Gi invoked [Concealing Light] as he stepped out of the Library. Being in the dry season fully now meant that there were enough sun beams that his Skill worked perfectly. With a thought, he floated back into the air and appreciated the near silent movement of his new method of travel.

The noise of the Bazaar overrode what little noise he did make as he flipped over in the air and headed towards the far end of the Bazaar.

It didn't take him long to reach the tavern where he'd gone drinking with Doyle and Samba the assembly before last. The same octopi-like bartender served there as well as the same shirtless troll. So soon after the season change, there were less monsters in the bar, but the troll server just thumbed towards the back room when he saw Gi looking around.

He walked to the back and entered the small room. Galvina, the eleventh heir of the Demon Empire, startled awake at his entrance, drawing her rapier and knocking over her mug as she did. The movement was almost too fast for Gi to follow even with her being asleep moments before.

"Oh, it's you," she said simply and sat back down. Looking around at the mess that she'd made. "Where's that damn-" A second later the troll was back in the room with a rag and another mug of cider.

Gavlina rubbed at her eyes as the troll finished cleaning up the mess and Gi waited patiently for the troll to leave. The questions he had to ask weren't particularly sensitive to him, but there had to be a reason that he hadn't been able to find the answers readily.

As the troll left, Galvina glared at him. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be prepping for your coup in six months?"

"I am," he said. "I need information first."

"I'm not telling you about the-," she stopped, her glare deepening as though he'd been the one to try and make her slip it up. Gi wondered for a moment if his [Persuasion] skill would work on her, but he shoved that idea to the side. It hadn't worked on Elizabeth and he'd gotten a very recent example of how quick Galvina could be. It wasn't worth the potential battle.

"Keep your secrets," Gi said. "I've come to ask about the final Dungeon run."

A broad smile formed on her face. "These stupid Sky Clans are still hiding information on that, huh? Sure, I can tell you what you need to complete the Individual Stage."

****

Georgia followed after the energetic dragonfly. He practically bounced through the air as he carried his cloth wrapped bundle in his teeth. He seemed so happy to go on a date with her, but why?

She'd keep her word, but the situation was strange.

Poe's singing through the bundle stopped as he glanced back at her. When he noticed her looking at him, he immediately snapped his head back around bashfully.

The two of them arrived at the spot that Poe had apparently been looking for. It was a small pool on the other side of the lake. It looked like every other pool that they'd passed on the way here, but Poe plopped his cloth bundle just beside it.

"We're here!," he said brilliantly. "I wasn't really sure what a date was supposed to look like, but my buddy Rocky told me that you 'always gotta feed your girl.' So I brought food!"

He unwrapped the bundle and about a half dozen sticks with meat practically drowned in some type of sauce lay there. The entire inside of the cloth was sticky and wet with the sauce and it was a surprise that it hadn't dripped all the way through. When Poe saw the disaster of his meal, his face looked stricken

Georgia wasn't sure why, but she hated that look on his face. It seemed so antithetical to this cheerful dragonfly. Without even thinking, she reached and scooped up one of the sticks and tore off a bit of meat from it. The sauce had dried somewhat and the meat was no longer hot, but it was still good.

"Mmmm," Georgia exaggerated. "What a great choice!"

Relief washed over his multifaceted eyes and he reached out with his tongue's second mouth to grab up a stick and place it into his front forelimbs. He started to take a bite, but some thought must have crossed his head because he held it out with both hands towards her.

"Cheers!" She looked from him to the stick not quite sure what he wanted. With a shrug, she leaned forward and slid a piece of meat off the stick with her teeth. Poe laughed. "No! We just knock them together."

"Oh... like drinks. I get it." She tapped her skewer against his and then the two of them took a big bite. As soon as he took his first bite, he gasped and the stared wide eyed at the skewer.

"...indirect kiss...," she heard him mutter and almost laughed out loud. How a monster like this had survived this long she had no idea. She scooted next to him and bumped her shoulder against him to recapture his attention.

"So Poe," she started, "why exactly are you so keen to go on a date with me?"

"You're the mos-" She placed a big meaty hand over his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. Most beautiful monster. I get it, but is that really it?"

Poe's brain looked like it was working overtime as, assumingly, he tried to think up some overly flowerly words. Her assumption though was wrong. "What do you want?"

Georgia turned her head quizzically. "Uhhh, what do you mean? You brought me here?"

"Err, it's so much better when he says it," Poe mumbled under his breath before taking a deep breath and reframing his question. "What makes you happy?"

"My clan, of course."

Poe smiled almost like she'd just gotten her lines right in a play he'd rehearsed. "But what besides that?"

It was a strange interaction. Georgia took a bite of her skewer as she thought about what the dragonfly asked. Her clan made her happy and he'd asked what else, but what else was there? Still, she felt like there had to be something else; yet, she couldn't think of it.

She relied on Babcock to be her brain a little too much, but she wished he was there now to tell her what else made her happy. She knew she wasn't the brightest, but there had to be something else. She just kept going in circles and whatever answer she was trying to think of hung just out of reach.

"I don't know," she said eventually. "Why do you ask?"

Poe looked off towards in Igna in the distance, but his gaze seemed to be lingering on some old memory instead of the mountain ahead of them. "It was a question my boss asked me back in the Child Stage. At first, I didn't get it either. I just wanted to help him and I was happy to do that. So then I thought, what about helping the boss makes me happy?"

"So what did you figure out?"

"It was the connection that I enjoyed. I have an [Empathy] skill that has evolved since then, but it allows me to feel that connection. When the boss and I connected, it made me happy. There was a book I read that helped me figure that out, and to be honest, the main character looks a lot like you."

"So I look like this main character? That's it?"

Poe blushed again and it took him a second to reply. "No... it will sound sappy, but that book helped me learn what makes me happy and when I saw you, I thought it was fate..."

Georgia laughed. She couldn't help herself even as Poe wilted in front of her. It seemed cruel to laugh at his dreams, but the monster was just so innocent. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a brief hug where she shook him a bit. "Don't get all sad. Big dreams are good! I think you're a fool to believe like you do, but my clan calls me a fool sometimes too so at least you're in good company.

Battered from her rough hug, Poe gave her a small smile. "I... do like your company so far."

"You're all right," Georgia replied. The two of them went back to eating their skewers and silence descended between the two of them. Georgia didn't know what he was thinking of, but for her, she was curious about one thing from what he'd said. "You mentioned 'connecting' with your boss. I don't want to be rude, but he seems like a dickhead. Do you really like being led by someone like him?"

Poe finished off his second skewer and tossed the stick back into his bundle. "I do."

"Why?"

Poe scratched at his head in frustration. Georgia was not the brightest and she got the sense from Poe that he was similar, though simpler might be a better word. Not lesser just focused. She could understand his frustration. In this brief conversation, she'd been forced to think harder than in a long time.

She really should probably stop relying on Babcock so much.

"The boss...," Poe started, looking for the right words. "The boss has two voices in his head. When I first met him in the infant stage, they were actual voices. As time moved on, they got less distinct and more blurred."

"You're just talking about his baby teeth. Every monster has those before the Adolescent stage."

Poe shook his head. "No, they're still there. One is scary and strong enough to do anything. The other is kind and pathetically weak. It's the second voice I like a lot. It reminds me of me."

"You do look kind of weak," she said bluntly. "Uh, no offense?"

Poe grinned. "I don't think that phrase makes it suddenly not mean, but you're right. I do kind of like the first voice too because of that. How can Boss be both weak and strong at the same time? Does that mean that even I can be strong?"

Georgia nodded. "So you find him inspiring in a way." That made sense to her. She'd always strove to be something similar for her clan. Even though she wasn't that smart, she could still be strong and trample any obstacles in their way.

That was the goal at least. She'd failed at that plenty of times now.

Poe's voice kicked her out of her internal dialogue. "I just wish the kind voice wasn't so quiet right now. That's why he seems mean. Stupid Illusion Goblins..."

That downcast look had appeared back on his face again and she wasn't really sure of a way to reassure him. From her experience, most monsters just got harder and harder as they climbed the stages. If he was like this now, surely he'd only get worse?

"Hey, uh," Georgia started before her brain could catch up. "Um, what's this?"

She pointed over to the pool and Poe lit up when he saw it. "Oh yeah! This is some kind of cool spring! Rocky told me about it. Something to do with the changing seasons, but like it's a cold pool that helps beat the heat. You want to jump in?"

Latching onto his enthusiasm, she leapt from where she sat and grabbed both of her legs with her hands and crashed into the pool. Frigid water completely enveloped her, but the sensation felt great on her overheated skin. She burst up from the water with a gasp to see that she'd splashed it everywhere even all over Poe who stared with wide eyes.

"Whoa! That was so cool! I wanna try!"