Kay: "Why did this happen? This is weird!"

Gabe: "Nah, it’s not weird at all."

Kay: "But it is!"

Gabe: "Hey, I am the leading authority of the field of ‘weird’ here, and I tell you it isn’t."

Soketsu: "Would someone finally explain me what just happened to Kay?!"

After overlooking the three in the bathroom Pabloc’s shoulders drooped in exhaustion. Kay was redder than beet, sandwiched between the two men with completely different expressions.

The mad scientist kept poking the girl with a curious smile, like a kid who just found a really fascinating toy to play with, while her partner awkwardly tried to make sense of what just happened and to keep Gabe away from the confused girl.

Gabe: "Look! I found the end of your hair! It’s looooooooong!"

Soketsu: "Stop that already!"

Gabe: "What? Stop getting in the way of scientific advance!"

Soketsu: "Scientific advance my ass, you are just bullying her!"

Gabe: "No, I’m not! I’m making measurements!"

Soketsu: "What? Why?!"

Gabe: "Listen, she has spent several years in a faux-body and now she is back to her original one! Just think of the implications of how much important information can be gained by investigating her changes!"

Soketsu: "What kind of information can you get by poking her shoulder with your finger!?"

Gabe: "… Scientific ones."

Soketsu: "Arhg!"

Kay: "Excuse me, but… can I get dressed?!"

The two men looked at each other, albeit once again with different expressions. Soketsu was seriously embarrassed while Gabe only seemed mildly annoyed.

Gabe: "Sure, whatever. Come on Soketsu, you can look at her all you want once you are back home."

Soketsu: "What the fu-? It was you who kept poking her all this time! And you still haven’t explained what’s going on either!"

Gabe: "Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever."

Soketsu: "Listen when I’m talking to you!"

Seeing the two men leave the bathroom while still arguing brought a small smile on Pabloc’s face, though even he had a hard time deciding if it was an amused or an ironic one.

Pabloc: "(First the attack, then Jill and now Kay… What a day.)"

As if he just got reminded to her, the scientist absentmindedly turned around and laid his eyes upon the person in question. She was still sitting at the same spot as before with a sulking expression on her face. On anyone else that might just have seemed like a small gesture of distaste, but knowing her the scientist was sure that she was boiling on the inside. After hesitating for a moment he decided to walk over.

Pabloc: "May I?"

He politely pointed at the bed beside her, and after a moment of thinking Jill nodded in agreement and he sat down.

Jill: "Well, at least there is someone who wants to talk to me."

Pabloc: "What do you mean?"

Jill: "Don’t tell me you cannot see it."

The scientist would have been lying if he said he didn’t. Gabe was avoiding Jill in such a blunt manner that even a five years old could have seen it.

Pabloc: "… I know I might sound cold, but don’t let it bother you."

Jill: "Easy for you to say."

Pabloc: "Yes, I guess it is, but…"

The man once again raised his eyes upon the mad scientist arguing with Soketsu.

Gabe: "-and that’s why I said it’s weird that her hair grew but not her nails."

Soketsu: "I don’t care about her nails! You still haven’t even tried to explain me why she grew up!"

Gabe: "… You wouldn’t understand."

Soketsu: "Gah! Not that excuse again!"

After looking at the two in silence for a few moments the scientist’s lips slightly curved.

Pabloc: "Believe it or not, he is actually extremely happy you are back."

Jill: "Well, if he is then he hides it well."

The scientist couldn’t help but chuckle on the inside at Jill’s pouting words.

Pabloc: "Trust me, he is. I think he is just too conscious of you right now, give him some time."

Jill: "He seems less conscious and more like the usual idiot."

Pabloc: "That’s exactly what I’m talking about."

For the first time since he sat down she looked away from the arguing scientist and raised her eyes on the man at his side.

Jill: "That didn’t make even a lick of sense."

Pabloc: "Only because you haven’t seen him until now."

This time she narrowed her eyes in a skeptical look that made Pabloc feel really nostalgic for a moment.

Jill: "If you are going to tell me he was depressed until now, I’m going to laugh at you. Loud."

Pabloc: "No, no, nothing so drastic. He was just… how should I say this…? Somewhat stiff."

Jill: "You are making less sense by the minute."

Pabloc: "Sorry, but I can’t really explain any better. It’s been a long time since I have seen him as relaxed as he is right now. Still, I expected that you were the cause of his strained behavior, but for him to even go as far as to bring you back from the dead… That’s some serious dedication."

Jill didn’t answer just laid her eyes back on Gabe who was still in the middle of explaining things to Soketsu.

Gabe: "… so when I reset her form she turned back to her real form, not to her child form."

Soketsu: "Are you saying that she was in some sort of temporary-form?"

Gabe: "No! I told you already, her child form is a legitimate Alternate form like her weapon form, it’s just that when she transformed, she—!"

After staring at him for a few moments, Jill shrugged her shoulders in dejection.

Jill: "Dedication or not, he is not breaking his back to welcome me back."

Pabloc: "I think he’s just shy." Once again Jill tore her gaze away from the mad scientist and faced Pabloc. "… What’s with the ‘Are you out of your mind?’ look…?"

Jill: "Exactly that. You just used the word shy to describe that man. I can’t help but feel concerned about your mental health."

Pabloc: "Yes, I would have to agree under normal circumstances, but these are not. Don’t you think he deserves the benefit of the doubt?"

Jill: "If you say so."

The scientist’s lips curved into a reassuring smile, and after taking another glance at the others still arguing by the bathroom, he excused himself and walked over to try and contain the situation. As she looked over them, Jill let out yet another exhausted sigh. This kind of ruckus was all too familiar. If there was one thing she had to admit, it was that they didn’t change one bit since she had last seen them. It all seemed like yesterday… which was a little eerie, considering that for her, it was literally yesterday.

Soketsu was still the straight man, Pabloc was still acting as the team’s dad and Gabe was… well, Gabe. The atmosphere was familiar, and yet everything seemed strangely unsettling. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was just yet. In the meantime, as she was still lost in thought watching the quarrelling group, something moved beside her.

Lily: "Unyaaaaah~" The blonde girl laying behind her slowly stretched her arms and sat up while rubbing her eyes. "My tummy is so full~ Oh, Jill-san! Konbanwa~!"

Jill: "Um.. Yes, the same to you, I think."

The blonde girl opened her mouth for another yawn and for a moment it seemed like she would fall over and back into sleep, but she managed to steady herself the last second.

Lily: "Where is Pabloc-san?"

Jill raised his finger and pointed at the group at the back of the workshop, but she didn’t take his eyes off the girl for even a second.

Jill: "Over there with the others."

Lily: "Ah, arigatou~" Lily swung her legs and jumped off the bed, only to come to a halt a moment later. Her eyes instantly widened as she laid her eyes upon the green-haired girl nervously fidgeting in the crossfire of the three men. After recognizing her, Lily’s trademark smile took over her face and she immediately rushed forwards."Kay-chan~~!!"

Kay: "Wha-?"

Before she could even raise her hands the blonde girl tackled her with a bear hug.

Lily: "Yay~ Kay-chan, you finally grew up! You are so pretty! And you are taller than me too! And…" The girl’s eyes suddenly sparkled up while looking at the two small mounds at her eye-level. "Whoaaa~! You have boobies!?"

Kay: "Y-Yes…"

Lily: "They are soft!"

Kay: "H-Hey! What are you doing!"

Pabloc: "Lily!"

Lily: "Hai?"

Pabloc: "Don’t harass Kay."

Lily: "Nyuuu… Hai, Pabloc-san."

The blonde girl grudgingly let go of the thoroughly embarrassed Kay and returned to Pabloc’s side.

Gabe: "Awww… You guys are such spoilsports."

Soketsu: "Are you sure you should be saying things like that?"

Gabe: "Yeah, why not?"

While everyone internally debated whether they should smack the mad scientist over the head, Pabloc noticed that Lily was visibly pouting at his side.

Pabloc: "What’s the matter?"

The blonde girl raised her eyes upon the scientist with a pleading look.

Lily: "Pabloc-saaaaan~?"

Pabloc: "Y-Yes…?"

Lily: "I want boobies too!"

Pabloc: "Excuse me?"

Lily: "I want boobies! I want boobies!"

Pabloc: "Now, now. Don’t be hasty Lily-chan…"

Gabe: "He is right. You don’t need boobies. Use Kay’s."

Kay: "H-hey!"

Jill: "Excuse me…?" Just like once before, the voices of the room instantly ceased the moment the woman opened her mouth, all eyes focused on her. "I wanted to ask already, but where are the others?"

The mad scientist turned towards her with a questioning expression.

Gabe: "You mean Ahaz and co.? They should be at their quarters."

Jill: "Them too, but I was more worried about your fairies."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Gabe: "Oh, the girls? They are in Avalon."

She involuntarily raised her brows.

Jill: "Avalon…?"

Gabe: "Ah, that’s a long story…"

Lily: "Gabe-sama! Gabe-sama! Let’s take her to Avalon!"

Gabe: "Yes, but…"

Pabloc: "I actually agree. I’m sure she will love it."

Soketsu: "Yeah, I second that."

After a moment of dramatic chin-rubbing Gabe gave in.

Gabe: "Fine. I wanted to keep it for later, but we should check if something happened in the city anyway. Just let me get a few things done before we move out."

The man moved to the back of the workshop followed by the curious gazes of the others.

Pabloc: "What are you doing?"

Gabe: "Just restarting the pocket-space generators. The door got jammed when I opened it with the emergency switch, so I have to lock the place up properly. By the way, could you help me out with this?"

Pabloc: "Of course."

The two scientists nonchalantly moved to the control-panel in the back with Lily following close behind Pabloc. In the meantime the freshly changed girl and her partner were both clumsily fidgeting without being able to hold eye-contact. In the end it was Kay who broke the momentary silence between the two.

Kay: "Say…"

Soketsu: "Yes?"

The two of them finally looked at each other then immediately averted their eyes once again.

Kay: "I… I just… I was wondering what you think…"

Soketsu: "About…?"

Kay: "Um… You know…"

Soketsu: "Ah… The change? Honestly, I’m just relieved."

Kay: "Relieved?"

Soketsu: "Yes. When you screamed I was afraid something bad happened, but I’m just glad that you are all right."

Kay: "I… see."

Soketsu: "But still, I am happy that you got your natural form back."

Kay: "Really?"

The man, finally mustering his resolve, turned to the girl. She was only covered by a bathrobe a few sizes bigger than necessary and her eyes were still downcast in embarrassment. As he observed her figure, the man couldn’t help but smile. She was certainly older, but it was the Kay he knew, right down to the small gestures he was so used to by now. In his eyes she was just as adorable as before if not even more so. After looking all over the embarrassed girl he gently extended his hand and reached for her long bangs.

Kay: "Huh? W-What are you doing?"

Soketsu: "Nothing in particular. It’s just so weird to see you with long hair."

Kay: "Awww…! My hair is my smallest problem right now!"

Soketsu: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Kay: "I… you know…!" She puffed her cheeks and pointedly averted her face. "Don’t make me say it!"

Soketsu: "Ah, you mean those?"

The man let the tuft of hair in his hand go and pointed at the girl’s chest, and she immediately responded with an angry scowl.

Kay: " Don’t point at them!"

Soketsu: "Uhh… Sorry, I guess."

Kay: "Argh! I can’t believe this! Just when I started to get on terms with my body, this had to happen!"

Soketsu: "Wait, what did you just say?"

The girl looked upon him with a hint of annoyance as she answered.

Kay: "Because you said that I was fine the way I looked, so… you know? I decided I was fine the way I was." Kay hung her head with a tired groan. "How did this even happen?"

Soketsu: "I still have no idea. Gabe kept dodging the question and kept talking about ‘stabilizers’ and ‘cores’ and ‘flying Canadian laser bears with monkeys’."

Kay: "Flying what?"

Soketsu: "Exactly. Nothing useful or reasonable."

Gabe: "I said what?"

Soketsu and Kay twitched in unison, like kids being caught by their peers while doing something naughty as the mad scientist stuck his head between them.

Soketsu: "Nothing. We were just chatting."

The black-clad scientist instantly lost interest and turned around.

Gabe: "Whatever, we should move out. The generators are back online, even if I can’t lock the door itself I can at least cut the workshop off from the rest of this dimension."

Soketsu: "Why do you even need a door when you can do that?"

Kay: "Not to mention, why is it disguised as a wall?"

Gabe: "What do you mean? Because secret entrances are awesome!"

After a moment of silence Pabloc decided to step forth and grab hold of the conversation before it would devolve once again.

Pabloc: "Let’s move out, shall we? On the way we should stop by the infirmary to check up on everyone and get some proper clothes for Kay."

Kay: "I would appreciate that."

Soketsu: "All right, we should get things over with quickly, it’s getting really late."

The whole group was ready to move, but they all stopped on their tracks as Jill’s melancholic voice rang through the air.

Jill: "… I hate to spoil your enthusiasm, but I need some help."

Gabe: "Huh? What’s the problem?"

The scientist seemed both concerned and a little annoyed at the same time as he walked up to her, which made her voice sound even more bitter as she answered.

Jill: "I can’t walk."

~~~

The air was filled with a weird sense of awkwardness as the small group was walking through one corridor after the other. They just got out of the monorail, and since Jill couldn’t coordinate her new body properly yet, he was carried by Gabe, who seemed downright agonized by the act.

The tension between those two was growing with each passing second and the others just couldn’t find a good excuse to turn the mood around. Even Pabloc was surprised by the man’s baffling behavior, even though he was the one who tried to advise Jill about it a couple of minutes ago. No matter how he looked at it, Gabe’s was acting extremely out of character around her.

Pabloc: "Hey, Soke- … Wait, what are you doing?"

As he turned back to consult the two he had to roll his eyes. Kay was in Soketsu’s arms with the bathrobe firmly wrapped around her body and her legs tightly closed.

Kay: "I asked Soketsu to carry me. I have no shoes and the floor is cold."

Soketsu: "Yeah. Weird as it might sound she actually seems lighter than when she was small."

Kay: "Hey! I told you I’m not heavy!"

Soketsu: "That’s what I just said!"

Then, as if on cue…

Lily: "Pabloc-saaan~! Me too, me too~!"

Pabloc: "Hm?"

The blonde girl vigorously tugged on his sleeve and opened her arms towards him.

Lily: "Carry me!"

Pabloc: "But I already carried you today!"

Lily: "But the others are doing it!"

Pabloc: "But we are almost there anyway…"

Lily: "Carry meee~!"

Pabloc: "But I just died! I’m… Agh… Stop it, I will carry you!"

Lily: "Yay~!"

The scientist, albeit with a slight grumbling, took the girl into his hands.

Still, even though his back was killing him, he was somewhat thankful for Lily’s request, as either by not noticing or by simply not caring, she still managed to change the atmosphere, even if only for a little while.

As such they once again fell silent as the group was picking up the pace anew. It only took them a few more minutes to reach their destination and it was Gabe who entered first, immediately setting Jill down onto the closest bed he could find in the infirmary.

Gabe: "Finally."

It was clear from Jill’s expression that she was more than displeased with the man’s recent behavior, but she didn’t voice her opinion for some reason. Following suit the others have entered the infirmary as well. As they both let their respective partners down, Soketsu suddenly spoke up.

Soketsu: "It’s been a long time since I was here for the last time…"

Realizing the opportunity for some small talk to clear the bad air around them, Pabloc answered without missing a beat.

Pabloc: "Thankfully, if I may add. I still remember the times when I had to patch you up every other day, so I actually prefer things this way."

Soketsu: "Come on, I didn’t get injured that often!"

The scientist moved to the back and started rummaging through his tools while talking.

Pabloc: "You say that, but it was because of you that I had to double as the doctor of the team."

Soketsu: "Huh? Really?"

Pabloc: "Don’t tell me you didn’t even notice…"

Soketsu: "But you always treated my injuries."

Pabloc: "Yes, because no one else would. I was originally an engineer and only got into medicine because each time you returned to us you had at least a few broken ribs and bruises all over you."

Kay: "So you were that reckless even back then?"

Soketsu: "Hey, I’m not reckless, just… Okay, maybe I’m a little too passionate, but-"

Gabe: "See you guys, I’ll be back in a few minutes."

Just as they were about the shake down the mad scientist’s gloominess the man suddenly darted at the entrance, seemingly completely oblivious to their efforts.

Pabloc: "Hey, just where are you-?"

Gabe: "I’ll go check up on Ahaz, I’ll be back in a jiffy. Don’t go anywhere."

Saying so he opened the door and left without any further ado, leaving the others in a state of utter confusion.

Kay: "Just what’s with him?"

Pabloc: "At first glance I would say he is manic depressive, but considering he only started acting like that after he had to take Jill onto his back…"

Jill: "So now even you agree that something is wrong with him."

The woman’s sharp eyes pierced the scientist without mercy, leaving him no choice but to nod.

Pabloc: "Yes, but I don’t know why. He still seems a lot calmer and more cheerful, just not when he is dealing with you."

Jill: "I kind of noticed."

Soketsu: "Okay, I’ll ask the obvious question: Why is he acting so weird around Jill of all people?"

Pabloc: "I have no idea. He is as hard to figure out as ever. Anyways…"

The scientist finally turned around with a tray filled to the brim with dozens of different, strange medical tools and medicine-boxes and walked over to the others.

Pabloc: "Now, let’s see how you guys are holding up…"

Lily: "Pabloc-san! Can I be the nurse again?"

Pabloc: "Of course, please bring me some antiseptic spray."

Lily: "Hai~!"

The blonde girl absent-mindedly pattered over to the cupboard at the back while Pabloc readied his equipment.

Maybe it was just because they were tired, maybe even more so because of the mental exhaustion the last few hours brought, but even after the mad scientist left, they just couldn’t shake off the gloomy atmosphere that permeated the room.

~~~

Gabe: "(Goddammit…)"

The man’s forceful steps sounded like the beating of hammers echoing in the hallway. Even though he wasn’t running his pace was quite fast and his feet touched the ground like he was stomping on something with each and every step. It was easy to see that he was frustrated, though even if one were to ask, it would have been hard for him to explain why.

His expression became even more severe once he laid his eyes upon his destination. The scientist took one last breath after abruptly stopping before the door and raised his hand to knock. For a few seconds there was no answer, and then the automatic door slowly slid open with a silent hissing sound. On the other side stood the familiar catgirl with a weary expression.

Gabe: "Hi Tiari, can I speak with Ahaz?"

The girl looked him in the eye with clear contempt as she answered.

Tiari: "Are you sure you want to talk with him right now?"

Gabe: "Yeah, it’s urgent."

For a few fleeting seconds they kept looking eye to eye until Tiari stepped aside.

Tiari: "Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you."

The moment the scientist took a step inside, his chest was hit by the sheer amount of animosity directed towards him, and its origin was quite obvious even at first glance. Ahazkun was standing in the middle of the room with a handful of notes in his hand, looking at the scientist with icy eyes. If looks could kill, Gabe would have been dead about six times over at this point.

Ahazkun: "What do you want?"

Just as his eyes, his voice was anything but welcoming, but the scientist still walked up to him without a moment of hesitation.

Gabe: "Listen we need to tal-"

Without any warning the oracle’s fingers balled into a fist and he punched Gabe right in the jaw, staggering him for a couple of second.

Tiari: "Ahaz!"

Gabe: "Ugh… Don’t worry, I pretty much deserved that one."

Ahazkun: "Oh, you wish that was all you deserved…!"

The scientist raised his right hand while holding his aching jaw with the other.

Gabe: "Yeah, you are right, but we still need to talk first, and we can’t do that while you are punching me…"

Ahazkun: "Talk?" The oracle let down his raised fist and threw his notes onto the bed, scattering them all over the place, then directed his frosty gaze at the scientist once again. "Do you even know what you did?"

Gabe: "Well, I kind of trampled on divine providence and-" Ahazkun’s fist lashed out once again, but this time it only grazed its target. "Ouch! Hey!"

Ahazkun: "Three hundred years of work! Three hundred years’ worth of planning, predictions, management, manipulation! All of that time, all of that effort is gone! For naught! You destroyed all I have ever built in the span of a single night, and now you come here to TALK!?"

Gabe: "Oh come on; don’t be so overdram- Whoa!" The scientist barely managed to dodge the oracle’s fist in the very last moment and immediately put small distance between the two of them. "Listen, I can apologize if you want me to (even though it would be pointless), but first you should calm the fuck down and listen to me!"

Ahazkun: "Listen to you?! LISTEN TO YOU?! Are you fucking serious?! Do you really expect me to just accept that you destroyed my life’s work and sit down to chit-chat with you?!"

Gabe: "No, I just want you to calm down for a second and listen to what I say!"

Ahazkun: "Like that would fu-!"

Tiari: "STOP IT!" The scream of the catgirl stopped both men on their tracks as they directed their surprised eyes towards her. "Both of you, stop fighting!"

Ahazkun: "But…!"

Tiari: "Stop…!"

The catgirl tried to sound strong but in the end she couldn’t keep her voice from shaking. Her expression was hard to read. She was both glaring at them and shaking her fist, but at the same time they could see the tears in her eyes, a fact that the scientist immediately used for his own advantage.

Gabe: "Ah, look at that! You made her cry!"

Ahazkun: "Wha-?! I made her cry?! Are you-!"

Gabe: "Here-here…"

Tiari: "Don’t… touch me…"

Her voice suddenly became really weak as the scientist stepped beside her and started scratching the base of her ears.

Gabe: "Wait! I just got an idea!"

Tiari: "I told you to stop… doing that…! I’m going to bite you!"

Gabe: "Hey, hey! Don’t be such a stray cat! I’ve got a surprise for you."

Tiari: "Huh?"

The catgirl’s eyes were understandably doubtful as she looked up at the grinning man patting her head.

Gabe: "Please go to the infirmary."

Tiari: "But why?"

Gabe: "I told you, there’s a surprise for you."

The catgirl’s suspicious eyes kept digging into Gabe’s expression. After a few seconds, she finally glanced over to Ahazkun, who forcefully nodded at her. Seeing that, she let out a small sigh and shook the scientist’s hand off.

Tiari: "I see; you guys don’t want me to be around… I’m going."

The catgirl grudgingly turned around and left the room, followed by the scientist’s almost affectionate gaze. As the door closed, he suddenly let out a small laugh.

Gabe: "She is still such a kid. Acting all though while the tip of her tail is twitching with anticipation…" Ahazkun didn’t say anything, nor did he move, so Gabe began absent-mindedly wandering in the room while talking. "Still, I can understand her. She always hated when we were fighting, it must be emotionally taxing on her no matter how old she gets." While the scientist tried to improve the atmosphere in the room the oracle didn’t even flinch in his cold fury. "Come on; stop glaring at me like that!"

Ahazkun: "My glare is the last thing you should be worried about."

Gabe: "Oh come on, we can work this out."

Ahazkun: "HOW?! You broke EVERYTHING!"

Little by little the scientist’s presence became firmer and he took a step towards Ahazkun.

Gabe: "Yes I did, but I had my reasons."

Ahazkun: "Reasons?! What kind of reasons can justify throwing away all my plans, all of OUR work!"

Gabe: "I was owing her this much. No, I was owing them this much."

Ahazkun: "Them…?"

Gabe: "You want to know? Then let me explain everything."

Ahazkun: "And again, why do you think I would listen to you?"

Gabe: "Because we were wrong." Suddenly the man’s mouth twisted in an ominous facsimile of a smile. "Of course you didn’t notice. You are always looking at the big picture, results before reason."

Ahazkun: "Are you seriously trying to lecture me? Here and now of all times?"

Gabe: "Oh, heaven forbid, I don’t. I’m just pointing out something you haven’t realized yet; that there was a very basic flaw in those plans I “destroyed”."

Ahazkun: "Which is…?"

The ominous smile slowly widened into a toothy grin.

Gabe: "So I managed to get your attention after all, huh? Okay then, please sit down. Trust me, we can work this out."

The oracle didn’t say anything, nor did he take his disdainful eyes off the scientist even for a moment. Still after a few moments of silent standoff he slowly nodded and sat down.

Ahazkun: "I really hope that we can. For your sake."

Gabe: "All right! First off, allow me to take down the Veil so that I can explain everything."

Ahazkun: "Veil? What is that?”

Gabe: "That’s another long story I have no time to explain. You will understand it soon enough anyway. It will only take a few moments, please try to stay calm in the meantime."

The oracle was just about to voice his revulsion when a familiar feeling hit his temple.

Ahazkun: "What the…?"

He only managed to re-establish his ability a few minutes ago, so he was extremely distressed as the familiar feeling of his predictions getting washed away hit his temple, but as the sensation slowly faded away his eyes instantly opened wide. For a few seconds he was obviously running through his new predictions in his mind and…

Ahazkun: "… You’re kidding me."

He raised his face with clear doubt in his eyes but the scientist’s calm expression made it obvious that what he uncovered was not some kind of cruel joke.

Gabe: "As I said, we have a lot of things to discuss."

At last, after a few seconds of silence the oracle raised his head with a sharp light in his eyes.

Ahazkun: "Talk."

Gabe: "As you wish."

And as such, they began the most important conversation they ever had, a discussion where the past appeared to be much more uncertain than the future.