Everyone lined up in front of the smaller shuttle, Laura and Francis clasping their gloves on for their suits. "Say, Alex... That holo-trick you showed earlier. I assume it won't work on the shuttle?"

Alex shook their head, "Not very easily, no. The erratic movement makes a light-based connection hard... So it would lag like crazy. Besides, this shuttle doesn't have the equipment."

"Oh, right." Grinning, Laura ruffled Alex's hair, "I'll be back soon enough. So, behave, and make some friends, okay?"

Alex smirked as they backed off, "That't the idea, anyway. Don't get too distracted, back at home!"

Laura giggled, "I doubt it. Without you there to run everything, I expect it to be rather dull." Turning to the shuttle, Laura waved, everyone waving as Francis followed after with a sigh, smiling faintly.

Shuffling around, everyone wandered back to the house, giving the shuttle room as it rumbled out onto the road, using simple wheels for now. It would be difficult to break atmpsphere on it's own, so it needed to head to the tower first.

Dr Elune grinned, "That was rather anticlimactic."

Hope nudged the doctor in the ribs, "Not everyone is as eccentric as you. That's what a normal goodbye looks like."

"Ah, normal people. Such a boring lot." As Hope rolled her eyes, Alex giggled, following at the back.

Hope sighed, "I kinda regret not going with them... But, we need to keep enough people out here." She glanced at Alex, smiling appologetically.

Dr Elune tilted their head, "What with the what now? None of that made sense."

Hope grumbled, shoving Dr Elune forwards a little, "In case you forgot, we need three people to oversee Alex. You and Ren only make two."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Ohhh yeah. I doubt we would need that in the next few months, though." Stumbling forward, the doctor grinned, "Proceedures are there for a reason though, I guess."

Hope nodded, "We don't know what everyone here is capable of, after all. Anyway... I missed what is probably my one chance of going home."

Dr Elune raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Alex mulled it over, "Oh! I get it. You could always ask Laura to simply do a swap."

"... Pardon?"

"Well, that shuttle will have room for more than just the AHORs, right?"

Hope's eyes widened, "... Hadn't thought of that. Can you, uh, pass on that request? Actually, no, I need to call home and talk about it first."

"I'll arrange a VR session for you."

Dr Elune looked back and forth between the two of them, very confused. Alex looked back, "Wait, really doctor?"

"Really what?"

"... I guess you were busy researching."

"Really what!?"

Alex and Hope laughed, wandering off ahead. Jolana shrugged, "If I had to guess... You didn't notice Hope was homesick for some reason?"

Dr Elune scratched their head, "Seemed to be having fun to me. Huh..." Shrugging, they kept walking through the hall, "... I should talk to her about it."

Jolana nodded idly, "Like I said, I'm only guessing." Glancing at the doctor slyly, Jolana grinned, "You seemed disappointed to see me return to the party, however breifly."

"Don't know what you are talking about~"

"Sure... Whatever you say." Giggling, Jolana reached her room, "I will admit... Alex looks cute when they blush."

Dr Elune glanced back, the door already closed. Chuckling quietly, they went to their own room, still putting some finishing touches on some new AHOR production methods.