February 4, 2019, 3:18 pm. Moments after walking out of the Fallen village within a village.

Leaving the Fallen cloister behind, we choose to head north as Rufka flops her head against my shoulder. "Much as I appreciate the System giving us a new quest, think we can get some us time now?"

"Absolutely," I reply, messaging the party about the quest. Roberts sends a quick reply asking to be filled in later, but indicates they're going to be busy for a while.

Which gets a whoop out of Rufka that quickly dies out when she looks back over her shoulder.

Navigating away from the crowd, we climb atop an isolated spear of rock that juts out over the water. As we settle down and cuddle together, looking out over the gently rolling waves, I add, "Do you think we should delay the dungeon? Try to get the chamber built?"

"Yeah," Rufka sighs. "Gonna need to talk about it with everyuserrrrrrrrrRRR...." Rufka trills as I trace my finger up and down her ear. She shakes her head, flicking her ears before punching me softly in the side. "Not out here!"

"Sorry," I reply, unable to keep the grin off my face. "Couldn't resist."

Suddenly I find myself falling forward off the rock, barely able to twist around to land smoothly on the sand below. Even as I'm about to right myself, a weight lands on my back, forcing me to one knee.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Rufka says from where she sits atop my back.

"Oh, it's on!" I declare, wrapping my arms around her legs. Then, with a display of Strength I couldn't have achieved two weeks ago, I stand up, hoisting her into the air without using any magical assistance before charging straight at the waves.

Rufka squeals and then it devolves into a battle of dunking and chasing each other. By the time we're finished, the sun is starting to dip low in the sky. We make our way back to the others with equally silly grins on our faces. Which might be related to our post water games timeout.

Being able to make a private spot in seconds no matter where we are will never get old.

Upon our return to the hammocks, Smoulder immediately rockets towards me, successfully doing what Rufka failed to do for several hours and knocking me on my ass. I give her her tithe of head-scritches then settle her on my shoulder before going to talk to the others. And discovering that there's a Nexus point we can use for teleportation inside the Tower.

Can't believe we missed it, but we were kinda interrupted last time we visited, what with the whole Ivicka attacking their Lord of the Deep and bringing the tower down and all that. Oh. And being chased by a dragon. Much fun.

With only a little daylight left, Tipan and Kellica guide us to the Tower. As we get close, the surrounding K'tharn once again get so thick we have to practically force our way through. Kellica proves to be rather good at this once she clads herself in her metal form. For some reason, people respect a seven foot tall, full metal K'tharn.

Following in her wake, we make our way inside. The water-elevator still dominates the centre of the chamber. Tipan leads us to one of the side elevators, descending to the lowest level. The Nexus itself is off to the side, in a quiet garden of bright coral, most of which is underwater. The garden's sole illumination comes from long glowing eels that swarm beneath the surface. They're clearly not a threat, seeing as there are several K'tharn walking amongst them while tending the coral.

As Kellica drops her armor, a process that reminds me of the first Transformers movie, Tipan directs us to a cluster of rock that's almost lost beneath the coral. And then we're registered with Glimmering Sands's official Nexus point. I notice that we're unable to access Raz's from here. And that we have to pay to Return here. Both restrictions that would be lifted if we were official dwellers of the M'tari Ascendancy. Which seems to be the official name of the Lords of the Deep.

Once we're registered, Tipan leads us to a performance where a troupe of K'tharn are enacting a rendition of the Last Stand of Queen Bellathiva. Which turns out to be a love triangle that leads to war between her jealous lovers before she convinces them that she's more than woman enough to satisfy them both. It's... quite a bit raunchier than I'd envisioned.

"That's probably my favourite play by Lady Ruffem," Tipan says as we leave the Tower.

"Never would've taken you for the kind of user who likes Ruffem," Rufka replies as she tears a piece of glowing pink fluff off a treat we found on our way out. It's remarkably similar to cotton candy, even tasting vaguely like cherry.

"Is it just me, or did it seem like they were real thiani?" Kellica asks, accepting a clump of the fluffy treat as Rufka waves the wand in her direction.

Tipan nods vigorously, before looking up into the sky. "The Handsome group prides themselves on having recruited real Triads to play the roles. It's in their fliers."

"That certainly explains some things," I say, glancing at Rufka. My ears are burning just imagining doing some of the flirting they did on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Nevermind the kissing and groping at the end.

"So... does that mean you're into Triples?" Rufka asks, elbowing Tipan.

Tipan coughs, her ears going flat as she continues looking at the sky, "I'm not against it. But it would have to feel natural, you know? It's not something you can force."

"Mhm. Mum says any relationship is a lot of work, but Triples are nine times as much. I know I prefer a single partner."

"But... it could be fun to be a triple," Kellica adds, her voice barely audible. "At least... to try."

"Maybe if I didn't already have the best thiani on Akilo," Rufka states, tossing the candy wand to Kellica and wrapping her arms around me.

I try to fight down the blush as several nearby K'tharn glance in our direction with knowing smiles. And I fail utterly.

"Eh, she's alright," Tipan says, waving her hand dismissively at us. "Get back to us when she can do act three."

At this, Rufka's grin gets far too wide and I clamp my hand over her mouth before she can reveal just how much we've been experimenting together. Thankfully, she takes the hint, and the topic shifts as we make our way back to camp. Unfortunately, that shift includes talking about the Fallen, and what we can do to help. At which point, Tipan points out that we're going to need to visit Ivicka's fallen stronghold or loot a mana de-condenser from one of the Builder's cities. And seeing as we need to reclaim the cities anyway...

The topic is put on hold until tomorrow, and we spend the rest of the evening singing songs around a small bonfire. We take turns introducing songs, with mine being a song Seb and I made up during space camp about one day going into space and touching the stars. A goal I haven't really reached, despite being on a distant planet. Tipan's contribution is a haunting poem of lost summers while Kellica shares a sailor's song that her old caretaker taught her before Kellica was sold to the Taken.

With Rufka snuggled up beside me, Smoulder purring away under my chin, and the sound of my friends singing in the background, I end up falling asleep on the beach staring out over the ocean waves.

...TPWM...

February 5, 2019, 6:02 am.

The smell of bacon wakes me, the morning light falling over where Rufka and I are still snuggled together on the sand, our hammocks less than ten metres away.

Oops.

Smoulder isn't in her spot on my chest, and when I look around, I find her collecting head-scritches from Kellica. Even in the early morning light, Kellica has a fire going, and over it is the source of the heavenly smell. A rather prodigious collection of meat is neatly laid out on a thin sheet of metal that floats above the open flames of the fire.

As I watch, the sheet moves, flipping what must be over a hundred strips of bacon in a single shift of the pan. Now that's magic.

Once the others start moving, Kellica reveals she also has biscuits and a light syrup that pair well with the close-enough-to-bacon.

While we're eating breakfast, Roberts informs us that Beth is expecting to arrive in the evening, which Tipan uses as a chance to ask about going to the Desh'mersa game. And suggesting we can check with her mother about parts for the purification chamber. Though we don't need any mana-essence, as almost everyone else still has a bunch left over.

"We're going with Tipan," Rufka declares as she licks a drop of syrup off her biscuit. "I haven't seen a Desh'mersa game in years."

"Well, most of us haven't seen one at all," Roberts points out as he neatly slices his biscuit open while carefully folding bacon inside. "I think it would be marvelous."

"Good, then it's settled. We'll get everything we can before the game. Maybe even find a de-condenser," Tipan nods.

With that settled, we finish breakfast while Tipan regales us with a story of going to a Desh'mersa game with her Father.

"So, I'd been watching the game when one of the grunters nearly obliterated the other team's grunter, and I lost my snack over the seats as I jumped up in shock when the blood hit us. My father just handed her snacks to me and wiped the blood off. We continued watching, and I dropped my snack again, only for her to pull another one out. This was before I knew about inventories, so I thought my father was performing magic. So, of course, I dropped a third snack. Which is when the people in front of us finally spoke up," Tipan admits with a smirk.

"You know, you don't talk about your father much," I say as we're getting ready to head to Aethire, cleaning up the beach.

"I... don't see her often. She doesn't live in the Aetherium," Tipan admits with a small shrug. "She takes her responsibility to the Stormguard very seriously."

"Stormguard?" I ask while we both pause to watch Smoulder and Kellica chase Rufka down into the water.

"They deal with damage and beasts from mana-swarms. They're mostly neutral, working anywhere disaster strikes," Tipan says with a smile while standing a little straighter. She's about to continue when there's a loud crash down by the water. I shake my head as a cloud of superheated steam expands to cover the nearby ocean.

"That sounds kind a like our emergency services back home," I reply as our three companions are approached by another K'tharn who dictates some sort of fine for overuse of magic, if I'm hearing them correctly. While Rufka sorts out the fine, Tipan and I compare notes on earth's emergency response and the Stormguard. And I come to realize the Stormguard do a lot more combat than a regular Search and Rescue, but are otherwise pretty similar. Except instead of first aid, they have actual healing magic to assist them.

"Which is part of why I want to study here," Tipan says, tilting her head towards the tower. "There aren't many healers willing to take on apprentices from outside their organization."

"Couldn't you just get your father to arrange something with the Stormguards?"

"I... I can't join the Stormguards," Tipan replies, running a hand along her mohawk.

"Why not?"

"Cause Father and I don't get along," Tipan says, slumping her shoulders while giving me a weak smile. Then she takes a deep breath, "Plus, she's commander of the Stormguards."

"Oh," I reply softly, reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze. "Sorry 'bout that. I know what it's like, having a parent you don't... get along with."

Kinda feel like I'm underselling me and mom, but that's okay. This isn't really about me.

"Not your fault." Tipan gives me another half-smile before turning and waving to the others. "Are we doing this or what? Let's get going!"

Before I know it, we've all gathered inside the Tower, which is somehow even busier than the night before, standing at the teleportation point. I reach out, make sure everyone is secure, and then we're in Aethire. Nice and smooth. I'm almost feeling comfortable teleporting people again.

Even as we're materializing at the beacon in Rufka's now empty cabin, Rose says his goodbyes, having arranged to visit his pu'shaha, Bem, and his siblings instead of 'wasting time watching a bunch of skyjocks throw rocks at each other'. I give him a quick hug before he leaves. Then we all don our disguises before slipping off towards the Desh'mersa arena. We go to the same one as before, but this time Rufka hails a charter ship to take us directly, a ship that looks a bit like a zeppelin, except it's mostly windows and we sit inside the blimp. It costs more, but it's definitely faster as it rockets along above the city. From above, the city looks a bit like a spider's web, with the World's End Palace right in the centre.

I barely have time to make the observation before we're descending again. Our transport opens one of the windows, floating next to one of the small platforms near the stadium for loading and unloading passengers.

"Okay. Everyone stick with me," Tipan yells to be heard over the sudden wave of noise that greets us once we're down near the stadium. I swear, it's as busy as Glimmering Sands.

Tipan leads us directly into the stadium, and shortly after we get inside, she stops and taps a map. A second later, I get a notification that says I'm now a registered guest for booth Blue-42 for the next 24 hours. While I'm reading, Tipan leads us to a shaft that is full of constantly cycling air. It reminds me of the water tube they use in the Tower. And sure enough, the K'tharn in front of us jumps inside and is swept up and over the side of the stadium. After only a moment, they slow down and step out on a platform halfway up the dome.

"Okay. That's awesome," Josh says as we stand next to it. "But how do we know where to stop?"

"We have booth Blue-42," Tipan replies, "So. Lift 42," she points at the System number floating above the tube then her eyes roam upwards along the dome before stopping as she points. "And the blue landing."

She's pointing to a spot that's most of the way up. Easily visible, as it's the only blue patch on this particular... air lift? Wind-evator?

"So, can we get snacks up there? Or do we buy them down here?"

"Every booth has a System shop. You only buy snacks outside if you're in the blood seats," Tipan says as she turns around and backs into the tube with her arms held wide. "Come onnnnnn."

And then she's gone, zipping away to our booth. Shrugging, I follow her in, spreading my arms just like she did. In a way, it feels like falling up.

Landing is even easier than if we were flying, the air tube slowing me then depositing me on the landing outside our booth. That's some smooth System integration.

Tipan's grin is almost wide enough to split her face as she says, "I always loved doing that as a kid. Drove my father crazy when I figured out how to go to other landings."

"You can go to other landings?" I ask as the others arrive.

"Oh yeah. It's not even hard, you just can't get into other booths," Tipan replies as she turns around and walks directly towards the stone doors of booth Blue-42. The doors grind open with more noise than I'm used to hearing from magical doors. I imagine that in a place like this, that must be intentional. Tipan doesn't comment on it as she leads us to what are some very comfortable looking chairs.

As I'm taking a seat in a large double wide chair that reminds me of a beanbag as much as a loveseat, I realize there must be gravity magic at work. Cause even though we're way up the dome, the chairs are facing downward, giving us a complete view of the arena. As we're getting comfortable, Tipan starts explaining the game, including the Blood seats, which are the seats that ring the arena at the main playing level. Which is where her father prefers to watch the game from.

"After mother found out, she forbade father from letting me watch from the blood seats. I'm pretty sure it was because father didn't make sure to get the blood out of my fur before taking me home after the Southern Tribunes beat the crap out of the Celestial Screamers in the cup game. Shame they lost the cup," Tipan says while tearing at a piece of jerky.

Once the game starts, it's actually less magical than I was expecting. I mean, yes, they're all flying. And they're shooting a projectile back and forth. But it's almost like hockey. Except in the air. With floating obstacles that can be used to change momentum or slam people into. But very few spells, only occasional shields that flicker near the goalie. Or as Tipan insists they're called, the desh.

As we watch, I quickly see how the blood seats earned their name. While all the booths, such as the one we're watching the game from, are out of the main playing field, and covered besides, the blood seats are right next to the actual goals. And instead of a transparent window, they're only separated from the players by a thin mesh that does nothing to stop the blood..

At several points, Tipan jumps out of her seat, screaming at the players below before sitting down and calmly explaining what happened. During the intermission, which comes after they've played for two Honors (which are basically just rounds from what I can tell), Josh is browsing through the System store and pulls out a tiara with bunny ears.

"It's perfect for you," he says without a hint of sarcasm. Taking it from him, I inspect the shining diamonds and not so floppy ears. Feeling Smoulder radiate her approval, I sigh before putting it on.

"How's it look?" I ask, tilting my head up and to the side slightly.

"I live to serve, oh mighty rabbit Queen," Josh chuckles, bowing from his seat.

Neither Tipan nor Roberts comment, though they do both smile. Rufka just gives me a peck on the cheek before turning back to her snacks. But Smoulder continues to radiate her approval, so I decide to leave it on for the rest of the game.

The game is played across four rounds, and when the fourth and final round begins, Tipan's given us a pretty complete rundown of the rules. Which is when she starts telling us about the backstories of the Southern Tribunes between each play. By the end of the game, I know more about each player of the Southern Tribunes than I do about my neighbours on the second floor of the small apartment building back home. (First floor was laundry and our building manager George's apartment. Everyone knew George and Jube.)

As we emerge from the stadium, Tipan is regaling us with the story of how Baska, one of the Tribunes, grew up working on the same ships that her mother manages. And used to get fines for getting in fights with other workers before she became a professional Desh'mersa player.

We make our way to Rufka's friend Tathia's cheese shop, since we're in the neighbourhood, while Tipan continues her story. Rufka and I split off from the others, ducking inside where we find several other K'tharn lined up. Rufka manages to convince Tathia to quadruple her order this time, since she's been sharing more than she expected and we'll probably be away from the capital for a while. As we're waiting for Rufka's friend to finish wrapping her order, a group of four Fallen enter the store, led by a rather short K'tharn with dark brown fur.

When Tathia sees them, she growls through her leather mask, "What do you want, Fiska?"

"I'm just here for the week's taxes. You know it's not personal Tathia," the short K'tharn says with a shrug while two of the Fallen move forward to flank her.

"Uh huh. You're lucky I've been doing good this week. Don't know why the council's switched to Essence, but it's a pain to convert," Tathia growls while leaning forward to glare at the short K'tharn.

Fiska just shrugs while waving for one of the Fallen to grab a small bag from Tathia. "Don't know any more than you. Just that your stink-shop is on today's list."

"You've got your Essence, go on, get out," Tathia practically yells. But she's doing it to their backs, half the Fallen already outside the shop by the time she speaks, her hands cracking the wood of the counter.

"They're taking taxes in Essence now? And weekly?" Rufka asks as Tathia finally releases her grip on the counter.

Tathia doesn't answer for a moment, her attention focused on wrapping Rufka's cheese, pulling the cords extra tight. Then she turns back with several large packages and a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Damn ministers had a hundred page rant about the benefits of a hard currency system for the purchase of 'curated food'. It's all just politics if you ask me. The law doesn't even force us to collect hard Essence. Just pay our taxes in it. Some-user pissed off one of the ministers and now the rest of us have to suffer. Anyway, here's your cheese."

"Thanks. And hope it gets better," Rufka says as we move out of the shop to where the others are waiting.

When we emerge, Roberts steps over, his voice low. "Are you okay? We heard yelling. Was there a problem with the Fallen?"

"No," I answer while looking up the street to where the Fallen are coming out of another store. "They're just collecting taxes."

"Which is so backwards. Everyone knows the System does a better job of handling taxes," Rufka states while shaking her head.

"Demo might not agree with that," I say with as straight a face as I can manage, which earns me a soft chuckle from Rufka as she throws her arm over my shoulder.

"Well, if there's no problem, we should get going. Lots to do before we head back to Glimmering Sands."

Roberts isn't wrong about there being a lot to do. With the list of items we need for the Purification chamber, we split up into three groups, visiting several different merchants before meeting at Tipan's place several hours later. Rose is waiting for us. As are Bem and his siblings.

When we approach, Bem stands up, brushing himself off.

As soon as he sees me, he says, "I want you to scan us."

Well, I guess that's one way to say hello.