a/n: Quincy has seconds and Hope plans their day.

All the good things belong to Monolithsoft.

Lin looked at Quincy with eyes like lasers. "I mean, skells are just so beautiful. No way there is anything more gorgeous in the city, probably the universe." She held the syrup bottle just out of reach, awaiting an answer.

Quincy checked on Hope, who was still fiddling with her comm device. He stretched out his hand for the bottle, but Lin pulled back, unwilling to drop the topic. Quincy shrugged, his go-to response this morning. "I dunno. They seemed big and blurry."

"How could you not notice them?" Lin said in disbelief. She was so surprised that she set the bottle down with a loud clink. Quincy grabbed it and put it into protective custody, after pouring generously. Lin was already mentally far away, trying to capture the glory of skells. "They move like mmmmmm, and they stand like unnnnmmmm, and when they fly ... so beautiful." Lin ran out of appreciative noises and just sighed deeply.

"That beautiful, huh?" echoed Quincy around a mouthful of pancake. Hope was now poking the screen with concern, tap tap tap, which left him stuck in a discussion that he couldn't contribute to. "I was kind of out of it yesterday. Maybe you can show me your favorite? So I know?"

This was the best possible response, it seemed. "You bet I can," squealed Lin. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"He's not answering," said Hope.

"Who's not answering?" Lin asked. Quincy tried to listen politely and chew at the same time.

"Dr. Pelias. He's a Ma-non scientist. He promised to restore Quincy's memories and to remove the issue causing the petalose response. He said 48 hours, didn't he? But that was yesterday."

"Something like that," agreed Quincy before Hope could say anything more. She had started to worry her lip, and he didn't like seeing her so uncertain when she had been so confident moments before. He did hasty and inaccurate math. "It's still a full day away, but you could text him."

Lin and Hope glanced at each other. "Oh no, you do not do that," said Lin.

"Huh?" Quincy knew he was missing something but he couldn't begin to guess at what was so terrible about sending a polite text, especially if it was Hope doing the sending.

"The Ma-non tend to... improve technology that contacts them," Hope said diplomatically.

Lin nodded furiously. "The one time I texted May May, my comm device completed an entire season pass of Pretty Skell Knightly for me before I could stop it. I mean, I got some really nice rare skins, but I'm still trying to beat the personal leaderboard, and it's been months."

Hope's comm device chimed, as if on cue. She took the message, voice only. "Yes, hello? Oh." The fleeting disappointment on her face didn't reflect it her voice, but was clear to Quincy that it was not Pelias returning her call. "How much earlier? Yes, I'm ready but ... yes, I did check the requirements and I can assure you ... well, no, but I still need to ... I'm sorry but I simply..." She flinched at a response almost loud enough for the other two to hear. Her hand dropped to her side, the comm device dangling from her fingers. "He hung up on me," she said, almost shocked.

Quincy looked worried. "That was rude. Who was it?"

"My team leader for today."

"I knew it!" Lin cackled with adolescent sympathy. "He does that," she explained to Quincy. "Talks over me all the time. He does that to everyone, even Cross."

"Hardcore Lowes?" Quincy asked Lin, recalling the earlier conversation.

"Mmhmm."

Hope had recovered her patient nature. "His name is Bozé," she corrected the two. "It really was an impulse on my part to agree to be on the mission, but ... well ... Doug asked about having a Mediator participate and we've been fighting together for a month and if Doug thinks I'm ready and ... well ... Harrier missions mean something." Hope paused, then resumed, trying to sound less like a raw recruit. "When I agreed last night, I expected this to be a mid morning mission. Now Lowes wants to leave in 15 minutes."

Lin waved her hand towards the door. "Go! Go! I can teach Quincy how to do dishes."

"But I planned to get Quincy more help this morning. Make him comfortable while he waited."

Quincy wasn't going to be the thing that kept Hope from her destiny. He folded his arms across his chest and spoke firmly. "I have pancakes and dishes and I can sit here if that's okay. I won't get into any trouble."

"We can't have you sitting in the lounge all day," protested Hope.

"Is anybody gonna mind?"

"Hope, listen, let me help," Lin repeated.

"But there's..."

"I kind of miss it," Lin admitted. "Greeting new people, showing off the city." She didn't continue. Hope didn't say a thing. There was more to her plans for Quincy than being a tour guide, but Lin was more than capable of handling those details. Hope knew exactly what the selfish imp was trying to argue: she had wanted to share the excitement of exploring the city with Quincy herself. She didn't want to have Lin get the fun of that.

"I have a list," Hope said carefully, already tapping send on the file. "Start with the Mediator's tent, check if they want to add anything. They can provide the first chunk: comm device, key codes, temporary credit allowance."

"Got it," Lin said, reviewing the file with am appreciative whistle. "Wow, this is wicked organized, Hope. Look, Quincy, it even has checkmarks."

Hope hesitated. "He should go to the Mim Center but..."

"I think I'd rather go there once you get back," Quincy said. "While you're still wearing that armor."

"It is a bit much," Hope said with a shy smile.

"It's bombing tough," said Quincy.

"I thought it was indomitable."

"No, the person wearing it is what's indomitable." His smile of encouragement was neither wonky nor shy. It shone at her with admiration and confidence.

Hope joined the Harrier team with a minute to spare, ready for anything and worthy of the heaviest armor on Mira.

a/n: I wasn't a fan of Lowes in game, but I'm finding him increasingly fun to add to stories, often in the background.

Next up: I realize I need to write a totally new chapter to avoid the horror of reported speech. Or, Lin and Quincy's Day Off. Might be delayed because of Life and All It Entails.