It had been the heat that woke her.

The second-story dorm room was less than spacious, and the single window refused to open under any circumstances. Clothes and self-care products lined one half of the room, while most of the remaining space was taken up by a combination of food boxes and empty bottles, somehow managing to stay in great towers that stretched nearly to the ceiling. The last section of space(A corner by the door) was taken up by an overstuffed mattress, bedecked with floral sheets and a massive quilt that remained in a hulking lump in the center of the messy excuse for a bed. There was no airflow in the stagnating place, and the young girl who rented it was roasting alive.

Kathrine Overture thrust off the heavy blanket and grimaced at the resulting smell of sweat. Her nightgown and beautifully kept hair were soaked, the air becoming even more unbearable as it made the transition from dry to uncomfortably humid. After grasping the towel that she kept around for such occasions, the youngest Overture carefully toweled herself off before stripping and looking around for a presentable outfit for the day.

It took her a full three minutes to find what she was looking for in the mess. Kathrine selected a white sundress of interminable make(After making sure that her underwear wouldn't show through, even in the heat), eschewing the protection that her delicate skin needed for a more carefree look. She proceeded to take as light makeup as she could manage with the heat, knowing that she was probably going to have to reapply it later. She needed the rest of the Fae to like her, and a pretty face always was the best option.

She selected a fashionably sturdy parasol(Again in white, the heat said that wearing anything else would be suicide), and set out from the room that turned mess into an art form. The Fae carelessly slid past her neighbor's doors toward the stairs, taking them two at a time until she reached the bottom. Knowing that she had exactly thirty seconds to vacate the premises before being roped into another one of the landlady's insufferable breakfasts with every single tenant, Kathrine broke into a light jog as she headed for the door, careful not to alert the old woman early by stepping on the creaky floorboard by the door, while preparing a plastic smile and a quick excuse for refusal should she fail.

The young Overture made it without incident, bringing a sigh of relief. The old woman was too fussy, and even the seemingly endless distance in the brutal heat-Something Dumont would be proud of-was worth escaping before she got dragged away.

Kathrine's delicate face twisted into a scowl as she was once again reminded of the brutal heat and her even more brutish instructor. If the man wasn't so vigilant, he would have certainly been taken out by a "stray" attack of one of the many who suffered under his hands. "Dammed twisted vile rancid scum harda-" The scowl vanished into a demure smile as the albino girl passed one of the many farmers on the road, giving him a light giggle as he tipped his hat to her. As soon as the large man passed, the Fae's features once again fell into the grimace of annoyance that perpetually plastered her face every time her ever-so-fair coordinator was brought up. "-ss should go burn in this heat."

The frown deepened as she realized yet another problem was manifesting itself. The parasol wasn't helping as much as she'd hoped, and the faint tingling in her arms told Kathrine that her arms would be burnt if she didn't get to the command center shortly. Breaking into a light trot, her carefully chosen outfit flapping in the boiling air, she made quick time by using her anger toward the general heat and most undesirable superior as fuel. Even then, it took nearly twenty minutes of running(And twenty minutes of hard cursing between gasping breaths) in the heat to get to the concrete building that signified the commanding presence of the Daedalus.

She peeled open the door and nearly collapsed inside the doorway. Her carefully chosen outfit was in disarray, while her carefully made up face was leaking sweat and several different kinds of chemical. Without a word of greeting(Aside from a mute glare aimed at the commander), she brushed past the chairs and tables, making straight for the dark bathroom in the corner. It proved to be even worse, the heat inside the well-lit room only amplified dual-fold due to stagnant air. However, she had her pride. The pod be damned if she wasn't going to look good in front of these pioneer hicks. Kathrine Overture had class.

It was a full twenty minutes later that the young girl emerged once more, her face fixed up and all signs of sweat absent. She carefully picked her way over to one of the chairs, crossing her legs. She was determined to look as in control as possible, even with the rather scuffled appearance of her white clothes.

Smack!

The short life of the fly that dared land upon Southey's bare leg had been extinguished in thoughtless instinct of the girl's hand. But in all reality, she should have thanked it for waking her up on time. Slowly the hazy-eyed girl's upper body rose from the deep red sheets, the hard ground was warmer than usual, and the air within the HQ was humid enough to leave a sparkling coat along the walls as they were hit by the sunlight. *dramatization*

Lifting herself from the floor, she wiped the quickly increasing sweat from her forehead and brow as she approached her makeshift wardrobe. The abrupt awakening, plus the heat of her room seemed to have messed with her mind, or maybe she was just so hot that she didn't really care what she picked, In the end, it was summer time- and that means the most logical thing to do would be to wear a bathing suit. So she adorned her blatant yellow bandeaukini lazily, shoes were out of the question, it was far-much-way -too hot, and once Southey was as dressed as she would get today, paced to and out the door.

"Water... Water... Water..."

Her zombie-like self made it down to the primary room of the HQ where two familiar people had been present, though they were only familiar because the heat had disoriented the girl enough to severely detriment her vision. But blindly she made her way to the large table, first just placing her hands on it, breathing heavily as if she was having some sort of health problem. Her arms collapsed immediately, the rest of her upper body going limp fell flat onto the table making a splashing sound. Shortly after this, her lower body which had a few ounces of energy left crept onto the table as well, slipping on the moisture below as she struggled to pull her legs up, but in the end successfully coming to completely be laying down on the table.

"Must... find water..."

With those final words, Southey's spirit seemed to exit her body as she gave in to the heat, sprawled out across the table.

Apples.

His day had been filled with apples. Albert's bag had been filled with apples. The day had been humid for him, as it had been for everybody, but it hardly fazed him. He had aching arms, a smile on his face, and apples.

Today, his mother was baking pies.

The walk from his home to the village was always a long one, but today had been shorter than the rest. The heat was bringing life to the only world he ha knew; birds chirped, small animals scurried away at the sight of him, and people had been about when he was at the marketplace. The last one, of course, was likely because of the next day's coming rain cloud and the need for people to shelter themselves against such things, but that hardly mattered to the boy, not today; not for any day, at that matter. His life was a normal one for a boy who lived on Mos'Crescit. Boring too, but that was how he liked it so how could he complain?

The sight of the cottage he called home sent him into a sprint, the bag flailing in his grip and the fruit within falling without cause to the ground. He would pick them up and wash them later, but for now his family's smiling faces was all he wanted. "Mother, father, I'm home!" he called bursting through the house's only door. "Hey there, kiddo," his father had been the first to respond, looking up from his book where he sat. "Welcome home, Albie," his mother had said next peeking out from behind the pantry which blocked her view of the doorway. He raced over to his mother after dropping the bag into a warm embrace. "I missed you," he said into her shoulder. "It's only been a few hours you big baby," she chided teasingly in response. "Now go say hello to your father."

"Hey there, son. You got the stuff?" he had asked as his son dashed over to the spot next to him. "Yes, sir," Was all he responded with, a serious salute matching his words. "Now don't give me that," an exaggerated frown replacing his smiling features. "I'm your father, show me some warmth." And so he hugged his father excitedly, like the child he was. "I missed you too, dad..." Albert's voice was filled with emotion as he said this. "Don't cry now," his father said with the same tone as his mother had beforehand. "-It's a man's duty not to show emotion like that. Now, wash up; dinner is almost ready and I've had a long, busy day of working that radio." This was met with a disappointed face by his son. "But what about the pie?" He had asked, suddenly full of a disappointment that his father couldn't help but laugh at. "We're having it later, for dessert. Just do as you're told and there should be mo worries on your end; okay?" Albert's enthusiasm returned as he practically shouted his response. "A-okay!"

This happiness, it felt almost foreign, but he enjoyed it none the less.

Clark lounged on the floor of the house he had built himself. He had placed it well away from any other building, the general attitude towards his showing up out of nowhere ensuring that he chose his actions carefully. He had come as a Fae with fully fledged Stage III wings, alone and just before losing his wings. he'd built this house with his own hands, a copy of the one he'd built after first joining the pod of Regana'Hier. When the pod was joined by a new whale, he'd built this house and then turned his wings in to Daedalus so they could give it to a new fae. All he had left of his life before was the sword, something he'd picked up during a stay in another pod. It hung on a pair of hooks next to his long black and red coat.He'd been up since before the dawn, having performed the dozens of small tasks to maintain his humble house and garden.

He sat up, tugging open the collar of his shirt and gazing out through one of the windows set high in the wall. He'd heard that they would be heading into a cloud soon. At least he would only have to bear with this heat for another day. In the north entering a cloud would mean hours of removing ice from buildings and tools with hatchets and hammers, storing the ice inside to melt for water. things were easier here, they just collected it in reservoirs. Steering his thoughts away from the past, he stood up and grabbed his coat and sword, hanging the former off of the butt of the latter. Taking a last moment to tuck his gloves into the back pocket of his pants, Clark climbed the stairs up to the surface.

The house was built below ground level, keeping it cool during the hot months. It was quite small, only being as large as he had time to build during his last few days of being Fae. Despite living on Era'Thet since it first joined the pod and being with the pod for nearly a decade now, he was still seen as an outsider, having only gained a small measure of trust from the people that had been there before him. He was happy enough that they had trusted him enough to help train their own Fae, having recognized the usefulness of having an experienced Coordinator.

The sun beat down on his dark hair as he walked towards the Daedalus headquarters. He skirted the center of town, avoiding as much of the crowd as he could. it took him nearly a full half hour to reach the building. Stopping around a corner nearby, he threw the coat on, belted on the sword, and pulled the gloves over his hands. Clark covered the rest of the distance with an air of confidence, stepping quickly and appearing to be unbothered by the heat. He opened the door with a smile on his face. He was happy to see that Doe and Overture had already arrived. Glancing at each in turn, he made eye contact with Kairn.

"Good morning Commander."

Isis Juneau awoke to cool air and the blaring sound of a wind-up alarm clock. Light streamed through the venetian blinds of the room’s two closed windows as the clock made its ringing routine. The young Juneau rubbed her face groggily, acknowledging the six A.M. alarm with a yawn and a stretch before climbing out of bed in one articulate movement.

The Juneau residence was a modest, one bedroom apartment on the third floor of a ‘downtown’ apartment building, if one could call it that. It had a small kitchen, bathroom, and a living room. In the interest of saving money, Isis roomed with another girl, a Fae one year her elder. The small apartment was relatively well kept, despite her roommate’s tendency to leave fast food containers and clothes all around the place, mostly in part to Isis’ due diligence in cleaning and maintaining their quarters. Everything in the flat was meticulously arranged in a manner that followed good Feng shui. Even the electric fans installed that kept them in relative comfort that morning were located in auspicious-looking positions.

The alarm was silenced by a gentle tap, ringing once more before falling quiet. Rummaging through her tidy closet, she threw on a white sailor-style dress over her underwear. She hesitated a moment before deciding to forgo the usual tights; Isis reasoned the day would likely be too hot for that. Turning around, she clicked her tongue irritably as she tripped on a loose shirt; her roommate had probably come home late again and thrown all her clothes everywhere. The older Fae turned in her bed, folding her pillow around her head. Sighing, Isis weaved around the clothes her roommate left strewn about on the roommate’s side of their bedroom. Throwing an errant soda can into the nearby waste basket, she made her way to the kitchen to make her early-morning breakfast of eggs, orange juice, and buttered toast.

Being the good, studious and punctual Fae, unlike her roommate, Isis downed the entirety of her breakfast, toast included before heading out of the house juggling a large metal canteen of water. It was clear she would need a lot of water today to do her best. Reaching a crowded bike rack at the edge of the property, she proceeded to untie her aluminum framed bicycle from the tangled mess of bikes. Carefully unhooking the bike from a neighbor’s, taking care not to scratch its light-blue paint, Isis placed the water canteen into the bike’s bottle holder. Using the palm of her hand as a temporary visor from the sun, she mounted the bike and started coasting down the small hill, letting the wind hit her face as she gained speed.

It took about twenty minutes for Isis to head across town, a few minutes more than usual, for she had intentionally slowed down to conserve energy. Arriving in front of the Daedalus headquarters, she dismounted the bike and chained it up to the nearest empty pole. The front lobby of the headquarters was still mostly empty despite it being a work day, likely on account of the sweltering weather. Blowing out some air with her mouth to cool herself down, she grabbed her water canteen and headed into the building.

Inside the sparsely populated building was the commander and Clark, but Isis was surprised to see Southey, barely clothed and passed out, and the slacker Overture, having arrived surprisingly early, doing her best to look ‘cool.’ Raising her eyebrows in apprehension, she said hello to them before greeting her superior.

“Good morning, commander Kairn.”

28795...
28796...
28797...
28798...
28799...

The soft sound of the old clock was a comforting one.

Smiling with his eyes still closed Carbon ran his fingers around the smooth edges of his wooden companion that rested heavily on the sleeping figure.

It felt good to have something weigh down on his empty chest.

To have something to hold onto in the darkness of the windowless room.

To have something that kept quiet his nerves during the silent night.

Time took the place of a person, even a child could understand that had he explained why he slept with the contraption, yet he himself seemed completely oblivious to the obvious void in his heart.

The truth of the matter was he knew.

He just refused to accept it.

28800...

The figure turned the clock around and said something under his breath before rewinding the clock a whole twenty four hours. When he came back home he would rewind the clock to the exact same time. The time always changed and yet it never did. It always moved forward but was always moved back to the same hour of the same day of the same year of his petty, petty life.

It had been this way for six months, ever since he first walked into Era'Thet and purchased his first clock all the while still soaked in blood.
It was quite the scene actually. Lots of commotion and eventually...

He got involved.

He was a decent man, the Commander that was, and he cleaned things up despite the hassle. A generous thing had it been free of charge, but since Carbon had Wings, well let's just say it was an investment or a gamble if you didn't mind hurting Carbon's non existent feelings.

The question as to whether it was a smart bet...

The man's face grimaced as he set the clock aside and started to put on an old white dress shirt.

Only time would tell.

Carbon lived in the cellar of the dorm area, sleeping alongside the sacks of rice, potato and whatever else was down there. It was cool, dry and surprisingly comfortable. At first the darkness bothered him, but pit that against the blazing heat and terrible moisture in the air, it was something that he quickly overcame.

That and the only qualm he had with the darkness was the silence that was generally associated with it. There were also the hallucinations of course, but those were pretty pleasant every so often. Sometimes they would take the place of the wooden clock, but they were both the same so it didn't really matter.

Grabbing a potato from a sack, the man cast out his arms and stretched, even being so courteous to the norm as to let out a fake yawn along with it.

He rarely tired despite barely ever sleeping. If anyone would ask, he'd blame genetics.

With that he made his way up the twenty four steps, each of which he had taken time to memorize in his spare time when the door leading down to the cellar was open.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Breakfast consisted of a baked potato, seasoned with little salt but an excessive amount of pepper. There was also a thin slice of bread, which he was too lazy to toast, and a warm cup of water, but the highlight was obviously the potato.

He ate with the same dull expression he slept with internalizing not only the food but also his slight annoyance at the heat.

It was only bearable because he had something to do. His task, his duty, kept him cool in the warmest of weathers and warm in the coolest. It even made the soft rain bearable.

Thus the power of a purpose in life.

Carbon silently rose from the table in the kitchen before placing the seemingly pristine plate into the sink before nodding to the landlady. He preferred to cook his own meals and she preferred to cook less. It was a beautiful simple friendship they had.

He also washed his own dishes when he wasn't busy, which was most of the time.

But he had work today, so it was her turn to do her job.

He ate only half the potato, tucking the other half neatly into his pocket before tucking it into his pocket. Emergency ration, he justified to himself, but the truth was he never had an appetite in the morning.

Or during the afternoon.

Or at night for that matter...

Lovely.

Scoffing to himself, the man left the kitchen.

The walk to the briefing room was a short and uneventful one. Sure, a kid did trip and did nearly impale himself with a scissor, but he didn't so it didn't matter. There had also been some sort of argument, but they seemed to had it working out pretty well. They had agreed to least settle it with a duel. It was a very considerate gesture from the two individuals involved, at least they didn't have to worry about being stabbed in their sleep now.

Catching the door a mere second away from closing, he silently pushed it open, stealing into the room right behind Durmont.

It wasn't intentional, nor did he think much of it as he silently walked past the instructor without so much as looking at him. There was no need, the man's attention wasn't focused on him but rather at the figure that sat to the far back center of the room, his noteworthy investor, Lightpost.

To the left of the room a refined and well dressed lady sat with her legs crossed, giving off an air of sophistication which made the already humid air that much worse.

To the opposite side of the room rested what appeared to be a corpse that had spread itself across the table. He was surprised Durmont hadn't put down corporal punishment yet. It was fine. He was only a person after all.

Taking the seat closest to the door he duly noted the contrast between the Overture and her counter part, Doe.

On one hand we had an individual who cared very much about what others, more specifically superiors, thought of her. A perfect lady with an ambition that could easily level this very building.

And on the other hand we had the ever so "lovely" Doe who could simply care less about what others thought about her. A perfect lady with such a free spirit that it's a surprise she can even be kept in this building.

These were quite the fairy tale princesses, Doe was a more classic example, while Overture was something more modern.

At least from his perspective.

"Would you like me to put you out of your misery?" he muttered to no one at particular, a question that could really swing to anyone in the room.

Rinshan

---

"That settles it." Deciding to stay dressed in the red summer skirt the girl let out a small sigh before her small body plumped back into a rather comfy chair of her home. Having forcefully settled down in Era'Thet just a few days, she didn't know anyone except the a doctor by the name of Johnson. That, and the fact that she was living alone for the first time, even if her parents paid for all her needs, marked a new chapter in her life. While her cottage was humble in size, it was among other things outfitted with enough technology to let one forget the heat from outside, the best part however, was that this small place she called her own was adjusted just to Rin's needs.

Taking another glimpse over her outfit she nodded in confirmation before proceeding to grab her crutches right next to the chair she was sitting on and move towards the small fridge that was most likely more worth than the rest of her home. "This is gonna help~" a small grin formed over her face as she happily looted an ice cold water from the sacred machine, while she was actually spoiled enough to call simple water a drink not common to her, the fact remained that its cold condition would proof itself helpful for the upcoming day. And thus, Rinshan simply moved with her acquired loot towards the electric but broken wheelchair that was already loaded with various other goods, including an umbrella against sun and rain alike. "Alright, I think that was everything...?" Going mentally over a checklist she also stored the crutches into the wheelchair, finally prepared to move out into the murdering heat...

---

"Urgh..." Being forced to manual labor her vehicle towards the destination was one thing, but that the broken electric engine, or whatever technical wonders may have allowed the wheelchair to function without human labor, also meant that the mini ventilator wasn't working, was an entirely different story. She could only hope someone on this whale knew how to repair such stuff, as there was no way that the heat wouldn't kill her sooner or later. "Well, at last we are here." Hesitating for a moment she mentally prepared herself before pushing open the door and rolling in.

"Hey~!" with a smile as bright that it could set ablaze a cold star she took a swift glimpse at everyone, before moving closer towards the table. "I hope I am not too late...?" It didn't seem to bother the girl one bit that her scar was easily visible on her face, usually covering her missing leg, her missing eye was something she wore with a certain kind of pride.

An alarm clock blared, and Felix awoke with a grimace, wiping the sweat off his brow as he threw the blaring clock against the wall in annoyance. Groaning, he dragged himself out of bed, wondering how it was this hot at only six in the morning. After a quick check to see that his alarm clock was still working, he surveyed his dorm room, looking over what possessions he had to make sure no one had stolen anything while he was asleep. After all, it was what he would do, and had done multiple times to other people. It didn't matter how lightly someone slept as long as you didn't actually make any noise.

The dorm room was tiny, but given that Felix was almost never in it besides when he needed to sleep, he didn't mind. All he had on his desk was a collection of various hot sauces and spices, as well as a portable game system that he'd brought over from Al'Ket. It was a fun distraction for him, but apparently the ones from At'Pol were superior in every aspect. Looking out the window, Felix spotted a certain albino girl already walking out of the dorm building, parasol in hand. Huh. She was headed out to the outpost early, especially given that they weren't due there for a good while yet. Shrugging, he turned to his closet. It was hot out enough that he seriously considered just forgoing a shirt and going around bare-chested, but he decided against it after considering the fact that he might get sunburned. Instead, he just threw on a tank top and some pants before leaving the room.

Walking downstairs, Felix made his way to the dorm building's kitchen, where he proceeded to make himself a breakfast of scrambled eggs with liberal amounts of hot sauce drizzled over them. Thankfully, the landlady was busy having breakfast with some poor bastard who wasn't quick enough to escape her clutches, and so he wouldn't have to deal with that. After getting some food in his belly, Felix finally made his way out the door and started walking towards headquarters. The walk itself was uneventful, but the heat was rather annoying. Still, he made it to Daedalus headquarters quickly enough, and arrived to find the commander and the coordinator already there, as well as his teammates. Southey, Kathrine, and Rinshan were decent enough in Felix's opinion, but Isis and Carbon were just too damned serious all the time. Honestly, if those two could just learn to enjoy themselves, they'd be better off. What was the point in being a Fae and risking your life if you didn't enjoy it just a little bit?

"Hey," He raised a hand in greeting to all of them. "Crappy day, huh?"

The largest seat in the room, a well-sanded wing chair with a high back, was the one that Kairn sat himself in, behind the only desk in the room. Shifting through the many cabinets to each side of himself, the commander brought out a few sheets of paper and a pen, just in time so that he could shuffle them in a mature and professional manner when the first person to arrive, Kathrine Overture, stepped in, looking not-so pleased with the humid weather. He almost thought that he should warn her about the conditions inside the washroom that she would no doubt be wishing to go to, but her glare told him not to. She was someone who worked hard to be liked by others, after all, and probably wanted him to just ignore that melted-makeup face she had just shown him moments earlier.

Well, he liked to think that he was a kind and considerate commander, the good cop that balanced out the bad cop that was Clark Dumont, so he wouldn't say anything about it. Though she should work on maintaining her image on a constant basis, Kairn decided that he shouldn't complain. Masks were important, but they were also uncomfortable to wear. Especially in weather like this.

Of course, then there was Southey Doe, the second arrival who had the unfortunate lodging of having to sleep on the second floor of the building. In other words, the part of the building that didn't have quite as many options for ventilation, no plumbing, and generally was an intensely stupid place to sleep. He wasn't exactly sure why the girl didn't read the altitude forecast yesterday and realize that today would be a scorcher, but she was empty-headed enough for that, if nothing else. Smiling slightly as she flailed around like a dying fish, the commander stood up, retrieved a mug, before opening the top of the tank of water and dipping in the mug. It was as lukewarm as he expected, but unlike himself, Kairn doubted that the brunette cared. He placed the mug a few inches away from Southey's nose, before saying, “It's not exactly ice-water, but there's more in the tank, if you want.”

Then, the infamous, impeccable Clark Dumont arrived, as confident and daring and dashing and unbothered as ever, with the dark and despairing Carbon tagging closely behind him. Really, those two were probably the only ones who could go through such weather without batting an eye. Of course, it might be because Carbon was in a constant state of self-suffering that no one noticed a change in his mood, but whatever. If nothing else, the swordsman was proving himself to be a monstrous paragon. Or an inhuman monster.

“Morning to you too, Dumont. And Carbon, no death threats please. Some might actually want to die.” He was fairly certain that Carbon wasn't a psychopath, and was just joking in his morbid fashion...but it was best to be cautious. Wouldn't it look bad on his records if one of the people he recommended to be hired was arrested after strangling another Fae to death with his infinity scarf?

Isis, probably the only smart one of all who arrived, brought a water canteen that had drops of water vapor condense on its surface. In other words? Cold water. It would be really nice if people with refrigerators could move them into this underfunded Daedalus outpost. It would be really, really nice. He almost felt like abusing his power as the manipulator of pay checks in order to get it done, but alas, he had his image to uphold. Maybe one day, he'll catch Clark smuggling muscle-growth powders or whatever, and then use that leverage to make him threaten the refrigerator-owners to all 'kindly donate' their water-cooling assets to the outpost.

What a scheming king he was.

Second last to arrive was the functionally-useless, yet cute-as-a-button Rinshan, and Kairn waved cheerily at her, even though her smile was warm enough that he felt like he was going to die soon. Not of a heart attack incited by overt cuteness, but because rising blood pressure during hot weather was definitely going to give him a heat stroke. Settling back into his chair, he was about to wave off her concerns about being late, before the final Fae arrived.

Felix, the Fae of The Shadow. The one with the most cliche and grimdark name, but held by the most hyperactive person around. The Commander wondered if Clark and Felix would still reach double-digits in terms of butting heads when it was this hot, but considering how Felix was the third that didn't seem worn down by this weather, that was likely.

Maybe some running around would silence them.

Yeah, that'd be great.

“No worries, Rinshan. People are only late until they arrive after you, so it's a-okay!” Giving her a thumbs-up and a smile, he pointlessly shuffled through the documents that he didn't read, before scratching the stubble that he'd been growing the past year.

“Anyways, let's get to the matter at hand. Today's mission is that of search-and-rescue. Or perhaps, just searching in general. As most of you should be aware, tomorrow, visibility will be zero, and temperatures will plummet, so it will be instrumental that we complete this job today. Prepare to work until sunset if you must, but don't push yourselves if you start getting heat-sick.”

“Now, onto the contents. Yesterday evening, Ms. Herrmann, a widow from a small farm five miles west of here was found searching for her son, and has since then requested our help. Well, not like we could just turn a blind eye to this regardless, considering how small this place is...but anyways. The farmers nearby have already searched a three-mile radius around town, but due to terrain, can not search effectively over any area larger than that. The rest of the population has been accounted for, so this is an isolated case. There's been no sign of a struggle, so this won't be a kidnapping...but who would do something as stupid as that...or an attack by a wild animal. A flight level below the tree line will be optimal, and pay special attention to water sources. It's a hot day, so there may be chances that the child would be there.”

“Which brings me to two questions. Why didn't anyone other than Isis bring a water canteen? And are there any questions?”

With nine people in the room the heat had grown to become unbearable.

It was for this reason Carbon's eyes remained locked on the only individual that mattered in the room at the moment.

He had embraced Lightpost's comment regarding his death threats with what sounded like laughter, which was the equivalent of a grim grunt for Carbon.

The truth was he would've taken his own offer.

Joke.

That was a joke.

Ignoring the other people in the room for not only his sanity, but theirs as well, the figure leaned forward in his chair letting his head hang and closing his eyes.

The room melted away in the heat as he flushed away the unnecessary image of his current surroundings. It was a darkness that hooked onto him, tugging at his very soul. The man shivered, an instinctive panic spreading over him as he lapsed further into solitude.

Everything was drained away.

The calm darkness stripped at his grief, his self loathing nature, his apathy but most importantly his self destructive anger. It left only the cool rationale of a sociopath.

One who was determined to do his job no matter the circumstance.

Then the voices flooded in.

Each one was like slap across his face. Then there was her's.

Sadly he didn't have time to listen, so instead he focused on the smooth, carefree but carefully orchestrated chords of Lightpost.

It was like listening to an old church bell, soothing but filled to the brim with a gripping tension.

"Widow from a small farm five miles west of here...searching for her son...three-mile radius around town, but due to terrain...There's been no sign of a struggle, so this won't be a kidnapping or an attack by a wild animal....pay special attention to water sources. Flight level below the tree line will be optimal."

The droplets of information trickled in. It was a search mission with a low chance of having any combat involved.

"How boring..." rang a strangely nostalgic voice in his head, "I'm a big boy now, so why don't you give me some big boy missions."

Opening his eyes he looked up with a calm intensity that was usually expected from him.

"Where's the mother now?" he asked abruptly, cutting off anyone that might have been speaking at the time. He wasn't intentionally trying to be rude. It was just how events played out this time and every other time they had a mission briefing.

"Did he have anything on him?"

"W-water?" Southey's head slowly rose from the wooden surface to peer at the mug.

The girl was still a bit disoriented from the heat, but again her instincts kicked into overdrive as she snapped the mug from her commander with her mouth allowing the water inside to splash towards her face and a couple sips sliding down her throat. Rekindled with life she pulled her upper body up, pressing her arms against the table she pressed herself into a sitting position while letting the cup fall onto her lap. The water running down her neck and face didn't seem to face her as she was already wearing a bathing suit. Her gratitude for the refreshment was shown for just a moment, what was manners anyway? She looked at the gruff man with a blank expression before nodding to him, and sliding from the table leaving an imprint of her body where she was.

Soon the others began to enter the room, she was still a little dazed so rather than greeting them her head would just turn to the door as they entered and back to the walls of the oven they sat within afterwards. The undistinguished shaped seemed to shoot mouth noises at eachother, and although she had an adrenaline rush from the small amount of water, she couldn't really make out what they were saying. Oh, but she did manage to remember the word tank be spewed. Quickly her eyes darted around the room, searching for this oasis that may have been within their very midst.

"Where, oh where can it be?"

With no luck, she quickly made her way back to the table. Sliding into her own chair she accepted this defeat. The commander then began explaining today's mission, it was a missing child who had just been reported. It was a hot today so heading to a water source definitely made sense, hell, she'd probably join the kid if he were splashing in a river or something. But then the commander mentioned a canteen, she had one but misplaced it on a mission several weeks ago. Of course she didn't say anything, and listened in her chair innocently and with a deadpanned expression.

"So when are we heading out, I'm already heat-sick so I plan on getting this done quickly and taking a cold bath?"

Glittering sunlight. That had been the thing to wake him up. Not the peeping chirps of the freshly hatched chicks which roosted in the tree outside his house. Not the hymns of whatever lyrical verse his mother was singing. Not even the smell of food which wafted around the small, one-room cottage without effort. It was the sunlight of a very early dawn which peeked out from gently billowing curtains.

"Morning sweetie," his mother had called from the stove at her notice of his rumblings. They were the only two in the house, both knew as much -- both had awoken to the sound of a clambering door even before the sun had come up signaling the departure of his father for work -- so there was no need to stay quiet any longer. Albert's response was to simply snuggle even deeper into the covers of his bed, not wanting to start his day without another hour of sleep at least. "Oh come on," his mother had said in slight frustration, "I didn't raise my son to be a lazy-bones who can't get out of bed! Now come sit at the table, breakfast is ready." It was only with the commanding voice of his mother that Albert had found the will power to get out of bed, even if he dragged the cover lazily with him.

"Bacon and eggs again," the boy mumbled as he sleepily rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "But of course," his mother had responded cheerily with a smile on her face, "Lots of protein for mommy's growing boy after all." Albert moaned in response as he sat at the table and draped his blanket around him; it was a response to which his mother was not especially pleased. "Well then what would his majesty much rather prefer? Maybe some sausage? Lasagna?" It was not a quip that the little boy necessarily understood. "Pancakes!" he nearly shouted, all sleep gone from his demeanor. It was certainly not a reaction that his mother was expecting, and simply chuckled to herself. "Well, maybe tomorrow," she responded after a small fit, "We do have to go to the market today."

~

Breakfast was over, and the morning had come in full swing. Albert was busy picking things from their small vegetable garden and his mother was busy perfecting the cleanliness of her small abode while making their lunch; roasted game meat stew (a specialty if there ever was one). Albert had briefly felt out of place in this time -- "Food's done, Albie!" -- but quickly got over it. "Coming mommy!"

He burst through the door and sat at the table eagerly, unlike earlier. "Best eat up fast," his mother said, bringing him a bowl and spoon to the table, "We've got a trip in the mountains to attend to." The soup almost bubbled with her words. "Your father will join us after he's done at the station, but for now, eat up! Today's going to be a long day with a wonderful picnic for dinner!"

Kathrine greeted her teammates with the same artificial sweetness as she'd given the farmer on the road. There were variations for each greeting, of course, such as an appraising stare at Isis and her water canteen, and a pleasant smile in return to Rinshan's glowing expression.

Internally, however, the young Overture was as spiteful as ever. Of course you're going to be hot, Southey, you spent the night in a furnace. She shifted slightly to shoot a icy glance at Dumont and his heavy clothes, trying to spot the place where the man must be keeping some sort of fan or ice-pack. Workaholic hardass, can't even show up on a day like today and show weakness. Of course not. Carbon and Isis were soon to follow, Kathrine's red eyes darting in between them. Creepy. Really needs to speak up more, act less like a zombie. Juneau has less of a stick up her ass, and that's saying something. They finally settled on the younger girl, flickering down to the canteen. ...As for the princess, she's about as mobile on the rules as this new girl is on stairs. And bringing up water, showing me up. Urgh. That left the two that she was undecided on. The new girl's sweet, really, but seems too gullible. Just perfect, actually. Although her lack of use is showing through. Felix is... Unnerving. Charming, but always twitchy enough to set me on edge.

Lost in thought, she nearly spoke the last line out loud in response to Felix asking about the weather. Momentarily surprised, Kathrine's ladylike facade slipped into the tell-tale expression of abject vacancy. Her perfectly made-up mouth slightly agape and her eyes searching desperately for clues, the Fae desperately tried to come up with words that formed a response to the boy's question. "Er, yes, of course, rather hot." She fervently hoped she hadn't started sweating again.

It was the commander's timely intervention that saved Kathrine from further embarrassment. She carefully listened to the mission, dismissing personal thoughts on the subject(If you're going to lose a kid, maybe you shouldn't be having them you old bag), before figuring that they'd be able to all split up for this mission. That meant no Juneau or Dumont breathing down her neck for taking a short break in one of the many pools of water that most likely held the lost little one. That was always a plus, as her rather stumbling answer was still a valid descriptor of the outside air temperature.

As the commander finished up and complimented Juneau(Like That ego needs stroking) about her forethought, Kathrine's eyes lit up as the albino girl thought up an excuse. "Well, actually I-" She was rudely cut off by Carbon's timely interjection. Somewhat taken aback, she fell back against her chair in a sulk.

Kathrine was the only one to respond to Felix's greeting, but she seemed to be distracted by something, given the blank look on her face. Odd, given how she was usually so friendly. Even if there was something off-putting about her constant friendliness, she was still better than Isis' constant adherence to the rules and lack of fun. And the less said about that emo Carbon, the better. That still left Southey and Rinshan, but Felix was rather neutral on both of them. Southey was rather easy to steal from, as Felix himself could attest to when he'd nabbed her canteen on a mission a few weeks back. Still, he'd actually felt bad about that one, given how much it seemed to be like kicking a wounded puppy. And Rinshan was, well, just a kid. She was sweet enough, he supposed, but rather boring. Just some kid with no potential for any sort of violent fun yet. He probably would've been able to get a good brawl out of her in a year if it hadn't been for the whole cripple thing, really.

"And you're usually so friendly, too." He gave Kathrine a teasing gripe, noting her slip. "I take it the heat's gotten to you, then?"

But before anyone could say anything else, Commander Lightpost spoke up and gave them their mission before berating everyone but Isis for their lack of canteens.

"Oh...right. Sorry, boss." Felix chuckled, awkwardly scratching the back of his head before shrugging. "Oh well. Not like I can't procure a canteen before we head out." And by procuring, he meant sneaking into somewhere he wasn't supposed to be and nabbing someone else's canteen for himself. Then again, it wasn't like he could actually say that to his commander. The only reason he hadn't been punished and possibly kicked out of Daedalus for stealing back in Al'Ket was because he had never actually been caught stealing and there was no real evidence to bring against him.

Oh well. At least he didn't have to deal with Dumont today. The man was a damn good fighter and taught well, but he infuriatingly refused to fight Felix seriously. Even though the man wasn't a Fae anymore, Felix still had the feeling that he'd give him a better fight than anyone else in this sleepy little village. He'd tried provoking the man during training, but Dumont still wouldn't oblige. Oh, well. Might as well keep trying. Dumont would give in to the urge to stab him in the face sooner or later.

"So find some kid that got lost in the woods and bring him back to his mother. Sounds simple enough." Felix grinned at both Kairn and Clark at the same time as an idle thought popped into his head. "Hey boss, if we don't get into any combat during this mission, can I fight Dumont for real after?" A hint of eager, but not malicious bloodthirst came across Felix's tone at the thought of finally getting a full-out, no-holds-barred fight.

“No worries, Rinshan. People are only late until they arrive after you, so it's a-okay!”

Until they arrive after her? Why would that be? Maybe the Commander just tried to be friendly or maybe it was because... well, whatever the reason was, it was way too hot to be nitpicking; and they had way more important matters at hand. Before Rinshan could respond at anything to anyone the Commander already started its briefing, a kid lost in the woods? If it wasn't about kidnapping or similar maybe they got into a small quarrel? There were times when she also thought about running away from home so that wouldn't be an impossibility? Whatever the case was, she would make sure to help solve that case, even if it would mean searching through the night!

"A W-" Before the cripple could make any remarks, she got cut off by this rude and gloomy person. For a moment considering to just do the same, she decided against it and instead pulled out a water bottle from one of the three bags that were attached to the wheelchair. Sadly, the unforgiving heat had already done a lot of work onto the once ice-cold water, dropping its temperature by noticeable degrees as she began refreshing herself.

Storing the now one quarter more empty bottle away again, she took a quick glance at Felix. While somehow charming he looked and behaved like the shabby no good doer that her mother always warned her about, someone she shouldn't socialize with. "Can we speak with the mother before the search begins?"

Dumont sat in his usual seat at the back of the room, able to keep an eye on his students without having to turn around. He monitored the exchanges and nodded a greeting towards each new arrival, the Fae showing up in more or less the expected order and with the expected attitude towards the heat. He had missed Kathrine's break from character on arrival but caught the slip in response to the question from Felix.

The briefing started and he leaned over onto the desk, tenting his fingers just in front of his mouth. Clark paid rapt attention, his expression not betraying his thoughts as a plan was put together in his head. The round of questions went by almost without reaction until it came to Felix. A hint of a smile played at his lips, half hidden behind his tented fingers. He fought down the laughter and composed himself once more, putting his mind squarely back on topic. There was a job to do and a plan was needed.

He stood up, walking quickly over to a map on the wall. Clark stood absolutely still for several seconds. He pulled several pins from the tray beneath it, outlining a slice pie that covered everything within twenty five miles of the town. Almost two thousand square miles, but this was a worst case scenario assuming that the he had been missing for six hours. Clark doubted that the child would be any further than ten miles away. He turned away from the map and waited for the commander to answer in questions in case his plan needed to be revised.

Tap, tap.

The sound of the cap swinging against the metal body of the canteen came at a rhythm. They matched Isis’ fleeting sips, doing her best to make the water last the entire day. She had taken a position against a wall opposite of an open window, in the hopes of catching whatever rare wind might find itself blowing into the sauna of a Daedalus headquarters.

The remainder of her colleagues slowly trickled in after she arrived, with Carbon arriving a few minutes after her. He was a responsible person and a reliable enough teammate, but even to Isis, he had a personality of a piece of cardboard. He did make random philosophical-like questions like the one he made coming in, but she could not decide if they were deeply profound or just inane. The earnest but utterly helpless Rinshin wheeled in some time later. Isis found her utterly useless, but couldn’t fault her at all save for her career choice in Fae’ing. While she always seemed prepared and well-equipped, Isis always thought the wheelchair bound girl was better fit for a desk job. Indeed, she often found herself preferring to work with the likes of Kathrine or Felix over her, for at least they had the ability to get things done, if only on paper and not in spirit.

As it was, the man of the light-fingered persuasion sauntered in late as usual, and the commander began his briefing. As Lightpost briefed the ill-prepared group, it quickly became aware that they would be conducting SAR, aerial as usual. Isis considered voicing a concern on the grounds that half the team would become lost or disable themselves in the process, but concluded that it wasn’t particularly her problem. Instead, she gave some thought into who’s abilities would be useful in the search-and-rescue, but she quickly came to the conclusion that Southey’s abilities were useless in the heat, Rinshan and Felix’s irrelevant, and Kathrine’s ability probably had the potential to make things worse. So, that really only left her.

“I have to echo Commander Lightpost’s sentiments. Since nobody followed instructions and failed to bring water, we might have a difficult time with our mission today. Everybody, let’s step up our game from here on."

Pausing for a moment, she added a single question. "Did the boy carry anything metal on him?"

As expected, Carbon was the first to interject, shutting down both Rinshan and Kathrine with his abrupt question regarding the mother's question. Well, for someone who was all death and despair and gloom and darkness, he seemed eager enough for this mission. Dogearring his pointless documents as he wondered how much information he should impart at the moment, Kairn waited till Rinshan also said her part, as she also seemed to be interested in the mother, before replying, “The mother's currently being taken care of by Farmer Fry, the man who owns that cornfield...two kilometers south of here? Feel free to ask, but don't expect to get too much out of her. I would say...that she's not exactly typical.”

Finally using his pen and spinning it three times before letting it glide on the back of one of those important-but-useless papers, the Commander thought for a moment, before marking down a few things and finishing, “Actually, Clark, you should accompany Rinshan and Carbon in their questioning, before rejoining with the others in their search. It would be a good chance to pick up some canteens too, wouldn't it?”

Really, he always had to improvise when making up things for the cripple and the emo to do, but hopefully, being semi-useful would bolster their ego? And lead to good things in the future? At least, that was textbook theory. Being a commander made him feel more like a teacher nowadays.

And, like any teacher, he'd have to be a guardian for a bloodthirsty kiddo like Felix, who seemed to think that getting thrown onto the ground multiple times by an older man was fun. Even when it was hot as hell outside. Guess there was nothing to lose if he got a sprain or something though, considering the weather tomorrow. Clearly, Felix wasn't so foolhardy that he'd go flying out in the clouds. Or maybe he was, and didn't care either way. “For real? I'll allow a sparring match, but nothing 'for real'. Wouldn't want any broken bones or gouged out eyes. You can have five minutes, no weapons.”

He would mention something about no knees to the crotch, but then again, he always wondered whether Clark's balls were as steel as the rest of his body. It would be funny, to see the impassable mountain fallen over in a fetal position. Kairn smiled at that thought, before allowing the honor student to do her little pep talk, and finally saying, extending his little memo that he made two minutes ago, “Southey, we'll be going now, so try not to faint now. The basic plan will be as follows. You'll be flying, roughly, in pairs, triangle-formation. Two pairs will be in the front, with a proper amount of distance between each other, with the final pair being settled between and behind them. Kathrine and Isis, you'll be the first pair. Felix and Southey, the second. Carbon and Rinshan, the third, the pair that stays behind the first two. You two will be responsible both for transporting Coordinator Clark Dumont, as well as helping rehydrate the other two during their search. If you do intend on asking the mother some questions, it's alright to join the search party later.”

Of course, that just made Carbon and Rinshan water-boys, but that should be alright. If they complained, he could just say that they were also meant to pick up on what the vanguards may have missed.

“As usual, we'll be using a single radio channel to communicate, with a separate channel for specific orders by Clark. Try not to use it too much though, because batteries are getting expensive, and I don't want to cut your payrolls just to deal with budget deficits.”

“Anyways, you may go off now. So yeah. Clark, keep me updated. Good luck, have fun, and be a hero, don't just play as one.”

The birds were chirping, the trees rustled slightly with the tinniest of forces, and the sun glittered wherever there was not a branch overhead to stop it. It was... peaceful, almost as it always was for him.

"Albie, come on!" his mother ushered ahead as she continued even further away from the boy. They were carrying small rucksacks of food, a blanket, and an electrical lantern for if it got dark out later. It wasn't much of a load, but for an eight year old and and his petite mother, it weighed down on them without relief. Or rather, it weighed him down without relief; his mother was bustling about as if it were the first day of boot camp for him. "You slowpoke!" she called once more before disappearing within the brush.

"M-mom! Wa-wait for me!" Albert huffed as he began to trot after her. "Mom?" He was poking in the spot where she had disappeared... yet there were no signs of her. "Mooooooom, this isn't funny..." he moaned, unsure if she was coming back for him. "Alllllbiiiiiie!" her voice finally echoed from the complete opposite direction from where he had been looking. He turned, and could almost make out a human figure rustling about in the tall grasses further ahead. He rushed forward only to burst out into the picturesque scene that his mother had found.

There was a lake, perfectly and unnaturally round as a circle. The water was motionless and not even a buzzing dragonfly dared disturb the pristine surface. It stretched out as far as Albert could see, but at the other end, there was simply sky and cloud unlike the immensely treed forest from which he just emerged from. "Wow~" he gawked as his eyes sparkled with the sight. "Could we see what's at the other side of the lake? Huh, can we mommy?" He turned to her, his face full of expectation. His mother just smirked at him before billowing the blanket in the air before lying it spread out on the ground. "Of course not, sweetie," she answered, her smile still taking up her face. "We'd fall off if we did."

~

The sun was beginning to set. It was evening, but had it been that long? It hadn't felt as if it were that long since they had got there. The two had set up the picnic area where they would be eating when his father arrived -- Mom never did explain how he knows where we are... Albert had thought to himself -- and had been playing in the immense pool of water after stripping down to their under garments, and both had been careful not to stray too far from the edge. His mother had retired herself to the shore, content with watching her little boy splash about while she soaked her legs an drifted one hand along the top of the mirror-like surface. Albert was busy seeing how long he could hold his breath before having to return to the surface. Thirty-seven seconds had been his record so far.

The sun had dipped about halfway past the water's edge before his father had finally arrived. "Daddy!" Albert had called as he wadded through the water to get out and hug his father. "Ugh, you're wet!" his feigned disgust didn't last long before both of the two had broken down in laughter. "Come on, kiddo, I'm starved and want to see what your mother has made for us to eat."