Three days after returning from Gotoshi; it's a warm and sunny morning in Rage Ravine, and Hanna and Rob are taking full advantage of the good weather, sunbathing in swimwear on the balcony.

"It's great to be able to relax after such a long mission," Hanna sighs; she sounds half-asleep.

"I give it maybe one more day before you're itching for some action," Rob teases.

"You know me too well," Hanna chuckles; the couple falls into a comfortable silence.

"Oh, nearly forgot; we need to take those communicators to HQ for upgrades," Rob adds a moment later.

"That would mean moving," Hanna murmurs. "And dealing with that infernal husky," she adds a moment later.

"S'alright, I don't mind going by myself," Rob assures. "I've got another errand to run anyway."

"What errand?" Hanna inquires.

"Now, that would be telling," Rob chuckles. But you can probably guess what it is.

"Don't let me keep you then," Hanna replies, grinning broadly. I suppose I can let you off not spending our anniversary together if you're going to be asking me that question later… hard to believe it's been four years since our first date… the best four years of my life.

"I'll be back in time for dinner," Rob assures, kissing Hanna before heading into the bedroom; ten minutes later, he departs on his ATV, heading to Shang Tu via Scarves HQ.


An hour later, Hanna, still sunbathing, hears a faint rustle in the treeline. Hmm? Sitting up, she scans the treeline; nothing seems out of place- Wait, what's that glare? Suddenly, a dart strikes Hanna in the thigh. Ow! What the… She pulls the dart out of her thigh, inspecting it carefully. This looks like a tranq round… Oh, fuh… Hanna collapses as the powerful and fast-acting sedative takes hold.


Early evening, and Rob arrives home; holding a small box behind his back, he enters the house. Oddly quiet; maybe she's still sunbathing? Rob heads up to the balcony; Hanna isn't there. Where is she? As Rob is about to head back into the house, he notices a note pinned under a stone on Hanna's chair. Intrigued, he extracts the note from under the stone, and reads.

The small box clatters to the balcony, splitting open; the engagement ring inside skitters across the decking.


Hanna wakes from the sedation; opening her eyes slowly, all she can see is the stone walls and floor of the small room she is in. Where on Avalice am I? And why do I feel so cold? As her senses begin to return, she tries to move; she can't. Snapping to full alertness, Hanna takes stock of her situation; she is wearing only her swimwear, and is held immobile by a metal harness clamped around her ankles, knees, wrists, and neck; her tail has been strapped to her back. The harness itself is chained to the wall by a chain so short Hanna is unable to tilt more than a few degrees, and trying to turn her head proves futile; the harness includes a neck brace that also holds her jaw shut. But the worst feeling comes when she notices the key to the sole padlock holding the harness secure; it's taped to the harness itself, just out of reach of her hands.

"You should have known I'd be back," a voice greets, entering the cell.

Hanna looks up to the voice; the sight of Captain Aquila Kawaguchi turns her blood to ice.

"Don't be scared, little girl," Aquila mocks. "I'm not here to kill you; in fact, I want you to live. After all, you did say you wanted to hang out with one of my friends…"

Aquila moves to one side to make way for Kaede Himura to enter the cell; Hanna squeaks with fear at the sight of the pika's malevolent grin. "Well, hello my friend!" Kaede purrs menacingly. "How the tables have turned!"

"I'll leave you to it," Aquila declares. "Just make sure she stays alive and in one piece," he instructs as he leaves the cell.

"Aye, sir," Kaede promises; she turns back to Hanna and unveils a roll of duct tape. "Now, let's have some fun!" she grins malevolently, bearing down on the vixen.

Hanna's muffled screams of pain echo throughout the dungeon.