"That was quite the riveting tale," Mag said. He leaned back in his seat and took another sip from his glass of wine. On the table was a heap of empty plates and bowls. "And here I assumed that Exterminators did only that. Exterminating! Didn't think you'd have what it would take to be a solid member of a Rescue Crew!" Mag then leaned forward and placed his empty glass on the table with the rest of the dishes. Gurk let out a belch, drawing everyone's attention.

"Come on, Gurk. Manners," Itzel said to the crocodile.

"Sorry."

"It's fine! I'm sure it's natural for a person like Gurk to let out a bit of air in such a manner."

"Yeah," Gurk replied.

Both Mag and Sheila faced Gurk. "If you mind, sir," the daughter began. "Would you be willing to tell us... your story?"

"Huh?" Gurk replied.

"You know. Where are you from? Your childhood. Adolescence. What your plans are for the future," Sheila said, smiling as her head bounced around with excitement. "I want to learn more about you! Perhaps you could start with... how things were for you as a child?"

"Don't remember," Gurk answered.

"No memory whatsoever, huh?" Mag said.

The crocodile shook his. "Nope."

"He doesn't remember anything before he met me," Itzel said. "Found him hiding in an alley in Labrisson. Some Exterminator was trying to get to him until I intervened. We've been friends ever since."

"I hope that Exterminator got whatever was coming to them!" Sheila snapped. "I don't see why anyone would want to hurt such a friendly fellow."

Itzel and Janus looked at each other with an uneasy gaze. "I guess you can say that. It's kind of complicated so I won't bore you two with the full details," Itzel said.

"So no one really knows where Gurk came from, right?" Mag asked. "Not even the man himself?"

"Nope. Is that a problem or something?" Itzel's tone shifted to one of annoyance.

"No. Not at all. But as someone who has studied morphology, I can't but be intrigued by Neo-Sapia," Mag said. "I know Sheila has been fascinated with them as well. Isn't that right?" he asked his daughter.

"Yes father! There is very little information about them out there. And they are few and far between the general population. Not to mention that they come in such a vast array of shapes and sizes with an even wider assortment of features. I've come across only a couple in my lifetime, neither of which had... crocodile genes."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"What are you saying?" Itzel said raising an eyebrow. "Not sure if I like where this is going."

Sheila turned to Gurk. "I have a final assignment that is due by the end of the year. I planned on doing it on the Stampidus Bronchae, but that species has been studied extensively. I couldn't discover anything new that we don't already know now. But Neo-Sapia are a rare phenomenon, especially ones of your class."

"So you want to use him as your science project is what you're really saying," Itzel interjected.

"If you want to describe in such a way, that's fair. But think of all the undiscovered knowledge hidden inside Gurk just waiting to be unraveled!"

Gurk let out another softer belch. This time he closed his mouth tighter and put one hand over his snout. "Excuse me," he mumbled.

"I'm sure there's a treasure trove just hidden inside," Itzel said.

"We can compensate you for the study," Mag said. "We know you have that Rumble Circuit event to go to, but there is plenty of time before Sheila's final assignment is due. If you have any interest in participating, just let us know."

"Looks like Gurk just has that kind of personality, huh?" Janus said. "Seems like everyone wants to get to know him better."

"Or use him for their own personal reasons," Itzel replied. "But who am I to decide? Gurk's his own person. He can make decisions for himself. After that Broadcast with Siergi, I've learned to not butt into his affairs." She looked at the crocodile. "Do whatever you want, big guy. I promise I won't bug you about whatever you choose to do, okay?"

"Okay," Gurk said. He then looked at Sheila. "I'll help."

"Thank you, thank you!" Sheila clapped her hands together. She got up from her seat giddily and gave Gurk a hug from his side. "My professors will be so impressed! All that untapped data and information! This will put me head and shoulders above the rest of my class."

"No problem!" he said as he gave the woman thumbs up.

"Maybe we could get a head start while you're waiting for your Team Battle Exhibition to start?" Sheila asked. "Just do some preliminary studies back my family's research center off the border of Sano Mosado. Nothing too committal."

"Alright."

"I can't stop thanking you Gurk!" Sheila squeezed the crocodile tighter. "We'll get to discover so much together! For all we know, we might change Tersaia!"

"Nice."

"Uh-huh," Itzel said. "But don't forget that you said Gurk didn't have to be a volunteer if you catch my drift."

"We'll make sure he's properly compensated!" Mag gave Itzel a wink. "We're one family where money isn't really an issue."

"Good. I don't want Gurk getting caught up in some grifting."

"I'm fine," Gurk replied somewhat sharply.

"Did you already forget about Tonko, big guy?" Itzel retorted. "And how you almost lost a decent chunk of Tokens to him. Along with your Rumble Circuit rank?"

The crocodile grumbled. "No."

"Exactly. Just... be careful with who you make promises to. I'm sure the Grani family is more than trustworthy. But you can't just go around making promises to every single person that's nice to you for a few moments."

"Yeah, yeah," Gurk said.

Mag Activated his projection. "That's a good lesson for anyone to learn," he said as his eye drifted to the bottom right corner of his screen. "Couldn't have gone this far in life if I just went around trusting everyone who gave me a nice smile." He deactivated his screen and leaned back in his chair. "Hard to believe that we've only just started this trip."

"How much longer do we have until we're at Sano Mosado?" Janus asked.

"At this rate, about ten hours."

"Great," Itzel said as she slumped back against her seat. "Just enough time to get some rest. If you don't mind, of course."

Mag shook his head. "Not at all."

"Finally," Gurk moaned. He leaned to the side, using his arm as a pillow as he curled up on the floor. Itzel scooted herself to the far corner of the booth and tilted her head up and closed her eyes.

"If Gurk's snoring starts bothering you, just nudge him. He'll stop," Itzel said with her eyes still shut.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem," Sheila replied while looking at the dormant crocodile.