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By the time everyone gathered at the Temple of Tikal, the sun had begun to set, casting the city in the glow of twilight. Avory and Lighris, having already been there for some time, spent the time talking. Lighris answered questions Avory had regarding the phoenix species, at least that which he was willing to divulge. Occasionally Vinge chimed in to fill in the blanks where Lighris couldn't.

The first to arrive to join them was Volcan, accompanied by an African American human that Avory didn't recognize at first. He was in his late twenties, perhaps a little older, with a neatly trimmed goatee and a caesar-style haircut, but he was dressed similarly to Volcan in older clothes. To his credit though they at least seemed clean.

"I see you brought the former P.A.C.E lackey." Lighris remarked.

"Lighris," Volcan scolded him. "You know as well as I do we need him, and didn't he prove by now he's on _our_side?"

"Call me a skeptic," Lighris replied bluntly. "We won't know for sure until the fighting starts, now will we?"

Volcan scowled harder, but the human held up his hand. "It's okay, Volcan," he assured him in a gentle tone as he headed over to the bar. "I wouldn't trust me either, so I don't take offense."

Ordagova looked over, hearing the conversation and reading the human's own mind for his own confirmation, but not voicing it as it would be in vain. "Welcome," he greeted the human, as he finished up cleaning a couple of cups in the small sink behind the bar counter, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Just a light beer please," he requested.

While Ordagova went to get the man his drink, he turned to Avory. It was the first time the two them had met, and the human - correctly assuming Avory was part of the meeting, offered a hand. "Kyle Darwinson," he introduced himself.

The bird looked a little surprised as the human came up to him first out of everyone around him, only moving his hand out once he had time to compute. "Avogadro." he replied as his gray scaly hands and black claws found the human's brown skin to shake.

"Nice to meet you," he said, nodding and offering a polite smile. "So... First time I've seen you. How did you come to know these fellas?"

"These fellas?" Avory cocked his brow, "You mean Vinge and Volcan and that? Oh I'm just a friend from high school." he replied in his British accent, not really wanting to reveal too much to him.

Kyle arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. "Uh huh," he said, but didn't press the matter as Ordagova returned with his drink. "Thank you," he said to the snake.

"You're welcome. That's sssix dollarsss" The snake hissed with a smile.

Kyle reached into his pocket, counting out a handful of coins - mostly quarters, and one five, which he slid over to Ordagova. "There ya go," he said.

"Where have you been getting that money?" Lighris asked, curious.

"Collecting bottles, mostly, and taking them to the depot," replied Kyle. He caught Lighris' surprised look. "What?"

"Just... Thought you might have found a job by now," he said.

"I have," Kyle replied. "Work at a local burger place. Only part-time for now, but it's enough to get by. I just get the bottles for extra cash."

The door opened again, and this time it was Obsidian, Ayane and Tsumé all arriving together. Obsidian was still wearing the lower half of her police uniform, having apparently just finished work, but she had changed shirts and left her tools at home. Ayane was dressed in the same sleeveless top and jeans she had been wearing when Avory and Volcan had visited her earlier that day, and likewise Tsumé was still dressed in a T-shirt and skirt. The Earth Phoenix looked briefly at Avory, but then turned her eyes away as she followed the other girls to the bar.

"Hey 'Sid," Lighris called out to her.

"Hi, Lighris," she replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to some help from our red-scaled brainiac there," He said, nodding to Ayane. "Few hours hooked up to car batteries and I'm good as new." He looked at Ordagova. "I'll cover anything Ayane gets tonight on my bill - least I can do for her helping me out."

"Well, thank you," Ayane said. "In that case, got anything imported?" She asked the snake.

"Now that'sss my ssspeciality~," the sssnake hissed with glee, stepping to the side so she could see of the alien bottles on the shelves behind him of booze from all around the world, with the majority from central and South America. "What kind of drink dossse the beautiful lady prefer?"

"Let's go with something on the sweeter side, if you have any recommendations," she replied.

"Hmmm... I do have a rare old Brazsssilian Cachaça for you," The snake smiled, looking behind him and reaching for a bottle wrapped in a finely woven straw sleeve, pulling it over for the dragoness to inspect.

"I'll give it a try," she replied, nodding.

Ordagova got to work, snake grabbed a small glass with his tail and scooping up some ice with it, whilst his hands moved below the counter to find a small lime, cutting it in half and then cutting one of the halves into quarters, dropping them on top of the ice in the glass that his tail placed on the counter before him.

He eventually uncorked the bottle and poured a clear liquid over it until it filled the glass. He recorked the bottle and handed it to his waiting tail which wrapped around the neck and lifted it up to the shelf behind him blindly, placing it back were it first started, whilst his hands instead placed the drink before Ayane, never facing his body away from her.

"Wow. You have that down to an exact science," she said, reaching from the drink. "You barely moved from that spot the whole time you mixed this."

"I takesss practicsse," he smiled.

"Hello?" A voice chimed from the door, and they turned to see someone else that only a few of them recognized; another avian, but with light brown feathers and a white face, with two red diamonds - one on his forehead and one on his neck.

"Wha-" Lighris asked.

"Pavan?" Obsidian asked. "What're you doing here?"

"I invited him," Tsumé answered, earning quizzical looks from the dragoness and lightning phoenix. "Vinge said it himself - we need more help. What better than the only other phoenix we know? Plus he's faster than any one of us - that's got to be useful."

That caught Avory by surprise, and he looked at Pavan studiously. This was another phoenix? He looked so... Ordinary. He had the features more akin to a falcon, such as a black-tipped beak. Of all the phoenixes he had seen thus far he'd never have guessed this one, who looked to be about the same age as himself, was another one.

Volcan looked concerned, and he walked over to Pavan to speak to him. "You sure you'll be up for this?" He asked. "What we're doing... It's going to get dangerous."

"Hey, these guys came after me once already, and I do _not_want them to go after my dad too - or worse, track my mother's family in India," replied Pavan. "So I'm in it. I may not practice capo-whatsits like Tsumé does-"

"Capoeira," Tsumé chimed in, disgruntled.

"-But like she said." In the blink of an eye, the avian suddenly zipped across the room, a blur of motion before appearing over by the stage where Volcan usually sat - with a noticeable draft trailing him as he moved. "I'm damn quick on my feet, and even faster in the air."

Volcan sighed but nodded. "Alright... We certainly can't turn away additional help in this situation," he said. "Welcome aboard then, Pavan."

"Who are we still waiting on?" Vinge asked from his spot in the corner."

"Looks like Rikyuu and those two bounty hunters aren't here yet," replied Obsidian. "Rik's probably just having trouble getting over the border right now but I don't know about the other two."

Lighris looked at Avory then. "So will your sister be joining us?" He asked. "We'll need the extra firepower from her too."

"She's currently in Milan for work, so she can't make it. I'll update her later," he shrugged as he looked down at his watch. "As for tweedle dee and tweedle dum, they are on their way. I can see that bike of theirs heading this way."

Sure enough, the roar of said motorcycle could be heard from a block away, followed by the screech of tires as the vehicle pulled into a vacant parking space. Seconds later, the door to the bar shot open, and the two bounty hunters stepped inside. They gave pause when they saw how many faces were glancing at them, then Korban gave a whistle and broke the silence around them.

"Damn, I expected a party, but this feels like a whole gala. The whole gang's here from the looks of it." He remarked, grinning slightly.

"Well, what did you expect? This is a pretty big deal after all," Kieran remarked. "We're going after a pretty dangerous group that wants us either dead or as test subjects, and they ain't above playing_really_dirty to do so."

"Oh, I know what we're up against. Just tryin' to make light of the situation," the husky replied as they stepped toward the group.

Avory had turned around and waved for the proprietor to come over, who didn't take his time. "I think I'm gonna need another drink, please." the raven commented, looking over Ordagova's shoulder at his wares.

"Of courssse. What would you like?" the snake asked

"Your oldest rum," Avory stated, before pointing at a bottle on the top of the shelf. "That El Dorado might even do"

The snake stepped back and turned, reaching up easily to bring down the bottle from the top of the shelf and uncorking it and pouring it into a new glass, taking away the old one. "I've got sssome even older downssstairsss, but I think you will want to sssavour thossse for later."

The raven had a thoughtful look upon him and gave a little nod of approval. "I look forward to it," he commented with a smile, raising his new glass to him as a salute. "Thanks, Ordagova."

"Glad you could make it," Volcan said, coming over to greet the husky and cat. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"And miss this shot at getting back at the mother fuckers that tried swindling me out of a deal?" Korban remarked. "Not in a million years."

Volcan nodded. "I can live with that," he said. "Come on in, then. We're still just waiting on Rikyuu but he should be along soon. Oh and, I don't think we caught your name before?" He said to the cat.

"I'm Kieran," the cat replied. "Though my boss there only ever calls me 'Kitty.'"

The husky shrugged. "Yeah, but it works don't it?" He asked, heading over to the bar and taking a seat further away from the group. The husky leaned his elbow on the counter and placed a couple of bills from his pocket. "Gimme the strongest shit you got in the biggest mug available." He remarked.

"Oh, here we go..." Kieran mumbled, shaking his head. "His name's Korban by the way for those who don't know."

"Just call me the immortal bounty hunter!" Korban chimed in, not seeing Kieran roll his eyes.

Ordagova looked over and cocked his eyebrow at Korban before nodding, 'I hope for your own sake that you really are immortal,' He spoke to the husky telepathically as he left the bar out the back and appeared to disappear into the cellar.

Then, across from him, Korban noticed the unmistakable electric blue phoenix, who was glaring back at him, fingers tightly clutching the bottle of lager he held. He arched an eyebrow his way, waiting until their gazes met before he spoke.

"Huh... Yer back on yer feet faster than I thought," he commented. "I woulda thought a bullet through the shoulder would have left you out of commission fer a week at least."

"Let the fact it didn't be a reminder to you," stated Lighris, pointing at him. "Of just what you're dealing with if you change your mind about helping us."

The raven beside him looked away and shook his head, not wanting to get involved.

"Let's try not to start any fights," said Volcan, holding up his hands as he stepped between the two. "We'll have enough to deal with when we get to P.A.C.E's stronghold."

"Volcan's right," Kyle spoke up - another that the bounty hunters remembered from the documents detailing their targets. "P.A.C.E has had time to regroup and prepare for most of you over the winter, and I assure you they _have_been."

"Hey, I ain't lookin' to start a fight again, and I don't have any plans on turnin' on any of you. Like I told yer baby brother," he cocked his head toward Lighris, "I stand to gain nuthin from ratting you out or finishing the job." Korban stated, narrowing his eyes slightly. "That bein' said, let's just remember that this is a temporary alliance at best. Once this P.A.C.E. shit is over and I collect what I'm owed, I'm outta here." He remarked.

Lighris didn't respond, but he didn't take his eyes off Korban until they heard the front door open again, and this time Rikyuu entered. He looked somewhat out of breath as he stepped in, looking around the room to see the faces looking back at him.

"Crap. Am I late?" He asked.

"We set an approximate time, not a definite one," Volcan assured him. "You alright?"

"Well I had a little trouble getting over the border - shift change was earlier than normal tonight," the dragon replied. "But, I'm here."

Ordagova finally reemerged, carrying a tall clear bottle with an old label stickered on it reading 'Grain alcohol' among other words. As he walked towards Korban his tail reached down to pull up a large stein glass from under the counter and placed it dexterously before the husky.

"Isss a ninety-five percsssent moonssshine good enough for you, sssir?" the snake cocked his eyebrow, presenting the rustic bottle in his hands.

"It'll do," Korban answered, nodding for him to pour the drink.

"Well, if everyone is good to go, let's get started," said Volcan. He then rolled his eyes at himself. "Fucking sound like a group therapy councillor saying that..." He muttered.

Everybody made themselves comfortable, and directed their attention to Vinge as he stepped out. He took a moment to make sure he had everyone's attention before the ice phoenix began to speak. "I've been working on an arrangement of teams, taking into account our abilities and what each of us offer to the group. We do not have schematics of the base, so we can't be sure of its overall layout. However, after talking with Kyle, I think I may know a way that can be resolved. Kyle?"

The human stood up, clearing his throat before taking over. "I know the layout of three floors of the base, including the hangar - which will be one of our entry points," he said. "I can lead the group to the base's main control room. If we want to disable the base's Disruptor, we need to take that control room."

"That is why the first team, who will enter through the hangar, will need tech expertise," stated Vinge. "But, in the event there _is_a Disruptor active, we will need people who are unaffected by them forming the bulk of this group. That immediately leaves out myself, my fellow phoenixes, and likely Obsidian as well." He looked at Korban and Kieran. "Your ice powers and sorcery will likewise be affected by the Disruptor - you will be without them until it can be deactivated."

"The ones best with technology here are Ayane," Volcan gestured to the dragoness, "and Avory," to the raven. "So we'll need one of them in that group."

"We will likely need _both_of them," said Vinge. "Out of all of us present here, Volcan, you are the strongest physically, but you cannot be part of the hangar group. Ayane's mech suit is able to compensate, but it is not maneuverable as the Lightning Armours. We must balance our strengths to stand the best chance." He looked around. "Does anyone have anything to add, or questions?"

"Yea, I got one." Korban remarked, looking at Avogadro specifically. "You're that fucking Red Lightning punk that got all sore at me yesterday?" He asked almost aghast. "You're just a _kid_for cryin' out loud. Shouldn't you be back at home working on your algorithms and science projects?"

Avory turned on his stool, cocking an eyebrow and smiling at the husky. "I graduated from Oxford when I was seventeen." He spoke smugly "But I took a break tonight from working on my algorithms and science projects... I do need to give my colleagues in the scientific community time to catch up and peer review what papers I've already given them."

"Yea, whatever you say Stark," Korban remarked offhandedly, feeling somewhat sore that he was not only beaten by someone in an armoured suit, but a _kid_no less... It stung a little at his pride, but he didn't vocalize it, instead going back to focusing on the topic at hand. "Anyway, so when do you all plan to strike? Sounds like you got a plan all sorted, but my gut feeling tells me yer lacking any contingencies in case things go south."

"Unfortunately, he's correct," said Vinge. "At this moment, I know too little about the base or its defenses to plan much further than I have. The infiltration team will have their own mission while the second will wait by the garage entrance, to cut off any attempts of escape until we're ready to bring them in."

"The plan is sound," said Kyle. "But you guys need proper equipment." He looked at Volcan. "I already know you guys aren't bulletproof, and no offense big guy - your brawler style combat isn't going to help you much against the security personnel."

"Yeah, I've been thinking that myself," Volcan agreed, glancing at Korban. "Getting my ass kicked twice _kinda_puts it into perspective."

"I know how I can outfit you guys," Kyle offered. "I can even teach you what you'll need to know. Problem is, I don't have a way to get you any equipment."

"What kind of equipment?" Vinge asked.

"Well, protective gear certainly wouldn't hurt," said Kyle. "And, weapons if you need 'em - I know you like that toad sticker of yours," he nodded to Vinge. "But you can't block a bullet with it, and it probably won't pierce an assault vest."

"What protective gear - like body armour?" Tsumé asked. "Where the heck are we supposed to find body armour?" She looked at Obsidian.

"Don't look at me - buying armour requires a security license at least, and it's _not_cheap," she replied. "Plus, we could only buy knife-proof vests and helmets at most - proper Kevlar can't be bought by civilians in Canada."

"Then we make our own, maybe?" Volcan suggested.

"From_what_?" Obsidian asked, incredulous. "We don't have access to the right tools or materials."

There was a slight cough off to the side of the bar which every turned and looked, seeing Avory with a balled hand just in front of his beak as he cleared his throat. He looked up seeing that he got everyone's attention. "Oh, sorry everyone. It went down the wrong hole" he commented, raising his glass of rum in the air for a moment. "...As for your procurement issue. I will try my best. But even for me, there is only so much I can do without raising questions."

"You're saying you can get us the gear Kyle's proposing?" Volcan asked.

"Volcan. I designed the gear TTS uses and sells," the raven revealed.

"And here I thought _I_was the showoff..." Korban remarked as he took a swig of his drink.

"I don't go around with an oversized sword to compensate," Avory muttered under his breath, only in earshot of the Lighris directly next to him. The lightning phoenix hid his smile behind his drink and held up his fist for a bump from the raven who smirked and obliged.

"I'll make a list of what we'll need," said Kyle. "I don't imagine too many of you are crazy about using guns, but if Vinge's plan works out you shouldn't need to. Only those of us in the initial entry team will need them."

"Just gonna throw this out there, but I can supply some weapons that I've.. procured, during my career with my earnings." Korban stated with a casual shrug. "Could even offer up some basic weapons training as a nice little bonus, free of charge."

Volcan looked at Kyle, who shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to give his arsenal a look, and if he can teach, even better," he said.

Volcan nodded. "Alright. Korban and Avory then will be in charge of supplies. We'll arrange times to meet up and prepare."

"We have _one_concern left though," said Vinge. "Something I think we should address before we even consider approaching P.A.C.E's stronghold. Devilshade."

"What about him?" Volcan asked.

"Vinge is right. He's still out there," Obsidian agreed. "Devilshade's a professional killer - his fight with the Lightnings won't have driven him off for long. Eventually, he'll make another move."

"Worse yet," Vinge added. "He presents significant danger to all of us. He could warn P.A.C.E that Korban and Kieran have turned against them. We can still use their ignorance of that fact to our advantage - we can't lose it yet and he may already know himself, or assume they've failed if he sees one of us. Or, he could even join P.A.C.E in their defense; a man of his reputation, I shouldn't wonder, is not someone we want coming at us while our backs are turned."

"You just leave Devilshade to me and Kitty," Korban remarked with spite in his tone. "I've got a score to settle with that asshole anyway. He shows his face, we'll put him in his place."

"For fuck's sake, could you just-... Nevermind." Kieran remarked in exasperation, then turned to the others and nodded. "Yea, what he said. We can handle him if he decides to show his hooded mug."

"Do you think you can find him?" Obsidian asked.

"Don't need to." Korban remarked. "All I have to do is present myself as a target, and he'll come right for me, and he'll find out the hard way why I'm known as the Immortal Bounty Hunter."

Vinge hummed aloud as he considered the thought. "That could work. Devilshade didn't see the outcome of the fight and he has yet to show himself again," he said. "If he sees you two, it could lower his guard - he'll assume you prevailed and move to take you down." He looked over at the two as he voiced his plan. "Leaving him, the one vulnerable."

"...That's actually a good plan." Kieran remarked, nodding in approval.

"Nice. I like where yer head's at, Frosty." Korban added, nodding as well.

"Appear where you are not expected," Vinge voiced another quote from his favourite book, which brought a smile to Kyle's face hearing it.

"...Wait, you read the Art of War too?" Kieran asked.

"I quoted it when you and I fought before," Vinge reminded him.

"...Guess I wasn't paying too much attention to it in the heat of the moment." Kieran admitted, smiling somewhat. "Feel like exchanging notes sometime?"

"Certainly. And, I could also teach you how to better use that blade of yours," Vinge added.

"That'd be swell, considering the fact I've got a partner that _could_have taught me a few tricks, but opted not to because of 'trust issues," Kieran stated, earning him a frown from Korban.

"I guess all that's left is to ask," began Tsumé. "Where are we going to set all of this up? I mean, we can't really train to use weapons here in Ordagova's bar." She gestured to the snakeman. "And, not to sound offensive, but there's a few people here who really need a roof over their heads, and a proper wardrobe." She looked at Kyle. "Seriously, I can almost _smell_someone else wearing that shirt before you did."

Kyle shrugged, a helpless expression on his face. "I washed it at the laundromat."

" Tsumé's speaking my thoughts exactly," Lighris added, looking at Volcan.

"Don't start, bro..." Volcan said, rolling his eyes.

"Yer gonna need a wide open space if we're gonna go through with the whole firearms training," Korban stated. "There's a few places we could go that's off the beaten path and pop rounds at some trees or some shit."

"Off the beaten path would be ideal," agreed Obsidian. "Somewhere outside of the city we can practice without any onlooker, or getting the police curious. It'd also need to be wide open to accommodate everyone, like Ayane's place or-"

"Don't even think about it!" The red dragoness cut her off. "Look, I love you guys, but my place is _not_a roadside motel. I wouldn't be against you practicing out there but I don't even have a guest room."

"Well we can't use _my_place - my landlady would lose her shit, and I don't have nearly enough room for all of us even if she was gone the whole time," Lighris stated. "I could take one of you, maybe."

"I've still got my tower," Volcan offered. "It's only Kyle and Vinge who need somewhere to stay."

"And Rikyuu," Obsidian replied. "It's not ideal to have him sneak across the border every day - sooner or later, he's going to get caught."

"Can't help there. Our trailer only has enough space and amenities for just us two," Kieran pointed out with a helpless shrug as he gestured to himself and his partner.

Lighris could hear the raven beside him let out a little sigh. A moment later he reluctantly spoke up. "How many of you guys need temporary accommodation?"

"Most of us have our own homes here, but Rikyuu lives on the other side of the border - it can be tricky for him to get over here," Volcan explained. "Vinge has been staying here with Orda and Kyle's been living in a motel, when previously he was staying in my tower. So, really just those three would need accommodation."

Avory looked around, between the three of them. His gaze staying on Kyle the longest.

'You two are certain this guy is not going to betray us?' The bird directed to their two telepaths.

_'I can't see anything bad in his heart.'_Ordagova directed back to Avory and Obsidian.

'He's been with us for three months now; he's had plenty of time to turn against us,'_Obsidian added her piece. _'I may remain unsure of his loyalty - he did desert the military. For his reasons leaving P.A.C.E I at least believe he's done with them, but what he'll do after I can't say for sure.'

'I just don't want P.A.C.E showing up at my home if he does turn on us. There is a lot there they can't get their hands on...' The raven thought, 'Vinge I would happily house. Rikyuu I can extend this to too. Kyle I am not comfortable with.'

'I understand. I thought the same when I knew Tsuméwas considering letting him stay at her place, but I talked her out of it,' Obsidian agreed. 'Any other suggestions?'

When Avory looked at Kyle again, the human seemed to know there was a wordless conversation happening without his knowing. Yet, he steadfastly remained silent about it, showing no sign of taking offense - he clearly knew he wasn't trusted, and he accepted the fact he had to earn it.

"They can stay with me." Avory finally announced. "I have room for them to stay whilst we sort this issue." He said looking between the three before landing on Kyle again, "I will discuss it with you after, and underline my conditions..."

"Understood," Kyle replied without hesitation, nodding.

"So, Ayane... Can we set up training grounds at your place then?" Volcan asked.

Ayane sighed. "I suppose. I'll pitch in for it too. Just... No explosions, please - I like my peace and quiet."

"Explosions ain't my thing, so yer good there." Korban stated, then grinned at Ayane. "That said, you may wanna put on earmuffs while we're out there."

She sighed. "This will be a long session, I'm thinking. But, it's for a good cause, and we only have to do it once," she added with a nod.

"Here's hoping it's only once. I've been on a goose chase for almost two years now." Avory swirled his glass with his wrist before downing the last of its contents and placed the empty glass on the counter. "But then I've never had a crew larger than three at once."

"Well with all that in mind," Volcan put in. "Does anyone have any more to add?"

No one spoke up. They had covered everything worth mentioning at the current state of affairs. So, everybody finished their drinks, paid Ordagova for his service and began to depart one after the other. Volcan remained behind, probably hoping to catch some time with Ordagova and Tsumé and Lighris received a ride home from Obsidian.

Rikyuu, Kyle and Vinge joined Avory at the bar counter for a quick discussion before they left.

"Right. You three can stay with me, but I have some ground rules." Avory began, "None of you will have access to my garage or workshop unattended. You're not allowed to bring anyone else back with you without my permission - of which, I like to think I am generous. You do your own washing and get your own food. And if I need you to clear out of the house for a day, night or longer because of my father visiting, you and your stuff are going into a hotel or elsewhere for the night." Avory detailed, "And this is only temporary, not permanent."

"Understood," replied Kyle.

"Of course," agreed Vinge.

Rikyuu hesitantly agreed. "Right. You're the boss."

Vinge looked over at Rikyuu. "Is there a problem?" He asked. "Avogadro is letting us into his home you know."

"No problem, just... Well, how can I get in touch with you if I need your permission for something and you're out? Obsidian's been trying to get me a phone but it's at her expense - I haven't got one yet," He rubbed the back of his neck. "And, let's just say I'm kind of _hoping_to find some people with certain... Talents. Not like Vinge here," he gestured to the ice phoenix. "People like me."

"I design phones for a living. You can have a Feather." Avory offered.

"Do I need a plan for it?" Rikyuu asked. "I don't actually have an income."

"I can get you a sim for it for now. It's hardly anything."

"If you want to share a plan, I could pay for it," Kyle offered. "I need to get one myself anyway."

"That could work," Rikyuu agreed, nodding.

"Ah... no," Avory looked over at Kyle disapprovingly, "I hate to be harsh... but for as long as you're staying in my house and P.A.C.E are still alive and kicking in one form or another, I don't want you to have any remote contact with anyone." The eighteen year old gave a serious look at his elder, pausing for a moment to let that sink in, "but for your sake, I do hope that will be resolved soon."

"Hey, come on - that's not fair to him," Rikyuu protested. "He-"

But Kyle cut him off with a raised hand. "No, Rikyuu, he's right," he said. "If P.A.C.E ever found out I had any sort of communications device with me they could try to use it to monitor me. That's why I didn't take anything with me from the base when I left - I couldn't risk having something they could trace. That's especially why I didn't take my helmet with me - it has closed circuit communications installed."

Rikyuu tensed at that. "...Wait. Ayane has six of those helmets at her place. Why haven't they-"

"They disabled them when they were taken," explained Kyle. "I know because when I went to pick up Commander Three myself I couldn't get in contact with him. Standard procedure is to cut all signals to lost equipment so they can't be traced back, and connection can't be reestablished beyond a certain range. Especially not over the mountains."

"Oh. So, no danger of them using the helmets to find her?"

"If they could have, they'd have done it by now," replied Kyle. "I don't know where she lives but I know she's smart enough not to leave herself open like that in the first place."

Rikyuu nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Right... Okay, so... When do we go to your place?" He asked, looking back at Avory.

"Give me the details of where you're staying and I will come pick you up midday tomorrow. Get your bags packed before then." Avory looked between the two Americans, before turning to Vinge, "As you're already here and have your stuff upstairs, you can come with me tonight if you want, or I can get you tomorrow too."

"Better I go tonight. I think I've imposed on Ordagova for long enough," Vinge replied, looking back across the bar. "I don't have much to bring - my sword, a vest, a few changes of clothes; nothing more."

"Right. I'll wait here for you to grab them." Avory agreed and smiled before turning to the other two, "I'll see you both tomorrow, al'right?"

"Sure thing! I'll probably just meet you here - save you the crap of having to go over the border to get me," Rikyuu offered.

Kyle asked Avory to wait a moment while he went to get a pen and paper, writing down the name and address of the motel where he was staying before bringing it back out and giving it to the raven. "What time should I expect you?" He asked.

"12, midday. Or just after. Depending if I pick you or Rik up first." Avory confirmed, taking the piece of paper.

Kyle nodded. "I'll be ready by twelve sharp then," he promised.

"Good." His new host nodded before Kyle and Rikyuu left, waiting behind for Vinge to get his stuff. Avory turned to smile at Volcan and Ordagova in turn, "I'm glad I can help young love blossom. Or old... neither of you seem that old."

"Well, I'm only twenty-two, but..." Volcan looked at Ordagova, wondering if he wanted to say how old he really was.

"I turned Fourty-four in February" the snake announced.

Avory looked at them both, blinking a little. 'Huh... he looks great for fourty-four! But still, he's double Volcan's age. It's so cute and beautiful that they are still in love so far apart, but wow that's quite an age difference! I thought only eleven years between my parents was a lot!' He thought to himself, forgetting that Ordagova could listen.

Volcan, although not able to read Avory's thoughts, clearly saw the look on his face, and he chuckled. "I'm semi-immortal - I'll live for thousands of years," he said. "So, age difference is kind of a moot point as I'm about as old as I'm going to get for the next century or so." He looked at his hands absently, noting their youthful texture.

"Oh!" Avory jumped in surprise as Volcan realised what he must of been thinking, "I am just surprised! I never heard of a couple so different in age getting together." He commented before looking a little embarrassed before then, "but err... I think it's kinda hot. ...like you two weren't enough already, heh..."

The phoenix and snake shared a chuckle. "Glad you think so," Volcan said. "I wouldn't want you to think our relationship is... Somehow wrong in some way." he moved up to Ordagova's side as he spoke, putting his arm around him.

The snake did the same, wrapping his arms around Volcan's back and placing his hand on the birds hip and wrapping his long tail around his trouser leg and thigh. He grinned as he saw the young bird's imagination going wild trying to picture the hot gay couple together without any clothes and in the middle of particular activities.

"No! It's beautiful, I wouldn't change you for the world." Avory smiled, blushing, unable to avert his mind.

Ordagova smiled, sliding his hand up Volcan's side to his head and nudged it around to face him, leaning in a little for a kiss, which Volcan happily accepted, locking lips and beak and trading tongues without a care of their audience.

With that, Vinge came back downstairs, glancing briefly at the couple without really batting an eye before making his way over to Avory. Before they left, however, he turned to look at Ordagova, speaking his name to get his attention. "Thank you for your hospitality these past months," he said, bowing his head. "If you ever need anything from me, feel free to ask. I owe it to you."

Ordagova had broke the kiss with Volcan part way though Vinge's thank you, and smiled and nodded back at him, stroking his lover's side. "It wasss the leassst I could do. You are very welcome, Vinge."

Vinge nodded again, and then turned to Avory. "Shall we be on our way?" He asked, straight to the point.

"Yes. I think these two have a lot of catching up to do..." the raven smirked as he lead the way and left the bar with Vinge.

Ordagova turned his head to smile at Volcan again, "Alone again at lassst... Although any longer and I wasss jussst going to break out no matter who wasss around," the snake teased, hissing his tongue over Volcan's beak.

"Now we _both_have our spaces back again," Volcan said with a chuckle. "Though I don't imagine I'm heading back to my lonely tower tonight."

"I don't think you will ever be going back to your lonely tower~" the snake suggested, reaching around to pull Volcan close and into his chest, lifting his hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Perhaps not," he agreed. "It's a lot to think about... But I'm here to stay for now." He then embraced the snake, holding him tight in his strong arms - though careful not to squeeze the breath out of him.

Volcan could feel that tail around his leg slither and grow, shifting to encompass both of his ankles and coiling up his calves. A loud _thunk_came from the floor below them as the buckle on the snake's belt hit the floor attached to his discarded trousers and underwear that no longer had legs to house or any purchase around Ordagova's waist which shifted in the transformation. Volcan smiled as he watched Ordagova shifting to his true form - a form that so far the snake, or rather the Naga, had only revealed to him.

"Seems we have some catching up to do," said the phoenix.

"We sssure do" the naga grins, rising taller over the bird, reaching down to stroke his warm, soft feathered cheek.

"I suppose tomorrow will be a late start then," he said, lifting a hand to rest on Ordagova's cheek. "Just try to leave me able to walk. I'm going to have some work to do."

The snake smirks widely, "Oh, I can't promise that~" he teased, as the naga's tail encompassed Volcan's legs entirely, with the tip finding its way to the bird's belt buckle, dexterously unclasping it.

Volcan sighed, but he was smiling. "Ah, the heck with it then," he said before taking his lover in another passionate kiss.

The two locked mouths once more and kissed deeply. Stroking each other's cheeks and holding them both close as possible. Ordagova'a tail gave Volcan's waist and legs a couple of strong squeezes before loosening and uncoiling, letting the phoenix's trousers fall down his strong legs with the long back tail, until he stood in only white boxers below.

The naga tail quickly slithered off behind them towards the front door, quickly locking it so they wouldn't be interrupted. The curtains were already drawn when the meeting was held.

"Shall we take this upstairs then?" the now half-stripped phoenix offered.

"Of courssse, my love" the naga agrees, reaching down to Volcan's rear and lifting him up against his button shirt and vest clothed chest. Volcan found his legs wrapped around the naga's waist and he was carried behind the bar to the abode above.

~~~~~

The following day...

As previously planned, the group gathered at Ayane's place late in the morning - after confirming where she lived. Slowly, each of them arrived, with Ayane waiting outside as they began to appear. The first to arrive was Volcan, though he reported that Lighris wouldn't be coming until the evening. Likewise Obsidian was busy at work, and the two got started setting aside an area for training. Volcan hissing and wincing with each move, hobbling as he walked, citing that he slept funny that night.

"Try doing a few stretches while we wait for the others," Ayane suggested to him. "You're going to need to be nimble for proper training, I'd say."

"Right," Volcan replied, doing as she suggested.

Next to arrive were Korban and Kieran, coming in their RV rather than just on their motorbike so that they could bring the arsenal they had promised. Once they found a suitable spot to park, the two hunters got right to work on unloading their arsenal of assorted firearms and placed them all on a table in an orderly manner, starting with various smaller guns like pistols and submachine guns and ending with a few assault rifles and sniper rifles the two had either bought with their earnings, or scavenged during previous jobs and restored to good working order.

"Jeez. You've got enough weapons here for a whole country," Ayane remarked.

"Hey, in my line of work, you gotta have the right tool for the right job." Korban answered, then he grinned smugly. "Sometimes the right job means packing _all_the guns. No joke, there was one job I took where I packed so much heat, I literally was that Neo guy from the Matrix."

"I_dearly_ hope you're exaggerating," said Ayane.

"I'm... Really not keen on using guns," said Volcan. "I have my fire powers for distance combat either way. Do you have something for fighting up close?" He asked Korban. "Something more my speed?"

"That depends." He answered. "What _is_more yer speed?"

"Well..." Volcan began, but paused. He actually had no idea...

Korban snorted slightly at the phoenix's indecision. "...You've never fired a single gun in yer life, have you?" He asked pointedly.

"I've never held a weapon of any kind," he said. "I toyed around with a staff once when I was a kid, but that was it..."

"Then here's survival tip number one." Korban stated, poking Volcan on his chest. "Don't be picky. We're going up against trained killers that won't think twice about pulling the trigger on you. You wanna survive this, you learn the tools of the trade, because I guarantee you there will be another time where you won't have any of your fancy powers, and you'll be _thankful_you learned how to pack other sources of heat."

"Well you carry around a sword," Ayane commented. "Why don't you let him try that?"

Korban cast a glance at Ayane, arching an eyebrow at her, but then smirked as he reached behind him and lifted the sword off his back, offering it to Volcan. Gingerly, Volcan gripped the sword in both hands, and then let out a grunt when he was immediately pulled to the ground when Korban let go of the blade.

"What the _fuck?!"_Volcan demanded, pulling back his hands and shaking them, his fingers having nearly been crushed. "That sword weighs more than a truckload of lead!"

Korban laughed at Volcan's expense, taking a slight amount of pleasure in seeing his reaction to the weight of his sword. "To anyone else, it weighs a ton or twenty." Korban said before snapping his fingers. The blade suddenly jumped upward, spinning rapidly before the husky caught the hilt and rested his weapon along his shoulders. "To _me?_It may as well be a paperweight."

"Pretty strong for a little twink, aren't ya?" Volcan asked, rubbing his fingers. Then, he remembered something. "Wait a minute... So when Obsidian wasn't able to lift the sword herself without resorting to telekinesis..."

"Starting to piece the puzzle together, eh?" Korban asked with a wider grin. "I'll let you figure out the rest, but I'll give you one hint." He said as he glanced back at his sword. "This hunk'a metal is more than just a sword. It's... a family heirloom of sorts."

"You can call it to your hand, and it only lets you hold it," said Volcan. "At the very least the sword's empathic to you."

"Well, you're mostly right. I'll give you a pass." The husky returned with a shrug.

"Okay, so he can't use _that_one," said Ayane. "Do you have any others? Something not," She made wagging motions with her fingers, crossing her eyes, "hocus-pocused or whatever?"

"...Nah. Just the one." Korban answered with a small bit of hesitation. "Just borrow Kitty's fer now. He can stand to be without it for a while."

"If he's okay with that," said Volcan, looking at Kieran.

"...Really boss?" Kieran grumbled, glaring slightly at Korban. He eventually sighed and drew the black katana from his back, offering it to Volcan by the hilt.

Gingerly the phoenix took the sword, lifting it in his hand and gripping the long handle with both hands. He turned away to give it a few test swings, but he frowned.

"It's way too light..." he said.

"That strength of yours would make a katana pretty light for you, even if functionally it's a two-handed weapon," Ayane agreed.

Volcan sighed, turning to Kieran and offering him back the blade, handle first. "Thanks anyway - Kieran, was it? I'll find something else. Maybe I can make a big club or something." He paused as the cat took back the sword.

"Or a big enough stick." Kieran remarked as he took back his sword, sheathing it along his back.

"Jeez, no pleasing you is there...?" Korban remarked offhandedly toward the phoenix.

"I don't like the idea of using guns," said Volcan. "Anybody can use a gun, but you can't control where the bullet goes if it misses or goes through your target, and I for one prefer to avoid collateral damage. A handheld weapon is easier to control, but it's got to feel right in my hands, doesn't it?"

"Yea well, not all of us get what we want, flame brain." Korban remarked offhandedly. "Like I _just_told you, ya can't afford to be picky. You wanna survive, you learn the tools of the trade. Otherwise yer just gonna end up as dead weight."

"Maybe you think that way, but I don't," Volcan stated firmly.

Before an argument could break out between the two, a gust of wind rushed over the four of them, surprising them at the suddenness of it. They caught a blur of brown, green and blue above their heads before it abruptly slowed, and Pavan fell flailing out of the air, landing on all four limbs with a yelp.

"Whoops! Took that one a little _too_quick," the wind phoenix remarked, standing up. He turned to regard the four. "Am I late?"

"Not really," replied Ayane. "We never set a specific time so you're good." At that, she stepped over to the table and looked over some of the weapons herself. "Wonder if any of these will fit in the hands of my suit..." she wondered aloud.

Korban's ears pricked and he let out an annoyed sigh. "Great, _you_got a suit too?" He bemoaned. "What, having _one_Stark wannabe around wasn't enough?"

"Do I look physically imposing?" Ayane asked, gesturing to herself. "Volcan here is at least big, not to mention strong enough to cave in a car roof with his bare hands. If I'm going to back you guys up, it's going to be with technology. My armour isn't as sleek as Avogadro's so I'll be the extra muscle when we have to fight those creepy cyborgs of theirs - which, you probably want to avoid shooting, because they have hydrogen fuel and make a big boom if that goes off."

Volcan shuddered visibly. "Yeah... We found that out the hard way."

"Hmph. Noted." Korban scoffed.

"Boss, stop it. We're all on the same side here, can't you at least lighten up a little?" Kieran remarked.

"I'll lighten up when I get what I'm owed and outta this little shindig." Korban retorted.

"Well this is off to a glowing start," muttered Ayane.

"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Pavan. Then, in an instant his mood shifted, the eagerness in his voice matching his expression. "So when do we start - what are we doing first?"

"Still waiting on some others to ge- GAH!!" Volcan nearly jumped a meter into the air as the ground beside them suddenly exploded in a column of dust, startling the others as well.

Out of the dust emerged a familiar green avian, who brushed the soil off her bare arms as she casually approached them. She was dressed in a dark blue tank top and form-fitting capris, and had a belt of small knives around her waist.

"Hey guys," Tsumé said casually, flicking a bit of dirt off her shoulder.

"Geez, you scared the heck outta me!" Volcan exclaimed.

"Same!" Pavan agreed. "I'm still getting used to finding out you're a phoenix without you going 'pop' like a landmine!"

"What's with the entrance?" Ayane asked, patting her chest over her heart.

"What? Obsidian couldn't pick me up - she's at work," Tsumé replied, shrugging. "I move faster underground than I do above."

"Wait, what happened to your car?" Pavan asked. "You came to school every day in that... Lotus, or something?"

"It wasn't mine, it was my dad's," Tsumé replied, rolling her eyes. "You think he was going to let me keep it when I ran away from home? Not likely."

Korban arched an eyebrow at Tsumé's entrance, only now able to get a good look at the earth Phoenix up close since their last meeting the previous day. "...Huh. Stylish_and_beautiful." He remarked, allowing himself a smirk. "And here I thought _I_liked to make an entrance."

Tsumé glanced at him studiously, but otherwise ignored him as she turned to Ayane. "How are we setting up?"

"Well I spent some of the night working on some boards you could use for target practice," she offered, gesturing to the knives Tsumé carried. "So... What's the story with those?"

"In addition to my Capoeira classes I also took lessons from a champion knife fighter," she explained, looking down at the belt. "They're mostly for sport but I think I can use them practically."

"We'll have to test them," replied Ayane. "I'll go get the targets. Mind helping me, muscles?" She directed the question to Volcan.

"Uh, sure," replied Volcan, following her as she headed to the workshop.

Korban turned toward the RV. "Kitty, go help em set up. I'm gonna grab a drink and the ammo for the guns." He stated as he began to walk back to their mobile base.

"Really?" Kieran remarked, then sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned to join Volcan and Ayane in setting up the targets. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother..." he muttered begrudgingly.

As Kieran caught up to the two, Ayane looked back at Korban briefly, then at Kieran, arching a brow at him. "So... What's the story with you two? You're partners in crime, that much is clear, but you don't seem to get along that well."

"Oh him?" Kieran asked, looking over his shoulder toward the RV. "I mean... yea, we're partners, but... it's kinda a complicated deal." He tried to explain. "It's not really my place to say. Deep down, I'm sure he's a decent enough guy, he just..." he trailed off as he chose his next set of words carefully. "...He's just been through a lot in his life."

"Yet you let him be so dismissive of you?" Volcan asked. "He acts as though if you left tomorrow he'd just shrug it off."

"Well, consider this." Kieran began. "Say you were in his place. How'd you feel if every partnership you accept, every job you took, always ended up in someone backstabbing you in some aspect or another?" He asked. "You'd feel pretty jaded and distrusting of others too, man."

Volcan grimaced. "Yeah... I suppose I would," he said. "But still, he has to trust someone. Otherwise he'll push everybody in his life away."

"Dude... he doesn't even trust _me,_and I've been working with him for a good few years." Kieran replied. "His trust issues run so deep, he doesn't even trust his own partner. What do ya think _that_says about him?"

"That he's doomed to be alone for the rest of his life," Volcan replied sourly, but with a note of sympathy to his tone of voice.

Kieran sighed. "That's a fate I wouldn't wanna wish on anyone... But I can't _make_him trust people, especially not after that last double cross he and I went through..." the cat replied. "Honestly, it's a wonder he even keeps me around. Sure, we compliment each other in terms of skill and abilities, but there's no real synergy between us. A lot of times we even take separate jobs..."

"Yet when separated against us, you two didn't do all that well," Volcan pointed out.

"Well in our defense, you got the jump on us." Kieran returned. "But yea, it speaks _wonders_about us, doesn't it?"

"And not in a good way," Ayane muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

~~~~~

Later...

Vinge went on ahead while Avory went to pick up Kyle. As promised, the human waited outside, with only a small amount of luggage to carry. A single duffle bag, and the clothes on his back.

A black Range Rover pulled up in front of him and the passenger window rolled down showing the avian behind the wheel.

"Punctual. I certainly appreciate that," Avory commented to the human.

"One of the first things they practically beat into you when you join the marines," said Kyle as he put his luggage into the back and then climbed into the passenger seat in front. "If you're not early, you're late."

"I like that," Avory smiled approvingly at the human beside him, but still reserving his expectations that this could still all be a bluff.

Kyle fastened his seatbelt and settled into his seat as they drove to pick up Rikyuu, who waited outside of Ordagova's bar as he promised he would. He heard the brief sound of a car's horn an looked around to see up the highstreet a black four by four had parked in a free space as close as possible to the bar with a white sleeved and dark grey hand waving out of the driver's side window. Rikyuu waved back and waited and jogged over and climbed aboard.

"Hey fellas!" The dragon said cheerily to the two as he settled into the back seat.

"Afternoon," Avory replied, looking over at Rikyuu through the rearview mirror. "You get over here ok?"

"Yeah. Tsumé's powers really come in handy for getting over that border. Or rather_under_it in this case," replied Rikyuu. "How're you guys doing?"

"I'm good to go," Kyle replied. "Looking forward to our training today. Been a little too long since I got a good workout."

"Wait wait wait..." Avory blinked in confusion, turning around in his seat to look around at Rikyuu. "What did you say?"

Rikyuu blinked, taking a moment before he caught on to Avory's confusion. "Oooh right, we didn't tell you yet," he said. "Yeah, I can copy other people's powers. Like so."

In an instant, his body turned completely white, with dark blue markings filling the sockets of his eyes - identical to Vinge in colour. A sphere of ice formed in one of his claws then, and he rolled the sphere between his claws like a toy ball.

"Pretty handy, huh?" He asked, smiling at Avory's surprised expression. "I'd show you Volcan's but, obviously you don't want an open flame inside your car," he added as a joke.

Avory said nothing for what seemed forever, beak agape in shock and unmoving. He eventually unfroze, coming to terms with what he was witnessing, "...How the hell are you doing that?"

"It's a _long_story," Rikyuu began. "The short of it is, I'm not a naturally born dragon - I was grown in a vat and my powers come from highly advanced nanotech that can imitate the powers of some metagenes - not psionics - and elementals."

"So_that's_why the Disruptor doesn't work on you!" Kyle exclaimed, looking back at him. "Your powers are artificial!"

"That's right!" Rikyuu replied.

"Shit, I've been trying to figure that out for months!"

"You didn't ask."

"So let me get this straight... you are made of nanites and can turn into everyone and use their powers?" Avory asked in amazement.

"Well, not _made_of nanites, but I'm filled with them, yes. But I only take on their colours, not their traits," Rikyuu replied. "But anyway, I'm basically a clone using the cells of various dragon species, infused with nanites and programmed with combat training. My creator was a scientist name Dr. Nero Cornelius, who disappeared about five... Almost six years ago, according to the database from the base where I escaped from. I was just... Left there but I don't yet know why."

"I err... don't wish to intrude but... Can I get a closer look at you at some point?" Avory asked nervously.

Rikyuu smiled. "Sure. But you'll have to buy me dinner first," he said in jest.

Kyle burst out laughing when Avory blushed. "I-I didn't mean like that! But I can if you're serious," he replied, trying to be confident, but suddenly having second thoughts after he said it.'Fuck! Why did you say that?! You know you can't date guys, you idiot!'

Rikyuu clapped him on the shoulder. "Relax, buddy - I was kidding," he said. "I wouldn't mind letting you examine me, but if you hope to analyze the nanites, Ayane already tried. Unfortunately they self-destruct when they leave my bloodstream, so you won't get much from them."

"Right... Well we can try that later, perhaps." Avory nodded, trying to not sound disappointed as he turned back around in his seat ready to start driving. 'He didn't take it poorly, he was just joking. But fuck me, why are all these super powered gods so hot? It's probably for the best that the guys reject me.'

The three exchanged a few words as they headed to Ayane's house outside the city. Following directions from Rikyuu, they soon arrived to see that practice was already well underway. They saw Tsumé standing before several standing targets, hurling metal objects at them - which upon getting closer, they could see were knives - while Korban watched. Vinge, having already arrived, was currently sparring with Kieran, their swords clashing with a ring that became audible when Avory cut the engine.

"Looks like they started without us," remarked Kyle, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Avory parked up next to the RV and the three got out, leaving their belongings inside ready to head straight to their new home after.

Avory stood by his car and looked around, surprised at how prepared they seemed to be, believing this would be a ramshackle operation, but they seemed serious. Kyle retrieved his bag from the back, joining the others as they approached. Korban was the first to see them, looking up from watching Tsumé's target practice with the knives to see them approaching.

"Not a bad little gig you've got going here," the raven-hoopoe commented, walking over to the husky and earth phoenix. "I wasn't quite expecting this."

"Well look who finally showed up." The husky remarked, glancing between Avory, Kyle and Rikyuu respectively, then looked at the car behind them. "You guys rode in a rover and ya _still_took yer sweet time. What, did ya stop to get groceries along the way?" He added in a snide tone.

"Well no one said what time. At least I told my guys here to be ready for twelve." Avory frowned, rolling his eyes at the husky's attitude. "Besides, we're probably the least in need of training."

"Somehow I doubt that, especially with you, Stark." Korban retorted. "Whatever. Yer here, so get yer shit unpacked so we can move on with today."

Kyle stepped in then, evidently hoping to prevent an argument. "Mind showing me what kind of gear you brought?" He asked. "I could use an upgrade myself - I have a couple I could trade them for."

"Table over there." Korban pointed behind Kyle. "Help yerself. I got plenty more where that came from."

Kyle nodded and walked over to the table. "Got an Armalite, or anything else similar to an M16? I used an A4 back when I was in the marines."

"I got a Carbine, an AK, and an AUG. Take yer pick." Korban answered. "Best AR's in the business if you ask my opinion, but that's just me."

"We'll be in tight quarters so a compact will be best," Kyle replied, nodding as he reached the table, extracting a firearm from the duffel bag he carried and laying it on the table before going over the selection.

"Boys with their toys," Tsumé remarked, throwing another knife at her target, landing a neck shot on the wooden dummy.

Korban's ear flicked at her comment, glancing over his shoulder at her and casting a wry smirk her way. "Same could be said about the ladies, babe." He commented right back.

She made no remark, and threw her last knife before going to collect them and resume, noticing Avogadro walk up to her.

"I apologize for his comments," he began.

"No worries," she replied. "I received far worse in school." She then turned to look at him. "Did you want to try?" She offered, showing the small throwing knives in her hand.

"I'm good thanks," he smiles at her, "I've got my own kit already. But I must say, you're pretty good with those; I've not seen you miss the target once whilst I've been here."

"All about being at the right distance, and keeping a consistent pitch with your throwing arm," she said, flipping one knife between her fingers before turning and throwing it back at the target.

She missed. The knife spun past the target, and imbedded itself into the grass several meters behind it.

"Aaaaand not being a showoff," she remarked dryly, giving a weak smile.

Avory chuckled at her reaction, shaking his head with his hands on his hips before looking up at her again, "Yeah, don't pick that up from_Doggo_over there."

"Right," she said, lowering the other knives before turning to him again. "I never got the chance to properly thank you for saving my hide that night, when those P.A.C.E agents jumped me. So, thank you." She said, nodding to him. "If you hadn't come along when you did I'd probably be another lab experiment for them."

"You're welcome. It's what I do." He smiled and nodded his head softly, "Besides, I think I owe you anyway; I heard that you ran away from your family."

She tilted her head. "Well... Yes. But why does that mean you owe me anything? You didn't tell my dad to be an asshole," she replied.

"No, but it was my father he was _courting," h_is expression saddened, "I don't know who organized what, but I am deeply sorry for that night. I want to apologize to you on behalf of my father. If you ever need anything from me, you've got it."

Tsumé considered him for a moment before letting out a sigh. "It wasn't your fault, or your dad's," she said. "Mine's the one who decided to put that dinner on the same night I was going to turn eighteen - a night he _knew_I wanted to be special. That was his choice." She smiled at him. "Still, I appreciate the sentiment."

Avory nodded again, "but still, if there is anything I can do to help. please do say."

"I wouldn't know what to tell you," she said. "All I wanted was just to have a normal life but my dad just wouldn't let it happen. He wanted me to suit _his_choices - to just be a happy 'good girl' like my sisters." She scoffed.

"My father is just as bad. I can't just live a normal life; he's so controlling. I essentially had to move all the way over here to get away from him, and just live." he reflected, "I guess my vigilantism was my escape from it all."

"Well you went to greater lengths than me," she said with a laugh. "Of course... My dad froze my trust fund when I ran off so I could only leave with the money I'd been putting aside for years. I'm still having a bit of trouble finding work." She groaned. "Ah, but that's for me to worry about."

"How long have you been looking for?" Avory asked curiously.

"Months now," she said, shaking her head. "I just can't understand what I'm doing wrong. I've been going for entry level jobs - start small, you know? Barista, mail carrier, produce clerk - all simple stuff anyone can do. But I've been turned down for every single one and I don't understand why."

"Have you asked Ordagova for a job at his bar?" he suggested, "He seems like such a nice guy."

"He mentioned it, but he can't afford to hire new staff yet," she replied, shaking her head. "What I really want to do is something working with my hands, and around what I love. I always loved growing my own garden - it's easy for one of my kind too. But I know landscaping is hard to get into so I was trying to start small - get some good references, but nobody is giving me a chance."

Avory's face suddenly lit up in front of her. He paused for a moment before airing his idea to her. "Actually... I've been considering getting a landscaper... or gardener, if you will."

Her face lit up like Avory's at the offer. "Wait, really?" She asked. "But... Are you sure I qualify?"

"Do you need qualifications to garden?" He chuckles, "I imagine you only qualifying by not mucking up my garden. Instead, actually improving it."

"Society sure seems to think you do," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But alright, sure! I'd be happy to give it a go."

"Brilliant! We can talk pay later, but we can make it official so you can start getting a history of employment." The raven smiled."You're an Earth Phoenix, aren't you? I'm not sure the extent of your powers, but I imagine they will help you till the earth."

"Oh I can do much more than that," she said, dropping her handful of knives before she stomped her foot on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the Earth Phoenix dropped, disappearing into a hole that opened beneath her and closed just as quickly. As Avory collected himself, he saw Tsumé erupt from the earth a short distance away from him, arching through the air before going headfirst into the soil again like a dolphin playing in the water. After doing this several more times she popped up in the same spot where she had begun from, this time elevated on a narrow column she balanced atop of with one foot.

"Showoff!" Pavan's voice called from overhead where the wind phoenix was flying laps around the property.

Avory looked up at Tsumé towering above him, mouth agape as he had done so meeting so many of his recent equantances. His mind awashed with awe and admiration, but after such a majestic display by the beautiful wingless bird, his heart raced in his chest, thumping loudly like he's never felt before.

He was fairly sure he was in love.

"Impressed?" She asked rhetorically as the column sank back into the ground, leaving no sign it ever existed. "I can also give life back to plants and somewhat control them too. I would have shown you but this spot is a little barren." She gestured to the dry ground around them. "It's more impressive in the forest anyway."

Avory was still stunned silent by the bird, his chest rising and falling lightly as he gazed upon her face, catching her eye, feeling weak in the knees. A light breeze could topple him over, let alone a personal earthquake.

"Uh... hello?" Tsumé asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

"I think you broke him," Pavan's voice came again as he landed beside her, his wings carried by an unusual wind that seemed to follow him, casting over the mortal and tipping him over.

Avory suddenly snapped awake, catching himself and stepping back. "Gah! I... erm... sorry" he apologized standing upright again, regaining composure, a faint blush appearing upon his grey cheeks as he realized how long he was staring. "I... er... yeah!"

Tsumé chuckled. "I suppose it's our fault. This must all be coming as a bit shocking to you, seeing our abilities in action," she said. "Perhaps I overdid it."

"It was beautiful," Avory praised, "I have never seen anything so majestic before in all my life..."

Tsumé smiled. "Well thank you," she said. "I take pride in the control I've developed over the years." She looked off to the side. "Though I admit, Vinge still has me beat there. He doesn't even need to move."

"But that is one of the most beautiful things about you," the raven spoke genuinely, "your form, your grace, your body was beautiful as it leapt from the earth. Every movent was so clean, coordinated and precise... like an angel, gracing the earth with its divine beauty..." the raven commented, speaking directly from the heart, not realizing what he was saying.

Pavan looked sidelong at Tsumé. "And you said my pickup lines were a load of cheese," he remarked.

"P-Pick up?!" Avory blinked in shock, only just processing what he might have said.

Tsumé snickered. "Not to worry. I found it flattering," she said, then knelt down to pick up her previously discarded knives. "Now, I better get back to practice."

Avory was bright red but spoke up again, "W-would you like to come back, later? To my place. To see the garden. Of course..."

"We'll see. We've all got a lot of work to do yet," she replied. "Once Vinge is done sparring with Kieran, I'm up next."

With that, Tsumé went back to throwing her knives at the target, landing a precise hit to the dummies chest area. Pavan watched as she worked and chuckled as she landed another shot.

"I knew she was competitive but this is a side of her even I never got to see," he remarked as he and the black bird watched on. "Well, she's right though - back to work!"

With a whoosh of air, Pavan went skyward once again, a draft washing over Avory as the wind carried Pavan into the air. From there, he was off like a shot, falling into a brief dive before circling the property as he had been doing before.

"Your balance is off," Vinge told Kieran as he parried another swing of the cat's blade. "You are tall, Kieran, but the sword you wield is designed to be used with _two_hands, not one."

"Well yea, because normally I either have my pistol or a spell book in my offhand." Kieran replied, regaining his balance after being parried and grasping the sword in both hands this time. "Like I told you, I've never had any formal training. Everything I have is self taught... except for most of my basic spells."

"Using a katana requires finesse, and commitment to the weapon - to make it an extension of yourself," Vinge went on, striking multiple times and letting Kieran block each one. "If you cannot commit to the weapon, perhaps you should consider something better suited to fighting with only one hand. A shorter version, perhaps, or a duelist's blade."

"Ugh, maybe." Kieran answered, grunting as he blocked each strike thrown at him. "Thing is, no one really uses swords anymore, and this one was the only sword I got as a reward for clearing a job. I just made do with what I had at the time." He added, going for a swing to Vinge's flank after the last block.

Vinge turned sharply, bringing his blade around to block Kieran's sword again before making a sharp riposte, pulling the blade along before bringing it around with the flat by Kieran's neck. "Until you meet an opponent who does still use a sword, and robs you of your other tools," he reminded the cat of their first contest. "P.A.C.E will rob you of your magic, and your pistol alone will not outperform their tactical weaponry. If one should get close..." he left it at that, not needing to spell it out for Kieran, before pulling his sword back and resuming his position.

"Then I'm cooked either way..." Kieran remarked, flattening his ears and sighing heavily before he lifted his sword up into a ready stance as well. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this sorta thing then."

"That is what we are here to solve," said Vinge. "Now, again. This time, you can incorporate your magic - let us see how well you can focus while under attack."

"Ehhh, alright. I'll try." Kieran answered uneasily, using one of his paws to open up his coat a bit so that he had easier access to his spell books, nodding for Vinge to attack.

Vinge came at him in a lunge, swinging high and forcing Kieran's guard there, before reversing his swing and going for a low strike this time. This time, instead of blocking with his blade, the cat quickly pulled out one of his tomes and held it in front of himself. Vinge was then pushed back by a translucent barrier immediately after, to which the cat pushed forward to force Vinge to retreat further and give him enough breathing room to pull out another tome and cast a small electric spell at the ice Phoenix before running in with a thrust of his own.

With barely a movement, Vinge brought up an ice wall between himself and Kieran just as he saw the electricity forming. The bolt struck the ice wall, melting the spot where it connected before dispersing over the ice. With that, the ice wall shattered, and dozens of fragments flew at Kieran in a barrage.

"Ah shit!" Kieran shouted, bringing up his arms instinctively and wincing as the fragments pelted against his body, leaving behind small cuts and welts along his body. With a growl, he pulled out another tome once the barrage was finished and cast a wide arcing fire spell in retaliation.

Once again, Vinge threw up an ice wall. But he didn't wait for the wall to melt under the fire; he took to the air, flying over the flames to drop at Kieran from above with a flying dropkick.

Kieran reached up with his offhand and blocked the kick with his forearm once it came down, then in a quick motion he grabbed at Vinge's leg before he could pull away, and with an angry yowl, he threw Vinge to the ground as hard as he could, moving on top of him and holding the point of his blade at the phoenix's forehead, panting heavily.

"Well done," the ice phoenix complimented him, dropping his sword in a show of surrender.

Kieran let out a long sigh and stepped back, allowing Vinge to get back on his feet. Despite winning that little sparring session, he still wore a frown on his face, looking off to the side.

"You let me get away with that, didn't you?" He asked.

"Not at all," he replied, standing up. "That one was earned. It seems you can still use your sword defensively, even under pressure. That is something we can work with."

"I guess it's something." He replied with a shrug. "So where do we go from here?"

"Continue practicing on your own for now - I believe Kyle and Korban will be setting up the firing range soon as well. I must move on to unarmed training with Tsumé," replied Vinge. Then, as he turned, he paused and looked back at Kieran. "Also, it may not be my place to suggest it, but for a Spellsword, your spells are your armour. It may be worth it to give yourself a form of kinetic armour when we assault P.A.C.E - lest a stray bullet or an attack from behind be your end."

Kieran stood motionless for a moment, considering Vinge's advice before he looked behind him, though at nothing in particular. The thought of being attacked from behind never occurred to him, and though he didn't admit it out loud, Vinge did have a point...

He pulled out one of his tomes and flipped it open to the desired page, staring at the inscribed runes intently. It was a spell page he'd never thought of using before, dedicated to magic armour, defensive wards and barriers. He studied it for a moment, nodding to himself before closing it and smirking.

"Huh... actual advice." He muttered to himself, looking in Vinge's direction as he sparred with the smaller, nimbler Earth Phoenix. "Thanks, Frosty. I'll look into that little flaw ya pointed out."

~~~~~

Avory watched the ongoing training between the others. The mesmerizing battle between Tsumé and Vinge was exciting, though in contrast he found the sounds of gunfire from Kyle, Korban and Kieran's target practice distasteful. Volcan was hard at work trying to make himself some kind of weapon using wood and scrap metal, something Avory could not really help him with, and Pavan was in a sparring session with Rikyuu, the speedy Wind Phoenix trying to overcome the blue dragon's defenses, but Rikyuu proved as solid on defense as he was on offense with his unusual powers.

With nothing else to do, Avory went to the workshop where he knew Ayane was working, thinking he might be of more use to her than any of the others for now. He stepped through the door, and it took him a moment to locate the dragoness, finding her standing by what seemed to a headless metal humanoid machine resting against the wall. She had the chest panel open, and he could hear the sound of tools clicking from inside the chest cavity.

"Is that another weapon from P.A.C.E?" Avory asked as he walked up to her curiously.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Nope. This one's my own design," she replied. "I mostly built it as a pet project but it's come in mighty handy ever since P.A.C.E showed up."

"I didn't know you were such an avid fan" Avory chuckles, stepping up to the large suit to admire, "Very bulky. Looks powerful."

"Fan?" She asked, arching a brow. Then, it clicked. "Oh, because of your suit. No, actually - I started working on this before I heard of the Lightnings. I will admit though seeing you in action on TV did inspire me to work on improving it. When I first made it, I only intended it for heavy lifting purposes, and it is still mainly for that but I've since upgraded the armour and lifting capacity." She pointed at the inert P.A.C.E Cyborg with her screwdriver. "Got a bit of insight from studying the creepy one there on how to do the latter."

"That's brilliant," Avory smiled. "A heavy duty lifting exoskeleton would be brilliant for a number of workplaces. Would be a great product to create and sell," the raven suggested.

"Better than a forklift," she said with pride.

"Exactly!" Avory cheered before his expression turned serious, "It's just a shame that the most significant advancement appears in times of conflict; It seems we can learn so much from P.A.C.E. Hopefully after all of this is over, we can use the technology and innovations we discover for peace. ...Like your suit" he ended again with a smile.

"There's an old saying - necessity is the mother of invention," said Ayane, standing up and resting her hands on her hips as she looked over her exo-suit, studying her work. "Conflict is terrible, but we can't really deny that some of the world's greatest scientific advancements happened because conflict drove us to do so. Just about all technology that is used at the convenience of others today began as something else. Something previously intended for... less peaceful purposes."

Avory nodded before, taking in her creation one more time before turning to look at the aircraft once again. "I believe I can mitigate some of the Mana amplifier invertereffects if I was able to create the spherum for it." He stated, looking back at the dragoness. "May I study it again with some of my equipment this time?"

She looked at him. "Mana Amp - oh, the Disruptors," she said, looking toward one of VTOLs. "Well, if you think you can, by all means. I'll even help you get it out."

"Brilliant!" the raven exclaimed, "I'll just go get my kit. I'll just be a sec."

A few minutes later, the raven had returned with his equipment from the car and placed it on a clear workbench, "So where's this other one? You said you had taken one apart?"

"I've been trying to, yeah. But I think the frame of the VTOL's were actually built around them, which makes them really _really_hard to remove," said Ayane. "Going in from the top only gives you access to the circuitry but the more complex machinery is built right under the floor."

"Fine by me," Avory nodded, "It looked like the same design I had in mind, so I think I know how to disconnect it from the top. Really I only need to get the spherum out. See how they made it and take some readings. The rest of the device is all child's play."

"Indubitably," agreed Ayane, and they got to work.

Inevitably some heavy lifting was needed, and Ayane had to jump into her suit to give them the muscle they needed to extract the Disruptor. Once they had managed to fully disconnect the core from the machinery, she lifted out the protective casing that contained the element Avory sought, her mechanical fingers holding it gently enough to avoid causing any further damage to the already cannibalized machinery as she brought it over to the table for him.

The core casing had to be removed next. Fortunately, it consisted of a platinum-tungsten webbed cage that seemed simple enough to remove. But before they started cutting into it, Ayane voiced a cautious question.

"Should we be wearing radiation protection or anything like that?"

"Nah. If anything you'd need to wear a fireproof, waterproof, grounded, weighted but floating suit if you wanted to be more prepared. But we'll be fine..." he commented as Avory started cutting into the platinum-tungsten frame.

"Alright. You know this sort of thing better than me," she admitted, and then went silent as she watched him cut into the core casing, letting him concentrate on the delicate work.

Cutting straight into the dark silvery core around the deep purple orb, Avory made cuts around the circumference to pull the top half clean off. He was extra careful not to cut into the spherum below, cutting most of the way with his mini blade saw and then finishing the cut with a sharp knife that allowed him to be more accurate, even if it took longer to finish the cuts with it then the rest of it.

Once the cutting was completed, the top of the inverter cage came cleanly off when he lifted it, revealing the bare surface of the dark, spherical core to view.

"OK, I just need to get a jack under this to lift it out of the bottom half of the inverter, and then we should be able to get put hands around it and lift" the raven remarked confidently, reaching for a small remote hydraulic jack began positioning it under the purple core in a way that it will be able to lift it through the metal webbing.

Ayane lowered her armour onto its knees so that she can climb out, lifting herself from the exo-suit and moving to help Avory position the jack.

"Ok..." Avory muttered, pulling his hand out from under the spherum with the jack in place. "Once it pushes it up out of the bottom half of the inverter, we should be able to get our hands around it to lift it out,'' he says, pulling out his phone and connecting it remotely to the jack below.

The jack slowly made contact with the underside of the large purple orb through a gap in the platinum-tungsten cage and began to lift it up, leaning on the side of the cage as it rose as it was pried out.

Once high enough Avory stopped the jack and leaned down, wrapping his arms around it keenly and lifted it up against his chest, falling back a bit onto his backside with the large dark purple spherum orb resting in his lap, caressing it with hands like a newborn baby. "Wow, it's not as heavy as I thought! But man... it feels so good!"

Ayane reached out and touched the orb, feeling the same sensations Avory felt course through her body. It was... Strange. She felt warmth, but also cold. The texture of the sphere seemed almost gelatinous when she ran her finger over it, yet it retained its shape. But the most alien sensation was the mild tingle she felt in her brain, as though her nerves were being stimulated just by making contact with her fingers.

"My God... What is this thing?" She asked. "I can't even describe what I feel when I touch it. it's so... Otherworldly."

"Ahh~" the bird closed his eyes and rubbed the hard surface with the palms of his hand and fingers outstretched. "It feels amazing, and not just because I've been chasing this for almost a year now," he chuckled, standing up with it, holding the almost half meter diameter sphere between his two hands.

'Huh? What feels amazing? What have I been chasing?' Avory heard in his mind making him shake his head.

'Errr... this spherum, obviously,' he thought to himself.

'_...What on Earth is going on with me? Why would I be thinking that?' T_hat voice then spoke back again.

He was confused, and looked down at the orb in his hands. 'Because you're holding it?'

'...But I'm not holding anything?' the voice inside him spoke back, only for Ayane to bring him back to reality.

"Avogadro?" Ayane asked, snapping her fingers by his ear. "Hey, you still with me there?"

"Yeah! Sorry... I... it's nothing" he dismissed it, quickly turning and stepping out of the VTOL and over to the workbench, placing the orb on it carefully, finally letting go.

Ayane eyed him oddly for a time before she shrugged. "Well I can certainly say I've never seen anything like this before in my life," stated Ayane, studying the orb. "And _this_is what makes our psionic and Phoenician buddies helpless? P.A.C.E really discovered something here, I'll give them that."

"Actually, this would amplify their powers. What we could both probably feel is the power of earth, wind, water, fire and electricity running through us. Together they also generate a psionic frequency." he turned back around to point at the aircraft behind them, "that mechanism we just dismantled to get this out is what inverted its power to render our friends useless."

"Right, but you see my point," said Ayane. "The fact they could even conceive of this is unprecedented. And it begs the question, _how_did they learn about Phoenixes, about Metagenes or Psionics, or anything like that? If their entire existence is secret..." she shook her head. "There's just a big gap in the logic there I can't fill."

"Perhaps once we've cleared out their base of operations, we will fill that gap..." Avory pondered as he wrapped a cloth around the base of the orb to stop it from rolling, before pulling out his tools to run some deeper analysis.