Moving quickly to the nearby crafting table, Jesse was quick to place down all of the ingredients to make a pumpkin pie and a cake. With the sugar cane she'd randomly broken off earlier, and the egg that Reuben had brought her, Jesse had just enough to make both items. Cassie grinned when she saw both of them. "Oooh, they'll definitely be surprised," she grinned.

Jesse beamed back at her friend and moved towards the two YouTubers, who looked up at Jesse's approach.

"He said cake," and Jesse nodded at Stampy. "She said pie," and she indicated Stacy. "I said... why don't we have both!" And she pulled out both and brandished them both, beaming at the two YouTubers. Radar grinned as well, Cassie's smile fading as she casually sidled behind Jace to hide herself. Jace grinned at the two sweet items with his tail wagging, and Reuben hopped up and down a little bit.

"Oh, well–" Stampy took the cake with a delighted expression on his face, one that made a little warm feeling blossom in Jesse's stomach. "This is very surprising!"

"Yeah, that's awesome!" Stacy agreed cheerfully, grinning down at the pie Jesse had just handed her. "How'd you do that?"

"Found a couple extra ingredients around town," Jesse replied brightly to the two, "no big deal!"

Stampy's grin was practically splitting his face. "Well, that's fantastic, Jesse! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, this is perfect!"

Only ten minutes had passed before the two of them had set up a booth that read 'Cake and Pie'. Jesse, Reuben, Cassie, Radar, and Jace were allowed the first pieces as Stampy and Stacy got into place behind the booth. Jesse opted for a slice of pie, Reuben also opted for one (he pouted when Jesse cut his portion to a rather small one, but didn't complain), Cassie had just stood there awkwardly until Stampy offered her a slice of cake, and Jace had decided on cake.

(He might've asked for pie, but he was trying to set an example.)

Jesse finished the pie and high-fived the brunette, before going ahead and high-fiving Stampy as well. "Hey, this was great, but I gotta run. Petra's waiting," and she glanced over her shoulder at the mineshaft, "I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"

They waved as the entire group moved away, Cassie still finishing her cake off and Jace cramming the last bite into his mouth so that he looked like a chipmunk. "Byyyyyeeeee!" Stampy sing-songed cheerfully, Wink letting out a cheerful goodbye yap as they moved away.

"Well, we haven't seen Petra in a while," Jesse stretched with a warm smile on her face at the prospect of seeing Petra, all six arms cheerfully stretching out, "so this'll be fun."

The wolf hybrid mumbled something around his mouthful of cake, before swallowing the whole mouthful and wiping some of the frosting off his mouth. "Yeah, I can't wait to score more points against her!" Jace rubbed his hands together with a huge, slightly mischievous grin on his face, making Cassie grin at him.

"Is that all you care about, Jace?"

"Well, I've been looking forward to this all day."

"EEEEE!" Jesse jumped in surprise at the sudden squeal, while Reuben put his hands over his ears and winced– that had been very loud to his ears. They all swiveled in almost perfect unison to see a fangirl doing a little jump-dance in place, holding her hand up for a high-five. "Jesse! Jesse! Gimme five!"

The spider hybrid glanced at Cassie and Reuben, who both gave little shrugs, before giving a good-hearted nod and strolling over to the fangirl, slapping the fangirl's palm in a neat high-five. The fangirl's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and she let out another squeal as she did a hyperactive dance. "You high-fived me. ME! You totally made my day. You rock!"

And she ran away.

Jesse looked sheepishly over at her brother, her kid, her friend, and her intern. Cassie just gave her a mischievous grin and shrugged casually. "Hey, I'm not the one who saved the world from the Witherstorm."

"Agggh, I knew we shouldn't have told you about it. Now every Founding Day you just rub it in my face," Jesse sighed teasingly with a shake of her head, which made Cassie cackle.

"Here we are at the mines!" Radar announced as they drew level with the entrance, Jace running to the chest and throwing it open, rifling through and pulling out an old, dented set of iron armor. Jesse hid the smile threatening to split her face– Jace was really excited to score some points against Petra, wasn't he?

"Nice. Thanks for walking with us," Jesse told the 16-year-old cheerfully, reaching out with her lower arms and accepting the modified iron chestplate Jace had just handed her.

"Oh, no, thank YOU, Jesse," Radar said sincerely and very enthusiastically, which made Jesse shoot him a quizzical smile as she began to put the chestplate on. Jace handed Cassie a normal iron chestplate, making her grin and nod in thanks, while Reuben reached in and pulled out one of the smaller ones that Jesse had made for him. "It was a pleasure watching you work, it truly was," Radar elaborated when he spotted the curious look she was giving him. "Stopping to help all those people, helping them prepare for Founding Day... very inspiring."

Jesse smiled warmly back at him, before leaning over and helping Reuben tighten the straps on his armor, which made him let out a good-hearted whine. "I can do it myself," he told her.

"I know, but you do it a little loose and I don't want that rattling right off of ya." She gave him a gentle smile as she gave the straps one last tug.

"I'll, uh, keep watch on things here while you're gone," Radar spoke up, rubbing his head anxiously as he regarded the four of them. "Off... doing your adventure-y things." He paused for a moment. "Risking your lives..." Another pause. "Spitting in fate's eye..."

Jesse laughed, hopping back to her full height, which was not at all impressive. "Got all the faith in the world, buddy. You got this," she told him earnestly. "Besides, Jace, Reuben, and I are hybrids. We kinda, as you put it, 'spit in fate's eyes' all the time."

Radar gave a light little chuckle, his cheeks turning a darker, slightly embarrassed shade. "Thanks, Jesse. I won't let you down."

Jesse gave her intern a confident smile, the entire group beginning to descend into the mines. Reuben was dancing a few steps ahead, Jace was going a little ahead to keep him from going too far, Cassie was adjusting her long red hair as she marched after them, and Jesse was bringing up the rear, all six arms moving. She turned to face him, marching down the stairs backwards for a few paces. "Don't we always?" she called back up to him with a grin.


"Petra?" Jesse called out as she gently dusted her armor down, uppermost arms cupping around her mouth to amplify the call. Jace looked around, ears twitching eagerly, while Cassie kept an eye on Reuben, who was doing a little vibrating sort of dance like a Mexican jumping bean.

The only sound currently audible was the sound of pickaxes clinking repetitively into rock.

"She... did tell us to meet right here, right?" Jace asked, frowning a little as he glanced around.

"Yeah, definitely..." Cassie nodded in agreement, before cupping one hand around her mouth. "Petra?"

There was still no reply. Jesse frowned and moved a little deeper into the mines, green and red eyes gleaming in the dimness of the mines. "Where... are you?" she murmured, slightly bemused.

Instead of Petra, what came in response was the sound of a zombie's moans. Jesse's head snapped around to see four zombies approaching them, lurching and clawing their way towards the group unsteadily.

"AGH!" And all of them jumped a little bit, Cassie whipping out her axe and Jace drawing his sword with the sound of metal scraping on the sheathe.

"Stupid ffffff–" and Cassie's eyes widened and her lips were trapped in forming the 'f' shape for a moment when Jesse shot her a pointed glare and then flicked her eyes to Reuben. He was thirteen, but she did NOT need her thirteen year-old knowing a lot of swears at the moment. Cassie made a point of not cursing in front of kids, but with Jesse and Jace she felt so comfortable with it that she'd forgotten that she technically wasn't supposed to. "–ffffffffizzy zombies!" she finished.

Jesse yanked out her own iron sword, narrowing her eyes at the approaching zombies... before letting the glare fall into a big, relaxed grin. "Ahhh... I kinda missed this," she said, pleased.

Reuben dropped to all fours, while Cassie gave the spider hybrid a blank look. Jace just shrugged, smiling at his twin. He couldn't say the same, since he fought with mobs all the time during his weekly (sometimes monthly) commute to Beacontown, and since he sometimes went on adventures with Petra, and Cassie had less duties than Jesse so she was always going off on her own to do some mining or some fighting. Once, she'd brought back an enchanted bow and popped it onto Jesse's wall.

Yeah, she still hadn't said where she'd gotten from.

Jesse suddenly started coughing as the smell reached her. Jace made a little gagging sound, Reuben wrinkled his nose, and even Cassie made a little face as the stench of rotting flesh hit them. "Uh, smell– not so much," Jesse finished, sounding a little strained, before the four of them moved forward to engage the zombies.

Cassie twirled her axe casually, before making a single flick of the wrist and sending the zombie's head flying with a well-placed slice of the axe. A moment later, both exploded into smoke and dust simultaneously. The former White Pumpkin was really good with her axe– to the point where it was actually surprising.

Jace sidestepped as his zombie approached, before lunging at it and tackling the zombie to the floor. The moment its rotted head made contact with the floor, his sword went up into the air and the zombie got a taste of his sword– literally, because he smashed the sword right into its face and it vaporized a moment later.

Reuben dove over Jace, hands landing on the ground, before he used the forward momentum to launch himself into a little backflip, slamming his feet into the zombie's face and knocking it backwards. He took the opportunity to dive at its legs and deliver three hits to points on the leg that on a normal human would cause maximum discomfort, but in the case of the zombie caused it to actually topple over. He then raised his foot and slammed it right onto the zombie's head in an unelegant but highly effective stomp, and with a squishy crack the zombie dissolved into smoke.

Yep, training in him hand-to-hand combat had been a good idea.

Satisfied that the other three weren't having any problems, Jesse turned back around to face her own zombie, which had been steadily lurching towards her and groping the air to grab ahold of her. She strolled forward to meet it now and drew her arm back as far as it would go, before simply lunging forward and driving the blade straight into the zombie's chest. The tip of the sword went straight through the zombie's body, and a moment later a cloud of foul-smelling dust and smoke hit her face, nearly making the spider hybrid gag a little.

"Look at that," and Jesse blinked and shook her head a little, catching her breath, before turning to see who was speaking. "Punctual and kicking butt."

Jesse relaxed, sheathing her sword again and giving the speaker a broad grin. "Hey to you too, Petra."

The Blaze hybrid grinned at Jesse, gold eyes gleaming in the dimness. Her armor, a mix of her old outfit and of the armor that Ivor had created for her that was cobbled together somewhat haphazardly, seemed to glow in the dark, and her bandana had some gold thread decorating the edges now– a pet project that she and Ivor had both worked on one day while they were bored.

Before she could say anything, though, Jace stepped forward and slung an arm around Petra's shoulders with a pleasant grin. "Hey, Petra. Do you have a tan, or do you always look this hot?"

Petra grinned back, letting her eyes droop almost seductively in response. "Why don't we go somewhere by ourselves," she almost purred in response, gently tracing a line on his arm, "and I'll show you exactly how hot I am."

Jesse gasped audibly, covering Reuben's ears and making the pig hybrid let out a little "hey!" in complaint. "Petra! There are children present!" she exclaimed, sounding playfully offended.

Jace suddenly let his arm drop, dropping his eyes to the ground before Petra could reply to Jesse, a grin spreading across her face. "Petra..." he said, voice growing smaller.

Petra looked at him, blinking in surprise. He'd never done this before. "Uh– yeah?"

"I have to ask you something... since you're a Blaze hybrid and all..." Jace's shyer expression turned into a flirtatious one. "I'm scared of the dark, can you sleep with me?"

Petra's eyes widened a little, and a light blush dusted her cheeks. The moment it came on, she let out a gasp and clapped her hands over her cheeks, but the damage was done. Jace's flirtatious look turned into one of exultation. "Yes! One point for me!"

"Oh– you jerk," Petra grumbled, her blush growing slightly darker but not retaliating this time. Turning away from him with a blush and a huff, she gave the others a wry smile. "Hey, Reuben. Cassie." The smile faded a little as she nodded at Cassie, before widening a little at Jesse. "Jesse. Glad to see you remember how to use your sword. I was worried that you'd gotten rusty." And the Blaze hybrid strolled over to them, Jace following just behind and looking extremely pleased that he'd scored a point. "I can't even imagine that life. Managing people, signing papers... bleh." And Petra made a face before giving Jesse a good-hearted grin.

Jesse crossed all of her arms, giving Petra a warm smile. "I really do miss this. Y'know–" one of her middle arms gestured at the others, Jace giving a teasing smirk, Cassie shyly adjusting her long red hair, Reuben beaming at Petra cheerfully, "Us. Adventuring together, facing the unknown..." Her smile grew a little softer. "I wish we could do this more often."

Petra spoiled the moment a second later as she arched her eyebrows. "Except, I'm gonna have a hard time being seen with someone wearing such dingy armor." She reached out and rapped on the chestplate Jesse was wearing, making a hollow metallic clunk as she did so. "What is that? Iron?"

The spider hybrid rolled her green and red eyes at Petra. "I didn't want to dent the good stuff, so what?"

Cassie gave a light, slightly playful smirk as she gestured at the sword in Petra's hand. "And look who's talking with an iron sword," she teased, being extremely sure to keep her voice light and cheerful. "Where's your fancy gold one with all the enchantments?"

Reuben was perhaps one of the only people to notice the way Jace's expression changed to a more serious one, eyes widening the tiniest bit, before he glanced away as if checking for zombies. Petra's face fell into a more sheepish one a minute later as Jesse made a humming sound at that. "Hey, yeah... I can't remember the last time I saw you without it..."

"I... uh..." Petra bit her lip slightly as she sheepishly reached up to rub her head.

"Uh, sorry to spoil the reunion," Jace spoke up suddenly, making all of them glance at him, "but, zombies." And he pointed at a small army of zombies that was approaching.

"... oh joy."


A/N: Yaaaaay xD

But hey, Petra's finally in the story! ( y)

Also, by the way, Dan was in the story last chapter by accident... yeah, it was Stacy or Stampy, not Dan. Typo. My bad. xD

Replies to the reviews!

LunarTheMooncake: Yes you do xD

ShiningHopeBeast: Yay! / Oh, whoops, didn't see that.

TheAmberShadow: Whooops– I'm so sorry, I didn't notice that! / Oh yeah, haha. xD / Yeah, I love that part! / Yes, I know. I just wanted to meet with Petra on time. xD / Cool :3

AquaK13: He can certainly flirt, though xD / Oh, that would be interesting xD / Yeee :3 / Yeah, Reuben may or may not kick Romeo in the nuts for that later on xD / I love cookies too xD / Yeah, but it was a typo xD

J.M.M.: Yes, re-read it if you don't believe me.

Toon Moon: LMAO really? xD

x.X. A.L. X.x