Eliza had to admit, the Alien Rulers were pretty damn hospitable.

Once Convoy Seven had secured the many crates they'd gotten from the Black Market, Eliza had given it a day before she came down to the basement of the ship to check up on everyone. The night away from paradise honestly put her regular sleep patterns in perspective—and the sleep paralysis upon waking up didn't really help. Still, she was sure she'd shaken it off and had put on her best face when she came down to check on the royals.

With the day of sunlight and nutrients she'd gotten yesterday, Celosia had made a good start on renovating the basement in her own way. The walls already had vines starting to crawl over them, and thick ones with bark-like exteriors were lining certain places on the floor. "Walls," Celosia had told Eliza when she asked. Then since Eliza was already in the area and Celosia was feeling chatty, she'd roped the Commander into a spot of conversation. Then the other rulers showed up and well, things progressed from there. The conversation had bounced around a few subjects, but now the focus of it was Rodin and a rather interesting addition he was thinking on making.

From her place on one of the chairs donated to the aliens, Eliza took in a deep breath. "Legs."

"Yes," Rodin said for what must've been the fifth time. "I'm unsure how many times I need to say it. I understand why it would be uncanny to you lot, but I've seen the merit in them! Now that we're on a ship much more populated than our last abode, I believe me and mine should be thinking about something more convenient to those around us."

"Believe me, I get your reasoning," Celosia replied. "It would certainly help with the plants, even if I've adapted them to be heat and fire resistant in anticipation. Especially since—"

"That was once and perhaps someday you will allow me to live it down!"

The group laughed save Rodin, who huffed and looked to the side. Seemed like there was a story behind that, but with Rodin here, Eliza was sure she wasn't going to hear about it. Figuring she'd spare Rodin further teasing, she spoke up. "Still, I'm glad you're considering my soldiers in this. I'm just interested in who's going to take on the project."

Satisfied that he wasn't about to be poked fun at, Rodin turned to look at Eliza. "Your Chief Engineer expressed a vested interest in the project."

Well. Eliza didn't know what to think about that. On one hand, Lily was definitely trying to do them a solid. On the other, sculpting a lot of pairs of muscular legs and ensuring they worked with the Archons themselves. She chuckled, shaking her head. Well, she wasn't about to shame Lily—not at the moment, anyway. Once she got past the whole misconception about Archons being fancy Floaters, they were a pretty sight. Didn't help that Rodin had the personality to boot. "Well, once she finishes that gun for Jax, she's got my full permission to work on it. Seems like it would be tactically viable, as well—if you guys ever want to help us out on the field, you could actually make use of cover."

"That's certainly right." Rodin gave a charming smile. "See, you lot? One of us is tactically sound enough to not laugh at the idea endlessly." He sighed dramatically. "Oh, Eliza, if only you were part of us on the regular. I would rest my wings easier knowing there was a voice of reason amongst us."

Shazara-Ta tilted his head. "Is that a suggestion, dear?"

Rodin's grin grew. "Only if she wants it to be."

Oh, lord. The aliens were expressing interest in her again and Eliza didn't really know how to handle that. Out of all of them, Rodin was the most "conventionally" attractive, and about the one she could see herself ending up with the most. Not to say the others didn't catch her eye, of course—she'd be ashamed to admit some of the things she thought about the prospect of more alien flings. But... her eyes tracked over to Vel'kiin, then Celosia. She couldn't, right? It was bad enough she was attracted to enough men as she was. There was something wrong about her being attracted to women, right? She had originally been able to not think about her worries, then tried to explain them away, but now? Oh, are Sherry and March wrong? No, not at all. She had no problem with others pursuing who they loved. Her, however...

Celosia must've seen her distress and took pity on her, wagging a finger at Rodin and Shazara-Ta. "You two. Let her have a decent conversation without your libidos coming into this. Besides, we barely know each other. Give it some time and then you can proposition it, jokingly or not." Celosia sighed. "Though, I don't know why I'm lecturing you on libido, Rodin, considering—"

"Hush!" Rodin swept his arm out. If his face wasn't made of metal, Eliza was sure he'd be blushing. "—their Chief Engineer permitting, I would like to see to that as well."

Well! That was a mental image. Nevermind some of the thoughts Eliza had about Lily, which still had the shame about them. She buried her head in her hands, half out of that shame, half out of embarrassment. "Boys, please," she pleaded, "can I live?"

The group laughed again and she could feel Celosia patting her shoulder. As much as she wanted to join the camaraderie... that thought kept coming back to her. She'd had a lovely bit of conversation, perhaps this was her chance to disengage and calm down. "Alright, alright," she said, getting up. "I think with that, I need to head back to my daily schedule. If any of you need me, you know how to find me, as I told you."

"Hmph, begrudge us a little fun," Shazara-Ta replied. "But fine. See to yourself, Commander."

Rodin's smile fell back into something more genuine. "We'll be waiting for you to come back."

That made Eliza feel a bit better and she nodded to him, waving goodbye to all of them as she exited the basement. It was strange, to so openly consider entering into that kind of relationship. But if she put her biases aside, it seemed right up her alley. Eliza had way too much love and she knew it. Just...

When she stepped into the Workshop, Lily and Mordenna were in attendance. She'd seen the both of them as she passed through before, though at least Lily had moved around the nearly-finished gun. Mordenna... was still hunched over his station, whatever he was doing unclear to Eliza. Her and Lily locked gazes and those thoughts came back, causing Eliza to avert her eyes. She simply nodded to acknowledge her. Bodily, Eliza was still thirty seven, maybe a few more years older thanks to stress, but she'd like to mentally consider herself fifty seven. About to be fifty eight—her birthday was coming up fast. Regardless, even if she was an adult, Lily was half her age. As she left, she traced her hand across the wall, steadying herself.

Once she left the Workshop, walked a bit, and confirmed that nobody was around, Eliza slumped against the wall. God, she needed a drink. Since she'd made Bradford stop for his health after hearing he'd been drinking heavily the twenty years he'd been searching for her, she tried to stay on the wagon with him. But with the horror of this morning, the confrontation of her attractions, the stress generally... she'd seek that comfort at the bottom of a bottle, too. She knew she could seek comfort in others, but... who would she unload on about her worries of loving women? About the only people she could think of would be March and Sherry themselves, but she wasn't about to vent to her own soldiers. She considered herself silly for even thinking about telling Herod about her romantic troubles. Maybe she could stop in the Bar and see if nobody was there...

Footsteps coming towards her made her immediately perk up, tucking her nearly-white hair behind her ears and putting on her calm mask again. Marlene was the one who rounded the corner, looking to the Commander and approaching her. "Commander."

"Marlene." Eliza cracked a smile. "Nice to see our Seer up and about. Have something for me?"

The Templar was silent for a second—and for just a moment, Eliza's eyes involuntarily looked above her. The whispering that surrounded Marlene perpetually was there, but why did she just look above her? She returned her eyes to Marlene's helmet just in time for her to speak. "You have a mission to organize, correct? I believe it would be best to handle that first." She then moved her hands behind her back. "... afterwards, when the day is nearly up so you will not be bothered, take some time to yourself. I can only imagine commanding takes up much of the mind."

How cryptic. That was some advice befitting of an oracle, but it did remind Eliza she had a Covert Op to organize. Since Fal-Mai was out of commission, her best second bet was actually Schro, what with the nanomachines that could make them go invisible. But honestly, that involved finding Schro, and she hadn't seen a lick of them since they were on the ship. She crossed her arms. Maybe the Seer had some advice. "Good points, I suppose. Any idea how I can find Schro?"

"Ask for them freely and they will appear," she responded, sounding every bit like the Oracle of Delphi, high on hallucinogens.

Well, alright. Eliza figured she could test that once she got to the Resistance Ring. She'd trouble Mordenna to follow her right now, but she supposed she could give him a little more time to work on his project. Nodding, Eliza let her arms fall. "Thanks for the advice, I suppose. Be about your duties, Seer."

"And you yours," she responded. "... and should you need a training partner, I would be willing to assist."

Ah, right. Jax had talked about trying to train her again, but with a mediator. Someone like a Templar who could siphon psionics as needed might help. "I'll let Jax know. Would like to train these psionics in my head sooner rather than later." With that, Eliza shoved off, not particularly noticing that behind her, Marlene wasn't budging an inch. She had other things to attend to, such as getting over to the Resistance Ring.

The idea of a mole in the resistance worried Eliza a fair bit. She'd like to think she fostered a friendly atmosphere. Back in her "heyday," she'd fully understand someone wanting her reign of terror to be over with. But now? Well... to be fair, it was probably about all the more unusual allies she was picking up. Eliza was winning the war, taking Chosen out and securing more force for the effort, and they were concerned about the species of the help? She sighed again. She really needed that drink... but Marlene was right. Not this early in the day—wasn't even five o'clock on the Avenger. She could suck it up until that night... and hell, the alcohol might help her fall asleep.

Once she got to the Resistance Ring, she pressed a finger to her ear, manipulating the communicator inside until she was confirmed to be on Mordenna's channel. "Mordenna? Mind making your way to the Resistance Ring? Got a mission I'd like you and a buddy to handle."

The reply took a second, and there was something... off about it. "Got it. I'll be there." Maybe it was the lack of that ever-present teasing tone. Well, she was wrenching him from his work. He might be a bit grumpy about that. But wouldn't he jokingly complain about it? He'd probably do that the moment he got in the room. Everything was probably fine.

Taking her finger away, she looked up slightly. Just ask for them and they'd appear, huh? Interesting concept, now time to see if Marlene wasn't just joking with her. "Schro, if you can hear me, I'd like you to meet with me in the Resistance Ring. I have a mission I want you and Mordenna to handle."

Silence. Eliza would wait for Mordenna to show up before she went cursing Marlene. She wondered who else could locate the Specter in the meantime. Maybe Wiki? Getting ahold of Wiki was at least easier, considering she had added a contact button into most interfaces on the ship. All else failed, she'd have her go after them.

Wasn't necessary, as it turned out. The door behind her opened and she turned to watch a cloud of nanites swarm in, taking shape next to her. Schro crossed their arms, tilting their head. "Good to see you, Commander," they began, "I see you took the Seer's advice."

Alright, weird. Maybe the two of them had a chat about it before? Was Marlene the way to contact Schro? Whatever. Eliza shrugged. "If someone by the codename 'Seer' tells me to do something, I'll give it an honest shot before doing what I normally do. You got ears in this room, or?"

"Well..." Their arms dropped, and they tapped a finger against their thigh almost nervously. "You are the Commander, I should tell you what I've done. In essence, yes—I've spread a single nano of myself into every room. Just enough to listen in."

That left Eliza mildly stunned for a second. Schro had essentially bugged every room in the Avenger. She blinked a few times. "—first of all, I dearly hope you aren't recording any of it."

"Of course not. You can ask Wiki to monitor my databanks if you think I'm lying. I merely do so to act as watchdog—and also be there if someone requires me or help in general, as you saw."

Eliza leveled a look at them. "That's... still a major breach of privacy. I'd like you to take your 'ears' out of all the personal rooms and here in the Resistance Ring. I understand your motives and I appreciate you wanting to watch out for the Avenger, but a lot of people here wouldn't appreciate being listened in on. I know you don't intend to do anything with the information—and I trust you when you say you aren't recording—but it's the principle of the matter."

Schro nodded. "I've begun the recall for all non-public rooms. I... apologize, for doing something so brash."

Eliza sighed, shaking her head. "I guess I'm glad you ended up telling me, at least. You want to do something big like that, tell me in the future, alright?"

"Will do, Commander."

That was about the time that Mordenna came in the room, ducking under the door and shambling over to Schro and Eliza. He gave a lazy wave, nodding to the two of them. "Hey, Liz. Hey Schro. Haven't really seen you around much."

Honestly, Mordenna didn't even look like his usual self. He usually stood at a slight hunch at all times but it seemed worse today. His smile was dampened and his eyes were more lidded than usual. If Eliza didn't know better, she'd say he looked tired. For someone who didn't need sleep, him being tired...

Regardless, Schro didn't seem to notice. "I usually keep to my dark corners. There... doesn't seem to be much I can do to make amends to Wiki, and considering she runs the Avenger's systems nowadays?" Schro simulated a sigh. "Best to seem I'm not antagonizing her, I suppose."

"Mm, that bad, huh?" Mordenna rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe you should still talk with her. No time like the present when she's all chipper about being alive again."

"But that's just the thing," they lamented, "if I pursue her now I know she will accuse me of dampening such a momentous event, even if... oh, never mind." Schro shook their head, then looked to Eliza. "Commander? I believe there is a mission you wish us to do?"

Eliza both wanted to ask what was up with Mordenna and wanted to help out things between Wiki and Schro, but she was just tired, herself. Eventually. Like Marlene said, take some time to yourself. Besides, Mordenna knows he can lean on his siblings and Wiki and Schro don't sound like they're actively antagonizing each other. Can't be all that bad, right? Right. Eliza unclipped her datapad from her belt, tapping through a few screens and assuming her Commanderly voice. "Indeed there is. Volk recently informed me that we have a snitch out there, somewhere—that somewhere being in this city center now that he's about to divulge his info." She turned the screen around so they both could see—including the target, who was a middle-aged man with black hair and a missing eye. "Apparently he's got info on how to find the Avenger and the Elders want to use that info to send a UFO after us."

"Hooligans," Mordenna bit, but without heat behind it. "Since he's currently wrapped up in a city center, I assume you don't want to blow through with full force?"

"That's what's holding us up." Confident they had the ID on him, she took her datapad back. All else failed, she could have Lily print out a picture of him. "It would be a last-ditch effort to storm through a city center, which is why I would like you two to do the mission first."

This was where she was expecting Mordenna to jab regarding "not wanting to go in guns blazing," or something similar. But instead he just nodded. "And I suppose Schro here is because my sister currently ain't fit for combat?"

"That would be the reason, yeah." She looked between the two of them. "Would the two of you be willing to undertake this mission?" When they both nodded, she turned the pad back around and began taking a few things down. "We're going to be taking off here within the day to get closer to the destination. The two of you will be dropped in the countryside surrounding the suburbs surrounding the city—so you'll have plenty of time to hike. When we deploy you, I'll give you additional details to handle. Understood?"

"Understood," they answered in unison.

Eliza withheld her own sigh. Right now would be a good time to keep either of them to see what was up, but... she put the datapad back on her belt. "That was all I had for you two. Feel free to be about your duties."

With a nod, Schro dissolved back into their cloud form and went for the door, it opening as they approached and went through. Mordenna followed after them—but paused in the doorway for a second. If he was going to say something or stay behind, it never happened. He simply kept walking, turning out of sight as the door closed behind him.

When they were gone, Eliza staggered over to one of the couches and flopped down on it, holding a hand to her head. Never before had it been so difficult to withhold herself from going after people and asking if they were alright. Time to yourself, Eliza. Take it. You've got to try out thinking about yourself eventually. Didn't Mordenna tell you the importance of that? Well, yeah, but surely he had to mean when everything else was fine, right?

Well if Eliza was going to take a moment to herself, that was dashed when a voice filtered into her ear. "Commander." That was Tygan. "If I may borrow you for a moment, Wiki and I might have a discovery you will wish to know about."

No rest for the wicked. Thankful that she didn't have to appear dignified, she simply put on her voice again and responded. "I'll be down in a minute, Tygan. Your lab or the Shadow Chamber?"

"The Shadow Chamber. We will be awaiting you."

"Roger."

She let her hand fall as she took a moment to stew in her own stress. In a way, not worrying about other people was just adding to it, because she could see that things might be wrong. Give it time. Eliza let out a groan, throwing her head back. Ok. She would. Free trial, like Mordenna said. She took in a deep breath and blew it out her nose slowly, rising to her feet and heading out for the Shadow Chamber.

A descent and a bit of a walk later, Eliza stepped through the door. The glass chamber in the middle of the room was housing a Codex brain, levitating by some means Eliza was sure Tygan could explain given half an hour and a thesaurus to dumb it down for her. Tygan and Wiki seemed to be discussing something, but Tygan perked up as she walked in. "Ah, Commander. Wiki and I have something to show you."

"That's certainly right." Wiki buzzed over to one of the stations and merged her hands with the keyboard. The screen began to light up with streams of data. "My Codex sister here turned out to have a very interesting set of coordinates in her databanks. Thankfully, since I was a Codex of higher power and she seemed to have been a personal assistant caught up on an unfortunate mission, I was able to easily ask her death proxy for access to what they were. Unfortunately, she was an interesting one who encrypted her own data and wouldn't tell me the method to decrypt it before she started getting huffy and asking where she was and why I wanted this info. Had to shut her down then, which is a shame."

"I must applaud Wiki for her work," Tygan added. "Had we tried to 'convince' the Codex to talk, ourselves, she likely would have accessed the ship's systems as we used them to 'talk' to her."

"Goodness knows what kind of results that would've had," Eliza replied. "Something special about these coordinates?"

"As it turns out, yeah." Wiki made an adjustment and the screen lit up, showing a rather blurry image of some alien contraption. "The coordinates roughly point around this location, image courtesy of a few old satellites the Elders haven't knocked down yet. I actually know what the image is about—that's a Gateway. The Elders use it to field their units from their off-planet conversion/creation factories. With just a flip of a switch and the right coordinates, those things could point anywhere."

"Anywhere?" Eliza stroked her chin. Dare she suggest it? "... wouldn't happen to be able to take one for ourselves? Or at least copy the tech used in it."

"That's something we'll only know when we get to the ground." Tygan tapped his datapad, showing Eliza the general location. "Wiki did not have any blueprints of the Gate in her files, so a field study might be astute."

"Assuming ADVENT doesn't pry our heads off for getting to it," she responded.

"Of course." Tygan took his datapad back, tapping away at it. "I'll send the coordinates to you and let you handle when we should approach it."

"Got it. We have a few things on our plate to take care of before we handle that, but I'll definitely keep it in mind. Even if we can't pilfer it for ourselves, shutting it down will be fine enough. Inconvenience the Elders a bit, and all." She crossed her arms. "Anything else?" She was... kinda hoping that Tygan would have something else for her. Something to take her mind off of things.

"Actually..." Tygan let an arm fall from his datapad. "With our more alien allies on board, I was hoping to do some more live studies. Nothing on Vahlen's level, I assure you—I was hoping to gain some insights from willing volunteers about how ADVENT's forces function when they are alive. I was also thinking of basing technology off of the rulers, going off of their unique physiology. Suits of armor for the soldiers was my first idea, but I'm sure Shen might have a second opinion of worth."

"Of course!" Eliza nodded. "If you need to go down and see the rulers, consider my permission granted." Still, something nagged at the back of her mind about that... but with nothing to go on, she dismissed it. "As well as the armor, of course. And trust me, Tygan—I don't take you to do anything close to what Vahlen was performing. If anything, thank you for your forward thinking, as always."

Tygan flashed a smile and Eliza internally sighed at how it made her feel. Damn it. She didn't need those feelings right now. It just made the storm inside her worse. "I do try my best, Commander. That was all that I wished to clear by you. I'll be seeing to talking with the Alien Rulers shortly."

"By all means, and good luck, Tygan." Well, no reason to stick around now, especially if she wasn't going to bother Wiki either about what was between her and Schro. She nodded to the both of them and turned, taking her lead.

Once again, when she was sure she was alone in the hallway, she collapsed against one of the walls, voice low as she talked to herself. "This doesn't feel like taking care of myself at all," she lamented. "I just feel worse for not helping people out. This isn't fun." She sighed. "But I guess I have to give it a day's trial just in case I just feel bad in the moment, huh?" Eliza massaged her forehead. "I need a drink..."

She figured she wouldn't be getting that drink for a while longer still. There was still other stuff to be handled in the day. Picking herself up, Eliza started to mosey her way towards the Studio. Maybe she could talk to Jax about training...


In the grand scheme of things, Vel'kiin was actually somewhat glad that their original home had been raided.

This new place, the Avenger, it had a charm of its own. The area given to them—while clearly an area used to store supplies—was very spacious and gave all of her and her partners' people room to stretch their legs. With Celosia nurturing thick, study plants to act as walls and even seeing what she could do about functional doors, this area was shaping up to be even comfier than the last.

Of course, it wasn't hard to get comfier than her former grounds of torture. Thinking on the memory, she heaved a sigh. Shazara-Ta was the one to lift his head, voice soft. "Something on your mind, lover?"

"Only the past as usual," she responded. For a second, she was thankful once again that they had gone through the trouble of learning her language. "... is it churlish of me to be thankful that we were forced out of our original home? The lab, I mean."

Rodin shook his head. "We all had terrible memories of that place, Vel'kiin. We did what we could to remove the look of our former torturing grounds, but in the end... even if we were not moved, I do not think we should have stayed there. Too many phantoms about that place. I think it serendipitous that we had to relocate."

Vel'kiin relaxed, calmed that her fellows understood. If she never had to see a human in a lab coat again it would be far too soon. "I'm glad to hear that the feeling is mutual. It's good that you all did what you could to remove the resemblance, but this is a far more comfortable place."

"Indeed." Celosia walked over and gently leaned against her. "Guaranteed food, I have a better place to draw nutrients when we land... and I hear there's someone on this ship cultivating Earthen plants! I'd certainly like to meet with them and see if I cannot help their efforts along. Simply to express my thanks, yes?"

Shazara-Ta chuckled, coming closer to Vel'kiin and slithering up her back. She could understand why his Viper complained of his body temperature—but stuck it out regardless, of course. Shazara-Ta's coolness against her back was soothing, and she could feel him make a course over to Celosia. "Of course one of the few humans with an eye for agriculture would pique your interest, Cela."

Celosia huffed. "Can you blame me? I would not think them to have much time in this war to tend to something as such."

Rodin grinned, and as he approached Vel'kiin and killed his thrusters, she perched him on her palm. The heat coming off of his metal was nothing to her worn hands, made hard from years of labor as queen. "We all have simple qualities we look for in those who interest us, I feel. I don't think I can quite blame you regarding your interest in whoever is keeping the plants. I, myself, have to admit a welcome respect to Lily Shen, who would make a brilliant sculptor if she were an Archon."

Shazara-Ta came around just enough so that Rodin could see him rolling his eyes. "For someone without parts as the rest of us, you seem to have a higher libido than I do."

Spitting out a "come on!" in Archon, Rodin pointed at Shazara-Ta. "I can express admiration without it being linked intrinsically to romance!"

"Oh, and is that what you were doing regarding the Commander?"

Vel'kiin chuffed, shaking her head. "I've known runts that bicker less than the two of you. I agree that their Commander is respectable, but as Celosia said: time. Best not to rush into things." As for herself, Eliza had gained her respect for both coming to their aid and not backing down when she approached her. Vel'kiin knew it took a certain fearlessness to look a Berserker in the face and not flinch. But she hardly knew anything of the Commander outside of that, and she wouldn't pick a Muton based on looks alone, either. Perhaps she could get out of the basement and go seek her out? Then again, without a translator, she wouldn't really be able to talk back. Maybe she could enlist Du Mag, but she knew making Eliza sit in on a third member to their casual conversations might be awkward. Oh, woe.

The door opening on the far side of the room made Vel'kiin look up. The first thing that she registered was that a human had entered. The second thing that registered and took up her entire consciousness was what it was wearing. Lab coat. What was this thing doing here? Had it come to take the lot of them back? Did it think it could manage such a thing while she stood there? She'd killed its kind before. It would be nothing to do it again. She took a step forward, ready to charge...

... but she couldn't go in, rage hiked. Rodin was still clutched in her palm, Shazara-Ta still hung from her back, and Celosia still within the "blast radius." If she went in now she'd just be bringing them all closer to the object of her nightmares. Still, she could feel her heart pumping faster and faster. If not to be on offense, then on defense. She leaned forward, planting her other hand on Celosia's chest like a barrier, pulling apart her own mouth to bare her teeth. She invited it to come closer, to dare to try to take any of them away.

But Celosia walked around her palm, even as she could feel Shazara-Ta rising into a defensive position on her and Rodin dismounted from her hand, activating his jets as he did. She continued, approaching the human. What was she doing? Was she intending to kill it herself? A noble approach, perhaps, but... "Celosia. Get back."

"It's a human on Eliza's ship," Celosia responded in ADVENT, "he is not like the others. Please allow me to speak with him."

"You're making a mistake!"

"Trust me. Please."

Vel'kiin wasn't about to blitz forward with Celosia in the way. Even still, she moved closer, prepared to interfere should this human do anything. Celosia focused her attention back on the human. "Your lab coat. Please remove it."

The human seemed to hesitate, but looking behind her to the three other rulers prepared to eviscerate him, he seemed to get what was going on. He shed his coat, revealing some long-armed garment underneath it, a washed-out blue in color. At Celosia's nod, he went to the entrance area of the basement and hid it out of sight, taking the rectangular object off of it as he did.

Now that Vel'kiin wasn't a hair's breadth away from pulverising him, she was able to get a proper look at him. Dark brown, bald-headed, wearing those strange eyepieces she'd seen some humans wearing before. Glasses, she think they called them. He didn't look so threatening with the lab coat off, and with the knowledge that he was both willing to remove it for their comfort and was, indeed, trusted on Eliza's ship, she stood down. Shazara-Ta remained wary, and Rodin continued to watch him carefully.

Meanwhile, Celosia continued. "While I will extend apologies for our reactions, you must understand the circumstances behind them. We were tortured and subjugated by those wearing what you did and the mistrust has buried itself in our memories."

The man shook his head. "I should've assumed that, if I may be honest. It was insensitive of me to walk in here with my usual attire. I apologize for any distress I caused."

Well, he was courteous, at least. Still, Vel'kiin kept an eye on him, content to let Celosia do the talking for them. "What is your name?"

"Richard Tygan, though you may simply call me Tygan if you wish. I am the Head Scientist of the Avenger, responsible for the research on the ship."

"And what would the Head Scientist have to do with us?"

"I was going to ask a favor..." Tygan adjusted his glasses. "... but upon some consideration, I may need to approach how I would handle it differently. If the reaction to seeing me in my lab attire is understandably enough to cause distress, I can't imagine what memories would be brought back, being introduced to my Lab."

Celosia crossed her arms. "Good of you to think of it. Still, what is this 'favor' you were going to ask?"

Tygan was quiet for a moment, the lights in the basement catching his glasses and making them shine, hiding his eyes. "... on the Avenger, Shen and I are always seeking ways to further outfit our troops to fight ADVENT—whether that be reinforcing their armor or advancing our weapons technology. With your willing participation, I had hoped to take cues from your physiology to fashion new armor designs—but as I said, only upon your willingness and with non-invasive measures to be reviewed at your discretion."

The thought of being in a lab again and being studied made bile rise in Vel'kiin's throat. When Celosia looked back to judge their opinions, Vel'kiin scoffed. On her right, Rodin's uneasy expression remained unchanged, and it wasn't a stretch to say that Shazara-Ta seemed apprehensive as well.

Celosia turned back to Tygan. "... I would be interested in helping XCOM out in such a manner," she began, "but if it isn't clear, my compatriots will sit your examination out."

"Understandable." Tygan inclined his head towards her. "I'm simply glad that you would be willing—and I do not blame any of them for not wishing to join."

Still, even if Celosia had the right to go where she pleased... Vel'kiin didn't want to just say nothing about her going into a lab on her own. She took a few more steps towards Celosia. "My queen, are you sure about this?"

Looking back at her, she nodded. "If we don't give trust, we shall never get it back. Besides, he has proven willing to accommodate us. I think there is good within him."

Vel'kiin was silent for a second, thinking it over. If there wasn't the danger of launching herself into an episode, she'd go and make sure Celosia was safe in that lab Tygan was going to take her to. Judging by the way her fellow rulers didn't speak up, it must've been on their minds, as well. Vel'kiin huffed, standing down. "Alright. Please, be careful. I don't want to lose you."

Turning around, Celosia took one of Vel'kiin's hands into her own. "I'll be fine. I promise."

Meanwhile, Tygan looked to the side, fingers nervously drumming on that rectangular device he brought. If he was taking umbrage at the scene, he could very well suck it up. Vel'kiin's society chiefly composed of a Berserker Queen in her own region and her Muton consorts—about the opposite to Shazara-Ta's society, she learned—but she'd talked with and admired queens who chose to rule side by side. There was no stigma against it, considering the gender ratio. If one Berserker preferred her fellow Berserkers, that freed up other Mutons. Though, he didn't seem disgusted, so perhaps it was just nerves.

Celosia turned her attention back to him. "I assume you'd like to begin as soon as possible?"

Tygan looked back. "At your earliest convenience. Admittedly, with your apparent affinity to mutating the genetics of plants... I was hoping I could talk to you about the greenhouse I am running."

"Oh." Celosia looked faintly surprised. "You're the one running that?" When Tygan nodded, she blinked a few times. "Alright. Well, I'd be happy to help if you need it, so long as I get to look at those plants myself."

"Of course."

"It's settled, then." Celosia inclined her head towards Tygan. "Lead the way." She then looked back at her partners. "I'll be back, I swear it."

"Be safe," Rodin murmured, looking for all the world like he wanted to go with her.

Nodding back at them, Celosia followed after Tygan, leaving their sights. Vel'kiin let out a long breath, finding where Shazara-Ta was on her back and stroking the back of his hood to calm herself down. "I can't help but feel I'm making a mistake, letting her go."

Shazara-Ta leaned into her hand. "It would be cruel of us to restrain her at every opportunity. I hate letting her go with that scientist too, but she seemed sure of herself."

"Well, there is something we can do about it." Rodin looked around, then found what he was looking for. "Shel-Za!"

Perking her head up from across the room, Shel-Za handed the Neonate she was caring for over to a fellow Viper and came over. "Yes, my king?"

Rodin pointed to the entrance of the basement. "Follow Celosia and Tygan. If the latter asks, you are there to ensure her safety. If he does anything malicious, I want you to restrain, not kill. He may be a scientist... but this is Eliza's ship. It will be on her to punish him appropriately. Understood?"

Shel-Za bowed. "Understood, my king." With that, she coursed out of sight, on the trail of the two of them. With someone to watch over Celosia who wouldn't be assailed by the sight of a lab, Vel'kiin could rest easier.

Still, she kept a hand on Shazara-Ta. Let her be safe...


Perhaps Jax needed to get out of the Studio more often.

He couldn't really help it—outside of lights out, all of his followers tended to congregate here, and it was where everyone expected him to be. Yes, he now had a room of his own that he was slowly kitting out, but there was also just a certain... comfort, to the Studio. Plus, until he mustered up the words, wit, and courage to ask for something that totally wasn't a night light, he was certain, he didn't feel comfortable sleeping in total darkness. Like a child. Yes, like a child.

Besides, at least he didn't need to sleep. He could be content simply wandering the ship or meditating at night. It was lonely, yes, but he could stand it.

Still, he was in the Studio now, sharing some mild conversation with Edgar. Getting referred to as "Tessura" frequently was a little strange, but he wasn't complaining about it too much. Besides, the ravens seemed to like him and he had one preening his hair even as he was chatting with Edgar. He wasn't about to begrudge the company over something simple as what part of his name he used. He understood it in Mordenna's case, but Jax had no similar hangups.

The two of them were interrupted when the door opened and Jax, naturally, looked over. There stood Eliza, posture as confident as it ever was... but the energy she seemed to have gained from her bed partner yesterday had faded. Her signature, slowly coming out over the course of a few weeks, had also faltered, further conveying her tired state. Jax's heart softened. The woman was barely holding herself together.

She nodded at Jax. "Hey, Jax. Came to ask about something."

When Jax looked over to Edgar, he nodded him on, whistling to get the ravens off of him. One or two of them croaked a "thank you." If Jax wasn't concerned about Eliza, he would've thought it adorable. Still, he had his attention on her. "What do you require of me, Commander?"

"I want to train these psionics of mine."

Oh, no. Not this again. Apprehension seized Jax and his gaze flickered away. He knew he had been open to the idea of trying again before, but when it was so imminent as this? His mind was starting to sway. He didn't want to hurt her again. Even if he was sure she wasn't going to punish him for it, he simply did not want to do that to her. He cared for her too much.

When he didn't respond, Eliza came over and leaned on the table. "Hey. We've got a bunch of people here who can stop things early, Marlene over there offered to mediate, and now that my psionics are out I think we can avoid that specific overloading scenario again. I want to learn how to control these so I don't hurt myself—and the prospect of learning more about them appeals to me. I trust you, Jax."

Trust. She trusted him. Sighing out a bit of his tension, Jax nodded. "I will aid you, though I hope you do understand my hesitation."

"Of course I do—but I'm willing to give it another shot if you are."

Well, if she was so certain... She was certain the first time too. This won't be any different. Shaking off his bad thoughts, Jax rose to his feet. "Edgar? Mind clearing yourself out? I wish to employ the middle of the room."

"By all means." Edgar got up and moved to one of the walls, his omen following after him in a staggered formation, some electing to simply take up a different perch in the room.

When the middle was clear—and out of the corners of his eyes, he saw the psionically-enabled members of the room gather loosely around—he kneeled down with Eliza, facing her. Marlene sat to their side, watching and waiting as Jax turned to his thoughts. What to do this time... perhaps it was apt to go over some basics. It will end in catastrophe. Not everything had to. Not everything had to. It would be fine. It wasn't fine last time. It was fine. Eliza trusted him.

He took in a deep breath. "I will start by asking how your powers feel, now that they are unleashed."

"It's... strange." Eliza flexed her hands in front of her. "It kind feels like it's all buzzing around inside of me. About the only thing I can do is a Stasis, and that comes as easy as breathing. Even so, that doesn't really make it calm down."

Hmm. That sounded like Eliza needed to burn off excess psionic energy. It could pool over time if not actively used. It wasn't a dangerous condition, merely one that mildly annoyed. He nodded. "It's a simple case of building energy. Without much to do, it collects inside of you, waiting to be unleashed. A Stasis isn't necessarily consuming until it starts protecting. Then, that is when your energy is used." He allowed himself a calm smile. "You must forgive me if I am not quite keen on the idea of it having to see use."

Eliza gave a chuckle. "Alright, I see your point. What do you suggest, then?"

Jax gave it some slight thought. The best thing for her to do would be to "exercise" them in her proficient area of psionics. But, it was impossible to judge what Eliza would be good at, save for just having her try everything in the book. Perhaps if he could study them... to that end, he looked down at his gauntlets. Templars could siphon excess psionic energy, but his gauntlets? As part of keeping his own in check, he could freely take of others'. If he could take some of Eliza's psionics and study them, it might give him a gleaning of where to go first.

He looked up at Eliza. "To begin with, at your command, I could siphon some of your psionics and study them. With a short analysis of their composition, it will give me the insight we need to proceed."

She grinned. "That almost sounds like it would solve the excess energy problem itself, but I can understand not being able to do that every time. Well, take it away, teach."

Jax took in a deep breath, calming himself. He was ok. He wasn't about to injure Eliza again. All he needed was enough to gain a clear picture. Doing his best to silence his negative notions, he extended his hands, palms up. "Place your hands into mine."

She did, and it was only then that he really registered what they were doing. Holding hands. It... it was important for the lesson. Nothing else. It was easier to do this than to ask her to project them when she knew so little about them. Pushing his eyebrows together, he pulled his psionics from his hands, creating a vacuum that his gauntlets rushed to fill. Eliza took in an audible breath, and he could feel her psionics suffuse his gauntlets. When it mentally felt like he had handfuls of her power, he gently pressed his psionics back against his gauntlets, and they ceased their collection.

He withdrew his hands, slowly flexing his fingers as he studied Eliza's psionics. Soft, always so soft... but the strength that lay within it was even greater than his own. That sort of power was nearly the Elders' to control, and he was now thankful that Bradford had successfully pulled off his heist. The sound to them was curious, as well—he knew his own manifested as warped thunder and rumblings. Cronus's... the less said, the better, but suffice to say Jax couldn't enjoy orchestra music anymore. Eliza's was a soft hum of her own voice, to a song he didn't recognize. Maybe he could ask later what her favorites were...

Digging deeper into them, he found that they were naturally trying to push into his hands. Out of curiosity, he let them sink into his right... and was somewhat surprised when his muscles tingled with a strange sensation. He couldn't put a finger on what they were doing, but it seemed like some form of enhancement. Perhaps Eliza could grant her power to others, or infuse herself with it.

Something else happened as her psionics made contact with his being—his chest warmed and his head felt pleasantly light. He looked to Eliza and he felt as if he were looking at one of his own with admiration, and yet there was something more to it, as there always was. It was the feeling he got whenever Eliza did something selfless for him, or stayed with him. It was freeing, it was fortifying, it was... love. Eliza's psionics were of love. That realization made quite a bit of sense, to him. If her psionics were active and with her during her twenty years of servitude, it was likely the only thing keeping her going. It might've been the force that turned her around, if she really was so hard and sour during First Contact.

With him denying her psionics from infusing his left hand, they instead tried to... not escape his gauntlets, but rather, radiate. Looking at how her psionics gathered around her, Jax was certain that Eliza could project a Solace very naturally. With her psionics being of love, suffice to say, it would be a Solace of Love. If that wouldn't increase morale in her troops, it was hard to say what would.

But finally, Jax looked above her. With him starting to attune to her psionics, it augmented his sight for them. It was blurry, but behind Eliza... what was that four-armed figure?

Seeming to notice him, it quickly winked out. He blinked a few times. Perhaps he'd been imagining it. Revenants seemed to latch onto those with great psionic strength, so he was probably making assumptions. Letting her psionics go, Jax settled his hands on his legs. "Apologies for the wait—and what must've been several odd looks."

Eliza shook her head. "I figured it was part of the process. Any idea what's going on?"

Well, how to put this. Jax tapped a finger on his leg. "... the process was rather enlightening, yes. Your psionics have a propensity towards enhancement, it seems, though I could not determine what sort. They also naturally trend towards a Solace if not otherwise in use—hence my gazing about you. With a small bit of training, you could manage an official Solace. There is one other thing as well..." But it seemed rather inappropriate to share in a room full of people. He would have to share it covertly. He offered his hands again. Eliza took them, and he coursed his signature forward through his. As they met hers, he conveyed the message to both relax and push back. Hopefully she would get an idea of how it felt to approach a mind meld.

To her credit, Eliza was a fast learner. She opened her signature to him and mingled with his, and the connection between their minds opened. He gently closed his eyes, focusing on clearing his thoughts and conveying the ones he wanted cleanly to hers. "Can you hear me, Eliza?"

Her signature stalled, unsure of how to reply. Her first steps were tentative—instead of words, he got a feeling of affirmation. Considering he was just wishing to convey information, he was fine with this. "I wished to tell you this privately, as it concerns you intimately. I have seen that most psion's energies coalesce around a singular concept, or feeling, best felt in their Solace. Maria's are of healing. When I studied Leo, his were of clarity. Mine, from what I have seen, are of power. Yours... yours are of love."

This close to her thoughts and feelings, Jax intimately felt Eliza's mind stop as she processed that information. Instead of understanding, Jax firsthand experienced a flood of self doubt, of concern. Love, her thoughts lamented. Is that why everyone's been following me? Because I've been bewitching them? Was that why Argus was trying to turn me into the Siren? Is... is that why the Chosen look at me the way they do...?

Eliza didn't seem to be either guarding her thoughts, or didn't know they were bare. But, Jax could see her worries were false. There were no traces of her psionics around anyone she frequented, and they did not try to control or influence Jax. If anything, they simply worked off of his natural love for her. Despite himself, Jax was quick to hurry forth in the connection, radiating assurance and trust. "That is not the case at all," he began. "Your psionics are not controlling or influencing. They did not try to sway my mind towards anything. Rather, they merely bring out feelings that already reside within individuals." A moment later, Jax realized what he'd said. He had to play it off quickly. "It... made me think of the love I hold for my followers for having stuck with me through thick and thin. It made me think of the love I hold for my siblings and my want to protect them." He wasn't really lying to Eliza—those had been underneath the feelings he had felt for her. "Suffice to say, my reasons for staying with you are untampered, as would everyone else's. Do not doubt yourself, Eliza—there is no reason to."

With the encouragement, Eliza's thoughts settled from the self-doubting storm they had become. She calmed, picking over his words slowly and carefully. Despite his best efforts, she seemed to latch onto "bringing out feelings that already reside." She drew closer and closer to what he had been implying... and then dismissed it at once. It couldn't be, her mind sighed. They... Her thoughts closed from there, her having learned that he could listen in if she did not guard them. If he'd really wanted to listen, he could press forward, but no. Those were her private thoughts. He would not intrude on them. Even still, he wondered as to what she meant. Why could it not be? It sounded as if she doubted that he could love her as such. There was no derogatory air behind it, so what did she mean...?

He could feel her attention shift back to him, anticipating any other answer. "That was all, Eliza," he responded. "Please, do not think you control others. Your psionics very much trend otherwise. Far be it from me to personify psionics, but take it from the master sitting in front of you—I believe it is the last thing they would wish to do."

Eliza calmly gathered herself. She tried for projection again, and with Jax having demonstrated how he did it thoroughly, she seemed to catch on. "Ok. I trust you, Jax, despite... despite my personal doubts. Thank you."

Jax physically nodded, then gently withdrew from the connection. He opened his eyes, seeing slight wisps of his own psionics mingled in the ones that coalesced around Eliza's head like a halo. When she opened hers in turn, he nodded again. "I hope that was enlightening," he murmured.

Eliza breathed out a sigh, withdrawing her hands and placing them on her thighs. "... well, the buzzing stopped," she offered. "Things are looking up already, yeah?"

That brought some levity into the atmosphere. Remembering that they had an audience, Jax gave a chuckle. "I am happy to assist as always, Eliza." Not everything had to end in disaster. "I would advise a moment of rest after such heavy searching. May I offer the Studio?"

Grinning, Eliza got to her feet. "Only if I get your chair."

Jax rolled his eyes, but relented. "Only the best for the Commander, after all."

The room laughed, and Jax was happy. Even free of her psionics... Jax loved her.


Being emotionally dead was the worst.

Well, Mordenna was sure it was, anyway. He couldn't really summon up the energy to hate it all that much, even though he was sure he was doing so. He'd gotten this way over the course of last night, and he couldn't even say why. Nothing had happened... recently, anyway. It wasn't the aftermath of emotions over Fal-Mai losing her arm. Couldn't be—he'd be enraged or sad over that, right? Not this oblivion of lethargy and apathy.

By the time he'd gathered the few scraps of energy he had left to get up from his workbench, he couldn't even say what time it was. Lily had actually finished up the Eradication Cannon behind him and went to go get coffee to get herself through the rest of the night, that much he knew. The device meant to read signals from the nervous system in front of him was still barely started. He'd added a piece here and wrote down a theory there, but if he were any more energetic, he would have strangled himself over the lack of progress.

But nah. Didn't have the energy for that. He did have the energy to start walking out of the Workshop, unsure of where he was going. He just... needed to get away from his workbench and the constant reminder that he was getting nothing done.

So he walked. No scrabbling through the vents, no sauntering down the hallway in search of siblings to bother, nothing. Just a wandering Hunter. He was looking ahead but he couldn't claim to be paying attention. Mordenna could only think on the little progress gained, his current state, and just who he was.

He didn't know about that last point anymore. First he was David. Then he was Ref-Il. Now he was Mordenna. Maybe someday he'd be something else once again. Maybe he was someone else beforehand. Who could say, when the ones who held his history absolutely hated him? Mordenna just... didn't know, anymore. He didn't know who he was to everyone else. Maybe they were just putting up with him until he got bored and left. Were they waiting for him to see that?

His hand, pressed up against the wall as he walked, stopped as it hit a doorway. Mordenna looked to the side. The Bar lay just beyond his fingertips. Well, if there was any place to be while he contemplated the specifics of his own existence, this was it. Languidly, he tapped the pad and stepped on in, not particularly looking.

"Oh."

Mordenna got a bit of a wakeup call when it was Eliza he heard. His eyes snapped to her. She was the only other person in the room, leaned on the counter and sitting on one of the stools. A few empty bottles sat to her side, a few full ones to the other, and she was currently working on another. She sighed, turning back to her drink. "Don't tell Bradford I'm here, would you? I... don't really need him seeing me like this."

Mordenna shallowly shook his head, ambling over and taking the seat next to her. He pushed the empty bottles to his side, stealing one of Eliza's full ones. "My lips are sealed, Commander," he muttered. "I'm here to drink myself sober, too."

"Tch. Soldiers told me you guys can't get drunk."

"That was the joke," he flatly replied. Humor really wasn't with him right now.

"Oh."

There was a bit of silence then, as Mordenna wrenched his beer open and drank it, the bitterness of the alcohol a comfort, at least. Eliza sipped at her own. After a while, she was the one to fill the quiet. "This ain't a regular thing for me. You'd think the woman leading the resistance against the galactic empire would have her shit together, but here I am. I was drinking alone until you came in here."

"Misery loves company," he murmured.

Eliza looked to him. "... I've been trying," she began. "Trying all day. You told me I should think of myself sometimes. So I'm trying. But I just keep seeing people who could use my help and not going after them exhausts me more than helping. I'm not saying your advice was garbage, I just... I think I'm going about it wrong."

Mordenna stared at the taps behind the bar. "Inclined to help others?"

"Terminally. So... can I ask what's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Mordenna."

"No. That's it. Nothing." He sighed gently. "Nothing's going on. This ain't me brushing you off, I'm letting you know. I had a wonderful time with my siblings yesterday, I know exactly what I should be doing to work on Fals's prosthetic, and Lily just finished up Jax's new gun. I should be fine. Yet, I just... ain't. I don't feel bad. I just... don't. So I don't have anything to say."

Eliza stared at him a bit, her expression softening. "That's gotta be hell... 'cause you can't really complain, can you?"

"No, not really. If I'm not feeling bad, well, what have I got to worry about?"

"But not feeling anything's gotta be just as bad."

"You try seeing a therapist about that."

Eliza scoffed, taking a sip of her drink in solidarity. She paused for a second before she spoke again. "—I was going to be one."

"Hm?"

"A therapist. In high school I got along with our school's therapist well and I ended up asking about how I could get into the field. Still had that want to help people like I do now even back then. She guided me towards the college courses and electives I'd need—I was a damn fine student back in the day, so getting into the classes and college wouldn't be a problem. But... I was also deluded. My parents offered to pay for college but I didn't want to burden them. We were getting close to hard times and I didn't want them going into debt because of me. Just as I was convinced I'd have to give it up..." Her face turned sour and her voice venomous. "The military recruiter came into town.

"He told me they'd help pay my tuition, so long as I signed up. I was initially against the deal, but they'd seen my grades and hounded me like hawks. Eventually, he learned I wanted to be a therapist and told me there wasn't anything better than helping America out in the field. And I believed him." Her grip on her bottle tightened. "Never saw that asshole again after I signed up. Good thing too—at this point, I'd kill him.

"So they put me in. I was sweet, before. Christian raised—or, Catholic, Mormon, I don't know. Our family was a weird mix and I didn't pay any attention. The drill sergeant whipped all of that out of me. The military beat all of it out of me. My want to help others, my empathy, my kindness... they fucking took it from me. They put notions into my head that I'm still trying to get out to this day. I went into First Contact like a demon from hell, and I killed those under me. Whether they died on the field or lived, I took their lives. Even if some of them had lived through the search for me, I took things from them they would never get back. I recovered, Mordenna. They will never."

Eliza drank the rest of her beer in a practiced swig, slamming it down on the table in a burst of anger. It dissipated quickly, and she slumped. "—I don't know why anyone here keeps me around. The death that follows me is a mile long. My soldiers, aliens, innocents... we've been to raided havens I remember giving the kill orders for. I recognize some of Betos's Skirmishers. Even now when I say I'm better... I use my status of former Network battery to intimidate. I live and breathe the sins I committed. I'm worse than nothing. I'm going to get everyone I love killed. And it all started with the sin of wanting to help them. I found my road to hell with one of my good intentions as the door."

The silence afterwards was deafening. Mordenna found himself slowly digesting all that she'd said, her story sinking into his pores. Were those her beginnings? Did she feel those sins clinging to her whenever she extended a helping hand to someone? His face heated up and he covered his mouth with a hand. Was that everything she was holding in?

Eliza looked to him. "... Mordenna?"

Wetness hit his hand. He drew it away, rapidly blinking. He was crying. His next breath in was a hiccup, cutting through the fog and mist that had accumulated in his head. There was something that spoke to him in Eliza's story... and admittedly, half of his tears were probably from the catharsis of feeling again. Had he less of a mind, he would've broken down right then, his own sadness and anger from his musings catching up to him.

But... it wasn't just him who needed comfort. He swiveled to face Eliza, pushing the bottle out of her hand and drawing her in. He squeezed Eliza close to him, pressing her against his shoulder as he squeezed his eyes shut. "—Liz," he choked out, "please. P-please just. Cry with me." He needed to vent and show Eliza he was here for her. They could do both at once, right?

"I..." Whatever protest Liz had got lost behind her own hiccup and she clung to Mordenna, burying her face into his shoulder as much as she could manage. Her drunken state combined with Mordenna's own and his request must've swayed her into going along with it.

Even when she had woken up in the Infirmary on her back and had cried then, it was clear she'd been holding back. Here, with her inhibitions largely removed, she was sobbing openly and loudly, squeezing Mordenna back as he held her close. He was sure to let his sorrow flow freely as well, though he still reflexively bit back bigger sobs.

Empathy. He had empathy for what Eliza had gone through. Getting lied to, having all of who you were beat out of you, and coming out of the other side doubting yourself and being sure you were just a burden on everyone around you. That last part stung him and he lost control of a sob. He hated it. He hated what she had gone though, and what he had to endure. He hated how he felt and he hated being a drag. Mordenna just needed a moment to let all that go now that he was feeling again.

It was a long, long process, and he was glad they were alone and nobody was turning up at the Bar. He knew they needed that full time to eventually calm down and lapse back into silence. Mordenna was left gently petting Eliza's hair, coming down from his emotion-fuelled rollercoaster. Eliza herself had slumped into Mordenna's arms, the occasional rub of his back the only thing telling him that she hadn't fallen asleep out of exhaustion.

Well, speaking of that. His eyes flickered to the Bar's clock. It was getting about that time, and he didn't think Eliza should be making the walk back to her bed. "Liz," he started, voice hoarse, "it's getting late."

"Yeah." Her own voice was quiet and muffled by his shoulder. "I'm tired." She paused. "... thank you. For hearing me out. Took me getting drunk j-just to get it all out there, huh?"

He kept running his hand over her hair. "Maybe we can work on that. But now it's out there, we can talk about it later. For now... let's get you to bed, alright?"

"Ok."

With that, Mordenna palmed at his eyes, shifting Eliza into a princess carry after that. He wove his distraction field around the both of them—he wasn't Fal-Mai in terms of range, but if he was essentially carrying people as he was now, it was doable. He made his way out of the Bar, keeping Eliza secure as he did.

The walk to her room gave him time to reflect as he navigated around soldiers and staff. Either he'd gotten lucky with the timing, or his empathy for Eliza's past was what he needed to break out of that apathy. He was feeling a bit better with motivation, as well—so the storm had broken, leaving him to deal with the lightning-struck remains. But, hey—lightning strikes made good fertilizer. He could come back and help out Eliza one day with her own hangups. He could return the favor.

... maybe that was who he was. If nothing else, if not a brilliant engineer, if not a bane of the Elders... he could wrangle Eliza. He could keep her out of trouble and give her a shoulder to cry on, sometimes literally. He was that to her. He could cling to that identity.

"Mordenna?"

That was Fal-Mai in his ear, talking over comms. Ah, right. The link. Considering things were largely back to normal now, he spared an arm to reply. "Everything's alright," he replied when there wasn't anyone around. "Eliza and I had a heart-to-heart. If I wanna further hash things out, I'll come and find you guys. Thanks for checking up on me."

"Of course, brother."

"You take it easy, Fals. I'll have your arm ready in no time."

"I will 'take it easy' so long as you do, Mordenna. Be well."

That all cleared, he returned his arm to Eliza as he passed through the Bridge, taking the stairs up and slipping into her quarters. From there, he sat her on the bed. Her eyes fluttered open, and he helped her kick off her shoes. "If you need to get into more fitting night attire," he muttered, "I can go start working again on my projects."

"Um..." Eliza wrung her hands together. "... can you stay until I've gotten changed? I'll do it in the bathroom."

Well, he wasn't going to leave the Commander out to dry. He nodded. "Sure can do."

Eliza nodded back, shoving off the bed and wandering over to her dresser with a bit of sway in her step. She picked out her clothes—Mordenna wasn't particularly watching—and staggered into her bathroom. Mordenna got himself comfortable on the railing surrounding the area of her bed. Hopefully she hadn't drank so much she'd be sick. Did she have a trash can in here? Maybe it was in the bathroom. He'd ask how she felt when she got out.

Eventually, the bathroom door opened... and Mordenna mentally smacked himself to stay civil. Eliza came out in nothing but an oversized t-shirt and her underwear. Seems she really had lost a lot of her inhibitions. When she made it to her bed and sat down again, Mordenna stood back up. "How's your stomach?"

"Don't feel like I'm going to be sick. I didn't have that much—just drank it fast."

"Right." Well, if she was going to be alright, he didn't really have any other reasons to stay without intruding. He turned to leave." I'll leave you to bed. I'm gonna—"

"Wait." When he looked back, Eliza had extended an arm. "Uh... could... could you please stay? I... I don't know what my dreams are going to be like when I'm drunk..."

That was fair. Mordenna turned back around. "Yeah, I can stay." He could drop Lily a message that he was doing something very important while Eliza was sleeping. "I'll crash on the couch?"

Eliza looked to the side, wringing the edge of her shirt. "... I don't want to roll on my back," she started, face red. "Could you... stay in the bed?"

All obscene thoughts Mordenna might've had were dashed with a quick reminder; Eliza was drunk. It'd be tantamount to rape to even think about trying anything. She needed a sleeping buddy—and if Mordenna got sleep paralysis, he'd need one too. "... yeah," he said. "Just let me get my armor and shoes off so I'm not making you uncomfortable."

Eliza nodded and flopped against her bed on her side. Mordenna walked around to the other side, shedding all of his armor, emptying his pockets, and throwing off his boots as he did. He... was sure he wasn't going to be able to magically sleep off of this. His problem wasn't comfort—it was being physically unable to sleep. Mordenna had tried before and failed. But, hey—if he was awake the whole night, he'd be vigilant for if she rolled onto her back.

But, as he settled into bed... he had a thought. Eliza looked positively refreshed coming out of the Infirmary yesterday, and those beds were small enough that her and Fal-Mai had to be essentially cuddling. She probably didn't feel better just sharing a bed with someone else—she likely felt better off of sleeping against someone. With that in mind, he figured he'd ask. "... for your comfort's sake, you, uh." Out with it, Mordenna. No way to make this not weird. "Would you like it if we slept close?"

"Yes, please," was Eliza's very sleepy answer.

Well, he had his permission. Scooting forward and reaching for Eliza—mindful to not grab her anywhere suggestive—he pulled in Eliza to spoon her, keeping her head against his chest. With her being so small compared to him, at least there wouldn't be the worry of his arm falling asleep. Still, he kept one of his over her, and she responded by snuggling back further into him. Her "goodnight, Mordenna" was barely comprehensible but he returned it anyway, watching as she slowly dropped off.

So. This was his life now. Mordenna wasn't complaining. If he could make her life better just by being there? Well, that gave him purpose, and he'd take that. And when she dies? His siblings were going to live forever with him, so long as none of them got killed. He'd move to fully supporting them. He had reasons to live and he'd cling to them.

Closing his eyes, he settled in for a long night of thinking, the warmth of Eliza against him reminding him that his life had worth.