The ringing of the alarm clock sharply echoed in the dark bedroom only to be finally silenced by a small, unsteady hand reaching out from the pile of blankets spread haphazardly on the bed. As the last traces of the beeping faded away from the morning air, the drowsy head of the hand’s owner slowly rose from the depths of the pile, sitting up like an especially sleepy vampire in her grave.

Kay: "Haaaaa…"

After a huge yawn the girl lightly shook her head and looked around in the dark room through her half-opened eyelids. Behind the curtains she could already see the faint morning light seeping through, dressing the room in dim yellow. Finally her glance fell beside herself, but all she could find were a few more wrinkled blankets. For a few seconds she quietly stared at the empty space at her side, right until her hand finally moved and reached for the sheets.

Kay: "(It’s still warm…)"

Soketsu had probably only left a few minutes ago, she surmised. His lingering warmth was an embarrassing reminder of their new life form. Ever since they decided to stay they have been sleeping together. Or to be a little more precise, they just kept doing it after the first day without ever questioning why. That night, after returning from the impromptu carnival the fairies threw for Soketsu’s arrival, the two of them were dead tired and simply collapsed into the same bed.

The next morning they realized the room had another bed, and agreed that they should sleep separately… yet somehow when it came to turning in for the night they always found themselves beside each other for the past two weeks. By this point raising the topic would have been more awkward than simply continuing as before.

As the warmth slowly faded, a peculiar, conflicting emotion rose in Kay’s chest. On one side she was a little relieved to avoid the embarrassment of waking up by Soketsu’s side yet again, but another part of her was a little disappointed for the same reason. It felt a little lonely.

Her wandering thoughts were quickly pulled back into reality as the last trace of her partner’s presence has faded. She blinked at her still outstretched hand and she couldn’t help but shake her head at her own actions. According to the clock she had spent almost five minutes staring at the place where he slept without doing anything.

Kay: "(What’s wrong with me?)"

She shook her head one more time and ever so slowly wriggled out of the bed. As her bare feet touched the floor, she involuntarily jolted.

Kay: "(Ah… It’s cold!)"

She quickly looked around and almost immediately found what she was looking for. She reached down to the side of the bed and grasped the pair of furry, cat-shaped slippers. As she carefully slipped her feet into them she couldn’t help but smile. They were gifts from Lily, and looking at them always reminded her of the day she received them. Just thinking about how the blonde girl’s eyes were sparkling at the time with expectation was enough to give her day a good start.

As such, she finally stood up and moved to the window. The bright, warm light instantly vanquished the last traces of drowsiness from her eyes as she opened the curtains to the beautiful garden outside. She quietly stretched her back and turned around, only to find herself face to face with her own reflection.

She froze in mid-motion, just like she did almost every single morning. It only lasted for a second though, after which she shook herself and scowled at her own image. She hated that mirror, hated it from the depths of her heart. As for the form of the girl in front of her, she had a hard time grasping the exact emotion she felt about it. It a peculiar mixture of was sadness, anger and even a hint of despair…

Her form might have seemed perfectly normal for anyone, except for the dark-green hair of course, but what she saw was something different. It just wasn’t her; it just wasn’t how she was supposed to be. Normally she tried not to be too concerned about her appearance, but the unforgiving truth of the mirror always served as a stark reminder of her condition.

Kay: "…"

For the next couple of seconds she kept scowling at her reflection without even blinking. Truth to be told, she wasn’t ugly. Far from it. Soketsu often told her that she was pretty whenever he tried to cheer her up, but even an impartial observer would have said the same. A cute face, a pair of clear eyes, even her exotic green hair only added to her beauty. However she was still just a beautiful child. Even though she was only wearing a thin night-gown and her underpants, she was not the least bit alluring.

She finally snorted and averted her glance. She wordlessly steeled her resolve and turned her back on the mirror with forced nonchalance. She walked over to the dresser with her head still kept down and reached inside. After putting together a small heap of clothes she moved to the bed and slipped out of her gown. She quickly changed into a sky-blue summer dress, which she received from Ahazkun and Tiari. She pointedly didn’t check her appearance in the mirror and instead she began fixing the bed.

Normally she would have taken a shower before changing, but she already took one before she went to bed the previous night and she didn’t feel sweaty, so she only washed her hands and face at the sink and then immediately left the bathroom.

Kay: "(Huh? What is this doing here?)"

On her way out another detail grabbed her interest, thankfully diverting her mind from the previous issues. In the corner of the room sat a thick tome with crimson cover and black, cursive letters on the front, like a dark Bible of some sorts. In truth it was nothing so ominous. As she took the heavy book into her hands the name of the author made it obvious it was anything but dark magic.

Kay: "(Oh, it’s still here? I should give it back to Mr. Gabe…)"

The letters on the front read Ancestral And Familiar Soul Core Potential Inheritance Vol. II, and in fact it was an even more difficult than what the title might have suggested. It took her nearly two days to finish it the first time and another two to make notes and finally understand it as well. With other words it was one hell of a hard read, but for Kay it was a challenge she would not shy away from. After reading this, she finally managed to complete the whole series a certain mad scientist wrote on the Core-theory and was finally able to understand most of the seemingly unintelligible gibberish exchanged between the two scientists of the group as well.

After a few moments of thinking she reached for her backpack beside the bed and then promptly stuffed the book into it before throwing it onto her back. She wanted to talk to Gabe anyway; the book was a good excuse to look for him. After the final touches she finally reached for the doorknob and, after putting on a slightly tired smile, left the room.

~~~

Kay: "…"

The view was supposed to be familiar already, yet it never failed to enthrall her while she was walking down the paved road on the small woody hill. The fact itself that someone would bother with creating a hill in an underground dome was already amazing, but the streets of Avalon were even more enchanting. They were picturesque to begin with, but the morning light made the sight even more idyllic than usual. But it wasn’t just the town itself. As she looked up she had a hard time believing that it wasn’t the real sky spreading above her head. With the warm rays of the artificial sun caressing her skin and the azure mackerel-sky stretching to the horizon, the sight seemed strangely more real than the actual world above it all. However, the feeling wasn’t exclusive to the blue infinity...

As she finally reached the outskirts of the city and entered the town itself, the sensation of life washed over her like a great wave of invisible, warm seawater.

Avalon was a city beyond compare, but not only in beauty but in oddity as well. Everything was human-sized even though the city’s inhabitants were not. When she asked them about it, they just gave her a confused look and said it was only natural that everything was that size around them. The only conclusion she could reach was that it was more comfortable for them, since this way they had a lot of space to fly around, although the wasteful nature of such design still left her baffled sometimes.

Avalon’s structure was also peculiar in a way that it had no highways, or cars for that matter. Every single street was a promenade and the only vehicles one could see were the monorails in the sky running from the extremities on great arched rails to provide quick travel for distances too great for the fairies’ frail wings.

????: "Oh look, it’s Kay."

?????: "Kaaaay!!!"

Kay: "Hi girls!"

As she turned in a corner, she found some familiar faces. It was a pair of fairies sitting on a fence in front of a popular sweets shop called Archon Mort. Unlike most of the buildings in the neighborhood, Archon Mort had a strange, red-shingled roof and a large crimson gate with two lintels, the upper of which was slightly curved upwards. According to what Kay had heard the building and the gate were both based on some kind of old religious building, though it didn’t look anything like a temple of the Order to her. Nevertheless it was still Kay’s favorite hangout ever since Tiari introduced her, and the waitresses quickly took a liking to her as well. The two, namely Shouwa and June, immediately jumped up and flew to her.

Shouwa: "Did you come to see us? You are so nice!"

Shouwa was a short girl even by fairy standards with an ample chest that pushed hard against her clothes and wavy pink hair cascading down her shoulders. She was clad in a white robe of some kind, with loose detached sleeves and a short skirt. According to Tiari it was based on the appearance of something called a ‘miko’, and it was apparently fitting for the theme of the building.

June: "Don’t jump to conclusions, idiot!"

Her partner on the other hand was a serious looking girl with short black hair and a pair of tiny glasses perched on her nose. She wore the same kind of outfit, though hers seemed to be a little more form-fitting and she had a longer skirt. All the fairies working at the sweets shop had their own individualized uniforms like that, some more modest than others.

Shouwa: "You have to try out the chef’s new Choux Parfait! It’s awesome!"

June: "… Are you ignoring me again?"

Shouwa: "I’ve heard the ingredients are really hard to come by, but they are really, really good!" The pink-haired fairy struck a funny pose while giving an energetic thumb up. June only shook her head in turn.

June: "Geez, she never listens…"

Shouwa: "Oh, and don’t believe the lies of the other shops! It’s totally, 198.4 percent surely not made of cicadas!"

The short-haired fairy furrowed her brows and crossed her arms in front of her chest with a difficult expression.

June: "Wait, where did you hear that rumor on the first place?"

Shouwa: "From Takano…"

June: "Oh come on! You know that girl is a compulsive liar!"

Though she felt a little left out of the conversation, Kay kept observing the pair with an absentminded smile. The first time she found it strange, but since then she got used to the two getting lost in their own little arguments. In fact she actually found them a little amusing. Each of the fairies was different not only in looks but in personality as well, yet somehow all of them had one common trait: whenever they talked, their conversations always went into unexpected, funny and sometimes downright obscure directions…

June: "No, I told you we are not going to sacrifice anyone on the festival! We don’t even have a festival to begin with!"

… like right now. After a quick glance at her pocket-watch, courtesy of Gabe, Kay finally decided to excuse herself.

Kay: "Sorry, but I can’t stay now. I have a book to return to Mr. Gabe. Maybe another time?"

The two fairies looked a little down for a second, but their mood swung back in a moment.

June: "Too bad."

Souwa: "Yeah… But promise you will come visit us soon! You really should taste our completely cockroach-free sweets!"

June: "Wasn’t it cicadas just a few moments ago…?"

Kay: "Okay, I promise, but I have to go now! Goodbye!"

June: "Bye-bye!"

Shouwa: "See you soon, and look out for the mind-controlling worms!"

June: "There are no such things!"

As the voices of the bickering duo slowly faded behind Kay a little chuckle left her lips. Even though the fairies were always a little silly, she loved spending time with them, and she was already planning her next visit to the shop while her legs steadily carried her through the sunny promenades of the city.

~~~

Her tired sigh uncomfortably echoed in the corridor as Kay’s weary legs took one step after another. Even though he took the monorail, the Main Laboratories were still far from the station, and the walking wore her small body down considerably, especially with the heavy book in her backpack. She might have been an Alternate, but her body was still that of a young girl’s after all.

After passing the decontamination corridor the inner door finally opened in front of her. There was no security or anything beyond that point, so she could leisurely walk in. As she entered, she immediately came across a face that stuck out of the crowd with her size; although it’s no big feat considering the crowd consisted solely of fairies.

Lily: "Kay-chan!!!"

The golden haired girl immediately ran to her, although her usual running speed was something others would have probably only considered strolling. Nevertheless, the always bright smile on her face never failed to make people skim over such tiny details when dealing with her.

Kay: "Hi Lily. Have you seen Mr. Gabe or Soketsu?"

Lily: "Hmmm… Gabe-sama is doing sciency things in his lab again, and Soketsu-san is with Pabloc-san at the gym."

Kay: "Gym? You mean the training grounds?"

Lily: "Nyu?"

The confused look on Lily’s face was further emphasized by tilting her head to the side, a cute expression Kay had seen many times in the past few days.

Kay: "The place with the dummies."

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Lily’s eyes sparkled with comprehension and she gave a huge nod, her gravity-defying hair following after the movement with a bit of a lag.

Lily: "Hai~! They are there!"

Kay: "I see… I’m going to see them then."

Lily: "Can I tag along? Pretty please?"

The blonde girl looked at her with the most adorable puppy-eyes she had ever seen on her. Those eyes were both incredibly cute, but even more importantly…

Kay: "Y-Yeah, sure."

Lily: "Yay!"

… it was impossible to say no to them.

Lily: "Let’s go, I will lead the way!"

After quickly saying goodbye to the researchers in the research complex the two left the way Kay came from. From afar they were actually quite a strange pair; a blonde child frolicking around another little girl with her long hair and white dress fluttering behind her. Kay on the other hand was walking with heavier steps, politely smiling at the energetic girl prancing around her like an elder-sister watching over her junior.

~~~

There was a muffled sound filling the corridor reminiscent of an industrial angle grinder heard from across a wall, followed by some equally muffled words of encouragement.

Pabloc: "Good, one more time."

The loud groaning of twisting metal reverberated in Kay’s bones a hundred times harden the moment the automatic doors soundlessly opened before her. She inadvertently shuddered at the wall of sound striking her, but a moment later it was already over, leaving only a slightly ringing in her ears. Lily on the other hand didn’t seem to mind as she followed after her without stumbling for a moment.

Soketsu: "Okay, then how about this?"

Soketsu’s voice came from the back of the spacious room and was almost immediately followed by another metallic noise that echoed in the room for several seconds. Or was it only doing that in Kay’s ears? It was hard to tell.

The training hall was fairly large. Both the walls and its floor were covered in a thin layer of protective padding and there were all sorts of exercise machines and other equipment lined on their left.

Pabloc: "Not bad. Try to mix it with the speed sigil and let’s see how much better it can get."

Soketsu: "Roger."

Soketsu nodded firmly and began tracing a symbol onto the back of his hand with his finger under the supervision of the bespectacled scientist.

The two were standing at the other end of the hall in front of a dozen or so crash-dummies in the shape of hairless adult males with strange yellow marks on their rubbery skin. Beside them laid about another dozen more broken ones piled up haphazardly in the corner. Some had fist-sized holes punctured into their torsos, others had their head or limbs missing, yet others were twisted and shattered beyond recognition.

A moment later Soketsu’s hand was enveloped with an eerie blue light. He flexed his fingers before curling them into a fist. In the meantime Pabloc poked at one of his usual floating screens with his fingers. Once he finished he gave a small nod to Soketsu and the ex-Rover took up a martial stance in front of the next target dummy in line.

Lily: "Pabloc-saaaan! Soketsu-saaan!!!"

The two of them raised their eyes in unison upon hearing the cheerful voice, and just moment later Lily literally crashed into Pabloc’s waist and kept hugging him like a huge pillow.

Pabloc: "Uh… Hello girls."

Soketsu glanced up from his preparation and his lips immediately parted into a smile when his eyes met with Kay’s. Eyes, as in plural. Ever since he regained his ability to control his own Viridia, he became able to shut down his magical eye and so he didn’t need the eyepatch anymore. There was a jovial glint in those eyes as he spoke.

Soketsu: "Good morning sleepyhead."

Kay puffed her cheeks with a pout and pointedly faced the scientist instead.

Kay: "Good morning, Mr. Pabloc."

Pabloc chuckled at her words and waved a hand, after which the screens around him flew to the side and formed a neat stack.

Pabloc: "I told you there is no need to be so formal."

Kay: "Um… But calling you just ‘Pabloc’ would feel ungrateful after all your help."

Pabloc smiled warmly and her and glanced at Soketsu.

Pabloc: "I still can’t wrap my head around how you could raise such a nice girl."

Soketsu: "I didn’t raise her."

Pabloc: "Oh, that explains it then."

Soketsu: "Oh, shut up," Soketsu grumbled half-seriously. "You only think she is nice because you don’t know her well enough."

Kay: "Just what is that supposed to mean?" The green-haired girl exclaimed while stepping on her partner’s feet.

Soketsu: "Ouch. You see, she is incredibly violent."

Pabloc: "It is a good thing you are tough enough to withstand her violent tendencies then."

Kay: "Aw! Stop teasing me!"

The two men chuckled in unison at the girl’s outburst.

Soketsu: "Sorry, but it’s just too much fun." Saying so, Soketsu shook his hand in the air until the light around it dissipated and then placed it onto Kay’s head. "Would you mind forgiving me?"

Kay puffed her cheeks again with an ‘hmph.’

Kay: "Fine, just this once."

Lily: "Pabloc-san, look! Soketsu-san and Kay-chan are lovey-dovey!"

The two in question twitched and Soketsu withdrawn his hand in an instant.

Soketsu: "We have no idea what you are talking about, right Kay?"

Kay: "Right."

The two of them nodded in perfect unison. Pabloc couldn’t help but smile at them in turn.

There was a moment of silence before Soketsu sat down onto one of the wrecked test dummies and let out a sigh.

Kay: "Are you all right?"

Glancing back up Soketsu’s eyes met with Kay’s worried gaze and he immediately shook his head.

Soketsu: "I’m fine, just a little out of breath." He paused and his eyes narrowed like he just noticed something. "By the way, why did you come here?"

Kay: "I was just curious about what you were doing. You left without waking me up and you didn’t even leave a note."

Soketsu lightly shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards the dummies.

Soketsu: "I talked with Pabloc yesterday and we decided to see how well my body recovered. I was curious if I was ready for combat yet."

Kay: "I see…" Kay mumbled awkwardly, but then she reaffirmed her voice and continued, "But why didn’t you wake me up?"

Soketsu awkwardly raised his right hand so that Kay could see the back of it. There was still a complex symbol of some sorts gently glowing on it.

Soketsu: "I was working my Sigils, you see."

Kay scowled at the symbol and set her mouth in a thin line.

Kay: "Isn’t that all the more reason to take me along? I need to learn about them too."

Soketsu: "But… you don’t."

Kay: "I do! I should at least know how if I could or should put viridia into them during battle, and…"

Soketsu: "(Hey, help me out!)"

When his pleading glances finally reached Pabloc, the scientist’s expression clouded. His face said ‘I don’t think I should get involved in this’.

Pabloc: "Actually, I have to go and crunch all the data we gathered this morning. I will call you in the afternoon once I finished."

By the time he finished jabbering he was already at the door with Lily in tow, and before Soketsu could say anything they have already left the training room.

Soketsu: "(Traitor!)"

There was a very distinctive, very awkward silence in the room after Pabloc left. It lasted for several tense seconds, right until Kay finally raised her voice.

Kay: "So, why didn’t you wake me up if you were training?"

Soketsu averted his eyes.

Soketsu: "I just…"

Her eyes were sharp and the frown on her face left no doubt about how angry she was. Soketsu had no chance against that expression, and she knew it as well.

Soketsu: "Fine, I give up." He blurted out as he raised his eyes upon her again. "I didn’t wake you up on purpose."

Kay: "Why?"

Soketsu: "Because…"

He stood up, awkwardly ruffling the hair on the back of his head as he took a few steps. At last he stopped in front of the still intact dummies and faced his partner with resolute eyes.

Soketsu: "Because I didn’t want to train with you."

This much was quite obvious to the girl already, so she immediately pressed on.

Kay: "But why? I thought we agreed to-"

Soketsu: "We did not. I told you it’s too dangerous."

Kay: "But we have been doing this for years! Why is it only dangerous now?!"

Soketsu: "It was as dangerous back then as now, except that now we don’t have to do it. There is no need to-"

Kay: "But I want to help you!"

Soketsu: "And I don’t need help!" Soketsu groaned aloud. "Dammit Kay, why can’t you understand? I don’t want you to fight anymore!"

Kay: "But…!"

Soketsu: "My answer is no and it’s final!"

For the first time, the anger literally exploded in Soketsu’s voice and Kay involuntarily shuddered before him. As he looked into her surprised eyes, a tiny needle of guilt pierced Soketsu’s heart.

Soketsu: "… Sorry, I did not mean to shout, but… You have to understand. It’s for your sake. I want you to have a normal life."

Kay: "I... don’t mind fighting."

Soketsu: "That’s a lie."

Kay: "I’m not lying…"

Suddenly, Kay seemed even smaller than before.

Soketsu: "Listen, I know you want to help me no matter what, but I refuse to hurt you." Kay still looked defiant, so Soketsu decided to reach for his last resort. "I know about your body."

His words seemed harmless, yet Kay’s eyes opened wide as the blood drained from her face. Soketsu couldn’t look her in the eye, so

Soketsu: "I noticed how dejected you were the last time you came back from Pabloc’s place. I was worried so I coerced him a little and he told me. I know everything. Every time you change to your weapon form and back, your body resets into your current form and you will never grow up. If you fight with me, you will get stuck like this forever."

Kay: "But… I don’t mind if…"

Soketsu: "Of course you mind! Stop lying to yourself!"

As he looked over the small, trembling girl in front of him, a thick veil of regret blew into Soketsu’s mind. He slowly lowered himself to one knee and reached for his beloved partner’s shoulders. At first she tried to pull away, but after his hands clasped behind her back she had nowhere else to go but his chest. As he pulled her close he quietly rested his left hand on her head.

Soketsu: "Sorry, I stop shouting, but you have to understand my feelings too. I don’t want to see you suffer anymore."

Kay: "But what about my feelings? I want to help you…!"

Soketsu: "You are. You are helping me all the time, not just in battle."

Kay: "But I-!"

Soketsu: "No buts. Just believe me. I don’t want you to fight anymore. I want you to have a peaceful life; I want you to live and grow up like a normal girl without sacrificing yourself for my sake."

Kay: "But if I won’t fight, I can’t be your partner anymore…"

Her weak words on the verge of crying kept echoing in Soketsu’s mind for several seconds in the room filled with complete silence. There was a moment of hesitation. Should he take that step? Is this the right moment? He didn’t know, but his hands moved on their own. He slowly took hold of Kay’s small shoulders and pulled her small face to his own, close enough so that he could feel her breath on his skin, and looked her deep in the eye. After a moment of silence he finally spoke, with a tender, soothing voice.

Soketsu: "Listen Kay, because I’m only going to say this once: You are not just my partner. You are a lot more than that. You are the most important person in my life and I…"

Gabe: "Hey Soketsu, can I…? Oh…"

The affectionate moment was suddenly broken as an all too familiar scientist entered the room. For his credit though, at least he was shocked enough to shut up as the two awkwardly parted.

Gabe: "Heh. Sorry, did I interrupt anything?"

Soketsu: "N-Nothing in particular…"

Even though the mad scientist couldn’t hear anything from their previous conversation, the nervous fidgeting of the two was enough of a clue to get an idea of what was going on. At last he grinned and wiggled his index finger at the two.

Gabe: "You know, if you want some private time, there are many better places than the training room…"

Soketsu and Kay didn’t meet his eyes, nor did they stop fidgeting even for a moment. Gabe rolled his eyes and clapped.

Gabe: "Whatever. Sorry for interrupting but I need your help again…"

After the insincere apology the scientist briefly exited the room. Upon returning he carried a pair of large metal boxes under his arms and he placed them in front of the still embarrassed pair.

Gabe: "Could you be so kind and put a few of your replenishable thingies on these tools? It would help me out a lot."

Kay cautiously peeked into the boxes. They were filled to the brim with various tools and components she couldn’t recognize, each of them labeled with a sticker of instructions on what kind of improvement it needed.

At last Soketsu also awoken from his daze and he quickly knelt down by the containers with a serious expression on his face.

Soketsu: "That’s a lot."

Gabe: "This is the last bunch, I promise! I’m almost finished with my big project and I just need these done and…" Gabe’s excitement suddenly came to a halt as he looked over at Kay and paused for a moment. "Wait, were you crying?"

Seeing the girl’s reddened eyes he immediately sent a questioning glance towards the other man in the room.

Gabe: "Jokes aside, what exactly were you two doing here if I may ask?"

Soketsu: "Nothing that concerns you…" While saying so, Soketsu reached into the box and took out a few pieces and read the notes attached to them. "You are asking for some pretty tricky Sigils."

Gabe: "Just try your best, okay?"

As Soketsu grudgingly started working on the items, Gabe carefully sidled up to Kay’s side with a somewhat mischievous smile on his face and started whispering.

Gabe: "So, what happened?"

Kay: "N-Nothing…"

Gabe: "It’s hard to believe after looking at you… Were you two fighting?"

After wiping the last trace of tears from her eyes Kay finally gave an insecure nod.

Gabe: "I see… Whatever it was about, don’t be too mad at him. You know he wants the best for you, it’s just that he sucks at communicating."

Kay: "I know, but…"

Soketsu: "I’m standing right here, you know."

Soketsu grumbled, even though his hands didn’t stop working. Gabe raised an annoyed eyebrow at his protest and turned towards him

Gabe: "Yes, I know. Now keep drawing." Soketsu only answered with a low grunt, but it seemed to be enough for the scientist.

Gabe turned back to Kay with a smile and was about to say something, but instead he found himself face-to-face with a huge red book. After the first surprise his eyes opened wide with recognition, followed by an amazed grin.

Gabe: "Don’t tell me… You finished it already?"

Kay nodded proudly, though the image was slightly hindered by her still red eyes.

Kay: "Yes…"

Gabe: "That’s amazing! I thought it would take at least two weeks!"

Gabe leaned closer with a toothy smile and roughly rubbed her head.

Kay: "Auaua… Mr. Gabe, please stop! You are messing up my hair!"

Gabe: "Hahaha! Don’t be shy! You are really talented! You even managed to change the awkward topic!"

Soketsu: "You are not supposed to point that out…"

Gabe: "Whatever. More importantly how did you like it?"

Kay: "Like it?" Kay had a difficult expression on her face. "I don’t know. I think I understood the text, but the equations… not so much."

Gabe: "Don’t worry, you can learn those with time. But still, wow! I never would have thought you would work your way through all my books so fast. You are seriously wasted on Soketsu."

Soketsu: "I told you I’m standing right next to you…"

Gabe: "Yeah, yeah. Less talking, more monkey-thinging!"

Soketsu: "Stop calling it monkey-thing!!!"

Kay: "…"

Kay couldn’t help but smile at the two bickering men. From the outside Gabe might have seemed rude and insensitive, but by now she truly understood his intentions. Crude as his methods may be, he was working on easing the atmosphere in the room ever since he set foot in its premise. It was his way of dealing with things, and somehow she felt really thankful for it.

Gabe: "Are you carrying this book with you to return it, by any chance?"

Kay: "Yes, I wanted to give it back."

Gabe: "Well, that’s a problem… I don’t think I can carry that book and my boxes at the same time…"

The scientist ended his words with a suggestive wink towards the girl, something that only confused her even more. After a moment he theatrically dropped his fist onto his palm with a mock revelation on his face.

Gabe: "Oh, I got a great idea! Would you be so kind to accompany me back to my workshop with the book?"

The moment Gabe uttered the word ‘workshop’ Soketsu spun around so hard he almost dropped the metal cylinder he just finished inscribing.

Soketsu: "Hold on for just a second! Did you just say you wanted her to go with you?"

Gabe: "Yes."

Soketsu: "To your place?"

Gabe: "Yup."

Soketsu: "… What are you planning?"

Gabe: "Eh?"

The scientist cocked his head to the side with a strange expression, but Soketsu continued scowling at him.

Soketsu: "Don’t ‘eh?’ me. I know you must be up to something. You don’t let anyone near your workshop. Ever."

Gabe: "But Kay is different. She is my #1 apprentice."

Soketsu: "What? Since when?"

Gabe: "Since now. Any objections?" Soketsu and Kay looked at each other uncertainly, both expecting the other to speak up, but by the time either of them could utter a word the scientist loudly clapped his hand and declared, "Then it’s decided!"

The ex-Rover narrowed his eyes, but at last he only sighed and returned to his work. For the next few minutes no one said a word while Soketsu seemed to draw his Sigils even faster than before.

Soketsu: "Here, it’s done."

By the time he put the last piece of equipment back into the box it came from, all of them were giving off a bright glow as the numerous intricate patterns were shining on their surfaces. Gabe quickly looked over them then gave a satisfied nod.

Gabe: "Awesome! With these, I can finish my project in no time."

Soketsu: "Yeah, sure…"

After he quickly scoped everything up, the mad scientist turned to Kay with an enthusiastic nod.

Gabe: "Come on, let’s go!"

Kay: "You mean… You were serious…?"

Gabe: "Of course, I’m always serious!"

The girl, not knowing what to do, directed her pleading glance at Soketsu, who answered with a warm, though slightly awkward smile.

Soketsu: "Just go. You probably won’t get a chance like this ever again. I’ll go have a shower and we’ll meet at dinner, okay?"

The previous tension between the two was mostly gone, but Kay still only bid a wordless goodbye and followed after the scientist with the glowing boxes under his arms. As the door closed behind them, she moved beside him and took up the pace. After a few silent moments she was just about to raise her voice when she was cut short.

Gabe: "Sorry for interrupting before."

At first she didn’t understand what he meant, but as the realization suddenly hit her she could feel the blood rushing into her cheeks.

Kay: "I-It was nothing. Actually, I should thank you…"

Gabe: "Thank me? Why?"

Kay: "For trying to ease us after... You know…"

Gabe: "… You give me too much credit."

Kay: "?"

Gabe: "I’m just a fool who sometimes happens to say the right things at the right time while being at the right place in the right situation or something. Thinking I’m anything more will only disappoint you."

Kay didn’t say anything, but the meaningful silence between the two of them was enough of a communication.

Kay: "Understood. Then I won’t expect anything."

Gabe: "Atta girl! That’s my apprentice; already figured me out!"

Saying so, Gabe gave her a little wink and urged her forward into the labyrinth of corridors.