Chapter 27.
The
Flames
Among
Water;
Act I,
Part IV

"I can move mountains,
I can work a miracle, work a miracle . . .

I'll keep you like an oath,
"May nothing but death do us part . . . " . . ."

"Uma Thurman" – Fall Out Boy

~X~

". . . Oh my."

". . . Whoa."

". . . Yeah, this . . . This could be a problem."

There was good reason for their shock. Opalliou City was truly as Tuff had described it only half a week before; smooth cobblestone polished and embedded in the ground was trounced on, walked upon and run over mindlessly from the dozens of feet, talons and paws of near every class and species. Buildings of English-styled stonework were spread all across from the reaches of the crowd, dropping and rising with bold finesse, each sized and strengthened in their own right. History breathed loud and clear from the surroundings, intertwining with the indiscernible number of voices, boisterous and subtle, floating up and around them.

Each person and/or creature was easily lost in his or her own solitary worlds. An occasional burst of laughter and argument was quickly drowned out by conversations of simple normalcy or the scuffing of large beasts hauling carts of goods or passengers trotting along to their destinations. Small children playing on their own could be seen swerving in and out of the crowds, strategically avoiding contact with anything or anyone in a hurry, their chiming laughter and squeals vanishing as quickly as they came. The only oddity of the crowds being the sight of the momentous large, lurking golem remaining stoic and placid despite the bustle of the background, blindly going on with its errands without deterrence.

Compared with the calm, rolling atmosphere of Great Maple Town where the loudest sound was as lingering as tumbleweeds, the capital of Score Island was like the constant clanging of iron bells.

Both Luck Brothers and the Short Blonde stood at the epicenter of the Town Square, the dark-petal tulip mosaic resting just under their feet, surrounded by swirling dark green vines and floating leaves of mottling shades set in the circular frame of stained stone. The beauty of it was certainly well worth the claims as the sun shone clear through the bright blue sky and bounced off its surface, gleaming much like the metaphorical gem as it was proclaimed.

They had arrived just where they had needed to be. The identical tulip on the odd map in Cassie's hands signified that. But there was no feeling of accomplishment or relief. There was only doubt and confusion.

Riley's hand flew to his forehead as he took everything in. "Man! This place is huge! How are we supposed to find the rest of the stuff on Cassie's map in all this?"

"That, let alone a singular Were-Shark." Cassie added, biting on her lower lip. "It's a like trying to find a shell in a sandbank. There's probably millions of places Vince could go to hide."

Tuff looked at her. "You mean he's not going to try and stay at the docks?"

Cassie shook her head. "No. Vince knows better than to stay in one place for too long on a big island like this. Especially if there's plenty of people around."

Riley scratched at his cheek. "You know, it's weird. If I needed to lay low and have an escape route handy in case things get hairy, I would definitely pick a place that was close to the water. All I'd have to do is just follow the currents until you're out in the briny blue."

"You could also try going down a sewer." Cassie suggested. "I'm not much of a plumber but I do know that big cities like this have to have a drainage system of some kind; no matter where the water flows, all drains lead to the ocean. It's not safe but it's the fastest way out if need be."

"If Opalliou does, it must be as simple to navigate through as a labyrinth. There must be dozens of sewer tunnels all over the island. There'd be no way we could find him in time before he moves on to the next island. Also, I'd rather not go trudging around in knee-deep sewage and risk the chance of meeting alligators." Tuff said, a hand rubbing at the thick strap that hung his two twin swords on his back while the other rested against his simple, plain satchel.

Riley chuckled at that, the hilt of his own massive sword bumping against his cheek as he craned his head back. "Heh, yeah. The ones back home in the Quillotian sewers are bad enough."

Cassie sighed, gestured to her "map" in weariness. "So our best chances are to look for Vince topside. And our only clues are the collection of strange pictures on this piece of paper. Brilliant."

"Well, at least we're on the right track." Riley encouraged her. "The tulip mosaic matches the one on the paper. If we can find that, the rest should be easy to find."

Cassie gratefully accepted his encouragement while Tuff frowned. "But how in the world are we supposed to know how a banner, a strange puddle, a snake head and a single solitary word all relate to finding a specific Were-Shark?"

Cassie hummed thoughtfully. "Well, the spell I used to make this map usually shows me glimpses of what Vince has seen or where he's been. They're basically like markers; if you can find the trail, it leads you to the end." She looked down at the cobblestone flower right beneath her feet. "This is the start. Now all we have to do is try and guess which image is next."

"Right. And the chances that we can find something specific to lead us to the next clue would be . . . ?" Tuff asked.

"Very low." Cassie finished. "Like I said, it's like glimpsing into a crystal ball. It won't make sense until you see it right in front of you. And we won't see it until we start looking around."

Tuff's face stated his satisfaction in hearing that, sighing. "We might as well. And while we're at it we need to see if we can haggle for a Heart Crystal; our old one is spent and we're stuck here until we get a new one."

Riley snorted. "Pssh, yeah right. And by "new", I'm assuming you mean "old". That crystal may've been older than dirt but it cost more than the rest of the sub put together. Unless you wanna spare an arm and leg, we'll either have to make do with what we got or, in the worst case scenario, take what we don't got."

Tuff groaned. "Ah, no kidding. But I'm just relieved that we managed to get here in one piece after that fiasco last night. It's a miracle that we're all still standing here after that run-in with that Sea Otter. Someone must've been looking out for us that night." Riley and Cassie shared an uneasy glance when Tuff's back was turned. Boy, Tuff had no idea how true that was.

The night before, Riley and Cassie had run into each other on their way to bed and they both somehow had easily guessed something had been troubling the other. Cassie had relayed her conversation with the Mysterious Were-Shark Giant and Riley and had told of his discovery of the temporarily mended state of the Heart Crystal.

The only odd hilarity that had been found was their own shock and surprise when the links were made and the two found themselves sounding in sync with revelation. Since then, neither one had mentioned anything about it. At least, neither one had mentioned anything about it to Tuff.

They both knew why they didn't tell him. Given how Tuff was acting oddly that evening, – According to Cassie, whom still couldn't make sense out of it even after drilling Riley about Tuff's monthly reverse in mood swings. – It was probably best not to say anything that would upset him. Even though it might be quite possible that a Were-Shark, not Vince, was following them and aiming to make them all his lunch . . .

Cassie, at first, had planned on just coming out with the truth to Tuff, but as another point, Riley had assured Cassie of Tuff's tendency to overreact at things that were confounding to him, with twenty-four years of experience under his belt fueling that statement. According to him, Tuff panicking was like seeing a canary stuffed inside a cage surrounding by fat, napping housecats, flapping its wings in a flurry. Cassie wasn't sure what to say regarding that idiom, but she got the point. They had to wait until it was a good time to tell Tuff what had happened. Now, however, was not it.

Cassie thought fast. She pressed a hand to his arm and smiled up at him. "I wouldn't say it's too much of a miracle. After all, you were the one fighting the controls and keeping the submarine as upright as possible near all night. You got us through and I'm happy for that."

Just as she hopefully guessed, Tuff reacted instantly, his face turning bright red in embarrassment and his tongue going into knots as he tried to speak. "O-Oh, it was, uh, uhm, it was, Uh– Nothing! Really, there's no need to – No,no,nononono . . ."

Cassie shushed Riley's poorly hidden snorts with a friendly but sharp whap to his arm. "Yes, there is. But let's get back to the matter at hand, shall we? We need to find Vince and a new Heart Crystal for the Penguin. We should get moving while its still light out."

"Right, and while we look around, we can talk to a few of the locals." Riley added, no longer snickering but grinning teasingly at his still reddened twin. "I mean, place as big as this, there's bound to be some stores that sell decent enough parts for submarines. And rumors probably buzz like flies around here so a Shark sighting shouldn't be too hard to dig up."

"But let's try and keep it as low-key as possible." Tuff said cautiously. "We don't need to let people know that a Were-Shark is running loose in the city and start a panic. I'd rather not spend the rest of our time here held in a prison cell on the suspicion of consorting with monsters."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Tuff." Cassie reassured him. "Riley has a point after all, how hard can it be to find something on this island?"

~X~

". . . Why is it so hard to find anything on this island?" Cassie sighed before her face met with the bar counter, her ears flopping down in exhaustion. Her tail lifted up behind her with frustrated scribbles stemming on her tail-fin.

Riley on the left of her groaned in agreement, practically plopping himself onto a stool. "You would almost think we covered half of Opalliou's population, my head is spinning from all the dead-end rumors we've wasted time on!"

Tuff on her right gave an equally frustrated groan, throwing his satchel onto the counter to relieve the weight on his shoulder. "If that weren't bad enough, none of the stores around here had any Heart Crystals in stock. And even if they did, they would definitely cost more than the three of us put together!"

Cassie kept to her slouch but substituted the hard, worn counter for her arms so she could rest on her chin. "To summarize, we're tired, we're stuck on this island and we have little next to nothing in either information or supplies." To conclude that grim statement, she let loose another weary yet somewhat lighter sigh.

Perhaps they were all being just a tad dramatic. But who wouldn't be after taking a good portion of the afternoon walking around in a huge city and turning up with nothing?

There were six shops in Opalliou that each housed miscellaneous collections of mechanical pieces and vitals for machines of all kinds, both old and new, small and large. Indeed there were none of the powerful cuts of rock that could be spared and, as Tuff had mentioned, the cost to order one in advance would even make the most humble of men with the most generous wallet grimace with pain.

As expected with the busy and bristling atmosphere of city life, very few actually provided them with any real information regarding Vince. The two handfuls of people who had given a response other than "Nope, sorry." Or "Why would I know anything about that?" or just "Not now, I'm busy." Had either sent them on a wild goose chase on the wind of a rumor they had heard from so on and so forth or . . . . Well, the lingering sting on Cassie's palm was well worth wiping those disgusting leers from those lecher's faces.

It had been close to eleven when the three of them had started their search in the Town Square, and now the clock was only a few minutes from striking to four o'clock as it hung on the wall of the White Ivy bar. They had discovered it after just getting done with chasing a so-called lead from behind a clockmaker's shop where a wrinkly, old dark-skinned doctor swore he saw "some funny-looking footprints the size of buckets, for sure!" All they had found were some rats that could've easily been mistaken for Daggits. Cassie quietly snorted. With a whole city full of doctors and professors, you would've thought the streets would've been a little more hygienic.

The White Ivy bar was designed as standard as any other bar, but it seemed as though it was boxed and built within the heart of a modestly vibrant garden. Plants spurring slender vines twisted and turned around the rafters of the ceiling, blooming with buds of freshly grown tulips the same shade as the Town Square mosaic. A small healthy vine even held up a bell over the front door that rung cheerily each time someone entered. Matching vines crawled from the bottom of the walls and close to where mismatched colorful bottles were kept on shelves, their floral scents drifted through the air and colliding with the heavy reek of alcohol uncapped and gulped down or nurtured by what few patrons that were there.

Cassie could count on one hand the other few in the bar. A small stocky dark-skinned man in a coat and hat sat alone at a further back corner booth. Draped on the other end of the counter, a large snoring lump of brown and white feathers that twitched his large wings with each drunken snort remaining barely afloat on his stool. And, of course, She, Riley and Tuff set at the near center of the bar. She could only assume it would be as slow until the night came alive with thirsty customers. Or until the clock struck five o'clock.

A friendly chuckle chimed into her ear, making it flick. "Well, don't you lot look like a sorry sight!" Cassie lifted her head. Eyes as bright blue vigor were quirked playfully lifting the white petal markings on her plump cheekbones. Braided shock white hair lopped over her broad shoulder as heavy bangs curled around her plump, round face that beamed with a smile. Her over-seven-foot height was reduced to five feet at least with a propped trunk-sized arm onto the counter, chuckling softly at their tired expressions. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you three had been hoppin' on your feet around Ol' Opalliou from dawn to dusk."

Riley replied with his own chuckle, albeit somewhat frustrated, "That's a good guess. My feet sure feel like agreeing with ya; almost feels like I'm dangling cement blocks just below my ankles."

"Rough day?" The bartender pulled a rag and an empty glass out of nowhere and started to clean it with surprising ease.

"If that's what you wanna call it, sure." Tuff waved his hand lazily. "We're having submarine trouble and we were hoping to find at least one store here that had Heart Crystals on hand. Or at least, a really really old one that maybe they would sell to us cheap. I don't suppose you have any recommendations, miss . . . ?" He asked the last question as politely as possible.

The bartender smiled bemusedly at his formality. "Name's Delha, sweetie. No "Miss" 'round here, thank ya very much, 'lest you're talkin' to my mum. Sorry to hear 'bout your sub troubles, right dangerous to have those if ya run into Pipsy."

""Pipsy"?" Cassie quirked an ear.

"A big ball'a fur and ton'a trouble for tourists. 'Specially if ya catch him in a bad mood." Delha's crooked smile made it seem more like a funny joke than a warning. "Nothin' to find then but piles a' scrap metal and a whole lotta complaints to fill out. If yer lucky. As for yer Heart Crystal issue, sorry sweetie, but if you in'a hurry to get off this island, you're probably better off lookin' for another sub."

Tuff sighed, propping his own hand under his chin. "I was afraid of that."

"At least that gives us some more time to try and find Vince." Cassie said.

"Ah, lookin' for a missin' boyfriend?" Delha teased.

Cassie shook her head maturely, although her cheeks tinged a tad blue. "No, no, Vince is a friend of mine. We came here hoping we could find him. So far we haven't had any luck and we've maybe asked at least everybody in this section of the city alone. Or at least, everybody who hasn't blown us off or tried to make a move on me." She huffed a little at the memory. Even though nothing actually happened, she still felt like taking a very vigorous shower.

Delha smiled at her sour look. "Men just askin' for trouble, amirite?" Cassie just gave a small nod in agreement with a small, vindictive giggle.

Riley gave her a small look of approval. "And we couldn't ask the City Guard for help either, even if we wanted to. We've barely seen a single Guard all day."

"That's cuz they've got their own troubles to deal with, handsome." Delha finished cleaning the first glass and now moved on to another with a rather impressive stain. "What with that visitin' Duchess gone missin' and all."

Tuff blinked. "Missing Duchess?"

Delha smirked at him. "Boy, you lot must be just droppin' in. It's been the big buzz 'round here for a good while now. Some li'l lady Duchess from a southwestern island kingdom came to our shores not too long ago. I think as some kinda promotin' for "peace among islands" thing, I dunno. Most likely some hand-shakin' and smilin' for the big crowds, I suppose."

A dark cloud settled over Tuff's wary features. His sea green eyes seemed to burn into the counter as a small growl slipped. "As usually is the case."

Cassie raised a brow at him. She caught Riley rolling his eyes out of the corner of her eye but said nothing.

"Well, what happened next sure wasn't what anyone was expectin'." Delha stated.

"What happened?" Cassie asked.

Delha paused in her manhandling of the still stained glass. "Probably just about a week ago, just a handful'a days before she and her entourage were supposed to head out to the next isle, some Guards went to check up on them all before headin' out on patrol and, when they got there, all they found was a massacre!"

Riley, Cassie and Tuff looked up sharply at her. "What?!"

Delha nodded stiffly. "Yep. Everyone in that room was as dead as a doornail, each lookin' like they had been ripped to shreds by a bear or something pretty damn close. A royal mess judgin' by all that blood they were shakin' in their boots 'bout."

"And the Duchess?" Riley inquired.

Delha shook her head grimly. "She weren't there. Or at least her body weren't."

Riley gulped, wide-eyed. "Sorry I asked."

Despite the grimness of Delha's words, morbid curiosity started to peak within Tuff's mind. "They didn't find any trace of her?"

Delha shook her head. "Nope. Everyone's guess is that the ones who did the killin' took her right along with them when they left. Since then, the City Guard have been combin' Opalliou top to bottom."

"And no one's seen her?"

"Not a thing. And if they don't soon, some real chum is gonna be-a comin' to be thrown in the fan."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, the girl was just a visitor from a kingdom. Ain't no reason to go and grab her like a apple off a cart. Her home ain't got an army much like Quillotia, mind you, but if that li'l lady don't turn up safe and sound and fast, they're gonna come knockin' on our door with enough firepower to level Opalliou to the ground faster than a man slippin' on a peel."

Cassie and Tuff looked at each other in muted shock. They had a problem. With their submarine offline and having nor the money or means to get another Heart Crystal or, as Delha suggested, a whole other submarine, that meant they were stuck. Which meant that if what she said was true, they could be facing trouble soon. Big trouble.

Three rings sounded from behind them. Delha saw who entered and lifted off the countertop. "Welp, new customers, gotta go earn my coin for the day!" She ducked down under the counter and whispered to Riley. "My only girl's runnin' late today with some kind of silly hair appointment she just had to get to. She's lucky it's a slow day, otherwise I'd have to jes shave off her head and drag her over by her tail." Chuckling, she quickened over to greet whoever came in. "Hey there, sweeties, welcome to the White Ivy! How many in your party?"

"Just two at the moment, thank you."

Cassie's heart sputtered at the voice as her ears flew up. That very familiar voice that made of her think of warmth from the afternoon sun. Was that . . . ? No, no, it couldn't – She swerved around in her seat, expecting over eight feet of bright, long burning hair and old, sparking green eyes . . .

. . . And saw a large Were-Orca in a thick cloak with the hood pulled down, revealing a bland cotton-field of hair tumbling over his dark skin. Of what muzzle that could creep out, white wispy markings curled to just under his cheekbone. His age was indiscernible but he could easily have been the Luck Brothers' senior by many years, his voice having just enough aged tilt to it to land him in his prime.

Cassie deflated, slumping right along with her ears. She should've known better. No one like that, or rather a Shark like that, would reappear so quickly. Especially not in the same place she was. With her two Half-Shark friends set on either side of her. And with their very sharp and very lethal weapons on their backs. And with the – Okay, Cassie. That's enough rationalizing, we get the point.

She hadn't made any noise, but the large Orca did glance at her as Delha lead him to a table directly across from where they sat. His bangs were too thick to really see his eyes but Cassie felt no ill intent from him like she had from the other numerous, lewd-minded males before. The only feeling she got was a ball of pleasant warmth pooling in her chest as his snout turned up at her with a polite smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

She also felt nothing from the other man, aside from slight surprise, as he seemed to vaporize out of nowhere and right behind the large Orcaman. She blinked with one ear raised. He was a Pandorian, but not like any Cassie had seen before.

He was about a head and a half shorter than the Orca, with his ears adding a couple inches when they were straight up. His fur looked dark and course like it had been brown at one point but was then poorly dyed so that it resembled burnt coffee with light brown fringes on the sides of his muzzle and chin shaping his face with a furry goatee. Expensive silver studs and rings glinted on his folded ears and similar chains wrapped around his long throat. He was no where near as top heavy as his companion, but the muscle gliding on the one sculpted arm peeking out from the shawl he wore would definitely make any sensible man nervous. Along with the choppy array of scars lining up from the side facing his stomach, the thick, long, midnight black claws stretching from his paws and the strange-looking weapon holstered on his left hip.

Cassie was puzzled. She knew most Pandorians wore often nude with only their pelts and specks of jewelry or baubles here and there to cover them, but this one was wearing clothes and such like any other human. Under the shawl, he wore a long dark shirt that didn't seem suitable for the otherwise lukewarm evening creeping in, dark green and considerably baggy draw string pants that did well in hiding his bowed legs and the most oddly customized pair of combat boots that she had ever seen. They looked as though the top halves of one set had their heels torn off and were promptly sewn onto the lower half of another set. The Pandorian, regardless, walked around in them with ease.

She looked him up and down. What could prompt someone already covered in a thick pelt of fur to cover up in even more layers when it was during the middle of spring? If it was simply for effect he was doing a good enough job of that.

When she looked back up, her cheeks tinged blue in embarrassment. His cool, dark eyes bore right into hers with an eye-ridge thoughtfully raised. Cassie cursed herself for being caught staring. She was naturally polite but also rounded with a sense of curiosity that more or often or not got her in trouble. Not the extreme kind, thankfully, but enough to warrant a scolding every now and again.

The Pandorian was silent but he clearly took her examining him as an invitation to do the same as his soil brown irises looked her up and down. Up and down. Up again and down . . . And up again. His eye-ridge rose an inch but nothing more. Cassie felt her ears droop. Why was he staring at her like that? Was there something wrong with her clothes? She looked down.

For the cool yet warm spring day, she had decided on one of the many, many outfits that Mother Logai had designed for her despite her protests back on Pound Island; something that both spoiled her and annoyed her at the same time. It consisted of a grass green shawl-like long-sleeved shirt with a high collar that stopped just under her chin and cut into a simple "V" at the front with diamond-shaped sleeves reaching to her hands, all trimmed with a multi-colored Aztec pattern that somehow clashed perfectly with it. Following that were a pair of likewise trimmed light grey shorts that stopped at mid-thigh and remained at such height when she sat, – Thank goodness for small favors! – A pair of blue-grey stockings that went up to her knees and a comfortable pair of ankle-high light brown boots. Topping it all off was a plain hair-clip in her blonde hair that was more decorative than anything. Cassie didn't see anything wrong. No stains, no loose strings, nothing that really permitted staring. The Pandorian seemed interested in her shirt for some reason or another so why would he OH.

Cassie burned a deep royal blue and her arms immediately tucked over her chest, a defense mechanism for whenever someone, such as the man in front of her, was pervasively checking her out. The Pandorian, wisely choosing not to comment but hiding nothing of his crime with a suave smirk and a wink, laughed silently and sat with the Orcaman at their given table. In response, she gave an indignant huff and turned right back to the counter, her barbed wire patterned tail showcasing her repute like a signal flare.

Men, they were all the same. No matter the species, they were the same everywhere.

"– Cassie, what do you think?"

Cassie started at the sound of her name, her ears flipping up and her tail-fin popping with bubbles. "Hmm?! What? Oh sorry, Tuff, I was . . . erhm, distracted. What were you saying?"

Tuff gave her a look but never commented on her odd behavior. "Riley and I were talking about maybe looking for someplace to stay until we can figure what we're going to do about transportation. Riley thinks that he can jury-rig the system of the sub engine for long enough to draw out a little bit more power from the heart crystal so we can stay there but I think it'd be smarter, not to mention safer, if we just stayed at an inn."

"And pay for most likely over-priced, over-rated food and board and deal with snooty, stuffy managers who take one look at the stain on your shirt with their noses turned up? No thank you." Riley stated with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Besides, a big island like this has got to be a major tourist attraction; all these people with coins in their pockets are probably packed together like sardines and spend even more so every night for bed and breakfast at least. Staying in our own sub would be lot cheaper."

"Until the crystal goes haywire again." Tuff pointed out. "Which would then cause it to jettison us out of port. As we then go crashing straight into the Town Square, scraping a couple of buildings along the way, both houses and businesses, it might even have the chance to run over the common pedestrian, knowing our luck. Maybe a few innocent kids too, just for the heck of it. And when it's all over, all that's left is billing us with a list of charges to land us a prison sentence for three lifetimes."

"Boy, aren't you just a little ray of sunshine." Riley deadpanned.

"It's called being a "Realist", Riley." Tuff said. "Trying to use the old heart crystal any more would be too dangerous, I know I don't need to remind you about last night. And it's not like we're broke, we have plenty of money saved up from what we have, what Cassie has and what Mother Logai and Dr. Marlin gave us."

"I just think it's ridiculous to have to be billed an extra gavotte simply for a couple of starch clean sheets and pillows."

"So we won't. I don't sleep anyway."

"But you're bound to get hungry at some point, right?"

"Not like you do; I don't need to devour the contents of the entire fridge and the frozen fish sticks in the freezer to be happy."

"That was one time!"

"During your "blue period" as you called it, right?"

"You know I eat when I'm depressed!"

"Ahem." Both Riley and Tuff stopped and looked down between them.

Cassie, who had watched them degenerate their discussion into a baseless argument with her opinion clearly forgotten, rolled her eyes at them with a stern expression etched on her pretty face. Her placid grunt wasn't loud, but held enough depth to grab both of the boys' attention. With her face, someone would think she was a mother about to give a lecture.

With her arms lax but still crossed, she did just that. "Boys, I just like to point out two things. First, I don't appreciate being asked what I think about something and then have it graciously ignored for the sake of some petty quibble. Second, I think it'd be a wonderful if we did decide on where we stay until we can provide the means to leave so when Delha comes back, we'll ask her if she has any good recommendations. Any cheap recommendations before you say a word, Riley."

Right on cue, the said Barmaid returned with a jotted-on piece of paper torn from her notepad. "I heard my name, how can I help ya?"

Before either Sharkman could say something, Cassie held up a hand to halt them. "Some tea would be lovely to start with, thank you. Jasmine citrus blend, if you have it." Cassie casually grinned. "Also we were hoping if you knew of any place where we could stay until we can get our technical issues with our submarine all sorted out."

Delha immediately started a teapot, setting it on a little burner she had pulled out of thin air once again. "Sure, what kind of place were ya lookin' for? We got some empty houses up for rent if you're plannin' on a long-term visit. If yer lookin' for somethin' smaller, there're a couple of apartments down over on Pine Avenue that're pretty ritzy. But if you ain't lookin' for that, there's a li'l tavern at the junction of Cavern and Cliff that's run by a friend of mine, mention m'name n' you'll get a good price . . ."

Riley, obviously a little disgruntled at the chastise scolding, – And in all honesty, a little aquiver . . . – Gave Cassie a soft huff as he spun around in his seat, leaning back against the counter as she and Delha started to chatter, Tuff only interrupting to ask an occasional question. He rolled his eyes. Boy, Mr. Poutfish, always with the questions.

He could never understand why Tuff couldn't just trust him and his plans. Granted, he was a little paranoid for a guy in his early twenty's, and that extra strong bestial sense he has didn't help much either, but that was hardly any excuse. Riley had one too, but that didn't mean he was deluded enough by it to not take risks. What was variety without a little spice after all, right? Right. You couldn't really live without taking a few chances.

It wasn't like Riley was simple-minded when it came to mechanics; in fact, he would like to consider himself a bona-fide expert in handling the Penguin. He knew the entire design of the Main Engine inside and out, studied each valve and compressor to a point where he could reach and adjust whatever which one without even having to look and understood the basic principles of maintaining the ever-changing, ultra-sensitive currents of steam and electricity. Whatever he hadn't learned in school, he made up for more than that with all the time he spent at the Submarine Docks back home, trading tips and skills from local sailors and ship carpenters. Not everything in life could be taught from sitting at a desk.

It wouldn't be all too hard to squeeze a little more juice from the Heart Crystal. Riley boastfully thought. It was so simple a kid could do it. Pulling up a mental blueprint in his head, Riley begun thinking. All he had to do was reroute some of the primary wires into the place setting where the Heart Crystal sat so the power would funnel from the conserve battery set below it and fuel into the tubes leading to the multi-channeler underneath the generator. From there, he could switch on the reserve tank and pipe that into the emergency system and get –

He halted. No, wait, that would probably activate the fail-safe switch which would then shut off the engine propellers as it would when the sub was in danger of crashing. Last time that happened, the submarine didn't move for almost two weeks. Come to think of it, the reserve tank had been dry since that near collision they had with that huge heard of whales eight months ago. If Riley hadn't jettisoned them out of there, a couple dents would have been the least of their worries. The battery was also going to be a problem since it was just as old as the Heart Crystal . . .

. . . Yeah, okay, maybe that would cause the sub to malfunction again. Not to the extreme like how his ever know-it-all brother put it, but enough to prompt Riley to throw that plan in the mental trash bin. He quietly huffed. What did Tuff know anyway? Like he never tried to fix something himself and have that break? He could count the number of times on three hands, if he had an extra one. The toaster when he was eight, the toilet when eleven, that bathroom sink at fifteen . . .

He shook his head. He couldn't worry about it, he would think of something. Always has, always will. If he fretted over it too much, he'd end up like Tuff. Now that was a scary thought. He let his eyes wander as he checked off and scrapped ideas simultaneously. He pulled a face at the giant Fishman sitting right across. Good grief, did all Beastmen grow that big? Riley had hardly ever seen an Orcaman that size before. Well, at least one that didn't want to punch his lights out and skin him alive. He practically took up his whole side of the booth with his huge muscles, the Half-Shark was a little wary of how he looked just sitting down. He probably cracked over twelve of thirteen feet at full height.

The Orca made no mind of his staring, even as Delha reappeared before him and his companion with a tray easily and expertly balancing their chilled of steaming drinks. Riley took a curious sniff. Irish Ale Tea with Dark Cider Ale. Interesting. To his surprise, the tankard of Ale was placed before the equally as menacing Pandorian – Whoa, who wore clothes and boots like that this time of year? – And the fragile cup of tea was set into the gentle paw of the politely smiling Orca. Huh, even more interesting.

Blissfully unaware of his audience, the Orca casually sipped at his tea while the Pandorian slipped a couple of glinting coins into Delha's outstretched hand. Keeping it carefully clutched in one meaty paw, he pulled a bag out from under his shawl, – Riley made a face about how it looked just as boring as Tuff's – stuck the other paw inside and pulled out a book.

Normally, a book wouldn't really interest Riley at that much, unlike his brother; if it was a trashy romance one, maybe, but nevermind that. This odd book was bound up in multitudes of straps, thick locks and even a set of chains that would be overkill even for a Madhouse patient all bounded up by an engraved clasp. The book itself didn't look anything beyond normal for a bound stack of paper with a cover. Riley cocked his head. What would cause someone to bind up something as trivial as that to such extent?

"Huh . . ." Riley hummed aloud. The Orcaman finally noticed him at that sound and hummed a little himself into his teacup. The Pandorian simply gave him a bland look. Brushing aside thick, cotton bangs with his paw, the Orca's large eyes held no animosity towards Riley as he watched him come over to their table. He pointed towards the book. "What's all this?"

"What's all what?" The Orca asked back.

"All these straps on the book." Riley clarified, looking down at web of constrictions. "Are all these the same? Like from the Western Archipelian?"

The Orca chuckled softly, keeping a careful grip on his cup and Riley's nosing about in stride. "Yes and no; it's just a mish-mosh of different styled straps all put together. Probably to keep the bindings on the pages secure in case they wear out."

Riley frowned. "That sounds kinda vague." He tapped at the engraving on the clasp. The delicate carving shaped and curved itself into a simple dragonfly, its wings stretched out in flight against the copper. "What about this symbol? Is it like a crest or something?"

"Oh, that? It's a type of magic marker we're looking for." The Orca sipped at his cooling tea. "There's supposedly some volumes referring to it here on this island, we've been looking for a few for some answers."

A hollow thud of a tankard was followed by a rolling sigh. "And failing miserably, I might add." The heavy, foreign accent thickened the Pandorian's aggravation as he hunched over in his seat. "We've been getting nothing but dead ends and wild goose chases since we took this job and I'm sticking behind my belief that we got screwed."

"Ach, feel free to ignore him." The Orcaman drawled to Riley with a roll of his eyes and a wave of his paw. "He's just bitter because since we took this job, he hasn't found a single decent date . . . At least one that's courteous enough not to steal his wallet while he's down and out." He added that last part with a sneaky grin that took years off his wizened calm, making it hard for Riley not to laugh.

The Pandorian, unamused, flattened his ears near perfectly behind his head. "At least I date, whereas my partner is the living definition of celibato."

Riley, clearly confused, did not understand the insinuation of the bilingual statement while the Orcaman's levity melted into a face that had dealt with this apparent argument numerous times. "I am not celibate. I simply choose not to date any woman or man or just anything with legs and a pulse for that matter. Don't act like you don't know why." The Pandorian waved him off with a low grumble and a gulp from his drink.

Riley looked back down at the clasp, curiously jiggling it. "Seems kinda weird to put a dragonfly on a lock like this without it meaning something." From behind him, Tuff turned away from the Delha and Cassie at the sound of his brother's voice, only to balk at the sight of the large, huge, Giant Beastman politely conversing with him, spitting up plenty of the rather delectable tea the Well-Built Barmaid had served him in surprise.

Cassie whirled her head up at the now coughing Half-Shark, just about to ask what was wrong when she too saw Riley and the Orcaman. She gaped. The sight of two Beastmen, each a member of two of the most opposing and bloodthirsty races of the Ocean, holding words of pleasantry and civility and lax in posture with no insults or fists being thrown was quite something to behold. If Vince were here and he had seen this Orca, nothing in this bar would still be standing.

The Orca shrugged at Riley, his attention solely on him. "I suppose. If you're not all too well versed in magic in historic context or the like. Granted, I'm not as much either but I have studied a thing or two surrounding both legend and fact."

"Okay, so do you know what it means then?" Riley asked.

The Orcaman sipped at his tea one last time, downing in contents in a silent gulp and setting it down gently, the delicate dishware clanking hollowing against the wooden tabletop. "That's what we're hoping to find out." The Pandorian snorted at him, earning a glare. Undeterred, he continued, skimming his own thick claw over the clasp. "I've been looking into the origins of symbols like this for quite a while now. Mostly it's just been chasing rumors and dead-ends, little pieces of information were found but not enough to really grasp the concept of their meaning. There's quite a lot to them and I've just barely dove into the deeps of it."

Riley, who by nature wasn't a very insightful Sharkman, felt his curiosity growing with each word the Orca said. "What do you mean?"

The Orca didn't instantly respond, his claw rose to the side of his face and scratched at his cheek thoughtfully, an odd gesture that was more like reserved for a daydreaming boy rather than a hulking Were-Beast. "Well . . . Uhm . . . Okay, let me put it to you this way; do you know of the old folk tale of how the Archipelago came to be?"

Riley slowly absorbed that question and began thinking. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought quietly to himself. An old folk tale about the Archipelago's birth? Now where had he heard that before? If Tuff would stop coughing for a second so he could – Oh, wait. "Hey Tuff!"

Slowly getting his coughing under control, Tuff was wiping off what tea had spilt onto the countertop and on his shirt with a napkin with help from Cassie, apologizing to the yet shining another glass Delha on his behalf. A little disgruntled at his clumsy display, he looked up at his name. "What?"

"Do you remember that old story we heard once when we were kids? How it went, you know, how the Archipelago was made?" Riley asked.

Tuff looked at him, rubbing at a particularly tough wet stain on his collar. "How it was made? Ah, geez, I don't know, Riley, that was years ago."

Cassie's hand stilled from it was mopping up the counter. "Wait," Tuff and Riley both looked at her. "Wasn't it something like how the islands were grown from the bones of a great metal dragon who fell to Earth after losing his wings? Or it is how that the Archipelago fell to the sea after a mad dragon crashed from flying constantly? That's the version I was told when I was growing up."

"Both of those stories are pretty accurate. Of course, given how old the tale itself is, it's not too surprising how spun and turned around it's gotten over time." The Orca said. "The story does go of how the body of a great fallen dragon changed and grew into the chain of islands that we're standing on today. But with what research I've covered so far, there's so much more history and fact riding around behind it then it would seem."

Delha quickly took up the rest of the mopping up, allowing Cassie to turn herself around to face the strange, large Orcaman, her ring-bubbling tail twirling along with her. "Such as?"

The Orca's muzzle turned up another smile at her. Cassie felt her ears turn up. His simple grin, despite her confusion, left her with the feeling of heart-slowing, face-heating warmth that made her hands rub each other out of sheer bashfulness. Boy, she couldn't remember the last time her hands felt so cold. At least not since last night with that Shark that only she and Riley knew about, but nevermind that.

"Like I said, all I've learned about so far is only just the beginnings of the story." The Orcaman came back right to where he left off, smoothly sparing Cassie from the explanation of her odd silence. "I haven't got any real, solid answers as to how and why, but I do have one real clue and that," He tapped the clasp with two clicks. "Is this Dragonfly symbol. This is one of six other markers that all form a connection someway or another to the flow and make of the world; the other five consisted of a Raven, a Hare, a Tortoise, a Crane and a Mongoose." Five claws were counted out with each animal spoken for. "According to my research, countless ages ago, they were once was beings who were named after such said creatures that each held their own unique and vibrant magical power, just as powerful as deities if not more so and were understandably proclaimed as such.

"Whether they were truly gods or just innately powerful mortals blessed with vast power is something to debate on, depending on who you ask. Whatever or wherever they came from, legend goes on that these six super-powered individuals were the weapons that had brought down the Dragon of the folk tale." He picked up the book as he spoke, pointing to the symbol. "No details were ever written about the battle, - At least, none that didn't have myths or legends to fall back on when ideas ran short. – But I believe that these symbols, these markers of the supposed gods that fought against the dragon, can provide insight as to what had happened to them after the battle was won. This Dragonfly symbol is accompanied by the Raven symbol. This odd pairing is the fabled representation of life and death, creation and entropy, something along those lines. With other symbols, it can be assumed that they show speed and steadiness, wisdom and levity. None of that has been proven as of yet, but I am hoping to find answers."

Tuff, like the others, save the Pandorian who looked as thoroughly bored as one could be but was betrayed by one cocked ear, had been listening with interest, felt the sound logic of this Were-Beast's story a little less than shaky.

He was as much as a seeker of knowledge as he found hard to doubt that this Orca was, having read plenty of books on the subject back at his childhood sanctuary at the Library at home. He tore through each of those dusty old tomes like no one's business, but never once had he ever read such a story as the one being spun into his ears. The Orca's exploits didn't seem too far-fetched, like he had been lying out of his seat the whole time he had been talking, but still Tuff couldn't help but be just a little doubtful.

And it had nothing to do with the flush of blue he saw gracing on Cassie's face for just an instant. Nope, nothing to do with that at all.

His mouth spoke before he could stop. "Isn't this all just speculation on the part of an amateur historian?" He snapped out all but abruptly, boiling annoyance twisting his mouth to a frown out of nowhere.

All eyes looked towards him. He stiffened. This time Tuff was the one suddenly flustered by all the attention. Oh great thinking, Tuff, just cast yourself into the spotlight like an idiot and let loose the wide-eyed, deer-in-lantern-light look. And for what? What could make you act like a –

He felt a particular pair of sunset orange eyes on him . . . Oh.

Everyone was still staring at him. Regaining himself, Tuff quickly wiped off the flush with a cough from his throat and brush of his bangs. His kept his sharp, poised gaze on the Orca as he spoke. "I mean, basically all you're doing is just going on about myths and stories colluding with facts and figures that you've either read or heard about supposedly. You've stated repeatedly that you're just as clueless about the multiple dimensions of this centuries old children's story as the next man, but regardless you claim that the one key piece of evidence you have to prove the credibility of it is the apparently random carving of a bug. Forgive me for sounding so crude, but can you honestly say that any actual documentation of this is actually within existence? Because to me, your whole theory sounds like nothing more than groundless claims stemmed from winded, second-hand accounts of storybook writers and simple gossiping from between the shelves of bookstores."

Silence overcame them all for a minute or two. The Orca said nothing for just as long. Tuff, mentally shoving back the paranoia that warned him of the incoming onslaught of teeth and claws to be had, kept his posture amazingly calm. Normally, an Orcaman would've taken that blunt statement of facts from a Sharkman with a cordial gift of a meaty fist cracking against the latter's jaw. Or at least, that was what anybody else would've expected if they had walked right into the still bar a moment ago.

Instead, the bigger, darker-skinned Were-Beast gave the smaller, much more human looking young man a chuckle. Not a chuckle of mockery like he and Riley had gotten used to over the years by uncountable numbers of high-and-mighty people who thought them just as good as dogs but soft, compliant laughter that lift Tuff somewhat bewildered but proud all the same. "I can see your point." He agreed with his eye-ridge raised once again. "It does sound like I'm selling nothing but a load of it, doesn't it?"

His face turned to the book in his hands. "True, I don't have anything of legitimate to prove anything that I've said yet, but I'm hoping that maybe this little book we have here does."

Riley glanced down at said book. "One little book can do that? How?"

The Pandorian answered him with another growl. "It was something we picked up on the way here; the Fishman genio here thinks that written on the pages of that stupid thing is an first-hand account of what's he's been flapping his jaws about for the past five minutes."

The Orca glared at him. "Well, I admit it's not much to go on but it's better than nothing. Once we read it and find out more about these symbols, everything should become clear."

Cassie gave the both of them a funny look. "If you're really so curious, why haven't you just unlocked the straps and read it?"

"Oh, if only it were that blissfully simple." The Orca sighed wistfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we could read the book, we would . . . But we can't."

"You can't? Why not?"

"Mainly because we can't open the damn thing, that's why." The Pandorian stated curtly, his brown eyes glinting. He ignored the reprimanding glare directed from the Orca, downed what ale there was left in his tankard and set it down with a thump. He jabbed one of his two ruler-sized claws at the book accusingly like it had somehow vexed him. "This pound of paper's been nothing but a royal pain in the posterioridad. When we got it, we had no idea it had been sealed magically until we had tried picking with the locks, cutting the straps with scissors, filing the chains, even holding it over steam or setting a charge of explosives on the cover for practically three nights in a row! But no matter what we do, this thing is just set on screwing us over just as much as everyone else!"

A dark, thick finger then poked impishly between his eyes. The Pandorian crossed his eyes at it, the angry scowl decorating his face growing deeper in annoyance. The Orca, not at all affected by his companion's outburst but instead looking rather amused, stated straight-faced in spite of his childish antics. "For the millionth time, we weren't screwed over. We just have to keep working at it until something happens. We're bound to sooner or later."

His hand was smacked away with a glare. "Says the Know-It-All Fishman." The Orca didn't dignify that with a response, rolling his eyes.

Cassie found a little hard not to laugh at the interaction between them; in a way it made her think of how Tuff and Riley acted towards each other. However, something about everything that had been said then nagged at her. "Uhm, excuse me?" She asked them both. "Sorry if this sounds a little too intrusive, but what are you two doing dealing with mysterious symbols and sealed away books? Are you two treasure hunters?"

The Orca laughed at her question good-heartedly. "No, no, we're not treasure hunters. Well, not at the moment, at least. This sort of prize isn't for us. We were paid by a client to retrieve it, so he could add it to his collection of historic old tomes of the like." His broad shoulders shrugged haplessly as his hands smoothly returned the mysterious book to his bag. "One of those rich, noble types with too much money and not enough time on their hands, you know? Or as my partner here puts it, "One of those idiota pomposo types"."

"Somehow, I think I got what he said that time." Riley thought outloud. The Orca humphed a laugh at that.

The Pandorian, the now known Orca's partner, turned both his ears down at the sarcastic repeat of his own words. Crossed arms over his chest, he growled. "You know I'm right, so shove it, old man."

"You know, you talk a lot of smack for an "old man" yourself, compadre." The Orcaman slyly shot back.

"I'm only twenty-eight, you old codfish!"

"And I'm only in my early forty's, you hand-me-down umbrella. We're both old, we're both cranky, let's move on."

Cassie smiled at them. "Oh come now, neither one of you look that old." Honestly they both seemed just as young as Tuff and Riley to her, forgoing the knowledge of their real ages.

"Oh, I certainly feel like it time and time again." The Orcaman grinned toothily. "In our line of work, some days you can definitely feel the toll it takes on you."

"What kind of work do you do then, if you're not treasure hunters?"

The Orca and his partner shared a look. ". . . We mostly do whatever work's called for the occasion. We're free-lance, reasonably priced and can get the job done when circumstances allow us to be able."

Cassie giggled a little at the suave pitch of his tone. "I'd watch what you say, sir, it almost sounds like you're trying to sell us something."

The Orca feigned shock much to her bemusement. "What?! Me? Trying to charm a beautiful young lady such as yourself to partake in the services of two course and lowly rouges just right out of the blue? Preposterous! I wouldn't even dream of such a notion."

"Really?" Tuff looked at him, suspect. "From how you've been portraying yourselves so far, you seem to have a knack to for drawing interest and business from potential "clients"."

The Orca remained unfazed at all by Tuff's remark. He could see that Tuff was nobody's fool and respected how the young Half-Blood was holding himself against him, the Orcaman himself weighing and heightened twice if not thrice what he was. He gave him a calculated smile. "True, I do have a talent of persuasion. But I even know not to lay out all my cards on the table at first draw. At least, not when I know the target of my audience doesn't have enough to ante up himself."

Tuff stiffened. What the? How did he –? He had listened in on them? The small smirk on the Orca's face was answer enough.

Tuff felt his chest coiled in indignation. Where did he get off? Eavesdropping on other people's conversations like that? Was nosing around in other people's business one of his supposed lines of work? He'd certainly seemed to be able to make a killing of it! "Well, excuse us for not being easy suckers for you to use just to line you pock–"

CRSSH– TSIEW!

"– Eeeets?" The bright red arrow of magic had shot through the glass window. Every head snapping around towards it as sharp fragments fell to the tabletop. Silence stayed for a beat of one, two –

"Lit em' up, boys!" The Pandorian acted first. Cursing sharply, his arms whipped out and the table upturned, tankard, teacup and all, falling against the window in a heap –

TSIEW! TSIEW! TSIEW! TSIEW! TSIEW!

The shots ran clear through the glass barrier like spears, smashing against the bar in bursts of red, destroying bottles in fireworks and making kindling of the counter and stools. Tuff didn't even register the Orca's grip on his arm until he was yanked to the floor, his cheek colliding painfully with the wooden planks and falling deaf to Cassie's shout within the mad trickle of broken glass. Riley collapsed in place beside him with a pained grunt and Delha's less than subtle swear signaled her place from where the White Ivy bar took the brunt of the damage.

It all stopped just as quickly. Smoke trails from the magic arrows floated into the ceiling like a cigarette smoke cloud, the last few vestiges of glass of both window and bottle clinking sharply before falling to the ground. The wall was drenched in spilled alcohol, the fumes staining the broken pieces of wood that once made the shelves. While the singular other drinker there had wisely ducked for cover, the completely forgotten and still sleeping Avian remained where he was at what little was left of the bar, his slumber unperturbed whatsoever.

The five of them were huddled onto the floor, The Orcaman and the Pandorian kneeling defensively to the floor as they boxed in Cassie, Riley and Tuff securely between them, the said woman's tail curled around them as fences of deep blue spread across the fin. Neither one spoke a word as the shocking thrill of the attack seeped into the air.

A gruff, autocratic voice rolled into the bar from outside on the street. "Alright, now that we got your attention, gentlemen, howse 'bout you come along and show yourselves out, 'Ey?"

A flick of an ear. The Pandorian's teeth bared with a hiss. "Aw, you've got to be freakin' kidding me!"

"W-What's going on?" Cassie hid nothing of her fear, her small body shaking.

The Orca raised his hand at her, silently asking her to remain quiet. Straightening up as best he could without giving them all away, he cocked his head towards the sound of their assailant as he spoke again. "Don't try to be cute now and play dead! I learned my lesson from last time, I know it'll take a lot more than that to kill you cocky blokes!"

"Is it them?" The Pandorian asked, his claws twitching over his weapon.

The Orcaman nodded grimly. "Yeah, it's them."

His partner growled. "Acch, how did they find us so fast?"

"How did who find you?" Tuff hissed. "Whose out there? What is going on?!"

The Orca sighed lowly. "Outside are a troop of bandits that we've dealt with a couple of days ago. Or at least, what's left of them."

"What's left?" Riley gaped at him.

"As far as I can see, only four or five. Probably the weak links who hid themselves the first time."

"What the hell did you guys do?"

"Apparently not enough." The Pandorian stated as he quickly pulled out his odd weapon. Tuff quickly looked it over, the long dark barrel, the oddly-shaped chamber set between it and the wooden handle, the smooth metal surface. His blood chilled as the name came to his head from the many history books he had read as a child. A gun.

The Orcaman spotted a livid Delha slowly rising behind the bar, now clutching an abnormally large crowbar. He quickly caught her attention and nodded his head towards Cassie, Tuff and Riley. Without a word, Delha gave him with a backward tilt of her head. He nodded in understanding before looking back and saying levelly, "Listen kids. Things are about to get a little hectic. My partner and I can take care of these guys but we can't have you getting caught in the line of fire. Quickly but quietly get to the back, find a door and get out while you can."

Tuff bit back an indignant retort at being called a kid. He was NOT a kid! Did he not see the beard? Cassie felt him tense up and gently pressed a hand to his chest to sooth him. "What if one of those bandits is back there? What do we do then?"

"Don't worry, no one's out back." The Orca said with absolute certainty.

"How do you know?" Cassie asked.

The Orca, now holding a miraculously unharmed satchel, handed it to a disgruntled Tuff, stating simply, "Call it a sixth sense. Just make sure you three stick together in case more trouble comes your way, alright?"

The Pandorian gave a curt snort, giving Tuff a jerk of his head. "Oh please, considering how cute this one's girlfriend is, I'd be surprised if they weren't in trouble already."

Riley barely hid the howl of laughter, and Tuff and Cassie both blushed deep blue and red in time, all thoughts of bandits and danger thrown right out the window. "He's/she's not my boyfriend/girlfriend!" They both shouted as loud as they were able.

"Could have fooled me." The Pandorian smirked. "What with the way Senor Facts and Figures gave my partner here the third degree each time he gave her a look."

Cassie turned another shade of blue, while Tuff's frustrated expression was near comical at that smooth accusation. "What, I– I– I did not! I did nothing of the sort! And quit laughing, Riley!"

Riley reigned in his giddiness long enough to give him a conniving smile. "Well, I hate to tell you brother, but your silent pining for girls is a little obvious when you get all jealous."

"I– I do– Who said– AGH! Forget thiscanwejust go!" A long steady stream of grumbles followed after him as he and a still giggling Riley started crawling towards the doorway leading to the back where Delha waited for them.

Cassie, not about to follow them just yet, shoved her embarrassment away and touched the Orca's large arm with a hesitant look. "You two aren't really going to try fighting off bandits by yourselves, are you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." The Orca stated with a smile. "Don't you worry about us, we can handle it."

The confidence in his voice sounded so familiar it made a small smile come on her face. "You sound just like Riley, you know." She said right out of nowhere. She wasn't sure why, but this man put her so much at ease that her jaw moved by itself. "He said something like that before he and Tuff almost went and got themselves killed because of me. I just hate seeing good people getting hurt because they were a little too sure of themselves."

The large Beastman didn't seem put off by her sudden confession. Instead, he surprised her with a warmth filled smile that suddenly filled her with nostalgia, whirling her back to her childhood. Back to the days when dear old Faust would grin softly at her each time she found some silly little flower to bring back for him just to babble childishly about. Back when time was good. Back before it all went bad with fire.

She was brought back to Earth when a large, gentle paw grabbed onto hers. A moment later, his snout pressed against the back of it respectfully with a soft kiss. "Don't be too harsh on them. Like all men, once they have something to fight for, there's no stopping them. I know that feeling all too well, trust me. All you need to do is just stand by them help them push on . . ." His free paw ran through his tangled bang with a mischievous glint. ". . . Little Lady Blue."

Those words floored Cassie. What the –?

"OI! Did you two buggers go deaf?! Are you coming out, or do we have to come in?!"

"Get a move on, Mamacita." The Pandorian's thick accent tickled the fin of her from behind her, a metal click signaling the readying of his weapon. "Before your shark boys start thinking we're about to throw you out on a line like the catch of a day." Cassie was still stunned, but gave him a shaky nod and slid out from between them, sending one last worried look before disappearing with Delha into the back entrance doorway.

Now that they were both alone, the two partners went back-to-back, their legs shifting to relieve the numbing muscles as they squatted in eager preparation. "Talked a little too much, don't you think?" The Pandorian said as more of a statement than a question, still speaking in hushed tones.

The Orcaman just smiled. "You know me, just like to keep my audience riveted."

The gun in the Giant Bat's claws resounded with each bullet in the chamber falling into place. "That and you wanted a chance to see that girl again just so you could mess with her and her guapo's head. Nosey as you are, you just flirted with her just to make him get the urge to go after her."

"You give me too much credit, partner." A rustle of chains clinked from within the Fishman's cloak with a shift of his arms. "I never would be that nosey unless I was certain of her availability and his shyness. If he were in that much trouble, yes, I'd intervene. But otherwise, no, I'd stay out of it and let them do their own thing."

Dark brown eyes rolled at him. "Right. And given how smart he was, how long do you think until that kid figures out exactly why they had to leave but we had to stay behind just to deal with some dime-a dozen bandits?"

The same wizened Sea Green eyes that Cassie had seen not once but twice narrowed at the same time his snout shaped into a chilling smile. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. Smoke can be easy to miss if you can't find the fire."

The Pandorian didn't even need to focus on the cool air suddenly growing hot. Thick curls of heat started to flow iridescently from lower thermals, brushing the tips of his fur instantly making him hot, clouding and tempering into the body of the Were-Beast behind who he knew for many years was much more than what he seemed.

A haunting grin that was easily heard in his voice, his dark skin slowly growing markings of curling fire under his darkened eye, the Strange Beastman stated. "And as you know, Jess, I'm pretty good at finding fire."

That smile was responded in kind. "I know that, Keg. I know that all too damn well."

ME: Woo, looks like it's about to get hot in here! Woot! Woot! (Promptly dodges people as they throw heavy objects at her for the bad jokes) In all seriousness, to any and I do mean ANYONE who takes the time to read and fav this story you are incredible and I am SO SO SOSOSOSO SORRY for the abrupt lack of updates lately!

I know I've been slacking and I apologize, but I literally had to wait to get this chapter and, a lot of other chapters for other stories finished, because when I force myself to write, most of it comes out as crap. I mean, yes, I know I'm no James Patterson or Patricia Cornwell or anything to that extreme, but I do the best that I can when I can really get my heart into it and that's not something I can do if I'm making myself write page after page just to make a quota of updates. I know that sounds slacky but that's the truth and I'd rather slowly get this done then torture any readers with any rushed crap.

I do promise sooner updates just not months or days later but if you don't want to read it that's fine, if you DO that's even better, it's all up to you!

The next chapter where things really get started so hold on to your butts! 'til Next time!