Multiple Settings Mass Clans: Beyond

[Filament]

Holly's resolve threatens to weaken as Mute points out something she'd assumed herself. She wasn't wrong about what she'd said and if she tried to go back on it, Trinity would see right through her. Anxiously she lets out a huff of air and eyes the wine bottle on the table wearily. Even in her often unstable mind, she knew that she was not responsible for Trin's actions, nor had she ever been but for some reason she still felt guilty. It occurred to her that if Trin tried and succeeded to end his life in the future, then it would likely probably have something to do with what she'd just said and done.

She let's out a shaky breath, not even wanting to imagine a scenario where Trin was dead. She didn't know exactly how she felt about him especially now when she was pissed at him but she didn't want him to die. He was her friend.

She listens on, ears folded back ever so sublty as PIM begins to talk about the lipstick and how she felt she should have seen this coming and subsequently stopped it. Wordlessly, she wipes blood from her maw again and keeps her eyes forward on PIM and Mute, her expression clouded with worry.

Initially the molly is thankful for the subject change until that change is about her. What is initially anxiety steadily morphs into something else as the AI lists off the ways that Trin had ensured her safety, even when they'd been in rocky standing with each other. Her jaw is opened slightly and her eyes became damp although she stands unblinking, refusing to let those tears fall.

"He planned for me to keep living after this, safe from Undertaker?" The words leave her deftly, and her breath hitches at the thought. Even though she was still furious, even though she was still grieving she was shocked that he'd taken so much care for her wellbeing.

"W-what about the..." Her voice trails

"So are we going to quit fighting and leave together?" An even stupider statement given how little fighting she had done herself but she can't help the words from leaving her muzzle.

"Is this it?"
___________________________________________________________________________

"It's okay." Lizeth mrrowed pleasantly, taking another bite of her burrito without seemingly a care in the world. She goes back to eating quietly, not paying much attention as the conversation goes on.
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Filament looks up at L'Anne and for a moment he doesn't say anything, his artficial eye clenched shut as blood continues to run down onto it from the wounds above and surrounding it. "Trin tried to kill himself. Holly brought him back." He answers simply, his pelt reeking of blood and wine. When she stops in front of him, his breath hitches in his throat and he chokes back a pained cry. "Everything's falling apart in there. Wine won't fix anything for anyone." The tom almost whispers, his eyes falling onto the floor again.

Wordlessly, he stands to his paws, letting out a grunt of pain as he does so. He holds the door for her and heads in after, spotting Pim and making his way over. Wordlessly, he stands aside of her, allowing his pelt to brush her own although he doesn't say anything. He's scared and his body trembles slightly. He doesn't look at anyone but her and especially avoids looking at Holly.
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Flame finally pipes up at Vasteye's revelation, his brow creased in frustration. "You had to have known what Trin was planning, that Mute was here and you didn't tell us?" The words are almost growled out. "You were also cohorting around the multiverse with Dev-Deceit. What's your angle? Why all the apathy?"
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Luther lets out a small, hmph noise and lets out a sigh as the last of the blood and viscera runs down or against the drain. "It's not exactly secret anymore, at least not to animals like us." He'd add, sounding a bit confused as to why she would ask, almost clearly intending to push the question if she doesn't answer. "Trust me, I already know more than I should. Enlighten me." His voice isn't rude or demanding and if anything it's pleasant, like he was asking her how she likes her coffee.
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Hal is vastly more uncomfortable as she begins to scream as the ship angles up towards the sky, his body tensed. "What? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" The tom would ask in a panic, his voice shrill as he yells. When the ship lurches upwards, he is unprepared and smacks unceremoniously into a wall, letting out a groan of pain. "Yeah, silly me too." The tom tries to play along, likely failing miserably as he dips into the forte known as acting, which he is notoriously awful at.

 

[Moonsound]

Mute leaned into Nyx’s hug and looked up at the demoness canid with a forced bittersweet smile. Their eyes misty and glossy. Dappled ears twitched as she explained what happened in their absence.

“Heh. That’s Trin for ya.” They meowed with a dry chuckle chuff, looking at the ground for a moment. They cocked their head and looked up at Nyx with one eye with a hum. Gathering their thoughts.

”When the demons couldn’t survive inside the temple they resorted to just bombing the place. After a bunch of it was rubble I just played dead. One of them saw me as special and took me aboard their ship. I killed him, took his place, and commandeered his ship. While I was figuring out how I could heroically cripple their navy from the inside and take down Undertaker, Deciet’s ship wanted to rendezvous. She figured me out on sight. Wait-no. More like she was expecting it to be me. First breath we took alone she made clear she knew it was me. Said she didn’t care, jus‘ wanted me to lay low and wait for something. So I made up some stories about myself being captured, tried my best to learn whatever I could about any plans, and before I could learn much Deciet told me about the Symphony.” Mute explained, ending with a shrug.


_________

“All of you. He most likely intended for all of you to live safely from Undertaker, I should make that clear.” PIM interjected during a gap in Holly’s speech, gesturing over the room and looking at the others.


”Why would I quit? Someone just blew up my daughter and Saraphina.” Hunter asked rhetorically. His tone wasn’t angry, just matter-of-fact.

”Yeah and I don’t think Hal would want me to quit. That and catching terrorists is sort of my job.” Lexi chimed in with a flatter tone and voice. She rubbed the back of her neck and scratched one of her saberteeth.

_________

Mirage carefully took the wine flutes off the plate and set them on to the coffee table, flicking her ear as she did so to show Thistle she was listening.

”Consider your entire stay here in Funworld on the house. We Haven agents wouldn’t imagine having you pay given the circumstances and my part in unwittingly assisting in Master Trin’s suicide.“ Mirage meowed as she adjusted the glasses so that they were just right. Turning and giving Thistle her full attention once she’d finished. Just in time too, as only a moment later the front door opened.

“Merci monsieur Filament.” L’Anne thanked the tom softly and dipped her head in gratitude for him holding the door. The lion bovid made a b-line to the glasses and began pouring out the special wine.

”This has been aged beyond perfection. So it should be quite sweet. I’d recommend not gulping it down. It should slid ov’heur your tongue while you tilt your head back and leave your maw open just slightly so that it may breath.” She added on after pouring the last glass.

________

Vasteye’s expression tightened for half a second before relaxing. The tom lazily moving his head so that his gaze was on Flame.

”Trin’s thoughts are the hardest to read. I didn’t know anything. He purposefully guards his thoughts around me and has practice in doing so because he‘s spent a lot of time with psychic species. All I knew was he wanted to leave. There was no hints of depression just pure rational thought. But since you bring up apathy, it’s a little hard to care too much about animals when I can hear their every thought. I know exactly how almost everyone thinks and it’s never good. I know how the major majority of animals are so close minded that their whole train of thought switches to denial every time someone is saying something they disagree with. Even better I know when animals are being purposely ignorant or just plain stupid, and it‘s the norm not the exception... I know for certain with no space for doubt, that nearly everyone only cares about themselves, views everyone around them with suspicion, and will justify the most heinous things in their heads because they always value their own lives over everyone else's. So why should I not be apathetic when everyone’s terrible?” Vasteye meowed, staring at Flame with a bored expression, his head resting on a paw.


________________________________________________________________________________

The older Purple hummed to herself as the ship rocketed skyward. Though, given the pace it was going, space-bound would be a better description.

”Did you know Speed was a smuggler? A really good one. I didn’t growing up. She taught me a few tricks though. Like how to piggy-back off the jump-drive of a bigger ship. ARE YOU NOT STRAPPED IN!?” Purple spoke casually at first as the sky outside the ship began to shift from dark navy to black. Her voice adopted a very angry almost rageful harshness to it when she looked back and saw Hal. With a flick of rear paw she accelerated even more until the ship left the atmosphere.

“Are you crazy!? You could have been hurt.” Purple warbled with a bit of worry in her voice. The belts connecting her to the steering bench retreated back into where they were store and the purple sheline floated. Seems the race ship didn’t have whatever kept animals on the ground in all the other ships Hal has been in. She flipped around to face him and took her helmet off. Instead of a caring, worried expression she wore an angry one yet again.

”You also could have HIT ME! Limestone kidney stones, what would you have done if your stupid flailing body knocked me out in atmosphere here huh!? Do you even think? JUST! JUST! —Well it doesn’t matter now anymore! Just next time press that button to bring the engineer seat down and it will strap into thr suit you’re wearing.” Purple snapped, stiffening her legs in frustration as she floated in the air. After a couple seconds she left out a puff of air and deflated. Her limbs relaxing and the vein on her face threatening to bulge through her fur went away.

”…Are you hurt? … More?” She asked after some silence.


______________________________________________________________________________

Deciet turned off her shower and padded out to look at Luther. Her fur still soaked.

”Nothing to enlighten you on really. I was given a few to use on my ship. Things nearly killed one of my crew. But last I saw, Turish is making them smaller. For infiltration units, about the size of a cat and genetically coded to be even better at stealth. Think about the ones on Frenziland except much smaller, even smarter, and with a capacity to seek out specific animal‘s based on their genetics.” Deciet meowed, scanning Luther with her eyes and taking note of each cut and bruise.

”Cute. Also, no judgment but you have some things in your fur. They’re like sticky scales, they belong to I forget the name but it’s species with pointy legs. You’ve got two right there at your waist. Been hugging one?“ The demoness commented then queired after her quick appraisal.


___________


Saraphina blinked at Lethe. She opened her mouth to speak, then realized she still hadn’t processed everything enough yet. Her mouth hung open while she looked around the room. As she did, one of the medics came over to Lethe and nodded their acknowledgment of what he told them.

”Fever Pitch, do we need to put anyone else in the pod?” The nurse asked one of the doctors.

”Ummmmm…wow.” She said. She really wasn’t sure WHAT to say. Some ideas were slowly coming to her, but for now wow would suffice.

”So did you wait here for me to wake-“

”Yes! Who should we put in MY pod next!? I wonder!” False Lamb growl yowled sarcastically from her place on her gurney, making Saraphina stop mid-sentence.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

Brown ears fall back to his skull and a hot flush of shame washes over the tom for forgetting. "Sorry, Miss False!" Lethe hurries over to the mobstress, "Please forgive me." He motions to one of the nurses to help and they gently grab False, placing her back in her healing pod. He rears up on his hind paws to reach the door and bring it down. Lethe pauses just before the pod is sealed again, mewing into the inch of space between the lid and the body of the pod: "Thank you again for letting us use this, ma'am. Rest well." And with that, False Lamb is left alone to heal.


"Beyond clever. Excellent use of your abilities. But what of Master?" Nyx asks, hesitantly adding, "Did she... make it?" From the short time she knew her, Nyx knew Master was one tough bitch. If anyone could survive the bombardment of the Temple, it would be her and only her most talented students. But if their Master is truly gone, would that mean an end for the Red Temple forever? If they're the only students alive, could they rebuild and take over teaching her lessons?


"Thank you." Thistle says to Mirage before joining the yellow-clad male she mentioned earlier. "Hello. I'm looking to procure a paws-free carrying bag, can you please take me to a store that would have something like that?" He is reluctant to leave out of fear of something happening and the lipstick being needed again, but this item needs to be secured. Hopefully he won't be gone for long.


Deciding there isn't really anything else to do at the moment, Thrush tries to follow the kittens' lead and lays down. She closes her eyes to at least try and rest, but her mind doesn't get quiet. It's not unusual for sleep to elude her so she just focuses on what conversations she can hear around her.

 

[Filament]

Holly gives Lexi a strange look but it doesn't last long as she eyes her wine glass again, finally taking a small and very restrained sip. "Isn't Hal dead?" She asks rhetorically, already having assumed he was one of many stains on the carpet back in Milky's penthouse. Carefully, she moves to look at Hunter, trying to figure out how best to explain herself. "But without Trin's help, there's not really anywhere we can get help from that hasn't already burned us." Amber eyes leave his as she looks over her own dusty pelt. "I'm not saying that's what we should do, giving up I mean, I'm just saying we should try and look at every choice more carefully."

Finally she looks back up at him. "God-Ring's help hasn't helped a whole lot, and who even knows what state the Mia'Moray are in right now. One of the False Twins are dead. Do you know anyone from your time with Deceit who may be able to help us?" She asks before looking over at the Haven Agent.

"Does your agency offer any kind of defensive provisions? Weapons, body guards, military kit? If it doesn't can you refer us to an organization that can?" Inwardly rolling her eyes as someone brings up the Red Temple. As traumatic as what took place there was, she still holds a strong resentment for the leader of that particular cult.
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Filament lets out a shakey breath and looks over at the animals in the room. "What do you think we should do Pim?" The tom asks, his attention focused entirely on her. It's probably obvious what he's thinking but it's also clear that he will follow with whatever she wants to do if she allows him. They've already lost so much and gained next to nothing besides information that they had no way to act on. It didn't seem to him that this was going anywhere good. His stomach curdles again but he steadies himself and steels his gut as he waits for a response, doing his best to ignore the wine glasses, which are quickly becoming more tempting.
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Flame seems to mull that over in his head for a moment. "I think I understand what you're saying but at least in my eyes, that attitude makes you as selfish as them but I suppose that me thinking that would only reinforce your beliefs." The tom responds in a slightly uncertain tone. He doesn't think Vasteye is right but he knows that any push-back he offers will only strengthen the other tom's beliefs which he finds to be dreary.

Wearily, he takes a sip of the drink he'd ordered and looks over to Lizeth, giving her an opportunity to offer her opinion if she would like to.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flame catches her eye and she freezes for a moment before finishing the last of her burrito. "Not everyone is bad, maybe here I guess but all I see are families." The she-cat would mew, waving a paw at the table she'd received pets and belly rubs from. "I don't think the people here are bad, I mean like how can you know who's bad and 's not." The she-cat would mew, a small bit of melted cheese on the top of her nose.

"What do you make of my thoughts?" She would ask Vasteye plainly, losing the strange way of speaking that she normally possesses.
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Luther's eyes widen slightly at her information about the new infiltrators. "Lovely." The words leave him bitterly but it dissipates as he catches her looking him over. "Like what you see?" He'd ask, before she responds and his expression darkens a bit. "I didn't hug him, but I was with a reporter friend before the symphony." Luther explains, looking over her briefly. "Dream isn't much of a hugger so that's odd. Hope he's okay."
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"No I'm okay." Hal responds, floating around with her. The longer that they are alone the more his discomfort and uncomfortableness begins to turn to fear. "I won't forget next time, I'm sorry." The tom replies, keeping his voice even. "Where are we headed?" He's quite sure he's asked this already but it's getting to the point where he'd really like to know.

 

[Moonsound]

Saraphina stepped out of the way of the nurses and watched them put the mob she-cat into the pod. The white sheline in question acknowledging Lethe’s thank you with a half-heart nod.

The fire breather stretched her limbs and looked over herself with mild amazement. Other than a small bit of lethargy she looked and felt perfectly fine.

”Thank you for waiting for me to wake up.“ She meowed while she patted herself down as if she was looking for something in her non-existent pockets. Upon finding whatever she was looking for she held her paw against that spot for a few seconds.

”Blast it. My ice cube is in my intestines.“ Saraphina muttered with a grimace. She put her paw back on the ground and shook out her fur.

”I was gonna ask if there was any food but now I will not be able to even taste it.” She added on in slight frustration.


_______


Mute shrugged to Nyx and shook their head.

”I couldn’t tell you. They were putting up a good fight and then it all came down. Maybe they escaped into the wilderness, maybe they didn’t. Your guess would be as good as mine. All I know is that the temple was gone.” Mute explained, visibly searching their memories for any hints to Master’s fate but still coming up blank.

________

The yellow tom-cat dipped his head to Thistle and gestured for him to follow.

”Right this way sir. There is a purveyor not far from here.” The agent purred as they lead Thistle out the door.

_______

PIM shook her head ’no’ after Holly’s rhetorical question.

”Aside from Deciet herself, no.” Hunter added in when he was personally addressed. Whereas Mirage nodded her head with confidence.

”The Haven agency aims to go above and beyond the needs and requests of our clientele. And all agents assigned to Master Trinity are already trained bodyguards. Your security is not an issue Miss Holly. The unfortunate incident at the Symphony should serve as adequate evidence of our ability to maintain the safety of our clients. But I should note, this does not extend to everyone in your group. Just Master Trinity, Thrush, Purple, and you.” The bronze she-cat meowed cordially.

”I think we can still give Nastiel a chance. It’s only been a couple of days. He said we’d get access to god-ring’s resources and he hasn’t gone back on that. I’m sure we could get what we need from him.” Keesipip said as she sniffed the wine glass closest to her.

”You also have me, Speed, and Triss. I can really only contribute my ship, but Speed and Triss have a considerable amount of stuff we can use.” Mute chimed in.

”Triss was killed about an hour or two ago.” Lexi said bluntly. Said news made Mute pause and swallow hard.

”Oh… Hehe, no bedside manner huh? Just, bam, there’s the news.” The calico tom meowed, trying to being humorous but it was obvious they weren’t taking it very well at all.

”So just me and Speed’s stuff. Still a decent amount. There’s also The Bunker! Plenty of resources there as well. We’re not short on cash, we’ve got plenty of jumpers, god-ring is involved now too. This isn’t a bad position to be in.” Mute said, with a nod to themself.

_______

PIM looked at Filament, froze for a second, then looked up in thought. After a bit she finally spoke up.

”I believe the best course of action to take immediately would be to consolidate our forces either here on Funworld or in Mute’s ship. Both locations are secure and will allow us to plan in safety. It’s not that I think a god-ring ship isn’t safe for the others to stay on, just that having all of our group together would ensure everyone is on the same page. That’s what I think we should do. Funworld or Mute’s yacht, the choice is yours.” PIM said in a steady cadence.

________

Vasteye nodded his head at Flame with the same bored expression he‘d been wearing.

”I agree.” The tom meowed in response to Flame. His gaze hung on the tom for a little bit, showing that even though Flame no longer spoke Vasteye could still hear. It’s not like the silver tabby needed to be looking at someone to listen, or at least not anymore, but in this case he made it a point to visually show Flame that he was. It wasn’t a harsh gaze or one of challenge. If anything it was soft eye contact. And it was more than what Vasteye gave to everyone nowadays. Perfectly evidenced when Lizeth’s voice elicited an ear twitch from him, but he did not turn his head to look at her. Rather he just laid it against the table and stared at nothing.

”Your thoughts are like everyone else’s… Why’d the way you talk change?” The tom at first spoke in a disinterested way. Long past enjoying being asked the same thing every time animals found out he could read minds. His voice gained some inflection and interest however when something she said did arouse his curiosity. Or rather the way she said something did.


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Older Purple stared at Hal with a neutral expression. Not even a poker face or stern look, just a completely relaxed and unreadable face.

”Okay. Good…” The sheline meowed while she continued to look at him, scanning him, analyzing him.

”We’re going to a space station I like. Still in the Olympus ring, it used to be an asteroid drill rig. First we need to get some fuel though.” Purple said in a normal, calm manner. Behind her through the glass you could see the ship was drifting towards a depot of some kind. The windshield‘s A.R display highlighting the destination in green.

_____________


Deciet smirked slyly.

”Maybe give him a call. You’ve certainly got a story for him... Just leave me out of it. For the obligatory reasons.” Deciet merowed cheekily. Afterwards she nodded for him to follow and began making her way back to the med-bay.


_________________________________________________________________________________


The race yellow pelted Haven agent lead Thistle through the pathways of Funworld with ease. Encountering the same sights and groups that seemed to exist endlessly throughout the entire park. Kits, cubs, and younglings of all kinds running around. Vendors selling snacks. Riders screaming as they whizzed by, strapped into their coasters of choice. With a mascot character here and there.

After just five minutes of walking they came to an avenue lined with storefronts. Some of them were eateries while others were for apparel. The store that the agent took Thistle to was certainly of the latter category. Yellow letters in an alien language decorated the top of the doorway, while you could see a smartly dressed bunny sat behind a counter. The store’s layout seemed to be focused more around seating than their own product. Bags sat on back-lit shelves lining the two opposite walls but between them was nothing but small chairs and tables.

”Welcome to Komaine.“ The bunny greeted cordially.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

"It was the least I could do. I just want to make sure everyone who can heal, does. If we have time, I think Milky needs a turn in the pod..." Lethe mews, watching the firebreather fret over something. His brow furrows when she mentions her magic ice cube. "Can you still process nutrients without it? If you can, I say you eat anyway, because who knows when we'll have a break like this again. I'm sure they have something around here to snack on."


Nyx watches Mute, noting their reaction to Lexi's bluntness regarding Triss' fate. All this news has to be weighing on them. They might be putting on a brace face for now, but something will break eventually. The demoness makes a mental note to check up on Mute again, either as a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, or a mode of stress relief. Funworld certainly isn't living up to its name at the moment.


Thistle grabs the lipstick between his teeth and follows the Haven agent outside and through Funworld. He nods his thanks as he walks into the store. Thistle pads up to the counter, placing the case on the ground by his paws again. "Hi there, I'm looking for a paws-free carrying bag." He looks around at the elegant merchandise displays, "I see you have plenty available, but I have a few specific requirements in mind for what I'm looking for."

 

[Filament]

Holly shakes her head in disappointment at the news, although she's not upset with the others. She herself has no connections to offer either. When the agent continues, her attention remains on the she-cat and she turns her head slightly to the side as she listens. "I don't doubt the efficacy of your services, what I'm asking is do you offer offensive equipment?" The she-cat clarifies, waving around her artificial limb as she speaks, her cheeks warm with drink. "Let's say I wanted a pistol and an Aramid weave slimfit protective vest, are these things that you might have to offer?" The question isn't necessarily posed as something she herself wants, moreso a hypothetical question.

"Maybe some of us should visit this bunker?" Holly would suggest to Mute, sitting on her hindpaws and studying the androgynous cat with intent. "If we're not going to quit, it's high time we properly armed ourselves and I'm assuming that's not allowed here. I'm thinking, we go to the bunker, grab some gear and then make for your yacht, if that's okay." She'd mew, before looking back to the Haven Agent. "I'd also think it'd be smart if we were each alloted our own PCD's. I'm not quite comfortable not having one when someone -like- Filament does." Her words are harsh but her tone isn't, it's practical, maybe a bit slurred but to the point.
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Filament stares at Holly with a harsh look but does nod his head. His PCD was broken but he supposed she didn't know that and it was a good point. They would be able to avoid a lot of the situations they'd found themselves in if they were adequately able to communicate with each other. "I agree, but I think we should get everyone to the yacht before the bunker. We don't need anything happening to split us up again." His voice is hoarse from all of the crying he'd done in the last few hours but it is steady. "I'd also like to get cleaned up." The tom would mew, indicating his bloodied face. "Setting up a permanent base somewhere that the calico shit-bird can't find us is a good first step." He hopes this is what Pim wants.

Giving in at last, he takes a small sip of the wine flute in front of him, doing as the agent instructs and allowing it to breathe on his tongue. It tastes gross and the grimace on his face shows his disapproval. Not really the wine's fault though, he doesn't like wine.

"I also think, if God-Ring and Nastiel don't come through for us, and even if they do, it might be worthwhile to dip our paws back into Demon Space, maybe even Hell specifically. If I remember right, many citizens were murdered and it may not be hard to find animals who hate that calico prick as much as we do." He sniffs at the wine and his face scrunches up again. Conveniently leaving out his comfy bank account he'd had in Hell.

"If nothing else, vengeance is a powerful motivator, might be good to have for allies. Deceit may even be able to help, given we keep a close eye on her." The tom finishes, pointing a paw at his cyborg eye for emphasis.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flame gives Vasteye a nod of understanding before turning to look at Lizeth, also noticing that in her last sentence there'd been no seemingly forced twang or verbiage in her words and he cocks a brow, looking at her harder than he had previous. "Yeah, that is odd, how come you're not "talkin' all country like?" " the tom would ask, wiggling his brows with curiosity before looking to Aceline to see if she'd noticed it too.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"How can-" The she-cat stops mid-sentence as she's interrupted by Vasteye and Flame one after another and her face scrunches up in genuine confusion. She moves a paw up to her mouth and stares at them in surprise. "I'm not talking any different." She mews, her voice lacking any shortenings or odd pronunciations. "I sound the same as I did before, no?" She'd say but it's more of a question and she looks at her plate in confusion.

"What do you mean?"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hal relaxes a bit as she seems to calm down and he keeps his head subtly low as her gaze remains on him for an uncomfortably long time. "Don't suppose this space station would have guns and ammo?" The tom asks deftly, feeling naked without a weapon and his broken prosthetic. "Maybe even a decent way to remove this busted leg?" The tom would suggest, waving the broken and dead artificial foreleg in the air.

"Thanks, for grabbing me... By the way." The tom would offer awkwardly.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luther mews an affirmative, making a note to give the male a call once he has a moment. "Of course not." He'd confirm, following behind her with a bit of a grimace on his face as he tries to remember a reason Dream's gross fur things would get stuck in his pelt. "Oh damn, got it. He rode behind me on my scooter when we were looking for the group." The tom realizes and simultaneously explains as he keeps pace beside her.

 

[Moonsound]

Saraphina nodded an affirmative to Lethe.

”I can indeed. It just tastes bad... but you’re right. I should eat something.” She meowed, lightly grimacing at the thought of eating food how she used to. As she raised her paw to get one of the nurses’ attention a burp came out of her muzzle. To which she lowered her paw and placed it over her muzzle.

”Is there anything we can eat?” The firebreather asked politely.

”We’ll go get you some food rations. You‘re all carbon based and can safely consume dextro-amino acids in conjunction with levo-amino acids?” One of the nurses asked in an up-beat tone. Saraphina was left with a anxious and confused look on her face.

”Uh…“ She took in a breath to speak but nothing more than audible befuddlement came out, leaving her standing there silently.

”What is the main bonding element in your biological make-up?” The nurse asked again cheerfully, leaning their head in slightly. Saraphina again stared at them like a deer in headlights. She wanted to be able to answer, but had absolutely zero clue what was being asked.

”I don’t know.” She answered somewhat dejectedly. The nurse cocked their head and tapped a claw on the floor for a second.

”How does, chi-khan, and bay-khan, sound?” The nurse asked, still cheerfully.

”Chicken and bacon? Yes. Poultry and pork would be perfect.” Saraphina answered, nodding her head. The nurse mimicked the action with a smile before leaving the med bay.

”I swear every other word now is beyond my vocabulary.” The fire-breather bemoaned, running a paw over her face.


_____________

Deciet hummed with a lazy bob her head at Luther’s explanation. As they re-entered the med-bay, she walked directly over to Speed. She’d fallen asleep in her position around Streak.

”Speed. Speeeed.” She cooed, trying to wake the snoozing speedster.

”Speed!” The demoness yelped. That did the trick and the gray sheline’s eyes opened. Her oculars first flicked to see that her son was still in the helmet before locking with Deciet’s orange ones.

”Yeees?” Was her drowsy response.

”I need you to open a portal for me.”

“I can only open one a day. And I don’t know where your ship is.” Speed replied succinctly, already closing her eyes to try and go back to sleep.

”And you’re in a room with lifeliners. I don’t need you to send me back to my ship, just somehwhere in the main rings.“ Deciet meowed, pointing to one of the orange suited animals in question.

”Then let me rephrase, I’m also the only jumper with this group. I’m not opening a portal for you.” Speed mumbled back.

”I thought Alec could jump.” Deciet said genuinely, cocking her head.

”Who’s Ale— Holly can jump, not Pest.” Speed said, peeking open one eye.

”I might have been thinking of Flame.” Deciet meowed.

”Well they‘re related and all look alike.” Speed mused drowsily.

”Can Mute jump?” The demoness cocked her head the other way.

“If they can they’ve never displayed it.“ Speed answered curtly.

”I’m not asking you to send me to another universe. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to my ship. She’s in orbit in this universe.” Deciet urged, adjusting her position so she could see what Streak was watching.

”You have a demon ship in orbit around here? Bulls**t.” Speed chuffed out, rolling her eyes.

“I do. All I need is a portal. Just send me to one of the high orbit pit-stops around here I don’t care. I just need to get back. For the safety of both of us.” Deciet meowed normally, but whispered the last part.

”…….Fine. Just give me a minute. I haven’t been around Starworld for a bit, unless you want me to drop in hard vacuum.” Speed finally relented groggily.

”Take your time.” The demoness purred with a smile.


_______________________

Older Purple shook her head.

”You can get anything you want in the Olympus ring. You just have to pay for it… And no problem. You opened the portal. If it wasn’t me it would have been someone else.” She answered him as the ship rattled. No longer just drifting through space, the ship was now under some force being pulled towards the fuel depot. A small little station, shaped like a star and about the size of a high school. Similar to the False sisters’ asteroid, there was some kind of bubble surround the structure, which was allowing the animals walking along its surface to survive without suits or helmets. The sides of the star shape had windows showing there was a hybrid convenience-general store within the structure itself. This place was basically just a space-age gas station. Complete with families walking their pets outside, tired travelers stretching their limbs, and a crowd of animals in what looked like a school uniform gathered in front of a vessel emblazoned with their school’s logo.

Slowly the race ship was pulled through the bubble before magnetizing to the depot.

“Go inside and tell them to fill the ship at pump 19 with metallic hydrogen. I’ll meet you in there in a second.” Purple said. Her and everything else in the ship slowly lowered to the ground as the station’s artificial gravity took effect. As soon as her paws were solidly on the floor, she padded over to the door and pressed the button for it to open. With a hiss the door and gangplank rotated down.

“Oh and make sure it‘s fine metallic hydrogen. Some places have medium or coarse but I prefer fine.” Purple added on before Hal left.

_______________________________________________________________


Aceline quietly nodded her head in the affirmative to Flame.

Vasteye cocked a brow, while looking at Lizeth.

”Excuse our paranoia, but it’s almost like your accent slipped. As if it stopped being as extreme. Care to explain?” The silver tabby meowed cautiously.

By now Stalker had risen her head and was watching Lizeth as well. She stole a glance at Flame but overall kept her focus on the newcomer.


__________________

PIM gave Holly a very suspicious stare but did not voice the impetus for such a look.

“Madame Holly. Anything you could want, the agency can provide you.” L’Anne assured, using her paw to make an “across the board” gesture.


Mute padded over to one of the wine glasses and sipped from it. Then leapt onto the couch.

”Demon space was already hard to get into before. It’s definitely locked down hard now. We’d need a smuggler to get back in, but it‘s possible. I’ve done it enough.” Mute said while laying on their back. Keesipip the raised her paw.

”I’m with Filament. Not on the demon space part. But on the yacht. A rush to the bunker with some of our group could be a risk and might waste time that we don’t have. We don’t know if the animal that tried to kill us will try again. We should be cautious and bring everyone back in. The safest option for my species has always been to hide first.” The ashlander threw in her thoughts. Hunter chewed one cheek and hummed in slight disagreement.

”Trin felt confident enough to leave the others with god-ring. I’m pretty sure we can take that as a guarantee of their safety.” The brown tabby meowed.

”But we don’t know if that’s because Trin truly has full faith in god-ring’s ability to be secure, or if the Mercy is just something he had to settle for since some of our group is hurt.” Lexi interjected calmly and critically. The tom looked in thought before responding.

“I just think we could go to the bunker, grab whatever stockpile it has, then go to the yacht.” Hunter meowed.

”Why is Funworld considered a non-starter? We transfer everyone from the GRV Mercy to here, then from here to this yacht. Maximizes safety for everyone. No one can do anything to us on Funworld, then we move everyone to the yacht. Letting us keep track of everyone and leaving no chance for any separation.” Lexi said her piece, looking at the others with confusion.

”There’s no guarantee that whoever is after us, wouldn’t take into consideration
that we grabbed all our members off a, what, the naming convention matches that of god-ring hospital ships. Right? So they’d know we’re Oscar-Mike. They could put two and two together and guess that we’re going to my ship. Bing, bang, boom, we all get killed in an ambush set at the ship.“ Mute interjected.

”Are you saying you think there’s a mole in god-ring?” Lexi asked.

”I’m saying we don’t know how someone caught you unawares in the first place. Anyone or anything could be the rat. And remember this is coming from someone who can be anyone they want. I say we grab my ship first, then use it to go where and grab who we need after.“ Mute responded quickly. They even mimicked Lexi‘s voice at the end for added effect.

”Would you be willing to fly your ship into demon space?“ PIM queried.

”Hell no. Pun intended. All their propaganda boasts about their stealth tech. Not that I don’t trust my ship buuuut, I’m not taking any unnecessary risks with it either. If it goes bust, even if we survive, there’s no replacing it. It’s a classic. The civilization that built it is dead and their knowledge lost. If there was any animals that might have even a small chance of detecting it, it would be the paranoid black-furred maniac demons.“ Mute answered with a dry laugh.

”You’re confident anywhere else?” Hunter prodded for clarity.

”Anywhere else is golden. Just not demon space. I’ve been around and usually hermit kingdoms don’t boast as much as the demons do about their stealth tech if it was all just a big bluff. And they snuck up on you guys enough, you should know by now! Everything else could be bluster, but when it comes to stealth they’re not lying. Demon space is a big. N. O. You want to go there, get a smuggler.” Mute reaffirmed their stance on where they were comfortable flying their vessel.

“I say, we go to Mute’s yacht first as a priority.” Keesipip restated her opinion.

”I stand by my stance that we should retrieve everyone from the GRV Mercy as a first priority.” PIM informed calmly.

”I say bring everyone here, some of us go to the bunker, meet back here, then we all go to Mute’s invisible ship.” Hunter tossed in his idea cordially.

”I’m with PIM. Bring everyone here to Funworld first. No point in worrying about a potential ambush we don’t know will happen from some animals we aren’t even sure the identify of. The safest option is to bring everyone here in the dimension we know can’t be penetrated. “ Lexi said, crossing her forelegs and stretching.

”And I still say broadcasting our plans by moving the others could tell the enemy where we’d go next. We get my ship first before anything.” Mute stated from their spot on the couch.



_________________________

The bunny Komàine attendant smiled and nodded.

”We can certainly help with that. What specific requirements do you need?” They asked Thistle, cocking their head just a degree or two.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

"Well, I would like a bag that is durable and difficult to cut or break open. I travel a lot, so being able to withstand constant movement and potential thieves is a necessity. And if it's doable, I would like it to be as discreet as possible. Something small (I don't carry much, anyway), matches my fur color, and doesn't hinder movement." Thistle lists off his requests, sprinkling in a quick explanation that is mostly true. "Thank you so much."


"I agree with Mute as well." Nyx states, "But we need to gather everyone currently at Funworld, first. We're not leaving anyone behind." Having heard just how they escaped the demon bombardment of the Red Temple, the shapeshifter seems to be the one to trust when evading danger.


"I understand completely," Lethe sighs, "During the security check getting into the Symphony, they asked all sorts of questions I couldn't answer. And after I got my new ears, I thought they were speaking a different language entirely with all the medical terminology they used. All I can say is, if you have a bad reaction to what they give you, you're in the best place to have one." The brown tom gives Saraphina a lopsided smile, weakly gesturing around to doctors, nurses and medical equipment around them.

 

[Moonsound]

The bunny attendant leaned over the counter to look Thistle up and down.

“Okaaay. I’ll be right back. I believe we have the perfect thing for you.” The attendant said through a smile. Turning and hopping through a curtained doorway. Less than a minute later they returned with a small square shaped bag. The corners of the bag were reinforced with rubber with a rubber square in the center, protecting the bag from impacts. The bag itself was constructed from some kind of synthetic tightly weaved material, making it somewhat flexible. With a thick, metal zipper keeping the bag sealed and two straps for attaching it to one’s person.

”This is apart of our nomadic espionage line of bags. It can be secured on either side of your thighs. For maximum comfort I suggest you place the bag on the outer portion of your thigh while for maximum security you can place the bag on the inner side of either thigh. If necessary you could also use the straps to wear it like a backpack you so desired. As you can see it is small and perfect for daily carriage of any personal Items. But the best part about this bag is this.” The bunny attendant placed the bag on the counter and gestured to it. After a couple seconds the bag changed it’s color and appearance texture to match the white counter.

”Our nomadic espionage line comes with our patented octo-camo built in. Making the bag as discrete as possible. The inspiration came from how some god-ring personnel purposefully camouflaged their bags when visiting cultures that see bags as uncouth. When you wear this bag, it will match your fur color perfectly. It is also fire-proof and water resistant up to 300 meters. It requires no batteries and should only need a few minutes in direct starlight every couple of months or so to remain operational. So in reality you should never need to think about it!” The bunny explained while displaying the camouflage feature using their own pelt as an example. Once they were done, they placed the bag back on the counter and pushed it over to Thistle with a toothy smile.


_________________________________________________

Saraphina turned her head to Lethe with a pitiful look. But it faded part-ways into his speech when the debenary cocked her head and squinted at him.

”New ears?” She parroted the tom, looking closely at his ears. Inspecting them.

”Oh. I’m so sorry Lethe. It would seem our group continues to garner new injuries with each planet we land on.” Saraphina commented, looking at Lethe with a grimace.

”Here you go.” A nurse said just above a whisper while placing two cardboard boxes by Saraphina and Lethe. On the boxes there were no words, just an image of two cartoon cat heads with a strip of bacon in between them. One of the heads was chewing something happily while the other was smiling at the viewer.

 

[Moonsound]

(Timeskip)

”Gruesome.” Mute commented after they stepped through the portal. Sapphire eyes looking around at the countless bodies littering the dry dock. Mute had purposely positioned themselves to be the last through the portal that would take them to their ship. Ivory evening gloves covered the forelegs of the blue sheline as they carefully stepped around a circular stain of dried blood on the concrete floor. Complete with a matching ivory dress that went halfway up her neck like a cheogsam, but left their back exposed. Only for the dress to return to the top of their body so that it could cover their rear and most of the back legs.

”Do you carry clothes around with you?” Lexi asked as she gazed over her shoulder at the blue she-cat.

”Don’t ask.” Trin answered laconically. Thus far, the only way that proved effective to get Trin to do anything was to have Mute metaphorically or physically pushing him to do it. And it only worked for a short period of time.

”A lady never reveals her secrets.” Mute replied, giggling to themselves as they strolled further beyond the portal. The black circle closed a few seconds later, leaving the whole group in a large concrete structure. The air itself seemed like it was tinted a sickly mustard color, which the sunlight shining in from the open section of the dry dock did little to change. Lexi rolled her eyes and adjusted the position of the designer bag she was carrying.

”So what’s she called?” Keesipip asked, pointing to the large vessel that lay dormant beside them. It wasn’t as big as the Nebuchadnezzar but it was still essentially a small skyscraper laid on its side. Unlike Red’s ostentatious paint scheme for his personal yacht, Mute’s was an inconspicuous blue-gray. The only eye catching color coming from the anatomically correct heart painted on the side in purple.

”While I am acutely aware of your rather…humble? Upbringing my dear, it would serve you greatly not to make such a fool of yourself by assuming. In my culture our vessels are referred to using the masculine ‘he.’ HE, is called the Ediacaran.“ Mute purred in a voice that practically dripped passive aggressiveness like an English bulldog drooled with a lemon.

”And this Ediacaran is undetectable?“ Lexi asked.

”Quite.” Mute reported with a upturned nod.

”Then how’d it end up in the mitts of some scavenger gang?” Lexi asked while she pointed to one of the leather vest clad bodies.

”I-I fell into a bit of a financial tumult you see and I may have sold it. But not to these ruffians. I haven’t the slightest how they got it. The animal I sold it to promised they would maintain it for posterity, as a part of their museum.” Mute stuttered a bit and grew an embarrassed blushing smile. Lexi and Speed both shared an exasperated sigh.

”How do we get in?” Speed asked, looking at the wall of metal with no obvious points of ingress to be seen.

”There’s a few entrances that can be unlocked. Give me but a moment to remember where one is.” Mute meowed, closely observing the hull as she walked along it. Looking for something that they themselves clearly weren’t sure was there. While Mute inspected their own ship for a way to get in, several animals stopped. No point in following her as she essentially winged it.

”So Jezebel didn’t come back with you all?” Callista asked, flexing and ruffling her wings.

”Nope. And what did False Lamb say to why she wasn’t coming?” Vasteye answered and then posed his own question.

”Something or other about needing to handle some business. She said she’d be back when she was done. Her words not mine.” Callista recalled the brief exchange the mob boss had with everyone before leaving the GRV Mercy.

“And I sent Deciet somewhere in the Olympus ring. That’s all she asked. You know, after getting some guarantees from god-ring heads that they’d cooperate with her and everyone would keep her secrets, blah blah blah.” Speed informed.

”And now instead of Nastiel, we’ve got Ms. hard ass over there.” Hunter said, nodding his head to the purple mia’moray wearing black shades. As was the trend with the species, she wore a smile. But hers was a smug, authoritative one and was probably only there because the thought of being in control of others was the only source of pleasure her brain could still enjoy. Their previous handler had been summarily replaced by her. Nastiel was out, she was in, and so was the stick up her butt.

“It’s Mrs. hard ass, and I can hear you.” The alien in question chimed in with an unamused tone.

“Yeah and I bet Mr. hard ass is enjoying every single second away from you.” Hunter snapped back.

”Mr. hard ass was on the capitol you blew up in Hunter. So shut your trap.” The mia’moray shot back without hesitation. Hunter’s ears drooped almost instantly, the vitriol in his throat evaporating.

”Aha! Found it!” Mute’s cheer came at the perfect time to distract the Mia’moray who’s stare alone seemed to be advancing on Hunter like a stalking tiger.

”Hunter darling, come here and help me please!” Mute called out. As Hunter started to jog down to the part of the dock that Mute had ambled to, Lexi and “Mrs. Hardass” picked up their bags and started to walk that way as well.

”Yes?” Hunter asked as he came to a stop by Mute. She’d stopped in front of a hole in the ship, no bigger than a golf ball. Some water stains ran down from it, but other than that it was fine.

“Take my glove off for me.” Mute purred, extending an ivory limb at Hunter. The tom looked down his muzzle at the appendage nonplussed, before looking Mute in the eyes with slight annoyance.

”What?” The brown tom nearly barked. This resulted in Mute waggling the limb in front of him.

”Come now. I can’t risk dirtying this.” The blue sheline said, waggling the limb one more time. After a couple seconds of Hunter staring at them silently saying “are you serious?” he opened his maw and grabbed the glove to pull it off. Immediately Mute yanked their paw back and bopped him on the head with it.

”Uff, I don’t want your disgusting saliva on my silk! You don’t use your mouth you use your teeth you barbarian! Now carefully bite the edge and gently pull it off.” Mute admonished haughtily before extending their paw again. Hunter’s head was cocked to the side a bit while he gave her a baffled look. You could practically see his mind battling internally over whether or not his confusion should be the dominant emotional response or his anger. After a bit of looking back and forth between the outstretched paw and Mute’s face, showing that the blue she-cat’s expectant expression did not falter, Hunter languidly leaned forward and bit the tip of the glove with his front teeth. Then pulled back while Mute pulled their paw free of the garment.

”Was that so hard?“ Mute asked rhetorically while they stepped a couple paces closer to the hole. Carefully they extended their paw into the cubby. For a few seconds nothing happened. But a loud metallic “chunk” sound from within the vessel came soon enough. With the mechanism trigger, Mute pulled their leg back and watched as a ramp that had been perfectly flush with the ship began to lower. The sounds of gears spinning echoing off the vast concrete walls. The large ramp, big enough to fit a car, rotated down at a controlled pace before touching ground and stopping.

”Welcome aboard.” Mute meowed smugly. While Hunter stretched his neck to peer inside, Mute took her glove back from his maw.

“I could have did that! Why’d I need to take you stupid glove off?” Hunter complained.

”As if someone like yourself would know what to grab? Please.“ Mute guffawed and rolled their eyes.

”Do that again and I’m ripping it off.” Hunter stated as the others grew near enough to hear.

”Hunter darling you needn’t rip my clothes off. A proper courting from some-tom such as yourself would probably convince me to disrobe on my own.” Mute purred.

”Haha, what?” Keesipip said as she padded up to the door.

”Nothing.” Hunter said shaking his head.

”Yes, if only you weren’t a commoner.” Mute added on with derision as she turned and took the first steps onto the ramp.

”Back on Earth I was a leader you know.” Hunter said, following after Keesipip.

”Oh? Are you saying that because you want to see me nude?“ Mute said over her shoulder as she climbed a steep flight of steps. The ramp opened up to a dark cargo area, whereas the metal stairs lead up to the habitation decks.

”No. I just meant I’m not a-“

”How forward you are darling!” Called back from the top of the stairs.

”MUTE! You know what I mean!” Hunter yowled back while he and Keesipip carefully made their way up the steep stairs as well. The ashlander snickering the whole way.


-*-*-*-*-*-*-


The interior of the ship, the Ediacaran, wasn’t as flagrantly luxurious as Red’s ship. The interior styling was clean but utilitarian. The walls and flooring lacked the visible pipes and wires that the demon submarine did, but maintained a steely blue-gray color scheme. The floor was not carpet but rather a kind of non-slip rubber. The halls were not cramped by any means, but neither were they massively wide or high. There was no attempt at forming an illusion for its occupants that this ship wasn’t a ship meant for nautical pursuits. Utilitarian luxury was a good description for it. And this further hammered home that Mute’s ship was smaller than Red’s. There was no space for massive hotel like hallways that stretched on forever. Every hallways they passed following Mute only went out for at most 30 meters before turning off. And you had to stick with Mute given the fact that the ship’s lights were off.

After climbing three more flights of steps along the journey, Mute came to two metal sliding doors. She reached into another hole, pulled on some unseen mechanism, and with the sound of gears and tumblers the two doors slid open.

”I designed my ship with the express purpose to be completely operable without any electrical power. So that if I ever needed to power the entire thing down or it lost power, it wouldn’t turn into an overpriced asteroid. Unlike my ruby resembling associate, my ship has no AI or VI systems. It is completely manual and can be switched between analog and digital functionality. Now let’s get the power on.” Mute explained as she lead them into what was clearly the bridge. Windows let in the mustard yellow light from outside, illuminating the dormant computer screens that lined the room. In the center there was a computerized island as well. With chairs at each station. From the new, higher vantage point you could now see that the dry dock they were in was situated quite high above a dark gray ocean below. With some islands off in the distance. Even more unsettling was that the tip of the ship, or the bow, was extended out over the drop off. Thankfully the ship didn’t rock or show any signs of tipping off. But it could still disquieting to some to be inside of a massive metal vessel that currently had no power and was perched precariously over a drop off. If this fact bother Mute the shapeshifter showed no signs of it.

The blue sheline walked to the further forward collection of panels and looked over them. She crouched down, opened one of the panels beneath the screens and pulled out a key. She placed one paw on a red button while the other slid the key into a slot and turned. Just like that, all the screens flicked on and the ship came to life. No engine sound or vibration could be detected but all the lights came on and the light draft showed the life support systems were now busy clearing out the stale, musty air that had taken residence while the ship sat dormant.

”He’s fully functional. All systems…nominal. No major alerts. Watertight readings all green. Everything appears to be in order. He’s in flying condition. Or rather falling condition if were to be pedantic.” Mute purred, quickly gesturing out the windows behind them.

”The residences are at the middle of the ship. Every room has a window and don’t worry. Their designs aren’t nearly as spartan as the rest of my ship. You should feel nice and at home in them. If you don’t like one, try another, each has a different theme. Um, the food printer will need just a little bit of time to properly spool up, but after that you can get whatever nibbles you’d like from the cafeteria. There’s a lounge, galley, theater, gym, kitchen, dining and recreation room. If i remember correctly I have labs at the stern, or rear of the ship with some experiments but other than thaaat, there’s nothing more. Oh, and the cargo hold! Should just be some antique cars and trinkets down there. Nothing of interest. Once the generators are all back up and running we’ll be ready for the drop.” Mute explained, clasping her forepaws together at the end.

”I’d say any questions but then I’d be busy all day answering whatever you uneducated peasants can’t rub your two digits of your IQ together to figure out. I’d rather avoid the headache.” She added on as she returned all her paws to the floor.

”…Can your printer make a burger?” Lexi asked.

”Dear huntress, might you tell if a burger is a food?” The ivory dress clothed sheline asked, with a saccharine Cheshire smile. If gritting your teeth was an art form then this Mute was a master at it. The sabertooth she-cat in question just sighed and looked at her with a deadpan.

”Exactly my point about whatever questions you twits could muster.” Mute said, waving a forepaw in a circle while sticking her nose up. The huntress was entirely done with the stuffy blue heiress or whatever and turned away to go find wherever this cafeteria was. Lizard green bag in tow. With that, Mute tapped a couple sections on the computerized island and a hologram of a planet appeared above it. Her eyes scanning over the floating readouts of information that the display was generating in some alien text.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

Nyx doesn't hide her amusement at Mute's newest persona and her little back-and-forth with Hunter. "Darling, males cannot figure out how to unlace a corset. Next time, call a lady to assist you, hmm?" The demoness comments coquettishly. She climbs the steps with the rest of the crew, admiring the inside of the ship.


Thrush is at the back of the herd when they make it to where Mute's ship is docked. She pulls on the bag Thistle had gotten her, the pouch itself settling comfortably on her chest between her forelegs. After a second, the accessory disappears, blending in marvelously with her russet fur. She paces a short circuit to make sure her legs won't rub against the material.

Zipping his own bag closed, Thistle looks to his sister and asks, "So, how do you like it?"

"It's wonderful, thaaank yoooouuu!" Thrush sing-songs, hugging her brother. Someone clears their throat behind her, and she quickly ends the hug and whips around to face whoever it is. Lethe has approached them. "Yes?" Her face scrunches slightly in concern.

"Uh..." Lethe starts, "I don't know if you know, but you still have..." He gestures to his face with one claw.

"What?" She wipes her muzzle with a paw, a great streak of blue smearing across the back of it. "Ugh! I thought I got it all off!" Thrush growls in frustration. Plopping down on her butt and licking her unstained paw, she draws it across her mouth, which only spreads the makeup more. While Mute finally pulls open the hidden hatch to her ship, the craterborn sheline looks up as everyone gets moving again. Amidst the throng of moving bodies she spies Purple and Crimson, the latter of which she can see bears an identically blue muzzle when she turns her head just right way.

 

[Filament]

The bathroom, alive with the sound of agony. Pink spatters of wine land haphazardly into the toilet from a weary burning throat. It's been so long since he had drunk, so seriously had he over-estimated his tolerance. Ten brown paws brace around the lip of the porcelain surface, the head lurching forward, the ceiling moving side to side violently from just six glasses of wine, or had it been eight? Filament doesn't remember but he does know that the tight, scraping pain in his gut is unrelenting, even though only clear fluids continue to be expelled from his lulling muzzle. The tom let's out a whimpering whine and sags his head against the lip of the bowl, caring not for what fluids congeal and mix against his fur. Guilt would do him no good here, he knew he just needed to purge until he was as empty as consistently moving water in the bowl.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Holly writhes in her bed, which is currently occupied by the only other female that she vaguely knows. Calico fur blends in with her own and she shifts slightly, paws wrap around her torso, drawing her close and she doesn't resist, letting those weirdly long toes draw her into the others warmth. Lizeth sets her own head atop of her own and the scent of rust and sagebrush is oddly comforting. Wordlessly, Holly nuzzles into Lizeth's neck, drawing close to the near stranger, their embrace is tender and chaste but she doesn't pull away, much too exhausted to complain or fight with her heteronormativity.
There's nothing exclusively romantic or sexual about the snuggling but it feels a bit more intimate than she'd normally like and her weary mind drifts to a certain brown tabby, her fur spiking along her spine slightly as she melds against the fluffier she-line wordlessly, draping a deft paw over the other's own. To Lizeth's credit she doesn't protest.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alec stalks across the room, his paws lifting him up to a small grey spot where he imagines a window should be. A sneeze racks him and he looks over Lula's form, his gaze filled with tears. More than anything he wants to run away, to leave the group to figure this out on their own, he wants to ensure her safety more than he's ever cared about anything. Errant thoughts of fleeing in the night to figure stuff out on their own fizzle and die in his pockmarked mind, leaving him to stare at the wall as she lies, probably awake, in their bed. He's never felt the way he presently feels for her, even with Skizm and it scares him, he's used to being able to pull away and leave when he needs to and now he can't, even as his mind runs circles trying to justify how or why'd he'd run now.

"fuck." He breathes out, slowly pulling his amber gaze away from the wall to look at his companion, he hops onto the mattress beside her, still crying quietly. "I-I was so scared you were going to go away." The tom croaks out, unable to utter the words to describe death in their actual form. "You scared the hell out of me." he whimpers, shoving his muzzle against her shoulder and crying loudly, not bothering to try and stifle his sobs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[Moonsound]

The door to the Ediacaran’s bridge opened by itself, signaling Speed’s entry. Still wearing her racing suit, the sheline strolled towards the big holographic map in the center of the room. And by extension, the Mia’Moray staring at it.

”Where’s Mute?” Speed asked during her approach.

”I don’t know.” The handler answered curtly. Their eyes remaining transfixed on the map.

”Did they say where they were going?” Speed queried.

“No.” Was the handler’s monosyllabic response. Causing the acrobat’s expression to sour a bit. The short answer game was already growing old.

”…What are you doing?” Speed asked after a moment to think of something that the mia’moray couldn’t just shrug off with a couple word response.

”I am updating the ship’s navigation data with god-ring war fleet data and planning what this ship could be used for in the war effort. See here-“ The handler pointed to a solar system and the hologram zoomed in, ”-here is that planet you all alerted us to. When you interrogated that demon general.”

The hologram showed more than a dozen ships in orbit around the planet with several red colored wrecks and debris fields as well. Clearly what had been demon warships.

”And here’s Frenziland. The blockade was destroyed and the demons are in rout.“ The relief in the mia‘moray’s voice was evident as they spoke of their homeworl.

”Well at least something good came of what we did.” Speed mumbled.

”A lot of good came of it actually. That right there is thousands, maybe even millions of lives saved by giving us some forewarning to that attack. Frenziland being freed will not only stop the genocide of my animals, but boost morale. Your AI friend was also kind enough to share the info she got on that demon base you found under the ice. We’re using it to predict where more of those sites could be.“ The handler spoke with a matter of fact tone, almost reminiscent of Lexi‘s hard-ass line delivery.

”Soo… the war is over? Demons are losing?” Speed asked semi rhetorically.

”The demon’s have caused a lot of species to splinter off from god-ring. Other factions are also exploiting the chaos to hit at us as well. And the spread of that virus isn’t slowing down either. It’s making some species say we’re not abiding by our agreements to defend them and leave as a result. Violently so in some cases. We’re not aware of the demon’s officially allying with anyone, but fronts are opening up across God-ring space where there weren’t any a week ago. Animals think the world’s coming to an end, and they‘re responding in kind.” The way the purple she-alien spoke implied this kind of thing was a specialty of hers; Staring at maps and condensing a bunch of complex situations into a couple easily digestible blurbs.

While Speed’s eyes were looking over the map to look at the various red marked areas, an alert popped up obscuring it all for a few seconds.

”Do you know what that says. It’s done that a couple of times.” The handler said with a gesture to the alert. The text next to it was old and not translat automatically.

”I forgot how old Mute’s ship is. Umm… zah-hur leeme tah gone. Tah gone? Tah gon—oh tah gone! Message. It’s a voice message alert. The ship’s receiving voice message requests. PIM probably rerouted any incoming calls to here.” Speed explained after a couple seconds of thinking.

”Encrypted, right?” The handler asked cautiously.

”They’re not getting traced I can guarantee that… Hey PIM! PIM!” Speed assured before yelling into the bowels of the ship. After getting no response she yelled again.

”PIM!“

”Yes?” The AI’s voice came through an unseen intercom with a hint of sass.

”We’re receiving communication calls?” Speed asked while rubbing her chest and the bruise on it underneath her suit idly.

”Yes. A few calls have come in. Rosie wishes to talk to Filament, Whistleperry wants to talk to Trin, and an Ochacarra has been trying to get in touch with Pest. I’ve blocked a number of other calls as spam.” PIM informed.

”Thanks PIM.” Speed purred up at the ceiling.

”I can’t actually hear you from there. The Ediacaran doesn‘t have any recording equipment outside of the bridge’s helm.“ PIM‘s voice came from around a corner before her borrowed body followed after it.

“So you can’t spy on us in our rooms?” Speed asked with a cheeky, playful smirk.

”Unfortunately no. How’s your chest?” PIM pointed to the acrobat’s torso.

”Sore. How’s Filament?”

“Sore, understandably. And testing out the fabricator’s ability to make alcohol last I checked.“ PIM said, looking visibly downtrodden.

”Any idea where Mute is? Or what I should be looking for?” Speed rolled her eyes in amusement at the thought of whatever Mute might have changed themselves into. The amusement faded a bit when the thought occurred to her that Mute might be trying to cope with the recent trauma through their shapeshifting.

”They haven’t shifted. Still a pretentious aristocrat, except around Trin.” PIM informed with a shrug.

”I’d bet she’s in Trin’s room then. I’ll go tell him he’s got a call.” Speed meowed, already padding off in the correct direction.

”I’ll do the same for Filament. Then Pest.” PIM stated.

”Nah-nah-nah, I got Pest.” Speed tutted over her shoulder from down the hall.

__________________


Lexi was in the galley. The huntress was sitting in a chair meant for bipeds, with back support. On the table in front of her was a burger with a big chunk taken out of it. The missing chunk‘s location evident from the sabertooth’s happy chewing. Up on and literally built into the wall behind a piece of waterproof glass was a tv. An “old school” tv, not a hologram. On it was playing some cartoon show.

”Hah! Never gets old.” Lexi laughed at the screen then grabbed her burger with both forepaws.

__________________


Lulalissa wrapped her paws around Alec and hugged him tightly. Lightly nuzzling him as he cried. She didn’t mind his tears making her shoulder damp, nor did her ears flick at the sound of his cries.

”I’m sorry. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” Lula cooed softly as she placed her head atop his.


____________________

Crimson sat in front of the bathroom mirror. Staring at her reflection, her gaze without focus. She felt fine but paradoxically completely not fine with feeling fine. She wasn't supposed to feel fine. She was supposed to be dead. She was happy to be alive but it felt wrong. Like stealing your best friend’s lottery ticket. Yeah the money was nice but it felt dirty. Crimson felt dirty. Or not clean. Was this how Hunter felt? Was she just being over dramatic? She brought a paw up to her lips and rubbed them. The lipstick was gone but it felt like it was still there.


___________________

Penny and Keesipip were “down” in the storage of the ship. It wasn’t actually at the bottom but the top of the ship. They’d found some old playing cards after rifling through a couple, no a few… no, several… more like dozens of boxes and crates Mute had laying around in here. And now they were sitting on some pillows with some cards in between them.

”-virgins.” Keesipip finished her statement while tossing down a card from her deck.

”Uh, yeah we can.” Penny objected, looking at the card tossed down before bring her gaze over her own deck. The two were using their tails to cover their cars from their opponent.

”No-no, we’re she-cats. WE can’t be virgins. Only toms are virgin.” The ashlander said, waving her paw dismissively.

”Neither of us have had sex right?” Penny asked.

”Right.”

”And we call toms who haven’t had sex virgins right?” Penny further questioned.

”Yeah.”

”So then what makes us not having had sex different from them, that we don’t get the virgin title?” Penny asked while she placed down her card.

”The difference is we get it and they give it!” Keesipip said, making Penny laugh. To which the gray she-cat joined in.

”Wait-wait, so does your culture value virgins over non-virgins?” Penny asked through her laughter.

”Of course we do. First is first!” Keesipip chirped with a laugh.

”Oooooh, that must suck for you then.” Penny said, glancing down as the ash she-line placed another card.

”Why’s that?” She asked, cocking her head.

”Because the only “virginal toms” in our group are children!” Penny shouted out, her laughter overtaking her.

“Oh my— you‘re right!” Keesipip said and started to join in with the chocolate colored she-cat. The two laughed together until their delight slowly died down. The two of them locked eyes while Keesipip leaned closer to the yellow blooded sheline. At first her expression was neutral but her lips pursed revealing that she was holding back a grin. Penny waited with bated breath.

”…I call dibs on Bailey.” Keesipip tried to whisper but couldn’t even keep her composure the entire time and was already laughing at her own joke.

”You can’t— you can’t call dibs on—on a kit!” Penny wheezed out. Falling to her side and losing her breath from laughing.

”W-we… we rescued him from that base right?” Keesipip said, partially out of breath herself.

”Uh-huh. So?” Penny squeaked out from her position on the floor.

”So finders keepers!” Keesipip joked.

”FINDERS KEEPERS!?” Penny howled, kicking her legs and beginning to tear up.


_____________________


PIM knocked on Filament’s door a couple times.

”Hey Fil. You mind if I come in? You‘ve got a call. Rosie left a voice message.” PIM said as sweetly as she could, pressing her ear against the door.


_____________________

Trin and Mute were lying out in the sun. They were both on the top of the Ediacaran as the vessel sat with just the very top of its structure above the ocean’s surface. All around them was a dark liquid. A couple shades darker and it would have been black. The sea had no salty smell to it, but something more akin to alkaline. Neither spoke. Mute shimmied so that they were laying with their head on Trin’s belly. Trin tried to shimmy away. Mute just shimmied back and snickered. Then silence overtook them once again.

”Is the sun in your eye not bothering you?“ Mute asked, looking at the tom’s face. They were wearing a sun hat, whereas Trin had nothing. But the tom didn’t respond.

”The silent treatment is rather unbecoming for a tom of your standing you know.” Mute meowed, affixing their hat so that it covered their face. When no response was coming Mute looked away from Trin and laid back against him.

”That wolfess, Nyx, would converse with me. She understands how proper animals are to behave.” Mute tutted.

”…….You‘d better at least say thank you to her for what she did... And I’m not referring to Nyx.” Mute added on in a bit more serious tone of voice. With that said it seemed Mute was content to actually be quiet. Or they may have even feel asleep. Their hat obscured their face.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

Since embarking the Ediacaran, Thistle has spent a majority of his time wandering the halls, poking his head into each room and discovering all the facilities aboard this ancient vessel. When the tomcat starts to feel hungry, he turns around and makes his way back to the kitchen area he saw earlier. To his surprise he sees it's already occupied by Lexi and Nyx, the latter of whom is in the midst of cooking. Thistle mews a greeting and heads straight for the pantry.

"Hello darling." Nyx greets in return, adding some of the pre-portioned ingredients around her workstation into a bowl. "Looking for something?"

"Just seeing what there is to eat here." Standing up on his hind legs, Thistle is able to reach the top shelves of the food storage areas without having to climb. Thanks to the mishap with the de-aging juice at the Symphony, Thistle appears his age now. He didn't know how, but after it wore off he found that his legs were longer than normal, his fur was darker and he'd grown into his ears. He pulls out a stack of crackers in a sealed plastic sleeve, letting it flop onto the counter.

"There is a meager supply in the pantry, I'm afraid. Use the fabricator," she points to a device built into one of the walls of the galley.

The tom looks over his shoulder at where she's pointing, "Okay?" The machine looks like any other high-tech device seen on any of the planets they've visited. Hopefully he won't look like too much of a fool trying to use this thing. "Uh, salmon." As soon as he utters the request, the screen flashes to life, words scrolling across the display as the machine begins humming. After about ten seconds, the fabricator unfolds and on the little platform sits a couple salmon fillets. He gives the fish a test sniff then grabs the plate, carefully balancing it on his back as he takes it to Lexi's table. Thistle makes a couple more trips, adding his pack of crackers, a can of soda, smoked zebra with barbeque sauce and a bowl of ripe prickly pears (sans prickly bits) to his collection. "Gods, that thing saved me so much time for these alone!" he uses a claw to slice the skin of the fruit and peels it open to reveal the vibrant flesh on the inside which he tucks into with gusto.

Nyx laughs, pouring some red wine into the hot pan with a loud sizzle. "Oh, the joys of modern technology, am I right?"

Sitting up to face Nyx with a wide smile on his face, Thistle hums in affirmation, magenta juice dripping from the corner of his mouth.



Thrush managed to find a training gym. It has everything one needs to stay fit while on long voyages. She begins slashing at one of the punching bags, sending it swinging with forceful blows thanks to Master's training. When the weighted bag swings back at her she drops to the floor and rolls beneath it, popping up to give it a quick set of jabs.

 

[Filament]

"You were dying!" Alec whimpers out, his voice cracking as it reaches a high it hasn't before in her presence. He sucks in a deep breath and buries his muzzle into her shoulder, his shoulders hitching as he cries, the sounds soft and seeming to come from somewhere deep inside him. The sun-down tabby has never felt so small, and especially not so in her arms but he's powerless, absolutely powerless against the waves as they batter against him.

"We gotta leave-" The tabby chokes out, making no effort to move his face away from her shoulder. "You can't go, not again." The tom sucks in a whiney inhale which causes his whole body to twinge and let's out another sob. "Please..." He whimpers, tears streaming down his orange and white muzzle as he buries himself further into her bosom.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lizeth curls her paw in Holly's smaller paw, holding the smaller she-line close against her tummy. Blood rushes in her ears, the meal she'd eaten in funworld churns in her belly. Without a word, she draws Holly as close as she can get the other sheline to her, their bodies melding together, orange and white fur blending as she cradles the slightly smelly she-cat. The calico sheline becomes acutely aware of the other crying quietly and she strokes her free-paw over the other's head, whispering quietly as she feels tears staining her belly.

"Shhh, 'salright now honey." The words are meant to comfort but she can't stop wondering how she remains so stoic after her best friend's death. Why comforting this soft-furred lass seems so incredibly important in the moment, why her mind keeps tracing back to a rubber ducky collecting foreigner. It's all so strange and she curls her tail over herself and her companion wearily, the fluffy black tip of it twitching with anxiety as she continues to stroke Holly's head fluff, her eyes resting on the wall.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luther exhales, the greyish-yellow smoke meshing into the air as he leans against the wall of his room. It's empty, it's sparse, it's a harsh reminder of the expanse of emptiness in himself. Wordlessly he makes his way into the gallery, one paw gripping his cigarette as though he might die if he releases it. He notices the orange she-line eating a burger and wordlessly sits in the chair next to her own, contrary to his usual aptitudes he says nothing, his tail tip twitching as the grey tips of his muzzle-fur glows in the soft yellow light of the television.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hal lets out a sigh, his useless mechanical paw resting against the hard ground beside the ship, his functioning limb holding the nozzle of the fuel pump against the belly of the machine, filling it with the fuel it needs to keep running, to keep the two of them running. It's cold to the touch but he tells himself he doesn't feel it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Filament lets out a groan and flushes the toilet, curling up on the floor beside it. "Yeaaaah, c'm in." the tom murmurs, hardly recognizing the voice of the she-cat who has made the drastic mistake of allowing him to court. His breaths are harsh and his eyes keep rolling backward as he stares at the ceiling. The room smells of vomit and sweat, althouh the faint scent of the cologne the two of them had picked up at Hunt-Feline lingers too, giving the whole room a nasty sort of locker-room smell.

 

[Moonsound]

PIM walked in and glanced around the empty room before peeking into the small bathroom. The rest of her body soon followed her head into the room. She sat down next to and behind the tom and began rubbing his back.

”Heeey. Rosie tried calling earlier and left a message.” The AI whispered softly, patting Filament’s back a couple times before returning to rubbing him.

”Hey Fil, it’s Rosie. I was worried about you after all the chaos at the Symphony and then I saw you on the news in that apartment explosion! I hope you’re alright. Give me a call if you want to chat or uh… you need me to fix you up again hehe. I’m going to be on Ganymede station for the next few weeks, just in case. ” The voice of the medbot came out of the room’s comm system crisp and clear.

“You’re holding up pretty well all things considered. Do you want some water or somethin?” PIM asked with a cock of her head. Her furless paw still stroking his back.

________________


Lexi watched Thistle‘s collection of food plates grow, splitting her attention between that and the show she was watching. Munching on her burger all the while. She remained just as mum when Luther sat down next to her. Her eyes being the only thing that she used to acknowledge him. Eyes that went back to the cartoon show in time for a slapstick joke.

“S’pretty good.” Lexi meowed. In a late response to Nyx.

________________

As Speed made her way to Mute’s quarters she caught a glimpse of Hunter in a room with Rum, talking about something or other. Arriving at the special door reserved for the captain, she forwent knocking and just barged in. Only to find an unoccupied room. Speed glanced back at the hallway before deciding to snoop around a bit. She ducked under the bed and pulled out a suit jacket whose color had dulled over time. It used to be a vibrant red but with age it now looked like a reserved wine color. A quick search found matched pants and a calendar under the bed as well. She re-stashed the jacket and pulled the calendar out and into the light to reveal it was themed. With “Agents” written in neon the front page. She flipped through it to find that the images were all just different animals making kissy faces to the camera. But a certain familiar face was on the 9th month of the 14 month calendar... Triss. Dated 9,853 years prior to the current.

”Ha, no waaay.” Speed murmured, looking at the image closer.

”This would have been a little before you and Trin went steady huh? I can’t believe Mute has you in some—what is this, a company calendar?” Speed continued talking to herself. A nostalgic smirk growing on her muzzle. Thinking it over quickly Speed decided to take the calendar. With it she jogged back to her own room and put it on her bed

With that side excursion out of the way she decided she’d look for Mute and Trin after Pest. She at least knew where he was.


__________________

Lula’s heart ached and she gave Alec a squeeze because of it. Seeing him like this almost physically hurt her.

”We’re safe now. I’m safe now. You heard her, even PIM said she couldn’t find us if she wanted to...” Lula purred as reassuringly as she could. Her voice trailed a bit however, like there was more she‘d wanted to say but the other words missed the train.

A couple knocks, bangs really, came from their door a moment later. Speed had gone with slapping the door over a few polite knocks given A.) She was wearing racing booties. And B.) she wasn’t thinking about it.

”Pest! P-body! P-kitty? Nah, that one’s in bad taste. Pest you’ve got a call from a Ochacarra! PIM didn’t block it as spam so I’m guessing you know them or they know you. There’s a communicator in the room you can use. Just letting you know!” Speed yowled through the door.

Lula’s eyes and brows raised in curiosity. As well as some slight relief. This was something she might be able to use to get his mind off the doom and gloom, if only a little. She pulled her head back from the tom and moved her paws to his shoulders to address him with eye contact If he wanted.

”Ochacarra? That’s a Frenzi name. You know her? Maybe she left a message?” The Mia’Moray asked in a curious and purposefully innocent tone of voice. It only sounded like she was talking to a pet and not her significant other a smiiidge. Not too much to be demeaning she hoped. She just didn’t want him to focus on everything that could go wrong right now and spiral.

_________________

Vasteye and Stalker were both in the lounge. Neither was in a chair though. Both content to lay on the carpet.

”How much control over another animal’s mind do you have?” Stalker asked.

”I didn‘t ask for conversation.” The silver tabby said flatly.

”Just answer—“

”A decent amount. I can put my voice in your head.” Vasteye answered hastily.

”Could you make me hallucinate in different ways?”The cream sheline asked coyly. Vasteye in turn let out a huge sigh.

”Stalker, I am unfortunately acutely aware of the exact reason you are asking that question.” Vasteye said with eyes lidded from dread.

”You don’t know why I’m-”

”I do! I assure you I do! No, I cannot make you see me or anyone else differently. And if I could, that‘d be for me to know and you to never find out.” Vasteye snapped without actually raising his voice.

”But-”

”Aslan-on-a-cross where is Flame!” Vasteye ran out of patience and rolled on to his paws. At least Flame might just stare at him quietly.

”Don’t go we were talking.” Stalker complained, getting to her paws as well.

”Don’t follow me.”

”But i’ve got more questions.”

”Stop following me!” Vasteye whined/growled as the cream sheline began to shadow him through the halls of the Ediacaran.



_______________________________________________________________
Elsewhere…


Older Purple floated down from the ship in the low-g environment until her paws made contact with the ground and some unseen force kept her glued to it. she glanced over at the uniformed group as padded over to Hal.

”Hmm, I attended that school.“ She said, coming to a stop next to Hal. She then looked at how he was fueling the ship for no reason. Her mannerisms were more like a kid with ADHD than some adult future war survivor.

”You got the type of fuel I wanted right?“ She asked, cocking her head at the pump.

”Good.” She said before Hal could even answer. Drumming her paws on the side of the ship while beatboxing for a few seconds.

”I’m going to get some snacks. Want snacks? Snacko tu quieres fraulein garcon?” Purple asked while already heading towards the station entrance.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

Thistle finds himself watching the show along with Lexi as he eats. He doesn't know what's going on via the plot, but he does find it quite humorous. When the "villain" chases the main character and ends up running face first into a closed door, that reminds him of antics he and Thrush used to pull back home. Anything to trip up their pursuers to give them time to hide or escape with their prize. He takes another bite of the fish, just about moaning in pleasure at the taste. Thistle has absolutely no idea what it's made of, fresh meat produced by a machine, but it somehow tastes exactly like the real thing. If someone were to have him blind taste real salmon and salmon from a fabricator, he would not be able to tell which was just fished up and which is synthetic.

"What's this show called?" He asks Lexi, picking up a cracker and crunching on it all while not taking his eyes off the screen.

Behind them, the sounds of gentle humming can be heard beneath the clinking cookware and sizzling food.

Nyx hasn't been able to get her paws dirty in a good way for quite a while now. At first glance, one would think that she has a five-star chef in her home and doesn't even know how to boil an egg but don't judge this book by its cover. Her issues surrounding food aside, Nyx just enjoys it. The process is calming to her. Whether it's old family recipes, a quick ten-minute meal, something new she saw online or just experimenting, she loves it.


Since they have joined back up with the group, Lethe has made sure to keep an eye on the youngsters. He saw Thrush consoling them after the attack, Nyx protected the bunny-cat kids and Hunter of course with his girls. But you can't have too many looking out for them with what this group goes through on a daily basis. Streak in particular, he finds, need more care than the others. The Ashlanders have each other, Bailey has Holly. But Streak... He has mom, Speed, but he's only seen those two together once. Streak clung to his "Aunty Jezebel" though Lethe he has no clue where she is right now.

When he finds the kits together (excluding Ruma since he saw her with her dad), he suggests things to do. Both in part as distractions and morale boosters because they need it. Exploring the ship, getting some snacks and watching a movie in the theatre, playing games, pestering the adults, or just relaxing on the comfy furniture in the lounge. If they don't want to, he won't make them. If they don't want to with him, he'll leave them be. Other than survive himself, he just wants to make sure they're going to be alright.

 

[Filament]

Filament manages to steady his eyes long enough to look at her, his gaze softening but he doesn't have any more tears to shed. "That wine was gross." He murmurs a bit drunkenly, leaning into her gentle touch. "Oh please?" The tom responds suddenly at the mention of water, perking up ever so slightly. "I'd kill for a salty hardtack cracker right now just to nibble on." His umber fur shudders and he burps but manages to avoid any more nasty purging. His vision is spinning and the sensation is horribly unpleasant as one could imagine.

"I don't think I'm holding up that well, but I trust you. Rosie's a nice gal, could you just let her know I'm not available right now but I'd be happy to catch up soon?"
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flame stands under the jet of water, watching the dark stains on his tabby fur stain the liquid pink as it runs down the drain. The ritual is becoming too common, the group going somewhere, animals dying, their pelts tinged dark with blood and viscera. A hefty shudder passes through him and he steps out of the water, walking over to the drying fan. It blasts his fur back and he stares at the wall, before walking over to a small mirror.
Amber eyes stare back at him, the face is tired, his nose is still running from his sickness. The thought strikes him suddenly, he looks old. Eyes that had beamed with magic stared back at him or moreso stared through him.

The sound of pawsteps perks his ears and he whips around, seeing Vasteye. "Hey, good to see you." His thoughts align with his words. Even if they'd not had many positive interactions, he owes the tom his life and more than that he was one of the originals. It's a bond.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pest sniffles and looks at her. "Kind of, she's really nice. Took me flying when we went to Frenziland the first time." The splotchy furred tabby responds, wiping his eyes with a paw before pulling away slightly. "I'm just glad she's okay." Another sniffle, his face contorts like he's going to cry again but he chokes it down. Wordlessly he sets his paw down on her own, squeezing it tightly.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I could go for some cheesepuffs." Hal responds, "some hard candy maybe." He responds flatly, his eyes not really leaving the fuel nozzle. "I don't need to hold it do I." He mewls stupidly, letting go of the side of the huge fuel hose.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Streak looks over at Lethe with a bit of apprehension. "I-I want to go back in my egg but not really, I want to make an egg out of blankets and stuff so everyone can see what it's like in there." The tom-kit squeaks, bouncing on his toes a bit.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luther takes another drag on his cigarette but continues staring at the television.

 

[Moonsound]

”The feelings mutual.” Vasteye meowed to Flame with a nod.

”Hey Flame!” Stalker mewed, poking out from behind the silver tom.

”Unlike a certain she-cat.” He grumbled. Looking at the cream cat to make it clear who he was refer to.

”You know you love me.” Stalker met his gaze with a facetious expression. What she said did cause him to look off for a moment in consideration.

”Fairness being fairness you are at least from earth. Your thoughts and memories are more comforting to see than the aliens in the group like Luther or Mute. It’s nicer being around you all.” Vasteye said in earnest.

”So what is Mute anyway?” Stalker asked as she leaned against the doorway.

”I don’t know. And I mean it. Animals don’t exactly think about their own basics in their head...Ever. You‘re basically asking me to figure out what your mouth tastes like or what the top of your muzzle looks like from your thoughts alone. It’s such an ever-present thing that you don’t acknowledge it.“ Vasteye explained, with a shrug at the end.

”What do you mean?” Stalker just cocked her head in confusion.

”When’s the last time you thought to yourself: I, Stalker, am a female cat who was born on earth?” Vasteye asked, rolling his paw in a circle to urge Hunter’s sister to connect the dots.

”Never.” Stalker responded simply.

”Exactly. Nobody thinks about themselves like that. You didn’t even think about yourself like that when I just said it. I honestly couldn’t tell you a thing about Mute definitively, the same way I need to see you to know for sure you’re a cat.“ Vasteye meowed, to which Stalker finally nodded in understanding.

”Speaking of thoughts, sorry about Lussmill throwing you across a city. When I asked her for help that wasn’t what I was expecting her to do. If it helps, she was 100% sure she could make the shot without killing you both. She also thought it’d be better for you to be at the apartment.” Vasteye segued the conversation back to Flame.

”Glad you and Aceline made it.” Stalker added in.

_____________________


“My Precious Spies.“ Lexi answered Thistle with a quick glance to them before staring at the screen.

“…A kit‘s show I grew up with. They’re all spies for different agencies but also best friends.“ She added on a few moments later when she figured she could at least provide some context. A moment later the sabertooth‘s jaw opened a smidge as she realized something.

”I just realized this virus probably just made Purple into the biggest gene-baby in centuries.” Lexi meowed aloud before stuffing the last bite of her burger into her mouth.

”Whuzzat? And what smells so good?” Keesipip asked and her and Penny walked into the galley.

”It’s like a nepo-baby on steroids. Some millions of years ago God-ring made a law that forced medical and biological companies to properly compensate anh donors of biological material. They set a legal mandate that stated individuals had an innate and unremovable ownership of their biological material. Meaning any time a company sold your blood or plasma or egg sac, they had to compensate you. And any profits received from cloning automatically earned you the legal right to royalties. I‘ve actually had to chase down more than one board member who thought they could skimp a donor and flee their court hearing.” Lexi explained, turning in her seat towards Kees while still taking glances at her show.

”Basically overnight you had a bunch of bloodlines who were millionaires or billionaires not just for life, but for their entire families lives forever. If your blood could be used to treat rare diseases or your genome was used to maintain a line of clones the companies that sold your stuff HAD to pay you entire percentiles of their profits. As a result you’ve got some animals who are filthy rich for literally just existing. It also makes some animals DESPERATE to have their babies. The stories of what some animals have done to try and get in a gene-rich bloodline get crazy. And now Trin and Purple are biologically immune to the biggest virus in history. Simply existing will make Purple a billionaire by herself… which means Malevo’s going to be even more annoying now.” Lexi groaned out the last part. Already imagining the headache that lifeliner could become.


____________


”Done. And I’ll be right back with something for you to eat.” PIM purred. She nuzzled the back of Filament‘s head before standing and leaving.

____________

Lulalissa looked at her paw then back to Pest. A small smile on her face.

”I love you. No matter what.” She purred, placing her other paw on top of his.


___________________________________________________________
Elsewhere…

Older Purple looked over her shoulder and laughed.

”Ha ha! I was wondering how long you’d stand there. Come on I’ll pay for whatever you want, no need to pay me back.” She said, waving for Hal to catch up.

As the two of them walked into the station’s truck stop-like interior, a gray tom cat watched them with visible interest. Not hiding his stare as he watched them enter.

”I prefer gummy stuff myself. But now that I’m thinking about it I may get some cheesepuffs too. And a big soda. I don’t remember, were you more of a coffee tom? Maybe a Smuthey?” Purple made small talk with Hal as she walked.

 

[Firestorm of TempestPack]

"A blanket fort? That's a great idea, bud. This ship is huge, so there's gotta be plenty of stuff to work with. Let's go." Since they happened to be outside the lounge, Lethe pads inside and looks for any blankets in the closet. "Take the cushions off the couches and we can use those for walls. Or sitting on."

Thank goodness no one else was in here, Lethe thinks. It'd be kind of awkward to barge in on someone relaxing and completely tear up the room. "I can even push the couches and chairs around to make the whole thing more stable so it doesn't fall down on us and we have to start over. That was always Apara's favorite part." Lethe adds casually, pulling out a folded blanket and setting it on the ground behind him. There are days where even saying their names aloud is hard, but today seems like a good one in that regard.


Thistle hums, the show has an interesting concept. The tom finally tears his eyes off the screen and stops eating when Lexi begins to explain what a "gene-baby" is. Getting rich just by existing? That's insane! But, now that he thinks of it, if the Demons weren't at her house trying to kill or kitnap her, he guarantees someone else would've been there to steal her away for other vile reasons due to her genetics alone. He wrinkles his nose at the thought.

"Pan-seared kriven in a savory wine sauce." She takes the pan she's working over off the stove and moves the meat to a plate. "Now to let it rest to soak up all the juices. That allows me to work on any side dishes." And that she does, she makes another stop at the fabricator as Lexi speaks to the room. Nyx returns to her station with a bowl of what looks like fresh parsnips and purple carrots.