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"Carbon, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess. These portals sort of freak me out a little, not knowing what could go wrong." Carbon's signal flickered as the intense radiation from The planet's star interfered with the radio waves in the air. "Well we're done our testing. Your kids and I are ready for the light show, but in case the line craps out we should have a shorthand for go and abort."

"Well it's always daytime, so 'lights' should be available. Abort just works as is." Ilaria squinted as she peered down from the rooftop she'd chosen as a landing zone--the very same the two unknown figures used to pass off their bomb. "I'm not seeing anything tangible to take with us. Well, we have the footage so that should be fine. Orbiter, you guys good on fuel? Where'd you go?"

"We landed on a dune a bit further out, Lulu. We're still in range for a fast pickup." Ari squirmed a bit as her brother opened a 'sharp and spiky' flavored Link with her. «I've got Adem in my sights for you. We've got your back.»

«Thanks, but we don't want it to come to that. If the worst happens, my girls will open a portal up to the ship.»

«What's with the sudden takeoff, anyway? They weren't rushing the ship too bad when we left.»

Ari made eye contact with Ademeus and promptly forced herself to look away, though the time dilating effects of the Link forced the action to resolve agonizingly slowly. «I didn't want to risk it all. If Adem does go berserk... we might lose our standing with this Yomi colony, but I'd be damned if I lost my family too. They're safer with the rest of the fleet.»

«In that case, I take back what I said. That's smart, sis.»

«Can we...?»

«Yeah, I'll just start a new Link if I need to. We wouldn't want you distracted with that big guy around.»

«Thanks, Yoyo. Just... hope for both my sake and your arm's wellbeing that you don't have to fire that rifle.» Ari's perception sped up to real-time as the Link severed, then hopped down from the rooftop and onto the fifth floor. "Stay close, Adem. We need to make our way down to the town square before the mob catches up."

The liger hopped down with more of a thud to his hindpaws. "Not really sure that's the best idea. I think they all want my head."

"The ones not banging at our door are likely too scared to attack us. They'll be the easiest ones to explain this to calmly." Ari found a stairwell and jogged down quickly, the sounds of an angry mob not too far in the distance. "You got your head straight? Remember what you were going to say?"

A small child peeped out a doorway to smile at the liger until her mother reeled her inside and closed the door. "I'm probably just as scared as they are. I know what I need to say and all, but... I killed their friends and family."

"I know, Adem. Maybe that asshole inside you will listen and come to his senses. What he did was wrong, and the least we can do is prevent his misdeeds from destroying your future." Ari rounded the third floor, then ran out of stairs. She found an external stairwell and chose that, breathing a sigh of relief when it led straight down to the town plaza. "Just speak from your heart and I'm sure they'll understand. You ready?"

"We sure as hell are." Sydney waved at the bottom of the stairs, her taser primed in her free paw. "I cleared the plaza for you. The exits are being monitored and we'll let you know if we have company."

"You came along yourself? Shit, and you already cleared the place? You only dropped off a minute earlier than us."

"Hey, I need to stretch my legs every now and then. Besides, we have a lot of greenies and this is a sensitive job. Figured having some experience at the center couldn't hurt." Cid took a few steps back and grabbed a powered rope line, then took it up two floors of the adjacent building as she silently explained her speedy decent. "I'll give you overwatch. The stage is yours, guys."

"Thanks, Cid. Adem, all yours. Make it count."

"S-Sure... Um..." Ademeus walked out into the center of the plaza, then cleared his throat as he raised his voice. "Excuse me? Does anyone understand me? I'm here to explain myself."

There were hundreds of hushed noises and the odd gasp as the local dwellers walked out onto balconies or outright hopped down with their vines. One slightly older Yangurra made himself known, walking right up to the larger liger. "I know these words. I will convey them, if it may help our people."

"Thank you." Adem made a gesture of benevolence and sat on the ground with his legs crossed, his head now level with his translator's. "I killed five of your people, five children from my understanding. I'm not proud of this. It cuts into my heart as deeply as any knife." The translator took a moment to parse the wording, then spoke up in his native hissy, clicky language. A mother on a balcony broke down in tears while the remainder of the crowd quieted.

"Your people and ours have a common enemy, the Sect of Xor. Those children, however innocent they appeared, were in league with that enemy." Adem let the elder convert those phrases, ignoring the uproar of a few parents afterward. "It doesn't make what I did any better. If I had any other choice I would have made it. What happened is set in stone though. I killed five of your children in the name of a war I despise. Now I have to live with their blood on my paws."

A young man jumped off his balcony and charged forth, the elder throwing out a vine to calm him as he translated the youth's words. "He says you are liar. You are not sorry. You took away his sibling on purpose."

"I truly am sorry. I stole your brother or sister from you. I can't possibly undo that action, and it... Sorry, it just hurts to think about their faces..."

Ilaria stepped forward with her paws raised. "He speaks the truth. Carbon, lights up."

"Ah, one second." Soon a portal opened above Ademeus, then with a battering of switches a hologram projector lit up bright enough to send an image through the small gap. "All yours, Ari."

Ilaria gave the crowd a moment to grow accustomed to the odd scene before them, then tapped the center of the hologram to load up Gimbal's recording. "Excuse the quality, but this is a recording of what happened. If you look at this highlighted item here, you'll find that these children willingly took hold of an explosive. Now watch."

The scene played out, drawing gasps and hubbub from the onlooking crowd as the bomb was planted. Upon seeing the explosion, the area fell silent. Thankfully Ilaria chose to end the footage there. Ari rewound the footage and flipped the scene around, repeating it clearly for the people behind her.

"As you can see, these children were led astray by the Sect of Xor." Ari scrubbed back to a moment before the explosion and zoomed in on the children's faces. "I don't approve of killing children, but I have been informed that it is your custom in these cases. Ademeus here is similarly distraught, but performed his duty to your people. We hope that you understand his actions now."

Adem donned his head pleadingly. "I'm extremely sorry for your loss. Now I only wish to be with those I love, to pray for these children you loved."

"Liar!"

"Terran sorcery!"

"Kill them!"

"No! Wait! It's not!" Ari shut down the hologram with a clasp of her paws around it. "This is just security footage! We didn't create it!"

"Liar!"

"We can show you how it works! Please, just Link with the one controlling it on my crew and--"

A clay bottle smashed against Ilaria's head, thankfully without much actual impact. "Kill them!"

"That's one of them." Cid reeled up her rope and clambered onto a hard awning to chase after the instigator. "He's one of the guys in that video. I'm after him."

Ari clicked her radio as she spotted the hooded man running. "Sure looks like it. Bring his ass to me. Oh, and watch the tentacles."

"I've got him. Worry about that crowd he riled up."

Ari returned her attention to Adem, finding the Liger still sitting even as he bled from his head and back. "Adem! What are you doing!?"

"I deserve it. If they want to hurt me, let them."

"That's fine until one decides to kill you." Ari reached over and yanked on the heavy guy, barely moving him. "We can try again once they've settled down. Just run."

"No, I--" Adem twitched a few times, then hopped up to his hindpaws and hurled a rock into someone's face. "Fuck this, pansy. I'm outta' here."

"Well shit. We woke the beast." Ilaria sprinted towards the stairs she'd used to reach the plaza, doubling her pace as Adem oddly followed her even though his worse side was in control. "Fuck me! Stay back, Adem!"

"The hell I will. You're my only ticket off this rock." The beast of a fur made quick work of the stairs, cutting off Ilaria at the top of the third floor. "You're not going anywhere without me, toots."

"Adem, we need to catch that--"

"No, that explaining shit's done for. Learn to cut your losses and hike." Adem huffed down the hallway to the inner stairs, but smiled and punched open a door to yank a woman out. "Well, and take what you can get with you. She'll make a good toy."

"Fucker! Let her go! I'll take you back--just let that mother go!"

"Nah, she's the one that ripped a hole in my head. Figure I should return the favor at least." Adem threw up the plant's skirt and shoved his fingers into her dewy petals. "Might as well enjoy it a bit."

"Stop now, Adem! You don't--"

Not a moment too late, miniature Evelyn appeared at the scruff of Adem's neck. Then in a fraction of a second she was standing on the floor with Adem's neck still in hand. "Sorry, buddy. You need a time out."

The woman ran back into her domicile and grabbed her daughter, the only word Ari understood coming out of her mouth being, "Gaia..."

Ilaria calmed down as Evelyn took control with whatever brute strength she'd mustered, but after just a few breaths she noticed whispers of the same holy name coming from doors all around. "Why are they all saying that?"

"Does it matter? Help me out."

"No you don't." Adem found a point of leverage between the floor and wall and powered over Evelyn's death grip, shaking her off so she clacked against the ground. "Who the flying fuck are you? My fucking mother's the only person to try that on me, and you know where she's at now? Six under."

"She's alive and well over in Washington. That's a weak lie." Eve closed her eyes and concentrated, her body growing slowly to full size. "Guess I need more 'oomph' to get you to calm down."

"How the fuck...?"

Ari quirked her head and stared at the nude figure herself. "Who... are you?"

"Ari, your brother pegged the guy in the leg... Evelyn?" Sydney threw her arms out as she rounded the stairs, latching onto the plant girl for the first time in her life with a very uncharacteristic squeal of delight. "You really are real!"

"Uh, fighting the big guy here...?"

Cid noticed Adem walking closer and whipped out her taser, firing it off with a snap-pop. Adem flinched for a moment, then easily yanked the darts out of his skin. "Uh... Plan B?"

"Fucking Cid, great." Still sparking, Adem yanked the taser out of Sydney's paw by its leads and crushed it under his next heavy step. "I don't normally show guys my cock, but you'll be sucking it clean for that. Someone here owes me a muzzle fuck--might as well be you."

Cid responded by pulling out her pistol, only for it to get knocked onto the floor by a heavy paw. Eve tried to return the favor, but her punch shattered her arm into pieces. "What? Ah, fuck..."

"Not so tough, huh?" Adem shoved Eve backwards and off the side of the stairs as he picked up the pistol. "Hope your jaw holds out, sissy, cause it's a lot o' meat."

"Ari!? Backup!?"

Ilaria tried to act quickly, forming a blade out of nanites and landing a decent cut on Ademeus' swishing tail. "Run! Get in the open!"

"Fucking bitch!" That nanite blade went flying, thankfully being recalled before it hit an onlooker in the chest. Ari leaped towards the outer stairwell, drawing a grunt from her aggressor. "Fuck it. Just die."

"W-Wait!" Ari plowed into Cid in the hopes they'd clear the side of the building, but instead the two tripped and slid against the railing. Sydney eyed the end of her own gun and held up her paw instinctively in defense. "Please! No!"

"I'll fuck you in hell."

Cid's pistol fired three times, landing squarely into Ari's back. The leaded death then ricocheted away extremely fast looking like tracers. One of the small rounds embedded into a nearby wall. The wall then exploded into a fine haze of alien concrete and flaming debris. The second and third slugs had a similar effect, this time on the ground directly below Ademeus. The liger flew backwards from the blast, a trail of pink mist wafting behind him.

"The... fuck?" Ari slowly stood, her hearing ringing from her close proximity. "You alright, Cid?"

"I..."

Cait hovered in her mother's view, pointing at her glowing paws. "I might have helped you out there. Sorry I didn't warn you."

"I did that? But...?"

"Same as Leannan did before. Kinetic resonance amplification barrier." Cait held out her paws and a barely visible shield formed in example so she could dumb it down. "Make bad things go boom, mom."

"That's... awesome." Cid reached up and grabbed Ari's paws, but as soon as she was on her hindpaws she hunched over in pain. "Ah, fuck! What the fuck!?"

"Cid!? Were you hit!?"

"It hurts... Ah!" Sydney clutched her abdomen, only then realizing what might be the issue. "I need the doc. I think I'm... uh..."

"Well shit. Perfect timing, hon." Ari clicked her radio and got nothing, falling back on a wireless Link with her brother. «Yoyo? We need our ride. Cid's going into labor.»

«And what about that fucking maniac?»

The otter checked the groaning liger from afar, spotting him sitting up much more calmly--and much bloodier. «I think he's under control. Let's get the fuck out of here while we still can. Maybe we can salvage this if that prisoner talks.»

«They can Link with him and prove everything, right? I mean, if he doesn't bleed out anyway.»

«Where'd you shoot the guy?»

«Family jewels. Was supposed to be his leg, but my new arm slipped...»

Ilaria sensed the joy behind that statement and chuckled to herself as she moved Sydney. «Just get over here. We need to lick our wounds and add more kids to the crew.»

«Already flying over. Should be there in a minute or less.» Yoyo placed a purposeful pause in the Link. «So she's having twins? You said kids, plural.»

«Well, maybe. She's always talking about two kids in her head, but I have no clue how this works for her and Carbon.» Ari made her way to the top of the building slowly and laid Cid flat. «For the record, I don't think we've got all these twins because of alien shit, Yoyo. Just runs in the family.»

«Ah, well I was just curious...» The orbiter arrived promptly, hovering with the tailgate down and her brother hanging out the rear to assist. "I'll get Cid. Your call on what we do with wonder boy."

"What about the others? I saw... Eve, I think."

"We got a bunch already. Your girls are picking up the stragglers. Eve is on radio with Carbon, so I think she's back." Iolvin carefully pulled Sydney into the back bay of the orbiter, then nudged to Carmine in the far corner seat. "Think we need to call in plan C?"

"No, he's calm. Explosion socked him out of it."

"I was gonna say... I thought I heard something go boom, plus Cid was with you..."

"Yeah, she looked like she has answers for that later. Get her in a seat or something and I'll be back." Ilaria flew down the one flight of stairs, finding Ademeus calmly climbing up by himself. "You alright, big guy? Not big and green anymore?"

"Ha. I said you wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Adem labored to pull himself up each step, but found things much easier with Ilaria's help. "You don't... You've already done too much for me."

Ari threw Adem's large arm over her shoulder and heaved part of his weight for him. "This isn't about you. This is about Carmine too. We can't leave without you."

"He deserves a better life." Adem struggled as they reached the open air and ran out of railings to assist his movement. "I'm only making life hard on the guy."

"And he loves you." Ari nudged towards the orbiter, her snout pointing to the hare in question. "Just trust me on this. You're better off together."

Adem reached out for Yoyo's paws and clambered onto the back of the vessel. "You guys really do hope for the best."

"Yeah, we--"

"Adem!" Carmine unsnapped his seat harness and leaped into his liger's arms. "You're hurt! Gods, I hate the scent of your blood... Don't you dare make me smell it again, you oaf."

"Sorry, Carmine." Ari slipped in past the two with a slight smile, one that Adem did not share. "I didn't mean to scare you. Now sit down somewhere safe before you fall out."

"That's the man I love. Always looking out for little ol' me." Car found the seat next to Ari's and clasped his harness in place as the orbiter lifted upward. "Come on, silly. We can't close that thing with your sexy ass on it."

Ademeus looked down to his trembling, twitching paw, then slowly made eye contact with his love. "I can't do that, little buddy."

"What?" Carmine stared into the enormous kitten's eyes, immediately understanding what he was saying even without his powers of empathy. "Adem...? No, Adem--!"

"You deserve better than this. You're too good a fur to waste your life worrying and fighting over me." The liger's neck twitched, then soon his whole head. "He's trying to stop me, but I know what's right."

Ilaria unclasped her harness and knelt down just out of her seat, holding out a paw. "Adem... why don't you take a step forward?"

"Carmine, find yourself someone to spend the rest of your life with. Be happy for me." Ademeus stood on the edge of the tailgate, holding on with but one twitching, defiant paw. "I love you, Carmine. That's why I have to save you from myself."

Iolvin reached forward to grab the liger. "Wait!"

" Adem!" Carmine reached forward from his seat, watching through waterfalls of tears as his love disappeared from view. "No! No~!"

Even above the whir of the engines and the hiss of the jets, a single thud resonated throughout the crew's bodies and minds.

---

«Carbon, stop it. You're getting too much into it.»

The hybrid huffed out a frustrated sigh to Evelyn, then landed a heavy punch into the face of the Starbreeze's newest prisoner of war. «Well maybe it's because I'm ~emotionally attached~ and all.»

«Don't make it personal, Carbon. You're better than that.» Eve resolved her physical body into a spare chair in the brig and held the ultraviolet flickering stump where her arm had previously been. "Things didn't go as planned down there and we lost someone. I get it. But like I said before, I don't want to lose a part of you as a result."

"And then you tell us to stop planning because you had a ~wonderful~ plan. And what was that exactly? Scruff the fucker into submission?" Carbon reeled back another fist and landed it directly into the equivalent of a liver. "We lost a good man, and now another is..."

"That's different, Carbon. I know you think Carmine is feeling like you when you lost your poor Adrian, but everyone handles things differently. That's what makes life wonderful, even though it's full of poison." Eve locked herself perfectly still and began rebuilding her arm out of pure UV light somehow, yet her words continued even without opening her mouth. "I misjudged my control over this body, and for that I'm gravely sorry. I wanted to knock him out before something like this happened. Don't make me feel any worse for failing out of spite."

"Yeah, well I can't make any promises..." One final slam landed straight into the side of the Yangurra's lungs, forcing him to cough instead of resist silently. "I'm sorry though. I guess I'm... sort of mad at you for leaving me alone and making me think you were gone forever. That's not fair though; you probably didn't have any say in the matter."

"No, I did. I could have chosen not to stop the reactor that did this to me. I... I love you more than that though. If you could survive, it would be worth dying."

"Yeah, and that's my whole point. I should be happy you're actually alive." Carbon playfully went to sit through Eve and commandeer the chair for a breather, but the hybrid quickly remembered how real her body was when she solidly pinched her tail on Eve's lap. "Ah, fuck! Damnit!"

"You can't do that anymore without warning me, Carbon. I'm built like a rock now." The plant girl gave her partner a hug, careful not to strangle the life out of her. "And I need to remember to warn you... and how to talk... and to eat... and to rest..."

"You need to eat? I'm still confused what you became, exactly."

"Well, I don't really need to eat. I just need to collect matter every so often to rebuild myself." Eve extended her hug into a soft kiss on the cheek, proving that when necessary she could indeed make herself pliable. "I'd explain what I am now but I don't quite know the exact details myself, plus like I said earlier I'd need to rephrase it all into a way people would understand. Even then, it'd still probably make your head pop."

"And Sydney would trigger a murderous rampage against science itself--the very science that brought her ~explosions~!" Carbon squeaked out giggles with her love, tapering off as she remembered her current goal. "Ah, shit. He's rested enough, hasn't he?"

A bulge of the prisoner's eyes cued Eve to hold her companion back. "I think he's ready to comply, Carbon. Try a Link again."

Carbon cracked her knuckles and grumbled out a low alien quip. "<My veile here says you're willing to help us. I hope for your sake she's right.>"

"<I'll do it! I'll help!>" The prisoner flinched as Carbon loomed overhead, fluttering his eyes open to probe when no additional pain followed. "<Thank you, Gaia! I'll never doubt you again!>"

"<Bullshit. You Sect guys are vetted to only recognize Xor when you join. You lie, you get more pain...>"

"<No! How can I not believe when she's standing here in her holiness!?>"

Carbon held back her next blow, if only to meet curious gazes with Evelyn. "Eve? You know what he's going on about?"

"Uh... no. This is new to me, too."

"<I swear, I will devote my life to her! If only I had known you were her vessel, hybrid...>" The prisoner cringed and forced his eyes to the ground upon realizing what he'd done. "<Goddess, forgive me. I did not want to harm you or your holy knights.>"

"<If you're serious about that you'll prove it by letting me access those memories of yours.>" Carbon lashed one of her vines with the prisoner's and formed a Link, this time with a surprisingly light level of resistance compared to the dozen prior attempts. «Wait, you're not blocking anything except... personal memories, it looks like... Eve, dig around and see what you--»

Evelyn quirked her head when Carbon shot her a confused expression. "What? Is it the arm?"

"No, just..." Another tendril eased over to the plant girl and she formed a basic Link as well. «I forget you're not always there with me anymore. Can you dig around in this guy's head for Sect intel?»

«Sure. I'll do what I can.» Carbon broke the Links to both people and began heading for the hallway. "Carbon? You're not going to observe?"

"Nah, I figured I'd tell Ari about our breakthrough here and maybe find Carmine for some support." Carbon shut the brig cell gate and backpedaled out the main door. "Feel free to join me. We can always get that info later since he's willing, Goddess."

"Don't tease me for something I don't understand, Carbon. I'll figure out what I can and meet up in a bit. I've got plenty of energy left so I'll be fine."

"Like batteries? I'll... ask later. Love you."

"Love you too, Carbon."

Carbon smiled as she shut the door hatch, then set off to find Ilaria--for all of two seconds when he found her sitting against the external bulkhead with Rhyme. "Ari? What's wrong? Adem?"

"I miss her so much," the otter barely eked out in reply.

"...Robyn? What brought this on all of a sudden?" Carbon knelt down before Ari much like Rhyme. "Is it the... death in the air?"

"I don't know. I just... something snapped and..."

It was then Carbon realized Rhyme was weeping as well. "Rhyme? what the hell's going on?"

The tanuki mumbled barely audibly beneath her choked breath. "Bee... Poor brother..."

"What the hell... Oh. Goddess, it's Carmine." A quick look down the hallway verified another crew member looking depressed as he trudged along. "He's out of control again. Damnit, this makes things harder."

Ari looked up pleadingly. "Car? Gods, don't bother the little guy right now."

"You don't get it. Carmine's mother was an empath in the Neighborhood Watch program. He's arguably stronger at it than she was, and she could make a whole base break out with in-fighting." Carbon slowly stood and brought up a security prompt on the Brig door controls. "The problem is that to do that you need to feel those emotions yourself. He controls it normally, but if he's out of control we need to--" A result popped up, highlighting a video feed in the Recreation Bay. "There he is. I'm not easy to affect, so let me see what I can do. In the meantime, just know that our prisoner is being helpful now."

"At least something good came of all this..."

"I'll stop your moping soon enough, Ari. Chin up." Carbon slipped into a jog as she sped towards the Recreation Bay,crossing an elevator shaft through to the other side of the ship. After tripping with the return to gravity she headed towards the front of the ship and jerked to a stop by the Rec-Bay door. "Carmine? You alright, bud?" she squeaked out as she slowly opened the hatch.

"Shit, I can't hide here either?" Carmine curled up into a ball in a soft reading chair and shielded his face with his paws. "Can't everybody just leave me alone? It's bad enough... Gods..."

Carbon huffed out a long sigh as she analyzed the situation, then slowly walked over to the hare. "Car, I'm not trying to annoy you with condolences. What happened... is beyond unfortunate. Sadly I always thought it was inevitable with the struggle Adem fought inside himself. He even used his last act to end it, while thinking of you... You were his beacon in the dark, but I shouldn't have assumed that was all he needed." Another sigh hissed from her muzzle as Carbon sat on the arm of the chair. "You have every right to cry your heart out, Car. I just need to tell you that everyone else on the ship is doing the same because of you. I know it hurts; I've been in your shoes before and blamed everyone I could. That's why if you feel you need this time, I won't stop you. Just consider the others around you who still love you, though."

"I... Fuck, I didn't realize..." Carmine lifted up his head and revealed his drenched facial fur to his former commanding officer. "It just feels like my heart's been ripped out my chest. I keep telling myself I'll wake up any minute and be in his arms, but... but he..."

"You're hyperventilating, Car. Just breathe. Try to calm down."

"How can I calm down!? Adem's gone! He killed himself!" The hare shot upright, barely able to speak as his breathing degraded further. "I just want him back! I can't go on without him now that we...! Gods, we were going to have a life together! He even had... had a... a ring..."

Carbon leaned over the distraught bunny and braced his shoulders, sneaking in a slight prick from one of his tendrils' thorns to deliver a calming payload of diluted neurotoxin. "It's okay, Car. I'm sorry for this. I'll be right here to help when you wake up. Alright?"

"What did... you... d-do...?"

Carbon heaved his friend to rest comfortably in the room's larger sofa then pulled a blanket over their bodies. "You've still got people who love you, hon. I pray you dream happy memories and not nightmares." She pulled Carmine to rest over her lap and tucked in the blanket so they'd stay cozy and warm. "I've had enough loss for five lifetimes, so what's the harm in sharing the load of more?"

---

"_Gods fucking damnit _!"

Iolvin walked into the Medical Bay common area and immediately spun around upon hearing Sydney in a closed room. "No~ope."

"Sit your ass down, smart-ass" Ilaria cringed as a tray of something metal clattered audibly across the floor. "Okay, maybe we should at least ~find suitable cover~."

"How long's it been? She's been at it a while."

"About nine of our new hours." Ari checked her watch and nodded in confirmation, only being off by a few minutes. "Poor girl's tiny and I hear that takes longer."

"I still don't really see Cid as a girl, you know. I mean, maybe if there was a distinct lack of clothing and Adri was cool with it..." Yoyo chuckled as he sat beside his twin sister. "At least she'll be better off not having to hide her situation from the crew. That, and I guess it's nice to have a kid."

"Yes, I know; I have five; ~you~ have two yourself. I at least ~assume~ you love the boys."

"I do, but I'm still a little distant from them. I'm trying though." Yoyo settled his tail to his side and cleared his lap, then reeled Zoë in to sit on his legs. "At least I don't have to hide stuff like this from them."

Ari quirked her head toward her brother rather than listen to the loud room. "What do you mean? They know about Cid?"

"Yeah. They're curious, but unlike your girls they know how to stay quiet. When she found out, Cid took a liking to them." Yoyo gave Zoë a rearward hug and a quick kiss to the jaw. "Zoë here was concerned for them and got them thinking about what they want to do for a living. Sounds like they want to be reporters or something like that."

Zoë corrected Yoyo and explained for Ari in the same signing. <Phoebe likes writing and wants to be a journalist. Themis wants to be a photojournalist.>

"Oh, they want to do the same kind of thing? That's sweet." Ari smiled at the idea, then shifted into a goofy grin. "But neither of them wanted to be cold-blooded dick snipers like their vengeful father?"

"I'm pretty sure that's hate speech towards me now, sis." Yoyo chuckled lightly and bopped his twin on the shoulder. "Our prisoner's bits thankfully are ~not~ paired with pieces. Don't know what sort of voodoo Ellie pulled off there, but apparently he'll live to fuck another day if he ever deserves it."

"You do realize you ~missed~, right? Yangurraa have internal genitalia all around, so you just shot his thigh." Ari looked down at her own disfigured crotch and groped it lightly through her spats. "At least they don't have bones in theirs to lose. That shit sucks."

"How's it healing? Looking good?"

"Bandages aside, it looks about normal. Just one less part inside." Ari groaned as she adjusted the lay of her crotch so she could cross her legs. "It itches like hell though, and the pain comes and goes. Burning, mostly."

"You tried... getting it up yet...?"

"Nope. Doctor's orders." The otter finally found a position that worked well and leaned back. "Makes me glad Zoë's back to wearing clothes. She the one behind that?"

"I've been asking her for a while to wear something, but she's taken to it on her own I guess." Yoyo gave Zoë another smooch to the jaw, then turned her head with a single finger against her nose and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "I'm glad you're opening up, Zoë. I'd rather know you as you want to be than what you think I want. You're prettier that way."

"I... Yes, muh... master."

Ari gave her bother a slap to the back. "Now I see why you had so many girlfriends in high-school, charmer."

"What, nothing about my good looks? It'd technically be a compliment for you as well--"

In their chit chat, the twins forgot about their reason for sitting in the waiting area. Sydney's screaming had subsided to quiet, the only loud noise then coming from Elliot barging through the door with a huge smirk on his muzzle. "I'm getting fucking good at this!"

"I'd hope our only doctor could handle, I dunno, ~medical tasks~." Just as she got comfortable, Ari was forced to stand out of curiosity. "Can we see the baby? What--?"

"She's a girl, just like they said she would be. They even guessed the fur markings correctly. Odd, odd." Ellie looked to the floor as he lost himself in thought. "And they had a girl's name ready, too. Did they know something I didn't?"

"Leannan, right?"

"Yeah. How...?"

Ilaria smiled as she leaned for a better look. "Leah was already swimming around in Cid's head apparently. She already had a name and all that. So can we see her now?"

"In a bit. Cid's... unwilling to show that side of her right now. I don't know why when she makes such a pretty mother." Ellie slid the door until it was just shy of latching and held up a data pad with a photo of the child. "I thought ahead though. She looks so much like Cid. Right?"

"Yeah, damn well the spitting image." Yoyo walked over now that Zoë was off his lap and grabbed the pad. "It's like a baby Cid. Paradoxically, she'd crazy-level cute."

Ari slugged her brother in his false shoulder. "Hey, Cid's far from ugly. She's sexy in a lot of ways. Don't joke."

A strange girlish squeal sounded from the other room, followed shortly by a grumble. "I... I can hear you, you know..."

"Heeee..." Ilaria squeaked and giggled as she approached the door. "I know. Just part of the plan."

"Hey, no spoilers." Carbon barely cracked open the door and wedged partially through it. "And she loves it, for the record."

"Yeah, even if she won't admit it." Iolvin held still for a moment, then briefly shot his eyes wide and pushed Carbon back into the room. "Heads up! Adri's coming!"

"Ah! Hey!"

"Oh, hush." Evelyn materialized herself outside the door and closed it behind her former host. "Don't spoil Sydney's amazing day. Enjoy your new pup, Carbon."

"New pup? Did...?" Adrian walked into the waiting area like he was headed straight to his brother's office, but changed course with the news. "Carbon gave birth? And nobody called me?"

"They didn't want it advertised. Sorry, babe."

Dee pouted, but gave both Yoyo and Zoë a quick kiss. "Aw. So I missed it?"

"Well, we did too. I mean, Cid wanted us out of there." Ari pat Dee on the shoulder as she found her seat again. "Most people don't want their partner's stuff hanging out in public, you know. We're the oddballs."

"Yeah, I guess so." Dee looked to Eve and then his brother for his next query. "So what's the deal? Everything alright?"

Ellie was entirely happy to repeat the news to his brother. "They've got a healthy baby girl--Leannan."

Yoyo passed along the data pad so Dee could get a glimpse. "She's cute."

Dee squealed as he realized what was on the tablet. "Gods, is she ever! It's like if Cid was a cute little girl!"

The twins busted out in laughter, though Ari managed to collect herself first. "Yeah, she's definitely more like Cid."

Eve smiled as the others held back their secret joke. "Well if you like her, wait 'till you see the next one. 'Cute' doesn't even come close."

Dee led the others in their confusion. "Wait, there can't be another...?"

"Oh, there will be." Eve grinned as she disassembled her body and began returning to Carbon. "There's still another of my daughters waiting for her big day. Now I just need to get that to ~happen~."

"I'm still lost. How?"

"Oh, you know that part." In an almost creepy 'Cheshire Cat' manner, Eve allowed her mouth to be the last part of her to fade away. "You see, when a meerkat loves an otter ~very much~... and quite often, repeatedly through the night..."

The gang blinked idly to themselves for a few seconds, then broke out in laughter.