After a brief detour to retrieve Hanna and Rob's ATVs, the group arrives at Shang Tu under bright sunshine; they waste no time, and make directly for the Royal Palace. Parking outside, they kill the engines and dismount; Hanna and Rob quickly remove their wingsuits, revealing their normal clothing underneath.
"Phew!" Hanna pants. "By the Ancients, that thing is hot!"
Rob gives himself a quick sniff; he's displeased with the result. "I need a shower…"
"We can worry about that later," Danny insists. "We're here to help Sally, remember?"
"Of course," Hanna agrees.
The group makes their way into the reception hall of the Palace; Sally, now feeling a lot safer, takes the lead, walking right up to the guards at the bottom of a long spiral flight of stairs. "I must speak with the Magister," she declares; the guards part to let her through, blocking the way when the Scarves try to follow. "They're with me," Sally informs.
"They're Red Scarves," one of the guards argues. "They're not permit-"
"Without them, I'd be a prisoner, or dead," Sally retorts. "Now, let them through."
"But-"
"The Magister won't be happy you're impeding one of his top engineers…"
The guards part to let the Scarves through.
Outside the throne room, Sally pauses and turns to the Scarves.
"Thank you all," she says. "Thank you for protecting me, and for getting me here safely. If there's anything I can do to repay you, please, don't hesitate to ask; you know where to find me."
"It's our pleasure," Danny assures.
"We know how dangerous those Crystals can be," Hanna explains. "Especially me…" she adds reservedly. Rob places a hand on Hanna's shoulder; Hanna puts one of her own on top.
"I… I won't pry," Sally stammers, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.
"The Fire Crystal turned me into an amoral monster," Hanna explains anyway. "Luckily, Rob was able to stop me… well, not quite before it was too late…"
"Oh… erm… well… anyway, I'd… better go tell the Magister about… stuff," Sally mutters, clearly very uncomfortable now.
"Sorry, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Hanna apologises. "I wouldn't have explained if I didn't want to."
"It's cool, just… wasn't expecting it," Sally explains, relaxing. "And thank you all again."
Once Sally has entered the throne room and the doors have closed, the Scarves find themselves a little unsure of what to do.
"I'm starving!" Maria declares suddenly.
"I guess it is lunchtime," Danny muses.
"There's a café just down the road," Xander offers.
"Works for me," Hanna agrees.
"Generic additional agreement," Rob quips.
