Robin did not need to linger any more than he did until he knew enough to start with, come the morning. Spying was not a kind thing unless one did the right things with the act… His student had enough luggage on his shoulders, but Ralph defending him was admirable. Just to be sure though, something was wrong with the one who stormed off, leaving a trail of thorns behind. Hurtful feelings often led to shifty choices. Relationships remained tense in that past Realm and it leaked through to here, even though this was the safest place to be. This ongoing bicker was nothing new among frightened people but someone was closely watching through the use of one solitary crystal orb.

Loss of a home, so suddenly, and then suddenly thrown into an entirely different one led to things that were left unchecked. Fear and grief were never a fine mix.

"None o' this makes sense…" the wizard listened intently while seeing through the crystal of the two finding solace in the court walkway. The shock and hurt in the young man's voice were thick.

"Gene's always been full of himself, buddy. Nothing's changed. That smack at Calhoun though…" Ralph uttered.

"Oh, I cannot bear to think on that, Ralph… Just — I am so flustered, so flustered that I can't even think straight!"

Ralph was surprised to see a new side to Felix, who stomped a sharp foot down with such a burst of energy. Felix! Who hardly expressed anger, much less anything negative.

"Breathe, Felix…"

"I am. I am breathin'…."

"Thought I was the one with the anger management issues. I can't blame ya though."

"Ralph~ if the both of us are to Tame… it could mean the fate for all of 'em. And he's actin' like he doesn't even want it."

"Gene is just not getting it like we do… He hasn't even talked with Casey or Meaghan as much as we did. He just wants to go back…" Ralph lowly spoke as he sat low onto one knee to whisper.

Felix looked puzzled at that but his shoulders hung low. The other Nicelanders came by, fairly confused but supportive of the two, if not guilty to say the very least. Felix sighed when they came. He had a lot to explain.

"Felix… We're sorry we didn't do much for you back when…" Mary shamefully said. "We.. we just didn't know what to do… except maybe you wanted to be alone. So, we did. We let you alone."

"Oh Mary… It was an awful pill for all of us to swallow. I-I failed at expressin', I was such a train wreck… I wasn't in the right either."

"…and you were right. We never asked you anything…"

"And Gene didn't mean all that, Felix."

Felix looked desperate at first but spoke again after some thought.

"I don't have any ill against him, just-just tell him I'm sorry~ Ralph and I are joining her, the Day Guardian. Tomorrow morning."

"What does this mean? Are you fighting against who attacked you?"

"In that sense, yes…"

"Felix, Ralph. She might kill you…"

"Well, no one's gonna get near you as long as I'm tickin'." Ralph replied, restoring some faith for the group.

Felix's eyes glistened as he rose them to the Wrecker who looked grim.

The Master gave a satisfied yet forlorn sigh, his heart aching at all the pain being displayed currently. The night was still young however and while Casey waited for her two new men to return with the Nicelanders. Except for one…

This night ended kind of roughly, but things would eventually be healed up in due time, for her new friends. The two were really strong. Casey could feel it. As the night wore on, she and her dear Quasimodo had retreated to their guest room. Casey stared at her own pale face through the powder room mirror after washing her face. Her hair was wet and in disarray from washing but she was still dearly tired but felt too intense to lay herself down to rest. Happily, she was not alone.

The strong, warm grip of her husband's burly hand rested upon her tense shoulder, gently squeezing the intensity out of it. She sighed in relief.

"You will need your rest tonight, my darling…" was his whisper. "It had been a vexing day."

"We just got back and things are just starting," she replied, holding back a scoff. "So much happened in so little time, I'm a bit shaky… Why am I shaky though? We've been through worse things."

"Hey, hey…" the former bell ringer hushed, embracing her from behind. They each saw their reflections in the mirror. "One true thing I know about you is that you persevere, which even inspired me to hold on… a-and… and look where we are now. Eugene, Jim, Meaghan, young Felix and Ralph, they even see it in you."

"I have the form of an eagle, a symbol of freedom for these people, yet I don't feel like I deserve it."

"Hush, my love, none of that talk. We both know that kind of thinking gets us nowhere." Quasimodo had to look her dead in the eyes.

"I know, I know, I'm getting weird." she fussed, shaking her head as if to try and shake free from those terrible thoughts. It used to plague her life long before. A truly terrible habit she was trying to break. The months of staying in that cold power strip was nothing compared to the temporary life she had with Quasimodo in Paris. "Forgive me, Quasimodo…"

"There is nothing to forgive. Come. It is getting cold. At least come and be by the fire…" was her husband's suggestion, able to feel her shiver from deep down.

Cold from her bath, she silently agreed and soon the two simply sat together. He only had a single white sleeved shirt draped over him, his scars easily seen but he had no issue with her seeing them. In silence for a little while, they only sat as she rolled one of his sleeves up, massaging his scarred arm. It was an old injury she had once caused while blind during her young training days. Days she didn't fondly look back on. Sleepily, he observed her hands moving and massaging over them, as if trying to erase them from reality… He stowed her hand down, looking woefully at her, begging her to steer away from that.

"There are things I can never take back." she spoke up once more, holding back a world of hurt.

"That was never the point of this fate." he said, before it would get worse. "Casey -"

"After all those months, away~ I love them, Quasimodo…" she said, referring to the two new men joining their cause. "…and what it took for us to figure things out, it's going to be just as rough for them as it was for us…"

"You are right to love them." Quasimodo softly said. The sound his voice made her eyes droop. "You are wise enough now to show them exactly what you learned tomorrow… A little stretching of their own wings is essential."

"Yes, you're right. I'm taking this out of context…" She groaned, leaning back against the sofa, locking her eyes onto the mesmerizing flame of the fire. "As usual."

"Not so much that. I am so happy that you would tell me these things. Being trapped in the dark before, you are finally opening up to me, to them, Megs, even Master Yen Sid. You fight hard for people, so much that you change them for the better…"

She looked him dead in the face, her chest trembling with urged sobs.

"Me, Casey. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." Quasimodo's voice cracked a little as he held her closer. "They wouldn't be here. Meaghan would still be trapped in the modern age…"

"Oh Quasi. Meg changed so much. It was hard for me to not cry in front of her… but she still has that spirit she always had. I don't know why I let my mind go in so many directions~ Tomorrow is a brand new day. I will give them my best although, they might think we're crazy…" she tried not the laugh too loud.

"Hm, they've got to learn somehow." Quasimodo smiled, sweetly, tightening his hug. "They might think you're crazy."

"I'm not crazy. Maybe off… But not crazy." she muttered before she kissed his cheek. "… I'm spiraling."

"That makes the two of us." he gleefully replied. "That's my sweet girl,"

Quasimodo was slightly worried though, when it came to this Love Quest… He had one question, concerned with one altercation that happened in the gardens earlier.

"Speaking of our new team members, about this Tamora…" Casey overheard him say just as she rested her head upon his chest. "I take it that you have an idea. You are so certain about it."

"The Master sure gave me some good insight," she said, starting to feel too anxious. "I know it seems like a fool's errand but a promise a huge deal… Part of why I chose dreams above all magic spells… Hope's a powerful thing to keep above water."

"That much is true." Quasimodo despondently sighed. "… something that we've come to know very well." he continued to stroke her hair as she slowly nodded off. "By dawn, another day~"

Casey sighed, giving in and laying more against his chest. "… come to think of it, if we want the best for tomorrow, I should have a sip of that." she said, looking at a tiny blue vial on the table nearby.

Quasimodo had a half-lit smile as he reached over to it and opened the top. "The Master and his sleep aids…" she sighed.

"I am not so supportive of using potions as a means to rest but I know you do well with them."

Casey smirked before she put one drop from the shiny blue bottle into her goblet of water. "It was even worse back home," she said lastly before starting to drink from the goblet. "If I can remember correctly,"

Casey could easily feel his chest tremble as he breathed, tensely for just a moment, that anxiety leaking through like oil. Hearing his heartbeat drum against her ear was so reassuring though. While feeling a buzz rise up from the potion she consumed, she had one final thing to say.

"Everything will turn out better than we think… It always does. None of us can afford all this misery and worry… especially for Felix right now. I am still going nuts over this promise when Maleficent is on the move… Maybe I am crazy."

"No~" Quasi gracefully replied, taking her hands and blanketing them in his as he held her. "Rest, love. Maybe this promise will lead to something much bigger than we think."

"I hope so, darling…" she sighed, feeling light from the potion, just starting to nod off in his embrace.

After softly sweeping a hand over her eyes, he simply rested his cheek against her head, slowly growing mesmerized by the flames. Despite there being so much to think about, there were little inklings of hope scattered throughout, before their very eyes even. Welcoming two new friends into the picture, this would bring them to prove that there was much more to them than what met the eye. When morning would come, they were to find out soon enough.

After having officially meeting with the Prince-Consort, by mere surprise, was beyond uplifting to say the very least. Bringing his little family back to the hospital wing, Felix remained with Ralph as the rest of the community followed them along for a while before splitting up the higher they went into the castle. Felix found himself going back to that one spot by the window on that reading nook, which was no way a bed, but he personally felt comfortable there. Honestly relaxed that the others had other rooms to rest in, Felix solemnly fumbled his magical hammer in his hands as Ralph shuffled by to sit beside him. So much promise in the upcoming hours, as well as nerves, sleep may or may not come easy. Everything was so new, thoughts were whirling, yet… he felt extraordinarily encouraged by Eugene's words. He wasn't alone in being in love, far from it. Love was all around them like clouds.

As of this moment, the children were tucked as he soon went around them, giving them reassurance as they dozed off after a full day of play. Once he sat down again though, the pain of grief was still increasingly fresh as it could not be helped at all. In the quiet of the night, Felix looked genuinely up at Ralph who was just as awkwardly quiet as he was.

"Ralph. Y'know, you don't need to hang around here with me. Y-you should be with Vanellope… She's going to miss you an awful lot, come the mornin'."

"I know, but~" Ralph groaned a little. "… she's happier than anybody right now. I was gonna go check on her later."

"Get goin', you softie~ I'll be just fine. I really am." Felix shared a sweet smile with the Giant. "…surrounded by good people. An' I really should sleep." he nearly yawned as he threw his hat aside and rubbing his face into his hands.

"Yeah, buddy, you should." Ralph comfortingly replied while Mina had quietly come in on silent feet to remain with the family on their last night in the hospital wing.

She brought in a couple of blankets for the snoozing Racers as Ralph left quietly for a moment to check on Vanellope. As soon as he left, his heavy steps heard for a time, Mina looked over at Felix who was already lying still on the comfy seating, by the open window, still very much awake though. Not a moment later, Felix found a silken blanket being draped over him, peacefully by the kindly doe. Just as she walked away though…

"… ma'am?" she heard him call, barely audible at first.

"Yes, good sir?" she cooed back, turning back to him.

"You've been so attentive, my lady… more than we even deserve. And we thank you for everything…"

"It has been my great pleasure, sir…" she replied, hearing a hint of emotional ailment in his voice. "What is it…?" she asked with her ears bent back.

"I hate to be so teary and dreary," he chuckled a bit at himself. "… y-ya may have heard the news tonight."

"Her Grace has two new recruits, yes. Meaning you and your friend."

"Yeah~ which means, for a while, I won't be able to see our Racers again…" she heard him say with deepness in his tone as if to hold back tears. She began to come back to where he lay.

"You needn't worry, my friend. I will be with them as you are away. They will never be left alone. I promise you. Now, to sleep." she urged, softly nuzzling him to lay back down again.

"… oh~" he breathed as he gave in to exhaustion, which was hard to fight back.

"You need your rest… Everything will be better in the morning."