---

---

---

---

When Erik took a seat on the ground beside Lys, she knew that he meant it. He knew how it bothered her always having to crane her neck to talk with people. So, the two of them sat there and talked and understood each other. For all that Lysandra tried to play the cool, rational, and clinical scientist, she was a wild child at heart and a feeler as much as a thinker.

At Erik's imitation of Akaia's dire-sounding warning, she was loath to admit that she'd actually jumped a bit. "You know, gramps, we should have a movie night. We can improvise a big ol' screen in the Telescope Room and pop on some pre-Collapse slasher flick." She pursed her lips for a moment. "Actually, after some of the shit we've seen, I don't think we'd bat an eyelash. Maybe comedy, huh? We all get loaded, do some karaoke, and watch a movie... in between the other stuff we have to do." There was a lot: she wanted to give both vehicles a thorough go-over and the 'Landwhale' - their van - was in need of an oil change. She wanted to get back to work on her next generation drones, and she needed to make more payload arrows in addition to more ammo for the others who wanted it. That meant refining more explosive and crafting more shells. Finally, Lys was eager to see what they could glean from that mistle. She had a few working theories on how she could spread the plants or, if not, isolate the properties within them that scrubbed the air and produced the fruit.

Nobody else had come into the record store. Maybe they were exhausted, but so was Lys. Your loss, losers. Now you get to listen to music curated by me. The light was almost gone too. "Thanks for uh... clearing the air," she said quietly, idly readjusting one of her legs. She glanced his way. "On that note, I was kind of actually wondering something: since we got the whole plant, are we required to hand it all over to the Provgovs or just a sample like we originally agreed? Knowing the research culture there, I feel like we've got a better shot than them at doing something useful and with a whole plant at our disposal..." Her hands were restless. She flicked her flashlight on and shone it up at her face from below. "I think we just might have a shot at cracking the case," she added playful-seriously.

---

---

Location: Ruined City outskirts
Interactions: Vincent, everyone

---

Poppy ignored Cerise's offer to explore the remains of the music store. She didn't want to leave the mistle out of her sight, considering all of the trouble they went through to get it. The Sidhe watched Vincent approach, unmoving from her spot. Her green eyes narrowed slightly. She moved the mistle carefully, setting it further away from Vincent.
"Think this is the first time I got to chat with you since I joined up,"

Poppy stared ahead at the building across of Vincent and her. For a couple of seconds there was the pull to go and search, making her restless. Sometimes she still believed he could simply pop up around any corner. Explore some unassuming place and stumble on a vital clue. Other times she recognized her foolishness and stopped searching for what wasn't there. Walk a fine line between hope and despair. It was something she had to learn to live with. The result of having deeply cared for someone.

After about a minute of silence she spoke to Vincent. She kept looking at the other side of the street, instead of turning her face towards him.
"I guess it is. The Commune's been together for a long time. Since you're new, here's a piece of advice. If you plan to keep up your reckless attitude, don't become too close to any of them."

The medic didn't want someone to disturb the fragile emotional health of the group, by first building a relationship and disappearing shortly after.

Poppy got up from her seat and made eye contact with Vincent for a couple of seconds. She didn't say anything and moved towards the music store. The box with the mistle was cradled in her arms like a baby wrapped in a cloth.
"Come on everyone, we need to head back. It's getting dark."

As per usual it wasn't a suggestion but rather a declaration.

Desmond Mores

---

While everyone was busy doing their own thing, Desmond was busy resting. Sitting down on a halfway destroyed bench nearby. Keeping up with his group took a toll on him. Revenants are being faster and have better stamina than humans, but Desmond still managed to keep with his group regardless. He has really never run that fast before, and he owns it wanting to get as far as possible from the Tsar Bomba. How a Lost can get that big and turn into a living bomb is beyond him. Seriously normal Lost are a problem but that thing. Desmond sighed at the thought and thought, just why fricked why.

While he rested, Desmond turned his gaze to the rest of his team. Most of resting on benches like he was while it looks like Lys went into a record store. He has half a mind to go in with her and see if any records survive and if there was some good music. But, Desmond would prefer to stay where he was and rest a bit more. Though it would be nice to have a music night like he used to have back at his home settlement. Maybe even a movie night if they were lucky. He just hoped that if Lys does find anything in that place that they have the same taste in music.

So Desmond leaned back and let his head rest on the top of the bench, getting a good view of the sky. Mission accomplished despite some injuries and close calls. Everyone returning home and that is all anyone call wish for in this world. Closing his eye for a short bit before snapping to when Poppy spoke to everyone about heading back. Time to get back home and get out of this cursed city." Saying it to himself as he slowly got up from the bench. Taking a deep tired breath waiting for everyone to get ready to leave "I am so glad that we drove here because I would hate to have to hike all the way back home after everything that happened here."

_{Location | The Ruined City
Time | February 23^rd - Evening
Interaction | Akaia @Exit(Directly), Dallas @Pantothenic(Indirectly)}

---

As he always did, even when unprompted, Ajax kept on the lookout so the others could take the rest time. He wasn’t a fool to let his guard down just because they were now away from the Tsar Bomba. Surprises always lurked around every corner, and would only be unexpected if one weren’t prepared…Though too, this also gave him an opportunity to see if he noticed anything familiar. Anything that would click with the memories he yearned for or Poppy already had.

For those reasons, he decided to only briefly glance through the window of the music store but he didn’t stick there long. Instead, he walked around outside with his hands in his pockets and an ear to the wind. Whilst peeking through alleys full of garbage and debris, Aj didn’t find much of particular use. Though, adjacent from and across the cracked tarmac bordering the music store, he noticed something.

A glass window, covered partially in what he could only describe as colored dirt? He looked past the window towards the inside. It was darker inside, but he cupped his hands around his eyes for them to adjust. The roof of the middle of the room had caved in, making it hard to tell what specifically this room was used for at first glance. Still, he could make out, despite how dirty and desaturated it was, that the room was once colorful, with what were likely light blue walls. He could see the remains of a familiar yet warped plastic object that surely once stood on four metal legs.

It was the last thing that he noticed though, that made his leer linger. A stuffed animal of some sort, with a long face with a white line going down the middle of it, pointed ears at the joint of the head and neck. It had a black, cylindrical sort of body. It had three stumpy protrusions, but Ajax knew that there were supposed to be four. He recognized, despite laying on its side, that it was meant to have two bead-like eyes. That the few long bits of thread at the end were once a tail.

Ajax knew this because she had one, though not quite the same as this. Hers was light, like sand in color, with patches of copper mixed throughout. With her memory, the little thing always followed whether it be in the room or in her hand. This was not hers…but…

”Actually, I need a bathroom break. I’ll be right back.”

Catching that particular piece of dialogue from Dallas pulled Ajax back into the moment. Lowering his hands from his eyes, his head turned to catch the particular revenant walking off to handle his business. Although there was nothing specifically to be concerned about, the last time someone needed a bathroom break, they used it as cover to secretly investigate something. While Ajax wouldn’t hold those suspicions to everyone’s cases because of Lysandra, he decided to wordlessly tag along. At the very least as backup, should he get jumped.

Before he did though, Ajax looked back again at the glass window. He hadn’t necessarily paid it much attention before but there was a certain quality to the obscurity lining the bottom of the window…faded and dried blue paint? With it, there was a pattern of sorts…a handprint? Many small handprints next to each other, some overlapping— like a child might do. Then towards the top of the window, a larger, more obviously yellow handprint…

The sun over water…

---

---

Having traversed by rooftop again, Ajax kept a careful ear to Dallas footsteps ahead to follow without being initially intrusive. He was also quiet though too, so as not to be audible either. In his head, Ajax debated if the distance Dallas chose was necessary. A reasonable line of thinking could lead to the idea of not wanting his piss stream to be heard, but a counter thought: Did that even matter, given their current circumstances? Separating from the larger group was often how intelligent hunters picked off their prey; the ignorant, ill, and injured.

That was when Ajax heard a second set of footsteps as Dallas seemed to be finishing up. Peering over the building’s rooftop lip like a gargoyle, the Sword watched the interaction between the two. The veteran wasn’t convinced that it was a Lost that approached Dallas, its body language wasn’t aggressive. However, the sudden flash barrier to prevent his comrade from leaving the alley prompted Ajax to loose a stake from its place in his coat. He crept along the shadows of the structure to get a better angle without letting himself be detected.

Variables rolled in his mind. Could this have been an infernal after all? It seemed a little more intelligent and deliberate than most typically were. When Dallas got boxed in, the Sword had slowly cocked back his arm to headshot the interloper with the stake. What stopped him, was the fact that it spoke in response to Dallas’ question. Not only that, it— she knew his name.

This got more interesting, the longer she spoke. So this ‘attack’ was a ploy? There was fear and sorrow in the tone that the hooded revenant spoke with, as well as a form of urgency. She spoke of others that would become suspicious of her presence here, peaceably speaking to Dallas. Ajax certainly held his own suspicions, one of which, was that she wasn’t talking about the Commune. If she wasn’t, it meant that there was another group that must’ve been lurking about, possibly monitoring them. His eyes narrowed upon the object given the burly man, small and globular. Could that have been…?

Whoever this was had some kind of personal connection to Dallas. He had only been part of the Commune for a month, but what he had been doing before then…could be dealt with later. Ajax watched on as she walked away and around a corner out of sight. For now, as far as Ajax was concerned, his squad needed to vacate the city.

Whoever this hidden group was didn’t sound friendly, and the fact that this girl waited until Dallas was alone to ‘attack’ only cemented such. Thus, once Dallas was clear to head back, Ajax followed suit.

---

Soon after Poppy’s declaration, a door forcefully opened a little ways off. From the building he had been looking into earlier, Ajax exited wiping off an object he was holding. If one caught a glimpse of it before it went into a pocket, they’d see small, black stuffed horse with a white mane.

As he was walking, he stopped by the bench where Akaia and Cerise had been resting. Wordlessly, he waved to get Kaia’s attention. Taking that same hand, he extended it to the air away from his head, yet pinching the fingers towards his face. Taking the same hand again, he kept the pinched fingers and pressed them on his masked chin then cheek.

Moving on, he caught Desmond’s words, the Sword honestly couldn’t agree more. Less so about the hike, but more so about the fact that with the van, they’d be a bit less easy to follow.

Ajax eyed Dallas briefly as they both approached the group from opposite directions. Knowing what he did now, the Sword would bring this up to Erik before confronting Dallas straight up. With the way that he reacted in the alley, Ajax had convinced himself for now that he wasn’t directly involved with the mystery group anymore. That wasn’t to say that his presence though, was completely harmless, given that they surely knew Dallas was with the Commune now. Ajax didn’t like any of it.

However, if the Commune had to look over its shoulder, he’d prefer them to have home-field advantage on any pursuers.

---

Cerise wrapped one of her arms around Akaia as she let the Sidhe rest on the bench. She kept quiet while keeping watch of the area, intending to let her best friend get some much needed nap. She watched as Dallas walked away, apparently needing a bathroom break. The place was rather peaceful, everything considered, with seemingly nobody else aside from the members of the Commune around. Briefly, her mind wandered back to the happening earlier during the mission when she found the vestige that was without a doubt hers. That means I dispersed around there once... I wonder what happened. Of course, she had no memory of it. It remained impossible for her to remember anything from before she became a Revenant; and also some things after she became one.

And that's exactly how she wanted it to be. There can't possibly be any good that can come from remembering things that elicited such intense pain within her heart even when she couldn't clearly recall them. I'm just glad Lys decided to leave it be...

Her self-ruminations were then ended when she felt a gentle pinch on her arm, followed by the voice of the Sidhe she held dearest in her heart. "How are you?" She turned her gaze, looking at Akaia with a warm smile on her face. "You did not get hurt. Today?" She shook her head in response. "Not at all. I'm quite fortunate today. I have everyone to thanks for that, of course." Then she turned her gaze to look at Licorice as the bird stood in front of her and Akaia. She gave Licorice a soft pat on the head as she continued to speak again. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there, Kaia." Her expression turned to that of guilt; once more blaming herself for being unable to prevent a comrade's injury. And not just any comrade but her best friend, at that. "I'm... Just glad that you're here with me now. If you had..." She stopped, and then shook her head, and a small but warm smile returned to her face. "No, never mind. I'm so glad you're alright, Kaia."

Cerise then wrapped her other arm around Akaia too, hugging the Sidhe, feeling her warmth just as Akaia felt her own. She stayed that way for a few seconds, and then with one more warm smile and a small giggle, turned and signaled to Poppy that she and Akaia were ready to go at anytime. Both of them, and everyone in the Commune for that matter, definitely needed the rest back within the safety of their home.

_{Interactions: ???}

---

Vincent silently watched Poppy walk off. In truth, he couldn't blame her for being so cold toward him. He was a new face, after all. He had met people in the past just like her, who closed themselves off to others, those who wanted to protect themselves from the pain of losing someone close. Whether he was ever like that, he couldn't remember, though he doubted it.

"Since you're new, here's a piece of advice. If you plan to keep up your reckless attitude, don't become too close to any of them."

Those words echoed in Vincent's head. While he had been on his own, his way of fighting had become so ingrained in his habits that even his dispersals did nothing to change it. He would be the first to admit he loved to fight, the reason behind which had been lost to him, and he was even aware that he often put himself in incredibly dangerous situations, such as rushing toward the Tsar Bomba on his own. Somewhere deep within, he knew he wouldn't have been able to fight it on his own, yet the thrill of taking on such a dangerous creature erased whatever common sense he might have had.

That said, he felt that the way he fought was perfect for him. He didn't have to worry about coming up with a plan and he could even keep the enemy focused on him while the people who were good at planning could think of something. The way he saw it, every group could benefit from having someone like him, someone willing, if not eager, to put themselves on the front lines to keep their allies safe

"Is that really what you think?" a voice not his own suddenly said. "Are you throwing yourself in harm's way to keep others safe...or because you hope it might finally end the pain you don't even remember having?"

Vincent brought his hand to his temple as a dull throb resounded through his skull. The voice sounded familiar, very familiar, but trying to remember something that no longer had a place in his mind was like trying to breathe in a vacuum. After a moment, he took a deep breath, straightened up, and slapped himself across the face. "No use in worrying about it, he thought as the sharp pain from his own open-palmed slap drowned out the dull headache. "Whatever memory that's from is probably stuck in a vestige somewhere I'll never find. Besides, it doesn't make any sense to miss something I don't even remember having!"

"Alright, I'm ready to go home!" he said to empty air as his usual grin returned.

THE BRIDGE

---

Poppy watched the retreating backs of the Provisional Government agents. It was a similar scene to the morning prior. The difference being that Ionna was now walking between them, towards a new purpose and place to live, and the two agents that had arrived for the exchange that morning had been different from the last. One of them had been rather unremarkable in their features and seemed green around the gills. During the entire discussion, he'd kept mostly quiet and remained a step behind his associate, only moving when it was time to make the trade. The second was very obviously a Revenant. Pale skin and a deep red coloration of one of his eyes marked him as such, but the more striking feature was the severe scarring of his face. It was obvious that some extreme trauma he'd sustained had healed so grievously as to leave him grotesque and it was far too easy to dismiss him as nothing more than a man with ill intention. However, his natural charisma and pragmatic attitude painted him in a very different light and ended up doing most of the persuading.

The Commune was no place for a young girl. Children were the safest under the close watch of the government. There was little to no freedom but at least they were protected. Turning a child into a Revenant was cruel. Poppy didn’t agree with it. They would eventually mature into adults, but their bodies were trapped in time. Ionna should have never been allowed to exist as a Revenant but as one, and more importantly as a recently awoken child revenant, she was in better hands with the Provisional Government than theirs.

And it wasn't like other options weren't discussed or that their own competence as caretakers wasn't explored. The agent, who had introduced himself as Ducard, had also spent time expressing his admiration of the Commune and their skill. Retrieving the sample was by no means an easy task and the group's success was telling. Erik and Ajax specifically were met with some flattery as he shared how both of their skills were still widely acknowledged at headquarters. He was quite pleased to have finally met them. However, despite the worship, it was agreed upon that ultimately it was better this way.

After some final exchanges and a dodged question about the fate of the rest of the mistle, the two agents took their leave and Poppy watched them walk out of view. She looked at the companions to her side, gauging their reaction to Ionna’s departure. Erik and Ajax both had history with the Provisional Government. They knew where they were sending her off to.

Their commission was sitting inside two large wooden crates. Arguably more valuable was the mistle they recovered. It was decided to only hand in a sample. They didn’t tell them they uprooted the entire mistle from its original location. They would simply think it eventually died off.

Little did they know the Commune’s resident scientist was tinkering with the plant inside the safety of the Crow’s nest.

Some hours later....

Preparations for the karaoke night were in full swing. After their confrontation with the Tsar Bomba everyone had been knocked out cold, too tired to celebrate their victory. So they moved the party to the day after. Everyone took on a task, some out of their own volition, others were ordered to.

Against all expectations even Poppy had managed to free up some time from her relentless personal schedule to whip up a cake. It had actual sugar in it, berries, lemon peel and unlike everything else she normally cooked up, it tasted great. The cake was where her involvement ended. The medic had better things to do.

In the peaceful silence of the medical area she worked undisturbed, enjoying the stillness. The only sounds came from the distillation unit behind her. She was extracting essential oils from opium flowers and simultaneously making preparations for Amelia’s bed bath.

---

When Ionna was handed off to the agents, Dallas was out of sight. He kept himself busy elsewhere so he wouldn't have to watch her go. Thinking about the change of custody made his stomach twist. He'd never put a uniform on, but in order to feed himself Dallas had been hired muscle for the government on many occasions. Extermination, deliveries, even VIP escorts. He felt he knew what their motivations were. If you were a human being, the provisional government would roll out the red carpet at the expense of certain human rights. On the other hand, most revenants had to break their backs just to make ends meet. Ionna wasn't old enough to prove her value as a warrior, so Dallas believed they wanted her for something else. His imagination went to the worst kinds of places. They might use her as a research subject, or put her through a top secret indoctrination program. Was he being pessimistic? Erik knew more about those spooks than anybody here, and if they were going to use Ionna for something unbearable then she wouldn't be going with them.

---

It was late in the day, and like everybody else Dallas was helping with the preparations for tomorrow night. Poppy had orders for him as usual, and once again Dallas had no reply except to silently nod his head. Per Poppy's instructions, Dallas was on his way to the storage room to move some stuff around. A party needed munchies, so he was going to grab as many snacks and drinks as he could carry and take them to the Great Room.

Dallas entered storage and flicked the lights on. He beelined to the corner where the team kept the non-perishable food and began shopping for junk food. He shoveled chip bags and boxes of sweets into a plastic garbage bag, only halfway paying attention to what he was doing. Dallas wanted to relax and enjoy the success of a job well done, but he was still distracted by everything that had happened today. As he walked around the room he mulled over his recklessness at the beginning of the mission. Getting himself pinned down with nothing to show for it was really stupid.

When the bag was full Dallas went for the drinks next. He stacked boxes of juice and soda while continuing to ponder today's events. That revenant. What was her name? Who was she with? Dallas hadn't met someone who knew his name in a long time. His memory loss made him desperate for answers, but there was no way of figuring out where the girl went. What about the ominous warning she gave? She said someone was coming for him.

A cardboard 12-pack of soft drinks tore open when Dallas tried to pick it up. He sighed and quickly gathered the cans off the floor. Dallas rolled a can of orange Fanta in his palm while thinking about his next move. If a bad guy was targeting him, should he leave the Commune? If they decided to burn down the Crow's Nest anyways in order to hurt him then that would be pointless. Maybe he should just confess everything to Erik and Ajax. Dallas would feel better leaving his fate to them. At least then he could believe it was the best choice for everybody.

Dallas eventually got the goods in order, half as fast as he could have done it if he wasn't so lost in his own head. With the bag in one hand and several boxes of beverages stacked on his other shoulder, he marched towards the Great Room. In minutes, Dallas was at the door. He didn't have to think about how he was going to open it with his hands full because right on cue, Poppy exited the room. He slipped behind her and stopped the door with his foot so he could squeeze past.

---

As he walked through the room, Dallas noticed a sweet smell hanging in the air. Was Poppy making something edible in here today? So she did know how to cook. She just insisted on feeding them rabbit food because it was "nutritionally balanced". Dallas cut his thoughts off there. He shouldn't be so rude, even if it was just an idea nobody could hear. He brought the precious loot to the bar and unburdened himself there.

Momentarily left with nothing to do, Dallas rested his elbows on the bar counter and admired the Great Room. The contrast between Victorian era furniture and modern comfort was a strange sight to behold. Someone had re-arranged all the chairs and brought in a huge television and karaoke setup. There was even a bubble machine. What the hell was that for?

Dallas idled like this for a minute or two before he realized something. He stank pretty bad. He'd been covering himself in the blood of thralls all day. Before handling any more chores or going to bed for the night, Dallas had to wash himself off. He got off the bar counter and headed to his room for a change of clothes.

---

---

---

---

What Lysandra did following her adventure in the ruined city brought new meaning to the common term 'falling asleep'. Her back was lost to agony and all that she could feel of her arms and shoulders was a throbbing ache. It was a struggle just to transfer out of her wheelchair and into bed. She roughly half-managed and fell onto her mattress, too sore and exhausted to even shift positions. Only barbarians go to bed with their shoes on. Lys supposed that she was a barbarian, then.

To say that she woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed would be... something of an exaggeration, but she was considerably better. The myriad aches were duller and, if her arms still felt like spaghetti, at least they were a bit al dente this morning. Besides, she was now powered by science. After hiding from the provgov people by taking a well-timed morning bath, she took her time getting dressed in a cute off the shoulder top and some jean shorts. She was accosted by Erik just outside of the garden but, finally, she got to spend her day with the mistle... and the roughly dozen other projects that she had on the go. This was the first time that she'd gotten to work with a live sample, and most of what she did consisted of first trying to save the plant from its excessive recent trauma. Still, she had a few working if wholly-unsubstantiated theories:

• The blood beads were its fruits and means of spreading its seeds, which were somehow mixed in with the pseudo-blood. The mistle was using the revenants, who were particularly wide-ranging and effective organisms, just like most flowering plants with ingestible fruits used animals.
• It logically followed that the liquid contained in the blood beads was actually a species of sap, evolved or engineered to have qualities remarkably similar to human blood to ensure that the fruits were attractive to revenants.
• This led to a troubling working hypothesis: either the revenants and BOR parasites were much older than previously believed and simply poorly-documented or else classified knowledge or, alternatively, the mistle, revenants, and everything else connected to the collapse that seemed to run afoul of the basic laws of biology had been engineered by someone or some process.
• Finally, she had her suspicions that the mistle must be parasitic in nature. Its structural similarities, at least outwardly, to Monotropa Uniflora - the ghost plant - were striking, and its white colour denoted a lack of the chloroplasts necessary for traditional photosynthetic processes to occur. Just what the plant was parasitic towards remained a mystery, and Lysandra cursed her absence during its discovery. While uprooting the mistle had been an absolute necessity for its survival, not being able to study its environment had meant the loss of vital clues as to how it worked.

Thus, the Commune's lone scientist contented herself with stabilizing it as best she knew: deep, loamy soil poached from Poppy's garden, limited direct sunlight, and some water. That would have to do for now. She spent the rest of the day intermittently picking dirt out from beneath her nails and removing as much of the corrosion from the new radio's wires as she could, replacing them as necessary. She commandeered Dallas to help move things, but he seemed oddly...dumb today, possibly distracted, and she was too busy to be his emotional support animal.

It was five in the afternoon when she rolled out of her little workshop in the storage room, determined to reclaim for her equipment the room that had temporarily been Ionna's. Instead, she found Vincent and strong-armed him into helping her set up the projector screen in the Great Room for movies and karaoke. She trailed him around like an absolute nag as he pushed the speakers into place, making conversation and offering somewhat ineffectual help when needed. She ferried bottles of vodka, whisky, and wine on her lap, shifted chairs around, flopped on the couch for a few minutes, and then plugged ALL THE THINGS in.

At some point, however, she felt the need to eat but no compunction to cook. How bothersome. Poppy had been in the kitchen area earlier, but Lysandra was loath to put herself through another ordeal almost as bad as the Tsar Bomba had been. With a sort of anticipatory schadenfreude, she stole glances at Erik as he walked up and contemplated taking a bite. Do it, she thought evilly. You know you have to now that people are watching. She couldn't suppress her grin. Do it!

The cake was - apparently - good, and Lys was not entirely sure if that was true or if Erik had noticed her shit-eating grin and decided to play an uno reverse card on her. With some degree of trepidation, once he'd gone off to plug in some cables that were out of her reach, she quickly made her way to the cake and cut a slice. No witnesses, she told herself, after looking quickly about the room. With a cup of strong wine ready to wash away the anticipated taste, she took a bite, every muscle in her body tensing up.

Lysandra blinked and... savoured the flavour. She glanced around guiltily. When even Poppy's cooking was good, it could only be an sign that this was going to be a night to remember.

---

---

Desmond Mores

---

While the others were going about their business, Desmond was busy resting in his room after finishing up his task. Laying down on his bed and with his eye closed. Just skirting the edge between being awake and being asleep. That was probably the fastest he has ever run before, and he is really paying for it. His legs needed the rest after that, and he is all for it. Why did it have to be a Tsar Bomba in that accursed city? He thought to himself. Normal Lost were a problem enough, but a giant Lost that explodes. How can Lost have to be so radically different from each other? Does the BOR parasites really change a person that much when in full control? He guesses it has to be since what else can explain the differences between Lost.

Either way, that topic is best discussed and thought about at another time. Right now, he is done with dealing with Lost, and now is the time for some nice relaxation in the form of a party. A much needed party, in Desmond's opinion. Especially now, after a successful mission thought, it feels kinda off that Ionna will not be joining them. Since the Provisional Government thinks that Ionna is best with them. Sure she is a revenant, but she is still a kid. A kid forced to drink blood and be stuck in that child's body of hers even when she is fully mature into an adult. Desmond can't really say why the Provisional Government did what they did. Like why make a child into a revenant in the first place?

Again thoughts he should be having later and what is done and done. This tends to happen when he tries to relax or rest on a bed, rather than soothing or relaxing thoughts. It just has to be serious stuff that makes relaxing kinda hard. He was not always like this, only after surviving the attack on his settlement did his brain start doing this. Not sure why but he has some ideas. But, for now, it is time to see how the others are doing.

Opening his eye and slowly sat upright, and was about to get off the bed. His gaze moves to Amelia's bed. With her still soundly asleep and unmoving. Desmond still waiting for her to wake up. Well, at least if she wakes up now, he will at least be on site when she does, rather than being alone while he is on a mission. So, after finally getting up and walking over to her bed. One last look for a sign that she is waking up and then when there was none. Desmond walked out of his room and towards the Great Room. Time to mingle and see who is done with their tasks. Because he is ready for this party.

---

Being back home after such a tiring yet successful mission was a really great feeling for Cerise. Yes, there ended up being casualties in the form of wounded comrades which even included Akaia. Still, nobody were particularly gravely injured or killed, and Cerise like to think that such was a blessing considering they even encountered a Tsar bomba. With her spirits high, the first thing she did as the Commune arrived back to the Crow's Nest was to perform some post-mission maintenance to Lariat before then taking a good bath. Afterwards, all clean and tidy, she had quickly retreated to her room to take a well-earned rest. For Cerise, such rest consisted of a few hours of just reading story books in silence before then sleeping for the rest of the time until the coming of dawn. She never needed more than a few hour of sleep every night.

Waking up, she remained laying on her bed for a while just calmly gazing at the ceiling, ruminating. Ionna will be leaving us today in just a few more hours... The decision to give Ionna over to the Provisional Government was one that gave Cerise some mixed feelings. On one hand, Cerise didn't want Ionna to leave because it'll basically be like losing a friend despite the short time Ionna was with the Commune. On the other hand, Cerise agreed that it was probably for the best for Ionna as a child. The government will keep her safe... As questionable as they can be sometimes, Cerise believed that the Provisional Government in the end really indeed have the best of humanity in mind. All they did, including the pragmatic deeds, were for the survival of humanity and civilized society... At least, again, that was what Cerise convinced herself to believe. In any case, I should say good bye to her later.

Her ruminations done, she rose from her bed, standing up and quietly doing some stretching. Taking a quick look to the other side of the room after that, she noticed Akaia still inside her capsule. Cerise smiled subconsciously, glad that her best friend was there with her despite the intense situation during the mission the day before. Not wanting to disturb Akaia, Cerise then quietly took a towel and her tooth brush, intending to start her morning preparations. She walked to the door, taking one more look back at Akaia's capsule. This made her realize a rather peculiar thing... A very faint glow from a box placed under the capsule. Huh... Curious, she walked over. Remaining quiet, she crouched down to examine the box. It looked to be quite old, with a red cross on top. Gingerly, Cerise used her free hand to pull the box closer before opening the lid wider.

"....." Her eyes opened wide as she was briefly stunned, body tensing up. She did not particularly like what she found within. Promptly, she closed the lid of the box, pushed it back to where it was, stood up, and left the room quietly. The one she found the day before was enough of a surprise already and she definitely didn't feel like dealing with any other nasty surprises for a while.

One vestige was one too many. Two were just way too much to deal with.

---

After saying her farewell to Ionna, Cerise spent most of the rest of the day to help with the preparations of the karaoke night by decorating the room. It was nothing crazy, just some simple things like small party lamps or random small decorations hanged or attached here and there that will be easy to tidy up once the party is over. In the end, the preparations were done in time for the party itself. She left the room after that to check the garden and make sure everything was fine with the plants within.

Returning to the Great Room after about half an hour, she found Erik taking a slice out of a cake. Lysandra was also there, glancing around in a peculiar way with her own slice of cake. "Hi big bro, Lys! Oh my, we have a cake ready for the party I see. Hehe, great!" She happily skipped over to the table where the cake was placed, took her own slice, and then walked over to a couch to sit down. She took a bite of the cake, finding it delicious just like Erik and Lys before her. "This is delish!" She said, a big smile on her face. "Did you make this, Lys? Or was it you, big bro? Whoever it is should be in charge of dessert from now on!" Of course, she was still oblivious of who in reality had made the cake. That will be another surprise in a day where she didn't feel like handling nasty surprises, but at least it will be a sweet surprise instead.

That said... She still wouldn't volunteer to take the first bite if she had known who made the cake.

_{Interactions: Everyone in the Great Room, Lysandra @Force and Fury}

---

Vincent hadn’t realized how tired he truly was until he returned to the Crow’s Nest with the others. He said his goodnights to everyone, walked into his room, and suddenly felt as if his limbs were suddenly too heavy for even himself to lift. He shrugged his coat off and let it fall to the ground as he trudged over to his bed. Once there, he fell forward and landed facedown on the mattress. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until he opened his eyes the next morning to find that his room, rather than being pitch-black, had started to light up with the watery light of early morning.

He stood up, only then noticing that he had fallen asleep bent over his bed, and stretched his arms over his head with a yawn. His left forearm ached a little, as did his side and leg, but other than that, he could tell he was fully healed. He threw a quick left jab just to be sure and, satisfied, grinned. He looked over at where he had placed the phone the day before and slipped it into his pocket. Gotta remember to ask Lys about this, he thought as he left his room.

He spent most of the day helping out with set-up for the celebration later that evening. He stopped, however, when he saw people from the provisional government arrive to collect the mistle sample and Ionna. As they walked away with her, Vincent nearly made a move to stop them, unsure where such a powerful sense of distrust and anger toward the agents came from, but stopped himself when he caught sight of the looks Erik and Poppy gave him. Instead, he let out a deep breath as the door closed behind the agents and Ionna, then busied himself with the rest of the set-up.

A couple of hours later, he was back to his normal, cheery self. He couldn’t deny that he still felt sour about how they had given Ionna to the provisional government, but he understood. Despite being a revenant, she was only a child. Whether or not she was strong or good in a fight didn’t matter, given that what Vincent had seen over the years would scar a well-adjusted adult. Given that Ionna wasn’t only a child in appearance, but mentally, it was only a matter of time before she had seen something that would damage her irreparably.

Vincent stepped into the Great Room and found that Erik, Cerise, Lys, and Desmond had all beaten him there. A sweet scent drifted into his nose and he walked over to find them standing around a cake. ”Ooh, someone made cake!” he expertly deduced. ”I’ll have to steal a piece of that later.”

When he remembered the phone in his pocket, he turned to Lys. ”Oh, Lys, if you’ve got time, I’ve got a favor I need to ask you,” he said.

"I charge by the minute, bub. You're on the clock." The words sounded businesslike, but she softened them with a small grin.

”Well, I hope you’ll be alright with an IOU,” Vincent responded with a chuckle. He brought Lys off to the side for some privacy and pulled the phone out of his pocket, the light glinting off of the cracked screen. ”So, I’ve got this thing,” he said. ”Last group of people I was with called it a ‘phone.’ I have no idea where I got it from, I just noticed it was in my pocket a while back and I’ve tried to turn it on, but I never had any luck with it. So, I was thinking I’d go to the smartest person I know and see what she can do with it.”

Lys took the phone from him. "Hmm," she replied, turning it over in her hands. "Flattery will get you far." She furrowed her brow momentarily. "And yeah, it's a phone: smartphone by the looks of it, probably a Samsung. Battery's shot for sure, screen’s probably gone too, internal corrosion…" She trailed off. "I'll have to crack it open later and see. No promises, but I'll work on it." She raised her eyebrows playfully. "Who knows what we might find." She took a sip of her drink and tucked the phone under one of her legs because the people who designed clothes had not seen fit to bless most women’s clothing with useful pockets.

Vincent grinned and said, ”Hey, I’ll take what I can get! Those people said these things could play music, too, so if there’s any on there I can listen to, then I’d call that a win!” He then clapped his hands and added, ”Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go cook. I just thought of something this party’s missing.”

With that, he walked over to the section of the Great Room set aside for cooking. Before he joined the Commune, he had only cooked a handful of times, but since it had always only been for himself and only out of boredom, he never cared too much about how well he did. But now that he was part of a group that not only had humans that actually needed to eat but also had a proper kitchen, he found himself almost overcome by a powerful urge to cook. Despite the fact that he wasn't even sure he could cook, Vincent found that he felt almost as confident about this as he did when he charged into a fight.

Besides, how hard can making a pizza be?

Desmond Mores

---

As soon as Desmond entered the Great Room, he was immediately approached by Erik, who talked about Desmond baking next time. "Wait, what?" Looking confused and unsure of himself."What cake and I am not so sure about baking a cake" Amelia would know if she was awake about that. The last time he tried baking one was for his mother's birthday party, and while the cake looked good. Desmond is not really sure what went wrong. Then did Desmond take a look past Erik and saw the cake.

Oh, that cake, who made that one? Poppy?" Quickly noting the missing slices, he guess some people were eager to get a taste before the party started. So that cake must be good in that case. Though he thinks he is going to wait a bit before getting his own slice. Not like there is a rush unless people start going for seconds.

Either way, this party is bound to be fun based on his time here with the Commune. Now, if only Amelia were awake to enjoy, but that is just a hopeful thought. But it might just happen, who knows. So Desmond set his gaze back on Erik, " So you looking forward to anything tonight? I am going to just enjoy relaxing and eating some good food." A big smile appeared on his face, and I see that people have already started to eat." Chuckling a bit to himself. Come to think about, it has been a good while since he last laughed even a small bit. Maybe he needed this party more than he thought.

Location: Medical area ---> Great room
Interactions: Amelia, Desmond, Erik

---

Poppy closed the doors to Desmond's room. The music of the karaoke party played quietly on the background. The air was filled with Poppy's familiar scented bathing water. She pushed a small cart with working supplies closer to Amelia's bed, giving her easy access to everything she needed.
"I'm going to fresh you up a bit Amelia"

Poppy carefully washed and changed Amelia into a new set of clothes. She let her trained medical eye examine Amelia for anything out of the ordinary. The weeks spent bedridden were slowly starting to show on Desmond's younger sister. Poppy did what she could to mend the worst of it. She covered the fragile areas of the girls body in ointments and shifted her position every couple of hours to prevent bedsores.

Taking a brush the medic gently brushed the girl's hair, plaiting it to the side of and away from the pillow. The care giving seemed to exhaust Amelia more than usual. Her breathing was more shallow and uneven. A worried frown came over the Sidhe's features. Poppy immediately started to count Amelia's breaths, next she measured her blood pressure and temperature. Her vitals were off, not alarmingly so, but worrying.

Poppy softly squeezed Amelia's hand.
"It would be much easier if you could tell me what was bothering you"

She looked around the room, as if the cause was floating somewhere in the air. She spent a good ten minutes simply starting at Amelia, letting all possible causes pass through her thoughts. Meanwhile Amelia's condition stayed stable. Poppy covered Amelia back up with the bedsheets and quickly exited the room. Poppy failure to come up with a plausible diagnosis left her with a sense of unease. She wasn't easily rattled however and hastily made her way over to the others. Poppy cut through Desmond's and Erik's conversation.

"Amelia's condition has changed, she seems to be struggling with something."
Her expression softened slightly when she looked at Desmond.
"I haven't figured out what's wrong with her yet"

"We need to find the cause before it gets worse"