BAM

“Largo?”

BAM

“Largo what are you doing?!”

BAM



Los Paraísos: Pellagio: Casino
28 years ago
Largo Mann: G Rank Guilder: Age 20

BAM

“Largo, stop hitting that machine! What do you think you’re doing?!” Screamed Rachael, the red haired swordswoman rushing as quickly as she could across the casino floor towards the sound of the loud disruption. Trading her usual armour and swords for a beautifully stunning dress, accessories and purse, she raced as fast as she could towards the boisterous young man, dressed in a sharp suit… hitting one of the slot machines. Over and over again.

“The thing took my gald, Rachael!” Largo replied, punching the machine again. “Tiberius said if you put gald in here, it shoots more back out for you. So I’m just…” BAM “Trying to get the broken thing to work again.”

“No, no no no that’s not what’s supposed to happe-”

BAM!!

Ching ching ching ching ching

“Oh, there we go.”

To Rachael’s dismay, the slot machine, flashing brightly its assortment of rainbow colours, also started to blare a loud, deafening sound as a mountain of gald coins poured out from the slot machine and started to pile up on the casino’s plush carpeted floor. Suddenly, all of the other casino’s patrons reared their heads up, rushing to join in with taking as much of the gald as they could, as an rapid stream of money seemed to just spill out with no end in sight.

Largo bent down low, and scooped as much of it as he could carry into his arms, turning and grinning back to Rachael. “See, Rachael? Knew I could do it. Tiberius, Matthew and Master are going to be so impressed once they see all thi- YOW!”

“Shut up and run, you idiot!” Rachael grabbed Largo’s ear and started to pull the man as quickly as she could, the pair fleeing the crime scene with a trail of gold coins left in their wake.

---

Los Paraísos: Pellagio: Penthouse Suite

The next morning

Turn around…

“Hnn…”

Pain. Shooting pain, consuming his entire body. His head felt like it was burning, a million sharp needles digging into him. His vision dazed and blurry, his head swimming back and forth, reminding him of the trip here on the boat. His hearing assaulted by a gross snort and wheeze mere millimetres from him. Confusion. Agony.

Pain. Shooting pain, consuming his entire body.

Turn around…

Slowly, very, very slowly he opened his eyes, the sheer effort of raising his eyelids feeling almost Herculean. The first thing he was assaulted by upon opening his eyes was her. The gross snoring of Moira Dennis, her nostrils flaring largely as she sucked all the air in the room and exhaled through her drooling mouth. A vulgar stench wafting into Syed’s nose and making him want to gag and retch.




What happened? Why did he feel like this? Normally he would sleep on the floor, not lying next to Moira like this. What happened? Why did his head hurt so much?

Pain. Shooting pain, consuming his entire body.

Turn around…

And then Syed became aware of another strange sensation. The hairs on the back of his neck being hit by warm, rhythmic air. What… what was that?

Turn around…

The pain was excruciating. Unbearable. Just the effort of trying to move his body, to turn around was more then he could handle. His head hurt like hell. He’d experienced pain before. A lot of it, unfortunately, but nothing like this. What the hell happened to him last night? The bed sheets he laid on were so nice and comforting, but that only served to help emphasise how much his head just hurt. Dear Vayu…

Turn around…

Halfway through the turn, everything seemed to drop into slow motion. As soon as Syed began to see what was waiting for him out the corner of his eye, his eyes opened wide. Wider then wide. Wider then he’d ever managed to do before. His body continued to turn, his eyes unblinking, his mouth starting to drop at what was lying next to him on the other side of the bed.

Turn around…

What… what had happened.

By the gods…

…what had happened?!

Turn around…

Pinned on the wall was a strip of paper, gently flapping back and forth from the wind wafting in from the open balcony door.

---

Los Paraísos: Docks

24 Hours Earlier

Now

The Pride stepped off the boat from Tagress, their feet hitting solid ground, and the first thing Estelle did- the first and only thing she could do, is just scream from excitement.

Flicking her sunglasses up, she jumped high in the air with a tremendous ‘yahoo!’, her arms pumping the sky as she absorbed the warm, gorgeous sun overhead, and looked out side to side at the beautiful, sparkling beaches and sea surrounding them. The docks led onto a path, that with a short bus ride ahead, led to the incredible resort ahead of them that seemed to just tower above and pierce the sky.

This.

Was.

Amazing!!



“Guys!” Estelle screamed. “Guys, guys! We’re here! Los Paraísos! We’re at Los Paraísos!! Oh my gods!!”

Before she could wait for any of her friends to say anything, Estelle had already started racing ahead to be the first at the bus stop. Garbed in a loose fitting, yellow vest and short, red shorts, Estelle was already well prepared for their vacation at Los Paraísos, even if they did also have work to do whilst they were. From behind, Marcus gave a short sigh and smile, trudging behind, carrying his friend’s belongings with them. He turned to his friends, cocking his head.

“Shall we?”

Los Paraísos.

An island resort filled with girls, glitz, and glamour. Filled with beaches, booze, and babes. The number one holiday destination for any individual out looking for fun. Home to an innumerable amount of attractions, from the water parks and rollercoasters, casinos and nightclubs, there was literally something for everyone. And the Pride…

The Pride would not be prepared for what was to happen that night…

---

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

Leaving the relentless music filled strip behind, seeking peace and respite from the noise blaring from the hundreds upon hundreds of speakers set outside and seeking shelter inside the much darker, cooler, establishment, the man strode forwards, making a beeline directly for the bar.

As he did, his eyes scanned the busy room, passing over the numerous patrons huddled around their tables and chatting away. Drinking and eating the restaurant’s famed seafood and steak. He was supposed to be meeting a lot of people here today. First, the two women he’d first met a week ago, and had been saddled up to work together by Tiberius, much to his own chagrin. And now, another assortment of Guilders who he was told were here to help him and those other two in accomplishing their mission here. So far… he could see neither. No large group of Guilders, nor the two girls either. In the restrooms, perhaps, or still making their way here? Not that it mattered, so long as they were here on time.

If anything, the man was early. He wanted to be here, if only to catch a bit of personal time to rest and relax before needing to talk business. Gods knew he needed it, having to work with those two…

He could only hope these other Guilders arriving weren’t as bad, and that with their help they could actually solve Tiberius’ mission.

“Excuse me, my good man,” The man spoke, upon reaching the bar and grabbing a free stool. “I’d like to order a drink.”

Los Paraísos: Docks

Dylan stepped onto the docks, enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. Like Estelle, he had chosen to pack away his normal garb in favor of something more appropriate for the location. Today he was dressed in a part of loose fitting light pants and a sleeveless shirt, his stylish jacket stored with the rest of his belongings, including the brand new slate that he had bought after Alice had so cruelly damaged the old one. No, today he merely had a sketchbook, some pencils, and a great big smile.

“Guys!” Estelle screamed. “Guys, guys! We’re here! Los Paraísos! We’re at Los Paraísos!! Oh my gods!!”

He laughed as she darted off, her enthusiasm infectious. Traveling with the Pride was one of the greatest experiences of his life, because for the most part these people were always finding something new and exciting to enjoy. “Okay, okay!” he called as he followed after her, turning around and walking backwards so that he could address the rest of the group. “So what are you guys thinking? Water park or beach?”

Los Paraisos: Docks
"It's even better than the pictures..."

Moira stared open mouthed at the resort which laid before them. To visit here... it was a dream of hers since she was small. From the day when one of her many siblings brought home a crumpled up, dirty leaflet from some trash in the city. The leaflet was hidden under one of her sisters' beds, to be taken out and admired whenever any of them felt the desire to dream big and take their minds off what life was like. This place... it was a physical representation of success in life. As she grew older she ended up giving up on it. Someone like her doesn't visit Los Paraisos. They just don't.

Yet here they were.

She had done her best to look the part, wearing a floaty-fabric maxi dress, strappy heels, huge shades and a massive, floppy hat over her head. Oh yeah. She looked glamourous. She may as well make the bloody most of it. They wouldn't know she found most of the outfit desperately rooting around as many thrift-stores as she could find back in Tagress.

What ruined the look was the fact that she was pretty sunburnt from their picnic the other day. The black and white stiped print on her dress only served to make her painful, blotchy red skin look even more obvious. The smell of aftersun and suncream radiated off her almost like a thick fog. The huge hat was mainly to prevent the burn from getting worse.

Syed stepped next to her, dressed in a much more simple combination of a short-sleeved white shirt, slim-fit trousers and some plain sandals. Just stuff he owned already. He didn't have the same feelings of the place as she did, if anything feeling slightly overwhelmed. This place was so glamourous, so... expensive! Not the sort of place he thought he'd find himself in a million years. It intimidated him really.

Still, this was pretty much a once in a lifetime opportunity. May as well make the most of it. As long as Moira didn't cock it up like the last holiday she went on.

Shrugging his bag over his shoulder, he moved to follow Estelle and Marcus. Although unlike Estelle, he was in no rush. Moira started walking too, her bag bulging with her new set of armour. The old set had been pretty much destroyed after all. Along with her massive greatsword as ever strapped to her back, she looked a little odd.

“So what are you guys thinking?" Dylan addressed the group as he walked slightly ahead of them, walking backwards. "Water park or beach?”

"What, after the meeting point?" Syed brought his finger to his lips in thought. "Depends on what they say I guess. Water park sounds fun though."

"No screw that," Moira countered. "Why the fuck would I want to go to some shitty water park?! Can't swim, remember?"

Syed sighed. How could he forget.

Los Paraísos

She could get used to this. Aria sauntered down the street, taking in her surroundings carefully. The resort was large enough that there were still unexplored areas although she had already been here for the past week, and she was rather disappointed by the fact that their pseudo-vacation ended today. She was headed right now for the designated meeting spot where she would regroup with Chirps (aka Thunderhawk, the leader for this mission) and Xan and meet up with the group arriving today. It seemed that she would arrive a bit ahead of schedule which was rather unlike her usual conduct, but to be fair they were meeting at a restaurant and here in Los Paraísos that meant there would be a bar there. Although she wasn’t that keen on sitting through the briefing itself, she did hope there would be some fun characters in the group. Even short-term exposure to Chirps was intolerable (did that make him sound like some sort of virus? She sure hoped so) and as much as she love the girl Xan could be a bit too uptight at times. She missed having drinking buddies on hand.

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

The woman entered the glitzy restaurant they were meeting in, taking in the sights of all the suits and formal dresses around her. Aria herself had gone all out on her wardrobe when she was told she learned of the mission's destination; she was wearing a form-fitting shimmery red dress with her characteristic scarf draped over her shoulders much like how a feather boa would be worn. To be honest it may have drawn as many stares as she would have gotten in her usual outfit but hey- it’s not every day that one gets a mission where wearing stiletto heels was acceptable. Her usual outfit was back in her room at the hotel while her fans were stored safely in her purse.

Her good mood was brought down slightly when she realized their dear leader had beaten her to the bar, seemingly with the same intention as she did judging by the drink in front of him. She idly entertained the idea of walking straight back out to look for another bar, but decided that it wouldn't be worth the effort. After all, other guild members should start arriving soon, meaning that she wouldn't have to be left alone with him for too long a time. “Hey Chirps,” she greeted rather dryly as she took the bar stool next to the blond. “drinking on the job? I expected better of our dear leader. ” She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval before turning to the bartender and ordering a drink herself. There was no way his presence was going to keep her from fulfilling her primary goal for arriving early, no matter how hypocritical it was.

Los Paraísos: Docks

Naturally Trixie was the second person to bullet from the boat, charging after her older sister figure. Like Moira, Trixie too managed to score a couple of lightly blotched spots along her shoulders during their picnicking time; it took Amy a song's worth of "stop it"s for the prankster to finally stop jabbing them with her fingers throughout the entire boat ride. Donning her usual white tank top, purple short shorts, and striped knee socks however helped to accentuate the pink glow of the burns. But she just pretended they were tattoos so they didn't bug her too much.

Since her trusty old helmet had been destroyed and gone for months by this point, she had resorted to using her hipster knitted beret just about everywhere she went now instead. It worked well enough with her outfit's color scheme, and that combined with her braided pigtails (she had managed to pester someone on the Pride long enough to braid em for her after seeing someone else walk by with them) made her look relatively close to her age.

At least until she spoke. "Wait, water park? Syed?" She halted her run and spun back to face him, on her tiptoes like a clumsy ballerina. "Arentcha the sparkmeister though? Wouldn't that just zap everyone senseless like in the comics?"

A wide grin spread from ear to ear. "Yeah let's totally do it then!"



As per usual Amy was one of the last to step off the boat - though she was much more attentive to the surrounding details than usual. Her eyes immediately took to the sights just beyond the entry gates, completely drowning out anything the other members were rabbling on about. The liveliness and colors of the plaza felt a bit too familiar. Perhaps an old dream? She gently tilted her head to and fro, processing the thought. "Mm... could've sworn I've been here before."

As always she was donned in yet another long silky dress, though this time in lovely greens, both to compliment her eyes and the enthusiasm Los Paraísos' entrance alone exuded. Regardless of her dress' cheerful appearance, she still exuded the same "whatever" frown as always, walking after the Pride members with her arms crossed. Surely they wouldn't spend too long here goofing around, would they? Even if this was another 'holiday' with a mission in mind, the constant clamor and fun nonsense to do should be enough to exhaust anyone after a few hours... but then she remembered Trixie.

Amy shook her head. Meh. Whatever. "As long as we get done what we came here to do first... though I wouldn't mind a trip to one of their bars later," she said mostly to herself, trying to figure out how else to drown out the upcoming noise this booming playground palace had in store for them. As familiar as the plaza's design was to her, the only thing she could recall about Los Paraísos was overhearing some nonsense about their must-see bars back in one of the guilds. The perfect bottle of wine would more than compensate for the commotion.

Los Paraísos: Docks

What a nightmare.

Selan was all too eager to get off the godsforsaken boat and back onto solid ground, and she walked unusually quickly onto the docks.

A little green in the face, sure, but she did her very best to keep her composure throughout their little trip; Selan had only reacted in fear to a small number of things in her time with the Pride: Gaoh, spiders, and ancient ruin traps. She was "thankful" to have been distracted during the strong thunderstorm that had loomed above them at the manor, but there was nothing keeping her from freaking out at the boat ride, so she holed herself up in her cramped little cabin for as long as she could, sick all the while.

But now that was over, and they were supposed to be on their way for work and pleasure; she traded her sleek ponytail for a messy, youthful bun, and she wore a white bikini covered by a loosely-fit fuschia dress, exposing one of her shoulders, and a pair of white sandals with a slight wedge heel. She actually managed to look her age for once, although the hair was actually an accident -- due to recovering from seasickness, she couldn't have been bothered to do a neater job with her hair, but it still looked nice nonetheless.

"Water park, water park!!" Lisette yelled, skipping onto the docks. Perhaps it was selective listening, but she clearly tuned out the part about both Syed and Moira being unable to enjoy the park for various reasons. Her seafoam-colored sundress twirled and bounced along with her, and tied around her neck, the halter part of her floral-patterned bathing suit was visible. Kapi was cradled tightly in her arms, blinking his beady black eyes rapidly in excitement at the word 'water' being said so many times.

Los Paraísos: Bus Stop

“Yes!!” Estelle dramatically twirled around, a beaming smile and giant thumbs upped directed back to her friends. “Water park! Water park! We are going to go to a water park!!!”

“Yes, yes…” Marcus laughed, trying to calm his overeager and enthusiastic friends down somewhat. But that was an impossible task. After everything the Pride had been through, the harsh trials and the difficult challenges, being able to relax at a place like this… even if they were on a mission at the same time too… it was impossible not to be excited. And once one of them started, that excitement quickly became infectious to the point where it wouldn’t stop. Even the calm and composed Marcus couldn’t feign enjoying the upcoming trip. Even so…

“But only after we meet our companions at the Flying Albatross. And after that, I think we should find our hotel first, so we can drop our belongings off there first. And then after tha-”

“WATER PARK.” Estelle’s face was all the way up in Marcus’, her eyes wide and lit with fiery determination. If anything… she looked scary.

“Y-y-yes. Water park!” Marcus quickly nodded, hoping to avoid the terrible consequences of Estelle’s excitement. “We also need to find Don. He should be here somewhere… but this is a big place, so that might take a while an-”

“Water park! Water park!”

Marcus’ advice was drowned out by the chorus of cheers from Estelle, Trixie and Lisette, the trio of girls linking arms and skipping forwards together, Kapi bouncing up and down as they marched to the bus stop.

They didn’t have to wait long for their transportation to arrive. Puttering nearer and nearer from the gates of Los Paraísos were a trio of three buses: mechanical transportation machines powered by a number of wind magispheres that helped push the automobile off and hover along the ground. They moved at a fair speed, crossing the distance between the docks and the resort itself in short time, coming to a neat, and gentle stop at the bus stop to pick up the island’s new passengers.

“Come along, come along!” Cried the driver and porter of each bus as they stepped out, helping to usher the travellers on and carrying their baggage to their designated holding points. “Not much longer now folks until we’re there! Please take a seat, and enjoy yourselves… at Los Paraísos!!”

And so it was they quickly filed on, their belongings stored in the rear compartments of the buses as they all sat down on the plush seats. The buses roared to life again, lifting up from the ground and swaying side to side as they did, before fully coming to life and beginning to move forwards, forwards and into Los Paraísos.

The sudden motion did not help Selan’s constitution. It was like being back on the boat again… she could only pray it wouldn’t last long…

A tour was given by the porter as they plodded on down the strip, introducing a variety of attractions lying all around them. Far too many, and far too quickly for any of the Pride to properly remember, their heads snapping left and right, up and down, taking in all of the sights, sounds and smells, but it was nothing more then sensory overload.

Fast-food vendors lined the streets provided a menagerie of delicious smells to help intoxicate and salivate the Pride’s taste buds. The streets were lined with crowds of people, all moving to and fro, either dressed extremely extravagantly or in very loose clothing, the best to help in their efforts to enjoy the climate. Beautiful young men and women lined the streets, handing out leaflets and advertising their place of employment’s attractions in a hope to encourage as many tourists as possible to shop there – be it the restaurants, souvenirs shops, hotels or a hundred other different specialty venues. The hotels themselves towered high, high into the sky – might monoliths leaning over themed providing an endless spectacle of lights. Screams of excitement and rollicking machinery could be heard from the rollercoaster housed theme park in one section of the resort. The Pride passed a giant concert stage, with one band in the process of playing a concert – the music being broadcast over speakers positioned everywhere throughout the island. Before them, at the far end of the strip, halfway up the resort’s tallest hotel was an impossibly big screen… a big screen showing moving pictures!!

“Wooooooooooah…” Were the only words that could escape Estelle’s lips. She had never seen anything like this before, and wondered if, after this holiday, whether she ever would again.

“And here’s our stop!” The porter said, he and the bus driver quickly scrambling off and unloading their passengers and their belongings, so that they could repeat the drive again back to the docks for the next endless stream of holiday goers to arrive. “We hope you all enjoy Los Paraísos!! We hope you have a good day!!”

A plume of dust was kicked up from where the bus sped off, with the collection of ten guilders, plus capybara, left standing with their gear on the sidewalk besides the road.

“Did… anyone catch if that guy mentioned that Alba-whatsit?” Estelle asked, shaking looking everywhere for any sign of the establishment.

---

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

Thunderhawk’s empty glass hit the bar stand, the ice resting inside clinking about. Thunderhawk didn’t even turn to look at his visitor or raise his head, instead just staring at the empty glass and taking a heavy sigh.

”How many times have I told you? The name’s not ‘Chirps’. It’s Thunderhawk.” The Ranger replied, massaging his aggravated temples. He would have thought a name like that would have been easy to remember, but for some reason people always forgot. And for some bizarre, inexplicable reason, he was always saddled with extremely annoying people who taxed his patience. People like her.

He took another deep breath, trying to compose himself. Like it or not, he had to work with Aria… and so he needed to be polite. Even if that was a mission in and of itself.

Finally, he raised his head. His intention was to check the clock and see what time it was, to check if the Guilders they were to meant to meet were running late, but doing so first meant seeing Aria fully, and so his gaze stopped. Thunderhawk looked down at her, one eyebrow arching in the air.

“Nice dress. Aiming to impress?” The stocky ranger asked. In comparison to Aria’s glamorous outfit and accessories, Thunder hawk was dressed in his usual Guilder ensemble – orange top and brown cargo pants, a red scarf wrapped around his neck even in this heat and a white bandana pushing up his messy blonde hair. Hanging from his waist was a satchel filled with javelins and his short sword. “You thinking of hoping to find a boyfriend or something?"

Thunderhawk turned away, staring at his glass again and swirling the melting ice from side to side. Usually he might have been more enamoured by Aria and her beauty… using his tried and true charms to woo her as he had done a hundred women before. But with Aria he felt little compulsion to. Amongst other reasons, her personality was an instant wall blocking any desire to. Getting to know her over the last week alone was enough to convince him he did not, and would never ever want to get involved with her. There wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to make him drunk enough to want to. She reminded him of a few other women he tried very hard to forget… and yet just his luck, he was stuck working alongside her, in a place like this.

This mission could very well be the death of him.

“You seen…” Thunderhawk paused, doing his very best to remember their other companion’s name. “…Xandra around? I would have thought you two would have came in together…”

Los Paraisos: Bus stop
"Wait, water park? Syed? Arentcha the sparkmeister though? Wouldn't that just zap everyone senseless like in the comics?"

At first, a look of slightly confused amusement crossed the mage's face, before he ended up giving in to full on laughter. "What?" he laughed, as Moira gave him a bit of a scathing look. It really was impossible for her to look cool when stuck with this dork. She made a deep sigh as he winked at Trixie. "Well, I guess we'll have to see when we get there, won't we?"

Moira couldn't keep annoyed for long though. She spent much of the bus tour with her face pressed against the glass - thankfully cool in contrast to the heat in the air. All these bars, these restaurants, these casinos... it was like a dream. She still couldn't believe they were actually here. The hotels stretching up and into the bright blue sky like shards of glass. Even the people here seemed perfect, with designer clothing and bronzed skin and immaculate hair which simultaniously seemed effortless. They reminded her a little of Selan, in a way, although Selan looked less false. Especially today, when she was a little less polished than usual.

Moira wanted to try everything. She wanted to eat out at these posh restaurants, she wanted to gamble at least a little, she wanted to go on the biggest, scariest rollercoaster the park offered so she could scoff about it. She wanted to get a massage and a facial and one of those relaxation things people with lots of money go on. Without skipping a beat, she turned to the others. "We gotta go for a girly day out," she grinned with her eyes a little wider than normal, which was about as excited as Moira could look if it didn't involve some form of weaponry. A pretty terrifying look all in all if it weren't for her shades.

Syed paid close attention to the guide throughout, doing his best to remember as much of the overwhelming information as he could. Well, mostly. All that went to pot as soon as he saw the giant screen, scrambling up, over Moira (to her upmost and very vocal dismay) and leaning out of the window to get a better look. Ignoring how the breeze from the moving bus buffetted his hair across his face, he was yammering on about whatever so fast that his words merged together into a mangled mess. How did they do it? How did they do it??? He was so excited he seemed to forget everyone else was there. Thank the gods they announced the bus was stopping shortly after.

And then the bus was gone again. Well, they seemed eager to leave.

"Did… anyone catch if that guy mentioned that Alba-whatsit?”

Moira shrugged. "Weren't really payin' attention to the details," she said casually. She couldn't remember the name of the restaurant either, but whatever. She thumped her partner's arm to tear his attention away from that bloody screen. "OI! Did that guy say where we're going?"

Syed blinked a couple of times before his eyebrows lowered a little. "What was it again?" he glanced over to Marcus. "Flying Albatross? Right. Yeah." He pulled a face as he concentrated. If he asked really nicely, maybe that hotel could let him- NOPE NOPE CONCENTRATE! "...Yeah, he definately did, right near the end of the ride I think..." He shifted his weight and scratched at his head. "I... didn't really catch where it was though." Probably because seconds later he had his head stuck out the window like a dog.

Los Paraísos: Bus Stop

Lisette wrinkled her nose at the smell of the overcrowded, overpriced food stands around them. "Aw jeez, it smells like hotdogs..."

Selan suddenly flinched and slapped her palm over her mouth. "L-Lisette, please... Don't say that word again..." she groaned, her voice muffled by her hand. There was absolutely nothing in her stomach, but something was bound to come up if she heard 'hotdog' one more time.

Lisette giggled and whirled around to take a look at the other attractions and shops, Kapi in one hand and her bag in the other. "Albatross, huh? I don't see it, but that's our hotel, right?" she said, shielding her eyes from the glare reflected off a shop sign. "C'mon, let's go check in so we can have some fuuun!"

And maybe I can lie down... Selan thought, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be let off the hook that easily. After all, they had a job to do. Yet, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the decadence of it all; when she was younger, she certainly didn't have water parks, and casinos, and souvenir shops... Although it was hard to pay attention to that when she could feel dozens of pairs of eyes on them. Even in a place filled with tourists, it seemed like the Pride still managed to stick out like a sore thumb.

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross



“You’ve been averaging about four times a day, I think.” Aria tapped her chin in thought, lips twitching in amusement. “I do think ‘Chirps’ is quite a nice name for you. Takes the edge off that angry frown you always have on; I’d warn you about your face getting stuck that way but alas, it seems it’s too late for that.” She shook her head in mock. It was unusually entertaining to tease the ranger but she did have to give props to how well he was managing his temper and trying to remain polite. Perhaps she should try to stay civil as well for the mission; he certainly wasn't the worst person she’s had to deal with not to mention during the past week she’s learned which buttons not to push- or rather to what extent they could be pushed.

She picked up the colorful cocktail the bartender had placed before her when he spoke once more. In response to the blond’s comment about her ensemble, she gave him an once over, placed the drink back on the counter and raised an eyebrow in return. “First impressions are important, you know. And who knows, maybe I am considering abandoning the single life and looking for my significant other.” She batted her eyes and swooned dramatically before leaning back forward, placing her elbows on the black marble counter. “Still, I’m rather impressed you noticed my outfit. Didn’t think you had an eye for fashion judging by what you’re wearing.” Now that she thought about it, Aria realized she hadn’t seen the grumpy birdy wearing anything but his Guilder ensemble. Has he been wearing the same clothes for an entire week or did he just possess several identical outfits? She scooted slightly away from the man just in case.

Hearing Thunderhawk impose yet another question, the woman paused with the cocktail raised halfway to her lips before bringing it back down, looking with an almost forlorn face at the continuous interruptions. Hearing Xan being mentioned, however, Aria had the decency to at least look a bit sheepish as she rubbed the back of her head. “Well you know how careless she is she probably didn’t notice me escap- I mean, leave to go on ahead to see if anyone one was here yet after very clearly telling her where I was going. Yep.” The lie tiny little fib might have worked if Chirps had never before met Xan; too bad even a toddler could figure out Xan was far from careless. Aria hoped the younger woman wasn’t too upset with her for ditching under the guise of going to the washroom. It wasn’t her fault that Xan refused to let her drink before the meeting and the washroom just happened to have two entrances, right?

Coughing rather awkwardly, she quickly tried to change the subject. "So, what time were we supposed to be meeting here again? Also, I think Xan knows someone who's coming from he group. I heard you were.... acquaintances with them as well?"

The beaches, the shiny attractions, the pretty girls, and all the food! Everything was just amazing.

Lucien found himself captivated by all the sights and sounds and people. At one moment he'd be starring at a man in a fancy wig, walking around with his pet dog then at another moment he'd spin around and find himself enchanted by some lady in a summer dress. This place was heaven on earth and he looked forward to every minute he'd be spending at Los Paraisos. Well, goodbye sleep! Lucien began coming up with some sort of strategy. He'd make sure he tasted all the food, went on all the crazy rides, swam in the beach, and maybe he'd meet someone new. He grinned from ear to ear, people here looked like they knew how to live life to the fullest, and he liked them already.

The summoner trailed behind everyone and was dressed for the occasion. He was wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved surfing shirt, a pair of white board shorts ,and slippers. He also had a pair of sunglasses perched atop his head. He was a hundred percent ready to hit the beach and ride some waves. Well, he didn't know how to surf, but everyone who did it looked pretty cool, so he figured he'd give it a shot too. Might as well try and if he failed, oh well. No harm in some good fun.

Then Dylan asked the question that sent Estelle bouncing up and down in glee. “So what are you guys thinking? Water park or beach?”

“Water park! Water park! We are going to go to a water park!!!” Their leader had declared.

Lucien pouted childishly. "Eh, there's no place like the beach, so if you guys need me." He flashed a bright and cheerful smile. "You'll find me there, riding the waves and turning heads!" He laughed at the thought, with his horrible balance, it was unlikely, but a guy could dream. Before the summoner could say more, Marcus interrupted their leader and reminded them of the mission. Lucien froze, he had nearly forgotten all about that.

"Oh yeah," he deflated like a balloon. Well, at least they'd have a lot of time for fun in the sun after the meeting. A bus came to pick them and their luggage up and they passed an array of restaurants and casinos. He must have thanked Tiberius mentally about a hundred times during the bus ride. The summoner shuffled out of the bus with everyone and watched as it drove off. He wasn't being his chatty self, but was instead sightseeing, allowing his senses to have a feast of their own.



What was taking Aria so long? It had been almost half an hour since her friend left for the washroom.

Xan stared impatiently at the half-empty glass of lemonade and the breadcrumbs that remained on Aria's side of the table. They would be meeting the others soon and Aria sure was taking her time. The young woman let out a sigh then took a sip from her glass of iced tea. Los Paraiso was beautiful, but they had to remember that they were on a mission, not a vacation. Xan finished the rest of her drink then got up from her chair. It was time to go looking for Aria, if they stayed here any longer they'd be late.

Unlike Aria, who was all dressed up for the meeting, Xan wore a simple, white summer dress that went down to her knees and a pair of sandals. However, the dress had unusually long sleeves that went up to the palm of her hands. They were just long enough to cover the prosthetic because she wasn't exactly fond of the stares it would earn her. She made her way to the washroom only to find out it was empty.

"Ari? Are you here?" Silence greeted her and she sighed, so that's how it was...well, she was used to it by now, but it still got on her nerves from time to time.

She made her way towards the flying Albatross, if Aria wasn't there then she'd show up eventually, right? Sure, her friend wasn't the most responsible person around, but she wouldn't just ditch the new guilders for a bottle of wine or two. Wait, would she? To be honest, Xan didn't really know. The two of them had skipped out on missions in the past due to Aria's coaxing. The older girl would always make promises on how'd they'd get to it later...but sometimes she never would.

Xan entered the restaurant and looked around, eventually spotting both Thunderhawk and Aria at the bar. Slowly, she made her way towards the two. "Good evening, leader and Ari." The former's name was spoken in a grumble, but she wasn't exactly mad. She took a seat beside her friend, "According to the schedule, they should be here soon, huh?"

Los Paraísos

Like Lucien, Amy too watched in silence, both on and off the bus, allowing herself to become almost hypnotized with the attractions. With a scrunch of her eyes she soon returned her attention to the pathway before them - one that was unmarked, but trod upon nonetheless. Their designation must have been somewhere in this general location, if the porter really did mention it earlier... since she had failed to pay much attention to him at all. Their sightseeing would come in time, although by this point the woman was unsure what to make of it all. The familiarity of booming colors... but the complete lapse of any recollection or knowledge of the place, other than stories she's heard from others about how good its bars and booze were. How mind-boggling.

Whatever. "Let's just get on with it already." Grab some wine, grab some steak, meet some people, grab some more wine, then the hotel... and some more wine... What exactly were they looking for again? An... Albatross? Was there something about this place that stood out from the others? Any of these ostentatious buildings could be the restaurant. Did it... did it have an albatross on it? Whatever the hell that was?

"Hey. Hey Amy. Hey. What's an altraboss."

Oh great. Trixie. The prankster had crept up behind her, prodding her relentlessly on the back. Amy learned exactly how to ignore this over time though, and merely rolled her eyes in response, her walking pace with the others undisturbed. "You're asking me."

"Is it... is it... is it that thing?"

"What thing."

"That thing over there!"

Oh gods Amy was about to smack a bitch. "There's lots of things over there, you dumb--"

"No the thing with the giant bird on it! Is that the... altrossba."

"You're not even trying now!"

Within a walking distance away, if the Pride squinted passed the passersby and all the surrounding attractions, they'd see it - they'd see its monstrous logo erected from its rooftop first and foremost, but at least now their trek had a visible end.

There stood a rather modest building, topped with a blackened statue - a silhouette of a long-winged bird flying skyward, its wingspan sparking with alternating blues and oranges of the restaurant's name: The Flying Albatross. Aside from its distinguishing emblem, as the bird and its accompanying letters indeed expanded beyond both the height and width of its own restaurant, the building itself lacked the burst of energy many of the other attractions appealed with. Probably because no one would be able to eat if everyone and everything were screaming at them from the inside.

"Is that it?" Trixie cocked her head before jabbing the air with her finger between breaths. "Or is it that one over there, with the evil kitty cat. Or the one with a fiery flamey statuey thingy. Or the one over there with the giant bowl. Cuz bowls are restaurant stuff, right? Or is it the one with the......"

Los Paraísos:

Thunderhawk rolled his head back, leaning forward and supporting his chin on his palm as he absentmindedly stared at the rack of wine bottles propped behind the counter. He stifled a laugh at her comments in trying to find a mate, not wanting to press the matter any further – his hopes of embarrassing her reflected rather effortlessly. From this point on, the rest of her speech turned incoherent and into a long, winding drone. Her comments earlier about him having a scowl only served to augment it, and so it was he was quickly losing patience. Aria had only been with him a few minutes so far and he had quickly decided that was a few minutes too many. By the gods, why had Tiberius sent him here? And to work with her? He hadn’t really been a good man of late, but he was sure he didn’t deserve this level of punishment.

"So, what time were we supposed to be meeting here again? Also, I think Xan knows someone who's coming from the group. I heard you were.... acquaintances with them as well?"

Thunderhawk was suddenly shaken out of his reverie and snapped back to reality once the woman’s latest words were uttered. He blinked quickly, turning to look at her with confusion. Acquaintances? Whilst Tiberius had apparently sent his two partners details about the Guilders they were meeting, Thunderhawk had not been granted the same luxury. He could only assume the worst. He had worked with many Guilders throughout his career so far, and he could count the number of them he would readily want to work with again on just the one hand. This… this might be bad. This could be-

And then Xandra suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and scared the crap out of Thunderhawk. She calmly walked past him, taking the seat on the other side of Aria after calmly greeting them.

"Good evening, leader and Ari. According to the schedule, they should be here soon, huh?"

“Y-y-yeah,” Thunderhawk replied, quickly diverting his attention away from the young girl and focusing once more on the empty glass held in front of him – the ice having all now been completely melted. He closed his eyes tightly and started probing his mind, thinking who on Ddaear it could be that they would be working with. His mind shifting through the numerous possible candidates, deliberating what the worse case scenario might be. For Aria and Xandra, they could only see that infamous scowl of the Ranger’s return again.

Who could it be? Don’t say it was Belladonna. That demonic woman would skin him alive if they were to ever meet again. He couldn’t exactly blame her considering what had happened, but he very much preferred his skin intact.

And by the gods he hoped it wasn’t Mary Lou. The one time he came close to being married was by an eight foot, muscle-bound giantess who looked more bearig then human. On the other hand, he had to admit looking back he found her outgoing, lively personality somewhat of a turn-on… but again, too much physical pain would no doubt follow. Gods, his chances were getting worse and worse by the minute. How and why did he manage to do such a spectacular job of pissing off so many people?

And then the door clinked open, and a series of footsteps marked the entrance of a number of people. A very large number of people. Thunderhawk started to turn, to discover just who he had been set up to work with… and then his body stopped and his heart ceased beating. A voice shrieked, echoing throughout the entire restaurant.

It was much, much worse then he could ever have possibly imagined.

“Oh my gods it’s Thunderjerk!!!”



Estelle screamed and pointed straight at him from the entrance of the restaurant, the other members of the Pride following behind her.

His hand started to shake again.

Los Paraísos

Dylan found himself totally lost in the glamour of it all as they made their way from the bus to the Flying Albatross. There was a screen of moving videos, the smells of wondrous foods, and some of the most gorgeous people he had ever seen - an a completely artificial and affected way. Most of them were carefully constructed - with delicate make-up and careful clothing choices - and though they would never reach the same transcendental beauty that came from authenticity he had to admire the sheer craftsmanship.

“Oh my gods it’s Thunderjerk!!!”

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

“Huh? We’re here already?” Dylan had been so lost in his musings that he hadn’t really noticed that they entered the restaurant. “What’s a Thunderjerk?” He assumed it was the man that Estelle was pointing at, but still, that was a rather strange reaction. Standing next to the “Thunderjerk” was a pair of ladies dressed in very different outfits. One was dressed to the nines in a shimmering red dress, the color of which Dylan found fascinating, and the other was in a simple white summer dress. He smiled at the sight, enjoying the contrast.

Stepping forward he bowed to both of them in turn. “Hello. My name is Dylan, and guessing from our esteemed leader’s reaction, you two must be part of the group we are to meet.”

Los Paraísos

"Oh my gods it's Thunderjerk!!!"

"Oh no..." Selan muttered under her breath. Why did he have to be here? Now? The man just didn't seem to get along with Estelle, to the point where he seemingly just left without another word. It seemed like ages ago since she had seen the chauvinistic, egotistical slimeball's face. And now, this little "vacation" just seemed to get less relaxing by the minute.

Selan's eyes flickered toward the bar; she needed a drink. Nothing alcoholic, just something tart and icy to calm her mood and her stomach. Maybe after they get everything squared away.

"Oooh, hiya Mister Thunder Man!" Lisette squealed. His name just wasn't coming back to her, no matter how hard she tried to remember. But for some odd reason, she was one of the very, very few members of the Pride who had met Thunderhawk and didn't find his behavior offputting. "Haven't seen you in a while!" she chirped happily, bouncing Kapi in her arms.

Kapi, whose memory was much better than his owner's, sniffed grumpily. He clearly remembered Thunderhawk trying to impale him with his javelin. Who would even consider doing such a thing? (Nevermind that capybaras are a much sought-after delicacy in some parts of the world.) But the two ladies next to him looked nice enough, and he perked up and tried to look as cute and cuddly as possible, hoping to draw their attention away from the scary man.

Los Paraisos: The Flying Albatross
“Oh my gods it’s Thunderjerk!!!”

"WHAT?!" Moira nearly screamed, casting her gaze around. Where? Where?!

A particularly displeased look crossed Syed's face, despite his best efforts to look at least neutral. Oh yeah, there he was. Sat with the two women. Well, this was Thunderhawk. He couldn't be here for pleasure, surely? His usual outfit certainly implied it was work-related, but with the women dressed as they were it was hard to tell for sure.

Oh well, Thunderhawk was a collegue he supposed, and it wouldn't be good to set a bad first impression to the other two. May as well at least try and be proffessional about it-

"Oh, so here you are!" Moira exclaimed upon the sight of who Lisette was talking to, before striding towards Thunderhawk aggressively. Syed as always was forced to follow her as he felt a sharp pull in his chest, glancing back towards the others with worry as he raised his hands. Oh noooo if she got them into trouble! "Looks like you've been having fun since you fuckin' abandoned us without a word."

Coming to a stop just before him, her glare bored into his eyes, her fists clenched at her sides. Lisette looked a little startled by how angry she was. Ooooh, she wanted to deck him. She wanted to deck him so badly! He was a lot of fun to go out and hit the town with, an expert at all things alcohol related to the most astonishing degree. To leave them without even telling them he was doing so, it was...

...Pretty much the same thing Estelle did. Well, kinda. Estelle did it because she was scared, but she had no idea with Thunderhawk. He wasn't the most popular member of the group sure, but to leave without a word? It was cowardly. At least Estelle apologised for that. But to hit Thunderhawk for the same thing she forgave Estelle for, risking getting them thrown out of the restaurant in the process?

"Gods damnit," she muttered, dropping her arms to her sides. What was this group even doing to her? Couple of months back and she would be in the middle of a brawl right now.

She turned to the bar and sat on a stool instead, holding her head in her hands. "Get me the strongest thing you got," she mumbled to the man staffing the bar. "Before I hit somethin'."

Syed was left staring wide eyed, his hands still slightly raised before him. Oh uh... huh. Slowly, he lowered his guard.

Then he turned his attention fully to the two women. Dylan had gotten there first, thankfully. "Good to meet you," he added with an awkward wave.

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross



Judging by the confused look on Chirps’ face, it seemed that he hadn’t been informed about the guild members who were due to arrive soon. Before she could comment on this however, a familiar voice made her jump and she looked to the newcomer, a slightly guilty smile lighting her face. “Hi there,” she waved, noting that the woman was quite a bit calmer than she would have expected. If Xan had been planning on scolding her right there on the spot she wouldn’t have had time to as the door to the restaurant opened, followed by a loud scream.

”Oh my gods it’s Thunderjerk!”

Aria swiveled around on her bar stool, blinking at the group of people at the door. Were these the people they were supposed to be meeting? There… sure was a lot of them. It seemed like a red-headed girl had been the source of the shriek if her pointing finger was anything to go by. Most of the members didn’t seem too pleased to see the blond ranger as their upset looks was directed to him. “Friends of yours?” Aria quipped, watching as blond man approached them. He seemed to be one of those who didn’t seem to hold hostile feelings towards Thunderhawk, and she smiled as he introduced himself as Dylan.

“How polite,” The woman purred in return, grin widening. “and yes, if you’re the group sent by Tiberius then you’ve got the right people.” She looked over to where Chirps seemed to be a hairsbreadth away from being pummeled by a large woman. The situation resolved itself much to her relief; it would be a pain to be kicked out. Instead she nodded in greeting to the other man who had joined them. “It’s very nice to meet you all; I’m Aria. Take care not to forget my name now, sweets.” The endearment was accompanied by a light wink, before she scanned the group who had gathered around the bar now. A small furry creature that was nestled snugly in the arms of a girl in a light green sundress caught her eye, and she blinked at the adorable creature, making a note to ask about him later as she gave it a little wave; she didn’t think she had seen that particular species before.

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

His body quivered. His hands trembled and his brow shook without end. Of all the people it could have been… that it had to be… it ended up having to be them. The one group of people he had no desire to see again. The one group that actually propelled him to quit and leave a mission, to turn his back on and hopefully never see again. Damn you, Tiberius Rex! Damn you to the seven levels of hell for what you’ve done to me!!

"Oooh, hiya Mister Thunder Man!" Lisette beamed as she skipped in front of the shaking man. “Haven't seen you in a while!"

“H-h-hi, Lis… lis… lettuce…?” Thunderhawk struggled to return the smile, his body quaking under the strain of needing to be polite and not already book it for the nearest exit. He didn’t really care how serious the mission was, he didn’t want to do it with them. But he knew that he had to. Had to if he wanted to achieve his goals… and not be mutilated to death by Tiberius. “A-a-and you, too, Stella. How do you all- eep!”

A giant, voluminous shadow eclipsed the overhead lights and transformed Thunderhawk’s world into darkness. Looming over him was the scariest monster Thunderhawk had ever had the displeasure of facing… and she was actually human! To think that he once held some sort of attraction to her was just… just incomprehensible now. His life truly flashed before his eyes.

"Oh, so here you are! Looks like you've been having fun since you fuckin' abandoned us without a word."

He closed his eyes, awaiting the kiss of death that was currently embracing him. But that death never came. Instead… perplexingly enough, Moira stomped off, demanding a drink from the bartender over the counter. It had been a while since he had last seen the Pride, but he couldn’t believe it was that long enough for Moira to not have flattened his face into a pancake. Not that he wasn’t grateful.

“I… didn’t expect to see all of you again,” Thunderhawk swallowed, hoping to wet his parched throat, to no such luck. “You all look in… good health too.”

Estelle was still covered in some bandages around her arms, making Thunderhawk’s attempt at conversation painfully obvious and bad.

“A-anyway. It’s good to see you all again. Er… how have you been?” Thunderhawk quickly spun on the stool, facing the bartender again. “Ahem! My good man! Grant my friends here any drink they’d like, the round’s on me!”

The ranger then hopped off, motioning for the Pride to follow him to a set of two free tables with eight seats apiece. “Ah… we can’t really be standing here to chat, can we? Let’s grab some seats, and I can… er… explain everything that’s going on… er… you’re all doing okay though, right?”



Estelle scrunched her eyes up, watching Thunderhawk’s actions, but said nothing, instead smiling and nodding and following after. So far… he had actually been polite. She was sure it wouldn’t last long, but until then…

“C’mon guys!!” Estelle started to trail behind.



“Er, hello there, misses.” Whereas Estelle seemed to forget about Aria and Xandra due to Thunderhawk’s unusual mannerisms, Marcus hadn’t forgotten his own manners. He extended a hand out each to Aria and Xandra, offering them some assistance in stepping down from their stools. “Hello there, my name is Marcus, and that there… that’s Estelle. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

"Oh." The entire time Thunderhawk was shouted at, politely greeted, and threatened, Trixie's eyes fluttered back and forth between the ranger and the two mysterious women beside him, and the rest of the Pride. "Oh." It wasn't until Moira said her piece and stormed off to the counter did she finally peep up beyond a single word - "Oh. I forgot that he ditched us. Hi Thunderpig!" She waved enthusiastically at him, not realizing his attention was focused on trying not to die at the time. "Wow, he... must've been gone a really long time, huh, Amy. Amy?" She turned around. "Amy--oh."

Her older companion had already moved nearby Aria and Xandra, ordering some red wine for herself, moments before Moira plopped down nearby to ask for something even stronger. As Aria spoke to the others, Amy couldn't help but look towards her cocktail in hand. For someone so young, she had some fine taste, and with the way she spoke to Dylan she seemed to hold herself with dignity as well. She mentally noted to drag the young woman along with her when the time was right to go bar-hopping. Surely Moira wouldn't turn down such an offer, either.

The other woman, however... her dress was demure enough, though Amy took note of her facial expression as she sat herself at the bar. From where the cleric was seated at however, she couldn't see Xandra from around Aria. Hopefully her company would prove enjoyable as well.

The bartender returned to Amy with their own special brand of red wine - "Red Wings" - in a petite wine glass filled to the brim, sparkling red. If Amy's eavesdropping memory served her right, every bar on this resort sold its own alcoholic specialty found nowhere else. It only took one sip for Amy to remember just why she loved wine so much. Now if this was the first of many "specialty" drinks...

“Ahem! My good man! Grant my friends here any drink they’d like, the round’s on me!” Thunderhawk announced, rather unwillingly, considering how much he'd stuttered. The man had never seemed so eager to please anyone that wasn't himself.

So Amy made sure to take full advantage of this. "In that case, make it three bottles. Yeah, three entire bottles. I'd like to take some back with me." A satisfied smile crossed Amy's face as she followed after the others. She spun around on her stool, hopping off and looking towards the two women again with a firm nod, her smile unwavering. Surely they'd all have a chance to introduce one another formally once they were all seated together and began discussing the matters at hand.

Trixie however always exuded the energy of a puppy. Anything that moved and didn't try to kill them was her friend. She plopped herself beside Marcus as he offered to assist the ladies off their chairs and mimicked him, offering to assist them as well with her tiny hands. "Oh, and I'm Trixie. Nice to meetcha!"

Los Paraisos: The Flying Albatross
Moira cupped her shot glass in her hands - containing a clear, very powerful smelling liquid which would probably set aflame if you so much as let a spark near it. Well, the bartender did exactly as she asked. She downed it in one, although it was so strong it made even her eyes water a little. Blimey, what the heck was that? It was certainly stronger than vodka or tequila or even bourbon.

Whatever, she needed it.

“Ahem! My good man! Grant my friends here any drink they’d like, the round’s on me!” Thunderhawk announced uncomfortably before walking off to a pair of tables.

Amy then proceeded to order three bottles of some wine or the other. Well, if there was one person Moira trusted with when it came to knowing their alcohol (who didn't run away from the group at any rate), it was Amy. "Cor, is it that good? Alright then, I'll have a bottle of that too."



"Oh, and I'm Trixie. Nice to meetcha!"

"And I'm Syed," the mage added with a smileand a nod, before adding with adding with a grin, "and don't worry, I'm pretty good with names." With that and another nod towards the quieter of the pair, he turned away from them and back to Moira. Everyone was heading to another table after all, so they'd best join them.

"Ey Sy, Thunderwhatsit is buying a round," Moira said as soon as he reappeared, shoving her newly aquired bottle in his face and causing him to recoil a little. "Aims thought this one was good."

Well looking at her, she must think it was good if she'd ordered that much of it. "Ha... well, it probably is. But I think it's best if one of us stays sober, since we're working and all." Syed glanced around for Thunderhawk, his somewhat displeased expression returning when he spotted him. Well, he was trying to be nice to them. He guessed. He turned back to the barkeeper, although he then found himself at a bit of a loss. What did he want? Due to the heat he didn't really want a hot drink either.

Luckily Lucien was nearby. The man did like his soft drinks. "Lucien? What's a good soda, you reckon?"

Soon they were newly armed with their drinks, both taking a seat at one of the two tables. Moira proceeded to put her feet on the table, then almost immediately be told to take them off again by one of the members of staff. Damnit. She leaned back on her chair instead.

"Thanks for the drink," she held her bottle high in the air with a mild look of approval. She was feeling less angry at Thunderhawk already. Alcohol fixed everything!

Syed chose to be quiet, sipping at his drink thoughtfully. Well, so far this all seemed too good to be true, even with the knowledge of who they were working with. The mission had to be the catch, right?