Nia was starting to get a bit sick of traveling, she mused as she glanced lazily around the ship's cabin. It was nice enough, she supposed, fancy like everything Indoline seemed to be. "Meaning gaudy." she could just imagine Mythra commenting if she were to ever bring it up. The Gormotti snorted at the mental image of Mythra standing there, nose wrinkled in disapproval. Still, fancy or not, a cabin was a cabin, not a particularly interesting place to be stuck for hours on end. She really couldn't blame her Blade for stepping out to get some fresh air. Honestly, she considered doing the same, but what exactly would she do? She wasn't particularly hungry, so no point dropping by the transport ship's small mess hall. Oh, sure, she could find someone to talk to, but she didn't really have the patience for aimless small talk right now. Especially since, by this point, everyone else had to be just as worn out as she was (except Poppi, probably).

Which just brought her thoughts right back to being sick of traveling. It was a bit of an odd thing to think, since she had a fair bit of experience with moving from place to place by now. Yet, despite that, the feeling was undeniable. The whole hostage situation certainly didn't help make things less hectic. (Nia was pointedly ignoring how "hectic" seemed to be the new normal ever since she'd grabbed that bloody sword.) Just as she'd expected, trekking all the way out to Mor Ardain was not a particularly pleasant thing, even with three days to do it. Quite frankly, if they didn't have Fan la Norne managing their journey, Nia wasn't sure if they'd be able to pull it off. Fan was remarkably efficient when it came to organizing and travel planning. Which was a sensible skill for an envoy to have, in hindsight.

Of course, the fact that Fan was coming along with them was quite remarkable by itself.


The first step on the journey to the Empire had been to retrace their steps, returning to Leftheria to cut back across the archipelago. After all, the issue of the cloud ridge was still present, with no ship short of a dreadnought being able to circumvent it in a reasonable amount of time. And they didn't exactly have any dreadnoughts on hand. So, back across Leftheria it was. Fortunately, the very same ship they'd taken from Uraya should still have been in port at Rigitte Harbor, ready for Fan to appropriate it for their needs. They just had to get back to said harbor first – that would be what the first day was dedicated to. Then the second would just be one long slog across the cloud sea, setting them up to arrive at Mor Ardain that evening, so that they'd already be there before the third day rolled around. Then they'd be ready for whenever the kidnapper(s) attempted to contact them.

While their initial journey across Leftheria had been fairly relaxed, this time around it was quite different. Not because they encountered any trouble, in fact it was so uneventful that it almost became dull, but because of the air of tension that surrounded them. Everybody was just a bit on-edge, even the easygoing Corvin looking more serious than usual. Having some enemy plotting against them and dangling the life of Tora's father on the line would do that, really. To that end, they were left with an awkward silence hanging over them like a shroud – nobody seemed to know quite what to say. At least until Poppi, perhaps noticing the atmosphere, decided to strike up a conversation.

"Oh, Fan la Norne, Poppi wanted to say, Poppi impressed you got permission to come with friends." the artificial Blade spoke up as they stopped on a small sandy island to rest for a few minutes. Fan turned to her in surprise.

"Permission?" she repeated curiously, her brow furrowed slightly.

Vandham raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms from where he stood nearby. "Ya can already tell this is gonna be good." he murmured to Roc, who nodded sharply in agreement, watching Poppi and Fan intently.

"Yes, permission from Praetor to come along?" Poppi replied slowly, sounding genuinely confused that Fan hadn't realized what she meant.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Fan agreed a bit too quickly, nodding her head eagerly in what she clearly hoped was a gesture of sincerity. "It was no trouble at all." she added. At this point, everyone had more-or-less stopped what they were doing to pay attention to the discussion. Nia shared a skeptical look with Pyra, who frowned slightly in concern before taking a small step towards Fan.

"Fan, you... did get Amalthus's approval, didn't you?" Pyra asked softly, hoping that the gentle approach would make it clear she meant no offense. Fan tried to smile reassuringly, but a couple of her fingers were twitching nervously where she gripped her staff, and she wasn't quite meeting either Pyra's or Poppi's gazes.

"Fan la Norne have a very poor poker face." Poppi pointed out with her characteristic bluntness. Pyra looked rather apologetic, but couldn't help but nod her head in agreement with the comment.

Fan's cheeks colored faintly pink with embarrassment, something which Nia privately thought made her look rather endearing, not that she'd ever say that out loud. "Alright, the truth is, I... neglected to consult Praetor Amalthus before deciding to accompany you." Fan admitted awkwardly. Nia's eyebrows raised high, and looking around would reveal she wasn't the only one.

"You really did that?" the Gormotti wondered. Then a smirk crossed her face. "Look at you, bein' all rebellious! Didn't think you were the type." she added teasingly, leaving Fan looking even more embarrassed.

"I-it's not that, I simply wished to assist you, and we didn't have time to wait for an official sanction..." Fan tried to explain herself uncomfortably, clearly left quite wrong-footed after being caught out like that.

"That's what I was worried about..." Pyra spoke quietly, seemingly to herself (or maybe Mythra?), her eyebrows knit. "Fan, couldn't this cause some trouble for you?" she asked, speaking up louder.

Fan bit her lip and glanced away. "...Perhaps." she admitted. "I have the right to use Praetorium ships for my own personal travels on occasion, it's one of my privileges as the Praetor's Blade, though I've never invoked it before now. So do not worry about us breaking any laws." she paused and exhaled a low breath. "However, it's true the Praetor may not approve of my departing without informing him. I believe he will understand, he is my driver after all, but if not... I will take full responsibility."

"Fan-" Pyra said, though she didn't seem to know quite what to say.

"Oi, are you sure that's alright?" Nia spoke up, her teasing mood having vanished quite quickly when she realized it actually was potentially serious.

"Yes, I'm sure." Fan agreed immediately. Though her voice was even, there was a hint of steel in her eyes that said she wouldn't be dissuaded. "I apologize if I've made things more complicated." she added after a moment, bowing her head.

"Why Fan apologizing?" Poppi wondered, causing Fan to look up at her in surprise. "Poppi not see why friends would be mad when you only here to help." She said it with that same sort of simple, matter-of-fact tone that she often used when speaking, like it was just the most straightforward thing in the world.

"That right. Tora really appreciate helping save dadapon." Tora agreed quietly. He'd been a bit off ever since the encounter with Lila, far more subdued than usual. The situation being what it was, nobody could really blame him. Still, he tried to give Fan a sincerely grateful look. Clearly, he managed to convey what he wanted to, since Fan gave him a small smile in return.

"...Then, you're welcome, master Tora."

It was subtle, but the atmosphere around them as they continued the trek across the archipelago didn't seem quite as heavy as it had been before.


The more Nia thought about it, the more she felt like the whole situation was just a bit... odd. Not the whole hostage situation – well, no, being threatened by Poppi's... evil sister or whatever was really damn weird, but that wasn't what she was thinking about. No, it was the whole thing with Fan joining them, even possibly risking some sort of recrimination from the Praetor just for the sake of accompanying people she'd just met a few days ago. (Mythra's familiarity with her past incarnation notwithstanding, since Fan obviously didn't remember that.)

And it wasn't just Fan, either. Nia wasn't stupid, she could recognize a pattern when it was right in front of her. Rex threw himself into danger for her after knowing her for literally a day, and while that could be explained since Jin and Malos wanted him dead too, then he went and rejected splitting up when they got to Torigoth. Tora allied himself with her and Pyra against the Ardainian authorities before he even knew who they were. Vandham readily joined up with them when they came knocking – for free, no less, despite being a bloody mercenary. And now here was Fan doing much the same thing. Their little traveling group seemed to attract people to help out, no strings attached. It wasn't that Nia was ungrateful, she hated that it sounded that way when the thought ran through her head. She knew she probably wouldn't have made it this far otherwise (though the part of her used to surviving on her own, with only Dromarch for backup, rankled a bit at admitting that).

No, it wasn't that she didn't appreciate it, just that she didn't really understand why things were turning out that way. She certainly wasn't vain enough to think it was because of her, she knew she wasn't really the most magnetic personality. Which suited her fine – she was perfectly capable of acting like a "proper lady" if she wanted, she just... didn't want. But that still left the question of why they'd be drawn together, since it obviously couldn't be her. The obvious answer would be just because of the presence of Pyra and Mythra – half of Alrest seemed to be interested in the Aegis, to the point where it was frankly a bit frustrating. But that wasn't right either, that sort of thinking was much too cynical even for Nia. Anyone could see that their bizarre gathering had become quite close-knit just as quickly as it had formed.

And that was... a whole mess by itself, if Nia were being honest. She laid back on her small but oddly comfortable bunk, staring upwards at the ceiling. Somehow, at some point, she'd let people in close to her, and she'd stopped even trying to push them away. It was one thing with Pyra and Mythra, they had the excuse of a Blade-driver bond. But then there was Tora and Poppi, Corvin, Gramps, Vandham... Roc less so, he was still kind of an enigma. And, of course, Rex. It continued to surprise her just how much of an impression he made, when she'd originally written him off as some dumb kid. She'd even shared a bit about her family with him, and that wasn't something she talked about. It just wasn't.

All of them were... her friends. And frankly, who the hell thought that was even remotely a good idea? Was there really any chance of that lasting? Any chance of it turning out well at all? There were so many ways it could go wrong. Unconsciously, Nia's hand clenched over her chest until it almost hurt. Yes, this could blow up in her face in the most terrible, painful way possible. And yet, she knew she was in far too deep to back out – and she wasn't sure if she would even want to anyway.

….

Nia ran her hand across her face and let out an exasperated groan, not bothering to hide it since there was nobody else in the cabin anyway. When had she developed this habit of massively overthinking things when she was tired? It was incredibly annoying. All that mattered right now was dealing with this mess and getting Tora's dad safe, everything else was just guff. She just wanted to rest until they got to Mor Ardain.


Tora idly kicked his legs where they stuck out slightly below the railing of the ship's outer deck, gazing out at the cloud sea as he sat there. The vantage point reminded him of the small opening over the clouds in his house back on Gormott. He'd liked to sit there sometimes too, one of his favorite parts of the place. Not as good as the workshop, though – small though it was, that was where he built Poppi! That wasn't really what he was thinking about right now, though. No, his mind was largely occupied by more recent events. Honestly, Tora didn't know what to make of it. Professor Tatazo, his dadapon, was being held as a hostage in Mor Ardain. He'd been expecting a fairly boring day in Indol – he didn't have anything to say to the Praetor, really, the meeting wasn't for him other than finding out where to go next. And then he'd had that hit him out of nowhere like a flying Gogol. Surely nobody could blame him for being shocked.

But even when the shock subsided, he still felt strange. He wasn't even sure if it was bad strange or good strange. He was scared – of course he was. Tora was a brave Nopon, but this was a very scary situation. Dadapon was trapped somewhere, maybe hurt, definitely under threat of being hurt. It was like one of the worse situations Tora had imagined when Tatazo went missing, except now it was real. Yet, on the other wing, it was also kind of... exciting. Here Tora was, the driver of Poppi, and friends with a whole group of amazing drivers and Blades. And they were all sailing off on a daring mission to rescue his dadapon. If he thought about it, it sounded exactly the sort of incredible adventure he'd always dreamed of going on, if only he were a driver. So it was very, very bad that dadapon was in danger... but also good that Tora and friends had a chance to save him. Very strange.

"Masterpon?" Poppi's voice suddenly spoke behind him. Tora did not nearly jump out of his fur in surprise, thank you very much. He'd prefer to call it... quickly reacting. He'd been so caught up thinking about his dadapon, he hadn't even realized Poppi had followed him here. (In hindsight it should've been obvious, there weren't many places to go on the ship, and she didn't usually stray far anyway.)

"Yes, Poppi? There something wrong?" Tora answered quickly as he turned to her, putting his pondering aside. He and Poppi hadn't spoken much since the incident in Indol, but that didn't mean he was ignoring her. An amazing driver would never ignore their Blade, and that's what Tora wanted to be.

"No, it not wrong exactly, but..." Poppi trailed off, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully, as if she wasn't quite sure how to continue that sentence. Which was unusual by itself – Poppi didn't tend to hesitate much.

"Mehmeh, what Poppi mean?" Tora wondered, unconsciously mimicking the very same head-tilting gesture as he considered Poppi's behavior. "Poppi... want to ask Tora something, maybe?" he suggested. Honestly, he just threw it out there randomly – he didn't really know what Poppi was thinking about – but the way her eyes brightened slightly, he seemed to be onto something.

"Yes, that it! Poppi knew you would listen, masterpon." Poppi agreed with a nod, sounding slightly relieved. Tora beamed at her encouragingly, glad to hear he'd done something right, even if he still wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. Poppi took a deep breath (not that she really needed to, on account of being an artificial Blade). "Poppi... was curious about Lila." she said slowly, wondering if she might be treading on some sort of sensitive ground.

"Lila?" Tora repeated. "Ohhh. That make sense. Tora never tell Poppi about her before." he realized, tapping one wing on the side of his head thoughtfully. Once again, Poppi confirmed the statement with a nod. Tora hummed to himself as he considered how to begin. "Well, Tora already mention that Lila was the first artificial Blade prototype." he noted, partially to himself.

"Would that mean that... Lila is Poppi's big sister?" Poppi interjected, her expression conflicted like she wasn't sure what to think of that idea. Tora's eyes widened. He hadn't even thought about it like that, but... it made sense. Of course Poppi would see things that way, it was probably the best way to describe their connection.

"Tora suppose she would be, yes." he said decisively.

If anything, Poppi just looked even more troubled, and Tora began to wonder if he'd done something wrong by confirming it. "Then why?" she asked quietly. Before Tora could ask what she meant, she continued. "Why would Lila help kidnap Tatazo? Poppi... not even able to imagine turning on masterpon." she said that last part with utter sincerity. "So why would Lila? Why big sister do such thing, when Poppi wouldn't?"

"Poppi..." Tora murmured, a deep frown crossing his face at the question. "Tora not sure. Tora really not sure." he admitted. The question had definitely occurred to him, to be honest. Lila had never been properly activated before the incident that led to her disappearance, so how her exact personality would turn out was a bit of an unknown factor. But it shouldn't be so drastically different from Poppi that it would cause her to betray her masterpon, when Poppi refused to even consider it. Unless... "Lila did say someone else was masterpon." Tora realized suddenly. Poppi's eyes narrowed as she considered the implications of that.

"Then, somehow, evil mastermind influence Lila to listen?" she suggested uncertainly. Tora simply shrugged. It was as good a theory as any other, really, but they clearly didn't have enough information to go off. The two of them lapsed into silence for several moments, neither really seeming to know what else to say.

Tora glanced around aimlessly, starting to feel a bit awkward. "Meh, this topic not very pleasant." he noted. Poppi looked like she agreed. "So! How about we change subject?" There was a bit of forced cheer in the suggestion, but it was quickly glossed over. "There anything else Poppi want to know?" Grateful for the shift in the discussion, Poppi hummed and placed one finger on her chin in thought.

"If Poppi based off prototype design, then why Lila look so different?" she asked after a moment. It was obvious what she was referring to – though Lila definitely had clear similarities in terms of appearance (especially around her face), there were also distinct differences. Most notable was the overall design of their bodies. Poppi had an almost stereotypical "clunky robot" sort of design, almost all sheets of thick metal plating. Lila, by contrast, was still visibly robotic but with much more human proportions, appearing almost like a young lady who just happened to have metal limbs. The difference in aesthetics was just noticeable enough to be a bit odd, since they both theoretically stemmed from the same design.

"Ah! That actually due to process of building Poppi." Tora replied brightly, always a bit eager to discuss the technical aspects of creating Poppi. Even if it was to Poppi herself. "Tora originally intend for Poppi to have alternate configuration that look more like Lila. But Tora have a problem actually implementing design. For some reason, Tora find that ether furnace output not quite match with what grampypon used to say it could do." Poppi was nodding her head slightly as Tora spoke, showing that she was following the explanation. "That mean power consumption of Poppi too high, so much that Tora not even able to activate Poppi at all! So Tora redesign Poppi with more ether-efficient Alpha configuration instead."

"That fascinating, masterpon! Poppi never realize she originally intended to look different." Poppi commented, a wondering look on her face.

"Tora mean to mention it before, but... Tora forget, mehmeh." Tora admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Tora sorry about that. And about not building Poppi quite right."

"Oh no, masterpon! Poppi not upset, no need to apologize." Poppi denied quickly, shaking her head for emphasis. "Building Poppi Alpha already an amazing feat, masterpon should be proud. And Poppi not see how ether furnace output is masterpon's fault." she said, the earnestness in her voice garnering a small smile from Tora. "Though, Poppi is curious... if prototype design take too much ether, then how Lila able to use it?"

Tora's brow furrowed. "That good question, Poppi. Maybe Lila upgraded with stronger ether furnace?" he suggested. Poppi simply shook her head once again, however.

"That not really make sense. Poppi not detect noticeably higher output than her own from Lila." she said with a small shrug. Now that was a bit odd – assuming Lila really was using approximately the same configuration as Tora expected, then how did she have the power for it? It was an interesting engineering puzzle, Tora had to admit that.

"Hmm. It possible Lila saving power by reducing non-critical functions." the Nopon thought out loud, rubbing his chin with one wing. "Tora would likely start with limiting flight booster use. Rocket boosters super amazing, but they take lots of ether to use for long." he mused. Poppi mulled over the thought for a moment...

Then her eyes went wide as a realization struck her. "Wait a moment! Masterpon!" she exclaimed suddenly. Tora, who was just starting to get lost in his thoughts about power-saving methods, jumped slightly at the shout.

"Mehmeh!? What wrong, Poppi?" he asked, looking around worriedly. Yet the deck of the ship was still empty asides from them.

"Rocket boosters take lots of ether." Poppi repeated Tora's statement, much to his confusion. Before he could ask, though, she continued the thought. "Poppi not capable of long-distance travel, so if Lila have similar energy output, then... she not capable either, right? So to get to Indol, she have to take ship..."

"Right..." Tora agreed uncertainly. "But why Poppi mentioning it..." he started to ask. But then he stopped himself as the very same realization hit him, letting out a small gasp. "Tora sees! Poppi is a genius!" Poppi allowed herself just a moment of pride, preening a little under the praise. Tora turned away from her, starting to head towards the exit off the deck that led to the cabins. "Come along, Poppi! We go tell friends, this very important clue."

Poppi dutifully followed after him, still smiling to herself. This development wasn't exactly what she'd expected when she asked to know more about her possible big sister. But she was glad something productive came of it.


"-a? ….Nia?"

There was something faintly shaking her shoulder. That was the first thing Nia was aware of, along with a familiar voice gently calling her name, as she returned to consciousness. Eyes still shut, she instinctively reached up to brush the hand off of her, and heard whoever it was stepping back slightly. It was only then that Nia blearily opened her eyes.

"Mmm, Pyra?" she yawned. For it was indeed Pyra who had woken her, the redhead giving a slightly apologetic smile as Nia slowly sat up. She hadn't been planning for her nap to become a deep sleep – she only meant to doze a bit, honestly. But apparently the Architect had other ideas. (Or at least, that's what she was choosing to blame.) "What's goin' on? We get there already?" As she said that, she glanced towards the window. It still looked pretty light out – more afternoon than evening. Were they a couple hours ahead of schedule?

"...Um, no. Not quite yet." Pyra replied, shaking her head. Well, there went that idea. Nia raised an eyebrow, signaling Pyra to continue. "Actually, Tora and Poppi want to talk to us about something."

"Huh. Don't suppose you know what about?" Nia wondered, rubbing her eyes as she stood from the bed.

Pyra just shrugged. "They didn't say, but... I got the idea it might be important. I don't think it's anything really bad though, they didn't look upset."

"As long as it's not somethin' stupid, or else Tora's gonna get it..." Nia grumbled as she pulled her boots back on. Pyra smiled slightly at her driver's attempt to appear grouchy, knowing there was no real heat to it. "Right then, let's go." said driver declared, idly running a hand through her bangs. Without further ado, Pyra led her out of the and little ways down the adjoining hall. Nia's eyebrows rose slightly when she saw who else was gathered there – which is to say, their entire group. So whatever this was about, Tora clearly thought it was relevant for all of them to hear. Presumably something related to the whole Tatazo situation, then. Rex, seeing Nia and Pyra approaching, gave them a small wave, which Nia lazily returned. Corvin looked to them as well, grinning lazily and shooting a nod of acknowledgment to Pyra, which she returned.

"Oi." Nia spoke up. "I'm guessing Tora hasn't told any of you what this is about either, yeah?" she asked the group as a whole. Rex and Corvin glanced at each other, then shook their heads in unison. Vandham merely shrugged his massive shoulders, while Roc hovered silently in the background as he seemed to do so often. At the same time, Fan la Norne frowned slightly, seeming apologetic that she didn't know either. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Nia sighed. Tora fidgeted slightly as everyone turned to him, looking a little embarrassed.

"Meh, Tora and Poppi not want to explain multiple times." he defended himself. Poppi nodded her head firmly in agreement.

"That's understandable, Tora." Pyra acknowledged kindly. "But, we're all here now." she added, hoping to gently prod him into getting on with it before Nia got impatient. Or Mythra did, for that matter. (Pyra pointedly ignored her sister's huff of indignation at that thought.) Either way, they didn't really need an argument right now.

"Right, of course." Tora agreed. "So, Tora and Poppi were talking, at first we discuss-"

"Masterpon, maybe skip to important part?" Poppi interrupted him.

Tora smiled sheepishly. "Yes, you right, Poppi. Anyway, we realize important clue about who send Lila!" Tora announced, earning a round of surprised looks, while Poppi looked a bit proud.

"Really!" Vandham said as he put his hands on his hips, sounding cautiously impressed. "What've ya got, then, furrypon?"

"Ah, Tora explain in a moment, but first, question for friends. How did Lila get to Indol titan?" Tora asked in return. Nia frowned slightly at the seemingly-random question, and she wasn't the only one.

"She... flew, right? I mean, we all saw her leave by taking off over the titan's edge." Rex answered uncertainly, blinking a couple times in confusion. Next to him, Corvin had his brow furrowed in thought.

"That what it look like, but no." It was Poppi who spoke this time. "Lila not any more capable of inter-titan flight than Poppi. And it certainly not possible for Poppi." she explained simply, not bothering to get into the technical details of ether furnace outputs. Not that she didn't like discussing such things, they just had more important business.

"Hold on, so you're sayin' she had to travel some other way?" Nia asked, just to confirm the thought process. Tora and Poppi both nodded in perfect sync.

"Pardon me, but... that isn't possible either." Fan la Norne protested, puzzlement etched across her face. "The only reasonable means of transport would be a ship, and that would not go unnoticed. Even a small ship would be monitored by the Praetorium's authorities, and we would have seen her heading for it as she departed." she pointed out, and Nia frowned. That was a good point. "There's nowhere to really hide a ship... except below the cloud sea, I suppose, but of course that isn't actually possible." Fan mused. That last comment, intended to be innocuous, might as well have been a bomb blast. Pyra stiffened, while Rex's eyes went wide, and Tora allowed himself a slightly smug smile. They'd reached the same idea as he and Poppi did without them even needing to mention it.

"Oh bloody hell...! I should've known." Nia swore under her breath. Fan looked around, confused at all the odd reactions, which now also included a grim look on Vandham's face as he too realized the implications.

"Did I say something wrong?" Fan asked, tilting her head to the side worriedly. Finally, Gramps took pity on her, popping out of Rex's helmet to explain.

"You see, there is in fact a ship that can travel below the clouds. It's called the... Monoceros, I believe." Gramps paused, looking to Nia for confirmation, and she quickly nodded. "It was cutting-edge technology from an ancient kingdom before its fall." he shot Pyra an apologetic glance for mentioning that, and she smiled weakly in return. "But, these days, it's in the possession of a certain infamous group that uses said kingdom's name. That is to say, Torna." he explained. Fan's eyes had widened as she, at last, realized what was being suggested.

"Yeah, I've seen it myself. It'd be pretty impressive, if they weren't trying to kill us. And Nia's actually ridden on the thing, too." Rex jumped in to support the point – not that anyone was arguing at the moment.

"Indeed. It was the guns on that ship that caused my current state as well." Gramps noted.

"Anyway, what they're saying is, this would make Torna the number one suspect for kidnapping Tora's father." Pyra interjected before the conversation got too sidetracked. Fan nodded seriously, unconsciously biting her lower lip as she processed the information.

"Dunno why I'm surprised, seems like everything that goes wrong is their fault these days..." Nia grumbled to herself.

"You know, she's not wrong." Mythra commented in Pyra's mind.

"Ah, but, this all speculation, friends." Tora pointed out quickly. "Dadapon always say, not jump to conclusions without proof. It possible there other things we not consider."

"Not to mention, there still gaps in theory. Professor Tatazo disappear years ago, how Torna know to kidnap him? How they even know he related to masterpon? Why did Lila join?" Poppi wondered, agreeing with Tora's statement.

"Hmm. Ya got a point there. But it does sound like the scummy sorta thing they'd do." Vandham spoke up seriously. He'd been stewing quietly since the idea was first mentioned, and Nia remembered him mentioning that Torna had been responsible for killing some of his mercenaries. "Think about it. Takin' a hostage and announcing it to draw ya out into some trap? Sounds kinda like what you said they pulled with Iona, don't it?"

Pyra's eyes widened in realization. "It... really does. This could basically be the same plan again, just across a larger distance." she said.

"Huh. You really think they'd just reuse a scheme like that?" Rex asked, slightly nonplussed.

"Well, why not?" Corvin argued back. "Threatening innocent people is never acceptable, of course. But they know we feel that way. They'd do it again because it would still work." And Rex really couldn't deny that. After all, they were literally heading off to possibly walk into exactly such a trap right at that moment.

"Nia, assuming it really is them, we don't have to worry about something like Obrona again, do we?" Pyra asked in concern.

"Not that I know of. Besides, we wouldn't fall for that again, not with Mythra helping us out. If she could get around it once, she could do it again, yeah?" Nia replied.

"...You know, she's a bit embarrassed at you complimenting her." Pyra teased after a moment, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Please stop talking, Pyra. Just... stop."

"You could always take it from here, you know."

"...Hmph."

"Regardless, this doesn't really change our plan of action. We simply have a suspect now. And... we'll find out tomorrow for sure." Fan la Norne said decisively. With that, the conversation gradually wound down, the group splitting off again to do their own things since they still had a few hours' sailing to go before they reached Mor Ardain. Still, as Tora and Poppi passed by in the hallway, Nia made a small gesture with her hand to stop them.

"Oi, Tora, Poppi, good job figurin' all this out. I wouldn't have even thought of it myself." she said quietly, giving the two a sincere grin. Tora rubbed the back of his head.

"It really Poppi's brilliance, mostly." he said modestly.

"Nonsense. Poppi and masterpon unstoppable team." Poppi insisted with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, well, either way, nice work." Nia said. "And don't worry, we'll get your da back." she added. Pyra gave a determined nod next to her, before the two turned to head back to their shared cabin. Tora smiled brightly at Poppi, to which she responded with a thumbs-up. Nia and Pyra were their first driver and Blade friends, after all – their praise meant a lot, whether they realized that or not.


*Thunk*

Mikhail was bored.

*Thunk*

Really bored. When he'd come up with the idea to waste Nia and Mythra's time by drawing them all the way out here for a confrontation, he hadn't really thought about how that would mean wasting his own time too. Which was why he was sitting here in a nondescript break room in a not-so-abandoned abandoned factory in Mor Ardain. Honestly, he was kind of surprised that Bana had even bothered giving his employees proper breaks, much less a break room to spend them in. Guy didn't seem like the type who cared about ethical labor standards. Or ethics at all, for that matter.

*Thunk*

Either way, it was incredibly dull. Which was why he was entertaining himself by bouncing a rubber ball off the nearest wall. Mikhail wasn't quite sure why said ball was here, but hey, he wasn't complaining. At least the thunks from it hitting the wall broke the silence. You'd really think a factory dedicated to producing artificial Blades would be more interesting, but... he already knew the design process for the Blade Bots, more or less. It was nothing new. At least on the Marsanes, there was always something to do, whether it be tinkering with the computer systems or riling up Patroka. Of course, he could still do the latter – he cast his gaze over towards where she stood, arms crossed and leaning against the far wall. Her eyes were closed, and Mikhail couldn't tell if she was as bored as he was, or if she'd actually fallen asleep standing up. (It wouldn't be the first time, though she'd never admit it.)

*Thunk*

Yeah, he could entertain himself by chatting with Patroka. But that needed to be done sparingly – with the two of them stuck together for several days without the other members of Torna around, aggravating her too much would probably end with him getting stabbed. Or shot, Patroka really liked Perdido's ether cannon. Speaking of Perdido, where was he, anyway? Were he and Cressidus still out beating up monsters in the wastes? Or maybe they were just chilling somewhere else in the factory. Either way, it suited Mikhail fine. Cressidus was a decent enough guy to be around, Mikhail could definitely think of worse Blades, but his huge frame would make this break room really cramped. And Jin was... probably brooding in his cabin on the Monoceros. Speaking of which, if Patroka didn't say anything soon then Mikhail was probably gonna head back to said ship and do some maintenance on the guns or something.

*Thunk*

Right as he caught the ball once again, the electronic door slid open. Mikhail looked up, expecting to see one of the factory's Tirkin workers. To his surprise, however, it definitely wasn't a Tirkin. Nope, it was Bana himself, magenta mustache looking as ridiculous as ever. At his side was that artificial Blade who seemed to shadow him half the time. Mikhail still wasn't sure what was up with that, but hey, she'd made their job easier by delivering the message to Mythra for them, so he wasn't complaining.

*Thunk*

"Hey, boss man. You need something?" he greeted Bana with a lazy wave, smirking slightly. Of course, Bana wasn't actually Mikhail's boss in any sense, but this was his factory, so... may as well pretend, right? Bana scowled slightly, as he so often did when talking to people. Well, people not named Jin, that is.

"Hmph. Not as such. Bana simply want to make sure Torna not causing trouble." Bana grumbled, crossing his wings irritably.

"Us? Cause trouble? Wouldn't dream of it." Mikhail replied, grinning cheekily.

*Thunk*

"Bana heavily doubts that." the chairman replied dryly. He was probably still irritated at having to more-or-less put his operations on hold for their little scheme. Not that Jin had given him much choice in the matter. "In fact, Bana not even remember giving Torna free reign to wander around Bana's factory. Lila, did Bana ever do such a thing?" he glanced over at the artificial Blade. Her eyes were dull as she shook her head, and Mikhail got the strong impression she'd rather be literally anywhere else. But that wasn't any of his business. (Though he really was curious.)

"What? You didn't expect us to stay cooped up on the Monoceros the whole time, did you?" Mikhail replied with a raise of his eyebrow. From the unimpressed look on Bana's face, that was probably exactly what he'd been expecting.

*Thunk*

"Besides, you've got coffee here." Mikhail added, gesturing to an empty cup on the table next to him. "Even if it tastes like dirt and sadness, it's better than nothing. You don't wanna see Patroka if she goes without for too long, trust me. Becomes a bit of a witch, if you get my meaning?"

A deep sigh came from Patroka's corner of the room. "Bite me, Mik." she grumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes to glare at him. So that disproved the "sleep" theory, then. Which Mikhail thought was a shame, because that honestly would've been kind of adorable. In an incredibly dangerous sort of way. But then, the threat of violent murder just made things more exciting.

"Hrrm. Bana see that Mikhail's idea of conversation is as inane as ever." Bana pointed out bluntly, still looking quite thoroughly done.

"He's got you there." Patroka agreed lazily, finally looking at him. Mikhail faked a hurt expression.

"You wound me, Patroka." he pouted dramatically, earning an exasperated eyeroll for his trouble.

*Thunk*

Mikhail noticed the way Bana's mustache bristled every time the ball collided with the wall. This time, though, the Nopon actually let out a small growl, his eye twitching slightly. Clearly, he found Mikhail's timekiller of choice to be extremely irritating. Mik looked down at the ball in his hand, then up at Bana's face. There was a warning look in his eyes. Another glance back towards the ball, thoughtfully. Perhaps it was time to find something else to occupy his hands, then.

…..

*Thunk*

Bana looked like he was about to explode, which wasn't helped by the smug grin that Mikhail shot him. "Lila! Destroy that stupid ball!" the Nopon barked suddenly, right as Mikhail yet again tossed it towards the wall. The artificial Blade surged forwards with impressive speed, catching the ball in her hand and immediately crushing it in her metallic grip, depositing the remains in a small waste bin in the corner. All this happened in the span of a couple seconds, while Mikhail just stared.

"...Wow." That was the only comment that came to mind. Patroka snorted derisively.

"That's what you get for being a pain. I would've told her to kick your ass, personally."

"Really? I would've thought you would much rather 'kick my ass personally'... am I right?" Mikhail shot back, somehow managing to make that comment sound flirtatious. Patroka merely groaned, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh. I've had enough of this. See you on the Monoceros or whatever." she snapped, pushing off the wall and storming out of the room. Realizing that going after her would only earn him some colorful death threats, Mikhail turned his attention back to Bana and Lila.

"So, what's your deal, huh?" he asked the artificial Blade as she returned to Bana's side.

"Deal? There no deal. Lila follow orders of masterpon." Lila replied flatly, looking at Mikhail with that same detached expression she'd sported earlier.

"Yeah, I noticed that. But, come on, there's gotta be more to you than that, right?" Mikhail prodded, looking at her curiously. She really was quite different from the Blade Bots in design, and definitely didn't seem like a mindless drone. So why was she acting like one, then? It was a bit of a random mystery, but now Mikhail was determined to solve it.

"Hmph. Mikhail wasting his time, trying to talk to artificial Blade." Bana scoffed loudly, and Mikhail turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Lila merely a prototype design, who Bana keeps because it useful tool. That all there is to it." he explained gruffly.

Mikhail frowned slightly. "So, she's your perfect little servant, then?" he asked, a slight hint of... something off in his voice, like his laid-back tone was just a bit more forced than usual. The corners of Lila's mouth tightened slightly, as if she really wanted to reply but couldn't. Bana, however, didn't appear to notice the shift in tension at all.

"Indeed! Obtaining it was a great stroke of luck for Bana. Have to thank Muimui for tip sometime." the chairman bragged, stroking his beard in satisfaction. "Then all Bana have to do is install control device, and Lila follow every order to the letter." Lila glanced away ever so slightly when Bana said that.

There was an awkward pause for several seconds before Mikhail spoke again. "...To the letter, huh?" he asked, an odd expression on his face. Almost calculating. "You might wanna be careful with that." he said.

"What Mikhail mean? Be careful of what?" Bana asked, confused by the shift in the conversation.

"Well, you know, following what someone says isn't always the same as following what they actually mean." Mikhail pointed out, crossing his arms behind his head casually. "You gotta be careful with wording. Otherwise she could interpret an order in a way that technically obeys it, without giving you what you actually want." he explained, sounding as if he were genuinely trying to be helpful. Bana, however, shook his head sharply at the mere suggestion.

"Bah! Does Mikhail think Bana is stupid? Bana would never fall for such a dumb trick!" he denied angrily, and Mikhail held up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Hey, man, take it easy, I didn't mean any offense. Come on." he said, earning a huff from Bana. "It was just a bit of advice." For some reason, Mikhail looked Lila right in the eyes as he said that, and she frowned slightly. "But, anyway!" Mik spoke up again quickly. "If you don't actually need me for anything, then I'll stop wasting your time. See you when Nia gets here." With that, he swiftly stood up and strode out of the room, leaving Bana grumbling something like "good riddance" behind him.

With Bana distracted looking at the departing Mikhail, Lila allowed her brow to furrow in thought.


Author's Notes: So, thus begins the Mor Ardain arc proper... even though we aren't actually in Mor Ardain yet. I was originally planning to cover the party's arrival in this chapter, but as things went, I figured the pacing would be better if I shift it to next time. Makes the split between chapters a bit less jarring. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Also, some spotlight on Tora and Poppi this time! I often feel like I neglect the two of them a bit when writing. Which is odd, because I like them as characters. I just don't always know what to DO with them. Hopefully this arc should help rectify that.