(Ya boy needs some skills)

"Dude, you're ruining our entire trip," Noah complained to his friend, watching Circe order a drink. "Why did you have to bring her into this?"

Rex sat down at a table in the food court, then dragged his irritated companion into the chair next to him. "Relax, I'm going to make sure she doesn't pull anything. Besides, you're here with me, so she can't knock me out without you doing something about it."

"So you're just gonna rely on me? Don't let it go to your head, but I can't exactly fight her like you can!"

"Rex, which one do you want?" Circe asked the male EVO, walking over to their table. Rex raised a brow.

"You're buying me one?" he asked. "I thought it was gonna be the other way around."

Circe rolled her eyes. "Okay, Macho Man. Do you have your own money?"

Rex blushed. "Um, you know what, never mind. And... thank you. I'll just get a medium soda, please."

As they watched Circe return to the drink dispenser, Noah, despite the situation, grinned. "Did you ask her out, or did she ask you?"

"Shut up," the brunette commanded. "You know Providence doesn't pay me. I can't help being broke."

"Wanna switch to working in Abysus? I hear there's great wages. Probably even higher than yours."

"Hilarious, Noah. Really."

Moments later, the three sat sipping from their select drinks, Noah having refused the girl's assistance, insisted on paying for his own. Circe drank a pink lemonade, Rex an extremely fizzy soda, and the third of the trio enjoyed a light coffee. Rex and his crush seemed to be on decent terms with each other, but the blonde remained feeling like a third wheel.

If anything, he had to be an anti wingman.

"So, you wanna talk about what secret plans Van Kleiss might have?" Rex asked, raising a brow.

Circe rolled her eyes. "Can we seriously not talk about all that right now? I came here to have some me time. Besides, I wouldn't even tell you in the first place."

Noah nodded. "Yep. Stupid question, Rex."

Rex frowned. "Sorry. Force of habit. So, do you wanna come join Providence- kidding!"

"You're not really kidding," the female EVO murmured, stirring the ice in her drink, "But I'm not joining you. There's not really much that's gonna come out of it."

"Rex just wants to share a bedroom with you," Noah whispered teasingly in his friend's ear, prompting a harsh kick in his direction.

"Dude, shut up," Rex ordered him. "Don't be an ass. I don't hang out with her often."

"And for a good reason, too."

"Y'know, sometimes Breach lets me hang out in her dollhouse dimension when we're on break," Circe interrupted. "We get privacy time. And amazing opportunities to help EVOs. Why don't you join us."

Rex scoffed. "You're joking, right? Your boss wants me six feet below."

"No, he doesn't. He just needs to get through to you that you belong with us. With me."

The boys glanced at her, then each other, unsure of where this was going.

"You want me to be with you?" Rex asked slowly, setting down his soda. "Kinda thought you hated me."

"Okay, look, that's dumb," Circe stated. "It really is. Everyone on your side and mine knows that there's something going on with us. We can pretend there's nothing, but they're already convinced."

Rex's eyes widened. "Convinced about what?"

"That's up to us. We can't do anything if you don't come join me in saving EVOs from oppression. We could make something happen, Rex."

Noah grabbed his friend's hand under the table. "I should have known it was about work."

"It's not just about that," the female EVO insisted. "We know exactly what we could be between us. Everyone does. Why won't you come with me? Van Kleiss isn't going to kill you!"

Rex narrowed his eyes at her. "You're being pretty blunt about things, but that doesn't mean the last part is right. Even if he's not gonna murder me, he's just gonna use me like a machine."

"So how does that make Providence any different?"

"What- no!" the brunette sputtered. "You know damn well that that's not what they're doing to me! They gave me a room and everything!"

"I have a room too," Circe pointed out. "And money. And a way to help EVOs that your side harasses. What's your protocol? Cure, contain, k-"

"Hey!" Noah interjected. "*We're not the ones who tried to force the entire United Nations to bow down to us!"

The girl stared at Noah for a few moments, her eyes clouding with aggravation. "Rex, c'mon. Even your friend here was a spy against you. White Knight doesn't give a crap about tricking you to do what he wants. At least Van Kleiss is open about his intentions before everything."

Rex shook his head. "Forget about Noah, that was something... I forgave. And yeah, White Knight isn't right in the head either, but he's not the entire organization. Also, what's the point of having a leader that's fully honest if they're only honest about being evil?"

Circe let out a sarcastic laugh. "White Knight's not the entire organization? Um, no, he's the head of it. And Van Kleiss isn't evil. He's just really aggressive about what he wants. You're just... I don't wanna say it... brainwashed."

Noah scowled, and squeezed his friend's hand even tighter. "Yeah, well, we're not the ones killing people."

Rex nodded in agreement. "Yep. You can't say that about your little circus show."

"Oh really?" Circe questioned. "You were about to nuke New York City, and plus, you send out thousands of soldiers that end up dying because they're not prepared to deal with the fights they're up against. Not to mention innocent EVOs."

"Try again," the male EVO spoke up, taking another sip of his soda. "We didn't actually do it, so that's off the table. And those soldiers were prepared to do their job, no matter what. It's not my fault."

"You fully intended to do it," the girl pointed out. "How come I can't use what you almost did against you, but it's fine if you bring up the United Nations thing? We didn't actually do it, after all. And just because your soldiers are prepared, doesn't mean they should suffer like that."

The three stared at each other, unsure of what to say next. Noah decided to clear the awkward silence, and cleared his throat to speak.

"Look," the blonde began, pushing a strand of hair to the side. "You guys aren't going to agree since you have opposite goals. The only way it's going to work is if one of you switch your options."

"What options?" Rex asked, turning to his friend. "Killing or not killing innocent people?"

"No, the broader view," Noah explained. "Providence wants a cure for EVOs. Van Kleiss wants them to keep existing. It's that simple."

"We need a cure for all the damage they cause," the male EVO insisted. "They hurt people every day."

Circe frowned. "Yeah, Rex. I agree. You do hurt people every day."

"Not me," Rex snapped. "The mindless ones. You know what I'm talking about."

"That's exactly what Van Kleiss is trying to tell the world. That EVOs, like you, are useful and deserve a place on Earth. Even the dumb ones can still be captured and made to work instead of being killed off. I just had to use some sarcasm to make that point. Apparently, you didn't catch it."

"Ugh, can we all stop arguing?" Noah complained. "I didn't come out for this. None of us did. Are you two gonna fight it out or what?"

Rex shifted his gaze towards the female EVO,. "Yeah, he's... right. I didn't really ask you out to fight with you."

Noah huffed, disappointed that the teen hadn't come to his senses.

Circe shrugged, but they could see that something was still bothering her. "Yeah, it's just that... if you don't join me, I'm worried about what might happen to you. To be completely honest with you, it's not gonna flow smoothly like we want it to. But I mean, I did enjoy seeing you again."

Rex cocked a brow. "Sounds like you're gonna leave."

"I am," she explained, standing up and throwing her plastic cup away. "Like I said, I don't have all day. I mainly came here for the hair thing, remember? The line should be smaller by now."

"See, you, then. It was cool hanging out."

Circe gave him a sad smile just before she left.

"It... yeah, it really was."