Author's Note: Happy one-year anniversary for the English release of Dual Destinies! How could I not update today?

It's clear that none of us know how to respond. Simon takes it as an invitation to step in, which opens the door for Athena to charge past him.

"Well, it's good to see all of you doing okay. And you found Jinxie, too!" She clasps her hands together next to her head. "How are you, Jinxie?"

Jinxie lowers the clipboard, her gaze flicking back and forth. "Um, I'm all right, thanks."

"Great." Athena rests her hands on her hips. "Apollo?"

"Me? I'm fine." I glance at Simon before giving Athena a nod. "Still a little battered, but my shoulder's doing okay. How's your head? You hurt it, right?"

She blinks. "Oh, I did, didn't I? It doesn't hurt much now, thanks." Pausing, she taps her earring a few times. "Are you... not happy to see us?"

Huh? "No, it's great to have you with us. And, uh—" I rub at my scalp, my shoulders hunched—"I guess it's nice to see Simon not slashing at me."

"That image could be changed at a moment's notice." Simon smirks. "As your ally, however, I shan't do that without clear cause."

I draw back a bit. What an ally. "Clear cause being?"

"Pointless jabbering, for one."

I would ask what he considers pointless, but I feel like that question might qualify. I don't think asking for other causes would be a great idea, either.

So, basically, he could still draw his sword whenever he wants; he's just going to be a lot closer to us all of the time. What a great deal...

But what am I going to say? Leave, and take Athena with you? Leave, and let Athena stay with us? I don't like the former, and the latter isn't going to happen. There would probably be repercussions just for asking, considering we're talking about Simon...

But if he honestly wants to be an ally, I know he's capable of defending us. I'm not too hopeful about his teamwork skills, but...

"What happened to you, then?" Athena frowns at me. "You sound pretty sad for someone who's grateful for new teammates and his recovery."

"D-do I?" I thought I had gotten most of it out, but I guess she can still tell with that sensitive hearing. She can even pick out what I'm barely feeling consciously, huh...? No keeping secrets around her. Sheesh, between her and Trucy, I can't keep anything to myself.

But really, that's not a bad thing. We need honesty in this alliance if we're going to cooperate fully.

"You must not have been able to tell from the little time you had with us the other day, but we were already allied with Jinxie... and Ema."

She glances at the rest of the group before looking down and gripping the back of her arm. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's no fault of yours, Fräulein." Klavier, leaning back against the cave wall again, takes a moment to smile at her. "But she is no longer with us, and there is nothing we can do for her now. Her killer is dead, and her beloved forensics kit is safe in our hands. All that's is left is to move on."

"Her killer?" I think of the knife in my backpack, but we never sat down and tried to identify who stabbed Ema.

"Yes, Fräulein Buckler from 4."

But we still don't know who killed her, huh?

...Are you sure it wasn't you, Klavier...?

Athena shuts her eyes, close to tears all of a sudden. "Ema was your district partner, wasn't she? This must be harder on you than anyone."

You would think so, but he's been handling it pretty well. He's been a little irritable, maybe, but I'm positive I've cried more than he has. If he has at all.

But it is Athena who thinks otherwise. Maybe...

"Well, she hardly cared for me." Klavier pulls his bangs back. "She wasn't the best company unconscious, either. I'm not the one who misses her most. Circumstances aside—" he leans toward Athena, smiling—"welcome to our alliance. Your presence alone is enough to brighten it." He nods at Simon. "Herr Blackquill, it's good to have you as well. My brother did recommend I look into the Careers, though I didn't expect the alliance would be lost and found and turned around like this."

"Yeah." Trucy grips the brim of her hat. "I welcome you, too, of course! But..." She folds her arms loosely. "Why come to us all of a sudden? Did something happen with the other Careers?"

Athena sighs, while Simon's eyes flash.

"A sword is dulled rather than sharpened when it contacts an improper whetstone. When it was made clear that that alliance did not suit my purposes, I left."

Pulling her hands together, Trucy frowns. "Even with your sister there?"

He turns around to face the rainy entrance.

Wringing out her ponytail, Athena watches him for a moment before slinging a backpack off her shoulders. "Anyway, we're here now. Let's make the most of it, okay, everyone?"

"Right." I step over to help her unload. She has a water bottle and a bedroll clipped to the bottom of a backpack full of outside pockets. There's no reason to unpack it further, but I assume there's some medicine, food, and maybe some fire-starting supplies inside. I wonder how much they would have been able to grab when they fled the Career alliance. It couldn't have been easy, unless they went at night. Even then, they'd have to be quiet.

Simon sets down his substantially heavier-looking bag and eyes Jinxie with a smirk. "I don't believe the two of us have had the pleasure of meeting yet."

Shivering, she peeks from over the top of the clipboard. "M-my name is Jinxie Tenma. I'm from District 8." She studies him for a moment before leaning forward. "Th-the bags under your eyes are even worse than mine. You must have trouble sleeping." She immediately starts to write on another slip of paper and offers it to him. "Here. This charm will keep Azukiarai away."

Az-what?

Simon manages to repeat it exactly. "The demon that washes azuki beans?"

"Azukiarai often keeps people up at night with the noise he makes washing beans. But if you stick this charm on your forehead, you won't hear him anymore."

He pauses and takes it. "I-is that so? Well, thank you."

Athena looks at me sideways. "Looks like he got more than he bargained for."

Those two do make an... interesting pair, don't they?

Simon pockets the warding charm before turning toward the rain again. He puts his hands to his mouth and whistles.

Is he... calling Fulbright...?

But a screech follows shortly afterward, and I've put two and two together before the hawk glides into the cave and lands on his shoulder. Pleased, he scratches under the bird's jaw. "Finished your lunch?"

Trucy blinks, a hand over her mouth. "It's been three and a half days, and he's already trained an arena bird?"

I slouch. "That's insane..." He's just that terrifying to all species, I guess...

But when I glance back at him, I realize the feather in his mouth seems to match the hawk's exactly. But he was chewing on that before we ever made it to the arena, wasn't he?

"No, Taka and I go much farther back than that." Simon lowers his hand to grip his chin. "He was known to visit me even in the clink. I suppose we aren't far from my home district, since he tracked me down within a day of the Games."

Wait, so that bird managed to evade the Gamemakers' control and get into the arena? And he managed to follow Simon clear from District 2? How on earth...?!

I mean, I concede that we could be nearby. District 2 has mountains, right? But... There has to be a limit to how close the arena can be to the district borders. And there has to be limit to how far a hawk can keep track of something.

But the evidence speaks for itself. If that's one of Taka's feathers, and Simon had it as far back as the reaping, they must have had contact before. And it does make a whole lot more sense than Simon managing to capture and train a bird of prey in a matter of days.

It's almost a relief that Mr. Intimidating is fond of a pet. But considering that pet is a predator with large, sharp talons, it's... not that calming after all.

While I've been busy pondering the mysteries of Taka, Athena has apparently started up some sort of German Language Club with Klavier. Jinxie is going over some different charms with Simon, who's endlessly amused by some of the horrific things different demons are supposed to do. Trucy seems more interested in Athena's and Klavier's conversation, but it's clear she can't decipher a word of it.

...I guess it's not the worst alliance I could be in.

The rain is lessening by evening, but we still get a hefty tray of food donated for supper. Still not safe to go out, I guess. After all, where it's not rocky, it's muddy.

I'm trying to count the very thin tomato slices so we can divide them six ways when Klavier gets Simon's attention.

"What about the Man in White? He didn't see fit to stay on your side?"

Simon looks down, eyes dark. "He won't be joining us anytime soon. In fact, it is we who would be joining him—though I suppose none of us really wishes to."

Um... What? Yeah, he's kind of obnoxious, but I wouldn't mind running into him again. Maybe give him a more proper thank you for saving our hides the other day. And he seems strong enough; he'd make a good ally.

Pulling one ration of tomato slices to the side, I check on the girl from 3. It'll be a lot easier to get a straight answer out of her.

"Athena?" She's looking down. Maybe there was some trouble between them after all. I can't imagine Fulbright getting that upset over anything but injustice. What could either of them have done to give him that impression?

"He's not with the Careers, either," she murmurs. "He's gone."

"Gone?" I pause. "Wait, you don't mean...?"

She nods. "When Simon said it wasn't safe for us to stay, he meant it."

I swallow. There was a cannon last night near the end of my watch. It must have been for him.

Fulbright is really dead? So soon? This doesn't seem right. He wasn't exactly a friend of mine, but... There's no way he deserved that.

My finger rubs against the platter hard as I push the next group of tomato slices to the side. "Who would do that?"

She rubs her elbow. "They were kind of ganging up on him... and I couldn't get to the actual fight. I guess Aura started it, so..."

...She could very well have finished it.

Staring down at the plate, I clench my fists.

Aura...!