So, I'm going on a trip for a while starting tomorrow, so I may not be able to update as much in the near future. That's why I'm releasing this chapter now! This one is a bit longer than others in this story but still pretty short compared to most other fanfics. I'm planning on making the chapters for my next Earthbound fanfic longer... but I shouldn't worry about that now! :)
Oh, and I added Boney in this chapter (something that I wasn't planning on doing this entire story). He provides the comedic relief (and we all know that my stories need some of that :P), so enjoy! He and Maya make a pretty interesting duo.
Review Responses:
PK Love Gamma: Well... I kinda meant both. xD I understand how it feels to feel like you're going to barf while reading characters pulling crap like that, but I also understand what Maya did. The part about her body barfing to prevent her from doing something comes from personal experience, actually. :(
A Fan: Sorry that you didn't understand it! D: I know that it's a bit techy. I would try to explain it, but the TV screen analogy is really the best that I've got. :( Hopefully, you'll have more to cover this chapter!
SuperMarioFan5000: Congrats for getting the Drake/Duster thing right! :D And no, Maya doesn't know PK Love... I talk a little about that this chapter. I'm glad that you liked the Claus part! His personality really took be by surprise. xD That moment when your own characters surprise you... but it happens all of the time for me! ;)
OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Haha, yeah. I tend to get a bit pedantic at times with words like "vestibular." Huh, it's so obscure that this editor doesn't even recognize it! xD And yeah, Duster used a high-tech version of the siren beetle. And the reason that Duster hates Lucas and Kumatora will be revealed... next chapter. :P It's honestly pretty cheesy, but my characters recognize it as being cheesy, so hopefully that will take some of the edge off of it. xD
Heh, French can be quite interesting! :) Some of the words sound so silly! xD Like "Parapluie" (umbrella). Although, it does get a bit weird because there are even more silent letters than in English. With verb conjugations, the commonly used "ent" ending is completely silent. Like... wut? xD I also like how shampoo in French is spelled "shampooing." It's the best! :D Still, Spanish is far more practical.
I love to talk about my characters, and Paula and Ana are my favorites, so I'm glad that didn't annoy you. :) And I put a lot of stuff that I think about into my writing. It's a great way to express my beliefs on controversial issues because if someone disagrees, they direct their hate at the character instead of me... and it's just nice to get a lot of my ideas out, since most people don't want to talk to me about random philosophy crap. So I express all of those beliefs through Ness, Paula, and Ana! :) That's probably why they're my three favorite characters haha.
Kristen faked panting noises as she ran towards New Tazmily with Duster.
Should I…? Kristen wondered. She had come up with a plan that seemed to be the right thing to do. It wouldn't be all that difficult, either. In fact, the plan only had one problem.
It went against Duster's orders.
After two years of being conditioned to fear Duster, the thought of disobeying him made Kristen more self-conscious than she had previously thought possible. Irrational fears flashed through her head. She paid attention to details about herself that she hadn't even noticed before. The way that she was swinging her arms excessively… surely Duster would notice something wrong. If not that, then maybe he could tell that her panting was a farce. After all, Kristen was a horrible actor, and this run wasn't something that would normally tire her. And if he didn't notice that, maybe he would hear her heart pounding in her chest.
All of those concerns almost made Kristen abandon her plan.
No, Kristen thought. Drake thinks that I should follow his every command, but he's dead wrong about this one! I can see the truth of this situation. Drake's approach will only lead to ruin.
Kristen was convinced that she was right. So why didn't she act?
She looked at Duster's hard face and felt nauseous acid well up in her stomach. Kristen had struggled with standing up to people in New Pork… but she was different now!
…Right?
I just have to push through it, Kristen thought.
Burying her terror under a façade of exhaustion, Kristen halted, leaning on a tree and panting.
"Come on!" Duster shouted. "We can't afford to lose time!"
"You go on ahead," Kristen wheezed as she gasped for unnecessary air. "I just… need to rest."
Duster halted.
"You don't normally get tired after a run like this," Duster observed. "What's going on?"
He can see! Kristen panicked. He can see through my act!
"We've been moving around a lot," Kristen lied. "I… feel exhausted from that, as well as from my thieving mission."
Duster examined Kristen, processing her words.
Eek! Kristen wanted to shout.
"…All right," Duster conceded. "When you get to New Tazmily, head to the center of town and escort the civilians to Osohe Castle. Hurry up, though. The lives of innocent people are at stake!"
Duster took off running once more.
After she was sure that he was gone, Kristen let out a sigh of relief. She had been certain that Duster would see through her lies, but she had fooled him! Kristen pumped a fist into the air.
She then turned around and started running back towards Ruldor.
Lucas rubbed his eyes as he faced another horde of chimeras. Three Ostrelephants flanked him, surrounded by a couple of Upgraded Robots.
How many of these things are there? Lucas wondered. He had been fighting for hours, but the chimera onslaught refused to cease.
Luckily for Lucas, the chimeras had terrible teamwork, only being able to attack in groups of three. The Ostrelephants charged at Lucas, but the close quarters made their tactic ineffective.
"PK Fly!" Lucas shouted, jumping into the sky and floating above the chimeras as they crashed into each other.
Now! Lucas thought.
He dove and smashed the first Ostrelephant's head with his staff. Normally, such force would cause the weapon to break, but Lucas' staff had been psionically enchanted. The first chimera died instantly as Lucas turned his attention to the others. Lucas slammed his staff into them in quick succession, the force of his blows enough to end their pitiful existence.
Nice…
But Lucas realized too late that he had committed too much time to taking out the Ostrelephants. Frantically, He tried to fly back up into the sky, but the Upgraded Robots bashed into him before he could escape. The force of the attacks would have been enough to kill most normal people, but Lucas' experience in battle granted him a resilience that allowed him to hang on. Besides, even if he would have died, Lucas' psionic stall would allow him to live until he could heal himself.
Lucas gritted his teeth as he smashed one of the robots, causing a web of cracks to appear on the glass that covered the space where its head should have been. The robot faltered, giving Lucas an opening to fly away from danger.
The other robot sprayed a white, odorless gas at Lucas. In the blink of an eye, Lucas forgot how to use all of his PSI. Whenever he tried to remember how to use his abilities, he drew a blank.
Urg… Lucas thought. I wasn't planning on using offensive PSI anyway, but now I can't heal myself. I need to be more careful…
Luckily, the spray didn't deactivate Lucas' existing PSI, so he could still use flight to his advantage. Lucas feinted towards the robot that he hadn't hit, causing it to leap back. In a flash, Lucas swerved around and smashed the other robot (which he had already injured), causing it to break down into a heap of junk.
Just one more left…
The robot tried another bum-rush, but Lucas was prepared this time. When the chimera came close to Lucas, he lashed out with his foot, using all of his physical strength to force the robot away.
SMAAAASH!
The robot soared until it crashed into a tree. Lucas ran up and bashed it once, twice, three times with his staff, reducing it to a pile of nuts and bolts.
Phew, Lucas thought. That one got a little close…
Lucas looked up into the sky and realized that it was the morning of the next day. A sunrise had never before seemed so horrifying for him.
I've been out here for too long!
Lucas checked his PSI reserves and determined that they were about a third full.
Okay, I think that I should teleport out and warn everyone… Oh wait. The forgetfulness gas still hasn't worn off.
Lucas sighed and rubbed his eyes.
I guess that I just have to wait until I can use PSI again. Man, it's going to be a long day…
Maya's senses returned to normal.
Well, that did not go as expected… but it didn't turn out so poorly in the end. Still, was any of that stuff about the psionic realm real?
"Maya!"
Maya blinked as her father materialized in front of her.
"What were you doing?" he demanded. "And what happened to your arm?"
"No need to be so judgmental, father," Maya responded coolly.
"I didn't say that I was judging-"
"Sometimes, the tone of your voice says more than your words do," Maya interrupted.
Maya's father gave her a hard look.
"You should know better than to talk back to me like that," he snapped. "I was just concerned about you. Is that so wrong? I might have to ground you for this…"
Maya groaned. Shouldn't there be an age where she was allowed to make her own decisions without her parents punishing her?
"Yes," Maya's father said, "Maybe that will teach you to ignore…"
Maya wasn't listening.
What was I talking about with Claus…? Oh, right! Fassad and the needle that he wanted me to pull.
"See ya, dad!" Maya shouted and took off running. "I just remembered that I have to talk with Lucas about something and I don't want to be late!"
"That's King Lucas to you," her father replied.
Maya rolled her eyes.
"Whatever!" she shouted as she rounded a corner, leaving her father behind.
He'll probably be furious when I get back… but I don't care! For once in my life, I have something to accomplish!
Maya ran through the stone halls of Osohe, her footsteps echoing in the emptiness. Eventually, she reached the daylight to find that the drawbridge was up.
Why isn't that stupid thing down? Maya thought. With a start, she noticed that the sun was just rising. Geez, how long was I out?
Panic overtook Maya. Fassad was going to rampage through New Tazmily, and here she was, stuck behind a drawbridge!
What am I going to do?
Maya had always struggled when it came to making decisions; she preferred to let other people deal with her hard choices. That way, she wouldn't have to hate herself so much if she made the wrong decision. Unfortunately, that mentality had conditioned Maya to fly into a panic whenever she a difficult choice presented itself.
I just need to think about this logically… Maya forced herself to take a deep breath. Maybe PSI will help… yes, that's it! PK Anti-G allows me to jump far higher than my human body normally allows!
Maya's heart flooded with hope… and nervousness. After all, she had never used Anti-G for something so monumental. What if she failed?
Well, Maya thought, I fail by default if I don't try, so I really have nothing to lose.
As Maya was about to use Anti-G on herself, she heard a loud bark. Maya turned and saw Boney running towards her.
"Hey, Boney," Maya said, reaching down to pet him as he sat down next to her. "I would try to spend time with you, but I have to warn Lucas! I'll be back soon, okay?"
Boney barked a reply: Let me come with you.
Maya blinked. Was she going insane, or could she now talk to dogs? Figuring that it was the former, Maya stood up and once again prepared to use PK Anti-G.
"Arf, arf!" The polite response when asked a question is to respond, Maya.
"Boney, are you talking to me?" Maya asked in disbelief.
Yeah, Boney barked. What about it?
"How are you communicating with me?"
How should I know? Boney replied. All PSI users can understand me, though. At least, all PSI users that I've met… congrats for learning psionics, by the way. You picked up on it far more quickly than Lucas did.
Maya blushed.
"I'm sure that I only learned so quickly because I had such a wonderful instructor… and oh man, talking to a dog sure feels weird."
Lucas said the same thing, Boney barked. Multiple times. It got old quickly.
Maya laughed.
"All right," she said. "For your sake, I will try to limit my outbursts."
Much appreciated.
"So… do you really want to come with me?" Maya asked. "I mean, it may be dangerous…"
Boney gave Maya a flat look. She didn't quite know how he managed to do it, but boy did he get the message across.
I helped Lucas, Duster, and Kumatora save the world, Maya. I'm not some lap dog. Honestly, humans! They remember the others as heroes, but they forget about me! It's prejudice, I tell you!
"Well, feel free to whine more later, but-"
I'm not whining! Boney barked defiantly.
"Sure you're not," Maya said sarcastically. "But anyways, besides the danger thing, I do not know if my mission is even legitimate. I received this quest from someone in one of my hallucinations."
Hallucinations?
"Yeah," Maya answered with a sigh. "I inflicted painful hallucinations on myself. Don't ask why."
…Why?
Maya gave Boney a flat look, but eventually was unable to resist smiling.
"I'm not telling, but the person in my hallucination seemed real."
Um, Maya, that's what hallucinations do.
"No, no!" Maya exclaimed. "He was… oh, I can't describe it! Let's try another approach… does Lucas have a brother named Claus with red hair who died five years ago?"
How did you know?
"I spoke to him in one of my hallucinations. He said that I was seeing the psionic realm, and that psionics is just the act of harnessing energy from that realm, meaning that people that use PSI simply have an affinity with that plane which allows them to tap into the plane's energy."
Maybe… Boney barked quietly. But still, I wouldn't trust anything that you get from a hallucination.
"Hmm… when you travelled with Lucas, did you ever meet a cyborg named Fassad?"
Boney's eyes lit up.
Did Claus tell you that as well?
"Yeah… Claus said that this 'Fassad' was being controlled by his dead spirit through a psionic needle similar to the ones that Lucas pulled. He tasked me with pulling that needle."
Well, doesn't the person who pulls the needle have to know PK Love?
"Um… Claus didn't say anything about that."
Huh, Boney barked. Maybe the needle that he put in himself has less advanced protection… assuming that it's even real. We should tell Lucas about this.
"Yeah, that's what I was planning to do right now!" Maya exclaimed. "I'm trying to get over this drawbridge."
How did you know that Lucas isn't in his room?
"Umm…."
You mean that you just assumed that Lucas wasn't where he would likely be at this hour and you were right? Boney barked incredulously.
"I guess so."
Huh, I wish that I had your guessing powers.
Maya smiled.
"Come on, let's go. If Claus was right, we could have a serious issue on our hands. We'll have plenty of time to converse later."
Okay, Boney barked. Just use PK Anti-G on both me and you.
Maya nodded and did just that. She crafted the ability to negate most of gravity's influence on them, but she left a little so that they wouldn't float around helplessly.
This feels weird, Boney complained.
"Doesn't it?" Maya asked.
I hate it. I feel like I'm about to float away.
"Remember, this was your idea."
Yeah, yeah.
Boney bounded into the sky, soaring like a bird. He disappeared over the drawbridge.
I'm alive! Boney shouted from the other side. And I think that I only broke a few bones… I'm just kidding, Maya. You should come over here.
Maya nodded. She didn't want to risk tripping due to her inexperience with low gravity, so Maya followed Boney's example and leapt straight into the air. She let out a scream as she soared through the air.
I'm going to die! she thought, looking at the land's tiny features below. I'm going to fall and die!
No, Maya thought. According to the laws of physics, I'll land with the same force that I jumped with, or even less if drag is considered. I have nothing to fear…
But that didn't stop her from screaming as she cleared the drawbridge and began her slow descent. Wind whizzed by as she floated erratically like a feather. Eventually, she landed softly on the ground.
"Dismiss PK Anti-G!" she shouted hastily.
Good job, Boney barked. I think that you just woke up everyone in New Tazmily with your infernal screams.
"That was awesome!" Maya exclaimed, ignoring Boney's comment.
Wait, Boney barked. So you scream and legitimately look terrified while you jump, and now you want to do it again?
"Um… yeah?"
Boney barked the equivalent of a laugh.
You remind me of Lucas. But you have Claus' drive.
Maya beamed at what she assumed was a compliment from Boney.
Don't get cocky, kid. Just because you act like Lucas and Claus doesn't mean much. Plenty of people carry similar attributes.
"Killjoy," Maya muttered.
Hey, Boney barked. Didn't you say that we need to hurry up and get to Lucas? Geez, let's hurry up here!
Maya scoffed indignantly but followed Boney as he took off into the heart of New Tazmily.
Lucas appeared at the entrance to the path that lead to the western wilderness.
Guess my teleport was a bit off… Lucas thought. This road leads to Ruldor… I teleported myself to the farthest possible location away from the chimeras while still remaining in Tazmily's borders. Apparently, the forgetfulness gas' tertiary effects still plague me.
"Lucas!"
Lucas turned to see Flint running towards him with a look of concern scrawled on his face.
"Hello, father," Lucas greeted wearily.
"Lucas!" Flint repeated as he came closer. "You look exhausted."
"I… guess that I am," Lucas said softly.
Flint shot him a look of disapproval.
"You shouldn't work yourself so hard," Flint chided. "You'll burn out at this rate… when was the last time that you slept?"
"Yesterday," Lucas replied with a yawn. "Although I guess I fell asleep the day before that and woke up yesterday."
"You need to rest, son," Flint said. "Sometimes I do worry about how much you work…"
"Unusual circumstances, father," Lucas responded. "A horde of chimeras approaches New Tazmily. I tried to hold them off, but…"
But here I am, Lucas finished in his mind.
"Well, you should go and get some sleep," Flint argued. "I can warn the townspeople. I think that there should be enough room in Osohe Castle to keep everyone safe…"
"No, no," Lucas denied with another yawn. "I can keep going…"
"Son, you need to know when to stop," Flint asserted. "Knowing you, hundreds of chimeras lie dead as we speak."
Yes, but that's not enough! Lucas wanted to shout.
"Father, this is an emergency," Lucas said, "And Kumatora isn't here. I still have some strength left for PSI, and we're going to need all of the help that we can get. I know that I should rest, but my PSI could save hundreds of lives. I can sleep after this… I just need to hold on for a little longer."
Flint gave Lucas a hard look.
"Lucas… please try to understand when I say that's exactly how I felt when I spent those years looking for Claus."
Lucas shivered reflexively. Unbidden memories came to mind, harassing Lucas and refusing to leave.
Guilt.
Neglect.
Pain.
Lucas looked away, gritting his teeth as he tried to keep tears from coming to his eyes. Lucas' own shadow seemed to laugh at him.
"I'm… sorry," Flint whispered. "I shouldn't have brought that up. I know how painful that was for you… and you were so young."
"No," Lucas whispered back, his voice shaking out of chilling sorrow. "No, you were right to mention that. It's true that those memories hurt me, but how can I accept their lessons if I look away? I should take your experiences into consideration before I make my decision."
Flint smiled.
"Thanks for understanding, son. So, do you now recognize that you have to let go and not hang onto your fantasy like I did?"
"No."
"What?" Flint asked in surprise.
"I said that I would take your experiences into account, and I did. Father… even though what you did nearly destroyed you and doing this may destroy me, I'm willing to take that risk. After losing mother and Claus, I really understood what it meant to die for the first time. And that understanding… terrifies me, father. We both came close to shattering when mother died, remember? And… that could happen to other people. That is why I refuse to sit back, even when I probably should."
A silence hung in the air for what seemed like hours.
"All right," Flint finally said. "I don't like what you're doing, but at this point, you've shown that you can make your own choices like an adult. I won't try to force you into anything."
"Thanks," Lucas said gratefully.
"However, I may insist on coming with you."
Lucas' eyes shot wide open in denial.
"Father, no!"
"Why not?" Flint asked. "I know how to fight and I can psionic stall just like you."
"You'll be throwing yourself into a horde of chimeras," Lucas said bluntly. "Whether or not you know how to fight, you could easily die!"
"Couldn't you just heal me if I get injured?" Flint asked.
"Honestly, I could, but it would require me to be at one location at all times, which would negate much of the advantage that I get from PSI in the first place."
Flint cocked his head in thought.
"I never really thought about that… and I suppose that I would be just as useful escorting civilians to Osohe Castle. All right, I give into your logic."
Lucas sighed in relief.
"Thanks for understanding, father!"
"I do try," Flint replied with a rare smile. "How long until the chimeras get here?"
"It should be a while…" Lucas replied uncertainly. "I fought them a long distance away, but they can move quickly."
"All right; I'll start alerting the townspeople right now."
Lucas smiled as his father turned around and walked away. Maybe this would all work out…
"Lucas."
Startled, Lucas turned around and saw Duster staring at him with icy eyes.
"Duster!" Lucas shouted. "Where have you been for the past two years?"
"I tried to keep this world safe," Duster replied coolly. "However, your wife botched everything that I worked so hard for! Fassad controls the chimeras; Kumatora angered him and now he's trying to destroy New Tazmily."
"Fassad?" Lucas asked, feeling the world around him darken a few shades. "He should have disappeared when we pulled the last needle! Or was he not Locria after all…?"
"No, he was the last Magypsy," Duster confirmed. "He's a robot now."
"Oh my," Lucas said in horrified wonder. "Let's go, then! We have to stop him!"
"You mistake me," Duster replied icily. "I did not come to help, Lucas. I came to take control of this issue, because it seems that I am the only one that can keep this world safe!"
Lucas looked at Duster, hoping to see a hint of humor on his face.
He found none.
"I'm sorry," Lucas replied in the same icy tone, "But did I just hear what I thought that I did? You abandon me and Kumatora without telling us where you went, and now you come back and just expect to get put in charge? You had better have a good reason why you would make a better leader than I."
"It's not about being a better leader, boy!" Duster snarled. "Your PSI-empowered reign must end!"
"We should discuss this after we deal with the crisis at hand," Lucas countered.
"Oh, because my problems aren't good enough when compared with yours, huh? So because you have PSI, that gives you the right to determine which issues are actually important?"
"One does not need PSI to possess a sense of basic logic and human decency, Duster," Lucas replied, hiding his annoyance under a frosty tone. "People could die from this crisis. Therefore, I want to help them. Your problem may be important, but the immediate safety of my people-"
"You just don't understand!" Duster shouted. "You never listen to what other people say, do you?"
"I was not aware that I speak with a hypocrite," Lucas responded. "Go back to wherever you came from or help me. I will not force you to be a decent human being, but trying to steal my authority to use for your petty ends-"
"My PETTY ENDS?" Duster roared. "You… have decayed into pure filth during these past two years, Lucas!"
"Ad hominem attacks have nothing to do with the situation at hand."
"SHUT UP! You think that you're so damn righteous, don't you? You're freaking perfect while everyone else around you is motivated by greed and pettiness, is that it?"
"I stand by my former statement. Personal attacks have nothing to do with the situation at hand."
"Gah!" Duster shouted. "If you won't listen, I'll have to use force to motivate you!"
Lucas fell silent.
"So," he whispered. "You finally resort to force because your words fail you. I suppose that I should not be surprised."
"You…" Duster spat, his face turning red with rage. "THIS IS NOT A DEFEAT! I only have to do this because you won't listen."
"I can listen and disagree with what you say."
"STOP TALKING!" Duster roared. "Come on, sissy boy! Let's see how well you can fight!"
Lucas stiffened.
Sissy boy?
More memories flooded Lucas. He heard chilling voices speak to him, voices of people that he knew and called friends.
What a crybaby!
He's just standing there, crying by his mother's grave.
Why don't you get up and do something, Lucas? Why are you just standing there?
Why aren't you good enough?
Those memories hurt Lucas, and Duster knew it. Lucas prepared himself to channel the rage that those memories granted him into a psionic attack, but something stopped him.
That's how Maya got to me, he realized. And I regretted letting my emotions control me then. It is important to feel emotions, but letting them pull my strings only leads to ruin.
"I will fight if you wish," Lucas whispered. "But I will fight with sorrow in my heart, sorrow that friends that were so close now must resort to violence."
Duster shot Lucas a look filled with pure malice. Lucas took a deep breath as he readied his defensive combat pose.
"What was that about humans being weak and slow, Boney?" Maya asked as she whizzed past the dog.
You used PSI, Boney barked. No fair.
Maya laughed.
"PK Run is the best!" she shouted playfully. "Seriously, though, where are we going?"
Well, Lucas sometimes takes morning strolls by the beach, so I thought that I'd check… Wait! Boney's ears shot up. I hear shouting. That voice… I think that it belongs to Duster.
"Duster?" Maya asked in shock. "But he left New Tazmily two years ago!"
Yes, Boney barked, But I know his voice well. I am positive that those words belong to him.
"You're positive?" Maya asked. "That's a first. You're usually so negative…"
Hilarious, Boney barked sarcastically. Truly, you are the master of wit.
Maya couldn't help but laugh.
"All right… should we go see what he's doing?" Maya asked.
Probably. Fassad can wait. After all, he could be hundreds of miles away.
"I guess that makes sense. Lead the way, faithful companion."
Boney barked the equivalent of an indignant snort and took off running. Maya smiled and followed. After a while, Maya could hear yelling as well.
"Come on, sissy boy! Let's see how well you can fight!"
Maya shivered. That sounded like Duster… but it couldn't be. Duster couldn't have possibly sounded so cold.
Trepidation invaded Maya's bloodstream as she broke into a sprint. She heard more words, but her brain didn't register them.
That's not Duster… it can't be…
Maya rounded a corner and saw Duster charging at Lucas.
No! Maya wanted to shout, but the word got caught in her throat. Please… stop…
Lucas darted to the side and smacked Duster with a staff.
This isn't real…
But it is, a part of her mind whispered. This is real, and there's nothing that you can do about it.
Maya sank to her knees. Two of the people that she cared dearly about were trying to hurt each other, and there was nothing that she could do!
I truly believe that you can do it.
That voice…
"Claus?" Maya asked out loud.
In ten years, you'll hardly be able to explain why you used PK Distort on yourself.
Maya gritted her teeth. Claus had shown her that despite her past failures, she could still become the person that she wanted to be. Looking at Duster and Lucas fighting, Maya asked herself what the person that she wanted to be would do. The answer came easily to her head.
"You two will stop!" Maya yelled at the top her lungs without hesitation.
Immediately after shouting those words, Maya felt a pang of regret. They won't stop and I'll look stupid now…
Duster screeched to a halt and Lucas put down his guard. Both turned to look at Maya, seeming to forget their feud. The battlefield fell silent.
In that moment, Maya couldn't have said what made her happier: Duster's look of utter shock or the proud smile plastered on Lucas' face.