Disclaimer: I own nothing except those ideas that I created myself. This story is to entertain and improve my skills as a writer.

Chapter 2: He Who Guards The Faeries

Both moons had just begun to rise in the sky by the time Siesta had managed to lead the pair of them to their agreed destination; the Charming Fairy's Inn. It was a large, white two-story structure with an active chimney and a well-kept grey shingled roof. At street level, just over the main entrance to the tavern, hung a wooden placard with a well-done caricature of a dragonfly-winged fairy. She was holding a tray in one hand while holding out the other in the direction of the door with a wink and bright smile on her face.

Hiro was rather impressed with whoever pulled off art like that using only wood and continued to stare at the sign, pondering possible ways that its maker may have employed to bring the image to life until Siesta drew his attention and guided him inside. The dinner crowd filled the taproom to capacity and every one of the 'charming faeries,' ten young women wearing different colored, frilly abbreviated maid costumes, flitted about from table to table like a squad of smiling, flirty honeybees.

Seeing such energy around him made the young man from another world smile. One of the scantily-dressed servers noticed the pair and hurried over to greet them. She was full-figured, wearing a light green version of the 'uniform.' She had long raven hair and bright blue almond-shaped eyes, which lit up in joyous recognition as they focus upon the former maid. "Sie-Sie! What in the world are you doing here?!"

Siesta embraced the dark-haired faerie with a smile. "Looking for work, and any other help you might be willing to offer, Jessa. I've had to make some difficult choices in a hurry and might've put myself in a bind."

The lime colored faerie, now known as Jessa, just turned to the former maid's traveling companion before letting a half-lidded smirk settle on her face. "You eloped with this Noble, didn't you Sie-Sie?"

Siesta flushed a deep red at the insinuation while G-cyborg only turned to face his traveling companion and gave her a solemn look. "So… Do I get to call you 'Sie-Sie' or am I stuck with just 'Honey' for a pet name?"

Jessa froze where she stood utterly stunned at what he just said. But as soon as she noticed his cheeky grin, the lime-colored faerie began shaking with laughter with Hiro joining in immediately after her. The former maid couldn't hold in her embarrassment any further and started lashing out verbally at the young man from another world. "Don't you dare encourage her, Hiro! Bad enough I have to endure her teasing about not having a lover and letters from home wondering if I'm ever bringing someone home to visit!"

Hiro, still grinning, raised his hands in front of him in a gesture of surrender to the former maid's ranting wrath. "Okay, okay! Sorry if that was too off-color, but I figured since your friend went for the jugular like that it meant you two were either quite close or that she is just that blunt and open with people she talks to. Either way, I had a feeling the joke would be received well."

Siesta just gave off a huff of derision before turning away from Hiro and crossing her arms under her breasts. Jessa kept a twinkle of mirth in her eyes before offering her right hand to the young man from another world. "It certainly was. And don't mind Siesta, she hates it when people can embarrass her like that. I'm Jessica, Siesta's cousin. Welcome to the Charming Fairy's Inn, milord."

Hiro gripped her offered hand in a firm handshake. "I'm not a lord, duke, or any other title you can think of. Name's Hiro Gabriev, a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jessica."

The lime colored faerie privately marveled at the hints of strength she could feel in the young man's grip, before guiding the pair further into the taproom. Once inside, Jessica led them upstairs to one of the unused rooms for travelers and asked that they make themselves comfortable while she brought her father up to discuss options with them. The room itself had two small beds with a window sitting in between them. A square table with a pair of wooden chairs was flush against the wall to the right of the door.

Hiro wasted no time plopping himself on one of the beds with a sigh. "Ahhh… That's the spot, right there. Even with my mech legs, walking hour after hour is just too much!"

Siesta giggled to herself. "I thought you were a powerful warrior. Surely you can handle a few hours walk from the Academy to Bruxelles, can't you?" She let loose further peals of laughter as the young man from another world grimaced in return.

Hiro chose not to dignify her quip with a response. Instead, he unzipped his bomber jacket halfway. Reaching within, he pulled out something that resembled a flat black rectangular panel with raised indentations on one side and reflective material on the other. The former maid, at first, thought it was some kind of mirror. But then he touched a spot upon the 'glass,' and it suddenly lit up like a magelamp!

Her traveling companion began sliding his index finger across the lit surface, and a few moments later, strange sounds started filling the air from his section of the room. Siesta moved closer to his bed. "What is that, Hiro?"

The young man from another world juked his head towards the former maid with a puzzled look on his face. Seconds later it shifted to one of bright-eyed interest. "Oh, right! You've never seen anything like this, have you, Siesta?"

Hiro rummaged inside his jacket for a few moments before pulling out a pair of oddly shaped black lumps and a cylinder decorated in three wide stripes of red, white, and blue. A thin cord trailed from behind the bottle and ended in a blunt, metallic tip. The young man from another world then slid off of the bed and walked over to the small table, fiddling with the items he had with him. "I've got another pair of speakers elsewhere in my jacket pockets, but for a demonstration, these should be enough."

The former maid wondered what kind of demonstration he had in mind, just before the sounds of violins and reed flutes began filling the room. "Music?"

Hiro stepped away from what he had been messing with, and the music, in turn, could be heard much clearer now. Siesta closed her eyes and smiled unconsciously, suddenly remembering fond times of her home life in Tarbes. As the young man from another world plopped back down upon his bed, he continued his explanation of his little trinket. "The Sound of the Shire. Only one of the thousands of compositions and other songs stored on my tablet there. I also have close to a thousand novels, and several dozen mangas, comics, anime, and movies; all accessible from it's Micro GS card."

The former maid was jerked back from memory lane rather quickly after hearing 'thousands of novels.' "You have several libraries worth of books inside that tiny thing?!"

Hiro grinned cheekily at Siesta's reaction, remembering his own after electronics manufacturers back home 'went green,' that is, began using G-Stone in their products for its energy generation and data storage capabilities. G-Command's head scientist, Danbei Hayame, found a relatively simple way to craft the artificial gemstones in a multitude of sizes and shapes. The fact that every tech company was willing to pay insane amounts of money to keep the supply coming meant that the openly secret organization became self-sufficient rather quickly. As it was, those little green rocks had been single-handedly responsible for jumpstarting a technological revolution upon Hiro's homeworld.

Remembering what he had been forced to leave behind left a dull ache in the G-cyborg's heart, but he quickly subdued those thoughts and emotions that came with them. If there was a way here, there must be a way back.

"Très bien... C'est Magnifique..." The pair of travelers turned to the now open doorway to find Jessica and a rather muscular 'gentleman' swaying in time with the last cords of the song that had continued to play. Jessica was still in her work costume, and the man next to her was wearing what to Hiro's eyes looked very much like an ensemble of a grey sports bra, maroon bicycle shorts, and feminine white boots. From the neck up he seemed more traditionally masculine, with well-groomed short dark hair and a smooth looking mustache. Unfortunately, the fellow chose to speak just as the music subsided, his falsetto further ruining the image his head might have invoked. "Ma Petite Siesta!"

"Uncle Scarron, it's so good to see you!" The former maid was quickly scooped up in a fierce bear hug as the 'man' known now as Scarron kissed each of Siesta's cheeks. Hiro couldn't help but smile at the familial imagery. That is, until, the fellow let his niece drop back to the floor and then turned to scoop up the young man from another world and repeat the process! "And you must be le Paramore Mystérieux, no? Welcome to our humble tavern, my lord!"

Hiro somehow managed to keep his reaction from that little surprise at the level of a slight grimace as he responded. "Like… Like I mentioned to Jessica, I'm not a nobleman." The young man from another world noticed both girls were now trying to hold in their giggles at the way his face looked before continuing. "I just happen to be a guy with unusual circumstances, that's all."

The music player on Hiro's tablet switched to the next song in the playlist as he began to explain himself and how he had arrived in this new world. The stirring trumpets that were whispered on the air helped shape the narration as he told the highlights of his test flight with the FalconGao and his elation at the speed he had witnessed. The piano solo and deeper chords kicked in as he mentioned the summoning and its after effects, being stripped of his Armor and forced to walk all the way to town through magic. The song finished and cycled to something less dramatic, and the young man from another world was about to leave the backstory on that note. But Siesta quickly chimed in with the facts of the money he'd casually tossed aside as well as her feelings of betrayal over the nobles' collective behavior. Then came her admiration over her companion's response to it. Even going so far as to impersonate what he'd said on the way out. "And then he stood in front of the Headmaster and Miss Valliere and said, 'Never tell the Prince of Braves that something's impossible. I've made a career out of proving you wrong.'"

The young man from another world rolled his eyes as both Jessica and her father applauded Siesta's efforts. "C'mon guys. Firstly, standing up to someone like that isn't that special. Secondly, I do not sound that deep, Siesta!"

"Non non non! Such a man that can stand up to Nobles like this is a man to indeed respect!" Scarron scooped up Hiro and swung him around a couple of times as if he was trying to dance. "My maidenly heart is so moved by your courage!"

Both girls laughed aloud as the young man from another world quickly pried himself out of the innkeeper's grip, then started to quiver in place. As soon as his flushed face could be seen, the cousins found it difficult to breathe from their renewed hilarity.

"Gaaahh I think I need a stiff drink after that!" Scarron only nodded in agreement and called for the girls to head down to the bring back refreshments, before shutting the door behind them as they complied and left the room.

The innkeeper turned back to face the young man from another world with a small grin upon his face. "Perhaps now we may speak of nécessités, no?"

The shift in the octave, the shedding of the feminine demeanor, and the now obvious look of casual overkill were more than enough for Hiro to lock eyes with Scarron and take notice. This teddy bear had fang and claw, and the G-cyborg had been entirely unable to tell until the innkeeper let the mask slip. The young man from another world stood at attention, his whole body rigid. "What would you like to know, sir?"

"What the hell made you think we wanted to make contact with these useless rebel scrubs in the first place?!" Revan Greywords kept his expression neutral as the disembodied and distorted voice in front of him continued to rant at his report. "We need allies and a foothold into this new world. Not a goddamn charity case!"

The voice was coming from a video screen in front of the BioNet operative, showing a panel of five older men in crisp business suits, each holding the air of captains of industry. The room where the men sat in was darkened, allowing their outlines and bodies to be noticed, but little else. These were the directors that ruled BioNet's criminal empire.

But Revan wasn't all that impressed anymore, given his history with them. He had stripped out of his armor for the duration of the meeting, leaving him in the form-fitting environment suit needed to interface with his gear. It was a glossy, matte black color, with two bands of a grey textured material along the sides leading to the hands and soles of the feet. "And as I was told, Resources… oh, forgive me. I meant to say, "Sir"… 'Offer your services as a mercenary to whoever would be interested.' The Reconquista is currently the only ones to make a pass so far. The established monarchy here is still drunk on their pride and unwilling to even meet with me by unofficial channels. You wanted a way in. I found one."

The loud, angry voice began building up fervor to yell out a rebuttal at the Bionet Agent's dripping sarcasm, but a single word from the man holding the center seat shut him down. After taking a few seconds to allow his associate to settle down completely, the center voice continued. "Agent Greywords, you have been afforded great agency during this mission, as such, the rest of the Board and I insist upon a swift conclusion. Requisition whatever resources that are deemed necessary to secure our foothold in this new world as quickly as possible."

Revan gave a curt nod in reply, all traces of his earlier venom absent from his next words. "Then in the service of such an order, Chairman, may I request the transfer of Agents Tomoe and Kisaragi? Their skills would expedite the plan to your satisfaction. I'll also need proper support staff and facility for the maintenance of the DaiDemoGar, as well as other miscellaneous assistance."

The five executives debated the suggestion amongst themselves before the head of Bionet replied. "I will allow it. However, a supervisor will be accompanying them along with the rest of your reinforcements to ensure you stay on task and not… distracted by the sight of your Dolls. Dismissed."

Revan snapped a crisp salute to his masters as the vidscreen went dark.

It took all of a day for the word to spread about the sudden changes at the Charming Faerie's Inn. The new girl that almost looked like Scarron's daughter, Siesta, was a bit clumsy at times, but her exotic, almond-shaped blue eyes and friendly demeanor made her a quick favorite of the patrons.

The one that been hired to protect the faeries, Hiro, he was something else entirely. Much of the time he was more than willing to jump in with the banter being thrown around the taproom. But if any of Scarron's rules were bent too far, the new guy wasted little time in removing the one or ones responsible. His first big showing had the young man from another world hold five drunks up off the floor by the scruffs of their tunics. He then somehow navigated the other cheering tables until he reached the front door, where the G-cyborg tossed the whole bunch out into the street warning them not to come back until tomorrow, or he'd throw them in the river so they could sober up.

The remaining crowd loved it, and between his rumor-inducing abilities, the fresh face of a new faerie waitress, and the strange original music that could be heard all around the taproom the Charming Faerie's Inn had been handling a grand surge in activity for over a month now.

Today, after cleanup from last night had been completed, Scarron gathered together everyone to set out their tasks and pep up their spirits. "Alright everyone, though this time is busier than many of you are used to, I refuse to believe any of my faeries will not rise to the challenge! The Charming Faerie's Promise! Un~~!"

The various girls hopped to attention as they answered the innkeeper. "Serve with a cheerful smile!"

The teddy bear shifted his body into a pose with him kneeling on his right knee, and both his arms raised high with his hands flat and facing away from him. "Deux~~!"

The faeries changed their stance now as well, arranging themselves into a line and twisting their torsos slightly to the right. Each girl then rested her left hand on her hip while the right was moved partially in front of their faces with the hand making the V-sign. The eye that could be seen between the index and middle fingers was winking as each faerie gave a happy grin. "A clean, sparkling store interior!"

Scarron stood up and spun around till his back was facing everyone, then partially squatted down while simultaneously leaning forward. Both his arms were akimbo, and his hands were held flat with palms facing the viewer. "Trois~~!"

The girls spread themselves out a bit before each raised her left hand high, then pulling it back down and spreading arms wide with their hands in a loose fist. Each faerie then extended the index, pinky, and thumbs of their hands while leaving the ring and middle fingers pressed into their palms. They all tucked in their arms, spun around once and stood with their legs in a wide stance. All of them had their left arms loosely held across their chests while the right was held straight in a higher position partially in front of their faces. They finished up their synchronized stylings by turning to expose their backs till they had arms held wide at an angle. Before giving a half spin and arranging themselves to face forward with left arm bent and hand still in their earlier finger configuration pointing to the right, and right arm tucked across their chests with index finger extended forward and thumb pointed up. "Receive lots of Tips, or in the Name of the Moon, we'll punish you!"

Hiro watched all of this and just barely managed to resist the urge to clap a palm to his forehead. "A fully choreographed rendition of Sailor Moon's taunt pose all mastered in under two weeks… I can't believe all of you would side with the Boss on this."

The young man from another world slumped as the girls cheered their victory before they clamored for the G-cyborg to live up to his part of the wager. After a few moments, Hiro raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright… I concede the victory to… to… ugh- mi Mademoiselle."

The innkeeper quivered happily as he cupped his face with his hands. "Très Bien."

We'll leave the G-cyborg in his attempt to avoid quivering himself and choose instead to explain more of the situation in detail: Immediately after Hiro arrived at the Inn, he had proved stubborn in his utter refusal to going along with the gag involving Scarron's 'cultured nickname.' At the same time, he was all too willing to share more and more of what had been stored upon his little miracle device with everyone at the Inn. Thus were these people the first in Halkeginia's history to be introduced to anime, TV shows, and animated visual media, in general, all at once in the form of Sailor Moon.

It hadn't taken much finagling to convince the innkeeper to let the young man from another world play a nightly episode after the workday was done 'for the benefit of the faeries,' not that he wasn't right there with them catching each recorded minute alongside the girls. Seeing a young girl be the heroine in such a flashy and revealing way, at least to their sensibilities, was a fantastic new concept to explore.

Hiro's problem began shortly one particular evening when Scarron had felt so moved by the lunar senshi's latest adventure that he'd jumped from his seat and struck a few credible poses from the show. To further annoy the young man from another world, the light from the two moons above chose that moment to shine in through a nearby window, shrouding the innkeeper in a mysterious aura that made all the girls clap and laugh in response.

The G-cyborg couldn't avoid commenting his displeasure at the display, which in turn got Jessica and Siesta to support their family member. One short argument between the three of them later, a wager had been set: two weeks from then, if Jessica and Siesta could convince every faerie to participate in a group pose during the daytime meeting, Hiro would accept the way of things and begin to play along with Scarron's 'uniqueness.' But if even one failed to keep in step or refused to join in, the innkeeper would agree to not act quite as matronly from now on. The young man from another world would be allowed to make his attempts during that time to convince any of the other girls against participating through little favors or debate. Neither side could outright bribe the faeries, and Hiro could not interfere with the practice sessions of the girls that chose to side with Jessica and Siesta.

But while the G-cyborg gave it his best effort to charm the other faeries to his side, in the end, all eleven young women had chosen to support Scarron. Hiro gave an exaggerated slump as he shuffled off to deal with his share of the heavy prep work alongside Mi Mademoiselle, who was proving graceful in victory. "You are a good man, Mon Ami, but if you are to understand a maiden's heart you must be less hard and rigid in your thinking, no?"

The young man from another world grinned back at Scarron as the pair moved into the cellar. "If I weren't the way I am, Boss, I wouldn't have survived the last two years intact."

At the far end of the dark confines of the storeroom were stacked casks of ale and wine racks filled with various vintages. The innkeeper directed the G-cyborg to move two large barrels back up to the kitchen and taproom while he began taking a quick inventory of the wines at the Inn's disposal. Hiro quickly complied, and soon the young man from another world squeezed back through the cellar door with a cask of ale held in each arm.

He quickly exchanged the barrels and moved the empty ones to the back alley to be broken down into kindling later on. Not an instant after he set the empty containers on the ground, a voice echoed across the alleyway. "So are you ready for tonight, big guy?"

The young man from another world smothered the grimace that formed on his face before turning towards the source of the voice. "Hello, Marlene…"

Marlene was one of the faeries in Scarron's employ. Currently, she was in her light blue frilly uniform that hugged her shapely form. Most of her long brown hair was bound in low hanging twintails leaving her bangs to frame her pretty face, dark green eyes, and a mischievous smirk. The faerie took note of the G-cyborg's less than warm expression on her face and made a showing of clasping her hands together in front of her, which coincidentally forced her arms to squeeze her breasts just right to give her cleavage a little visual boost.

But unlike most other times during the last 2 weeks, now Hiro's gaze never shifted from Marlene's eyes. The brunette pouted slightly before slinking towards the young man from another world. "Please don't be mad. I forgot that the presentation was today a-"

"Doesn't matter. We're done, and you can find a new star for your little side gig." The G-cyborg's tone was sober and cold, but his eyes were seething hot as he glared at his 'ex-partner.'

Marlene ignored Hiro's gaze as she took hold of his left arm and gently pressed it into her bosom. "Are you sure we can't… alter… the agreement slightly? It'll be so much more interesting than some silly bet."

Every other time in the last two weeks this bit had gotten a rise out of the young man from another world. This time, however, he merely let a loud snort escape his nostrils before he yanked his arm out of the faerie's grip and smoothly walked back into the Inn. Before the brunette could finish calling his name, the door thunked shut loudly behind him.

Hiro sighed to himself before heading back to the cellar. "Ah, brave new world… that has the same ol' people in it."

It was a shimmering translucent blue rectangle surrounded by a makeshift frame of pipes and wiring on an elevated platform. A basic aluminum ramp led up to the base of the azure aperture. All around the Bionet Agent were supplies and personnel that had already crossed the threshold from his world to this one. But the only thing Revan was able to focus on were the two young women that emerged from the portal. Seconds later, the blue field evaporated leaving its frame behind as the both of them walked towards the cyborg. If, in nature, it were possible for someone to achieve the ideal mixture of endowment, muscle tone, and symmetry these two were as close to it as could ever be found.

The first was a bit taller than the other, with waist-long raven hair bound into a tight bun behind her head, leaving two long bangs free in front. Her viridian eyes were sweeping around the room from behind a pair of simple round spectacles, taking in her surroundings before settling upon the Bionet Pilot. A small smile graced her lovely features, but her tone was all business as she spoke to him. "Greetings, Pilot Greywords. I assume there is a reason you have requisitioned a small army and the two of us in these ridiculous getups for such a simple operation?"

The ridiculous getups were, in fact, skintight matte black ultra-polymer membrane bodysuits underneath a powered exoframe with secondary defensive plating. A striking visual, even when one took into account how the armor seemed to only cover enough of the chest and lower torso to give the impression of a gunmetal grey thong bikini while also fully covering the arms and legs. Needless to say, Revan found the sight most enjoyable. "Those suits can no-sell practically all forms of small-arms fire while leaving you both agile enough to dodge the heavier stuff. What exactly do you have left to complain about, Honey?"

Honey crossed her arms under her chest and gave the Bionet Pilot a deadpan expression. "The membrane leaves nothing to the imagination, and somehow we were given the version of the warframe that came with platform heels of all things."

The cyborg made a show of scoffing openly at the accusation, even though the mirth could easily be heard in his voice. "I love how all your requisition malfunctions can be blamed on me. Here I am, going out of my way to ensure my girls are kept safe during this op, and I get nothing but complaints about how they look?!"

"Not from me, I loo~ve the feel of these suits, Daddy." The silky voice of Honey's shorter counterpart cut into the discussion as she sashayed past Revan's field of vision. Her complexion was fair to the point of pale, her violet eyes and a pretty face framed by her shoulder-length straight dark hair. The young woman made two more circuits around her counterpart and the cyborg, going slowly so that her audience had the biggest opportunity to take in her show of balance and grace. Afterward, she embraced Revan from the side and settled her chin on his right shoulder with a content sigh. "What do you think? I practiced walking in the tallest heels I could find for months to get the rhythm just right…"

The Bionet Pilot's vision clouded slightly before forcing cheer back into his tone. "L-looks great, Firefly. You really put a lot of effort into that."

"...you don't like it?" It was little more than a whisper from Firefly. But to the cyborg, it felt loud and painful to his senses. Revan turned to face her before muttering his reply.

"I don't like that you did all this for me, Hotaru."

Hotaru's mood quickly shifted to confusion as she tried puzzling out the vague reasoning from the Bionet Pilot. A moment later, the brightness returned to her eyes as she settled her head back into place on her Daddy's shoulder. "I don't mind giving my time to things like this if the result can make you happy." The young woman gave Revan's arm a comforting squeeze before speaking again. "After all, I belong to you. All of my time, all of myself, all for you."

The cyborg was silent for a few moments, before leaning towards Hotaru and gently kissing her forehead. "Firefly, I-"

The Bionet Pilot was cut off as a keening laugh cut through the air. "My, my, my~, such a lovely scene I have found. But this simply won't do…"

Sparks danced across a section of space in front of the trio, revealing a tall, lanky individual. It wore a tall, pointed black hat and matching scraggly coat that covered most of its body. The only area not included in the unusual ensemble was the face, which wore a bright white circular mask, decorated like a Jack-in-the-box. Though few could claim to know what was hidden under such a costume, the Bionet Pilot knew this one's identity well enough.

"Gimlet…"

The marionette man quietly laughed his grating laugh before giving a slight bow to the trio. "Monsieur. Mademoiselles. It is such a pleasure to work with you all once again."

"Like Hell you are! Technician, reopen the aperture. Mr. Gimlet isn't staying long." The shorter woman's face had twisted into the fullest expression of hate she could muster. This lent great speed to the portal operator's efforts until Revan spoke up. "Belay that order."

"WHAT?! Daddy, you can't be serious-"

The Bionet Pilot grabbed Hotaru's arm roughly and with a small application of pressure turned the rest of what she would have said into a short cry of pain. The cyborg then yanked the shorter woman closer until the two of them were all but nose-to-nose. "Supervisor Gimlet is here to ensure the Board's interests are held paramount during the Op. Furthermore, Agent Tomoe, you are in charge of the M2 Center, nothing else. If I hear you've attempted to circumvent the chain of command again, I will order you back to HQ that very second. Are. We. Clear?"

A part of Hotaru wanted to protest having the marionette man merely being in the same hemisphere as her, but it was entirely overruled by the greater whole knowing better than to challenge her Daddy openly once he took that tone. "Y-yes D...Sir. Yes, Sir, I understand completely. May I be excused to oversee the M2 Center's construction?"

Revan nodded once and let go of her arm. The shorter woman wasted little time vacating the chamber as the three of them watched on. The Bionet Pilot turned back toward the marionette man and bowed in his direction. "My deepest apologies for Agent Tomoe's outburst, Supervisor. If you wish, I'll personally see to any further discipline you deem appropriate."

Gimlet simply waved a taloned hand at the cyborg. "Non non, Monsieur. I am quite satisfied with your handling of the situation. It would not do to squeeze our little Firefly too harshly, hm?"

Revan directed Honey to wait for him at the Intelligence Hub of the facility before guiding the marionette man further into the base. "I trust you, and I don't need to have words in regards to my daughter while we are here?"

Gimlet seemed to glide along the floor while keeping in step with the Bionet Pilot. "Not unless you wish to reconsider my earlier proposal. Though I can easily understand why you might keep such a well-grown black rose all to yourself. How fortunate she is not yours by blood, oui?"

Two more months went by peacefully for the young man from another world. Hiro found his days both full and fulfilling with his work watching the taproom at night, and his days in town with the local blacksmith. The steelshaper had suffered his anvil falling upon his leg as the G-cyborg happened to pass by on an errand for Scarron. And before everyone's astonished faces, the smith's, most of all, Hiro had merely grabbed the wrought iron tool and hoisted it up as if it were a sack of grain.

By this time everyone in town more or less knew of the man with the rumored strength of ten, so the shock of the incident was quick to fade. But the master artisan was still quite impressed with Hiro's feat and offered his forge and tutelage to see if the young man from another world could do more than lift a heavy anvil. So, with Mi Mademoiselle's consent, the G-cyborg began to learn how to take raw ore and shape it into tools, weapons, and armor every morning. Progress was slow, but every day held some new exciting thing to learn for the young man from another world.

Hiro had just returned from his lessons when one of the faeries had mentioned a new girl had been brought in by Jessica. Privately, he hoped this one could fill the void left by Samantha moving back home a week ago; the former faerie had been genuinely gifted, and many regulars at the Inn were in a bit of a fugue as a result.

The young man from another world got as far as the saloon doors at the entrance before he caught sight of the newcomer and was halted in his tracks. The girl was shorter than hoped for and possessed a slender figure. The other faeries had already dressed her in a pure white version of the uniform, which paired well with her pale complexion. But it was her waist-long strawberry blonde hair, cute face and crimson eyes that indeed gave away her identity to the G-cyborg.

The innkeeper introduced the pinkette to the other girls that had already been assembled. "This, my dear fairies, is Louise, her father was ready to sell the poor dear to cover some horrendous gambling debts until she made her way here to the city. Please welcome her warmly."

The others, except Siesta, applauded as Louise stepped forward to speak, only to notice Hiro just inside the doorway. "What in Founder's name are you doing here?!"

The young man from another world stormed up to the noblewoman before crossing his arms in front and staring her in the eye. "That's my line, squirt. Is there a point to you being here or are you just trying to uproot me a second time?"

Chapter End.