*Chapter 75*

"Zed?" Tessa called in hard, nervous annoyance.

She quickly pushed into his home and knew she'd find him, even if it meant a hard wake-up call, she was hoping to get his attention fast.

She nervously touched her cheek and pulled her hand away; she noticed small flecks of dried blood that had solidified on the flight over to Zed's home. She heaved a hard groan and threw her hand down, Lickity easily pushed into Zed's loft as well; she exhaled a hard noise of anguish. Zed's curtains were drawn, which left his loft in a dreamy haze of a morning slumber; light so desperately tried to burst through his sprawling loft.

"Zed!" Tessa hollered, though she inhaled a sharp gasp as Zed suddenly burst into the room, from his bedroom hall. She harshly furrowed her eyebrows and felt anger spill over her; she knew she shouldn't get mad at him, though she felt as if she didn't have any choice. She pointed an angry finger at him and began to march towards her boyfriend, "You have a LOT of explaining to do!"

"...What the hell happened to you guys?" Zed urged loudly as he gestured his hands outwards, he peered at Lickity and Tessa in pure shock; he was shirtless, though he wore a comfortable pair of grey sweats, his bed head made it clear he had just woken up.

"What the hell happened to YOU?" Tessa argued as she continued to march closer to him; he put his hands up in gentle defense and gave her a look of floored, nervous surprise, "Not telling me the truth! Since when were you going to tell me that your other racers are your BROTHERS!?"

"...Brothers?" Zed urged loudly, he knew this was likely their very first shout-match; he figured he'd better tread lightly, "I don't have any brothers!"

"Oh yeah? Then tell me why all FIVE of those boys look exactly like you!" Tessa shouted as she finally reached Zed, she shoved a hard finger into his strong, bare chest, "All five of them look hurt! I know they all miss you! How could you keep this from me!"

"Tessa, I'm not keeping anything from you," Zed urged firmly, he gave her a confused, hard glare and continued to hold his hands up, so to express to Tessa that he was on defense, "I wouldn't keep anything from you! I don't have any brothers! I don't have any family, Tess, you know that!"

"You're lying to me!" Tessa barked in his face; Zed harshly furrowed his eyebrows and remained still before her.

"I'm not lying to you! Everything I'm telling you is truth!" Zed dared to raise his voice, "This is some 'good morning', if you ask me!"

"You want to talk to me about 'good mornings'?" Tessa hollered as she largely pointed back to Lickity, "Your brother was Lickity's previous owner! With how many times our precious little Lickity was whipped, and I was in the cross fire, you bet your ass you've had a far better morning than us! Good morning, sunshine!"

Zed nervously peered back to Lickity and felt a cold spill of chills roll down his skin. He flinched once Tessa's sharp voice barked back into his face, her voice lightly echoed in his large loft.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, telling me you don't have family!" Tessa yelled as a vein practically formed on her forehead, "You have five younger brothers down in those jungles, sadly awaiting you to return to them! Don't be a dumbass, telling me you don't have family! Don't lie to me, Zed! Clearly, sooner or later, I will sniff out your shit!"

"Tessa, I'm telling you the truth!" Zed yelled back as he largely gestured his arms, "I don't HAVE any brothers! I'm not lying to you!"

Tessa exhaled a hard noise of annoyance and took a few steps away from Zed, so to avoiding wrecking his pixels. She shook her head and harshly paced a few large tiles away from him. Lickity remained solid a few feet away from the shout match, though she kept her annoyed, hard glare to Zed's figure. Tessa muttered a few words to herself and shook her head. She eagerly came back to Lickity and sorrowfully gazed down at her bloodied snout. She furrowed her eyebrows and felt a cold, knowing pang hit her skin. She long blinked once before she gently turned around to face Zed.

"... That coding, in your brain, is messing with your memory," Tessa said in a soft voice that finally surfaced, "You only think you're right because... Your memory is being fogged."

"I really have no idea what's going on," Zed urged nervously, "Those five racers aren't my brothers, I-I... I don't even know them!"

"We need to delete that coding," Tessa begged softly as she finally neared Zed without aggression, "You need to remember... I-I know they miss you!"

"Tessa," Zed urged softly, though she motioned towards his code room.

"Come on, if I work fast, I can get most of it knocked out today," Tessa mumbled through a gentle, nervous haze. Zed harshly furrowed his eyebrows and grabbed her wrists.

"Tessa, come off of it!" Zed yelled; Tessa flinched and peered back at him in surprise, though, as if the weight of the day finally hit her head on, big, nervous tears gathered in her eyes. Zed slumped his shoulders and nervously peered at the hard gash down her cheek, "Let's just... Be still..."

"Zed, you have brothers!" Tessa hissed as she long blinked hard tears down her cheeks, which caused the blood of her wound to run lightly, "Y-You have family... They all look just like you!"

"I-I don't remember them," Zed urged sadly as he shook his head. To Tessa's surprise, gentle tears began to gather in his eyes as well, though he gave Tessa an honest look of surprise, "I honestly don't remember them."

"You will," Tessa assured softly, "The coding in your brain, we need to get rid of it."

"It all can't be done in one day," Zed said nervously with a hard frown, he winced at Tessa's wound and lightly gestured to her, "We need to reset you and Lickity... What the heck happened, anyways?"

"Lickity's old owner is your younger brother... Orph," Tessa said in dull annoyance, "He enjoys whips, obviously."

"That much is clear," Zed eased nervously.

"He tried to steal Lickity from me," Tessa urged through more tears that spilled down her face; she hiccuped a soft noise of a cry and shook her head through squinted eyes of anguish, "... H-he tried to steal Lickity from me!"

"C'mere," Zed urged softly as he quickly pulled Tessa into his chest.

He firmly wrapped his strong, bare arms around Tessa's upper back. He gripped her to him and buried his nose into the side of her head. She easily shoved her face into Zed's bare shoulder and let out a soft few cries. She gripped her arms tight around his center and latched onto him like he was her last life line. She shook in fear and confusion, though Zed largely held her tight to his body. He furrowed his eyebrows and shut his eyes tight as he burrowed her deeper into his strong chest. He gently tucked his chin to the top of her head and let her softly cry into his chest.

"You're never going to lose Lickity," Zed assured firmly, though quietly, down to her. He gently stroked his strong hand down the length of her hair, he shook his head, "She won't ever leave you, Tess... I know that much."

"I was so scared," Tessa hissed through a gentle sob, "I-I was so certain Orph had control over her."

"So Orph is the culprit?" Zed eased through a soft, annoyed laugh. He furrowed his eyebrows in gentle confusion and felt a swipe of a memory come back to him, though it flitted away just as quickly as it presented itself. He shook his head softly and felt a strange sense of deja-vu come over him.

"He captures dragons," Tessa whimpered, "I-I guess Lickity was the one that got away..."

"She's safe with us," Zed assured softly, though Lickity lightly strolled up to the two, upon hearing her name. Zed smiled as him and Tessa only lightly parted. They gently peered down to Lickity with nervous, though appreciatively adoring eyes, "This cat holds fast... I know she would never leave you, Tess... Not after today."

"I love you, Lickity," Tessa whimpered down to her dragon; she exhaled a small chirp of a grumble, as if to kindly reply to Tessa's sweet notion. As badly as she wanted to cuddle her face into Tessa's center, like always, she resorted to giving Tessa a look of humbled anguish. Tessa slumped her shoulders and dared to tenderly cup Lickity's chin in her hand.

"C'mon," Zed eased as he ever so softly stroked Lickity's ear, "Let's get you two cleaned up."

After an hour or so, and two resets to the grid later, Zed fumbled with some things in his kitchen. Awhile back, he had briefly situated Tessa and Lickity outside, in his favorite spot to relax. A small balcony that overlooked the other side of his mountain; a true, paradise getaway. He moseyed back into his room and made his way over to his opened balcony door, which hung on the wall to the left of his bedroom door. He ever so softly stepped out into the loved, birch wood flooring of his opened balcony. The fresh, morning air hit him lightly, and wisped his messy blue hair about. He eagerly peered to where he had left Tessa and Lickity. A large, outdoor couch, in which acted as a massive, comfortable lounging spot; almost like a bed. The morning sun gently leaked onto the side of the balcony, past a few jungle trees that had begun to grow a tiny bit chaotic alongside Zed's home. He furrowed his eyebrows lightly and quickly noticed that Lickity's presence was missing, from where he last saw her, head plopped in Tessa's lap.

Zed lightly rubbed the back of his head and assessed the situation. Lickity had removed herself from the comfortable lounger, and Tessa, and had made her way across the dozen or so feet of a gap, to overlook the massive valley below. She sat on her hind legs and rear, her large tail was messily curled around herself and her wings rested on the ground, all while being propped up by the wrists of her wings. Her ears laid flat, and she peered out to the world below her. Zed lightly glanced at Tessa and noticed her lazy posture was now a bit more alert. She was half sat up and lightly leaned over her knee, which was tucked up and closer to her body. Her arm rested over her knee, and she curiously peered at Lickity from across the way, in baited silence. Her eyes were glazed with, what seemed to be, billions of questions. Zed kindly pushed into her bubble.

"I never thought Lickity could get tired of a good 'ol head scratching," Zed chuckled lightly, he climbed his way onto the lounger and easily plopped close to Tessa, amidst the fluffy downs and billowy couch-backing.

He exhaled a grunt of a sigh and lulled his arms over the back of the couch, he made sure his right arm lovingly wormed around and over the tops of Tessa's shoulders. To his delight, she gently leaned her back into his warm, bare chest. Tessa only barely glanced back at Zed, as if to silently inquire she noticed his presence, and acknowledged his words, though she was hoping to convey some form of apology for being too lost in her thoughts. She finally exhaled a gentle sigh and shook her head in a confused lull.

"You ever think she misses her family?" Tessa quietly wondered, the warm breeze lightly flickered their hair about, just barely.

"Family," Zed breathed, he gently glanced at the side of her face before he, too, peered out to the curiously still beast far before them.

"Can you imagine her as a little, wee bitty baby?" Tessa inquired with a wide smile as she finally looked over her shoulder and gained eye contact with Zed. He kindly returned the gesture and gave her a knowing, earnest smile.

"That'd definitely be a sight," Zed heaved a soft sigh and shook his head, the two threw their gazes out towards Lickity, once more. He let his eyes get lost in his scenery, far beyond Tessa's dragon, "What makes you wonder if she misses her family?"

"I don't know, I just got to thinking..." Tessa trailed off and gestured her hand softly, "I wonder how long she was with Orph. Was she born in his keep? Did he steal her, at User-knows what age?"

"We'll never know," Zed worried, "If only she could tell us... I'm sure she's mulling it all over."

"I've never seen her so angry," Tessa said deeply as she lightly shook her head, "Have you ever seen Lickity spit fire, before?"

"No, not at all," Zed let his worrisome gaze catch with Tessa's, "I-I really don't think she has it in her, to use her aggression like that."

"I would have said the same thing, before today," Tessa dared as she furrowed her eyebrows into a knowing stare on the back of Lickity's head.

"Y-You saw her breath fire?" Zed wondered as he situated himself and got a bit more comfortable in Tessa's warm presence, Tessa exhaled a soft sigh and slumped her shoulders, though she kept her gaze glued to her dragon.

"Twice," Tessa eased quietly, "She killed Orph, twice..."

"...Killed?" Zed raised his eyebrows and gave the side of Tessa's head an incredulous look, "N-no, surely she-"

"Blue pixels, blood, body parts, you name it," Tessa darkly spat, "All of it hit the wind and smoke. Orph was gone in one single blow. He's lucky he's in his own game..."

Zed fell silent and nervously peered back to Lickity in cold surprise. Her large figure sat still in patient, contemplative wait, as if she had broken her own rules. The fur and feathers along her spine only barely ruffled with the kind, warm breeze, though she remained solid. Zed finally breathed a shaky breath and ran his hand all along his messy bed head. He long blinked before Tessa finally sat up and prepared to make her way off of the lounger. Zed curiously watched her get to her feet and, as if approaching a stranger, she pushed into Lickity's gentle bubble. Zed softly sat up and joined her in her venture, in hopes of comforting their confused friend.

Tessa's nervous footwork was gentle and patient, though she finally pushed into Lickity's presence. She stepped around the side of her, over her tail, and around her right wing, which was rested to her side. Tessa barely bent over and tilted her head, so to gain eye contact with her best friend. To her surprise, Lickity's eyes ever so softly opened and peered straight into her soul with curious, albeit sad knowing. Tessa softly slumped her shoulders, though she softly held out her hand to Lickity and made one or two tender, smooching noises, to gain Lickity's interest.

"Y'okay, girly?" Tessa wondered as softly as she could, which caused Lickity to grumble a small purr and tilt her head down and forward. She gingerly pushed her snout into Tessa's hand, as if to assure that she was alright.

"She fought for you," Zed stated, as if to wonder if that was the case, and to know it was the truth, all in the same sentence. Tessa heaved a soft sigh and finally pushed farther into Lickity's presence. She stood next to Lickity's side and let her push her snout into Tessa's center, like usual.

"I have never seen anything like it," Tessa said above a whisper as she hugged Lickity's head and neck. She firmly pat the side of her neck and welcomed her fierce friend's presence into hers, "I have never seen anything scarier."

"She was just mad because you got hurt, by Orph?" Zed wondered as he slowly pushed closer to the two. He reached a tender hand out and softly stroked Lickity's cheek. She closed her eyes and welcomed any tender loving care she could get her scales on.

"He didn't mean to hurt me," Tessa said as she glued her eyes to the top of Lickity's head, "I was just caught in the cross fire of his whip... If I'm not mistaken, I'd be willing to bet that slap to the face, he gave me, was enough to make him stop and apologize for everything... Though, Lickity didn't give him the opportunity to get to his knees and beg forgiveness."

"Rightfully so," Zed stated firmly, as if he was so wishing he had been there, to fight alongside Tessa's fierce defender.

"Though I have to wonder... She endured all those years of abuse, and she finally decides now to blow Orph to smithereens?" Tessa's curious, hazel eyes gripped Zed's. He looked down at Lickity in light contemplation before he allowed his eyes to glue back to Tessa's, as well.

"Dragons have a fight or flight mode, just like us," Zed softly explained, "It's clear, Lickity endured the abuse for so long, because, she couldn't get away, but fighting would likely end up with more abuse."

Tessa's curious eyes held to his as he continued to pet the top of Lickity's head; she remained solid in Tessa's and Zed's care.

"A dragon will only fight if it's brood is in danger," Zed breathed, he gave Tessa a knowing smile, "Whether it be it's offspring, siblings, parents... Riders," he concluded, he gave Tessa a kind side-eye.

Tessa's eye contact dipped from curious kindness to a slump of gentle knowing. She relaxed her shoulders and cupped Lickity's chin in her larger hands; she gently opened her large, cat-like eyes and peered up at her rightful owner.

"You're each other's family, now," Zed nodded a gentle motion towards Tessa's humble beast, "We're all she's got. Of course she's going to protect you... Her life depends on it."

Lickity held idle, aimless and exhausted eye contact with the dull mint green hue of Tessa's shirt, as if she was only down and out for the day; the twinkle of peppiness still held on the horizon for tomorrow. Tessa exhaled a shaky breath and lightly stroked Lickity's cheeks with her thumbs. She felt her heart swell in a knowing way as Lickity's hot breath kept her center warm from Dead Zed's high-altitude breeze. Lickity let her eyes lull closed as she lovingly pushed her snout into Tessa's middle, yet again; her way of giving light hugs.

Tessa scoffed a small noise of delightful anguish and shook her head. As easily as she could, she lifted Lickity's head up and away from her, though in the small act of pushing Lickity away, she gently shoved into Lickity's strong neck and chest, which nudged her into a taller standing position over Tessa. With no hesitation, Tessa quickly and firmly wrapped her loving arms around Lickity's neck as best as she could. She squeezed her with all her might and shoved her face and cheek into Lickity's warm fur and scales, just under her ear. She could feel Lickity tense in kind confusion, as if she didn't quite know what to call what was happening, though a knowing wash of realization rolled over her scales, and she was quick to tuck her chin and underside of her jaw firmly to the top of Tessa's shoulder and upper back, through a grumbling purr of kindness.

Tessa scrunched her face and kept herself glued to Lickity in a big, bear hug that was long overdue. She squeezed her best friend and was surprised to feel Lickity return the gesture as she tucked her strong arm and paw around Tessa. She exhaled a small noise and buried her nose into Lickity's soft skin, just under her ear. She could feel her powerful, steady and slow heartbeat lull the two into a calm comfort, one of which they both knew they needed. Tessa jolted once, after a few moments, Lickity sprawled her right wing, and with a quick tug, she shoved Zed into the group hug. He coughed a sharp noise of startled delight and quickly adjusted himself against Tessa's back. Tessa laughed softly, though the three held fast to each other.

"I know one thing," Zed chuckled, though Lickity finally and slowly released the two. Zed tenderly held Tessa's hand in his right, and held Lickity's snout in his left, "No matter what family, of mine, comes crawling out of the woodwork... You two will always be my family, first and foremost."

Tessa smiled and felt her eyes light up with the sheer fact that, even though Tessa had no hard proof of Dead Zed's five racers being Zed's brothers, he still confidently took her word for it. Her smile turned bashful as she looked down, though Lickity garbled a small noise of delight and bared her teeth, to show some form of a smile.

"I love you guys," Tessa said through a knowing, almost annoyed sigh as she squeezed Zed's hand, and pat Lickity's strong neck. Lickity chuffed a soft noise, as if to respond to Tessa's endearing words. Tessa finally looked up to Dead Zed's skies and let her eyes lull close in mild exhaustion, "I know what we need..."

"A nap?" Zed wondered, though he largely flinched as Tessa's playful glare nearly decked him in the face.

"A nap!" Tessa bellowed, Lickity grumbled an annoyed noise and breathed a hard breath up at Zed's hair, causing it to flap about in a fit of confusion, "You don't deserve a nap. I think Lickity and I deserve a nap."

"Alright alright, touché, fair enough," Zed laughed as he largely ruffled his hand over his already messy hair, "Let's go to the beach... Bring the group. You guys nap, I'll surf!"

"I think we should first delete a good chunk of that nasty memory coding, in your brain code," Tessa lightly motioned towards Zed.

"Fair enough... How about, afterwards," Zed nodded lightly.

"...I've always wanted to try surfing," Tessa lightly fingered her lip.

"You conquered flying," Zed sighed with a smile as he rubbed Lickity's warm snout, "Surfing should be no issue."