"I see." The young man on the other side of the communication terminal said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Considering the circumstances however, it may have been as much a matter of nervousness. "That is certainly a concerning turn of events."

Morag's expression was blank, but she knew with complete certainty that he could see right through it. "Needless to say, I have dispatched what forces are not required to keep the peace in order to hunt down the… boy, whatever his relationship to the Aegis may be."

Of that, she still wasn't sure. During the actual battle, so much as the brief exchange of blows she had with him could be called such, she had been under the impression that he was her Driver.

But Brighid's account from the roof, of the boy using Blade abilities? That had thrown things into doubt. Considering his comments about what they knew of the Aegis, or if his insinuations were correct, Aegises?

It led to a very different conclusion, one she was not entirely comfortable with.

"That seems prudent." The young man agreed. "If the Aegis, or perhaps an Aegis, is active in Gormott…" He trailed off, his own mask faltering briefly.

An uncomfortable silence filled the line. Both of them were familiar with the historical accounts of the Aegis' power. Having a Blade capable of slaying continental Titans running free was a recipe for disaster, regardless of their stance toward Mor Ardain.

"What worries me most is his association with an alleged member of Torna." He continued after a moment. "I do not need to explain how disastrous it would be if a terrorist group as bold as they were to get their hands on such power."

The Special Inquisitor drummed her fingers on the wanted poster of the girl in question as she listened. It was a telling sign of just how stressful a situation this was that Morag, of all people, was visibly displaying such nervous tics.

"I have put in a request for more information pertaining to the girl's bounty, but I have found surprisingly little." She admitted.

That wasn't entirely true, to be fair. Her initial inquiry to the records office had returned a single result that could be even vaguely relevant, but not in the way she had expected; rather than anything involving the bounty, she had found a missing persons report over half a decade old for the youngest daughter of a late local nobleman.

She had tasked one of her men to follow up on the potential lead, but Morag wasn't entirely convinced it was connected. There were few details beyond the matching name; it didn't even list who had reported the girl missing, or how old she had been at the time of her disappearance.

Until she had more to go on, it couldn't be taken into serious consideration, certainly not to the degree in which she would mention it. It was just more noise among the confusing mess of information to sort through.

The young man raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised. I would think that a known member of that organization would have more information on them."

"It is possible that she is a new member." Morag stated "Or perhaps a specialist not normally involved in combat operations. Either way, I will be unable to provide any more information about her at present."

"Keep me informed." He replied. "Is there anything else you need from me, Morag?"

She nodded. "Brighid has requested to speak with Aegaeon as soon as it can be arranged. She believes her journal from her time in Emperor Hugo's service may allow us to clarify the…" She paused for a moment, "Conflicting information regarding the Aegis, but that journal is still in the palace."

"…And he is the only one here she trusts enough to handle her journals." He concluded. "Very well; I can arrange to have my normal guard increased for a time to allow him to assist Brighid."

Morag bowed her head. "Thank you, your Majesty." She replied.

Emperor Niall Ardanach smiled at her. "Please, do not worry about it." He said. "It's the least I can do to help you keep the Empire safe."

"Your Majesty, you do far more than I-" The Special Inquisitor was cut off by a calm gesture from her liege.

"None of that, Morag." He stated, his smile turning rueful. "We both do our part to serve the Empire, and neither of our jobs is of any less importance than the other, regardless of the title attached."

Looking briefly over his shoulder as if reacting to a sound behind him, he added, "And Unfortunately, mine is calling once again. I will have Aegaeon contact Brighid soon." Turning back, his eyes softened just a bit. "Make me proud, sister."

A small smile worked its way onto her face. "I will, Niall."

The communication terminal cut out, and with it, the Special Inquisitor's face returned to its default neutral expression. Behind her, she could hear the door to the Consul's office open as Brighid let herself in.

"Good news, I hope, Lady Morag?" The fire Blade asked as she entered.

Morag nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Aegaeon will be available to assist you reading your journal. With luck, it will be able to clear up some of the confusion regarding the Aegis."

Her Blade nodded in agreement, but her face held a conflicted look. "I regret the necessity of it. Perhaps if I had been more diligent about reading my older journals rather than focusing on the more recent volumes…" She trailed off.

The Special Inquisitor shook her head. "Brighid, you have centuries of journals to read through every time you awaken. It makes sense to focus on more modern affairs; nobody could have expected events from so long ago to suddenly become relevant."

"Perhaps." The other woman replied. "But the Aegis War was an important event in Alrest's history that allowed much of the current political balance to form. Even if it hadn't become relevant, skimming the journal covering such an important event was remiss of me."

Morag raised her eyebrows at that. "You're being surprisingly hard on yourself for this. Did you try to read it more thoroughly in the past?"

She turned her head away from her Driver. "Yes, several years ago. The early sections of the journal were enlightening regarding the political situation leading into the conflict, but I was only able to reach the point at which Emperor Hugo awoke the Aegaeon of that era before the Estham incident forced me to shelf the volume indefinitely."

"Ah." Morag replied. That had been one of her first missions as Special Inquisitor: To investigate a series of terrorist attacks traced back to the aging Titan of the same name. Although it had become uninhabitable more than a century ago, the ruins on the mid-sized island Titan were still usable as a base of operations for those who were desperate enough to brave the borderline-volcanic climate.

In the end, the terrorists turned out to be a band of former mercenaries that had been under Uraya's employ during the last war, who had refused to lay down their arms once the conflict had ended. It had taken her most of a year to finally apprehend them all, and cleaning up the fallout from the incident had kept them from the homeland for several months after.

No wonder Brighid hadn't picked the journal back up when she next had the opportunity; she had likely forgotten much of the context over the nearly two years between readings, and their busy schedule meant she had little time since.

"I'll trust you to handle it." She answered, before changing the topic. "Did you manage to find anything while you were out?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Brighid confirmed, searching around her pouch. "You may find this interesting."

She handed her Driver a sheet of paper. It was fairly well-worn; several prominent creases quartered the sheet, and a number of food and drink stains on the surface partially obscured the information it carried, but it was still clearly legible.

Prominent on the sheet was a rough sketch of a young woman of apparent Ardainian descent, her features vague, but her outfit strikingly distinct and a Core Crystal set on her chest. A description beneath filled in some of the details. Blonde hair and golden eyes, white clothes with gold and green accents, and a green Core Crystal…

A Core Crystal that bore a striking similarity to a weapon core she had seen in the past day.

Below that was more information pertaining to potential traveling companions. Again, the descriptions were familiar: A young Leftherian salvager in a blue diving suit and a teenage Gormotti Driver in a yellow jumpsuit. There was even a note that the boy was potentially the blonde's Driver.

"Where did you find this?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. This sheet wasn't old—no more than a few days at most—but it was at least a day or two old as well. Someone had known that the Aegis was active for long enough to have this sheet printed, longer than she or Brighid had been aware.

"An inn down by the docks." She answered. "After the encounter last night, I made several discreet visits to establishments known to cater to… less savory clientele looking for information."

"In disguise, I hope." Morag asked idly, looking over the sketch again. There hadn't been a woman matching the description present at the fight, but the basic description was familiar. Hadn't she seen a play that depicted the Aegis with a similar appearance a few years back? Maybe the troupe had some resources she could look into if Brighid's journal didn't pan out.

"Naturally. My appearance is too distinct for clandestine work otherwise." The fire Blade confirmed. "During my search, I encountered a trio of bounty hunters in the Crimson Anchortail. They were rather loudly bemoaning their lack of progress in finding the boy and his companions."

Morag looked up at her. "I assume you were able to get more information out of them?"

The Blade's lip quirked upward. "It required a bit of plying, but with the assistance of some alcohol, I was eventually able to coax them into revealing the details of their job. Apparently, they were approached by an information broker three days ago about a job to locate the Aegis, whom the broker identified as this woman." She pointed at the sheet of paper.

"According to the information they were provided, the Aegis arrived on the Titan four days ago, accompanied by the salvager boy and the Torna Driver on an independent Titan ship. The bounty hunters were not provided with any information about where on the Titan they arrived, but were directed to spend a few days camping out on the road leading toward central Gormott in hopes of encountering them."

"Fruitlessly, I assume." Morag noted. Four days ago… Brighid had already been in Torigoth for most of a week by then, and Morag herself had already departed Mor Ardain as well. How long had the Aegis been active by that point?

"Indeed. After two days of camping out, they encountered another group of bounty hunters searching for the Aegis and subsequently became aware that they were not the only ones being hired on for the job."

The Special Inquisitor was surprised by that. "They were unaware beforehand?" She asked.

Her Blade shook her head. "Apparently not. From what I have been able to determine, the entire operation, such as it can be called that, was largely unplanned; the brokers acting as middlemen have been hiring bounty hunters and pointing them at the Aegis, but there is minimal cooperation between them."

"How unprofessional." Morag commented with a frown, the very idea grating on her military sensibilities. "Were I to assume that the broker that hired them had recently met with one of Dughall's aides, would I be correct?"

"You would." Brighid confirmed. "I haven't been able to verify if any of the bounty hunters hired by the other brokers he contacted have been issued similar missions, but from their movements, it wouldn't surprise me."

"I see." Morag replied, working out the timeline in her head. The Aegis arrived on Gormott four days ago. Somehow, Dughall was aware of this almost immediately. He ordered the ports closed within a day of her arrival, forcing her to come to Torigoth if she wanted to leave, and hired bounty hunters to catch her as she approached.

It was crudely executed, but the principle concept of the plan was sound; Morag herself had used similar to apprehend criminals in the past.

Yet, thus far there was no 'she'. The Aegis hadn't been with her presumed companions, but the boy that Dughall (or perhaps his source of information) had believed to be her Driver had indeed been in possession of her sword with an emerald weapon core. A boy who also seemed to possess the abilities of a Blade…

She pursed her lips. "Bana. It all leads back to him, doesn't it?" It had been that secure message from Argentum that had driven the Consul into action, and there were few candidates for who had been on the other end of the line.

Brighid nodded in agreement. "So it would seem."

Looking over at the communication terminal, Morag said, "I've put in a request to speak with a representative of the Guild's board of directors. With luck, they may be able to shed light on Bana's involvement in this affair."

"Regarding his interest in the Aegis?" Brighid asked. She could think of several reasons why a businessman like him would desire a Blade of such power, and very few of them were good.

"That too," Morag confirmed, "but I also suspect they may be able to shed light on the boy and the Torna Driver. So far as I can tell, the bounty on the latter was issued by Dughall himself, which tells me that he was informed of her by Bana as well."

"And the former? You suspect he has information on the boy as well?" Brighid asked.

"Perhaps. Light-skinned Leftherians are… not rare, per se, but certainly uncommon; they are far more likely to be identified as another, more common nationality at a glance. Yet his description here specifically refers to him as Leftherian. If he was merely seen in the presence of the Aegis, how would they know that?"

Her Blade nodded slowly. "You think Bana is personally aware of him."

"It isn't a guarantee, but yes, I do. I'm unsure if he is a salvager under Bana's employ, or just a contractor that has worked with him before, but Argentum is a major salvaging hub. If he is a Guild salvager, they should have information on him."

She turned back to her Blade. "Once you and Aegaeon have gone over your predecessor's journal, I would like you to keep an eye on the Consul. If we can catch him communicating with Bana, it may provide us with further information regarding the situation. At the very least, confirmation that they are conspiring to capture the Aegis would be useful."

The fire Blade gave a nod of acknowledgment. "As you wish, Lady Morag."


The sun was already well above the horizon when Rex and Nia awoke. After the long night they had neither had managed to rouse from their slumber at anything approaching the early hours they normally would.

Neither was keen to speak to the other; the mood between them still soured from the fight the night before, but it wasn't nearly as prickly as it had been before Tora found them.

When they had entered Tora's house, cautiously to ensure there wasn't an ambush waiting for them within, they found the young Nopon missing, with only a letter on the table to explain why.

'Tora gone to collect payment from sketchypon Turuni. Friends welcome to food, but stay out of Tora's lab!'

It was accompanied by a crude sketch of the house, with the area segmented off by dividers clearly the 'lab' the Nopon wanted them to leave alone.

Seeing no reason to ignore the request, they had immediately sought out food. Rex, after a quick inventory of Tora's 'pantry', had decided to put in the effort to actually cook a simple meal.

His cooking quickly attracted the attention of Nia, who despite still being mad at him, was giving the growing pile of glitterspud home fries and fried tasty sausages a longing look. Fortunately for the girl, Rex's own lingering anger had not prevented him from making enough for everyone.

"So, what's our plan?" Rex asked, spearing a chunk of sausage with his fork. "We can't exactly just waltz around in town for whatever we need."

"I believe it would be optimal for us to determine exactly what tasks we need to accomplish." Dromarch replied, his tail swishing over the edge of the table. A suspiciously clean plate was in front of him, one that the polite tiger most certainly had not licked clean while he thought no one was looking.

"Leave Gormott, obviously." Nia answered immediately, in between mouthfuls of food. "The sooner we're gone, the better."

"At some point, I need to find a way into the Consulate, too." Rex noted. "Wanted or not, I've still got that message to deliver."

"Perhaps you could convince Tora to deliver it?" Azurda suggested, munching his way through his own small meal. At his current size, even one of the fried glitterspud cuts was a substantial portion.

Rex frowned at the suggestion. "I'd rather not. If someone checks back in with Dornswell and finds out that a message we were given was dropped off by Tora, they might look into him as an accomplice."

"True, true." Azurda conceded. "That would be a terrible way to repay the boy for his hospitality."

"Perhaps you could obtain a disguise?" Dromarch suggested. "It would be helpful to be able to freely traverse Torigoth regardless of the tasks we have." His head drooped as he continued. "Regrettably, I believe I will need to remain behind regardless; disguising me would likely prove too daunting a task for anything short of our final departure from Gormott."

Nia bit her lip as she looked over at the tiger. "Drat, we're going to need to work that one out as well, aren't we?" She muttered. "It won't matter if the two of us can get passage on a ship unnoticed if we can't get you there as well."

"…Maybe we can dress him up as an Armu?" Rex suggested, crossing his arms. Nia gave him a conflicted glare, mollified for the time being by the food, but didn't interrupt him. "That way we could sneak him off-Titan in a livestock freighter."

The tiger coughed politely. "Master Rex, surely you mean an Ardun, correct?"

"Nah, you're too small for that." The boy waved off. "'Sides, Ardun are more aggressive, so you'd think they'd probably be locked down more on the ships. An Armu or a calf'll be easier to get you out when we reach port, I'd bet."

"Won't work." Nia cut in. "Agricultural commerce is subject to extensive regulations and inspections. Livestock in particular is carefully monitored to make sure they're not carrying diseases or something like that. We'd almost have a better chance of getting through without trying to hide at all than we would going with your idea."

Rex stared at the girl in surprise. "…How exactly do you know that?"

She glared at him in response. "I have a background in economics." She replied defensively, narrowing her eyes. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, no, nothing of the sort!" The boy replied, holding his hands up in a warding gesture. "It's just…" one of his hands moved over to scratch his cheek awkwardly, "…It seems kinda out of character, you know?"

The girl was not impressed by his response. "Out of character?" She hissed, leaning up on the table. "I'll show you out of character, you-!"

"My Lady." Dromarch chastised. "Please refrain from climbing on the table. It is rude."

She shot the tiger a glare, but reluctantly sat back down. Dromarch watched her for a moment, as if ensuring she was actually backing down, before dropping his head in a sigh.

Azurda fluttered over to him, giving the tiger a commiserating pat on the shoulder.

"Well, we're gotta figure something out." Rex said, twirling a fork around between his fingers idly. "Unless we're planning on sticking him in a shipping crate."

"I would prefer you not." The tiger replied wearily. "My Lady and I have… had to employ similar tactics in the past. Repeating them is not something I would enjoy."

Rex didn't really have an answer to that.

The conversation petered out, the lingering tension between the two half-humans weighing down the mood. Rex gave his counterpart a conflicted glance, before returning to his food in silence.

Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere was quickly broken by the sound of movement outside the front of the house. All four of them turned their heads at the door, ready to dash for the hidden panel at a moment's notice.

"Good morning! Are friends awake?" Tora called, throwing the door open happily. He held a well-wrapped package in his wings, nestled close to his chest as if to keep it safe.

Rex gave the oversized Nopon a wave as he and the others relaxed. "Morning, Tora! There's still some food left if you're hungry."

"Meh meh!?" Tora cried, the smell of the food reaching his nose. "Tora not know Rex-Rex cook!"

Watching the Nopon rush over to the stove, Rex gave a smug grin. "Well, I have been living on my own since I was ten." He crowed. "You can't make it on your own if you can't feed yourself!"

"'Living on my own'?" Azurda grumbled, crossing his arms. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"Tora live alone too, and not cook." The Nopon replied as he carted a pile of sausage and glitterspud over to the table. "Mostly eat food that not need cooking."

Dromarch winced at the revelation. "How depressing."

"T-Tora know how to cook!" The Nopon insisted, his wings flapping in agitation. "Just… not have much time to cook when working on projects!"

"Speaking of projects," Rex cut in, indicating to the package, "I'm guessing you got the part you were after?"

Tora grinned, holding the package above his head with one wing. "Tora finally got Perfect Range Sensor!" He cheered. "Now Tora can finally finish project!"

"What is it? Another custom weapon?" The boy inquired as he finished off his meal. "Or maybe an upgrade to that Mechabiter? Perfect Range Sensors sound like they'd be good for ranged weapon scopes."

"Something like that. But also nothing like that." The Nopon shoveled a large portion of food into his mouth. "Tora not know how to explain."

"Maybe with your words?" Nia snarked, polishing off her own meal.

Tora took the question at face value, either ignoring or not catching the implied jab. "How to put… Friends remember what Tora told them last night, why Tora help?"

"Because you wanted 'cool Driver friends'?" Rex said, somewhat amused.

The Nopon nodded in confirmation. "That right! Tora love Drivers and Blades, but Tora not able to be Driver himself."

"Oh, is that an aptitude issue, or did you never manage to get your hands on a Core Crystal?" Rex asked. "'Cause if it's the latter, I can help!" Without waiting for confirmation, he fished around in his pouch for a moment before pulling out a dull Core Crystal.

Nia narrowed her eyes. "Where did you…" She trailed off, looking at the color of the crystal. "Was that the Igna Driver's Blade?"

"Yup!" He replied, holding it up. "I guess it's not ready to resonate with yet," he said, giving a glance over to Azurda who nodded in confirmation, "but when it is, you can try if you want to."

Tora's face fell at the offer. "Rex-Rex nice to offer, but Tora already try awakening Blade. Not have potential for normal Driver."

"It's quite impressive you managed to discover that unscathed." Azurda remarked, giving the Nopon a look over. "Failed resonances can be nasty!"

Shuddering, Tora agreed. "Tora know! Had nosebleed for three whole days! Almost die of blood loss!"

"Just a nosebleed? Seriously?" Nia muttered bemusedly. "I've seen people all but drop dead from those before! What are you even made of?"

Dromarch gave the Nopon a curious look. "You said 'normal' Driver, master Tora. Is there another variety of Driver that I am unaware of?"

Tora puffed out his chest. "Not yet, but will be when Tora done!" He announced proudly. "Tora show, if friends follow."

He got up from the table, quickly scooping the last of the food into his mouth as he did. The others gave a wary look between themselves before following behind him.

The Nopon led them over to the walled-off area near the entrance that had been designated as Tora's lab. He waited to ensure that the party had properly assembled around him, before throwing aside the curtain that had served as a door.

"Behold!" He said, clearly holding back the pride in his voice. "Tora's great secret! An artificial Blade!"

"Well, that certainly is something." Azurda said, giving the mechanical figure an appreciative gaze. "I'll admit, it isn't every day someone shows me something I have never seen before!"

Nia frowned as she looked over the artificial Blade. "Not much of a secret if you're just showing the first people you let in here, is it?"

"Artificial Blade is culmination of years of work from Tora's family." He continued, ignoring Nia's barb. "When complete, even no-potential like Tora able to be Driver!"

"Will that even work?" Rex pondered. "I mean, Blades are kind of mysterious. Is it even possible to replicate their abilities like this?"

The Nopon scratched the back of his head. "Tora admit, not fully understand how artificial affinity link function; that Dadapon's specialty. But!" He posed, one wing against his hip, the other raised in a lecturing position, "Tora know works! Observe!"

He waddled over to a control console in front of the artificial Blade and began fiddling with the controls. He looked up at his creation expectantly as he hit the final button with a surprisingly practiced flourish.

Immediately, a pale blue line coalesced between the Nopon and the dormant artificial Blade, impossibly thin but still clearly visible. Even without seeing it, Rex could feel the subtle distortions in the background ether levels that he had come to recognize as an affinity link.

"Friends see, even when not yet awake, affinity link exists between Tora and Blade." Tora said. He waddled around the terminal, walking right up to his creation.

"Quite impressive, master Tora." Dromarch stated. "I never believed something like this was even possible."

"I'll say." Nia agreed. She tilted her head as she thought, ears shifting slightly to stay pointing upward. "I gotta ask, though. What's the point of running the affinity link if it's not even working yet? Just testing it out?"

Tora nodded slowly, placing a wing gently against the torso of the artificial Blade. "Friend partially right." He replied. "Is important to test affinity link work, but not only reason."

"What's the other?" Rex asked, crossing his arms.

"Affinity link serve as promise to artificial Blade." The Nopon said, a serious look in his eyes as he stared up at his creation. "Promise to Poppi," He amended, "that Tora will awaken soon."

Rex smiled at the display. "So her name is Poppi, is it?" He asked.

"That right." Tora confirmed. "Tora avoid using before waking up, though. Would rather not become attached if Poppi not like name."

There was a sharp fizz as the affinity link suddenly cut out, followed by a hollow silence as an ambient electrical sound suddenly vanished. Tora stood up straight and turned around, an embarrassed look on his face.

"Backup power source not able to sustain for long, however." He informed them, walking back to the console and flipping a switch. "But when finally awake, artificial Blade's ether furnace able to sustain link much longer."

"It's still an impressive feat." Azurda assured him, leaning out of Rex's helmet. "To even generate an affinity link at all… science truly is amazing."

Rex looked over at the package Tora had brought with him. "And that's the final piece? So you'll be able to wake her up soon?"

"Once Perfect Range Sensor installed, will need to do adjustments and testing to ensure parts work together." Tora replied, counting off the fingers of his wing. "Ensure power systems distributing properly, check feedback of sensory suite functioning… much final work to do." He stated. "Also, need to apply power charge to ignite ether furnace. Not have anything that powerful, will need to wait for next thunderstorm."

"Sounds like a lot of work." Rex commiserated. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Tora's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" He asked in awe. "Rex-Rex help finish Poppi?"

"I mean, if there's anything you need help with, of course." He replied, taken slightly off-guard by the Nopon's energy. "I'll admit, I'm not an expert when it comes to machines, but I did pick up a thing or two maintaining the salvaging equipment on Gra- I mean, my old Titanship."

"Help much appreciated!" Tora replied, beaming at the boy. "Tora able to handle installation of Perfect Range Sensor itself, but extra set of hands useful!"

Nia watched as Tora immediately launched into an explanation of what Rex could do to help, shaking her head at the pair. "I'm… just going to find something else to do." She said, not that either of them were listening. "Come on, Dromarch. I think I saw some board games over in the other room."


"Dammit, Dromarch!" Nia spat. "I was going to buy the Larus Trade Guild!"

Unsympathetic to her complaints, the Tiger pulled the ownership card over to himself. He wore a placid expression as he did, but Nia could tell that he was amused by her outburst.

Tora, as it turned out, had plenty of board games on hand. Most were old, definitely second-hand at best, but well cared for. A layer of dust had covered them, making it clear that the Nopon hadn't played them for quite some time. Sensible considering he lived alone, but it made it clear that had not always been the case.

Lacking anything better to do, Nia and Dromarch had taken advantage of the games to idle away the time as Rex and Tora worked on the artificial Blade. Occasionally they had been joined by Azurda as well, but as the day continued on without the boys leaving Tora's lab, the Titan had gone off on his own for a nap.

Over the course of the day, they had gradually worked their way through the pile. Nopon Chess, Chooby Tubes, Leftherian Life… They had certainly filled the time, and done so in a manner much more enjoyable than she had become accustomed to on the road, but the current game they had settled on was tending further toward infuriating than enjoyable.

"Whose bright idea was it to play Money-Bye-Bye anyway?" She groaned, rattling the dice in her hand as she prepared to throw.

"I believe it was yours, my Lady." The tiger replied, languidly shifting his property cards around the floor. "We could have played Don't Feed the Armu, which I suspect would have been more to your advantage, but you insisted."

She stuck her tongue out at the tiger as she rolled the dice. "It'd have been to my advantage because you couldn't grab the pellets." She pointed out, moving her piece to its new destination on a chance space. "Kinda hard to feel good about winning if it's basically by de- oh, come ON!" The girl whined as she read the card. "'Captured by the Special Inquisitor, go to jail!?' Why is that even a card!?"

Chuckling, Dromarch scooted his Driver's token over to the tile depicting a stylized Ardainian Battleship that represented the jail. "Your luck is a wonder to behold, my Lady." He commented jovially.

"Shove it before I make a rug of you." She growled, watching as the tiger carefully loaded the dice into a roller. As he struggled, her eyes drifted unbidden over to where Rex and Tora were working.

They were revising something on the artificial Blade's design; apparently Tora had shown him a schematic earlier, and much to both of their surprise, Rex's magical Aegis math powers had located a computational error in Tora's calculations for some electrical system. That had resulted in the Nopon immediately having the boy double-check his work while he repaired the problem.

A frown settled on her face as she watched them work. Her feelings toward both of them were mixed at the moment, for entirely different reasons.

She wanted to be skeptical of Tora, but was finding it increasingly hard. The Nopon's motivations for helping them made no sense to her! He had apparently been hired to spy on them, but instead almost immediately warned them that they were being hunted. Then, after they had drawn the ire of the Ardainians, he had let them into his home and showed them a secret project?

Even as late as this morning, she had been convinced it was some bizarre trap to hand them over to his employer. Yet, at every chance he had to do so, he had just been…. cheery and helpful.

Bizarre as it seemed, so far as she could tell, Tora just… wanted to be friends with Drivers and didn't consider being hunted by half the Titan to be a point against them.

As for Rex, well…

She had been up half the night, listening for an ambush she was certain was coming, yet never came. Instead, she had ended up hearing something entirely different—something she definitely wasn't supposed to have been privy to.

It was easy to be frustrated with the boy after how last night had gone. Hell, she still wanted to be on some level. But at the same time…

"My Lady, if you are done staring at master Rex, I believe it is your turn." Dromarch said, breaking her line of thought.

"I wasn't-!" She sputtered, turning back to face her Blade. "I mean, I was, but-!"

Dromarch chuckled at her reaction. "My Lady, I did not mean to imply anything untoward." He said, his tone not entirely sincere. "Considering that your face held the same countenance as when Akhos convinced you to proofread his scripts, if anything, I would expect the opposite."

She grimaced at the memory. For all that the older Flesh Eater constantly crowed about his skills as a playwright, his scripts were… really bad. She had grudgingly agreed to help him once, only shortly after being taken in by Jin. Never again.

"Look, I just…" She fumbled over her words, idly bouncing the dice in her hand. How was she supposed to describe what she was feeling if she didn't even fully know herself?

Fortunately, Dromarch seemed to know her better than she did herself. "You are considering how to apologize for your role in yesterday's argument but are stymied by inner conflict." He stated.

"…Not quite how I would put it." She sighed. "It's just… it pisses me off, just how brazen he was! There were other options he could have used!"

The tiger stared at her with calm, knowing eyes. "I'm sensing a 'but' there." He concluded, his tail gently swishing behind him.

"…But I understand I was being hard on him." She admitted. There wasn't really a point in denying it to her Blade; even if he wasn't nearly as insightful by default, their resonance meant that he could detect her feelings even without an affinity link. "He doesn't know—he couldn't know—how dangerous it could be if he's found out."

She rolled the dice as if to punctuate her statement, only to curse as the results left her token firmly locked within the Battleship's brig.

Her Blade chortled in amusement at her misfortune, carefully trapping the dice beneath his paw and dragging them toward him. "In that case, perhaps the ideal means of apologizing would be to explain to him exactly what the danger is?" He offered, nudging the dice back into the roller.

"That's a little…" She hesitated. Explaining that would almost certainly involve some of the more sensitive bits of her background. While the boy was aware that she was a Flesh Eater, some of the other parts were still a bit…

"You do not have to tell him your story, my Lady." Dromarch replied, nudging the dice roller over with his snout. "And even if you do, merely restricting the explanation to your encounters with the Praetorium will more than suffice."

He was right, of course. Even during her short stay with Torna, she had learned a lot about how they dealt with Flesh Eaters. More than enough to impress upon Rex just how dangerous the world could be for people like them.

"Fine, I'll do it." Nia relented, grabbing the dice again as Dromarch moved his token, narrowly avoiding landing on one of her properties. "But only if he's willing to apologize too."

"I would expect nothing less, my Lady." The tiger replied. "I am sure that Azurda has already spoken to him about the matter."

Her eyes shifted over to Rex's diving helmet, where the diminutive Titan was curled up asleep. She knew very well that they had, in a manner of speaking. "I'm sure they did." She waved off.

If Dromarch noticed her deflection, he was polite enough to not mention it. "If you require my assistance to keep master Tora distracted so the two of you can talk, I would be more than able to."

"Don't worry about it." She replied. "I know Rex'll need to go out tomorrow, assuming we can figure out disguises. We can talk then."

The tiger nodded in agreement. "I'm sure master Tora would be more than happy to assist in obtaining those disguises, should you ask."

"Yes, Tora more than happy to!" The Nopon exclaimed, drawing the attention of the Driver and Blade.

"Finally done, are you?" She asked, looking over the pair. Tora was absolutely filthy, his overalls covered in grease and hydraulic fluids that had matted the ends of his fur in the spots his clothing hadn't covered. Rex was in better shape, having mostly just helped hold things for the Nopon, but there were some noticeable lubricant stains on his diving suit.

"Poppi ready for activation!" He chirped, wings held in the air. "Just need wait for thunderstorm to provide energy charge!"

Rex walked behind him, wiping the grease off his hands with a cloth. "I hope we get the chance to see it! After helping all day, I'm kinda looking forward to meeting her."

"It's a shame we don't have an electric Blade." Nia commented. "I bet that'd get her started right up!"

Tora had a considerate look on his face at the idea. "Tora not want hire someone just for that," he said, scratching his chin with a wing, "But maybe if weather clear for too many days, may consider."

"Is it really common for Blades to offer their services like that?" Rex asked. "I think I heard about bigger salvaging teams employing Drivers, but I always assumed it was for protection."

Nia rolled the dice, hoping for the doubles that would free her token, only to curse as she didn't get them a second time. "Blades are useful for more than fighting, after all." She noted as Dromarch claimed the dice for himself. "Elemental manipulation can be touch-and-go utility-wise since they can only directly manipulate ether, but pretty much every Blade's picked up a useful skill or two that sticks around through their incarnations."

"Some are more marketable than others, of course." Dromarch added. "While my talents with plantlife have been quite useful, especially during our travels, my command of the ancient Gormotti language has proved much less lucrative."

Tora nodded in agreement. "Tora hire Blades for skills before, when wallet less flat." He said. "Use to pay oldypon Mabon and Blade to charge batteries before hooked power system to lightning rods. Vess not strongest Blade, but has good control and affordable rates."

A dark look crossed his face. "Tried hiring Blade of Saets Cheiftain's daughter once. Nearly shocked to death for effort."

Rex scratched the back of his head. "Sounds rough."

"Tora not know how Blade that look like little girl become such terror." The Nopon agreed. "Took weeks for Tora's fur to not stand straight like prickly cactus, but Tora fine now."

He looked over at Nia again, who had finally relented and paid the fine to release her token from prison. "Anyway, friend Nia say need disguises? What looking for?"

She leaned her head back, pondering for a moment. "Just some basic clothes should be enough." She replied. "I'll have to do something about my hair, but Rex may be fine."

"Will I? The boy asked. "I've not seen a lot of people running around with hair quite my color."

"Friends not worry about that!" Tora cut in. "Tora have wigs friends can use."

They both looked at the Nopon. "That will fit humans? Why do you have those?" Nia asked, eyebrow raised.

"T-Tora used to test hairstyles and colors for Poppi in earlier stages of design process!" The Nopon answered a little too quickly. "Not want make final head mould until knew what work!"

Nia gave him a doubtful stare, causing the Nopon to go still, but relented after a moment. "Right, I probably don't want to know." She said, shaking her head. "Hopefully you've got some that have enough room." The girl punctuated by flicking her ears.

She grabbed the dice that her Blade had offered her. "Well, we'll figure it out later. Right now I'd rather finish driving Dromarch bankrupt."

The dice clattered across the board, directing her token to move to Dromarch's highest-priced property. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, my Lady."

Rex and Tora couldn't help but laugh at the girl's ensuing reaction.


As a veteran Information Broker, Turuni had long become accustomed to the bizarre behaviors of his clients. As such, when a cloaked figure dropped from the roof just a ped behind him, he barely reacted to their presence.

Slowly turning around, the aging Nopon instead greeted the figure with a polite business smile. "Friend Praxis, what Turuni do for you?"

The Blade stood still, the cloak draped over her concealing some of her features, but not the fact that she was a Blade. Under most circumstances, such a blatant disguise would attract attention, but considering how striking her normal appearance was, he could understand the logic.

"Good evening, Turuni." She greeted, her tone carrying a degree of eagerness that the Nopon had come to expect from the Blade. "The boss sent me. He's looking for some more info about the job."

He expected that, of course. Considering the spectacle their group had caused before the Special Inquisitor had arrived on the scene, he expected that they were eager to take another shot at capturing the Aegis.

"Turuni afraid not have any news." He replied, idly shuffling the notes in his bag. "Lookouts report no sign of Aegis girl."

Praxis nodded, shifting around slightly to give herself a better view of the entrance to the alley. "That's not quite what he's interested in." She said.

He raised an eyebrow. What else would her Driver be looking for? Surely he didn't need more hands to capture the Aegis? "Afraid not follow." He admitted.

"Yesterday you sent out an update that the people listed as suspected companions of the Aegis were unaffiliated with her." Praxis clarified.

What did that…? His mind began assembling a picture of what the girl was trying to convey. "Wording not accurate." He corrected. "Said 'not traveling with', not 'unaffiliated'. Affiliation never in doubt. Friend have evidence Aegis with them?"

"Not traveling with, no." She admitted with a frown. "But we were able to confirm that the Leftherian salvager boy is her Driver."

That was certainly useful knowledge. The only question, of course, was… "Turuni not doubt friend, but how tell?"

"He was using her weapon." The Blade replied concisely. He supposed there wasn't any point in adding anything else; just being able to use a Blade's weapon was confirmation that they were the Driver.

"Fair enough. Turuni still not have more information." He said with a shrug. Ultimately, having confirmation that the boy was the Aegis' Driver did little, considering that he had gone to ground as well.

Praxis stared at him expectantly, as if hoping he would suddenly have something else to offer. After a moment, her expression fell as she sighed in despair.

"Damn it, the boss was hoping you'd have something." She muttered, tapping her feet irritably. "Are you sure your sources were telling the truth?"

"Friend should know; fought Driver and didn't see Aegis, yes?" He replied with more than a bit of amusement. "Should match Turuni's information. Two Drivers, two Blades, no Aegis. That all reported."

The girl's head shot up at his words. "Two Blades?" She asked in confusion. "There was only one when we fought. The White animal Blade bonded to the Gormotti brat."

Curious. "Source report that Aegis Driver have second Blade. Small animal Blade, also white. Look like winged Pippito."

"I don't think that was a Blade." Praxis replied, chewing her lip. "It was hanging around in the boy's helmet the whole fight, not even contributing an affinity link. What did your source say its weapon was?"

Turuni fished around in his bag for the report Tora had given him. "It longsword, Turuni think. Have large ether blade." He pulled out the report and handed it over to the girl. "Friend look. Turuni have source sketch weapon, in case useful later."

Praxis frowned as she looked over the sheet, her eyes tracing the details of the sketch. "This is the Aegis' weapon." She stated. "No doubt about it. Your source didn't draw the weapon core, but it was green when we fought them."

Interesting… He was going to have to update his records for the job again. He was surprised that Tora had made such a mistake, though. Normally the younger Nopon was quite attentive to details, from what he knew.

Perhaps it was to be expected, though; Tora wasn't a trained informant, after all, and the boy had admitted he needed to hide partway through the fight to avoid detection. It was entirely possible he had just never managed to get a clear view of the boy and had made assumptions to fill in the gaps.

Still, it wouldn't do to just let it slide. Turuni didn't expect to be able to use Tora as an asset again, but he also had a reputation to maintain. He'd need to do something to make his displeasure known to the younger Nopon.

"Turuni not have any more information," He began, scratching his chin, "But source might. If Turuni tell friend where to find, friend might be able to jog memory."

Praxis grinned in delight at the prospect. "Why Turuni, that sounds lovely~." She purred.

"Source name is Tora." He stated. "Has good lineage of Nopon engineers, but not amount to much by self. Tora live in condemned tenement by old pier, down in the Underhang. If friend interested, will provide map."

He pulled out a ratty map of Torigoth, quickly circling a building block near the cliff face of the Titan. "Friend can enter through here. Not have to worry if Tora there; lazypon rarely leave house. Turuni not sure about guard patrols, though. Not normally common in Underhang, too many residents hate Ardainians, but with high alert may be different. Friend should watch back."

Praxis gave the map a quick look over before stashing it away. "Thanks, Turuni." She said, turning around.

"Friend be sure to keep informed." The Nopon stated, closing his bag. "Will hope for friend's success."

Without another word, the Blade leapt up to the rooftop and disappeared into the night, leaving the information broker alone with his thoughts.


Author's Notes

Writing Morag doing the Inquisiting part of her job as Special Inquisitor will never not be fun. Also, shoutout to the various NPC's in-game that complain about Money-Bye-Bye enough to determine it's just Nopon Monopoly.