---

---

@Hero

Milo grabbed onto his drink once more and absent mindedly sucked in the air that was in his drink as Ray spoke about his job with the NYPD. He was a bit unsure on the whole matter, as he did see the corruption and darkness that lurked within the states departments, and was a bit curious as to Rays views on the matter as well as where he himself stood morally on that line. Regardless of all his current reservations as well as his misgivings on the concept of true love, Milo’s heart sank for a brief moment when he heard the word ‘Married’. It was as if his entire background blacked out with a flatline being the only visible thing until you heard the sound of glass shattering around him to symbolize his hopes being crushed. Luckily Ray was married to his job and no one else at the moment, allowing light and sound to once again fill Milo’s world as their conversation continued.

Milo leaned in closer to see the image displayed on Ray’s phone, his grey cotton shirt pressing against Ray’s bicep, feeling the muscle and tone bulge against the fabric of his shirt in contrast to his more slender arm with minimal tone. His heart skipped a beat and he could feel his cheeks threatening to flush with blood and give him a rosie complexion. His attention quickly focused back on the image, a beautiful dog lay there sleeping on display, with so much fur you could drowned in it. ”He’s, soooooo, cuuuuuuuuute. I could just get lost in that fur all day.” Milo spoke with a wide smile catching the story of how Ray obtained the pet, reminding him once more about his occupation, at least it was a ‘real career’ as some people said. He straightened himself back up, moving about a foot away from Ray as he clinked his empty glass with him before placing it down on the counter and ordered a Whiskey Neat, just to seem sophisticated as well as seeing what all the hubbub was about.

Isaac Abramson was surprisingly chill about the whole thing though that might have something to do with the fact that his clothes seemed designed to repeal water while looking beyond fashionable. For a moment all Ashe could do was stare at the still pristine outfit as he gently guided them away from the puddle on the floor. Ashe’s head turned from looking at the twin’s clothes to the puddle on the floor with wide eyes. They still couldn’t wrap their minds around the fact that everything was fine. As such they were not sure how to protest when the glass of champagne was pressed into their hand. In the end it was the question that shook their brain back into some level of functionality.

Ashe sputtered for a moment, “Um, well, it was fine. I enjoyed it. I’ve never seen mountains like this before. The views were simply magnificent. Though I think it is a good thing I’m not too terribly afraid of heights. I can’t imagine that the trip would be easy for anyone that was. Your house is magnificent. It truly was the best view.” They tapped their translator, “And the level of technology is incredible. I must say I’m very impressed.”

They were babbling again. They needed to learn to stop that. What if they met their soul mate? They didn’t want to babble and ruin their one shot at a good first impression. Though knowing their luck their soul mate saw them crash into one of the hosts and spill wine all over them. Ashe wanted to melt into the floor. Well, that wasn’t one hundred percent true. They just wanted to get out of this room with too many people and find a place to decompress. Their social battery had run out a long time ago. Too bad that Ashe had no idea what the socialize rules were here. They did know that they couldn’t just leave in the middle of a conversation with one of their hosts. That would be beyond rude.

To their internal dismay Ashe started babbling again, “You must be extremely proud of how your party turned out. You’ve already got people Reuniting. Hopefully that number will only increase as the week goes on. I imagine you have planned a variety of activities designed to help people Reunite and get to know their soul mates better. I imagine no expense was spared.” Ashe let out a desperate chuckle, “Alright. I’m shutting up now.”

They took a healthy swallow of their champagne to discover that it wasn’t all that bad. They actually liked it a lot which was surprising since they didn’t actually like champagne that much. The bubbles usually turned them off of it. Still the flavor was extremely nice. That was all Ashe could say about it though. They were not an expert by any means. They usually tended to drink wine from the grocery store. They had a feeling this was a bit more expensive than grocery store wine; well, a lot more expensive. They were so going to have a headache when they woke up tomorrow.

@Obscene Symphony

---

---

Relief flooded Jacob as they swapped phone numbers. It was international so he’d have to check with his phone plan to see if he’d be hit with insane fees but a few messages would be okay. He inserted all her information, contact name Lera (Valeryia), in his phone and nearly closed it before he fumbled the device for a moment, caught between putting it away and opening the camera app.

“Hey, do you mind if I take a picture? I like to have them for my contacts.” Jacob asked, a little hesitant. Lera was a bit withdrawn so if she didn’t want to, he wouldn’t pressure her. “If you don’t want to, want to pick a picture for you from the default images?”

“Hey, at least it shouldn’t be too hard to find you on my phone, I don’t have too many contacts.” She grinned sheepishly up at him as finished inputting his number into her phone. She wasn’t lying either, he was her third contact. The first being two humanitarian aid workers who’d made sure that she had their number in case … well something happened. “It’s nice to have something more here …”

And then he asked for her picture. Suddenly she was a whole lot less sure about swapping numbers. It wasn’t that she was camera shy … it just felt weird … like she was getting a bit too close….

Then why did it feel so … right to do so? “S...sure, you can take a picture if you’d like!”

“Awesome.” Jacob grinned as clicked his tongue in time with the shutter noise his phone made, an unconscious habit from playing with a metronome. He set the picture as her contact phone and tucked the device away again. “Well, you have the perfect opportunity to add more this week if that’s something you want to do. Plus, your soulmate hopefully!” He fidgeted for a moment. He wanted to ask how she felt about all this. He knew he was eager, his history with the Lost the primary motivation, but finding someone who fills that empty spot, that yearning nothing would satisfy, made him giddy and excited. But also terrified he’d never find them.

“So, uh, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but how do you feel about this whole soulmate business?” Jacob asked, deciding to jump in with both feet.
She shuffled her feet, not through worry, or being uncomfortable, that would only come after his big question. No this was more out of having something to do while she thought on something to say. Before even talking to Jacob, Lera had been positive that she wouldn’t want anything to do with anyone at this party, that getting attached to anyone enough to add them as a contact was something so alien and yet … here she was, swapping numbers with someone she’d barely even met. “I guess … I guess so…”

“M...my soulmate?” Valeryia was now truly lost for words and it showed. Her face had become noticeably more withdrawn and the mechanical fist, could be seen clenching and unclenching behind the layer of useless bandages. It was an easy answer and yet try as she might it just wouldn’t roll off the edge of her tongue.

Because really, how could she admit that it made her more scared than she had ever possibly thought she could be. That she’d lost everything before and now there was a chance for there to be someone out there she’d be so attached to again, someone who’d make her go through the whole thing again. Someone who … “I … I’m not sure, I mean, I don’t even know if I’m fragmented and … well …”

She paused for a second, then continued in, barely in a whisper. “I’m a bit worried to be honest …”

Jacob wanted to smack himself in the face. Outstanding move. Make the person who you could hang out at this party feel uncomfortable as shit. He was used to discussing it but that didn’t mean everyone was. Admittedly, he assumed everyone here was at least willing to acknowledge it but he shouldn’t have jumped into such a heavy topic so quickly. He noticed the hand clenching and a light bulb went off in his head. Maybe she hadn’t ever seen the mark? Perhaps she had been born without the arm. That was the only explanation that he could think of why she would never see the black band. Oh man, he really mess this up.

“Well, someone knows you are. You got invited here after all.” Jacob tried to stay upbeat and positive when all he wanted to do was apologize and slink off to berate himself, hoping that thing in retail training is true. Fake it til you make it though, right? “And hey, even if you aren’t, we’re friends! We can chill around the place while everyone goes around touching each other. I didn’t mean to over step.” He apologized.

Her eyes mostly stayed glued to the floor, it felt like the most comfortable place to keep them really. At least that way she didn’t have to properly look Jacob in the eye while speaking about it, he wouldn’t have to know just how much she was hiding. Yet every so often they did peek upwards, glancing from between messy strands of hair that had flopped down over her face, covering much her vision and they’d catch a glimpse of Jacob … and each time, she’d feel just a bit more comfortable.

“I guess so… after all these twins have been reunited all of their lives, it must give some insight … right?” Her human hand moved upwards to push some of the wayward locks of hair out of her face and she gave him her first proper smile, it was a weak one, the corners of her mouth barely twitching upwards, but it was a smile nonetheless. “No … no, you didn’t overstep … I … I just haven’t talked to anyone about it before, I never had to think about it much … But walking around with you feels nice! After all we’re friends.”

“Well, I have plenty of experience, so now's the best time to talk.” Jacob chuckle, a twinge of bitterness seeping into the sound. He had years of discussing it, mostly on the “patient” side of a therapist’s desk. Jacob would be the first to extol its virtues but it didn’t mean he could resent the fact he needed it in the first place. “I’m glad I’m not the only one enjoying the company.” He returned the smile with one of his own.

“When I got this letter, I couldn’t reply fast enough. The idea of becoming Lost…” An involuntary shiver ran down his spine. “Isn’t ideal. But now that I’m here, I had to butt into a group’s conversation about soccer and then destroy more than my net worth in glass to get a conversation started. I guess it’s all a little more nerve wracking than I thought.”

"I …" She stuttered slightly, after all, Jacob was someone she could talk to, she didn't want to be scaring him off with stories from the war. Even with every lie she told herself, it didn't stop the screams at night. She couldn't drag Jacob into that, he didn't deserve it. "Thank you, if you'd like … we could discuss it later… for now I just wanna keep chatting … you know? Being friends."

It was such a strange word to her, friend ... after everything she'd gone through she'd never thought it would fit someone again and yet … somehow Jacob just seemed to fit it perfectly. "But at least smashing some glass helped us meet right?"

“Yep!" Jacob went to nudge her with his shoulder, the way he did with Christopher when they were talking, but he stopped himself before he moved too far. Right, she hadn't wanted to shake hands. He had to be aware of his actions here. Otherwise, it would end up just like the glass situation.

Still grinning slightly Lera noticed the way Jacob backed off slightly. She’d really lucked out in meeting him, not only did it just feel … well right to chat to him, someone totally unrelated to her past, but he seemed to be quite considerate too. Although if she didn’t say something soon, it felt like the conversation would stall, that he might drift away .. “Hey … uhh … wanna grab a drink?”

"I could go for something. I think we both know I don't need anymore alcohol at the very least. Maybe they'll have a virgin piña colada." Jacob loved piña coladas but secretly, he liked them only without alcohol. Why would you ruin such a delicious drink with something that tastes so weird? Maybe it was childish but it made him happy. Plus, his dad hated pineapple so they never had it at home. He had to get his pineapple fix somewhere! "Can't ever go wrong with a classic right?" Jacob led the way through the crowd to the nearest bar, a little crowded but it would do. He didn't plan to linger long personally. "What's your choice of poison?"

“A virgin what now?” She was sure, deep down in her memory, she’d heard the name before, yet to Lera a cocktail sounded such a weird and alien thing. Of course as soon as he headed off, she’d trail behind him, eyes surveying the crowd for any suspicious movement, anything that’d trigger her little defence mechanisms. As it happened nothing did. “I … I don’t really know many of the choices here … could you pick for me?”

~Varia Crest~

Varia listened intently to Raphael’s words, they flowed from him like poetry with such refinement to him. She could hardly believe there were such gentleman left in society. At least not this side of the great pond anyway. She nodded thoughtfully as he explained that his brother wasn’t as flamboyant as he. As he directed her eyes to the woodwork and mouldings she almost gasped. “Such intricate woodwork…” It must have cost a pretty penny to build. So the birds were on a motion sensor, the minute he expressed he had fun with them when they were first put in, she smiled. “I’ll bet!” They looked incredibly fun to play with. That was the little girl in her that loved gadgets and artistic trinkets.

As he eyed the passionate couple, Varia could only sigh as she couldn’t imagine finding anyone here that could make her feel so carefree about the world and what society thought of her. She wasn’t that lucky.

As he extended his hand forth to her, she blinked. “Oh yes! Varia Crest. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She bowed politely to the gracious host then took his hand and lightly shook it. She didn’t have to be afraid of anything happening with him as he was a Reunited. “Of course, of course…I meant this week, silly me! It’s just so wonderful to be here in these scenic mountains, they are truly a sight to behold.” She articulated elegantly as she waved her hand gracefully.

Suddenly she felt someone’s hand touch her bare back, which startled her and caused a soft whimper from the sudden shock and the fact it tickled her fair snow white skin. She turned to see a blonde woman touching everyone she passed by. Varia found this to be curious and stared after the lady. But what caught her eye was her lovely canine companion, causing another gasp from her. “Oh how adorable!” Her face lit up with the brightest smile to show her pearly whites and perfect smile that people rarely saw in her nowadays. She couldn’t help but gush warmly at the service dog but at the same time frown because she could not pet the animal. Doggy cuddles were the best of all affection. Then again Varia had never felt the affection from a soulmate, which was apparently described as ‘euphoric’.

@Obscene Symphony

---

Alex was midway through a discussion on smash character balancing, when a strange lady pushed her way up to them, touching all of them. One of the guys he was talking to got quite upset, pushing her away, while half shouting a "What the hell lady?!?!"

Alex stepped in between, trying to defuse the situation. "Hey hey hey, no need for that." As the guy seemed rather upset still, Alex turned to the lady and said "Um, let's just go over there, right?", pointing to an area of the room with fewer people, trying to lead her away before the situation escalated. God he hated things like this.

As soon as the man started showing aggressive behaviour, the dog accompanying the woman bared teeth, a surprisingly deep and intimidating growl escaping him. The push earned the man a sharp bark and a warning snap, but the woman snapped her fingers at the dog and signed a command to calm him before the situation could escalate. Still, she looked far from pleased as Alex escorted her away.

Tossing a murderous look at the man, the woman then turned to Alex, blue eyes practically simmering and hands forming a clearly irritated flurry of signs in front of her. In Alex’s ear, the signs were translated into a woman’s voice, clearly annoyed. “What did he do that for?! Isn’t that the whole point of this event?”

Alex winced at the dog barking, and baring fangs, and was very glad his owner managed to calm him down. Why did he choose to get involved in this mess? The woman's question only further exacerbating the issue.”Well, in a sense I suppose. But I don’t think most people enjoy being touched randomly. And a lot of people here aren’t only looking forward to reuniting, it’s a mixed bag for many. Besides, we have all week, plenty of time to take it a bit more slow, right?”

“If they didn’t come to Reunite, what did they come for?” The woman replied quickly, “If I were them, I’d want to Reunite as quickly as possible so I could get out of here.” She tossed her hair and took a long breath, visibly calming as she took a second to stroke her dog’s head. After a moment, she signed again, and the voice in the translator was noticeably more relaxed. “But I’m being rude, I’m sorry. My name is Alicia. It’s nice to meet you, mister...?”

“Alex. Nice to meet you, Alicia.” Alex sighed heavily. “I suppose there are many reasons. Meeting people in the same situation, getting a break from normal life with a free vacation, seeing new places and meeting new people. Reuniting is part of it for most, I’m sure, but I don’t think it’s the only reason, least not for everyone.”

Alicia still looked unconvinced. “Seems a little scummy to take advantage of a free vacation without honouring the hosts’ wishes, but I suppose it can’t be helped,” she sighed. “I just hope that if my soulmate is here, I won’t miss them. I’d hate to think I was this close—” she interrupted her signing to make a gesture Alex would better understand, pushing her hands together until they were almost touching, “—to finding them, only to have them pass me by, you know?”

It was a bit strange to see someone signing, and hear a translated voice in his ears. Alex briefly wondered where the camera for the translator was, and what would happen if it was covered up. Also, how did it translate it to her? AR? Anyway, he didn’t quite agree with her outlook, had to be more than fair to accept an invitation, even if you weren’t as gung ho as Alicia was. “Well, I think it’s more about offering an opportunity, than it is a pure focus on reuniting as many as possible. And if they did have that pure focus, they could just have a handshaking event sometime during the week.” Alex paused for a second, scanning the crowd. “I think part of what they’re trying to do, is give everyone an opportunity to approach this their own way, on their own terms, as well as just giving people a chance to talk to like minded people.” Alex paused for a few seconds, pondering, then shrugged “Though a lot of people would probably prefer much less grandeur and pomp, so I might be off the mark entirely.”

As Alex spoke, Alicia relaxed further, even managing a giggle at his “handshaking event” comment. “I suppose you’re right,” she conceded, “but I still won’t let the opportunity pass me by. Must be that wannabe lawyer inside me, they do say we’re all pragmatic to a fault.” She laughed again, a surprisingly musical sound, her former irritation long gone.

“Speaking of going about things your own way though, how do you plan to spend the week?” Alicia asked, open curiosity blooming on her face. “Are you just here to talk to other Fragmented? Or are you going to look for your soulmate?”

Asking the real questions, huh? That’s the second time today. Though, he supposed that was to be expected. A large part of him wanted to just avoid the question, but he decided to answer. Though he was visibly uncomfortable doing so. “I… I don’t really know. I never really decided, i guess. But I did decide that I was going to enjoy myself, no matter what happened.” Alex did that thing where you breathe out heavily through your nose as a half laugh, half scoff (often at yourself) “Or try to, at least.”

Alicia nodded her understanding, growing a little more solemn. “That’s fair enough. I do hope you’re successful.” She offered him a sincere smile, before perking up again. “Like I said, I’m grabbing this opportunity by the balls, so I guess I’ll get back to it!” She gave him a cheerful grin and a wave, turning away. “Good luck!”

Alex gave a faint smile, and wished Alicia “Good luck.” Once she was a bit away, Alex sighed deeply. As nice as Alicia seemed, he was glad to have this whole ordeal over with. Alex tried to take a sip of his drink, only to find his glass yet again empty. Which was a shame, because he could really use a drink right now. He started walking over to the closest bar, but stumbled a bit, nearly bumping into someone. ‘Or maybe not’, he whispered to himself. He still made his way to the bar however, but decided he’d probably had enough alcohol for the night. “Could I get a virgin Tom Collins, or something like that?”

The man behind the bar gave him an understanding smile “Naturally. I could just make you a virgin Tom Colins, but we also have this lovely cocktail that uses a distilled non-alcoholic spirt. It’s not quite a Tom Colins, but compared to a virgin one, it has a bit more body and richness to it. Would you like to try it out?”

Alex shrugged. “Sure, sounds good.” Alex found that the barkeep was pretty much spot on. He’d have probably preferred a regular Tom Colins, but compared to a virgin one, it was clearly better. He gave an approving nod to the barkeep, before stepping away from the bar. He considered going back to the previous gang, and talking more about video games, but decided to just relax for a bit, watching the crowd. He noticed a couple, clearly recently reunited, based on their happy expressions, though luckily much much less physical about it than the other one he’d seen tonight. The man seemed to be trying to convince the woman to move in with him. Bold move for a ‘first date’. Then again, one of them pretty much had to move in with the other, didn’t they? Alex sighed, staring blankly into the crowd, thinking about what that would mean to him, should he be so lucky.

“Good to hear,” Isaac replied to Ashe’s comment on the ride up, grinning. “The scenery is my favourite thing about this place. Up here, it’s as if we’re the only spot of civilization in the world.” He tapped his own translator. “And as for the technology, you have my brother to thank for that. I usually can’t make heads or tails of it myself, but he’s just as eager to invest in the newest toys as he is to flaunt them. You should have seen him when we had the hologram projectors installed,” Isaac chuckled warmly, glancing in his brother’s direction. “He claims he’s not a cat person, but he seemed to be enjoying himself when he had mine going crazy chasing holograms, so I have my doubts.”

He kept his eyes trained on Ashe as they continued, though a slight benevolent smirk settled over his features as their awkwardness became apparent. “We’re doing our best to hold in our pride until later on,” he reasoned, though he looked again at his brother across the room, busy looking pretty impressed with himself. “Or, I am anyway. We’ve had this event in the works for years, you see. I’m reluctant to count my chickens before they hatch, but if things go according to plan then I can honestly say I will have never been happier.”

“But, I can see you’re getting tired,” he added gently, not so much an observation as it was a discreet offer of an out. “I’m sure all that travel took its toll. Luckily, the guest houses should be ready to settle in any minute now.”

---

“The pleasure is all mine,” Raphael replied, stooping from his towering height to kiss Varia’s hand. “After all, it isn’t every day that we get a visit from nobility.”

As he straightened, he put on a much more familiar smile. “But I can understand if that’s not the role you want to play this week. If you’d prefer, you can leave that all at the base of the mountain and start fresh, just another Fragmented here to take a chance. I’m sure you wouldn’t be the only one shedding their old self for the week, after all.”

He looked a little alarmed when Varia jumped, watching after the woman who touched her with a hint of a frown as she left. He took a moment while Varia was preoccupied to put a finger to his ear and murmur something unintelligible, finishing and putting his smile back on in time for Varia to look back.

“It is a beautiful dog, isn’t it?” Raphael offered. “I think there’s at least one other guest with a dog here, too. My brother wasn’t terribly pleased when he heard, but I’m sure he’ll survive.” He gave Varia a cheeky grin, clearly not too concerned. “So long as they leave his cats alone, anyway.”

---

As she walked away from Alex, Alicia let her smile remain, looking down to Balder at her side and glancing between him and the black band on her wrist. «Nothing yet,» she signed to him, holding out her wrist as proof, «But we’ll find them, don’t worry.»

For emphasis, she smiled down at the dog, clapping her hands excitedly. Balder picked up on her mood, tail wagging and shifting from foot to foot, much to her delight. Dignified and poised as he always held himself, it was fun to see him get excited.

«We’re gonna have fun,» she assured him, scratching his head when she finished signing and taking a moment to re-adjust his collar, setting his little bowtie just so. Maybe Alex was right; she didn’t have to Reunite tonight. Sure, sooner would be preferable to later, but… what exactly was the rush? What, was she going to just go home as soon as she found her soulmate? Surely it would be a waste of a perfectly good - well, exquisite really - vacation to spend the whole thing tunnel-visioning on her goal. Besides, by the way the security guards were eyeing her… maybe it was wise to take a break.

«Think they have Fireball here, Baldy?» she signed to the dog, giggling at her own antics. She really needed a better ‘signature drink’. Maybe she could get it on the rocks in a nice glass and pretend it was classy. That’d probably work!

With a firm nod to Balder and a tap to her leg to bid him to follow, Alicia had made up her mind, weaving through the crowd - without touching anyone this time - toward a less-occupied bar along the wall. Sliding onto an available stool, she instructed Balder to sit and ordered her very fancy shot of cinnamon whiskey, still practically giddy at the incredible efficacy of the translators they were given. She was very used to her usual method of speaking through a speech-to-text app, sure, but getting to bypass all that and talk to anyone as if everyone knew ASL was incredibly convenient and more exciting than she would have imagined.

There you are Miss, one cinnamon whiskey on the rocks.

«Thank you!» Alicia signed her thanks and pulled the whiskey to her, holding in yet another laugh at how the translator transcribed things for her. These glasses really were something out of a scifi movie, seemingly projecting peoples’ words out beneath them for easy reading. Real-life subtitles! It was definitely too cool to be true, but there it was. Shame it was all in her glasses though, she would have loved to be able to take a picture of it and send it to her family back home.

Swiveling in her seat so she could lean her back against the bartop, Alicia surveyed the party for a moment, taking a sip of her whiskey. The familiar burning sweetness kept her smile on her lips as she watched people wander to and fro, following one guest decked out in a sequined blazer to where he disappeared from view behind a man next to her at the bar. When she saw him, she almost did a double take; he was absolutely stunning, with perfect skin and shiny brown hair, not to mention an adorable little beauty mark under one eye. He was sharply dressed too, definitely a point in his favour, and he was alone. Maybe…

Her hand was reaching out before she even realized what she was doing, a lifetime of being just maybe a little too touchy getting the better of her. She yanked her hand back a little too late, having just brushed his hand before she inwardly scolded herself. Not everyone was her siblings and friends, she had to remind herself, and even at a party where the whole point was to Reunite there were still people who didn’t like to be touched. Especially by strangers. Crap!

«I’m sorry, force of habit,» she apologized, though she did glance down at her wrist when she was done. Nope, nothing. That black band was right where it always had been. She offered the man a sheepish smile, tapping her band before she added, «Worth a shot, though. I’m Alicia, it’s nice to meet you.»

---

All at once, a clicking noise sounded through every guest’s translator, pausing any translations in progress so a monotone female voice could relay a message.

“Good evening. We the staff of The Winds are pleased to inform you that your guest houses are ready for occupation. When you wish to retire, simply speak to an attendant at any door, corridor, or in the gardens, and you will be guided to the house assigned to you. We invite you to take advantage of any and all amenities provided and welcome you warmly to The Winds. Have a pleasant evening.”

Another click sounded in the ear of every guest and conversations resumed, though a few of the less party-savvy guests did make their ways to the exit. Those who did were led through the gardens surrounding the house toward a gate on the side, leading out into the darkness. Beyond the gate, a path lined with charming little floating orbs of light on either side jutted out, leading directly across the middle of the property before diverting to the right. They weren’t clearly visible from the gate, but the path appeared to lead to five well-sized buildings set at different heights on the opposite side of the mountain, lit up warmly with ground lighting shining up the walls.

Many of those who stayed at the cocktail party a bit longer did linger to chat in the foyer, but a few handfuls had gravitated farther into the mansion as well. Three corridors led out of the foyer; one directly beneath the stair landing, running straight across from the front door and ending in darkness, and one at the foot of each staircase. The corridor beneath the landing and the one leading left at the foot of the stairs were each blocked by security personnel, but the corridor to the right was open; down it, guests would find a few formal sitting rooms of various sizes on the right, all outfitted with luxurious leather furniture and bookcases. On the left was a single door, leading into a larger room outfitted with a few billiard and card tables as well as an impressive collection of games lining shelves along the walls.

---

---

Alex' fruitless delf-reflection was rudely interrupted by the announcement that the guestrooms were now ready. Alex briefly considered just calling it a day but decided against it. He was here to mingle and have fun, not to mope about and go to bed early. He scanned the crowd, looking for someone that seemed fun to chat with. In the end, however, he was drawn to some people going deeper inside the mansion. Taking a look around seemed fun enough, so he made his way over too.

After passing by the over formal dressing rooms, he delightedly entered the games room. Some relaxed gaming ought to ease things up a bit. He was looking around wondering what he was going to play (and with whom, not like he was just gonna sit down and play solitaire), when a man in a rather boring beige suit approached him.

"Hey, we were just about to sit down and pay some cards, care to join us?",

Alex glanced at the two people behind him, a finely dressed lady, and a man in a tux, then shurgged "Sure. What are we playing."

"We hadn't decided yet, but I was thinking either Skat or Hearts."

"Well, of the two, I only know of Hearts."

"Same, " said the in the tux "I figgured we'd play bridge, but hearts is fine."

"Bridge could work too."

"Don't know Bridge, I'm afraid. Hearts and Skat are fine though. Could also go for Mattis." the lady interjected.

"Mattis could be fun."

"Don't know that one."

"Me neither."

"Hearts it is then?"

They sat down around one of the card tables, and the man in the beige suit started shuffling.

"Want to do a rundown of the rules, just so we're extra sure we're all on the same page?"

"Sure, would be a shame if it turned out we were playing Queen of Clubs, instead."

"What?"

"You know, because it's called 'hearts'? So Queen of clubs instead, would put the penalty on a different card?"

"What?"

"Spades" the lady said, very clearly enpounciated, "Lady", reading her lips, she seemed to repeat what she just said, but faster."Queen of Spades." she did the same again "Hearts." The lady looked rather exasperbated.

"Translators messing with us. Was bound to happen eventually." Said the tux man, causing a look of apprehension to flash across the faces of Alex, the lady, and the man in the beige suit.

"Sorry, should have realised that was what's going on. Stupid of me to try to make a pun in the first place."

"Nah, I get you, hard to forget you're communicating across cultures and languages when the translator is this good. Made a few blunders like that myself already." well, only the one, really. Oh well.

"Yea, it's fine. The rules then?" After getting nods from everyone, the beige man started dealing, as he explained the rules. Luckily it seemed the rules were the same as everyone was familiar with, and everything seemed to go smoothly from there.

Ashe nodded with a tired smile on their face, “Again. Thank you for having us, but I think I will call it a night.”

With that the young gamer nodded respectfully. Moments later the message came though the translators. Ashe was more than happy to follow the lead of a few others they saw. It wasn’t long before they were following a member of the staff though to their room. It was a nice enough room, but their eyes were drawn to the piece of paper that including how to access the internet. That was what they had been looking for all night. It was easy enough to get their phone connected and to turn on wifi calling. Ashe was surprised that they already had a message from a number she didn’t recognize. They listened to the message as they hunted for their toothbrush and body wash in their luggage. Then they processed what the message was and who it was from. The toothbrush and body wash were shoved back into the suitcase.

It was from the police. Gregory Cross had been in a hit and run. It was bad. He was currently in the hospital. No other information could be given over the phone and Ashe was hundreds and hundreds of miles away. That needed to change. They would run down the mountain if they needed to in order to get to the airport. They were halfway out the door of the guest room when they paused. This was their chance. If they left now, they might not ever have another chance to find their soul mate. Ashe looked towards where the party was in full swing. Did they really want to leave now? If they did it was only inevitable that they would become Lost. Then again, Ashe knew how this worked. They didn’t do romance. No one really seemed to want a simple platonic relationship. They weren’t sure that they could hate someone just because. It might just be better to leave now. That in mind Ashe steeled themselves. It didn’t matter. They would take the dark future they knew for the people they knew love them rather than the potentially light future with people that may not even want them around. They had to see what the fastest way down the mountain was. They had their luggage in hand. They were leaving this party behind to go home; to take care of their loved ones.

~Varia Crest~

Varia visibly blushed hen Raphael kissed the back of her hand. She didn’t think there was anything special about her noble status. She was just Varia. Not that she was ashamed of her title, but once people knew that about her, it was how they came to define her. Like how most people judge others on professions. If one were to be a doctor or lawyer, it was looked upon as more favourably than a waiter(ess). Why should she let her title or occupation define who she was? Maybe it was a good idea to shed Lady Varia Crest of her heritage and let the girl inside shine. The woman who loved animals and nature, cared about recycling and waste reduction and wanted to make a difference in the world and help save the planet from human consumption.

She nodded at Raphael in agreement when he suggested she could be just another Fragmented here to take a chance. She was taking a big chance, risking everything to be here. Her parents forbade this. Her fiancé would not be too pleased if she were to reunite romantically with someone here and call off the wedding. As he mentioned the dog was beautiful, she concurred. He went on to say that his brother preferred cats. She shrugged. “Some people are cat people, some are dog people. I would say I’m both. I’d love to see his cats whilst I am here. I bet they are just adorable.” She surmised, of course not all cats were nice. Yet the mean cats people owned who hated everyone, always seemed to like Varia for some reason. She attracted them and they liked to cuddle up to her. She never really understood why they had an affinity for her.

All at once, a clicking noise sounded through every guest’s translator, pausing any translations in progress so a monotone female voice could relay a message.

“Good evening. We the staff of The Winds are pleased to inform you that your guest houses are ready for occupation. When you wish to retire, simply speak to an attendant at any door, corridor, or in the gardens, and you will be guided to the house assigned to you. We invite you to take advantage of any and all amenities provided and welcome you warmly to The Winds. Have a pleasant evening.”

Varia turned her head upward to listen to the message. She was having a pleasant time chatting with the host, yet she supposed she should let him go to mingle with all the other guests, there were more than just a few here for his attention. She didn’t wish to hog all his time selfishly. She had to at least make effort with the other Fragmented here, after all one of them could be her soulmate and she was letting them slip through her fingers. “Well, I shall let you go back to the other guests, I’m sure you want to see as many of them as possible.” She would if she were the hostess, which she had done many a time. It was nice to be on the other side of the spectrum occasionally. She gave Raphael a polite courtesy, something seldom seen among commoners. "I bid you a good evening." She almost cringed at herself. Something would have to be done about her over politeness that upper class upbringing gave her. She wasn't likely to fit in here if she kept her posh side up. Maybe she could try some fun slang words or improper grammar to disguise her nobility.

As Varia traversed the ballroom, a yawn escaped her lips. It had been a terribly long day and a fifteen-hour journey to get here. She supposed there would be a chance to mingle with more people at tomorrow’s brunch. She set her empty champagne glass on the bar counter and decided to find the nearest attendant to be escorted to her guest house.

---

---

“Well, what do you like? How about you try mine and we can work from there.” Jacob suggested, worming his way to the bar. “One virgin piña colada please. How do you feel about pineapple and coconut?” He directed the second part to Lera. He wasn’t really sure what she liked and didn’t want to order her something she hated so twenty questions was probably more appropriate.

“I … uhh!” She stammered for a few seconds, before almost getting separated from Jacob. When it came down to it, she was taking far more time and care to skirt around the edges of crowds rather than risk plowing straight through them. She only needed to bump into one person and talk to them. One was enough … or was it just Jacob …? “I … don’t really know … I guess I could try it, I’ve had vodka a lot so I’m used to alcohol, just not the different tastes!”

"Well, let's try my drink." He said as the piña colada clinked on the bar. Thanking the bartender, Jacob pulled the remaining wrapped off the straw and offered it to Lera. "Try this. It doesn't have alcohol in it but we can get you an alcoholic version of it if you like this version."

She hesitated for a moment before reaching a hand out to grasp at the straw. Even in this more casual of moments she’d still do her best to try and move her fingers away from Jacobs, although this time, it was more subtle than before. She liked him and didn’t want to create any awkwardness.

Lera took a little sip, letting it rest on her tongue for a moment. “Oh! Wow! You’ve been drinking this all the time? Wh… what else have I been missing out on?”

"Uh, I'll take it that you like it. Why don't you keep that one and I'll order another one for me." Jacob chuckled, ordering another one for himself. "This is pretty fantastic but if we throw alcohol there, mojitos are my preference. Mint plus alcohol is the best." Jacob took a moment to consider Lera before asking his next question. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too… intrusive but he did want to know more about her.

"So what do you normally drink or eat then? Pineapple is pretty common around my place." Jacob asked, a little hesitantly.

Lera took the glass and began to take a few more sips, savouring the new taste. It had been a while to say the least since she’d had anything new and to have something so nice … well it was a good experience to say the least.

She hesitated mid sip at the sudden new question. “I … erm …” Not knowing fully how to respond to that one, for really, she just drank or eat whatever she could get her hands on, as unsatisfying an answer as that was. “I … don’t know … I just … well … I used to drink coffee, but not for a while … Back where I came from there wasn’t much choice, I just kinda eat whatever was around really…”

Jacob nodded along, a brief grimace flashing across his face. Again, it seemed like a bad question. Okay, asking about history is probably a bad idea. Again, Jacob thanked the bartender and sipped at his own. "Well, now that you're here, we'll have to take advantage of the situation! Maybe we can see if they do room service and try a little bit of everything! Expand your horizons and all that!" He chuckled at the idea, imagining plates piled high with Lera starstruck at all the food available. She seemed like the type that would do that.

"Well, we've got our drinks. Where should we wander next? I think I saw some garden paths and I saw a few other guests wander down the hall over there." Jacob nodded at one of the side halls as he sipped. "I don't know about you but I'm kinda done with all these people. I'm ready to bounce if you are."

“Wait … you think that they might have proper service here?! Like we’re just able to order whatever what we want!” For all her pretense at the still sort of withdrawn demeanor, her eyes betrayed her completely. The idea that she could have whatever food she wanted was enthralling to the young war veteran. For so long she’d lived in a place where whatever scraps you could get was deemed excellent and now …

“Erm!” Lera’s revelry was broken by Jacob’s new question and thankfully this time it wasn’t as hard for her to answer. In fact, the thought of being able to escape these halls full of people was a welcome one. No longer would she have to spend all that time next to anyone who could at any time ... Instead she could just spend time chatting to Jacob, something that just felt … well right. “A stroll outside sounds great, some fresh air, lovely scenery to look at … no one else. I’m all for it!”

"Sounds like a plan! Let's find our way out." Jacob chuckled as he lead the way with some help from the bartender. He noticed how little Lera wanted to interact with people earlier and took them around the edge of the room this time. He should have done that the first time but live and learn right? "And maybe they do have full service. This place is fancier than all of the hotels I've stayed at."

The garden paths reached all the way out to the Helicopter pad. Chest height hedges trimmed in an easy maze glowed faintly in the evening light as fireflies danced between the foliage and victorian styled ground lamps illuminated the slate paths. Blooms of pink and red Broke the green monotony, their scent tinging the cool mountain air. Jacob paused as he took it in, breathing deeply. Only a few others wandered outside.

"This is beautiful, isn't it?" Jacob asked as he lead the way into the maze.

It was a small thing, but she appreciated it, she very much appreciated it. She hadn’t even needed to say anything and yet he was just doing this for her, leading a path in such a way that they could stay on the edge, away from any crowd. Yeah … that’s why she felt it was so good to spend time with him, he was just someone who finally after all this time was taking care and consideration for her … nothing more …

Lera stepped outside and looked around, this time making sure to actually take the sights in, let them wash over her, pushing all the fears and worries of before somewhere else, those insecurities could haunt her most of the time, but she was not letting them get to her … not now.

“Yeah!” And she really did think so, the sight was so serene, no bustle, no people, no bombs … It was just she felt that she didn’t have the proper words to describe something like this, something so beyond whatever she’d seen before. Even so she tried again, desperate to at least say something of substance. “I … I mean … It’s wonderful! I’ve never been somewhere so peaceful!”

"Really? There isn't anything just calm like this out where you live?" Jacob frowned. In New York, and most major cities he'd been in, there were botanical gardens pretty much everywhere. This was a little more upscale than most but it still had a similar feeling. But she was right. It was an amazing sight and he couldn't help but smile at her wonder. It was kind of like seeing a kid discover all the cool things out in the world, just blown away and overwhelmed that these things could even exist. It was refreshing in a way; seeing someone filled with wonder always gave him a fresh set of eyes to see the world with.

"Well, this one is better than most but botanical gardens are a pretty standard set up in American cities. I'm not sure about Canada but if you take a trip back down, you can hit quite a few if this is the type of thing you like."

As he talked a little idea began to work it's way into her head, one that she would have never even believed she would want to think about again … and yet it was there. Could she really just ask someone she’d only known for a day to show her these sights? No of course she couldn’t, that was just stupid, it was wishful thinking talking there.

Then why did she want to?

“There’s just so much peace here! I mean … the mountains, the garden … everything! Then again I’m not used to big cities either …” At least not intact ones. “And you’re saying you have loads of them? How do you see everything?”

“Normally with your eyes.” Jacob had let his mind wander, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere after the stuffiness of inside and hadn’t fully processed what came out of his mouth when the question was asked. There was an ease to talk with Lera that reminded him of talking with friends he had known for years; perhaps it was that or the last lingering kick of alcohol that let that comment slip through his filter but he promptly slapped his hands over his mouth and gave Lera a horrified look.

“I am so sorry. That was completely unintentional.” Jacob mumbled through his fingers, embarrassment burning in his ears. He was mortified but tried again anyway. “Well, you just have to plan it? I mean, it’s impossible to see everything between school and work and the constant need for sleep but you take trips for you vacations to all the further away places.”

Suddenly everything seemed so much quieter, Lera had almost frozen as he made that simple joke, that little small thing which for many others might have just washed over them. But not to her, not to someone who’d missed so much basic human interaction over so much of her life. Who’d sat there years ago pulling shrapnel from her inhuman arm, a live devoid of much humour … and yet …

She looked at Jacob and began to giggle.

Despite Varia’s formality, Raphael was not caught off guard. He answered her curtsy with a similarly regal bow, as smoothly as if he’d been doing it his whole life. “And a good evening to you, Miss Crest,” he replied airily, throwing her a charming grin. He gave her a wave with his champagne hand as she left, and before he even turned around, had more guests approaching him to talk.

---

As the night wore on, more and more guests opted to migrate away from the cocktail party in the foyer. Some went to the sitting and game rooms in the manor, others for a quiet walk in the darkened gardens outside, wandering serenely through the firefly-gilded hedge paths and enjoying the cool night air. Many stopped on benches to admire the stunning display of stars in the clear night sky above them, unobstructed by buildings or light pollution, much to the awe of the many city-dwelling guests.

Those who sought out an attendant to retire to their rooms had their names checked on a list on each attendant’s smartphone, their destinations confirmed and a house number issued to them, from one through five. They were led in groups across the width of the property by two security guards, along a path lit by small solar lights embedded into the ground. Away from the light of the manor, the night sky shone even more brilliantly than before, showing off a breathtaking assembly of thousands of stars. Many guests audibly gasped at the sight, marveling at the band of the milky way stretching across the sky.

The path brightened as they came closer to the guest houses. There were five in total, nestled into the foot of the wooded mountainside, separated from the rest of the property by a shallow river that wound lazily around the edge of the plateau. The houses were large and earthy in design, fitting in nicely with the wilderness surrounding them, though they were still unmistakably high-end. They were two storeys each, with a few chimneys and footpaths leading down to the main path, though their most striking features were the grand, two-storey windows in their centres, stretching up to a peak and streaming warm light from inside.

Guests entered the houses through a door to the left of the feature window, leading into a foyer/mudroom. Beyond that was the living room, decorated in neutral tones with high-end furniture and a tall two-storey ceiling, open to a loft corridor above. The focal point of the interior wall was a large stone fireplace, and opposite it, the grand window overlooking the river and the rest of the property. Beyond the living room was a kitchen with a large island and bar stools, chef-quality appliances and a refrigerator stocked with a variety of healthy snack foods. On the counter was also a menu, announcing the service of a private chef three times a day.

Upstairs, the loft corridor led to a number of identical guest rooms containing a king sized bed, wardrobe, vanity and desk. On each bed rested a letter further welcoming guests to the estate and providing information on connecting to the internet (they could tap their devices to a pad embedded in the wall for effortless connection) as well as outlining the planned events for the week. The most interesting feature of the houses, though, were the touch pads in each room; when activated, they had options to call housekeeping, security, catering and a direct line of contact to the superintendent of the property. Each room had one guest’s luggage inside, but guests were free to switch rooms as they wished.

---

By midnight, the manor had emptied completely, any remaining stragglers respectfully lead to their rooms and the doors locked for the night. The mansion was dark and quiet, most everything having been wound down for the night and most every staff having gone to their own quarters, relieved of duty for the day. Each room weighed heavily with the calm; it contrasted so starkly with the energy of the evening that the place felt… cold, and tired. Like some great, eternal beast, deep in a long-awaited slumber.

Light still burned low in one room though, deep inside the manor up on the second floor. Isaac reclined in an antiqued leather office chair, a list of every guest gracing The Winds splayed out on a grand walnut desk in front of him. A Russian Blue cat purred in his lap, lulled almost to sleep by his steady stroking as he stared thoughtfully at the names in front of him.

“You look like shit.”

Isaac barely looked up as Raphael strode into the room, instead finally moving from his trance and rolling the tight muscles in his neck. “Long night.”

“Mmhm.” Raphael hummed, shrugging. He cocked a hand on his hip. “Did you see what happened tonight?”

Isaac quirked a brow. “I think the whole foyer saw it. Are you alright?”

Raphael hmphed. “I’m sure my ego will recover,” he commented offhandedly, before leveling a more serious gaze on his brother. “I’m more concerned about what says about us.”

Isaac shrugged and sat back again, running a hand over his face. “It’s to be expected,” he reasoned.

Raphael thought for a moment. “...I suppose.” he looked over the papers on the desk, rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment on them, catching a glare from his brother. “And besides, everything else is going according to plan.”

“Indeed.”

Raphael studied his brother a moment longer before waving his goodnight and sweeping out of the room, looking pleased with himself. Isaac glanced down at the cat in his lap, blissfully asleep, and sighed.

“And so it begins.”

---