Chapter 19.

The

Clashing

Of

Waves;

Epilogue

ME: HERE WE ARE! FINALLY after what, like (Counts to herself for a second . . .) Wow, geez, 6 MONTHS! The ending of "The Clashing of Waves"! Wow, I have been so dedicated on this story, it's been crazy!

I'm so sorry for the late update, but I've been having a serious lack of motivation attacks lately, I guess part of me is sad that the first arch of this story is finally over . . . I wanted to post this last Wednesday, considering it was my birthday but I just kept putting it off and off and off until I saw it was nearing the end of the month, and, well . . . Ya know. I'm not proud of it. ):

After this arch, I will be posting a small set of filler chapters that will be set sometime after the ending of this story arch and before the next story arch starts; and during which I will be focusing my attention my other story, "Hope and Belief" (If you are a Rise of the Guardians fan check it out if you're interested.)

I also might make some revisions of the previous chapters, primarily just gluing some chapters together because some of them are just too short for my liking so don't be surprised if the number of chapters shrinks.

Once again, I own nothing save the obvious OCs and I hope I give this arch ending the credit it deserves! Reviews are very much appreciated!

"We're a thousand miles from comfort;
We have traveled land and sea,
But as long as you are with me;
There's no place I'd rather be . . .

I would wait forever,
Exulted in the seam;
As long as I am with you,
My heart continues to beat . . .

With every step we take,
Kyoto to The Bay,
Strolling so casually . . .

We're different and the same,
Gave you another name,
Switch up the batteries . . .

If you gave me a chance I would take it,
It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it,
Loaded gun at her heart, you can't shame me,
When I am with you, there's no place I rather be . . .

No, no, no, no, no place I rather be . . .
No, no, no, no, no place I rather be . . .
No, no, no, no, no place I rather be . . .

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be . . ."

"Rather Be" – Clean Bandit Ft. Jess Glynne

~X~

Cassie pulled up the zipper on her shirt until it nearly touched the underside of her jaw. Taking a breath for some reason, she turned around and took a look into the large body-length mirror.

What she saw amazed her. "Oh . . . Oh, oh, wow, Mother Logai, it's . . . It's perfect. I . . . I can't even tell where it ripped!"

Mother Logai, her measuring tape slung over her shoulder and a paw on her hip, blew her nails with an air of pride. "Yeah, well, you know, honey, when you're good, you are good!"

Cassie chuckled at her "modesty" and examined the image in the mirror; there she stood in full length, still wearing the same blue-and-green sleeves on her arms and legs, but this time wearing something that matched them perfectly. Her top fitted onto her torso perfectly, the smooth, stretchy fabric of the cloth conforming to her shape and fitting like a glove. As she had said, no evidence of the massive rip in her side was left, the fabric as good as new. The zipper worked perfectly as well, going up and down at her tugs with no hindrances. Even the massive dark blue stain that was sure to have remained had vanished. It was as though nothing had even tried to tamper with the cloth. Her matching shorts fit comfortably as well and her silver buckle belt was somehow still intact even after all the events of the day past. Her holstered knife took its rightful place back on her right hip, the belts tied on securely and staying in place.

Cassie smiled and looked herself over in the reflection. No offense to Tuff and Riley's big, baggy clothes, but it felt good to be back in her own properly fitting, comfortable clothing. "It really is great, Mother Logai. It's nice to finally wear something you don't have to worry about falling off every two minutes!"

Mother Logai chuckled with her. "I'd imagine! And I bet Riley and Tuff are happy to be back in their old threads too!"

Cassie put a finger to her lip in thought. "Well . . . I did try and give Tuff his vest back, but he told me to keep it instead."

"Oh?" Mother Logai grinned slyly at her. "Surely not because you stunk the poor thing to high heaven?"

Cassie bit back another laugh and waved her off. "No, no, no, nothing like that! He told me that he felt like he was outgrowing it and that he felt like he needed to get rid of it eventually."

Mother Logai scratched her cheek innocently though her eyes told otherwise. "Riiight . . . And let me guess, he said, "It looks a lot better on you, anyway"?"

Cassie responded by a simple faint blush that said it all and a playful stick of her tongue to which the Jakkai Tailor snickered. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny." She repeated her words from three nights before.

"Like I said, ears like mine don't miss much." Mother Logai lifted her ears once again with a smile. "One of those things you can't help."

Cassie simply shook her head. "By the way, thank you for making some clothes for the boys to wear too; I know Tuff and Riley appreciate those new outfits you made for them."

Mother Logai took off her measuring tape and rolled it up into a ball. "Ah, don't mention it, honey; those shirts were actually some old designs that I wanted to try out and your boys were the perfect size and stature that I needed to make them. I just hope they're a little more careful with them then they were with their last set of clothes."

"Considering you practically threatened them to do such by promising to sew permanent canine-scented spell patches into their backs, I'd say they will be." Cassie gave an odd giggle at the memory.

It was rather comical, really. The two-and-a-half-heads tall female Jakkai elder having to stand on a step-stool just so she could look the several-heads-tall male young Sharkmen in the eye, baring a small sliver of a needle venomously with a gleam in her eye, her face and voice dark enough to match that of the Grim Reaper's while the Luck Brothers' were pale enough to match that of the poor, unfortunate souls he were to take.

That was definitely not something that one would see everyday.

But the work was well worth the fright; Tuff had received a long-sleeved jacket-like shirt, the front of it buttoned up on both sides of the chest like one would see on a soldier uniform and the cuffs of the sleeves hanging comfortably off his wrists. Accompanying that were a pair of suspenders that Tuff chose to let dangle around his waist and spats that went on his legs similarly like Cassie's along with a pair of travel-worthy dress shoes.

As for Riley, he had received a hilariously loud yet still soft light purple tank top that slid over his well-built form much like Cassie's top had, joined by his properly mended bright red pants and heavily-cleaned light brown combat boots. He even received a checkered wristband that somehow went perfectly with odd, clashing colors. Mother Logai even fixed little fashionable straps in the backs of their shirts and belts so they could carry their swords either on their backs or their belts.

All in all, a stark improvement from the dirtied, bloodied, torn and otherwise ruined clothes that they pretty much had to toss into the fireplace when demanded by the Jakkai behind her.

Mother Logai shrugged. "Hey, who wants to see all their work go down the toilet?"

"I know what you mean." Cassie agreed. "It's hard seeing something you work hard for suddenly being wasted like that. Speaking of which, are the Guards getting any closer to finishing up with Blue Island and stocking the boys' sub?"

Mother Logai tapped a claw to her chin. "I should think so, they're coming back smelling less and less like burnt barbeque and no one's come crying to me about an overload of flooding boxes so, I think we'll be alright." She gave a short laugh. "Considering I saw some of the cadets drinking on the job like rookies, I'm surprised they're not going at a snail's pace!"

Cassie smiled at her grin. "Yeah, I get it . . ." After a moment, looking back at the smooth glass surface of the mirror, she gave a small sigh. She couldn't believe it had only been three days already. The time seemed to fly so fast.

Especially since there was so much to do, not just for her and the Luck Brothers, but for the townspeople of Great Maple as well.

The clean-up on Blue Island started nearly immediately; it was a low and grueling progress, the forest fire had extended all over the island just as Captain Henry described, turning the once lush scenery into nothing but a huge black, smoldering rock of land. Since the bridge was out, the City Guard had to recruit some Pandorians from Little Oak Town to fly over with yards of ropes and rolls of wood strapped to their backs and construct a new and much more stable bridge, allowing the Guards to safely carry their cargo of burnt char and foliage back and forth from the short distanced island.

They were a few close calls when a few of the still unbelievably heavy trees tried to flatten a few of the cadets as they were chopped down and when a few others almost teetered off the side of the bridge when they tried lifting more than they could actually carry, but Captain Henry's quick draw of the whip had quickly mended that. Judging by the awe and amazement in the said saved cadets' voices when they chatted about her during their breaks at the Ye Ole Root bar when she and Mother Logai were out for a calming stroll the other day, Captain Henry had that whip on her side for a reason.

During which, Mother Logai made good on her promise on getting the Luck Brothers food and supplies. Any guard and civilian she could get that had spare time on their hands were recruited to stock, seal and deliver crates and bags to their camp over at TealSide Cove.

Tuff and Riley were very surprised and very baffled that nobody had protested on the matter; they weren't even used to good Samaritans from what Cassie observed. Dr. Marlin cleared their minds when he stated, "If you have the trust of the most careful man alive, – That's me. – And the most hard-headed woman alive, – That's Mother Logai. – Then you're golden. Ask anyone, they'll tell you."

The Pandorian passing by along with a dark-skinned man with shock-white hair nodding their heads in blunt agreement at that, following with a swift and sound "No kidding!", as they carried their goods was enough to prompt a laugh from the Old Doctor. Tuff and Riley simply looked at each other, at a complete loss. Cassie had to swallow down her own laugh that wanted to come up at the looks on their faces.

The three of them didn't leave the townsfolk to do all the work, of course. Cassie offered to help Dr. Marlin bring fresh water and dried food rations to the guards over at Blue Island and at the sub whenever it got too late for them to get food at the bar or restaurants, much to his and Henry's appreciation. Tuff and Riley lent a hand, using their unique Sharkman strength to help with the heavy lifting of dead nature life when needed and making sure that every bit of supplies they received from Great Maple went to the right place on the Penguin model submarine. Their help was met with no hostility and everyone accepted their help with friendliness and dignity. Cassie was glad for that.

Of course, Les received most of the brunt work, having to carry nearly whole smoked tree trunks the size of him and matching boxes, crates, bags, sacks and anything else Henry, Mother Logai and Dr. Marlin could come up with for him; Tuff and Riley and their swords were living barriers between him and Cassie when they were nearby and on break, regardless of her doubts that he would really do anything to her on the will of sheer stupidity. Even more so since Mother Logai and Captain Henry were nearby with whip and needles at the ready.

With all of this going on, it was enough to take her mind off things. At least, until later the next morning.

Cassie's smile faltered. ". . . By the way," She knew that Mother Logai raised one ear at her voice without even looking. "The families . . ." The air almost went heavy at her words. ". . . From the other day, the Davenports and all the others, how are they coping from the meeting?"

Mother Logai's back was to her, her shoulders erect and her head tilted towards her chest the tiniest bit. ". . . . They're doing better. They're glad that they finally know what went wrong with all this . . . And that their kin's poor souls can finally rest in piece. It's slow, but they're getting better."

They were both referring to the morning before.

Dr. Marlin and Mother Logai had Captain Henry and the rest of the counsel who they had yet to meet, call everyone together for a meeting at the Town Square, since it was the only place big enough to hold all the few dozen residents of the town.

Once everyone was gathered, Dr. Marlin went right into explaining everything; the attacks, the deaths, the shameful confusion of it all, the madness of the cause and the outcome which lead to the Master's defeat. He spared no details and cut right to point of each part of the story with graceful fact, never pausing to flourish or exaggerate and keeping a straight, honest look with the crowd. Mother Logai remarked later on that he had enough of a straight demeanor to make a decent lawyer.

When he was through, it was a bittersweet moment. Even though the denizens were relieved that no more horrible deaths would occur, the families of those who had already suffered loss were clearly still in need of time to grieve. Riley's comforting, roughly palmed hand folded over hers when Cassie saw an old, withering grandmother clutching an old child's doll and crying silently from underneath a black veil.

Dr. Marlin calmly introduced Tuff, Riley and Cassie as the three responsible for giving him the final clues needed to end what would now be known as the "Nights Of Hunt" – Mother Logai admitted to slapping the local gossiper upside the head for making such a racket about the name . . . Even though she thought it was fitting herself. – Before making the disgraceful omission of being too late with the discoveries he had made with the help of his colleague from Little Oak Town, Dr. Roshi Oigi. Mother Logai was right beside him, wearing a bitter frown, as he bravely spoke for his willingness to take punishment for his "belated theories and late actions".

A quiet, stifling moment of silence came over all of them before it was broken.

Whereas he expected harsh criticism and fury for his mistakes, the townspeople almost bowled him over by nearly speaking their objections all at once. It was truly admirable; not one of them were angry at him at all, no one spoke bitterly and no one cursed him as he had so deeply expected. Even the hurt families had no quarrel to make with the Good Doctor.

The utterly startled expression on his face would've probably stayed there had not one man spoke up.

Cassie felt Tuff's shoulder stiffen next to hers, making her look up at him. He had then quickly whispered what apparently spooked him. It was the father of the first girl, Felicia Davenport, who had been killed, the first name read off from Dr. Marlin's book. She felt her own body stiffen along with the choking ball of guilt in her throat. Tuff's hand took her free one, his equally calloused palm giving her as much ground as Riley's.

The man, Jayden Davenport, was a slender thing of a human, with fair features that matched his late daughter's, with a pair of small, gentle hands needed to be a florist; his matching, oval-shaped brown eyes were undoubtedly red from crying, his voice a near tremble and hoarse for the same reasons.

Regardless, his words came to Dr. Marlin as clear as church bells, "There's no reason for us to blame you, Doctor. Not after all you've done for us when were as young as the children here with us today. You've been nothing but a good friend to all of us, supporting the town even when we're all nearly on our last legs, giving help to whoever needs it and hardly asking for anything in return, whether they live here or not, and always giving us a chance to hope for the best in our futures. Our girls believed that, especially my little Fel, and we do too." He paused to let this all sink in before concluding with, ". . . So please, don't put yourself down like this, not when you've been more a good friend than ever. You're still our doctor, and we will be, no matter what."

The chorus of agreeing voices and matching reassurances that followed him were enough to make Cassie feel tears budding in her eyes. She could barely hold back the smile when she looked up and saw Riley trying hard not to sob like a child but doing nothing to hide the sniffles. Tuff, when she saw him, rolled his eyes with a sigh of normalcy that only a brother could have as he reached over and patted his twin's head like a puppy. That smile faded for a moment when she looked back and watched Dr. Marlin rub his eyes in what looked like annoyance.

. . . Until she caught the glimmer of tears sneaking down his cheeks, bringing that smile back full force.

After what seemed like forever, Mother Logai calmed the very excited crowd gathering around her and the currently "hiding" doctor with a very loud "SHADDUP!"

The near-instant silence that came right after was almost frightening.

Mother Logai wasted no time; she beckoned one the explicitly few Pandorians over and promptly jumped on him, startling him with a shout, climbing up until she was standing on the near tip-top of his head. From there, she made a proud, beaming declaration that, simply put in her words, "Now that we know for sure no one else is going to die today, I'd say that we throw our sadness in the drink! Let's do right and honor the memory of our loved ones by crackin' open the reserves in the bar and celebrate!"

Over the cheers and hollers of the crowd, she suddenly made a face and jabbed a claw straight in the crowd with a vehement glare. "Except for you, Les!" A sound groan was her only response as others laughed from around its owner.

Any other protest that Les would've given on the matter was put on hold by the firm yank on his ear by his sister. Riley, the tears in his eyes gone like magic, had snorted back a chortle at the sight of the smaller Captain Henry pulling along the inhumanly large Les painfully by the sensitive curve of his ear, going on about "Making use of those ridiculous arms of yours and giving me a hand" and "Don't want another repeat of the "Rooftop Leak" incident".

Cassie felt her mouth creak up again. She couldn't help but feel some sort of satisfaction from that. Maybe that'll teach the big jerk a lesson about being lecherous towards females.

Cassie's ears perked up at that last thought, making her turn and say, "Mother Logai? The other day at the big block party, when he came back from whatever Henry had him do, how did you keep Les from away from the drinks?"

Mother Logai snickered. "Oh, it was easy, honey, all I had to do was draw one needle and look straight at him each time he tried to creep towards the ale barrels, – Which is a real feat for someone of his girth, let me tell you! – Whenever he saw me, he would almost soil his pants and go running like an idiot behind a building corner. It was priceless!"

Cassie smiled at her. "You're terrible, Mother Logai."

"Too true, too true," Mother Logai sang with an air of grace. "I probably should've spared him one drink, after all, his own sister went on a date with the same guy he tried to chase out and flatten twice to no avail."

Cassie watched her fin sprout curls and ripples at that with her arms casually crossing over her chest in the mirror. "Yes, I definitely remember Riley nearly bragging about how Les was too scared to even come near him and Henry when he arrived to escort her to dinner."

"As such, the fear of a brother from his sister." Mother Logai said. "Especially so in Hen's case."

Cassie nodded in agreement, chuckling. "Makes me think of Vince; when I would get in my moods, Vince acts like he was walking on eggshells . . ." Her voice trailed off along with her smile.

Mother Logai blinked at her, seeing her fin from behind her turn into a collection of blobs and ripples. Somehow knowing instantly was on her mind, she set her paws on her hips and uttered lowly, ". . . So you're really going through with this, eh?"

Cassie was silent for a minute before giving a small nod. "Ehm, I am." Opening her eyes, she looked back down at her. "I wasn't able to find out anything about Vince while I was helping over at Blue Island. I asked around but no one's heard word or seen him anywhere there or on Pound Island either. I can only guess that he went to hide somewhere on the reef or the next island over; that was always our way of handling a worst case scenario in case things got bad." She pulled at the thick strands of hair at the sides of her head, "I need to get to him, I need to let him know that I'm alright."

"And you don't think that Tuff and Riley could help you?" Mother Logai quipped.

Cassie shook her head. "They were nearly killed because of me, Mother Logai. In fact, they were nearly killed three times in the same night."

Mother Logai couldn't help the roll of her eyes. "Oh, please, Cassie, that's nothing compared to how many times I was nearly killed in one week alone." Giving a sharp "Tch!", she then added, "And don't even get me started about Haddie!"

"Mother Logai, I'm serious!" Cassie protested.

"So am I!" Mother Logai shot back. "Cassie, those two boys outside this room have fought for you and your life. People don't do that, especially for some stranger they hardly know. But Tuff and Riley did. Okay, so they got a little banged up, big whoop! It happens to the best of us, no one's perfect!"

"Riley almost lost his family." Cassie said suddenly, her bitter tone making Mother Logai's ears flick. Her hands clutched at her arms as her bangs went over her eyes and her ears turned down. The air around her seemed so dark at her words. "I never want anyone to go through that."

" . . . Always, . . . Always k-keep moving, b-blue-bird . . ."

". . . Never." Her voice was a heavy whisper of fear.

Mother Logai simply looked at her.

Cassie's tail had curled around her ankles like a cat, now as clouded and dark blue as spilled ink, and her voice was heavy with haunt . . . It was almost like she was being held by the throat by some old ghost.

A ghost set on not letting go.

. . . . . This was probably something that the Elderly Jakkai should leave alone.

After all, being a woman with a few ghosts still hanging on herself, she knew what kind of power they could have over your soul.

Mother Logai let out a breath of air through her nose. Wordlessly, she pulled off her measuring tape and pounced over to her desk. Setting the down the tape, she picked up the small loosely-tied bundle ontop and padded back to Cassie. ". . . Well, if you're gonna break the news to those boys; ya might as well look good while doing it."

Cassie's ears flitted up. Shaking her head, she cleared the dark cloud in her mind and blinked back at her.

Mother Logai's muzzle was simply painted with a small smile as she held out the bundle for her to take.

~X~

"So, what are your plans once you're out at sea?"

"Huh?" Riley turned his head from where he leaned casually against Mother Logai's store counter. Tuff was sitting down next to him with his elbows set on his knees and his back flat against the frame while Dr. Marlin was seated on a stool that was brought from its customary place behind the counter.

Dr. Marlin's hands spun the cane's butt against the ground in small circles as his left ear swerved up at him. "Your plans." He repeated calmly. "When you're back out at the big blue, where do you think you'll go?"

Riley tilted his head and shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, we really don't have any specific ideal places put on our map, right, Tuff?"

"Nope." Tuff shook his head. "We sorta just hop from island to island. We come, we stay for some time, we slowly wait for one of us to do something that raises an angry mob out for our blood," Riley rolled his eyes but still turned a little red. "We scramble like maniacs to get back to our sub in one piece, we head over to the next nearest island and the entire thing starts all over again."

"Need I even ask who causes that half the time?" Dr. Marlin raised an eyebrow towards the Younger Luck Twin.

Tuff shook his head once again. "Nope."

"Didn't think so." Dr. Marlin said smugly.

"Hey!" Riley exclaimed indignant with hands on his hips.

Dr. Marlin chuckled at him. "Oh, settle down, lad, I was just kidding. I've been known to raise a little hell myself when I was your age."

"Really?" Tuff looked up at him , surprised.

Dr. Marlin nodded. "Mhm-hm. My youth was anything but plain." His withered skin felt cold around his hands, making him rub them subconsciously. Riley and Tuff watched them wordlessly. "Just ask anyone. Anyone but Logai," His face almost cringed at that thought. "If you do, you'll be stuck in the same place for hours."

Riley smiled at that last part. "You and Mother Logai are pretty close, huh?"

"Naturally, lad." Dr. Marlin said passively. "We've been friends ever since she first washed up on SilverSide Cove decades ago."

"You seem closer than just friends with that fiery old gal." Riley grinned. "I bet she was a real firecracker when she was a young woman."

""Firecracker" is the last word I use to describe Logie in her youth." Dr. Marlin's rolled into a bland tone. "But she did have such passionate fire in her then . . . Along with the sheer impatience and the boiling hot temper of a goaded yak." Riley snickered in his hand at the blunt honesty.

Tuff pointed out, "But the both of you seem to act like you were more than friends at one time, I mean, from what I can guess from what Mother Logai brought up from a few nights back," Dr. Marlin tinged a little red but remained silent. "So how is it that the both of you are good friends one minute and ready to rip each others' heads off the next?"

Dr. Marlin rubbed at his left ear, making it flick. "That's a good question, lad. Honestly, I'm not so sure why Logai never dumped me first chance she got. She's had plenty of golden opportunities; whatever chance she had, for some reason or another, she chose to remain by my side. And I had chosen to remain by hers as the years rolled on. It just seemed to make more sense for us to be two together, than just be one or the other. We never questioned it, we never fought against it. We just . . . Went with it." He brought up his cane in both hands, staring at it in a daze. "We remained close despite our differences, even when the both of us wanted more than we could have bargained for . . . We both had wishes and dreams that we never thought could come true."

Tuff and Riley looked at each other. ". . . Like what?"

Dr. Marlin's hay yellow irises grew even more distant. His lower lip trembled for the slightest moment before steeling itself still. ". . . . . . . Like a family." He sat straight up affirmatively and tapped the cane's butt against the ground once more. "But we've made do. Life never goes the way you want it, so we've made the best lemonade from the worst lemons that we've received; sometimes things worked out and sometimes they didn't. But that's to be expected, right?"

". . . Right." Tuff wrung his own hands together. Riley gave him a blank smile and nudged his shoulder with his leg. Tuff nudged him back with equal fondness. " . . . So, will we be seeing Captain Henry again before we leave?"

Dr. Marlin's ears twitched at the abrupt change of subject before answering, "I don't think so, she's has her hands full trying to get the Counsel to lend a hand in setting up a perimeter around the borders of the forest. If any of the Master's wolves try and drop in on us again, we'll need to be prepared."

Riley sighed suddenly, a goofy grin plastered on his face. "I'm sure Henri will think of something. She's one realll smart lady."

Tuff felt like groaning at the tone of his voice. Good lord, he hoped he wouldn't start rambling, or otherwise gloating, about his date again. He had his fill of that the first time. The Good Doctor didn't seem all that eager for it either, judging by the quiet, aggravated sigh he let out. "You're still drunk, aren't you, Riley?"

Riley blinked at him confused. "What are you talking about? I've barely had a drink all day."

"Nevermind, lad." Dr. Marlin shook his head. Tuff let out a mental sigh of relief. If he had prodded any further, Riley really would have started to go on blindly again.

Tuff still remembered everything; according to a giddy, love-struck Riley's account, he had had an amazingly, wonderfully, stupendously, spectacular night.

To quote his words, he and Henry "Wined and dined and danced all night", and that was telling the short version of it.

The semi-long version of it went something like this; Riley returned to the town, keeping his promise to be showered, dressed appropriately and ready for a night out within one hour. When he arrived, there Henry was waiting for him, dressed in what Riley described was a "Totally, mouth-wateringly, gorgeous" dress that, in obvious reality, really was just a simple sunny green sundress, and made up with simple make-up that matched her skin perfectly.

The instant Riley saw her, he was more than happy to let her take his hand and lead the way.

They had ended up going to the very same restaurant that he and Tuff had been chased out, this time with Henry's reassurance that no "Annoying little brothers with severe bodily odor issues" would rise again, receiving a table that the Female Captain was given as favor from her friend, the owner, a short, portly black and brown Owl avian who had no problems whatsoever with Riley being her date.

Things felt like they would suddenly drop from wonderful to . . . Well, awkwardly horrid when Sally, the women who catalyzed his and Tuff's booting from the restaurant in the first place, appeared almost nowhere. Riley had recalled feeling like he was being dangled over a boiling pit of fire when she recognized him and started to bat her long, thick eyelashes, clearly wanting to pick up where they left off –

– Only to go right rigid, however, when Henry gave her a side-glare that was hard enough and dark enough to level that of the most violent Were-Shark on the Archipelago. Riley felt himself pale at how fast Sally practically ran from them after taking their orders with a shaking hand and a wobbly grin.

Maybe Henry's Captain Title was not just won on pure skill alone . . .

The rest of their dinner went off with any more hitches, the both of them sharing small stories about small things and that, each giving their own laugh and comment when prompted. Henry paid the bill, much to Riley's chagrin about them going "Dutch", and pulled him along until they found themselves at a random corner. At least, he thought it was random until he spotted the small traveling music troupe perched there, playing their instruments proudly and producing loud and vibrant music for a small crowd of happy voyeurs. With a smile and a tinkling laugh, Henry happily spun him with her into a dance, pulling him close and pacing the both of them perfectly to the exciting rhythm and sounds.

Riley wasn't sure of what happened after that, – Possibly a side effect of all the wine they drank during their dinner. – All he knew was when he woke up, he found himself in one of the rooms in the Small Knothole Tavern, a small note slipped in the pocket of his shirt.

"Last night was fun. Let's do it again sometime, shall we? – XO Hen"

Choosing his happiness over confusion, the second he saw Tuff laying across from him in something dangerously close to sleep, he pounced on him and shook him awake, his mouth running a mile a minute.

Which made the scene that Cassie walked in to when she entered their room to say good morning to them look . . . Somewhat understandable.

A no longer lethargic but now very irate Tuff was bopping a chortling and protesting Riley repeatedly over the head with his pillow, making small clouds of feathers pop out of the casing, calling him a million things under the sun for "waking him up right in the middle of his first frikin' nap in months!" When Riley succeeded in knocking the pillow out of Tuff's hands, they then proceeded to wrestle on the bed, rolling around recklessly and mussing up the sheets.

It probably would've continued on like that all morning had the poor, old bed frame not come undone with a loud and comical crack, dropping both the mattress and the stunned brothers like rocks.

Tuff's face turned a little red at the memory. He heard talk about the expression of breaking the bed, but that was just ridiculous. It was a good thing that the tavern owner was a friend of Dr. Marlin's; otherwise he and Riley would've been stuck with a rather large tab.

He turned even a little more red when he remembered how Cassie's laughter pealed through the air at the stunned looks on their faces. They had never heard her laugh before and, Tuff had to admit, she looked so much more different than before, much more lively and carefree. It was a welcome change, respectfully, of course.

He was sure that Dr. Marlin was staring at him because he could hear him chuckling lightly from beside him. He hoped he wasn't able to read minds too.

"Hello? Tuff? Come in, Tuff? Can ya hear me?" A poke in his shoulder made him look up.

Riley was looking at him, expectantly. "What do you think Cassie's going to say?"

A swish of a curtain fluttered against the ground. "What would I say to what?"

Both brothers looked towards that voice . . . . And both instantly felt their minds go numb.

Cassie Matsyendra stood at the doorway of Mother Logai's backroom, holding her previous and now rolled and tied up clothes in her hands like a parcel, smiling blankly and dressed in what was fitting enough to be made from the flowers from Jayden Davenport's flower stand. Perhaps that was where Mother Logai got the idea from.

On Cassie's head was a light blue wrap with yellow trim that acted like a headband with a daisy-embalmed cinch on the right side, right behind her finned ear. Below her chin was the rest of her outfit, a loose, matching yellow top held up by far-spaced interlacing straps that tied behind her neck, the soft, light fabric flowing down and over the center of her matching blue knee-length shorts like a curtain while coming back up and resting snugly at her hips, giving her an appearance of a slim waist. At her feet rested a comfortable pair of slippers that were light blue with a design of yellow daisies sewn into the sleeves. To add to her flower-like outfit, she even had a pair of gloves that seemed more like wristbands as they imitated the appearance of the heart and petals of a summer daisy, tied with a another set of yellow strings around the wrists, leaving her hands free. Her tail-fin even matched with a design of something like sunflowers and tulips.

The colors were as perfect together as Cassie's own natural gold and turquoise colors. It made both Riley and Tuff think of seeing a field of bright flowers under a clear blue sky on a sunny day.

In other words, astonishing wonderful.

Cassie's cheeks tinged blue at their stare. Why were they staring at her like that? Was something out of place? Giving herself a quick check-over, she found nothing that was out of order. Looking back up, she gave her chest a quick glance for no apparent reason what-so-ever before crossing her arms bashfully. "Is something the matter?"

Still neither Sharkman responded. Mother Logai held her trademark sly grin as she trotted out of the doorway herself, looking between Cassie and the speechless Luck Brothers. "It's not polite to stare, Luck-Boys." Dr. Marlin snorted into his hand as she came over next to him.

Tuff was the first to snap out of it with a jump, his face still a little red from whatever had been rolling through his mind for the past minute and a half as he feigned a cough, "O-oh! Oh! Oh, no! Uhm, sorry, Cassie, nothing's wrong! Nothing, right, Riley?"

". . . . What we were talking about?" Riley drawled, his roaming eyes making Cassie turn even bluer, which of course earned him Tuff's elbow to the gut, making him grunt in pain. "Oi!"

Cassie kept her arms across her chest but managed to give them both a smile. "Alright . . . If nothing's the matter, then what were you both talking about?"

Rubbing his side, Riley sent a glare at his brother before smiling at her. "Thanks to some persuasion from Mother Logai and Dr. Marlin over here, although I have no idea how they pulled it off," Mother Logai looked over her claws with a smile at that as Dr. Marlin did the same while straightening his white doctor's coat for no apparent reason. "The three of us are welcome on Pound Island anytime we like."

"It was no problem, Lad." Dr. Marlin waved him off. "We've got plenty of old friends on this island."

"Along with plenty of old favors to dish up." Mother Logai winked mischievously. "It's simply a matter of knowing when to deal your cards; it helps if ya got years of experience behind ya, right, Haddie?"

"For once, I agree, Logie." Dr. Marlin's snout was turned into a sly smirk itself, nearly mirroring Mother Logai's perfectly. "Being old does have its perks."

Cassie gave a small giggle towards them. The both of them clearly had some history in nefarious dealings. And other things, judging by what she had heard earlier, though, respectfully, she was not going to say anything, thank-you-very-much. "That's wonderful." Cassie said, looking back at Tuff and Riley. "Does that mean the both of you are staying here?"

What Tuff said next surprised her. "Of course not, we're going with you!"

Cassie blanched at that, both her fins going up at once. "Huh?" What did he just say?

Riley took over from there with a grin. "Your friend Vince? The one you told us about? We talked about it, – By which, I mean Tuff and I. – And we thought that once we set out, we could give you a hand in looking for him."

Cassie's productive mind, however, was already coming to a rapid pace of scenarios where things went from bad to worst. Scenarios that involved a lot of screaming and running for the two men in front of her, one of which was including a possible maiming . . . Her hands went up in protest with her saying swiftly, "I-I don't think that's such a good idea."

Tuff and Riley both gave her an odd look. "Why? How come?"

Cassie didn't respond immediately. Her bright orange eyes wondered about the ceiling and ground under her feet like those of a guilty child. Her ears slowly flitted up and down as well while her tail grew fuzzy balls of blue and thick curls around the base, adding more to her unspoken shame. If Tuff and Riley weren't so perplexed by her sudden mood-swing, they probably would've found her current expression totally, bleeding adorable.

When Cassie finally looked back up, her cheeks were dusted with clouds of blue once again; the answer that came moments later was explanatory enough for her odd remorse. "Well, uhm . . . Because . . . Vince is . . . . . . Is a full-blooded version of the reason why I drew my knife on you when we officially met?"

. . . . Huh?

Everyone's reaction was instantaneous; the Luck Brothers' faces transitioned from befuddlement to blanch, their faces even turning a little pale in the process, while Dr. Marlin and Mother Logai simply looked at each other in small, calm surprise.

Cassie, with her ears and mouth turned flat like the stripes on her fin, looked like a small mouse trapped in between a tight corner and a hungry cat looking for a fast lunch. With Tuff and Riley's faces looking they way they did then, it was only a matter of time until –

"WHAT?!"

That.

Both of the Twins' eyes were wide and brimming with shock and erratic discernment as they bore into Cassie's own bashful, sheepish ones, the identical sets of sea green irises the size of pins to emphasize their rapidly growing want of answers. Their voices were sheer proof of that as the questions went off –

"Vince is a Were-Shark?! –

"Why didn't you tell us?! –"

"How did you travel with a Shark of all things?! –"

"Are you crazy?! Those full-blooded ones are murderous as hell! –"

"Are like his handler or something?! –"

"You shouldn't even be breathing right now! –"

Mother Logai, who had been watching the Sharkmen barrage Cassie in quiet bemusement up to this point, raised an eyebrow at the mobbed look growing on her face. One that was currently showcasing her pressured demeanor growing more and more freaked out by the second. Oh, dear. Padding over with a sigh, she only raised two claws and jabbed them straight into the soft backs of the knees of the two men in front of her.

Almost instantly, Riley and Tuff buckled, their voices cutting off with yelps of pain at the sharp shooting pain spiking in their respective legs. Mother Logai gave them only a huff and scolded, "Will the both of you back off? Give the girl room to breathe! I'm sure she has answers so just cool it!" She then looked towards Cassie, she gave a soft, questionable look, "Right, dear?"

The Blue-skinned woman gave her a grateful smile with jaunty-angled ears. "Ehm, yes. Thank you." She shook her head a little bit, probably to clear away the jittery nerves from Guerrilla-Warfare-worthy questions tossed at her, before speaking, "Yes, Vince is a Full-Blood Were-Shark. I know it's hard to believe but he and I are old friends; we go way back and not because I'm his handler, because we were both raised by the same man. He's nothing like what most people say about Were-sharks, if anything, he's more fish than shark."

Rubbing at his still stinging leg, Tuff managed to choke out, "If that's the case, then why did you pull a knife on us when you woke up?"

Cassie shrugged haplessly, despite herself. "Well, I was confused, I was shirtless, I was in pain and there were two strange Sharkmen that I didn't know just waiting outside; wouldn't you have done the same if you were in my place?"

Tuff turned red for probably the millionth time before mumbling, "Yeah, I guess we would've done that too . . ."

Riley rubbed at his knee while looking up at Cassie and saying, "Yeah, but still, Cassie, I mean, even if this Vince guy was your friend, what's the guarantee that he wouldn't do something crazy and attack you?"

Cassie bristled visibly for a second, her eyes wide for just the tiniest of seconds . . . Before it vanished, melting into annoyance, and prompting her to cross her arms over her chest once more, her tail taking on a familiar rippling pattern from behind her. The fire blazing hot in her bright eyes, she leaned in and snapped, "You two are hardly ones to talk about violence," She started, her voice sharp and clear. "After all, you –" She pointed to Tuff with a dainty finger, jabbing the tip into his collarbone nearly the same way Mother Logai had to his knee. "– Nearly broke Les's wrist on sheer impulse when he tried to grab me. And, you –" She moved over to Riley, doing the exact same to him. "– Weren't any better when you jumped on the giant She-Dog like a maniac and treated it like you were wrestling with a stuffed animal! The both of you can be just as reckless as regular sharks, so don't talk to me about what's dangerous and what's not!"

Dr. Marlin hummed quietly from where he still sat. The Luck-boys were right in what they said, that little lady's gusto was something to be admired.

Clearly, Tuff and Riley thought so too; because they were both struck speechless at her declaration. Well that . . . And the blunt, reprimanding look that the Small Blue-Skinned Blonde in front of them held on her face, in a way, made them think of their mother.

More specifically, whenever she was telling them off after they did something stupid as kids. This was rather often, much to the simply, absolutely terrifying thought of facing her wrath. Be it little or big, the both of them always felt the need to run for cover each time their mother caught wind of each little speck of trouble or each little piece of disaster that they left in their little wake.

In fact, Cassie was almost following the exact same pattern that Mother would always take when the time came to dish out punishment. Save the small, affirmative bop to their heads she usually started out with, it was almost like déjà vu.

Now all she had to do was just give her usual sermon related to the problem. What was it that she always said in cases like this?

Oh, right.

"Boys, make sure you remember this; men who don't keep to their promises without good cause or reasons are hardly any better then the common crook. Just as slippery as an eel and only trusted as far as you could throw them. Simply put, no good."

As straight and as blunt as always.

. . . Come to think of it, given everything, that really did describe the both of them at the very same moment, didn't it?

Yep. No doubt about it.

Giving each other a small nod, Tuff crossed his own arms as well before stating, "You know, Cassie, you're right. That's why we have to go with you."

Cassie's ears flitted as she blinked at them. "Huh?"

"It's just like you said." Tuff said with a small smirk. "You know perfectly well what can kill you and what can't. Same goes for us too, only our advantage is that we have heightened senses that let us know when danger's just around the corner; you don't have anything like that to help you, save Vince who isn't really here at the moment. So, don't you think it would be a good idea to have us looking after you?"

Cassie could not believe the almost near smugness of his tone. She couldn't believe what this Sharkman in front of her was saying at all. Did he really think she was weak after all? That she couldn't handle herself? Even after everything she had been through this week alone? Biting fury started to well up behind her, making her blood tingle with familiar energy and her eyes tighten with heat. She was sure that she heard him gasp, but at this point she could hardly care less.

All she wanted was to get her point across and get it across NOW.

Taking two steps toward him, she careened onto her tiptoes and looked right into his now startled eyes and started hotly, "Is that what you really think of me?! Do you see me as some defenseless little girl in need of rescuing?! Did you forget that I not only took care of myself but also saved the both of you from becoming dog food?! You know, right now, I have enough sense to just take my tail and –"

A set of gentle, rough-palmed hands on her shoulders stopped her cold. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Cassie, easy! That's one of the reasons why Tuff and I want to come with you!"

The fizzle died as quickly as it came, the heat and anger went back into a dormant, cold ball within her as she turned and faced a somewhat panicked Riley. "P-pardon me?"

Keeping a hand on her shoulder, he counted off two fingers on his free hand. "You're right, Cassie, you did save us. Actually, you saved the both of us twice. So, we're kind of at an imbalance. And the only way we actually fix that is if we come along with you and help you." Riley's smile was sincere and gentle as he added, "You are definitely not weak, and you're definitely not helpless, but you have to admit that you're gonna need some help when it comes to finding your friend. I mean, do you even know where to look?"

Cassie felt her ears turn flat again. She hated to admit it, but she hadn't a clue where to look. Idea-wise, she had next to nothing, in all actuality. She wouldn't even know where to begin looking for Vince; if he wasn't waiting in the reef for her then her only hope was the next island and she wasn't sure how far it would be from here and how long it would take to get there.

If he wasn't there either, what was next? Just keep going from Island and Island and asked around for lone Were-Shark? She had no problem with navigating on her own if need be, but she would tire out way too often before she'd get even close to catching Vince. Plus, even if she did make it on her own fins, the locals and natives would probably think that she was absolutely crazy for wanting to even look for Vince in the first place.

It would not be the first time that's happened.

She knew Tuff's hand the instant it touched her, the calloused, warm skin of his palm still trembling against her own. Guilt bit at her almost the same way her anger did earlier, making her frown at herself as she turned and met with Tuff's fragile smile. All trace of, what she now knew, gentle smugness was gone from his voice and replaced with hopeful understanding and pleading apology as he said, "Our sub isn't much, I'll admit that, but it's safe and we can both drive it fairly well. We're not going force you to come with us but we'd feel better if you did. Not because you're some defenseless little girl, but because we want to be able to fix the mistakes we made with you."

"Mistakes?" Cassie said before she could stop herself.

Tuff nodded simply. "Mhm, yeah, we'd promised we'd protect you, just like the good doctor told us to. We almost broke that promise by leaving you alone . . . And we don't want that to happen again."

"This time, we promise to keep a better eye on you." Riley grinned at her, cocking his head impishly at her. "We'll be there no matter what and keep you safe no matter what. Which of course, includes having to tie you down in a chair at the ready if you force our hand."

"It's your choice." Tuff stated gently, taking his hand off her shoulder with his familiar bashful smile. "Whatever you want to do, we'll stand by it. It's up to you." Riley nodded with his own smile and his hand set lazily behind his head.

Cassie was flabbergasted. She looked between the both of them, at a severe loss for words. Looking down at her hands, she played with her fingers haplessly, almost like she was expecting the answers to be written on the skin.

Of course, nothing was there. Predictable. What was she supposed to say?

No, I'm perfectly capable of traveling on my own. I have my knife and wits about me after all?

No, I appreciate your help but I can take care of myself, I'm a big girl?

No, just no?

Maker, she was hopeless. She didn't know what to do about this.

. . . Okay, on the one hand, if she said yes, Tuff and Riley could take her to Islands, leaving her with a temporary safe haven, some sense of direction and a lingering hope to find Vince much quicker than expected. Unfortunately, that would also put Tuff and Riley in harm's way once more if the day lead to it.

On the other hand, if she said no, she would be left to her own devices, hopping continuously from place to place, as she had while she was still with Vince, seeking shelter however she could and keep to her prayers that Vince was alright and was just waiting for her on the next island over. But despite all this, the Luck brothers wouldn't need to get involved in her problems and be hurt.

Cassie felt her face fall. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. Either go with the guys and let them get dragged into what kind of trouble she found herself in. Or head out on her own once more and keep them safe from that the powers that be.

What could she say to this?

Did she really want to pull these two into her problems? Surely they had even better things to do then help her play hide-and-go-seek across the Archipelago. Didn't everybody?

What was being alone for a little while? It wasn't like she was a little girl anymore.

. . . . But, did she really like being alone? Like she and Vince had suddenly become when Faust had died?

All that frightful, choking loneliness had definitely left her to cry into massive tears at night, the reality too much for her young self to bear. She remembered how often she had just pressed her face into Vince's, thick leathery side and buried her salty hot tears into the smell of sea water, fish, soil and grass in hopes that that big, horrible dream would just go away . . .

. . . . Would she now have to cry over being just by herself now?

. . . Would Tuff and Riley be able to understand if she said yes?

. . . . . . What would Faust have said about all this?

"Blue-bird, your story isn't just written by you." A calm, exasperated voice whispered in her head. "It's written by your hand and the hands of those who you meet along the way. Each one's hand-writing is different and no-one's input is the same, but the twists and turns and idyllic points of views are what make the story worth reading. Just like mine, yours and Vince's. No story is just yours alone."

Cassie's heart tightened in her chest. Faust . . .

". . . . You both really want me to come with you?" A near-whisper replaced her voice when she spoke. Despite this, it seemed to echo in the air around them, clashing against the silence like waves and catching everyone's attention. "The both of you don't even know where I'm going to be heading, you know."

Riley shook his head dismissively. "It doesn't make a fig of difference to us, Cassie; you're going and that means we're going. Like it or not, you're our friend."

She didn't even know she had been hanging her head, but her bangs lifting away from her eyes as she tilted her neck told her otherwise. Small hot tears were begging to come out of her eyes, eager to spill once more to add to her indignity. These were contrasted sharply by the brilliant smile that adorned her face, keeping on even as her cheeks went dark blue before them. Cassie swallowed once before bringing up a hand and wiping the heel against the trails that escaped down her skin, chuckling in spite of the fact she was bound to start crying like a baby once again. "Is that your only reason?"

Tuff, for once, without any care to what anyone – Especially Riley – would think, brought up a hand gently brushed away a tear himself with the tip of his finger, giving a comforting smile. "That's the only one we need, Miss Cassie." Riley made his agreement known by patting the top of Cassie's head, ruffling it with a smile and without a care in the world.

Cassie didn't respond. She simply smiled and cried. And this time, she did it much more quietly.

For once, the Good Doctor and Jakkai Tailor, from their place at the counter, didn't say a word. They watched all this with no jokes, no jabs and especially no wants to interfere. They were content with simply watching. As old people would whenever things like this occurred.

As Riley's and Tuff Luck's arms went around Cassie Matsyendra's small shoulders once more, with her pulling them in closer with her beaming grin and a vibrant, sunny tail-fin, the both of them thought the exact same thing. They looked at each other and smiled.

This was gonna be interesting . . .

ME: YES! FINALLY, THIS ARCH IS DONE! GEEZ, I can't believe it took me nearly a whole month to write this; I literally didn't get this done until like 3:30 AM, WOO! But I guess all good endings deserve patience and practice to write, right?

Cassie's first outfit, along with Tuff's and Riley's were the concoctions of :iconDoodleBotBop: herself and I own none of them, unfortunately because she's a really awesome designer! You should totally check them out if you're interested!

Here's the link! Doodlebotbop . deviantart art/ Luck-Brothers-55473351 (Just remove the spaces . . .)

However, Cassie's second outfit is of my own design and I happily claim it as such! Soon it shall appear on my deviantart account, so if you know it, come check it out!

Okay, as I said, I'm going to be taking a well-deserved break from this story for a while, But I will be posting filler chapters until time comes for the next to begin! So please be patient and continue reading as you will.

The next arch shall begin in November! 'Till then, bye-bye! (Runs away before readers can catch her and tie her down)