Sammy couldn’t help but to crack a grin as she felt Rouxs hands against her cheeks, seeing her standing there trying to force a smile as best as she could. And as she saw her, she just couldn’t hold back her laughter. She would snake her arms around Roux while looking into her eyes, smiling slightly as she spoke, “I’m just worried, that’s all. Wish that I could go with you… but I know that we have to do this…”
Sammy would look up at Roux with a smile, now one she was trying to keep now that it was here. She leaned in and pressed her lips against Rouxs, holding her there in a passionate kiss as her arms tightened around her, afraid that if she let go she would lose her again

Nngghhh––Shibal. Kyung-ha cursed to herself quietly as she stood in front of the mirror, sliding up her tactical suit that she hadn't worn in years after giving birth to her second child. She forgot how skinny she was before having kids, despite her constant efforts of remaining in shape which clearly paid off given her muscular body at her age. Still, it was hard to escape the mom life, especially with two children that were always hungry. Kyung-ha squished in her thighs to be able to properly zip up the jumpsuit before she would disguise it with her hanbok-style shirt and some loose pants. Her eyes gazed at her phone when she received a text message, quickly brushing her hair with her bare fingers before tying the wild strands into her perfectly neat bun. She stared down at the text message, glancing at her daughter and son who slept together on the queen-sized mattress before replying with a simple "oke👍".

She too struggled with sleeping the previous night, having stayed up all night while packing a few items for the road for the travelers. The mother had also used the lack of daylight to her advantage, going into town to jumpstart an isolated car she had been eyeing the past weeks to serve as their transportation for any event, since she knew driving her own car with Florida license plates would be too obvious in Turkish streets, especially when heading to the airport. Kyung-ha made her way out to meet with Leonard.

Leonard had also begun his own preparations for the day to come. He had already cleaned out all of his weapons and made sure they were in their best shape before he would be set to go, yet he still had more then enough time. He spent the rest of the evening just exercising, doing push ups, and sit ups, making sure that not a muscle in his body was tense before the events were to happen. He even took the time to sneak out in his usual disguise to buy some stuff from the store, some canned energy drinks and coffees, a few protein and granola bars, something to keep him awake. If he was lucky, he wouldn't need to do too much there. He was also sure to buy something extra. He would turn to his phone when he heard it buzz, checking to see a single emoji from Kyung. He set his things aside, throwing on a tactical vest in case of a shoot out that he kept underneath his white dress shirt, and his overcoat as he made his way to the door to open it for her.

It wasn't necessary for Kyung-ha to knock on the door, for as soon as her knuckle went to tap on the wooden frame, the person behind the sealed entrance opened it immediately. She gave her usual nod, which was her form of saying good morning if it wasn't a proper bow. "No sleep either, hm? Catch up on rest on plane, plenty of time now." She eyed his luggage, and also the bag that contained his recent grocery run. "49 years old and still drink energy drinks? How you no die?" She asked. "No matter, I also packed some meals for you and rest going so you no survive completely off garbage."

"Yeah, forty nine. What a great way to be spending my birthday. Isolated in a manor with a bunch of kids that don't understand shit and love to argue about everything" Leonard spoke as he put his hands on his hips, "Reminds me of.... well, you know" He waved it off as he looked to Kyung, taking notice of her figure. Even despite the clothes she wore, he could tell exactly what it was that was underneath, "Tactical uniform, huh? I would've thought you threw that away. Heh, if I knew any better, I would assume you were coming with me on this mission. You danger stops at just driving us to the airport and making sure no one spots us or anything"
At the mention of the food, he gave a nod and remarked, "I'd say we're good, but I doubt you'll take no for an answer. At least I'm eating something healthy and non perishable"

“Nahhh, I always prepared.” Kyung-ha said despite her only being the driver. She had recently started wearing the concealed tactical suit again whenever she went beyond the gates of the mansion and out in public. At the mention of food, she nodded. “All packed and ready to go.” The mother had packed each passenger their own roll of kimbap and a korean-styled tamago sando neatly wrapped in aluminum foil. She unfortunately couldn’t pack any fresh fruit or vegetables, fearing that they’d be detained at the airport for bringing foreign produce. Instead, she packed them some of Yoon’s favorite snacks which included chocopies, pocky sticks, doritos, and even cupped ramen which would be convenient for their travels as long as they had hot water. Sorting the food items overnight in their ziploc bags oddly reminded her of the times she would prepare Sangeon and Yoon’s lunch boxes for school.

But it was when Kyung-ha reflected on something that Leonard said earlier that caught her attention. “Oi, it's your birthday?” Her brows furrowed quizzically, and she couldn't agree more with this being one of the worst birthdays yet. “Terrible birthday!” She exclaimed instead of saying the traditional ‘happy birthday’, assuming she could just replace the adjective with whatever she saw fit.

"Well I'm sure you look really good in tactical wear" Leonard said. Though with his tone, it wasn't sure if it was flirting or just stating the obvious. He didn't let it linger as he would change the subject immediately to focus on his birthday. "Yep, forty nine years and counting" Leonard spoke as he sat down on the bed, his hands brushing through his hair. "Oh well, doesn't really matter too much. Haven't really celebrated it since I was a kid. Just kind of an extra reminder that I'm still walking the earth and yet tons more younger than me die on this job, so... Not too thrilled back then."
But as he sat there, his arms crossed, he would turn his attention to the plastic bag. Seeing the contents inside, he would pull out a small thing form inside it, a toy wrapped in it's box and fresh from the store. Whatever it was, it looked far from low quality, definitely not a dollar store brand figure. He would hold it out to Kyung and speak, "Here, this is for Sang. I remember he said one of his toys broke and I told him that I'd feel responsible since it broke under my care, so this is my way of saying, 'sorry for the damages' ya know. Or hell, you can say you bought it for him. He'd probably appreciate it more coming from his mom. I just thought... after yesterday, the kid needs something to help ease his mind. No child needs to go through that shit, not ever. And the blame for that rests on me for letting him get that close when I should have not rushed after him. So uh... yeah. Sorry for that."

Kyung-ha was about to retort to his questionable comment until her eyes widened in genuine surprise when Leonard retrieved a toy that was meant for her son. Her head tilted to the right, observing him explain why he had gotten it in the first place. Her eyes finally softened as it was handed over to her, and she carried the item with much care considering it now was her son’s. Kyung-ha stared down at it a little longer, twirling the box in her fingers until the smallest of invisible grins expanded on her face. “He love toys.” The mother emphasized. And then she chuckled quietly at the irony of the situation. “Perfect day for it to be your birthday, because he also wanted me to give you this—“ She reached into her pocket to retrieve a folded piece of paper.

But when Leonard went to open it, he would see what was at first glance a childish drawing filled with meaningless and colorful scribbles. But upon further inspection, there was a story behind the crayon art. The biggest doodle was a man scribbled in orange with a big cowboy hat on him with a backwards “L” on it who undoubtedly represented Leonard. He also was wearing what appeared to be a suit colored in purple and black, along with a poorly drawn gun at his hand. Behind the cowboy were smaller drawn characters, including a shorter character with pink hair standing next to a man holding a paintbrush. There was a tall man with an oval body, a stick figure with blonde hair with a girl with freckles standing by her, and a shorter girl shooting icey snowflakes out her hands, who also had a big nose that he most likely did to spite his sister. The woman that helped rescue him along with Leonard was even included in the picture. In the corner of the paper, Sangeon’s name was written in Korean followed by the date.

“Happy birthday, I guess.” Kyung-ha said. “He stay up most of the night drawing it.”

Leonard looked at the paper she had handed him. He was already half expecting it to be something simple like a thank you letter, but as he would unfold the drawing and glance at the picture inside, he would almost immediately lose whatever expression he had on his face, dropping into a stare of genuine surprise at what he was seeing. It was very childish and simple, but it was his. It was something that Sangeon had made for him. Leonard wasn't sure why. he had told himself long before that he had no more feelings inside of him, no way to feel anything. Pain, loss, rejection and betrayal, those were all things he was used to. He knew it was easier to accept that and embrace whatever misery would come so as to not feel any disappointment when it would come. But looking at this picture, his hand brushed over his mouth as he looked over it, feeling an unexplainable sensation inside of him. And as he would hear Kyungs attempt at a happy birthday, his eyes would close, letting out a soft exhale as he looked to Kyung and replied, "This. For people like this. This is why I do what I do, Kyung. I almost forgot there was a reason I kept pushing myself through so much pain and suffering, almost forgot that with the Constables, their plans, their insane shit, all the people I've seen die that didn't deserve it. I asked, why am I still doing this... For people like this, Kyung. This is why I do what I do. If my actions can save peoples lives... then it's worth doing."
He took the drawing and folded it, putting it into the pocket of his coat and locking it into place, "Whenever I find some place to finally settle down and can call my own, I'll get that framed somewhere."
He would take notice of the ever small, almost impossible to see smile on Kyungs face. He didn't mention it. He noticed, but he let her keep it a secret and replied, "I figured. I hope he likes it"

When Roux saw Sammy's smile, there was this sensation if relief that washed over her that made her shoulders rest some. She felt happy to see it. Happy that she was there to see Sammy's smile physically. To look into those shimmering eyes that looked at her so lovingly. But before should could make any further jokes, she found herself being put into a satisfying silence by Sammy's lips. She moaned softly into their kiss, her own lips meeting Sammy's with a fierce love.
When she pulled away shortly afterwards, she said to Sammy, "I'm worried too. But as long as you got me, and I got you, we'll be okay—" She smooched her lips again. "We got this." She grabbed in to the back of Sammy's belt and pulled her close against her. "Okay, babe?"

Sammy would return the brief kiss between words as she would look into her eyes softly, her hands still resting around Rouxs waist as she held her there. If someone were to come in, she wouldn't care. She didn't care if anyone saw or judged, that was their problem. She was just happy to have her there, to hold her. And as she smiled, she spoke, "Yeah, I know we will.... But I still worry. Can you... Well, if you're going to Florida, and there's probably no Constables on you, can you at least get some help from others there? Yoon's friend, Kore I think. She's weird, but she can probably help. And Galiah should still have Alana's number. least that way you can give her a call for help. Oh, and I can give you Hectors. least that way if you're in a bind, he can just pull some weird stunt. Guy always has a weird way of getting things delivered. I think he said he already had a car set up for Mason and I, which is... I dunno, it's Hector, I guess"
But as she was pulled back toward her by the belt of her dress pants, she couldn't help but to giggle a bit, her opwn body not closer to Rouxs as she spoke, "Don't tempt me. I'll just sneak in the car and join you in Florida. But then again, if I did that, we'd get nothing done, would we? Maybe your plan was to get me to do other stuff so I'm not distracted by the hottie in front of me right now"

"If I'm the hottie then you're the sexy one, and you're definitely my distraction." She smirked with a bit of pride in the fact that Sammy was who she was. And all hers.
"I'd say we've got plenty of time for me to jump you onto this counter and spread those legs for another taste, but you don't need to be too tired to get to the airport. But that ain't tempting." She bit her lip with a sly grin, taking Sammy's hand and slowly slid it down between her legs and against her panties. "This is." She moaned softly against her face. "Yesterday was fucking amazing," she giggled. "But hey, I'll try to keep all of the pocket numbers in mind while I'm busy not needing them," she joked with casual smirk.

"Oh you think I'll get tired" Sammy said as she would pull Roux closer to her, using her pelvis to bump her against the counter with a playful smirk, her arms still around her. "You only caught me off guard and having to deal with a bullet wound being healed up. I think you forget I've been spending two months training, climbing trees, dodging bullets. I got the stamina sexy. But you're right, yesterday night was just an absolute lovely time. But I believe you said something to me that was along the lines of uh.. Oh yeah"
She would lean forward and whisper it into Rouxs ear, "Ooooh, Sammy, make that tongue dance for me baby, Ooooh" She would make the moan just loud enough to be a surprise but to not wake up anyone as she would pull back, holding her close with a giggle as she spoke, "I got a great look at that little heart tattoo of yours. And I gotta say, I love the design"
Her fingers rubbed against the outer part of Roux's panties, rubbing her fingers slowly and surely against them, her fingers even prodding at the outside as if they were trying to slip in, Sammy biting her lips as she felt her up more. "And I would absolutely not mind another go before the trip. Something to remember me by while your missing me in Florida, sexy"

Roux licked her lips, as Sammy's voice moaned into her ear. Her heart leapt with excitement, having already been aroused the moment she had started to think more about the way Sammy's moans had been, and how she had worked her tongue and hands, and with the guidance of the connection that had been present between them. She was almost as good as her own Sammy.
And as Sammy brought up her tattoo and how she had seen it, she grinned, laughing a little bit not trying to do so too loud. But the touch of Sammy's rubbing and prodding fingers made laughter become another moan as she started to move her hips against Sammy's hand. "Oh so you like the tatt? Figures. My Sammy has one too. But with all that talk, another go would be nice." And as Sammy told her that she was up for it in her own way, she couldn't help but to smirk. "I guess we are the perfectly distraction for each other huh?" She giggled out.

"You know it, hot stuff" Sammy said as she would surprise Roux once more by sliding her hands into her panties, proding and sliding her fingers against Roux's entrance with no barrier between it now. She would make soft moans in Rouxs ear as she spoke, "You got me all worried and stressed out about today, Roux. What are you gonna do about that? I got a lot of pent up stress that I gotta relieve or I don't know what I'll do. Are you gonna help me with all that tension babe or while I just have to be thinking about that lovely body of yours on the entire plane ride"
She giggles as she would place soft kisses against Rouxs neck, moaning ever slightly as her fingers continued to do all the work

"yyEess—oh—" Roux stood on the tips of her toes when Sammy's fingers came onto her bare entrance, the breath that she released riddled with small trembles. The words spoke into her ear made her hornier. She loved when Sammy spoke to her that way, and she didn't hide it as she grinded against Sammy's hand for pleasure. "I'm gonna eat you up," she moaned with a sexual frustration in her voice, barely able to contain herself as her neck was kissed. And she hissed in arousal, "Or maybe I'll have a surprise for you on our way to Florida." She smirked mischievously as she stopped Sammy's hand, finding her lips to deliver a kiss if savage and lustful passion. She kissed her deeper, and deeper, her tongue working its way until Sammy's mouth until—

Beep beep! Beep beep—"Security Update Complete. Hardware Installed Successfully."

Roux glanced behind her when she had first heard the beeping. "And there's our little upgrade. Neat-o."

Sammy would continue to rub at Roux lustfully between her legs until they were pulled from there place, smiling to Roux with a sly grin as she would make her comments or rather her advances. "Mmmmm, never had sex on a plane before" She giggled playfully before she would kiss her back, her tongue already sliding against hers in a lustful moan, her arms wrapping around her body again until she was suddenly pulled out of it when Roux had turned her head. She was a tad frustrated that it had been broken so quickly, but she would merely sigh and ask, her arms still wrapped around Roux, "Upgrade to what?"

Roux's head turns for her to face Sammy as she answered, "The Operator AI, what else dumb dumb?" She said with a tease. She turned away from Sammy but kept her lover's arms wrapped around her to reach back and pull her along closer to the interface. "While I was going through all of the data and Intel and yada yada, I managed to bring together a little something and gave it a little level up on its ins and outs. Since I've already gotten my hands on the more upgraded version before, breaking it down technologically wasn't as much of a problem as it almost was and could have been." She began to move around the interface, holographic pieces scattering out as she started to sift through them, she moved her hips from side to side in a little dance against Sammy.

"Oh, right" Sammy spoke with a faint blush on her cheeks as she would remember that this was the thing they were after. But as she would look up to feel Rouxs hips saying from side to side, her body dancing against hers, she was only able to have listen, her hands already sliding across her body from her hips down to her thighs and just merely nodded, "Y-Yeah, that's uh.... that's something you just said, Roux.Uh, totally, I agree and stuff"

"He will love it, I know he will." Kyung-ha reaffirmed, saving the toy in one of her larger pockets for now. It would be an exciting gift to wake Sangeon up to upon her return. She hid her frown when Leonard commented he would hang the drawing up whenever he settled down. If he ever settled down, she thought. She decided to hold back her pessimistic viewpoints since Leonard seemed so positive and she hadn't really seen him be positive since before their case in Oregon. Instead, she let him enjoy his small moment of peace and his words of affirmation soak into the moment. "Good birthday gift, if I say so myself." She said, since all her days of celebration, including her birthday and Mother's Day, often involved many of her son's drawings. "I no think he got your nose right, but it's thought that counts." She joked to keep the lightened mood, not really commenting on the backwards L on his hat since she knew Sangeon still struggled sometimes in writing the alphabet correctly.

Roux could hear in Sammy's voice how distracted and absent she sounded when she replied. And it made her smirk while she enjoyed the feeling of Sammy's hands on her body. She leaned her head up and back a little as it turned so she could look at Sammy. "Nah ah, you're supposed to be paying attention with the important stuff." Despite her words though, her back arched some as she swayed her rear against Sammy's pelvis in a soft grind. "Come on Blondy, we're supposed to be on to some important stuff, right?"

"Yeah.." Sammy spoke as she would hear Rouxs words despite her full attention being on her swaying hips, staring with absolute desire and lust for her. But at the mention of the importance, she tried her best to shake herself out of it, "No, No, you're right. Uh... right, you upgraded the system to uh... to be better, and to help us when we're in uh... Alabama and looking for Keepers while you look for Jackie. Meet up once mission complete, go to Jersey, escape. Uh, I got that right, right?" She spoke in a flurry of mumbles and confusion, but her hands would still slide all across Roux's soft body with a want for it

"No, no." Leonard made sure to reaffirm. "I think he captured my likeness pretty well." He added with a smile as he looked over the paper once more. And as he did, he would look to Kyung again, seeing that she could see a sort of joy in the man. A joy that was thought to have been long snuffed out after the incident twenty years ago, an incident that was sure to be the last time he'd ever feel any sense of positivity in his life. And yet, like before, it was a Park that was sure to bring some joy into his life. He let out a soft chuckle before he spoke, "It's a good gift. You raised a nice kid, Kyung. He's a sweet boy. I uh... I'm glad that you were able to, despite all of the.... the then and the now" He made sure to keep it vague

Kyung-ha's grin grew a little bit out of pride when Leonard complimented her parenting abilities. "I know." Sangeon was the only male in her small family, and so he grew up in a matriarchal unit that taught him manners, courtesy, and respect, especially towards women. Though sometimes she knew that he didn't always apply her teachings with his sister whenever they would bicker over pointless arguments. Still, when it came to strangers or adults, Sangeon was always humble and behaved accordingly. That, and also he and his sister were naturally shy from being raised from such a confident and assertive woman. He was definitely a mama's boy, even if he refused to admit it. "He is my special little man." Kyung-ha confirmed. He was the only man good enough to hold her heart, because she knew she instilled values on him that any other person would desire. But she worried that with the recent incidents and the future to come, it might taint that innocent image she had of him.

“Well you picked a good man, Kyung. Optimistic, polite, respectful. How can any guy compete with that for your attention” Leonard would joke as he looked to Kyung once more. Seeing the smile that came to her face, seeing her speak so confidently about her son. It was as if Leonard was staring a completely different woman. Instead of an agent that was perfect in combat, and even killing, it was as if he was staring at a completely different woman. A woman with a normal life, one that was far removed from all this talk of Constables and magic. And he couldn’t help but chuckle as well. He shook his head a bit as he spoke, “I’m sure he’s proud to have you as a mother. At least when this is all over, and hopefully when we’re all past this… if we’re all past this… I hope you and your kids can finally find some peace and happiness. How you find that… well, that’s all depending on you. We’ll just have to see when this is all over”

"Of course, no one can compete." Kyung-ha affirmed, though she wasn't joking like Leonard did. That was because she would always prioritize her children over herself and any man she became more than just acquainted with. She would lay down her life for the sake of them. This was part of the reason she could no longer stay with George, despite her attempts to make things work for the sake of her kids. She wasn't going to put them in a situation where they were George's second preference in loving and caring, where they were inferior to his current family back in California. No child of hers was going to be raised under a household that made themselves question and compare their existence to their step siblings.

"Oi, enough talk like baby, birthday boy." Kyung-ha reprimanded his sappy hopes for the future. She would continue to live in the present to avoid their inevitable death. "Instead help load up car, can never be too early for flight." she said in reference to the dark grey Fiat she managed to steal outside. "Still need to check if others are even awake or opted out of going, especially that healing Keeper that seems to pee his pants every time I look at him. What I even do, eh?"

"I dunno, he does the same whenever I'm around. Just locks up like a rabbit in the middle of the road about to get hit by a car" Leo replied on the topic of Mason, remembering the many times he would just freeze and not move a muscle. He shook his head as he stood up from the mattress and replied, "I can assure you that Raven is awake. And as rude as ever. I imagine that Samantha will be awake soon. That girl is almost as stubborn as... well, she's stubborn, so we can count on her going" He left out the stubborn one being Kyung. He would throw on his coat, making sure to hide any of his concealed handguns that were hidden in their covers to avoid any attention at the security lines before turning back, "Just make sure that When I get back here, everything is in perfect condition."
He was sure to emphasize. "When I get back, not if"

Kyung-ha exhaled through her nose as her form of amusement when Leonard compared Mason to a rabbit. It couldn't be closer to the truth. She didn't see a reason as to why Mason would fear her... except the few times she purposefully scared him to keep her secret. Even then, she didn't think of it as something that was too scary. Her brow raised at Leonard's pause, almost waiting for him to finish his sentence knowing well what he was going to say. And then she smirked to herself when he couldn't finish, concluding that she instilled fear in the man in front of him too. She didn't take it too personally. "I no know if by time you come back this place still here." She wasn't sure how long they had until the mansion they currently resided in would no longer be safe. Perhaps it already wasn't with Thube's prior visit. Kyung-ha decided not to dwell on the situation for now, and instead exited out the door and through the halls to dismiss herself and check on the people that were scheduled to leave. As she passed by her own room, she heard Yoon's alarm ring. Kyung-ha had tasked her to keep watch while she was gone for the short period.

"Right" Leo spoke as he would only carry with him a small bag of things, a plastic bag of a few essentials, a travelling tooth brush with toothpaste, a change of clothes, and whatever his pockets could carry. "I pretty much got all that I'll need for the trip. I'm hoping that.... That things are still fine when I get back" He replied, turning to the door with hesitation. He knew that if he were to leave, what would happen? How long until the manor was attacked again. It was paranoia, paranoia he always had that would eat away at his mind. It was like whenever he wasn't around to stop something, things would only get worse. But he also knew that Thube had him on a tight leash. There wasn't much he could do but to go with it. Especially with Sang was in danger. He let out a sigh and stepped out of the room, "I'll go ahead and check on the big guy if you wanna check on the girls. I get a feeling they'll enjoy your company better"

"I no know how you came to that conclusion, but oke––you get the gay one I get the two other gays ones." She concluded absentmindedly with a wave of her hand that held the smaller carry on bags for the others. She was pretty sure Leonard chose to check on Mason because she didn't want to deal with the stubbornness of the two women. Kyung-ha didn't want to either, but she figured she would let it slide because it was Leonard's birthday. After passing through the halls, she was about to head upstairs to check on the girls' room; however, to her surprise she heard the familiar voices chirping in the kitchen. Kyung-ha was mildly surprised they even got to waking up before the set time. But upon entering the kitchen, she was puzzled with mixed feelings at what she witnessed. Most importantly, the Operator AI seemed to be running. Secondly, it seemed like the 100th time she had walked in on something she wished she hadn't seen. This wasn't the first time with them either, nor would it be the last considering the times she had also walked in on the other tenants of the house being all over each other. It happened too many times.

"Ehem." Kyung-ha cleared her throat loudly as Sammy's hands were wandering inside of a leaning Raven's clothes. She clenched her jaw to hold back her tongue at how inappropriate their activity was in a public kitchen against a counter she sliced fruit and meat on. She couldn't even hand over her bags of goods at the thought of dirty hands. "Nguyen." She had to hiss her name with a borderline growl when she realized she was still stuck in whatever trance she was in.

Sammy was almost in a completely different world as she looked over Roux's figure, her hands trailing down her back and across her hips as they dances against her pelvis. It was like distant echoes when she would hear her name called. "Yeah, you say something, Roux."
But she found it a tad odd that she used her last name. She came to slight realization when she would hear the more mature voice of Kyung once more, only to turn to see Kyung standing there with a look on her face. She would immediately pull herself away and place her hands to her side, standing straight before she gave a bow, "Uh, shit! Uh, M-Morning, Miss Park. Uh, I promise it wasn't what it looks like. It was, uh... Just showing Rave-Roux-uh... Miss La Roux here some... some battle moves. Ya know, grapples to throw people off, to restrain them and uh... and stuff..."
As Sammy would look up again, she would immediately hurry ot the kitchen to wash her hands in the sink, knowing how much Kyung hated the idea of any physical contact like that. She would immediately return with her hands wet, wiping them onto her black dress pants as she added, "Um... Yeah, uh, we also got the Operator thing working. Really cool stuff, uh… wanna tell her, Roux?”

It was...a mass. A mass of everything within the nothingness of the blackness of the void. No Goliath, no giant, no conceivable size was enough to describe it. It began where it ended, and ended where it began, an interloping infinity of absolute terror. Its murmur shook the lights from stars that were galaxies away, reducing them to less than spacedust. Debris that, under its gaze, we were little more than. Desctructive, atom sized ants scampering up a mountain of burning corpses in search of a purpose that did not exist.

Yet it was the very existence of us that it loathed, as it saw a world that could have been. A world that was, and was not. Like the millions of worlds that I could hear screaming from the corners of the solar systems near and far. Their chokes as they were smothered. As the many, many, many, manymanymany MANY, hands endlessly caressed them into the maws of a ceaseless oblivion that would capture their cries for eternity. A song of torments unheard of, for us all to hear. O'How something of its unspeakable kind could be just beyond the distance, yet so terrifyingly close.
And the cries, they knew of us. They knew of us well, for they would wail a song that drove worlds mad and brought destruction to millions from the trillions of slits that replaced the numbers of stars in the sky, each of them jaws brim filled with teeth of ether.

They screamed, yet it was soft, and they sang us songs that were like opera in the hands of terror, songs of our beloved planet. How we had taken the glorious creation of the cosmos and its core of life for nothing more but waste to the stars, and that the thing was The Savior. They sang to us about the magnificence of it, it's sheer being.

O'Great blanket of the abyss
Welcomer to the found, Welcomer to the lost
O'Sacred Supreme Dark
Cover us in you Mighty Torment
Until we are pure!

They sang about how it had watched for so long, cloaked within the endless black of the cosmos. How its being held the light of endless amounts of drowned suns. How it had been at first so overjoyed at what we began as, but so very disappointed in what we became. How so many teeth dropped from the sky, and how they so intricately chewed and pulled at the atmosphere as if it were merely a rubber toy to be chewed upon by a mutt. How its many teeth did so in such a way that it didn't disturb the living world in even the slightest. How it watched for so long, cloaked within the dark abyss of the cosmos.
They were in terrible fits of joy as they harmonized over the way that it had so cleverly started with the planet's environment, and like fingers into soil, they tore away chunks at a time to the sound of the horrid singing. Over how it had sent the residents of the planet into a state of terror as they soon would become a part of it. How they were so blessed, so unequivocally graced to the damnation within the pits of the belly of a ceaseless oblivion.

And though we stood as firm as we could, the eight of us, and our armies. Our ships that could transverse the spacetime, and our weaponry capable of sending suns into oblivion. Our seas of allies from neighboring worlds and dimensions that have yet to be known or seen. Allies from the Way Highs and the Far Below. Yet no matter our numbers, no matter our strengths and our artilleries. The fear, no matter how much we willed it not, had shaken us all to our core. The United Worlds around us had already fallen to shambles of insanity, and those that managed to resist and endure for even a fraction of a fraction's second were consumed.
So far it is. But so near it is. Not far enough, and to close to ever sleep comfortably knowing that it would come. That it was coming. And it would not stop until we no longer exist.

I turn to the Man of Today. The Boy of Yesterday. The One of Tomorrow. The man who held my, a younger version of my face. "It's coming...but you still have Hope. We don't have much time left, it'll be here soon. Don't let us go in vein."

"IT ATTACKS!" I hear one our own yell through the World Translator from one of the other planets that was eons upon eons worth of light years away from them. And then nothing. Another one gone before they could even fight.

I turn to the man, and I grab him by his shoulders. "Snap out of it! Wake up! WE DON'T MUCH TIME! WAK—"
---
Edgar sat up in a cold sweat, and his damaged eyes throbbed profusely with agony as he held cupped them in hands that trembled. He rolled over the side of the bed and began to vomit violently. This went on for a few minutes at a time during the earlier hours before the sunrise, much earlier before he would usually wake. He began to cry, until he screamed.

By the time the sun rise, he sat idly. Saying nothing. Doing nothing. Seeing nothing.

It was a moment of pure silence, the painter sitting there as the sun would rise. And for what felt like moments upon moments, it would remain. Until after a short moment, he would hear the faint knock at the door, and the soft, concerned voice on the other end
“Edgar” the voice of Galiah called out with a gentle knock upon the door of his RV. “I brought more coffee. May I enter?”
She stood there, set in her regular leather attire, holding the coffee in her hands as she would speak, “I figured that since the others will be away, that we could use the day to train you and Yoon to focus your magic,l. You’ve both come quite far so I wanted to try and be if more use than a guard. Uh… I believe the coffee I used was from the land known as Jamaica. I’ve been told they are a rather boisterous bunch. Must be lovely over there”

Galiah's voice was like a raindrop in an ocean to Edgar, almost in a completely different world. His damaged eyes remained frozen open. It was like he could hear her voice trying to rope him back in, but every time his mind would register to grasp it, it slipped away again.

~

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Roux told some of what she did to Sammy to Kyung-ha.

There was a silence that was only more and more deafening now as Galiah waited for a response, and yet she would get none. But after knowing what Edgar could do and what his magic was capable of, she knew it had to be something. She sat the two mugs on the window sill and would use the windows to slide her way in. “Edgar!” Galiah spoke as she would just manage to slide the window up, doing her best not to break anything again. “I apologize but I’m coming in.”
Once she was able to unlock it with some difficulty thanks to her height, she would have much more luck jumping up the wall of the RV and passing through the window with ease, landing into a roll that resulted in her smacking her head on the kitchen counter, which barely even phased the elf as she would stand up

Sammy would be sitting at the counter, now taking a far more professional stance after her embarrassing encounter that Kyung had walked in on, and was doing her best to try and keep it that way in the hopes that it would just be forgotten. With an awkward cough, she would remark, “So uh… yeah, we found more Keepers. Kinda thought we found them all, but… the science doesn’t lie”

Roux shrugged. "So yeah. Can't get simpler than that. Going this way—" she leaves the kitchen.

~

Out of all the things, it was the thud of Galiah's head against the counter that slapped Edgar back into reality, though he just barely noticed at first until he sat there for a few more seconds of complete silence. His mind finally kicked in, and he realized that he had just heard Galiah's voice. He grabs around on the floor and grabs his shirt from the previous day, using it to wipe at his face before dropping it over the vomit on the floor as he went to stand up, still not exactly feeling too well.

Galiah would give a slight rub of her head as she would make sure there weren’t any life threatening injuries before she would hurry over to Edgar, seeing him drop his shirt to the floor and she hurried over to him. “Edgar, what has happened?” She asked as she patted his cheek to try and get him a bit more awake. “I was knocking and there was no reply, but I can see that you are wide awake. Wide awake enough to stand up so quickly. Are you alright, Dear Edgar? I hope I haven’t disturbed you”

"No, no I just... I'm just a little tired—" Edgar told her both wearily and with an underlying sense of wariness. "Bad dream is all. I uh... sorry 'bout that. You were saying something before right? Something about Jamaica?" He rubs his hand over his eyes, trying to soothe what felt like a minor headache behind them.

Galiah looked up as she would see a sort of pained expression on Edgar’s face, seeing him stand there with the slight headache and passing it off as merely a bad dream. But the elf knew Edgar and she knew it was more than that. Her hands reaches up, placing themselves around Edgar’s cheeks and spoke softly, “Edgar, you know that these dreams are more than just dreams. And I know when my dear human is in pain. You don’t have to tell me if it’s too much, but please, you can confide in me if it was more than that. You and the others are baring the weight of this world. It’s no surprise that you are dealing with so much as the Keeper of the Future”

Edgar was hesitant at first. He had only told Galiah about some of the visions that he may have had in the past before they had met once it connected to why his eyes were always sometimes unreasonably itchy when he woke up throughout his life. He had always blamed it on allergies, and done he wasn't certain of if some of them had been visions of just dreams.
But it had never been one of the more direct ones. The more horrid ones that he had experienced. The heavier ones that kept him up at night. The ones that he had learned to see clearly. "I...I don't think I can take this anymore, Galiah..." He said, and almost sounding defeated. "We..we can't wait for Jackie anymore — I can't take wait for her."

Galiah looked at the pain, the agony that was deep rooted within Edgars face. Just hearing how far he had gone with these visions and yet how close he was to the edge of it, it was almost enough to fill Galiah with some sort of sadness. As per usual, her hug that she gave him was a surprise to the painter. Her arms wrapped tightly around him as she spoke softly, her head resting against his chest, “Edgar, my sweet Edgar. I know it’s hard. I can’t imagine what pain you and the other Keepers are going through. But I promise that Lady Samantha and Lady Raven are going to find Jackie. They’re going to bring her back and she’ll do what she can. I just… wish we could get her here faster, I truly do. But we must be strong, Edgar. We… we must hold out for a moment longer”

"Galiah I'm trying—but..but it won't stop," Edgar found himself subconsciously speaking the words that had been told him. "The visions they just...they won't," he began to stammer over his words, shaking at little in his arms as he couldn't help the desperation in his voice. The fear. The pain.
It reminded him of a bad trip, bad shot. A dark time in his past. The tears that had began to drop out of frustration tapped against the too of the elf's head. "I... can't get a grip. And they get worse, Galiah. So much worse every time I do—"

bang.

The side of his fist hit the corner of the wall behind them, but with restraint as he tried to contain himself, to stop himself from breaking completely. His arms finally embrace Galiah, and he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, holding Galiah closer to him than he had any other person in years. "I don't know if I can hold out for much longer. If we have time to hold out longer."

“Edgar” Galiah spoke quietly as she would hear the sound of his fist colliding with the wall. She didn’t flinch, or look up. Any fear that she would have had from the loud and sudden sound was completely blocked by her fear for Edgar. And as he would wrap his arms around her, she would tighten her hold on him. “Edgar, I… I know that it is difficult. We must wait for Jackie. She’s the only one who can help us now. There is no other alternatives available to us now”
But as she kept hugging him close, her arms tightened more, her eyes starting to stain with tears as she would look up and remark, “but I also… don’t want you to suffer this burden any longer. If there was some way, some immediate way to take this from you, I would to everything in my power to ensure it, Edgar. I just… can’t think of any other way. Forgive me, my dear Edgar”

Edgar fell quite when Galiah apologized, and it hurt because he knew that she wasn't to blame for the misfortunate magic that he possessed. "Don't...apologize, Galiah. This isn't your fault. It's..it's not something for you to carry. I just...I just want it to stop," he said, his voice dropping in a moment of complete vulnerability. "I just want to find Jackie so this can all be over."

“I know” Galiah spoke in a hushed tone, her arms still wrapped around Edgar as she spoke to him softly, “but I still feel some responsibility for this as the guardian. I shouldn’t have let Jackie get too far and I should have been the one to absorb the magic so that your eyes weren’t gone. I just feel that in some way I am at fault for not doing my work. And now… now you’re hurting more because I couldn’t do my job. I just feel so weak, Edgar. And I don’t wish to see you in anymore harm, as much as you wish to be free of this pain as well. So I… I feel that I can’t apologize enough”

"Galiah, it's not your fault that I messed up with that," Edgar sighed. "I'm going to keep you that until you understand that I just wasn't good enough to get it done.." He admitted, being much more blunt and honest with himself than the others were willing to. He was about to say something else until he heard a knock on the door in a rhythm.

Bmmbm bmbm bm, bm bm

"Yo! You guys aren't in there fuckin' or anything are ya?" Roux's voice called out with a rather evasive question.

“Don’t say such things” Galiah spoke softly “You were able to find Jackie despite it all. Your magic is stronger than you could imagine. We just need time” she tightened her arms around him, her ear resting against his beating heart, trying her best to remain calm, “We just need a little more time.”
But as she would perk her ears up waiting for Edgar’s response, it wouldn’t come as the next sound she would hear was the banging of the front door and Rouxs comment, which only made Galiah blush and shouted, “we are doing nothing of the sort, Lady Anti-Raven. Now if you have business with Edgar, I suggest you make it quick. He is rather under the weather and needs time to rest”
She would turn back to Edgar and speak softly, “I hope that it’s nothing too risqué but it’s hard to tell with Lady Raven these days”

"I heard that short n thicc!" Roux sings from outside

"...Yeah...right" Edgar replied in a confused way, a little hesitant due to not knowing how to respond to that statement exactly.

"Hey! Don't you think if I got business with ya it'd be better if I was, ya know, on the inside?" Roux chimed in again from outside.

“Though I may be short in stature, I am far from being wide as a Snow Burrower! Do not mistake my figure for something to hold me back in a duel” Galiah proclaimed loudly as if she was to try and do some form of intimidation that would keep Roux from trying anything, as well as misunderstanding the statement of thick. But at the mention of letting her in, she would turn to Edgar, and whisper softly, “Dear Edgar… should we grant this Lady Raven access? I will trust your resolve but… I want to make certain that you too are certain”

"Too late," A high pitched and squeaky Roux voice spoke from the window that Galiah had climbed through. First it had only been one. Then two, then many as they forced the window all the way up upon their entrance into the place.

Edgar gasped sharply in surprise as he suddenly found fluttering wings flappy across his face, swiping at the fluttering with his hands until it stopped.

The bats swarmed passed Galiah and Edgar, Roux's distorted laughter hear as they all zipped over to the empty spot at Edgar's table where they constructed her body from head to toe, a grin on her face as she was already leaning and elbow onto the table, both mugs of coffee that Galiah had left outside. She was dressed in all black from head to toe after a quick shower. "Top of the mornin' love bugs. Ew, what smells like throw up?"

Galiah would immediately put herself between the bats as they flew through with windows without warning. To her surprise, they had all passed right through them and made their way toward the table in front of them. And as she would see Roux merely standing there, making jokes, Galiah would finally speak up. “I have had just enough of this… this… how do you say, tomfoolery.”
She put her hands onto the table now, trying to tower over Roux but with her height she barely was at eye level with the woman. “You look like Raven, sound like Raven and from the few nights months and weeks prior, act like Raven. Even the aura is still in spirit Raven. So I wish to end this confusion as Galiah Yar’gaal, granddaughter of Yosseppi Yar’gaal and Guardian to the Keepers. You are not a foe so I will not bring you harm but I demand answers. Are you, in fact, Lady Raven La Roux?”