isaac closes his eyes hard into a wince, stretches his neck to either shoulder, and shudders back to the conversation. "Yes... I think so. While I'm not seeing anything definite and concrete..."

Springing his eyes wide open briefly, he sighs out with a distant stare. "The implications are all there."

He glances over towards Dr. Dawkins, twisting his mouth into a grimace, and lowers another collection of heavily annotated documents down. "Okay. Before I say anything, what do YOU think that Dr. Malkav BELIEVES he's found?"

Dr. Dawkins ponders, searching his mind between flicks of his green eyes, and draws in a long, collected breath. "The location of where one of the lead architects behind the Abstract Prism retreated to."

Isaac nods slowly, wanders a glance over his packet of notes, and flips through a few pages. "Yes... Most importantly, it seems like it was one particularly meticulous mage that somehow absconded with a great deal of the original design documents."

Grasping hold of his drink, Dr. Dawkins sips upon the brown liquor and slowly shakes his head in astonishment, sighing out his amazement. "While I highly doubt those documents have survived after all these years... Assuming they weren't destroyed purposefully..."

He furrows his brow and bows his head slightly. "Just the fact that Dr. Malkav located a copy of the table of contents and part of the index to possibly THE master plan for the Prism is-"

Turning towards Isaac, Dr. Dawkins cocks his head. "I do not know where to even begin."

Rubbing the temples of his head, Isaac closes his eyes briefly, collecting himself, and searches through the text in his hands. "The section headings alone are fascinating enough! By the gods almighty, there are references to aspects that I don't ever remember hearing about during any of my studies."

He leans over towards Dr. Dawkins, presents the packet of papers, and points to highlighted sections. "There are references to the actual construction of the Prism! Where it is located, and the definition of what the WHERE is actually? How it streams out magical flow and the definitions of what the Prism will recognize? Foundational Construct templates?"

He drags a hand through his wilder white hair and exhales in astonishment. "These are things that dedicated researchers have spent their entire careers trying to grossly speculate about."

Sorting through the stack of notes on his lap, Dr. Dawkins pulls out a page and hands it over to Isaac. "If you think THAT is fascinating, read this summary Malkav wrote from his exploration of the references he found in the index."

Isaac grasps hold of the page, settles back into his seat, and quickly reads through the information. Dr. Dawkins waits patiently and calmly drinks his whiskey, observing Isaac. The looming quiet peaks, and Isaac stares absolutely dumbfounded and bewildered. Mentally wrestling with the conclusion written upon the document, he slowly turns his head towards Dr. Dawkins and states plainly. "Possible self-optimization and self-adaptation systems in the design..."

Dr. Dawkins gradually nods, releasing a long exhale, and rests his head upon the back of the recliner. "Yes. Something that's been theorized to exist... This practically CONFIRMS."

Isaac rubs his eyes into a pinch of the bridge of his nose, easing back into his recliner, and calms himself back down. The two dwell in a long silence, and both internally deliberate the ramifications. Minutes later, Dr. Dawkins twists his face contemplatively and theorizes out loud. "Having such documentation would explain why this mage disappeared into the Perimeter Weird Zone."

Stirring from his stupor, Isaac reflects between hard blinks and visibly puzzles. "Also, that might explain why there's no mention of his existence or involvement anywhere. Yet another thing the creator mages obscured from history in some obtuse attempt to protect us."

Dr. Dawkins narrows his distant stare, gradually nods, and ponders out loud. "That would make a great deal of sense. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they purposely planted rumors about prominent creator mages having small sections of Abstract Prism documentation as a way to distract everyone. Busy everyone out there into looking for the known small, unimportant bits. Meanwhile..."

He lowers a stare upon the paperwork nearby. "An unknown mage disappeared with the master document to an unknown location. If I had my guess, they were probably keeping it around just in case something went wrong too soon after the implementation of the Abstract Prism. Their backup plans, I would guess."

Contorting his face against his shifting mood, Isaac shakes his head and clenches his fist briefly. "Oh, fucking hell... Given the other trickery and shenanigans that collection of pompous, arrogant smartasses have cursed upon our society..."

He relaxes his hand and groans. "That makes too much sense."

A brief moment of silence later, Dr. Dawkins glances over to Isaac with an adventurous smirk. "I do believe this confirms that dear Dr. Malkav is most certainly in or around Perimeter. And, quite possibly has delved into that massive weird zone."

Sighing, Isaac stares distantly ahead inside his mind, his thoughts playing out into his demeanor. "Oh. Yes. But, the city of Perimeter is massive by itself. And, that weird zone dwarfs it completely. If he's gone in..."

He wrestles with a frown. "Who knows where he's at now? I need to go there. But... It'll be fruitless if I don't have a means of, at least, roughly locating him."

Dr. Dawkins lifts an enlightened eyebrow and chuckles to himself. "While I can't say where he went to if he's inside the PWZ, he most certainly left an impression somewhere in Perimeter. Believe me, he's easy to pick out in a crowd and unforgettable by most."

A sly grin grows on Dr. Dawkins, and he taps the fingertips of his hands together. "And, it does help that I still have a few contacts around those parts that I can put you in touch with. Plus, I most certainly am not going to let you run down there unprepared."

Isaac gazes over to Dr. Dawkins in hopeful disbelief and smiles graciously with a thankful nod. "I- I, uh... Thank you. I don't know what to say. You have done more than enough, and I don't want to burden you any more than I have to. And, I certainly..."

He shallows hard and stiffens his upper lip. "Do not want to feel that you owe me for... The past."

Dr. Dawkins notices the empty glass on Isaac's side of the table between the recliners, picks up the bottle of whiskey, and calmly fills the container. With a delighted smile, he laughs softly and shakes his head. "Well, just think of it as repaying you for reviving an old man's sense of adventure and thirst for discovery. To be honest, Dr. Malkav's recent work here has captured my curiosity. While I'm no longer spry enough to do field work, YOU seem most capable still."

Isaac grins eagerly, picking up the filled glass, and sips down the liquor. Wandering through his thoughts, he halts at one and quirks his brow. "There is some prep work that needs to be done. And, thinking about it, a little bit of clean up after our recent chore."

With a mild grumble, Dr. Dawkins frowns slightly annoyed and muses. "Very true. We need to contend with those cheap aetherphones I bought through the... Usual Sources. Gods. I always detest wasting good, still serviceable equipment. But, in this situation, I guess it cannot be helped exactly."

Pulling a smirk at the corner of his mouth, Isaac glances over at Dr. Dawkins, inquiring with a plotting tone. "Are the phones still on the dining table?"

Dr. Dawkins eyes Isaac curiously, nodding. "Yes. Batteries still removed, and the identification chips pulled. All of it should still be there."

Pausing a moment with a thought, he narrows an inquisitive gaze at Isaac. "Whatever are you planning?"

A brilliant, scheming grin widens upon Isaac, and he settles himself contentedly in the recliner with a devious tinge to his voice. "Well... I think a quick, stealthy visit to that pick up point for The Train is in order. I believe with careful placements on the undersides of hauler trucks, and liberal applications of duct tape, they should transmit some interesting coordinate data in case someone gets a lucky idea. Give them red herring to enjoy."

A highly amused cackle leaves Dr. Dawkins, and he shakes his head snorting. "Oh, gods... Have I ever told you the story where we had to contend with a bunch of bandits looting our artifact shipments back to the Grand Library?"

-70-

In a modestly decorated living room, knocks sound out from the exterior door and fill the space. Lalyanpha gazes over towards Mylo and smiles brightly at the four year old. "Guess who that is!"

Blinking his orange-speckled eyes in thought, Mylo's attention span musters up just time away from playing, and he launches off the couch in sheer excitement. "Grandpa! Grandma!"

Lalyanpha quickly grabs hold of the energetic child by the sides, short of him escaping her reach, and tosses back her long golden brown hair, glancing over towards Mason. "Could you-"

With a laugh, Mason nods his head of dirty blonde hair and winks at Lalyanpha. "Already on it, Laly."

He walks up to the exterior door and opens it. Granting a respectful nod to Kallentesson, he smiles at the older evuukian woman behind. "Come on in. Fair warning. You've got about five seconds before the little one is released."

Kallentesson and the woman cross into the living room, and Lalyanpha unleashes Mylo towards the awaiting arms of a kneeling Kallentesson. Sweeping the child up into his arms, Kallentesson hugs Mylo and playfully ruffles his dirty blonde hair. "How's my favorite grandson?"

Mylo excitedly rambles breathlessly a clumsy, compressed version of his day so far to an eager grandfather, hopping around everything he can think of. Stepping around the excitement, Mason addresses the woman with a smile and points outside. "Lasosopha, is there anything you two need my help to bring in?"

With a calm smirk, Lasosopha shakes her head and pats Mason lightly on the arm. "Oh no, dear. Not right now. We will worry about all that later. Right now..."

She steps forward next to Kallentesson, leans on his shoulder, and gazes lovingly at Mylo. "I want to see my little grandchild."

Trying in vain to split his attention between grandmother and grandfather, Mylo decides and focuses upon Lasosopha for the moment. Kallentesson hands over Mylo to his wife and gazes his orange eyes into Mylo's orange-speckled brown eyes with a proud grin. "Oh. The orange is really coming out in his eyes."

Lalyanpha chuckles lightly, rolling her dark yellow eyes with a humored smile and sighs. "Yes. That it is. The genetic specialist we saw says the evuukian coloration will most likely win out over time."

Lasosopha bounces glance between Kallentesson and Mylo with delight blatant upon her light face. Kallentesson steps over his daughter and warmly embraces Lalyanpha with a loving greeting in evuukian. Moments later, Lalyanpha quickly wipes the hint of a tear at the corner of her eye with a happy smile. "I am fine, father. Just busy keeping Mylo out of trouble."

Standing next to Lalyanpha, Mason extends out his hand to Kallentesson. "So, how was the resort with all the houses?"

Kallentesson grips Mason's hand tightly with a stoic hint to his posture, and Mason responds with an equivalent response to the subtle challenge. A test of handshake strength later, Kallentesson nods respectfully to Mason with a slightly annoyed smirk. "Oh. Same as they usually are. For as many deals are made, drama is born. I decided to skip watching yet another archery competition, and the pool party is really just for the young ones to be wild."

Wrestling down a vaguely annoyed sneer, he groans slightly. "By the gods, the new generation is too much at times. I actually had to break up one fight yesterday."

He pauses a moment, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his aetherphone. "Speaking of which..."

Quickly navigating through menus, he pulls up a picture of Modoran and him posing, and shows Mason and Lalyanpha. Both Mason and Lalyanpha quickly recognize the evuukian in the picture, and stare at Kallentesson, a bit surprised. Mason nods at the image on the screen and tilts his head to the side, curiously. "Wow. He's usually pretty slippery from the cameras. Honestly surprised you got him by himself."

Lifting a curious eyebrow at her father, she narrows her gaze. "My gods. How did you even manage that? Especially with the family history and all? I did not think he would stay in the same room with you..."

She furrows her brow, curling the corner of her mouth near a golden highlight. "Much less, grant you a picture."

With a guilty grin, Kallentesson shrugs his shoulders and smirks. "Well, let's just say I did him a favor, and he returned it. Also, he got the rest of the team to sign a promo picture for you two."

Mason and Lalyanpha exchange surprised glances, and Kallentesson winks. Stepping over to Lasosopha and Mylo, Kallentesson shows the picture on the aetherphone to his grandson. "Guess who I met, Mylokia..."

Mylo's attention snaps over to the glowing screen, and his eyes focus on the picture. Moments later, his excitement surges, and he yells out. "Moddorren!"

Lasosopha strategically lowers the energetic child back down on the floor. Checking out his audience, Mylo eagerly hops around between the adults. "Come see the tree house!"

A few repeated attempts later, Mylo leads Lalyanpha and Lasosopha away through the kitchen towards the back exterior door. Pausing in front of the door, he glances around and calls out. "Daddy, Grandpa!"

Leaning into the kitchen from the living room, Mason nods to Mylo, reassuring him. "In a few minutes Mylo. Give grandma the tour."

Kallentesson lifts an intrigued eyebrow and eyes Mason. "Tree house?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Mason briefly grits his teeth and rolls his brown eyes at himself. "Well, it's mostly a really tall deck around a tree at the moment. But... He loves it."

Kallentesson and Mason idle and stand in silence for a few seconds. Gazing around the modestly decorated living room, Kallentesson relaxes his stance and dons a calm smile. "You two have made a wonderful home here."

Mason blinks, mentally wandering through a surge of surprise, and nods towards Kallentesson. "I'd like to think so. I mean, it can't compare to a house's mansion..."

Narrowing his eyes mildly incredulously at Mason, Kallentesson sighs with a frown. "Do not short change your efforts. Before my brother brought me in on his business..."

He grimaces faintly and grumbles. "To negotiate with all the people he pissed off..."

A smile sneaks out on his face, and he chuckles softly. "Lasosopha and I lived in a place almost exactly like this one. Gods. How I have come to miss those days."

Mason quirks his brow and cocks his head to the side, scrutinizing Kallentesson. "You okay? I mean, you don't secretly have some incurable disease and are trying to make amends before it takes you in a month?"

Reflexively snorting, Kallentesson shakes his head and laughs. "Oh. Gods no. I just..."

He sighs, searching for the words to match his thoughts, and pieces together the best approximation. "I have just come to realize... I just don't like what I do anymore."

Twisting his mouth between a mix of emotions, he shakes his head. "The house head position was fine for the longest time. But, I think I only liked it because I had nothing else. Now..."

Stepping over, Kallentesson gazes through the archway into the kitchen and out the kitchen window and points to Mylo and Lalyanpha outside. "There's better."

Mason glances out the same window towards Mylo and Lalyanpha and nods appreciatively, smiling. "Yeah. Funny how that happens."

Kallentesson cracks a sympathetic smirk at Mason. "Indeed. Lately, everything has come under a new light. The politics, the business, the houses... Gods. It just takes me away from what I want to do."

He levels an honest stare at Mason with a genuine tone. "Listen. The both of you have managed to build a wonderful life here that I was too stupid to realize. Let me apologize for how I have treated you in the past."

With wide eyes, Mason glances around in shock and nods with a gracious smile towards Kallentesson. "Wow... Um... Thanks, Kallentesson. That actually does mean a lot."

Kallentesson smirks and laughs. "Just call me Kal. I think we are beyond certain formalities."

Mason snorts and agrees, walking into the kitchen towards the fridge. "Yeah. Make sense. So, you want a beer? Nothing too fancy at the moment."

With a humored smirk, Kal steps over and examines the beverage stock. "Don't worry. I drank Stag's Standard for the longest time. I am not THAT fancy with beer."

Grimacing briefly, Mason plucks up a can and hands it over to Kal. "Gods almighty, you actually drank straight from the stag? Willingly?"

Kal shrugs his shoulders with a tight smile and hisses in a breath with a hint of embarrassment. "Some months, it was all Lasosopha and I could afford to drink. It was her favorite when we were young."

Pausing in thought, Mason's mind wonders a moment between questions answered and answers with new questions. Kal draws in a long breath and cracks open his can of beer. "Anyway, I plan on retiring in the next year. Finally hand over control of the house to my brother."

Halting mid sip, Mason shakes his head in shock and stares at Kal. "Really? Wow..."

He tips his head towards Kal and lifts up his beer. "Well, congratulations on your future retirement."

Kal frowns briefly and sighs out a faint bit of frustration. "Well, I am NOT there, yet. I have quite a few things to take care of and a few wrongs to try my best to amend officially before I bow out. Also..."

He grits his teeth briefly and takes a long swig of the brew in his hand. "Need to properly prepare all our business partners to deal with my brother."

Pausing a moment, he lowers his voice and gazes over to Mason. "One thing that I am prioritizing, that I need you to keep secret for now..."

He smiles through a wave of regret. "I am reinstating Lalyanpha officially back in the family... And putting her name back on the registry for the house."

Mason's hand reflexively tightens back around the beer almost slipping out of his grasp. He snaps a wide eyed gaze at Kal. "Holy hell... That's- Good gods... That's HUGE. I mean..."

Blinking through memory, he stares at Kal. "As much as I've tried to comfort her about it... She's always missed being part of the family."

Kal nods and fights to hold back guilt-ridden regret seeping into his voice. "Yes. It is going to take some effort. BUT. I think I can get it done. She won't have any real house duties, or any significant say in family affairs. Regardless, she will have every official right to attend family events..."

Staring at Mason, he firmly states. "With you AND Mylokia."

Blinking blankly a moment, Mason straightens his posture and smiles with emotion nudging his voice. "Thank you. Just, thank you. It'll mean the world for her."

Tilting his head to the side, Kal chuckles lightly. "I am going to try to get it ready for her birthday. But, these particular processes take FOREVER. They are not used to reinstatement, and people often forget it is in the greater house laws."

The two men stand and watch Mylo lead Lasosopha and Lalyanpha around the backyard, pointing out various things with long, excited, rambling explanations. Mason finishes sipping his beer and lifts his eyebrow. "You know, we better get out there and give them a break from Mylo."

Kal nods in complete agreement. "Oh yeah."

The two men head out the back door into the yard to the joyful calls of a four year old.

----

In the dusk light, Chad, Veevi, Tassilda, Trakenthin, Deedri, and Modoran walk down a concrete path between tall, leafy decorative plants on the resort grounds. Nearby from choice angles, camera crew record their every movement along the way, working themselves in an active orbit around the team. Veevi struts around in pace with Chad, evocatively stretching out in her bikini swimsuit for the cameras, and grins with a wicked hint. "That was SO MUCH fun! Archery competition AND a pool party in the same day!"

Leaning against Chad, she wraps her arms around him and consuls him with a sympathetic, slightly exaggerated tone. "So sorry you got knocked out of the semi-finals."

Chad glances briefly down towards the still damp pink hair of Veevi and shrugs his shoulders, presenting an amused smirk. "Actually, I'm kind of okay that I didn't get too far, and wind up having Modoran mercilessly beat me."

He checks over his shoulder towards Modoran with genuine curiosity. "I take it that archery competitions must be serious business with the Evuukian Houses."

Pulling attention away from surrounding greenery, Modoran nonchalantly nods and shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah. It's an old tradition they have had for centuries. Most children raised in a house are expected to know how to use a bow and arrow. They used to settle arguments of honor with archery challenges not too long ago."

Deedri smiles and gazes up towards Modoran, brushing her long, multi-colored hair over her shirt-covered shoulder. "You really held your own in that contest. I thought you were going to win it for sure for a while."

Lightly chuckling, Modoran shakes his head of white, grayish hair and puts his hands in his pants pockets. "Oh. No. There were a few famous archers in that competition that would have easily beaten me early if I faced up against them. They were all just playing well enough until they got into the finals."

He curls a sly smirk with a laugh. "Then... They got real serious."

Trakenthin glances up from his aetherphone, lifts an inquisitive eyebrow at Modoran, and pries with hints of accusation. "Seems certain house members wanted to challenge YOU. Specifically."

With Modoran's dark blue eyes widening briefly, he grimaces and calmly plays off his surge of nerves. "O-Oh? Well. You know..."

He draws in a long breath and casually explains. "Being the one Evuukian on the team with a dark evuukian lineage, I am not really all that surprised that a few wanted to see how they measured up. Can not blame them."

His eyes dart around, quickly scanning the immediate area, and his posture relaxes back down. Veevi glances over her shoulder to Deedri, frowning with a slight droop of her fuzzy ears. "I'm really sorry, you couldn't find your bathing suit Deedri. It looked really cute. You can borrow one of mine for tomorrow if you don't find it."

Blinking back to attention, Deedri frantically searches her mind, bouncing her auburn eyes between ploys. She smiles appreciatively, hiding a telling curl in the corner of her mouth. "Oh! Uh. Thank you, Veevi. But, I'm sure it'll turn up. Somewhere... I just bought it earlier today, so it couldn't have gone that far."

She straightens her posture and averts her gaze off to the side. "And, I didn't really mind being the backup medic in case anything happened between the flying arrows and water today."

Tassilda barely contains her knowledgeable smirk, eyeing right through Deedri's guise. Resting her hands upon her towel wrapped waist, she tosses her raven black hair back off her bikini top and struts with an extra bounce in her step. A few cameras focus on her, snapping away from the conversation between Deedri and Veevi. Stretching her arms over her head, Tassilda yawns. "I can't wait to get back and take a long shower."

The group passes a small out building of restrooms. Modoran breaks off from the group and motions a thumb point over to the entry archway. "I will catch back up with you all later. I need to use the facilities. Been holding it since the finals of the archery competition."

Most grant simple acknowledgments, and Deedri furrows a suspicious brow. Quickly walking over to the small building, Modoran slips swiftly into the men's side of the open entryway. A small detachment of recording crew break off from the orbiting mass and wait outside. The rest of the team leaves the area. Minutes pass. More minutes pass. One of the crew checks their aetherphone for the time and sighs. A phone alert chimes from everyone's devices, and they all investigate it. Excitement and eagerness overtake them, and they all rush down the path, extremely faint, argumentative voices resembling Tassilda and Veevi wafting in from the distance.

Seconds later, Modoran slowly peeks his head out from around the entryway corner, searching the immediate vicinity, and slinks out. Swiftly, he slips into the growing shadows of the evening ambiance, sneaking down a narrow side path near the bathrooms. Keeping out of sight, he blends into the surrounding leafy resort scenery and settles on a seat upon a decorative metal bench near a calming pond. He breathes a long sigh of relief and checks his aetherphone. Navigating the messages, he nods and reads. Checking the narrow, secluded path through bamboo forests and exotic plants, he waits.

His attention drifts off into a simple, captivating game on his phone. Two groups of three quietly approach the bench from either direction of the path. On opposing sides, Hektoran and Mishavalla close in. Mishavalla concentrates, faint flows of prismatic flow shimmering along the ground near her two associates. Hektoran keeps pace with a young male evuukian focusing upon a similar magical spell. Gritting his teeth, Modoran quickly taps upon his phone screen and eagerly plays the game on the screen. Hektoran grins evilly and laughs loudly. "What are YOU playing, Modoran?"

Modoran's dark blue eyes spring wide open. He slowly lifts his head of short white and light gray hair, turning to either side, and studies the situation in sheer, utter bewilderment. He mouths to himself in confused shock. "How the fuck...?"

Modoran springs up, checking all the exits. Hektoran steps up to the standing Modoran, smiling with sinister intent, and postures pridefully. "This time... You WILL NOT be getting away."

Recognizing the same group from before, Modoran sneers his upper lip and grumbles in a mix of current and stale frustration, slowly shaking his head. "Listen. I don't know how the fuck you even knew I was here, but still..."

He narrows his stare at Hektoran and states in a low, slow tone. "THIS is a BAD idea. You all should really just drop this."

Mishavalla readies herself into a casting pose, trains her piercing yellow eyes on Modoran, and grins sharply. "Last night we are here. So, the last chance we have to settle this."

Hektoran nods to the two pairs of evuukian comrades, and the pairings secure the exit routes, waiting for action. Hektoran puffs out his chest, glares eagerly at Modoran, and cracks his knuckles. "You know, just take your beating like a proper house reject. It will be a lot easier on us..."

Sizing up Modoran, he snarls his upper lip. "YOU, not so much. And, you would not want to leave any marks on us, since it would just cause you so much trouble for assaulting house nobility... So recklessly."

Studying the scene, Modoran parts a devious smile, laughing darkly, and narrows his stare into Hektoran. "Oh... Really? As if leaving bruises and marks me is going to help you out. Since, I am certain that your great uncle will know exactly what happened after yesterday!"

A sudden, stark realization erupts simultaneously upon the youthful, naive faces surrounding Modoran, the surrounding group contemplating the situation between uneasy grimaces and hints of reluctant squirms. With a final few gestures, Modoran finishes an incantation and vanishes from view. "Bye!"

Hektoran snaps back to awareness, spotting Modoran disappearing, and yells out. "MISHA! REVEAL HIM! HURRY!"

Stumbling into the casting of the spell, Mishavalla quickly runs through the gestures and repeats an incantation from memory. The two pairs of perimeter guards hold their arms out and carefully watch and listen, squinting for activity in the shadows of the late dusk light. Anger swells into Hektoran, and he attempts to turn around. His body struggles to twist. His shoulders remain held in place. Puzzling at the strange forces, Hektoran grunts, his body hopping up from the force of several fist sized, sudden depressions into his gut. Hektoran doubles onto the ground, barely holding himself up, and covers his mouth, reflexively retching.

The male and female evuukian pair near Hektoran watch their leader collapse into a vomiting fit. Mishavalla releases a colorful pulse from her hands. The wave of glittering particles expands quickly and coats all it contacts in a sparkling layer, including the transparent form of Modoran. Hektoran's pair of escorts lunge at Modoran. The duo release a flurry of punches and kicks that Modoran deftly dodges when possible, weathering the rest. Slipping into a few opportunities, Modoran returns a similar barrage of attacks at the pair. Between struggling grapples, the exchange speeds to a feverish pace. In a lapse of judgment, Modoran side steps into the perfect path for the muscular evuukian man's shoulder check and flies back and over row of metal garbage cans. Laying upon the bent containers, he returns to full opacity, wincing and growling to himself.

Mishavalla helps Hektoran stand back up from a pool of his stomach's prior contents. Hektoran's accomplices approach the trash pile Modoran is in, closing in around him. A sudden plume of inky black mist erupts from Modoran, obscuring the area. The four evuukian lackeys defensively form around the expanding dark miasma, expectantly. Five Modorans leap out from the cloud into dramatic, taunting poses. Hektoran wipes the remainder of the vomit from his mouth, stepping up into the line with the other four evuukians, and readies himself for a fight.

Mishavalla narrows her suspicious stare at the multiple Modorans and studies the animated, mocking batch. Moments later, she squints and spots the distinct lack of colorful sparkles on each of the illusions. She starts to open mouth, and Modoran's hand seals Mishavalla's mouth back up. He hoists her up away from the group towards the nearby pond. "Hush! Don't ruin the surprise for them."

Flailing around in a mix of shock and anger, Mishavalla slams her elbows down into Modoran's sides, attempts to backwards head butt him, and claws behind her after him. Mostly dodging all these attacks, Modoran swiftly drags Mishavalla to the bank of the pond and grins mischievously, laughing softly. "Hey... Remember our favorite game?"

Blinking confused, Mishavalla notices the body of water, and her yellow eyes spring open in a surge of past frustration and muffled rage. Modoran readies himself and tosses the lithe Mishavalla right into the shallow pond. She flops in with an angry scream and flailing splash into the drink. A reminiscent smile appears on Modoran's dusky bluish gray face, and he chuckles to himself. "Yeah... That brings back memories."

He swings around to dart off, and Mishavalla's pair of friends intercept. Within the melee exchange, Modoran fends off the assault, managing a number of well placed kicks and punches between blocks and redirects. Stepping forth, he starts to initiate a throw. Modoran's momentum halts unexpectedly, Hektoran's pair of friends each snatching an arm. Quickly Mishavalla's duo go for a leg each. Modoran tries a fake out and kicks towards the groin on a male evuukian. The evuukian catches the attack and glares at Modoran in disgust. "Dirty motherfucker..."

Completely locked down, the four comrades secure Modoran and present him before Hektoran. Huffing out his exhaustion, Hektoran narrows an infuriated glare at Modoran and punches him square in the chest. Modoran cringes with a reflexive grumble of pain. Hektoran gradually collects himself and resumes his prideful stance, staring at Modoran. "Well... THAT was fun. But... It's time to-"

Splashes of wet footsteps slap out on the concrete pathway above the drone of evuukian curses in a furious woman's voice. Mishavalla storms up with her arm tightly around her soaked, thin shirt, covering her revealed lithe, athletic figure. Her other arm pulls back with growing muscle definition and clenching fist. With a powerful swing past Hektoran, she slugs Modoran powerfully right in the nose, pushing his head back and rocking the four other evuukians holding him. Mishavalla steps away in an indignant huff, crossing her arms. Blinking back to awareness, Modoran recovers to his senses from the blow, struggling to sniff through his nose. With mean satisfaction, Hektoran grins and chuckles. "So, are you learning your lesson?"

Focusing his dark blue eyes upon Hektoran through reflexive tearing eyes, Modoran dons a sly smirk and quirks his brow defiantly at Hektoran. "Not really. But, I have learned one thing."

Hektoran cocks his head expectantly to the side, smugness waning. "Which is?"

Presenting a wide rebellious grin under a stream of blood from his nose, Modoran cackles loudly. "Your sister hits the hardest out of the bunch of you weak loser shits!"

At that prompting, Hektoran and crew take turns elaborately insulting and berating Modoran between punctuating punches or kicks. Minutes later, a distant voice calls out down the path. "Modoran?"

With a final punch in the gut on Modoran, Hektoran directs the gathering down the opposite way, leaving Modoran unceremoniously on the ground. Sitting up on the grass bordering the path, Modoran groggily inspects himself, winces with each muscle flex.

Deedri walks down the narrow, shady path between decorative plants and bamboo. Her furry, tufted ears perk up to distant footsteps up ahead, and she picks up her pace. Rounding a slight curve in the path, she sniffs the air and widens her auburn eyes with the unsettling familiarity. She rushes down the walkway, and her eyes notice a figure slowly standing up. She closes in to an unsettling surprise. "MODORAN?!"

----

Sitting up a wooden bench along the narrow walkway, Modoran clenches his fist tightly and cringes with watering eyes. With a tight, firm pinch of Modoran's nose, Deedri flows magical energies into his nose and gently shifts it around, shifting around internal structures. A minute later, Deedri releases hold of the bridge of Modoran's nose and slips her gloved fingers out from his nostrils. Vainly trying to collect himself, Modoran lightly touches his freshly realigned nose, wincing through the remnants of pain. "OH GODS... You weren't kidding..."

He flutters his dark blue eyes and shudders back to some semblance of nonchalant. "But... Thank you... Ow..."

Aiming a stoic frown towards Modoran on the bench, Deedri leans forward and stares right into Modoran's eyes, a faint auburn glow from her eyes lighting up his dusky, bluish gray face. "SO. Are you going to tell me what happened now? OR. Are you going to keep dodging the subject?"

Sporting a weak smile, Modoran awkwardly stumbles around his words, shrinking in his seat under the illuminated glare of Deedri. "I- Uh... It is complicated, Deedri. It's nothing you should worry about and-"

Sneering her upper lip, Deedri applies a treated adhesive bandage upon a cut on Modoran's face, aggravation slipping out into her tone. "NOT anything I should worry about?!"

She snaps a cutting stare at Modoran, a hint of growl forming in the undercurrent of her voice. "I'm SORRY. BUT, the moment I find you beaten up and abandoned in some alley AND have to patch up you..."

Narrowing her glare, she furrows her fair skin brow, her long, fluffy tail wagging to near thrashing. "I THINK it becomes something I. NEED. TO. WORRY. ABOUT."

Modoran tries to summon up his nonchalant demeanor and fails miserably upon gazing into the examining stare from Deedri. Meekly lowering his head, he sighs deeply and uncomfortably tenses his shoulders, resigning. "It... It was... It was a group from another house. I knew they wanted to settle an old score. But, I did not think they would go this far with it."

Deedri's gaze softens, and she kneels down in front of Modoran, watching untypical emotions on his face. "Why did they want to settle a score with you?"

Drawing in a pained breath, Modoran watches Deedri apply medical ointment onto a large patch of bruising on his forearm and slumps his shoulders, averting his eyes away. "It's for something I did years past. A... um... a crime against their house. Long story short, I orchestrated a theft of their prized treasure, and my team got caught."

Pausing in her treatment of Modoran's minor wounds, Deedri cocks her head to the side curiously, perking her furry ears up, and focuses on Modoran. "Okay..."

She narrows an inquisitive glare upon Modoran and frowns slightly, waiting expectantly. Modoran draws in a long breath, nodding towards Deedri, and reluctantly approaches an explanation. "I... WAS a member of a house. Their house was always boasting about this grand heirloom and how it was such a symbol of their success. My dumb ass thought it would be great to take them down a peg by stealing it long enough for them to admit it was stolen. Then, quietly return it."

Rolling his eyes, he grits his teeth and groans. "It is NOT uncommon for such pranks between houses. But... The group I put together got caught. AND, the other house got REAL angry. REALLY... ANGRY."

He bows his head down slightly. "I took the whole blame for it so no one else in my team got in trouble. It was my idea anyway. Hence, I was dehoused and changed my family name to even things out."

Blinking blankly in thought, Deedri stands up, furrowing her brow, and sits down on the bench next to Modoran. With a few gestures, she finishes up an incantation. Flowing magical energy into Modoran's shoulder, she processes between ear flicks and aims her investigative gaze at him. "But... That's been settled, then. So, what right do they have to attack you now?!"

With a nonchalant smile, Modoran attempts to shrug his shoulders, only managing a squirm into a pained grimace. "Well- Uh... They are just still sore about it? I guess. To be fair, technically, we made off with their artifact that they said was protected by their gods. So, they are just still mad about it? Anyway..."

He dismissively waves off the notion with a hand. "They are just young and stupid, like I was. They got some satisfaction. Nothing permanent is broken. So, not a big deal in the end."

Deedri's eyes widen, her furry, tufted ears drop down to the sides of her head, and she grits her sharp teeth with a growl. "Not a big deal?! You got ATTACKED! This wasn't a bar room fight, or a heat of a moment dispute! This was premeditated, and you could have been seriously hurt! This NEEDS to be reported!"

Wave of nervous energy pulses through Modoran's body, and he turns his head, gazing at Deedri uneasily. "Uh, it's- No. There is no need to do that. It would just cause more drama and trouble. I mean, it would just be my side versus their side. And... It just would NOT go well and-"

Gently resting a hand on Modoran's shoulder, Deedri stares directly into his eyes, straightening her posture, and focuses her stern, supportive voice at him. "This isn't right. You NEED to stand up for yourself. They shouldn't be allowed to do this! If fact..."

She lifts an intrigued eyebrow. "From one of the sources you told me about... I remember reading about laws against house members seeking vendettas against non-house citizens."

Pausing in thought, Modoran entertains an idea briefly and shakes it away. "Yes, but... It would just bring up a bunch of old drama and-"

Deedri slightly tightens her grip on Modoran's shoulder, summoning up her courage, and levels a defiant stare at him. "Maybe it NEEDS to get brought up."

Noticing a faint wince on Modoran, she eases up her grip and exhales. "If you aren't, then I AM. My party member and friend just got attacked, and I am NOT going to let it go. You shouldn't either."

Slowly turning his head, Modoran meets Deedri's auburn eyes. A nonchalant smile gradually appears on his face, and he nods in agreement. "Yeah... Yeah... You are right. I just... It's just not fun dealing with it. I just don't know..."

A simple soft chuckle escapes, and he snorts faintly. "Maybe, it will be different this time around?"

A happy smile graces Deedri's fair face. Suddenly, her furry ears perk towards a section of open space above the walkway. Her eyes flash brightly auburn, and she grits her sharp teeth, curling a hand of clawed fingers at the ready. "Who's THERE?! Drop the invisibility spell!"

Two evuukian women materialize into view on the walkway near Modoran and Deedri. Modoran glances over to the pair, lowers his face in mild embarrassment into the palm of his hand, and slowly shakes his head. "It's okay, Deedri. These are my sisters. The people I was waiting for, out here."

With a graceful and collected demeanor, the older sister bows, tosses her long light gray hair back, and glances over to Deedri with dark blue eyes. She presents a grateful smile upon her dusky bluish gray skinned face. "Our apologies for startling you. We were delayed getting here. And, when we arrived we were not sure what was going on and did not want to intrude on anything."

The younger sister with short white hair grins wide with dark blue eyes, barely containing her energy. "ALSO, you were doing a REALLY GOOD job at talking sense into our brother... So..."

She rolls her eyes with a shrug. "We really did not want to interrupt!"

A light tint of embarrassment colors Deedri's cheeks. Modoran straightens his sitting posture, points to the elder sister. "This is Massadenia, my eldest sister."

He motions to the younger sister, sighing with brotherly annoyance. "And, Linanania, my youngest sister."

Bowing again at the address, Massadenia glances at Modoran and Deedri and waves towards the pathway. "Not to rush anything, but it might be best we get moving, if possible."

Modoran slowly rises up from the bench and stretches out his soreness, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. I do NOT think I want another surprise round. And..."

He smiles warmly and genuinely to Deedri. "I would rather not make any more work for you tonight."

Popping up from her seat, Deedri helps Modoran stand up all the way and checks over for any other immediate issues. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from your family, since that's why you came out here. But, stop by my room so I can apply another round of treatments."

Lifting a curious eyebrow, Linanania hops over next to Deedri. "You are not coming?"

Deedri puzzles at the response, glancing between the sisters confused. "I didn't think I'd be allowed to?"

With a smile, Massadenia gazes over to Deedri and leads Modoran in front of her. "Oh, nonsense. Mother would be absolutely furious if I did not invite and bring along the woman who healed her..."

A sly grin widens on her face. "Precious little boy."

A quiet, stale, annoyed groan drifts out from Modoran. Massadenia shines a delighted grin. "So, please, join us. It is nothing official, I promise."

Modoran walks ahead under the graceful guidance of Massadenia, and the energetic Linanania and cautious Deedri talk about random subjects along the walk.

----

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia wander slowly down a dusty, decorative stonework hallway. Overhead lamps dimly light the quiet passages and an occasional sign indicating the present location or an official warning. Stopping in front of a sealed metal doorway, Aristespha checks the map on her tablet, sorting through a few information prompts cluttering the screen. She furrows her ivory brow, points over to the mechanical entry, and turns to the group. "This one has not been explored. It has been sealed since this site was first discovered."

Sebastian's ethereal form drifts in front of the sealed doors, and he glances over, seeking a confirmation from Aristespha. "Nothing else on file, dear?"

Flicking through a long section of text, Aristespha shakes her head of silvery blue hair, smiling towards Sebastian. "Go ahead, Sebastian."

With a simple nod, Sebastian phases through the metal doorway, disappearing to the other side. Bach wanders over towards the opposing side of the hallway, inspecting a decaying sign written in an old language, and comments. "Huh. It's actually kind of nice to have some of the grunt work done for you before having to trudge through these places."

Cideeda examines the sealed doorway, and her emerald green eyes search along the wall, flicking between points of interest. "Yeah. It does save us a lot of trouble."

She twists her mouth to the side and grumbles. "Still finding a bunch of duds, though."

Stretching her arms back in a long yawn, Sotalia tilts her head to either side. She fights the boredom off her face and idly paces around, playing with her longer fiery orange, wavy hair. "I'll say. I mean, I'm not arguing the logic behind this. But... GODS... It's hard not to be a little bored with it all."

Nodding in begrudging agreement, Dretphi alternates between watching different ends of the current hallway, furrowing her brow. "Only trouble we have had was that security guard. Would not leave us alone."

Rolling her eyes with a sneer of her upper lip, Sotalia groans out her disgust, shaking her head in commiseration. "I KNOW. Come on... THAT place wasn't THAT big. Was he actually expecting us to get lost or something?"

Glancing over, Cideeda pulls herself away from peering through the gap in a ventilation grate on the wall and grumbles with a canine revealing sneer. "That lazy wannabe cop was just looking for a reason to send us away. He was hoping our paperwork had anything wrong with it."

She rolls her emerald green eyes and snorts out. "Probably just wanted us gone so he could go back to snacking on some chips in the office."

Bach furrows his brow, glancing over to Cideeda curiously. "What makes you say that?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Cideeda smirks slyly and chuckles. "Smelled it on him. Cheap store brand, salt and vinegar flavored."

Sebastian's head pops through the middle of the metal doors with an excited grin, and he motions for everyone's attention. "Think we have something! Looks like a research area or an archive of sorts. A few documents and a bunch of little artifacts on display."

Cideeda claps her hands together, rubbing them eagerly, and hunts around the frame of the sealed doorway. "Alright! Now, how to get this thing open... gently."

Standing in front of the metal doors, she feels around the joins, squints at every corner and crevice, and taps a claw tip on the door. Her furry ears flick around and listen to the finer acoustic details. Her eyes sort through the mental images in her mind. She briefly grits her teeth with a faint hum under her voice. "The doors are solid. But, not really thick. It doesn't sound like high grade steel or alloy. So, it's probably a simple hydraulic sliding door."

Rapping her claws on the door, she directs her voice towards Sebastian's floating visage nearby and queries. "Did you see a locking mechanism on the other side?"

Sebastian shakes his head a moment, pauses in thought, and phases back through to the other side. Seconds later, he pops his head back out and shrugs his translucent shoulders. "No. Nothing I can see. The door looks the same on both sides. The control panel on the other side looks the same as this one here."

Cideeda nods, closing her eyes, and processes the information out loud, tapping her toe claws on the floor. "Okay... Low security door... Probably just a standard design they bulk ordered. SO. I wouldn't be surprised if..."

Stepping methodically along the wall section with the door controls, she moves away from the frame. She purposefully hits the lower part of the wall with the bottom of her fist and listens carefully, her furry ears sifting through the sounds. The rest of the team watches her travel a few meters down, slam hard on section, and stop. She spins around with her furry ears flicking and searching and starts tapping around the surface of the wall. Seconds later, she grins toothily and motions everyone over. "There's a hollow section here. It's probably a hidden access panel they blended in. Bach?"

Bach blinks to attention and gazes down at Cideeda. "Oh. Yes? What do you need?"

Pointing to the general areas, Cideeda pantomimes out towards the wall with her suspicions. "Depending on how they built this place, I think it'll either be a few magnetically driven locks OR a spring loaded friction fit from hell. Think you could use your mechanical magic?"

Bach kneels down next to Cideeda, closes his eyes, and places his hands on the wall. Reopening his blue glowing eyes, he grins confidently, nodding at Cideeda. "Yeah. I think I can manage something here. Let me see what I feel."

Flows of magical energy emanate from Bach's hands and glide along the surface, sinking into the wall. Focusing upon the task, he furrows his brow and twists his face with thought. "Huh... It's like some kind of twist lock with magnets. Four of them. And..."

He fights a grimace and grumbles. "Oh. I think they painted over the panel joints. Just give me a second..."

Brief thin lines of energy flicker and finely score lines into a meter by meter square of the wall around Bach's hands. A series of four solid, heavy clicks dully thump out from the revealed panel, and Bach grins with satisfaction. "There we go. Now we just-"

Confidence disappears from Bach's face, the panel tilting away from the wall, and he scrambles for a good hold on it. "Shit! It's heavy-"

A pair of red armor gauntlets thrust out on either side of Bach and halt the panel in place. Glancing up with an appreciative smirk, Bach nods to Dretphi. "Thank you."

Dretphi smiles warmly to Bach, and the two coordinate, easing the panel down to a graceful landing upon the floor. Cideeda pulls out a flashlight from her utility vest, clicks it on, and investigates the hollow section beyond the wall. Scanning over the electrical lines, data cables, and hydraulic piping, she peeks further inside, studying the configuration of the machinery. Minutes later, with the curiosity and lighting sources from the rest of the group, Cideeda slides her contorted self back out of the tight space. "Okay. Real simple setup. BUT, I really doubt the electric pump and valves are going to cooperate. If not due to age, probably interference from some control module that still is active."

Sitting back upon her legs, she tilts her head of short, multi-color hair to the side and ponders out loud. "One option is to cut lines to release the pressure and pry the door open..."

Aristespha grumbles uneasily and slowly shakes her head. "If we could avoid obvious changes, that would be preferred. There are only so many violations of the law I can get overlooked through Grand Library clout, and I would rather not discover what that limit happens to be."

Cideeda grins toothily and eyes Bach eagerly. "I thought so... Bach, I'm going to need your help."

Bach follows Cideeda's guidance, and the two position themselves partly through the access panel frame. Cideeda points out a number of valves, lines, and control mechanisms inside the packed space. "I bet you can easily manipulate the stubborn insides of these and get that door open..."

Lifting an eyebrow, she grins slyly. "AND, keep it looking stock."

Glancing over to Cideeda, Bach smiles with growing interest and thinks through it. "Yeah... Definitely can manage that. But, you're going to have to tell me what, when, and how. I mean, I don't know much about hydraulics in general, especially not setups like these."

With a confident smile, Cideeda winks to Bach. "Of course, that's why I'm here. Ready for your first lesson?"

Over the next few minutes, Cideeda instructs Bach on the basics of hydraulic door systems. With pantomimed explanations of different component constructions from Cideeda, Bach threads magical flows into mechanisms, integrating with the aged devices, and weaves control lines together to handle signaling. The rest of the team watches in fascination. Cideeda navigates the system, and Bach fashions magical manifestations, manipulating the setup. With a number of flow threads in his hands, Bach gazes over to Cideeda expectantly. Methodically stepping through the process, Cideeda recites an ordered list of instructions, waiting for Bach to perform the prescribed tasks. A series of valves creak and briefly fight against the magical might, relenting with a surge of energy. Flows of prismatic power travel from Bach down a thicker magical cable woven into hydraulic pump and reservoir assembly. With careful focus from Bach and Cideeda's percussive coaxing via the butt of a large flashlight, a large hydraulic ram retracts, and one door of the dual sliding door arrangement pulls slowly into the wall.

Smirking with pride, Cideeda sarcastically declares in a mocking tone. "Oh. Look. I think these doors must have FINALLY opened after years of age..."

With an eager flicker in her emerald green eyes, Cideeda grins. "We should probably investigate it."

A quiet and modest celebration later, the team swiftly slips through the doorway. Everyone slowly spreads out into the large room of faintly dusty desks, tables, and shelves. Sotalia rolls her shoulders uncomfortably, surveying the room suspiciously. Her golden eyes widen, and she gawks at a nearby long shelf of labeled magical trinkets and oddities. The long nailed fingers on her hand flex in anticipation. Aristespha calmly lifts away Sotalia's hand and leads her away, shaking her head at Sotalia's pouting frustration.

Slowly approaching the center point of the room, the team shines lights around in searching sweeps of the vicinity. Halting in place, Bach tenses his posture, furrows his brow contemplatively, and pivots around, hunting around for something.

"STAGNANT ENERGY. DETECTED. NEARBY."

The team pauses. Attention collectively gathers upon the sword at Aristespha's side. Sebastian's visage stabilizes, and he wanders his pointing arm out towards a direction. "I think it... It felt something over... There?"

Flashlight spots, magical torch illumination, and a series of drifting glowing orbs light up the back wall of the room. The brightness increases, and the circular outline of an energy dais contrasts the rest of the floor. Everyone locks onto the uncomfortably familiar magical device. Sotalia rests her hands at her hips, narrowing her suspecting stare. "Yeah... I thought I felt something weird in the room."

Remaining still, Bach stares uneasily at the dais. He fights his nerves and grits his teeth, stating uncomfortably. "Yeah... Felt it, too. There's... There's a good amount in there."

Sebastian nods and gazes at Aristespha. "Well, I do think we have a way to fix THAT."

Aristespha glances back, smiling lovingly to Sebastian, and eagerly draws the sword out. "Yes. Yes, we do."

Hovering nearby with a mix of relief and satisfaction, Sebastian stares at the stonework circle. "Let's drain this thing dry."

Returning to awareness from a thought, Bach holds a hand out, halting Aristespha's approach. "Not all of it."

Sotalia blinks confused and irritation rises in her voice. "What do you mean? No. We don't leave anything behind for Noxian to get."

Bach turns around, facing Sotalia and the team, and sighs. "I know. I know. But..."

Waving a hand towards the dais, he frowns begrudgingly. "We CAN'T drain it completely. Otherwise, he'll KNOW something is not right. I mean, think about it. If he's expecting some power and finds none, then he'll start to suspect something and change up his plans..."

He slumps his shoulders and grimaces. "Yet again..."

The team mulls over the suggestion. Dretphi nods in agreement and ponders out loud. "Leave enough for it to... smell... correct. No more."

Defiantly crossing her arms, Sotalia narrows a disagreeable glare at Bach. She meets Bach's gaze and internally argues with herself, telegraphing the progress on her light tan, dark gray bordered face. She grits her teeth and grumbles. "I DO NOT like the idea of giving Noxian anything."

Cideeda sighs, glances over to Sotalia, and frowns with slight droop of her furry ears. "Yeah, me neither. BUT. We got to make it look convincing enough so he won't immediately suspect anything. Otherwise, this whole catching him in the act thing falls right apart."

Some final deliberation later, Sotalia slowly nods and relaxes her stance. "Yeah. You're right... Still don't like it, but it makes sense."

Stepping next to Sotalia, Cideeda flashes a sly grin and holds out a small camera device. "Would helping me choose the right camera angles make you feel better?"

A smile graces Sotalia, and she rolls her golden eyes at herself. "A little."

Aristespha pans a gaze around the room and lifts an intrigued eyebrow. "And, while we are... Unofficially here... Let us see what this room was for."

-71-

From a decorated shed, the faint hum of a large water filtration system drones out into the background, mixing with the many crisp gurgling flows of water in and out of the small, private pool. Flickering against the dimming evening sky, tropical themed torches gently illuminate the area, wisps of smoke trailing up into the air. Poolside tables and chairs surround the perimeter, empty in the gentle warm breezes filtering through the tall bamboo and leafy landscaping barriers. A pump spins up in a separate hot tub, secluded from view by a vine coated privacy screen. From the pool, soft splashes of water sound out, in contrast to the soft ambiance contained by wooden latticework fence around the area.

Modoran sighs and rests his head back, allowing his lower body to float in the gentle, calm water. Keeping anchored in place by his elbows upon the steps to the shallow end, he slowly relaxes himself with the occasional winces of dull pain. He squirms stiffly, stretching out annoying, stubborn sections of muscle. Gradually releasing a long breath, he opens his tired dark blue eyes, gazes up to the emerging stars above, and pulls an exhausted, hopeful smirk across his face. He grits his teeth and carefully rolls his dusky bluish gray body through a few general stretches. Surrendering with a grumble, he relaxes what he can of his thin, athletic form. He cinches up the drawstring on his blue swim trunks and sinks further down into the water. Bubbling out a long sigh, he resurfaces. His stare grows distant into the darkening evening sky.

Snapping back from inside his mind, Modoran blinks briefly in confusion, his eyes darting around with paranoia towards entrances and exits. He lifts his light gray haired head out of the water and curiously aims his long, pointed ear towards the familiar voices of Deedri and Tassilda. "Okay..."

Tassilda's relieved voice grows louder and clearer. "OH... Gods. Be. Praised. FINALLY, we get to enjoy this pool without those insufferable camera crews trying to capture our most revealing poses possible."

Deedri's apprehensive cadence colors her uncertain tone rising out of the background din of water and pool equipment. "I know. I didn't even want to wear shorts with them around yesterday. It's such a relief they're busy elsewhere..."

Pausing a moment, she lowers her volume slightly. "But... I'm really still not so sure about this swimsuit."

The gate doors swing open, and Tassilda struts through the archway built into the surrounding privacy latticework fence. Glancing back with a reassuring smirk, she smirks with encouragement hinting in her voice. "Oh, please. You have NOTHING to worry about. I'm actually so jealous you found that, AND it fits you so amazingly."

Motioning Deedri forward with a wave, Tassilda strides further towards the pool. "Now come on! We have to enjoy this while we can."

She stands up to the end of the pool in her bikini, gazes around with her hands on her hips, and notices Modoran idly relaxing nearby. "Oh. So, THIS is where you disappeared to?"

Modoran nonchalantly shrugs his bare shoulders, sinking himself to a seat upon the shallow end stairs. "Yeah. Oh. And, do not worry. The camera crews left a while ago. From what I overheard, it seems like they were off to do some last minute footage uploading, or something."

He rolls his eyes and snorts. "They were really persistent to get a last minute shot, though. I was practically in a staring contest with one camera guy."

Behind Tassilda, Deedri's furry, tufted tip ears flick momentarily towards Modoran's voice. Halting her progression briefly, she quickly inspects her modest, patterned two piece swimsuit. Awkwardly summoning her confidence, she steps up next to Tassilda and gazes over to Modoran with a wag of her long, fluffy tail. Modoran attempts to continue his story and trails off, his attention shifting elsewhere. "But, he gave up on me... Um, after I didn't do... Well, anything..."

His focus fumbles about, ambling around one particular direction. A few moments later, he resumes some semblance of his usual nonchalant demeanor and waves back to Deedri with a smile. "Oh, uh, hey. Uh, I see you found your swimsuit. It looks very nice on you."

Tassilda bounces her examining gaze between Modoran and Deedri and rolls her light blue on black eyes with a twisted smirk, stepping towards the diving board at the deep end of the pool. Pressing through her shyness, Deedri dons a goofy smirk and nods, glancing down "Oh. Thank you. Yes. Uh... It just happened to be under something else. I guess I must have put something on top of it when we were rushing around to events, or something..."

Wagging her tail, she smiles and slightly relaxes her shoulders. "I'm just really glad that I'm getting to use it before we have to leave."

The diving board audibly flexes and rattles. Tassilda dives into the water with barely a splash. Emerges up to the surface, she perks her brow at Deedri, guiding her raven hair off her bikini top. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get in the water."

Deedri blinks back to attention and glances over eagerly, pardoning herself from the stilted conversation. "OH. Yeah... One moment."

With a calm, relaxed exterior, Modoran nods understandingly. Sprinting up to the edge of the deep end, Deedri leaps into the pool. Touching the bottom with her feet, she springs herself upward and coasts up, breaking the surface meters away. She combs her hair out of her auburn eyes and laughs. "Wow! It's been too long since I swam in such a nice pool!"

Tassilda casually backstrokes and pries, lifting a curious eyebrow. "What do you mean a nice pool?"

Kicking through the water with her tail waving behind, Deedri calmly strokes through the water. "Well... Um, this is a really nice pool in comparison to the ponds and creeks I usually had when growing up."

Smiling with a humored snort, Tassilda shakes her head and glances over, shaking drips of water off her swirling, black horns. "I HAVE to visit your hometown someday."

Deedri and Tassilda enjoy the cool waters against the humid, hot night air. Upon the shallow end steps, Modoran relaxes and watches on. Deedri and Tassilda casually swim multiple laps and float lazily around, staring up at the night starry sky. Pulling away from staring at the moon above, Deedri glides over and sits on the shallow end steps next to Modoran. "Hey. How are you feeling tonight? Still sore?"

Trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude, Modoran smirks to Deedri, a hint of wince slipping out. "A little. But, I feel pretty good overall. Well, especially considering, I got my ass handed to me last night."

He glances away briefly and gazes at Deedri with an appreciative smile. "Which, um... Thanks for patching me up. And also, well, talking some sense into me."

Shrugging briefly, he chuckles softly. "Maybe some good will happen from all that drama."

Deedri's damped furry ears perk up and her tail wags through the water. With a happy smile, she nods some of her multi-colored, longer hair free. Smirking with a bit of embarrassment, she rests her hands on her knees. "You're welcome. I'm sorry if I poked a little too far into your family affairs. I, uh, may have gotten a little too righteous there."

Modoran rolls his dark blue eyes with a shake of his head and reassures Deedri with a genuine grin. "You did not. Honestly... Having that outside perspective kind of pointed out the really damn obvious."

Smiling and relieved, Deedri gazes over to Modoran. "By the way, your family is really nice. They weren't quite what I expected. But, maybe..."

She hides a soft bite of her lower lip and sighs. "I've been reading the wrong things about Evuukian houses."

Fighting off his embarrassment, Modoran chuckles lightly and shrugs his shoulders with a brief wince. "Yeah. There is a public face all the houses want to have. In reality... They are more typical and just as dysfunctional as any other family. Mine just happens to own a few choice businesses in the service industry."

Deedri agrees with a nod and darts her eyes around the subject with an awkward hint. "Yes. I also would never have guessed your sisters would be so..."

Modoran lifts a humored brow and chuckles lightly. "Different? Yeah. My parents and I have tried to figure that one out for years."

With a tight smile, Deedri averts her gaze briefly and grins partially. "I STILL can't believe your mother gave me THAT bottle of wine. I'm going to have to hide it and save it for some special occasion."

Modoran snorts, shaking his head with an amused smirk. "Don't worry. She was very happy you took care of me and patched my sorry ass up."

Shifting his weight around, he resettles into his seat upon the pool step at the shallow end and grits his teeth, rubbing his lower back. Deedri flicks a damp furry ear over towards Modoran's quiet complaints and leans close, investigating his pain. "If you are still sore, you might try soaking in the hot tub over there. A little heat couldn't hurt to relax the muscles."

Tassilda swims closer to the two. Modoran twists his mouth and grimaces in mild disgust, grumbling. "Normally, I would. And, really want to. But..."

He slides a side eye over to the tub within the privacy confines. "I am going to stay away from that thing. And, I recommend you two do the same."

Deedri furrows her curious brow, and Tassilda spins her stare over to Modoran expectantly. Averting his gaze, Modoran sighs and shakes his head. "Chad and Veevi were in there earlier. And, well..."

He contorts his dusky bluish gray face and shudders briefly. "The camera crews were VERY interested in something going on there, for some reason. So, I would just enjoy the cool waters of the pool... To be on the safe side."

The trio cringe in unison, the ramifications of such an encounter sinking into their minds. Tassilda closes her light blue on black eyes hard and shudders in the water with disgust blatant on her face. "OH. GODS. Thank you for the warning. I think I'll pass on soaking in slut soup."

Deedri's expression sours, and she tenses her shoulders. "No thank you, too."

Glancing over to Modoran, Tassilda lifts an inquisitive eyebrow and scans the surrounding area, focusing through the gaps in the wooden lattice fence. "By the way, do you have any idea where Trakenthin went off to?"

Modoran thinks for a moment, turning his head towards a section of the privacy barrier, and points in a rough direction. "Uh, yeah. Last I saw him, he had a bottle of some grath wine he ordered from room service and had a book in hand. If I remember right, I think he headed off towards the hammocks. I have not seen him come back. So, he is probably sleeping it off, right now."

He shrugs his shoulders and twists his mouth. "I figured if I didn't see him come back after I got out, I'd check over there. Though, I don't think I could move him by myself if I had to."

Tassilda stands up, combing her raven black hair back over her swirling horns, and rests her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm going walk around a bit before I get back in the water."

Wrestling a spark of concern on her gray, patterned face, she sighs. "Better check on him... You two want to join?"

Deedri glances over and up towards Tassilda, thinks a moment, and slowly rises out of the water. "Yeah. I better come along just in case. I do know a few ways to make someone sober enough to stumble into a proper bed."

Standing up, she tosses her hair back and shudders. She presses the water out of her tail fur, and Modoran's eyes sneak over, watching her attentively. Deedri glances over to Modoran, catching his gaze upon her, and observes him awkwardly trying to shift his focus smoothly elsewhere, obfuscating his previous peek. Secreting away her satisfaction, she calmly asks Modoran with a kind smile. "Are you going to come along?"

Modoran assumes a nonchalant facade with his typical smirk and shakes his head slowly. "Ah, no. I am going to soak for a little while longer. But, if you two need my help, just let me know."

Deedri nods and steps up the stairs to join Tassilda. The two walk out of the pool area through another archway built into the privacy fence. Tassilda walks a significant distance away from the pool with Deedri at her side. Smirking slyly, Tassilda leans over with a quieter tone. "So... How are you liking that swimsuit of yours, now?"

Quelling a flush of pink in her cheeks, Deedri averts her auburn eyes away,and calmly replies, tapping her clawed fingertips together. "Well. I think I'm warming up to it."

Over in the pool, Modoran stares up at the starry night sky and sighs, quietly pondering in the moment. He squirms around upon his seat on the shallow end step, straightens up his posture, and glances down at his lap through the waving reflection of the moon. Twisting the hints of embarrassment on his face, he glances around the area and mumbles to himself. "That was a... very nice swimsuit..."

----

The old humvee rolls down the long, winding two lane highway. Under the late afternoon sun, thinning forests pass by on either side of the ancient military vehicle, hints of civilization peeking through the gaps of bordering trees. Cideeda taps her claw tips on the steering wheel, steering down the road, and flicks her emerald eyes up at the rear view mirror inquisitively. "So, do we want to try to squeeze in one more place today? Might be able to fit just one more in. Just saying."

Sighing, Aristespha relaxes in her seat behind Cideeda, sinking into the worn cushions. She scrolls through a few notes on her tablet, shaking her head of silvery blue hair apprehensively. "We could try... But, I do not think we have enough time to give such anything close to a proper investigation."

Narrowing her violet eyes at the time showing in the corner of the display, she wrestles a grimace. "And, if I remember correctly, most offices or checkpoints for those sites close in an hour."

She taps through a few menus on the screen, contorting her face, and accepts unfortunate fact with a sigh. "It seems like anything else will take, at least, thirty minutes to get to."

Cideeda flicks her furry ear back, nodding her head, and rolls her shoulders with relief. "Yeah... I was figuring that would be the case. We'd be asking for trouble from someone official if we stayed for too long."

Crossing her arms, Sotalia rolls her golden eyes and snorts with a derisive tinge. "Yeah. That's the last fucking thing I'd really wanted to have to deal with today. Some security guard following us around and pestering us to leave, so they can go home."

She shrugs her shoulders and smirks with a faint amount of compassion. "Not that I don't blame them. But, STILL..."

Flipping through pages of a heavily annotated printout, Bach narrows his blue eyed gaze, scrutinizing sets of numbers next to location coordinates. "Well, the last few places didn't have anything much to speak of, to be honest. Just a bunch of little things with traces of elder energy remaining."

He scratches his head close to the white streak in his long brown hair and grimaces uncertainly. "So, I don't know if there's really anything significant left to find. Well, at least, nearby."

From her seat upon the back bench, Dretphi leans forward and peeks over Bach's shoulder, holding onto the back of his seat next to Aristespha. Furrowing her brow, she focuses her steely gray eyes and points out a line on the print out list. "There was the energy storage artifact."

Bach studies the entry, nods in agreement, squinting his eyes thoughtfully, and traces an entry row across to the furthest columns. "True. Very true. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the number of items or strength of them was what these other numbers over here indicated. But..."

Closing his eyes , he grumbles with a slump of his shoulders. "Who the hell knows what scale they're even based on."

From her seat, Aristespha glances over at the list and brushes her silvery blue hair out of her violet eyes. "Yes. I was theorizing that, too. We will have to sit down and compile all the information we have found out. There HAS to be some significance to those numbers. At this point, we might just have enough information now to decipher the meaning."

Sebastian's ghostly form drifts over to the impromptu meeting, peeking over the group. "Well, we found two major targets and put monitors on them. If Noxian is going off the information indicating the amount of energy, those will probably be the most likely places he'll visit. Hopefully, those will also be the places he'll stick around the longest to investigate after tripping our traps."

A collective agreement spreads through the team, spirits rising up with the sparks of hope. Sotalia shifts her attention to the increasing signs of civilization in the world outside the vehicle and scans the road ahead with her golden eyes. "So... Is anyone else hungry?"

Settling back onto her bench seat, Dretphi gazes up towards the front of the humvee and nods, removing crimson armor plates off her suit. "Yes. Food would be nice."

Cideeda drums her claw tips on the steering wheel, searches out on the horizon, and narrows her stare to the emerging city scape. "Let's see here... Yeah, I think this is that part of town where we got sniped trying to capture that one fugitive at the motel. And..."

Scanning the horizon, she squints out into the distance and sorts through the emerging advertisement signs along the roadside. "If I remember right, there was this one place I wanted to try out when I got the chance..."

She slows the humvee to a stop at a stoplight intersection, glancing around the area, and spots a "Fval Spice" sign at the corner of a strip mall parking lot. "There it is."

Pointing out the location, she seeks out the rest of the team through the rear view mirror and perks a furry ear over her shoulder. "Should we give it a try?"

With no obvious objection or counter, the team agrees. Cideeda navigates through the intersection, finding a route into the parking lot. Pulling into a close spot, Sebastian's ethereal visage disappears into the sword at Aristespha's side with a smirk. "Just in case they don't serve ghosts."

The doors of the humvee open, and the team exits the vehicle, stretching out to near normal postures. Securing unneeded equipment inside, the group walks up to the store front of "Fval Spice". A chime rings out from the door bell above, and the team ventures through the front door of the restaurant and congregates near the counter of the dining area. Noyando appears from the back room and greets everyone. "Oh, hello! Welcome. Dine in, or take out?"

Aristespha glances around, confirming with the group overall, and smiles pleasantly to Noyando. "I believe it will be take out, today."

Nodding happily, Noyando picks up a few menus from a holder nearby and passes them out to everyone. The team flips through the pages, studying the choices, and arrive at decisions. Cideeda steps up to the counter and orders in fvalian. Noyando responds with a quick question in a similar dialect, and Cideeda answers with a toothy grin. Sotalia moves up next, and recites her order in fvalian to the delight of Noyando. Pointing to the menu, Bach shows the selection to Noyando. "I'll go with this."

Noyando nods, writing it down, and glances over to Bach, tilting his head curiously. "How spicy?"

Thinking a moment, Bach motions with his hand indicating a middle amount. "Moderate. Just above two out of five? Maybe a three?"

Aristespha rests her menu back into the holder and waits for Noyando to glance over. "I will have the red curry. Pork. Four out of five with the heat."

Dretphi points to an item on the menu. "Steak stir fry."

Shakes her head, she solidly states. "No spice. Please."

Noyando finishes writing up the orders, taps the information into the register computer, and inquires towards the group. "Separate or together?"

Retrieving a card from her pocket, Aristespha hands over the plastic payment method to Noyando with a smile. "Together."

She smirks and peeks over her shoulder at everyone else. "I think this qualifies as a business expense today."

With few final key presses, the system processes the transaction. Noyando returns the card to Aristespha with a receipt and nods to the group. "Thank you. Please, have a seat. I will get your food out shortly."

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia find a larger table, and each sits down. The minutes pass by. Flashes of cooking fires radiate from the back kitchen, and sizzles roar out. Faint clouds of smoke and steam unleash a delectable aroma into the air. Team members individually relax, idly talking about topics other than work. The discussion shifts over to "The Next Heroes of Nexus". Dretphi grimaces uncomfortably towards a cringe, shaking her head of platinum blonde braids. "That was NOT a proper sparring match. That was a FIGHT."

Bach nods in agreement, wincing slightly. "Yeah, that was something UGLY right there. Nothing felt good about that whole thing."

Smirking, Sotalia drums her long, black nails on the table top. "OH. There's some problems with that father-son relationship. If THAT is what a sparring match turns into, that's just the surface of a big, nasty ordeal."

Sighing thoughtfully, Dretphi twists her mouth, pondering out loud. "Strange. Disturbing. Sad."

The conversation wanders towards catching up on the latest episodes. The door chime rings, and Meredosia walks in. Counting out cash and receipts in her hand, she slips behind the register. She enters the signed receipts and cash into the drawer and writes down bookkeeping notes. Stepping through the entry into the back kitchen, she addresses Noyando. "I am done with the local orders. What do you have next?"

In between the different steps of the dishes he's cooking, Noyando glances over and points to a pair of handled paper bags on the back counter. "Those. Further out. The electric scooter is charged. So, go ahead, and use it to deliver."

A trace of an eager smile graces Meredosia's ivory face, and she grabs hold of the key hanging on the wall with one hand, picking up the bags with the other. "Will do."

She quickly crosses through the front area towards the door and past the team, when Noyando calls out. "Mera!"

Mera halts and spins around, blinking. "Yes?"

Noyando's voice rises out of the din of sizzling food. "Take the alley ways. They are faster, and you don't have to fight traffic."

Nodding, Mera resumes her exit, opening the front door. "Will do. Thank you."

A few minutes later, Mera rides off through the parking lot on a sit down electric scooter and zips over towards a nearby alley way. Bach glancing over, Mera disappearing from sight, and comments with a reminiscent smile. "Man. That reminds me of the one I had when I was in school."

With a hint of grin, he chuckles. "Damn. That really made getting around that campus SO much easier."

Cideeda's furry ears perk up, and she lifts an inquiring eyebrow towards Bach. "What do you have?"

Bach grits his teeth briefly in a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness. "Well, it might be best to say what it originally started out as. I mean, that scooter went through a number of..."

Darting his eyes around for explanation, he shrugs his shoulders. "Revisions? Yeah... We'll just say revisions."

He narrows a stale, irritated glare towards the sword at Aristespha's side and grumbles loudly. "Some that a particular person was responsible for."

From the sword, Sebastian's voice softly emanates in an accusatory tone. "Fuck you, bro. At least I didn't run headlong into a vending machine."

Minutes pass on by, the team bouncing between one idle topic and another. With a grand entrance, Noyando appears from the back kitchen with paper bags stuffed with food containers. "Your orders are ready. My apologies for the wait."

The team stands up, excitement and eagerness very apparent on all their faces towards the awaiting meals. Dretphi lifts up the hefty bags off the counter with a thankful nod towards Noyando. Noticing a small stand with business cards, Cideeda plucks one up and examines it. "So, how far out do you deliver?"

Thinking for a moment, Noyando taps his claw tips on the counter and shrugs with an entrepreneurial smirk. "Within a few kilometers. But... If the order is big enough, and we're not too busy, I can make exceptions. Just expect a longer wait and a larger delivery fee."

Cideeda bows slightly with a smile. "I think we might make it worth your while."

She catches up to the rest of the team, starting to filter out through the front door. Watching the group leave, Noyando takes a seat behind the counter and relaxes with a long sigh, staring out the front windows. The late afternoon sky shifts through a spectrum of orange hues. Minutes pass, and Mera zips through the parking lot to a side alley, parks the scooter, and walks in through the door. Her crimson eyes sort through the signed receipts, and she hands them over to the sedate Noyando. Moments later, Noyando snaps back to awareness and graciously takes the receipts from Mera. Studying the table the group was at, Mera combs her long gray hair back into order and lifts an intrigued eyebrow at Noyando. "Who were those people?"

Pondering a moment, Noyando shrugs his shoulders and glances over to Meredosia. "New customers. I think they are adventurers. They certainly look the part. But, I've never seen them before. Might be new in town? I hope they come back. Adventurers usually tip nice."

Mera returns her gaze to the table and grimaces thoughtfully, puzzling uncertainly. Noyando stands up from the chair behind the counter and stretches his back, walking over to the back kitchen. From beyond the folding screen, he calls out. "Mera, what do you want to eat tonight? We have some time now to cook."

Mera's long, pointed ears perk up slightly, and she excitedly wanders in the back, eyes hungrily wide open.

----

Sitting around the dining table in the ranch style house, Aristespha, Cideeda, Bach, Dretphi, and Sotalia dig into their take out orders, thorough enjoyment blatant. Sebastian hovers next to Aristespha, enjoying the aromas pass by and through his ethereal form. With a piece of chicken pincered between her chopsticks, Sotalia pauses feasting and points the wooden utensils over to a small set of light armor plating in progress on the coffee table. "So, Cideeda, how much more needs to be done on that?"

Cideeda perks her furry ears, glances over with her emerald green eyes, and mentally deliberates, contorting her light brown face. "Well... It's close. Really close. I just need to do a few more adjustments to get it just right, for my preferences."

Thinking for a moment, Dretphi studies Cideeda, nodding. "We are close. Need to reinforce seams. Test to find hidden issues."

She shakes head with a sigh. "There always are."

Bach swallows a large bit of his basil stir fry, sniffing from the building heat upon his faintly reddened face, and gazes over to Cideeda. "Speaking of which, um, do you want to cut any more plating? Think I've figured out how to tweak the magic flows a little better after that last batch. Shouldn't take as long as before, I think."

Resting her head on the palm of her propped hand, Cideeda hums indecisively, idly stirring her pepper and spice loaded beef and coconut cream curry. "I think I got the major pieces cut. Any fine detail work, I'll take care of myself. It'll probably just be a little angle grinder and rotary tool work."

She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, singling out a morsel from the meal with her chopstick. "Nothing too demanding..."

Flashing an eager, toothy grin towards Bach, she wags her long fluffy tail. "Just be ready when I ask for those armor enchantments."

The split unit air conditioner kicks on in the living area, and a gust of air breezes through the room towards the dining table. The gentle wind wafts the spicy vapors off of Cideeda's meal down the table. Bach waves the potent smell away with a chuckle. The heated wind graces Dretphi, splashing over her. She unknowingly draws a long breath in through her nose. She reflexively coughs, squirms, and winces, covering her nose with curses in grath. Bach glances over at Dretphi with a bit of concern. "You okay?"

Dretphi settles down and nods to Bach with a warm smile. "Yes. Caught me off guard."

Sliding his curious gaze over to Cideeda, Bach lowers his attention upon the potent, spicy dish in front of her. "Okay... I have to know. How the hell can you eat that with your sense of smell? I mean, that just seems like it'd be pure, fucking torment to your senses."

Cideeda blinks blankly, nods down at her food, and shrugs her shoulders towards Bach indifferently. "I don't know. You just, well, get used to it when growing up. Heat and spice was just always a traditional thing with everything my mom and dad cooked. Never thought it was anything special, until I started eating with other people."

She widens a smug, toothy grin. "Then, I just considered it one of my talents. I won a lot of leftover lunch money in school with all the bets."

Barely hiding her sneer, Dretphi narrows an incredulous glare at the toxic dish in front of Cideeda and quietly quips. "Excessive spice hides poor quality. Proper main ingredients should carry the dish with minimal assistance."

Sotalia snorts into a snicker and points the chopsticks at Dretphi, smiles slyly. "OH! It has been a long while since I heard from your inner food snob."

Lifting an intrigued brow, she briefly grimaces. "Now, I know exactly where you get it from."

Rolling her golden eyes, she picks up another piece of chicken, motions with the wooden utensils, and playfully mocks. "So... Would this dish best be improved if it was cooked in a stone bowl upon an open flame?"

Dretphi grumbles to herself, eating her cooler food. Halting a moment, she smirks and snarks. "I do not expect one who requests well done steaks to understand."

Bach shakes his head with lighthearted laugh at the debate between Dretphi and Sotalia and turns his attention over to Aristespha calmly eating her red curry. "Huh. You're handling that pretty well, Aristespha."

Nonchalantly shrugging, Aristespha pours another hefty spoon load of curry upon her bowl of rice. "There was a fvalian restaurant across the street from my dorm at the Grand Library. Quite a few of us were competitive about handling the heat. So, I have built my tolerance up over time. It is certainly not what it used to be. But, I do my best to maintain my tolerance."

Nodding understandingly, Bach shrugs with a reassuring smile over to Dretphi. "I mean, hate that you're missing out on the experience. But, if the heat is not for you, that's fine, too."

Sotalia grins smugly and bites into another piece of chicken, lifting a mocking eyebrow directly at Dretphi. "Yeah. Just not for you, huh?"

Furrowing his translucent brow at Sotalia, Sebastian shakes his head slowly and mouths out. "Leave it alone-"

A defiant wave bubbles up through Dretphi and crests, twisting her face. Reaching over the table, she plunges her fork into a chunk of chicken and spicy vegetables on Sotalia's plate and brings it close to her mouth. Sebastian snaps his surprise over to Dretphi and dons a calm, polite tone, drifting over into her view. "Okay. There's no need to prove anything so drastically. So long as you enjoy your food that's all that matters, right?"

He chuckles encouragingly. "And, you can work up to it if you want-"

Dretphi deliberately places the spicy food into her mouth, staring right at Sotalia. Gawking in shock at Dretphi, Sotalia watches her close her mouth. Dretphi pridefully chews and tilts her head to the side. "Did you order this hot?"

A flush of red colors Dretphi's tan cheeks, she struggles keeping the stoic facade up. Bach glances around the table and spots the anticipating stares of Aristespha, Cideeda, and Sebastian, and Sotalia's disbelief. Summoning up her defiant pride, Dretphi breathes out words with hesitation sneaking in. "Not... bad. It has its... Unique flavor."

Sotalia slides back from the table, studies everyone briefly, standing up, and walks towards the refrigerator. "I need a refill on my drink. Anyone want anything? Water? Ice cold water? Milk, maybe?"

Harshly swallowing a mix of pride and spice, Dretphi raises her finger and points to her glass with a nod. Bach nudges over his egg soaked rice and whispers over to Dretphi. "It helps."

Mustering an appreciative smile to Bach through a nearly reflexive grimace, Dretphi scoops some of the yellow coated rice onto her plate and nods thankfully to Sotalia placing down a fresh glass of ice water next to her plate.

----

Down the walkway between furniture in the small upstairs bedroom, Samantha paces back and forth. Near the double doors to the balcony, she pauses and gazes out. Humming in thought, she glances over to Gerald sorting through data cartridges. "Okay. We SHOULD be able to stretch out the scenes from the resort, for another episode. But..."

She narrows her hazel eyes. "We NEED something MORE."

Typing a few commands on his laptop, Gerald settles back into the chair and idly watches a message prompt appear on screen, a progress bar slowly filling. "Well, with a bit of editing, we almost have a whole episode's worth of stuff. It might get a little repetitive towards the end, but it could still work. A well-timed ad break should hide how repetitive it is."

Howard sounds out from the speaker of the phone on the desk, verbally sorting through his thoughts. "True. But, it wouldn't be bad to have some contrasting segments to break up any possible monotony. The editing crew is good... But I don't want to push it too much. You only get so many of those episodes before people start complaining."

He pauses a moment, the sounds of keyboard typing mixing with paper shuffling from the other side of the call. "By the way, is Trakenthin's father still around? Got a copy of the invoice from that cheap motel we booked him in."

Rolling her eyes with a sneer of the upper lip, Samantha brushes back her brown hair and slowly shakes her head with a hint of annoyed disgust. "YES. He's making sure to milk every bit of the deal we offered him. Do you want me to... STRONGLY ENCOURAGE him to leave?"

Gerald blinks a few times and sits up, an idea popping into his mind, and pivots his chair towards Samantha. "Wait. What if we did another segment with Trakenthin and his dad? Something like a bookend bit and farewell for now type of thing?"

Howard's plotting tone leaks through the aetherphone speaker and drifts into the room. "Yeah... I like that line of thinking. But, I don't want to run another training or sparring segment. It's too soon. Need something else to differentiate it. Something to set it apart from the rest..."

Samantha dons a sly smile, sits down in another chair near Gerald, and ponders out loud. "We got to stir things up. There's GOT to be some bit of drama we could amp up and ignite. But..."

She curls up an eyebrow and glances around her head, drumming her fingers on her clipboard. "What exactly?"

Grumbling to himself, Howard's cadence slides towards frustration. "Unfortunately, Trakenthin isn't the easiest to genuinely antagonize. Save a few things... And, it seems Veevi only has Chad's and Tassilda's buttons figured out."

His voice trails off, and Samantha twists her face in contemplation. With both idling on their thoughts, Gerald crosses his arms and smirks unsatisfied. "If there was a way to get a rematch between Trakenthin and Dretphi. THAT would get viewer attention. But, I really doubt you'd be able to convince either to go for it at this point."

Nodding her head in agreement, Samantha flips through her clipboard of older notes, halts, and gazes at a guild quick physical identification guide, closely studying a line. "Dretphi Prakkenten Reti Veranattin... Reti... Where have I heard that before?"

Gerald perks up, cocks his head to the side, and puzzles at Samantha. "Trenannin got on a really hateful rant about a Commander Reti. Blaming him for being a coward and fucking up the progress in fighting against the Red Gears..."

With an annoyed frown, he reaches over to a pile of data cartridges. "Gods. He just kept going on and on. I know I got the clip around here somewhere, but I didn't think some war vet's angry rant would be useful."

Samantha eyes spring open with recognition and a devious grin grows on her light face. "THAT'S RIGHT! Dretphi is Commander Reti's daughter!"

Narrowing her aimless stare, she rests her chin on her hand, pondering out loud. "Trakenthin knows that... He figured that out from the info we gave the team a while back. But... He hasn't mentioned any of it to his father... I wonder if it's because he knows it'll set his father off?"

A dark chuckle oozes into the room from the aetherphone speaker, and Howard's evil scheming tone fills the space with his mischievous eagerness. "I DO wonder if that's the case. I think it might be worth trying to inform him of certain details, such as the fact that Commander Reti's daughter is right next door..."

Howard's laugh infiltrates the soundscape of the bedroom, and he plots with devious glee. "And... Make sure that he knows that she's the one that beat his son publicly in a sparring match at that convention."

Cringing slightly, Gerald alternates his gaze between the aetherphone and Samantha, squirming uneasily. "Uh. Are you sure about THAT? I mean, I'm all for mixing things up, but that sounds like it might actually detonate. You two might want to watch that clip of his rant first before you go with this plan."

Samantha switches to another clipboard of paper and starts excitedly writing down an outline of notes. "That just might WORK, Howie! Trenannin might challenge Dretphi. BUT, more than likely, he'll push Trakenthin to demand a rematch!"

Howard's satisfaction radiates from the speakerphone, and he sighs in anticipation. "And, I'm quite certain that Trakenthin's father will spout off plenty to CONVINCE Dretphi to accept the rematch."

Uncomfortably witnessing the scheme forming before him, Gerald shifts his attention to the progress bar on his laptop and grimaces uneasily, mumbling to himself. "Sounds like you two have that covered. Uh, I'll figure out a backup plan to deal with the small war that might happen."

----

In the messy academic office, large wall monitors scroll through endless status messages and system information prompts. Nash reluctantly eyes a tall stack of paperwork upon his desk, curling an upper lip into a sneer of defiance at the task before him. Slowly easing back into his squeaky office chair with a long metallic groan, he runs his fingers through his long, graying hair. "Gods... Dammit..."

He gradually allows the spring loaded back of the chair to lift him upright to his desk and rests his arms to either side of the imposing pile of paper. Slowly shaking his head, he stares at the stack in disbelief, groaning. "How... Just... How can there be THIS much budget paperwork?"

With building suspicion, he narrows his pale blue eyes, facetiousness bordering on seriousness. "They have to be making up policies to justify their jobs... Yeah... That's it... That explains it..."

Reaching out hesitantly, his hand close to lifting the first form on the pile of bureaucratic doom. The door opens quickly, and he freezes. A graduate assistant steps in first with an irritated Vetra entering immediately afterwards. The young evuukian man grimaces uncomfortably, eying over to Vetra, and apologetically stares at Nash. "Uh, sorry to interrupt."

Nash drops the top form back onto the pile and slides the mass off to the side of his desk. With a mixture of confusion and relief, he addresses the graduate assistant and Vetra. "Not a problem. Really."

Furrowing his brow curiously, he tilts his head to the side and puzzles at Vetra. "So... Uh... What ever do I owe the honor your visit?"

Vetra tosses a sealed plastic bag onto Nash's desk and points a sharp, dark fingernail at Nash's desk, gritting her sharp teeth. "THAT."

The young evuukian man stiffens his posture, struggling for anything beyond an awkward explanation. "Uh, well... We checked out that server on that work order finally. And well... Found... uh..."

Picking up the plastic bag with his finger and thumb, Nash lifts it up into his view, revealing the bewilderment plainly on his face. "Okay?..."

He slowly rotates the container to different angles and quietly examines the pair of panties and used condom. Seconds of perplexed and substantially disgusted expressions later, he gently drops the bag on his deck and quietly shudders. "Ewwww."

Searching for a reason between the graduate assistant and Vetra, Nash holds his hands up and out to his sides, absolutely baffled. "I REALLY don't know what to make of this. Explanation? Please?"

Noticing Vetra's constant, darkened orange eyed glare at Nash, the graduate assistant chimes in sheepishly. "Um... Well, the good news is the server is just fine. But... We think a possible cause for it momentarily being off the network was due to... uh..."

He coughs and meekly mumbles. "Unanticipated physical contact?"

Rolling her eyes in disgust, Vetra's pointed ears droop, and she growls out. "Someone was LITERALLY FUCKING AROUND in the server room, AND left a gods damned MESS!"

Nash smirks towards a frown, lifts an uneasy brow, and attempts to vent off his discomfort with a chuckle. "Well, how much of a mess are we talking about really-"

The graduate assistant interrupts in a plain tone. "We cleaned the ceiling."

With wide eyes, Nash blinks blankly and shakes the mental imagery out his head, focusing upon Vetra. "So, how did you get involved?"

Vetra crosses her arms unamused, furrowing her brow, and explains. "I found it strange for a graduate assistant to be asking for a ladder, mop, bucket, scrub brushes, gloves, and the strongest cleaner for biological mishaps to clean up a server room."

She pauses a moment and slides a suspecting stare upon Nash. "And, I'm just generally suspicious when any of your graduate students request supplies."

Releasing a long sigh, Nash shakes his head, glances over to the graduate student, and mercifully waves them off. "Thank you for handling it. Get out of here while you can. You've done plenty. We'll talk later."

Nodding in agreement, the graduate student slinks off, relief for his freedom obvious, and escapes the overwhelming pressure of opposing authorities. Nash gazes at Vetra and relaxes back in his seat with a long metal squeak. "So... What do you want me to do?"

Vetra taps her sharp, dark nailed fingers on her arm, and narrows her stare at Nash. "Well, find out who did it, of course."

Rubbing his temples, Nash grimaces in thought and rocks his head side to side, sorting through the options out loud. "Okay. Right. Yeah. I think there's an old camera that watches that particular door to that area. It's mostly to watch that hallway more than anything. BUT, it does get a decent view of that door."

He turns to a monitor on his desk, slides his keyboard over, and types out a series of commands. "Well, let's get the camera system up and check the recording."

The large monitors overhead on the wall flick over to a new layout showing multiple, current camera feeds. Nash retrieves his aetherphone from his pants pocket, sorts through the interface, and scrolls through a list of alerts. He settles upon a familiar series of entries and studies the time stamps. Quickly entering the data into the camera system interface, a large monitor switches to a full screen view of a long hallway leading to an intersection and a single plain door. Vetra pivots in place, lifts her stare up to the screen, and watches expectantly. Nash sorts through the controls on screen and fast forwards to the next nearest motion detection indicated. "Okay, let's see what this motion trip was for."

On the big screen, the door opens slowly and a young emin man peeks out into the hallway. He peers both ways down the hall, steps out, and motions for someone else to come through the door. Moments later, a young fvalian woman hops out into the hallway, the two laughing and giggling together. They quickly rush down the long hallway closer to the camera, soon out of view. With satisfaction, Vetra slowly turns around towards the begrudging groan of Nash. His face securely in his palm, Nash loudly sighs out his sheer frustration and annoyance, gritting his teeth briefly. "Gods fucking dammit... YES. I know exactly who they are. AND, I will personally berate them for you, to spare you the trouble."

Dragging his hand down his face to a grip the chin hairs of his beard, he draws in a long breath and slowly shakes his head. "Well, I apologize for their... Sloppy antics. Uh, would assigning them to you for a week or two of work make up for this incident?"

Vetra ponders the offer a moment and nods slowly, perking her brow. "Yes. But, separately."

Nash widens his eyes in agreement and grumbles. "OH. Yeah. If just to be on the safe side."

He snorts and shakes his head in disbelief. "What the fuck? Kids these days, man. What ever happened to bribing your roommate to find somewhere else to be for an hour?"

Vetra glances over her shoulder to the wall monitor with the camera playback, focusing her attention upon another mark on the motion detection tracker. "Huh. There's another ping on the motion detection system just a few minutes later."

Squinting up at the screen, Nash glances over to his monitor and taps a few keys curiously. "Great fucking gods... I really hope they didn't go for round two."

Turning to face the overhead screen fully, Vetra smirks with a roll of her bright orange eyes. "I highly doubt THAT. But... It might explain the size of the mess."

The video playback skips to the marked time code on the bar. The same door gradually opens. A thin man with wispy white hair and a blue scarf wrapped around his face peeks out into the hallway, and carefully scans the vicinity. Vetra's eyes open wide, her jaw drops open, and she fumbles over her words. "Who is that? Wait... He matches the... Good fucking gods. That isn't-"

Terror floods Nash's face. The man quickly walks down the hallway on the screen. Nash pauses the playback, recognizing the person on screen. "Oh. Shit."

-72-

Gathered around the dining room table, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia listen to Aristespha's aetherphone on the tabletop. From the other side of the call, Nash sighs out with a mix of frustration and fatigue. "So... That's the summary. Noxian- Or Isaac- Or whatever you want to call him, showed up and took something. I wish I knew more than that. And, I REALLY want to know WHAT he took. But... I've been dealing with the fallout of everything else since yesterday."

Closing her violet eyes tightly, Aristespha rubs the temples of her head, gritting her teeth. "Gods almighty. How are the higher ups dealing with this news?"

Nash pushes out a halfhearted laugh through the phone and groans out his annoyance. "Well... Running around with their heads on fire, but with FAR less direction. No one these days really has the temperament and experience to handle something like... THIS. A minor scandal or two, maybe even a major one. But... This is beyond their ability."

He sniffs in a long breath and loudly grumbles. "SO... For better or worse, all the major players this side of the continent have been informed and brought in."

With an inquisitive furrow of his brow, Sebastian leans his ghostly visage over, drifting closer to the aetherphone. "Major players? Like, who exactly?"

A chair squeaks out from the other side of the call, and Nash relays, with apprehension growing in his tone. "Well, the Big Ones. Let's see... You got the Greater Azure Alliance, of course. Appaland has been called in. Even the Coalition Of Independent Lands to the north, and Perimeter Defense Force to the south. To say the least, it's gotten... Interesting?"

Cideeda raps her claw tips on the wooden dining room table top, furrowing her light brown brow in thought, and directs her curious voice towards the aetherphone. "Anything useful turn up on the camera footage from anywhere else in the area?"

Nash hums in thought and sighs apologetically over the speakerphone. "Well, unfortunately, nothing really that useful despite what we've tried. We were able to track him from when he arrived on the campus and when he left."

With hints of aggravation sneaking out, he huffs. "The problem is that he walked onto the campus from the surrounding neighborhoods. HELL. He even entered and left from two different points, through older sections of campus that haven't been updated in a long time. So, we're trying to locate any other cameras from homes and businesses to see if we can figure out where he went. But, it seems like he picked the perfect spots to appear and disappear. Least amount of surveillance cover."

A hopeful tinge colors Nash's voice, and his intrigue piques. "But... We did notice him use an aetherphone. I've already pestered a few people I know in the network companies, and they're combing through the data."

With some disappointment weighing on his tone, he explains the further. "Unfortunately... Officially, they can only release basic information at the moment, until they get an official court order or warrant to be able to dig further."

A sly chuckle slips out of him. "Unofficially, they let me know they found two strange outliers mixed in with the usual devices detected. Oddly, the last time those devices checked in recently, they were out west almost to Radotahin."

Blinking confused, Dretphi cocks her head to the side, pondering out loud. "Do not know what could be in Radotahin. Two devices? An accomplice?"

Sotalia crosses her arms, sneering her upper lip, and grumbles out her growing irritation. "Gods damn it. Not only did he steal something that was important enough to him, he's ditched the area AND has someone working with him?!"

Turning her head to the side, she growls out, stretching her neck tensely. "Fuck! How are we ever going to find him at this point?!"

Nash's voice rises up from the aetherphone, and he explains with a soothing cadence. "Hold up. Those techs warned me that those devices were really suspicious. You see, they've shown up in other odd places before, based on their network access history. So, I wouldn't read much into where those things are now."

With an audible shrug of fabric, he sighs. "At this point, this is all random bits of the info. So, I won't have anything too concrete until the legal paperwork starts landing on the right desks. To say the least, it's going to be crazy for the next week. But, I'll get you all the information and data I can manage."

Drawing in a long breath, Nash firmly states. "Just remember, THE hornet's nest just got drop kicked into our party. SOON, the GAA, Appaland, COIL, and PDF investigators will be everywhere."

A sly hint emerges in his tone, and he chuckles hopefully from the other side of the call, his chair rocking back with a slight metal groan. "This could work out for you all pretty soon. I get the distinct feeling any clearance you need to do your work will be a lot easier to get, and you probably will be hearing from a GAA representative in the area."

Twisting his mouth contemplatively, Bach internally deliberates and shrugs his shoulders. "I guess that's one good thing to come out of this. I mean, it helps if you have updated paperwork to show people when you want to get into places. Maybe even an official phone number to call to verify us."

Aristespha nods slowly and reopens her eyes with a calming sigh. "Very true. As much clout as the Grand Library has, it would still be quite beneficial to have something local officials can immediately recognize and respect."

Cideeda rolls her emerald green eyes with a begrudging nod. Sotalia tosses back her fiery orange, wavy hair over her shoulder, brushing the stray hairs over her swept back horns with a mumble. "Might be useful... IF he hasn't escaped to the west."

A long silent pause fills the room, some background chatter leaking from Nash's side of the call. He returns his attention to the conversation, groaning. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go. I just got a warning from my graduate students that another horde of officials are making their rounds. Guess I'll need to lead them around to the scene and hand them copies of all the evidence. I'll talk to you all as soon as I can."

Aristespha manages an appreciative smile and directs a gracious voice to her phone. "Thank you, Nash. Please. Keep us informed."

Tapping the end call button on the aetherphone screen, Aristespha sinks back into her dining table chair and tilts her head of long, silvery blue hair over the back. A few tense moments later, Sotalia's ire peaks, and she firmly grabs her hips, gritting her teeth. "GODS DAMN IT! While we were digging through the places Noxian must have dismissed as useless, he went and got something that was of some real importance. AND LEFT WITH IT!"

Her body language tenses, and she spins away from the table, walking irritably away tightly grasping her horns. "FUCK! GODS FUCKING DAMN IT!"

Signs of dismay and discomfort form in the team. Sebastian straightens his posture, narrows his gaze in thought, and projects a resolute declaration. "He has NOT gone far. And, I DON'T think he's done with this area yet."

Sotalia pauses a moment and glances over her shoulder back towards the table with a trace of hope in her voice. "Why do you think that?"

Crossing his arms, Sebastian searches his thoughts and twists his mouth, forming his theory out loud. "I don't see why Noxian would head off to Radotahin so suddenly. Can't dismiss the possibility, BUT... That doesn't fit what he's been doing. And, it doesn't feel like those devices are exactly trustworthy."

Cideeda's furry ears perk up, and she tilts her head to the side with a thoughtful, sly smirk. "YEAH... Nash said those techs have seen those devices pop up before. They could be second hand, or bought from the..."

She lifts up her eyebrows. "Usual Places."

Nodding in agreement, Dretphi searches her thoughts and idly grips the back of the chair she stands behind. "Noxian has not worked with others before. Do not think he would leave with someone else now. Not to an area he has never been to."

Bach grimaces, darting his blue eyes around his mind, and slowly shakes his head. "We did find at least two places he might be interested in. I mean, I don't think he'd just completely abandon those easy pickings... yet. Even if he did wander off, I still think might visit those spots. Why not before you head out that far?"

He glances over to Aristespha quizzically. "Are any of the locations on that list out west?"

Pondering to herself a moment, Aristespha shakes her head. "No. From what I have determined from the data, the research station seemed to have had a limited detection range. It certainly did not show results that far away."

A proud grin appears on Sebastian's ghostly visage, and he nods happily to the team. "Exactly. As careful as he was for the most part, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled a trick or two to mislead and cover up things."

Exhaling out her fading frustration, Sotalia steps back up to the table and tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Gods, I hope that's the case. Because I don't know what to do otherwise. Still..."

She narrows her golden eyes and slides a suspecting gaze over towards the team. "Now, I'm wondering who he was talking to? Someone on the inside? Someone he knows from the past? I wonder if they can figure who and where the other caller was during the heist?"

Resting her head upon her folded ivory hands, Aristespha furrows her brow, staring internally, and thinks out loud. "The Grand Library is his old home. I would not be surprised if there was someone helping him out with a place to stay for the time being. Possibly he is trying old contacts for information? Calling up old friends?"

She frowns briefly and sighs. "I just don't know. I hope it would not be someone directly helping him do all this."

Sotalia musters a hopeful smirk, resting a hand on her hip, and taps her long, black nails on a chair back. "Well, I DO hope he does stop for a visit. Would hate for all our efforts to go to waste."

Bach shrugs his shoulders, stretching out his back. "I don't think it was a waste regardless. We still got some useful data for that list to figure out what those other numbers meant."

Aristespha smiles and nods in agreement. "Yes. Seeing what was to be found and correlating those sites on the list has helped decipher some of the significance."

Cideeda's fluffy tail wags, and she grins toothily to the team. "Well, I hope something trips one of the traps. Otherwise, we'll need to sneak and break in again to get everything back before someone else discovers all of it."

Blinking at the realization, Sebastian grimaces with a twist of his mouth. "Yeah... Then, we'd have to explain TWO incidents worth of breaking a few laws."

Aristespha grits her teeth briefly and bites her lower lip uneasily. "Let us hope we do get some broader investigative authorizations from the GAA, Sebastian."

----

A dim red glow illuminates the horizon against the encroaching night sky, and a few sparse clouds barely drift along overhead. Standing, Isaac wanders off in thought, the gentle breeze swaying wisps of his white hair. With a relaxed sigh, he narrows his gray eyed gaze out to the fading light and stretches out his thin, wiry frame. A house door leading into the garage opens, and Dr. Dawkins walks out with a thoughtful smirk towards Isaac. "Ah, yes. One of the reasons I've kept this house. Too good of a view."

Isaac glances over his shoulder with a smile and nods, resuming his stare out into the colorful distance. "I can't argue with that sentiment. I have had a wonderful time here."

Dr. Dawkins steps next to Isaac and lifts his green eyes up to the scenic night sky, chuckling to himself. "I really do wish the context surrounding your stay was... Different. Just know, you are more than welcome to stay as long as you like."

Perking an eyebrow, he parts an eager smirk. "But, I do understand the hunt. And, that itching desire to venture toward the next step of your quest."

He hands over a thick portfolio binder, brimming with papers and other documents, into Isaac's hands, and shines a bold grin. "I made sure to make copies of all my old notes and maps relating to getting to, from, and around Perimeter and the Weird Zone. I am quite certain you'll find something of use in there."

Isaac shifts his focus down towards the collection of documents in his hands, opens up the leather folder, and briefly studies the contents. He swells with appreciation and bows slightly, honoring Dr. Dawkins. "Thank you... So much. I'll definitely take time when I stop to go over them thoroughly."

With a smile, Dr. Dawkins nods. "There's a list of my previous contacts in the area for whatever tasks you might need help with. But, before you go too far, I would strongly recommend looking over the off-the-record routes for getting to Perimeter. With good weather, you should be able to travel most of them."

He examines Isaac's sedan, narrowing a scrutinizing stare, and side eyes Isaac. "But... You might want to... Change out vehicles once you get to Perimeter."

Meeting Dr. Dawkins's subtly insisting glance, Isaac nods understandingly, grimacing into similar sentiments. "Yes. I figured it might be time, since I'll be going to less accessible places."

With a humored smirk, he perks an inquisitive eyebrow at Dr. Dawkins. "Am I correct to assume that there's a recommended contact for such a transaction?"

Chuckling with a slight grin, Dr. Dawkins narrows his green eyed gaze and nods slowly. "Of course. A few actually. It always threw off artifact thieves when you left in different vehicles than what you arrived in. They eventually figured it out, but it always bought us a day or two down the road before we had to worry about them."

Isaac laughs, shaking his head in brief disbelief, and gazes at Dr. Dawkins. "I feel I have only gotten to experience the smallest sampling of what you are capable of, Dr. Dawkins."

Straightening his posture with a proud smile, Dr. Dawkins holds his hands behind his back and shrugs his shoulders innocently. "Maybe so. By the way, call me Emanuel. You WERE my student and employee. My friends... Call me Emanuel."

A bit of surprise swells in Isaac, and he gazes at Emanuel, smiling happily. "I will... Emanuel. Gods. THAT is going to take some getting used to it."

Laughing heartily, Emanuel rests his hand on Isaac's shoulder and shakes his head with a grin. "You'll have plenty of time to get used to it when you call and message me. Remember to use the new aetherphones."

He pauses a moment and furrows his brow. "And, send anything... Interesting... That you are willing to part with back through one of the preferred package services on my list. Thankfully, most of them like money more than they like asking all those pesky questions."

Lifting an inquiring eyebrow at Emanuel, Isaac scratches the gray scruff on his chin thoughtfully and hums in thought. "I will do so. Unfortunately, it might be some time before I find anything worth the trouble. First, I need to finish checking a few sites in Amaranth Valley before I head down to Perimeter."

Emanuel concentrates a cautious gaze upon Isaac, twisting his mouth uneasily. "I would exercise caution there. You would not want to put yourself at risk, right now. Especially when a greater prize is possible elsewhere."

Nodding understandingly, Isaac mentally weighs the options, staring at the supplies filling the backseats of his sedan. "THAT is very true. But, I don't believe I'll run into too much trouble. The locations haven't garnered much attention lately, so I doubt anyone is putting forth any resources to guard them."

The summer wind breezes by. Crossing his arms contemplatively, Emanuel shrugs his shoulders with an examining gaze at Isaac. "Just exercise caution, regardless. Some of the worst surprises I've ever had to experience spawned from the most mundane of situations."

Isaac steps forward, turns around, and extends a hand to Emanuel with an appreciative smile. "I will. As much as I enjoy your company and generosity, I should be off now. Need to take advantage of the night to travel."

Emanuel firmly shakes Isaac's hand, nods thoughtfully, and sighs. "Indeed. I will try my damnedest to keep you updated on things here. Gods. I pray it remains quiet enough."

He pauses a moment in thought and smirks. "Good luck, Isaac. And whatever happens, my door is always open to you so long as I've got one to open. Always appreciate someone to share a drink with."

Isaac bows with a grateful smile to Emanuel. "Thank you Dr.-... Emanuel. Gods damn it. I'm going to have to practice."

Laughing loudly, Emanuel shakes his head and waves to the departing Isaac. He returns to the door in the garage leading to the rest of the house and watches Isaac entering his sedan. The vehicle starts, the lights turn on, and Isaac grants a final farewell. Rolling down the long driveway to the access road, he disappears out of sight down the sparsely lit roadway. Emanuel presses a button on a panel next to the doorway, and the garage door slowly closes.

----

A warm summer breeze blows through the open garage door of the ranch style house and circulates the air inside, traces of dust and debris swirling in the current upon the floor. Wearing her new bodysuit, Cideeda stands rigid in posture and waits. Finishing up the latest adjustments to the slip-on armor plating, Dretphi stands up fully and admires her handiwork. "Move around."

Cideeda steps forward carefully and purposefully, sensing every bit of her motions. She gets in the middle of the garage and flexes her arms out to their extremes. Twisting her flexible torso around with the rest of her body, she gracefully morphs between a series of contortionist maneuvers. Slowly widening her stance, she eases down into full side split with ease, twists her upper body around along with her arms, and arches herself backwards. Pulling her legs together in front of her and pointing her clawed toes, she folds herself forward and rests her head upon her shins with her furry ears flicking at her ankles.

Sitting back up with a long draw of breath, Cideeda smirks proudly, bringing her legs close and feet underneath herself. She tucks into a forward roll and springs herself up into the air, sticking the landing on her feet with her arms out for balance. Pivoting around from the threshold of the open garage door, she prances elegantly in exaggerated motions and flexibility showcasing poses with a prideful grin, stretching out. "Barely held me back."

Shifting her weight between her legs, she hops upon the balls of her feet and rolls her shoulders around. "Had to push against a little bit of resistance. But..."

She flashes a confident, toothy grin. "I'll manage."

Blinking out of his staring stupor, Bach snaps his focus back to the unfinished armor plate on his lap. He shuffles around his seat upon the floor, picks up the thin metal piece, and taps it on the ground. "Uh, yeah... All that might be easier after this latest incarnation of your armor enchantment."

He pushes the plating forth along the ground, and it slides across the floor in a gentle glide toward Cideeda's eager, awaiting clawed fingers. "Think I got it just right for what you need. Thinner and sleeker protective layers, with a very low friction coating."

With a firm grip, Cideeda plucks up the armor piece and studies it carefully, dragging her claws hard across the surface. Her fingers easily slip along the plating, and a faint golden glow fades from the path her fingertips pressed. An excited grin appears on her light brown face, and an accomplished glint sparkles in her emerald green eyes. "OH... I LOVE it when my designs become reality."

She smiles towards Bach with an intrigued lift of her eyebrow. "So, when can you update the new plating with the latest version?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Bach dons a nonchalant, easy-going smirk. "I mean, not too long. Maybe just a few tweaks that'll take a few minutes per plate."

Dretphi steps up behind Cideeda and presents a sleek, plated head guard to her. "Try it on. I believe the measurements are right."

Cideeda examines the piece of headgear. Apprehensive initially, she studies the construction and design. She swiftly dons the protection and cinches it into place. Her furry ears perk and flick freely through the crafted clearances on the sides. She taps her claws upon the plating on the forehead cover, faint traces of a magical barrier appearing. A satisfied, toothy grin appears, and she rests her gloved hands on her sides into a confident pose. "Pretty close. Nothing that little wearing in won't fix."

Cideeda's confidence wanes towards casual unease, and she watches Dretphi train her steely gray gaze upon her in a mix of awe and joy. Dretphi clasps her hands together with a slight bite of her lower lip in an overwhelming appreciation of her creation. "This is... Cute! May I take a picture? My mother will want to see this."

With a slight chuckle, Cideeda presents a smile with a pose, nodding calmly. "Oh. Sure. Go right ahead. I mean, you did make a lot of it. You should have a few pictures of it."

Dretphi searches for her phone nearby, and Cideeda glances over to Bach with an uncertain grimace. Darts his blue eyes to either side, Bach shrugs with his hands out to the side and smirks vaguely encouragingly in return. Dretphi takes pictures of Cideeda from different angles. Flexing his hands in a break from his enchantment work, Bach wanders his gaze around the garage. He notices the minigun from the large security droid on a workbench and points over to the weaponry. "Any progress on getting THAT working?"

Cideeda slides her attention over to the device, crosses her arms, and sighs with traces of frustration. "Unfortunately, not much. I just really need to sit down for a day and just tear into it without interruptions. BUT, we've been running around so much that I just haven't been able to set aside time just to do that..."

A guilty smirk graces, and she rolls her emerald green eyes with a shrug. "And... I've been a bit distracted with trying to figure out what I'm going to exactly do with all the golem parts I have."

Gripping her hips, she drums her fingers in sync with her thoughts, pondering out loud. "As much as I am learning about magic, those things are a bit... Large? And well..."

She wrestles with a grimace and grumbles. "Unwieldy for me right now?"

Flicking her furry ears, she briefly grits her teeth. "Gods. I don't know how to say it correctly. Maybe if they were smaller and simpler, I'd actually make some headway in figuring out how to work them."

Bach narrows his gaze and nods understandingly. "I think I get the idea. There might be something we can do. I'll have to check with Aristespha and Sotalia, and see what we could come up with."

Cideeda steps away towards the distraction of a nearby box of golem components. Dretphi glances over to Bach and quietly agrees with him. Bach and Dretphi watch Cideeda dig through the box with a happy smile.

----

Stepping through the sliding glass back door of the two story house, Trakenthin slowly moves through the opening, staring at his aetherphone. He furrows his brow, struggling with the bewilderment plain on his face, and cocks his head. He blinks at the end of call statistics screen, and the prompt disappears, revealing the home screen on the device. Pulling the sliding door behind him to a close, he steps past the table of the dining area, sorting through his confusion. His attention diverts away from his phone, and he glances over to Tassilda and Deedri sorting through reagents and recipes.

Deedri carefully measures out exacting amounts of powdered compounds into a series of small flasks and gently swirls the granulated mixture along the glass bottoms. Tassilda narrows her light blue on black eyes at the process and cocks her head of raven hair to the side curiously. "Is there any particular reason you don't use one large flask and divide out the potion later?"

Flicking her furry ear back from listening to Tassilda's question, Deedri focuses her auburn gaze upon the task and explains with a smirk. "Limiting liability. There are a few steps in processing these reagents that can accidentally spoil the potion, if not done correctly. Each is tricky by itself. Hence, together it makes it quite difficult. So, I like to do a series of small batches and contain any mistakes that may have gotten through."

Settling the last small flask on the counter, she glances over to iridescent fluid faintly steaming in a large pot on the stove and twists her mouth in anticipating frustration. "Occasionally, despite my best efforts, there can be some variance in the mix or an impurity that throws the calculations off."

She furrows her fair brow and grimaces. "When that happens, it can cause byproducts that can ruin the whole batch and are almost not worth the effort to filter out."

Crossing her arms, she turns around, facing Tassilda, and leans against the edge of the counter with a sigh. "I consider the first flask my litmus test and adjust from there. Thankfully, I rarely have any problems after the first flask anymore."

She glances to the side, briefly frowning. "Still frustrating when something does happen."

Tassilda brushes her hair over her swirling horns, rests her hands on her hips, and smiles with a chuckle. "Do I sense some previous scarring from past failures?"

With a playful roll of her eyes, Deedri grumbles and slowly shakes her head. "Oh gods... So many hours wasted on salvaging potions with reagents I had to pay way too much for."

A sympathetic groan leaves Tassilda, and she nods understandingly with a faint sneer of her upper lip. "Don't I know it. What's worse is when you have to make do with the ones you know aren't quite right."

Exhaling out flits of bad memories, Deedri grimaces and briefly grits her teeth. "Introductory Alchemy was a really rough semester on my digestive track."

Leaning to the side, Deedri glances around Tassilda and waves over towards Trakenthin. "Hey, Trakenthin."

She narrows her curious gaze at Trakenthin, cocking her head to the side. "Are you okay?"

Trakenthin blinks back to awareness, noticing Deedri and Tassilda, and puzzles for an appropriate response. "I am okay. Do not know if my father is."

Tassilda turns around and observes Trakenthin, focusing her concern upon him. "What ever has happened?"

Putting away his aetherphone, Trakenthin steps closer to the counter opposite of Tassilda, rests his hand on the counter top, and twists his mouth in contemplation. "Nothing is wrong. I do not believe anything bad has happened."

He furrows his dark bronze brow and tilts his head to the side. "My father called me."

Narrowing his stare internally into his own mind, he grimaces a few times and scratches his head of short, dirty blonde hair, searching for the pieces of an explanation. "He requested my assistance... For a task he did not disclose. Described it in vague terms. Assisting honor?"

Quirking her brow, Tassilda shifts her weight, intrigue influencing her pose. "I always heard being vague was difficult in the grath language? Since, well, it has exact words for every different degree something can be. Am I wrong?"

Trakenthin shrugs his shoulders with a roll of his hazel eyes and sighs. "It is not hard. Gaps between the definitions provide ambiguity. Tone context can obscure further. Contradictions worsen it."

Deedri ponders a moment and gradually rocks her head side to side, her understanding developing. "It seems like it's similar to word order when framing in fvalian. Sometimes there's a subtle difference between a big red ball and a red big ball."

Blinking with her thoughts, Tassilda furrows her brow and glances between Trakenthin and Deedri. "All this makes most Emin dialects sound very straight forward in comparison."

Trakenthin thinks a moment, granting an agreeable nod, and contorts his face. "I am surprised my father is here still. I assumed he would have left for... usual reasons?"

Crossing her arms, Tassilda sways her stance and studies Trakenthin's expression with a slight frown. "Not that I believe it's the best for your sake, but you don't believe he just wants to spend more time with you?"

Humming in thought, Trakenthin deliberates between flicks of hazel eyes, remaining unconvinced overall. "Not strictly. An ulterior motive exists. Can not determine that right now."

He lowers his eyelids, exhaling a long groan. "Will probably ask me for money."

He twists his mouth into an unamused smirk, slumping his shoulders slightly. "Not the first time. Will NOT be the last."

Narrowing her concerned gaze at Trakenthin, Tassilda pries with a slight grumble mixing with her supportive tone. "You seem to have a very... TRYING relationship with your father. Despite your best, noble efforts."

Drawing in a long breath, Trakenthin releases out stale frustrations and nods slowly in begrudging acceptance. "Yes. Long story. Rhymes often."

An appreciative smile appears on his face, and he shrugs his shoulders. "If he only asks for money, I will consider it a good day."

Deedri briefly checks the concoction in the pot on the stove and glances over to Trakenthin with an inquisitive perk of her furry ears. "When did he say he wanted this favor from you?"

Trakenthin pauses for a moment, checking his recent memory, and ponders out loud. "Soon? No exact date. Under a week? He had chores to handle first. Do not know what chores he would have here? It is perplexing."

Tassilda smiles at Trakenthin and sighs with a supportive voice. "Well, if you need my assistance, don't be afraid to ask."

With a happy tone, Deedri nods towards Trakenthin. "No matter how it goes, we have your back."

Subduing a bit of embarrassment, Trakenthin grants a very appreciative smirk and bows slightly towards Deedri and Tassilda. "Thank you. I will leave you to your tasks. Off to read a book."

Trakenthin turns and walks away. A sly grin graces Tassilda, and she playfully inquires. "OH. Is that the new one the girl from that review aethersite suggested? You seem to LIKE a lot of HER recommended books."

Trakenthin's dark bronze skin flushes with hints of red around the cheeks, and he stumbles upon his vocabulary towards some response. "Uh... Yes. She has... Excellent recommendations... that align... with my... preferences..."

With an air of satisfaction thick around her, Tassilda pivots around, facing Deedri, and directs her voice back. "Okay. Just curious. Let me know how it is after you read it."

Trakenthin disappears through the archway into the living room and quickly up the stairs. Deedri narrows an accusatory stare upon Tassilda, mildly chiding her. "Tassilda. What did you do THAT for?"

Shrugging her shoulders with a guilty smirk, Tassilda bites her lower lip. "Well... I HAD to confirm my suspicions. I just keep seeing him browsing that same aethernet site."

Returning a scrutinizing gaze back at Deedri, she smiles with a giggle. "Oh, don't tell me you weren't curious yourself."

Averting her auburn eyes away, Deedri slides her focus back to her task, granting an admission. "Well. Yes..."

She sighs and motions the contented Tassilda over. "Now help me with this pot."

----

Aristespha and Bach sit cross legged upon pillows on the floor of the garage. Sotalia rests her hands upon complicated magical markings encircling Aristespha and Bach. Focusing her attention upon the protective circle, she releases flows of magical power down her arms and hands. The energy spreads away and sinks into the carefully drawn shapes upon the concrete floor. Moments later, she gazes between Aristespha and Bach and smirks eagerly, a glow rising out of the circular barrier. "The circle of protection is charged."

Cideeda finishes a few final adjustments on the aim of a camera and presses the record button on the device. Giving a thumbs up, she nods towards the team. "We should be recording."

Kneeling down nearby the circle opposite of Sotalia, Dretphi keeps the sheathed Sword of the Spirit Realm in her hands, at the ready. "Sword is prepared."

Sebastian hovers nearby, grins proudly to Bach, and nods to him. "When you are ready, bro. Kind of getting the hang of figuring out this elder energy sensing part of the sword. Might actually have to try detection at a distance next time."

Finishing the final sequences of incantations with hand gestures, Aristespha smirks approvingly with a sigh and aims her violet illuminated gaze upon Bach. "That would be nice, Sebastian. Maybe we could recover some of the functionality the sword lost."

Bach rolls his shoulders into a stretch, positions his hands close together in front of him, and nods with a snort. "Yeah, that'd be real nice. Have the damned thing actually help us out again rather than just stating the fucking obvious."

Sebastian's ghostly visage rolls his translucent blue eyes, and he groans, commiserating. "Gods. Tell me about it, bro. If the creator of this damned thing wasn't very likely already dead for over a few hundred years, we'd be forcing him to write an instruction manual at gunpoint."

Shaking his head briefly, Bach grits his teeth, exhaling a long breath, and settles his full attention ahead upon his task. "Yeah... Well, I'll get started then..."

He swallows down his nerves. "Here we go..."

Aristespha directs her voice to Bach, calmly instructing him. "Focus on maintaining control and finer flows. Avoid pushing yourself too hard."

With a nod, Bach closes his eyes and reopens them to a brilliant blue glow. Narrowing his stare at the space between his hands, he concentrates fully, turning within. Magical miasma rises from his arms and upper body and condenses into elaborate magical structures, hovering near in anticipation. The last bit of the energy mist collects upon the layers of prismatic machinery. Bach draws a long, careful breath and tenses his body. Fighting against a pained wince, he summons up a cool, collected attitude and concentrates on calming minor tremors and spasms in his body. Small pinpoints of white appear in the centers of the glowing blue in his eyes. The sword vibrates in Dretphi's expectant hands, and Sebastian observes his wavering and flickering form.

"NEW FLOW DETECTED. FROM FAMILIAR SOURCE."

Attention fully upon controlling himself, Bach slowly breathes at a consistent rate and stabilizes the sporadic twitches and shudders in his arms and hands. Seconds of straining concentration later, thin threads of pure white drift out of Bach and weave between the encapsulating confines of the magical constructs around his arms and upper body. The strands of magical energy flow steadily and diffuse into the vaporous cloud between Bach's hands. The miasma condenses gradually into a denser form and draws the constant thread flows towards the center of the tiny, glowing orb. Slight tremors and shudders pulse around Bach's body. Remaining cool and collected against the building stresses, he paces his breaths. The minutes pass. Sotalia gawks in wonder at the small sphere of white brilliance. Cideeda peers over Dretphi, the two observing the scene in astonishment. Sebastian's form warps and wavers with the flows of energy, and he occasionally stabilizes for brief periods, his visage distorting soon after. Twisting his mouth in frustration, he grumbles out his annoyance, riding out the constant inconvenience of his studies.

Aristespha observes the energy flows, carefully leaning closer, and examines the magical processes at play. Minutes later, the thin flowing threads of white energy fade out, and Bach secures the glowing ball of energy in his hands. Faint trembles rattle his composure. He remains fully focused upon the stable orb hovering above his palms. The rest of the team observes the magical phenomena, contending with curiosity and awe. Blinking his brightly blue illuminated eyes, Bach fights against a wince and sighs out a mix of stress and looming exhaustion. "I'm starting to feel it..."

Noticing the familiar signs of fatigue, Aristespha signals Dretphi with a hand motion and nod. Partially sliding the sword out of its scabbard, Dretphi guides it close to the floating white orb above Bach's hands. Layers of elder mist vent off the ball and sink into the exposed blade. Sebastian's visage flickers and distorts. Furrowing his brow thoughtfully, he searches within, judging the feeling. Seconds later, the sword vacuums the last of the quickly disappearing energy sphere into itself. Sebastian's ethereal form stabilizes, and he gives a thumbs up. "All clear!"

Aristespha grabs hold of Bach's arms, and Dretphi and Sotalia stabilize Bach by a shoulder each. Tilting backwards, Bach eyelids try to close hard, and consciousness struggles with the hold of his mind. Closing his glowing eyes, Bach rocks back against the support of Sotalia and Dretphi. Immediately, Bach flutters his eyes and startles back to full consciousness, shuddering his head. "Gods almighty... THAT is still a helluva hit afterwards. Even when taking it slow. But..."

Blinking around, he musters his bearings and glances around. "I don't think I went out completely, this time."

With a comforting smile, Dretphi shakes her head towards Bach. "No. You woke when you put weight back."

Gently patting his shoulder, Sotalia grins to Bach and quirks her intrigued brow. "I think you might be getting better at this. You'll be quite the challenge soon enough."

Bach smiles awkwardly and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, I don't know about THAT. But, the kickback wasn't as bad as the times before. So, that's progress, I guess?"

He glances over to Sebastian and smirks amused. "So, brother... What was the score on that bundle of energy?"

Sebastian searches the top of his head, dramatically contemplating with a hum, and slightly shrugs his shoulders. "Well... Maybe a little more this time? It's been pretty consistent. Which is fine by me, since the whole coming down from all that seems really rough on you, bro."

Leaning forward, Bach props himself up by his arms and sighs, hints of frustration venting out. "Yeah. I mean, I don't know what's going on there. Gods dammit. I really wish it wasn't the case. Then, I could just spend my spare time dumping elder energy into that fucking sword, and maybe get enough to satisfy it."

Aristespha releases Bach's arms, sits up straight, and grumbles to herself in agreement. "That would be absolutely lovely, but I agree that would be too much of a risk to you at this point, Bach."

Sotalia frowns slightly and rolls her golden eyes with a sneer of her upper lip. "And, well... Gods damned Noxian doesn't seem to want to retire and stop being a fucking problem. So, we can't just sit around and wait."

Cideeda walks over to the camera setup, hits the stop button, and properly turns off the equipment, nodding at the sentiment. Sebastian shrugs his shoulders, holds his hands out to his sides, and grins boldly. "Well. We can't very well be called adventurers and leave a threat like him wandering about anyway. We'll figure all this out one way or another. He and everything else hasn't stopped us yet. So, I don't see a reason to stop ourselves."

The team appreciates the emotional uplift and encouragement. Stepping across the garage with a spring in her step, Cideeda wags her long fluffy tail, climbs up the steps towards the kitchen door, and glances back. "Anyone else hungry?"

Aristespha, Bach, Dretphi, and Sotalia exchange glances, arriving upon similar conclusions. Cideeda grins toothily and opens the door. "Well, I want more Fval Spice and..."

Lifting a sly eyebrow, she flexes back motioning towards the outside world beyond the garage door. "We haven't had a chance to hit the game shop lately."

Dretphi and Sotalia perk up, and excitement swells within Dretphi. "All the new issues should be available."

With an encouraging smirk, Cideeda glances down at the dust and dirt on her shirt and shorts and slips through the doorway with a final declaration. "Sounds good to me! I'm changing to some cleaner clothes, first."

Sebastian drifts close to the door, and peers into the house, Cideeda turning down the archway into the main hallway. He flies over to the rest of the team and whispers quietly. "So... Cideeda's birthday is coming up soon. Anyone got any ideas? She's a tough one to shop for."

Sighing in defeat, Sotalia shakes her head of fiery, wavy orange hair. "Gods. I don't know. I've been trying to think of SOMETHING."

Dretphi hums in thought and shrugs her shoulders. "Gift cards are bland. Do not know what else right now."

Aristespha contorts her face, grumbling, and rests her ivory chin on her hand. "I have a few possible ideas. But, I do not know what specifically, and if they would be best ones."

Glancing between everyone, Bach narrows his eyes in thought and cocks his head to the side. Searching his mind for a few moments, his confidence builds, and he grins proudly. "I got one."

Surrounding attention settles upon Bach, and Aristespha, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia wait expectantly. With a sly smile, Bach nods and gazes around at the team members present. "I got an idea. And, it should incorporate a number of things she's interested in. But... I'm going to need help from all of you to make it happen."

The group shifts into a quick meeting of the minds, and Sebastian keeps watch through the doorway.

----

Very dim moon light leaks through the partially closed window blinds. The faint rays creep across a desk covered with contingents of plastic military figurines and squads of model vehicles in various states of painting. Scatterings of midnight light barely illuminate a freshly configured bodysuit upon a chair and a neatly laid out set of slip on armor plating upon the floor. Cideeda's long fluffy tail hangs out to the side of the bed from under the sheets, and she softly slumbers. Her furry ears flicks reflexively, her tail retracts back under the covers, and she gradually stirs. Unconsciously flexing her clawed fingers into tighter grip on her sheets, she mumbles out a few slurred phrases of fvalian, snorts dismissively, and rolls up another layer of her bed covers around her.

Settling her head of short multicolored hair back on her pillow, she eases back to a quiet, peaceful rest. Minutes of idle, soothing domestic background noise fill the air. The air conditioning unit on the wall softly spins up a faintly droning fan, and provides another layer of background noise. The gentle breeze circulates the air in the peaceful bedroom and softly blows the fluffy hair in Cideeda's ears and the tufted tip of her tail peeking out from underneath sheets on the other side of the bed. Her light brown face twitches under the artificial breeze, and she turns her head to the other side. A peace fills the space.

A sharp, jarring alarm rings out, reflecting off the walls of the room. Crashing out from her unconscious state, Cideeda grits her teeth reflexively and tosses in bed with a jumble of fvalian swears leaving her. The sharp, harsh din of the alert noise persists. Cideeda groggily opens her emerald green eyes and stares half-awake in the direction of the sound. With her furry ears pulled back, she drags her annoyed self across the bed to the night stand and fumbles her clawed fingers for her aetherphone. Finding the device, she quickly snatches it off the night stand and studies the device with growing confusion, her consciousness restarting. Tapping in a security code through the waning blur of slumber, she turns off the jarring alarm. With immediate relief, she relaxes her tensed body.

Searching through the application menus, the screen brightly lights up her squinting eyes, and she locates a prompt, pressing the on screen display. A connection progress bar appears on the device. A video feed appears. The imagery streams. Cideeda's face contorts with an uneasy, developing familiarity, studying the layout and contents of the room shown. Her emerald green eyes lock onto humanoid movement, immediately summoning her full focus upon events transpiring on the screen. She cocks her head to the side and puzzles briefly. The scene brightens from a new light source. The video feed adjusts and refocuses. Cideeda's eyes spring wide open in absolute shock. The immediate, unquestionable recognition stuns her dumbfounded and wordless for moments.

Snapping back to awareness, she scrambles upon the bed, sticking her finger and toe claws into the surface fabric, and launches herself off towards her bedroom door. She lands smoothly in front of it, her loose nightshirt catching air and her long fluffy tail trailing behind her. Flings the door wide open, she draws in a large breath and screams out into the hall. "WAKE UP! NOXIAN IS AT ONE OF THE SITES!"

-73-

A dim street lamp in front of a tall, simple metal mesh fence flickers momentarily, settling into a steady glow against the darkness. A mechanical roar out in the distance, growing louder with each passing moment. At the top of a hill, bright beams of light push through the surrounding trees bordering the road. The humvee crests over and speeds down the roadway to a hard, controlled slide into the gravel parking lot near the fence gate. All the doors swing open. Cideeda, Sotalia, Aristespha, Bach, and Dretphi pour out and rush towards the entry point in the chain link barrier. Scouting the immediate vicinity, Cideeda glances at the rest of the team. "I don't see another car around here? Anyone spot anything?!"

Sebastian's visage materializes a few meters above the group, and he surveys the area. Moments later, he shakes his head with an unsatisfied grumble. "Nothing from up here. And he's here, right now?"

Sotalia eagerly nods towards Sebastian and hands Cideeda's aetherphone back into her awaiting claws. "OH. YES. He is. Seems to be taking his time here, in comparison to that other place he was at."

Lamplight glints upon her golden eyes, and she sneers, gritting her teeth. "We got the drop on him this time..."

Underneath her full face visor helmet, Dretphi squints her steely gray eyes towards a number of distant spots in view and slowly shakes her head. "Must have parked a distance away. No recent tracks. No disturbances indicate a vehicle hidden nearby."

Floating down in front of the gate in the perimeter fence, Sebastian glances towards the old architecture in the area, calling back to the team. "Okay everyone! Equipment and magic checks!"

Aristespha recites through a methodical check list of the equipment on her, inspects her pack of medical supplies, and secures the sword at her side. Sotalia tightens her belt of pouches around her waist, brushes out her cloak, and readies into a casting stance. In near synchronicity, both Aristespha and Sotalia cast similar protective spells, layers of magical armor settling into transparency upon their bodies. Electronic whines ring out from Bach and Cideeda. Bach's plasma pistol charges up, and flows of prismatic energy sink into the device. In a well rehearsed routine, the weapon transforms into a magically upgraded form, modifications of stabilized energy materializing. Cideeda holds both her laser pistols in hand, and watches the status lights flip to ready, the highest pitch whine tickling her sensitive furry ears. Dretphi cocks her submachine gun, inspects the suppressor on the end, and checks the magnetically secured large machete and powerful rifle on her back. With a determined, toothy grin, Cideeda examines her shotgun and slings it over her shoulder. Sebastian smiles with pride, focuses upon the path ahead, and eyes the rolling track gate in the chain link fence with suspicion. "This has got to have an alarm."

Narrowing her investigative stare upon the frame of the gateway, Cideeda steps up close and carefully inspects the system with her eyes and ears. "Oh. Yes. I remember when we were here last, there were a few simple sensors to detect if outer entry points were breached and a standard alarm system. But..."

She approaches one side of the fence door and focuses her emerald green eyes upon a barely hidden mechanism near the top on the other side of the chain link fencing. "I don't think they have any area motion detectors, at least outside."

With a sly smile towards Sotalia, Cideeda points up and motions over and down. "So, as long as we don't disturb the fence, nothing will trip out here."

Chuckling to herself, Sotalia stretches her arms out and begins to gesture out a spell. "Well. That makes sense. Noxian looked pretty calm on your phone, so he probably flew over this, too."

Cideeda's furry ear flicks back from the building, past the gate, further down the dirt path, and nods in agreement. "And no alarms. So, probably nothing difficult left for me to rig up to get us in."

Sotalia finishes the few remaining incantations for the spell and hovers up from the ground. Glancing between Bach and Dretphi, she holds her arms open. "Who's first over?"

Bach nods towards Dretphi and slowly breathes out, concentrating his flows of magical energy. "You go, Dretphi."

A bit of confidence colors Bach's grin, and he prepares himself, energy drifting around his legs. "I can get over this myself."

Aristespha finishes casting a similar spell and offers Cideeda her hands. Pairing off, Aristespha hoists Cideeda up and over the fence, and Sotalia wraps her arms around Dretphi and ferries her above. The two pairs land safely on the other side. Bach couches down, summoning up the energy flows, and springs up into the air. Clearing the height of the chain link barrier, he maintains his concentration and glides slowly down, descending down and landing next to the team. Sebastian phases through the fence with a brief shudder and smiles proudly to his brother. "Nicely done, bro. A little combo work there or something?"

With a nonchalant grin, Bach shrugs his shoulders and walks with the rest of the group down the path towards the old structure. "Something like that, I guess. Mostly just putting all my half-assed skills together."

Sebastian coasts in the air next to his brother and smirks mischievously. "Ah, so you can make a complete ass of yourself."

Rolling his blue eyes, Bach shakes his head and moves into formation, Sebastian scouting ahead.

----

Aged hallway lamps above flicker near an open hydraulic sliding door. The reflection of the lighting above glints in the growing pool of dark fluid oozing out from the near-invisible seams beneath a door panel. The liquid seeps out, coating the floor a few meters down from the forcefully breached doors. Interior room lighting spreads out between the tilted door panels, and an outline of someone briefly crosses the illumination. Slowly stepping through the large room of tables and displays, Noxian's wiry frame wanders between the aisles, studying the assortment of artifacts and objects in view. He pauses occasionally and picks up items, examining them closely. The brief interest fading, he returns the articles back to their original spots. He narrows his gray eyes, surveys the area, and gradually settles his curious stare towards the far back wall of the room. Twisting his mouth under his blue scarf, he lifts an intrigued eyebrow and calmly navigates the rows of displays and tables, catching sight of a circular stone platform. His eyes widen with recognition, and he moves closer, focusing his attention upon the elaborate carvings on the dais.

A relieved grin draws under his blue scarf covered face, and he releases a long sigh, relaxing his shoulders. Stretching out his arms and hands, he rocks his neck side to side and grimaces with the audible crack. He briefly grunts and massages the back of his neck, rolling his gray eyes at himself. "Gods... Need to get that checked out... Ow..."

Shaking off the stale aches, he readies himself in front of the stone circle on the floor, holding his hands over the device. Breathing out, he closes his eyes and concentrates his full attention inwards. Moments later, wisps of white energy swirl out from the engraved dais and twist towards Noxian. Swirling around his body in an upward draft, the energy sinks into his form, the currents of air lightly tossing stray white hairs on his head. Noxian settles into the routine. The flows of elder energy wane, gradually thinning into fine threads. Seconds later, the last bit of magic settles into Noxian's body. Nothing more rises from the stone platform. Blinking out of his trance into confusion, Noxian lowers his gaze downwards, cocking his head to the side, and stares incredulously at the stone platform. He lowers his arms slowly and scrutinizes the magically empty object, frustration leaking out into his body language. Narrowing his glare upon the stone platform, he throws his hands out to side, sneering his upper lip mildly irritated, and groans out his disappointment. "Really? That's it?"

He crosses his arms with a huff, halfheartedly kicks the large disc on the floor, and slowly shakes his head unsatisfied. "Gods damned research station... badly calibrated... piece of shit..."

Staring at the magical disappointment, he sighs out a begrudging acceptance and slumps his shoulders with a dramatic eye roll. Sebastian's amused voice confidently resonates in front of Noxian. "Aw. You weren't expecting that, were you? Among other things..."

Noxian's body stiffens immediately. He eases his stare towards the ghostly visage of Sebastian, rigidly straightening his posture. Gritting his teeth under his scarf, Noxian gradually turns his head around and glances behind him towards the exit. In one corner of the room, he spots the red armored, large form of Dretphi and her submachine gun barrel precisely aimed at his center mass. Instinctively, Noxian snaps his attention towards the opposing corner at that end of the room and just catches a glimpse of Cideeda's sleek, lightly armored figure, her twin lasers pistols appearing just above the top of a table. Focusing upon the exit point, Noxian watches Aristespha and Sotalia project protective barriers, Bach finishes filling up the doorway with a translucent golden barrier.

Noxian returns his attention back to Sebastian, awaiting with hints of annoyance rising upon his aged face. Smirking smugly, Sebastian crosses his arms authoritatively and narrows his stare upon Noxian. "Alright, Noxian. Let's just make this easy on all of us. Give up. Surrender whatever elder energy you got in you to the sword. And... We'll see what happens from there."

A defiant grin contours the blue scarf covering Noxian's face, and he bellows a loud laugh with a dramatic pantomime of his hands. "Really? You honestly think I would hand over all I have worked for to YOU? At THIS point?"

With a hint of frustration slipping out, he counteroffers, coloring his tone with a darkly demanding twist. "How about your team lets me walk away, and they all get to do the same?"

Lifting his eyebrow, he narrows his stare upon Sebastian. "AND, I understand your desires to be freed from that sword and this state of existence. So I will promise you, it'll be one of the first of the many mistakes our ancestors left for us to deal with that I will remedy..."

With a faint highlight of light in his gray eyes, he states. "Once I take care of things."

He furrows his stare intensely upon Sebastian and tenses his posture with a stern tone. "A fair deal really. Saves us ALL so much TROUBLE."

Sebastian curls an indignant grimace upon his face and slowly shakes his head. "NO. I think NOT."

A determined gaze settles on Noxian, and a flash of white illuminates his eyes. "I thought so."

"FAMILIAR FLOW DETECTED."

A warping, transparent barrier radiates out from Noxian, and Sebastian yells out in a commanding tone. "LET HIM HAVE IT!"

Noxian pivots quickly around. A spray of suppressed bullets impacts the outer layers of the protective barrier around Noxian, the rounds bouncing weakly onto the floor. Twin bright, blue beams diffuse violently upon the surface of the defensive energy, barely burrowing into the protective magics. With eyes radiating a white light, Noxian lifts an arm each towards Dretphi and Cideeda, splitting his attention between them. Streams of flow warp the fields around the impact points of firearm and laser attacks, and the barrier shifts slightly. Bullets sink briefly into an elastic wrap of the elder bubble and launch back in a chaotic spray. Laser beams hit and reflect back under the direction of Noxian's whims. With twists of his hands and swings of his arms, the combination of returning mass and photons launch forth and arc across the length of the opposing wall, focusing upon Aristespha and Sotalia's magical fields. Sparks and crackles of energy mixing with the acoustics of the room, Aristespha and Sotalia buffer the defected brunt of reflected shots. Cideeda and Dretphi immediately halt their attacks. Aristespha, Sotalia, and Bach scatter for cover behind displays. Throwing his hands out, a wave of energy knocks over a number of large tables nearby Noxian, and he dives for cover. Sebastian hovers high above Noxian, maintaining his watch, and calls out. "He's taken cover right below me, behind this table!"

Glancing briefly up at the ethereal watchdog above, Noxian grits his teeth, grumbling out his frustration, and cautiously peeks out from cover. His eyes search through aisles table legs and displays, catching brief glimpses of movement from the corners. Sebastian keeps his vigil and calls out updates on Noxian's activities. Briefly retreating into his mind, Noxian ponders, frantically searching for a solution to the situation. Momentarily peering out, he spots new movement behind other displays. A plotting smirk appears faintly on the surface of his scarf, and he nods to himself. Eyeing up at Sebastian briefly, Noxian stands up and aims his palms at two displays near the exit. White magical flows swirl into small orbs in front of Noxian's hands, and Sebastian's yells out. "INCOMING! LOOK OUT!"

Members of the team peek out, spotting Noxian and the forming energy. Aristespha dashes out from one display to another. Bach and Sotalia rush out from the other display, scrambling for fresh cover. Bright flashes of energy fill the room. Wood and glass violently erupt into energized fragments, peppering the surrounding area. The overwhelming light fades, revealing the fractured remains of two displays. Dretphi and Cideeda appear from new locations and unleash volleys of metal and energy upon the translucent barrier surrounding Noxian. Noxian's attention shifts over. Cideeda and Dretphi duck back down. Searching for other attacks, Noxian swings his arms forward and unleashes a repulsive wave towards the doorway. The magical force launches tables and displays off to the side in cacophonies of destruction. Focusing fully on his barrier, Noxian slowly steps towards the exit. Sebastian signals to everyone else, calling out. "He's trying to make a break for it! Lock him down!"

Popping out from cover mid incantation, Aristespha narrows her violet eye glare upon Noxian and finishes the final gesture with a swing of her arms forward. A translucent wave of energy glides a path across the room and envelops Noxian. The warping field of energy constricts down, tightening upon the protective elder barrier around Noxian. Tensing his body, Noxian grimaces and pushes through the forces upon his defensive field, his progress to the exit slowing by the moment. With a mean grin blatant upon her light tan face, Sotalia appears, takes aim in the last stage of casting, and projects a transparent beam at Noxian. The magical flow splashes over Noxian, and the binding forces weigh him to a standstill, the protective field pressing tightly upon him. Signaling, Sebastian commands the team. "Wear him down! Open fire!"

Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi emerge from new locations, aim, and unleash. Joining the barrage of mass and photon, balls of green plasma splatter upon Noxian's defensive field, visibly distorting the energy flows. Noxian pauses, stiffening in place. Between swift glances, he reassesses the situation and grimaces in a torrent of annoyance, frustration, and worry. Searching his mind, he begrudgingly arrives at an inconvenient solution, gritting his teeth, and focuses into a harsh wince.

"SURGE DETECTED."

White flows of elder energy ooze out from Noxian's wiry frame, glide into swirls across his form, and force out the protective barrier further. Powering through the restrictive magics, he slowly marches towards the exit. Aristespha and Sotalia strain against the opposition, barely maintaining their spells. Aristespha releases her spell, unhappily grumbling, and drops down into cover. Sotalia struggles and watches Noxian's progress towards the sealed exit, summoning many unsuccessful rallies of magical flow. Sotalia grits her teeth, halting her spell, and drills a furious glower through Noxian. "FUCK YOU, NOXIAN! YOU'RE NOT LEAVING HERE ALIVE!"

Putting her hands together, she wills a surge of energies between her palms. Swirls of air condense down, ignite into a brilliant fire, and compress into a blue orb of hissing flame. Sotalia heaves the fireball into a collision course with Noxian. The explosive fire slams upon Noxian's back, pushing deep into his outer barrier, and radiates a powerful force inwards. The impact propels Noxian forward, and he unceremoniously stumbles onto the floor next to the archway, bullets, beams, and bolts flying at him.

Forcing himself back onto his feet against the unrelenting attacks upon his protective field, Noxian steps over to the golden barrier sealing the exit archway and studies it briefly with an intrigued quirk of his brow. "Fascinating, but..."

He presses his hand against the surface of the magical force field, concentrates his stare upon the energies, and flows a powerful pulse of white miasma out. White arcs crackle upon the surface of the golden barrier and highlight the hexagonal substructure into a sparking, flickering light show. Moments later, the wavering field stabilizes and solidifies back to a defiant, golden blockade. Blinking in surprise, Noxian pauses briefly in awe, his gray eyes widening in genuine shock. "Oh."

Cideeda pops up from cover behind a turned over table, drags two long, blue blasts from her laser pistols, and drops back down. Checking the indicators on her weapons, she grits her teeth in worried frustration and speaks into her radio. "Okay! We need to do something else. I've only got so many cells for my pistols, and his damned barrier is STILL holding up."

Bach sounds out on the radio channel, his location nearby. "I KNOW. My plasma bolts are doing something. But, it's just thinning his barrier. We NEED something that can actually pierce it. Or at least, capable of it."

Aristespha sighs out on the frequency, her hesitation radiating through the audio. "I cannot risk using any more of my reserves."

Another whoosh of an expanding ball of fire sounds out into the room. Frustration crackles in from Sotalia. "I can try something more powerful, but fuck all is hitting him as hard as it should!"

Dretphi reports in a defeated tone. "Sub machine gun ammo is low. Not effective."

Cideeda grumbles, flicking her furry ears, and her emerald eyes sort through options. "Maybe powerful single shots?"

A very wary Bach mumbles on the channel. "Maybe a D-Ball? But, I mean, uh, I'm afraid that he might able to return that somehow-"

An excited prompt from Dretphi springs onto the radio, her eagerness bursting out. "My rifle!"

Grinning toothily, Cideeda glances over at Noxian. Another plasma bolt slams into the elder barrier around Noxian. Cideeda studies the resilient golden barrier over the archway. "THAT might do it. If nothing else, it'll catch him off guard."

With a renewed confidence, Bach chimes in. "If that gun can crack my barriers, it just might do enough damage to Noxian's and wear him down."

Aristespha's hopeful voice sounds over the channel. "Certainly worth trying. Sebastian relayed to me he is good with it, and we should get into position to capture, if it works."

The eager tone of Sotalia perks up on the radio. "I think a distraction of all those really annoying spells is in order."

Listening to the radio planning, Cideeda puts her laser pistols away, swings her shotgun into her hands, and inspects it. "I'll sneak into position. Net and stunner rounds getting loaded."

Peeking out from cover, she slinks off around the perimeter of the room. Dropping behind the cover of overturned tables and display furniture debris, Noxian vents out his swelling aggravation with each breath and glares at the golden barrier. The assault of bullets, beams, balls, and bolts halt against his cover. In the lull of chaos he tries to gain some semblance of calm, sorting through his thoughts. Narrowing a scrutinizing gaze upon the shielded archway, his white glowing eyed gaze studies the golden structure sealing the exit. Gradually, he nods with a respectful appreciation and theorizes out a plan. "So... Interesting... Very intricate, Mr. Warwick..."

From above, Sebastian glances down at Noxian and smugly grins at him with a mocking tone. "Yes, Noxian?"

Rolling his gray eyes in disgust, Noxian readies himself and growls out. "NOT you, Sebastian. Do you have anything better to do at the moment? I would greatly appreciate a little time away from your inane antics."

Sebastian watches Noxian leap out from cover, rush up to the door, and concentrate magical flows upon it. He coasts over, settling next to Noxian with a sarcastic flair. "Well, it's a little hard to get away when you are bound to a sword that... Oh..."

Narrowing a mean glare through Noxian, he sternly states. "YOU. PUT. ME. IN."

Noxian fights to maintain a majority of his focus upon the golden barrier and the energies sinking into the substructure, slightly turning his head towards Sebastian with an incredulous lift of his eyebrow. "To be fair, I only wanted to blast you out of my way. I never intended you to be bound by a badly designed ancient artifact. And, THAT is on YOU for using such a cursed thing."

Pausing a moment, he waits in silence. Noxian glances over his shoulder, searching around expectantly. "Why are they not attacking-"

A swarm of small magic missiles descend from above, the barrage pelting down chaotically upon the outer layers of Noxian's defensive field. Bright blue white, glowing orbs fly toward Noxian, sticking onto the elder barrier, and flash to a bright white. Squinting his eyes, Noxian shields his face with an arm from the intense light. "By the gods- REALLY?!"

Sebastian beams a mean smile and narrows his glare upon Noxian. "You know, if you'd just give up, we could probably work something out. I'm pretty sure with good behavior and a merciful judge, you'd totally be out on parole in less than ten years."

With Sebastian yammering on, a surge of suspicion surges within Noxian. His gray eyes desperately search for justification through the constant warping of his barrier from the magic missile barrage and the bright, sticky flares overwhelming his vision. "Wait... What is this attack actually for-"

Dretphi shouts out, faint echoes barely rising into the room from other electronic sources. "EARS!"

The last of the magic missiles impact, and the flares fade out. Noxian blinks between winces and scans the room swiftly. His gray eyes spring wide open in abject terror, noticing a particular glint of metal sticking out from cover. Following the aim of Dretphi's anti-material rifle, he spots her squeezing the trigger. "Oh my hell-"

A booming shock wave erupts from the end of the barrel and spreads out into the large room, stirring up nearby debris. The large caliber round presses deeply into the protective magical shell around Noxian, stretching the layers dangerously close to his body. The projectile nearly reaches his chest, and a reflexive surge of elder energy pulses out. The layers flex and stretch against the danger. Magical forces erupt, launch Noxian away onto the ground, and deflect the powerful round slightly off its path. Noxian slams down upon the floor, the elder barrier flickers away, and the rifle shot crashes into the doorway barrier. From freshly the embedded round, cracks immediately splinter out into the golden field.

Recovering from the mental haze, Noxian rubs his head and hunts his bearings. Seconds later, he blinks back to some semblance of awareness. In a wild eye glance around the area, he spots Sebastian cautiously observing him and rolls over onto his stomach. Laying out prone upon the debris coated floor, Noxian hides his recovery and searches out from the corners of his eyes. He catches the glimpse of the tip of a furry ear, moving out of view behind an intact display nearby. Slowly cupping his hand upon the floor, Noxian feigns partial consciousness and idly moves, mimicking prior confusion. Sebastian hovers over Noxian, lands upon the ground, and leans down for a closer inspection. "How are you doing there, Noxian? You awake? Ready to cut the shit and talk about this?"

"FAMILIAR FLOW DETECTED."

Noxian rises up with a bright glowing orb in his palm and aims at the intact display. Sebastian's ghostly blue eyes widen in terror, and he shouts out. "CIDEEDA! RUN!"

A bright blinding flash floods the room with light. A white beam of energy shatters through the display and squarely impacts Cideeda upon the chest plate. Threads of flow scatter out into the crackling surface of the protective enchantment surrounding the plate. The powerful collision of magics and matter launches Cideeda backwards, slamming her solidly upon the nearby wall. Bouncing off a desk, she crashes into a pile of broken furniture. Sotalia screams out in rage, summoning brilliant surges of flow to her hands. "CIDEEDA! GODS FUCKING DAMN YOU, NOXIAN!"

Splinters of wood erupt. Sotalia's energy blasts burn and break chunks off remaining furniture near Noxian. Aristespha rushes over to Cideeda. Dretphi snatches up her submachine gun and pins down Noxian under sprays of lead reminders. Bach stares stunned and watches a stern, worried Aristespha checking over the motionless, unresponsive Cideeda. Terror and horror flood his frozen body, overwhelming any other possible expression on his face. His gloved hands shake, his body shudders, and his eyes flicker bluish. Sebastian turns to Noxian and growls at him with an accusing point. "WHAT THE FUCK! OH... I'm going to enjoy seeing that god damned sword stuck right fucking through you!"

Scowling into a menacing glare at Sebastian, Noxian summons up his flows of elder energy and stands back up slowly. "I grow VERY TIRED of all this... STOP YOUR ASSAULT. I ONLY want to leave. Do not MAKE ME put any more of you DOWN-"

His rant halts abruptly. Quickly searching around the area, Noxian narrows his blank stare, confusion furrowing his brow. He hunts through the warping impacts of Dretphi and Sotalia's attacks upon his protective barrier, mumbling to himself uncertainly. "What the-"

"ANOTHER FAMILIAR FLOW-"

Noxian springs his eyes wide open and snaps his gaze immediately towards Bach rising from cover, fear cracking his confident, bold facade. "Shit."

Mustering his energies, Noxian crosses his arms briefly and swings them out, releasing his barrier outwards into an expanding wall. He swiftly rushes to the cracked golden barrier. Sebastian's ethereal form distorts with the energy passing through, and both Dretphi and Sotalia tumble backwards from the force. The energy parts upon the unmoved Bach, and he glares solemnly at Noxian with fiery blue eyes, and white, pinpoint pupils. Noxian examines the doorway field, noticing the rifle's damage, and presses his hand against the damaged section. Glancing over his shoulder briefly, his fear develops into horror, watching Bach concentrate a cold, resolute stare upon him. He releases a massive surge of elder energy. Flows force through the cracks, shattering the majority of the golden barrier. Noxian slips out quickly and scrambles off down the hallway.

Bach grits his teeth, his face twitching, and narrows his whitening eyes upon the exit, focusing himself. A pained cough emerges from Cideeda, and she groans out a few fvalian swears. Blinking hard, Bach flutters his eyes back to current reality, the glows fading. Dretphi and Sotalia pull themselves back up to their feet. Sotalia glances over to Cideeda and Aristespha. "Cideeda!? Are you okay?"

Wincing, Cideeda draws in a pained breath and squirms slightly. "I'll fucking live... Ow..."

Sotalia rushes to the doorway, slips through the shattered barrier into the hallway, and searches around. "SHIT! He's getting away!"

Pausing a moment, Sotalia furrows her brow between internal deliberations, hunting for reason or excuse. Seconds later, she shakes her head, refocuses, and sprints down the hallway. Dretphi springs forth, jumps though the hole in the broken barrier, and growls out. "I will retrieve her! SOTALIA!"

Sebastian shakes his head and darts through the wall. "Gods dammit! I'll be back. Bro, keep it covered here, please!"

Bach nods quickly and yells out to his brother. "Yeah. I got it!"

Slowly surveying the situation, Bach steps through the fresh rubble of wood, glass, metal, and random artifacts. Getting closer to Aristespha and Cideeda, a strangely familiar wave of fatigue seizes him, and he stops. Thinking, he remembers and glances down at his arm. Faintly venting from his limb, a cloud white, magical miasma flows close to his skin. Horror skewers Bach, and he drops to the ground near Aristespha. Scrambling quickly over, he grabs hold of the handle of the sword at Aristespha's side. Aristespha startles at the sudden pull on the sword, and the sword vacuums up the elder miasma, extracting many similar thread flows from within Bach. Snapping her confusion over to Bach, Aristespha watches remaining traces of elder energy leave Bach. She stares in silence, and he lets go, sitting with terror plain on his face. Cideeda pulls in a pained breath and winces her closed eyes. She sniffs with her nose and flicks her furry ears. "Bach? Is that you?"

Aristespha rests a comforting hand on Bach. "Will you be okay?"

Shrugging his shoulders a bit, he tries to smirk meekly. "Right now... Yeah."

Nodding understandingly, Aristespha smiles at Bach and directs his attention towards Cideeda. "Could you help me move Cideeda off the pile of uncomfortable debris?"

Cideeda flutters emerald green eyes open and moans out pleadingly. "Oh yeah. That'd be real nice right about now. I think there's a big nail trying to stick me right in the ass."

Bach slides over, opposite of Aristespha, and assists in carefully lifting Cideeda off the pile onto smoother floor. Keeping an idle, shaky grip on Cideeda's shoulder, Bach feels a familiar five points of sharp pressure on his forearm and glances down at Cideeda. "Oh, hey, uh, sorry..."

Smirking at Bach, Cideeda gazes her emerald green eyes up into Bach's worried blue eyes and sighs. "It's okay. I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Bach thinks a moment, pondering quietly, and nods apprehensively. "Enough, for now..."

Cideeda smiles and rolls her eyes at the entire situation around her. "Yeah... Know THAT feeling."

----

Within the large empty hallways of the old, dusty structure, footsteps echo harshly against the smooth, flat metallic walls. Skidding to a stop in the middle of an intersection, Sotalia glances around in frantic search. "Where did you go, you bastard..."

Heavy boot stomps and armor clacking halt immediately behind Sotalia, and Dretphi clamps a gauntlet firmly onto Sotalia's shoulder. "DO NOT ENGAGE HIM."

Blinking out of her vengeful mindset, Sotalia peeks over her shoulder to the towering Dretphi and grimaces in partial, frustrated agreement. "I KNOW! I know..."

She strains a breath through gritting teeth and sighs. "I just don't want him to get away... AGAIN!"

Sebastian's ethereal form stops in front of Dretphi and Sotalia, and he gazes at Sotalia, leveling stern concern. "First. Stop running off like that! Secondly... You okay?"

Sotalia nods and pants out, the long sprint catching up to her. "Yeah... Just..."

She clenches fists and stomps her boot upon the patterned concrete floor. "DAMN IT!"

Dretphi shakes her head and grumbles, scanning down the long runs of other dimly lit hallways. "I understand."

Landing his ghostly figure upon the floor, Sebastian surveys the scene and frowns with a long ethereal sigh. "Chasing him through this place would be useless. Let's regroup, start calling the authorities, and search around the area for tracks... Or, something..."

Sebastian gazes back down the hallway with worry. Sotalia releases a long, begrudging sigh, and nods in agreement, searching her outfit for her phone. "Yeah... I guess. Good fucking gods... This is going to be a LONG, AWKWARD conversation with the cops."

Groaning out the foreboding dread building within, Sebastian briefly grits his teeth and averts his translucent blue eyes. "Tell me about it. Shit. It's going to be a long day between the police, GAA, and the guild about this whole thing. I don't even know what the hell we tell any of them at this point."

A powerful, rumbling concussion resonates through the building, the fuller notes of the cacophony filtering in the openings in the ceiling. Dust and dirt from the steelwork rafters above. Crisp, metallic reverberations bounce down one hallway and fill the air with the sounds of destruction. Seconds later, red alarm lights pulse along the passages in varying degrees of function, and a barely working public address system chimes out an audible alert. Dretphi sorts between all the emerging chaos and points down the one hallway, checking others for confirmation. "That way."

Sotalia nods quickly and stares in that direction. "Heard it from there, too. That rumble felt like a magical concussive blast. Don't I know what the other sounds were."

Signaling the two to follow along, Sebastian darts down the hallway, determination staring ahead. "Fucking bastard probably blasted out the perimeter fence, and is running off now. Let's see if we can figure out how he's getting around in, at least."

Sebastian, Sotalia, and Dretphi rush down the long hallway, and quickly approach a set of exterior doors leading to the barely illuminated outside. Sebastian phases through the doorway and immediately searches the area for activity. Sotalia and Dretphi forcefully push open the metal doors. Following Sebastian, the group runs along the dirt path towards the gravel lot and perimeter fence. The team approaches, and Sebastian blinks in utter shock, spotting the humvee. Flipped back end over onto a crushed section of fence, the vehicle rocks slightly, and faint magical vapors steam off the underside armor plating. Sotalia notices a similar miasma drifting off a shallow crater in the gravel lot and spouts of an enraged stream of curses in a variety of languages. Hovering over the scene in disbelief, Sebastian twists the confusion on face with the mix of emotions. "THE. FUCK."

The team gathers close to the upturned humvee. A faint, small engine sounds out in the distance. From a patch of bushes further down the way, a dark green sedan erupts out of the underbrush, hops up onto the road, and speeds off down the remote highway. The engine revs up to full speed. Remembering the aetherphone in her hand, Sotalia taps on the camera function and takes aim at the vehicle speeding by. Dretphi reflexively swings her strapped on submachine gun up into her arms, ejects the current magazine, and locks in the last fresh one. Rushing out onto the side of the road, she levels her aim at the escaping dark green sedan. Sebastian zips out after the car and phases into the passenger's seat. "Where the hell do you think you're going, Noxian?!"

Noxian glares over, mixing annoyance and surprise at the ghostly visage of Sebastian, and sighs with a hint of a grin. "Some place where I'll be left to continue my work without your interruptions. AGAIN, I would like to state how much I would rather you and your team to NOT get in my way."

Sebastian narrows a stern, irritated stare upon Noxian, and leans in close. "Well, UNFORTUNATELY for all of us, YOU are kind of our biggest concern at the moment."

Blinking off into thought momentarily, Isaac's expression softens under his scarf, and he gazes at Sebastian with worry tinting his tone. "You should reevaluate THAT..."

He stares firmly at Sebastian, calmly states. "For your brother's sake."

Sebastian's face blanks at the sudden change of cadence, and he stares idly in shock. Moments later, an unseen force halts Sebastian independently from the car and yanks him through the back of the vehicle. Hovering over to the pavement, he shudders back to awareness and snaps his head to face the dark green sedan rolling off into the distance. He squints his eyes at the identification plating on the back of the vehicle. Floating there mumbling out letters and numbers to himself, his visage distorts, a series of small projectiles zipping through. Immediately glides off to the side, he watches a few stray rounds impact the back of the sedan, grazing sparks and solid punctures into the metal. One projectile manages to hit the back window edge and send cracks through the glass. The vehicle crests over the hill and disappears from view.

Sorting through a few pictures on her phone, Sotalia grimaces, the imagery discouraging her. "Gods dammit! None of these are worth a shit. Too dark, and it was moving too fast. Maybe this one will do... But, I can't read anything off it."

Sebastian's ghostly visage zips next to Sotalia, and he sighs with a slight smile. "Got his car's ID plate, write it down quick."

Flipping to a note taking app on the phone, Sotalia pays careful attention to Sebastian reciting a series of letters and numbers. With a growing smirk, she nods and saves the note, comparing the sequence to the picture. "Yeah. THAT looks close enough to blurs on the picture. Okay... So, older green sedan, with this identification, and-"

Walking over to the group, Dretphi ejects the empty magazine out of her sub machine gun and flips up her full face visor with a partial, reserved grin. "Broken back windshield. Bullet marks on back half of vehicle."

Sebastian blinks and smirks towards Dretphi, chuckles slightly. "One or two bullet holes in the trunk actually."

Nodding a hint of satisfaction, Dretphi glances over into the distance and twists her mouth. "Surprising. At that distance. Aim was not the best."

Sotalia finishes recording the information on her phone, reads over it a few times, and taps through the contacts list. "Okay. That'll be a start. Gods. I better make the call now, BEFORE they arrive to investigate this alarm."

Searching through her belt of pouches, she pulls out of a few vials and quickly quaffs down the potions. Finding an old stump nearby, she sits down and groans out a long sigh, removing her radio earpiece. "After I finish this call, I'll see what I can do about getting the humvee back on its wheels? I guess..."

Both Sebastian and Dretphi turn their attention towards the flipped over humvee, each presenting equal mixes perplexed and apprehensive. Sebastian grits his teeth, shifting between different uncomfortable grimaces, and crosses his arms awkwardly. "Well... Um... I think it should still be drivable... Once we get it right side up."

A bit of internal deliberation later, Dretphi rocks her head in partial agreement, taps a button on the side of her helmet, and glances over to Sebastian. "First check on Cideeda. Maybe inform, then? Maybe later?"

The weight of the humvee incrementally compresses the crushes mesh fence further, and Dretphi frowns, furrowing her tan brow. "Upright it before she sees it."

Sebastian quickly nods and starts to fade. "Sounds good. I'll go back to Aristespha and see how it's going there."

Surveying the scene around her, Dretphi slumps her shoulders with a shake of her head and slowly steps over to the two empty magazines nearby, picking each up. Sotalia draws in a long calming breath and greets the police operator on the other side of the phone call.

----

Through the sliding glass door, the ambient glow of the late morning sun lights up the living area of the ranch style house. Above the constant, soft drone of the air conditioning in the room, a dull mechanical rumble sounds out from beyond the kitchen door leading to the garage. Seconds later, the door opens quickly, the air cushioning door against the wall slowing it short of slamming. With an irritable growl, Sotalia rolls her golden eyes and tosses back her fiery orange, wavy hair. "Gods. Fucking. Damn it! THAT is THE last time I think we should call the local cops around here for ANYTHING."

She winces into a grimace and huffs. "OH. I SWEAR they were just thinking of reasons to keep us at the station longer! Just trying to find SOMETHING!"

She undoes her armored cloak, flings it through the kitchen prep area archway into the living room upon the couch, and steps over to the refrigerator. Quickly sorting through the contents of the cold box, she plunks out a bottle of grath beer and aims her voice towards the garage. "Dretphi! I owe you a beer."

Slowly trudging from the garage into the kitchen, Dretphi stops in front of Sotalia and holds out her open hand. Sotalia frees another bottle out from the fridge and slides it in between Dretphi's closing grip. Sweeping up a bottle opener upon the counter, Sotalia pries the bottle cap off her beer. Dretphi clamps her gauntlet covered hand around the top, and wrenches the metal off the glass. In unison, both Sotalia and Dretphi sling back long swigs of their beverages and stare off distantly in their own minds. Moments of silence later, Dretphi snarls her upper lip, quietly growls out her frustration, and mumbles loudly. "YES. I have FUCKING licenses for my firearms. Including my rifle. Absolute. Assholes."

Rolling her eyes in commiseration, Sotalia shakes her head with her frustration. "Gods almighty. I don't know what the hell was up with that one guy. I mean, gods forbid they just run a quick check with the guild... That we are all registered with..."

She pours back another swig of the beer and snarls her upper lip. "THAT should have gotten all the information they would need."

Plodding into the area, Cideeda rubs her back briefly and cautiously stretches against the soreness. She stops a moment and lifts up the top of her old shirt, sniffing. "Wow... We really need to wash the spare clothes in the humvee. Ungh."

Her tail waves slowly behind her. She tries to brush off dirt on a pair of worn shorts, only managing to smear the mess further. Closing her emerald eyes for a moment, she tilts her head back and sighs. She settles her attention upon the hospital bracelet around her wrist and picks at it with her claws. "Before the painkillers wear off, I'm getting this fucking thing off, hitting the shower, and then going to bed."

Glancing between Sotalia and Dretphi, she slumps her shoulders and droops her furry ears down. "No offense, but leave me the hell alone until dinner. Please..."

She walks off into the hallway wincing, breathing in deeply, and mumbles frustrations to herself. "Shouldn't have peeked around the corner... must be how he knew I was there... gods dammit..."

Listening to Cideeda blame herself, Dretphi drinks the remainder of her beer and sighs out regretfully, muttering heavily with guilt. "Should not have taken that shot."

Sotalia narrows her gaze at Dretphi and pats her on the shoulder of her under armor suit. "Now, don't you start blaming yourself, too. We all agreed on it. And, your shot took him down."

Furrowing her brow, she averts her gaze with an irritated grimace. "The bastard just got really damned lucky and pulled a fast one on us... Like before..."

Aristespha moves through the kitchen area, muttering to herself in evuukian, and flips through a combination of tablets and paperwork in her arms. Hovering in pursuit after her, Sebastian halts the chase after a certain set of evuukian phrases. Aristespha speeds through the area with worry plain on her ivory face. She zips past the hallway archway and quickly down the hall, closing her bedroom door behind her. Sebastian's ethereal form rubs his forehead, and he glances over to Sotalia and Dretphi. "I'm... I'm going to give her a few minutes before I go in there. Just to be on the safe side."

Dretphi and Sotalia nod together in agreement. Perking her brow, Sotalia gazes curiously at Sebastian with a tilt of her head. "Is she still panicking about how to explain that supposed anonymous tip we got about Noxian being there?"

Walks in through the door from the garage, Bach closes the door behind him and nods to the gathered team, grimacing. "Yeah... Um... She's been trying to put together a supporting story for it? I mean, that's what I gathered from what I heard. I think an anonymous tip is somewhat believable. And..."

He shrugs his shoulders and sighs. "I mean, we did find him. But... I don't know. Especially if anyone starts digging too deep."

Sebastian groans ethereally, shrugs his shoulders, and crosses his arms. "Well. There's just not much more we can do today. Hopefully, since it's Friday, any serious paperwork about us won't be filed or processed today."

He rolls his eyes to the side and wrestles with a frown. "That'll give us the weekend to sort things out. Hopefully."

Relaxing his shoulders, he dons a grateful smile and nods to everyone present. "For now, let's just take the rest of this day easy. Recover and clear our heads."

Sotalia drinks more of her beer, walking out of the kitchen. "Sounds good."

Politely waving with beverage in hand, she goes through the hall archway. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. Goodnight, morning, or whatever."

Dretphi sighs, rests her empty bottle on the counter, and plods towards the hallway. "Will do the same. Sleep well."

Dretphi leaves the living area. Glancing over towards Bach, Sebastian focuses his concern upon his brother. "Hey. You feeling okay, bro?"

Bach blinks a moment, thinks for a few seconds, and rocks his head side to side. "Yeah..."

He meets his brother's gaze and sighs. "I mean, I suppose you know. Uh... Um... Well... Yeah, I- I really don't know how to feel about THAT right now."

Sebastian presents a comforting smile and shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it then. Just feel free to talk to me about it when you feel like it."

Releasing a long ethereal exhale of nerves, he relaxes his form. "Hey. We all made it, bro. That's all that matters right now."

An appreciative smirk appears on Bach's face, and he sighs with some ease. "Thanks. That..."

Combing his fingers through his longer brown hair, he furrows his brow with a frown. "Shit. That was NOT a good situation."

Nodding in total agreement, Sebastian leans close to Bach, lifts an intrigued eyebrow, and whispers. "Just between you and me, I think he ran because of YOU."

Bach blinks absolutely bewildered, pausing to process, and winces uncomfortably. "Yeah... Um... I REALLY don't know how to feel about THAT."

-74-

Stepping out into the noon sun, Trakenthin follows behind his father through the back sliding glass door of the two story house. Narrowing a confused and perplexed stare, he glances towards either side, spotting groups of recording crew with their full attention upon him. Trenannin continues to march forward with a bold grin on his face, moving towards the corner of the backyard. Pausing briefly, he starts searching for a route beyond the property to somewhere adjoining. Trakenthin steps next to Trenannin and studies him closely, maintaining his neutral mask under the imposing attention of the cameras. Drawing in a cautious breath, he focuses upon his father. "Where are WE doing?"

With a dark tinge, Trenannin chuckles slightly and glances over his shoulder towards his son. "YOU need to settle a score. Recover your honor. From YOUR loss."

Contorting his dark bronze face incredulously, Trakenthin blinks bewildered and furrows his brow. He stiffens his posture, and his glances bounce between a rush of memories. A faintly familiar moment rises to the front of his mind, and his hazel eyes widen in a mix of surprise, concern overtaking. "What... loss?"

Grumbling, Trenannin surveys the underbrush, visually tracing a path through to the open field diagonal to the house's back plot. Trenannin glares back over his shoulder at Trakenthin momentarily. "Match at the convention. With The Coward's daughter..."

An uncomfortable wave radiates throughout Trakenthin, and he grits his teeth, his stance rigid with his growing unease. "That match? It was NOT important. Nothing official. Does not count-"

Hopping over a low wooden fence, Trenannin trudges through the overgrowth and navigates around the brush beyond the backyard. "When it is The Coward's spawn... IT. COUNTS."

Trakenthin snarls his upper lip briefly and climbs over the barrier. Trailing behind his father under the constant scrutiny of cameras, he directs a harsh whisper with a faintly pleading tone. "Why are you going over there? Now?"

Pushing through the last shrub, Trenannin steps out into the sunny, grassy field, and searches for signs of activity towards the ranch style house on the other end of the plot. "YOU will demand a rematch."

Trakenthin's eyes wide,n and an uneasy curl forms at the corner of his developing frown. Furrowing his brow, he glances around the field ahead and grumbles. "This is NOT the best approach. Try a formal request first? Proper time. Proper place..."

The camera crews spill out into the open field and refocus fully upon father and son. Trenannin turns around, leveling a demanding glare upon his son, and sneers slightly. "You are NOT backing down?"

Narrowing a stare at his father, Trakenthin growls through his teeth and sighs full of irritation tipped indignation. "NO. I prefer the proper process."

Obscuring hints of his redirecting motive, he presents a firm, stern attitude, elaborating upon his idea. "Make it official. Public. Written in records. Settle it before all."

In the distance, Dretphi walks out into the side plot next to the house from the front yard. She readies her practice blade and energetically swings through a series of maneuvers. Faintly overhearing a few irritated quips in grath, Trenannin catches sight of Dretphi. A mean grin appears on his face, and he starts walking quickly across the field. "Understand the sentiment. Would like that under normal conditions."

Marching faster through the grass, he firmly addresses Trakenthin and the surrounding camera crews. "Time is short. YOU take the opportunity NOW."

Trakenthin uncomfortably contorts his face and catches up, keeping pace with his father. He begrudging pleads with his father, trying to quell his growing frustration. "I will properly request the rematch. If she accepts, she sets time, place."

Trenannin glances over his shoulder at his son, a tint of suspicion hidden in the forming disagreement upon his dark bronze face. Puffing his chest, Trakenthin smirks boldly, chuckles slyly. "Present a fair offer. Refuses to defend her victory under those conditions? Proves that she is the Coward's daughter."

Pondering the concept for a few moments, an approving, proud grin appears on Trenannin's face, and he nods in agreement at the proposal. He pats the back of his son firmly and glances towards Dretphi, laughing to the surrounding camera crew. "I have taught you well! An offer we win regardless."

Performing through a number of sword exercises, Dretphi finishes the last attack in a series, grumbling to herself in her own mind. She repeats the last motion, sneers her upper lip at her performance, and draws in a long breath. Her gaze rests upon the large tree nearby, and her mind wanders through a chain of self-reflective frustration and aggravation, the shifts in emotion playing out on her tan face. Seconds later, her awareness returns to her immediate surroundings, and she notices the crowd nearby. Furrowing her brow through the initial surprise at the camera crews, her focus settles directly upon Trakenthin. With a grimace nearing a scowl, she presents her annoyance. "Can I help you?"

Trakenthin draws in a breath, assumes a stoic facade, and clearly states. "I am here to request a rematch for our fight at the convention. You set conditions. Do you accept?"

Blinking utterly bewildered, Dretphi shakes off the initial confusion and rolls her steely gray eyes with an unamused, dismissive groan. Dretphi ponders the offer between winces, disagreement rising up into her face. Trickles of relief seep out into Trakenthin's exterior, and he glances over to his father. With the start of a phrase and a wave of the hand, Dretphi begins to relay her refusal. Trenannin spouts off a particular grath phrase, dripping with vitriol. Trakenthin's jaw drops, the words echoing in stark familiarity to those from the original match. Recognizing the same phrase in a different voice, Trakenthin snaps his obvious discomfort towards Dretphi. With the insulting words sounding out again, Dretphi blanks, halting her answer short of leaving her lips. Contorting her face against a surge of rage, she narrows her furious glare at Trakenthin, spikes her practice sword firmly into the dirt in front of her, and jabs a point sharply at Trakenthin. "I ACCEPT. Two hours from now. Out in the field. Two-handed sparring blades. Match upon first confirmed vital hit with blade."

An excited grin grows wide upon Trenannin, and he proudly slaps the back of his son. "THERE! You have a proper match, now!"

Under the heavy, looming weight of camera attention, Trakenthin struggles maintaining his stoic front, barely covering the swell of dread bubbling through him. He musters up a meager smirk, satisfying his father, and sneaks out a wavering sigh. Dretphi promptly turns away and storms off towards the back sliding glass door.

----

A crowd of both adventuring teams and Next Adventurers of Nexus crew surround Dretphi and Trakenthin, readying themselves in an impromptu ring in the middle of the grassy field. Gusts of wind blow waves in the taller grasses nearby, and occasional clouds drag patchy shadows across the open space. Aristespha crosses her arms, the breeze moving stray silvery blue hairs off her shoulders. Sotalia rests her hands on her hips and snaps an unamused glare towards a few members of the camera crew when they get close. Deedri and Tassilda exchange quiet commentary between themselves, relaying their similarly wary sentiments across to the other team with momentary glances. Maintaining a modest distance from the gathering, Modoran eyes over at an excited Samantha and apprehensive Gerald nearby. Cideeda twists a souring mood out on her fair face, tapping her foot with irritable flicks of her fluffy tail. She musters up an encouraging smirk towards Dretphi. Noticing an examining stare from Chad, Bach awkwardly tries to play off the attention and settles his attention back onto the match. With a mean grin, Veevi energetically cheers out. "You kick that blonde bimbo's ass, Trakenthin!"

A passing shades the ring. Lifting her head up in the shadows, Dretphi narrows a dark glare down upon Veevi and stares through her very existence, a hint of a glow in her eyes. A moment later, Chad blinks to attention and furrows his brow confused. He glances down at his side and watches Veevi cower close, taking cover behind him. Rolling his brown eyes with a faint groan, he shakes his head. Trenannin smirks at the comment from Veevi and maintains his stoic gaze upon Dretphi and Trakenthin. Trakenthin raises his two-hand sparring sword up in a readied position, draws in a long calming breath, and focuses upon Dretphi. "I am ready."

Tossing back her platinum blonde braids, Dretphi lifts her similar blade up, pauses, closing her eyes briefly in thought, and nods to Trakenthin. "We start... Now."

An eerie silence drops down upon the vicinity. The wind stills. And, a cloud coats the area in its shadow. Dretphi and Trakenthin observe each other, minute movements from either triggering slight adjustments in counter of the other. Stances shift briefly, exploring the finely tuned reactions from the opponent, and the two combatants constantly reevaluate ever changing boy language. Seconds of stillness pass. Trenannin spouts out an irritation tipped quip in grath.

Simultaneously, Dretphi and Trakenthin launch out towards each other. Exchanging quick attacks for blocks, both anticipate the counters into defensive positions. Combinations of maneuvers evolve from Dretphi and Trakenthin, tactics refining, and both hunt down the weaknesses in other's abilities. A close dodge later, Dretphi leaps back, gaining needed distance. Trakenthin quickly attempts to seize the opportunity. Noticing the incoming assault, Dretphi sets up a feint, leads Trakenthin's attack, creating a false opening, and staggers. Trakenthin drives the assault, and Dretphi shifts herself out of the way. Checking her full body weight into Trakenthin, Dretphi sends him backwards onto the grass field. Trakenthin lands on the ground. Cheers and excitement rise up from Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, and Sotalia. Dretphi readies herself and moves in quickly, hearing the encouraging calls from Chad, Deedri, Modoran, Tassilda, and Veevi. Angry, derisive disappointment taints Trenannin's yells at Trakenthin. Dretphi halts her charge, thinking a moment. Glaring insulted at Trenannin, she steps back with her blade readied and waits patiently.

Puzzling, Trakenthin stands back up and readies his sparring sword. Both exchange stoic, respectful nods and resume the match, a mixture of confusion and intrigue forming from the crowd on both sides. Dretphi and Trakenthin trade masterful impacts up their blades, and the wood echoes out into the field over the sounds of supportive cheers and a chain of degrading grath terms.

Minutes into the match, signs of fatigue reveal themselves upon the combatants. With each flurry, the timing between attack waves and counters grows longer. The surrounding teams silence themselves when Dretphi or Trakenthin lunge out, watching the clash of the imposing titans. Recording crews shift constantly around, capturing the action from the best angles, and frame the most dramatic moments. Trakenthin summons up a surge of strength, releases a powerful flurry of blows, and rains a barrage upon Dretphi. With expert precision, Dretphi anticipates the course of each attack, intercepts, and redirects the energy from each blow. In the last moment, Trakenthin dramatically alters the course of his finishing strike, empowering it with all his strength. Awkwardly shifting in anticipation of the impact upon her sparring sword, Dretphi falters with the redirect. Trakenthin presses his full weight into the clash of wooden blades and shoves Dretphi off-balance with brute force. Dretphi tumbles back upon the ground.

Sorting through the calls of concern and cheers of encouragement, Trakenthin prepares his follow through. Right before driving his attack, he catches a comment from his father. He twisting his mouth uncomfortably and halts, a disapproving sneer curling his upper lip. Stepping back, he readies his sparring blade and waits.

Dretphi narrows a curious gaze at Trakenthin, smirks appreciatively, and stands back up. Settling into combat stances, both Dretphi and Trakenthin exchange respectful nods, the excitement growing from the crowd along with the confusion from one. In the moment, both pant out, the looming exhaustion weighing upon them. Each judges the status of the other, and both arrive at an unspoken agreement.

They still themselves and focus fully upon the other, tensing their bodies. Simultaneously, the two launch at each other. In the fractions of time during their charges, both constantly change attack angles, responding to the other, and settle upon their vectors. The two close in. Trakenthin leads the point of his sparring sword forward and aims the tip right at Dretphi's center mass. Quickly adjusting, Dretphi braces herself, her blade at the ready to intercept and body aligning for the counter. Mere moments away from the clash with Dretphi, Trakenthin's muscles tighten. The swords almost touch. Pulling his blade back, Trakenthin drops low to the ground into a powerful spin and swings his sparring sword tightly away from Dretphi. Sliding upon the ground, he leads the blade into a full, sweeping revolution around, and rams the tip of the wooden blade squarely towards the center of Dretphi's back. Readying his full strength behind the finishing move, he winces in pain. His chest tenses, and recent memory flashes into Trakenthin's mind. In the moment of reflection and calm, he eases back his attack to a modest amount of energy and lands a gentle, firm wooden tip upon Dretphi's back.

The combatants freeze in place and wait. Confirming the result with each other, Trakenthin and Dretphi check around with the surrounding crowds. The Flames of the Phoenix team yells out triumphantly, the other squad claps encouragingly through disappointment, and Trenannin incredulously complains loudly in grath. Trakenthin lowers his weapon from Dretphi, stands up, and releases a long sigh of relief. Slumping her shoulders slightly, Dretphi musters up a stoic front and respectfully holds out a hand. "Excellent match."

With a grateful smirk, Trakenthin firmly shakes Dretphi's hand and humbly chuckles. "An honor to have. It was close. A proper rematch."

Watching the handshake, Trenannin's sheer disgust surges outwards without check, and he storms up to his son loud and accusingly. "What type of match was THIS?! Passed up an opportunity? Showed mercy?!"

He jabs a point towards Dretphi and sneers at Trakenthin. "To HER?!"

Mustering up every bit of calm within, Trakenthin draws in a long breath through his gritting teeth, releases a grumbling exhale, and slowly pivots, facing his father. "YOU wanted a rematch. I provided."

Trenannin sputters out a number of angered sentences in grath. Trakenthin struggles for calm and slowly states. "As YOU said... It was MY fight to rematch. NOT yours. Settled it as I saw fit."

An irate scowl erupts upon Trenannin, and he launches into angry, enraged scolding. Trakenthin resolutely stands, weathering the verbal barrage. Dretphi watches in utter disgust and spots the flinches of pain upon Trakenthin, the hurtful grath phrases washing over. With a final summoning of spite, Trenannin spits out a quip towards Trakenthin and Dretphi. In abject shock, Dretphi stares, jaw agape. Catching her full attention, Sotalia shudders through the offense and shouts. "OH! THE FUCK did he say?!"

Clenching his fist tightly around his sparring sword, Trakenthin grits his teeth, puffs up his chest, and glowers at his father silently. Staring down Trenannin, he fights against the swelling rage growing blatant upon his reddening dark bronze skin, surrounding the teams and crew watching expectantly. A sudden stillness overtakes Trakenthin, and he breathes out his ire. Leveling an odd, stern calm towards his father, Trakenthin stares stoically. "Do you have anywhere else to be?"

Tilting his head to the side, Trakenthin narrows his hazel eyes and snarls his upper lip. "Out of my life? Again... As it SHOULD BE."

Trenannin blanks completely and stares absolutely bewildered at his son. Seconds later, he returns to some awareness of his surroundings, noticing the sharp, undesirable attention from everyone around him. Without another word, he steps back, gazing at his son, pivots, and walks away, back towards the two-story house.

----

Peeking from under the covers, emerald green eyes stare out at the late morning light slipping in through the window blinds. Slowly panning her gaze across the room, Cideeda settles her attention upon the desk against the other wall. She marrows her stare upon the blemished chest plating resting on the table top. With a long, sad sigh, she groans out her disappointment, curling up into her bed sheets. Tossing and turning, she finds a comfortable spot on her bed, pulls her long, fluffy tail up to her chest, and wraps her arms around herself tightly. She exhales somberly through her nose, closing her eyes, and nuzzles her head upon her pillow. Bringing her tufted tail tip close, she hides the stale frown on her light brown face and lets her furry ears droop near her shoulders. Minutes of quiet pass on by, and Cideeda rests within her own thoughts.

A few soft knocks on the door stirs up Cideeda, and a furry ear flicks towards the bedroom entry. Waiting quietly, she finally opens her eyes partially to a second series of taps upon the wooden door. Sotalia's voice calls out from the other side. "Hey, Cideeda... You awake in there?"

Searching her mind, Cideeda quietly deliberates, draws in a reluctant breath, and directs her halfhearted reply. "Yes."

Sotalia's tone brightens a bit, and she pries from the other side. "You doing okay? You want anything for lunch?"

Snuggling up into her bed covers more, Cideeda sighs with a slight grumble slipping out and closes her emerald green eyes. "I'm... Fine. Just tired. And, still a little sore, today."

She curls up tighter upon the bed. "I'm just not all that hungry right now..."

Pausing a moment, she softens her frown with a slight smirk. "Thanks for checking."

On the other side of the door, Sotalia nods with a slight down turn of her smile and raps her long, black nails lightly on the door frame. "Okay. Let us know if you need anything."

Cideeda's voice softly resonates out. "Will do."

Walking slowly down the hallway with concern blatant on her light tan face, Sotalia brushes back her fiery orange, wavy hair over her swept back horns and hums thoughtfully to herself, walking out into the living area. Aristespha, Bach, Dretphi, and Sebastian shift their attention from random paperwork on the dining table towards Sotalia. Thinking a few moments along with her steps towards the kitchen, Sotalia meets everyone's gazes and twists her mouth into a grimace. "Yeah... She says she's just tired and sore."

The group exchanges glances, quickly arriving at a shared, unconvinced conclusion. Aristespha deliberates briefly and lifts an intrigued eyebrow, an unconvinced hint slipping out. "Admittedly, that was quite the hit she took. But... I think it is more psychological at this point."

The team ponders options quietly. Bach speaks up and motions towards the garage. "Yeah... Hey. Let's see how much more can get done on the..."

Furrowing his brow, he glances around to the nearby team. "Project... I think we can get it done by tomorrow."

Sebastian nods in agreement and drifts over to the hallway, assuming a watchful gaze down the hall. The others head out into the garage. Within the cluttered space, they quickly disperse to various locations, revealing hidden materials.

----

Near the secluded corner of the room, Trakenthin settles upon the floor, back against his bed. Holding up his aetherphone in front of him, he sighs deeply, thoughts condensing between frustrated rambles about various subjects in grath. A motherly tone sounds out from the device, and the video feed on screen displays a calm, older grath woman. She focuses her hazel eyes towards Trakenthin's side of the call and tilts her head slightly with a subdued curiosity. Twisting the corner of her mouth, she eases out a long sigh and lays out an explanation, tinges of regret slipping out. She slowly shakes her head, rolls her eyes at the past and herself, and frowns sadly, mentioning Trenannin by name. Old memories return to the surface of her mind, she wavers and draws in a long, thoughtful breath. Collecting herself, she exhales out a few remarks of wisdom, hinting at the hard earned experiences.

Slowly lifting his head up, Trakenthin faces the phone in his hand and slowly combs his free hand through his short dirty blonde hair, grimacing. Swaying his head with each part of the grath sentences from his mother, he visibly puzzles through shifting waves of anger, confusion, and sadness. He pleads out through stilted phrases, struggling to determine the answer he seeks, and pauses a moment in reflection. With incredulous scrutiny upon the video feed of his mother, he refers to his father,and poses a simple open ended question, running out of the words for the rest of the thought process.

The maternal figure on the other side of video call sighs. Twisting her face thoughtfully, she quietly deliberates, her darker brown, silver streaked braids shifting with her rocking head. Smiles lovingly, she gazes her hazel eyes into her camera. She briefly points towards Trakenthin through the call and addresses Trakenthin directly with a simple loving word. A calm motherly smirk bright on her tan face, she emphasizes thankful, endearing terms at Trakenthin.

Silence settles down in the moment. Trakenthin gazes at the screen blankly for seconds. Closing his similarly hazel eyes tightly, streams of tears run down his dark bronze face, and he sniffs. Emotion finally pushes through the fallen facade, and Trakenthin surrenders to sobbing. Fumbling through attempts to constrain his feelings, he apologizes to his mother. With each comforting and calming grath word from his mother, Trakenthin regains more of his composure, and a smile graces his face. Releasing a final sniffle free sigh, he gazes into his aetherphone display at his mother, a bit of embarrassment persisting, and wanders the conversation over to other recent events.

A few other women's voices rise out of the background of the other side of the call. From the other side of the call, the video feed angles up and away from Trakenthin's mother, revealing three other older grath women nearby. Blinking in surprise, Trakenthin greets his house mothers with respectful, endearing terms. One calls out to Trakenthin and points, referring to something. Trakenthin glances around the room, spots his handmade bedroll, and nods with an appreciative reply. The aim of the camera returns to Trakenthin's mother, and she cracks a mischievous smirk, a glint sparking in her eyes. Trakenthin lifts a warily curious brow and carefully poses a question. His mother smiles reassuringly and mentions the Next Adventurers of Nexus in her explanation, a few choice grath terms intermixing. From the other side of the call, faint, dark chuckles rise out of the background just enough. Trakenthin slightly nods wide-eyed, furrowing his brow uncertainly. A confident grin plain on her face, his mother moves onto the next subject with a reassuring wave of her hand.

----

The humvee slows to a halt in front of the stoplight intersection. Sinking back into the cushioning of the driver's seat, Cideeda droops her furry ears down towards her shoulders and stares ahead, the bright red light prodding her frustrations. Drifting her gaze upon the hood of the vehicle, she narrows an annoyed glare at small dents shadowed by the late afternoon sun and highlighted by the overhead stoplight. Tightening her claws into her steering wheel, and she grumbles to herself and groans, aggravation tipping her words. "GODS... I can't believe how much that asshole wanted for all these parts."

Sotalia glances over from her aetherphone, sighs in commiseration, and shakes her head. Shifting around in the passenger's seat, she grits her teeth briefly and rolls her golden eyes. "Seriously, girl. I mean, how often does he have anyone wanting those parts anyway? You'd think a discount would be worth having the shelf space back again."

Cideeda combs her fingers through her short, multi-colored hair, and narrows her emerald green eyes ahead, twisting her mouth. "I mean... Yes. They are rare. Yes. Someone else might come along to pay out more money for them. But..."

Bearing her sharp teeth, she growls out. "DAMN IT! I'm offering decent money TODAY to take them! Gods damn it. There's more dust on them than the shelf they were on! Do you NOT want to make money?!"

The stoplight flicks to the bottom lamp and casts a green hue over one side of the intersection and humvee. Pushing accelerator hard, Cideeda studiously eyes the diagnostic output from the in-console display, sighing. "Fuck... What the hell is that drive motor lagging behind for..."

She resumes the conservation with Sotalia and shakes her head with a long roll of her emerald eyes. "They're NOT vital parts. They are exterior accessory parts. People have figured out retrofits, and I KNOW I can craft something that'll work."

With snort, she contorts her upper lip into an annoyed sneer. "Well, gods damn me for wanting to keep to proper replacement parts and taking advantage of a local source."

Sotalia smirks derisively, settling back into her seat, and chuckles to herself. "Visiting that stupid place was an act of fucking charity. Gods, I'm surprised that building was still standing. He should be happy if anyone bothers to even look at that dump up."

Cideeda grits her teeth briefly, tenses her shoulders, and releases a long defeated sigh. "Well... He's a bit richer than he should be. So..."

Lowering her eyelids, she stares out down the road. "Whatever... I got the parts. Despite him getting a better deal than he deserves."

She squints and snarls up her upper lip. "Last time I go THERE."

The humvee speeds down a long stretch of two lane highway. Behind, a white sedan with a light bar pulls out from a side road and closes the distance gradually. Maintaining her speed, Cideeda watches the road ahead, slowly relaxing in her seat, and glances over to the diagnostic data on the console display. A minute of closely following behind later, the white car turns on its blue flashing lights and chirps out a few seconds of its siren. Cideeda and Sotalia reflexive tense and glance over their seats, exchanging confused expressions. Pulling the humvee over to the shoulder and slowing down, Cideeda peers through the rear view mirror, snarls her upper lip, and spouts off a fvalian curse. Sotalia sneaks a peek over her shoulder, narrowing a glare to the local police officer in the white vehicle, and directs her voice towards Cideeda. "What the hell does this asshole want? You weren't speeding or anything?"

Cideeda contorts the frustration out upon her light brown face, thinking a moment, and shakes her head, turning off the powerplant. "NO. At least... Well not enough to pull us over. It's the beginning of the month..."

Wrestling down her souring expression, she exhales a calming breath. "What is he even doing? Getting a head start on his quota?"

Sotalia grimaces, shakes her head, and drops back upon her seat. "I wouldn't be surprised if they've all been warned about us. Probably trying to hassle us out of town now."

Stepping out of the white sedan, the fvalian policeman adjusts his hat, straightens his posture, and authoritatively walks to the driver's side of the humvee. Cideeda rolls down the window, waits with her eyes ahead, and hands on the wheel. The officer glances down with a neutral, plain expression. "License and registration."

Cideeda promptly retrieves the vehicle registration card from the center console, sorts through her wallet for her license, and hands the two bits of documentation over. The officer takes them in his clawed hands and pauses, carefully surveying the inside of the vehicle through Cideeda's window. Moving away, he slowly steps towards his car, visually scanning the humvee on his way back. Sotalia crosses her arms and silently eyes the fvalian man. Cideeda tightens her lips, and maintains her cool demeanor with soft breaths through her toothy grimace. Long minutes later, the officer arrives back at the side of the humvee, returns the vehicle registration, and shows Cideeda's license to her. With a routine, monotone drone, he points to her card and explains. "Your driver's license is an outdated version. You'll need to get it updated as soon as possible to meet the new GAA requirements."

Presenting a faux smile, Cideeda flutters her eyes endearingly and holds her hand out to accept the license. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll remember to do that. If that's all, I really wouldn't want to take up any more of your time-"

Interrupting, the policeman continues his presentation, deposits Cideeda's driver's license onto her palm, and retrieves his ticket book from his side, filling out a few final details. "Your tail light cover is broken and the running light is out."

Mustering up a cheery tone, Cideeda smiles brightly with a toothy grin and motions to the box of parts in the seat behind her. "Well, THAT you don't have to worry about! We just got the parts to fix it and are on our way home to take care of it. Won't even be a problem in an hour."

Sotalia glances around her area, picks up a receipt on the center console, and points out the piece of paper to the officer. "We even have the receipt. We made this trip today just to take care of that."

The fvalian police officer continues to fill out information on his paper pad. He pauses a moment to stare unmoved at Cideeda and Sotalia and finishes the ticket with a rehearsed tear of the perforations. Presenting the piece of paper to Cideeda, he drones out his official explanation. "This is a citation for operating a vehicle without proper road safety equipment. Bring proof you have resolved the issue by the indicated date to the central courthouse, and the citation fine will be waived. You will still have to pay the court filing fee."

Cideeda firmly pinches onto the offending ticket, her smile gradually twitching into a snarl. She narrows an inquisitive stare towards the officer, her tone slinking towards accusatory. "Okay... Well... Explain this to me..."

Gritting her teeth, she cocks her head slightly to the side, eases her frustrations with a long sigh, and sternly inquires, tinges of sarcasm slipping out. "What is the proper procedure to address this issue upon discovery on a vehicle... if said vehicle is my only means of transportation to facilities that would either provide parts or service to remedy the problem? Do I have to arrange for a delivery service to get the parts? Do I need to call one of you to drive my vehicle over there? Is there some random temporary tag that I need to fill out completely arbitrary and inane paperwork to get?"

Blinking at the fvalian policeman with a wide, toothy grit of her teeth, masquerading as a grin, Cideeda silently exchanges stares with the officer for seconds. The officer presents Cideeda with a small business card and repeats a well-worn phrase. "If you have any complaints, please contact the number listed, and you may file any and all grievances."

The policeman quickly pivots and walks over into his white cruiser. He hops into his vehicle, starts up the machine, and quickly departs down the road. The white sedan disappears into the distance over a small hill. Sotalia gazes over to the silent Cideeda. "You okay?"

Cideeda's grip clamps tighter onto the citation, a claw tip piercing a hole into the paper. Drawing in a long breath, she pulls back her lips and growls out a long string of fvalian curses, her long fluffy tail puffing out with each infuriated phrase. Sotalia watches in a wide eyed surprise, blinking in astonishment. The long rant subsides, and Sotalia sorts through the words in her mind and curiously restates. "They should have cut your tail and stuck it in front so you wouldn't be an embarrassment? Did I translate that correctly?"

Recovering bits of her composure, Cideeda settles into the back of her seat, turns her head towards Sotalia, and nods. "Um. For the most part..."

Sotalia twists her mouth, glancing down the road mischievously, and perks her eyebrow. "Want to stop by that vice store on the way back?"

Starting up the powerplant of the humvee, Cideeda releases a long grumble and smirks through the aggravation. "Oh. Yes."

----

On a nightstand, an aetherphone rings out nearby a bundle of covers upon a bed. Peering out from the mass of bed sheets, Cideeda's emerald green eye spots the device rattling on the wooden top. She reaches out, snatches the phone back into her pile of blankets, and taps the screen to answer. "Hello?"

Listening to the caller, a smile gradually appears on the groggy Cideeda, and she slowly pulls down the sheets. Blinking at the late morning light, Cideeda rubs the sleep out of her eyes and chuckles lightly. "Thank you, mom. It's good to hear you, too. Sorry, I haven't called you lately..."

Furrowing her brow, she averts her gaze off to the side. "It's been a little crazy... To say the least."

Laying out on the bed with her phone next to her furry ear, Cideeda listens to her mother's voice, her mood brightening. "Yeah... To think... Today, twenty nine years ago, eighth of July, I surprised you and dad by coming a little early."

She snorts with a sly grin. "Always been special like that."

Slowly rising up to a sitting position, Cideeda draws in a long breath and sighs with a roll of her eyes at herself. "I'm feeling fine. Like I said, it's just been a bit crazy with everything going on. I'll get into THAT later. What have you and dad been up to? How's the scrap and art sales doing?"

In the living area of the ranch style house, Aristespha sits, studiously sorting through another stack of paperwork. Sebastian's ethereal form hovers nearby, and he occasionally points out a section of literature questioningly. With his aetherphone upon the dining table, Bach reads an article. Sotalia's fork wanders too far from her own, and Bach slides his plate of breakfast away, thwarting the poacher. Dretphi cleans off a plate and stores leftovers away in containers. Spiking through the peaceful ambiance, Cideeda's utterly shocked voice penetrates down the hallway into the area. "YOU'RE WHAT?!"

The abrupt question startles the rest of the team, and they peer towards the archway leading out of the living room into the hall. With all waiting and listening carefully, a flurry of bewildered fvalian blends together between the reverb and muffling of the house structure. Sotalia slides back her chair, slinks closer to the entry, and aims her pointed ear towards the source. Her golden eyes search her mind, and she furrows her brow, deciphering the fast spoken, native dialect of fvalian spewing forth from Cideeda. Piecing together some understanding of the conservation, Sotalia tilts her head to the side, and her eyes widen in a mix of comprehension and surprise.

The fvalian dialog stops, and silence fills the area. Sotalia moves away from the archway, turning to the rest of the curious team, and starts to open her mouth. The sound of a door opening resonates down the hallway into the living area. Soft footsteps and claw clicks echo out, and Cideeda plods into the room. With a blank expression, she maneuvers around Sotalia, through the living area, and into the kitchen space in front of the refrigerator. Opening the door, Cideeda's eyes acquire targets, and she grabs hold of a bottle of beer in each hand. With a swift pivot pushing the fridge door close, she runs the glass container sharply down the edge of the counter top, and pops the metal cap off, passing by into the living room.

Hovering out in front of the archway, Sebastian perks an awkwardly curious brow and approaches the question, summoning the most graceful effort can at the moment. "Sooo... Everything okay, Cideeda?"

Cideeda pauses before Sebastian's visage, takes a long chug of her beer, and blinks back to some awareness with a neutral tone. "Yeah... Just. Fine."

Glancing over to the rest of the team, Sebastian grits his teeth briefly and attempts to pry a bit more gently. "Okay. That's good to hear. Any news we should know about?"

Thinking a moment, Cideeda turns towards the group, searches her mind with her eyes, and shrugs her shoulders ambivalently. "Well. My mom's pregnant. And. She asked if she could turn my old room into a nursery. So..."

Pouring back a long swig of her beer, she muffles a belch. "That's a thing."

Pivoting towards the hallway, Cideeda departs around Sebastian, walks with soft footsteps and claw clacks to her room, and shuts the door. The rest of the team stares between each other in utter bewilderment and awkward silence.

----

Standing in front of Cideeda's bedroom door, Sotalia rests her hands on her hips and calls out. "Come on out! You can't stay in there all day. It's your birthday!"

Cideeda's voice grumbles out from the other side of the door. "Exactly! It's MY birthday, and I'm choosing to spend it in HERE."

Furrowing her brow, Sotalia crosses her arms incredulously, shifting her weight, and taps her foot on the hallway's hardwood floors. "And, what? Watch reruns of old cartoons on the holoplayer in a nest of alcohol and snack food?"

Quiet fills the area, and Sotalia stands defiant next to the door, faint clinks of glass and crumples of plastic bags slipping out from the other side. A thoughtful pause later, Cideeda defensively snips. "Well... YES. It's fine."

Confidence fading, she winds down to a loud mumble. "I just need a day for myself. That's all."

With an unconvinced smirk, Bach leans in from the living room archway and projects his voice down the hall. "Yeah... Um. From experience, that's a REAL slippery slope. Days become weeks really, REALLY easily."

A brief moment of quiet settles in, and defiant growling sounds out from Cideeda's side of the door. Drawing in a long breath, Sotalia tosses her fiery orange hair back, sighs out loudly, and explains in a stern tone. "Well. Here's your options. One. You come out willingly. Two. Sebastian phases in there and bugs you until you leave. Three. Dretphi DRAGS you out."

She leans close to the door and firm states. "Regardless, you sit down, enjoy the wonderful protellow pie that Dretphi made, and open your gift from us."

Turning her head, Sotalia presses her pointed ear against the door and listens to movement and grumbling behind the door, curling a satisfied smile. She steps back and waits, resting her hands at her sides. Cideeda opens her bedroom door, musters up her composure, and sighs. "FINE. I can't very well let a good protellow pie go to waste."

Resting her hands on Cideeda's shoulders, Sotalia guides Cideeda down the hallway into the living area with occasional nudges. Sotalia pulls out the chair for Cideeda at the head of the table and slides her in. Everyone settles around the table. Blinking in surprise, Cideeda observes a small box magically slide up in front of her. A smile appears on Aristespha's ivory face, and she states. "We decided to let you open this one first, before we reveal what the rest of your gift is."

Team gathers closer around her. Cideeda grasps hold of the package and carefully examines it, tapping with her claw tips curiously. Lifting off the box top, she angles the opening of the box and studies the contents. Intrigue driving her exploration, she slowly picks up a wooden articulated figurine of a fvalian. She blinks and puzzles at the object, carefully examining each joint. Pausing a moment, her emerald green eyes widen, catching the glint of familiar shards of crystal. Her mind quickly pieces together a theory, and she glances up to the others for confirmation. With the nods from everyone else, Cideeda seats the fvalian figure upon the table top. Methodically gesturing through an incantation, she concentrates. Holding her hands to open on either side of the wooden figurine, she wills faint flows of magical energy down her arms into the palms of her hands.

The miasma settles, and she narrows her gaze upon the to fvalian. Contorting her face with strain, she twitches her fingers, feeling out an unseen force. The wooden figure stirs. A few erratic movements, shudders, and twitches later, Cideeda grimaces, focusing fully upon the little wooden doll. The fvalian figurine slowly, stiffly moves, and lifts up its arm.

With a few slight finger movements, Cideeda strains and concentrates her will. The wooden figure slowly waves repeatedly, shuddering intermittently. Cideeda gawks in absolute awe at the little toy figurine before her in motion, following her commands. Tears well up in her emerald green eyes, and she sniffs loudly, a smile overwhelming her. In between sobs and attempts to wipe the water off her light brown face, she chuckles with a persistent grin. "It's... Wonderful... I don't know... What to say..."

Sotalia stands behind the chair, wrapping her arms around Cideeda, and gives her a gentle hug. "When we heard the idea, we figured it'd be something you might like."

Cideeda releases the spell, pats Sotalia's arm, and gazes out to everyone. "This is using the golem crystals. You all made this?"

She furrows her brow and ponders out loud. "When? How?"

Standing back up straight with a proud grin, Sotalia points to the rest of the team. "Well. Sebastian was the lookout. Dretphi did a lot of the wood carving for the figurine parts. Aristespha and I got the crystals ready to use. And, Bach had the idea and helped us out in all the fine details."

Picking up the little fvalian figure, Cideeda examines it, marveling at the construction. She carefully rests it down in its box with a smile, slides back in the chair, and stands up. She walks up to each tangible member of the team and hugs them tightly. She hugs Bach and squeezes her claw tips gently onto his forearm, lifting her eyebrow with a sly smile. "Really good idea you had."

Chuckling, Bach awkwardly averts his gaze with a bit of embarrassment showing on his faintly tanned face. "Well, I mean... To be fair, I kind of got the idea from that puppet show a while back. Just modified the idea a little to use the golem crystals."

Cideeda grants Sebastian an appreciative, toothy grin with a humored wink. "Huh. I was starting to wonder why I kept seeing you just around every corner lately."

Sniffing the air, she briefly follows the delicious aroma of protellow pie and settles back into the dining chair. She gazes upon her wooden figurine with a happy smile. "You'll have to show me how to make another one of these."

The rest of the group joins in laughter, snickering and snorting at Cideeda's confusion. Rolling his blue eyes, Bach slides the larger box on the tabletop closer towards Cideeda and lifts the lid. "Well... Don't worry about THAT. You'll have all the parts to do so..."

Dretphi bites her lower lip and shrugs her shoulders innocently. "We overproduced parts. Under estimated time required."

Shaking her head, Aristespha sighs, curling a faint embarrassed smirk. "As we have found out, the individual parts were not the bottleneck we thought they would be. Assembly, on the other hand, was significantly more involved than our original predictions."

Bach pulls the lid off fully, shrugs his shoulders, and grits his teeth briefly. "But... I mean, in the end, I think it'll work out better this way for you."

Cideeda stares in wide eyed wonder at the box of small figurine parts, small golem crystals, and other components filling the entirety of the container.

----

Sitting on her bed, Cideeda gazes at the display of her aetherphone with drooping ears and frowns apologetically with a sniff. "I'm really sorry I freaked out like that, mom. It's just... It's been a rough few days, and..."

She rubs the temple of her head and shameful averts her gaze briefly. "Gods. I just really wasn't in the right frame of mind. I just let it get the better me, when I shouldn't have."

An understanding chuckle sounds out from the speakerphone, and an older fvalian woman with green eyes and light brown skin shakes her head slowly on the video feed. "Oh, Dee, there's nothing to be sorry about. There are a few gods I'll need to visit their shrines extra to make up for how badly I freaked out and cursed their names."

Wrestling an embarrassment grimace, she grits her sharp teeth and sighs. "And, I REALLY should have eased into THAT announcement far better..."

Cideeda rolls her eyes at herself, presenting a guilty smirk. "Yeah. And definitely not a good idea to follow up immediately with asking to use my old room. But..."

Slump her shoulders, she wrestles against a frown. "Still that doesn't excuse me for being such a..."

She mutters out a fvalian term, and her mother snorts amused. Cideeda pauses in thought a moment, lifting an intrigued eyebrow, and poses a question out of the corner of her mouth. "So, how did dad take it?"

Cideeda's mother perks up with a guilty smile. "What? My freak out? Or, the news?"

Puzzling at the response, Cideeda tilts her head to the side, mumbling. "Um, both? I guess."

Gritting her teeth briefly, the older fvalian woman rubs her temple and bites her lower lip, hinting of embarrassment. "Well. Nothing he hasn't dealt with before. I did grab him pretty HARD on the arms."

From the other side of the call, an older male voice calls out in the background. "I'll live. By the way, if you find a deal on some new welding gloves, message me, Dee."

Narrowing an inquisitive stare at her mother through the phone, Cideeda awaits a response, between flicks of her furry ears and tail. With a guilty shrug, her mother sighs and shakes her head. A few moments later, Cideeda snorts and relaxes with a long stress venting breath out. Cideeda's mother's furry ears flicks forward, and she aims an examining gaze at her daughter through the phone. "Everything okay, Dee?"

Fighting through a mix of emotional thoughts in her mind, Cideeda rocks her head side to side indecisively. "Yes? For the most part. Just feeling... Oh gods, this is going to sound SO whiny. But..."

She grumbles briefly and wrestles with a grimace. "Just not feeling as... Special as I thought I was."

Wincing reflexively, she grits her sharp teeth and cringes slightly, reviewing the words in her mind. "OH GODS. THAT sounds so awful. I don't know. I guess I took comfort in certain things that didn't change, and well... Being you and dad's special, only child was one of those things. So, uh, it hit me kinda hard when I wasn't that anymore-?"

Covering her light brown face with her hand, Cideeda groans, cringing with an awkward twist of her face. "Shit. It just keeps sounding worse the more I explain it."

Humored laughter rises from the other side of the call, and Cideeda's mother smiles brightly, shaking her head. "It's okay. I remember that happening a few times to me. Losing those little bits of status you've had for so long."

Moving the camera closer, she smiles with a loving, green eyed gaze at Cideeda. "So you know, when I was trying to figure out what to do... I thought about all the wonderful times I had when you were growing up. All those special moments, and how I'd get to share new moments like those... with YOU."

Mother and daughter both smile and gaze happily into each other's green eyes. Moments later, a sly grin appears on Cideeda, and she presents a prying question. "So... Mom. Have you and dad thought about names?"

Her mother blinks a moment, letting an uncertain breath slip, and groans with an eye roll. "Gods, Dee, YOU KNOW we don't plan things like this! I never even imagined having another child, especially when I'm almost fifty. I haven't even told my own mother yet-"

Cideeda's eyes widen, and she covers her mouth in humored surprise. "OH! You HAVEN'T told Grandma Garadra yet?!"

Embarrassment reveals itself blatantly on Cideeda's mother's face. She grits her sharp teeth, sighing with a faint hiss. "I KNOW! I know. Just... Just one thing at a time right now."

With a comforting smile, Cideeda hums to herself and thinks out loud. "It's okay. Let's see... Let's go through some boys' names first."

-75-

Pressing firmly upon the confirmation button on her tablet's display, Aristespha wrestles a grimace upon her ivory face and draws an uncertain breath. She lets the device slide through her hands down upon the tabletop and slouches back into her chair, releases an apprehensive sigh. "Gods help us..."

Sebastian's ghostly figure briefly grits his teeth and presents an assuring smile to Aristespha. "Dear, it's going to be okay. We've done all we can on our end."

Fighting the nagging doubt creeping upon his translucent face, Sebastian's smirk weakens, and he trails off. "Just hope that other people believe our intentions were good..."

Bach slowly pushes a pile of paperwork off to the side and rests his forehead down upon the table, groaning out his frustrations. "I swear... These laws are designed to allow people to get away before anyone can even file the paperwork to go after them."

Wrapping his arms around the sides of his head, he lifts his face up and props his chin upon his folded forearms with a slight frown. "I mean... Yeah, I totally understand you don't want people running around doing off the wall vigilante shit. But... How the fuck are you supposed to go after obvious problems when you see them?"

Walking over from the couch, Sotalia slowly passes on by the tabletop and pauses a moment. She grants a commiserating smile to Aristespha, Bach, and Sebastian, scooping up the last bit of cereal from the bowl in her hands. "Simply put..."

She furrows her brow and grumbles. "You don't."

Shaking her head with a smirk, she sighs and rolls her golden eyes. "From my experience, the only things that are legally safe for adventurers to do are from the guild. Everything else is a fucking legal minefield."

Aristespha gradually nods, combing out a length of her long, silvery blue hair, and occupies her hands with idle braiding. "With any kind of disturbance, the local police will investigate and consult the guild further. Then, if anything that seems like a violation... They will explore further."

Closing her violet eyes, she exhales out her nerves, twisting her mouth. "And, given how well they received us at the station... I am quite certain they WILL be delving for ANY reason to question our uses of first response law and circumstantial procedures."

Sebastian grins warmly to Aristespha and gazes lovingly at her. "I think you did a good job filling everything out. Hopefully, they'll be too busy trying to find Noxian to really dig too deeply into what flushed him out."

Glancing off to the side, he twists a frown. "I would hope he'd be the bigger priority."

Nodding her head, Sotalia struts off into the kitchen area, snorting. "Gods, I'd hope that'd be a priority for them. Then again, given that officer writing a ticket for a fucking taillight... I'm not so certain."

An annoyed grumble escapes Cideeda, drifting over to the table from the couch. She aims the television remote and flips through another barrage of channels. Aristespha bites her lower lip uncomfortably and squirms out the unease throughout her body. "I have tried my very best to fill everything out that I can, as properly as possible, so that casual reading will paint a... LEGAL picture of what happened."

She grits her teeth briefly, wincing with the breath in, and slumps her shoulders on the exhale. "But, if anyone observant sits down and examines it thoroughly... They are going to discover all the omissions and sparse information surrounding our activities. So, I do NOT know what will happen at this point."

Finishing up the small braid, she gradually combs out her hair with her fingers and shakes her head, sighing. "I just fear what the repercussions will be. It would be one thing if we had apprehended Noxian. Much would be easily overlooked with that kind of result. Without him in custody, we are the only ones left to focus upon."

She stares distantly out on the tabletop, shrinks in her chair slightly, and frowns sadly, contending with a swell of worry from within. "Depending on who gets involved with Grand Library and pushes the most, they might use this incident to pull the funding on our efforts for chasing after Noxian and redirect it to some other team. The guild could see fit to put violations on our adventuring licenses and restrict what jobs we can do. And... that is not even considering what the local authorities would do..."

Propping her arms upon the table by the elbows, Aristespha sinks her face into her hands and exhales deeply with a slow shake of her head. Dretphi places a mug of freshly brewed coffee in front of Aristespha, her long, pointy ears perking slightly. Peeking out, Aristespha lowers her hands around the cup and smiles appreciatively at Dretphi. "Thank you."

Bach furrows his brow, humming to himself, and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, I mean, if it comes to that... I guess we'll just have to go underground, or something, when it comes to going after Noxian."

He lifts his head up, dons a bold smile, and encouragingly states, gazing at Aristespha and Sebastian. "I ain't stopping at this point. So, I'll help make it work one way or another. It wouldn't be the first time I've done some... less than official deals."

Sebastian smirks towards his brother, nods thankfully, and ethereally sighs. "Thanks, bro. Let's hope for the best, for now."

Aristespha smiles at Bach with a hint of relief easing some of the discomfort turning underneath the surface. Seconds later, Sotalia pauses in thought in front of the fridge and eyes Bach through the bar opening, lifting an incredulous eyebrow. "Okay, okay... What kind of underhanded dealings could YOU have possibly done?"

Crossing his arms, Bach glances over to Sotalia, summoning up some confidence with a defensive tint. "Nothing big. Or terrible. But, I may have sold information and a few scrolls that MAY or MAY NOT have defeated certain devices' security measures."

Sebastian narrows his gaze at Bach and cocks his head to the side, snorting. "What? Selling scrolls to get free stuff from vending machines? Yeah, that was a good racket back in school."

Averting his stare off to the side, he frowns. "Until they put new ones in."

Bach grimaces through an uncomfortable memory, darting his eyes around, and mutters through his embarrassment. "Ah, um... Well... More like... Slot machines."

Cideeda's furry ears flick over towards the conversation, and the rest of the team's collective curiosity settles squarely upon Bach. Moments later, Bach sighs, dropping his head briefly, and meets the expectant gazes around him. "OKAY. Long story short. I ran into some guy at a bar. Got to talking about tricks I've done with magic and machines... And, he mentioned he had some old, antique slot machine in his garage."

He rolls his blue eyes at himself and grimaces. "SO, I had nothing better to do. I swung by his place on the way back from the bar. We goofed around with it, and I figured out a way to manipulate the results with that model."

Blinking her emerald green eyes in thought, Cideeda searches her mind between ear flicks, pondering quietly to herself. Bach contorts his face uncomfortably at the past, rubbing his temples. "The guy got REALLY INTERESTED in that trick and offered me some money if I could encode the trick into a scroll. WELL... Rent was due and the fridge was empty... So, I did."

He twists his mouth, gritting his teeth, and draws in a long breath, contending with his unease. "What I DIDN'T KNOW is that the guy knew some... People. They knew of a place that was still using that ancient model. So, they copied that scroll and used it."

Widening her emerald green eyes with recognition, Cideeda sits up on the couch and stares at Bach from across the room, tilting her head to the side. "WAIT... I remember hearing something like this. Wasn't one guy found in-"

Shuddering, Bach frowns with prominent disgust. "Ten pieces across SIX COUNTIES. YEAH! After THAT, I kept to bar game scrolls. Gods... So glad I moved soon after that."

In a mix of disbelief and fascination, Cideeda crosses her arms, narrowing her full attention upon Bach. "Oh. My. Gods... Now, it makes so much sense. I read about that whole incident and wondered how they got such specific scrolls that didn't trip normal magical detection security measures."

Pulling a sly smirk across her light tan face, Sotalia lifts an inquisitive eyebrow at Bach and presents a curious tone. "So. Bach. What if-"

Bach snaps his stare right at Sotalia and clearly pronounces. "NO."

----

Bach opens the door leading into the garage, steps down the stairs, and pauses a moment. Shifting his attention from his sidecar motorcycle, he notices the glow of bright afternoon sun radiating in from the open garage door. He allows his blue eyes to adjust to the light and narrows a curious gaze at the humvee in the driveway. Cocking his head to the side, he focuses upon the open hood of the engine compartment and spots Cideeda's legs hanging out upon the side fender. He wanders over to the mechanical ratchet noises clicking out and grumbles of Cideeda physically straining. Arriving at the side of the humvee, Bach watches Cideeda's hand rise up from another part of the engine area and grip tightly onto part of the frame. With slight shifts of her body, Cideeda secures her backwards flexed self down into the accessible space around the engine of the military vehicle, underneath the powerplant, and tightens her ankles, hooking under the lip of the fender wheel well. Bach puzzles at the scene, leans over the front corner of the vehicle, and glances down inside with a perplexed tone. "Okay. So, there has got to be a better way to do whatever you are doing."

Cideeda's long, fluffy tail flicks sharply a few times, settling into a slow wag, and she snorts with a light chuckle from the engine compartment. "MAYBE. But, for what I need to do, this is actually a lot faster."

Narrowing his gaze, he searches through the maze of pipes, electrical lines, and supporting components around the central cylindrical powerplant. "Really? I mean, because I doubt the service manual has anything requiring the technician be capable of quite literally bending over backwards and slipping inside narrow spaces within the engine area."

Cideeda finishes a series of tightening cranks of a ratchet driver, and her emerald green eyes peek through a narrow passageway between the mesh of engine area machinery. She perks a confident eyebrow. "True. To be fair, there were originally huge, ancient battery packs blocking the way on either side. But, those got replaced with new underside packs when we first fixed this thing up."

Searching for a good view of Cideeda's next target, Bach twists his mouth a bit unconvinced and scratches his head. "Yeah. But, still, can't you just go from underneath the thing? I mean, that has to be the way the designers originally intended for it to be fixed."

Wagging her tail in sync with the flexes of her body, Cideeda sighs and audibly rolls her eyes with a laugh. "Intended, yes. Practical, NO. The correct method is to go from underneath... Which requires jacking the vehicle up a meter, unbolting thirty large bolts, getting two or three people to lower the underside armor plate, and THEN you can do what you need to do."

Her hand slips down momentarily and rises back out through another clear corridor, clawing onto a new spot for support. "If I was going to completely overhaul the power distribution module, rework the turbine exhaust thermal converters, or finally change out this old hydraulic fluid reservoir... Yeah, I'll go through the few extra hours of work, since I'll already be investing quite a few hours, anyway."

Rapping her sharp finger tips upon the metal structure of the humvee, she sighs with a dismissive hint. "But. I'm just tightening a few bolts that might need it. So, I really don't want to do a full tear down."

Bach thinks about the logistics a moment, slowly nodding in agreement, and shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah... Fair point. Still, it seems like it would be easy to get tools stuck down there, much less yourself."

With an annoyed tone, Cideeda groans out past stale frustrations, and her tail sharply flicks out her irritation. "No shit. Gods. There's actually no easy side access to get to anything you've dropped in. Not even a removable access panel in the wheel well. The only reason I figured out I could fit under here was because I was SO angry at losing three wrenches down here when we were broken down on the side of the road."

Flexing her body down further into the underside of the engine area, Cideeda stretches out, straining to reach a distant bolt in a crowded section of components. "Why anyone would engineer a pit of fucking despair in any vehicle is beyond me. Anyway... I just got to check this one bolt, and I'm done."

She reaches out to the furthest limit her body allows, slips the end of her socket wrench onto the awkward bolt, and rotates the handle a few ratcheting clicks, pulling it back. Tense moments of applying force later, she gives a final tug and slips the wrench off. "Still good there. Time to back out of here."

Putting the socket wrench back in her shorts pocket, Cideeda secures her grip below and releases her hold above. Weaving through the clearance beneath, she tentatively grips upon an engine support and reverses direction underneath. Applying her weight onto the new hand hold, her fingers tighten upon a spattering of hydraulic fluid, promptly slipping free. She yelps and hisses in surprise. Scrambling for a new hand hold, she slides down further into the engine area, flopping upon the bottom plating floor. "AH! FUCK!"

Her ankles slip free of the wheel well lip, her tail puffs out, and her legs find partial purchase, hooking against the hood and bodywork. Bach swiftly side steps in front of the flailing fvalian and reaches quickly down with both hands, grasping the panicked Cideeda firmly around her waist. "Hey! Don't worry, I got you!"

Seconds later with a few tail twitches, Cideeda promptly wraps her legs around Bach, crossing them behind his back, and tightens her hold. The sudden force from Cideeda presses Bach firmly against the side fender, and he blinks absolutely dumbfounded. Cideeda pulls herself out of the vehicle and up close to Bach. Squirming around, she aligns herself, sliding Bach over. She grips onto each of Bach's forearms with a hand each and contorts herself, gradually slipping her head clear of the last obstruction. With a final flex and twist of her body, she rights herself to a seat upon the top of the side fender, ending up face to face with Bach. Bach widens his blue eyes, and Cideeda blinks her emerald green eyes. Both gaze at each other across the mere centimeters between their noses in silence.

Hints of red coloring his cheeks, Bach awkwardly stumbles upon his words, fumbling to maintain a nonchalant exterior. "Uh... um... You okay?"

With a perk of her furry ears, Cideeda smirks slightly and calmly replies. "Oh. Yes. Just freaked out a little bit there. If you slide down in there too far, it's a real pain in the ass to get out on your own."

She glances down and notices the tight wrap of her legs around Bach. Springing her eyes open, she relaxes her hold completely. "It can get a little scary, too. So, I REALLY wanted to avoid that."

Averting his gaze in breaks of direct eye contact with Cideeda, Bach nervously states, the slight blush spreading out on his face. "Oh, yeah..."

Situational awareness finally reminds him of Cideeda's waist in his hands, and he quickly releases his grasp. "I could imagine. I mean, I'm not exactly claustrophobic, but that'd be a bit much for me."

Cideeda briefly, gently squeezes Bach's forearms with her claw tips, sliding her hands off, and resettles upon her seat on the fender. Moments of awkward silence later, she glances behind her and narrows a stare at a particular spot in the engine area. "Damn hydraulic oil. Never had a spot show up there before."

Cracking a nervous smile, he shrugs his shoulders. "Well... I mean, I guess it was the first time this thing has been flipped over?"

Rolling her eyes at herself, Cideeda returns her gaze towards Bach with a humored smirk. "Yeah. And speaking of that reservoir I've been meaning to replace."

Struggling to maintain his composure under the close attention, Bach glances over to a few small dents on the bodywork off to the side. "So... Uh... How do you normally take care of dents like that?"

Cideeda turns her attention to the blemishes upon the metal exterior of the vehicle and sighs with a frustrated curl to her mouth. "A lot of hammering and being completely unsatisfied with the results. It's an ugly cycle of disappointment really."

With a humble chuckle, Bach smiles and motions over to the dents. "Well, I think I could probably work some of those out easily enough."

Pondering a moment, Cideeda presents a toothy grin to Bach and perks an intrigued eyebrow. "That's right... You should be able to easily fix those little dents. I'm going to have to take you up on that offer."

Shifting to another thought in her mind, she settles upon an appreciative smile, averting her slightly bashful expression momentarily, and focuses upon Bach. "By the way, I really love my birthday gift. Gods. I REALLY needed something that perfect to break me out of the funk."

Bach grins awkwardly, shrugging his shoulders casually, and presents a nonchalant tone. "Well. To be honest, it was a group effort. Dretphi carved most of the figurines and helped with fitting things together. Aristespha and Sotalia got the crystals just right. And, Sebastian kept you from learning about it and suggested where to hide everything. I just gave them the idea and helped with the details here and there..."

Tilting her head to the side, Cideeda grins warmly and perks her furry ears up, brushing back some stray hairs in her face. "It wouldn't have turned out so well if someone didn't know exactly what I'd like. So... Thank you, again."

She giggles brightly and stretches her posture out slowly. "I can't wait to fit a few of those crystals in my spare units. Surprise everyone at the game shop."

Furrowing his brow at Cideeda, Bach twists his mouth into a smirk and snorts humored. "Good gods. That's going to freak out a few immediately, and soon after get them ready to throw money for something similar."

An entrepreneurial smile graces Cideeda's light brown face, and she gazes up to Bach with a laugh. "Guess we need to keep a lookout for more of that crystal. Because, I'm keeping my gift. Also... I need to learn a few of your tricks when it comes to wiring them up."

Bach chuckles out some of his nervous energy, feeling the blush of pink forming in his cheeks, and glances over towards the garage. "Yeah, well... All in good time. Speaking of time, you think Dretphi's got dinner done yet?"

Turning her head of short, multicolored hair towards the house, Cideeda draws in a few sniffing breaths through her nose, mulling over the results. "Smells like she's getting close to done. It's probably still in the oven."

Her furry ears flick around, and she cocks her head to the side. "That, or she's turned off the vent fan. I can't hear it anymore. She might be closer to being ready."

Pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the kitchen door in the garage, Bach turns towards the ranch style house. "Okay. Yeah. I'm going to go check if she needs help on anything."

Granting a nod, Cideeda glances over to the engine area behind, sighing, and narrows her stare. "Yeah. I need to close this up and clean up, anyway."

She pauses a moment, grins toothily, and lifts a curious brow towards Bach. "Mind helping with adjusting a few miniatures after dinner?"

Pausing his first step, Bach glances back and nods with a smile. "Sure."

Widening her emerald green eyes briefly, Cideeda flicks her gaze down at her tail, sensing Bach slipping out from its loose coiling wrap around his upper legs. Bach departs into the garage, and Cideeda thinks a moment, flicking her tail around. Sorting through her thoughts, she bites her lower lip, curls her toes briefly, and raps her fingers upon the metal of the humvee, slowly wagging her long, fluffy tail. A hint of pink fills her cheeks, and she fidgets a little, her thoughtful smile warming.

----

Aristespha slowly plods through the hallway, searching through the confusion in her mind, and gradually nods to the other side of the aetherphone call. She stops her pacing, tilts her head slightly, and grimaces, bewildered. "No. That is very good to hear. Yes, I definitely appreciate all your efforts, and I am very happy the report satisfied your investigation."

Blinking uneasily, she contorts her face, internally puzzling deeper, and maintains a supportive vocal facade. "Of course. Happy to be of service. Do feel free to contact me if there is anything further you need."

She furrows her ivory brow, frowning between incredulous and confused. "Goodbye."

Removing the phone from her long pointed ear, she stares absolutely perplexed at the end of call screen and shifts her posture with her thoughts. She idly taps her socked foot softly upon the hardwood hallway floor and wipes the screen off on her loose shirt, resting her other hand on the waistband of her shorts. Tossing her long, silvery blue hair back, her violet eyes search aimlessly in her head, failing to find an explanation. Many futile seconds later, mumbles of exasperated evuukian roll out from Aristespha's mouth, and she frustratedly furrows brow. She walks back to the archway leading into the living room, stopping at the threshold. Rolling her shoulders, she fights back against the incredulous curl in her upper lip and hems out into the room at Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia. "Well. I just got off the phone with Amaranth Valley police..."

The mood in the room sharply drops, worry and dread surfacing upon everyone. Biting her lower lip briefly, Aristespha draws in a long breath and announces in disbelief, shaking her head. "We are no longer under investigation and completely cleared of any possible violations."

Silence hangs out for mere moments, and relief blasts it out of the room completely. Sotalia reclines back into the couch chair, stretching her arms out, and laughs out her anxieties. "Oh gods! You totally had me going there for a second. That's fucking amazing news! Free and clear!"

Cideeda's furry ears perk up, her long, fluffy tail wags with a light sway, and she flops back on the couch. "No kidding! Part of me really wants to ask if I can have my cameras back."

She glances off to the side and tightens her smile. "BUT, I think I'll cut and run while I'm ahead. Small price to pay for them to leave the issue alone."

Releasing a long sigh, Dretphi relaxes her shoulders and returns to preparing lunch. "Good news. Wonderful outcome."

Bach melts a bit into his stabilized energy lounge chair, exhaling out his worry. "One less thing to worry about... For now, at least."

Sebastian's ethereal form drifts over next to Aristespha. He studies her expression, body language, and grumbles of evuukian under her breath. Leaning close to her, he inquires further with concern in his tone. "Dear, you okay? You don't seem happy about this. Something wrong?"

Aristespha tugs at either corner of her mouth, groaning unsatisfied, and sighs annoyed. "Sebastian... There is NO WAY they properly read that report I wrote! Gods damn it... I know this is good for us..."

She narrows her violet eyes and furrows her ivory brow, a faint frown curling. "But... How did we get this result?! A few fines, further explanation on the reports for an ongoing investigation, or even a probationary period granted due to extenuating circumstances... THOSE results I can understand. Absolution?! NO. That does not happen."

She rubs her eyes into a pinch of the bridge of her nose, draws a long breath in, and calms herself down. "I am sorry. Something else is going on to have allowed THIS."

Straightening her posture, she combs her fingers through the hair and briefly grits her teeth. "It sounded like the officer was completely satisfied with the report. Actual satisfaction. Supportive, even! It's just- Gods, something else has to have happened, and I do NOT know what. Because nothing I did could have gotten this for us."

Sebastian crosses his arms, glances around, and frowns slightly. "Yeah. Thinking about it more... All that doesn't quite add up."

Alternating flicks of her furry ears, Cideeda thoughtfully scratches her chin with a claw tip and twists her mouth, internally sorting through the possibilities. "Maybe they confirmed it was Noxian and are just glad we ran into him first rather than any of their people. To be fair, they may not care much for us... BUT... I doubt they'd ignore the utility of someone else going after a problem they don't want to deal with."

Bach taps a finger on the arm of his chair, rocking his head side to side, and shrugs indecisively. "I mean... Something else may have happened, and made us look good in comparison?"

He pauses a moment in thought and frowns faintly. "Thinking about THAT... We might want to check the news just in case something worse has happened recently."

Suspicion and mystery drives the debate further. A familiar chime rings out from Aristespha's aetherphone, and she eyes the caller identification. A sly smirk cracks across her mouth, and she chuckles with a roll of her eyes. "Oh. Nevermind. Here is my answer now."

She quickly taps a few on screen buttons, holds the phone out in front of her, and announces with a satisfied grin. "Hello, Captain Hackle. It has been a while."

Captain Hackle's voice resonates out into the room through Aristespha's speakerphone, blatantly amused. "It indeed has, Aristespha. I do hope everyone is doing well after recent events."

A wry curl appears at the corner of Aristespha's mouth, and she lifts an intrigued eyebrow. "Which I am certain you have had some involvement in."

With a respectful chuckle, Captain Hackle sighs and elaborates. "A little. Just an appropriate, choice amount of intervention. Your report was masterfully done and made it very easy for my organization to..."

He hums thoughtfully and elaborates. "Explain away the vague points with the details that we could only provide."

A sly tinge colors his voice, and Captain Hackle continues. "I just simply informed the local department that for this particular long term GAA investigation to operate properly, we needed a certain team of experts to operate separately and independently. Keep up appearances, and maintain the expectations of our target. It was an unfortunate policy constraint that prevented us from involving the Amaranth Valley police department sooner and before this recent incident. But, it was thought we had to act before any great harm to the city was allowed to transpire. Certainly, through the efforts of our independent experts, a far greater disaster was averted."

The team collectively stares at the aetherphone, emotions rotating through appreciation, incredulity, and apprehension. Cideeda smirks wryly, lifting a suspicious eyebrow. "So... What is that explanation going to cost us?"

Presenting a thankful tone through the call, Captain Hackle calmly replies. "Nothing more. You've actually already done us a great favor recently with the containment of that nightmarish hell of a blob. Doing your due diligence and going well beyond the call of duty has saved many lives that will never know they were at risk."

He pauses a moment and emphasizes his appreciation. "I do want you all to know that your group handling all these hidden dangers has NOT gone unnoticed. So... Consider this bit of creative administrative outreach as our thanks for prior services rendered."

With another wave of relief washing over, Bach blinks a bit and narrows his stare towards the phone, contorting his face with a question. "By the way, uh, is IT still around?"

Captain Hackle grumbles out a bit of disappointment and verbally rolls his eyes. "Unfortunately so. IT has proven to be difficult to handle safely. We are very appreciative of the magical barrier you all left behind. Handling THAT monstrosity has been reassigned to a group with more appropriate equipment to enforce containment, with explicit orders to eliminate the entire hill from existence if it tries to escape."

Dretphi draws in a long breath and releases a long sigh of relief. "That is reassuring."

In a comforting tone, Captain Hackle continues, proposing. "I agree. Now, on to business... I have a simple offer. With recent troubles at the Grand Library, Noxian has become a bit of a priority for a number of organizations, and we are authorized to use our resources to track him down. We want to follow up on this fresh trail with our resources, BUT we have a pressing matter that's preventing us from doing so. If you all can address it, I will devote my team to getting the best information on where Noxian has gone and relaying it to you."

Floating close to Aristespha's aetherphone, Sebastian eyes the device, a bit of suspicion plain on his translucent face, and inquiries further. "Can you provide any details about the pressing matter?"

Captain Hackle chuckles over the speakerphone and elaborates on the situation with a calm tone. "Of course. Simply put, there's been some strange phenomena happening, northwest of Amaranth Valley, in Ark. In a specific farming region, there have been reports of odd noises, steam eruptions, and thermal anomalies. We have checked with geologists, and they report nothing that should be causing anything like this. And, any historians we have asked haven't been able to turn up anything in that area. That unfortunately doesn't mean that much, to be honest."

Aristespha quirks a curious brow and glances over to Sotalia. "Maybe leftovers from the last maelstrom?"

Searching her mind with her golden eyes, Sotalia ponders out loud, idly playing with her fiery orange, wavy hair. "Maybe... But, hmm. Usually, strange things happen right after a maelstrom but not always. Also, I don't think Ark was directly in the path of the maelstrom?"

She rolls her eyes and eases out an annoyed groan. "Then again, that doesn't mean something wasn't launched that far from the storm. I've heard of stranger things happening."

Captain Hackle comments in a commiserating tone. "Yes. It's an odd series of events, and we haven't been able to find an easy explanation. Hence, why we were set on investigating it. But, given your group's track record in handling strange situations, I thought this might be a good trade. Standard contract through the guild with a proper payment upon completion. All I require is an investigation into the phenomena and identification of what may be the cause."

Sebastian's ghostly visage nods thoughtfully and turns to the group, addressing the team. "So, thoughts everyone?"

Grumbling with a reserved tone, Dretphi contorts her face with a bit of hesitation. "No known monstrosities. I will be fine. For now."

Sotalia glances over from checking her aetherphone and smirks. "It's probably just some stray maelstrom junk that finally activated for whatever reason. I'm good with going out there."

Cideeda shrugs her shoulders and stretches out her arms and back, smiling. "A job is a job. Sounds good to me."

Sebastian glances over to his brother, and Bach lifts a mockingly wary eyebrow, snorting. "Hey, I mean, this one doesn't involve thudkickers, so that's already a step in the right direction."

Exchanging a loving gaze with Sebastian, Aristespha directs her voice towards her phone. "I think that would be a group acceptance."

Hackle's voice brightens from the other side of the call. "Excellent. I'll have Sergeant Violet ready the bid into the guild system and send it over to your group in the next hour."

Sebastian dons a bold, proud grin, and nods towards the aetherphone. "Sounds like a plan to me. We'll see what we can find out for you. Be careful tracking down Noxian, he seemed REALLY motivated on getting away last we saw him."

With an appreciative tone, Hackle relays similar sentiment. "I will heed your advice, then. Please be careful yourselves. While I hope this is nothing more than late maelstrom leftovers, we all know anything can happen. I'd like ALL of you to continue your hunt for Noxian after I get you the info."

----

The morning sun creeps in through the sliding glass door into the living area of the ranch style house. Dretphi methodically checks down a list on a pad of paper, pencil marking the side of line items. Glancing up, she visually searches between a collection of boxes arranged on the living room floor and spots the relevant label upon one container. She directs her attention back to the list and scratches another check mark on the next line item.

Aristespha's voice faintly echoes from the hallway in between pacing, soft footsteps on the hardwood floors. With relief in her tone, she walks out with her aetherphone pressed to her ear and a smile on her face. "Thank you very much. I am so glad you have a room that will work for us. Have a nice day."

Tapping the end call button on her phone, she releases a long exhale and slouches her shoulders. "Gods almighty. That took some effort. Thankfully, I found a place with a large room that has enough beds for all of us and actual space to set up our equipment."

From the kitchen area, Sotalia glances over with a flask in each hand, perking an eyebrow curiously. "Really? Where did you find a place like that? Most hotels have gone to smaller rooms, so they can fit more into the space."

Aristespha slides her phone into her shorts pocket, shrugs, and gazes back, hinting at surprise. "It is actually a proper tavern still geared towards supporting adventuring groups in that traditional style."

Furrowing her brow, she wrestles a bit of uncertainty. "The receptionist was trying to sell me on the theme, like I was a tourist. Then, she realized we were an actual adventuring team and entirely dropped trying to sell that point to me. Cut straight to business after that."

Pondering a moment, Sotalia briefly diverts her attention to swirling each flask of liquid in her hands, studying the slight color shift, and resumes her work. "Well. That might be a fun place to stay. Hope it's as nice as Goff's place was."

She rubs her long pointed ear gently, walking over to the couch, and settles down upon a cushion. "Admittedly, it is hard to beat a passion project like that. Regardless, it is a place to sleep that is not the humvee, and we are not going that far from civilization."

Dretphi finds a spot on the other side of the couch, relaxing into the seat, and drops off her pencil and paper pad on the coffee table. "Enough supplies for the mission. If we venture far from the city, we should stock up. As a precaution."

The kitchen door from the garage opens, and Cideeda steps through with a toothy grin on her face and announces happily. "Our ride is properly fixed up."

Rolling her emerald green eyes with a derisive undertone, she rests her hands on her hips, lowering her furry ears, and grumbles out. "And... The local authoritative assholes are satisfied with the repairs I've done to the taillight. Paid the court fees, too."

She walks over to the fridge, opens the door, and searches through the stock of drinks. "Gods. Fifty minute wait to settle something in less than five minutes. I even showed up right when the courthouse opened."

Taking a break from her alchemy preparation, Sotalia glances over to Cideeda, smirking amused. "Did you get your license updated?"

Cideeda pulls out a can of fruit juice, flashes an incredulous sneer at Sotalia, and snorts, shaking her head with a laugh. "You'd think I'd be back HERE now if I did THAT? I thought my wait was bad, until I realized the same people I saw in that line coming in were still standing in the same places when I was coming out."

Cracking open the pull top to the beverage, Cideeda grits her teeth, sighing reluctantly, and walks over to the dining table. "I think I'll do that when I literally and figuratively have nothing better to do with my life."

Smiling slyly, Sotalia stirs with a glass rod, swirling up a concoction of reagents in a glass beaker, and chuckles to herself. "I shall look forward to expanding my knowledge of fvalian insults in the future."

Hovering nearby, Sebastian studies printouts of the mission description and a labeled map on the dining table. Bach sorts through the lists of information in front of him and eases back into his chair. "I don't know, man. Something about this seems a bit off. I mean, the first reported incident happened a little over a week ago and more came in quickly after that."

Squinting at the map, Sebastian examines the highlighted points indicated and contemplatively contorts his face, hints of suspicion rising to the surface. "Yeah, bro. The weird part of it all is that the reports sound like people are discovering something that's already been going on and gotten worse, rather than a completely new thing."

Bach nods in agreement, flips through a few pages of report details, and cocks his head to the side. "Yeah, that makes some sense. Most of these locations are in big farms, too."

Sebastian lifts an inquisitive brow and motions toward the literature of the accounts. "Did anyone mention what crops are currently growing out there?"

Searching through the lines of text, Bach frowns slightly, tapping his finger down below a few phrases, and sighs. "Corn, sunflowers, and protellows."

Humming in thought, Sebastian twists his mouth slightly and grumbles. "Oh... Okay. So basically everything that's tall, leafy, and hides everything within it."

With a tight smile, Bach groans mildly frustrated. "Yep. Exactly. Stuff has probably been hiding for a while now. That probably explains why all the reports came in so quickly after each other. People checked the fields closely and finally started finding all the phenomena."

Cideeda flicks her furry ears, raps a hand of claw tips on the tabletop, and finishes taking a swig from her drink. "Yeah, I'm still wondering about the rumbling noises and ground shaking. What was the description again..."

She traces a claw down a printout of text, settling upon a line, and reads it. "Let's see... It sounded and felt like someone was blasting out a rock with dynamite."

Narrowing her emerald green eyes, she idly swirls her beverage and ponders out loud. "I'd have to hear it myself. But... A loud sound that shakes the ground? That makes me think something had to have blown up somewhere."

Sebastian crosses his arms, sorting through his thoughts, and narrows his stare upon the map. "Yeah. But, what exactly?"

Aristespha glances over from the couch, rests her head upon the back rest, and projects her voice towards the debate. "There are maelstrom anomalies that do explode given the right trigger. They typically do not last this long, and I have never heard of them waiting this long after a maelstrom to go off."

Mulling over the many possibilities, Sebastian relaxes his shoulders and frowns in temporary defeat, gazing over the team. "Well, I don't think we're solving it today. We'll just have to wait till we get there and see it for ourselves."

Sotalia's stomach growls quietly, and she blinks a moment, glancing over to the group. "Anyone hungry? It's getting close to lunch time."

A mischievous, toothy grin appears on Cideeda's light brown face, and she presents an innocent tone. "Fval Spice?"

Sebastian smirks amused and shakes his head. "You are wearing that place out."

Cideeda finishes her drink, tosses the can in a perfect arc to the garbage can in the kitchen, and slowly pulls the key fob for the humvee out of her shorts pocket. "Hey, I'll drive. Plus, you all have to see all the dents that AREN'T in the bodywork now."

Glancing over with a smile, she winks at Bach and walks towards the kitchen. "If all else fails, you have a future in metal working."

Bach blinks a moment and narrows his eyes with a smirk, sarcasm coloring his tone. "Oh, good. I'm so happy that my post-adventuring career options are growing."

----

Samantha excitedly twirls into a step forward, grinning in anticipation at Gerald. "I can't WAIT for the ratings tonight! Oh, THIS is going to be an amazing episode! Competition with the other team, family drama, and so much more!"

Glancing over from his aetherphone at Samantha, Gerald contorts his neutral, vague smile. "Yeah... I guess. It's not everyday that I get to almost witness a murder or two."

Staring over towards Gerald, Samantha crosses her arms, hints of defiance emerging. "OH. It'll be just fine. We've had far bigger actual fights on the show in previous seasons. But..."

She flashes a wicked grin. "Nothing like the build up to this one. I knew the fight was going to be a big draw... But the father and son falling out at the end... TOO. PERFECT."

Holding her ringing phone up, she reads off caller identification on the screen and smiles. "It's Howie! I bet he just viewed the raw episode and is calling us."

She swiftly places the phone on a nearby desk, taps an on-display button for the speakerphone, and cheerfully chimes out. "Hey, Howie! Did you watch the episode?"

Summoning up a modicum of enthusiasm, Howard's voice trickles through from the other side of the call, and he sighs. "Yes. It's going to do quite well. I think the ratings will be worth it..."

He grumbles with a darkening tone. "They BETTER be."

Samantha's joy deflates down to confusion, and she puzzles out loud towards the phone. "You don't sound all too thrilled there, Howie. What's wrong?"

Gerald lifts an intrigued eyebrow at the situation, prying into the conversation. "Yeah... Usually you and Samantha would be plotting your next move to take over the world by now. Something happen?"

A long, exaggerated groan rolls into the room from the speakerphone, and Howard grumbles out his frustrations. "Well... It turns out that NO ONE on the investigation team cared to inform me that one of Trakenthin's house mothers... IS A FUCKING LAWYER!"

Samantha and Gerald exchange wary glances and shift their focus upon the voice roaring out of Samantha's phone. Howard growls out his aggravations, complaints spewing forth. "Of all the gods damned things to NOT bring to my fucking attention! Not even a simple, OH, by the way one of his moms is a dragon of a lawyer. NO. I had to be on the phone ALL DAY with the legal department finding out how litigious and savage that woman is!"

Sucking in an audible breath on the other side of the call, he shudders in a mix of disdain and disgust. "It took EVERYTHING I had to get them to allow tonight's episode to even air. I had to basically promise them that we will still come out ahead if it aired and we had to eventually pay a gods damned settlement."

Dragging out a long exasperated sigh, he musters up his will, continuing the conversation. "So... To say the least... NO MORE drama pieces involving Trakenthin's family! UNDERSTOOD!?"

Samantha stares wide eyed at her aetherphone and gradually nods with an awkward, uncomfortable smile. "Yes, of course, Howie. That shouldn't be too difficult. And... Anyway we got the key pieces we need to make this episode. So... I'll focus on other aspects for the next one."

Calling out through the phone from the other side of the conversation with a commanding tone. "Gerald! Make sure she does so. ALSO, let the editing staff know to bury those clips with Trakenthin and Trenannin. Keep them from using them in even so much as background clips for intro and outros."

Gerald quickly nods, twisting his mouth into an uneasy agreement. "Uh. Yeah. You got it. I'll message them right now even."

With an apologetic tone, Samantha eyes her phone. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

A long calming exhale later, Howard draws in an equally long breath and wanders around in thought out loud. "It's okay. No fault on you all. Really. It was my plan that backfired on me. So... That's fine. I'll be able to handle it well enough..."

He pauses a moment and states. "Now... There IS one thing you all can do for me."

Furrowing his brow, Gerald stares at the speakerphone warily. "And, what would THAT be?"

Howard hums in thought and grumbles out his frustration. "If you overhear ANYTHING about what the rest of Trakenthin's house does for a living... LET ME KNOW. He has his birth mother, three house mothers, and three house sisters. If there's ANYTHING I should be on the lookout for, I NEED to know so I don't get blindsided by another lawsuit... Or worse. Gods al-fucking-mighty I dread to think of what else they might try to get back at me."

Reiterating his sentiment, he emphasizes his intentions. "Seriously. If you even overhear enough to suspect that one of them is a current or retired black ops assassin, or someone who can get government permission to take someone out... FOR FUCK'S SAKE! LET. ME. KNOW!"

-76-

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia stand around the humvee in the small parking lot in front of a thematically aged wooden building. They all collectively study the many questionable facets of the kitschy styling towards a classic inn. Beneath the thin outer facade, hints of modern design peek through, revealing the tourist attraction intentions. A minute of silent analysis later, Sotalia lifts a critical eyebrow above her sunglasses and glances over to Aristespha, slightly curling her upper lip. "So... How much was this place a night?"

Quickly flipping through a few screens on her aetherphone, Aristespha presents the display towards Sotalia and rolls her violet eyes under the shade of her floppy hat. "Economical enough."

Sotalia lowers her sunglasses, reads the modest pricing on the device, and shrugs her shoulders, returning her attention to the themed structure. "Okay. Fair enough. Guess I'll tolerate it for that price."

Twisting his mouth, Bach releases an unenthusiastic sigh, mustering up a smirk. "Yeah. Damn. I think Goff's place has really broken the scale I judge this stuff by."

Cideeda crosses her arms, tapping her clawed fingers on her arms, and snorts in agreement. "Gods, yes. Was just thinking the same thing."

She waves a hand towards the structure and smirks. "Admittedly, it's not THAT bad. Just geared for a different crowd than us. I know a few reenactment geeks that would LOVE to stay the weekend in a place like this."

Bach smiles slightly, putting his hands in his pockets, perks a humored brow, and chuckles. "And what, get their character sheets out and start rolling the dice?"

Cideeda glances up, barely contains her grin, and rolls her emerald green eyes with a wag of her tail. "OH. Please. THAT is NOT dedicated enough. They'd be wearing the outfits and speaking old dialects..."

She glances off to the side with a tilt of head. "Kind of fun, occasionally..."

Dretphi slowly pivots around, lifts her hand, shading her steely gray eyes, and scans the scenery along the riverfront. "It does have a nice location. Pleasant view."

The wind blows across the parking lot, ruffling clothing and hair. The team shifts their attention over to the forested opposite bank. They quietly watch the water flow warp the reflective surface of the river. Mixing with the scenic beauty of the ambient natural background sounds, the distant changes of the green horizon and blue sky mirror fluidly upon the open waters. Sotalia spots a sandy lot within a park nearby and cracks a reserved smile with a sway of her hips. "Hopefully, we'll get this job handled soon enough. Gods, I wouldn't mind a day of sunbathing with a few drinks."

Nodding with a sly smirk, Aristespha reveals her aetherphone display to Sotalia and motions towards a direction. "Looks like there are a few promising establishments along the bank."

The large wooden double doors open, and a middle aged woman steps out with a customer service smile. "Welcome to The Ark Inn! I see that you've already discovered the wonderful view our fine establishment offers, AND that your room overlooks. My name is Katherine."

Aristespha spins around, steps forwards towards Katherine, and greets her. "I am Aristespha. I believe we talked on the phone."

Katherine nods a confirmation, perks up the grin on her tan face, and motions the group towards the entrance. "If you'd like, allow me to show you around and help get you settled in."

The team quickly acknowledges between each other and starts to retrieve their luggage from the humvee. With an assuring tone, Katherine waves for the team's attention and proposes. "Oh, if you want I can have your belongings brought up for you. Please, allow me to spare you all that trouble."

Aristespha glances over to Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia, gauging the receptiveness, and nods to Katherine with an appreciative smile. "That would certainly be nice."

Promptly pivoting around, Katherine narrows her stare towards the open doors and sternly signals two figures just within the doorway. A teenage girl lugs out a luggage cart, and a teenage boy pushes a heavy duty hand truck. Katherine resumes her customer service smile, nods towards both teenagers, and introduces them. "This is my daughter, Kristine, and my son, Brennon. They're quite helpful around here, and will be happy to ferry your belongings to your room."

Both lanky, awkward teenagers struggle to project serviceable smiles in stark contrast to thinly veiled feelings beneath, hints of adolescent contempt for their current existence slipping through the facade. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia unload their baggage onto both cart and truck. Minutes of unloading later, Cideeda locks up the humvee and rejoins the group slowly migrating inside the establishment. Both Kristine and Brennon strain against the sheer mass, slowly moving their carriers. Brennon checks for mother and customers and whispers over to Kristine. "The fuck did these people bring? Rocks? Good fucking gods..."

Glancing around behind her, Kristine drags her cart along, returning her gaze back towards Brennon. "Gods. I don't know. That half-emin woman's pouch belt is clanking around, and the fvalian dropped a case holding something heavy."

With a hard shove over a crack in the pavement, Brennon nods, furrowing a curious brow towards his sister. "Did you see that sword around the evuukian's waist? That thing actually looks real."

Inside The Ark Inn, Katherine recites a well rehearsed explanation of the establishment, motioning to the internal architecture. "The Ark Inn focuses on providing a focused experience for our guests. The adventuring party suite is our largest suite with plenty of beds, a large bathroom, and a dedicated conference area. It also has the best view of the riverfront and beautiful views of both sunrises and sunsets."

The congregation follows Katherine to the base of a staircase where a middle aged man stands. Katherine smiles brightly and directs the group's attention to the man. "This is my wonderful husband, Johnathan. He'll be happy to show you up to your room and make sure it is to your approval. I must handle some business for now. Hope to see you tonight in the common room!"

Nodding his head of brown, graying hair, Johnathan respectfully directs the team and starts up the stairs. "Follow me."

Climbing up the staircase, the gathering arrives at the middle door of a long hallway, and Johnathan opens the door. He leads Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia inside and presents a modest room with quality beds and decent accommodations, a natural material theme edging on rustic. "Please check over everything, and let me know if there's anything you all need."

From the apron around his waist, he retrieves a number of pamphlets and hands them to Aristespha with an encouraging tone. "Now, while we don't do a full dinner service, we have worked out agreements with a few good places nearby. They all deliver here, and we'll even take it up to your room for you. But, you are more than welcome to come down to the dining area, where the bar will be open tonight."

Nodding appreciatively, Aristespha passes the various menus to the rest of the group for review. Seconds later, muffled sounds of quiet cursing peak out of the background. Kristine's mumbling voice drifts barely through the door. "That old elevator sounds worse everyday."

Brennon's grumbles faintly rise out from the hallway. "Gods... It wants to die. But, we just won't let it."

The sounds of luggage cart and hand truck stop just outside the room. Johnathan maintains a calm exterior, eyeing the teenagers in the hallway. Kristine walks into the room with a cloak on a hanger in one hand and a belt of pouches in the other. Feeling out of the significant heft in each, she awaits instruction, standing in front of Sotalia. "Um, where would you like these, ma'am?"

Sotalia directs the girl towards a bed. "Oh. Just on there for now. Thank you."

Laying the garment and accessory on the bed, Kristine pauses in thought a moment and politely inquires. "Uh... If you don't mind me asking, is there anything special about these? They're heavy."

Within an intrigued smile, Sotalia pries open the snap on a pouch flap with her long, thick, black nails, and slides out a stoppered tube of faintly glowing liquid. "Well, it is loaded with a variety of potions right now, since we're traveling. Usually pair it down before we go out."

With an uncertain expression on his tan face, Brennon arrives into the room carefully carrying Bach's helmet and presents it to Bach cautiously with both hands. "Hey, um... Where would you like this, sir?"

Noticing the odd twist to the teenage boy's face, Bach pauses in thought and chuckles apologetically. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I didn't warn you. That helmet has protective enchantment on it. So, it makes it feel weird, especially if you aren't expecting it."

He hooks up his hand into the helmet, flicks a finger onto the surface, triggering the faint, fading golden barrier, and shrugs his shoulders. With blank acknowledgement, Brennon and Kristine depart to the hallway. Both pick up more luggage and exchange glances in an unspoken conversion of excitement out of sight of everyone else.

----

Sitting around a large dining table in the common area of the inn, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia pick through the different plates filled with food from several kinds of containers, different delivery bags off to the side. Johnathan arrives next to the table between Aristespha and Sotalia and places down fanciful alcoholic beverages next to them. "It's been awhile, but I think I remembered all the steps for these. And, thankfully, I had all the right ingredients, too."

Aristespha and Sotalia eagerly sweep up their respective drinks into their hands and quickly sample them. Moments of deliberation later, they give satisfied nods to Johnathan. Sotalia smirks slyly, tosses back her fiery orange, wavy hair, and chuckles to herself. "Just perfect. Admittedly, if I have more than one of these, I'm probably not going to tell the difference between what you put in them anymore."

With a relaxing sigh, Aristespha smiles contentedly. "Tastes just right. I am quite surprised you had everything for this. Not many places in the area have enough evuukian liquors in one place to fill the bill."

Grinning proudly, Johnathan shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly and laughs. "Well, despite current appearances, we often get a lot of guests with broad tastes in their beverage choices."

Quickly depositing mugs of beer, large glasses of teas, and a few pitchers of water, Katherine relaxes her arms and rests her hands on her hips, presenting an entrepreneurial smile. "You all have happened to arrive here during one of our off-seasons. So, you're getting our special attention to all your needs. While we aim to provide the best experience for everyone, I have to admit it gets a bit hectic depending on the clients we have."

Bach finishes a long swig of his milk tea, thinks a moment, and glances over to Katherine. "I have to ask. What types of clients do you normally get out here?"

Katherine searches through her mind, twists her mouth contemplatively, and begins to count out on her hands. "In the winter, we get the same families and groups that come to experience Ark's holiday festivities. Spring, we typically get a number of people going to agricultural conferences that don't want to pay outlandishly for the main hotels. We also get a few people doing long weekend breaks scattered throughout. But..."

An excited grin grows on her face, and she steps next to Johnathan. "Soon all the adventuring and reenactment fans will arrive!"

Lifting an amused, reserved brow to Katherine, Johnathan places his arm around her and smiles towards the team. "Those are the guests we like to cater to during the summer and into the fall. They like the area, and the town enjoys their business."

Katherine tosses back her light brown hair, smiling boldly, and gazes out to the team. "It's also the time we all get to dress up for a good reason. I can't wait to put on my dashing rogue outfit."

Cideeda's furry ears perk up, and she settles a curious emerald eyed glance towards the inn owners. "Okay... So, is there some smaller adventuring convention happening around here soon? I haven't heard of anything lately."

Rocking his head side to side indecisively, Johnathan focuses down upon his words. "Somewhat? We have a few different groups that like to spend the week... And lose themselves in the pockets of wilderness around Ark."

With hints of accusation, Katherine narrows her stare at Johnathan. She beams an eager smile at the group, jumping into her excited explanation. "Not everyone is like THAT! But, the best ones are the summer camps for the children. We host their events and give them a memorable Ark Inn experience! In fact, even Brennon and Kristine play characters and have wonderful costumes."

At a nearby table, both Brennon and Kristine halt mid bite of their meals and shift their embarrassed gazes over towards their mother, cringing visibly with teenage revulsion. With hints of young defiance, Brennon mumbles loudly and rolls his dark brown eyes. "The only reason they come here is because NOTHING ever happens here. It's SO SAFE and PEACEFUL."

Kristine twists her mouth uncomfortably and glances over to the team's table. "Well, usually... There have been a bunch of weird noises and clouds of steam appearing lately."

Pausing a moment, Aristespha rests her hand on the sword at her side, ponders out a silent conversation, and lifts an intrigued eyebrow towards the family overall. "Speaking of that... Do you happen to know of anything related to those incidents? We have actually been assigned to investigate those phenomena."

Johnathan and Katherine exchange surprised glances. Johnathan meets the new attention from Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia, sorting through his memory. "Unfortunately... Not as much as I would like to. But, my son is right. Things are normally very quiet around here, so I think the first incident I know of happened over a week ago? Maybe two?"

Meeting her husband's gaze, Katherine draws in an uncomfortable breath and sighs. "Yes. It was really worrisome last week. We had strange noises, steam eruptions, and other weird things. But, oddly..."

She wrestles a frown. "It's gotten quiet again. Maybe a little too quiet."

Gritting her teeth briefly, she gazes at the group with a mix of pleading and hopeful thinking and sighs. "It's good to know you all are investigating. I just hope you find it was nothing worth worrying about."

Dretphi presents a comforting smile and nods appreciatively. "We hope the same. Can not expect that. Hope it is."

Brennon frowns slightly with an irritated tint to his voice. "I keep telling you all that it had to have been that strange evuukian man I saw in Cumber Woods."

Kristine rolls her green eyes, shakes her head of light brown hair, and groans dismissively. "Not THIS again. You saw him over a week before any of this started happening. And, there's no way one guy could still be causing all this. It'd take some real magic to do all this."

Narrowing his glare upon his sister, Brennon curls his upper lip and argues loudly. "Okay! Well, YOU explain why some evuukian weirdo was wandering around the woods dressed up in leaves, leather, and odd drawings on his clothes?"

Standing her figurative ground, Kristine leans over the table slightly and growls out. "Says the guy wandering around the woods with his loser friends at the same time! Maybe he was some reenactment dork doing some solo thing."

Angles over the table, Brennon stares down his sibling and retorts. "That BOW over his shoulder was NOT some cheap knock off! It looked REAL, and the arrows were nothing like I've seen before. You can't buy stuff like THAT. He looked really suspicious, too. Like he was up to something, or looking for something-"

In the tense lull between the clash of teenager attitudes, Bach exchanges glances with developing intrigue from the rest of the team. Focusing his gaze at Brennon, he calls out to the teenager. "You know that actually sounds REALLY strange to us. And, oddly familiar..."

Both Brennon and Kristine halt mid breath, pivot their heads toward Bach, the interested team, and their parents. Crossing her arms, Katherine narrows a parental stare upon her children. Johnathan lifts an inquisitive brow, glances over to the team and motions over his son. "Brennon, tell the nice people what you saw."

----

Through the few windows in the large, long inn room wall, the dim glow of late evening light radiates into the area, softly spreading out into the space. Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Aristespha, and Sotalia slumber in the line of beds, and the sounds of sleep mix with the low drone of the lone air conditioning unit running. Outside from the distance, a muted and barely audible high-pitched whistle echoes and resonates against the glass of the windows. One of Cideeda's furry ears flicks reflexively, and she rolls over with a grumble. Seconds later, a metallic straining groan roars out across the river, rippling across the surface of the water, and vibrates the inn. Cideeda groggily mumbles incoherently, lifting her head up off the pillow, and lazily aims her furry ears towards the rattling glass. Bach stirs in his bed, surges of consciousness prodding him further out of slumber. Aristespha softly snores undisturbed, and Sotalia snorts, unconsciously pulling a pillow to cover the side of her head. Dretphi fidgets briefly. The resonating, echoing noise outside halts, moments of silence contrasting.

A sudden low eruption thunders powerfully into the area, bowling harshly over the inn. Cideeda springs wide awake with wide emerald eyes and abruptly sits up in bed, her tail puffing out behind her. "What the fuck was THAT?!"

Crashing hard into consciousness, Bach pulls himself up in a daze and searches around the dark room. "Wha- Fuc- The hell is going on?"

Dretphi stirs awake, and Aristespha and Sotalia fumble for understanding the situation. Throwing the covers off, Cideeda rushes over to the closest window and throws it open. She leans out of the opening, closes her eyes, and searches the outside air with her furry ears twitching. Surrounding buildings light up with activity, and specs illumination flicker on along the riverfront. A constant reverberating hiss escapes the natural baffles of the forest and drones over the background water flows of the river. Bach finally arrives at the same window and stands curiously, peering out. "Okay. Uh, any idea what THAT noise is?"

Cideeda moves her head side to side, allowing each furry ear an attempt to home in on the source, and twists her mouth uncertainly. "I... I don't know... It sounds like gas escaping? But, huge? Steam? It's really hard to pick out the details right now."

Sebastian's ethereal form materializes over Bach and Cideeda, and he searches out along the distant opposing river bank. "Yeah. THAT doesn't seem like something that should be happening around here."

Aristespha, Dretphi, and Sotalia join the gathering, open up windows, and scan the dark horizon. They spend minutes hunting for information with magical and mechanical optics. The ambient hiss fades below the recovering sounds of nature and emerging town activity. Dretphi lowers a pair of binoculars down, resting them into her nearby bag, and sighs uneasily. "I do not think we can gather information tonight. Contact authorities tomorrow. Start looking for answers."

Blinking her glowing violet eyes back to normal, Aristespha gazes over to the rest of the team and frowns slightly. "I cannot see any traces of magic. At least, no from what I can. Unfortunately, being this far away from the source, that does not indicate anything definite."

Sotalia dismisses a visual spell between her hands, crosses her arms, and pulls at the corner of her mouth unsatisfied. "Well, I certainly don't feel anything magical about this. Still, that doesn't make me happy at all. Something that loud and powerful, I should feel... Something."

Gritting his teeth into an uncomfortable grimace, Sebastian ethereally hisses out his reservations and slowly shakes his head. "Well... Let's all just try to get some more sleep for now. We can't solve it right now, and we'll be useless if we are sleep deprived."

Cideeda slowly slides down the window firmly, rubs her eyes, and pivots back towards her bed. "Yeah... Gods dammit, I was really enjoying that dream, too."

Closing her window, Sotalia massages the side of her temples, wincing briefly, and steps over to the bathroom door. "Ooo... I think I need a glass of water."

Aristespha pauses, closes her eyes hard, and flutters them back open towards Sotalia. "Pour me a glass, too."

Drifting over next to Aristespha, Sebastian narrows an accusatory stare at her and chides her through his expressions. Rolling her violet eyes away, Aristespha grumbles back at Sebastian and playfully waves him off. "Oh, please. Sebastian. You, of all people..."

The team settles back into an uneasy slumber. The locals of Ark calm back down. The domestic lights flip off in homes around the area. A faint haze graces the treetops in the horizon. Expanding slowly out, a misty fog filters through the trees and fields, and gradually spills out along the flowing river surface. The cloud fades, wafting over the water, and disappears in the night haze.

----

Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia maneuver through the clear corridors in a dense field of three meter tall protellow plants. Shielding the late morning sun from her tablet screen, Aristespha studies the map and glances back towards the access road at the mouth of the passage. "We should be coming up to the area that the local police believe last night's disturbance happened."

Sebastian drifts up above the tops of the surrounding protellow plants, searching out into the distance, and aims his voice down. "Yeah. Looks like there's a dip in the plants just ahead, over in the next row."

Eyeing around the area, Sotalia hums in thought, and twists her grimace uncertainly, furrowing her brow. "Still not feeling anything magical. This just doesn't seem like the work of most spells I know of that would be that loud. I should have felt something by now."

Slipping in through the gaps between the thick plant stems and huge, broad leaves, Bach navigates to the next row, surveys the long run, and comments back over his shoulders. "Yeah. I mean, there should be some left overs or even faint flow residue around here."

He blinks his eyes hard, reopens them to a bright blue glow, and scans the vicinity carefully. "And... I'm not seeing anything that would be such around here..."

Deftly flexing her small, agile frame through the closely packed protellows, Cideeda hops out into the row with Bach and cautiously walks ahead, furrowing a suspicious brow. "If it was magic, that would be an easy explanation. But whatever THAT was last night, sounded and felt like an explosion. And, I'd expect a HUGE crater for something like that."

Sebastian zips back overhead of the team and points towards a section of the field, instructing the group forward. "Up ahead! Something weird definitely happened."

Aristespha, Dretphi, and Sotalia find passage through the crop lines into the clear dirt corridor with Bach and Cideeda. The team slowly approaches their destination with Sebastian in the lead. Stopping suddenly, Cideeda's face contorts and her nose twitches. She draws in cautious sniffs of the air, twisting her mouth, and grumbles apprehensively. "Okay... That's a WEIRD smell. I think I should know it..."

She scratches her chin with a claw tip and deliberates to herself. "But... What is it?"

Widening her eyes, Aristespha motions the team to halt, steps ahead, and gestures out an incantation for a complicated spell. With a violet glow in her eyes, she holds her arms out, aims her palms ahead, and releases a faint pulse of magical flow ahead. Pondering inside her mind, she relaxes her posture and eases out a sigh of relief. "Oh. Good. No obvious toxins or hazardous compounds."

Sebastian smiles appreciatively at Aristespha and nods. "Good call, dear."

The team arrives at the sparser spot in the field of protellows. Fanning out into the area, they individually search for clues in their surroundings. Bach stands next to a curved stalk and examines the deformed, wilted leaves barely hanging on. "The hell happened to these protellows?"

Cocking his head to the side puzzling, he calls out to the rest of the group. "Hey. Uh... What would make these things sag so much but still be green? They're not withered or dried out..."

Dretphi grasps another floppy protellow leaf from a nearby plant, feels out the shape and integrity, and tests its strength, the flora easily pulling apart. She works the material into a green mush in her gauntlet, widens her steely gray eyes in sudden recognition, and gazes towards Bach. "Steamed. They were steamed."

Blinking her golden eyes in surprise, Sotalia studies the area around her and lifts an intrigued brow. "THAT would be A LOT of sustained steam to do this thorough of a job. Or... A really powerful blast."

She narrows her stare to the surrounding fairly healthy protellows, crosses her arms, and frowns slightly. "That much heat and water, I would have thought it would affect the other ones nearby more."

Nodding in agreement, Aristespha gazes above at the drooping plants, the slack leaves, and the sagging flowers. She slowly shakes her head contemplatively, biting her lower lip in thought, and tries to step forward. Recovering her briefly lost of balance, she snaps her glance down at her leather boots partially sunk into the ground and tilts her head to the side confused, springing her eyes wide at her discovery. "The soil is absolutely saturated here."

The team drops their attention upon the dirt, searching for more information. Kneeling down, Cideeda sniffs cautiously and widens her emerald green eyes at a revelation. "That smell is coming from the ground."

She continues searching along the ground, sifting the air through her nose, and follows an odor. "It's got a stale metallic scent to it. Humid, of course. Iron? Copper? Both? A lot of clay and earth in it, too."

Sebastian stares down from overhead, squinting towards the center point of the destruction, and motions towards a spot. "Hey! There's a hole right there!"

Quickly responding, the rest of the team gathers close to the nearly ten centimeter wide hole of strangely smooth and discolored mud. Briefly, Cideeda leans close to the port, draws in air through her nose, and backs away, nodding. "Gods. THAT is strong. It's definitely got an iron and copper tinge to it and still hot and humid."

Dretphi pulls out a flashlight, aims the directional spot down the hole, and carefully gazes into the darkness through her full face helm. "Deep. Strangely deep."

Kneeling down next to the opening, she puts her light away, searching her utility pouch, and retrieves her range finder. Cautiously, she positions the device above the hole, presses a button, and studies the display of numbers. Finely aiming the range finder, she ponders the readings to an emerging surprise and glances towards the team. "At least fifteen meters deep."

The group exchange bewildered stares, and contemplate the new information. Furrowing his translucent brow, Sebastian searches his mind and lifts a curious brow towards Bach. "Never heard of them tilling soil that deep around here, or even in High Alton."

Bach nods uneasily, his blue illuminated eyes gazing at the hole. "Yeah. That doesn't make any sense."

Putting away the range tool, Dretphi stands back up and ponders the situation out loud. "This is related to last night. The bore is smooth. Recently made. Has not filled with ground water. Still warm. Steam."

Bach blinks his glowing blue eyes back to the normal, shakes his head, and shrugs his shoulders. "Well, I mean... Nothing magical going on. So... What the hell is causing this?"

Twisting her frown, Aristespha deliberates in her mind and grumbles out a bit of frustration. "I know a few spells for archaeological purposes, but at that depth the most I could detect are that there are cavities underground..."

Rolling her violet eyes away from a glance at the hole, she sighs. "Which is a bit redundant at the moment."

An idea hops to the front of Cideeda's mind, and she eagerly searches the various pockets in her vest. Donning a toothy grin, she gazes up to Bach and opens her hand, revealing a small portable camera. "Want to do that remote controlled camera setup again?"

Bach spots the device in Cideeda's palm and nods quickly with a smile. "Worth trying at least."

Minutes later, Dretphi stands over the gathering and shields out the bright near noon sun off of Cideeda sitting on the ground. Cideeda checks the connections of the receiver unit to her aetherphone and taps out some adjustments to the video feed on her screen. "Looks good here. Ready when you are."

Bach places the magical machinery encasing the camera into a hover upon the ground in front of him. Concentrating with a blue glow in his eyes, he gently moves his fingers and adjusts a series of magical threads wrapping into a flowing thread to the energy construct. "Let's see what we got."

Aristespha, Sebastian, and Sotalia find spots around and above Cideeda and Bach's shoulders, spying on the progress. The hovering camera drifts up to the mouth of the hole, edges to the lip, and floats down inside. Watching the video feed, the group studies the smooth downwards tunnel, a faint glow of magical flow illuminating the mud walls. Seconds of tension pass. The stream shows a gradually widening passage of converging branches delving deeper into the earth. Bach maintains his focus, magical energy flowing out from his hands to the lengthening cord pulsing down into the small tunnel. Cideeda's emerald green eyes remain fixed upon the imagery on her phone, the strange geology beneath unfolding on screen. A minute later, her emerald eyes spring wide open, and she instinctively leans close to her phone in surprise. "Is that a-?! Bach, can you make it shine a light ahead? The glow is too dim to see clearly enough."

Bach thinks, smiles at Cideeda, and nods. "Yeah, give me a moment."

The screen on Cideeda's phone washes out briefly, gradually readjusting the camera's systems. The scene refocuses. Cideeda's jaw drops open, and she blurts out. "Good gods! That's massive steel... and copper pipe... What is that even doing here? And, why the hell is blown completely open?!"

----

Standing around the large table in a side room from the large inn bedroom, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia focus upon an assembled collection of printouts forming a large map of the area. Cideeda confirms with Dretphi and marks a spot across the river in a designed farming plot, carefully drawing out an arrow in both directions with a protractor. "Okay. So. That pipeline seems to run these directions. Now..."

Lifting the protractor away, she stares down at the symbols and furrows her light brown brow. "The fuck does that actually mean for us?"

Dretphi narrows her stare at the map and tosses back her platinum blonde braids, sighing. "Locations are spread out. Erratic. What is the purpose?"

Uncrossing her arms, Sotalia leans over and studies the map, squinting, and idly raps her long, black nails on the table top. "There's got to be SOMETHING going on. All these places have roughly the same signs. Steam erupting from the ground and no magic involved. But, now it might be some kind of pipe network? I guess?"

Sebastian's ghostly visage hums with an ethereal reverb, and he narrows his stare upon the spread out points of data, pondering out loud. "Yeah... That would make some sense. But, even that's just an assumption. A good one, given what we've found out. But, still..."

He drifts over above the tabletop, thoughts following the map. "It'd take some effort to really confirm it, and we still need to get some more data."

Twisting her grimace, Cideeda straightens her posture and runs her finger claw tips through her short, multi-colored hair with a sigh. "If we could just find another intact enough pipeline to check, that would definitely confirm suspicions. Maybe we'd figure out an intersection between the directions of the runs. But..."

She rolls her emerald green eyes, drooping her furry ears, and grumbles loudly. "That's assuming that a supposed pipeline doesn't suddenly change directions underground. We'd honestly need at least three or more vectors around town to get a decent triangulation... IF they are all running to some central place."

Working through a mix of commiseration and frustration, Bach slowly shakes his head and grits his teeth briefly. "Gods dammit, it just seems like tons of ways to possibly waste our time."

Sebastian groans out, slowly nodding, and contorts the contemplation upon his face. "I know, bro. The reports we got from Captain Hackle, that he got from the local police, never mentioned underground pipes. Or, centimeters wide, deep holes. This could be an unrelated fluke, and some side effect triggered."

Cideeda's long fluffy tail wags sharply, and she sneers her upper lip and sighs. "Even if we rented a backhoe and spent days digging, I doubt the town would appreciate fifteen meter deep holes everywhere."

A frown grows on Dretphi, and she gradually slumps her shoulders, an unfortunate realization forming in her mind. "If they are the correct places to dig."

The group's attention settles upon Dretphi. Grimacing, she sighs with a frown. "Geology could lead steam away from the source. We dig down. May not find the source. Waste days trying."

Aristespha sadly nods, places her tablet down on the table, and rests her hands on her hips. "Very true. Even with a focused version of the archaeological ground detection spells I know, if the disruptions underground are not significant enough... It will be very difficult to differentiate, if at all. Those spells are designed for sharp contrasts in materials."

Defeat slowly fills the air in the room. The team idly stares at the pieced together map on the tabletop. Unsatisfied grimaces and frowns seep out onto everyone, the pressure from looming frustration weighing down. Blowing the white streak in his hair out of his face, Bach stands back up straight, scratches the side of his head with a sneer, and sharply shrugs his shoulders. "You know, for the hell of it, put down that spot that Brennon says he saw that evuukian guy."

Aristespha perks her eyebrow, intrigue overtaking her ivory face. She thinks a moment and nods with hopeful curiosity. "Yes. Let us do that. I have my own suspicions that whoever may be a Terra Priest... And may be involved... Somehow..."

Searching the map briefly, Cideeda finds a spot within an area designated as Cumber Wood and neatly circles a rough area on a marked access road. The team analyzes the relations between the existing points and the newest addition. With each second, interest grows within everyone, sparks of intuition driving greater focus upon the map. Flicking her furry ears in thought, Cideeda reaches out for a ruler and pencil, aligns the straight edge along the new and an old data point, and gauges reactions from everyone. With growing encouragement and interest from the rest of the group, she draws lines between the Cumber Wood location and all the other disturbance sites. Minutes later, she finishes the last line and steps back from the drawing. Her eyes widen with recognition, and she cocks her head to the side.. "Okay. We might be assuming A LOT here... But... I really can't shake this feeling that there's something to THIS."

Twisting her mouth apprehensively, Sotalia crosses her arms and sorts through her doubts out loud. "So... I want to believe this is something... But, the distances are all different from that point."

From above the tabletop, Sebastian stares straight down at the map and smirks. "Yeah. That's true. BUT, the angles between the lines are REALLY even and consistent."

Dretphi reaches out, slides over the protractor, and measures the angles, nodding. "Indeed. Minor variations. Correctable. The intersection still would be near this central point."

Swiftly sweeping up her tablet, Aristespha holds it above the drawings on map and taps a few on screen buttons, capturing the image. She cracks an eager smile, tapping through a few application functions. "I will see about charting a few of those possibilities. And, I do suggest we talk to Brennon again for a bit more information about that area."

----

Late morning sun slips through the overhead canopy of leafy trees and lights up scattered spots of tall grasses along the forest floor. A gentle wind sways old branches and fills the air with a soft background drone into the serene soundscape. Wooden snaps and dry, light crackles grow rhythmically louder. Dretphi's camouflage pattern covered, armored arm pushes through the full branches of a tall shrub, opening a route into a thinning section of the undergrowth. Cideeda quietly slinks out and steps softly into the area, cautiously pivoting her head around. A quick visual scan later, she closes her eyes and focuses her attention. Perking her furry ears, she searches the subtle sounds surrounding her. Reopening her emerald green eyes, she glances back at Dretphi and the rest of the team in hiding and shrugs her shoulders. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Sebastian's ghostly visage flies into the vicinity, hovering high above, and surveys the nearby forest. "Dammit. I was hoping there would be something obvious. Guess we'll have to search the hard way for something of interest."

Bach snorts, shaking his head, and steps out into the space between a number of tall trees, glancing up to Sebastian. "I don't know, man. That mock up of a fort was pretty cool. Might need to check that out further."

Rolling his translucent blue eyes amused, Sebastian drifts down next to Bach, smirking. "Yeah. Trying to figure out if that was for combat sims or the cheap roleplaying events."

Cideeda perks a humored eyebrow and cracks a greedy smile. "Whichever group is paying the rental fees that day."

Sotalia arrives from behind the perimeter of the underbrush, and Aristespha follows behind, studying her tablet. Glancing over to the discussion, Sotalia smiles and chuckles to herself. "Gods, that all sounds so goofy. But... I can't help but to think it might be pretty fun."

Bach lifts a curious brow at Sotalia and tilts his head to the side. "The combat sims, or roleplaying?"

With a sly grin to Bach, Sotalia winks with an amused tone. "Maybe both. Depends on the mood that day."

Blinking off his confusion, Bach gradually, awkwardly shifts his attention to the surrounding area and ponders out loud. "So... This is the spot that Brennon mentioned?"

Aristespha lowers her tablet down, presents the display between the group, and confirms. "From his directions and descriptions of landmarks. We are also near the intersection between all the different vectors we determined. So..."

She twists her grimace, sighing, and gazes at the rest of the team. "Hopefully, this will help our odds in finding something further to go on. Otherwise, I really do not know what more to do."

Sebastian nods slowly, hovering up into the air, and directs the group outwards. "Well, let's spread out a bit and start looking for something out of the ordinary."

Fanning out into the region, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia start their individual investigations. The morning sun rises close to high noon. The clouds drift overhead, casting a fluffy shade over the region. And, the team continues their hunt for clues, time passing by. Mixtures of frustration emerge, and disappointment materializes upon the team, fruitless searches growing gradually more aimless by the minute.

Sebastian lands back onto the ground and calls out to the team, motioning all to gather. "Okay everybody! Anyone got anything to report?"

The group convenes in a rough circle, sorting through their unamused expressions. Dretphi crosses her arms, glances around the area, and sighs. "Nothing out of place. Forest seems typical for the region. No tracks. No signs of campsites. Nothing unusual."

Cideeda taps her foot onto the forest floor, shifts her weight around between fidgets, and shrugs her shoulders. "Same for me. I'm not smelling anything weird. It all looks fine. Sounds like it should for a forest."

Flexing her clawed fingers, she grumbles with a glance off to the side. "Certainly haven't found anything man-made. Gods, not even an old fucking beer bottle even."

Sotalia slowly shakes her head, tossing back a stray fiery orange, wavy lock over her swept back horn, and contorts the rising dissatisfaction upon her face. "I'm STILL feeling NOTHING magical. Well... Apart from the normal, barely perceivable background flows. So..."

Slightly slumping her shoulder, she faintly pouts. "No help from me... Unfortunately."

With a similar sentiment, Aristespha sorts through some menus on her tablet and glances over towards the team, frowning. "My impressions exactly. Unfortunately..."

She gazes hopefully to Bach and inquires. "Have you found anything?"

Bach shrugs his shoulders, gritting his teeth briefly, and exhales with a hint of a groan. "No. Dammit. I mean, I've been trying, but NOTHING obvious is showing up. If it wasn't for Brennon saying he saw that guy here and the description of the guy he gave..."

He motions out to the scenic wilderness, searching for the contrary. "I probably would have just kept walking along and never paid any attention to this place myself. It looks like what it should, out here."

With a disappointed curl to his frown, Sebastian arrives at a reluctant acceptance, rubbing the back of his head, and ethereally sighs out tinges of defeat. "Yeah, bro. I'm the same as you there. Looking overhead, this place doesn't stick out at all. If it wasn't for all of you wandering around down here, I probably would have drifted off course and dropped in somewhere else without knowing I did."

Working through a grimace on his face, he hums ethereally and musters up his determination. "Well. This is the best spot we got to check out at the moment. Any ideas?"

Aristespha straightens his posture in thought, pans her gaze around the area, and uncomfortably cringes. "I have the few spells that might help. Unfortunately, to get any useful information, I have to narrow the focus down significantly. Which means, it will take some time to methodically survey the area."

Tugging at the corner of her mouth, Cideeda nods reluctantly and perks her furry ears. "Still worth a shot, in my opinion. We can section off the area. Maybe get lucky finding the right-"

A muffled chain of solid impacts faintly shakes ground below. A strange undercurrent of noises resonate from an ambiguous source. The powerful vibrations rattle up the nearby trees into a shuddering chorus among the leaves. Cideeda's emerald green eyes widen, and she slowly pivots herself, facing the direction her furry ears home in on. Narrowing her stare at a location, she points a claw tipped finger towards an area, struggling for the correct term. "I heard an... Echo? Reverb? Something hollow?"

Stepping next to Cideeda, Aristespha gestures out an incantation. She targets the spot indicated by Cideeda and releases her spell in a faint wave towards that direction. A moment later, she blinks her violet eyes in surprise and calls out to the team. "There is a LARGE cavity in the ground there... Contained inside a solid structure."

Dretphi carefully approaches, studies the dirt and debris of the forest floor, and glances over to Sotalia. "Could you clear off the loose material?"

Grinning eagerly, Sotalia steps up, readying a spell, and positions herself with her arms aimed down. "Why of course!"

She unleashes a projected vortex of wind down upon the ground, blasting clear centimeters of loosely packed dirt, leaves, twigs, and other fodder in a methodical sweep. Seconds later, the torrent of air uncovers a slight, straight indentation in hard dirt beneath patches of loose grassy soil. Concentrating the stream, Sotalia clears out the long straight section, further revealing a deep crack in the earth leading to a straight mechanical join between to concrete surfaces. Sebastian swiftly flies over the spot, nods to the team, and phases down. Seconds later, he emerges with a hopeful grin on his face and points down. "It's a thick cover to a ramp that leads down into... Well, something BIG!"

The team collaborates on the task. Dretphi and Sotalia finish clearing the outline of the huge earth layered hatch. Aristespha documents and searches for information. Sebastian repeatedly dips down through deep ground and relays updates to Cideeda and Bach. Pondering through the problem in her mind, Cideeda coaches Bach through weaving threads of magical flow down through the crevice leading into the gap of the massive door. With a final draw of a thoughtful breath, Cideeda nods and smiles towards Bach. "Okay. If it's still working and we've tapped into the right wiring, we should be able to trigger the opening sequence. Hit it!"

Focusing upon a remote task, Bach narrows his glowing blue eyes, grimacing, and winces hopefully. "Okay... Now!"

A mechanical groan sounds out, and old machinery hums back to life. An over three meter wide, five meter long hatch gradually rises upwards. Old hydraulic pumps pressurize powerful rams and lift the thick concrete slab beneath multiple layers of crumbling earth and rock. Cautiously backing away from the rising entrance, the team stares apprehensively down a long, sunken ramp into a dark corridor, faint light flickering at the distant end.

-77-

A distant, ambient drone faintly fills the air. Aged lighting flickers at the end of the long ramp downwards. Cideeda, Dretphi, Aristespha, Sotalia, and Bach cautiously walk down the wide and tall corridor upon an old, coated concrete floor. Sebastian's ghostly form hovers in front of the team, watching carefully ahead. Magical lamps and flashlights search the space, the team studying the surrounding architecture under the illumination. Bach narrows his stare at the wall paneling and recognition fills his face. "Does any of this look familiar to anyone else?"

Pausing, Aristespha glances at a few spots and scrutinizes details with a slight nod. "Yes. Somewhat. This construction is common to many early third period government structures. Similar to the research outpost."

An uncomfortable curl twists the corner of Bach's grimace, and he grumbles audibly to the rest of the team. "Gods, let there NOT be a kill crazed security bot here."

Sotalia flashes a confident grin, resting her hands on her hips, and laughs boldly. "Oh, I think we all know how to deal with something like that."

The passage levels out, and Sebastian coasts ahead of the team, noticing the back-lit silhouette of small structures within the tunnel ahead. "So... What is all of this?"

Under Sebastian's signal, lighting from flashlight and lamps aim ahead and illuminate a small guard kiosk off to the side, the crossing guard arm across the concrete roadway, and a sign. Interest shifts over to the large lettering on the painted metal sheet. Despite the decayed vinyl and rust obfuscating the outer wording, the center plainly states the most important piece of information. Everyone focuses upon the title between the pair of symbols, three black circular slices around a center circle upon a yellow background.

"Nuclear Waste Transmutation"

The team stares blankly at the letters and symbols, briefly dumbfounded. Sparks of terror ignite the frightful faces upon Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia. Aristespha quickly gestures through a frantic incantation. Cideeda expediently searches through her vest pockets, retrieving a device. Both Aristespha and Cideeda turn their full attention ahead, pointing spell and gadget forward, and the rest of the group remains in aghast silence.

Cideeda's emerald green eyes study the display on the detector, and her furry ears listen to the consistent, modest combination of beeps and clicks. With her palms aimed outwards, Aristespha's glowing violet eyes scan the vicinity ahead. Tense seconds later, Cideeda glances over Aristespha with tentative relief. "I'm not picking up anything seriously out of place. Maybe slightly above normal?"

Blinking her violet eyes back to normal, Aristespha releases a long breath along with her nerves and nods thankfully. "Yes. The same as I detected. There are traces of elevated levels but nothing that should be immediately harmful. Though..."

She wanders her stare between warning signs beyond the guard post, rising out of the shadows. "I would NOT recommend an extended stay in this place."

A wave relief passes over the rest of the squad, and Aristespha releases her spell. Tweaking the threshold knob of the detector, Cideeda clips it onto her vest. Sebastian hovers ahead of the group, directing them ahead. "Well, let's see what we got going on here... AND, make it quick as possible."

Resuming formation, the team slips around the guard gate and ventures towards the end of the concrete and metal panel tunnel. Echoes from a large open area funnel down from the brighter mouth of the passage, and the team searches the area curiously. Sebastian halts at the exit of the tunnel, hovering in place, and gawks with his jaw open. "Holy. Shit. Really?"

Signaling the rest of the team to join him, he continues to stare ahead in a mix of surprise and wonder. Aristespha, Cideeda, Bach, Sotalia, and Dretphi arrive around him and search out. They all stare out in utter astonishment at the overhead dome of concrete and rock ceiling meters above a huge steel framed and transparent paneled geodesic structure upon a vast concrete bowl. From the surrounding, encircling outmost platform, a ramp leads down through the open outer passage towards a central smaller concrete and metal encased semi-spherical building. Stepping forward slowly, Cideeda squints her eyes and points a claw tip to massive structures of steel, copper, and other materials. She traces the routes of the hardware, guiding the team's attention. She shows the connections from the central structure to the outer framework perimeter and the joining networks of pipelines stretching out into the walls at evenly distributed angles. "Those HAVE to be heat exchangers... And THOSE are the pipes! One of these must have run to that field."

Noticing a light haze on her full face visor, Dretphi carefully rubs a finger of her gauntlet-covered hand across the bottom of the outer surface and studies the condensed moisture. "It is WARM down here."

Discomfort arises within everyone else, and awareness prompts reactions to the unexpected temperature. Sotalia glances around the area with her golden eyes, inspects the gradual curling of her fiery orange, wavy hair, and blinks thoughtfully. "Yeah, it feels like I'm around a heated indoor pool or inside a sauna warming up."

Bach opens his eyes wide, glances over the group, and settles his inquiry to Cideeda. "Oh... Shit... Is this place running right now?!"

Cideeda blinks, tinges of worry creeping upon her light brown face. Her furry ears flick around and search the soundscape. Seconds of scanning the mix of sounds later, she grits her teeth and gazes back toward the team, unease building. "Something is running. I don't know what. But, I'm hearing too much happening right now for it not."

With a stern, urgent tone, Dretphi draws in breath and suggests. "We should find the controls."

Sotalia points over to a nearby rectangular building close to the entrance. "Well, THAT one looks the part."

Nodding in agreement, Sebastian flies ahead, leading the team ahead. "Lots of cabling going to it, furthest from the action, AND right next to the exit. Sounds like where anyone trying to run this thing should be. Let's go!"

----

Spots from flashlights zip between shattered screens and shredded wiring. From the ceiling, ambient magical glows from blue orbs, casting light down upon the ruined equipment. Fanning out into the wrecked command center, the team surveys the wholesale destruction done upon rows of electrical and computer systems. Sebastian hovers towards the middle of the area, coasting close to the ceiling, and scans the vicinity with a confused stare. "Okay... So... Any ideas of... What the actual fuck happened here?"

Cideeda approaches a torn open console and carefully lifts up the keyboard module dangling by ripped ribbon cables, slowly shaking her head. "I don't know. Someone caused this damage. This all looks like just control equipment, so there shouldn't be anything in these systems that would make them blow apart like... THIS."

Sniffing the air, she ponders out loud with an investigative grimace. "And... It doesn't smell right. Electrical equipment and electronics burning up on their own usually stinks up a room with very distinct odors. You can tell what gave out just by the smell sometimes."

Dretphi swings her gaze around, stepping next to a computer rack, and spots a puncture through a front bezel. She scrutinizes it closely, reaches for the knife from her back holster, and pulls it out, moving it towards the hole. Holding the tip of the blade close to the gap, she pantomimes a few maneuvers, studying the possible motions, and settles upon a likely candidate. Replacing her knife back, she glances over to the rest of the team and ponders out loud. "Purposeful attack. Took significant effort to perform. A specific goal in mind? Attacker knew how the system functioned?"

Sotalia closes her golden eyes, relaxes her shoulders, and holds her arms out slightly from her sides. Moments later, she twists her mouth into a grimace, crosses her arms, and opens her eyes full of suspicion. "Yeah. Someone threw some serious magic around in here. I can feel A LOT of leftover energies."

Aristespha blinks her eyes to a violet glow, and Bach's eyes flick to a blue illumination. The two stare at scorched impact points littered long rows of computing systems, analyzing the evidence of destruction. Bach grits his teeth and grumbles uneasily, nodding. "Someone REALLY wanted this place to be completely, utterly fucking wrecked. I mean, they just went down the row and blasted each station along the way."

Curling his upper lip into an uncomfortable sneer, Sebastian coasts down towards the floor and stares around the scene, bewilderment obvious on his translucent face. "No shit, bro. Damn. This is beyond just tossing something in and running off. Someone really took their time to do all this."

Slowly walking through the aisle between equipment rows, Aristespha spots a broken flat panel monitor on the far wall. She cautiously approaches the shattered display and narrows an accusatory gaze upon a single, embedded arrow. She studies it closely. Gripping the shaft tightly, she firmly rips it clear out of the screen and examines the construction. Mumbling a few evuukian swears to herself, she turns around and holds up the arrow in view for the rest of the team. "It seems like Brennon's hunch was right. This is handmade, evuukian design..."

She twists an angered frown on her ivory face. "And, definitely something a Terra Priest would use."

Flying over, Sebastian's ghostly visage eyes the projectile closely, lifting an incredulous brow. "Really, dear? It's the only one here. Uh, did whoever shoot this... Just do it to leave their mark behind? "

Aristespha furrows her brow, sighs out hints of annoyance, and nods with a groan. "Yes, Sebastian. Knowing the egos on some of them, I am very sure that is the case. Because, he, obviously, had other means of destruction available to him."

Resting her hands on her sides, Sotalia idly picks at her belt of pouches and sways her hips with an irritated curl to her lips. "Okay. SO. What the hell was the goal here? Are you trying to use this place for something? Or just wrecking it? Which is it? Pick. One."

Cideeda's furry ears flick and perk towards a faint noise in the corner of the room. She snaps her gaze towards the source, swiftly scales over the piles of debris, and digs into a clutter of knocked over computing systems. Carefully, she extracts from the chaotic nest of cabling a partially functional monitor and inspects the device. "Hey! This screen is still working and actually attached to something that is working, too. The sound barely works, but-"

Her emerald green eyes lock on to the status graphics on the shaky screen, the erratic pattern of blinking red littering key measurements. The team assembles around her, and an unsettling, tense silence presses down on them, unspoken dread rising within each. Squinting his stare at the screen, Bach slowly shakes his head, understanding spiking into fumbling fear. "None... Of that... seems- is- um... good..."

Cideeda's eyes widen with the surge of horror, and she struggles drawing in breath without shuddering. "No... Everything..."

She shallows hard and yanks in a gasp. "EVERYTHING. IS. OVERLOADED."

----

The team travels fast down the access path leading through the outer geodesic containment structure and towards the vault door on the central concrete, metal encased dome. Cideeda slightly leads the group with her radiation detector in her hand. Hovering next to Cideeda, Sebastian stares ahead at the massive doorway ahead, questioning. "So, what are we looking for?"

Cideeda checks the readings on her detector, gazes ahead, and eases out a hesitant, hopeful sigh. "Well. The control room is trashed, nothing we can do from there. BUT, this place is still running."

She squints ahead and scans the dome around the heavy massive vault door. "So, the core systems must be still intact, but there's nothing coming from the control room to tell them to stop. If this place was built to any safety code, there's GOT to be emergency overrides somewhere."

Slowing to halt, the group arrives at the entry into the solid, huge containment structure. Old, worn heavy machinery surrounds the reinforced gateway frame, the massive mechanisms attached to the thick door exuding an imposing presence. Sebastian hovers up close to the haphazardly closed vault hatch, narrowing his stare upon blast marks and scorched sections, and glances back to Cideeda uncertainly. "Huh. This doesn't look like it's in the greatest shape."

Stepping forward, Bach points towards signs of surface melting and soot marks scattered across the dome walls and machinery. "Yeah. Someone tried to blast this thing open... Or just blasted it?"

Sotalia narrows her stare, wiping a bit of sweat off her forehead, and nods in agreement. "You mean TRIED. Gods damn it. Whoever tried the same spells they did in the control room on this. At least they didn't manage to do much."

Surveying the nearby structure, Dretphi rolls her shoulders uncomfortably in her red plated armor suit and focuses her attention towards the heat warping of light above the thick, reinforced door, motioning at it with a gauntlet. "The door is not sealed. Heat is escaping above."

The team draws close to study the entrance further. Alarms ring out, and rotating warning lamps spin up. Instinctively retreating, the team backs away, low mechanical groans sounding out. Loud, powerful straining resonates throughout the structure, vibrating into the ground. Rushes of hydraulic fluid churn in the aged pumps. Gigantic rams rattle free layers of old dust and rust. Machinery clangs out into a cacophony of metallic echoes. The huge, thick door shudders briefly and flexes millimeters closer to flush with the frame, groaning defiantly. Covering her furry ears briefly, Cideeda searches the audible chaos, filtering for a particular sound. She spots a large steel chunk bending under the crushing forces of hydraulic rams and supporting metal framework. Searching around, she spots a strange collection of blast marks surrounding a missing section of plating on the dome above. A minute later, the system halts and gives up its attempts to seal the vault door completely, settling back down.

Waving for the team's attention, Cideeda points out the huge metal blockage and calls out. "THERE! It's been jammed. We'll need to clear it out."

Bach twists his mouth and glances apprehensively down towards Cideeda. "Should we? I mean, that might be the only thing keeping this door from sealing completely."

Cideeda walks up close to the heavy machinery, slowly nodding, and waves a claw tip between key issues. "If we want to get in there, we'll have to clear it. That chunk is completely locking the thing up. I just hope nothing else got too bent up from trying to close up with it in there."

Studying the material, Aristespha ponders a moment and readies to gesture out a spell. "That seems to be lead with thin steel layers encasing it... I think I have a spell that can cut that."

Sebastian hovers over the team, thinks a moment, gazing upon them, and instructs. "Okay! Let's make this quick. Aristespha will cut that chunk up. Sotalia, you get the pieces out of the way. Bach, Cideeda, and Dretphi. See if you can coax that door open enough. I'm going to peek inside and make sure nothing immediately terrible is inside."

With shared acknowledging nods, the team scatters to the tasks. Over the minutes, Aristespha releases concentrated beams of magical energy and surgically whittles down the massive lead chunk into manageable pieces. Sotalia guides transparent flows of magical energy, hoisting up the heavy fodder clear, and piles up the metal clumps. Cideeda coaches Bach's magical manipulation of the door systems, and coordinates Dretphi's application of muscle and leverage with a scrap metal pipe pry bar. Sebastian's ethereal form phases outside from within through the thick door. With a brief shudder, he recovers his senses. "Whoa... That's at least a meter or two thick..."

Observing the team's progress, he announces. "It looks like everything is still intact inside."

He wrestles down an uneasy frown. "At least... I didn't see anything sparking, on fire, or leaking."

Cideeda acknowledges the information and glances to Bach and Dretphi, calling out. "Okay! Get ready. On three! One. Two. THREE!"

Bach's eyes flash blue, pulses of prismatic flow traveling down to massive valves and reinforced electrical lines. Stubborn flows of hydraulics fight against uncooperative rams, and Dretphi forces her full might against a flexing steel pipe, wrenching the support arm of the thick, solid door away from the gateway frame. In the tense moments, Sotalia's magical energies assist Dretphi's efforts upon the heavy door. Groaning loudly, the central concrete dome's massive hatch gradually parts open a few centimeters and grinds against a hard stop. Seconds of futile effort later, Cideeda signals everyone to stop, hops down, and approaches the doorway cautiously, with radiation detector in hand. Studying the size of the gap and checking the readings, Cideeda stretches her body. "Okay. So. I think I can fit through there."

Sebastian's ghostly visage lands on his feet next to Cideeda, and he gazes at her with a concerned grimace. "You sure about that? We really should try to get that door open a bit more and secure it, first."

Drawing in a long breath, Cideeda slowly shakes her head, examines the gap closer with a frown, and sighs. "It can't open any wider right now. And, fixing it is going to take time away from figuring out if we can even shut this thing down safely. I need to get in there and find out."

Grumbling slightly, Sebastian agrees, gritting his teeth. "Damn... You're right. Okay..."

He pantomimes out the layout inside to Cideeda. "Just to your left inside, it looks like a control console and a bunch of monitoring valves, I guess.I would stay away from the right side, as it just looks like a bunch of really hot pipes. Then, there's the central chamber with what looks like the reactor in a deep pool of water. It is closed off, but there's some thick windows looking inside that space."

Drawing in a nervous ethereal breath, he gazes into Cideeda's emerald green eyes, fighting off the concern on his face, and grants an encouraging grin. "Listen. Just get in there. Figure out if it can be shut down safely. If not, try to make it manageable. We'll get ready to cut and run, and seal everything we can on the way out."

With a confident smirk, Cideeda nods and exhales deeply. Flexing her small, lean frame, she slips into the narrow gap between door and door frame. She wiggle between the layers of steel and concrete and deftly slides upon her suit's slick enchanted plating against the tight quarters, squeezing past the narrowest part. Slowly drawing in a breath, she reorientates herself on the other side of the vault door and glances over to the control console on her left. She swiftly steps over and studies the system in front of her. Wiping away the dust from the screen, she brushes off the keyboard. Seconds of analysis later, she types through a series of menus on the simple terminal interface. Sebastian phases through the doorway, shuddering from the transition, and flies over next Cideeda, carefully inquiring. "So... What's the story?"

Cideeda's emerald eyes sort through the information prompts on the screen, her claws clicking upon the keys. She narrows her stare, furrowing her brow in thought, and grumbles to herself. "I don't know yet. This is definitely some kind of backup or emergency console."

Rolling her eyes, she sighs. "Thankfully, no password."

She frowns, frustration and sweat forming upon her light brown face. "I'm trying to figure out what a graceful shutdown could even be at this point. GODS. Someone really did a number on this thing."

Digging deeper into the different menus and systems outlined by the console, a nervous wave radiates up her, and she tenses her body, concentrating against pressure. Sebastian observes the quiet changes and asks gently. "Everything okay?"

Gritting her sharp teeth briefly, she sighs out long and slowly shakes her head. "Not really. I'm no expert in nuclear systems. But... There SHOULD be a way to handle THIS..."

Dretphi's voice calls out through the door gap. "Do you need assistance?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Cideeda aims her voice back. "No! Just keep out there! And, make sure that door stays open. Not sure how to shut this thing down, yet."

She bites her lower lip and sniffs in a tense breath. "BUT, once I do... We should leave this mess as soon as possible."

Dretphi confirms and moves away from the frame. "Understood."

Outside the concrete dome, Dretphi picks up the scrap steel pipe in her hands and steps over to the heavy duty hinges of the thick, concrete and steel laminated door. Studying the structure and mechanics of the hardware, she slides the pipe firmly, wedging it between functional clearances, and gazes over to Aristespha, Bach, and Sotalia. "Need more to secure it properly."

Aristespha taps Sotalia's shoulder, points over to the pile of steel plated lead chunks, and motions over towards the door corner. "Let's hover this over to the door and see about an impromptu doorstop."

Sotalia nods and glances over to Bach, lifting a curious eyebrow. "You got it under control over there?"

Bach sorts through the collection of stabilized magical energy cables in his hands, blinks over to Sotalia, and rocks his head side to side. "I think so? I mean, I got the valves set and locked that we know of. But..."

He frowns with a hint of aggravation, eyeing the hydraulic door systems. "Good gods... This damned thing is engineered with a bunch of redundant and backup systems that are... Well... Really hard to figure out."

Another set of alarms blares out in the area. Spinning warning lights flash to life around the doorway. Bach's eyes widen and surge with bright blue light. He snaps his full focus upon the door control systems, and the magical lines flash with powerful prismatic pulses. Loud, powerful thunks sound out, torrents of fluid stirring violently inside the piping. Grimacing sharply, Bach strains his concentration and surges out new flows down the bundles of magical lines. "SHIT! The valve servos are fighting back! Trying to interrupt the power-"

Sparks erupt into a downpour from powerful electrical controls, and motors strain against opposing forces. The door shudders forward. Dretphi grabs hold of the steel pipe and wrestles the leverage back, jamming machinery. Sotalia quickly gestures out an incantation, flows her energies to a large chunk of steel and lead, and guides the mass up into the air and over to the door gap. With explosive arcing and a powerful mechanical thud, the system violently frees itself from Bach's overrides. The full power of the hydraulic ram forces the door mechanisms against the makeshift pry bar in Dretphi's hands. In a surge of overwhelming power, the steel pipe flings Dretphi away, launching the makeshift tool out into the distance. In a ditch attempt, Sotalia propels the steel and lead chunk into the closing doorway. The heavy duty door and door frame pinch upon the metal scrap. Moments of strain later, the compressing pressures pop the chuck back out and propel it meters away, free from Sotalia's telekinetic control.

The door quickly closes and sinks into the frame. Loud machinery engages. The locks secure the door completely.

----

Maintaining a constant watch of the console display, Cideeda monitors the system outputs. She blinks hard, releases a long, stressed breath, and wipes the sweat collecting off her light brown face. Hovering next to Cideeda with a reassuring smile, Sebastian motions over towards the door. "Hey. Don't worry. They will figure out how to get the door back open."

With a reserved, hopeful smirk, Cideeda nods to Sebastian, gazing back towards the screen, and taps out commands upon the keyboard. "I know. I've been listening to the radio..."

Tapping on button her vest, the speaker of her radio crackles to life with the mode switch. Bach's voice sounds out over the heavy static. "Gods dammit! What the fuck is wrong with this thing?! This system is overpowering anything I try... Ah, shit... what the fuck to do... Dretphi! Check to see if there's a cut off or something for this thing."

Dretphi crackles out over the radio. "Understood. Saw valves over there. Will investigate."

Sotalia's irritation seeps through the audio, and she growls out her frustration. "This is just layers of steel, concrete, and lead! There's got to be some locking bar or something holding it in place... FUCK! I can't pull this door back."

Hints of desperation trickle through Aristespha's vocal facade. "I know. If we can find the locking deadbolts, I may be able to cut them, and then you should be able to pull the door back."

Frowning with a brief grimace, Cideeda taps the button, switching her radio back into the previous mode, and sighs nervously. "They're... They're not having the best of... Luck."

Sebastian summons up a hopeful demeanor against the gravity with an encouraging tone. "It'll be okay. You focus on getting this thing to shut down properly. Then, you'll help them figure it out. I know you will figure out the best solution."

Cideeda's claw tips clack on the console keyboard, and she flips through the same series of information screens. With each transition, her frown deepens, her breaths shudder more, and her ears droop further under the grim weight. Sebastian gazes at Cideeda and drifts in front of her, concern blatant. "What's wrong?"

With her furry ears nearly upon her shoulders, Cideeda drops her head forward and sadly states. "I know a way to shut it down..."

The spark of joy within Sebastian disappears under a wave of dread upon his translucent face. "But... It's... Not good."

Cideeda draws a long, deep breath, wipes more sweat off her face, and sorts through the explanation, fear swelling up. "I don't understand, completely, how this system works... BUT. I think it was supposed to use a fusion reactor to transmute nuclear waste into more stable isotopes. From what I can gather, I know it's well past its limits."

Tightening her grip on the sides of the console, she tenses her body. "Whoever... They purposefully overloaded the processing chamber with too much nuclear waste and set the output of the fusion reactor way too high. Now, you have too much heat from the fusion reactor AND have nuclear waste undergoing fission, adding more heat."

She lifts her head up, hints of tears blending with the beads of sweat near her eyes, and stiffens her frown. "Meanwhile, the cooling system, that was already in disrepair, isn't capable of handling the thermal load anymore, ESPECIALLY after every heat exchanger pipeline burst. And..."

Gazing out through the observation window into the reactor chamber, she swallows hard. "With the heat build up, the containment pool water level has dropped from boiling off. In fact, the only thing that's keeping this area from getting bombarded by radiation is the protective containment force fields... powered by the fusion reactor."

With a trembling voice and terror filling her emerald eyes, Cideeda stares out through an observation window, past the sparkling energy barrier, and into the glowing pale blue cooling pool, the water level far below aged markings. "Without the advanced computer control, this system has been running off of basic backup systems..."

Tilting her head of short hair back, the mix of brown, white, tan, orange, and black locks darkening under the sweat, she draws in a deep and slow breath. "It has been stuck in a feedback loop of doom. Fusion reactor powers the field. Field stops the radiation from escaping into here. Radiation is caused by fission products from the fusion reactor processing the waste... AND NOW, the leakage from the water pool being too low."

She fights down a grimace. "The only thing I can stop is the fusion reactor, which will hopefully stop the cycle and drop the heat output to something manageable. But, once it stops... The protective field will decay in minutes. This containment dome will keep radiation from going outside... But here..."

Horror washes away the encouragement upon Sebastian's face, and he desperately searches through possible options in his mind. "Okay... Okay... Okay... SO. We're not out of options. Okay. How long before the force field breaks down after shutdown?"

Glancing inside her mind, she processes the calculations and weakly answers. "Maybe ten to fifteen minutes? That's being really... Hopeful."

Visibly stressing at the situation, Sebastian summons up his composure, forcing up a hopeful grin, and ponders out loud. "Okay. That can work. Once they figure out how to open the door, you trigger the shutdown and you get out. Then, we close that door and get moving. We'll try to get the other containment dome door closed, if we have time."

Grabbing hold of the console sides firmly, Cideeda pulls a pained breath in, stares at the status monitors on screen and gauges off to the side. "Time is the problem."

Sebastian follows Cideeda's gaze and squints grimly at the gauges, the needle indicators well into red regions. "Oh. Gods... I was really hoping those were broken and the needles were resting on those pins."

Cideeda frowns, closes her eyes tightly, and shakes her head slowly. "No... They're pushing against the stops."

Staring at the strained indicators, Sebastian searches Cideeda's face for an explanation. "What does that mean?"

A grim chuckle slips out from Cideeda, and she snorts softly. "Just that the containment pool water boiled off into superheated steam and the entire reactor chamber is under pressures it was never designed to handle. And, it could blow at any time."

Drifting away towards the door, Sebastian puts forth a reassuring front with a bold smile. "Hey! We still have a good option! Since you know how to shut it down, we can focus on getting the door open. Then, we can shut it down, seal it, and run. Let me get everyone focused. And, with your help, I'm sure we'll get this thing open."

Cideeda weakly nods. She slowly draws in calming breaths, wipes the sweat off her face, and combs away stray multi-colored hairs with her clawed fingers. Closing her eyes in thought, she struggles with focusing herself and mutters a few fvalian prayers under her breaths. Her furry ears twitch to a new noise. She steps back from the console and sweeps her head around, both ears locking onto the source of the sound. Through the ambient drone, crisp noises tickle Cideeda's furry ears. She gawks blankly, spotting crumbles of concrete fall from gradually expanding cracks around pipework entering the reactor chamber. Hairline fractures form from widening divides leading to other reinforced equipment. Narrowing her silent stare, she watches the slight bends flex in the longer runs of steel tubing and the strange, minute twisting at joins and connectors. The waves of heat billowing out from the heat exchange machinery fume up, flowing along the tall, vast domed ceiling.

Another noise yanks Cideeda's attention over. Focusing her frightened gaze through the observation window and sparkling force field, she surveys the surface of the glowing pale blue pool. Small bubbles breach the surface of the water, and more patches of boiling vent out onto the surface in rising intensity. Cideeda's expression blanks. Her stare grows distant. Quietly, she drops her head down, stepping up to the console, and gazes resolutely inwards. Her emerald green eyes dart through possibilities, calculating the odds between blinks. Costs weigh heavily upon her shoulders. Sebastian phases back through the door and hovers over towards Cideeda. "Okay. I think the plan is to try cutting off the door hydraulics. That might free it up, so that with your help..."

Frowning sadly with tears welling in her eyes, Cideeda lifts her head up to the console screen and begins to type out a command. Drawing in a long breath, she silently contemplates. With a somber smile, she taps a button on her radio and gazes over to Sebastian, remorseful filling her tone. "I'm sorry, everyone."

Sebastian's jaw drops, and he vainly reaches out for Cideeda's hand and pales, his hand passes through her. Cideeda initiates the fusion reactor shutdown. In the dwindling ambient hum, Cideeda closes her eyes tightly. Sebastian watches the tears run down her face in absolute, overwhelming dismay.

----

The background din winds down, and Aristespha, Bach, Dretphi, and Sotalia search around the space in confusion. From near the hydraulic door machinery, Bach blinks absolutely bewildered and calls out. "Hey! Did something turn off? I didn't do anything over here. What was that?"

Aristespha glances over to the shrugging Dretphi and bewildered Sotalia, narrows a perplexed gaze at Bach, and eyes the concrete dome with developing dread. "That sounds like it was from inside..."

A faint crackling chorus sounds out from the group's radio devices, and Cideeda's resolute voice rises up from the static. "I have shut down... the fusion reactor... The pressure and heat levels are dropping... Slowly. Containment should hold out. It all should stabilize."

Her shuddering, uneasy breath wavers off the airwaves, and she fights through her choking sobs. "I'm sorry... But. You all maybe have ten minutes to get safely out of here! The concrete containment dome should... shield you all from most of the radiation..."

She gasps and forces out her words. "But- I DON'T KNOW! I want YOU ALL to get clear! NOW!"

Abject horror crushes the team. Cideeda draws in a sniffing breath and clears her throat. "Try to get the second containment dome shut for everyone's sake! But, don't stick around. I'll monitor things from here..."

Grabbing hold of the collar of her cloak, Sotalia pulls it away, revealing the clipped on radio, and glares at the device. "WHAT THE FUCK, CIDEEDA?! Why did you trigger that now?! We need more time to figure this door out!"

With a pained growl, Cideeda sternly retorts, her voice cutting through the static. "There was NO TIME. The walls of the reactor chamber were at the point of catastrophic failure! I'm not going to risk it blowing up, and killing everything for kilometers around this place."

Bach frantically rambles into his radio. "Okay! We can still do this! There's things I need your help on- BUT! I think I can overpower the system as hard as I can and get it to cooperate for just long enough and-"

With a cold, eerie tone, Cideeda's voice systematically dismantles. "That would risk breaking the current seal in place. We CANNOT risk opening what we don't know we can close... Leave... Please... Respect my... last wishes..."

Bach glances around terrified, blue eyes tearing up. Sebastian phases through the door with a firm upper lip and stares grimly at the team, commanding. "You heard her. GO. NOW. Close the outer containment door if you can. We need to alert the town."

Dretphi meets Sebastian's hard gaze, drops her head, squeezing the tears from her steely gray eyes, and steps towards Bach. Grabbing hold of his arm, she pulls away from the door hydraulic systems and marches towards Sotalia. Summoning her defiant ire, Sotalia draws in a long breath, stretches her arms, and readies herself for spell. "FUCK THAT! We'll just cut a hole large enough to get you through and-"

A firm, red gauntlet-covered hand clamps onto Sotalia's shoulder, and Dretphi drags the hesitant Sotalia, both fighting against their emotions. Sebastian rests a sad gaze upon Aristespha, sighing deeply. "I'm... going to stay with her as long as possible."

Aristespha summons all her resolve, maintaining a strong front for Sebastian, nods simply in agreement, and quells the turmoil in her voice. "Thank you... Sebastian..."

Turning around, Sebastian phases back through the vault door towards the interior chamber. Aristespha pivots in place, musters her courage, and quickly steps forward, catching up to Bach, Dretphi, and Sotalia. She seizes Sotalia's other arm. She firmly disarms Sotalia's pleas of desperate, hastily thrown together plans. Dretphi, Sotalia, and Aristespha step out the outer dome's transparent framework, through the gateway. Noticing the distance from the central dome, the finality surges through Sotalia, and she struggles to break free. Dretphi releases Bach, wraps her arms around Sotalia tightly, and pleads simply through her tear splattered full face visor. "Please... I know..."

Standing blankly at the mouth of the outer geodesic structure entrance, Bach stares hollow at the central containment dome. Moments passing, he gazes downwards towards the concrete metal encased building, focusing upon the vault door. Tightening his fists, he drops his head down, closing his blue eyes tightly, and draws in a long calming breath, frowning with a strangely peaceful hint. "I'm sorry... Cideeda."

----

A pale blue light radiates out from the containment pool waters, highlighting the sparkling surface of the chamber force field. The mix of ambient glow and flickers of light blend with the illumination of the overhead lights and yellow strobes. Resettling her back against the interior concrete wall, Cideeda tightens her arms around her curled up legs and rests her head on her knees. Sebastian crosses his arms, sitting on the floor next to Cideeda, and glances over with a curious brow, humming. "That actually sounds like a nice name for a boy. Why don't you like it?"

With a snort and roll of her emerald green eyes, Cideeda smirks briefly. "Same name as a boyfriend I had. If mom has a boy, he doesn't deserve that namesake."

Sebastian cracks a humored smile and nods in agreement, chuckling. "Ah. Fair enough. About as good a reason as any. I'll be sure to remember that, so Aristespha can write it down."

Drawing in a long breath, Cideeda releases an equally drawn out sigh and surveys the chamber. She stares at the console and watches the status monitors gradually drift further from the red extremes within the relative safety of the yellow regions. Settling her sight upon the gauges nearby, and she watches the slightly bent indicator needles creep gradually away from stop posts. She flicks her furry ears over and listens to the shrinking cracks in the concrete around pipelines, various pipework shifting back to their original shapes and alignments. A somber smile appears on her light brown face, and Cideeda rests her head back upon knees. "I guess... I guess it was the right move..."

Sebastian summons up a bold grin against the looming doom and nods with a genuine tone. "You saved the team. You saved the town. And prevented who knows what else. It could have been an absolute disaster."

He stares up towards the observation window and the looming pale blue glow radiating out, glances over to the console, and settles his proud gaze upon Cideeda. "You knew full well the situation, and you did it anyway. That's far more brave and courageous than I've ever been."

Blinking, Cideeda lifts her head up and puzzles at Sebastian. "Says the man that has gone toe to toe with the Dark Lord Noxian?"

Sebastian rolls his eyes at himself and shakes his head with a smirk. "Oh. THAT wasn't bravery. I was bold and dumb. Totally believed I was totally going to win those confrontations each time..."

A few moments of silence pass on by in the low background noises of the surrounding systems. With a weak smile, Cideeda glances over to Sebastian, snorts, and asks through her embarrassment. "Hey, um... Could you buy Bach a new holoplayer with my share of the mission payout? I've got it with me, and I'm certain the radiation will destroy it."

Sebastian's ethereal form fights against his swell of sadness, and he presents a comforting smile. "Of course..."

Lifting up her head, Cideeda stares at the console screen and watches the power indicator meter for the reactor force field creeping near the bottom. Her mind processes the status. Her emerald green eyes water. With a sudden frown on her face, she drops her head down, curls up tightly, and sobs loudly. "I wanted... to do... so much more..."

Wiping the overflowing tears, she sniffles and cries, burying her face in her hands. "I was really looking forward to having a little brother or sister, and helping my mom and dad out... I was finally learning how to use magic and really loving it... There was that business I wanted to try out after adventuring..."

Regaining some of her composure, Cideeda struggles to calm herself down. She concentrates on a series of slow, stammering breaths, leans back into the wall, and frowns regretfully with a sad tone. "And... maybe... There was a possibility I wanted to explore... That I'd never considered before."

With a curious lift of an eyebrow, Sebastian smirks and chuckles against the gloom, prying. "Like what?"

A slight tint of embarrassment fills Cideeda's face, and she twists her mouth, perking her furry ears.

Sebastian suddenly sits upright, springs up into the air, and glances around confused. "Cideeda, have you been listening to your radio?"

Cideeda blinks, stands up, and reaches for a button on her radio. "No, uh, I turned it off to well... Let me turn it-"

She clicks the button. A blast of static crackles out upon a wavering twist of tones and other odd noises to her utter surprise. Sebastian halts suddenly. Blinking in surprise, he stares off distantly, his ethereal form warping slightly. He snaps his attention towards Cideeda. "GET TO THE DOOR!"

Utterly perplexed, Cideeda steps in front of the door and stares at Sebastian, furrowing her brow. "What the fuck is going on?! They aren't going to-"

Her furry ears flick forward, and her eyes search the doorway. Thin threads of prismatic magical flow seep around the joins of the door and weave into the material surrounding. From outside, loud clunks resonate into the structure and mix with a cacophony of mechanical strain, fluid rushing forcefully against pressure, and groans of machinery running counter to its desires. In a brief moment of silence, Cideeda widens her eyes. Prismatic flows erupt in a brilliant white energy burst of meshing fibers. Locking bolts slam hard. The containment door flies open with a powerful suction of air.

Blinking in utter surprise, Cideeda briefly gazes upon a magical barrier coating over the exit and spots Sotalia's and Dretphi's field encased arms reaching out. Each grabbing hold of Cideeda's hands, Sotalia and Dretphi yanks her out through the vault doorway, into the barrier, and outside the central containment building. Cideeda runs, with Sotalia towing her along and Dretphi ushering behind. Joining the evacuation, Aristespha warps her barrier, bubbling it around them. Cideeda glances back and watches the massive, heavy containment door slam shut under the power of elder energy infused magical machinery. Long runs of flow conduits bound to parts of the door system glow brightly, and magically energized sparks erupt out from hydraulic electrical systems nearby. Loud solid clanks echo throughout the outer containment dome, the door locks reengaging under a dominating force. Moments later, the cracks between the vault hatch and door frame glow to a near white hot heat and sputter with molten lead, magical cabling melting leftover metal chunks into the crevices.

Dretphi, Aristespha, Cideeda, and Sotalia cross through the threshold of the outer, transparent geodesic dome, and Sebastian materializes next to the team. Following the bundles of magical, white pulsating cables and conduits, Cideeda gazes over to a torrent of prismatic and white energy flows rushing out from Bach. Full concentration and focus within brilliant white glowing eyes, Bach gestures his hands, altering the energies pouring forth from him. The long lines reaching to the concrete dome dissipate quickly into clouds of elder and prismatic miasma. The remaining lines pulse and twitch, operate the outer containment dome's doorway. The system sputters and grinds. Dretphi glances around, frantically searching for an issue. Cideeda's furry ears flick over, and she listens briefly. Glancing over to Bach, she notices the growing strain apparent on his face and wavering concentration. "Disengage the safety locks! Then pressurize the rams!"

Snapping back to awareness, Bach nods quickly and warps the flows of energy down the lines. The final transparent, framework containment door shudders free, slides closed, and locks. With confirming thumbs up from Dretphi, the final conduits of flow dissipate in clouds of magical miasma. Bach stumbles around, releasing the last flows of energy. Rushing to his side, Dretphi swiftly supports him under the shoulders and leads him towards the main exit with the rest of the team. The group rush down the facility entry corridor, charging through the surrounding chaos of alarms and around the old guard station.

The team sprints out from the underground ramp into the daylight, Aristespha's protective barrier encasing all, and reaches a clearing many meters away. Down within the corridor, a new alarm faintly sounds out. Aristespha braces herself and bolsters the barrier around the team. Bach drops down to knees with Dretphi guiding him down. The team holds position and waits expectantly. Pulling out her radiation detector, Cideeda shows it to Aristespha and eases it just out of the barrier bubble. Minutes pass uneasily. The surrounding forest overtakes the silence, nature filling the background behind the beeps and clicks of the radiation detector.

Cideeda motions over to the detector, and Aristespha warps the field over. Carefully reaching out, Cideeda picks up the detector, sorts through the reading history, and breathes a sigh of relief. "Normal levels. That barrier should have shut down completely by now. I think we're safe enough for the moment."

Releasing her barrier bubble, Aristespha takes a few steps and eases herself down upon the ground. "Oh. Good. I really need to rest after that. Sotalia... Potion please? Need to get ready to do some medical checks."

Sotalia flips open a pouch on her belt, plucks out a vial, and passes it to Aristespha. "Here you go. I'm going to make a call to the local police before ANYTHING ELSE happens today."

Patting Bach's shoulder gently, Dretphi waits for him to nod and flips up her visor, retrieving her aetherphone. "Will contact the guild. Let them handle whoever may be concerned."

Sebastian hovers up and sighs. "Okay. I'm going to check to make sure nothing else is happening nearby from above. Gods fucking dammit. Can this day just end."

Cideeda steps next to Bach and Aristespha, settles down onto the ground, and relaxes for the moment. Slowly recovering from the surge of activity, she glances over to Bach and cocks her head, watching him support himself up by his arms and sway quietly. She slides over close to him and curiously gazes. "You okay, Bach?"

Bach unsteadily keeps himself up upon his hands and knees without response. Cideeda grips hold of his forearm, gently presses her claw tips, and cranes her head around, checking his face. "Bach?"

Startling out of his stupor, Bach lifts his head groggily to Cideeda, struggling to focus his faintly white glowing eyes. "W-w-what? Are you okay? I- Um- Uh- Where..."

Concern stressing her tone, Cideeda nods and grips both of Bach's arms. "Yes. I'm okay. We're okay. We're clear. You can rest now."

A relieved smile graces Bach, and he blinks into a wince. He grimaces, shudders, and reopens his normal blue eyes. Exhaustion overwhelming, Bach manages a weak smirk, gradually tipping over to the side into unconsciousness. "I'm going to lay down n..."

With a firm supportive pull, Cideeda redirects Bach's collapse and guides his head gently upon her shoulder. Wrapping her arms securely around Bach, Cideeda gently strokes his back. Bach passes out. Cideeda closes her eyes and hugs Bach tightly.

-78-

High up, sparse clouds slowly drift along with the gentle air currents above, the noon sun beaming down upon the landscape of Ark. A low, fast paced rumble reverberates throughout the idle town's soundscape. With thrusters and hover pads glowing brightly, a huge carryall zooms on by. Faint trails of ionized air dispersing quickly, the massive airborne transport lines up towards its destination within the river peninsula. Large metallic, mechanical clanks sound out. The large vehicle's massive wings tuck in, narrowing its profile. Jets rotate downwards, and the massive machine slowly descends vertically towards the treeline. The reflective markings of Greater Azure Alliance logos flicker briefly in the sun, and the carryall drops out of view, landing gear extending out.

Standing in front of the Ark Inn, Brennon squints across the river towards the heavy woods, halts sweeping the front steps, and points out enthusiastically. "There's another one! That's another GAA carryall. That HAS to be the seventh one that's landed around there!"

Kristine rolls her green eyes at Brennon and scoffs with an argumentative tone towards her brother. "Sixth one. You really need to learn how to count."

Sneering his upper lip, Brennon shoves a large pile of dust and dirt towards the sidewalk near his sister with the push broom in his hands. "WHATEVER. Still..."

He glances over the river waters with an uncertain twist of his brow. "What the hell is going on?! I mean, like, NOTHING happens out here. NOW, the GAA is sending everything they've got right over THERE."

Defiantly brushing back the debris off her side of the steps with a bristle broom, Kristine awkwardly grimaces, hints of nervousness slipping through, and unconvincing proposes. "Maybe it's an exercise or a drill? Gods, it's not like they don't use this area all the time for random stuff."

She dismissively shrugs her shoulders and sweeps up another pile of dirt down a nearby sidewalk. "Maybe it's just a really big training thing?"

Pauses a moment, Brennon thinks and slowly shakes his head. "Nah... If it was one or two carryalls... Maybe? But-"

A huge shadow casts down upon the inn from above, shading out the vicinity. A rattling rumble vibrates throughout the area, and both teenagers gawk up in utter surprise. Over a hundred meters long, the air carrier gradually descends towards the river, rotating itself along its flight path. Aligning itself with the center channel of the river, the huge military vessel slowly dips its extending keel into water. With a final descent, the massive volume displaces the water into a huge wake, launching out large crashing waves against the riverfront. Upon the flat top of the vessel, military personnel scramble into various land vehicles and control stations, large ramps extending into ready positions. A torrent of churning bubbles blasts out from behind the floating hover carrier, and it accelerates around the river bend, sailing further away.

Remaining in speechless awe, Brennon and Kristine stare blankly at the vessel going down the river. In the shock of the moment, they fail to notice the humvee pull into one of the parking spaces in front of the inn. The powerplant spins down, and the driver's side door opens up. Cideeda slides out with a mix of fatigue and eagerness blatant, pulling against her body suit. "Okay! Just lock the doors for now. We'll deal with it all later, because I need a shower NOW."

The rest of the doors open up. Bach groggily eases himself out of his seat, puts his unsteady boots onto the pavement, and yawns, rubbing the temple of his head. Sotalia hops out, steps next to Bach, and slips a supportive arm under his shoulder. "Going to make it up the stairs?"

Blinking a few times to awareness, Bach fights off the drowsiness and nods with an appreciative smile. "Yeah. Yeah... I think so. Just REALLY tired right now."

Aristespha projects her voice through the cab from the other side of the vehicle and hoists up a medical kit under her arm. "THAT is not surprising in the slightest. Just take it easy for the rest of the day. You should feel a bit better with a big lunch and many stamina potions mixed in."

Dretphi steps out of the humvee behind Bach, pats his back gently, and motions forward. "Let us get you upstairs."

Rubbing his blue eyes, Bach fights back another yawn, twisting it down into a grimace and smirks with a little embarrassment. "Yeah... Definitely wouldn't mind just laying around and watching random aethersite videos on the phone until I pass out."

Dretphi closes the doors on her side of the humvee and protectively walks behind Bach and Sotalia. Hitting the lock button on the driver's console, Aristespha closes up on her side. She walks up towards the front entrance of the inn and spots Brennon and Kristine still captivated by the military activity in the distance. Studying the huge vessel slipping out of view, she smirks over towards Brennon and lifts her eyebrow. "By the way, Brennon. You were quite right about your suspicions."

Awkwardly blinking back to attention, he glances over towards Aristespha, puzzling. "Huh- WHAT?"

Aristespha maintains a professional demeanor and nods at the goofy teenager. "The evuukian man you saw in the woods. It turns out his presence there was NOT a good thing. He was very likely a Terra Priest and extremely dangerous. Thankfully, whatever he was planning did not come to fruition."

Narrowing a stern stare upon Brennon, she instructs, hints of concern in her tone. "Now... I will NOT recommend you being too adventurous at your age. But, I WILL recommend that if you come across anything that suspicious in the future, do not be afraid to let the police and guild know. It could make a bigger difference than you shall ever know."

Failing to maintain his stumbling composure, Brennon summons up a bit of proper procedure and straightens his posture. "Oh- Um- Yes, ma'am! Thank you. I'll do that in the future."

Aristespha smiles respectfully, turns away towards the entrance, and rolls her violet eyes mildly amused. Enjoying the moment's accomplishment in brief silence, Brennon turns around to his sister and grins pridefully. "SEE! I FUCKING TOLD YOU!"

Kristine groans in disgust, shaking her head, and aggressively flicks a pile of dirt over onto Brennon's side of the front walkway. "GODS. WHATEVER."

Bach, Sotalia, and Dretphi walk through the lobby of the inn. Sotalia glances over at Johnathan cleaning up a number of glasses at the nearby bar and waves for his attention. "Hey, Johnathan?"

Johnathan pivots towards Sotalia's voice, nods briefly, and smiles with a concerned twist. "Oh. Yes. How can I help you all today? Looks like you all have had quite the day... Already."

Shrugging her shoulders with a smirk, Sotalia sighs brightly and chuckles. "Oh, you could say that. But we're okay. Just a little worn out and needing a few days of not doing anything."

With a sly smirk, she searches her mind briefly, perks an inquisitive eyebrow towards Johnathan, and coyly asks. "You have any drink specials sold by the pitcher?"

Chuckling with a grin, Johnathan glances behind at the selection of bottles behind him and returns his gaze towards Sotalia with a confident nod. "We have a few favorites... And the stock to make any of them."

Aristespha walks up to the conversation, glances between Johnathan and Sotalia, and curls her mouth curiously. "What do you have by the bottle?"

----

Through the windows along the long stretch of wall, the faint glow of nearby city lamps barely creeps over into the large inn room. Along the horizon, bright lights highlight the top of the distant treeline across the river, the blinking flight lamps of drones darting around in the starry night sky. Fluttering her emerald green eyes open, Cideeda stares up at the plain white ceiling in the dark, drawing in a long breath, and releases a stalely frustrated sigh. She quietly grumbles to herself and rolls her head side to side upon the pillow, flicking her furry ears. Vainly searching for a comfortable position she tugs at her covers. She stares groggily upwards and closes her eyes, attempting to calm herself into slumber. Drifting off into her thoughts, she contorts her light brown face through a range of grimaces and uneasy winces. She reopens her eyes, sighs quietly, and grumbles to herself in fvalian, spikes of self aggravation slipping out.

A noise tickles her furry ear, and she perks it towards the source. Hearing the sound again, she slowly sits up in bed and searches around the large, dark inn room. A few sweeps later, she settles her gaze over towards Bach in the bed at the end of the row and she watches carefully. Tossing and turning, Bach rolls over to new position, mumbles incoherently, and winces in his sleep. With a shudder in his breath, he tenses up sharply, cringing in between fits of muttering. Cideeda pulls the covers off her, rests her feet on the floor, and stands up quietly. Slinking silently across the room with her tail waving out from underneath her nightshirt, she carefully navigates the hard wood floors over to the side of Bach's bed. She kneels down and watches the discomfort and unease upon Bach's face. Her furry ears flick forward, listening carefully. Gritting his teeth, Bach mumbles out a few clear words in between his pained cringes. "... why won't... ...I'm sorry..."

Cideeda softens her gaze, a slight frown curling at the corners of her mouth, and sighs sympathetically. Her concern sharpens with each shift between fear, sadness, and pain upon Bach's face, the visible tension and discomfort building up. In the darkness, a tear escapes the corner of Bach's eye, rolls down over the bridge of nose, and barely reflects the sparse light from the windows. Leaning close, Cideeda rests a gentle whisper upon Bach's ear in a reassuring tone. "It's okay. You are okay."

With a sad tremor in his voice, Bach mutters out something incoherent in his slumber. Moments later, he winces out tears in a remorseful whimper, slightly shaking his head upon his pillow. Listening to the meek pleas from Bach's unconsciousness, Cideeda narrows her worried gaze and quietly ponders. Searching her mind, she musters up a calm smile and softly speaks to Bach. "It's fine. Everyone got out just fine. Everyone is safe."

Resting her hand gently upon Bach's topmost shoulder, she rubs his arm comfortingly. Bach grimaces, rolls his head slightly, and sighs with an uncertain, sad whine. "You... sure..."

Cideeda slides her grip down and holds onto Bach's forearm. Thinking a moment, she softly presses her claw tips with a few squeezes and gently smiles. "Yes. It's okay. I'm fine. Don't worry anymore. It's going to be okay. This is just a bad dream."

Over the next minute, the twitches of discomfort subside upon Bach's face. The distress within his unconscious mumbling fades away, settling down into a calmer tone. Cideeda gently rubs his forearm and watches his breathing ease to a peaceful snore. The tension throughout his body gradually subsiding, Bach shifts his head, settling fully upon the support of his pillow, and slips into a deeper slumber. With a relieved smile, Cideeda gazes upon Bach and quietly sighs, shaking her head.

With her other hand of clawed fingers, she deftly combs the white streak of hair dancing upon Bach's nose off to the side of his face. She grants a few final pats upon Bach's forearm and stands back up quietly, silently traveling down the large, dark room to her bed. Stopping in the moment, she pivots slowly and stares out through the windows. Gazing distantly towards the treeline edging against the horizon across the river, she fights down a grimace, drooping down her furry ears. She stares at the flickers of light and activity around the night obscured land, silently pondering to herself between idly wags of her long, fluffy tail. Shuddering herself back to the present, she fights off an disturbed frown and fidgets out her nervous energy. She slips back under the covers and rests her head upon the pillow. Drawing in a few comforting breaths, she lifts her head up briefly, aiming a furry ear over towards Bach, and waits. Peaceful sounds of slumber fill the air, Bach's soft snores joining the chorus. With the conformation, she settles back into a comfortable spot on her bed, coiling up in the covers, and closes her eyes. Her tail slips out, off to the side, wagging freely. Gradually, the fatigue of the day and relief of the night grant Cideeda enough peace, and she drifts off into a proper slumber.

----

A breeze blows across the river, ruffling the leaves above in the surrounding patches of forest. Underneath the shade of a large beach umbrella, Aristespha and Sotalia lounge in foldout chairs upon the sandy lot near the water. Lifting up a pitcher of a mixed drink off the wooden table between her and Aristespha, Sotalia pours her glass full and tops off the other glass close to Aristespha. "This is nice."

Aristespha picks up the refreshed beverage, stretches her ivory legs out, pushing some sand with her feet, and settles comfortably into her chair. "After yesterday... It. Certainly. Is. Nice and quiet..."

Stirring around the ice in her glass with a few gentle swirls, Sotalia lifts her eyebrow up from behind her sunglasses and glances over toward Aristespha. "Gods. Still seems weird to be relaxing here given what we found just across the river."

With a defeated sigh, Aristespha sips her drink, adjusts her floppy hat against the wind, and shrugs her shoulders slightly. "If half the GAA's teams specializing in hazardous materials cannot keep it under control..."

Rolling her violet eyes, she curls up a brief, dismissive sneer. "Then, it really will not matter if we leave here and go back to the house. We're both figuratively AND literally downstream from Ark in Amaranth Valley."

She cringes briefly, mumbling. "Which is an absolutely frightening thought, really."

Pondering to herself a moment, she tips back her glass a bit further than before. Sotalia tosses her fiery orange, wavy hair back with the breeze blowing by, brushing stray locks around her swept back horns with her long black nails, and grumbles uncomfortably. "That. It. Is. Especially after listening to Cideeda explain how close the thing was to just blowing its top and blasting everything up into the air."

With tinges of frustration and irritation, she grits her teeth and huffs indignantly. "Gods damn it. That Hackle better get us the location of where Noxian went after handling this fucking mess for him. I'm getting REALLY tired of stumbling into these supposedly simple missions that turn out to be the worst gods damned doomsday machines on this side of Nexus."

Twisting her emerging sneer, Aristespha swirls her drink idly, her violet eyes faintly glowing under the dark shade of her hat, and groans out her irritation. "OH. I think he WILL..."

A sly smirk appears upon her ivory, blue and gray hinted face, and she narrows her stare ahead with plotting satisfaction. "Because, I do believe he is smart enough to realize that it would be best to keep us happy. Not grant us justifiable reasons to complain to certain media sources on how the GAA is haphazardly risking the lives of the public by handing off critical missions to some random adventuring group."

Glancing over to Aristespha with an amused grin, Sotalia enjoys a long swig of her beverage and relaxes back into her chair. "Damn, girl. Getting your alpha bitch mode armed and ready for the fight right there."

Spiked into the sand, the sword within its scabbard resonates with Sebastian's voice. "To be fair, we'll give them some time to do their jobs."

Sebastian's tone darkens slightly, an ethereal grumbling sounds out. "But... After a week or so, I think we're in our right to demand some gods damned answers."

Chuckling to herself, Aristespha nods slightly and rests her hand on the sword handle. "Still, Sebastian, I am going to demand a SIGNIFICANT bonus to compensate us for sacrificing our sanity in contending with this... ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT."

A reverberating laugh sounds off from the sword, and Sebastian agrees. "Of course, dear. I wouldn't expect any less."

The small waves of the river lap against the waterfront and fill the air with a serene background ripple, Aristespha and Sotalia relaxing further upon their chairs in the umbrella shade. From the nearby parking lot, Cideeda and Dretphi step down a walkway with paper bags of fast food and carriers of drinks in their hands and arms. Cideeda stands in front of Aristespha and Sotalia and glances between the two of them with an amused smirk, flicking her long fluffy tail. "Well... I see you two have been hard at work."

Lowering down her sunglasses, Sotalia chuckles, musing. "Well... This pitcher certainly isn't going to drink itself. I thought I'd help it along."

Aristespha smiles smugly, sighs, and shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. "After extensive testing, we have determined this to be the best spot to enjoy a late lunch. A good balance of sun, shade, and wind, if I must say so."

Rolling her steely gray eyes with a humored snort, Dretphi reaches over Aristespha's and Sotalia's shoulders from behind and deposits a paper sack in each of their laps. "Your food."

A spark of excitement appears on Sotalia's light tan, dark gray edged face, and she opens up the bag eagerly. "Thank you!"

Aristespha methodically removes individual containers out of her bag, sorting through them with an appreciative smile. "Oh. Yes. I was getting really hungry actually."

From the sword, Sebastian's voice emanates with a thankful tone, hinting of sarcasm. "Good timing. They've needed something to slow down the alcohol absorption and let their livers catch up."

Eyeing the sword briefly, a sly smirk cracks on Aristespha. She retrieves her aetherphone, flips up to the messaging app, and starts to type on the screen. Searching around the area briefly, Cideeda furrows her brow at both Aristespha and Sotalia. "Where's Bach at?"

Sotalia turns her head towards a patch of trees at the edge of the sandlot, points to a spot under the leafy shade, and sighs with a slight frown. "He's over there. It seemed like he just wanted to be alone for a bit..."

Shaking her head, she unwraps some of her food. "Even after I TRIED my BEST to encourage him to sit with us. Though... I think he's had plenty enough time to internally beat himself up over things he really shouldn't."

With concern and worry, Dretphi gazes over at the wooded spot and judges the opinions of everyone else. "Should I ask him to join us?"

A confident smile appears on Cideeda's light brown face, and she lifts up a paper bag with Bach's name written on it. "I'll go see if he's worked up an appetite from too much self reflection. Be right back."

A bit of relief eases Dretphi's tensions, and she settles down in another nearby wooden beach chair with her order of fast food. Sotalia slowly shakes her head, drawing in a long breath, and stretches against her chair. "I guess he can't help but to think about things. But... Gods, I still think he really needs to stop overthinking to the point he comes up with reasons to stress and hate himself."

Pausing in thought, she glances down at alert chime coming from her shorts pocket and retrieves her aetherphone. Sebastian ethereally sighs and sympathetically comments. "Well, it can't be easy for my bro. I mean... Come on... Dealing with all this and that has to be a weird existence for him. As the quasi-ghost trapped in the sword here, sometimes you can't help but think about... EVERYTHING."

Nodding in agreement, Dretphi watches Cideeda approach the tree Bach sits under. Sotalia snorts, meeting Aristespha's gaze, and glances down to the sword, nodding with a dramatic curl to her smirk. She quickly taps out of response on her aetherphone, presses the send button, and waits, gauging Aristespha's reaction. Glancing over to her phone after the chime, Aristespha reads the message quickly and rolls her eyes in annoyed commiseration. She eyes the sword and types up another message. Sebastian's voice resonates out with growing suspicion and confusion. "Hey... Are you both looking at me? You know I can't see that well when I'm in the sword and- WAIT."

A surge of paranoia and embarrassment blend together into Sebastian's tone. "You two have your phones out... WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?"

Halting in the middle of sipping the straw of her drink, Dretphi rests the paper cup down and curiously eyes over towards both Aristespha and Sotalia. Aristespha and Sotalia meet Dretphi's gaze, exchange glances, and gesture at their aetherphones. Dretphi eagerly pulls out her phone with a mischievous curl into an excited smile and starts tapping out a message. Sebastian's voice pleads out, an indignant twist coloring his tone. "OH. Come on! What are you all typing about?! Don't make me manifest out in public here!"

Cideeda walks casually up under the canopy of the tree Bach sits underneath. With a distant stare detached from his internal thoughts, Bach watches the wind push long lines of ripples across the river from his seat on the ground. Tracing his long gaze out across the water, Cideeda pivots in place, stares out onto the water, and idly wags her tail, perking her furry ears at the ambient sounds. Quiet moments later, she glances down at Bach and hangs the paper sack with his name into view. "So. Are you hungry?"

Blinking back to awareness, Bach notices the bag and gratefully takes it from Cideeda. "Oh, uh... Yeah. Um, sorry. Just spacing out there. It's actually a really nice view, and it's not too hot in the shade."

With a comforting smile, Cideeda flicks up a furry ear at Bach and pries with an inquiring tint in her voice. "So... You doing okay?"

Slowing down his progress opening the paper sack of food, Bach grimaces uneasily, darting his blue eyes around slowly, and eases out an uncertain sigh. "I guess? I mean, yeah. All things considered, this was the best outcome. But..."

He deflates into a faint frown. "I don't know."

Resting her free hand on her hip, Cideeda flexes her grip on a bag with her name on it and twitches her tail with a sway in her stance. She furrows a puzzling brow towards Bach and mulls over recent memory thoughtfully, dropping a question. "Why did you say you were sorry?"

Bach's blue eyes spring open wide momentarily, and he gazes up to Cideeda confused. "Um- What?"

Narrowing her inquisitive emerald stare at him, Cideeda pries further. "Last thing I heard over the radio, before I turned it off... You said you were sorry to me. What did you mean?"

Contorting between guilt and embarrassment, Bach draws in a long breath and stumbles over an answer. "Well... Um... You see... I, uh, well, kind of went against your last wishes."

Cideeda perks up her furry ears, cocks her head of short, multi-colored hair to the side, and cracks an amused toothy grin. "Well, seeing how I'm alive and standing here, I think I'll be perfectly okay with THAT. When I made those..."

She pulls in a sharp breath, fighting against a sad frown. "Last requests..."

Her toothy grin returns, and she snickers with a snort. "I really didn't think flipping open and slamming closed a few ton vault door like a toilet seat lid was an option."

A humored smirk slips out on Bach's face, and he chuckles awkwardly. "Yeah. Well, uh... Truth be told... Me neither. And, that's THE problem."

Cideeda puzzles at the answer, blinking in confusion. Working through his disappearing confidence, Bach ponders out loud. "I mean... I took your perfectly logical solution to a huge terrible problem and risked it all on the idea that I had the power to make it better. When looking back on it, I- I uh- I could have completely fucked everything up! Not just a little, but ROYALLY fucked it up. GODS! I could have failed at SO MANY points. From not getting the door open, damaging the structure, not being able to get the door closed back up, and so many other ways I just can't think of at the moment."

He slumps his shoulders and hangs his head lower, frowning. "Gods dammit."

Shaking his head, he stares distantly inside himself. "I just don't know if using THAT POWER was ultimately the right thing to do. I mean... Am I allowing poorly placed confidence in some power I barely understand to lead me down THAT path? Which makes me no different than..."

Cideeda kneels down into a seat next to Bach, grabs his shoulder, and gazes her emerald green eyes into his blue ones. "Listen. I fully agree that maybe it wasn't the best thing to do given all the possible odds and outcomes. But..."

Grimacing uneasily, she sighs with a grit of her sharp teeth and squirms slightly. "Even what I did was probably not the best course of action depending on the perspective you take."

She pantomimes the different options with her free hand. "What if I had taken a look at the situation and just told everyone to run for the hills? What if I had gotten trapped in there, and there was no way to shut it down? OR, maybe we could have timed it right? That way it wouldn't have locked when I was there? Then, I hit the shut down, and we all got clear without any problems?"

Squeezing Bach's shoulder firmly, her gaze softens, and she smiles kindly to him. "It was a REALLY fucked up, shitty situation. I navigated it the best I knew how and made the choices I thought were for the best given what I had available. It's the same thing you did."

Gradually averting his gaze from Cideeda, Bach contorts his face, processing the sentiment, and settles upon a halfhearted acceptance. "Yeah."

Lifting a smug eyebrow, Cideeda presents a toothy grin and playfully shakes Bach's shoulder slightly, with a genuinely happy tone. "Hey! The town is safe, and we're all alive to debate all the hypothetical ethics behind getting here. That's a pretty damn good result."

She smiles with hints of concern, leaning around and meeting Bach's gaze. "And the fact you are deliberating about this is a good sign. From my experience, it's the ones who aren't self aware you have to worry about."

A smirk gradually appears on Bach, and his tensions relax a little. Humming in thought for a few seconds, Cideeda chuckles to herself and grins. "Let me tell you one of those fvalian fables that... SOMEWHAT applies."

Bach rests his attention fully upon Cideeda and waits curiously. Cideeda draws in a long breath, wagging her tail behind her, and recites. "Okay... So, a thief goes to rob a house. While he's robbing it, he notices a lot of smoke coming from the house next door and quickly realizes that it's on fire. Well, he decides he really needs to get ready to leave before all the firefighters and police arrive to investigate. BUT. While he's outside loading stuff up into his van, he sees a car parked in the driveway. He realizes that no one is outside at this point, and the fire is pouring out a few of the windows now."

Presenting a puzzled gaze at Bach with a questioning flourish of her hands, she tilts head to the side. "Against the obvious choice to leave, he decides to investigate. And, even goes inside the house when it just doesn't feel right to him. Just as he's about to give up searching, he finds a woman passed out from the smoke. So, he carries her out..."

She leans closer with an amused smirk and playfully grumbles. "To the awaiting police and firefighters."

Donning an uneasy, tight lipped expression, she explains, her furry ears lowering down. "So now, he's REALLY trying to leave the scene and not draw any more attention. But..."

She lifts up a suspicious eyebrow and narrows her emerald green eyes. "The neighbors point out that they don't recognize him to the police, and one officer starts asking what he's doing with all the stuff in the van. Of course, they quickly figure out what's going on and arrest him. Later, he's on trial for the robbery and fully expects to be put into jail for a long time."

Furrowing her brow, she tints her tone with playful bewilderment. "Oddly and against all his expectations, the judge is really light on the sentencing. This totally BAFFLES him. Why be nice when he was so obviously caught in the act? As much as he didn't want to admit it..."

She rolls her eyes, gritting her sharp teeth. "It was a pretty open and shut case, and he didn't think there was any way to argue against it."

Twisting her mouth in suspicious intrigue, she focuses a dramatic gaze upon Bach. "Somehow while filling out paperwork to process him out, he was by himself, and the judge wanders in to handle some other bit of business. So, they are alone briefly. He decides to simply ask the judge why she was so easy on him? While he's not one to turn down mercy and good fortune, he can't deny how it felt like it should have gone differently."

Smiling kindly, Cideeda leans closer to Bach and asks. "You know what she said?"

Bach tilts his head to the side, narrowing his attentive gaze, and shakes his head slowly. "No. What did she say?"

Cideeda grins toothily and chuckles lightly. "She said that she couldn't very well condemn the man who chose the risk for her daughter's life over the certainty for his freedom."

With the last line of the story sinking in, Bach gradually nods. Deciphering the meaning, he blinks into a blank expression, puzzling more upon it. He visibly deliberates and internally contemplates. Seconds later, he glances over at Cideeda with a pleading perk of his brow, searching for further explanation. "Alright... I'm seeing a few possible lessons to take away from THAT. But..."

Cocking his head of longer brown hair to the side, he squints with grimace. "WOW. I mean, it is a bit murky. And, I'm really not sure I'm pulling the right things from it."

With a humored giggle, Cideeda stands up, picking her paper sack of food up, and stretches out her back, her tail sneaking away from Bach. "Well, don't think too hard about it. They are ALL like that."

Glancing off to the side, she tugs at the corner of her mouth, resting a hand on her hip. "That one was actually one of the straight forward fables."

She motions over to the rest of the team and smiles brightly, her emerald green eyes gaze into Bach's blue eyes. "So, how about you join the rest of us to eat? Afterwards, maybe you can tag along, and we all see what passes for a comic or game shop in this town?"

Rising up to his feet, Bach stands up fully, stretching out some of his stale stress, and smirks with a humble chuckle. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan to me."

Cideeda grins toothily and walks alongside Bach with a confident stride in her step and satisfied wag of her tail. They approach Aristespha, Dretphi, and Sotalia messaging each other with sinisterly humored smiles. Sebastian's voice whines in mild frustration. "This is SO rude."

----

A strong gust of wind blows across the large, sparsely graveled lot, bits of sandy soil stirring up into the air. Flecks of dried grass and specks of white sand gather around the tires of many vehicles and the side of an old, worn store front. A small rust spattered windmill anchored to the flat roof top spins along the surges of airflow and creaks with direction changes. Driving down the long paved road between other quiet businesses, a dark green sedan cruises slowly over the gentle dips in the aging asphalt. The vehicle rolls to a stop next to the sign upon a tall chain-link fence next to an open gate.

Lifting up a folded up paper map, Isaac orientates it into his view and compares against landmarks around him. He glances ahead, left, and right, twisting his mouth, and focuses upon the rusty metal sign, grumbling to himself. "Trusty Tony's Transportation..."

Curling up an uncertain eyebrow, he draws a suspicious breath through his gritting teeth,and releases a slightly disgusted sigh. "Gods almighty, Emanuel... Who the hell are you recommending to me?"

Dropping the paper map into the passenger's seat, Isaac eases off the brake and steers the car through the entry gate. He pulls into one of the many empty parking spots in front of the small, glass walled building, puts the car into park, and turns off the engine. He slowly steps towards the front entry, peers inside briefly, and pushes open the door. The small bell above the door rings out, and Isaac cautiously walks towards the front desk of the small front office space.

Muffled noises of movement sound out from behind a sun damaged, cheap wooden door opposite the main counter. Arriving at the front desk, Isaac suspiciously watches the doorway open on the wall across from him. Brushing off cheaper business attire, an older fvalian man notices Isaac at the counter and presents a sly, chipped fang smile with an enthusiastic greeting. "Hello! Welcome to Trusty Tony's Transportation. You MUST be a customer of EXCELLENT taste to have graced me with your patronage. How can I ever be of service to you?"

Isaac blinks briefly, comprehending the shifting situation, and cocks his head to the side curiously. "YOU are Trusty Tony?"

Tony smiles pridefully, combs his sharp claws through his slicked back, graying hair, and flicks his nicked and notched, furry ears. "Of course! Truthfully, Tony is a shorter nickname. And, it flows so much better in Americ with my business name. A choice bit of marketing on my part, if I must say. So..."

Nodding at the reasoning, Isaac glances around the office space and through the large windowed walls. "Well. You have been recommended to me by a business associate of mine."

Tony furrows his brow, signs of intrigue rising, and hums thoughtfully, rapping his thick claws upon the counter top. "OH. Really? Certainly it MUST be someone I know and has been quite satisfied with the services I provide."

Settling his investigative stare upon Tony, Isaac twists his mouth, purposefully keeping his tone even and calm. "Might be. He used to do a lot of work in the recovery and transportation of historically significant cargo."

Narrowing his yellowed eyed gaze briefly, Tony ponders a moment and pulls a widening grin across his face. "Ah! Yes. I think I know the particular, previously adventurous, academic minded individual. How is he doing these days?"

Isaac shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, keeping a cool, collected front. "Enjoying his retirement however he can and pleases. But lately, he's been graciously educating me on particular aspects of his old career."

With an amused chuckle, Tony smiles eagerly and perks his brow. "Indeed, he is then. And, I'm so happy he is teaching you to come to me. So, how exactly can I facilitate your... Education?"

Motioning at the front of the office towards the dark green sedan parked, Isaac delves into an explanation. "I recently arrived in town, and I don't believe my current vehicle will suit my needs anymore. So, I'd like to... Trade up... to something better suited to exploring the zone."

Eyeing Tony from the corners of his gray eyes, he mentions in a hushed tone. "And... This sedan has too much recent HISTORY on it for me."

A sly smirk creeps out upon Tony's lightly tanned face, and he chuckles in good humor with a darker undertone. "Completely understand. It helps to start out fresh in a new town. And, I just happen to have a wonderful selection of all terrain vehicles, proven to handle what our own Perimeter Weird Zone can dish out."

Narrowing a calculating stare upon the dark green sedan in the parking space out front, he widens his smile, his eyes focusing upon the key details and conditions. He slides his attention back over to Isaac and lifts up a hinged section of desk. Stepping out swiftly, Tony leads Isaac towards another set of doors exiting out into the backlot. "Follow me. Let us see what you desire first before we talk any further."

Isaac follows along behind Tony, maintaining a cautious distance from the purposeful antics of the salesman, and ponders quietly. Moments later, memory reminds him, and he searches for the right phrasing. "Oh. By the way, there's a few spots on my sedan that might need to be..."

Hushing his tone, he relays. "Returned to stock condition to make it... Easier to sell in the future."

Slowing his pace, Tony glances over his shoulder towards Isaac and smirks curiously. "Hmm... Let me guess, an unfortunate horizontal hail incident?"

Isaac decodes the obscured memory and slowly nods his head. "Yes. You could say THAT."

With a reassuring laugh, Tony waves off the worries and shakes his head, opening the door for Isaac. "Oh! Nothing to worry about, then. Around here, not uncommon, at all. Nothing to concern yourself with. I know a few talented people who will make it quite presentable. In fact, they're so good, it'll look like a totally different car."

An odd sense of relief washes over Isaac, and he follows Trusty Tony through a large lot of all terrain vehicles of different sizes and designs, the moist, salty breeze stirring the white sand throughout the area.

----

Out in the backyard of the two story house, Samantha steps up next to Gerald, her attention fully upon her clipboard. Flipping through a number of pages, she grumbles to herself, tossing her brown, shoulder-length hair back in a fit of frustration. She briefly closes her hazel eyes, draws in an audible breath, and exhales, vainly attempting to ease her attitude. Gerald slides his dark brown eyes away from the large camera's viewfinder and lifts a curious eyebrow towards Samantha. "What's wrong?"

Grimacing out her thoughts, Samantha groans, idly rapping her fingers upon her clipboard, and lifts her gaze ahead. "I'm trying to figure out WHAT to do next with the team. We need some drama, action, or..."

She tenses her shoulders and squirms. "Something! A little down time is fine. BUT, we got to be ready to grab viewer attention, again. SOON. With Trakenthin's family off limits, I'm trying to figure out who we should focus on next."

Turning his attention back to the viewfinder, Gerald scratches his head of short, dark blonde hair, shrugs, and aims the camera around at the different members of the Flames of the Phoenix. "Well, I'm sure something will happen, soon enough. We just need to keep an eye for any clues and keep the cameras rolling. Gods know, there's still enough volatility left in this team."

Samantha releases a long sigh, puts her clipboard under her arm, and scans around the back yard. Out of the corner of eye, she catches some movement beyond the brush leading into the nearby forest. Squinting her eyes, she leans back and spots Veevi's contrasting pink hair against the forest green and brown. With her seductive intent blatant, Veevi pulls Chad along. Samantha smirks slightly and signals a small camera team over. "Urdi, Radnae, Harris... They're hitting the forest again. See what you can get."

The older human man leads the fvalian man and woman into a stealthy approach towards the forest, carefully trailing Chad and Veevi. Samantha groans out her annoyance and rolls her eyes with a slow shake of her head. "We might get a good side bit in an episode, but even THAT isn't quite enough."

Propping up her chin with her fist, she sways her weight from foot to foot, fidgeting in thought. "What to do..."

Gerald glances over to Samantha, returns his focus back to recording, and aims the camera towards the rest of the team. Deedri and Tassilda discuss different magical recipes, sorting through notes upon the metal mesh garden table. Wrapping her hands around a large cup of tea, Deedri lifts it up to her mouth and sips the steamy, warm drink. Her auburn eyes spring wide in pleasant surprise, and she examines the beverage again, offering compliments towards Tassilda. "Oh! This is really good! You'll have to tell me how you made it."

Tassilda tosses back her raven black hair over her spiraling horns with both hands and leans back into the wooden outdoor chair, giggling lightly. "It's nothing special, really. To be perfectly honest, it's just one extra ingredient I put in on top of a store brand mix. You won't believe it when I tell you."

A sly grin appears on Tassilda's gray toned face, and she narrows her light blue on black eyes at Deedri playfully. "Try guessing. I'm actually curious if you can figure it out."

Biting her lower lip, Deedri's furry, tufted ears twitch thoughtfully, her eyes search the top of her mind, and her tag wags swiftly. "I don't know... Hmm... Let me have a few more sips and sniffs, first."

In the middle of the back yard plot, Trakenthin's tall grath form stands at the ready with a sparring sword. Carefully maintaining a watch of his nearby surroundings, he stares at the ground immediately around him. A gentle wind coasts across the area and brushes the tops of the short blades of grass. Two small, narrow strips of grass stop swaying in sync with the rest of the yard. Trakenthin's hazel eyes widen into an alert glare the moment, his body tenses at the ready, and he swiftly swings his practice blade well above two visually hazy spots joining the unusual patches. The sword halts with a solid wooden clack midair, short of crossing into the airspace above the suspicious ground. With a satisfied smirk, Trakenthin concentrates his gaze expectantly and waits.

Gradually shifting from transparency to full opacity, Modoran grumbles to himself, his dark blue eyes glancing up to Trakenthin. He eases the pressure off his practice dagger, and Trakenthin lowers his sparring sword. Modoran twists the disappointment upon his dusky bluish gray face. "Damn. I thought I was doing decently right there."

Lifting an inquisitive brow at Trakenthin, he pivots around and studies his prior approach. "Okay. What gave it away? I swear I obfuscated my footsteps in the grass when I was getting close to you."

Trakenthin rests his wooden training blade upon his shoulder, grinning proudly, and motions with the flow of the air. "Wind. The grass behind your legs did not move correctly."

Rolling his dark blue eyes at himself, Modoran slumps his shoulders and sighs with a slight droop of his long pointed ears. "Gods... Well. That figures. This is why people sneak between dim and dark spots. Too many details to keep up with in the light."

Shaking his head and pondering to himself, he shrugs back to his nonchalant self and steps away from Trakenthin. "Okay, let's try this again. I think I might be able to do something about that... Maybe..."

Trakenthin nods with a singular laugh, readies his practice sword, and calms himself, fully focusing. During his walk to the edge of the back yard, Modoran stretches out his neck, shoulders, and back. Samantha curls a sly grin and taps her clipboard eagerly. "I think I have an idea."

Gerald rolls his eyes out of view, concentrating upon capturing the activities in front of him, and humors Samantha. "Which is?"

Samantha flips through her notes upon her clipboard and eyes a report printout with a devious smirk. "After the resort, there's been a small, vocal group on the community forums that haven't had the nicest things to say about Modoran."

Blinking in disbelief, Gerald turns his puzzling gaze away from the viewfinder, cocks his head to the side, and stares confused at Samantha. "Really? I mean, he's a bit of smug ass sometimes, but I don't think he's done anything to rile up the fans. What's got those people mad?"

Slowly shrugging her shoulders, Samantha gazes at Gerald. "I don't know exactly. But..."

She sports a sinister smile and chuckles with a plotting tone. "I took the liberty of having the community managers check the details of those accounts..."

Guiltily averting her eyes, she grins. "AND, had the tech department do a few checks. It turns out a few of those accounts connect from Evuukian owned aetherphone companies. Also, initial sleuthing shows one account is definitely from someone living in the heart of Evuukian territory."

Gerald furrows his brow and grimaces with a shifting blend of curiosity and surprise. "Huh. Who would he have pissed off?"

Pausing in thought, he searches through bits of memory rising up into his mind and nods slightly. "Actually... Yeah... Thinking about it more, he got more than a few strange looks from the evuukian nobility at the resort."

With growing excitement, Samantha grins eagerly and narrows her scheming gaze up on the magically fading Modoran. "Exactly! So tonight, when I call Howie, I'm going to mention this and see what he wants to do. But, I've already told the community managers to... ENCOURAGE and ALLOW... Those people talk about whatever they want."

She chuckles to herself darkly, smiling smugly, and hugs her clipboard tight. "I wonder what our researchers will dig up given the right clues."

Timeline

March 3017

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

2

3

4

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6

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8

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

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Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

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Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

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Episode 15

Episode 16

23

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Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20

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Episode 21

Episode 22

April 3017

Sunday

Monday

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Wednesday

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Friday

Saturday

1

2

3

4

5

Episode 23

Episode 24

Episode 25

Episode 26

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Episode 26

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Episode 32

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Episode 34

Episode 35

27

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30

Episode 36

Episode 37

Episode 38

May 3017

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

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Saturday

1

2

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Episode 39

Episode 40

4

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9

10

Episode 40

Episode 41

Episode 42

Episode 43

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Episode 43

Episode 44

Episode 45

Episode 46

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Episode 47

Episode 48

Episode 49

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Episode 49

Episode 50

Episode 51

Episode 52

Episode 53

June 3017

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

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Episode 54

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Episode 54

Episode 55

Episode 56

Episode 57

Episode 58

9

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Episode 58

Episode 59

Episode 60

Episode 61

Episode 62

16

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Episode 63

Episode 64

Episode 65

Episode 66

Episode 67

23

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Episode 68

Episode 69

Episode 70

Episode 71

30

31

Episode 71

July 3017

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1

2

3

4

5

Episode 72

Episode 73

Episode 74

6

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9

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12

Episode 74

Episode 75

Episode 76

13

14

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19

Episode 76

Episode 77

Episode 78