Although the time away from Rhode Islands was brief, a little less than fortnight spent in the Sargonian wastes, there was an immense and immediate reprieve upon returning. Perhaps it was the lack of sand, dust, and uncompromising heat that was no longer plaguing them that brought grateful smiles to their faces alongside the wide grin of a welcoming Doctor, Amiya, and a few choice staff of Rhodes Island staff that welcomed them back. Not Closure though, she was aghast at seeing the state of the car they had brought back.

After a shower and medical check up from the medical staff, the small squad then had to catalog their reports of the situation independently as well as a group. While the Doctor and Amiya were getting routine check-ins and field reports, there were still some things better explained or detailed in person. The resources from their temporary base of operations would need to be reclaimed or they might become the start of a permanent forward operating branch of Rhode Island should the need to return to Arcadia be needed, considering the situation.

When all was said and done, they were also allowed a three day reprieve from all work related responsibilities as customary of most completed operations. Perhaps as a result of all that had come during their brief foray together, the five had stayed close amongst each other in some regards. Ezel and Cecilia would invite Penance to meals if they saw her, Fiametta had talked to her about movies and other cinema (a common interest shared between the two as they had learned one night on their trip), and despite being allowed to train back with the rest of the other Rhode Island defenders, she would return to ask Mlynar for tutelage in combat alongside Mudrock and Dur-Nar.

For a brief time, they all remained in touch in those three days of respite. The sense of comfort and familiarity she had with them breeding its own sense of calmness in her that she had not felt in a bit. She didn't know where that feeling went, or where it sprouted from, but it was nice. But as fast as it was felt, it was gone after that three day reprieve.

Fiametta had opted into a mission involving Laterno agents needing an escort that Mostima herself had volunteered to chaperone. Ezel had gotten a lot of reports and paperwork to figure out as a result of the many issues that came after the incidents involving Laterno agents and the Sargonian authorities. Even Cecelia returned back into lessons that she had missed, though perhaps with more gusto than before. All except Mlynar, who had fallen back into the old routine of work that seldom had him interact with anyone outside of business hours, all seemed to drift away from her.

Eventually it became just became another return to routine for Penance with a few extra additions and a few more losses. With Deszcz having gotten her fitness qualifications, she too began to train with the other Supporters and Casters, and so those early days of her at Rhodes, sharing some nights and days talking about certain laws and writers were far and few between. Penance found herself working alone most days, and it felt… familiar. Something about it prickled the back of her mind as she would read and pour over documents alongside some of the other Rhode Island staff, now dutifully trying to figure out what a clerk was meant to do with some aid from either Penance or Deszcz when available.

It was a strange hollow feeling, the only times Penance could compare it to was of course back in Siracusa, back in Volsinii. Back when she was coming up as a clerk, back when she was a lawyer before Bernardo helped install her as a judge. Her colleagues being pulled into cars, being shot dead on the street, or being called to a scene and finding what was left of them, if there was anything left at all. That pain of separation, but now here it was different. It should be different. Mlynar, Fiametta, Ezel, and Cecilia weren't dead. She still practices with Mlynar even still, yet she felt like she missed those nights or close dinners at the Ice Cream Sunday.

This is unprofessional. Penance thought to herself as she drowned herself in work. They are not dead. They are not friends… But why… She had thought about voicing these thoughts to the Doctor, however she felt like this would be a burden on them especially with how they and Amiya were constantly surrounded by work. She had thought to voice to Mlynar, he was part of this weird feeling she, but then realized the absurdity of how it would sound.

Then her mind began to grow restless in a sense. Her sleep was plagued with memories of the night they left. The fire. Those malformed corpses. The dead civilians. Some nights she saw the multitude of people in bars, reaching out for her. Other nights, it was the dead malformed Sarkaz, reaching towards, scrambling on the floor like broken spiders. The worst one is when she see's Mlynar, Fiametta, Ezel, and Cecilia standing above her as she lays on the ground dying.

She wakes up from those nightmares in cold sweats, hands grasping her codex of law, the thorns hurt her hand, but it proves she's alive when she see's her blood run down its pages. She breathes a sigh of relief before she tries to steady her heart and breathing. She seldom succeeds this before the sun rises and she has to go about her day.

Eventually it wasn't her who asked for help, but her thoughts were put into perspective for her by the most unlikely of people. Cellina Texas.

"You seem distracted, was that first mission that bad?" Texas had asked when they met for their weekly meeting to discuss the future Siracusan city without familgia.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Penance asked. They had stopped for a quick snack to eat, stopping by a Siracusan run pizzeria run by two quarreling but very friendly Siracusan pizzamakers.

"Distracted. You're a step behind even if it's just two of us," Texas reiterated. In her hands was a small cake, already mostly finished. Penance had the same thing, but hers was hardly touched. She had spent most of her time starring forlornly. "You had your first mission right? How was the mission and getting along with non-Siracusans?" Tersely, Penance felt something holding her back and she felt a need for a diplomatic, almost unconscious answer. The same way the Doctor had asked the question to her during their one on one meeting.

"It was alright. They were professional and good cowork—"

"Except they weren't just coworkers after that." Texas' interruption felt out of character for her, or for as much as Penance knew the woman. Texas had run a hand through her hair, her eyes turning thoughtful for a second before she reached into her jacket. Instead of her pockey, she pulled out a packet of cigarettes.

"Oi do you mind if I smoke?"

"Smoke? Mario, you mind if Texas smokes?"

"Why would I mind? Luigi if she wants to smoke, she can smoke… Is she on the outside patio?!"

"No."

"Oi, Texas, can't smoke inside, gotta do it outside!" Rolling her eyes but not at all hiding the smile on her face, she dropped some LGD to cover for the cake before gesturing for Penance to follow her outside.

"Walk and talk. Doctor asked me to check in on you, but I've also been noticing somethings." Penance kept pace with Texas, who waved to Mario and Luigi before lighting a cigarette. The faint wafting smell of tobacco and a hint of chocolate trailing behind her as Penance moved to keep up. At the confused face, Texas took the lit cigarette out of her mouth.

"Something you want to ask?"

"You smoke?" Penance eventually got out.

"A long time ago." The unspoken words of "back in Siracusa" was left implicit as Texas stopped in an alley between buildings. Shadows obscuring her face save for the faint red light of the lit cigarette. It was immediately that Penance felt apprehensive. A familiar sight. A familiar profile. The rain wasn't pouring but–

"Lavinia, that's the point." Texas' voice struck her out of the reprieve. "You've finally left Siracusa, but it seems Siracusa has never left you." At this statement, Penance found herself speechless.

-L&L-

Mlynar did not go out of his way to interact with his family once he got to Rhode Island, there were many times they had tried to talk to him, but he had always found it a point to burry his head in work to avoid such coincidence. Today however it seemed he was not as lucky,

"Uncle, how was the mission! I heard you had just finished one in Sargon!" Maria had found him in the Rhode Island mechanic workshops. He had finished talking to Feist and was once more working on the bikes himself. Maria had initially came down there to talk to Eunectes before seeing her Uncle.

It surprised her to be sure. She had only ever seen her Uncle either glaring incessantly at his phone for work or asleep, tired from said work and passed out on the couch having barely touched dinner. Seeing him deep in the mechanics workshop, tightening nuts and bolts and making some sort of vehicle, was a surprise for sure. She had remembered when Kowal would talk about him in the past though. How he was their grandfather's errant, and so had to busy himself learning all he could about maintenance and machinery to maintain their grandfather's equipment. Everything from swords, to shields, to lances, to–

"Ooh, Uncle is that a Hussar?" Maria's eyes lit up upon seeing the machine. The tell tale signs of the machine's form and Kazimierzan origin already being put to shape. The long front forks seen in Columbian designs armored and plated with a pointed wedge. The main body deriving power from an engine that had no more than four exhausts on either side. A currently reclined back made for maintaining posture with a lance, but it allows one to adjust midrive in order to use their sword. "You've been making a Hussar down here? From scratch?"

"It's a personal project." Mlynar said more to himself than Maria, but it seemed the girl didn't seem to hear as she marvelled at it as he continued to work on it. Currently he was tightening the bolts that would hold the eschucheon, the ceremonial knight crest. He was… conflicted. Before there would be pageantry when putting it on, but now all he had was this time in this hot foundry. Before he would feel proud to the Nearl crest there. Now… Now what?

"Wow, it's so beautiful! That engine, is that Feist's design? Is that what he's been working on?" Maria's hands brushed the Victorian designed engine. It was more powerful than what you would find on a Kazimierzian Hussar, but instead of speed, Maria could feel stalwart power just waiting to be unleashed. "I haven't seen a real Hussar since–"

"You sold it? But it was yours?!"

"Where's Teuton Uncle?"

"It is gone. Sold to another foolish family thinking that a piece of equipment would equate them to a knight hood."

"But it was part of your equipment? How could you sell it?"

"It was nothing more than useless scrap sitting in the house. What good is it in Kazimierz now.."

"But to sell it? Weren't you not saying how we should know our positions? I doubt a Victorian steam knight would be so willingly to sell their armo–"

"Then they are fools. CLinging onto trinkets thinking that alone would make them a knight. What we need is not trinkets, and better to sell a worthless artifact than have it remain to keep dust."

"But Uncle–"

"That's enough!"

"But it was Father gift to you!"

Tightening the bolt too much caused the metal to snap and shatter. Cutting his hand deeply, he hissed in pain at his momentary lapse of concentration. Maria let out a shout before rummaging around and finding a rag, though a bit stained, she held to his bleeding hand as he stared with a grimacing expression. Gripping it tight, he staunch the flow of blood alongside the memories.

"Uncle, are you okay?" Maria came up to him, eyes bright and wide. Of course he would be fine, it was just a small gash, nothing more than an annoying cut. But anger seemed to well deep within Mlynar. The red of his blood reminding him of the fire of the estate, the unnamed and unnumered of those who died ignobles deaths or ignobles after lives burned away to nothing. "Uncle? Are you alright?"

"I'm…" Mlynar took a deep breath before looking to Maria. "Can you tell the Doctor that I'll need to take a day to myself."

"Is it the hand? Should I get Warfarin, or maybe Big Sis' friend Shining to help you–"

"No! No," Mlynar repeated that second bit softer. That fussy nature was truly like Schnitz. "It's a personal day. My hand is fine, it's a small scratch. However my mind has been occupied, so I'll be taking the day off in order to sort my thoughts. Please relay to that to the Doctor for me." Maria looked relieved before nodding.

"Copy that Uncle!" She did a little salute before running off. Mlynar had finally staunched the flow before unwrapping the rag, he grimaced as he saw the grease and wound mix, knowing he would need to clean it.

"Oh wait, Uncle!" Maria returned fast much to Mlynar's surprsie. "A letter came for you! It was sent out while you were out, but got lost in the other mail since it wasn't that big. The Doctor wanted to give this you when I saw them."

"You already saw the Doctor?"

"Uh huh, they were talking to Miss Texas and another Lupo who seemed quite upset. The Doctor was planning to come down here apparently since they heard you were here as well, but they told me to give to you in their stead." Maria handed him a letter, a simple small square of paper. Nothing ornate or obtrusive about it, save for the stamp noting it was from a Kazimierzian post office. He could already guess who it was by the time Maria made her leave again, he would read it later. Now however, he shook his head as looked towards the bike. The gas tank was filled halfway, but it was enough for Mlynar who signaled the operator to open the garage.

Only clad in a simple black undershirt and a new fresh rag around his hand, Mlynar gunned the engine. The bike roared to life like thunder overhead. The noise grabbed the attention of many other Engineers and craftsmen as they turned to see what the noise was, only to see the garage gate open up. Mlynar gunned the engine of the Hussar with a proud looking Feist starring with satisfaction at the thundering engine before Mlynar peeled out of the landship.

He felt the wind in his hair, buffering his tail as he leaned with the rest of the Hussar leaned back. The sound of the engine was just loud enough to also obscure Mlynar's own roar into the empty night sky. Devoid of a moon, devoid of light, Mlynar let it all out to the nothingness in front of him. And for once, he felt peace.

Copied Directly from my AO3 message: With this chapter it helps end the current thread of Mylnar and Penance's first mission together, and the Rough Riding Crew as I tend to call them now in my head but now you will also call them, but also helps lead into other plots for them to work through. Mlynar's obvious... intense emotions open to interpretation, but Penance's being more focused. This is especially the case with how I have a specific vision and perspective on how Penance's role is to play not only in the making of the new Siracusan city, but also her relation to how and why she seemed to have the least amount of change in regards to her place and how that would effect her.