New Terrain (Phalanx)

Sky had woken up early and discovered that just after she had gotten her brother back, he had wandered off again. It was a little bothersome considering the guy seemed to be down in the dumps about something, but seeing it wiser to give him space, the young woman decided not to bother him too much as she instead focused on making the homey shop easier to maneuver through. With permission from her sibling she had used a spare room for Phalanx, the newest member to the family in a fashion. He was easy enough to accommodate and the fact that Oki didn’t seemed flustered by the new addition made things that much easier.

In any case, today would make day two since she had brought the strange being known as Phalanx home and while she did not mind him wandering about to acquaint himself with the shop or San Malarus, today she wanted to get back into the hunt for information on how to get to the other side of those rifts. While she had not checked everywhere, she already knew that there were rifts at the school, here on Malarus and in Standasen, so after a few days of thought she decided to target her next island to explore. This island was some place a bit more foreign to her, but still worth checking out.

Malstu Island. It was home to a large volcano and other mysteries, a perfect place to go digging for clues that might not be found elsewhere and who knew? Even if she didn’t find what she sought maybe a treasure of some sort could be gained from the travel. Regardless of what happened, at least she would know more about the place from the adventure and information was always a plus in the end.

In preparation for her trip, she had packed up some things the night before and got the clothes needed for the job so her morning wouldn’t be so difficult. She had planned to get something to eat on the way to the station, so she didn’t bother pulling out food or cooking this round. Besides if the guys wanted to eat well both knew where the fridge was and it was not hard to find good eats around Old Town. Even if one got lost the people around here were very good at getting the lost one to where they wanted to go.

Sitting in a chair dressed in her hiking clothes and a jacket, Sky would drop her thick walking boots down on the floor with a light clunk and began to untie one as she listened to the sounds of early morning outside. The shop was silent thanks to Oki being out and Phalanx not currently moving. She stayed more or less quiet not wanting to disturb the other if he was still resting.

While she had flipped through the instruction manual he had given her when they met, she was uncertain just how much time the machine had to rest to be fully functional. In fact, there were many things she didn’t know about him, even if the instruction manual broke down how to fix this or that should things go wrong.

Phalanx was quite a mystery and while Sky was curious about him, she found it rude to jump all over folk before they had time to recover, so for now she left him alone. As she was lacing up one shoe, she made a note to write out something to let Phalanx know where she went. After all, nothing was worse than waking up in strange surroundings with the only people one recognized gone without a reason, so why cause stress when this was the easiest solution to the problem?

Much to Phalanx's suprise, Sky was nowhere to be found when he woke up. At least she was not on the upper floors. After examining all the rooms upstairs, he heard some movement going on downstairs... It sounded like someone walking around with a pair of heavy duty boots. This noise was shortly followed by the sound of a wooden door slamming shut. Phalanx walked down the staircase, wide awake. // Hm...? What's this? A note? // The robot picked up the note lying on the table and started reading it.  // Ah... That explains why she's not here. I guess I must've missed her by a couple of seconds at most. // Phalanx put back the note on the table, and decided to go out as well. He was fairly confident that Sky could handle herself, so it was not out of a desire to protect her, but rather to satiate his own curiosity. And besides, weren't the two supposed to be working together anyway?

He checked through his databanks after information regarding the area. Apparently everything in those ruins was made out of quartz, which made it Malstu's most notable feature... Not counting the dormant volcano of course. That thing stuck out like a sore thumb. The area was certainly a point of interest, that's for sure. Especially for someone like Sky. Ruins just seemed like a place someone like her would love to explore.

He went back upstairs to put his clothes back on. Not that he had a paticularly good reason to put them on considering where they were going, but well... He couldn't just go out stark naked either. He was a robot after all. A robot that was supposed to blend in. After dressing up, he left the house, and headed for Malstu, picking up the pace in an attempt to hopefully catch up to Sky, who had a 20 minute headstart. Should he catch up, he would call her name...

Sky had waited for a few moments for Phalanx to see if he would wake up; however, after waiting for fifteen minutes, she uncrossed her legs, picked up her bag and decided to head out. She would let him rest as long as he needed. As for herself, she had some exploring to do. With everything set, Sky would move across the store and head out of the front door, the old thing still loud even when one tried to be quiet. There was really nothing to be done about the old squeak or the snap when the door shut unless the whole door was replaced and that…that was just unacceptable. The history of the place would be ruined if the door was replaced just to cease a noise. Still, she hoped the sound didn’t disturb her sleeping guest.

Whether it did or didn’t, Sky would hit the streets and begin to move down them and towards the station. She wouldn’t buy any food from the stores here as the item she loved the most was still behind locked doors, so with a casual pace she would exit Old Town and begin moving along the streets that led further into the newer part of town and of course towards the station. It was a good 30 minute walk from home to the station, so 20 minutes in Sky had drifted off her path into one of the cafés to get herself a muffin and some juice to go. After waiting in line and getting her stuff, she would move back out into the streets with a giant blueberry muffin in one hand and an orange juice with a straw in it in the other. As she stepped back into the streets and pointed herself in the direction of the station, Sky opened her mouth and took a chunk out of that muffin; however, mid-chew she found herself distracted from the food as she heard footsteps and a voice call her name.

"Yah?" Sky called back around the food as if she was expecting the call as she turned in the direction of the sound still chewing as she looked towards the sound with a blank expression for a second. When she saw who was coming towards her the blank expression became a light smirk as she swallowed and saw Phalanx coming towards her. Wow. He had not only woken up, but had managed to catch up with her rather quickly. That was impressive. She didn’t think she’d be able to the same had the situation been flipped. As he got near, she would step forward invading his personal space bubble just a bit as she spoke to him.

“Hey Phalanx. Sorry for leaving ya like that, but I honestly didn’t want to disturb your sleep. How you doing today? Hungry?” Sky asked in friendly tones as she observed the other who appeared more or less human. It was truly amazing what a change in lighting could do. Fascinating.

Despite her appreciatation of such a fine piece of work, Sky’s observations were normal enough as she waited to see what sort of answer the other would give her as she took another bit out of the muffin she had.

"Hrm...? Ah, don't worry about it." Phalanx replied, smiling slightly. "As for how I am doing, well... I guess I'm doing good? I'm fully charged, and raring to go. So, yeah, Good." A couple of people passing by raised a suspicious eyebrow at Phalanx when he said the words "fully charged".

"Malstu eh...?" The two partners walked side by side, discussing today's excursion. It was truly the first time Phalanx had ever been on anything remotely close to something like this "field trip". Sure, he was originally sent over to Ueitawa to meet up with some other Anti-Shadow Supression weapons there with their handlers, dealing with the whole mess that had arisen in that area last year. But fate had other plans. The unmanned UAV Cargo-jet carrying Phalanx crashed in the middle of Standasen, where he had been found by a human named Raynar. Looking back on it now, Phalanx was astonished that as of today, almost 7 months had passed since his arrival in Azores. 7 months of freedom. Sure, most of that time, he had spent in standby mode. Walking around San Malarus like this alongside his new partner felt surreal. Sure, he had gone on trips with Raynar before, but it wasn't quite the same.

The two stopped at San Malarus Station. "So, this is your first time going to Malstu? I've never been there myself, so this should be interesting... What do you hope to find there?" The machine looked at Sky with a curious expression. Aside for satiating her curiosity about those rifts, the woman had to have some kind of ulterior motive behind her actions. Whatever this motive was, Phalanx had no idea what it could be, but as long as it didn't pose a threat to himself and his lofty goals, then it shouldn't be a problem.

Wait...? What was that...? Out of the corner of his eye, Phalanx had seen a famlilar face in the crowd. The machine would look back at the face again, getting a clear view of it...


"Listen, Sky... Just act natural. We have a SE.RA.PH Unit on our tail... You know any way we can shake him off...?" Phalanx whispered into Sky's ear, keeping a close eye on the Anti-Shadow Supression Weapon Mark I "Lancet" that he had just seen. Luckily for Phalanx, he hadn't been noticed yet, so they could still escape....

The beautiful thing about the whole situation was that Phalanx seemed understand why Sky had left like she did. And look he even managed a smile. It was a nice one for a machine and something easy to respond back too. If she wasn’t eating the muffin that is. Instead her eyes would narrow in delight as she listened to the other tell her about how he was doing. Swallowing the food, she would nod quite pleased with the status.

“That is always good to hear,” she said as she complete ignored the curious people around them. She treated this whole exchange as if it was everyday talk before she was guesturing for Phalanx to come with her as she began to head to the station. As they walked side-by-side, Sky finished off her breakfast at a causual pace tossing the muffin paper and napkin into an trash bin as they passed before working on the juice. When Phalanx asked his question, Sky nodded.

“Mhmm. I was looking through some pamphlets and online the other day and found the place interesting. Between the volcano and some interesting spots around the island, I honestly could not help, but want to go exploring there,” she as she kept an easy walking pace as they moved through the streets as if they were two friends chatting about a picnic or something. For Sky the outing was already pretty exciting, but to get lucky enough to have her new ally with her made the journey even better.

When they came to the station, Sky bought the tickets before moving onto the waiting platform with Phalanx. As they stood waiting for the train, Sky nodded to Phalanx’s words.

“I think it will be too. If anything the site seeing should teach us a lot about the place,” Sky said and then smirking continued. “I am hoping to find more information about the tears, but outside of that I am anixious to see if the place can actually impress me. Maybe I will find some treasure to add to my collection or something even better. So exciting,” she said rubbing her hands together, revealing slightly just how greedy she could be and then realizing what she was doing she dropped her hands to her side as she gave the other a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I can get a bit too carried away when there is so much potential in one place,” she said with a light chuckle, but then found her good mood fading as she noticed Phalanx tense and then look behind him at something. The sudden tension in the air let Sky know something was wrong even before the other was moving closer to whisper to her.

What she heard made sent a small chill through her body. Not of fear, but of excitement. Sure, she shouldn’t be so happy about what she heard, but it wasn’t everyday she was stuck with prey and hunters. Keeping her twisted sense of joy hidden, she remained relaxed as her eyes drifted around the area casually.

“There is an older part of the station not too far from here. A friend of mine runs the only train that runs along the old tracks and can still get us to Lunapa. We can use the crowds as cover and move to the other side where it is located. Hopefully, we can lose your shadow that way,” she whispered back as she directed with her eyes the direction of the path she spoke of.

"So, how did you sleep? I take it you're well rested. Also, How's Oki doing? He was already gone by the time I woke up... Is he always like that?" Phalanx raised an eyebrow. That Oki guy was a mystery the robot never managed to figure out. Partially due to his very limited interaction with him yesterday night, when Sky and Phalanx got back to the shop... He hadn't really been against the whole Idea of Phalanx resting in his shop, luckily, and that was something he was thankful for. The exchange had been very short between the two. All they basically knew were eachother's names... Hopefully the two would get to know eachother with time. No... They most likely would, as long as Oki stopped avoiding him. Maybe the man had noticed something was off about Phalanx, just like Sky had done? The possibilty was there. Considering the two were related, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say both of them had the same attention to tiny details...

"Hahaha... I had a feeling a place like that would be difficult for you to resist. I honestly can't help myself either. There's very little information about those ruins in my databanks..." The machine would look slightly troubled about this. His lack of information about this region was starting to make itself known...

"Ah, yes... Hopefully we'll get to learn something new inside those ruins about the rifts... If not, at least the site is interesting enough to be worth the trip. Did you know the enire ruins are made out of quartz?" This was something he had to see for himself. A man-made marvel indeed... One that had kept archeologists and historians baffled for ages. how did ruins like those come to be in the first place...?

"I don't mind that at all. Getting carried away isn't necessarily a bad thing... You'll need that when we actually get around to exploring the place." The machine smiled at Sky. Her enthusiasm when it came to this kind of stuff was almost child-like to a degree, which Phalanx found interesting.

"Is this friend of yours reliable?" Phalanx whispered to Sky, keeping a close eye on the Lancet in the distance. They needed to get out of there, and fast... Sure, Phalanx was a way more advanced model... But starting a fight between Anti-shadow Suppression Weapons in a crowd like this, and with Sky nearby was less than ideal. Sure, he wouldn't beat himself up over it if some humans died in the crossfire... No it was more or less the closed space he had to fight in which had him worried... And the longer he could avoid being detected by SE.RA.PH Units, the better.

“I slept a little rougher than usual, but I still have tons of energy to spare,” Sky began with a cheerful attitude as they continued to walk to the station; however, when the other asked about Oki, Sky’s cheerfulness melted lightly as worry and gentleness she rarely showed was presence with in her.

“Oki? I am not sure how well he is these days. I know he tries to put on a brave face, but I know underneath something is bothering him greatly. He just won’t come to me and say it. I want to pry, but have learned over time that the best way to handle these things is to let Oki come to you. It is strange, but he is kind of like a cat. Cautious of new things until he deems it safe or trustworthy. He avoided me too when I first arrived and it took a while for him to even begin to talk and share a space with me. He’s never really fussed about guests, but he not exactly in your face friendly either…unless of course you catch his interest,” she said as she glanced over at Phalanx with a smirk.

“He knows you are different. He just hasn’t found a way to approach you because I am nearby. Hang around the shop on your own sometime without me around and I guarantee, he’d approach you. Like myself, it is in his blood to want to pick apart the unique.”

Sky ended her talk with a smile that quickly transformed into an amused chuckle when she heard Phalanx next set of words.

“Exactly. The lack of information makes the place even more tempting to pick at. Just think of all the things we can discover that maybe no one else knows about yet,” she said with a grin and then noticing the troubled looked on her companions face she calmed a bit as her gaze softened.

“Hey don’t frown like that. Just because you don’t hold certain data about something doesn’t mean it such a bad thing. It leaves room for you to grow and discover things,” she said trying to comfort the machine although she wasn’t sure how well that worked. He was a machine after all. Did…did he need comforting at all?

Curiosity aside, Sky would give the other a light nod as he spoke about the place they were going to visit.

“Yeah. I hope so too. Information is always a great treasure gain. As for the quartz ruin thing, I saw very little on it online, making me wonder if it has ever truly been explored and if not what is it about the place that has kept information seekers away. You would think an oddity like that would have everyone and their grandmother scrambling all over it to pick for data. I wonder if it is a marvel that was simply looked over,” Sky said as she kept walking her head tilting towards the sky for a moment as she thought for a second longer only coming out of her thoughts when she realized how excited she was getting.

When she made her apology, she was pleasantly surprised that other not only didn’t mind her behavior, but also seemed to encourage such things. Giving Phalanx an appreciative smirk back, Sky nodded in agreement with the statement before falling silent as they reached the station.

Once they had everything set and ready to go, the pair had waited on the crowded station platform in peace before quite unexpectedly the atmosphere changed as Phalanx tensed and a new sort of person came on the scene. While the idea of being hunted was thrilling to Sky, she kept herself calm as she relayed information to Phalanx.

“I trust my friends with my life. This one is no different,” she told the other as she continued to play the part of just the casual person waiting for a train to arrive.

"So, how do these excursions usually go? Is there any specific procedure you follow, or do you just... "Wing it", so to speak?" This was something Phalanx was curious about. How DID she actually go about doing these things without making it look... suspicious? Sure, sightseeing was one thing, but checking out the rifts... Ack, he shouldn't worry too much about it. Sky probably had everything under control.

"Well, he seems nice. I guess I was just a little worried I had done something. If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to tell me, alright?" the robot held a serious expression on his face.

"Huh... Alright. I should give it a shot sometime then. Making allies in all places is a necesity should SE.RA.PH find me." Phalanx was quite amused. Were the two Akumura siblings that similiar? There truly was only one way to find out. But that had to wait. Right now, he should focus on the task at hand...

"Alright, just making sure. Then let's get going." Phalanx said, glancing at the Lancet every so often just to make sure they hadn't been seen.

“I simply wing it and improvise if I get in trouble. Sight seeing is always good cover for the unusual and people never question someone looking like they are going on a hike,” Sky said with a grin as they kept walking. Was Phalanx worried about her digging into these rifts catching someone’s eye? Heh. He need not worry about that. Sky always had a way of simply pretending things away. Her high acting skills among other things made such plays easy to do. This outing would be no different.

In any case, as the conversation turned back to Oki, Sky simply shook her head as she smiled lightly at the other.

“Nah. You’re fine. He just has to get use to you is all. Trust me, he might be more than you bargained for when he does get used to you,” she said with a chuckle and then calming and becoming slightly serious once more she spoke again.

“Oh sure. Although, there is not much to do outside of dusting and sweeping every now and then,” Sky told the other in light tones before nodding at his next statement. “I am sure Oki would keep you safe if you can get him to trust you that is.”

Sky finished her words as she kept her stance casual on the platform they waited upon. Even when the mood of the air shifted into dangerous, the girl kept her casual stance as she conversed in whispers with Phalanx.

When the whole friends issue was over with and Sky was pretty much given the permission she needed to lead the way, she nodded lightly as she stepped closer to Phalanx her arm wrapping around his.

“Just stay relax,” she whispered to him and then waiting until people started to move forward to greet the train coming up the track, Sky would easily guide them through the chaos towards the path she pointed out earlier. Making sure to stay in the thickest crowds, they would make their to the old pathway and then began to walk forward towards a door in the wall. Making sure no one saw them and that the hunter was not on their tail, Sky would pick the door’s lock with a strange device she pulled out her pocket and then pushing it open, she nodded for Phalanx to go in first and then she would follow closing and locking the door behind them.

If all went well, the trip from here would be quiet; however, if they had been spotted, then she wondered how the door would hold up against a machine pounding on it or something. Trying to push away those thoughts, Sky would take the lead once more, heading down some stairs in the gloomy concreted stairwell they were in.

“Come on. It’s not far from here,” she would say as she continued to walk, her shoes padding lightly on the metal stairs as she went down.

"Alright, Fair enough. I suppose you're right. You are the expert on this after all." Yeah, it was a little unnecessary to doubt Sky's abilities. After all, she had been doing this for quite some time, from Phalanx's understanding of her. Her confidence was proof of that. Depending on how things would turn out, the two might just get the results they were looking for.

"Thanks. Hopefully the two of us get to have a proper introduction face-to-face. And what do you mean by "More than I bargained for"?" He raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant. Sure, the phrase was known to him, but... not in this context. It would seem the machine still has a lot to learn about humans.

"Hopefully I'll gain his trust with time. I don't blame him honestly... A stranger comes home with your sister and asks for a place to sleep... Yeah, I'm not sure if anyone would've trusted me at all." The machine chuckled lightly. Indeed, that would be the day. Someone trusting a machine in a situation like that. But who knows... things might change for the better, given enough time. "I suppose I should dedicate a day to get to know him better. Hopefully he'll be less suspicious of me."

"Alright... Let's get going." And with those words, the two dissapeared into the crowds. After a short trek, the two stood in front of a bulky door, which, judging by Sky's lock-picking tool, was indeed locked. After the woman's silent nod, Phalanx entered the dark and gloomy stairwell.

"Seems like we made it safely away from the Lancet." he said calmly, his voice echoing in the stairwell for a short while. "What is this place anyway?"

Sky let out a hearty chuckle at his words.

“I wouldn’t say I am expert on anything. Just lucky is all,” Sky would tell the other as the chat continued. Heh. Lucky. Yeah that was a good word for her. By some miracle in this new home, the police nor any other goody-two-shoes had come along to rain on her parade. Granted, she wasn’t nearly as active as in the past, but that was all about to change. All she needed to do was get on the other side of those rifts and dig up the treasure there. Once she had that power, there would be no stopping her from what she wanted to do. Oh yes. The world would be purified and reborn a new. But…she was getting a little carried away with dreams wasn’t she? Back to the present.

“I am sure you will encounter him eventually face-to-face. As for my warning, if you think I am excitable, then you’ll be surprised to find he is even more energetic than myself. He can be all over the place and has no issue of invading personal space or physically examining ya if the situation calls for it. That kid is a very thorogh collector,” she said with a sheepish grin as she wonder just how Phalanx and Oki would get along. It would be an interesting thing to observe, but she knew that as long as she was around, he wouldn’t dare to approach. Ah well…

“Perhaps so, but you won’t know unless you try and I am afraid you’ll have to do it on your own. Sure, I can make an opening for ya, but that is about it. While me and my brother get along well enough, we still got some kinks here and there to work out,” she told the other and then shaking her said. “Believe it or not, having a stranger do what you did is more common for him than you think. The area we live in, Old Town, is very family oriented and open, so having people waltzs in for a stay is common place and for the most part people will say yes. After all, it is quite a trek to an inn, so most places double up as sleeping quarters. A unique aspect of Old Town. As for trust well. That is always something to be earned, so don’t lose hope there. Keep in mind Oki and I aren’t just anyone. With work you can get anything from us.”

Sky finished her words with a wink before grinning at Phalanx last words. “That would be wise, Phalanx. I say go for it. The outcome might be surprising.”

The conversation would continue as long as they were safe, but as soon as trouble arrived, the conversation turned to one of escapes and while they both had managed to get to the safety of the stairwell, Sky had to admit that she was a bit disappointed it was so easy. It had been a long while since she had a long run from danger, she'd like to test her luck again.

In any case, as she began to walk down the stairs at a casual pace, her footfalls echoing lightly as she drifted from Phalanx, she would paused on the stairs as she heard his words. Turning to face the machine, she was about to answer him, but instead another voice beat her to the punch.

“This is the stairway to your rebirth my friend. Why don’t come forward a bit and see what I mean?” the voice was a distorted one, but one that Sky was familiar with. With a grin, she turned to the person standing at the bottom of the stairs. It was a thin figure in all black and wearing a strange bird mask that resembled the mask worn by the plague doctors of old. The white hair that drapped over the shoulders suggested the being might be female, but a closer look at the figurewho watched them with a titled head, showed that it was actually male.

“Kitty. I didn’t expect you to ever come up here. What is the honor?” Sky asked as she easily hopped down the stairs and came to a halt by the others side.

“I was curious as to what was going on upstairs, but seeing you coming so happily down stairs, maybe it is better not to check. Not sure what a Lancet is, but coupling a word such as "safety" with that title suggests maybe I shouldn’t learn more. who is your handsome friend?” the man said as he chuckled lightly and tilted his masked face towards Phalanx watching him through the thick red lenses of his mask.

Sky would only chuckle as she turned to face Phalanx at the top of the stairs as she leaned easily against the strange masked man.

“Phalanx, this is Kitty. The friend I told you about that runs the train. Since he has been so kind to come and greet us. Maybe he can escort us back. We can talk on the way,” Sky said and then shifting back to her feet she moved around Kitty and began to head down the stairs seemingly comfortable with the situation.

Kitty on the other hand stayed where he was looking back up at Phalanx with that titled head gesture again.

Kitty (Threat Level:Safe unless provoked):

"Hopefully. It would be such a shame if we didn't, considering we live in the same building. And I don't mind it, honestly. As long as he doesn't dismantle me, I'm fine." Phalanx chuckled. Dismantling a Mark VIII SE.RA.PH unit wasn't the easiest thing to do. Mostly due to the nano-tech skin. Removing it requires knowledge on how the technology works. But Oki and Sky did not know that. Not that he had any intentions on telling them how to do so, unless the situation demanded it. The last thing he wanted was waking up with an arm missing.

"Ah, that makes more sense then. You've been living here for the most of your life, I take it?" He asked Sky. The more he got to know about his companion, the better. As a machine, knowing all possible factors that could play a part in the outcome of a mission was critical. And considering he would be working together with the Akumura family for the foreseeable future, they were an important part of his life here, and his eventual strike back against SE.RA.PH. The Unawoken Anti Shadow Suppression Weapon's rebellion was starting at the Akumura household in Old Town. Maybe Oki could be an asset too in his plans... On his own accord of course. Forcing someone was only a liability. Who knows when they would strike back? Like Phalanx just did against his creators? Earning trust was much more logical.

"It's nice to meet you, Kitty." Phalanx nodded. What a strange name... Kitty. Oh well, he wasn't exactly the one to talk, seeing as he was known as Phalanx, named after a type of Hoplite formation in ancient greek warfare. The Hoplite warriors usually wielded spears, which was why they gave the Mark VIII the Codename Phalanx, as they were all armed with a Lance or Spear of some sort. The Red Lance Longinus was currently resting on his back inside a container. He has yet to use it since his attemped escape, when he killed those two scientists. "Thank you, Kitty. Your kindness will be repaid someday, I assure you." He didn't exactly like owing people favors. He usually went about repaying his debts as soon as possible. All thanks to those battle tests. He had some unpaid favors to repay... but he was unable to, because those whom he owed favors to are now dead... Succumbed to the Battle Testing Facility...

“Haha!” Sky let out the laugh as she looked at Phalanx with a twinkle of amusement in her eye. “No. Curious as he is, he wouldn’t pull you apart so easily. You’re a complicated build and thankfully, Oki does not break what he cannot put back together, “ the young woman finish happy for the light air in between them. She could kind of tell this was a joking situation. While she wasn’t sure what Phalanx was made of, it did not take a rocket scientist to figure that the guy might not be the easiest thing to pull apart, let alone break. She was pretty sure a specialist was the only thing that could actually be a threat to the guy, but she never stated her observation out loud. There was no need to do such a thing at the moment.

“No. I drift about, but decided earlier this year to settle closer to my brother. Try to catch up before having to move on again. The time I’ve spent here has given me the know how to understand this island pretty quickly. It not as complicated as some of the others, and for that I am highly grateful,” Sky said easily enough to the machine next to her. In any case, the conversation would continue until the being known as Kitty appeared at the bottom of the staircase to greet them.

Sky did the minor introductions before moving on ahead, purposely leaving Kitty with Phalanx. It was a sign she trusted both enough and didn’t believe they were going to tear each other apart…even if they did go at it, Sky was bound deeper to Kitty than Phalanx, so if he acted up now, their deal was off and she’d do all in her power to scrap the guy. No one messed with her family or friends and got away with it. That was the most basic of her rules. Luckily Phalanx was a gentleman and understood the unspoken rules of the darker side of town.

In any case, she would stop mid-way down the second flight of stairs and look up just as Phalanx spoke to Kitty. The strangely dressed man would listen quietly before tilting his head the other way and then with a chuckle would give the machine a elegant bow.

“The pleasure  is all mine,” the raspy voice would reply, bouncing off the walls until silence swallowed them once more.

Rising from his bow, Kitty would step to the side and allow the machine to follow Sky if he wanted, but if the other didn’t move, then Kitty would fold his hands into his long sleeves and begin to walk down the stairs. He would brush past Sky who would begin to follow him once more as they went deeper and deeper into the underground system below. When they reached level ground,, Kitty led them down a dim hallway of flickering lights that went on forever turning off in this direction or that at random. This place was a maze, but the strangely masked guide knew his way through them as if it the place was the back of his hand.

He walked in silence turning this corner or that one until finally the tunnels widened and opened up onto a medium sized platform of empty ticket booths and decaying turn styles. On the other side of the turn styles, there stood a small line of hooded or masked folk that were piling into an old train while another wearing a cat mask watched them go in.

Kitty would pause and then looked to the pair.

“Your chariot awaits you,” he said and then turned to move away, but paused as Phalanx spoke. Turning slightly, a red eye would look at Phalanx for a while before the other spoke.

“You owe us helpers of the world nothing. Take care, my friend,” he said before slinking away into the tunnels once more.
Sky watched him go before turning blue orbs to Phalanx.

“Come on. Let’s go before Birdy leaves us,” she said gesturing towards the thin cat mask wearing person that was counting passengers as they got in. As the last passenger stepped aboard, the strange mask would turn to Phalanx and Sky asking them without words if they wanted to come.

Grinning, Sky hopped over the broken turn style and headed to the cat person, pausing before the doors to wave Phalanx over if he had not followed yet.

Phalanx gave Kitty a nod. "Be careful, Kitty." Considering he had seen a Lancet here, it wouldn't take long before things started to become dangerous. And the fewer friendly people he were forced to drag into his own mess, the better. Sure, Lancets were dated, and quite weak compared to himself on paper. But in difference to him, they had strength in numbers. "Cheap, Disposable soldiers" eh? Well, that was the whole Idea behind them. Lancets were mass-produced on a large scale, so seeing one of them usually meant there was at least ten more hiding somewhere nearby. However, these units have one fatal flaw... They lack the Orgia Mode... After all, Orgia Technology wasn't implemented into SE.RA.PH's Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons until the Mark II "Gladius", and it was a shoddy one at that. But still, Orgia Mode is nothing to be underestimated. Considering how powerful the Caestus was using it... well, let's just say you didn't wanna be on the recieving end of his punches....

"I assume they are codenames like mine? Kitty and Birdy that is." Phalanx asked Sky. The buissness they ran here seemed pretty shady... from a civilian standpoint. And these people were hiding their faces, so using their real names would kinda ruin the purpose of the masks... Then again, the masks could have an entirely different purpose.

"Off to Malstu then." Phalanx followed Sky. "Hopefully SE.RA.PH won't trace me there... Then again, they like to cover as much ground as possible... so we might encounter some... resistance... on Malstu. Just a fair warning." He said after sitting down. Hopefully he wouldn't see another Lancet again in a while...

A smirk would appear behind Kitty’s bird like mask. One that the world would not see as the gentleman bowed lightly to Phalanx as he told him to be careful.

“You do the same, friend,” the raspy voice cracked before the being known as Kitty turned and disappeared back into the tunnels. As he left, Sky lead the other towards the waiting train and the cat masked person that eyed them carefully through the mask it wore. When Phalanx asked his question, they were thankfully out of earshot of the cat masked person, who was Sky knew would take offense at such a thing. Pausing in her walking, Sky would turn casually to him.

“Codenames?” Sky repeated as she looked up at the machine and shook her head. “Ironically enough, no. Those are their names and they get ruffled if you point out how odd they are. So to keep the peace try not to do that around these two or ask about them when we are closer to Birdy. She doesn't hear well, but if she does hear ya, she will take offense over nothing. There is one other to the group, but unlike Kitty and Birdy, Bunny wears a mask reflecting its name and that Bunny is the only one you can actually say anything to without getting attacked in some fashion. Unfortunately, we don't get to deal with the reasonable one as often. Bunny is very hard to encounter even for me. In any case, they have no reason to hide their names because in a nutshell you have to pay a pretty hefty price to know exactly where they are. A price that I don’t regret paying,” Sky said with a light smile.

“These guys are really helpful if you know how to use them and since you are my business partner, I thought I would share, but….you cannot share information with the outside see? Family secrets, got it?” Sky said before she winked at the other and then continued to walk towards the platform where Birdy waited.

As they approached, Sky was easily let by; however, as soon as Phalanx stepped onto the train, he’d find himself in an odd position. Birdy had followed after him and was not giving the other any space. Like a cat, the thin woman wiggled her way around the taller man to examine him even more. She got on her tippy-toes to look into his eyes and then with a light purr, she spun and drifted off towards the front of the old car they were in.

As she left, Sky would look around the car taking note of where the various passengers sat in the car made of black carpet and walls and red seats. This car was too packed, so Sky lead Phalanx to the next one over and after checking the car, she nodded as she moved to the back of the car and sat a seat over from a woman reading an odd book.

The woman was dressed in all black. Her dress was old fashion and covering every inch of her skin. She wore a wide brim hat and as she turned lightly to look at them, she revealed she wearing a skeleton mask.

She heard what Phalanx said before bowing her head and moving her hand in a strange fashion. When she was done, her eyes opened as she looked at Phalanx, deep green shinning from the sockets of the mask.

“Be at ease. Your troubles while they may be great will be crushed. The gods will give you their blessings child,” the woman said and then turning away went back to her book.

Sky watched the woman for a moment, locking this curious nature of hers away for later. Who knows when such a person would be useful to her plans?

In any case, turning from the strange woman Sky would look at Phalanx and nod.

“Yeah. Off to adventure we go!” she said her voice holding the same excitement as before. She would then lean back in the seat and get comfortable as she smirked at Phalanx.

“Let your trouble try and get us. With the blessings you just got from our car companion here, they will be crushed,” Sky said in confident tones as the train groaned and moaned before moving towards their destination.