"See ya, adios, au revoir, ciao, see you in a few days," said RJ, scurrying down the stairs into the kitchen. He pulled a baseball cap onto his head and turned to his employees.
"What? You're going fly-fishing?" Theo laughed.
RJ frowned. "No… why would you…" he broke off as he looked down. "Oh, this getup!" he grinned. "I'm just going to a fly-fishing contest."
"I thought you were an animal rights activist?" Kali asked, wandering down from upstairs. It had been a few days since Nick had gone back to Briarwood.
"I am," said RJ, proudly.
"Then why are you going to a fly-fishing contest?"
"I'm not going to catch the fist," said RJ, more alarmed at the thought than necessarily needed. "I'm going to disturb the fist, so the fishermen don't catch the fish."
Despite rolling her eyes, Kali smiled.
"Wait a minute," said Theo, interrupting. "What about the Restaurant? If you're away from the next few days, who's in charge?"
Lily shrugged. "Rylie?" she asked.
"Rylie's with her parents for a few days," said RJ. "She's meeting me at the lake, and we'll be coming back together."
"So, who's in charge?" Theo asked. "May I suggest? You should pick someone who is bright, resourceful, and very responsible."
"Like you?" Kali asked. Lily and Fran giggled.
"Well, if the shoe fits," said Theo, grinning.
Kali shook her head. Theo was a total narcissist at the best of times.
"Theo's right," RJ agreed, much to the surprise of everyone else. "We need someone in charge." He scratched his chin, pondering silently when the door opened and Casey wandered in, slapping three new orders down on the table.
"What's going on?" Casey asked, looking around. He gave RJ the once over and frowned, glancing at Kali for an explanation.
"He's going fly-fishing, but not to fish," Kali explained.
"Ah," Casey nodded.
RJ smiled. "I have made my decision," he announced. "Casey is in charge."
"What?" Casey asked, staring at him in disbelief.
"Good, it's settled," said RJ. "Ta-ta!" he waved and left.
Kali watched him, through the small glass window, weave between customers on the shop floor, push open the restaurant door and disappear from view.
"What just happened?" Casey asked, more confused than ever.
"The big bad tiger just got made king of the jungle," said Kali, socking Casey in the arm.
"But, I don't want to be the king of the jungle."
"I'll do it," said Theo, immediately.
"No!" Fran and Lily replied, quickly. A little too quickly.
Kali snorted as Theo looked offended.
"Tell you what," said Casey. "I don't want this responsibility. So, why don't we split it?" he asked.
Kali looked between the three. Already she could tell today was going to be a bad day.
"Lily can run the kitchen, and I'll deal with meet and greet," said Casey.
"What about me?" Theo asked.
"You can be our waiter," said Casey.
Theo rolled his eyes. "Oh, great, I'm the waiter," he grumbled. "What if I don't want to be the waiter?"
"Then switch," said Lily. "You deal with the sweaty kitchen, and I'll get the big tips." She clapped him on the shoulder and headed for the door.
"My bad," said Theo, stopping her before she could head out into the restaurant. "I forgot about the tips. Vice president in charge of service is fine with me."
Kali pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What about me?" Fran asked. "What am I going to do?"
"You can be our floater."
Fran nodded, although she didn't look certain about her job role.
"Great. Everyone is happy, especially me," said Casey. He turned back to the door, pausing only as he found Kali leaning against the wall beside it. "Wait. What about you?" he asked.
"What about me?" Kali questioned. "I'm not working today."
"You're not down to work any day," said Theo, suspiciously. "How come you get to live here rent free and not help out?"
Kali shrugged. "I help out," she said. "I just do it under the table. It's kind of like what I did in Blue Bay Harbour at Storm Charges."
"You worked at an extreme sports shop?" Fran asked.
"For a little while, yeah," said Kali. "It was different to my actual job; I'll give you that."
Lily cocked her head to the side. "What's your actual job?" she asked.
"I work at the Rock Porium in Briarwood."
"Oh, my god! I love that place!" Fran squealed. "I order from them all the time. Since they've taken their business online, my bank account has hated me."
Kali chuckled. She could remember the fear and confusion that Toby had when Xander had suggested taking their retail to the big bad web. But, it had worked out in the long-run, especially for people living more than two states away from Briarwood.
"Do you intend to help out today?" Casey asked.
"Nope," Kali replied.
"Why not?" Theo asked. "Are you just going to mull around upstairs all day?"
Kali shook her head.
"You have plans?" Lily asked.
A bell dinged from out in the parlour, and Casey, Lily, Theo, and Fran ran to the window, peering out at the party of five women crowding around the front counter.
"Theo, get your pad ready," said Casey. "I'll seat them."
"Don't bother," said Kali, peeking out of the door. "That's my crew for today. See you tonight. Try not to run the place into the ground."
"It's hard to tell if you have any faith in us," said Casey, as Kali adjusted her jacket and pushed open the door. He followed her out in the parlour, Theo in tow.
Kali stopped at the counter, as her friends prepared themselves to leave as soon as she came into view. "I do have faith in you," she said to Casey. "But not when you do stupid shit like delegating the responsibility of running a store between you and two others. Try to remember, Case, you make the final decisions on the battlefield."
"We're not on a battlefield," said Casey, glancing around uneasily. He was aware of how close Kali's friends were, but if they were there for her, then there was a good chance that they were from the Mystic Realm, too.
"You soon will be," Kali murmured. She then brightened, smiled at him, and said "Good luck. See you tonight!" and turned away, approaching her group and accepting hugs from each of them.
Casey noticed, as he watched her, that she lingered a little longer on a particular blonde, and when the pair broke a part, the blonde beamed brightly.
"What's the plan, Kali?" Maddie asked, leaning on Vida's shoulders.
"Well, first, I have three stores picked out in the plaza area," said Kali, consulting her phone. "I figure, first we hit up Lovely first, and then decide on the other two later."
"Why Lovely first?" Claire asked.
Kali swung an arm around Claire's shoulder as she led the bridal party out of JKP. "Because they're the only place that I managed to find an online store for," she said. "I'm not much of a dress person, but from what I have seen, they're absolutely gorgeous."
"Then let's go," said Leelee. Out of all of them, she was the most excited.
~X~
For about an hour, Kali sat with Vida and the rest of her bridal party in the Wedding Boutique. Vida tried on three dresses, but neither one seemed to gain her attention. She twirled and stared at herself in the mirror, before ultimately shaking her head and placing it back on the rack. When she returned to the room after changing, she sighed and slouched in her seat beside Kali.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm starting to think this may be a bad idea."
Kali furrowed her brow. "What? The wedding or dress shopping?" she asked. "Because, if you're not feeling it, we can pack up and go back to JKP."
Vida shrugged. "I love Chip, I really do, but this…" she gestured to the room. "This isn't me. I haven't worn a dress once in my life."
"Aren't you doing Prom this year?"
"We're not going."
Kali paused and then slouched back in her seat. "You know, I missed my prom because I was in juvie hall," she said. "But, even though I hate all that stuff, I was still planning on going. I had a dress picked out and everything."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
Kali shrugged. "Stupid traditions," she said. "I may not care about much, but some traditions are kind of important. Plus, Nick and I were going as friends."
"Huh-uh," Vida teased. "You two pretending it was a date, but lowkey wanting it to be a date."
"Shut up," said Kali, shoving her friend. "My point is, you shouldn't give up on something just because you feel like you're going to be out of place. Your marriage to Chip signifies how much you love each other, it's more than just a dress and tux, and all the other decorations."
Vida slouched in her seat, folding her arms over her stomach. "Then what should I?" she asked. "My mother is expecting a big white wedding.
"V, if you wanted to get married in a tracksuit and t-shirt, you can," said Kali. "This is your wedding. You call the shots. Be damned anyone who tries to tell you otherwise."
Vida looked considerate.
"I'm going to go get the others," said Kali, squeezing Vida's knee. "Sit tight and have a think about what you want, and we'll amend the plan when I get back."
Vida nodded and watched as Kali traipsed out of the room. She wanted to make her parents happy, especially her father since he was paying for half the wedding. But, she didn't really see herself in a full white, puffy wedding gown and walking down an aisle to the Wedding March.
"- where we going next?" Leelee asked.
"- I dunno. V looks like she could use a breather, so probably a drink," said Kali.
Straightening up, V pushed herself out of her seat and met her bridal party in the middle of the room. She plastered on a smile, met Kali's gaze, and nodded. "I know what I want," she said.
~X~
"Kali, meet us at the beach!"
Kali pulled her glasses from her pocket and glanced across the table at Vida. They were sitting in a small bar, each with a glass in front of them. "I gotta take this," she said, clutching the arms tightly in her fists.
"Go. We'll wait here for here," said Vida.
"You don't have, too. The next appointment is within the hour, and I've sent the schedule to Maddie if you want to go on without me. I'll catch up when I can."
Vida hesitated. She didn't really want to go anywhere with her maid of honour, especially since said maid of honour knew how to say things straight. "We'll message you to let you know what we decide," she said. "For all we know, this fight may not last long."
"Okay," said Kali. She bounded out of her seat and rushed from the building, disappearing at the corner. Once out of sight of any civilians, Kali slid her glasses onto her face, hit the side with her fingers, and morphed. As she ran, she muttered a spell under her voice and disappeared in a flicker of black magic.
~X~
At the beach, Camille stood over the others.
"Hey, lizard face, back off!" Kali yelled, jumping over her friends and landing a punch to Camille's shoulder.
"Welcome to the party," said Camille.
Falling back, Kali turned her friends as they made it back to their feet. "You guys okay?" she asked.
"Better now," said Lily.
"What do you want?" Kali asked Camille.
"I need your help with something," Camille replied. "It's important."
Kali paused, holding her arm out to stop the others from racing forward and engaging. Something felt off, and she knew for a fact that she didn't trust Camille or any intentions she had. "Don't make me repeat myself," she said.
"I need to borrow something from you," said Camille. "Your power!" She drew her sais and threw them at the team, watching as they bounced harmlessly off a shield Kali had erected. "Cheater!"
"Actually, that would be her," said Kali, nodding at Lily.
Lily snorted. "I don't think she meant the animal kind, Kali," she laughed.
"Oh, I know."
Camille growled and lunged. She swung a punch at Kali's head but missed as Kali ducked and side-stepped.
"Claw Cannon!" the trio called. They supported it between them, each one filtering their animal spirits into it and aiming it at Camille.
"Kali, we're ready!" Casey called.
Locked into a battle of wits, Kali squeezed Camille's shoulders and then leapt up. She placed her feet against the Chameleon's hips and pushed back, flipping through the air and landing beside Casey, as Camille stumbled back across the beach.
"Engaged!" Casey announced, as Kali placed on hand on his shoulder and the other over the centre of the cannon.
"Powered by animal spirits! FIRE!"
The energy ball ripped from the end and slammed into Camille, knocking her back a step. But, unlike the other Rinshi, she didn't fall or falter.
"What?" Theo cried.
"No way!" Casey exclaimed.
"Is that all you got?" Camille laughed. She clutched at the area she had been hit, and her voice wobbled, but still she stood, glaring at them.
"Try again!" said Casey. He loaded the cannon with his tiger, and the others followed suit.
Kali hesitated, but ultimately followed her team-mates plan, and fuelled her Animal Spirit into the cannon.
"FIRE!"
A second energy ball slammed into Camille. Again, she staggered, clutched at her wound sight, and laughed breathlessly.
"But, I don't get it!" Theo said, shaking his head. "There's no way she could survive this."
Kali furrowed her brow as Nikki's warning from a few weeks ago entered her mind - "Don't underestimate Camille. She's loyal to a fault, especially to Dai Shi."
"What do we do?" Lily asked.
"Focus!" said Casey.
"No!" Kali yelled, halting any further attacks. "I don't like this,
Camile barked out a laugh. "Spoil sport!" she called. "But it doesn't matter, I got enough power. Thank you, Rangers, you just signed your death certificates." She turned and walked away, fading to nothing.
"What just happened?" Lily asked. She stood up and turned to Kali.
"I don't know," said Kali, shaking her head. She continued to stare at the spot where Camille had vanished, as if waiting for her to reappear and attack once more. "But, be alert. Something feels off with this whole situation. I mean, she came here with a purpose, and she wanted us to attack her. Nothing about this is going to be good."
Lily, Casey, and Theo nodded.
"By the way, how are things at the restaurant?" Kali asked. "Or do I not want to know?"
Theo, Lily, and Casey hesitated, glancing at one another.
Kali shook her head. "Remember, one game plan," she said. "I gotta get back to the others. Good lucky."
She disappeared before anyone could protest.
~X~
Kali arrived at the third boutique and quickly located her party. She slid into a seat beside Maddie, as Vida headed off to the dressing room to try on another dress.
"What happened, everything okay?" Maddie asked, noticing the worried look in Kali's eyes.
"I don't," said Kali, shaking her head. "That last attack was strange. Camille actually told us to attack her, it's like she kept absorbing the power of our attacks. I don't like it, and neither does the Hellhound."
Kali shifted in her seat, as if to get comfortable. Maddie touched her arm, having seen her done this before. It didn't mean she was uncomfortable in her surroundings, but rather that the Hellhound was uncomfortable with the rise and/or drop in dark magic.
According to the History books, there had to be a right amount of good and dark magic for the Hellhound to be satisfied. A rise or drop in either once caused uncomfortable reactions, and situations to go weary. Maddie remembered the Dark Wish incident, there was too much darkness for the Hellhound to deal with, and it had overpowered Kali to the point where she could use magic even when it had been snuffed out.
The results had been indescribable, and Kali had spent most of the week leading away from the incident taking healing and strengthening potions to heal her animal spirit. It had been pretty, and she'd been relatively grumpy for almost seven days.
"What do you think?" Vida asked, returning. She was wearing a floor length pink dress the shimmered when she moved.
Kali's jaw dropped and she leaned forward in her seat, drinking in her friends appearance. The bodice was made of sequins and satin, and it hung from her shoulders on two thick straps. At the waist, was a cinch of white fabric that hugged Vida perfectly, and the sequin trail ended three quarters of the way down, with the tulle of the dress spilling out of the ground.
"Wow," said Maddie, rising to her feet. She looked her sister over and the beamed. "You look beautiful!"
Vida blushed.
Glancing around, Kali pulled her mystic morpher from her pocket and snapped it open, pointing the wand at Vida. She muttered a spell, and strings of fine white appeared in her hair, each one dotted with crystallised fairy-lights that glinted in the mirror.
"This is the idea I had for your hair," said Kali. "Feel free to tell me if you don't like it, but I thought, if you saw how you would look on the actual day, it'd change your mind about a few things."
Vida stared at her reflection.
Kali turned to the others. "Give us a sec, girls," she said.
They nodded and left the room.
Kali approached Vida and leaned her chin on her shoulder. "What's on your mind?" she asked.
"Nothing," said Vida. "I love it. Thank you, Kali, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
Kali hugged her friend. "Hey, you asked me for this reason, didn't you?" she asked.
"And you've gone above and beyond. I can't think you enough," said Vida.
"You don't have to thank me," said Kali. "I just want you to be happy."
Vida smiled and rested her head on Kali's. The lights in her hair fizzled out as the spell wore off, and she run her hand over the tulle of her dress. "I can't believe I am wearing a dress," she laughed.
"Maddie's right. You look beautiful," said Kali. "Chip's a lucky guy."
"Can we come back in now?" Maddie called.
Vida and Kali chuckled and pulled away from one another. "Yes," Kali called, and the curtain parted as the rest of the party returned.
Stepping aside, Kali allowed the other girls to converge on Vida, while she stood off to the side, watching and smiling.
~X~
With the dress bought and paid for, Kali left it in the hands of the seamstress and wrote down Vida's sizes. She agreed that once it was all ready, she'd pick it up in a few days. Outside the boutique, she found the girls huddled together, whispering in low voices.
"Unless your whispering on where you want lunch, I'm going to interrupt and suggest JKP," said Kali. "I need to check that the building is still standing."
Vida smiled. "Sure, we were discussing lunch options," she said.
Kali narrowed her eyes. She could tell Vida was lying but decided to let it go for now. She'd find out eventually what was going on, even if she had to resort to unorthodox ways of getting it out of the others.
"Great. It's about a two hour walk back to JKP," said Kali, holding out her hands. She glanced around to make sure there was no one watching, and then returned her attention to the others. "It'll be faster if I transport us."
"You know we can all transport, right?" Lorna asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Yeah, but this way it means the party stays together," said Kali. "Trust me, teleporting her in Ocean Bluff isn't as easy as it is in Briarwood. The magic seems to be on a higher level here. To be honest, I think it's something to do with Dai Shi and the Pai Zhuq academy. It takes a lot of magic to keep it hidden, after all."
Lorna shrugged and nodded. "Fair point," she said, taking Kali's hand and holding her free one out to Leelee.
The party circled up, each one holding hands as Kali prepared to teleport them.
"One thing before we go," said Maddie. "What about our bridesmaid dresses?"
"I have an idea for those," said Kali. "But I will need you all to send me your sizes - all of them -" she added, staring at Claire. The blonde blushed a light pink and Kali smiled softly. "I can get the dresses fixed and sent back to you in Briarwood then."
"So, we don't get to try them on like Vida did?" Leelee asked, her voice haunted with disappointment.
"Sorry," said Kali, shaking her head. "But, unlike Vida, we're all going to be wearing the same thing. Same dress, same length, same colour. It's the only way we can remain consistent."
"Sounds fair," said Maddie.
Kali turned to Leelee. "When Phineas pops the question, you'll get your chance to try on the dress," she said. "Or, you know, you could ask him. Now, if everyone is ready." She muttered the spell, and they disappeared.
~X~
"Do Troblins get married?" Lorna asked, following the others into the courtyard of JKP. Each of them failing to notice the trash that littered the ground, and the unfinished pizza that was discarded on the outside tables.
Kali paused, thinking. "I can't imagine Phineas in a tux, to be fair," she said, chuckling.
"LeeLee would look amazing in a wedding dress, though," said Claire.
Leelee smiled, bashfully.
Kali stopped short as the door to JKP flung open, almost catching her in the face. She threw up her hands to protect her face and collided with Fran as the younger woman stormed out, braking too late to avoid the collision.
"Oh, Kali, I'm sorry," Fran said, bursting into tears.
"Hey, what is it?" Kali asked, cradling Fran's shoulders and helping her stand. "What's wrong."
Fran choked on her sobs, failing her hands behind her at the now closed door. "They - and I - today - I can't do it!" she cried, burying her face in her hands.
Kali looked up and spotted the three cubs arguing through the glass pane in the door. "Guys, stay here with Fran," she said. "Help her clean up, if you will. I have a series of triplets that need scolding."
Vida and the others nodded and led Fran over to a table, as Kali stormed into JKP.
A sharp whistle cut through the air, silencing any further arguments from Casey, Lily, and Theo as they stood in a tight circle, shouting at one another.
"What the hell is going on?" Kali yelled. "Fran's in tears, this place is a mess, and you three are screaming at each other. What happened?"
"I should have been left in charge," said Theo. "None of this would've happened if RJ had recognised my superiority!"
"Do you hear yourself?" Kali asked. "You weren't left in charge, get over it. Casey -"
"I didn't want to be in charge," Casey protested.
"I didn't want my brother to die but here we are!" Kali snapped. "At the end of the day, Casey, we don't always get what we want. RJ left you in charge, all you had to do was stick it out for a few days, and you couldn't even do that."
"But, I -"
"No buts!" Kali said, shaking her head. "You have one chance to make this right, and may I suggest that you start with apologising to Fran."
Casey sighed and nodded.
Turning her back on him, Kali opened the door and motioned for Fran to join her inside the parlour. She did, nervously wringing her hands and picking her fingernails as she hid beside Kali, staring at the floor and refusing to make eye contact with anyone else.
"Fran, I'm sorry," said Casey after taking a deep breath. "I was the one who let you down. It won't happen again."
"Me too," said Lily, wringing the rag in her hands. "I wasn't a good co-worker, and more importantly, a good friend."
Fran smiled and slowly lifted her gaze.
"Theo!" Kali hissed, shooting him a swift glare.
Theo sighed and turned to face Fran. "I'm sorry, too. Really sorry. You didn't deserve any of this," he said.
Fran opened her mouth, paused, and then closed it. She glanced at Kali and remembered her conversation with the bridal party outside. They had told her to not let the others walk over her, and that she needed to stand up for herself. What they had done to her hadn't be fair, and while she was appreciative that they had apologised, it didn't quite feel enough.
"Ka-ching!" said Casey. "You hear that, Fran? You hear it? That's the sound of your new salary. Double what you make now."
"Double?" Fran gasped.
"Did I miss-speak?" Casey asked. "I mean triple. But, that's my final offer."
Kali rose an eyebrow at him. Casey may have been in charge for the weekend, but he didn't have the ability to raise Fran's pay check. Only Rylie or RJ could do that.
"Oh, okay," said Fran, giggling. "I'll do it."
"Great! Welcome back!" said Casey, beaming.
Kali licked her lower lip and glanced behind her. Vida and the others were standing at the door, watching the train crash with amusement.
The morphers bleeped, and instinctively, Kali's hand went to her pocket where her sunglasses were kept. She looked up and met Casey, Lily, and Theo's eyes.
"Fran, I know you just got back," said Kali, putting her hand on Fran's shoulder. "But, could I steal these three for a little while? The girls' will help you clean up, right, girls?" She turned her friends, tossing them a pointed look that spoke for itself.
The party nodded.
"Course," said Maddie.
"Are you sure?" Fran asked. "You're here because of Wedding plans. I don't want to tear you away from that."
Vida shook her head, her hand curling around the pocket where her Mystic morpher lay dormant. "Trust us, it's no bother," she said, meeting Kali's gaze. "You guys go. You won't recognise the place when you get back."
~X~
"Rangers!"
Kali slid to a stop; her eyes wide as she spotted Gakko at one end of the city plaza. "What the f -" she broke off.
"Ready?" Casey asked, stepping forward. It amazed Kali that, on the battlefield, Casey had no issues with taking charge, whereas at the pizza parlour he cowered away from his responsibilities like a scared little kitten.
"Ready!"
"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"
Summoning her Jungle Swords, Kali rolled them between her hands and rushed forward, slicing them across the stomach and chest of the Rinshi foot soldiers. They screeched and disintegrated, and Kali flipped out of their small circle as they bounced towards her, their arms outstretched and ready for an attack.
As the Rinshi foot soldiers dropped like flies, Kali looked around to see how the others were doing. Gakko was making easy work of them. He was jumping around them, latching onto buildings and flipping back down to take them out, one at a time.
"Hey!" Kali called. She delivered a final strike to a lone Rinshi foot soldier, and then summoned her Mystic Morpher. She pointed it at Gakko, muttered a spell, and watched with amusement as a slither of watery slime drenched Gakko from head-to-toe.
Gakko laughed and then gasped as his stickiness disappeared, and he fell from the side of the building he was attached to. "No! What did you do to me?" he howled, glaring at Kali.
"I just took a leaf out of Hekatoid book," said Kali. "His slime took mine and Nick's powers away, I figured it would do the same to you. Guess a Terror came in useful after."
Gakko growled. "You'll pay for this, Ranger!" he swore.
"Doubtful. Ready, Rangers?" Kali asked, looking around at the others.
Theo turned to Casey. "You're our leader," he said. "It's your call."
"Let's do it!" said Casey. "Claw Cannon."
"Powered by Animal Spirits! FIRE!"
The energy ball exploded out of the end and slammed into Gakko, destroying him for a second time.
"Whoop!"
"Yeah!"
"One less bad guy!" Casey grinned.
~X~
The rest of the weekend passed without incident. Casey took back his responsibilities as leader, and Kali stuck around to supervise. She did step out on Sunday evening to pick up Vida's wedding dress, and to browse for bridesmaid dresses, but more often than not she was at the restaurant, pulling her weight with the others.
"See how efficiently things work when we have one leader and one game plan?" Kali asked Casey. It was the end of another busy day, and they were counting the cash in the register.
"Yeah. I couldn't see it at first, but it's not that different to giving orders out there," said Casey, nodding to the open door. "I guess, when RJ said I was in charge, I choked. I didn't want that responsibility on my shoulders, and I panicked. I thought if I could delegate the responsibilities then everything would work out okay."
Kali shook her head and counted the notes in her hand. "You can delegate a task," she said. "But not the responsibility of consequences that comes with that task. If anything, worse had happened this last weekend, then it would've been RJ's responsibility to deal with it because it's his restaurant."
"Speaking of RJ," said Casey, looking up as the door opened.
"How did it go?" Theo asked, wandering out from the kitchen with Lily and Fran.
"It went great," said Rylie.
"No fish were caught," RJ grinned, happy with himself.
Rylie shook her head. "There were a lot of unhappy fishermen though," she said. "You should've seen the confusion on their faces the first day. I'm surprised they didn't figure us out, though, it's not like what we were doing was hard to comprehend."
"Do I want to know what you were doing?" Kali asked.
Rylie shrugged. "Nothing extreme," she defended.
Kali shook her head. "I can't believe you went away for the weekend and all you did was disturb the fish," she said. "Are you really getting that old that you've forgotten what to do?"
"Hey," Rylie whined. "I'm not old."
Kali snickered.
"How were things here?" RJ asked.
There was a heavy silence.
"We had a little… issue, but nothing we can't handle," said Kali, smiling at Casey. "After all. It's a learning curve, right?"
Casey smiled and nodded. "Right. The good thing is that you're back," he said. "Welcome home."
"Thanks," said Rylie. "Now I need to go and work out how we're going to pay Fran at the end of the month. You know, since her pay has somehow tripled in one weekend."
Casey flushed. "Yeah, about that …" he said, rubbing the back of his neck.