The Chancellor was an intimidating woman, up close, standing in stark contrast to the last woman who'd occupied these halls as a ruler. She was imposing, calculating, and had very little tolerance for idiocy. Even just her idle gaze was enough to set Zeke's nerves on end. One wrong move, and it felt like she might expel him from the palace. It was little wonder that she'd worked her way up from a no-name merchant family to the highest office in the country in less than two years.

Even so, her office in the palace was rather cramped. It was small, lacking any decorative trappings that normally would have come with a position like hers. He couldn't be sure if that was simply a consequence of the ongoing renovations, or if she preferred it this way. If the goal was to make her guests uncomfortable, though, she'd succeeded, because he wasn't the only one on edge. Astelle was a nervous wreck, fidgeting nonstop as the Chancellor read over her report.

Without warning, Chancellor Diarkis tossed the report on her desk and looked up, studying each of her guests in turn. Zeke returned her gaze with a smile, remaining outwardly as calm as ever. He needed every advantage he could get for the coming conversation.

"KOS-MOS," the Chancellor said, glancing back at her. "I assume you can confirm what's written here?"

Why ask KOS-MOS? Did the Chancellor not trust one of her own appointees to report the truth? Astelle wasn't the most confident person in the world, but she had a good work ethic, and she couldn't lie to save her life. It was possible the Chancellor was just the kind of person who wanted to verify everything for herself, and the word of someone like KOS-MOS was probably the best substitute for being there herself. But somehow, Zeke felt there was another reason. Probably it had to do with why she'd assigned Astelle to the council in the first place.

"Of course," KOS-MOS said. "My Driver left out no relevant details."

"I see." The Chancellor turned to Zeke, glaring at him.

"On behalf of everyone at the Gardens," he said, "I apologize for putting councilor Astelle in harm's way. It never should have come to that."

"Nevermind that," the Chancellor said. "Had she reported back to me sooner, as she was instructed, none of this would be necessary. Even discounting this coup d'etat you suffered, the internal strife she observed would have been enough to make me reconsider my offer."

"You're talking about the embassy," Zeke said. Straight to the point, this one.

"Yes. I'm wondering why I should entrust my citizens to a nation so fraught with instability."

"Then don't." Zeke shrugged. "The lifestyle isn't for everyone, and I know a lot of people back home will be happy that the Coalition nations won't be getting any more involved than they already are."

"Were you not such a powerful nation, I could safely leave you to your own devices. But that is not the case."

"Powerful?" Zeke asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but that seems like a mischaracterization. We've got no standing army."

"You may refuse to mobilize troops, but you have an army. All known Flesh Eaters left after the Cataclysm are members of your nation's Caretakers. On its own, that is enough military power to rival most minor nations. And that's before we consider the weapons you absconded with."

"The Eye is my property," Zeke pointed out. "Now that the royal family's been dissolved, anyway. And you're the one who fired me, so that one's on you." Zeke leaned forward. "You were referring to the Eye of Genbu, correct?"

"Of course," the Chancellor said, but he'd caught her meaning. Pandoria had been in the hands of the Tantalese royal family since the fall of Torna. Long enough that people began calling her the "Third Spear of Tantal", alongside KOS-MOS and Herald. It was no surprise the Chancellor was upset she'd come with him to join the Gardens. Though, really, what else had she expected?

"That doesn't change the facts," the Chancellor continued. "As a nation, the Gardens possess outsized military power. It would be unwise not to engage in diplomatic relations."

"Do you want the embassy or don't you?" Zeke asked.

"The embassy will be established, Ozychlyrus. What stands at issue is the degree of protection I will need to afford those who staff it. After reading this report, I'm afraid the military force I'd need to provide to ensure the safety of my citizens would be a burden your people will be unwilling to bear."

"So don't send troops," Zeke said. "Don't put up your embassy. It's no skin off your back. Isn't this why the Coalition exists? To give each nation the freedom to live as they see fit without encroaching on the others?"

"Normally, I'd be inclined to agree." The Chancellor stood up and turned to look out her office's window. "But these are trying times, and I need every assurance I can get. Do you know the Concords of Negaris?"

Shit, a history question. He glanced at Pandoria, silently pleading for her help. Unlike him, she'd actually paid attention during his history classes. She rolled her eyes and answered.

"It was a series of treaties signed about eighty years ago between Indol and a group known as the five great nations. Mor Ardain, Osiria, Gormott, Uraya, and Spessia. It established the Republic of Gormott, banned the use of Core Chip weaponry, and solidified the Praetorium's monopoly on Core Crystal distribution."

"You know your history," the Chancellor said. "Tell me, then, what prompted the Concords' signing?"

"The Forty Year War. A protracted conflict between Indol and the Kingdom of Gormott, who refused to accept the Praetorium's authority over Core Crystal regulation. It also served as a proxy war between Mor Ardain and Uraya. Uraya backed Gormott because the Praetorium had forced them to sue for peace during the Second Duthrish War, while Mor Ardain kept to their long-standing alliance with Indol. Spessia became involved after backing Indol's claim in exchange for greater territorial rights on Osiria's Titan, ultimately tipping the war in Indol's favor. Forgive me for asking, Chancellor, but is this going somewhere?"

"I think about that war often," the Chancellor said. "History remembers well King Negaris's famous defeat that forced him to sign the Concords, but very few recall the reason that idiotic war was fought. You see, Indol only pressed their right to control Core Crystal distribution in Gormott after the war began. The original reason the two nations spent forty years tearing each other apart was lack of communication."

"How so?" Zeke asked.

"Indol and Gormott had no formal diplomatic relationship. The two nations were, in essence, strangers to one another. So when Gormott began amassing Core Crystals outside the Praetorium's control, Indol had only one means to assert their supposed divine right. War."

"You could equally blame Indol's greed," Zeke said. "Or Gormott's ambition."

"Yes. But these things, greed and ambition, are inevitabilities. Some people will simply want more than they have. The factor we can control is how we communicate, and who we communicate with. Had Gormott seen fit to establish diplomatic ties with the Praetorium before their bid for power, they may have avoided the war altogether. And, by doing so, avoided succumbing to an invasion by Mor Ardain a hundred years later. So perhaps you can understand the importance I'm placing on this embassy. With the power the Gardens wield, open communication now may spare the next generation great suffering."

"We aren't a threat, Chancellor."

"No, Ozychlyrus, you are not a threat. I know enough about you to know attacking another without reason is, in your mind, unthinkable. But, as this report has very clearly demonstrated, I cannot trust that people like you will remain in charge of the Gardens forever."

"What do we do, then?" Zeke asked.

"The way I see it, there are two options. Either I send a military detachment to guard the embassy, or you agree to serve in that capacity yourself as a member of the Tantalese military."

Here it was. She wanted her embassy, but she also wanted Pandoria back. She knew he couldn't accept a Tantalese military presence in the Gardens, and she was hoping that would be enough to get him to sign back on with Tantal. He could refuse the offer entirely, but… She'd probably press the issue with the Coalition, and he didn't want them imposing outside measures either. Tricky. But fortunately, he did have one card he could play to get around her.

"Neither of those options are very appealing," Zeke said. "No one's going to like a Coalition military presence, and a Caretaker can't exactly be seen moonlighting for another nation's armed forces."

"I need an embassy, Ozychlyrus."

"Zeke," Pandoria said, glaring at her. Very briefly, Zeke shot Pandy a look. He'd been content to put up with the disrespect if it made things go smoother, so he was about to tell her not to press the issue. But she seemed determined, so he didn't say anything.

"Hm?"

"His name is Zeke," she repeated. "Use it. Please."

"I see." The Chancellor frowned. "Zeke, then. Do you see another way to resolve this situation?"

"Yeah," he said. "Send Astelle."

"I cannot simply reassign my councilor," the Chancellor said. Astelle visibly deflated at that, but the Chancellor didn't seem to notice or care.

"Astelle is KOS-MOS's Driver. In terms of combat ability, she's a Blade equal to any in the Gardens. In many cases, I'd go so far as to say she's superior, if Corvin's insurrection was anything to go by. She'd serve as more than adequate security, and Astelle's already got good relationships with the Caretakers."

"KOS-MOS alone wouldn't be enough to guarantee Astelle's safety. This insurrection proved that much as well."

"But you think Pandy and I would do just fine by ourselves?"

"Without question," KOS-MOS said. "In terms of combat capability, the Eye of Genbu alone far exceeds my ability."

"Do you have anyone else you can spare, then?" Zeke asked. "Maybe a backup security detail? Not something large enough to draw attention, but enough to cover the gaps."

"You want me to send Drivers to serve as security for another Driver," the Chancellor said.

"Think about it. We're a country of Blades and Drivers. More Blades than Drivers, really, but there's a few of us knocking around. Armed soldiers will draw attention, engender resentment, but no one would bat an eye at having a few more Drivers about. Plus, having Blades on staff is going to make the people more likely to trust that you're doing this in good faith. And, since this is probably going to prompt the other Coalition nations to go through this same song and dance, it'd be better for everyone if we establish a precedent of giving Blades on both sides a seat at the table for these conversations."

"I see…" The Chancellor frowned. "Nevertheless, Drivers are precious military assets."

"More precious than the massive detachment you said you'd need to guarantee the embassy's safety otherwise?"

"I think you underestimate the military value of a Driver."

"Just any Driver?" Pandoria asked, pointing to Astelle. "Or this Driver specifically?"

The Chancellor stared at her pointedly but didn't say anything. Zeke sighed. He hadn't wanted to make accusations he couldn't verify, but if Pandoria had come to the same conclusion, then it might be something they could use.

"We saying that out loud?" he asked, prompting her to take the lead.

"Saying what out loud?" Astelle asked.

"You were assigned to the Coalition council as a spy," Pandoria said. "KOS-MOS has a very extensive hearing range and no compunction about reporting what she hears to her superiors. I'm willing to bet when she's in a meeting with you, she's able to hear just about everything happening in the building. Probably more. The Chancellor doesn't want to give up such a wellspring of information."

"No," the Chancellor said, without missing a beat. "I do not."

"Think of it this way, then. Instead of news about Urayan trade disputes or Gormotti farming figures, you'll have a direct line to everything happening in the Gardens. If you think we're such a big threat, then this is your chance to act on it. Make sure we're not doing anything that would put Tantal in danger."

"I see." The Chancellor sat back down. "And if I chose not to send KOS-MOS and Astelle? If I were to choose another option, or perhaps take this matter up with the Coalition?"

"I'm sure Uraya would be delighted to know you've been listening in on their private conversations. The Guilds, too, they'll be positively thrilled."

The Chancellor smiled for the first time he'd ever seen, and Zeke was thankful he'd left his sword outside, otherwise he might have drawn it instinctively. She was way more terrifying like this. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Very well," she said. "KOS-MOS and Astelle will be reassigned to the Gardens as ambassadors from Tantal. I'll send them by with a team to inspect the building you construct for them, ensure it's up to our standards. Naturally, we've already begun construction on an embassy for you here in the city."

"Naturally," Zeke said. He stood up and shook the Chancellor's hand. "It may take us time to sort out who's going to serve as ambassador, though. I hope that's not a bother."

"I'll trust that you're proceeding as timely as you are able, given the circumstances. Good day to you both. Fortis will see you to your rooms."

"Thank you." Zeke bowed, and Pandoria did the same. As they left the room, Fortis was waiting for them, a smile on his face.

"Prince!" he shouted, clapping his hands together. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Hello Fortis," Zeke said, sighing. Pandoria did a very poor job of suppressing a laugh behind him.

"This way…" Fortis motioned down the hall. For a second, he thought they might be staying here, but they soon reached the palace gates.

"We're not staying here?" Pandoria asked.

"The palace grounds are undergoing renovations, I'm afraid," Fortis said. "Currently, only the Chancellor and some staff reside here. Until the construction is finished, we've unfortunately had to house guests at Anastasia's. I hope that won't be a problem."

"Better than a stuffy room in the palace," Zeke said. "Out of curiosity, are you guys paying for the room, or…?" He let the question hang.

"Out of money again?" Fortis asked.

"Our new jobs don't really pay much, unfortunately."

"Don't worry. I'll make the necessary arrangements. We can't have a member of the royal family out in the cold, now."

"Why not? You've done it plenty of times before."

"Your exile notwithstanding, of course."

"I'm kidding!" Zeke shouted, wrapping an arm around Fortis's shoulder. "Lighten up a little, you old fogey."

"Of course, prince."

"And stop with all this prince nonsense, yeah? I am Prince Ozychlyrus no longer. Now, I am Zeke von Genbu, the Immovable Garden Wall!"

He let the declaration hang for a moment, and almost immediately Pandoria burst out laughing. A moment later, and Fortis joined her. Not the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"Going to have to workshop that one," Zeke said. "Sounded better in my head. Pandy, how can we work 'Garden' into my title?"

"I don't think it really fits," she said. "You can't switch away from the lightning motif so suddenly."

"True, true. What about Thunderbolt Zeke, the Bladeshield?"

"It's better." She shrugged. Right, scratch that too, then. "But why mess with a good thing? Bringer of Chaos worked just fine up until now."

"In the past, sure. It's got a real vigilante justice feel to it. That worked pretty well to contrast our last gig, letting people know we didn't play by the Praetorium's rules. But we need something that's more legit, now. We've got people to look after, so we should have an image to match."

"I see." Pandoria nodded. Hopefully, she'd actually give the issue some thought. "Bringer of Chaos" reminded him too much of his time with the Praetorium. Not something he was ashamed of, at least for the most part, but it wasn't who he was anymore. The last few months at the Gardens had made that abundantly clear. He couldn't rely on chaos and whimsy anymore. Now he needed to be dependable.

"Well," Fortis said, "Whatever name you go by now, I wish you the best of luck. I know we've had our differences in the past—"

"Understatement of the century," he muttered.

"—But I want what's best for this family, and that includes you. I hope you realize that."

"I know, Fortis." Zeke patted him on the shoulder as they entered Anastasia's. Things were quiet until they reached the room.

"I…" He stared, but he couldn't really find the words to say. Instead, he pulled the man into a hug. "Thanks for everything, yeah?"

"Of course." Fortis stepped clear of Zeke and bowed. "I shall take my leave. If there's anything you require, you need only ask. Good day."

"You too," Pandoria said, waving as he headed down the hall. Once he was gone, the two headed into their room.

"Well," Zeke said, immediately jumping up on one of the beds. "All things considered, I think that was a productive day."

"Sure."

"You were brilliant in there, by the way. I wasn't sure the Chancellor would go for something so blunt."

"Dancing around it wasn't getting us anywhere."

"Still, a brilliant move nonetheless," Zeke insisted. "Take some credit, for once."

"I will, thank you." She curtsied.

"And I appreciate you coming here with me for this. I know it wasn't how you wanted to spend your birthday."

"You remembered," she said. He tried not to feel insulted. She obviously didn't mean anything by it, but there was no way he was going to forget his Blade's birthday.

"Of course I remembered," he said. "And I know it isn't much, but…" He reached into his coat and pulled out a small package. Her gift, neatly wrapped with a bow and everything. "I managed to grab this in town, before the meeting."

"Thank you," she said, taking it from him and sitting on the other bed. She unwrapped it to find a box of Moonstar Lipstick. Her favorite shade, if he remembered right. She hadn't had any since their days at school, so he figured it would suffice until they got back to the Gardens for their proper celebration. Instead of scream or hug him, however, she began to cry.

"Pandy?" he asked. "Something wrong?"

"No," she said, smiling. "It's perfect. Thank you."

He sat there, staring at her as she stared at the lipstick, and suddenly he felt like he could have done more. She liked it, but… It was only a box of lipstick. He was Zeke von Genbu. He could do better than that. He needed to do better than that if he was going to keep his promise to her.

"There is one other thing," Zeke said. "As an apology for dragging you out here like this. After we finish our assignment, I was thinking we should take some time, just the two of us. Travel a little, see the sights, just like the old days. What do you say?"

"That sounds lovely," she said.

"We can go wherever you want to go."

"Fantastic, but… Where is this coming from?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you have responsibilities to get back to at the Gardens?"

"Those can wait," he said. "You're my family, Pandy, and even if I might act like an idiot most of the time—"

"All of the time," she said.

"All of the time," he conceded. "I still want what's best for you. I want you to be happy. So… Whatever you want to do, we'll do. Wherever you want to go, we'll go. Everything else can wait."

"Thank you, my prince," she said. "It means a lot. But…"

She stopped.

"But what?" he asked. It took her a moment to respond. Like she had to gather up her courage to do it.

"I've already got everything I need," she said. "You, Nia, Kora… Things at the Gardens are good."

"Oh?" Zeke raised an eyebrow. This was news. "Since when did Kora get top billing with the rest of us?"

"Since we started dating," she said, giving him a look.

Oh. Oh. He knew they'd been close, but he hadn't figured they were an item. He was glad, though. It had been a long time since she'd been in a relationship.

"No kidding…" he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "You should've told me; I'd have invited her to come with us."

"No offense," she said. "But having my Driver third-wheeling is not exactly my idea of a fun romantic outing."

"Point taken," he said, raising his hands. "Offer still stands, though. If there's anything you want to do before we head back to the Gardens, just say the word."

"Well…" Pandoria thought for a moment, and Zeke immediately knew she was planning something. "I think I'll take you up on that. Let's go visit your father."

Nia stopped outside Adenine's door, hesitating to knock. Part of her didn't want to interrupt an appointment, but mostly she just didn't want to go back to the lab. Dromarch was stable, for now, but he still hadn't regained consciousness. Which meant he was still in there, taking up one of the beds. But she'd been avoiding this long enough.

Somewhat reluctantly, she knocked. Then, when there was no reply, she knocked harder.

"Adenine?" she asked. No response. "I'm coming in."

Adenine was elbow deep in an operation as she entered. Corvin was laid out on the table, still attached to several strips of flesh that coiled along the ground. Adenine was doing work on his core, but as he noticed Nia enter, he sat up and glared at her.

"Hey," Adenine said, reaching up to push him back down. "I need you to hold still, this is—"

"You," he said, not bothering to hide his disdain. Adenine finally took notice and looked up, lifting her analyzer.

"Nia," she said. "This isn't the best time."

"Don't let me keep you," Nia said. "I can wait."

Adenine nodded and got back to work, forcing Corvin to lie back down.

"Of all the indignities…" he muttered. "Come here to gloat at me?"

"Do I really seem the type?" she asked.

"No," he admitted. "You don't strike me as someone capable of enjoying themselves in the slightest."

Rather than reply, she grabbed a chair, dragging it across the room and sitting down next to the operating table. She couldn't see Dromarch anywhere, so probably he'd been moved to one of the recovery rooms. But she could still feel his presence around her. She wanted to get to business before she had too much time to think about it.

"Not so close," Adenine said, barely glancing up. "Can't risk contaminants. You want to talk, fine, but let me work."

She moved back a few peds, and one of Corvin's tendrils tried to wrap itself around the chair leg. He shouted at it, and slowly it retreated.

"Don't mind them," he said. "They're harmless, more or less."

"They're an interesting development," Adenine said. "The extreme ether shock his body underwent seems to have integrated his flesh more thoroughly with his Core Crystal. As he takes ether in, a portion is automatically converted into more flesh, and the core has trouble remembering what Corvin's body is supposed to look like normally. I'm not quite sure why he can't fully control it, though."

"I didn't come here to talk shop," Nia said. She turned to Corvin. "I want to talk about Spessia."

"Are you seriously that desperate?" he asked. "Things going that poorly that you're willing to turn to me for help?"

"You're the only person we know who's actually spoken with Atasaiah. I need to know everything you know about him."

"Why don't you ask Bradly? Or Perceval? They were both in that meeting too."

"They won't talk. After the stunt you pulled, they'd rather see this place burn than offer us any more help. But according to the others, you were Bradly's coordinator. You kept track of finances, jobs, and all the other administrative work. He would have told you what he knows."

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" Corvin asked. "If I had my way, you'd be dead."

"I suppose we're both lucky you're so bad in a fight, then. Because without me, you'd be a puddle of blood and crystal on the dungeon floor. You owe me."

"Fuck me…" he muttered. "Fine. I don't know much, though."

"Anything you can give me. Anything at all."

"He found us on a job for the Restoration Department, during our very short tenure as Banner Squad. At the time, we'd been assigned to take down Alverk Vaerin, leader of Shieldwall, but when we finally caught up with them, Atasaiah was waiting there for us. Said he had a job for us, if we were willing to let Vaerin go. Bradly was bored of playing the good soldier by then, so we took his offer."

"I thought you turned him down."

"This wasn't so much a job as an aptitude test. He asked us to break Walraig and his Blade out of prison. Simple enough. All we had to do was wait for the Flamebringer to head out on assignment. Then we trounced the squad on duty and busted Walraig out in about fifteen minutes, which apparently met his standards. After that, he decided we were good enough to entrust with killing you. I've never seen Bradly turn down a job so fast in my life."

"Why? Not that I'm complaining, but it feels right up your alley."

"Anyone crazy enough to go after the Banshee Queen is competition, not clientele. It's bad business to take jobs from people capable of doing it themselves."

"You think he was powerful enough to attack the Gardens on his own?" Nia asked.

"Probably not by himself, but that's not the point. He's a Blade. He'd seen his fair share of combat. Warriors don't hire mercs to do their dirty work unless there's a reason they can't handle it themselves. Perceval figured he wanted to avoid catching heat from the Coalition, but I'm not so sure."

"You think he had an ulterior motive?"

"He let on a little more than he probably should have, trying to get us to sign up. Said he had a plan to take the Coalition down. He didn't talk specifics, but it involved getting Duthract and Sthenos on board for some kind of joint military venture. Now, Sthenos and Duthract aren't pushovers, exactly, but they're not Uraya or Mor Ardain either. Spessia can't seriously expect to win a war with so few allies. Whatever their plan is, attacking the Coalition isn't the end game. They're planning something bigger, something way more dangerous."

"That's why you turned down the job?"

"If it had been something simple, we might have gone for it anyway, just for the hell of it. But attacking the Gardens and killing the Banshee Queen was way too much risk for such an unknown."

"I see." Nia took a moment to digest everything. "You think the war they've been threatening the Coalition with is a distraction?"

"Maybe not a distraction. But it's not the goal. Atasaiah's after something else. Something that apparently involved killing you, kidnapping the Thunderbolt Prince, and resurrecting old experimental Ardainian technology."

"That last one we knew about already," Nia noted.

"Figures," Corvin muttered. He seemed disappointed she already had part of the picture. Had he been enjoying being the one in the know?

"Anything you can tell me about what he's like as a person? Any way you know how to find him?"

"He's not the kind of guy you find. Just about the only person who'd know is this asshole named Saur, and he's in deep with Spessia's Sovereignty Commission, so good luck getting your hands on him. But Atasaiah himself isn't anything particularly special. He's an earth-element Flesh Eater. Like Minoth, I don't think he got much in the exchange. He uses spears, plural, likes to launch them at range. Strength-wise, he's just about a match for Zenobia or the Herald of Tantal, and his endurance is pretty good. You and the Flamebringer are probably the only people I can see taking him down in a one-on-one fight."

"That'll be helpful, thanks."

"I meant what I said, you know." Corvin leaned up, looking Nia dead in the eyes. "I do want to keep this place safe."

"Is that what this it? Helping us out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Something like that."

Adenine pressed back on Corvin's shoulder, and he lowered onto his back.

"There is one other thing," he said. "You said you have a spy."

"We do," Nia said. "I don't suppose you know who it might be?"

"No. But they'd need to make regular reports with Saur."

"Strix monitors the community almost constantly."

"So your spy probably only operates when he's not looking. He does go to sleep, right?"

"Not that I know of, no. The only time he isn't watching the Gardens is when he's patrolling Temperantia's outer regions."

"Then that's when they'll be making their moves," Corvin said. "If you can figure out who's been making calls behind Strix's back, you'll find your spy."

Nia had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Assuming Strix himself wasn't the spy, then that much was already obvious. It was good to have her suspicions confirmed, but it wasn't exactly new information.

"Our working theory is they're one of your supporters," Nia said. Corvin scoffed. "If Atasaiah really wants me dead, then they'd have taken any opportunity to get rid of me. And, assuming they didn't jump ship after the uprising fell apart, it at least gives us a starting point. People we can keep an eye on."

"If I could move, I would drag your ass to a hearing just for saying that."

"Am I wrong?"

"No, it's a spot-on analysis. But it doesn't give you the right to spy on people."

"We're not spying on people, we're investigating. We can't find the spy if we aren't willing to go looking."

"And the suspects all just happen to be your political opponents, right?" Corvin asked.

"Water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned," Nia said. "I'm not even the Head Caretaker anymore, so who we keep an eye on isn't up to me."

"No, but you're still a Caretaker."

"Caretaker appointments are Mikhail's job now, thanks to you. You are the one who pushed to make him Head Caretaker. Turns out, he trusts me a whole lot more than he trusts you. I wonder why that might be?"

"Why anyone trusts you, after what you did, is entirely beyond me. Need I remind you that the Blade you broke is—"

"You don't need to remind me," Nia said, cutting him off as he motioned toward one of the back rooms. The room Dromarch was still resting in, unconscious. "I will never forget what happened. But Dromarch is not a prop you get to swing around every time I make a decision you don't like."

"You cut him in half!" Corvin shouted. Nia gripped the edge of her chair to stop herself from lunging at him. He had no right to talk about Dromarch, not after everything he'd done.

"Shut up," Nia growled. She stood up and loomed over Corvin, digging her claws into her palms to remind herself not to lose control. "You're only alive because I saved your sorry ass. The least you could do is not lie there, on the same damn table as Dromarch, and lecture me about my failures. You think I wanted to hurt him? He was my friend! Every second of every day I wish I could take back what happened, but I can't! The only option I've got left is to make up for it, somehow, so I'd appreciate it if you could just shut up and let me!"

"Hey!" Adenine shouted, snapping up to glare at her. "No shouting in the lab!"

Nia took a step back, a little ashamed. She hadn't meant to raise her voice, but… It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on, especially right now. It was bad enough having to come talk to the man who'd tried to kill her only a short time ago.

"Whatever," Corvin muttered. "Do what you want. Far be it for me to stop you."

"Nia…" Adenine leaned back and gave her a look. Sort of a cross between disappointment and pity. "Did you need anything else? I need my focus for this next part."

"I'll be in Dromarch's room," Nia said, immediately regretting the words the moment she said them. But she needed to talk to Adenine, and she needed to own up to what she'd done to Dromarch. The least she could do was spend some time with him. "Come find me when you're done. We need to talk."

She left, letting Adenine get back to work, and headed into the room Corvin had motioned toward. Sure enough, Dromarch was on a bed toward the back, lying on his side. Adenine had fitted a sort of cast around his core, to hold the coagulant in place. It kept things together, kept him stable, but it wasn't going to help him get better. Probably, nothing would.

At least he was breathing, if nothing else. Patches of fur had changed color or fallen out, his limbs had atrophied, and his core had taken on a pallid green color, but despite all that, he was breathing. He was still alive.

She pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat next to him, just listening to the sound of his breathing. If she closed her eyes, she could almost convince herself he was alright. Slowly, she reached out and put a hand on his paw. He looked so fragile that part of her was afraid just the touch might break him all over again. But he didn't react, so she allowed herself that much. He wasn't awake, but at least he was alive.

She sat there for what felt like hours, until finally the door creaked open and Adenine floated in. Nia stood up and turned, facing her.

"Let's talk outside," Nia muttered. Adenine nodded and left, holding the door open for Nia. The moment they were out of the room, however, her more-or-less neutral expression quickly soured.

"Is this about Dromarch?" she asked.

"No," Nia said.

"Well, I hope you won't mind me making it about him, then." Adenine crossed her arms. "What's the plan?"

"I…" Nia sighed. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I failed. I nearly killed him. And I can't trust myself not to do it again. I don't know what else there is to do."

"I'll tell you what you can do. You can get off your ass and stop moping around, that's what you can do. You made one mistake with Dromarch. Big fucking deal. If you're even half the Blade I've heard about, you wouldn't let one mistake stop you."

"I can't risk killing him, Adenine. I won't."

"Alright, then I guess you won't complain if I resort to my plan B, then?"

"Which is?" Nia asked.

"Haze."

Nia stared at her for several long seconds.

"No," she insisted, as harshly as she could muster.

"It's our only option," Adenine said. "I know you don't like it, but if you're not willing to help, then the only other way I can fix him is if we bring back Haze. She can reconfigure Core Crystals basically on a whim. If I'm there to guide her, getting Dromarch back to normal will be simple. Essentially risk-free. And as it turns out, I don't need your permission anymore. I talked to Mikhail about it, and he thinks it's an idea worth pursuing. I just need you to help out with the hard parts."

Nia shook her head. She'd put her foot down on this issue before, and she didn't appreciate that Adenine was raising it again.

Still, it wasn't really her place to tell Adenine no, anymore. She lacked the authority, these days, so if Mikhail had given the green light, then Nia would have to respect his decision, as much as she disagreed. And after everything she'd done to help with Dromarch, Adenine at least deserved the chance to bring her own friend back. But Nia couldn't be involved.

"I told you I wasn't going to try something like that again," Nia said.

"That excuse won't cut it anymore," Adenine spat. "If you're worried about worsening your scar, I can compensate for that. We can get Kalarau's help with managing the ether flow or something. But if you want to fix this, then this is the only way."

"Maybe. But even so, I can't put myself in that position again. If for no other reason than I need to earn the community's trust back. They know I nearly killed a Blade using my healing. I don't think they'd be comfortable knowing I'm out doing it again. I won't stop you from trying to bring Haze back, but you're going to have to do it by yourself."

"Are you…" Adenine threw up her hands for a moment. "Fine. Fine. I'll add it to the endless pile of other crap I've got going on around here. Figuring out what's up with Corvin, trying to put T-elos back together, keeping Mikhail and Minoth alive, figuring out how to help Nim control her ether sensitivity, and now I've got to revive Haze on my own too."

"This was your idea, Adenine, not mine. I told you a long time ago I wouldn't try this again. But something tells me that didn't really stop you from trying anyway. You wouldn't have asked about this again if you hadn't been working on it in secret."

"Guilty as charged," Adenine muttered. "But I don't have the time to devote to figuring this out by myself. Not with Mikhail's core popping out of his chest and Corvin sprouting flesh with a mind of its own."

"Mikhail's core did what?" Nia asked. That was the first she'd heard of it. He'd had a bad episode right before the uprising, but he never told her it had been that bad.

"I probably shouldn't have said that," Adenine sighed. "I was supposed to keep that a secret until we knew more."

"His core came out of his chest, and he still wants to carry on as Head Caretaker?"

"I think the stubbornness comes with the position. Would you have stepped down if a hearing hadn't literally forced your hand?"

"No," Nia admitted. "But my body isn't the one quitting on me."

"Lucky you," Mikhail said, startling Nia. She hadn't heard him come in. "I see our head physician still can't keep anything to herself."

"Oh, don't give me that," Adenine said. "Nia would have found out one way or another. Hell, I imagine you would have told her yourself soon enough."

"Yeah, probably."

"Are you alright?" Nia asked.

"Well, that's what I'm here to find out. Got anything for me, Adenine?"

"Yeah." She sighed and floated over to her workstation. "Though you might want to sit down."

"Oh boy." Mikhail took a seat, but Nia decided to stay standing. "That can't be good."

"No, it isn't." Adenine grabbed a sheaf of papers and handed them to Mikhail. Close-up images of the region around his Core Crystal. "Your necrosis has spread to your right lung, and your Core Crystal is starting to separate from your chest. As you probably noticed."

"Is that something we can fix?" Mikhail asked, glancing up at Nia.

"No," she and Adenine said in unison. They looked at each other, and she let Adenine take point.

"It's been dead too long. Replacing it means taking your core out, and that'll kill you before the healing even starts."

"I know, I know." He sighed. "Just… Making sure, is all. So what do we do about it?"

"I'll buy you as much time as I can, but… Based on how long this took, my best guess is you've got about six months. Maybe eight, but I'd be surprised if you made it that long."

Mikhail nodded slowly, absorbing the information. He was surprisingly calm for someone who'd just been given his expiration date, but then again, he'd been prepared to die years ago. This probably didn't compare to blowing himself up.

"Well, I guess there is one bit of good news," he said, standing up. He turned to Nia and flashed her a big, stupid grin. "It's only a matter of time before you've got your old job back."

"Don't even joke about it," Nia said. "There are more than a dozen healing Blades in the Gardens. I'm sure we can think of something."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Nia, but this was a long time coming. You bought me more time than I deserved, after everything I did. I'd like to pay that forward with the time I've got left. So, as Head Caretaker, I'm officially putting a stop to any and all efforts to fix my core."

"That's not fair," she muttered.

"Nope!" he beamed. "But I'm dying, I think I have the right to be a little unfair."

She shook her head at him, but his attitude was somewhat infectious. The news was hard to take, especially after all the help he'd given her over the last few years, but his outlook made it a lot easier. If he'd made peace with it, then she could too.

"Back to business, then," she said. "I talked to Corvin about our Spessia problem."

"You get anything?"

"Apparently Atasaiah's an earth-element Blade, so that's something. But besides that, it wasn't much we didn't already know. Confirmed what Zeke told us, though. They're after him for something, and whatever their end goal is, it isn't war with the Coalition."

"Any news on the spy?"

"Corvin seemed to think they'd keep in regular contact with that man Zeke fought in Spessia. Saur. If they've avoided notice so far, then either they're only doing it when Strix is out on patrols, or they're broadcasting from somewhere he can't see."

"Is there anywhere he can't see?" Mikhail asked.

"The dungeons," Adenine said. "Here. People's personal quarters. The bathrooms."

"We lined the bathrooms with ether netting?"

"Strix's idea. Even he likes to give people some measure of privacy."

"We could tell him to monitor who comes and goes from them," Nia offered. "See if anyone's spending suspicious amounts of time there. But the personal quarters are a much bigger hole, and we can't really do much about that. And anyway, aside from a few Caretakers, no one knows where Strix's blind spots actually are, so I doubt we'd have much luck in that direction."

"What do you suggest, then?" Mikhail asked.

"Most likely, they're contacting Spessia when Strix is on patrol. Which means whoever they are, they know the patrol schedule. We don't give that out to just anyone."

"No, no we don't…" Mikhail thought for a moment. "There's the Caretakers—"

"You think one of us is the spy?" Nia asked. She'd considered it before, but Mikhail had gotten on her case about that in the past.

"No, but we've got to consider every angle. There's the Caretakers, Akhos and Patroka, Dromarch, Pandoria, and Azurda. No one on that list strikes me as particularly suspicious."

"Qadar, maybe," Adenine said. "She's weird."

"I really doubt it's Qadar. She's the one who exposed Shieldwall's bombing plan in the first place."

"And yet she didn't tell us about Corvin's plans," Adenine noted. "If she really is who everyone says, then there's a lot she should know that either she doesn't know or she's kept to herself. If I understand her abilities correctly, she should've been able to tell you about Atasaiah the day you first met."

"I really don't think we should be putting stock in her powers," Mikhail said. "Some of the things she says come true, but aside from rescuing Zeke from that ambush and predicting Shieldwall's attack, she hasn't said or done much. It makes no sense for her to be a spy, but I don't think she's omniscient either. However it is she predicts the future, it isn't foolproof."

"Possibly," Adenine conceded. "Either that or she's got some other reason for not telling us anything."

"She's helped us dodge more than one bullet," Nia said. "I'm content to leave things there. We should ask her if she knows anything, but so long as she's not the spy, it isn't really a priority."

"I agree," Mikhail said. "Which just leaves the community members we tell the schedule to. Anyone there that stands out?"

"Agate," Nia noted. "She needed to know where Strix might be for the days I couldn't lead the reconstruction myself."

"She did rebel with Corvin," Mikhail noted. "Decided to stick around, too. Good candidate."

"The other one that stands out to me is Dagas."

"We told King Delusion?" Adenine asked. "Why?"

"Part of our deal. He wants the ruins of his old kingdom looked after and letting him have a say in setting the patrol routes was a workable compromise."

"Dagas didn't join the uprising, though."

"He's certainly friends with people who did," Nia said. "He could have pushed Azami and Sheba into it without joining up himself, to keep himself free of suspicion. We know he wants his kingdom back, and he's not been shy about letting us know the Gardens are an obstacle on that front. Maybe Spessia offered him a better deal?"

"I'm not convinced," Adenine said.

"It's something, at least. Agate, Dagas, and people they spend a lot of time with. That's who we focus our efforts on. I'll take monitoring half a dozen people over trying to keep an eye on three hundred."

"If that's what you think we should do," Mikhail said. "But if we keep too close an eye on them without Strix here, they're going to catch on."

"We could monitor radio broadcasts," Adenine suggested. "See if anyone's been making calls while Strix is out."

"Is that a thing we can do?" Nia asked.

"I could probably make it work. I'd need help from the twins, though."

"Probably time to bring them up to speed anyway," Mikhail said. "Akhos?"

Mikhail glanced up, and after a moment, one of the emitters whirred to life. Akhos's holographic body manifested next to them.

"You called?" he asked. "Adenine said to give you all some privacy."

"Can you monitor incoming or outgoing radio broadcasts?" Nia asked. "We think the spy is probably calling the outside to pass along information."

"What do I look like, a wizard? How am I supposed to do that?"

"I'll reconfigure your sensors," Adenine said. "You'd hear them like you hear our earpieces."

"You can just… Do that?" Akhos asked.

"It's not a terribly difficult modification. The Guild gave the Praetorium access to most of their backdoors, and I don't think they've really changed things up much in the years since."

"Well, so long as you don't break anything crucial, Patroka and I will keep our ears out."

"Speaking of," Mikhail said. "Your sister and I need to talk. There's been some… Developments."

"I…" Akhos frowned. "Alright. Use the main room, I guess."

His body flickered out, and Mikhail trudged forward, heading for the door.

"Time to face the music," he said. "If I'm still alive by the time Patroka gets done with me, we'll need to start finalizing our plan for Leftheria."

"Right." Nia nodded. Another thing on the seemingly endless list of problems. "Good luck."

"Thanks." He slipped out the door, leaving Nia alone with Adenine again. Truth be told, she'd wanted him to hear this too, but that could wait. It was Adenine whose opinion she really needed.

"So what is it you needed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Nia. "I assume you didn't come here just to talk shop."

"Zeke found out a lot in Spessia," Nia said. "But there's something the Spessians told him that's been bothering me. Saur said the ether was running out. That pretty soon, it'd be gone entirely, and that they were trying to stop that from happening. Zeke seemed to think it was a lie, but I'm… I'm not so sure. So I figured, since you're the smartest person I know, do you think it's possible? Is the ether running out?"

Adenine stared at her for a moment, and then shrugged.

"I mean, yeah. It'll have to, at some point."

"You…" That had been the exact opposite of what Nia had wanted to hear. "You're serious?"

"Listen, Nia. Everything dies eventually. Without the World Tree making more Cloud Sea, it's only a matter of time before the Titans run out of energy. Once they do, the ether goes with them."

"And how long will that take?"

"Rough estimate? Five hundred years, give or take."

Nia practically collapsed into a chair, breathing a sigh of relief. She'd been expecting something on the order of months or years, not centuries.

"I started noticing it when I was working on T-elos. Certain sections couldn't stay lit up, and eventually I realized the problem was the Gardens' ether density. Without the Cloud Ridge, we're probably sitting at about half a percent lower ether density than we're used to. Which most Blades won't feel, but it makes a difference when you're trying to jump start a broken core. Given how deep the Cloud Sea was, how fast Titans tend to take in the stuff, and the rate they convert that into ether, I'd say we've got a while before it starts threatening healthy Blades."

"That's good," Nia muttered.

"Well, it's not 'good', exactly, but it's not really an immediate concern. It does kind of pose a problem for us though, as, you know, a species. No ether means no Blades."

"Sure, but we've got a few centuries to put together a solution. I can work with that."

"It could be sooner," Adenine said. "Depends on a lot of factors I don't and can't know. For one thing, that estimate assumes all the Cloud Sea in Alrest ended up here, and we can't know that for sure. But I wouldn't put it any closer than a century or two, even at the absolute worst case."

"Which means either Spessia are thinking in the extreme long-term, or they're lying about what they want Zeke for."

"Could be they know something we don't," Adenine said. "But at this point, I highly doubt it."

"Thanks." Nia stood up. "That helps."

"Does it?" Adenine asked. "Normally, when people find out the world is slowly bleeding to death, they don't tend to take the news well."

"It's not like that makes this place any different from Alrest. At least now we don't have the Praetorium actively making the problem worse on purpose. And like you said, ether loss isn't an immediate concern. But Spessia is. I'm trying to get a clearer picture of who we're fighting."

"Well, I suppose we've all got our jobs to do. Speaking of which, I'd like to get back to mine."

"Right." Nia nodded. "I'll get out of your way. Thanks again."

"You're welcome," Adenine mumbled as Nia slipped out the door.

She had a little time to kill while Mikhail broke the news of his impending death to Patroka, so in the meantime she decided to put a plan in motion. Hopefully, with what she knew, she'd be able to lure out the spy. She'd need Strix's help though.

As she got to work, she went over everything she knew about Spessia's plan, looking to make some connection. They were using Tora's grandfather to build a device that could generate explosively high amounts of ether, for some reason. Saur claimed they wanted to use it to solve the ether loss problem, but that was most likely a lie. And they weren't planning on fighting the Coalition head-on either. So if they didn't need a bomb, and they didn't need power, then what was the device actually for? Why go through the trouble of generating that much ether? The answer to that question was probably the most important piece of information they were missing. And none of the possibilities Nia could think of were very comforting.

The house wasn't anywhere special. Far away enough from Genbu that he could see the sun rise at a normal hour, but still close enough to the shore that he could smell the ocean. Right smack in the middle of nowhere, as far as the Coalition was concerned. Other than the heat, it seemed exactly like the place the king of Tantal would retire.

The house itself was small, barely more than one room. It was wooden, but it seemed built to last. It even had a small pier nearby, and there was smoke rising from the chimney. The old man seemed like he was doing well for himself. Or as well as someone run out of his own country could be doing, at any rate.

As Zeke walked up, he spotted the man sitting on the porch, reading. If Zeke knew his father at all, it was probably something extraordinarily dull. But whatever it was, it had captured his attention, as he didn't even notice their approach until they were practically standing on his doorstep.

"Hey," Zeke said, stopping at the steps. His father looked up, not startled exactly, but definitely not expecting the company. It took him a moment to put the book down and stand up.

"Zeke," he said. "I… Didn't think you'd be coming by."

"You had to expect I'd stop by eventually."

"After the last time we spoke?" The man shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure I deserve the visit. But no matter. It is good to see you. And you as well, Pandoria. I know it won't mean much coming from me, but… Happy birthday."

"You remembered," she said, stepping up onto the porch and wrapping him in a hug. "It's good to see you too, Your Majesty."

"I am no king," he said. "I'm just a man, now. It's time I accepted that."

"Well, I'm not calling you Eulogimenos," she said. "Feels too stodgy."

"Life been treating you well?" Zeke asked.

"As well as can be expected," his father said. "I have what I need to get by."

"The, uh…" He looked around, unsure of how to really carry on the conversation. "The house looks nice. Build it yourself?"

"Heavens, no." The man nearly cracked a smile as he motioned around. "Some of the palace staff made it for me as a parting gift."

"Still, it must've taken some time."

"They had everything prepared by the time I stepped down, actually. I think, deep down, they knew it was the only way things could end. I was the last one to arrive at that particular revelation, it seems."

"Dad, I…" Zeke sighed. "Look, we both said things we regret, alright? I'm not here to hold anything against you. I just…"

"You don't owe me anything, Zeke. No apologies, no reconciliation. What I did… I'm not proud of any of it. They're things I'll have to live with, but you shouldn't have to live with them too."

"That's not it. I don't hate you or anything. You're my old man, you know? What kind of son would I be if I just left you out here to rot?"

"Well…" His father's eyes glistened, and he very carefully wiped away a single tear. "I won't say no to a little company. Come on, I'll show you around. Not that there's much to show, but—"

"We'd love to come inside," Pandoria said, cutting him off. He smiled and nodded, opening the door to let them in.

It was more spacious inside than Zeke had first assumed. There was a dining area, a kitchen, and a door that presumably led to the bedroom. Furniture was sparse, but his old man had more than made up for that will the wall decorations. Several fish, various bits of junk, some old royal trappings, and an old diving suit hung up in the corner.

"Taken up salvaging?" Zeke asked, glancing back at his father.

"It's an old hobby of mine," the man said, closing the door once everyone was inside. He motioned for the dining table, and they all got settled. "I haven't had time since before you were born, but now that isn't such an issue anymore. There's a surprising amount to find around here. Lots of material from Indol washes up on the shore."

"I'm surprised the Praetorians haven't come to demand you turn it over," Zeke said. The second the words came out of his mouth, he felt like an idiot. Probably not something to be joking about with his father. But the man didn't seem to mind. He even cracked an almost-smile.

"At least they'd be taking something that belonged to them this time."

"After everything they put us through, I'd say you've got more of a right to it than they do."

"Frankly, Zeke, given everything I've done, I'm not sure I've been put through enough."

"Would it kill you to laugh at a joke once in a while?" Zeke asked.

"That was a joke?" his father asked. "Your sense of humor must be slipping. Are you eating alright?"

"Oh, ha ha." Zeke crossed his arms. "It's not like you ever appreciated my jokes before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Perhaps you'll get a laugh out of me yet, assuming you haven't lost your edge."

"That sounds like a challenge," Pandoria said. "I'm not sure you know quite what you've signed up for, Your Majesty."

"Too late," Zeke said. "It's a matter of personal pride, now. Mark my words, old man, I am going to make you bust your gut laughing."

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I assume that, if you have the time to be visiting me, life at the Gardens must be treating you both well?"

"We get by," Pandoria said. "Though I wouldn't say we've had a great deal of time to relax. It's basically been one adventure after another. This is the first real down time we've had in weeks."

"Hey," Zeke said. "I'll take getting shot at by Shieldwall over my job with the Coalition any day of the week."

"Shieldwall are still around?" his father asked. "I thought those idiots lost their supporters ages ago."

"You're not the least bit concerned about the getting-shot-at part?"

"You've been through worse. Hell, I've put you through worse on my own. The day some two-bit upstarts like Shieldwall manage to pose a threat to my son, the greatest Driver in Tantal, I'll eat my own hat."

"Is that a promise?" Zeke asked. "Because I'm sure I could dig up a few of the stragglers if I scrounged around long enough."

"I would say you wouldn't tank your reputation just to get one over on me, but I should know better than to underestimate you."

Zeke's first instinct was to respond with an insult of his own, but he stopped himself. The old man had probably meant that as a compliment, or something resembling one.

"I'm pretty sure the Coalition's got most of Shieldwall behind bars by now," Pandoria said. "Unless you're keen on breaking into an Ardainian prison, I don't think we'll be getting a shot at a rematch."

"I really wish it hadn't come to that," Zeke muttered. He'd heard about the prisoner transfer from Mòrag when they dropped off the Professor. Still a bad idea, in his opinion, but there hadn't been time or opportunity to figure out a better solution. If one even existed.

"Why not?" his father asked. "They're terrorists. Anti-Blade terrorists, to boot. They sound like exactly the kind of people who should be behind bars."

"Shieldwall grew out of the Gormotti resistance movement. They were political dissidents from go. Putting them in a Coalition prison just puts them in contact with a lot of sympathetic ears. Perfect recruiting conditions."

"I…" the man paused. "Hadn't considered that as a factor. If nothing else, I can see you care about your new home. It's good to know you're finding fulfilling work for a change."

"The Gardens really are something. When I left home to see the world, the Gardens were exactly the place I was hoping to find. The kind of place I think mom would have wanted to live."

"Your mother wouldn't have left Tantal for the world. But the Tantal that existed in her mind, the Tantal she wanted to live in, was quite different from reality. From what I understand, the Gardens seem much in line with the former."

His father looked out the window, casting a somber mood over the room, and Zeke was struck with a terrible idea. It was the only thing he could think of to bring the mood up that wouldn't be wildly out of place.

"Why don't you see it for yourself?" he asked. "It'd be a nice change of pace from sulking out here all by yourself."

"I'm not sure it's a world I'm cut out for. When I left home at your age, I found Alrest a brutal and unforgiving place. The only difference between Tantal and Uraya or Gormott, it seemed, was the average yearly snowfall. So I told myself I would face reality as it was, not as I wished it to be."

"That's a pretty self-defeating attitude."

"Yes, I suppose it was. One of the reasons I was not cut out to rule Tantal after the Cataclysm. Things needed to change, and I had made myself incapable of it. I'm afraid seeing the Gardens would only make me resentful of what I could not achieve."

"Oh, come off it. You deserve better than to keep punishing yourself like this."

"I hardly consider this cabin punishment. I have everything I need here. I am… Content. That is enough for me."

"Well, it isn't enough for me, damnit," Zeke insisted. "You should be happy."

"I'm not sure I deserve that."

"I think everyone should get to be happy. Whether or not you deserve it doesn't really matter. And besides, you're my old man, got it? What kind of son would I be if I didn't look out for my dad?"

His father stared at him for a moment, and then, without warning, he burst out laughing. It was startling, bordering on unsettling, to hear his father bellow laughter. Even more so to see the grin overtake his stern face.

"What's the big idea?" Zeke asked. "You think I'm joking?"

"Quite the opposite," the man managed. "I can tell you're quite serious. I'm just laughing at what a fool I've been. Every time I think I understand the depths of my failure, you come along to remind me there is still much more left to discover. What kind of father have I been to make you worry over me? What have I been doing, that you grew up into a man who surpassed my expectations before I could even notice?"

"Well." Zeke shrugged and let himself smile too. "At least now we know you can laugh."

"I could get used to this. Perhaps I'll come visit the Gardens with you after all. I doubt I'll stay, but it will be nice to have a family again."

"Speaking of family," Pandoria said. "There's a lot of people at the Gardens we'll need to introduce you to. A lot of our old teammates have made it there, and we've recently begun training a student. She's an adorable kid."

"Ah." An ominous gleam entered his father's eyes. He and Pandoria were on the same wavelength now. "You should have said so sooner. I can't well pass up an opportunity to embarrass Zeke in front of his pupil, now can I?"

"Watch it old man," Zeke said, glaring at him. "Just cause you're my dad doesn't mean I'm going to let you push me around, least of all in front of my star pupil."

"Too late," Pandoria said. "Invite's been extended."

Zeke sighed, immediately regretting agreeing to come here. But he was also excited at the same time. Breaking things off with his father had never sat right with him. Having a second—or more realistically, third shot at reestablishing their relationship was a big relief. Not how he'd envisioned spending his week, but it was good nevertheless.

As they talked, there was a knock at the door, and Zeke's father stood up.

"Expecting company?" Zeke asked.

"Probably a food delivery," he said, glancing through the window. "There's a small village nearby. I pay to have some of their produce delivered weekly. My legs aren't what they used to be, I'm afraid, so I rarely manage to make the trip myself. This'll only take a moment."

He stepped outside, and Zeke immediately glared at Pandoria. She had a massive grin on her face, and he crossed his arms. Even if things were going well, she was enjoying herself just a little too much.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," he said. "I didn't figure you'd use your birthday trip to get me and my old man to reconcile."

"Guilty as charged," Pandoria said. "I didn't like the idea of you two leaving things as they were, so I figured I'd help you patch things up before I stepped back."

"Stepped back?" Zeke asked. "You planning on going somewhere?"

"Not exactly, I…" She paused. "I suppose I can't keep beating around the bush. I've been thinking for a long time now about what I want the future to look like, and… I can't rely on you forever."

"Of course you can," he said. "I'm your Driver. I promised I'd look after you."

"That's not what I mean. I… I don't really know who I am, outside of this." She motioned between them. "For so long, I've been your Blade, watching your back and giving you strength. But I want to be more than that."

"I…" Zeke didn't know how to respond. He liked to think he knew her pretty well, but he had no idea where this was coming from. "This isn't my fault, is it?"

"No," she said. "It's not your fault. You're family, I'll always love you. I just think it's time I stopped living your life and started living my own. If nothing else, I owe Kora that much."

"I… Alright. Whatever you think is best," he said. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what was happening, but he wasn't going to tell her what to do.

"Oh, relax, would you? It's not like I'm leaving the Gardens or anything. And this'll be good for you, too. You can't keep yourself tied down by a promise you can't keep. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"That's a big ask."

"Oh, shut up," she said, cracking a smile. That reassured him more than anything she'd said so far. As long as she was happy, that was what mattered. He hadn't realized this had been such a heavy burden on her.

"If that's what you want," he said, "Then I wish you all the best. I'll be rooting for you."

"Zeke," she said. "Let's be real. I'm not the one who needs help here."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You are such a…" She shook her head. "You know you aren't subtle, right?"

"I mean, that's true, but I hardly see how it's relevant."

"Nia," she said. "Are you going to make a move on that front sometime this century?"

"Why do you think we went to Tantal? I never wanted to go back there again, but better that than watch Nia grind herself into the dirt trying to fix this mess on her own. I just hope I can stop her from doing anything stupid."

"I'm not talking about your job. I mean, when are you going to ask her out?"

"Ask her…" Zeke turned the words over in his head. Did she…

Did she think he was interested in Nia romantically? The accusation caught him off guard, and instinctively he glanced at the door to make sure his father was still outside. Not a conversation he wanted that man privy too, at least not now of all times.

"P-Pandy," he stammered. "Where's this coming from?"

"That's not a no," she observed.

"We're friends," he said, hoping that would be answer enough.

"You're telling me you haven't even thought about it?"

He tried to respond, but he couldn't. He had thought about it, once or twice. Mostly because of the song and dance they'd put on at the summit to piss Bael off. Even just pretending to be in a relationship had been exciting. But the prospect of confessing his hypothetical feelings to Nia in earnest felt too embarrassing to warrant consideration. Even if it was oddly compelling.

"Dead silence," Pandoria said. "Yeah, that about figures. Just think about it, yeah? Without me around all the time, this might be a good chance to figure out what you want your future to look like, too."

"Must you turn every conversation into a vehicle for embarrassing me?" he asked.

"Only because you make it so easy."

Before he could reply, his father came back inside with two bags of food. Vegetables, mostly, from what Zeke could see. He did his best to look unassuming as his father set the food down in the kitchen.

"I let Lucis know I'll be gone for a while," he said. "I was thinking you could stay a day or two, and then we could return to the Gardens together. What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect," Zeke said, eager to move the conversation along. "But it's not really up to me. We're on a kind of birthday vacation for Pandy, so the final call's up to her."

"Sounds delightful," she said. "It'll be nice to have some company for the road as well."

His father smiled—an actual smile, full of warmth, and Zeke felt in his heart for the first time in over ten years that this man was family. "I suppose I'd better start packing, then."

"We should probably get dinner ready first," Zeke said, standing up. "Work the food while it's fresh. Did you have anything planned?"

"I'm not much of a chef, I'm afraid. It's rather hard to mess up stew, though."

"You would be surprised," Pandoria said. Zeke rolled his eyes and followed his dad into the kitchen, looking through the pantry. After a moment, he found some ardun meat and a few spices he was familiar with.

"I can work with this," he said, laying them out on the counter. "You get the stew cooking, I'll prepare the meat."

"I will defer to your expertise," his father said, packing away most of the food. He began to chop what he left out, and Pandoria joined in to help. Together the three of them began to cook dinner, and Zeke felt… It wasn't nostalgia, exactly, because he'd never really had a life like this before. By the time Pandoria arrived, his relationship with his father had already been greatly strained. But he felt like, if they'd gotten along, and if his mom hadn't died, and the four of them had managed to ever act like a real family, it probably would have been a lot like this.