I was happily greeted with death glares from more than one person when I walked through Will's front door. I didn't bother knocking, since nobody else did, and as I looked up off the floor, my mouth open to apologize, I saw the looks. My whole body froze seeing them and I wondered why I didn't have holes being burnt through me yet.

Will had the darkest leer. He snarled at me, upper lip twitching higher than the rest. "You're late."

"Uh... yeah... I can tell." I shoved my hands into my pockets and debated on sitting in the free spot beside Shirley on the couch but thought against it and instead leaned on the wall near the door. Better if I stayed away from them.

"Humour me on why you were late." He demanded.

Absent-mindedly I rubbed the back of my neck. There was no way I was going to tell him I just finished having sex with someone. Not only would that set him off, but I was sure he would blow up into a huge lecture about protected intercourse. Plus Norma would never let me live it down. "I fell asleep in the spring." I lied.

He frowned. "You fell asleep in the spring?"

"Yeah during my bath. It's not my fault it's so damn relaxing." I caught the strange look Senel gave me and Norma hissed loudly, "Barbarians". I glanced her way and raised an eyebrow. She only smiled innocently back.

Chloe blinked a couple of time. "You bathe in the spring?" She asked.

Knowing she meant no harm in the question, I simply shrugged. "Family habit." I explained.

"Oh."

Will sighed deeply. He pushed up his glasses and rubbed his temple as though already getting tired of us. "Alright, everyone be quiet." His eyes flashed and suddenly he was serious again, that old man face gone. "The water problem hasn't been fixed yet it seems."

"Didn't we stop it from smelling when we cleaned that pond out in the Waterways?" Senel asked.

The historian nodded and crossed his arms over his well-endowed chest. "That's true we did stop it from smelling. It seems that isn't the issue here anymore though. From what I heard there's been numerous sighting of strange and rare monsters coming around the rivers by the town. It seems they're drawn to it by the odd mist it's extracting and turning extremely violent when they inhale the fumes. We've been asked to find the source and try to stop it."

I frowned. A mist that makes monsters strong? What kind of trouble did they get on that boat? Nothing even remotely freakish ever happened on the mainland or the island. Everything was normal. On the Legacy it was like another world. It made me want me to go home even sooner and I slid my eyes over to Moses who was leaned on the couch behind where Jay sat. It surprised me to see him staring at me. His eyes were so hard, so strangely cold; I tilted my head and gave him a questioning look.

He only continued to stare and I saw his nose twitch. Suddenly it dawned on me what his deal was. He could smell me. The stench of sex was probably strong to his sensitive nose. I had bathed after my fun with Csaba enough that no human would ever notice it, but obviously not as much as was needed to hide from a Sandor family member. My heart quickened when I realized he might catch Csaba's scent on me. I looked away from him, praying the soap covered at least that much up.

Chloe stood from the couch. She grasped her sword with her one hand, appearing eager to go. "Do you have any ideas where it might be coming from?" She pointed her question towards Will.

The older man thought for a moment, and then gave his answer to us. "I believe it's starting somewhere near the bottom of the Great Hollow. The river there seems to be the largest on the Legacy, and since it's underneath the ground so much—" I became stiff at those words. Underground? Oh crap. "—there's a good chance something has happened there unnoticed."

Senel nodded. He too arose from his seat and faced Will. "Alright. Then let's head out right now."

"Yeah!" Norma leaped to her feet and punched the air gleefully. "Let's go, Senny!"

"Norma..." Shirley muttered quietly. She was unheard and the brunette continued to bounce around the room, calling out to what people should do.

"C, get the gels! Shirl and Senny, go grab some new weapons! I'll find us so some bakery goods! JJ, Teach, you guys go to the customization shop!"

My head jerked and I came out of my daydream. I was imagining this 'Great Hollow' crashing down on us as we journeyed underneath it. "Hm? Hey, wait a sec'. What about me and Moe?"

Everyone stared at me. Shirley giggled and Jay raised an eyebrow. "Moe?" He quoted.

I glared harshly at him, stepping away from the wall. "You gotta problem with an old family nickname?" I asked in a low tone.

"Oh no, none at all. In fact, I think it suits him." The ninja smiled slyly and waiting for a response of some kind from the red head behind him. When he got none he glanced back only to see his friend still staring dangerously at me.

Norma scratched her head, happiness gone. "Uh... What's up with you, Red? You look kinda... angry."

'Yeah, I wonder why...' I looked away.

Moses didn't answer her right away. "I'm not angry." Wow, he lied worse than I did.

"Sure you're not." The brunette turned sideways and followed his gaze. It landed on me and her big brown orbs stretched even larger. She shifted her eyes between us and rubbed her cheek. "Um... Why is it suddenly so tense in here?"

Grunting, I spun on my heel and opened the door. He was getting my temper to rise. I hated it when he did the silent treatment on me. Besides, what business was it of his who I mated with anyways? It was my life. He had no control or say in it. I grasped the door knob and twisted it. "I don't know what you're talking about." I said as I stalked through the entrance, leaving the house.

Behind me the group stood in silence. Barely half a second after I disappeared Moses streaked out the door, hot on my trail. The others stayed quiet until Senel broke the ice. "There's defiantly something going on between them."

"Indeed." Chloe agreed.

Will once again rubbed his temple. He was beginning to get a head ache already. "Whatever it is, let them deal with it. It's probably got to do with Moses' decision to go back to their homeland."

Still sitting on the couch, Jay touched his lips with his fingertips. He had sensed Moses' sudden mood change when I entered the room, yet he didn't understand why. Something had happened; that was plain as day. The only question he had playing through his mind was what it was that brought down the close bond we had.

--

Leaning back on the pole, I sighed. For a sunny day it sure felt depressing. Past the tall entrance above me I stared into the blue sky. Far up beyond a normal human's eye sight I caught a glimpse of a couple sparrows dancing around the clouds. My eyes softened and I lowered my line of vision. How I wished I could be so carefree like them.

Footsteps brought my attention behind me and I turned around only to glare and spin back forwards. Moses was making his slow and careful way up to me.

When he reached my side he stopped moving. After a second or two of simply standing there he leaned on the same pole I was using, facing the opposite direction. "Who was it?"

I bit my lip. Dammit, he did smell it on me. There was a chance he knew it was Csaba, now that he was so much closer to me, and was testing me to see if I would lie to him. I decided it wasn't worth getting on his bad side anymore and resting my head on the cold metal I answered. "Csaba."

He snorted, but not in an angry way. It sounded almost like laughter. "Figures. He always did have somethin' for you."

"Yeah... I guess..."

Quietly we stood together. Not talking or doing anything at all. Just being in each other's presence, soaking it up. It had been awhile since we last had time together.

Finally he asked. "Do you love 'im?"

"What?" My head automatically jerked forwards, surprised.

"Do you return his feelin's?"

Again I sighed. That time it was louder. As I closed my eyes I let the truth come out. "No."

"Then why'd you do it?!" He was getting ticked off I could tell. He thought I was playing with his best friend, his family, and it made his blood boil like nothing else.

Wearily I turned to stare in the same direction as him. I saw his shoulder and red hair that hid his face. "I don't know. I just... he showed up when I was having my bath and we just... got caught in the moment, I guess..." Instinctively I threw in a defensive statement to keep him off my back. "You did the same thing with Alina."

He scratched his cheek. "Ahh... damn... I forgot about that..."

"No you didn't." I grinned. "You're just pretending to make me look worse."

Unable to control himself, my cousin let out a little laugh. He placed his hands on his hips and looked over his shoulder at me. "Shut up. It bugs me you know me so well after four years."

"You never change."

"Neither do you. Still more a boy than a girl."

"Hey!" I cried, punching his arm playfully. "I am too feminine."

He laughed and we faced each other. He raised his arms up to block my slow punches, not caring if people saw. "Where? The only thing girly you got is that chest of yours."

I winked. "Y'never know. I might turn out to be like Sis'." I laughed when his eyes widened and a look of terror spread on his face. He cried out a loud 'Oh hell no you ain't!' and I swung out another fist to his chest only to have it caught by his hand.

Ten metres away Senel, Shirley, Norma and Chloe stood there watching. Each one of them were thinking the same thing. They were relieved we had made up already. If we hadn't, and we all continued on with the mission, who knew what disasters would have happened.

"Good to see you two are back to your weird bonding ways!" Norma grinned cheekily, placing her hands behind her back. "I was starting to think you'd never make up!"

Moses and I smirked back and I elbowed him in the chest. "Nah. Who could stay mad at this dumbass? He's just so stupid y'can't help but love'im."

"Damn rights—HEY!" Moses realized what I said was an insult and tried to grab me but I leaped back and away from his hands laughing.

Once everyone was there at the entrance with the supplies we needed we left Werites Beacon on our next journey. What we didn't know was just how long it would be until we returned there together, and the powerful darkness we would meet along the way.