He supposed it wasn’t that much of a surprise that Ren didn’t come back the day after the mission, but after four days, it really stung.  Gabriel tempted the idea of reaching out to her, and had a finger on the ‘contact’ button on his overlay, but he hesitated, If she wanted to talk to me, she would’ve done so already.  With a sigh, he swiped the whole HUD away and cleared his sights. He tried to manifest his uniform-jacket before leaving his hotel room, but got an error message for it, and he rolled his eyes, He’s really gone that far to make me stay away from work.


    With that unfortunate turn of events, Gabriel grabbed some ultra-normal clothing and departed, looking like a civilian.  One foot outside the building and he realized…he had no idea what he was doing, or what to do, “…I hate being on leave.”


    “…Lugios?”


    The sound of his own name in that voice sent a shiver down his spine, and Gabriel turned his eyes towards it with trepidation.  It was like a sight out of another life; that bald head, that purple cloak, and those dark little eyes that looked friendly at first glance, but hid a dubious ‘seen too much and done much worse’ glint just below the surface.


    “It really is you.  What are you doing here?”


    “…J’ard…” He said simply, “I’d ask you the same thing, but I think I already know.”


    “…You’ve gotten so much taller since I last saw you.” The older man commented, and lifted a duffel-bag a bit higher onto his shoulder as he abandoned his intent to go inside and came the mediator’s way instead, “It’s different seeing that in person than on the broadcasts about you.”


    “It’s…been a really long time.” Gabriel answered, looking a bit nervous, “I think I was 13 when last I saw you.  Where’ve you been all this time?”


    The kindly-looking older man pointed back towards the doors, “You busy?  That’s a long story.  I’d like to put my things away before getting into it.”


    Gabriel just looked at himself, extending his coat out where he had his hands in his pockets, “Busy?  Nope.”


    “Would you mind waiting in the lobby then?  I’ll finish up real quick and come back down.”


    “Sure…”


    If there was anything to be grateful for that people tended to avoid him, it was that he could sit in a public place and no one would bother him.  Xanarken’s assessment that it’s because he was ‘a mere man acting like an Eidolon’ seemed so far off-base, it made him scoff into his latté.  He managed to drain the entire thing at that coffee bar before J’ard finally got back to him, and by then, he was ready to dip.  J’ard had other ideas though, and ordered-up his own drink, forcing him to stick around.


    “So, how’ve you been?  I mean, I know what you’ve been doing for the most part, but…it doesn’t seem like your reputation has improved.” The older man teased.


    “I’ve sabotaged five different trainees and actually managed to piss off the last one, so…the same?” He answered grimly, and idly played with the empty ceramic cup in front of him, “I thought we were going to talk about you though.”


    “Hmph…  The more things change, the more they stay the same.” J’ard shook his head, and thanked for barista for his efforts when his own drink was set before him, “I taught you how to keep your affliction suppressed, but it seems I was never able to impart upon you any manners.”


    “…I’m not in the best mood.”


    “I can tell.”


    Gabriel stared daggers at him past a shoulder, “I’m not on the clock.  I’m not obliged to pretend right now.”


    “I suppose that’s fair.” J’ard took a sip from that frothy drink, and savored its flavor for a moment, then set the cup down into the matching saucer, “I’ve been out and about in the world, working on Lord Rylen’s behalf to root-out Limitless trouble, and pass along any credible information that your least-favorite band of flying nukes might have to monitor.” He started, and glanced back over at the blonde, “My most recent big assignment was actually rather troublesome.”


    “Oh?”


    “Mh.  A man by the name of Tobias Greenwich.” J’ard began, thumbing the curve of the finger-loop, “Gave Lord Rylen a lot of trouble, actually.  The man started as nothing more than a two-bit petty thief, using his affliction to steal jewelry.  He’d disappeared off the radar for some time, and many thought he’d simply moved on or cleaned-up his life…but then these much-bigger heists started happening, and no one could figure out what was going on.  Witness testimony didn’t match what was captured on security feeds; people were seeing things that simply didn’t exist, or couldn’t see what actually was.  But…if there’s anything commonly true about people who commit theft, even if the hauls are large, it’s that most people involved are not terribly smart or loyal to one another.  Apprehended suspects all started saying the same name.  Eventually-“


    “…The Fafnir were called in.”


    “Oh, you know the story?”


    Gabriel grumbled slightly, “I’m sadly an extenuating circumstance of it.  The partner I pissed off was actually a lost Fafnir who became an unwitting victim of that Limitless effect.  It was potent enough to mess her up pretty bad.  For four months, in all.  But…now that he’s gone, the charm’s worn off, and she’s all hunky-dory again.”


    J’ard was a little surprised, “…You sound oddly upset about that…?”


    The mediator just crossed his arms and leaned into them on the bar-top, “Xanarken sent me with her on a sensitive mission earlier in the week.  Fafnir strategy and mine don’t compliment each other.  To say I screwed it up would be an understatement…and she hasn’t talked to me since.”


    “Ah…”


    “And I’m told that I’ll be going with the Aegis on yet another mission next week, so I can pirouette into yet another disaster of my own making, at all of their expense this time rather than just hers.”


    J’ard coughed into his coffee, and gaped at him, “You’re going with the Aegis?”


    “Per the orders of my Lord and God, Xanarken Tellan.” Gabriel answered dryly, and waved his right hand around, “They only want me around for my affliction, of all things.  A crew whose whole purpose is eliminating people like me, is now asking me for a favor…  Or at least, their Captain is, since I touched something of his that he didn’t appreciate.”


    “When I saw that SkyFortress docked beside the palace, I was certain its presence was why I had been called in.  I didn’t think there was a chance in Hell you’d be caught dead around it.  …But you’re actually working with them.  With the Fafnir.” The older man summarized, baffled at his own words, “…I have so many questions.  I don’t even know where to start.”


    “What’s there to really say?” Gabriel grumbled, and pushed up onto his elbows, staring at the residue at the bottom of his empty cup, “My latest partner was only put with me because they expected it to be a short stay…either because the mud would fall off her eyes with the termination of that Tobias guy, or because I’d drive her away like I did with everyone else.  She knows the truth now…but at this point, it’s becoming a messy custody battle over who gets to use her at any given time.”


    “I see…”


    “She claims that, while she wants to go back at some point, she also wants to finish-out the program with me, so we both asked Xanarken to stall her transfer.  But, that was before I sabotaged her mission…now I wonder if she can even stand to look at me.” He continued, looking rather despondent about it.


    J’ard looked the man up and down, “Wait…go back.  She wants to finish the program…?  With you, specifically?”


    “Damn, don’t make it sound like such a bad idea.  I already feel terrible about it all.”This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    “Gabriel, listen to the words that have been coming out of your stupid, stupid face-hole for the last two minutes.  You got partnered with a Fafnir Knight, somehow became friendly enough with her to not drive her away – such that ‘we,’ as in, ‘you and her,’ not the Royal ‘we’ – actually asked Lord Xanarken to stop her from being sent back home early.  Don’t you know what that means?”


    Gabriel gawked at him stiffly, “I know exactly what that means!  Why do you think I’m so damn cranky about her being mad at me!?”


    J’ard waved his hands down for the mediator to lower his voice, looking around at the people who’d turned in their direction, “You need to figure out how to fix this, kid.  She’s your only friend in the world and you’ve stuck your foot in it.”


    “Ugghhh…” He groaned, and slid his hands through his hair until he cupped his whole head between his palms, “I don’t even know what to say to her right now…  I thought about calling, but I haven’t seen her in going-on four days.  Then I thought about asking Seth, but…well, he’s the thing of Captain Rydell’s that I touched, and I don’t want to make that worse either.”


    “What could you possibly need with Setharion Rydell…?”


    “I had the audacity to suggest he become friends with Prince Iresha, since they’re going to be at the College at Agartha together soon.”


    “He’s 17 years old.”


    “Yeah, I know.”


    “He’s a cadet.  You had no business asking him to do anything.”


    “It was a trade.  He’d do this – for the sake of the entire Council – and I’d continue being his little Limitless specimen.  I’d say he got off with the better deal.  Asking him to be friendly with another kid his age is hardly the end-of-days story you’re making it seem to be.”


    J’ard rubbed his head with a sigh, “Well, I don’t know that I would’ve been called in if your ideas hadn’t gotten you into trouble somehow.  It’s been a while since I was asked to mentor a Limitless youth.  You must’ve really stepped in it to get called-off the Prince Iresha case.”


    “…I guess that means you’re going with him to Agartha, too?”


    “Indeed.  Per Captain Rydell’s request.”


    Gabriel looked on despairingly, “…Captain Rydell sure is flexing on me hard right now.”


    “I think this is less of a flex than an alternative to putting the pressures of state-craft onto the shoulders of a teenager.  Setharion can still be the Prince’s friend; it just won’t be up to him to bridge the space between the Council and Sargon.” J’ard redirected, and reached over to give a few light pats to the mediator’s shoulder.


    “And here I was led to believe Xanarken agreed with me.”


    “He did.  But only about the part about letting them be friends, per what I was told at my briefing.  Lord Xanarken plays the long-game; what appears to be a slight now may end up working out the same way in the end.”


    “…I’m supposed to be his right hand.  If that was the case, I’d have thought he would tell me that himself.” Gabriel said quietly, and slipped off his bar-stool to begin his retreat, “It was…an experience, seeing you again, J’ard.  Good luck with Iresha.  He can be testy.”


    .


    Six days later…


    Furion stepped out of the garage with his full armor back on, helmet in his hands.  When he came out into the broad light of day, he spotted Ren floating a few feet off the ground with Suzu in her arms, flitting around as the little girl screamed with excitement.


    “Higher!” The child demanded, only for Ren to laugh and flatly refuse.


    “Your mama and papa would kill me dead if I did,” She explained, but then flipped-over mid-hover, and pulled the girl backwards to her chest.  Those little arms and legs extended far, and Ren let her at least feel like she was flying on her own, even if it was only a few inches higher off the ground than she was tall.


    Lequerion looked aside from his seat on the patio, spotting the shadow of his son coming towards them, “Time went by so fast.  It’s hard to believe your leave is already over.”


    Furion nodded, “I’m more surprised that neither of us got called back early.  Or called at all.  We actually got to enjoy our time out here for a change.”  He turned out towards Ren and his much-younger sister, “Suzu is like a whole other kid every time we get to see her.”


    “Don’t be strangers.  I know what your leave schedule looks like,” Lequerion teased, but stood up and followed his wife down those few steps to the driveway.  They all watched a moment longer as Ren played with the youngest Rydell, hovering on her back then, with those big red wings ‘flapping’ like she was doing a backstroke.  Suzu sat on her midsection, giggling up a storm.  Lequerion huffed a quiet laugh and shook his head, “We’re all going to miss you two terribly.  Ren!  Bring it in.”


    She perked her head up, and she held the little girl’s waist a bit more securely for it.  When she saw the gesture to come closer, she quickly righted her posture and carried Suzu over her feet firmly on the ground.  Once there though, she hugged her one more time before setting her down, “Time to go bye, Suzu.”


    “Aww bye!?” She echoed, “But I’ll miss you!”


    “I’ll miss you, too.” Ren answered, and crouched down to nose the girl’s forehead, “You be good, okay?”


    Furion was the one to go down on a knee next, and the girl rushed to hug him, too.  When all their goodbyes were said and done though, the pair of Fafnir put their helms back into place, and took off into those clear skies.  The double sonic-boom cracked like thunder overhead…and they were gone.


    Wings were tucked close to their bodies and streamlined, with those domes of nanotech ahead of them creating a kind of slipstream to make flight easier.  Ren glanced up and over at her partner, “This was a really great idea, seeing your family.  I think I needed it more than recovery-leave.”


    “And you got what you wanted from it, hopefully?”


    “That awaits to be seen.” She answered, “Once we get back to the Aegis, I want to start looking at my archived footage.  I never thought I’d find someone tougher to beat than you, but…that guy really got me.”


    “Don’t let it get you down.  You were fighting against him and a sophisticated A.I. system.  It was practically two against one.”


    “I’m not down.  Not anymore.” Ren countered, and shook her head, looking forward resolutely, “My arm is ten times what it was when we got here.  If that contributed at all to my not being able to cut through that mech’s shell, I won’t let it happen again.  The next time I see him…I’ll win.”


    Some few hours later, Trazad came into sight, and the Aegis with it over that alcove of a cliffside lake.  It was no surprise to see a number of the ship’s crew already starting to filter back aboard…but seeing a pair of Eidolon waiting for them in the docking-bay certainly was.  They touched-down gingerly and pulled their helms off, and looked on curiously.


    “Welcome back.  Sorry to ambush you like this.” Rylen began, “You’ve both had your nanotech off since you left, and we didn’t want to interrupt.  But…this can’t wait until you’re both officially on duty again.”


    “Sir?” Furion said warily.


    “Regarding the mission Dame Ren was on prior to your departure.” Xanarken chimed in, and looked to the woman, “Have you spoken to anyone about what you saw?”


    “Only the Captain, sir.” She answered, “And only because Lord Rylen gave consent for him to debrief me.  Has something happened?”


    “No, not as yet.” The Eidolon shook his head, “But this is your formal notice that the topic is strictly off-limits from here on out.  Captain?  A moment.”


    The two Knights exchanged glances, but Furion nodded and followed the Fourth, “Yessir.”


    Rylen distracted Ren by following her over to her docking-pod and inquired after her arm, but once they were out of ear-shot, Xanarken got right to the point, and spoke quietly, “What exactly did she tell you?  About the end of the encounter.”


    “Sir?”


    “After the Magistrate left.  What else was there?”


    “She didn’t say there was anything else, sir.”


    Xanarken stared closely for a moment, “You’re sure?”


    “Other than digging Sir Gabriel out of the rubble, yessir.  Her pressing concern was the fact that the Magistrate outclassed her because she was…for lack of better terms, handicapped by the need to protect an asset.”


    The Fourth nodded, “I see.”  He thought for a few seconds, but then lifted his head again, “That’s all very good then.  In unrelated news, I took care of that issue you brought to me before.  Rylen and I worked together on that case, and your brother has been relieved of the pressures that Gabriel had previously put him under.  In his place, Rylen has brought in J’ard Qiste.  Seth is free to remain friends with the boy if he wants to, but he isn’t under any obligation to do so if he chooses not to.  He can embark on the Aegis’ next voyage unburdened by the belief that he’s neglecting any of his duties.”


    Furion felt the relief pour through him like hot water, and he bowed his head gratefully, “Thank you, Lord Xanarken.”


    The Eidolon nodded and stepped away again, swapping places with his cohort of the First and Sixth.  He stepped closer to Ren’s pod just as she closed the door on the front of it and set it to its wash and sanitize maintenance cycle, “Dame.  A moment of your time as well, if you would.”


    “Yessir?”


    Those purple eyes drifted to make sure Rylen was speaking to his Captain before he said anything himself.  He spoke quietly, “Did you tell anyone about Prince Aamin or the man who appeared after he and Magistrate Laurier escaped?”


    She swallowed a nervous breath, “…No sir.”


    “Are you certain?  You said the Captain had been given permission to debrief you.”


    “He did.  About my mission.” She answered, “And my mission decidedly left-out the names of whoever else you believe to have been there.  The Magistrate was my only target.  If you yourself wish to hear about anything else I witnessed, I will tell you and you alone, but as far as I’m concerned, I saw and heard nothing else.  That was Sir Gabriel’s directive.”


    “He ordered you to stay quiet about it?”


    “Yessir, and since he outranks my Captain, I wasn’t obliged to disclose anything, even in the debrief.”


    “Good.  And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for crippling your effectiveness.  I thought Gabe would be more…careful, than he turned out to be.”


    Ren’s brow furrowed, “…He had his own mission to carry-out.  The fact that they both escaped was my fault.”


    Xanarken had no rebuttal to that, and the lack of a parry left Ren feeling like she had a hot coal in her stomach.  Still, the Eidolon had a little more to say, “Rylen has requested that you accompany the Aegis on its next mission.  Since I have nothing more pressing for you to do, I’ve agreed.  You’ll be attending to Seth while he investigates the next target.”


    “…Yessir.”


    “Gabriel will also be there.” He continued, which made Ren’s eye twitch slightly, “To act as the advanced warning in case things are about to go south.”


    “…Is there another void rift?  Is that what the Aegis is after down there?”


    “Not exactly.  I’ll have more details to present when this ship sets sail.  I expect you’ll both be in attendance at the brief I give to the Fafnir.”


    “You’re coming, too?” She was surprised at that, “Sir?”


    “I am.  I’m always there when the wreckage of an intact colony ship is unearthed.”