Chapter 27:

Date: January 1st, 2100. Twenty minutes into the trip to the Citadel Tower. It was the first day of a new century for these people, a century that would test the strength of the many.

Each time our group passed a group of civilians, they would each gasp, looking up to us with surprised looks on their faces. I had been seeing many news stories of Samara and her 'unknown compatriot,' who had obviously been Vodnik. He didn't talk to anyone, and Samara had yet to give out the name of our species. Still, that didn't stop conspiracies from being created, and my presence on the Citadel certainly didn't help disprove them.

We were now in the Presidium, closing in on the Citadel tower. I noted that the gravity here was much more comfortable than any ship that I had been in. When passing by a small Asari child, I smiled at her. Lyna did the same. She smiled back, nodding her head at us. "Let's not bother the strangers," the mother called, looking at us in fear.

Lyna locked eyes with the woman, bowing her head at the Asari mother for a few moments. She mouthed a, don't worry, towards the mother, but it was too late; they already had their backs turned to us.

With my hearing, I was able to hear some of what the child said before her voice faded out of range, "Mother, what were they?"

The mother Asari looked somewhat familiar, though I couldn't quite place my finger on who she was. I had a feeling that wouldn't be the last time I saw the mother and her daughter. I could see the elevator up to the Citadel tower, something that I knew would take a long time. Every elevator that I had taken so far was painfully slow.

We kept quiet shortly after that, as we all piled into the elevator. We couldn't quite speak in here without the guards picking up our conversation, not that I felt that it'd do any harm, but I was still wary of them. It would take us about two minutes to finally arrive at the final stretch; I would be mildly annoyed by how long this would take. Waiting that long for an elevator to reach its destination was just uncanny. I honestly was starting to think that the slowness of the elevators was a ploy by the Reapers to waste our time away. The C-Sec officers stepped out of the elevator first, but didn't move a meter away from it. They simply stood at the sides, allowing us passage to the Council. Svesa strode forwards, with Okuderod moving right behind her. Lyna and I just stayed side by side. "Well, this is it, Kyle. The possibilities are endless here. I really hope it's they believe us," Lyna fretfully murmured. I put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down as we both walked forwards. I couldn't say that I wasn't any less nervous than she was.

I scaled the steps, keeping my pace equal to Lyna's. Svesa and Okuderod were already at the stand before the Council. I got a good view of them as I walked forwards. Instantly, I recognized Councilor Tevos, the two others were a male Turian and Salarian, though I couldn't exactly tell its gender. Lyna and I walked onto the stand, forming up beside Svesa. We were an odd lot of people, with the Sannokar admiral standing tall above all of us. Before any of us could speak, Tevos cleared her throat, "It's a pleasure to have first contact here. If the Huntress could be so kind as to be a translator for our alien guests, that would be greatly appreciated."

"None of us need a translator, Councilor. Having Lyna translate or meld with us is not necessary," I said, staring directly into Tevos' eyes.

The Asari Councilor nodded her head, turning her head over from me, to Svesa and Okuderod. "Very well, you are all of different species. Who or what are you, four-eyed man?"

"A Prothean," he gave a short answer, knowing those words were incredibly powerful.

"A Prothean? There hasn't been a Prothean in 50,000 years. What makes you think that we should believe you?" The Salarian Councilor asked. She had a feminine tone to her voice, so that much confirmed her gender.

'The Salarian's name is Makal Wakevo and the Turian goes by Nilatin Levuros.'

Thanks, Sirius.

Okuderod strode forwards, nearing the edge of the small platform. "Thanks to the discoveries of the Quarians and the Geth, four hundred of my people have recovered from cryogenic stasis. There are thous-"

"What about the Geth? I'm sorry, did you imply that they're working side by side?" the Turian, Nilatin butted in. He clicked his mandibles at Okuderod.

The Prothean cook nodded his head as I stepped forwards. Opening up my omni-tool, I outstretched my arm, showing a few maskless Quarians interacting with Geth platforms. While the video was playing, the Councilors had mixed reactions. Tevos was stone cold, Makal was rubbing the underside of her chin, and Nilatin had his jaw completely open. "My name is Kyle Terrah, a Human and a representative of the United Rannoch Association. I helped broker the alliance between the Geth and their Quarian creators. What you see here is not footage from two hundred years ago, but four years ago. However, the Geth and the Quarians aren't why we came here…"

Svesa picked up for me as I stepped back beside Lyna. "I am Svesa Voz'avansiro, a Primary Admiral of the Inusannon, and a Sannokar. We came to warn you of an upcoming threat. The very same threat that attempted to wipe out the Inusannon, Inusynthetics, Protheans, and every species before them. The Reapers will come within the century. No one is safe, no space-faring species will survive if you refuse to prepare. Everything you know and love will be destroyed by them. They will show now mercy, they will not care about who you are or what you do. No proposed treaty will stop them. The Reapers will wipe every spec of space-faring organic life out of the galaxy if you do not prepare for them."

I activated Sirius's projection on my omni-tool and let it float out of my hand. His nearly nine foot tall figure dwarfed everyone as he strode to the edge of the platform. "And if you reject brokering alliances with other species. I am Sirius Veskalam-928A, an Inusynthetic, or the Inusannon's version of an AI. You do not need to fear me; I am not hostile, in case that needed to be stated," he spoke, looking down upon the Councilors.

Before any Councilor could speak, Svesa injected herself into the conversation again. "We know that AIs are illegal in this portion of the galaxy. Unlike in the United Rannoch Association and the Inusannon Federation, where organic and synthetic relationships are thriving, where all sides of the spectrum are living in prosperity. We brought Sirius here to prove that the synthetics that inhabit this galaxy now, the Geth, Inusynthetics, and every other AI out there. They are not the enemy! The Reapers are. Of course, m-"

The Turian Councilor stood there, a small smile spreading across his face as he interrupted Svesa, "A fully sentient AI. Very interesting. Tell me, Sannokar. Seeing as how you seem to be of the same government as this 'Inusynthetic,' have they ever revolted against you? If so, why should we trust them? All of our previous confrontations with artificial intelligence has ended in violence."

"They have, Councilor Levuros. More than 100,000 years ago, we engaged in a battle with them. It wasn't long, but it was bloody. They simply wanted equal rights, so we gave it to them under the condition that they reached a certain age of 250 years old. You may ask, 'Why that age?' That's when an Inusynthetic has been taught everything that it needs to know. Up until then, they are taught of the dangers of rebellion." Svesa stepped over to Sirius's holographic projection, examining him from below, "We granted their leader the rank of Pervichalomar, or Primary Admiral in official translations. However, our history isn't the purpose of our little conversation. You must unde-"

Makal, the Salarian Council spoke up, "Yes, yes. The 'Reapers' are coming. You've stated that already, Primary Admiral Voz'avansiro. Answer me this: What are they? How can we be sure that they're not just some myth? Your government claims to be older than the Protheans. You have yet to show us proof of any of this."

I shrugged my shoulders as I popped open a display on my omni-tool. I made it as large as possible, probably covering Sirius's hologram in the process. Before we had arrived, Svesa had given me some new footage for my omni-tool. A whole plethora of it. It was so much that my omni-tool had started to slow down. The screen flickered for a few seconds, but turned on right after it had processed the data. I tapped the play button on my omni-tool's smaller display and the video began to play.

[-]

"Kryl! Incoming missile! Hit the ground!" an Inusynthetic called out, his voice barely audible. Shots were flying over their heads. A few Reapers could be spotted on the horizon as well.

The Inusannon known as Kryl looked over towards the incoming rocket. It was bright enough in the dark sky to give him time to swiftly avoid it by ducking. He sunk back into cover, taking a large piece of charred metal in his hands. It was sturdy and he could probably use it as a javelin. Aiming upwards, he popped out of cover for a split second. That split second bought him enough time to throw the burnt metal at an indoctrinated slave, spearing it in the chest almost instantly. Unfortunately, a beam of superheated metal impacted him in the chest, melting through his armor and making a clean hole through his body. He twitched for a moment, but fell to the ground shortly afterwards. Nothing could fix what he had just suffered.

A female Inusannon froze in her cover, staring at what she had just witnessed. With a burning rage in her eyes, she pushed herself up from cover and cloaked herself at the same time. A long rifle was in her hands and while a small whine emitted from the weapon, a flash of light broke free from it. It instantly took out the leg of a Reaper Crawler, dooming the four-legged vehicle to immobility. With another shot, the weapons of the craft were also disabled. "This is for Kryl, you sons of bitches!" the Inusannon yelled. Her emotions were driving her, but before she could even think of leaving cover to make her last stand, a hand pulled her back.

"Do not throw your life away, Potera. You, Volfra, and I just need to make it through the night! You leave now, and I might as well put a slug through your head," the Inusynthetic ordered. His voice was cold and unforgiving.

On the other hand, Volfra, another female Inusannon, was returning fire with an automatic weapon. She was bleeding heavily, but the fight hadn't been kicked out of her yet. When popping another battery into her weapon, she looked up and was faced with one of the most fearsome sights that anyone could ever see. A corrupted Inusynthetic approaching their location. Her eyes went wide and she called out to her squad, "Corrupted approaching! It's an alpha!"

The Inusynthetic turned back, seeing the same sight as his comrade had. He let go of Potera, bending down to Kryl's corpse and taking hold of his belt. Lying on the thick leather-like material were two small grenades, each with a high explosive warning on them. "Volfra, Potera, retreat to the corvette! I'll get the corrupted!"

"No, arm the grenades and come with us, Electran! We won't make it without you," Volfra called out from her cover. By the time she had said that, it was already too late. He had broke out of cover and went to fight the Reaper soldiers head on. This was a suicide mission, and he would most certainly not be coming back. Volfra pushed herself up, took Potera by the back of her armor and pulled the weeping woman out of the trench. "Hold it together. We just need to get back to Rigel," she muttered to her comrade. A bullet flew right past her head, and she patted the other on her back, "Run! Go! Go! Go! We need to keep moving! Don't look back!"

The pair eventually escaped, but once they got to their destination, they were tired. They had sprinted about five miles (8km) in the thin atmosphere of the mountains, running up and down hills. Of course, Sirius had fast-forwarded through their running to save time for the Councilors. Their corvette was in sight, but before they could make it, they noticed one thing. Rigel was conversing with a possessed Inusannon. A Reaper was controlling it. Potera looked up to the sky, seeing the entire hull of a Reaper capital ship descending on their location. "Volfra, leave me, save yourself. Find Vepraon, have him take you off-planet!"

It was too late, as four consecutive shots echoed through the mountains. Both women were crippled, their legs completely blown off. Rigel and the possessed Inusannon stood above them, looking down at the frightened pair. Rigel strode forwards, kneeling down before Volfra. "Pain is only an illusion. Prepare yourselves for your ascension," the Corrupted Inusynthetic Harbinger leaned over their shallow-breathing bodies, touching their heads, and melting their bodies down into grey goop. Their equipment was untouched, with the camera on Volfra's body being left alone. Meanwhile, the grey goop was collected by Rigel, cupping it in his hands. He brought his hand up towards the sky, and the goop turned into an ash like-substance, being sucked into the orbiting Reaper's hull.

[-]

Everyone except Svesa was speechless. My eyes were wide, Lyna seemed to be shaking, and the Prothean was simply dumbfounded. Tevos was nervously intertwining her hands together. Svesa took this opportunity to speak, "Right now, Rigel and Sovereign are out there, planning to take this station in 83 years. We're asking you to prepare your fleets! If you aren't doing exactly that, then you are wasting time, time that could be used to build up your fleets and armies!"

"A sudden buildup of ships would cause mass panic, perhaps even trigger a war with the Terminus systems!" the Turian Councilor yelled.

"Mass panic won't be of anyone's concern when the Reapers invade. We'll then have to worry about mass genocide. Do you not get it? We will all die. They will kill all of us. It'll be worse than any war you've ever had!" Svesa yelled.

Tevos held one finger up, something that quieted everyone down. "The Terminus does not have go to war with us. I will send this video out to Thessia for peer review, if the people deem it to be truthful, we will follow your instruction, Admiral."

The Salarian Councilor turned her head towards Tevos. "You know that they could have fabricated that video. They could be lying to u-"

"If you still can't get the threat of the Reapers through your thick skull, then I'll send you some coordinates out to the Hawking Eta cluster, in the Thorne system, to Mnemosyne. There is a derelict Reaper orbiting the planet if you really want physical proof," Svesa growled, completely interrupting Makal. "Or, or how about I give you the location of the radioactive wastes of Mertvyykamen, the Inusannon's original homeworld? Surely there's a few hundred corpses littered in the planet's orbit."

"You don't need to go that far, Admiral. I will send your proof to my people, and if they find it as convincing as I do, then you'll have the support of the Asari Republics."

Svesa nodded her head while a smile grew on her face. "We'd rather start aiding you now, rather than when they arrive." She held her wrist up, bringing up a full-color sort of omni-tool. The display was wider and more fluid than a regular omni-tool's. Scrolling through a few windows, Svesa brought up a small sphere in her hands, brushing over the light with the tip of her thumb. It zoomed in, with a small label popping up. The label named the sphere in Svesa's hand as Rannoch. With a few more finger-gestures, a pulse echoed off of the planet. The Sannokar Primary Admiral held a gaze with the Council and started to speak again, "My people and the URA will arrive within a few days. The Turian and Salarian may reconsider their viewpoints of the Reaper threat. I'll stay on the Citadel until the Inusannon and Inusynthetic admirals arrive, we can continue discussing peace treaties, brokering those treaties, talking about history and culture then. For now, why don't we take a break and wait for them to arrive?"

I took a deep breath as Svesa turned around and Sirius's holographic display flickered back into my omni-tool. It seemed as if we were done with this little meeting. Lyna would probably go converse with her C-Sec friend, and I'd be left alone to explore the Citadel, which I thought wouldn't be that safe. However, a ping from three omni-tools stopped Svesa in her tracks. Councilor Levuros gasped and squinted down at his omni-tool. "Admiral, it seems your fleet has arrived a few days earlier than you expected. I just got a ping from the Destiny Ascension that at least a hundred vessels have just come through the Mass Relay."

I raised an eyebrow, turning my gaze over to Svesa. "I guess they developed that drive faster than we initially thought. How convenient… They were just waiting for your order then."

Svesa sighed, turning back over to the Councilors. "There's probably a few Geth vessels in that fleet. I'd advise against firing on them," she growled, finally taking her leave. After all, she needed to go greet her people. As for I? I'd go to explode.

We all left the stand shortly after that. Lyna followed close behind me, tapping me on the shoulder once we were out of earshot of the Councilors, C-Sec officers, Svesa, and Okuderod. "Kyle, we should go down to the Kithoi Ward, I've had an influx of messages telling me about this new club, something called Pinostana." Lyna nudged me on my side.

"I thought you were going to go check up with that officer. Arisofa or whatever," I replied, gazing down at the Asari.

"Arosifa, and no. She's a bit of a bitch."

I snorted. "Fine, fine. After we eat at Pinostana, we might want to get some more supplies for the Bermuda. Stuff that actually tastes good. You know, instead of the crap that the Inusannon gave us."

Lyna chuckled, grabbing onto my hand and walking towards the elevator leading out of the Citadel Tower. "Maybe we could buy you some new clothes as well. I'd imagine it's pretty redundant wearing the same few outfits for over twenty years. How you haven't damaged any of it is beyond me."

"I imagine it'd be pretty hard to find something that would fit me. All that would cling to my body would be Asari and Batarian clothing, which would probably look as weird as a Krogan clan leader wearing white and pink armor," I muttered off, trying to imagine what I had just described. I laughed a few seconds later.

Lyna tugged on my arm, motioning for me to hurry up. She was rather excited to go drinking and shopping. I could understand that. After all, she had been deprived of these luxuries ever since she left Citadel space back in 2076. "Stop walking so slow. I just want to celebrate today and all that we've accomplished in the last few years."

"Fine, fine. I just hope the alcohol and whatever food they have there calms your blue ass down." I smiled, stepping into the elevator with Lyna. On the way down, Sirius and I had a small conversation while Lyna was wrapped up in her own thoughts.

You know, they probably have your physical body on one of the Inusannon vessels.

'It certainly is possible. We'll see if they have it once you finish up your little date with Lyna.'

Obviously. Are you excited to finally walk alongside us?

'It'll be refreshing to not be restricted to your omni-tool or a corvette, though I suppose the Bermuda can now be classified as a cruiser by galactic standards.'

Ah, a cruiser. We better watch out, knowing how big your people build, we'll probably get upgraded to a dreadnought by the time that we encounter the Reapers.

I was jolted out of my conversation with Sirius by Lyna, who tugged on my arm shortly afterwards. The doors to the elevator opened and I was greeted by the same Asari child from before our meeting with the Councilors. "Uh… Hi?" I asked, a bit confused as to why a future information broker was standing before us, her mother nowhere to be seen.

Before the child could speak, Lyna let go of my hand. She slowly approached the young Asari, hesitantly kneeling before her seconds later. "What's your name, kid? Where is your mom?"

"Liara. My mother is off getting some books," she paused, tapping one of her little feet against the ground. "I'd like to know a few things about the new aliens. Who are they?"

I stepped forwards with a small smile on my face, putting a hand onto Lyna's shoulder. "Well, I'm a human. The red woman was a Sannokar, part of a government that holds two other species, the Inusannon and the Inusynthetics." The smile on my face grew wider. "as for the green man, he was a Prothean."

I saw the young Asari's eyes become wider as astonishment took over her expression. She backed away from Lyna and me, jogging towards wherever her mother was at. Lyna turned her gaze up to me. "I really hope we didn't make a mistake there," she whispered, pushing herself up from the ground.

"I doubt it. Come on now, you've got me excited about this Pinostana bar. Let's not worry about an Asari child," I replied, stepping into the open area of the presidium. I gazed across the 'statue' of the Mass Relay and the monument of the Krogan.

A sigh left my mouth as I turned back to Lyna, who was now right behind me. She brushed her hand over my shoulder, striding right past me and taking a left. Lyna mouthed, "Follow me. We'll have to take the Wards Access-"

"Instead of walking, why don't we just take a skycar?" I asked, interrupting Lyna before she even had the Wards Access in sight. Pointing over to one of the rapid transit stations, I saw Lyna slowly turn around looking at the station.

She brought her hand up to the back of her neck, scratching it for a moment. "That'd definitely be a faster option. Sure. Let's go with that."

We walked over to a nearby rapid transit station and I stared down at the panel for a few moments. A taxi-like skycar was in front of us. Before I could do anything, Lyna nudged me aside, bringing her omni-tool up to the display. With a small hiss, the roof and doors to the skycar opened, allowing us entry into it. "So is this thing piloted by a virtual intelligence, or do I have to plug in Sirius?" I asked, stepping into the car and finding my place in the far-right seat.

Lyna shook her head as she slipped into the car, sitting down to my left. "Yeah, it comes with a VI, but as far as I'm concerned, we don't need one. I'm driving," she said.

"I really hope you remember how to fly or drive one of these things."

"It's only been several years, but I'm sure we'll be fine," Lyna said, grinning at me. She pressed her hand to the holographic display, lifting the car up slightly. I felt the skycar gracefully leave the ground, where Lyna then flew it up into a traffic lane. She was slow and careful with her movements as she drove the skycar towards a large gap in one of the Presidium walls. Some vehicles were entering and exiting the gap, which I assumed to be an access port to the ward.

I finally relaxed in my seat once I knew that Lyna hadn't exactly forgotten how to drive a skycar. "So…" I drawled out, crossing my hands together on my lap, "what's the Kithoi Ward like?"

Lyna banked the skycar to the right, taking us right into the gap. It was something like a tunnel, a futuristic tube that led us into Kithoi Ward. When Lyna straightened the skycar out, only then did she reply, "I've only been here a couple times throughout my life. It's definitely not as clean as Zakera or Tayseri, but it's still better than Omega. We're just going to the market district, so there's no need to worry about seeing a greased up Krogan with a Hanar mistress."

"Okay then. I assume that the farther you get away from the Presidium, the worse things get?"

"Exactly. We're not venturing very far, so again, we don't have to worry about that sort of stuff," Lyna responded, guiding the skycar out of the tunnel. I was finally greeted with the view of the Wards. Various towers and superstructures were now before us. Unlike the Presidium, there wasn't a day/night cycle here.

Eventually, we landed just outside of the market district that Lyna was talking about, but before the Asari could even think about opening the doors to the car, I stopped her. "We won't be bombarded by news reporters or anything, right?"

"If they do, I can turn them around on their heels. Don't fret, I know exactly what I'm doing," Lyna replied, patting me on my shoulder. Without a second thought, she opened the doors. I was greeted with the scent of what smelled like chicken, alcohol, and sweat. It wasn't as pleasant as the plant life on the Presidium, but still much better than Omega.

Lyna and I stepped out of the car, where Lyna used her omni-tool to lock it up, keeping the virtual intelligence from stealing it away from us. This action really wasn't that legal, but it technically also wasn't illegal. She still had her weapon with her, just in case we encountered someone who thought it to be a good idea to engage in combat with us. Once entering the market district, I caught the attention of a few different species. Most of them were surprised and I could understand that; I was a new species to them, they didn't know what I was. I stayed closer to Lyna than usual, since the Asari provided a lot more protection than my fists. Various stands were located about, some selling meats of odd varieties, others selling clothes. For now, I decided not to return the stares of the various people on the wards, as I knew it'd only create problems. "Lyna, how far until we reach Pinostana, or whatever it's called?" I asked.

"Not too far; you'll know when we get to it," she answered, lightly chuckling soon afterwards. She took hold of my hand, squeezing it lightly as we continued on towards the bar.

My ears were filled with the conversations of various Citadel species as Lyna and I walked along. I was observing the atmosphere of the ward, gazing up at all of the different towers and buildings. We were in an alleyway right now, while both ends flashed with all sorts of neon lighting. Lyna eventually turned down a corner, pulling me right after her. I saw the letters of Pinostana right in front of me. "Oh. Right. You weren't lying, it wasn't too far of a walk."

Lyna smirked, but that smirk faded away as soon as she realized how long the line was. "No, no I wasn't. I assume we don't want to wait in that line, right?" Lyna asked, rolling her eyes at the sheer amount of people in it. There was at least 75, something that I didn't exactly want to go through.

I shook my head. "Preferably not. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yep."

While secluded in the back alley, we activated our tactical cloaks in a completely synchronized movement, which was impressive to say the very least. Usually, we weren't this coordinated. Lyna was the first person to step forwards, with me following shortly after her. She was quick and silent on her feet, but I had to take just a bit more time than she did. As I approached the entrance to the club, I found my footsteps being masked by the bass that the club was emitting. I was able to catch up with Lyna. To avoid suspicion, we stepped in right behind a Krogan that was stomping into the place. Seconds after the door closed behind me, my cloak disengaged, with Lyna's following shortly after mine. Luckily no one spotted us. I caught up to Lyna, who was lightly giggling at our evasion of the dreaded line. I was the first to speak after that, "I gotta say, people here are a lot dumber than on Omega!"

Lyna snorted through her nostrils. "They're not stupid, just more relaxed. I don't think they'd expect anyone to cloak through. Now," she paused while the smirk returned onto her expression, "now we celebrate."

She clasped my hand in her own, leading me into the main floor of Pinostana. A new song had just started; it had vocals and a deep synth track playing in the background. Honestly, I was more focused on the sights. The lights had an indigo sort of hue, but occasionally changed to cyan. Four pillars rose up from the floor, each with three platforms, where an Asari dancer was located. There was also another level that followed these little platforms. In the center of the club was a rather large center where drinks and foods were served. Tables were located near the walls of the club. I assumed that we'd sit there once we had our drinks. "Wow," I muttered, finally able to take in the atmosphere.

I was pulled forwards by Lyna, who seemed hell-bent on getting to the bar before anything else. Suspiciously, no one but a Turian and an Asari were at the bar, others were dancing or just sitting at tables. "Come on, come on, what do you want to order?" Lyna asked, tugging me along towards the bartender.

Locking eyes with the Turian bartender, I noticed that he seemed incredibly surprised, and with good reason. As we approached him, he was the first to speak. "Well, you're certainly… Different," he said with a nervous chuckle following soon after, "but that doesn't matter. You people pay all the same. As long as you're a customer, we don't judge. Now, what can I do for ya?"

I arched my eyebrow at the bartender, shrugging soon afterwards. "I think I'll just have water." This earned me a slight glare from Lyna, so I assumed that she meant for me to order something alcoholic.

"Water for the strange man, got it. Now, as for the Asari?"

"Iced akantha, pislo," Lyna replied, putting both hands on the counter of the bar. Of course, my water came first, being the easiest thing to pour. Lyna's drink came up moments later, a clear glass with violet liquid inside. I took my glass in my hand and looked throughout the room, searching for an empty table. Eventually, I saw one that was located in one of the far corners of the bar. Lyna and I made our way to it.

Sitting down in the booth with both of our drinks, I let out a long sigh. Lyna and I definitely needed to relax, especially after all the meetings that we had been through. "Ah, this is so worth all the effort. The music in here is nice… The water is… watery," I mumbled, taking a sip out of my glass.

Lyna smiled at me, laughing soon afterwards. However, we didn't get to enjoy our peace and quiet for long, as two people sat down right across from Lyna and me. It didn't take a long time for me to process who it was, but it shocked me nonetheless.

"You two are much easier to locate than Morinth…"

"And we have a lot to talk about…"

A/N: Samara and Vodnik have returned, many chapters later.