Virgo:

So it is with the mutable sign of Virgo that we say goodbye to the dog days of Summer, and get back to work: organizing, planning, and reestablishing routines.

In anticipation of the Autumn days ahead, with all of its falling leaves and final harvests, we find ourselves… getting back to business.

xXxXxXx

Greed Island. It was a name she'd heard Killua and Gon mention before, but in the wake of everything else she'd been dealing with, it hadn't really stuck.

"8.9 billion jenny is an insane amount to spend on anything, let alone a game you could literally die playing, guys. Are you sure we need to do this?" She felt like someone needed to point out the obvious here, even if she knew the fear of death had never stopped either boy before.

"8.9 is a lot," Gon allowed. "But if we don't go after him now, something tells me I'll never pick up Ging's trail…"

"There are save points anyway if you're afraid of dying," Killua added with a shrug; the picture of 'not bothered.'

That this was an extreme amount of effort to go to for someone who didn't want to be found went without saying.

"Okay, so how are we going to start then?" Rem gave up. She still wasn't sure about this, but resigned herself to helping anyway.

Gon explained his plan to use his and Killua's combined earnings from the arena to flip treasures they found online.

They had close to 1 billion saved up between them to start with, but could they really make up the remaining 8 just by auctioning off what they found? While she definitely had doubts, Rem supposed there was some merit to the idea of spending money to make money… Without much else to go off of, she readily booted up a nearby PC and settled in to do some searching of her own.

It was also the least she could do since she had no real money of her own to contribute. What little she did have, she had live off of for the foreseeable future.

Killua sat beside her and did the same.

She watched him surreptitiously anytime she heard steady clacking from his keyboard. He hadn't mentioned their late-night discussion to Gon, she'd noticed. Not anywhere she could overhear, at least.

She probably shouldn't have been surprised there was no follow-up. Killua wasn't really the type to obsess over such things, like she was. She did wonder though… if he knew how much his support last night had meant to her?

Hopefully he didn't look over and notice her staring.

A few hours passed, and even as her fingers busily filled in URLs and scrolled through prices and search results, she couldn't keep her eyes from occasionally straying to the side.

Killua was really very kind, she thought. It was a little frightening to imagine how different she might have been, growing up with a brother like Illumi and a mother like Madame Zoldyck… Would she have turned out even half as well?

"What's up?" he asked without looking over.

Caught, she flinched violently, almost knocking her mouse off the desk. Of course he'd noticed her watching him; he was literally a professional assassin. "N-nothing. Just… thanks again for the other night."

He sent a lopsided smirk her way and for a moment…

Saying 'Killua is handsome' felt like a universal truth to Rem. It always had. Similar to saying 'water is wet' or 'leaves are green.'

Without even knowing it, she'd placed him on a high shelf in her mind, next to his brother; a pedestal, maybe. They were both pretty to look at, but also so far out of reach that their looks weren't even relevant to how she felt about them.

Only… Killua wasn't like Illumi. He wasn't untouchable or perfect. Grinning at her now, too lazy to turn his head, he looked a little cross-eyed, to be honest. He was her friend. When she cried, he listened. When she did something funny - usually on accident - he laughed. Something about their talk the night before had knocked him off that high shelf… The thought of being his friend didn't intimidate her like it had, once.

Confused by the revelation, Rem found herself ducking a little to hide the red on her cheeks. She'd always known he was cute, but this was the first time she'd truly let herself notice.

Killua barked a laugh at being presented such a clear view of her forehead all of a sudden.

"Don't make it weird," he chided, flicking her playfully.

She rubbed at the spot under her bangs, pouting and still very flustered. He turned his attention back to his computer.

It didn't take long for her to start feeling very stupid for thinking about him that way, even for a second. Focus, Airem. Stop making such a huge deal about every little thing. She chose to take his request at face value then and made a conscious effort to put the whole thing out of her mind.

oOoOoOo

The three teens spent most of the afternoon and early evening combing through various online auctions before Rem finally began to see the writing on the wall.

"Wait… how much do we have left?" Gon gave her the figure, somewhat sheepishly. They were down to just over 150 million! Stomach sinking, she quickly swiped Killua's mouse before he could confirm his most recent purchase - a sculpted bust of some creature that was selling for 7 million, just on its own.

"What the hell? Give that back."

"Killua, we're losing money fast," she stated shakily. Confronting him solely based on the panicked, stomach-sinking realization of how badly they'd screwed up, Rem quailed a little at the thunderous look on his face. She'd never been directly on the receiving end of his displeasure before. It was a little scary. "These shadier websites we've been looking at are going to take everything we've got, way before we can profit. IF we can profit."

His jaw firmed stubbornly. "We just need to track down better buyers. If we -"

"We have less than 20% of what we started with," she announced quietly. Both his and Gon's faces blanched at the calculation. As she suspected, they'd gotten carried away enough that the real magnitude of their money situation hadn't hit them yet.

"We still have some time to figure out another plan," she said, softening the blow. "Maybe we can find a better way to sell things?"

Discouraged, the trio eventually agreed to put a pin in this idea until after they'd found somewhere to grab dinner. None of them had eaten anything since early that morning, and their grumbling stomachs weren't doing much to improve the mood.

"Not to make a bad day worse, but have either of you thought about where we should sleep tonight?" she asked, hesitantly. "It might be a good idea to keep rooming together to save money."

"There's gotta be a ton of hotels downtown. You or Gon could probably just flash your Hunter's license and get us a room at the best one," Killua said, finishing up his roll and already feeling in better spirits. The smile on his face was scheming.

"The best-? I thought we were trying to-"

"Relax, it'll be mine and Gon's treat. Right, Gon?" The perpetually-smiling boy just shrugged, obviously not caring where they slept. "See? We've got plenty of money left, thanks to you, and we'll probably be able to come up with a better plan tomorrow if we can get some nice, hot baths, and real beds to sleep in."

Her eyes turned a little longing at the promise of comfort, despite the fact that she knew they needed to be more careful with their spending. Killua grinned. He hadn't been the only one who'd gotten sick of their crappy accommodations on the voyage over. Halfway through the trip, the communal showers had given up producing hot water, and no one had been more bummed out about that than Airem.

"Okay," she agreed, somehow managing to look both defeated and happy. Her expression made Gon laugh; the first real one they'd gotten out of him all day.

They finished their meal and made the trek downtown just as the sun was beginning to set on their first day in Yorknew City.

oOoOoOo

"I'm sorry, but our hotel's policy states that minors can only rent rooms if they are accompanied by their legal guardians. If you wish for an exception to be made, you will have to get the Hunters' Association to contact our upper management team on your behalf-"

The concierge kept his tone very even and professional, but he'd barely even glanced at their licenses in favor of curling his lip at the stains on their travel clothes instead. Rem turned to the others to suggest they just try some place else, when Killua gave her a significant look. He appeared to be mouthing her name.

No, he was saying Ren. Use Ren.

Airem reflexively centered herself - easier now that her body seemed to remember what to do - and obliged as she had many times over the summer. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to manage full-on Hatsu, but…

Her aura of suggestibility flowed outward in its signature tentacles, and Gon visibly bit the inside of his lips to keep from laughing. Despite wanting to pout at him in response, she kept her focus. Ren alone might not be enough, after all. She needed to figure out how to use this guy's desires against him. Not the easiest task, given his most immediate desire seemed to be for them to leave.

"You may not realize it, sir, but the Hunters' Association doesn't really do that kind of thing," she began, reaching for any string of logic she could argue with. For all she knew, the hotel's private policies really did trump the Association's, but she hoped if she could at least get him to doubt himself for a few seconds, her Ren could take hold of him.

"Licenses are not easy to come by, as I'm sure you know. For us kids to have them…" The man raised his eyebrows at her, but at least he seemed to be listening now. "As far as the Association's concerned, they gave us full access to member privileges as soon as they issued us our licenses. So long as you can tell they're authentic, I don't see why you would need to risk your good business relationship with the Association by refusing to serve its members…?"

She was tempted to finish with a sweet smile, but didn't want to come across as smug.

Learning how to appeal without looking manipulative; it was all a balancing act, according to Grandmother, and it directly impacted whether her technique would work or not.

Through her training, she'd learned the hard way that while sometimes forming a good argument was all it took to change a person's desire, often ego got in the way. Sometimes people took issue with a soft-spoken, mild-mannered girl trying to change their minds. Sometimes their wants stayed the same out of sheer stubbornness.

For Grandmother, it was possible to beat them at their own game and bully them into wanting the same thing she wanted; the woman had a solid, ironclad will of her own. But in Rem's own experience, she'd found more success in backing off and regrouping, rather than trying to force her wishes.

A tentacle flexed in the direction of the concierge, but he was still looking doubtful.

"Might I ask if the three of you even have the funds to rent one of our suites? The Association won't be reimbursing us at a later date, will they?" He hedged. The threat of damaging the hotel's reputation with Hunters had taken some of the haughtiness out of his tone.

"Of course not," Killua chimed in, looking increasingly impatient. His family's status probably meant he was used to places like this holding doors open for him wherever he went. "We can front the cash right now for an extended stay."

At this assurance of payment, Rem saw the tentacle solidify, now pointing squarely at the concierge. She had him. The giddy feeling of success threatened to overwhelm her control, but she fought it down. They could all celebrate once they officially had beds for the night.

"Yes," she agreed, even as her voice took on the heavier, sonorous quality that Power of Suggestion gave it. "We have more than enough funds. We'll take a two room suite if you have one, please."

The man nodded along, still frowning. "Then… what account shall we put on file to pay for any extra charges?"

Gon yelped when Killua deliberately trod on his foot. "Ow-! Oh, mine, I guess?" They'd agreed his account would be the safest to draw from, given Gon didn't have the same extravagant spending habits Kil did.

"Very good, sir," the concierge begrudgingly said. "I suppose you'll also be wanting the Hunter discount?"

At the trio's enthusiastic confirmation, he finally seemed to accept that this was really happening. The look on his face conveyed his own surprise at his actions. He handed over a pack of key cards, and pointed them toward the elevators. They could carry their own luggage at least, he thought, a little spitefully.

Once inside, Gon crowed with admiration at her abilities, and Kil bumped congratulatory fists with her. Their praises made her flush happily. It really hadn't been all that impressive; non-users were easy enough to influence. Still though… Things were looking up again.

oOoOoOo

Over the next few days, the three friends explored the city as thoroughly as teenagers on a budget possibly could. In their hunt for ways to make money, they constantly got side-tracked checking out local arcades, movie theaters, malls, and restaurants, all within easy walking distance of their hotel.

The marketplace itself was something special that changed nearly every day they passed through. Killua explained that the wares varied so often because everyone was in the city gearing up for the big, black market auction that happened annually.

"Yeah, stuff here that you could buy for a thousand jenny today could be worth a few million tomorrow," he said knowledgeably. Gon and Rem stared around with wide eyes.

Concern about how they'd get a hold of the Greed Island game occasionally interrupted Rem's enjoyment, but so long as the boys seemed willing to wait for a solution to present itself, she brushed it off. If they weren't going to worry about it, she wouldn't either... especially not with a certain reunion coming up.

Rem slipped out of the hotel quietly the morning they were meant to meet with Leorio and Kurapika. Truth be told, she was feeling increasingly anxious at the thought of seeing them again.

Well… one of them, at least.

Although he'd spoken to her civilly just before they'd parted ways last spring, she couldn't help but dread meeting the Kurta clansman again. It was possible he still hated her and she was definitely in no hurry to find out if he did.

Using the lame excuse of running an errand she'd been putting off, she hung back a bit that morning, vaguely promising to catch up with them later. It made her feel pretty cowardly… but she wasn't trying to avoid it forever.

Should she have confided in the others? Probably. They might have understood. And even if they hadn't, there was no doubt in her mind that they would've tagged along on her stupid "errand" to keep her company if she'd asked… No matter how painfully boring they found it.

So she didn't. It was already bad enough they danced around her issues as much as they did. She probably just needed some time to be alone with her thoughts anyway.

The local post office was crowded when she got there. No one looked particularly happy, rushing in or out, and the queue was messy enough that Rem had trouble figuring out where she was supposed to stand. Minutes ticked by so slowly, she almost began to regret choosing this over a confrontation with Kurapika… Almost.

When her turn finally came, she gave her name to the harried-looking clerk behind the counter, and he returned with a rectangular package about the length of her forearm.

"Took your time getting it," he said, loud and mean. "Another day or two and we would've had to return it to sender."

"Sorry. I thought I let him know not to put it in the mail until my birthday..." Her apology trailed off and he sneered even as he quickly dismissed her, turning away to help the next customer in line. Rem tried to calm the red in her cheeks as she took hold of her parcel and made for the exit. She hated confrontation, but being called out in public like a child was worse. Granted she was one, but still… Embarrassing.

"You didn't do anything wrong," a gentle voice said from the side. "He was already overworked and upset. If not you, I'm sure he would've yelled at the next person."

Startled, Rem looked up to see a stranger in green travel clothes smiling at her. Their balding head and prominent front teeth didn't quite match up with their very elegant, almost feminine manner of speech, but the look in their eyes was warm; openly compassionate in a way that made her feel compelled to stop and acknowledge this person. To do otherwise felt rude.

"Maybe… I probably should have stopped by sooner. I had no excuse not to, besides forgetting," she confided, trying her best to make herself seem smaller. The crowded entryway probably wasn't the best spot to have a conversation in, and surely the stranger had something they needed to pick up or drop off.

They had such a kind, tolerant look about them though. Rem found herself reluctant to leave, and not just because she was still grasping at any excuse to delay her meeting.

"You seem very hard on yourself," they observed gently, and she was struck by their insight. "But I'm sorry. I seem to be keeping you -" Rem waved her hands, ready to dismiss the stranger's words out of politeness only to find that she was, in fact, blocking the footpath leading out of the office. People behind her were grumbling.

They exchanged a wordless smile of farewell before Rem forced herself to turn and leave. What an odd interaction. Nice, but odd.

Once outside, she was finally able to turn her attention to the package from her father. Rem brightened, readily putting the kind stranger out of her mind. Zebro had mentioned he would be sending her birthday gift ahead to the city for her to pick up. Knowing him, he'd gotten too excited to wait until her actual birthday to mail it. It was lucky she'd thought to check the post office before they sent it back.

There was no place to open it out in the busy market, and the package was large enough that she decided to drop it off at the hotel before continuing on to the meeting place. Guiltily, she realized she was paying for her procrastination now. Hopefully no one would be angry with her for running so late.

Swiping her key card in a hurry to get inside, Rem did a double-take at the group of people assembled around the small common area.

"Yo," Leorio greeted cheerfully. "Happy belated birthday."

"Leorio!" Dropping the box carelessly somewhere near the entryway, she scrambled over to give the suited man a much-needed hug. She'd missed him!

He chuckled, almost not setting his cup down in time to avoid spilling. He smelled like coffee and cheap cologne, but Rem found it oddly comforting.

"I got you a little something…" He handed her a colorful box, looking bashful but excited. "Gon and Killua each got one at the market earlier, so I figured you'd need one too."

"Ah, Leorio, but this is way too much!" It was some kind of phone, shaped like a horned beetle of all things. She'd never bothered with one before because of the expense, and the fact that he'd gifted her one-!

He sharply waved her off. "Be happy and accept it, birthday girl. The boys'll tell you; we got an excellent deal and you should really have one for safety reasons, anyway. Besides… I feel bad I didn't get to celebrate on the actual day with you."

She pursed her lips for a second, seeing what he was doing. He was trying to guilt her into accepting a gift they both knew was way too extravagant, but at the same time… Her expression relaxed into a bright smile. She could repay him by letting him take her bed for however long they wound up staying in the city.

"Thank you," she said, simply and sincerely. Anything more would have embarrassed him, and she couldn't bring herself to mar their reunion now, especially since it seemed Kurapika wasn't going to be meeting them all as planned.

"Here, we brought you some takeout from the restaurant we ate lunch at," Killua said, nudging a small, wrapped, carryout container on the floor next to the table.

"Oy! Don't use your feet to touch her food, you brat! Were you raised in a barn?"

"Eh? You've forgotten where I was raised already, old man? That must be the dementia talking…"

"What'd you-?! I told you, I'm only 19! I'll feed you your own stupid skateboard-!" Rem placed a friendly, placating hand on the doctor-in-training's arm as she scooped up her meal with the other.

"Thanks, guys, it smells really good." She was genuinely happy they'd thought of her, and if her gratitude took the wind out of their argument, even better.

Gon leaned forward with a grin, "We got you the hamburg steak lunch set! I asked the server what she thought would still be good cold if it took you a while to eat."

"Aw, you're so thoughtful, Gon." There was a small twitch of movement from the other two. They were giving Gon some pretty dirty looks all of a sudden. "Mm, it's still warm though. What were you guys talking about before I interrupted?"

Leorio had several ideas on how to solve their money troubles, it seemed. As he spoke, it became more obvious that the months apart had changed him as well, just as she knew she and the others had changed... For one thing, his voice sounded different; more confident and worldly. And not in the blustery way he'd tried to sound at times during the Hunter exam, either. Even Killua looked to be taking him more seriously now.

It was a cozy feeling, she decided, getting to eat her lunch while the others conspired around her. She hoped it would last.

xXxXxXx

A/N: Of all the minor changes Rem has brought to the HxH timeline, I definitely feel like "Stopping Gon and Killua from spending literally almost all their money" is one that was probably the least necessary, haha. Still, having that one level-headed friend in the group pays dividends in situations like these. If Kurapika had been around them canonically when they came up with this harebrained scheme, he probably would have stopped them from even trying!

If anyone's curious, Rem's party was on the 23rd (Gon mentioned they celebrated a bit earlier than her actual birthday) I'm going to headcanon that the ship from Whale Island to Yorknew City had to sail for around 4-5 days before they arrived. By my calculations, they docked on the morning of the 29th, did their thing at the internet cafe, and then goofed around the city for a couple days until the 1st. ^^'

The Melody cameo is to set something up later. I know it was kind of out of nowhere, and she would have been cutting it close to run mundane errands like this, but lets use some creative license here to imagine that the meetup with the other Nostrade bodyguards didn't happen until later in the day.

You guys, I got some amazing comments last chapter. Thanks so much! I'm definitely excited that we're inching closer and closer to the "meat" that makes up this arc. Will try to get some momentum going and post the next chapter much sooner. To all my American readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!