FSE

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The sound of gravel crunched under the tires on the gravel road, slowly fading into a quiet hum as tarmac took over. The black range rover stopped at the junction in the woods and Avory looked both ways to see if anything was oncoming before pulling out, back onto the main road and heading west towards the mountains again. They drove along the shores of Heel Lake for a time before pulling away from the waters and back into the forest, turning off the main road and heading towards Climbers Lake, where a driveway snaked its way past.

They passed a small wooden fence that marked the edge of a property, and up ahead onto an incline stood a large white glassy mansion overlooking the lake in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. The Range Rover pulled in front of the building, rolling around a large brick paved driveway, softly stopping for the passengers to get out.

Avory shut off the engine and undid his seatbelt, opening the door and practically leaping out of the car to circle the bonnet and reach the other side of the car where he grasped the handle and pulled it open for the beautiful green phoenix to step out. Avory reached out with his other hand to assist her down from the four-by-four. Tsumé nodded in thanks to him as she slid out of her seat, and then turned to look up at the house itself where her smile disappeared and her eyes widened with surprise.

Before them was a large building only two storeys tall, but a wide floor plan. The walls were a brilliant white concrete with large floor-to-ceiling glass windows on both floors. The double front door appeared intentionally off-center, sitting further to the left of the facade, as well as most of the windows to the rooms, whilst the right of the facade was home to a wide garage door, topped with more floor to ceiling windows on the floor above.

“Wow… It’s beautiful,” Tsumé complimented. “Big windows, lots of natural light. The asymmetry makes it look more unique too.”

“I don’t know why but I expected it to be bigger,” Rikyuu remarked. “But she’s right - it’s lovely.”

“You should see how big my family’s home is back in the UK,” Avory commented to Rikyuu as the dragon stepped out of the car, followed by Kyle who was previously stuck between the two male passengers in the back. I really like it. I’m not actually sure who designed it, but I fell in love with it when I came out here, so I bought it off of my dad.” Avory informed, “Well… paying him back over time for it. I’ve already got plans on how to expand it” he smiled deviously before making his way over to the boot of the car, so he can grab his scientific kit, and for the passengers to grab their own bags.

“I admire its practicality and ornatability,” said Vinge. “The structure is well suited for the weather systems that often affect this area, and the large windows let in plenty of natural light.”

“This’ll probably be the fanciest building I’ve ever set foot inside of since I visited that mosque in Kabul,” Kyle remarked.

“...interesting comparison,” Avory remarked, looking strangely at the African-American human as they all grabbed their bags. Avory closed the boot and locked the car, following Vinge as he led the way to the large double doors, the ice phoenix’s hands free save for one resting over the pommel of his sword. “Would you do us the honors?” Avory asked with hands full.

“Certainly,” Vinge replied, reaching into his pocket and producing a keycard, bringing it to the lock and swiping it through the slot. The door unlocked, and Vinge pushed it open and held it for the others.

“You want some help with those?” Kyle offered Avory.

“It’s fine, thanks” Avory nodded slightly in gratitude before following Vinge in.

The double doors lead into a well lit corridor with laminated floor all the way through. The avians stepping onto it with their bare claws could feel it was heated.

“Cloakroom in there.” Avory looked to the first door on his right and gestured with his beak “Dirty shoes need to go in there” Avory called back to the crew, if only to the human who was the only one not barefoot, “Coats in there too.” as he carried on passed two doors on the left and another on the right, entering a wide open room.

Kyle went to take off his boots, but nobody headed to the cloakroom as nobody wore anything over their clothes - besides Rikyuu’s red vest, but the dragon was almost always shirtless regardless. They began to explore the first floor, getting a feel for what would likely be their new home for a while until the threat of P.A.C.E had ended. The main room that Avory lead them into was a large open plan kitchen to the left and living room to the right with a long dining table between the two. It was large and light as the living room lacked a ceiling, instead surrounded by a balcony above it on three of the four walls on the floor above, with the stairs to reach the upper floor next to the corridor they just emerged from. The side where the balcony did not extend to was a huge two-story floor to ceiling glass window with cascading doors on the back of the property, looking out towards a large green lawn surrounded by trees and the tall ominous Rocky Mountains towering over them.

“Tall ceilings - actually quite nice for a dining room,” said Tsumé. “Makes it feel more spacious.”

“Mhm” the raven agreed, walking over to the dining table and placing his load upon it as he turned to his guests in tow, peering behind them to try and see if Kyle had caught up yet after stowing his shoes in the first room. “Right. Vinge already called dibs on one of upstairs rooms, so you and Kyle will have to decide between each other who wants the last upstairs room and who gets the downstairs one we just passed, opposite the cloakroom.” he announced to Rikyuu as the human rejoined them.

“I can stay down here,” Kyle offered. “I kind of prefer the ground floor anyway - always feels safer to me.”

“Are you happy with that?” Avory then turned to the dragon.

Rikyuu nodded. “Yep! That’s fine with me,” he replied. “Long as there’s a place to sleep, I’m not picky.”

“Brilliant” Avory smiled. “Ok, so Kyle you are back down the hallway, the last door on the right” the host gestured to him with his hands. “The door on the right just before that is your guest bathroom; opposite that is another downstairs toilet for anyone to use.”

“Thank you,” Kyle said, and then added. “And, if there’s anything you need from me around the house, please just ask. I’m more than willing to earn my keep.”

“Well we will see who out of you three get the the hoover, mop and toilet brush” Avory teases before turning to Rikyuu, “Now if you follow me, I’ll show you to your room…” he commented, before stepping past the team to reach the stairs and skip up to the landing above, overlooking the living room below.

“That’s my room,” he announced, pointing to the room above the kitchen, “my sister’s” he pointed at the next one along, then the one in the corner, just above Kyle’s guest bedroom, “And Vinge’s.”

“Which, I will be retiring for now,” said Vinge. “It has been a busy day.”

“Goodnight, Vinge,” said Rikyuu as the ice phoenix headed to his room.

Concerned, Tsumé turned to Avory. “So, you have a sister that lives here too?” She asked.

“Yeah, we’ve bought this place together. …Buying this place together,” he corrected himself, “You’ll meet her soon, she’s amazing.”

“I’m sure she is,” said Tsumé. “But, you did tell her you have guests, right? I dunno about you but I think I’d flip out if I saw a six-foot tall, homeless-looking human or a beefy blue dragon I didn’t know walking through my house unannounced.”

“She’ll understand. I’ll give her a call this evening to let her know. I’m sure she’ll be all for it.” the raven nodded, trying to make sure to remember to call his sister at some point.

He then returned to the tour, pointing at the room opposite Vinge’s, “That’s your and Vinge’s bathroom; you’ll have to share.” he commented before realizing something that made him smirk. “Not at the same time probably, but I’ve got nothing against that.” He chuckled to the dragon before walking past a small sofa and coffee table in the hallway near the stairs, overlooking the living room. Behind this small upstairs living area sat another door, “And then this is your room, Rikyuu.”

Curious, Rikyuu walked over to the door and opened it, peering into the room where he’d be staying to take it in. It was clean and immaculate. The carpeted floor of the upper level carried on into the room where a double bed sat off to the right, flanked by two bedside tables. At the foot of the bed was a modern looking chest of storage and on the right wall was a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe with draws for all the storage he could dream of filling, but never being able to do so. In front of him opposite the door were the large windows looking out towards the front of the property and Climber’s lake in the distance at the foot of the driveway. A silky pair of sheer curtains cover them that could be drawn. In each corner of the window was a thicker blackout curtain if you didn’t fancy the view.

“Wow,” said Rikyuu, turning in a circle as he walked into the room, admiring it. “This room alone is more equipped than the entire campervan I’ve been living in since I met ‘Sid.”

Avory chuckles, “Well I’m glad you like it. I’ll let you get settled in.” he comments with a smile before closing the door behind him and turning to Tsumé who was peeking into the room curiously, “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Not a problem,” she replied, smiling back. “This is a nice house, I have to say.”

“Thanks” he nodded, “it was built on land purchased from your dad. The most expensive plot he had to offer, but can you blame my dad for it when you have the views around here?” he asked Tsumé, reaching out to her back and guiding her towards the stairs with him, descending to the living room below.

“Not in the slightest. Prime real estate like this is exactly why my dad got into that profession,” said Tsume. “It brought him all the way here from France. I was actually hatched in Paris, spent a year in Quebec City then grew up here in Unity Falls, so this has been home for me ever since I was a little girl. Dad’s the biggest game in real estate in the whole city.”

“Probably the biggest name in the whole city regardless; everyone seems to know the name ‘Mondiale’” he commented as they walked past the sofas and dining table to the large cascading back doors, reaching for the handle and pulling it open to walk out onto the porch overlooking the empty garden lawn.

“Wow, this is spacious,” she said, looking around the yard. “What’s going back here?”

“I’m not sure.” Avory said standing beside her, lifting his hand under his beak to ponder, “It’s a blank canvas; it could be anything.” he paused, “Something pretty. I’m no expert though.”

Tsume put her hand to her chin, stroking it as she considered her surroundings and let out a hum. “...I might have a few ideas,” she said. “Depending on what kind of plants you’re okay with having, there’s a lot I could do with this.”

“What plants did you have in mind?” Avory looked over at her in the corner of his eye with a curious smile.

“Well, if I condition the soil just right, I could grow just about anything - so long as I don’t pick something that needs longer than the typical Alberta growth season,” she said. “Some perennials here, a flower spot there. I’ll have to think about it and make sure I come up with an arrangement that won’t eclipse the house itself.” She then looked at him. “Interested in vegetable gardens or anything like that either or, leave that out?”

“No, that would be wonderful!” Avory could not hide a beaming smile as the two met each other’s gaze, the raven overjoyed to hear her confidence as to what she could do with the land.

“Alright!” She said, rubbing her hands together. “Soon as May hits I’ll turn this place into a beautiful menagerie.”

“Can’t do anything before then?” he asked, “We’ve still got three weeks until May.”

“Unfortunately, there’s still the possibility snow might fall before May hits - happens all the time in this province,” replied Tsume, looking briefly up at the lightly clouded sky. “I can start making the beds for planting, and start conditioning the soil, but if I plant anything yet and we get even one more snowfall it might force me to start over. May is the earliest safe time to start planting.”

“Ok, that’s understandable.” Avory agreed, but sucked in his cheek in a little annoyance as he thought. “I would like to make sure you can start working and earning as soon as possible if you want, which is why I asked. You say you can prepare the soil and flowerbeds before then?”

“Sure can. I can have the front and back yards all set before the turn of the month, and start planting as soon a April ends,” she said, nodding confidently.

“If you struggle to do anything else in the meantime. I have considered creating my own Japanese rock garden. I imagine that it's possible to start around this time, or at least start landscaping it and laying the stone?”

“A Japanese garden, huh?” Tsume asked, looking over the yard again and imagining the setup in her head. “Well… I can handle the landscaping part of it, but for stonework and other outlying buildings you want, you’ll need someone else for that – I don't have any experience in paving as of yet. I may need to collaborate with them for the overall layout.”

“Oh no, I am not intending for any buildings. Maybe a Torii gate or two, but no structures - for now at least. Just the stones, rocks, bamboo, cherry blossoms… yeah”

“I may be an earth phoenix but I’m not sure I’m the right person for stonework. That’s not only a profession, it’s an art. Still, I can do the rest,” she promised. “I’ll see if maybe I can draft something, to see if I can capture the vision you have in mind.”

“That sounds good. Shall we maybe discuss the plan over a drink, perhaps? Or dinner?”

“Maybe so,” she said, smiling knowingly at him for the suggestion.

“Of course we’ve not even discussed pay yet.” Avory reminded her as he rubbed the underside of his beak again, having looked up some other job rates in the local area, “How our three-kay be? A month?”

“Three thousand a month?” She asked, surprised. “I.. I was not expecting that! Yes! Absolutely!” She said happily. Then her smile faded. “Wait… What day is it?” She asked.

Avory had to quickly glance at his watch before looking back up at Tsumé, “It’s Wednesday the 6th of April. Why?”

“Ahh, crap!” She cursed, throwing her hands over her head. “I just remembered my lease is up at the end of next week! But I won’t have my rent in time… Maybe I can ask my landlady for an extension until I get started?” She asked the question more to herself than to Avory.

“Erm… I’m not familiar with leases, I’m afraid,” Avory remarked shyly, reaching behind to rub the back of his head, “If that’s something you can ask, that’s probably for the best that you do. But if you have any issues, let me know and maybe we can work something out?” He tried to reassure her.

“Ah, sorry. Leases are rental agreements - contracts, basically,” she explained. “Upon signing, the rental agreement can neither be terminated by myself or the landlord prior to the day it ends - in my case that will be April 15th, since I signed it during the middle of October. My landlady will still be expecting notice if I’m going to vacate or extend, too, and I haven’t been able to give her an answer yet.”

“That’s just over a week away, so it sounds like you probably want to ask her as soon as possible really. Tomorrow even.” Avory suggested, “but like I said, let me know if you have any issues and we can work something out.” He smiled at her.

“I’ll have to check with her and see,” she replied. “Going to have to look into getting a car or something so I can get out here.”

“How did you get to Ayane’s?” he asked, “That’s about the same distance from town to here.”

In answer, Tsume hopped off the porch to land on the ground below, putting her feet together and then dropped below ground, disappearing beneath the soil, before she emerged again on the other side of the yard only two seconds after she vanished, then repeated the maneuver, appearing again where she had been before.

“I move faster underground than I do on foot,” she said. “Still not as fast as a car and it is a lot harder to do in the city. Yanno, with pipes, underground infrastructure, supports, foundations - stuff like that. I can only burrow down so far before I’m hitting bedrock, which is way harder to tunnel through, and could compromise any structures using it as support.”

Avory watched her in amazement once more, “God, I am never going to get used to that… of all of your friends I’ve met so far, you are above all the most amazing,” he comments openly.

She lets out a light laugh. “As much as I appreciate that… I may as well ask, when did you want me to get started here?” She gestured to the open lot around them.

“When can you start?” he cocked an eyebrow.

She shrugged. “I could start tomorrow, if you wanted. Gives me time to get my banking info as well if you want to do direct deposit,” she replied.

“Of course. I'll let you get sorted tomorrow morning, and then you can meet me at the Temple of Tikal when you're done and I'll drive us up here.” He smiled and held out his hand to shake upon it.

She nodded and grasped his hand. “Alright then, boss man,” she said. “I’ll have your yard looking like a work of art before summer begins.”

“I look forward to that”

“See you tomorrow then,” she said. “I’ll let you help your guests settle in for the night.”

"Do you not want a lift back? Or are you gonna tunnel your way back?"

“I can tunnel back. I think I have enough energy for it,” she replied. “Best I not take you away from your guests yet. Least of all, Kyle - I know you’re not that comfortable with him yet, even if you haven’t said so.”

"Is it that obvious?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

“Kind of, yeah - you wear the disdain like a cheap suit,” she replied flatly. “Is it because he’s a former P.A.C.E member?”

"It is. But I would rather he be aware that I have an eye on him rather than think he's in the clear and abuse that, for the benefit of P.A.C.E or not." He pointed out before asking her a question, "would you rather me be upfront and honest or lie and give you a false sense of hope?"

She shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he knows as well as I do. He’s not dumb,” she said. “But, for what it’s worth… I do trust him myself. When I first met him, if he was still working for P.A.C.E he had a golden opportunity to kill me - if he’d had a gun on him, that’d have been it. But he came to me, unarmed, offering to help. So far, he’s been straight with us and true to his word.”

“Well the only way he would be any closer to me now is if we shared the same room,” the raven-hoopoe remarked, “I’m sure he’s fine, but I have the golden opportunity to be certain.”

Avory then looked west, seeing the sun begin to set over the Rockies, bathing them in a warm orange glow before the shadows cast by the peaks crept over them.

“I guess tonight we now finally part.” He smiled back at Tsumé after watching the sun set, “I’ll be at the bar around noon. I’ll wait there for you to sort out your lease if possible and then head up here.”

“Noon? Can do,” she replied, nodding. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

With that, she excused herself, disappearing into the ground again and leaving Avory to himself with only his thoughts after watching the girl disappear below him. A few moments passed until he turned and walked back into the mansion, rejoining his guests after they got acquainted with their rooms.

~~~~~

The following morning, Tsume left her apartment completely feeling dejected. She’d managed to get in to speak with her landlady about possibly extending it to the end of the month, letting her know that she had finally found a job.

“I’m sorry, Tsume, but I’ve already decided not to renew your lease,” the landlady - a middle-aged wolfess, told her.

“What? Why?” She asked.

“I asked you multiple times if you could confirm whether or not you’d be moving out, and you couldn’t give me a clear answer,” the landlady explained. “I couldn’t just wait for what might have been a no, so I listed the apartment, and I already received a new applicant - a young couple is interested in the apartment, and they already provided me with their deposit. It’s a done deal.”

“Mrs. Lu, I’m sorry it took me so long, but I have a job now! I just need more time,” Tsume pleaded.

But the wolf shook her head. “I already said, it’s a done deal. I’m sorry, Tsume,” she said. “You must be out by April fifteenth, as per your lease.”

“I… I can’t find another place that quickly,” she said. She’d found this apartment a month in advance but back then she hadn’t had any furniture to move. She’d need help just getting into another place, let alone finding one.

“Then you might want to turn to some friends,” Mrs. Lu said. “I can point you to a storage place where you can keep your belongings until you find another pad. But, you cannot stay in the apartment - I have to prepare it for the next tenants.”

So that was that, she knew. Tsume left the apartment complex and walked up the street, briefly considering stopping at her usual cafe for a latte when she remembered her financial situation, and passed it by. She walked all the way to the Temple of Tikal - it was earlier than she had planned to meet with Avogadro, but she really had nowhere else to go that morning. She rounded the last corner, seeing the bar ahead - and double-checking the time on her phone to make sure she wasn’t arriving before opening time. She hoped Volcan would be there today - his music might help lift her mood.

To her surprise, Avory’s car was already there. She checked her phone again, once again confirming the time; he was an hour early. But it was not just him there either - she saw Obsidian’s car just pulling up behind his.

“I’m sorry to bother you on your day off, Obsidian,” Avory spoke apologetically to the dragon as they sat up at the bar counter, just past eleven. “I don’t wish to keep you if you’ve got things you’d rather be doing, but at least can I buy you a drink?”

“Sure. Just a light one, though,” she replied, nodding to Ordagova. He knew what sort of drinks she liked. As the snake went to prepare her order, she turned back to Avory. “So, what is this favour you spoke of on the phone?”

“Well…” Avory started with a sigh, quickly glancing over the purple dragoness’ shoulder to make sure it was only the two of them there, along with Ordagova and Volcan, strumming away at his guitar, “You’ve heard about Sam White, haven’t you?”

“I have,” she replied. “I have a few friends out in New York I talk to online sometimes. And, I know he's the ‘American Dream’. But as far as I know he’s apparently still comatose.”

“Thankfully he is,” Avory confirmed before pausing, looking at her strangely, “...What do you and your friends think of him?”

“Well… One of them is a fan of his,” she replied. “The other two, they have mixed thoughts about him. Me? Well… Up until you told me what he did, I really thought he was trying to make a difference.” She shrugged. “But he’s just another gloryhound.”

Avory lent back in his chair, smiling. Not because of what she had said, but simply happy knowing that she could read his mind and knew he was not making up stories about his former American colleague. “Indeed. Unfortunately though, he knows too much” he revealed, leaning forward again to her, “he knows who Avelyn and I are.”

She lifted her head, at that, her expression softening. “He does?” She asked. “How?”

“He was on my team.” Avory cocked an eyebrow in surprise, “he was dating my sister, and stayed at my house. All before we knew of his intentions.”

Obsidian grimaced. “I see,” she said. “I think I know what this favour you want to ask from me is.”

Avory let out a sigh, “If it is even possible.” he spoke with concern, “You suggested the other night that you could. So could you? Or was that just a ruse to spook Korban and the cat?”

“No, I very much can,” she replied, nodding. “I’ve done it before. That’s how I kept Volcan and Lighris safe from P.A.C.E after one of their teams followed them home. That and Ayane spiked the black box in their VTOL so they couldn’t trace their flight path.” She looked squarely at Avory. “You protected my friends from bounty hunters and P.A.C.E alike, and if Sam seeks revenge, I already know they’ll stand with you, and so will I.”

Avory nodded softly back, “...I hadn’t even thought of revenge…” he commented, “the fact he could even just reveal our identities can cause a whole lot of issues that would… drastically compromise my team’s effectiveness.” he said looking away a little, before casting his gaze over to Ordagova who placed the dragon’s drink next to them, “Thanks” he nodded to the snake before continuing, “And because of that, we would struggle to do what we do, let alone help you and your friends out.”

Avory paused again, reaching to pick up his London Fog and sipping at it again, before necking it. He placed the empty but foamy glass back on the counter and looked at it with sorrow in thought, “Our lives would be turned upside down, even compared to what we call ‘normal’ right now… That’s not something either of us can live with. Not right now.”

“Think bigger,” Obsidian said. “Especially with the enemies you’ve made recently. Imagine if Sam went on live television and announced your identity to the world. P.A.C.E knows the Lightnings are helping us fight them, and once they know who the Lightnings are, they’d come after you in your own home. Or, as we’ve learned from Kyle, Jacob Rex has a talent for recruiting people who feel like they’ve been wronged - if it meant getting P.A.C.E possession of your technology, there is no doubt in my mind they’d try to recruit him, or learn the secrets he knows of your armour.”

“I’m well aware of the enemies I’ve made and the fact they can come knocking once they know who I am.” Avory assured leaning back in his seat again, “Probably why I didn’t think he would even need to come after me again himself. As for the suit and technology, I would imagine he knows very little… and there was hardly any suit left for him to learn from; I ripped as much as I can from him on Liberty Island once I knocked him unco-”

He paused as he heard the front door open, quickly looking over at the green wingless avian entering. “Oh hey, Tsumé! You’re early.”

“I could say the same,” she replied. She sounded unhappy, and evidently Obsidian heard it as well.

“Tsumé? Are you okay?” The dragoness asked.

“Yeah… Things didn’t go well with my landlady,” she said. “I’ll tell you in a moment - I need some coffee first.” She walked up to the counter and took a seat, letting out a sigh and looking up as Ordagova approached. “Extra serving of sugar, please.”

“On me, again” Avory called out to the snake, who nodded and began brewing another coffee as requested.

“Don’t worry about it” Ordagova hissed as he worked the machine, “You’re in good handsss”

"Thanks, Orda. Just a bad start to the day…" she said, sighing.

Obsidian looked past Avory to Tsumé for a moment before turning her attention back to Avory as he spoke up. “So… Do you think you can wipe his memories? At the very least, remove any names or likeness of me and Avelyn from his memory. And where we live or any other connection he may have made between us and the Lightnings.” Avory pleaded to Obsidian.

"I will need to peer into his mind for the depth of that knowledge," she replied. "Sam being comatose will actually make it much easier - so long as he's not self-aware he won't be able to resist my telepathy. I can bar him from any recollection of you or Avelyn quite easily."

“Could you also find out if he’s told anyone, or wrote down or recorded any information about us anywhere that will help him remember after he wakes up, just so I can deal with it and leave no loose ends.” Avory requested further.

"For that I'll have to look through his memories very carefully, but yes - I can find that out," she assured him. "But there remains two potential problems. Firstly, New York is hours from here even by plane. How do we get there?"

"Er… by plane?," He stumbled, "Or… er… I am guessing psychics can't teleport like we are made to believe?"

"If they can, it's at a level I haven't reached," she admitted. "I can levitate, but teleportation, no." She chuckled, seeing the bird's eyes blink and light up in fascination, before continuing. "Okay. Secondly, how do we get to Sam himself? He's in hospital, likely under police watch. I don't think my badge will do us any good out there, and for me to be sure of what I'm doing I have to be right beside him."

"Well.. all that is true, but there is one group that is allowed to visit him by his side daily…" Avory suggested, but the dragoness could see that it was uncomfortable.

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"There is a… Well…" Avory looked away for a second before coming back to her, "there is a group of people who call themselves 'The children of the American Dream'." He said with a pause, "They see him as a Saint. The second coming of Christ, really."

Obsidian’s jaw fell open. "He has his own cult?" She asked, incredulous. "And they are allowed to get in to see him - what the heck kind of hospital is he being kept in?"

"Whether he knows it or not. It seems a cult of… misguided Americans took a shine to him and his messages" he stated, "I am not sure how it is allowed, but it happens every day. You can just walk into the Presbyterian and ask to see Sam White, saying that you are this children." He paused again, "There are guards and stuff… so you are constantly being watched."

Obsidian groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Wow… Just when I thought I'd heard everything," she said. "Well, at least it makes things easier."

"Brilliant." Avory smiled leaning back on his stool again, relieved, turning his head again as a customer entered the bar, the first which he did not recognise as one of the recent friends he had made. He turned back to Obsidian, knowing that he needed to keep the conversation as secretive as possible. "So I'll pay for your flights. When did you want them?"

"It's better we do it as soon as possible," she said in a low voice. "My next day off is Monday. Can we get a flight that soon?"

"I'm sure I can." Avory nodded, "I'll let you know the details as soon as I book it." He reached out to place his hand on hers, "Thank you so much for this. You won't believe how indebted I am to you."

"It's the least I can do," she replied, smiling and grasping his hand. "You protected my friends. I'm happy to return the favour."

Avory smiled back, before glancing back over to Tsumé, looking back over at the dragoness as gesturing to her that they should probably ask her what's wrong.

"I am guessing your chat with the landlord didn't go well?" Avory started, shifting closer to the green bird, making sure she knew he was there for her.

Tsumé sighed unhappily. "She refused to let me extend until the end of the month," she explained. "Even found somebody else to take the apartment, but she wants me out by the fifteenth as per my lease."

"Have you found anywhere else to go?" Obsidian asked.

"Not yet, at least not somewhere I can get into before the end of next week," Tsumé replied. "And I need my deposit back first before I can even get into another place, as they'll need a deposit too."

"I can lend you the money for your deposit," the raven offered, lifting his arm and placing it across her back accompanied by one of his wings to cloak her, trying to comfort her. He wanted to help her. His mind knew he wanted to offer her a room at his own place, having offered it out to three of her friends already, but he had already filled the three guest rooms he had.

"The money isn't the issue. The issue is time," she replied. "I need to bunk somewhere until I find a new place."

"You can come stay with me," Obsidian offered. "I may not have a guest room, but I have a spare mattress."

Tsumé considered the offer. She was a proud girl, and didn't like asking for help. But in her present situation, she didn't see much of an alternative. "If you're okay with that… Yeah. I'd be happy to," she said.

Obsidian nodded. "Do you have someone to help you move your belongings?"

"I don't have much to move, so I figured I'd just ask Volcan and Rikyuu," she replied.

"I'm sure they'd be happy to help," Obsidian said, looking over her shoulder toward Volcan, although he was still playing and evidently hadn't heard the conversation. "Hey, Volc?"

He stopped playing, looking up. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Would you be available to help Tsumé move house in a week or so?"

"Oh sure - glad to," he said. "If she needs a truck we could ask my brother too."

"Not a bad idea, actually. Lighris' pickup should be able to move all my things in one go," agreed Tsumé.

"Alright. I'll talk to him when we meet up tonight," the phoenix promised.

Avory gulped, feeling guilty as the conversation happened, and felt the need to speak up to Tsumé. "Actually… I think I've just thought of something…" he announced to her.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Well… I need to leave the master bedroom free for if my parents turn up put of the blue… in which my three guests would also need to clear out for the day. But I could perhaps sleep there in the meantime and you can have my room?" He offered. "A proper bed and close to your new job."

Tsumé tilted her head, considering the idea. "Actually a good plan. Practical for both of us, too," she said. "But are you sure that's okay?"

"Give me a few days to move my stuff and it should be fine." Avory nodded, "If my parents come, then I would have to move back into my room though…" he did say some disappointment as he would also have to kick her put too for their stay, putting her up in a hotel. "Unless…" he pondered.

"Unless what?"

"If you're willing to take a pay cut from what we agreed, we could include on-site accommodation into your terms of employment? And then you could stay in a guest room even when my family is around."

"That could work," she said, nodding. "Until I have my own vehicle again, it works out for both of us."

"Right! So, you'd prefer that over Obsidian’s?" He asked for confirmation, but glancing up to the dragoness, apologetically.

"I'm not offended," she said. "As long as she has somewhere to live, that's all that matters."

"Well, I might have to stay the night at hers, at least, until I get my stuff out of my old place," said Tsume. "Do you have somewhere I can store my belongings? If not, my landlady gave me the address for a storage locker I could rent."

"I thought you still had your place for a week?" He asked.

"I meant after that, when I have to start getting everything out," she said. "I'll want to give the place a deep clean too so they don't find anything to nick me for."

"Right. Well unfortunately I don't exactly have any storage for that kind of stuff, at least not over here in Unity Falls. So you might need to see who she recommends."

Tsumé nodded. "Alright then," she said. "Well, didn't expect to be moving back into any mansions so soon." She remarked in jest. "Figured I'd have to work at it first."

Avory chuckles, “Trust me, my mansion is better than your old one. It’s got better people in it; even if it’s just me holding up that average,” he commented with a wink.

"Well currently there's also a cool, stoic fellow and a friendly, handsome blue dragon there too," she added. "I certainly can't question the company. Even if one of them had intent to kill me once before," she added, muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Avory glanced over to the lone random customer that came in before, making sure they didn’t hear, before looking back at Tsumé, “Well you’re the one who suggested we’ve got nothing to worry about from him, last night.”

"I… Didn't mean Kyle, actually," she said. "Let's just say the first time Vinge and I made eye contact is a moment I don't easily forget."

“Vinge?” Avory asked with some surprise, blinking, looking to make the random noise before leaning in to ask, “...Why would he do that? He seems to be the most sane person of the lot.”

The door opened again and another pair of customers came in, it appeared to be Ordagova’s regular gay couple, talking cheerfully between each other, passing by the two avians and the dragon and taking their place at the other end of the bar counter, ordering their drinks and talking cheerfully, occasionally looking over at Volcan strumming his guitar and listening to him.

“I’ll tell you some other time,” Tsumé whispered.

"OK." Avory agreed, about to speak before the door opened yet again, but this individual caught his eye.

At the door waltzed in a large black snake, mirroring Ordagova in every way but with a large scalie hood and large curvy feminine features. Once people caught a glimpse of her their eyes were unable to pry away and followed her until she sat down beside Obsidian at the bar counter. Even the two gay man two seats away struggled to look away, but eventually pryed their eyes, this apparently not being the first time they've seen her.

She smiled patiently at the bar, her bust large and round and in fall view, covered by a bright red summer-y shoulder-less top.

“Whoa…” Tsumé said, surprised by the serpentine woman.

“She… Looks a little like Ordagova,” Obsidian muttered, mostly to herself. Then, she sensed something else about the snake that felt familiar..

"Finally ssshowed up during the day? Thought you would finally ssspend sssome time with me?" Ordagova chuckled as he walked over and stood in front of his female mirror, already making a drink for her.

"Well I finally get to meet your boyfriend, you sssneaky devil." She hissed back, looking over to her left down the bar counter at Volcan gazing back at her, having since stopped playing mid melody.

‘Uh. Volcan? You’re staring,’ Obsidian’s voice rang in his mind, and when he didn’t respond she added more snappishly. ‘Wake up!’

Volcan shook his head briskly, and then forced himself to turn his attention back to his guitar, resuming the song he had been doing. ‘Sorry! She’s… Really dang hot! I couldn’t help it!’

‘She may also be another telepath,’ Obsidian added, mentally slapping herself in the forehead.

‘Oh crap… Did she hear me?’ He asked, rolling his eyes to look back at the newcomer.

"And what an adorable one he isss" She hissed with a smile at him before he returned to play. _'And your friends~' Sh_e projected into the minds of the other two telepaths and Volcan's mind, confirming suspensions.

‘Yep… She heard me,’ Volcan thought, his mental voice sounding defeated as he continued playing.

Ordagova shook his head and chuckled, having listened to Volcan and Obsidian’s thoughts with her, getting on with making her drink.

Avory and Tsumé looked over from the end of the counter still in awe at the female snake, but confused with the expressions their three other friends wore. Obsidian cleared her throat loudly, breaking the others out of their stupor, before she asked a - hopefully, non-invasive - question. “Orda, is this a friend of yours?” She asked, smiling sweetly. ‘Or, relative? She looks a lot like you…’ She added, directing her thoughts to him.

Ordagova turned to face them again as his tail continued to make a cocktail behind him all on its own. He reached our a hand and gestured to the snake, "Obsssidian, I would like for you to meet my cousssin, Nyelva. And Nyleva, this isss my friend, Obsssidian." He said then gesturing to the dragoness, before looking over at the two birds gawking next to her, "and thisss two young beautiesss are Avory and Tsssumé"

Tsume, collecting herself nodded in greeting to Nyleva. “Pleasure to meet you,” she said, and then nudged Avory with her elbow to get him back into focus.

"Nice to meet you too." Avory then spoke, reaching to rub his side where the girl elbowed him.

"And of courssse, Volcan." The proprietor gestures to the musician in the corner, as his tail places the tall cocktail on the counter before Nyleva. "Which you've already heard plenty about."

"And what you've told me hasss not let me down." He hissed with a grin looking over at him, her wispy tongue flicking between her lips, tasting the air. If it could be tasted over the top of her strong bouquet perfume aroma.

Avians didn’t have the strongest senses of smell, so not all of them picked up the smell right away. Obsidian, however, did detect it, and wiggled her nose at the smell. ‘Strong stuff,’ she thought to herself.

'Sorry, I can go a bit overboard sometimes.' Nyle apologised to the dragon telepathically as she turned back to face her and reach for her drink. "So, how do you know each other?"

“Well, I’m a police officer,” Obsidian explained. “Tsume and I already knew each other, and she,” she gestured to Tsume, “got into a spot a while back and I was called in for it. I met Ordagova that night, and I already knew Volcan from a previous incident too - which, of course I can’t go into detail about. Confidentiality and all that.”

“Yeah. Kind of all ended up being a happy coincidence as that’s when I met both Volcan and Orda for the first time,” Tsume added.

Avory listened, his face perked with interest.

"Oh no… Has my cousssin got him and hisss lover got in trouble again?" She teased Ordagova, who simply shook his head and smiled.

"You know everything, Nyle, you don't have to play dumb." He replied.

Nyleva just smiled and giggled before looking over to the two young birds, "You two are a rather cute couple yourselves." She commented, raising her glass to them.

The two stumbled over their words briefly. “Oh n-n-no, Avory and I aren’t together,” Tsume said. “Actually, I work for him, as of yesterday.”

Avory blinked in surprise at the comment too before correcting Tsumé, "Y-yes! N-no… Today, actually."

Nyleva knew all this already from reading their minds, but decided to tease the two knowing the interest they had in each other. “Ah, my apologiesss, I jussst had assssssumed.” The snake appeared apologetic.

“Bit soon, I’d think,” Tsume replied honestly. “We only just met recently.” She cleared her throat. “So, Nyleva was it? Which side of the city do you live on?”

“I live in Pike, jussst over the border,” the snake girl revealed.

“How do you like it there?”

Nyleva shrugged a little but smiled, “It’s not bad. We’ve been in worse placesss” he remarked, looking over at her cousin on the other side of the counter, “It allowsss me to keep my job, which paysss well~”

“What do you do?” Tsume asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Oh, jussst a dancssser,” The snake giggled, “Although I do other formsss of entertainment and hossspitality”

Tsumé nodded. "Glad to hear," she said. "So, you're Ordagova’s cousin, if I heard correctly?" She looked between the two. "Oh yeah. Family resemblance is definitely there. Heck, I think you look more alike than I do with either of my sisters."

"We're a very close species. Don't normally leave our own kind." She revealed, looking back at Ordagova, "Me and Ordie here decided to get away from all that though"

"Something we have in common," Tsumé whispered, looking briefly over her shoulder to the other patrons, though they didn't hear her over Volcan's guitar. But as she looked, one of the canine men on the other side of Nyleva leaned towards his fox lover and kissed him on the cheek. To which the fox turns around from watching Volcan and blushes at his wolf lover, leaning in and kissing back.

Tsumé was somewhat surprised at how open the pair were, knowing that such public displays of affection were often looked upon with scorn - especially for same sex couples. Avory also saw this from the corner of the bar counter and it made his heart melt in his seat, seeing the gay love that he was forbidden from.

Ordagova saw them, but did not interrupt. He had seen this before and was happy for his bar to be used as a safe place for them and others.

"You're a runaway too?" Nyleva asked the young girl, seemingly oblivious to the two men making out behind her.

"You might say that," Tsumé replied. "Let's just say my dad is the well-off sort, but also very, very old fashioned. He expected me to be a well-off, well-mannered social girl he could marry off to one of his business colleagues." She rolled her eyes. "Seems to forget that arranged marriages and house alliances died decades ago."

Avory didn’t say anything or move, but did sit uncomfortably beside her, letting out a sigh which could have been interrupted as a "Yeah."

The two canines at the bar eventually part their kiss and quickly shuffle over to the back of the room, passing the curious musician and escaping behind the door into the hallway that led to the two toilets and the back alley. They may have tried to be as discreet as possible, but almost all eyes in the bar watched them disappear.

"Well those two are in high spirits today," said Volcan, trying not to break his rhythm with his guitar work.

Obsidian rubbed the side of her head, watching the two depart… And finding her gaze lingering for too long on Volcan. She caught herself, shaking her head briskly and wondering why she had been looking at him. 'Ugh… What is going on?' She thought, keeping her mind isolated this time so that Ordagova and Nyleva didn't hear her. 'I feel… weird.'

"I think I'm going to get out of here," said Obsidian. "I need some fresh air. Maybe go home and relax after."

"Not going to join us today?" Tsumé asked. "There are some combos I was hoping to go over with you."

"Oh, yeah… I suppose I should," replied Obsidian. "I'll meet you there this afternoon."

Avory looked between the two girls and stood up from the counter, "Yeah, we should probably get going now too?" He asked Tsumé before looking at Obsidian, catching her eye, "You do look rather flustered," he commented, reaching out to take her hand, "need some help out?"

"That's okay, thanks," she said, perhaps too quickly. "I can manage. I'll see you guys at Ayane’s place."

"Ok," the raven agreed, but still made his way to the front door and held it open for her. "We'll see you there."

"You bet," she replied, nodding and smiling at Avory as she left.

"She seemed a bit… uncomfortable around those guys" Avory commented to Tsumé after the dragoness left.

"I don't think it was them," Tsumé replied. "Obsidian doesn't strike me as the type. I mean, surely she knows about Volcan dating Orda and that hasn't bothered her. It really seemed like she wasn't herself just now."

Avory shrugged, "You know her better than I do." He commented, walking up to Nyleva with an outstretched hand to shake. "Nice meeting you Nyleva."

She reached out and took his hand but used it to pull the avian forward to kiss his cheek. Avory got a big whiff of her perfume as her black scalie lips caressed his feathers briefly. "Nicssse to meet you too" she hissed with a smile as she released him, and looked over at Tsumé with a smile as the raven joined the Earth phoenix at her side.

"Enjoy your day," said Tsumé. "I hope we see you around again soon."

"Ssso do I," she smiled at her and waved as the two avians departed.

She then turned to her cousin who still stood resting on the back of the bar with his armed causally crossed.

"That ssstuff isss way too ssstrong." He hissed with a note of disapproval in his voice, "you did that on purpossse."

"Oh you never like to have any fun, old man" she teases him with a giggle, leaning forward over the counter at him.

He cocks his brow, "I think you find I have had plenty of fun with Volcan and I didn't need to use my venom for it. Not oncssse."

She paused for a moment, gazing deep into his eyes, reading his mind, "impressssssive…" she smirks finally. "Lassst time that happened wasss when you were in the navy"

"Ssshusssh, you." The snake hissed, having to adjust his clothing a little behind the bar before going back to work.

~~~~~

After a long day of grueling exercises and practice, the group decided to disperse as the sun began to set behind the mountains, stealing most of the daylight. They spoke for a time, going over their practice sessions for that day, some offering suggestions on where improvements could be made. From there, Avory drove home with Kyle, Rikyuu and Vinge in tow.

However, unknown to Avory, someone else had come home that night as well. Avelyn, after finishing her business in Milan, had texted her brother to let him know she was on her way back to Canada. However, in the midst of the exercises, Avory had missed the text, and didn't realize Avelyn was on her way home. That night though, he found out.

Arriving home in the dead of night, she parked up her blue Lightning suit in the workshop having walked through the garage. The suit peeled off her tired body, and fumbled her way up to her bedroom, stripping off her clothes and collapsing on the large soft bed she had missed over the past couple of nights. She quickly dozed off, but it wasn’t too long until her body decided to wake up again, stuck in Italy's time zone.

She tossed and turned on the bed to no avail before deciding to just get up. Grabbing her soft blue silk nightgown she draped it over her warm naked body loosely, too tired to do it up, and trudged out onto the landing and down the stairs.

It was dim, but a spotlight hung over the dining area as she gazed through heavy eyelids. A dark figure sat recessed from the light which illuminated a bowl of cereal before him.

“Morning Avi,” she cooed tiredly, walking around the table to the kitchen, her gown flowing behind her revealing most of her; but she didn’t care, as her twin brother had seen it all before.

Except, the one who waited at the table was not her brother. A surprised, human face looked up at her, two deep brown eyes meeting her amber ones. She froze, looking over at him side on as her blue gown flowy and elegantly fell back down over her bare feathered body as she looked at him side on. It then suddenly dawned on her.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” The raven-hoopoe screamed at the top of her lungs, reaching to find the sides of the gown and pulling them across her front to hide her body below.

The man - the stranger - was an African American human, dressed in sweatpants and a sleeveless top. His hair was bedraggled and his face, unshaven but clean. He shot to his feet at the sound of Avelyn’s scream, hands raised in a show of surrender - or at least to ward off any attack she might make.

“Who are you!? What are you doing here?!” she screamed at him, stomping forth, letting go of her gown again now uncaringly, raising her hand up and pointing at him for answers.

"I'm not a threat!" He exclaimed, in a voice surprisingly calm given the situation, keeping his hands where she could see them and his eyes up at hers. "I can explain - I was invited here!"

A collection of noises could be heard above them as well as footsteps as the mansion woke up and people came to the aid of the scream.

“What’s wrong!? Are you ok?” Avory’s voice came as he ran out of his room and looked down over the balcony around the landing, unable to see what was going on directly under him, so then ran around to the other side by the stairs to see the two confronted in the dining area; his naked body visible through the glass balcony as he rushed to see what was wrong, not having the time to change or grab his own nightgown.

He was quickly joined by the two other males from the rooms behind him, and these two were faces Avelyn did recognize. A blue dragon and a white avian, the latter with a Spanish-style sword in his hand, looked over the railing to either side of Avory.

"What's going on?" Rikyuu asked, still on high alert after being woken by Avelyn’s scream.

“...What the hell are you all doing here?!” She screamed again, gazing up at her nude brother who immediately looked rather guilty.

“Ah… well…” Avory started, “They needed a place to stay… so I said they could stay here for a bit.”

“...And you didn't think to tell me?!” She screamed again.

“...I thought you would be fine with it!” Avory spoke back, “But perhaps I… should have warned you.”

“Aghhhh!” She let out another shriek, turning away from the four guys and doing up her nightgown properly to appear more decent in front of their guests.

Vinge, lowering his sword, turned to scowl at Avory. "You didn't inform her we were here?" He asked. "If she had been in her armour, there could have been severe consequences when she found Kyle - a complete stranger, in her house, in the dark." He gestured to the dimly lit room below.

Avory turned to look at Vinge, apologetically, “I must have forgot… it slipped my mind…”

"Yeah, you kind of dropped the ball there, pal," said Rikyuu. Then, his gaze drifted down. "And… Why aren't you wearing pants?" He asked.

Avory looked over at the dragon, following his gaze down to himself. He paused for a moment before responding, doing nothing to avert his guest’s attention, “It’s more comfortable when I sleep. It helps my body breathe.”

Rikyuu met his eyes again, arching an eye ridge. "And, if your house ever caught fire, you'd just run out into the cold night, naked?" He asked.

“When was the last time your house caught fire?” the raven asked, with one hand on his hip and the other resting on the balcony. “No, I’d probably grab my nightgown”

"Just because something hasn't happened doesn't mean it won't," the dragon remarked.

“What would you do if the house caught fire when you were in the shower then?” The raven then cocks his eyebrow at the dragon.

"That's different - can walk away from a house fire! Heck I can put it out myself!" Rikyuu countered.

“This house has sprinklers” Avory stated before he brought a hand to his beak in thought, “which perhaps I should disable if Volcan ever visited…”

"I'm going back to bed," Vinge said, wanting no part of the ongoing debate between Rikyuu and Avory.

Down below, Kyle - finally relaxing after unintentionally scaring Avelyn, settled back into his seat, ignoring the debate on the balcony as he went back to eating his cereal. He had the spoon halfway to his mouth, before noticing the bird coming over and lowering it again.

“I’m sorry about that.” She began, reaching out with her hand, slanted a little to see how he would take it.

Kyle set down the spoon and grasped Avelyn’s hand. "No hard feelings," he said. "Sorry your brother didn't tell you we were here. I… Hope I didn't scare you too badly?"

“No, you didn’t.” Avelyn shook his hand softly before letting go, “You were rather passive, so by no means scary. I was just more… concerned at why a strange man was in my house” she comments, getting a good look at his face. “I like the… goatee” She comments with a smile, bringing her hands up under her beak and gesturing as if she was stroking one of her own.

"Yeah?" He asked, raising his hand to feel the facial hair. "I wasn't really planning on keeping it, but if it looks good maybe I should."

“You should,” She giggled a little, “Avelyn, by the way.”

"A pleasure to meet you. My name's Kyle," he said, smiling. "So… Ground rules I should know about while I'm here?" He asked, arching a brow. "Got some from your brother but you're the lady of this house."

“Erm… not that I can think of off the top of my head, Kyle. But I’m sure me and my brother will talk about those later…” She said, drifting her gaze up to her brother and Rikyuu on the landing, finishing up whatever they were discussing and returning to their rooms. “Evidentially you can wear whatever… or however little you like,” she commented in jest.

"I prefer to keep myself dressed," he remarked with a chuckle.