Yugi walked into the bedroom, prepared to be the best honorary girlfriend he could be for Tea. He had to make her understand that Atem cared about her so much that he wanted to keep her out of harm's way.

Tea was lying on her back on the bed, gazing at the ceiling and swishing her foot. "Hey, Yugi," she said. Her voice was pensive and far-away, as if she was thinking deeply about something.

Yugi sat next to her. "Hey, Tea." They sat in silence for a while. Yugi understood if Tea needed time to work out her emotions in her own head for a while.

"Does he think I'm weak?" Tea asked finally. "Is it just some Old Kingdom sexism that was programmed into his head when he was little?"

Yugi shook his head. "Of course it's not."

"What makes you so sure?" Tea asked.

"Because he asked me not to come either," Yugi stated simply.

Tea fought her way around this logic. "Well, that's just… discrimination against the vertically-challenged!"

Yugi laughed. Ever since the ceremonial duel, Atem had grown to a reasonable height (at least he was as tall as Tea, now), but Yugi had remained a minute 5 feet. It was slightly annoying when he was surrounded by people who were taller than him, but it was in his genes. It couldn't be helped.

"You know that's not it, Tea," Yugi said. "He's concerned about you, that's all. He doesn't want us to get hurt. Joey and Tristan beat up on each other for fun, and Atem had to learn to fight when he was a pharaoh. But we don't have that experience, admit it."

"Hey, I'm an archer!" Tea said. "I can hit a fifty-yard bull's eye, easy."

Yugi was surprised. "Really?" he asked. "I had no idea."

"… Atem probably doesn't either, huh?" she asked quietly. Yugi nodded. She sat up. "Okay, I guess I can forgive him."

Yugi cheered and hugged Tea around the waist. "You won't regret it, you know," he said matter-of-factly.

"I hope they don't get hurt, too," she said after detaching Yugi from her mid-section.

"Don't worry about them," Yugi said dismissively. "Once they realize how in over their heads they are, they'll be crawling back here with their tails between their legs."

"How do you know that, Yugi?" Tea asked. Yugi grimaced. He had slipped.

"Come on!" he said, hurrying to correct his mistake. "Without knowing anything about the four worlds and the races, they're bound to get into some sort of trouble."

"Four?" Darn it! He had slipped again! He wasn't usually this careless. All of this talk about Unions and the Federation had made him sloppy. "Yugi, how do you know all this?"

Tea was catching on now. He couldn't think of any way to get out of the hole he had dug for himself. Maybe he should just resign himself to his fate and get it over with. "Alright… Tea, there's something you need to know… about me," Yugi said, nervousness and apprehension building in his belly.

"What's that?" she asked, grinning as she got her way.

"I'm… I'm not human."

Atem and the others went to the address on the flyer. "This is it," Atem observed, reading the sign that said "Klyndeneya".

They opened the door and walked inside. It was dark at first, too dark to see, but when the came out on the other side they were met with an entire different world.

Or perhaps a few.

People of all different colors and heights strolled around the dark bar. Immediately, Atem noticed four distinct types, types that he assumed were the different races.

"Whoa…" was all that Tristan said, as he stared around at the myriad species.

"I think we need to get more information," Atem said wisely. "Let's ask the bartender if he can help us."

They hesitantly walked up to the bar and took a seat. "There's nobody here," Joey said, and he was right. At that moment there was no one tending the bar.

"Tell Frenji to get off of her frozen rear-end and restock in the back!" a large, brusque, red-skinned man yelled into the back room as he went to the counter. He turned to face them, and they saw that he had fierce, pointed teeth and glowing eyes. "Customers!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "What can I get you fine humans today?"

"Would you mind telling us more about the Federation?" Atem asked, polite regardless of the man's thick build or hairy skin. "We received a flyer earlier, and we're interested in joining a Union."

The creature's smile faded. "Another one of you civilians lining up to get yourselves killed, are ya? Why don't you just go back to your clean and pristine little world before you get yourselves hurt, huh?"

"What's dat supposed ta mean?" Joey asked, his shyness becoming overwhelmed by his anger. "You think we can't handle ourselves?"

"It's not just a matter of brawls and brawn, mate," the barkeep replied. "How much do you know about the races? How much do you know about the worlds?"

The question hit deep. They didn't know anything. "What are you gonna wear when you get dropped off at Astala, huh?"

They didn't respond. They couldn't. "The warmest clothes you got. And what race am I, doncha know that too?"

He grinned as they remained silent. "That would be Kryllian. The Federation isn't interested in getting idiot humans killed, mate. So go home and come back if you want a drink."

The Kryllian picked up a glass with a six-fingered hand and began washing it in a sink behind the counter. Atem looked at the others, and they agreed with them. They really should go.

"You're not human!" Tea yelled at him. Yugi hopped off the bed. He was afraid of this reaction.

"Please, Tea. I-I'm mostly human…" he stammered. He had hidden it for so long. Even Grandpa didn't know. Grandpa hadn't even known that his son had begotten a child, until little Yugi had showed up on his doorstep.

Tea breathed hard, her eyes flicking back and forth. She didn't know what to do with this information. "Tea, Tea, calm down." she coached herself. "Yugi went out on a limb to tell you this. Treat him with respect."

"… So you're one of the other races?" Tea asked quietly.

Yugi nodded, hanging his head in shame. "I-I'm half Loramyshan… on my mother's side."

Yugi stared at the ground. He couldn't bear to look up at Tea's face and find out if she hated him or loved him. What had he done? He had jeopardized their friendship, and now he had to face the consequences.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You're still my friend, Yugi." He wasn't sure if she was telling him or herself, but it was still good to hear.

"Really?" he asked, finally looking up at her.

She smiled. "Yeah. I have to admit, at first I was a little worried. But now I realize that nothing's changed. You could have told me before."

"I'm sorry, Tea, I just…" he trailed off, unable to find the words. "I knew you would accept me, somewhere deep down. But I didn't know whether I was wrong or not."

Tea nodded. "I understand." She flopped back onto the bed and casually examined her nails. "So tell me about the races. How many are there, and what are they like? I mean, you look human enough."

Yugi closed his eyes and concentrated. His form glowed and shifted a bit, but when he finished he was his other self again. He hadn't taken Loramyshan form for a very long time…

Tea blinked the Yugi-shaped black blur from her eyes and took in Yugi's new appearance. His skin and lips were a pale blue color, as if he had hypothermia. His hair still stood up wildly, but it was a stark, frozen white instead of tri-colored. The bridge of his nose didn't curve; instead, it was one straight line from his forehead to his nose's tip. Tea couldn't help but wonder how he would wear glasses. His arms and fingers were longer, too – his slate blue fingernails brushed against his knee-caps.

"Since I'm one of the few half-human half-Loramysha, I can take both forms…" he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Tea looked him up and down. "Cool…" she said, causing Yugi to giggle in relief.

"You can take that literally," he said, and reached toward her. "Feel."

She took his hand and yelped. He was freezing. Yugi laughed. "The planet where Loramysha come from, Astala, is very cold all year long. All other races aren't even allowed in certain ports when it's winter. You could freeze to death."

"Astala, huh? Pretty name…" she said, although she didn't like the idea of turning into a human icicle.

"There are four worlds." Yugi explained, sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed. "Earth, of course. Astala, my home planet. There's also Kryos. It's a hot planet, and dry, too. Like a giant desert. That's where the Kryllians come from."

"Kryllians?" Tea asked. "Another race?"

"They're tall and have red, hairy skin. Twelve fingers and toes. They can stand pretty high temperatures because of living in Kryos, and they heal really fast." Yugi said, and then wondered what to say next. "Oh yeah, the last planet is called Senmar. It's swamp-like and dark, and it rains nearly all the time. Home to the Poya."

"And who are the Poya?"

"They average seven feet tall and 100 pounds."

Tea grimaced. "A race full of supermodels. Wow."

Yugi smiled. "They don't care much for the other races and keep to themselves on Senmar."

Tea leaned back on her hands. "This is a lot of information. Anything else?"

"The Lilitu," said Yugi. "They come in all sorts of categories, but they all have low intelligence and no conscience at all. They like to eat most creatures and that's why the Federation was formed. People come in with reports of Lilitum sightings and Unions are paid for completing the assignments."

"… You should really have told Atem and the others about all this, you know," Tea said. Yugi looked up with a terrified expression on his face. "Come on, Yugi. You told me, and they're the ones who need to know!"

Yugi held his head and pulled his knees up to his chest. "Do you think they'll feel the same way you did?"

"Of course!" Tea exhorted, patting Yugi on his ice-cold back. "Do you think they're superficial or something?"

"No… you're right, Tea. I'll tell them."

"Good," Tea said, brimming with happiness at her success.