Whew... Nothin' to worry about.

The Unicorn Kid made it back safe and sound, with not a single hair on his head coming to harm. The boy brought the palm of his hand down to earth, planting the glove against the hidden runes on the ground. Aera flowed from within him, a flash of green light that gave the magic symbols life. The trapdoor opened up, lettin' him come back home where he belonged.

Those runes were like those fancy crystals on the doors, too. They only worked for us. They were... 'attuned'. Yeah, that's what they'd called it. It was reassurin', too, otherwise random fellas could come along with [Insight] and open it on a fluke.

When he started runnin' down the corridor, which lit up with white light as he arrived, I let myself relax.

He was a good kid, which only made it worse seein' him upset. The tension left my body in one smooth motion. My legs uncurled, spreading down along the bed while letting the shorts I was wearing sag. It wasn't much, but it was all I wore whenever I wasn't on the job.

I kept my eye on him for a little longer as he ran through the base's tunnels. Once I saw him headin' towards the workshop, I knew he'd be in good hands. The kid was pretty fixated on trainin', as was the rest of the team. They really wanted these people to accept 'em as their own. It was the sort of ambition that controlled the young.

I wanted to get better at using magic too, sure, but I didn't have that same burnin' passion for strength that they did. Before all this, I was content with my Water Magic and the [Chitinous Brood]. I wasn't a Caster that specialised in attacking, so how good could I really get, anyway? When it came to a fight, the others were much better at it than I was. That was the way I'd been thinkin' about it.

Back home, things were simpler. I was a [Hermit] that lived alone. I had the [Fisherman] Class that I'd developed after needin' food to keep myself going, and that was it. Whatever I needed, I could get myself. A little hut, somethin' to eat, water to drink and bathe in, and a fishing rod. I didn't need to worry about a thing back home.

Here, things were different. I wasn't just a [Hermit] anymore. I was part of a 'team'. It sure was a novel experience, but one I should probably get around to adapting to. We were being given proper money for our work. That first time I'd gotten paid was when it had really hit me. Before coming here, I'd never touched a coin in my life. Sometimes I bartered, but only ever with goods, not money. It was strange.

But my team were the real earners. I was able to distract people and look around corners, but they were the powerhouses. I didn't need to fish, or hunt, or look out for myself, here. If I left it to them, they'd do everything for me. As carefree as that sounded, I couldn't call myself a member of a 'team' if I did nothin' but slack off. If I didn't chip in and get a little stronger to help out, that wouldn't be fair in the slightest.

"Ding!" the Unicorn Kid exclaimed, yelling to nobody but my eavesdropping Familiar. The doors to the workshop opened, and he trotted inside. Great. He was in more capable hands than mine now, so I severed the connection.

I hopped down from my bunk, scratching at my itchy back. I could reconnect to the Familiar with some focus if I wanted to, but there was no need. I could go and meet with the kid myself.

I glanced to the side, looking towards the black wetsuit I usually wore out on the job. It was next to the Heater Box the Brain Gal made, even if the artefact was turned off. I knew that some people 'round here were a little more fixated on the whole uniform thing than I was, so I worked to appease 'em. It was a shame, too, that other races were so adamant about wearing clothes. If it were still up to me, I'd walk around without wearing a thing, just like I did back home in the village. That would've been so much more liberatin'.

Both the Brain Gal and the Cat Woman disagreed with me. They were... not too happy with me when I gave old style of dress a try. Still, you missed each fish you didn't cast a line for. It was worth a try.

The Cat Woman advised that I leave my wetsuit next to the Heater Box. I'd tried to get across that it'd dry out if I did that, and she'd told me that was the point. It'd be much too dry like this, but that's how it was. She was a Cat Person- erm... 'Nekari'... so she wouldn't have gotten it. If I wanted to climb into a dry wetsuit, I'd have to be dry too. Otherwise, putting it on would be even a Demon's worst nightmare.

As uncomfortable as it could be, it wasn't hard to get used to. It was better than getting into an argument over it, too. I lowered my webbed hands, peeling the clothes off the floor. With both hands, I gave it a quick shake, airing it out before I slipped into it. My hands and feet popped out of the sleeves, and it clung to me like a school of fish lookin' for scraps.

Blue-green light filled the air as my magic went to work, and I breathed a sigh of relief. With a single use of my [Wet Skin], conjured water dripped from my body, soaking into the suit as I felt a dozen times better.

After snatching some silver coins from the pouch of Dia I left beneath my pillow, I walked up to the door, planting one hand on the fake-glass panel. It looked like glass, but it didn't feel like it. My Aera poured into it, and the fancy crystal within lit up. I walked out the doors as they opened, stretching my legs as I began to stroll through the base.

I was in the mood for food. I was in no rush to see the kid anyway. He'd been feeling better since the trip to the book shop. After he'd started talking to that purple Darkling lady with the funny accent, he looked like he was doing much better. It was a real relief for me, too! The poor kid had been feelin' down after the Slime Boy left, and before he left for his walk, he'd been staring at those pictures for what felt like hours. I'd been a little worried about him.

As much as I thought they were a little creepy, they really were fascinating things, those pictures. That 'Recorder' was somethin' I wanted for myself. The Unicorn Kid had said he wouldn't be able to take much more pictures with it, but maybe I could snag a new one for myself. I didn't know what I'd use it for, but having one would be neat! Still, it only ended up makin' the kid sad, in the end.

It was a real shame, what happened to the Slime Boy. He got hung up on so many little details that he forgot to think. He was too focused on 'right' and 'wrong' that he didn't try to relax and give things a chance. If he'd tried to lighten up, maybe all his worries about these people would've felt a little easier to manage. Instead, he'd been so confident he could handle it himself, as people like him were known to do, and he caused himself and others a bit of trouble.

Maybe part of the blame should fall on me, for not tryin' to communicate that. If I had, maybe he wouldn't have felt bad enough to leave us behind. But improvised Water Magic training didn't make for a great method of communication. Shaping a few [Water Spheres] wasn't a good enough way of tellin' him what he needed to hear. I knew I should try learning that hand language, but it sounded like a lot of effort.

Hahhhh... Worryin' about the Unicorn Kid and the Slime Boy was really starting to work up an appetite. I was starving. I hadn't had much to eat since I'd been busy keeping an eye on the kid. Now, I could get down to sating the growling monster in my stomach. The world was in no rush for me to get to the workshop anyway.

The Brain Gal and the Unicorn Kid had the workshop, but what was there for people like poor old me? Shame there was no fishing spot or swimming pool in this big base of ours. It had a lot of facilities and places designed to make livin' easy and work easier, but it didn't have that. Maybe if I impressed the Don, I could get one built in. How hard would that be to make, for someone with money and access to skilled people like him? It was a far off goal, one I wouldn't seriously pursue unless a great opportunity presented itself, but there was no harm in tryin' and hopin'.

Still, we had good food, a place to stay, and some decent company. For now, that was more than enough for me.

I passed by a few faces, both familiar and not, giving them waves as I did. I knew these people were decent folk, even if I hadn't interacted with 'em that much. This 'Don' kept a tight ship when it came to his people, and I hadn't met a single bad egg yet. Even if I didn't know 'em that well, knowing that I was around people I could trust to help me out if I needed it was enough.

In truth, I hadn't made that much of an effort to get close to anyone else while I was here, but I tried to remember some familiar faces that kept popping up, if nothing else. A few had managed to stick in my memory, like the ones that went with us to the restaurant, and the red skinned Darkling lady with the metal arms that was always chatting with the Brain Gal.

There was one other person that stuck in my mind, a person I'd made a special effort to remember, and only because I owed them one.

With a tap on another panel to light up a fancy crystal lock, I walked into... into the cafeteria. I was a little taken aback. Usually, there wasn't more than six or so people at a time. Now? Now there was a little under two dozen. The place was never this crowded. Strange, huh? None of 'em were faces that had stuck with me, so I gave some idle waves and went about my business.

The red furred Orc behind the counter was hard at work as usual. I wasn't sure what to make of the Pigfolk. Most of 'em seemed to be nothin' if not eager for a fight, but some of 'em I'd met could make a really great meal when it counted. The scent and sounds of the kitchen made it hard to think poorly of him.

"You are back," the big fella intoned. "What will you have today, Fishman?"

He recognised me now. I raised both hands, letting my magic do the talking. The [Water Sphere] that appeared above my splayed fingers turned into a pair of digits. A number that matched the one on the menu hanging above. Being able to order for myself was part of the reason I'd been able to muster up the motivation to train my control a little more.

I had money, too. We'd recently gotten paid for our last mission, and I was eager to spend the fruits of my labour. Still... I felt a little crummy, thinking about it. That half Wolf lady had hit me with somethin' big that left me wobbly. When my Familiars had gotten too close, I'd felt as content as I'd ever had. It was a strong relaxing effect, one I'd felt disappointed that it couldn't have lasted longer when it finally broke. I couldn't complain too much about the damage. Unlike the Unicorn Kid and Cat Woman, I'd made it out of that scrape without... well, a scrape. I didn't know how well earned this money was, but... I'd helped a bit, giving the team some much needed info about the enemy's abilities.

For all the good it did them, at least.

I hopped up onto a stool next to the counter, enjoying the wafting smell of cooked meat in the air. The sizzling sound of food being cooked in here never failed to get my mouth watering and stomach ready for action. This place made me wish I'd learned to cook. I'd rarely cooked anything I caught back home because I'd never needed to, but catching a whiff of this stuff made me wish I had.

When the food was ready, the Orc handed me a tray with a plate, which was already some pretty fancy stuff. What really topped it off was the fried trio of insects, each as long as my forearm, all pierced on a single wooden stick. Delicious! Fish and bugs, the Star had it all!

I knew when we went to that restaurant that Humanoids didn't usually eat this sorta stuff. The fact that the Star had this on the menu at all was because of the person I'd worked to commit to memory. The Shifting Man, the one who transformed into a lady during his first fight with the Cat Woman, had told us that the Bug Doctor ate this stuff when we were out in the city. If not for her, this probably wouldn't be on the menu at all. I owed her one, for that.

Giving the Orc a nod of appreciation and a bright smile, I moved from the counter to my seat. I went to a smaller table since I was eating alone, one next to the lush garden. I wasn't much for pruning plants, but it was a beautiful sight to accompany an equally beautiful meal.

Out in the garden, I saw two familiar faces chattin' with each other. The Blue Bunny girl was with the Pink Witch. The [Witch] was saying something I couldn't hear through the window, floating over a few hedges on her stylised broomstick. I should look into gettin' something like that too. Would've been more convenient than walking around everywhere, especially out in the city streets.

She plucked some plant, one with a long black stem and light grey leaves. For a potion, maybe. That was what [Witches] usually tended to plants for, wasn't it? The Blue Bunny laughed, and I turned my eyes away to focus on what was truly important instead of peepin'.

Three sets of cooked bodies with thick black carapaces and eight long legs. I tapped a claw against the carapace, and sure enough, the Orc knew what he was doing. It was cooked just enough, boiled to the point that the shell was tender enough to bite through. My fangs dug into both shell and meat, relishing the crunch that one couldn't get by just eating fish. The taste was one thing, but the satisfaction of biting through it was what kept me coming back for more. The texture was delicious, complimented by the warm juices spilling into my mouth.

This wasn't the sort of thing I'd usually eat back home. Bugs this big needed to be washed before eating. If you weren't cookin' 'em, you'd need to peel off the shell or even check for poisonous sacs on the inside. As tasty as they were, the preparation involved didn't make it worth it. Or... nah, I was just too lazy to do it. But here, I could spend coin and let someone else do the dirty work! Maybe I wasn't getting the meal in the natural way the Gods intended, but I wasn't about to complain when the eating was this good.

"You there!" someone called out. They sounded close, but they were probably speaking to a person by the counter. I was the only person this close to the corner seat by the counter, but the-

"You! Fishman!" the voice called out again. I was the only Fishman here I knew of, which meant someone was comin' to disrupt my meal. I didn't know anyone here, and the voice wasn't familiar, but-

"Excuse me," said the source of the voice, now arriving at my table. With reluctance, I tore my eyes from the crisp black shell to look way up at a tall Elven man.

He had short blond hair and brown skin, but his spear-like ears pointing skyward gave him away. I didn't keep up with the different names for Elves. They didn't keep things as simple as Humans did, and had all sorts of different names depending on where they came from. His body was heavily muscled, barely hidden behind a black tank top, shorts, and a pair of fingerless gloves. He looked like a [Runner] or one of those bare-handed fighters, with a physique and clothes similar enough to the Cat Woman that I could easily picture him being the rough and rowdy type like her.

He wasn't alone, either. There was someone with him, which doubled the chance that they were gonna sit down and try to have a conversation with me. The other person was a Triton, someone who was far taller than me, too. Unlike Fishfolk such as myself, Tritons looked more 'folk' than 'fish', with a Humanoid body structure that had fish-coloured skin n' scales over it. His body had clashes of light and dark, with gold skin peppered with black streaks. Like a Tigerfish. His fins were much bigger than mine, and he had massive teeth. I could see somethin' poking out to the left of his own shorts, too. He carried around a trident, one made from a sharpened lump of red and orange coral. He looked about as muscled as the Humanoid did, and about as eager to chat, too. Gods help me.

"You're the Fishman of the new Chimera team, aren't you?" the Elven man asked. "Yamakoz of Equinox?"

I didn't want to talk right now, but the team was making an effort to fit in around here. I'd do it for them, if nothing else, but the minute they asked me to share some of my food, I was leavin'. I nodded.

"Excellent!" the Elf said, taking that as an invitation to sit down across from me. I restrained the urge to groan.

"It is not 'Yamakoz', but 'Yakamoz'," the Triton corrected, looking towards his buddy before his big blue eyes turned towards me instead. He wore a kindly smile on his face, and with those teeth of his, I couldn't imagine he was terribly popular with the Human folks. "It is an old word of the ocean, one that means 'Sea Sparkle'. The reflection of the moonlight on the water's surface."

"Wow... that's pretty poetic, isn't it?" the Elf asked, shimmying over to let the Triton sit down next to him despite my unspoken protests.

The Triton was making it sound much more than it was. It held the meaning that he gave, sure, but it also referred to the light that came from plankton and small insects underwater. The same insects I'd find and eat near the beach at my old hut as a midnight snack. The Familiars that I was able to barf up reminded me a little of 'em, so I figured it was as good an Epithet as any. Still, if he wanted to make me sound much more worldly than I was, I wasn't about to correct him.

"Are you from Devonia, old one?" the Triton asked.

Devonia...? Right, right. The underwater kingdom. Of course he'd be from there, carryin' a trident and talkin' all fancy. I shook my head.

"Do you not wish to speak?" the Triton asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "Is it a drawback of your abilities, perhaps?"

I raised a hand, conjuring a [Water Sphere]. With a little bit of work, it turned into a pair of Human lookin' lips. Then, I made an X through 'em. Easy enough to understand.

The Triton opened his mouth to speak when the red furred Orc fella by the counter cleared his throat. The two muscleheads sitting across from me looked up.

"He's mute," the Orc told them, saving me the trouble of answering questions to get my point across. "It's not a self imposed Condition, either. He's just mute."

The Triton's eyes cleared up as he realised what I was trying to say, and he bowed his head.

"Ah, I see... My apologies for making assumptions, old one."

"No need to apologise for that, right? We're all friends here!" the Elf said, grinning to himself. "We all fly under the same banner, so it's important we get to know each other."

He extended a hand towards me, a hand that I wouldn't have shaken if I hadn't already pulled one away from my food to use magic.

"I'm Overcharge, and this is my pal Markdown!" he exclaimed, shaking my hand with far too much energy.

"'Indrim', if you prefer Epithets in the sea tongues, old one," the Triton said with a knowing smile.

I couldn't speak, old tongue or not. Damn pikuja. I didn't like him callin' me 'old'. The whiskers above my mouth and the shriveled fins might've made me look older than I was, and the changes those Chimera folks stuck me with weren't helpin' either, but I didn't look that old.

I was hoping they'd only come here for introductions, but they still hadn't gotten up to leave, so there was probably more that they had to throw at me.

"Sorry that we weren't here to greet you all when you joined, things have been busy for our team," the Elf said apologetically. There was really nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't as though we'd even known he'd existed until right this minute.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

But... busy? Wasn't this group supposed to be dormant, or not in the spotlight to let the Orcs take care of stuff? It was something like that, anyway. 'Busy' wasn't a great word to hear. It sounded like nothin' but a bad omen.

"Indeed," the Triton nodded. "Our team has been keeping track of local adventurers and the state of affairs beyond the Sova region, you see. We have been learning more about those in charge elsewhere in our fair city, all in preparation of the Don's great return."

And they felt the need to tell me this? It wasn't as though I was gonna be passin' this on to others. Maybe they hadn't thought this through, or nobody else was willin' to talk to 'em.

I must've looked really confused or somethin', because the Elf smiled.

"Perhaps the others will be informed later, but some of the teams out on missions have been called back from our lengthy operations beyond the Sova territory to prepare for the battle to come!" the Triton said, his voice brimming with pride. "I'm sure the Don will create a masterful plan to share with everyone shortly."

"Yup! It's about time we took to the spotlight again and pushed Big Tooth out of power! I've been looking forward to this for months!" the Elf added, looking at the Triton. Was this even a conversation they needed to have me around for anymore? It felt like they were talking to themselves more than me.

I'd been looking forward to a slow life between missions for a while. One that'd give me a chance to gradually build up my abilities to be more useful for the team, but that didn't seem to be the case. I hoped the Brain Gal and Unicorn Kid were in the right state of mind for 'busy'.

While part of me wanted to rush, to scoff down my food so I wouldn't have these two muscleheads talking at me, a bigger part had the right idea. Annoying or not, I wasn't about to rush my meal for anyone. I'd been waiting for this after a long shift of watching over the kid!

"Yakamoz, I've heard of a Nekari Chimera on your team, too. One that boasts incredible power in combat. Is that true?" the Elf asked.

He was finally getting to what sounded like the point of his visit! He wanted me to introduce him? I nodded.

"So she is a Sword Caster, much like us, Overcharge," the Triton mused, crossing his arms. "And what role do you play in your team, old one?"

Urgh. How could I even communicate somethin' like that? I wasn't about to cough up those conjured eggs in my mouth while I was in the middle of eating just to demonstrate, and I wasn't here to play a guessing game or use valuable brain power figuring out how to explain what I did.

Then, I nearly leapt out of my seat when someone appeared next to me. I reflexively clenched my fist around the wooden stick, making sure that I didn't risk dropping my food!

They looked... strange. This fella was a wispy, pale skinned Human with messy black hair. The edges of his body looked... misty, like they were fading in and out. He wore a buttoned up white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, plain black pants and matching shoes.

He was a little hard to look at, plain as he was. He wasn't ugly, or threatening, but he was just... hard to focus on. If I wasn't lookin' directly at him right now, I might've forgotten he was there at all. If not for that wispy mist around the edges of his body and his skin that was pale as a Ghost, he'd have looked as plain a Human as I'd ever seen.

"Ah, so you were still here!" the Elf grinned. He reached around the Triton, grabbing the man by the wrist. Part of me half expected his hand to go straight through him, as though he was really was a Ghost. "Come, sit with us!"

He pulled the wispy man off the ground, and he began to float. His body waved in the air as he was lifted, billowin' in the wind like a leaf hanging loosely off its branch. He seemed lighter than air, relaxing without resisting even a bit as he was planted on the bench next to the Elf.

"This is my good friend and partner, Languish!" the Elf exclaimed, his eyes brimming with pride. "He's a member of our three man squad!"

"Hey..." the pale man said, raising a hand to give a weak wave. The voice coming out of his mouth was about as quiet and forgettable as he was. His lips barely even moved as he spoke, too.

As strange as he was, he seemed like a man of few words. Given the circumstances, I was pretty appreciative of that.

"Languish here is one of the Star's most accomplished scouts, and is an excellent Caster with powerful magic!" the Elf informed me, even though I hadn't asked. Even without [Insight], knowing that the guy was good with magic was plain to see.

My mind caught on the word. 'Scout'. That was what I needed to tell them I was.

I pointed at the wispy man with a finger, and then jabbed a thumb back towards me. The Elf's face lit up, and I felt relief bloom in my chest once I gathered that he'd figured out what I was tryin' to say.

"Do you want to fight Languish?!?" the Elf exclaimed with a smile so pure I almost felt bad puttin' him down, completely missing my meaning. "You wish to challenge him, Yakamoz?"

Once I shook my head, I saw the Triton grimace, turning his eyes towards the Elf.

"I believe he wishes to say his magic is similar to our companion's, Overcharge," he corrected.

That wasn't exactly true, but that was close enough. My magic wasn't anythin' like his, but we were both 'scouts'. Hopefully that'd be enough to satiate their questions until someone better equipped than me could bother to explain it to 'em. I prayed to the Priestess herself that he wouldn't start askin' for a demonstration.

"I see..." the Elf responded, his body drooping. The wispy man next to him wordlessly raised an arm, giving him a pat on the shoulder. The motion looked so light that it could've been a breeze. I wondered if the Elf had even felt it at all.

"We'd love to meet your team, Yakamoz," the Elf continued, looking back up towards me. "Do you know where they are?"

That was a question I could answer without much difficulty. Maybe this conversation was startin' to look up! I raised a hand, forming another ball of water. Then, I shaped it into a man's head, one with a metal helmet over the top half of the face, peppered with small holes. It was a simplified version, but it was enough that my teammates had gotten the gist of it.

"Master Gearhead...?" the Elf asked, raising an eyebrow. Then, he perked up as if he understood, but I didn't get my hopes up, just in case. "They are with Master Gearhead at the workshop! Understood!"

The Priestess answered my prayers. I'd have to find something to offer up to her later.

The Elf rose to his feet so fast it shook the table. As he did, the wispy man drifted off his seat too, letting out a slow "Aaaaahh..." as he did.

"We will be off to meet with your leader immediately, Yakamoz! Thank you for your time and patience!"

"Thank you, old one," the Triton nodded with a smile, gently rising from his seat as the Elf bounded away, carryin' the wispy guy behind him like a balloon at the end of a string. "Forgive us for interrupting your meal."

I gave him a nod in return as he started to walk off. They didn't seem like bad folk or anything, they just came at a bad time. They had more energy and enthusiasm than I could muster up, which only made me feel older than I was. That Triton pikuja callin' me 'old one' was somethin' I'd work to fix.

I sat at the table for a few more minutes, munchin' away at my meal while I looked out at the bright garden. The Blue Bunny and Pink Witch had disappeared while I wasn't looking, giving me the safety to look out at the greenery without them thinkin' I was staring. Those three didn't stick around long enough for the food to get cold, so it was still delicious, even moreso now that I had some peace and quiet.

Once I finished up, I stretched my arms, hoppin' out of my seat like a young Fishfolk would. Pickin' up the tray, I walked over to the counter, stretching my arms upwards to leave it on top along with a few coins I'd brought with me for the food. Then, I left the rest of the noisy chatter of the cafeteria behind to begin my walk towards the workshop.

Leaving the cafeteria, I gave an idle wave to the group of stoic looking cleanin' men... [Janitors], that passed me by. The short, bearded fella in front gave me a nod in return. See? That wasn't so hard, was it? That was all interactions needed to be, just a wave and a nod of recognition. It was the type of interaction I was happy to have right about now.

I walked slow and steady, giving my stomach time to settle down. I didn't want to rush my digestion, so I let my eyes drift from painting to painting. When the fine art of the Don's choosing failed to grab my attention, I decided to look towards something else. Instead of risking conversation in the halls, I'd see what the kid was up to.

Leaving my body to trudge along through the halls, my senses were split. When I blinked again, the second set of eyes I had registered darkness. It still felt strange, directly controllin' two bodies at once. Even if one was left to instinct, the sensation was odd, like trying to look left and right at the same time. I wiggled the eight legs the Familiar's body had, climbing out of the boy's hood as the formerly muffled sound clearly reached me.

"-talk about it!" the Unicorn Kid chirped as my head poked out of his hood. He hadn't drifted back into a dreary mood again while I wasn't lookin', which was a good sign.

The plastic bag he'd been carrying was empty now, devoid of all the books he'd bought. I turned my head upwards, spotting the edge of several covers poking out over the Brain Gal's mech. Even compared to my real body, it was a massive thing. Tons of interlocked metal protecting a helpless fleshy interior. She was a little like a Tortoise, in that sense. Reliant on her protective shell, wise, and slow moving.

She wasn't movin', or speakin', or doin' much of anything. Some of the books were held in her massive floating hands, lumps of metal shaped into those of an oversized woman's with scales around the wrists. They were strange looking, but given what the Brain Gal was, they were the least strange thing about her. Chances were, she was 'zoning out', as the Cat Woman often said. She was deep in thought. That, or she was able to read the books even while they were closed. Her senses were strange, so maybe she could do that too.

I crawled out of the hood to get a better look, feeling the Unicorn Kid shiver as his head turned. To my eyes right now, his face looked enormous, easily twice the size of my whole body. Dark grey skin like charcoal, bright eyes filled with stars like the night sky, and a marble-white horn. He looked like somethin' out of a Faerie Tale, but he was all too real. As magical and ethereal as he seemed, he was just another poor kid beneath it all.

He raised a hand to brush some of his long white hair out of the way. Some of it had been touching my back, but I wasn't ticklish, not with the thin exoskeleton covering up the Familiar's soft insides. I'd barely even noticed. When I saw him smile softly and lower his hand to rub my back with a finger, I took a look around.

The Brain Gal wasn't the only person here. The red Darkling, Metal Arms, was sittin' in her chair, looking over at the massive white construct that the Book Gnome and Metalhead had made.

"[I'll have to reread these then, so I can have a proper chat about them.]"

The words were injected directly into my mind. If not for the stiff feminine voice with a slight echo they were spoken in, I might've mistaken 'em for my own thoughts.

"[Why did you buy this volume, Streiphen? It's out of order with the rest,]" the Brain Gal said, holding up a purplish book with a ton of monsters in front of a castle on the cover.

The Unicorn Kid blushed, looking away.

"Umm... I spilled something on them, so I had to buy it, but that's okay! We can work our way up to it!" he responded, his voice abnormally loud given that I was sitting on his shoulder. It didn't bother me that much, anyway. "And I met a cool Darkling lady with purple skin! She taught me a lot about the monsters and magic that were in the book!"

"[You read ahead...?]" the Brain Gal asked inquisitively, some of the stiffness falling out of her voice. Whew... My body relaxed a little after hearing that. "[Aren't you worried about spoilers?]"

"Spoilers?" the Unicorn Kid replied, tilting his head. His hair once again fell onto my body from the action.

"[Never mind...]" she responded quietly.

"Maybe you should do research on monsters too, Yur," Metal Arm commented, planting her Goat-like feet on the ground before kicking against it, wheeling her chair over to the massive mech.

"[Why? We don't need to fight monsters here in the city, Sham- ah... Shafu.]"

"Why not?" the Darkling shrugged. "You never know when some guy with a magic bond with a monster will attack, or one slips in through the sewers, or someone trafficking monsters in and out of the harbour messes up and they escape. You gotta prepare for anything, y'know? Besides, monsters can evolve to use Aera naturally in specific ways. Lots of people look to monster encyclopedias and famous Casters for inspiration. Ideas for developing a person's magic don't just come from nowhere, not even for me!"

Learning how to use magic from monsters? The people living in cities were pretty strange. Was that something I should try? The idea sounded pretty dull, given that I really wasn't a 'bookworm' sorta person. But if the Brain Gal and Unicorn Kid knew a thing or two about monsters, maybe I could just ask them for inspiration to take a shortcut.

How could I even improve my magic? Create more water? Change how I make my Familiars?

"When I was in the book shop, I read all of the Adventures of the Six books I bought, Miss Yuri!" the Unicorn Kid boasted. "That way we can talk about them if you want!"

"[You've read through them already?]" the Brain Gal responded. "[What do you think?]"

She sounded... a little better from before, but she still sounded off. It didn't seem like the Kid had picked up on it yet, or he was hiding it to make her feel better. That seemed like the sorta thing the Kid would do. Her voice sounded stiff and repressed, even though she was speaking through our minds.

The Familiar twitched, and I felt my real body raise an arm to wave at someone in passing. Hah! I hadn't even thought about it, but I'd greeted someone on reflex. I couldn't imagine what I must've looked like! Was I still slumped over a little, lookin' like a living Zombie? Hopefully nobody stopped me thinkin' I was possessed or cavortin' with Demons. That would've been quite the misunderstanding.

"They're very good!" the Kid exclaimed with conviction. "I like them a lot! I, um... think I should have bought more of them though. I know you want us to be fru... frugel-"

"[Frugal.]"

"Frugal! So I kept some money just in case!"

"You love 'em, huh?" the Darkling laughed, causing the Kid's head to turn towards her again. "Don't let Gamechanger hear you saying that, or he'll want to talk to you about them too."

"Why is that a bad thing?" the Unicorn Kid asked back, raising a single white brow. "I'd love to talk about them!"

"Yeah, maybe you like the books now, but if you have to sit through five hundred conversations about them with Gamechanger, you'll get sick of 'em. He could tell you everything about the characters in those books with how attached he gets to them. It borders on what I'd call obsession, but it seems pretty standard for a City Gnome."

"Oh..." the Kid muttered, his eyes falling to the floor, expression downcast. "I... um... I don't know much about the characters yet, so I wouldn't be very good at that conversation..."

The Darkling laughed again, leaning forward in her chair as both of her smooth metal arms clamped down on her knees. "That's what you're worried about? Yeah, you'll definitely need to be careful around Gamechanger, kid."

I turned my eyes from the Kid, looking towards the mech once again. One of the books had been opened now, so she was probably doing some reading. My eyes trailed down a little, and I saw my eyes staring back at me. Even if a lot of the Chimera's mech was covered in a light layer of soot and dust, the bronze rose was polished and clean. My own face was visible in the reflection, even if the waves of curling petals made my face bulge in some unflattering places.

Ding!

The sound of the doorway caused the Kid to whirl around, dragging my orange eyes away from that of my reflection. Uh-oh.

Once one of the Goons working for Metalhead backed away from the moving giant artefact and towards the door, I felt like I knew what was coming. The doors opened, and a newly familiar voice boomed in through the entrance.

"People of Equinox! I've come to speak with you!"

Yeah. That was about what I expected. They hadn't let themselves get sidetracked at all, huh? No bathroom breaks or wayward chattin' with people going down the corridor? They went straight for the workshop. Or... or they were very fast at chatting and using the toilet.

"A pleasure to meet you!" the muscular, brown skinned Elf boomed, dragging his listless Ghost pal along with him. "I am-!"

Not ready for a second round of introductions yelled at the volume of a Sea Serpent's roar.

I tuned out of my Familiar's senses as the Kid turned around. Instead, I returned all my focus back to my body. I glanced around, taking in the pictures on the walls that served as rough signposts if one knew which ones were in what corridors. It didn't seem like I was far from the workshop now. I turned a corner on my left, making sure I was going the right way. Hah! I didn't even wander that far off course without thinkin'! I was getting better at this whole multi-tasking thing while sharing my senses.

"-like that!" the Elf boomed, right as I tuned back into the Familiar's senses. I'd given it a minute or two, hoping someone had managed to get him to tone his volume down. Either nobody had bothered trying, or they'd all failed.

It wasn't until the Kid grabbed my body with both hands that I realised the towering Elf was pointing at me. The Unicorn Kid held me out, as though I was another book he wanted to present. His arms were shivering.

"This is Fareel's Familiar! He's Equinox's scout!" the Kid exclaimed proudly. As much as his tone warmed me up, I could've done without the close up of the Elf's face. "He was protecting me while I was out in the city buying things for Miss Yuri! Umm... Homebound, I mean."

"How strange..." commented the Tigerfish Triton, who was stroking his elongated chin with a single webbed hand. "I could have sworn he said his abilities were similar to Languishes."

Oops. That miscommunication had backfired quicker than I'd expected. Hopefully my team would clarify and save me the trouble.

"If you need someone to help you make better cloaking devices, Languish is a master of that sorta magic, Yur," Metal Arms said, looking back up at the Brain Gal. "Markdown's an excellent tracker, too."

"You flatter me, Shambles. Thank you," the Triton responded, bowing his head.

"[I see. We'll have to talk about that at a later time then. That is, if you don't mind, Languish,]" the Brain Gal responded stiffly. She was flexing her hands again, now that they weren't all holding colourful books. The movements were slow and steady. Methodical and precise. All of 'em moved evenly, all at the exact same time. It was... like how a Doll moved. Awkward and a little unnervin' to look at. Too... perfect. Maybe it was just because of practice, but it was still odd.

Metal Arms coughed loudly into a clenched fist, and Brain Gal spoke again.

"[Sorry... It's... it's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Homebound, leader of Team Equinox. You can...]"

Her words trailed off, and her mech turned slightly, as if to look towards Metal Arms for support. All she gave was a nod.

"[You can call me 'Yuri'. I look forward to working with you,]" Brain Gal finished, sounding more like her usual self. Still stiff, but not uncomfortably so, and awkward. Emotion sept into her words. Reassuring.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuri!" the Elf chirped, bringing his hand forward to shake with one of the oversized metal hands. "Oh! A firm grip!"

"[Likewise, Overcharge. And thank you,]" she responded.

"Now, down to the other reason for our visit!" the Elf boomed, lowering his other hand as the paper-light man drifted to the floor, landing softly and soundlessly on his own two feet. I saw the Brain Gal's mech twitch out of the corner of my eye as the Ghost Guy landed. "Is the Nekari Chimera I've heard so much about here? I've been hoping to meet with her all day!"

The Unicorn Kid's head turned towards the Brain Gal, hoping for an answer I knew she didn't have.

"[Ah... Sunburst. No, she's currently away on... personal business. If you want, I can tell her you were looking for her when-]"

My senses were abruptly disturbed. Not by an ability or the mental attack of a Wolf-like lady, but by a sudden stop. Instead of the slow, methodical walking my main body had been going through, it came to an abrupt, jarring stop. I broke mental contact with the Familiar, pouring my concentration back into my body. Flexing my hands to regain feeling, I found myself standin' right in front of the towering metal doors of the workshop. I raised a hand, planting it down on the panel, watching as my blue-green Aera poured through the material, causing the crystal within to light up.

"Grbl..." I muttered with a smile, making a gargling sound a moment before the Ding! overhead was let out. Timing it to match was harder than it seemed.

One of the Goons, a red skinned Darkling man, opened up the door. Streiphen's head snapped around to meet me as the metal parted, and I saw my own face staring back at me from atop the Familiar's body.

"Ah! There he is now, right on time!" the Elf boomed. Maybe his enthusiasm wouldn't make me feel as tired after my food was digested, but right now I dreaded the idea of tryin' to keep up with him. I hoped it wasn't makin' the Brain Gal feel as exhausted as it was me. She... seemed like she needed all the energy she could get. I wanted to know how she was doin', but I'd need to rely on the Unicorn Kid to ask, and preferably when there weren't a small crowd of people around, too.

I stepped into the workshop, giving the Kid a wave with more energy than I'd given anyone else, approaching the pair of teammates, of friends, with a grin.

Then, I heard a voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, my eyes trailing towards the ceiling as I saw a golden rectangle of hard light form above the open doorway. On it was a familiar gleaming face, one with long silver hair. The Gold Eye Machina.

"Attention, all members of the Velvet Star," the woman's voice droned, her expression stiff. Maybe 'professional' would've been a more fitting word, but whenever I saw people lookin' like that, I couldn't help but liken 'em to Dolls.

"The Don wishes for all present to come to the Meeting Hall. He will be conducting a meeting in person for all members and related personnel within the next ten minutes. That is all."

The golden rectangle hovered in the air for just a moment longer before breaking apart, splitting into countless shards of sun-like light.

The Brain Gal began to rise, putting the books away inside her compartment. The Unicorn Kid planted his hands on his hips, standing tall and looking eager to impress.

I... just sighed, and my shoulders slumped.

Ah well, there went my chances of a peaceful afternoon to relax and practice.