Thank you all so much for reading. As always, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

3- Ediacaran

If Dahngrest had been full of excitement the day before, it was absolutely beside itself today. Almost as soon as the group entered the city, a little boy ran past and called out.

"Karol! Harry's back, Harry's back!"

Karol stepped aside to talk to the boy, and meanwhile, the others stopped to look at one another. "Well, guess that answers our question," Raven commented. "Good thing, too. I think Kaufman really didn't want ta deal with this job anymore."

"I'm glad," Yuri agreed. "Harry should be able to help us. If there's any suspicious behavior in the Union, he and the senior members of Altosk will know about it for sure."

Karol ran back over, his face flushed with excitement. "The kids over there said that the Children's Home was Harry's first stop on his way back to headquarters. That's so like him."

"He does love those kids," Raven laughed. "I'm sure they talked his ear off 'bout all the stuff they've been doin' since he's been away."

"They probably asked about his training too," Judith suggested as the group started walking again. "Naturally they'd want to know how a member of Altosk trains."

"Karol-" Estelle stepped in beside him. "-those are the kids you tutor, right? The ones at the Children's Home?"

"Yeah, we go there every week that we're not away on a job," Karol answered, "though I wouldn't necessarily call it tutoring. Most of the kids there won't ever end up in an academic setting, so instead, we teach them life skills. Cooking, sewing, mechanics, self-defense, what it means to be part of a guild and how to choose a guild that's right for you… that sort of thing."

"And I bet they all want to join Brave Vesperia, huh?" Rita muttered.

"N-no, not really. Harry used to come with us and help out whenever he could, so a bunch of them dream of joining Altosk someday. There's a few that have said they want to be a part of Brave Vesperia, but some others say that we've inspired them to start their own guild. To me, it's just rewarding to give those kids something to dream about!"

Yuri glanced back at Rita. "I guess the Children's Home is where Bell will go if we can't find someone to take care of her, huh?"

"No way." Rita scowled at him. "I'm not letting her end up at some crummy orphanage."

"I-it's really not that bad!" Karol explained. "Way better than the place I lived when I was little. Gauche and Droite personally make sure that the kids are well taken care of. Plus, that means Brave Vesperia would get to see her every week-"

"Doesn't matter. She's not going."

"You're pretty adamant," Yuri murmured. "Planning on raising her yourself?"

"Th-that's not it. You just said you're trying to find a family for her. Last time I checked, Brave Vesperia doesn't give up or quit halfway through."

"She's got us there," Karol admitted.

The group made their way through the city and had to push and shove to make it into the crowded Union Headquarters. All the while, Rita held Bell close to her chest and Estelle murmured words of reassurance when she noticed Bell whining uncomfortably. Judith nudged Raven and pointed wordlessly back towards the two, both of them sharing a knowing smile.

A lot of the arrangements had been made beforehand, but Harry's return to Dahngrest still found the Union busy, needing him to approve every little detail of the upcoming ceremonies. He was so tired of looking at local plans and permits that he was more than happy to welcome in Brave Vesperia to consult about actual guild work.

"Harry!" Karol ran to greet him, waving frantically and clasping his hand as soon as they were in arms' length. "It's so good to see you again!"

Harry gripped Karol's hands tightly and shook them up and down. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I last wrote; things have been hectic these past few weeks. I hope I didn't worry you."

"No, no!" Karol shook his head. "I knew there would be lots of paperwork and such, so there's no need to apologize-"

"Apologize ta me, will ya? You had this old man worried sick!" Raven broke in between the two, wrapping his arms around Harry. "Two whole weeks without a letter! I didn't know what happened to ya!"

"Raven," Harry choked, trying to wriggle out of his grip enough to at least get a good breath, "if you were so worried, you should've come along."

"Aw, kid, ya know this was for senior members of Altosk only. An associate-member-who-used-ta-be-your-grandpa's-lackey just doesn't make the cut." Raven let go, taking a step back and offering a teasing wink. "But it's sweet ta know that ya missed me too."

Yuri stepped forward, clearing his throat to get the others' attention. "While we're all excited to catch up, Brave Vesperia and our associates have come to talk about the job we received from the Union yesterday."

"Yes, I've been expecting you." Harry turned back to Yuri and nodded. "Fortune's Market informed me of the situation. Where is the baby… Bell, I believe you called her?"

The group turned to look at Rita, and she froze up momentarily before stepping forward and shifting her grip on Bell so that Harry could see the child's face. His expression softened with affection and he took a step closer, holding out his arms.

"May I?"

Rita didn't move, eyeing him as though suspicious of his motives. Raven nudged her and Karol whispered "Rita! That's the future Don!" before she finally relented and handed Bell over to a now rather flustered Harry.

Bell let out a whine and reached back toward Rita for a moment, but Harry rocked her gently and whispered a simple "it's okay," and she turned to look up at him instead. She squealed with delight, waving her arms and reaching for his face. She couldn't quite make it, and instead started pulling at the buttons on his coat.

Harry shifted to support Bell in one arm while he tugged the buttons away with the other, and Judith laughed.

"She really likes you, Harry."

"Just like the kids at the children's home!" Karol added.

Raven patted Harry on the shoulder. "He's got that same sorta vibe his grandfather did- people see him and think that man is everybody's dad."

"I'm honored you'd say that, Raven. Honored to know that I might someday fill the role my grandfather left for me. And…" Harry glanced back at Raven and then turned to address the whole group. "...because this child's parents entrusted her into the care of the Union, I believe it is my responsibility as the leader of the Union to take her in myself."

The entire group froze, and Repede let out a whine as a sense of tension filled the atmosphere. Yuri looked back and forth between Harry and Repede, a nervous frown spreading across his face.

"You mean, like, in a symbolic sense, right? As some kind of godfather figure?"

"No, Yuri. This child represents the faith that people have in our Union. I can't take a backseat and allow others to do all the work. I'm going to raise her myself."

Karol smiled, but it was a little forced. "Is that really okay? I mean, aren't you going to be busy? You don't have to raise her all by yourself-"

"But I do. I'm stepping into a position of leadership, and I can't be shy about committing myself to helping others."

As he said this, Yuri stepped forward and stood opposite Harry, reaching out as if to take Bell from him.

"With all due respect, sir, this is a person's life we're talking about. She's not some trophy you can hold for political clout-"

"No!" Harry flinched and drew back, shielding Bell as though trying to protect her from some sort of threat. "That's not what I'm saying at all! I…" He paused and relaxed as he saw that Yuri wasn't coming any closer. "...I see myself in her. After what happened to my parents, my grandfather sacrificed a great deal in order to raise me. He took responsibility for me even to the bitter end. How can I hope to fill his shoes if I'm not willing to make sacrifices for those in need the way he did? This child needs someone, so why shouldn't that someone be me?"

Raven slung an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Kid, trust me, I understand why ya feel the way ya do about this little one. But could ya listen ta what we have ta say before ya run off with her?"

Judith nodded. "Being a parent is a big commitment. Have you talked this over with Molly?"

"I wouldn't expect her to shoulder any of the work," Harry insisted. "This is my decision and my responsibility."

"Leadership isn't about doing everything yourself," Yuri scolded. "You have to find the right people for the right jobs and divide work in a way that makes the best use of everybody's talents-"

"You think I don't know that? What do you think I've been doing for the past six months-?"

Rita clapped her hands together, the sound echoing around the room and drawing everyone's attention back to its source. "I hate to interrupt this touching display of masculinity," Rita spat, "but we're not here to hand Bell over to anybody. Our whole purpose for coming here was to request that she remain in Brave Vesperia's care for a little longer while we investigate the aer tag that she's been implanted with."

Harry's expression fell. "Aer tag…? Implanted…? What are you talking about?"

"We had Bell examined by Doctor Monica Kirk, a Krityan physician in Zaphias," Judith explained. "She gave Bell a clean bill of health, with the exception of a strange wound on her left arm. Rita identified it as the implantation site for a newly developed piece of technology known as an aer tag, created to replace tracking blastia. We believe someone is tracking Bell's movements, but we don't know why."

"If I can get some readings on its output, I should be able to identify the model," Rita added. "Once I do that, Brave Vesperia can contact the developer to learn why Bell might've been implanted with the tag and if it's possible to safely remove it."

Raven, his arm still around Harry's shoulders, gave him a friendly nudge. "We ain't tryin' to take yer job away from ya, kid. We just wanna make it easier fer ya by doin' ours."

Harry looked back and forth between Bell and the others, his expression stricken with worry. "I… I see… I apologize for my haste. It seems that despite all my practice, I still struggle with getting all the information before jumping into a situation. I'm grateful for your dedication, Brave Vesperia. Please-" He took a step forward and placed Bell back in Rita's arms. "-on behalf of the Union, continue to investigate the situation. I want every effort made to ensure that Bell lives a healthy, normal life."

Bell made a fuss when she was passed across, but Rita held her close and whispered some soothing words, and she calmed down easily. Rita then looked over to Karol with a nod.

"Hey, quit daydreaming. I think this is where the guild boss comes in and accepts the job."

"I-I wasn't-!" Karol exclaimed, but he cut off and looked to Harry instead. "I mean- we accept this job in the name of the brightest star in the sky, Brave Vesperia!"

There wasn't much time to genuinely catch up with Harry, as he was almost immediately whisked away by some other members of Altosk for a meeting. Brave Vesperia left headquarters and headed back along the streets of Dahngrest to the narrow alley that held the entrance to their own guild office.

It was a little building designed to be a shop, with a reception area and storage room on the first floor and a small apartment above it. Once they'd moved in, they had quickly made the place theirs, Karol and Judith taking the two bedrooms, Yuri setting up his and Repede's own space in the attic, and Raven claiming the downstairs storage room. "It's only fair that the old man doesn't hafta climb as many stairs," he'd said, completely ignoring the fact that the kitchen was upstairs anyway. But for all the trouble the building gave them, it was far more comfortable than the cramped quarters of the Fiertia, it offered them a place to host guests and clients, and it gave them a sense of stability as a guild. Rita set up her equipment in the ground-floor reception area since it gave her a larger space to work with. The others crowded around, not entirely sure what to do but wanting to help anyway. Estelle and Repede stayed with Bell, Estelle holding her and soothing her when one of the machines made a loud noise, and Judith was entrusted with Rita's field notebook to write down the numbers that Rita read off to her. Karol and Yuri worked together to hold up some piece of machinery that they couldn't identify but Rita insisted was important, and Raven just kind of watched the whole thing come together. He thanked Rita for "lettin' an old man rest," and then pretended to act insulted when she explained that she had no intention of letting him handle the sensitive equipment.

When Judith had finally recorded a list of numbers that filled the whole page, Rita said that was enough and motioned for Yuri and Karol to put the equipment away.

"That's it?" Karol asked as he wrapped the cord back around the base. "I thought it'd take hours."

"Aer tags are constantly emitting signals. All we had to do is tap into them and write them down," Rita explained. "The hard part is going to be finding somebody who can interpret it well enough to match it to a model. For that, we might have to go to the New Energy Initiative headquarters in Aurnion."

"All that way?" Raven groaned. "Poor Ba'ul. An' just when he finally got lucky too."

"I don't think Ba'ul will mind," Judith replied. "He seemed more amused by the other Entelexia than anything else. Seeing if it'll follow him to Aurnion may be exactly what he wants-"

"We may not need to go all that way," Yuri interrupted. "Flynn is working with some of the Initiative developers in Heliord. I could head over there now to ask him about it and be back before dark."

"Oh, that's right!" Rita gasped. "One of Flynn's lackeys has been working on aer tag tech. It's, uh, what was his name… apple-head…"

"Witcher?" Estelle prompted.

"Yeah, that's him. Is he in Heliord?"

"Might be," Yuri murmured, glancing over Judith's shoulder at the incomprehensible string of numbers on the page. She handed it back to him and he slipped it in his pocket. "If not, Flynn can always send him the data over the knights' radio channel. It'd save us the trip anyway."

"And with Yuri taking care of it, the rest of us can focus on guild chores," Karol suggested. "I've got a big list of materials we need to resupply, so I can spend the day at the market."

"Estelle and I can keep an eye on Bell in the meantime," Rita volunteered. "No sense in getting her involved in your guild chores if she doesn't need to be."

Estelle stood up, adjusting Bell's blankets. "I'd be glad to, but does Yuri need someone to accompany him? The road to Heliord goes through some unguarded territory, doesn't it-?"

"Not anymore," Yuri interrupted. "Thanks to Magistrate York's mining work, the knights' new patrol area overlaps with the Hunting Blades'. If I take Repede with me, we'll be perfectly fine."

As soon as Yuri said 'Hunting Blades,' Karol let out a gasp. He looked down at his shopping list again, the tone of his voice suddenly frantic.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no… I'm supposed to meet Nan this afternoon! I'll never be able to get all this in time… but if I wait until afterward, the market will be closed…"

As he continued to mumble, Raven walked up behind him and grabbed the grocery list from his hand. "How 'bout this, Boss? You'n me split the list in half, that way you can get everything ya need and hang out with yer friend."

"Wha-? Are you sure? Shopping is my responsibility, and-"

"But you also have a responsibility to keep your word," Judith broke in, taking the list from Raven. "It'd be unjust to stand up your friend, and then the guild would have to punish you. What do you say we prevent that by splitting the list three ways?"

"Y-you guys… thank you…"

Yuri picked up his sword and whistled for Repede. "C'mon, buddy. If we're going to catch Flynn during his lunch break, we need to get a move on."

Repede barked and followed Yuri to the door, stopping with him as Yuri waved in the others' direction.

"See you guys soon."

"Don't come back without an answer on the tag model," Rita called, and Yuri just laughed.

"Trust me. I'll get it."

"I don't understand. What kind of animal did you find this tag on?"

Flynn led Yuri down the corridors of one of the new buildings in Heliord's research and development district. When Yuri told him about the tag, he confirmed that Witcher would be able to identify the model and developer and led him over to the office where the researchers were working. Still, he didn't seem to really get it, and Yuri wasn't sure how to make the situation clearer without, well, outright saying it.

"I told you, it wasn't really an animal-"

"So, a monster, then? I've heard these tags are being developed to study the seasonal migration patterns of certain monster species. It's amazing; I'd never considered the way that weather patterns might affect where monsters congregate..." Flynn continued as they walked, and Yuri could hear the pride in his voice growing as he talked about the work that his team was doing. It was one thing Yuri loved about Flynn, the pride he took in his subordinates' work. The way he talked about his brigades, the mining teams working under their direction, the researchers setting the groundwork for the project- Flynn cared so deeply for everyone involved, it warmed Yuri's heart. He got to a point where he wasn't even listening to Flynn's explanation anymore, he was just staring and smiling with what was probably an embarrassingly cheesy grin. He almost ran into the corner of a table as they passed by, and Repede had to nip at his heels to get him to watch where he was going.

Finally, they made it to a laboratory where several researchers- a few Yuri remembered from a former job helping out refugees from Aspio- were hard at work on machinery and calculations that Yuri couldn't even begin to identify. Flynn called Witcher over, and the boy was quick to leave his post and report with a salute.

"Commandant Flynn! What is it you need?"

"At ease, there," Flynn laughed. "It's not that serious. Do you have a few minutes? I have a favor to ask of you."

Witcher seemed to blush at the sound of Flynn laughing at him, but he hid it well. "O-of course. What kind of favor is it, exactly?"

"You remember Yuri Lowell, right?" Flynn gestured toward him and Witcher frowned.

"Yes."

"His guild discovered a monster implanted with an aer tag, and they were wondering if you could identify the model and developer based on the signals that Rita Mordio collected."

Yuri reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper, unfolding it as Witcher spoke up again.

"I should be able to identify the model, however, I'm not aware of any developers that have actually deployed their tags on wild monsters yet. We're the only lab working on monster-related projects, and we certainly haven't-"

Yuri shoved the paper in Witcher's face. "Actually, the commandant here is mistaken. It wasn't a monster we found the tag in, it was a human."

Flynn gasped and flinched. "Yuri! Wh-what are you talking about? That's impossible! Implanting humans with an aer tag or any similar device is illegal!"

Yuri just shrugged. "Gee, Commandant, I'd love to head back to Dahngrest and tell that little girl not to worry about the literal machine in her arm, since it's illegal and therefore can't possibly be there. But since she's a baby and can't understand what I'm saying, we should probably figure out some other way to handle th-"

He was cut off by a gasp from Witcher.

"Impossible."

Yuri groaned. "Not you too, kid. I'm telling you guys the truth. You think I'd make something like this up just for shits and giggles-?"

"No, no, what I mean is-" Witcher explained, holding the page up, "-this is one of ours. It's a Y675 model."

"Aren't those still in the development phase?" Flynn asked. "They haven't even been approved for alpha testing yet."

"So that means…" Yuri glanced around the room. "...it came from here?"

"This is so strange. I wasn't aware that any of the prototypes had gone missing." Witcher clutched the paper to his chest. "I need to do a full inventory and interview all the staff. May I keep this?"

"Sure, if you think it'll help," Yuri answered.

"It should allow us to figure out exactly which tag went missing, and then we can trace our records back to see when it happened."

Yuri sighed. "That's great, but, uh, in the meantime is there some way you could remove the tag?"

"Remove it?" Witcher's eyes flashed back upward to meet Yuri's. "You mean… from the girl?"

"No, from your ass- YES, from the girl!"

Flynn put a hand on Yuri's shoulder, a warning tone in his voice as he murmured "Yuri…"

"Sorry, I just… I don't like all these people talking about Bell like she's some kind of test subject." Yuri shook his head, reaching down to pat Repede's head as the pup whined and pressed against his side. "Yes, Witcher, we would like you to remove the tag from the girl. We just want her to be able to grow up and live a normal life, and I don't think she can do that if there's some faceless person watching her every move."

"I understand that," Witcher answered, tucking the paper safely away in his pocket, "but unfortunately we can't perform medical work on human subjects without the proper authorization. I can start the certification process on our end, but there is important paperwork that must be filled out by the girl's legal guardian." He reached into a drawer to his right and pulled out a pad of paper. "I'll write down the names of the forms for you- you'll need to take this to Zaphias and get the forms from the hospital. Just hand this note to whoever's working the main desk and they'll retrieve them for you. Bring them back in about two months and we should be able to remove the tag."

Yuri took the paper with a frown. "Two whole months?"

"I'm afraid it will take six to eight weeks for the authorization to come through on our end."

"Oh, come on! Rita could learn how to do the procedure and remove the tag herself in way less time than that-"

Flynn snatched the paper from Yuri before he could crumple it up. "That may be the case, but it would be an illegal operation that would be treated by the Empire as human experimentation. They could prosecute her and anyone who aided her as human traffickers."

"So you'd rather leave a child implanted with some weird device that isn't even cleared for testing on monsters? The doctor said she's only, like, a month old- waiting that long is double her entire life. The people who did this to her didn't have to wait. Why should the people trying to save her?"

Flynn shoved the paper back in Yuri's direction. "Even so, you and the other members of Brave Vesperia can protect her until we can legally remove the tag."

"For two whole months, though?" Yuri took the paper, glancing down and sharing a nervous look with Repede. "Harry's not gonna like that."

"I'm afraid it's the only choice we have," Witcher replied. "But if you're concerned about who might be monitoring the child, I can keep you updated on our search for the missing tag. I'll be doing a thorough inspection of the work area, and-"

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid animals are not allowed in this research facility."

The voice came from out in the hall, and the group turned to look at the figure standing just outside the door. Yuri didn't know the man, but with the way Flynn and Witcher snapped to attention, he could field a guess. Flynn had told him plenty about Magistrate York- not in so many words, but in the way that he spoke the little he did say. 'Magistrate York is too hard on the soldiers; Magistrate York is cutting our budget again; Magistrate York just pushed up the deadline and people are going to get hurt…' Yuri had jokingly offered to kill the bastard for him, and while Flynn gave him a harsh scolding for even suggesting such a thing, he didn't actually say no.

"I'm sorry, sir," Yuri began, stepping forward, "but despite what Flynn here might've told you about me, I'm one-hundred percent human."

Flynn gave Yuri a nudge, but York just stared him down. "And you must be the Yuri Lowell of which our commandant speaks incessantly. I'm afraid your canine companion is contaminating our sterile research facility with his hair and dander. Please take him somewhere else."

Yuri laughed and ran a hand through his own hair. "Discriminatory, much? With this thick mane, I shed way more than Repede does."

"Just get out. And you, Commandant-" York looked to Flynn. "-just because you are on break does not mean everyone else is. Please stop distracting our workers with personal affairs."

Flynn bowed. "My apologies, Magistrate."

"That's not it-!" Witcher broke in. "Magistrate, Commandant Flynn just made me aware of a breach in our security protocol. Apparently a Y675 model aer tag was discovered implanted in a human child in Dahngrest. We were unaware that any of our prototypes were missing, much less illegally implanted. We've started the process of retrieving the tag; I've given Yuri Lowell here information about the necessary medical forms to give the girl's guardians, and I will begin the two-month process of obtaining the authorization to perform a human tag removal-"

"Two months? Make it two weeks." York waved one hand. "I'll expedite the process. Get me that tag back. I don't want our proprietary signals being sent out among the masses."

"Thank you, sir!" Witcher exclaimed. "That is a great help-"

"Thank me by getting back to work." York turned and headed out the door. "Commandant, Yuri Lowell, mutt, let's go."

Repede growled, but Yuri patted him on the head and motioned out into the hallway. "It may not matter to you, but this mutt is directly descended from the famous warhound of the Niren Corps-"

"It does not matter to me."

Yuri went silent for a moment, glancing over at Flynn. Flynn just nudged Yuri's shoulder and nodded in York's direction, so Yuri sighed and spoke up again.

"I, uh, am grateful to you for expediting the process of getting that tag thing out of Bell. On behalf of her guardians, thanks for that." He cleared his throat to break in before York could say anything disparaging about Bell and renew his desire to punch the man. "This is a pretty amazing setup you've got here. Repede and I passed by the mining operation when we were coming into town. You mind me asking what all those big pipes are for? I always thought that mining was a bunch of guys in a hole with pickaxes and shovels."

York didn't make any attempt to turn around, but he answered Yuri's question as he led the group out the door and into the street. "Perhaps it was at one time when resources were more easily available and demand was low. But now we must work smarter to better feed the growing demand for energy. Because we no longer have blastia to harvest free aer from the atmosphere, the Empire has developed a new technology to harvest concentrated aer from solid bedrock. If the tests here in Heliord are a success, then this technology will be spread around the world. We are leading the way for a new era, Yuri Lowell."

"Cool. That's cool. Thanks for the, uh, explanation." Yuri just nodded, trying not to say anything about how villain-y that all sounded. Frankly, he didn't have a reason to suspect York of anything besides working his employees too hard. Flynn took care of that and was genuinely pleased with the mining efforts, so Yuri didn't want to insult the project in front of him. He waited until Flynn had given York a brief report and sent him on his way before looking to Flynn again for answers.

"So, do you mind telling me what this 'new era' actually entails? Or do I just have to imagine what they're doing with those pipes?"

Flynn smiled and shook his head. "The magistrate means well, but he isn't good at explaining things. Our technique is called 'aer fracturing,' and it's a method of releasing concentrated aer that is trapped within the pore spaces of certain impervious rock units." He led the way over to one of the nearby overlooks, resting against the railing as Yuri and Repede followed. "We use the pipes to drill into rock deep underground and open up fractures that allow the aer to flow. Normally the fractures would close immediately, so we pump a solution of water and sand into the rock to hold the fracture open while we harvest the aer. It's a bit of a dirty process, but so far it's been surprisingly productive."

Yuri smiled, unable to help it when Flynn was so cheerful. "That's actually pretty amazing. Not 'new era' amazing, but- hey! Every little bit helps." He sighed, resting his arms against the cold stone wall. "My only question is, isn't it dangerous to be cracking giant fissures in the ground underneath where you live? What if the hole you make ends up swallowing the whole town?"

"The fractures are very small. They have to be held open by sand grains, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Yuri nodded. "I guess they aren't more than a few millimeters wide, then."

"Two, actually."

"What?"

"Two millimeters. That's the upper limit for sand grains."

Yuri stifled a laugh. "Geez, Flynn, I thought you were the Commandant of the Imperial Knights. Now you're the Sand Police too?" He struck a pose, pointing at Repede. "Sir, arrest this sand grain for being two-point-one millimeters long-!"

"Yuri!" Flynn scolded. "It's just terminology! Geologists use a different word for grains over two millimeters in diameter."

"Yeah, yeah; I get it." Yuri slung his arm around Flynn's shoulder and leaned in close. "How about we head over to your quarters so that you can properly seduce me with your extensive sand knowledge and do some mining of your own? I've got some fractures that could use drilling too, you know~"

"Th-that's..." Flynn blushed and pulled away, looking up at the clock tower above them. "I only have twenty-five minutes until I have to be back on duty."

Yuri feigned shock. "So twenty-five minutes is no longer enough for the accomplished Flynn Scifo? You must be losing your game."

Flynn opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again as he thought better of it. There was a moment in which he seemed to be considering his options, and he finally bit his lip as he looked back to Yuri with a hungry glint in his eyes.

"I will not be late to my patrol, understand?"

"Don't worry. I have faith in you." Yuri took Flynn's arm and looked back to wave at Repede with his free hand. "Wait up for me by the entrance, 'kay, buddy? Say hi to the sheepdogs for me."

Repede barked obediently and watched as the two men disappeared back down the street and into the knights' headquarters.