Samus: Sounds good

Ganon: Give us the details when you can

Samus stared at the messages sent a few weeks ago. Bowser hadn't responded, not that she expected him to since he had clearly stated he wasn't interested in any "spy work" as he put it. They hadn't spoken much since their altercation in the dining room, with their only conversations being whenever they asked if the other had heard anything from Kaitlin, which was always a no, and when they handed Leaf off between each other. Speaking of…

"Push," Samus instructed flatly. Leaf had spent the last five seconds trying to get up from her squat. When she finally stood upright, Samus grabbed the bar with one hand and tossed it back onto the rack. When Leaf gave an annoyed look she asked, "What's wrong?"

"You," she answered bluntly. "You and your insane muscles tossing that much weight around like it's paper."

"We've been over this a half dozen times."

"Yeah, yeah I know." She sat down on a nearby bench, dripping in sweat. "Accept who I am, be the best version of me I can be, etcetera, etcetera…"

Samus tossed Leaf her water bottle. "You make it sound so unimportant."

Leaf took a few swigs and sighed. "I hardly have any idea what my 'best' is supposed to look like."

"Well, what do you know?"

"Fox gave me the idea of working with my Pokémon to clear obstacles at the high ropes course, but beyond that, I haven't a clue how else I'm supposed to use them like that."

Samus thought about it for a moment while Leaf recovered. "Go get Ivysaur," she said.

"Huh? Okay…" Leaf jogged to the front of the gym and stuck her head out the door to call Ivysaur in. The grass Pokémon waddled with Leaf back to the power racks.

"I'm gonna teach you how to spot," Samus told it. She felt ridiculous speaking to one of Leaf and Red's Pokémon. It didn't feel the same as interacting with Pikachu or Incineroar, but if those two had been doing it daily for years then it couldn't be too weird.

And so for Leaf's next few sets, Samus instructed Ivysaur where to hold its vines so that it could catch her at a moment's notice. At first, Ivysaur was far too nervous about dropping Leaf and would grab her and the weight at a moment's hesitation. Only after a few premature reactions did it begin to get a proper idea of Leaf's physical limits.

"What's this supposed to do?" Leaf gasped after her last set. Ivysaur smoothly moved the bar off her back and to the rack.

"It gives you a little independence," said Samus. "Now you don't need Bowser, me, or anyone else to spot you. So long as you've got Ivysaur around, you're good to go."

"Why can't we just have some drones do that?"

"There are a few emergency ones on standby if something extreme were to happen, but it would be difficult to have four dozen sets of drones in here along with everyone else." Samus looked around. "Where is Bowser, anyway? He's supposed to be taking over right now."

"Are you two back to talking again?" Leaf asked.

"What? Who told you that we weren't?"

"Oh, honestly, you're as bad as Fox," Leaf grumbled.

"I'm filling in for Bowser today," someone growled behind them. The hair on Samus's neck stood up and she spun around a little faster than was necessary. Wolf was waiting for them just beyond the power racks. "Keep your head on, it's just me."

"Why are you filling in?"

"Again with the questions."

Samus gave an annoyed sigh. "She just did legs, so make sure she doesn't sit in one place too long and let her stretch."

"Bowser said that he was too busy, so he's sending me in his place."

Wolf gave Samus a very direct and intentional look as he said this. She picked up the double meaning instantly. If she was being honest, which she hated when complimenting someone like Wolf, it was an impressive play on words. Maybe that's why Bowser had picked him to take his invitation to Kaitlin's party. Brute force and intimidation didn't sound like they were going to be much use wherever they were going.

Samus pulled her phone back out to look at the messages again. She had been uncomfortable about this since Kaitlin announced it. There were few details about what they were going to do, so few that she wondered if Kaitlin herself even had a plan. She might be more adaptable than someone like Fox was when things got dicey, but that was because some of the remaining options included shooting and punching her way out with a power suit on. An evening dress wasn't going to provide the same capabilities.

The party Kaitlin had mentioned was the weekend after next. It was a socialite event downtown where many prominent figures would be gathering for some entertainment and networking. Being superstars of the biggest sporting event around, they would be ushered in the moment they were spotted.

Given the type of party and what Kaitlin was after, they figured some board members would be in attendance. Any of them would be instantly recognized by a board member of the company they belonged to, so listening to any side conversations they may have would be a challenge.

It wasn't until that weekend, a week before the party, that Kaitlin sent them a follow-up message.

Kaitlin: Chauffeur set to pick you up at 7. You should be let in without a problem. I let someone there know, so you won't be gatecrashing. Dress like you did when we met last.

Frustrated, Samus was about to type out a response asking what the heck they were supposed to be doing there when another message appeared immediately, followed by two images.

Kaitlin: There are going to be two people there you need to find. One of them is a member of the board, Catherine Barr. She was the one Ganon saw harassing Alex. You probably know who she is, but I sent a picture anyway. The second is Adam Sellar. He's been the main reporter at Laurissa who's been dropping bombshells on us the past few months. If these two talk at any time, I need to know what they're saying.

Ganon: That's it? Just hang around to see if these two interact?

Kaitlin: Unfortunately, yes. All my ideas keep going back to these two. Any kind of discussion between the two could happen without warning and be very brief. As for how you're going to make that happen, I'm totally dependent on your abilities.

Samus felt a little deflated. Hanging around a foreign environment to eavesdrop on a conversation that may or may not happen, could happen at any moment across several hours, be over within a minute, and may or may not be even relevant in the end wasn't promising.

One more message popped up.

Wolf: It'll get done.

Samus raised an eyebrow. At least one of them was confident.

"What're you up to?"

Samus looked from her egg chair to the armchair across the café. This was a smaller area attached to the dining room that provided a cozier atmosphere and experienced upticks in activity during the autumn and winter months. The entire place was fully automatic, with all their orders prepared via voice command at the empty counter. Corra was sitting nearby her far in the back, closest to the electric fireplace.

"Existential crisis. Crippling fear of helplessness."

"Riveting," Corra replied, sounding anything but. She hadn't picked her head up to talk to Samus and was lazily turning a page from her book.

"You sound so interested." Samus tossed back.

"Everyone's having an existential crisis these days. Robin is borderline delirious trying to strategize ways out of this. If she goes after Zelda with any more crazy ideas she might just chuck her out the window."

"I didn't realize she was trying so hard to come up with something."

Corra shrugged. "We all are, aren't we? It's just the ones who spent so much time in their worlds strategizing that are really freaking out about not being able to figure this out."

Samus put down her phone. "Aren't you one of those?"

"I've never been good at navigating big challenges," she said, holding her hand and coffee out to her sides in dramatic symbolism. "I've just been giving advice wherever I can."

Samus looked out the window and Corra continued reading. Every conversation she had recently seemed to end up revolving around hearing what others were doing to try and help Hand and Zelda, but with how big the complex was, how busy they were, and their constant professional demands, she didn't get to hear much about it.

"I feel like we haven't talked much," Samus said.

Corra brought her head up this time. "Hm? You and I? Not really, no."

"Even though we live on the same floor now."

"That's kinda how it goes here, doesn't it? There are so many of us, everyone kinda just hangs out with their niche. You're with the Big Eight, and I'm with a lot of newbies and people from my world."

"I definitely do not hang out with those weirdos."

"Yeah, you're right, I guess you've always been a bit of a loner."

Samus shook her head a little and looked at Corra indignantly. It took Corra a moment to realize what she had said and almost spit out her coffee.

"I just meant, not like in a bad way-," she gasped trying to make excuses while dealing with a burnt throat and waving her free hand. "Like, you just seem-…you're independent and-…ugh, there's no good way of getting out of this, is there?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, it just sorta slipped-."

"But you're not wrong."

Corra froze mid-apology. "Huh?"

"I don't hang out with a lot of people, even those I've been around for years. It's just not something I do instinctively."

She looked down at her feet. What a sad thing she must look like, acting melancholic about her lack of friends when the whole place was burning down.

"You need allies."

Samus's head perked up, feeling a heavy sense of deja vu. "Say what?"

"You need allies. Allies, friends, partners, you need them. Everyone does. Having that mutual trust, it comes in handy. Even if you're a genius, or a perfectly trained super-solider with a power suit that can take down giant monsters on her own, you'll eventually run into problems you can't solve by yourself. That's what friends are for. They help you, you help them, and together we trudge through this hellish plane of existence."

"Hellish plane of existence?" Samus repeated. "Bit dramatic, isn't it?"

"If I have to hear Sonic say 'Gotta go fast' through the bathroom wall in the gym locker rooms one more time I will run my sword straight through it and shove it-…w-what?" She tried to maintain her composure, but Samus's burst of laughter caused her to start giggling out of control. "O-okay. Maybe…maybe I'm being a…a bit melodramatic, but…but you cannot say it's not annoying and uncomfortable as hell!"

At seven o'clock sharp, Kaitlin's foretold chauffeur arrived in front of the complex, just beyond Hand's rigid boundary of metal gates and dense tree line.

Samus looked her partners in crime up and down.

"Okay, I'll concede, you two definitely know how to dress."

Wolf put his paws up, "Did you doubt that we couldn't? We're not like those other brutes."

"For you? At best I was expecting black on black on black."

"No sense of imagination," Wolf sighed. He was in a white blazer with jade-colored trim and a matching tie and shirt. His pants were of the same style, and his white dress shoes had green laces. Where in all the worlds he acquired this, she hadn't the slightest clue. Ganon was back in his traditional dark military attire. Sharp, but not edgy.

The vehicle was roomy enough for them to stretch out. There was even a built-in mirror at the back where Samus could double-check her hair and makeup.

"I could say the same about you," said Wolf once they were up in the air. "Makeup professional?"

"I wasn't until Peach first showed up at the complex. I lasted about six hours before she realized I wasn't wearing any and dragged me down that hole."

Not taking any kind of transit meant they were landing softly in front of the entrance to their destination in a matter of minutes. They could see a red carpet just outside their tinted windows.

"Should we get out?" Samus asked.

"If this the kind of place I think it is, we should wait for them to open the door for us," said Wolf.

No sooner had he finished his sentence that the door was opened up by their chauffeur.

"Wait," said Wolf, grabbing Samus's wrist when she tried to leave. "Let us go first."

"Erm, okay," said Samus. Her questions were answered when he and Ganon had exited and Wolf's paw reappeared in the door frame. Slightly annoyed, but not wanting to cause a scene, she took it.

"You know this isn't my style," she muttered to him once she was out of the car and had his arm. The door was closed behind them and the vehicle took off.

"This isn't the complex," said Wolf. "Our style isn't going to work here. Come with me." Samus allowed herself to be led by Wolf and Ganon obediently followed.

They were deep downtown near the top of one of the many skyscrapers around. The design made it feel like they were at ground level in a mid-sized town, just them and some other guests in a full-sized garden with the open sky above, but over the moss-covered walls was a precipitous two-hundred-floor drop.

"Time to test Kaitlin's assumption," said Wolf. They marched through the garden towards the entrance, but they hadn't reached halfway when someone called out to them.

"Wolf? Samus? Ganon? What a lovely surprise to see you three here!"

They turned, and Samus's heart went straight into her throat. It was Catherine Barr, the very person they came to spy on. She was in a modest dress with a large hat that made it hard to see her face unless she looked straight up at them. Great, so lip reading is going to be out of the question, Samus thought.

Wolf didn't give away as much as a twitch when he saw her. In fact, he had his paw extended the moment she finished speaking. "And you, too, Mrs. Barr."

"But, what are you all doing here? I've never seen any of the champions outside the complex other than for personal excursions, let alone an event!"

"Special invitation," Wolf answered with a slight smile. "Also, Hand figured it'd do us some good to get some air given the…extraneous situations going on."

"Well that makes him right for once," said Catherine, the sweetness in her voice vaporizing. "There are too many of you couped up in that place all the time."

Samus had to exert extreme self-control to not glance at the other two. This time, she could feel Wolf tense up a little through his arm.

Catherine shook her head. "Anyway, I do hope you enjoy yourselves. Ganon, looking sharp and clean as always."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ganon said with a slight nod. "You look lovely as well."

Samus was now fully focused on not throwing either of them incredulous looks. Where the hell were these charming and suave attitudes coming from? And to the person they were here to spy on, no less! She was so bewildered that she barely heard Catherine say, "And Samus, lovely dress! You look radiant tonight."

"I-uh, yes. Thank you…ma'am," she managed to stumble out.

"I'll see you around." She departed with a little wave and made her way into the building.

"I-uh, yes?" Wolf hissed next to her.

"Do not get me started with you," Samus threw back.

They resumed their march to the entrance, hoping to get inside before any more surprises were thrown at them. When they reached the front of the line and met the host, he threw his head back and laughed.

"My goodness! I had been told you three might show up, but I hardly believed it would happen! Come in! I'll announce your arrival! I'm Geoffrey, by the way, very glad to meet you!"

Great, Samus thought while wearing a smile, the opposite of what we needed, the entire place watching us.

Geoffrey, a stereotypically large and cheery man who was the spitting image of who Samus imagined would be hosting an event like this, walked them in.

As a member of the Big Eight, Samus had been at the complex since its inception. Back then, when it was just the eight of them, they all had a private room on the same floor on the ground level of the complex. In fact, the entire complex was a single floor. Hand was always thinking of function over form, and it resulted in some uninspired living spaces. It wasn't until he hired Isabelle years later that the place finally started to gain some charm, but even then, Isabelle was constrained to Hand's tolerance. Getting something like the café installed was baptism by fire for their working relationship when Isabelle insisted there needed to be some kind of rest and social place outside of the dining room. Hand figured the dining room already served this purpose but eventually gave in to Isabelle's relentless determination. It has since served as the sole place of luxury. All bedrooms were standardized, mostly due to Hand not wanting to show any kind of bias, and all customization had to be done by their tenants on their own time and budget. Only repairs were covered by the company. Grandiose was not part of the design.

So when they walked into the building and were blinded by gilded walls casting shattered beams of light into their eyes, it took a moment to reorient themselves.

"Everyone! We have some very special guests tonight! We've been joined by three champion fighters!" There was a resounding "Ooooh!" in response. "Please welcome with me, Wolf, Ganon, and Samus!"

Samus waved with the others, but she wasn't looking at the crowd. Despite them all being dressed to kill, what had stolen her gaze was the overwhelming opulence. Stained wooden railings adorned with red and gold rope streaming down their sides. The stairs were covered with thick red carpet. Huge, silver chandeliers hung from brass chains bolted to a glass ceiling three times higher than normal. The walls had pillars of marble sticking halfway out of them with fragmented streaks of gold streaking across their surfaces. Windows stretching halfway up the walls were interspaced between the pillars, offering views of the garden outside. The foyer they were standing upon overlooked the grandeur and had two sets of stairs on either side curving down to the main hall.

"How does this place not collapse on the rest of the skyscraper?" Samus wondered, trying to remind herself that they were about two hundred floors up.

"It is a lot," said Wolf. Even he looked impressed. "You can be free now, by the way," he added, indicating his arm.

"You know, I think I'm good," Samus breathed.

"Suit yourself. We need to mingle, otherwise, we'll look suspicious."

It took about three minutes for them to get separated from Ganon. A circle of older men had dragged him into their conversation while a group of younger couples, some of who were still teenagers, surrounded Wolf and Samus. Several conversations later and they were halfway across the room from each other and could only communicate via phone, which they had to restrict their use of to not appear as rude and possibly by extension suspicious.

Samus wasn't looking for Catherine or this Adam person, though. She was preoccupied with these teenagers who had swarmed them. Here they were, not even adults yet, and they were playing around at an event for the elites like it was just any other weekend. How nice it must be, to have so much security at that age. No childhood trauma, no dreaded feeling of being hunted, no overwhelming duty or maddening drive to action. They were just hanging out with their friends, two hundred floors in the air, wearing every bit of fashionable clothing they could want, lives bursting with potential, talent, health, and connections.

"Excuse us for just a moment," said Wolf. He wrapped his arm around Samus's hand a little tighter and dragged her away from the group of babbling teenagers. He found an open spot along the wall near one of the marble pillars and, very smoothly, swung her around and put her back up to it. However, with how much it startled her to be pushed and pulled around by anyone (she hated being grabbed in matches), he might as well have thrown her into the marble.

"Would you cut that out? I know this isn't the complex, but-."

"Get your head screwed on straight."

Samus paused to stare at Wolf incredulously. Usually, Wolf didn't act as if he could be bothered the slightest about anyone else's problems, but now he was getting worked up over her mental state? Samus was one of the Big Eight least likely to pull rank, but even she was feeling offended by his lack of regard.

"My head is on just fine-," she started to fume, but Wolf wasn't buying any of it.

"I can see in someone's eyes and body language when they're about to choke, and you're throwing off every red flag in the book."

"Choke? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Choking. Screwing up. Failing when someone needs you most. We're trying to execute something difficult here and you've already checked out."

Samus wanted to shove him backward, preferably onto the ground or maybe halfway across the room depending on what would satisfy her the most, but all she could do without drawing too much attention was snap her hand up to his collar. "Let me guess, Bowser warned you about me not being cooperative with you guys, or something to that effect."

Wolf wasn't phased in the slightest by Samus's grab. "Maybe he did. I couldn't give a damn what he said. If you help us out, I'll tell him to shove it when I get back. I don't make opinions based on what someone else told me. That kind of thinking just makes someone easy to use. Right now, I'm saying you look like someone that's going to fold over the second you get pressured. Those are the kind of people I cut loose as soon as possible."

"I have handled plenty of pressure in my life, probably even more than you have."

"I know."

To this, Samus had no response. She had put up so many defenses that when Wolf threw out this verbal hand of sympathy, she didn't know how to properly react. It shattered the idea of what she thought Wolf was doing. She let go of his collar.

"I know you can handle more pressure than just about anyone I've ever known," he said, fixing his shirt. "That's exactly why I'm telling you to get your damn head screwed back on."

Samus's defensive formations were still reeling with such force that the only thing she could blurt out was, "Are you coaching me?"

Wolf eye-rolled so hard he appeared to be fainting. He was saved by his phone buzzing in his pocket. At the same time, the watch on Samus's arm lit up.

Ganon: Found that Adam guy. He's lurking around the opposite wall from where you guys are. He keeps meandering from group to group.

"Shall we?" Wolf asked with a sarcastic regal tone, gesturing towards the crowd center.

"I'm not taking your arm again."

"That is completely fine with me."

Keeping track of Adam was a hassle with how often he moved between conversations. As a reporter, they expected him to have a range of contacts, but it felt like he knew half the guests. Each time he changed groups they had to risk suspicion to keep an eye on him. Even more difficult was doing this while also interacting with all the people that kept swarming them.

And then the violinist started to play.

Are you serious, was all Samus could think when the music began to flow through the crowd, cutting off the sound of nearby conversations. It was beautiful, cold and clear like the air outside right now, but it wasn't what they needed to be able to hear.

She had separated from Wolf, and the three of them were in a kind of triangle formation around Adam, slowly encircling him as he moved around. It was Wolf's idea, but Samus and Ganon were having difficulty keeping up with the rotation. Each time Adam moved out of sight they had to waste time trying to come up with an excuse to leave their current conversation.

They received another message and had to remove themselves from their conversations once more. It took several attempts and lots of forced smiling from Samus to separate herself from a mixture of fans and businessmen and women and check her watch.

Kaitlin: Anything so far? Have you been able to find Adam and Barr?

Ganon: Barr was easy. We ran into her outside and she's got a huge hat on. Adam has been more of a pain.

Wolf: I've got Adam. You guys just keep Barr in sight and tell me if she moves.

Samus was happy to switch to watching Catherine Barr, who had stayed in the same spot for most of the evening since most people were coming to her to talk. Now she didn't have to keep coming up with excuses to leave conversations. Adam, meanwhile, quickly left her sight.

"Gets around, doesn't he?" she muttered to herself.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

Samus blinked. A middle-aged couple was beaming at them alongside two teenage children and a few other young adults.

"No, sorry, was just thinking aloud."

She wasn't worried about offending anyone, because it didn't seem that she could. Everyone that gathered around her wanted to hang onto every word she spoke like she was some kind of prophet, and when she wasn't speaking they were vying for control of her attention. It was all exhausting, and she thought longingly of her room back at the complex, or even the café, where at least the people there didn't want to crowd her and she could cuddle up with a warm drink and sweatpants, not being laden with tiny glasses of alcohol in a stuffy room.

This was the first time she had ever been left on her own with a crowd of strangers since coming to the complex eons ago. Hand had always restricted their outside interaction to scheduled appearances and protected environments. It wasn't for their physical safety. In fact, physical safety was probably at the bottom of the list of his concerns given the three of them here could fight this entire room simultaneously and still win. What Samus had gathered over the years was that Hand felt they were at risk of being used. How anyone planned to use a champion, someone that had a great deal of physical autonomy with all their unique capabilities, was beyond her, but it had been a mainstay of Hand's guidelines since the beginning.

"I certainly didn't expect to run into a champion here."

Samus turned around expecting to see another adoring fan, or maybe an aspiring office worker looking to score a huge connection. Instead, her response was lodged in her throat when she looked up and saw the same face she had seen in the message sent by Kaitlin.

"I'm Adam, I cover the champions over at Laurissa." He extended his hand.

"I know," Samus said without thinking.

"You do?"

"I uh…yeah. I…I read some of your pieces in the news," she said. It was a bald-faced lie, because she usually got her news from others in the complex, and even when she did read something first hand she certainly never bothered looking for the author. The only reason she had reached for this lifeline was because of the information Kaitlin had given them beforehand.

Her snap decision was good enough for Adam, who looked a little taken aback. "Ah, yes, I guess I should apologize for some of those. I'm just doing my job, really. I don't mean anything by them."

"They have been pretty brutal," Samus replied, folding one arm across her body to prop up the other one holding her drink. While he fumbled his half-apology, she noticed out the corner of her eye that Wolf was watching them from two conversation circles over.

Adam was looking quite uncomfortable already, and she noticed his eyes already darting elsewhere, looking for an escape. She gave a little sigh. If she was on her own and wanted to let Wolf know she wasn't going to choke anything, she might as well dive into this act headfirst.

Don't bring up business until you've finished eating. Samus reiterated Kaitlin's words in her head. This wasn't dinner, but she had an idea of what "eating" was in this context.

"So, how did you get invited here? It feels like an exclusive party," she asked.

Adam's eyes stopped looking for an escape and refocused on her. "I have a handful of connections. Getting into events like this is less a matter of popularity and more doing my job."

"You know a few people here then? We've been pretty lost this whole time just bouncing around."

"Of course. The host, Geoffrey Torrens, he's an executive officer at Colombia Pictures, they're a major movie and show company. He always likes throwing parties like this. Tori Solas and Adela Aria are meandering around somewhere. They're the two girls that wrote that piece on Leaf that got her so much attention. I'm surprised they haven't come after you three yet, but I guess they're just biding their time. Then there's Catherine Barr, who I'm sure you know about."

Samus worked hard to appear not too interested. "Yeah, I've run into her a few times over the years."

"But why are you here? I'm sure it's no problem for a champion to walk into a place like this, but Hand is typically far more restrictive about where you guys can go outside the complex."

"Given everything that's going on, he approved when we said we needed some social time and fresh air." It was a half-truth. Hand did indeed approve their request to take time off to get some relaxation, but they made no mention of where they were actually going. "He is normally pretty strict on letting us do anything like this, though. Catherine was complaining about how couped up we are all."

"It's not a bad idea, honestly, keeping you safe," Adam said. His voice had become a little quieter. Samus's eyes narrowed. They were finished eating.

"What do you mean?"

Adam checked his surroundings before continuing. "Do you know why they play the violin all the time that loud?"

Samus shrugged, "Because it sounds pretty?"

Adam shook his head, "No. I mean, yes, it does sound lovely, but, many people wouldn't want to show up without it, or at least something like it. You see, it drowns out the noise of nearby conversations."

Samus stared at Adam for a few seconds. "You mean they're preventing people from being overheard?" Adam gave a little nod. "But, why would they need to risk that at all? Couldn't they just send messages to and from their offices if they needed to hide something?"

Adam stepped in a bit closer. "The problem with digital messages is you never know who might have hacked into your system, or have a line tapped. There always might be someone listening, and devices can be stolen. Setting up one-on-one meetings can be extremely suspicious if spotted, and it leaves an obvious trail. But a party? No one is going to question why you're talking with someone at a party. It's invitation only, so everyone here is likely guilty of doing the same thing. Throw in some loud music so that nothing is overheard by accident, and you've got a place safer than anywhere else to talk about something off the record. Of course, there's a little bit of arrogance involved, but just look around and you'll see that in abundance."

She looked at him, skeptical. "You're pulling my leg. This sounds like some crazy conspiracy."

"Not everyone is having conversations like that all the time. The majority here are probably just having a good time. And the children aren't involved, obviously. They're just happy to roam around and role-play as adults, damn brats."

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"It's my job. I'm fully aware that I'm in with a pile of snakes right now."

"I'm hurt," Samus said with dull sarcasm.

"I wouldn't dare compare a champion to the likes of these people."

His eyes had gone back to darting around nervously. The violin was indeed doing a good job muffling his words from anyone that wasn't directly in front of him like she was, but he still seemed to think someone might be listening. Then, right on cue as she was looking for a way to maybe coax some information about Catherine from him, she noticed Wolf had left his post and was headed towards him.

"And here comes dessert," she muttered under her breath.

"Sorry, what?" Adam asked, still distracted by his glancing around.

"Nothing," Samus blurted, thankful he couldn't see how red she had gone once she realized how bad that sounded without context.

"How're you doing?" said Wolf.

"Alright."

"Wolf! Good to meet you! Adam Sellar, from Laurissa." Adam threw his hand out the moment he spotted him. Once more his shoulders relaxed and he stopped looking around nervously.

"You too," he replied, taking it. "Don't let me intrude. I'm just here to let Samus know I'm headed outside for a bit." He leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Ganon said Barr went outside, so it'll be easier to just watch her there and wait."

"I'll let you know if he comes out," Samus muttered back. "But you gotta figure out how to listen in if they meet."

Adam had politely tuned out and was looking around absentmindedly until they had finished speaking. He seemed to understand fully that he wasn't meant to hear anything, and he looked perfectly content with that. Wolf nodded and left to head back outside.

"You seem to get along well," he noted.

"Tolerate, more like," said Samus.

"Are you worried about any of them having to leave?"

Samus gave Adam a narrow look. "Should I?"

To that, Adam only gave a small tilt of his head and answered, "It's easy to have a whole year where nothing happens, and then a day where a whole year happens." He held his hand out once more to Samus. "I hope I'll get to see you again after this whole mess is over."

"Likewise," said Samus halfheartedly. He was plenty courteous, but something about this guy just put her on edge. He departed in the direction of the front doors.

The moment he was out of direct sight, she pulled up her watch and softly spoke a message to the others. "Adam knows Barr, he definitely knows something is about to happen, and he's about to head outside."

Kaitlin: Knows something is about to happen? What do you mean?

Samus: He said something about a year happening within a day.

Ganon: He's outside where Barr is now, but they haven't talked to each other.

Wolf: They will. They've made eye contact three times already. Adam is circling her.

Kaitlin: Is Barr avoiding him?

Wolf: No, they're just biding their time. Their interaction needs to look incidental. Can't imagine it would look normal to have a big reporter hunting down a board member.

Samus walked back outside into the garden. It was cold, and her breath fogged up in front of her. Several space heaters with flames shooting out of them like pillars were scattered around the place. Finding Catherine was easy with her hat, but Samus was once again swarmed by a few admirers.

Samus: I don't know how we're supposed to get close to them to listen.

Wolf: Just leave that to me.

A few minutes later, Adam finally moved in on Catherine's position. There was a brief moment where they exchanged peasantries and Catherine introduced him to a few people she had been talking with. Then, Catherine detached from her conversation with Adam and moved next to a tall bush.

Samus started to panic some, but, to her amazement, she saw Wolf talking with someone directly on the other side of the bush, just out of their sight. He hadn't just moved right next to where Catherine and Adam had taken their private conversation, he was there before they had even started to make their way over. Still, he was stuck talking with someone. Even if he had predicted they would eventually come to him, how was he going to focus on eavesdropping?

Samus: Wolf, they're right next to you behind that bush. Can you hear them?

She glanced back at him between the people in front of her. It was no good, Wolf didn't even have his phone out. "C'mon, I know you can feel your phone vibrating in your pocket," she whispered desperately.

Then her watch buzzed.

Wolf: He's asking about something regarding an article he wrote a month or two ago.

Samus looked back at Wolf. He was still talking to the gentleman in front of him. How did he…?

Then she saw that the hand in his left pocket was making subtle, continuous motions, and the messages started to come in bursts.

Wolf: He's tense. Something about hurting his reputation. Didn't hold up her end of the deal. She doesn't sound bothered. Says it's trivial. Won't matter soon. Far bigger stories in the next few weeks. Plenty of opportunity then. Just keep quiet. Just keep doing as told.

Samus couldn't help but keep checking her watch frantically. Each message was driving her anxiety higher. What was going on?

Kaitlin: Wait. She was involved with the story about the low attendance? Did they explain anything more about that?

Ganon: He can't see our messages. He's typing from his pocket. I'll try to get him.

Samus saw Ganon slip into view of Wolf, and he gave a few hand signals. Wolf hardly glanced at him in acknowledgment. He then pulled his phone out to show the man he was speaking with something on it. After the man laughed, he read the message before putting it back into his pocket.

Wolf: She was supposed to do something. Help give him a story. It fell through. Embarrassed him. She doesn't care. She wants him to stop by. Discuss more later at her place. Too risky here.

And with that, Adam marched away from Catherine and left the party immediately. She detached herself from her conversation to meet up with Wolf. Ganon had been absorbed by the crowd again.

"How did you-," Samus started.

"Have you seen my ears?" said Wolf. "Overhearing someone on the other side of a bush is easy. As for the typing in my pocket, well, I'm good."

"So, is that it?" she asked. "It sounded like we got the information Kaitlin wanted to hear."

"I'm not so sure," said Wolf.

Kaitlin: This is huge, but unfortunately an overheard conversation won't be enough to stop them. We'd need proof.

Wolf: What would be the best way to do that?

Kaitlin: Short of outright stealing her stuff? I'm not sure. It'll take a lot of digging. I don't even know where she lives, so it's hard to tail her. If I can catch her conspiring with Adam to sabotage the company…

Kaitlin: You guys can either stay there or go home now. You've been a big help.

"Ugh, I'm ready to go home, honestly," said Samus.

"Not quite," said Wolf.

"What else could we possibly need to do?"

"Follow me."

Samus took his arm. They walked back over to Catherine.

"Mrs. Barr," Wolf announced.

"Oh! Hello, you two! Have you been enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes, ma'am, but we're going to head home now. This has been quite a lot for one evening."

"That's a shame, but you really have been surrounded since you got here, haven't you? It's a complete disappointment Hand doesn't let you out more."

"Well, maybe sometime soon."

"Don't leave just yet! Come, let's take a picture together. You all look so special tonight."

"Of course."

They scrambled around for a few seconds as one of the onlookers took Catherine's phone and began lining them up for a picture.

"Move right," Wolf muttered to Samus.

"Hm-hey!" she whispered. Wolf had just shoved her aside to put himself between her and Catherine.

"Smile everyone!"

Once they had left for the landing pad at the edge of the garden and were waiting on Ganon so they could head home, Samus turned on Wolf. "What was that all about? Why did you shove me?"

Wolf pulled out his phone and showed her a map on it. It was of the downtown area they had just left, and right where the party was being held, out in the garden where they had taken their picture with Catherine, there was a bright red dot.

Samus looked up at Wolf. "You really are a villain."

"Speaking of," said Wolf, looking back at his phone, "where is Ganon…ah."

Ganon: Trying to leave. These two girls won't stop pestering me for questions.