Camp was finally set up, and Frankie, Pyra, and Mythra could finally relax. All three of them set up their chairs and overlooked the vast mountainscape, letting the cool wind breeze hit their faces in pure delight.

"Everything the light touches… is our kingdom." Frankie boasted. Mythra's response was to pinch his cheek in light reprimanding.

"If there's any other way to get you to shut up, feel free to let me know…" She said, staring at him dead in the eye.

"Ihhhraaaaaaaaaaaa…" Frankie whined. As Mythra playfully toyed with his face some more, Pyra's own voice suddenly piped up as she was cleaning the bear.

"I wanna be… where the people are… wanna see-wanna see 'em danciiiiing…"

"Great… now you've got Pyra doing it too…" Mythra bemoaned.

"Yeah… it's great, isn't it…?" Frankie responded back dreamily.

"It'd almost be cute if she wasn't singing so sweetly while she's so nonchalantly gutting an animal at the seams."

"An animal that did not die in vein! I simply acted to defend ourselves against it, and soon… we feast!" Pyra giggled before returning to her task.

"I've always wanted to try bear… but it's got lots of nasty parasites, so cooking it to perfection is vital from what I hear." Frankie said.

"And that's code for let Pyra do all the work and let Mythra sit back and watch like a starving child, right?" Mythra asked.

"Well… we could always go foraging for berries to make a side… a jam of some sort." Frankie suggested.

"Oh! Can I go too? Both Mythra and I have a knack for this sort of thing! We should be able to get what we need before sunset!" Pyra hollered.

"Whatever we decide to do, just hurry it up, already. I spent the past hour sitting on my ass with a tiny brown haired muppet lady screaming at me."

"Mythra~ you don't need my permission to get moving~ not unless you're jealous I've been spending time alone with Frankie over the past few days~" Pyra snided.

"I-I'm not jealous! We both see him every day, there's nothing TO be jealous OF!" Mythra shot back defensively.

"Oh Mythra, please! You can be honest with me! There's nobody else here but the three of us!"

"Oh, bug off you little red-headed brat! You're getting on me acting like a big doofus, have you heard yourself lately?!"

"I haven't the slightest idea WHAT you're talking about, Mythra~" Pyra sung.

"Can we not have this conversation right now, please?!" An extremely flustered Frankie called from the corner.

"See? You're scaring him. All the more reason to drop it and move on."

"You guys are no fun…" Pyra crossed her arms and pouted childishly.

"Though you do have a point, I DON'T need your permission to get going. Frankie? You coming?"

"H-huh? O-oh, yeah, sure Mythra…" Frankie nervously shook himself out of his daze before dusting himself off, still a bit shy to make eye contact with either of them at the moment.

"Well this is where I say that six eyes are better than four. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lead the way!" In a bit of a faux haughty bout, Pyra turned and left dutifully. Mythra's tired expression changed to one of fondness and relief.

"I dunno what you've been doing with her Frankie, but keep doing it."

"D-doing?! I-I haven't done anything with her, I promise!" Frankie rebutted.

"I didn't mean it like that, you perv…"

"O-oh… right, well, duh… I knew that…" Frankie flushed a deeper red as he turned away.

"You Dummy…"

—————————————————————————

Pyra inspected a few berry bushes on their walk dutifully, her eyes scanning each fruit suspiciously so as to not pick an unripe or poisonous one. Every time she found one she had settled on, she smiled brightly and added it to her bundle before happily walking off to find a new one.

"Mmf… sho, dish ish wha yer moun'in' ranges are lie- huh?" Mythra asked Frankie, stuffing her mouth full of the berries she picked.

"Itsh wha the shtate is -ulp- known for. That and the beaches! And you can thank my mom for showing me this trail and its edible berries when I was younger."

"Mm- okey- 'ank yew misshus Phrankie!" Mythra couldn't stop eating. She formed own little smile forming across her face as she happily indulged on their trail.

"Mythra… you're eating the ingredients, and you really shouldn't go and spoil your appetite before dinner…!" Pyra gently scolded.

"Who are you, my mother? We're burning calories as we speak! There's nothing to worry about…" Mythra answered back.

"Better to have too much than too little…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I'm still the older one here, so you should really be listening to me! In fact… Frankie, hold these!"

"Eh-geh!" Before Frankie could get a chance to respond, Mythra plopped her small bunch of berries into his arms before bolting after Pyra.

"Give me those things! Hand them over before I karate chop you!"

"Hey! No way, get your own!" Pyra ran away defensively, holding her berries as close to her chest as she could.

"PyyyyrraaaaaAAAAAAA!!!!" Mythra lifted her arms up to the sky as she tried to assert herself. Frankie watched their little chase from afar and smiled with a bit of fond uncertainty. Suddenly he was glad to be an only child.

"Hey Mythra! Be careful not to kill Pyra, alright?" He called out in jest.

"No promises, Frankie!" Mythra hollered back as she was quickly closing the distance between her and Pyra.

"WHAT?! Frankie, I thought you had my back!" Pyra screeched.

"Not this time he doesn't…! GOTCHA!!!!" Mythra wrapped her arms around Pyra and began tickling her vigorously, causing the younger lady to burst out in a crying fit of laughter.

"MYTHRA! MYTHRA! I-I GI-HI-HIVE!" Pyra chortled as Mythra continued her attack.

"This is what you get for taking that tone with me, Pypy!" Mythra then held her tightly and began smooching hee face and head in rapid succession. Pyra hadn't calmed down much, still struggling to hold in her laughter as Mythra squeezed her tightly.

"My-ythra… what's gotten into you?" Pyra asked happily.

"Oh, Frankie's just been telling me it's a big siblings' job to give their baby one's a hard time sometimes~" Mythra answered back with an equally big smile on her face.

"Really…? Is THAT what he said…?" Pyra's jovial smile changed to a suspicious frown, cocking an eyebrow at Frankie as he sheepishly made his way up to them at the mention of his name.

"W-well yeah… you don't think Kaito gets off Scott free all the time, do you?" He blushed.

"I dunno, you could've fooled me. You two are so close I'm surprised you haven't popped the question to him- ULP!" Pyra was suddenly cut off as Mythra's grip around her stomach tightened and her face scrunched up in anger.

"KAITO already has Miko… Frankie doesn't need to do any of that…!" She lowed.

"I'm well aware of Mythra… -mlp- it was a joke!" Pyra shot back.

"And it better well be!" She then leaned in closer to her ear, "Besides, I think you'd take issue with that most of all…" She whispered. Pyra's face flushed red as she fidgeted around nervously.

"Er… w-w-well, I-I, uh… it… uh, mmmm…" Pyra was so preoccupied with her own thoughts, all of the surroundings around her suddenly disappeared… all except one person.

"Uh… Pyra?" Frankie asked.

"Y-YES FRANKIE?" Pyra answered, standing completely erect in her fluster.

"You might wanna check your gatherings… or lack thereof…"

"M-my what…?" Pyra looked down at her clutch to realize… it was completely gone! She let out a sharp gasp and turned quickly to see Mythra heartily stuffing herself with all the berries she had picked without a care in the world. "Hey! Mythra, those are mine!"

"Oh, relax! They were going to the jam anyway, there's still, mph! Plnny t' goo'roun!"

Pyra pouted wildly and folded her arms in anger as she was powerless to stop Mythra, who held a tight grip on the bundle she had worked so hard to gather.

"You better make up for those one way or another!"

"I'll think about it, -mm- beshides, -smack smack-, you could ushe tha exshershize…"

"Well you better not get too comfortable, Mythra! You know just as well as I do that my thoughts are your thoughts and vise versa!" Pyra proudly stated as she turned around.

"Mm? What do you mean by that?"

Pyra swiveled her head around gently, giving her older sister a pleasantly cheeky smile before winking knowingly at her. Mythra's whole body changed to red as she ran over to Pyra in a flustered rage.

"PYRA I SWEAR IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ESPECIALLY WHEN HE'S RIGHT BEHIND US, I'M GONNA-!"

"S-say what about w-who…?" Frankie chimed in, turning just as red as Mythra was. Mythra was stunned silent, shifting her eyes nervously from him to Pyra rapidly. She shriveled up before stamping her feet on the ground in anger and embarrassment towards him, dropping her berries in the process.

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, DUMMY!!!!"

"Oh, Frankie… all you had to do was ask, I'd be happy to oblige!" Pyra chirped happily as she sprung over to him.

"I!" Mythra flinched suddenly as Pyra flew past her, towards a still blushing Frankie, who locked eyes with Mythra, not making the situation easier for either of them.

"Did you know that when Mythra can't sleep, she-"

"AH-GUHGUHGUHGUHGUHGUH!!!!!!! WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE! PICK UP YOUR PACE SO WE CAN GET THOSE STUPID BERRIES TO MAKE THE STUPID JAM STUPID BACK AT THE CAMPSITE!"

"You started it, Mythra~" Pyra cooed. Mythra growled and grumbled angrily, narrowing her eyes at the redhead, who still maintained a cheeky aura around her, even with Mythra pushing her away from the scene.

"W-what does Mythra do when she can't sleep…? Is it something about me…? N-no I don't wanna believe that, b-but what if it is…? Is it… inappropriate???? I-I-I-…" Frankie was becoming a bit of a mess himself as he stayed behind a fair bit, muttering and spiraling himself out of emotional control as he hid his view from the girls, who were still skidding down the road.

"One Frankie, two Frankie, three Frankie, four- I can hear you all too well, even in different rooms, Mythra~" Pyra teased.

"I've got half a mind to rush you over to the nearest pond, chuck you in there, make you get yourself out, push you back in, get in there with you, dunk you in over and over again, then pull Frankie in, and-!"

"MYTHRA LOOK OUT!" Pyra screamed, quickly redirecting Mythra's attention to what was in front of her. A lone deer was grazing on the trail, completely unaware to their presence until Mythra screamed, getting its attention, and spooking it back off deeper into the woods. Frankie heard the commotion and turned quickly to catch up with the two of them.

"Pyra! Mythra! What happened?" He asked in a huff.

"Some weird… freaky… spindly… dog-thingy just showed up from out of nowhere and ran off like a damn ghost or something!" Mythra explained.

Frankie looked to the path the deer had ran down and perked up considerably.

"It's a mule deer! I've only seen one once in my whole life! We should've been more careful… gosh dang it why am I carrying so many berries… perfect picture opportunity…"

"Indeed it was Frankie… if only someone didn't freak out in the way that she did…" Pyra slid her eyes over to Mythra, who glared down at her and dropped her onto the floor, causing Pyra to yelp suddenly as she landed with a soft thud. As she did so, Mythra felt a twinge of shocking in her brain. She held her head suddenly and flinched.

"Mythra?" Frankie asked in worry.

"I'm fine, Frankie, I just… had a bit of a memory jog just now…"

"Memory jog?" He wondered aloud as he helped Pyra off the floor.

"Nothing big, like always… but… there's something about that… whatever you called it that seems almost… familiar…"

"Yeah… now that you say it…" Pyra clutched her own head as she spoke, now, "It does bring to mind old bits and pieces of, you know… what came before all of this…"

"Well… something's better than nothing, isn't it…?" Frankie asked.

Pyra looked to the ground, a slight look of sadness across her face. Frankie mimicked the expression and followed her gaze.

"We…really should try to remember at least some of the important details…" She said, placing her hand to her chest, not at all thrilled by the prospect of that.

"W-well… you don't have to remember too much at once…" Frankie muttered barely audibly.

Mythra noticed this.

"Hey…" She placed her hand on their shoulders, reassuringly. "We've got plenty of time to figure these things out… let's not dwell on it too much, alright? We came here to have fun, not mull over all this stupid crap we could be mulling over at home."

"Not all of it is stupid, Mythra." Pyra said, rather cross.

"I didn't say that. We've spent too long making big deals out of everything. A wise man once said, 'There's a time and place for everything, but not now'!"

Frankie perked up at Mythra's quote and bounced lightly in excitement.

"That's a great way to put it, Mythra!" He called.

"Well… I suppose you're right… some things I wish would come back to us sooner, rather than later, though." Pyra admitted.

"Like Miko with our lunch?" Mythra asked jovially

The three of them chuckled amongst themselves for a moment. As they did so, Frankie moved a bit further down the path, as something caught his eye.

"Well… whatever… let's just hurry up and get the rest of these dang berries already, I'm starving, Miko taking all the food didn't help…" Mythra intoned.

"Driving sure has become a lot different over the years, hasn't it, Mythra?" Pyra asked.

"That's putting it mildly… Frankie, what do you think?" No response. "Frankie…?"

Pyra tapped Mythra on the shoulder and pointed ahead. Frankie overlooked the location where they had come to. A simple, Summer-y riverbend that housed a babbling brook, plenty of open space, and lots of shady trees absolutely littering the area. Pyra and Mythra joined him at his sides to get a look around themselves.

"Are we looking out for something specific, Frankie?" Mythra asked.

"…I know this place…" Frankie ventured further ahead, leaving Pyra and Mythra behind just a bit. Pyra smiled fondly while Mythra continued looking forward curiously.

"I think he's got a bit of the nostalgia bug in him right now, Mythra…" She said.

"Nostalgia, eh?" Mythra sighed and folded her arms. "I'm really jealous of this guy sometimes…"

"Mm… me too…"

"I'm tempted to ask him what it's like to be able to remember things worth remembering…?"

"Let's not spoil his good mood… he's done so much for us as is, putting him down in such a zen moment is the last thing I wanna do…"

"Right…"

Pyra and Mythra continued to watch Frankie look around the place, his excitement growing larger and larger as he took more of the sights in before erupting into jovial laughter, turning to face Pyra and Mythra with a large smile on his face.

"Pyra! Mythra! Come on! I want you to see this!" He said before disappearing into the creek. Pyra and Mythra smiled gently in response.

"But it's all worth it to see that smile… eh, Pyra…?" Mythra asked.

"Mm Hmm… that warm… wonderful smile that's so reassuring and welcoming and kind all at once…"

"And the way those big ol' brown eyes of his light up whenever he gets all dorky over something…"

"And his laugh…"

"His voice in general…"

"And all those amazing hugs he gives…"

"And just how darn good he touches our hearts, and-"

"Pyra! Mythra! Where are you?!"

Pyra and Mythra snapped out of their daze as Frankie called them. The looked at each other with extreme blushes before turning forward to meet with Frankie.

"COMING, FRANKIE!" They shouted as they ran to meet him.

They found him washing the berries he and Mythra collected in the stream before venturing further ahead. Confused, but intrigued, they continued following him, all while taking in the sights and sounds of the surrounding area.

"This must be where the river from back at the beginning of our trail feeds into! It's a very nice place, Frankie!" Pyra exclaimed.

"Yeah… why didn't we set up camp close by here?" Mythra asked.

"16 years ago, and we most certainly would have…" Frankie intoned as he dried the berries with his shirt. He gasped happily as he ran over to a strange looking object tucked away in the corner, splashing Pyra and Mythra a bit in the process.

"Hey, Dummy! Be careful! If you fall in, I'm not helping you!" Mythra called.

"Yes you would~" Pyra teased.

"Yes I would…" Mythra repeated.

"It's my dam! The dam I built with my friend at the time! It's still standing, I can't believe it!" Frankie jumped excitedly in the water as Pyra and Mythra joined his side, cocking their eyebrows in bewilderment.

"Uh, Frankie… that's a rock… a rock with mud and sticks and a face on it…" Mythra said.

"Well nine year old me said it was a dam, and a dam it's gonna be! ¡Esos castores no tienen nada que ver con esto!"

"Well I think it's a lovely project! And it's a wonderful little time capsule our Frankie had a part in!" Pyra exclaimed as she patted it on the head gently.

"Well… I guess if you squint at it long enough, it's kinda cute…" Mythra swayed from side to side as she inspected the 'dam'. An unimpressed Frankie glared at her as she spoke.

"Observe some of the finer details, if you will, Mythra…" Pyra began, sitting on the bend as she placed her hands over each spot to explain them. "The childish presentation of it all offers a wonderful display of innocence that simply can't be captured by even the most creative of adults, which in and of itself makes the idea of this that much more unique and personal. The anthropomorphizing of the object and its designation give it a personality all on its own, allowing for instant recognition and a flood of wonderful memories to cherish, as Frankie clearly just demonstrated, and its oddities only add to the charm of the piece and shape it up as art that's most pleasant to look at when you take time to step back and analyze its entire backstory from past to present!"

Pyra finished proudly, placing her hands on her hips, and gently shutting her eyes. Mythra stared in stunned silence, wondering just how on earth she was able to pick up on all that so quickly… suddenly her further pursuing interest in performing arts really didn't seem all that surprising to her. Frankie, on the other hand, looked on in lovestruck intrigue, absentmindedly dropping all the berries they had left into the water and letting them float down the stream.

"…I'm sorry, that was a bit too much, wasn't it…?" Pyra shyly asked.

"Pyra, your teasing is a bit too much… that was… something else." Mythra said.

"You're… cool… Pyra…" Frankie added.

"O-oh… come on… both of you are being so silly…" Pyra placed her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth bashfully, keeping her eyes shut. Something about that comment really got to her.

"Well seeing as how this Dummy here lost all our fruit, we might as well go further in to find some more…" Mythra rolled her eyes over towards Frankie, who was busy snapping out of his daze.

"Oh... yeah-yeah! Let's go! This whole creek is my childhood! Wait til you see how deep it gets! Come on!"

"Right behind you, Mr. Frankie!" Pyra called as the two of them ran off, leaving Mythra behind a fair bit. She watched the two of them fondly and shook her head.

"On and off those two…"

"The exotic African Wildlife… a dark land with challenges to humble even the greatest elephant or the wildest lion… to make heroes of the tiniest meerkat to the most insignificant baboon…" Frankie narrated dramatically in a posh English accent out of sight of Pyra and Mythra, the latter of which was washing the berries she had gathered in the thigh-deep stream while Pyra was nowhere to be found. Frankie chose to focus on Mythra some more, still undetected.

"Here, we see a lonely chimpanzee… foraging for food out in the open of the wetlands, far off course from the dense forests she'd call home… she looks rather satisfied with her collection, but she needs to head back home quickly… there's danger approaching…"

As he finished, a trail of bubbles, illuminated just under the surface of the water, colored red and yellow.

"A Nile Crocodile… 12 feet long… 500 pounds… it's been months since her last meal… and this unsuspecting ape would make quite the delectable treat…"

Indeed, Mythra didn't seem to be paying attention to what was behind her, only focusing on the berries she clutched close to her chest. The bubbles drew nearer and nearer, popping in a rhythmic tune that only Frankie could really recognize before they disappeared entirely.

"She waits… only for a moment more… until…!"

Pyra sprung out of the water with a loud roar and clamped the middles of hers and Mythra's swords around the latter's waist. The spooked Mythra jumped and nearly lost her berries. Needless to say, she was absolutely infuriated to see that the only culprit before her was Pyra messing around.

"Give me that! Pyra, you of all people should know how to handle these things… and how the heck did you even get ahold of my sword with its protection on anyway?!" Mythra cried, swiping her own blade from Pyra, who stuck her tongue out sheepishly and cheekily.

"I have my methods!" She responded.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just don't do it again. And where's Frankie? Did he get lost or something?"

"Oh, I can assure you Frankie isn't far away at all!" Pyra reassured before raising her voice to call out to him. "Frankie! You can come out now!" But she was given no response. "…Frankie?" She repeated. Mythra looked around in worry, hoping that he really DIDN'T get lost, though Pyra just seemed more confused than anything.

Before anything else could be said, the loud, blaring sounds of an electric guitar suddenly filled the atmosphere, getting Pyra and Mythra's attention quickly. Rushing through the trees and climbing onto the rocks that surrounded the area… was none other than Frankie himself! …With a leaf eye patch over one eye… now putting on… a pirate's voice?

"ARR! When I was a young lad, my father said to me… 'Arr, lend an ear, 'n learn some pirate history! Once a fearsome pirate ruled the seven seas! He was yer great-great-great grandpappy Quint Skurvy!' He told me tall tales of his ill-bigotten gains, But the greatest treasure of them all still haunts me to this dayyyyyy!!!!"

As he stood atop the highest of the rocks, he curved his index finger into a hook shape as he sung loud and proudly. His phone in his other hand, producing the music. Mythra was unimpressed, but Pyra was happily waggling her fingers to both the music and his singing.

"I'll make ye swab the deck and then I'll throw you in the brig! I swear I'll make ye walk the plank to right the wrong ye did! The day ye mess with Skurvy, arr, you'll wish your never born! When the coconut is mine, then you'll feel this pirate's scorn!"

Frankie continued to sing absentmindedly while Mythra turned to Pyra.

"You put him up to this didn't you…?"

"Not entirely, but I'm certainly not complaining!"

"And your berries? You were the one getting on me about them in the first place!"

"Perfectly fine, Mythra, I assure you!"

Mythra sighed before turning back to Frankie.

"Frankie, you Dummy! Get off that rock, you'll hurt yourself!" She shouted.

"-Discovered it possessed extraordinary power, but stealin' it from Skurvy would be his darkest houuuurrrrrrrrr!!!" He finished before responding to Mythra, still lightly dancing to the song as it played in the background, "I know what I'm doing, Mythra! This whole section of land is my dojo!" Frankie outstretched his arms wide to emphasize his point.

"Well at least keep it down! You're scaring all the animals and myself!"

"Awww… someone's cranky that she didn't get to eat a ton today, isn't she…?" Pyra joked as she poked Mythra's cheek playfully.

"Yes, that's exactly it, thank you." Mythra responded.

"Híjo, that's a wrap then, Pyra. A hungry tummy is the biggest concern a man, woman, or child could possibly have!" Frankie exclaimed.

"And the end of the world for a Mythra!"

"Pyra, I'm going to…" Before Mythra could finish, Frankie jumped into the creek and splashed the both of them with water before emerging himself, a big smile plastered on his face.

"Oh! He washed all our berries at once! Thanks, Frankie!"

"De nada, Píra…" Frankie said with a bow.

"Alright… we've had our fun, now let's just head back so we can hurry up and make our stupid food, yeah?"

"Hmm… well… we need sugar to make a jam out of these berries… you two stay right here! I'll be back with some honey if I can find some!" Pyra handed her berries to Frankie as she crawled out of the water and back on to land, waving goodbye to the both of them one last time.

"Bye Pyra! Good luck!" Frankie sighed dreamily as he sank back down into the water, letting carry him a little bit. "This is the life, isn't it, Mythra?"

"It sure is something, I'll give it that…"

"We're… not doing anything to upset you, are we, Mythra?"

"Oh, Frankie, you Dummy… you're really not… hah… as a matter of fact I'm a little surprised both of you are keeping up with me."

"…That's good, right?"

"Yes, Dummy, it's good…"

Frankie smiled.

"I'm just… really really hungry, that's all… and today's been pretty long, so… yeah…"

"Oh Mythra… I get it… I'm sorry…"

"Frankie, I just told you I'm not mad at you."

"No, I get that, but… well… I dunno…" He sank to his neck as he crouched down in the water. "I just wanna… be good for you…"

"Good for me, how?" Mythra joined him in the same position.

"You know… just in general…"

"Big Guy…" Mythra swam a little closer to him. "You're doing great… so you slip up every now and then, you know first and foremost that's my entire forté, but… I like you… okay? It's nice being around you."

"Y-you think so…?" Frankie blushed as he glanced over to Mythra.

"I know so… and… 'tween you and me… don't be afraid to let that kiddy side of you out more… it's adorable…" Mythra finished with a smile.

With a fully reddened face, Frankie submerged himself up to his mouth and blew nervous bubbles, tightly shutting his eyes as he mulled over Mythra's words some more.

"Dummy… remind me never to give you an inch, alright?"

Frankie bubbled incoherently while Mythra chuckled, looking over to where Pyra left.

"Seriously, though, I hope she doesn't take too long, I'm starving!"

Frankie bubbled incoherently in response once again.

"If she's playing another trick on us, I'm gonna seriously body slam her!"

Frankie continued looking down innocently in the water as Mythra continued on. As she did so, a deafening honk suddenly sounded from not too far away. The two of them stood up once more to see a goose on the bank… staring at them.

"Hey. Hey, what're you looking at? You wanna scrap with us, you overgrown rat with wings?" Mythra threatened.

"AHNK!" The goose cried as it flapped its wings rapidly.

"Oralé… Pyra better come back quick, we've entered goose territory. Waterfowl are assholes and geese are some of the worst offenders, especially Canada Geese like this one… just be thankful it's not a swan, then we'd REALLY be in trouble!"

"I don't give a damn if it's a Geese from my time nesting in a Titan's navel! Nobody interrupts MY time and gets away with it!" Mythra traveled up the stream to meet the bird as Frankie stayed back, hollering to her.

"Mythra, it's an animal! Just let it go!"

"Oh, nonono, Kaito's told me all about how these kinds of things are spies from the higher authorities making sure the lot of you all are strictly under their regime and nothing else! It deserves a good thrashing!"

"Ay-yi-yi! Esta chica está loca…" Frankie shook his head and massaged his temples in defeat as he watched Mythra wade slowly over to the bird, who only backed up slightly.

"Alright, listen here, you Doo-doo chocolate vanilla piece of crap! I don't appreciate you peeping in on our little chat! So you better buzz off now before I give ya something to REALLY spy on!"

The goose backed up slightly and honked louder and louder, outstretching its wings as far as it could.

"Yeah, that's it! Just keep walking and we don't need to make a big deal out of this, ya hear!"

"I'm afraid that chance flew out the window the moment you decided to throw hands with a slightly bigger duck…" Frankie answered as he walked over to her side.

The goose kept honking and lunging forward with its beak every so often as if it were cursing Mythra out in its own way.

"See this kind of ornery flim-flam, Frankie? This is the kinda crap that'd get you into a looooot of trouble back in my time! The creatures back then were never this full of themselves!"

"You're… suggesting that the goose is taunting you…" Frankie raised an eyebrow her way.

"Yes! What else would it be doing?! What do you think it's saying?"

At this point, Frankie couldn't help but snicker to himself, so he decided to play along.

"I dunno… calling you a simpleton?" He joked.

"Hey! I'm not a simpleton! I'm a-! A… a- uh…. Uh… mmm… I'm an uh….."

"A dummy?~"

"Yeah! I am a Dummy! …Wait a second…" Mythra whipped her head to face Frankie, a very displeased expression on her face, eyes almost completely shut as he tried hard not to roll over laughing.

As the two shared their little back and forth, a single berry fell from Mythra's clutch and onto the floor, which the goose quickly took notice of and tried to move on in for the steal. Mythra noticed this as well and quickly swooped down to take it back before the bird could get away with it.

"Hey! No! No! This is MY Berry! Not your berry, MINE! So you better waddle your sorry little butt back to wherever it is you came from, before- OW!!!!"

The goose bit Mythra as it snatched the berry from her fingers, quickly turning tail and running off into the distance, taking flight in the process.

"Jackass! Come back here so I can make an example of you!" Mythra hollered.

"Does it hurt too badly, Mythra? We got some disinfectant back at camp, so don't worry about it… just scrub it real good when you get the chance…" Frankie advised.

"I'm fine, just… christ almighty, I almost prefer the bigger things back in my day… at least you'd be able to sneak up on them…" Mythra scowled.

"Oh, don't worry… I've always had a Christmas goose in mind for a lovely dinner,we can discuss revenge further when the time comes…!" Frankie replied in devious support.

"Hm? What is that?"

"Oh… well… I'll tell you when the season gets closer!"

"Fine…"

"Hey you two, I'm back!" Pyra exclaimed suddenly.

"Hi Pyra! Did you find everythi- HÍJOLE CHICO CHIHUAHUA!!!!!!"

Frankie and Mythra jumped back in surprise at what appeared before them. It was Pyra, alright… matted and sticky beyond belief with numerous bumps and stings adorning her person. Nevertheless, she still appeared to them with a gigantic happy smile on her face.

"I got the honey! We can head back now and start cooking!" She cried happily.

"Pyra, what the heck did you do?! Climb inside the hive home invasion style and take it all by force?! Frankie says they can consent to it, y'know!" Mythra hollered.

"Heheh… sorry, guys… guess I got a little carried away… I hope you don't mind!"

"Well… as long as you're having fun… I guess I'M okay… just please be careful, next time." Frankie smiled a gentle but honest smile as he finished.

"Yeah, seriously! What are you trying to do, give us a heart attack?!" Mythra cried. All Pyra did in response was widen her smile, gritting her teeth in innocent and sheepish rapture as the sun at last began its descent over the mountains.

Frankie and Mythra set up their own little stove-top not too far off from where Pyra was roasting the meat. She had calmed down considerably from earlier that morning and was now dutifully inspecting the skinned and cleaned bear carcass, spinning it around the open fire every so often to get an even sear. The fat would occasionally drip down below and cause a quick flare-up. Though with Pyra literally maintaining control over the flames, it wouldn't last for long before she settled them down again.

"Blackberries like these already have a lot of pectin inside them, so we don't need to worry about adding any extra- Pyra, could you lower the flame a bit?"

"Of course, Frankie!"

Frankie smiled pleasantly as he overlooked Pyra working her own little magic at their station, explaining the cooking process to Mythra in the meantime.

"And she's getting on me for using my powers all willy-nilly…" Mythra muttered.

"I heard that, Mythra! At least we're out here alone without any risk of getting funny and scared looks from anyone, and one too many questions to answer!" Pyra exclaimed. Mythra scoffed in response before turning back to the 'pot' she and Frankie made out of some old wood.

"I don't think this'll take too long… all we need to do is to let the juices foam up with the sugar and keep stirring to prevent over-gelling, yeah?" Frankie said to Mythra, who was overlooking their station dutifully, the berries in hand.

"Yeah…" She said. She hovered over the pot nervously and shivered in anticipation, her second time cooking with Frankie's supervision, but the first time doing absolutely everything by herself.

She looked over to him shyly at that moment, his warm brown eyes and sweet smile gave Mythra just the right amount of reassurance to take a deep breath and calm down. She gently shut her eyes and dropped the berries into the pot before reaching for the honey.

"About one cup."

"How do we measure a cup out here…?"

"Guesstimate. I'll leave it up to you, Mythra."

Now she turned completely to Frankie, who still maintained a reassuring and serene aura to him as she continued cooking. She was still worried about messing up, but if Frankie was confident enough… she sighed again and let the honey drip down into the pot and immediately took to stirring when she decided she had added enough.

"Perfect…" Frankie said happily.

"Y-you really think so?" A blush and smile formed on Mythra's face as she looked back at Frankie again for reaffirmation.

"Mm Hmm! Just leave it alone to boil and stir whenever it foams up."

"Oh! Right!" Mythra quickly removed her makeshift whisk from the pot and simply observed it dutifully as Frankie got up to go check on Pyra.

"Well this is a new one… spit-roasted bear… how long has it been anyway? It smells good!"

"Not nearly long enough, I'm afraid. Should be about another hour or so." Pyra replied.

"I'm excited! Is that too fat to say…?" Frankie sheepishly asked. Pyra laughed at his question while giving him her full attention.

"Of course not! You're always giving me the opportunity to try new things both culinary and living-wise, it's only fair that I return the favor! I'm actually pretty excited myself!"

"W-well… if you say so…" Frankie shook off his nervousness and returned to full form with a small smile on his cautious face. "Y-you know… my mom would always get grossed out everytime I mentioned wanting to try exotic meats… it almost became a game for me!"

"Really? I don't see why. We're not wasting what's being taken down, and food is food at the end of the day. I'm sure you and I can both agree that with a little bit of elbow grease and the right seasonings, just about anything could be at the least, palatable!"

"Mm hmm… like, let's see… what were the things I used to say, uh… oh! There's… alligator… ostrich… peacock… pheasant… rabbit, guinea fowl, antelope, deer, OH! KANGAROO! Venison, Emu, Goose, Camel, Elk- slap some garlic on it and I'm sure it'll be fine!"

Pyra chuckled at Frankie's enthusiasm once more.

"Well, we certainly don't have to worry about feeding you anytime soon! I'm not even sure what those things you mentioned even are!"

"Ah, the sushi issue all over again! But, I guess that's to be expected. If I had the money, I'd rush order as many as I could in a week…"

"Oh! You have to let Mythra and I give them a try too!"

"Of course! That's the idea, Pyra!"

"Frankie! There's bubbles! You said to stir, right?!" Mythra suddenly shouted.

"Yeah, Mythra! It's okay! That's supposed to happen!"

"You better hurry on back to her, just to keep an eye on her… I'm sure you don't want another chicken situation…" Pyra advised with a smile.

"Right… I'll do that, thanks Pyra!"

Frankie bowed politely towards Pyra before running off to check with Mythra again. Pyra watched him leave with a pleasant and amazed smile on her face. Then she chuckled to herself, even SHE was getting too doe eyed for her own liking… but even then, it still felt incredible… like she had never felt ever before…

"…In Jesus' name we pray… Amen…" Frankie finished a prayer over the now finished food… perfectly cooked bear meat and clumpy, gelatinous blackberry jam.

"Amen…" Pyra and Mythra repeated in unison.

The three of them decided to try the bear first, with Mythra in particular being the most weary of the jam she made… at least they'd have something to eat if it turned out to be a bust, she decided.

Tender… juicy… a touch sweet, a little firm, but all in all… very tasty.

"Gosh Dangit Pyra! What did you do, give it a massage, Wagyu-style before skinning it? Take it out on a fact date and stuff it full of wine or something? This is amazing!" Frankie cried as he stuffed another piece into his mouth.

"Oh… beginner's luck, really… it's nothing too, too big… just the most plain and simple seasonings we could get ahold of…" Pyra blushed.

"Doesn't matter to me! Mmf- de she'll be shum leftoversh I'll be hah-yy t' go back to!" Mythra chirped with her mouthful of food. Pyra's blush deepened even further, all too happy to be complimented so much by the people she was closest with.

"Alright, it's jam time!" Frankie announced. Mythra nearly choked on her food, forcing it down her throat quickly as she faced Frankie with worry, sweating profusely already. Pyra looked on in anticipation as Frankie took his fork and scooped up the first bite into his mouth. Both of them were waiting for his reaction as he swished it around his tongue from the inside.

"A little chunky… a bit too sweet… but… it's not bad!"

"Mythra, did you hear that? Great job!" Pyra clasped her hands together, pleased, as she looked over to Mythra.

"I-it's not that great… he said so himself…" Mythra intoned.

"He said it's not bad, Mythra, that's a good thing!"

"Whatever…"

Frankie then proceeded to dip his bear into the jam itself and absolutely revel in the tangy-sweet taste the combination created, that of which was Mythra's cue to smile herself and try her own jam. She was decently pleased with the end product and ate it much more politely compared to the bear, but enjoyed herself nonetheless.

The sun was almost fully set and the moon was nearly risen as the three sat and ate their food in silence, finally able to relax from the exciting day they all had. Mythra especially appreciated the chance to unwind, what with driving lessons from Miko and the ensuing chaos. Just before she could decompress too much and enjoy the last bit of her food, a horrifying screech suddenly sounded from the trees. The noise lifted her up from her seat, bounding all the way to Frankie's side, who got the wind knocked out of him from the sudden impact.

"What in the world was that?!" Pyra wondered aloud.

"Whatever it was, we better find it quick before it gets any closer! C-cuz I'm not turning tail and running! Shit's gonna go down!" Mythra hollered. All the while, Frankie looked around the place from his seat, smiling widely when he found the maker of the noise.

"Girls! Up there! Look!" They all wandered up the tree together to see a round, flat faced bird with giant dark eyes staring at them amongst the leaves, blinking ever so slowly and letting its brown and white feathers illuminate in the coming moonlight.

"It's a Barn Owl! Tyto Alba! Two great sights in one day! God, I wish I wasn't conserving battery, I need a picture, like, now!"

"Well I'm glad you're having a good time… but I don't trust that thing… it's so… judgemental… and infuriating…" Mythra lowed as she wrapped her arms around Frankie's own, maddogging the owl silently from afar.

"Oh, Mythra, come on, I think it's kind of cute!" Pyra exclaimed.

"Yeah… you would think that, wouldn't you…?"

"In some cultures, it's also called the Ghost Owl, that's cuz when it flies and screams in the night, its white plumage striking past the sky reminded them of a great banshee coming to the land of the living to reap the souls of those who wronged it in the past!" Frankie explained.

"Pretty apt description if you ask me…"

Frankie and Pyra chuckled at Mythra's expense as the night at last began to creep on in over the mountainside.

Pyra started a fresh new campfire near the chairs Frankie had laid out for all three of them to stare at the stars and point out the shapes they saw in them, with Mythra arguing with both Frankie and Pyra over the shapes they say and what she saw every. Single. Time. Nonetheless, it was all in good fun, and the three stayed outside their tent for a long while, laughing, playing games, telling stories, and singing the night away all in a good mood.

It wasn't too long after that did Mythra fall asleep. She was turned away from Frankie and Pyra as she snores lightly in her chair. Frankie looked over at her with a pleasant smile on his face as he watched over her.

"Hah… so Mythra just completely knocks out on a full tummy… that's good to know for the future, que no, Pyra?" He asked. But Pyra didn't respond. Concerned, Frankie turned to find her turned away from his as well. "Pyra…? Are you awake?"

"I'm awake, Frankie… and yes, I agree…" She stated.

"Pyra, are you okay…? You're worrying me, now…"

"I'm fine, Frankie, please, don't-"

"Pyra…"

At that point, Pyra looked over her shoulder and saw Frankie's worried face looking right at her. Now wasn't the time to get too testy, letting it all out was the only option.

"Well… a few things are on my mind, I guess…" She said, looking deep into the fire.

"Like?"

"Just… for one… I'm sorry if I've been so… exuberant these past few days… I didn't even really know I was capable of acting out like that…"

"Oh Pyra… that's perfectly fine, it's nice to see you acting so goofy."

"O-oh… is that so…?"

"Yep."

Pyra blushed red as she looked at the fire some more. She chuckled aloud a bit before directing attention to Frankie again.

"You were acting pretty silly out there too, you know~"

"Well- I mean… that was my childhood space! Sue me for getting in touch with my immature side a little here and there!"

"I'll do no such thing! That's precisely the reason why I appreciate things like this so much! It makes me feel better about the way I act!"

"D-does it really, Pyra…?"

"Yes! There's been too much missing from my life as it is, and these coming and going memories don't make things any easier, I'm not letting these emotions slip by me without a care! I wanna feel and express them just the same as you can!"

"I-I didn't say you couldn't, Pyra, I just…"

Pyra sighed and flipped on her back to look at the stars as she kept speaking.

"It's fine, Frankie… I'm sorry… I've been so muted for so long… guess I just didn't know I had these kinds of things in me…"

"Yeah, well… it's been a while since I've been able to act like this, too…" Pyra looked over at Frankie as he continued. "I love Kaito and Miko with all my heart but… I don't ever really know what to do when they aren't around… even though my mom and I got on different wavelengths the older I got it… still felt nice to have her and grandma in the other rooms doing our own things but… I don't have that anymore…" Frankie smacked his teeth and shook his head lightly before turning away himself. "Sorry… I'm not trying to make this about me, I swear… just… show you that…"

"That you know how it feels?" Pyra smiled hopefully, getting Frankie to face her again, with a smile of his own.

"We've been through this song and dance already, Pyra, do we have to go through it again?" He asked.

"It's… nice to have the reassurance." Pyra admitted.

"Yeah… I guess you could say that… you mean a lot to me… both of you do… for making things… easier."

Pyra looked to Frankie in surprise, eyes widened, and staring meaningfully at him. Frankie grew nervous immediately and flipped back to face the stars with embarrassment written all over his face.

'Did I really just say that? Ay, puto loco, calmaté! You can't keep doing crap like this if you want things to stick! But I don't wanna take it back… it's not like I don't mean it, but but but-'

Before Frankie could spiral into his own thoughts too much… Pyra suddenly came into his chair and snuggled up close to him. Now his whole body flushed a deep shade of red as she tucked her head underneath his own, caringly, before smiling gently and looking up at him happily.

"You mean a lot to us too, y'know…" She said. Frankie's heartbeat quickened as did his breathing as he looked around nervously.

"Y-you know if Kaito and Miko found out about this, they'd have a field day with it…" He said with a quiver in his voice.

"Oh, don't worry, Frankie! I'll see to it that they don't! And as for you… all you have to do is think of this as a… nice little friendly cuddle… can you do that for me?"

"Y-yeah… I-I guess…"

Pyra chuckled and buried her head into Frankie's chest once again.

"Good… just relax… we're here for you, Frankie… don't forget it…"

"B-both of you, huh…?" Frankie looked over to Mythra, who was still alone on the outskirts of the fire and reached over quickly to bring her chair closer to Frankie and Pyra's so that they were now side by side. "Now you are…"

"Indeed… now we are…" Pyra giggled.

"Dummyyyyyyyy…" Mythra cooed in her sleep, rolling over to take hold of Frankie's arm once again to cuddle it in her sleep, getting him to flare up once more.

"Friendly cuddle between friends, Frankie! That's all this is…" Pyra repeated.

"F-friendly cuddle… yeah… yeah… yeah…" Frankie relaxed himself now. He didn't want to admit it, but these cuddles… friendly, or otherwise, were something he could get used to… now that he could actually take joy in them.

"A-and if for whatever reason Kaito and Miko DO find out about this… just tell them exactly that, okay?" Pyra asked.

"Yes!"

Both of them were in terrible denial. Mythra would be too if she wasn't so fast asleep.

The crackling of the fire and the echoing of the chorus of frogs far away on top of the chirping crickets close by and the hooting of much less odd owls than the Barn Owl from earlier sounded all around them, Frankie and Pyra soon felt drowsy themselves.

"Did I ever tell you Mythra used to sleepwalk a bunch…?" Pyra asked with a yawn.

"Did she now…?" Frankie said through a yawn.

"Yeah… but not anymore… that tell you anything, Frankie…?" Pyra never got a response to her question, as the minute she asked him, he had already fallen asleep, snoring just as peacefully as Mythra. Pyra laughed to herself before looking over to her fire and extinguishing it for herself, letting peace and serenity overtake her own body as her eyes grew heavier and heavier.

"Good night Mythra… good night Frankie… sweet dreams…" She said so very comfortably before passing out almost immediately as she drew even closer to Frankie.

With all three of them enveloped in the warm nightly Summer wind so sweetly… the night was sure to be calm… relaxing…and happy as they smiled through every last moment of their slumber… each pleasantly glowing more contently than the other.